With a focus on diversity, “Nippon Connection” once more cements its position as the biggest Japanese cinema festival in Europe. The selection is as interesting as always, although the current state of Japanese cinema and the fact that Cannes take place pretty close to the festival, did not allow to include some of the biggest latest titles, such as the ones from Takeshi Kitano and Hirokazu Koreeda. Nevertheless, a number of gems are here once more, the articles of which are included in the list below.
Click on the titles for the full articles.
1. Single8 (2023) by Kazuya Konaka
A coming-of-age story veiled as a love-letter to movie-making, ‘Single8′ wears it passions on its sleeve, following its cast as they mature from avid enthusiasts to storytellers in their own right. Director Kazuya Konaka, of whose teenage years the film is based on, captures their passions and determination with an inquisitive zeal,...
Click on the titles for the full articles.
1. Single8 (2023) by Kazuya Konaka
A coming-of-age story veiled as a love-letter to movie-making, ‘Single8′ wears it passions on its sleeve, following its cast as they mature from avid enthusiasts to storytellers in their own right. Director Kazuya Konaka, of whose teenage years the film is based on, captures their passions and determination with an inquisitive zeal,...
- 6/16/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Historically speaking, many are used to looking at Japan during World War II for the more notorious aspects, such as the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army or the dictatorship rule of a militaristic government that regularly promoted ultra-nationalistic notions. It seems unreal to some that Japanese citizens had differing mindsets during this historical period of waging aggression. Yet, it would be unwise to label every individual in Japan as standing for the same values, as there were also plenty of pacifistic perspectives that were seen as controversial at the time. One can only imagine what it must have been like for children growing up during the Showa period with constant clashing mindsets. These elements would play into the narrative of Keisuke Kinoshita's “Twenty-Four Eyes,” a beautiful film that promotes love and pacificism during a time of nationalism and war.
Twenty-Four Eyes is screening at Nippon Connection
“Twenty-Four Eyes...
Twenty-Four Eyes is screening at Nippon Connection
“Twenty-Four Eyes...
- 6/12/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Shichiro Fukazawa's story “Narayama” is a haunting tale of ubasute, an ancient practice in Japanese folklore of carrying an elderly family member to a remote area, where they are left to die. Fukazawa's short story has notably been adapted twice. The most popular and successful version is Shohei Imamura's “The Ballad of Narayama,” released in 1983, which was both a critical and financial success and is regarded as a classic. Yet, the first adaptation of the powerful tragedy that came long before is a film that is very different in style from Imamura's depiction but equally wonderful. That magnificent picture is Keisuke Kinoshita's “The Ballad of Narayama.”
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
By the late 1950s, Keisuke Kinoshita had made quite a name for himself, especially after having graced moviegoers with his powerful film, “Twenty-Four Eyes.” Around the same time,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
By the late 1950s, Keisuke Kinoshita had made quite a name for himself, especially after having graced moviegoers with his powerful film, “Twenty-Four Eyes.” Around the same time,...
- 4/30/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
With so many great Japanese directors who made a name for themselves, it is always interesting to see some collaborate. One of the most interesting collaborative efforts was the company “Yonki-no-Kai,” which translates to the “Club of the Four Knights,” established in 1969 by filmmakers Akira Kurosawa, Keisuke Kinoshita, Masaki Kobayashi, and Kon Ichikawa. The group of friends put together this effort to support one another, as the film industry in Japan at the time was in a state of financial hardships. Yet, things did not go according to plan with Kurosawa’s film “Dodes’ka-den,” being a box-office failure, leading to many projects being shelved. The four wrote a jidaigeki feature that would go unmade for a long-time when they couldn’t raise funds to make it. Years later, following the passing of his companions, Ichikawa would eventually be able to direct this initially canceled feature while...
- 10/6/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Third adaptation of Toson Shimazaki’s classic novel “Hakai”, after the ones by Keisuke Kinoshita in 1948 and Kon Ichikawa in 1962, Kazuo Maeda’s edition marks the centenary of Japan’s first-ever human rights declaration, which argued that Burakumin (aka Eta and untouchables), Zainichi Koreans, Ainu and other “disadvantaged minorities” deserve the same respect and freedoms accorded to others, and is set during the Russo-Japanese War.
Broken Commandment is screening on New York Asian Film Festival
Ushimatsu Segawa is a respected teacher in an elementary school, cherished by both his colleagues and his students. However, he harbors a dark secret, as he is actually a burakumin whose father sent him away when he was a child, insisting he never reveals his origin, in an effort to have him avoid the fate of the lower classes. The initial scene, where an older man is kicked from a hotel upon the discovery that he is an Eta,...
Broken Commandment is screening on New York Asian Film Festival
Ushimatsu Segawa is a respected teacher in an elementary school, cherished by both his colleagues and his students. However, he harbors a dark secret, as he is actually a burakumin whose father sent him away when he was a child, insisting he never reveals his origin, in an effort to have him avoid the fate of the lower classes. The initial scene, where an older man is kicked from a hotel upon the discovery that he is an Eta,...
- 7/29/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
One can’t dig too deep in Japan’s cinematic catalogue without confronting the talents of Kinuyo Tanaka. History has chosen to favor Tanaka’s career as an actor, which is hardly surprising since she starred in 200+ film productions and appeared in timeless classics by Mizoguchi, Ozu, Mikio Naruse and Keisuke Kinoshita. But Tanaka bears an even more important distinction since she was the second woman in her country to direct her own feature film.
Across a span of nine years, Tanaka would direct six of her own features from 1953 to 1962.…...
Across a span of nine years, Tanaka would direct six of her own features from 1953 to 1962.…...
- 4/21/2022
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Kinuyo Tanaka on the set of The Moon Has Risen (1955) Directed between 1953 and 1962, six newly restored features by Kinuyo Tanaka are the subject of a historic retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Tanaka was already a preeminent actress of international renown when she turned to directing, a decision that made her Japan’s second female filmmaker and the only woman making pictures during the nation’s postwar era. Tanaka’s relationship with major studios ensured that her directorial works would be mainstream productions with high-profile talent and skilled crews. As Irene González-López and Michael Smith state in Tanaka Kinuyo: Nation, Stardom and Female Subjectivity, the first English-language book on Tanaka: “Only a few others, including the actress Ida Lupino (1918–95) in America and Jacqueline Audry (1908–77) in France, worked in commercial cinema.” The retrospective, however, calls for a reappraisal of her filmmaking career as much more than the sum of these important but gendered accomplishments,...
- 3/18/2022
- MUBI
If you’re after real nonconformist filmmaking with a political bent, Shohei Imamura’s daring and often sexually candid pictures fit the bill. Arrow gathers three of his best from the 1980s, the international success The Ballad of Narayama, the stunning Hiroshima aftermath drama Black Rain and the largely unseen, often wickedly funny Zegen. Each is disturbing, politically pointed and relentlessly honest. Arrow appoints this three- title set with new expert audio commentaries and Tony Rayns featurettes, plus a fat essay booklet. Zegen, we are told, has never before been available subtitled in English.
Survivor Ballads: Three Films by Shohei Imamura
The Ballad of Narayama, Zegen, Black Rain
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1983-1989 / Color, B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 130, 125, 123 min. / Street Date December 8, 2020 / 99.95
Directed by Shohei Imamura
Films by the Japanese director Shohei Imamura have one thing in common — they’re as provocative as a slap in the face. Our introduction to...
Survivor Ballads: Three Films by Shohei Imamura
The Ballad of Narayama, Zegen, Black Rain
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1983-1989 / Color, B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 130, 125, 123 min. / Street Date December 8, 2020 / 99.95
Directed by Shohei Imamura
Films by the Japanese director Shohei Imamura have one thing in common — they’re as provocative as a slap in the face. Our introduction to...
- 12/29/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Raktim Nandi
Shohei Imamura is the only Japanese director to see his films win the prestigious Palme D’Or twice. The first of the wins came in 1983, with “The Ballad Of Narayama.” An adaptation of Shoichiro Fukazawa’s debut novel of the same name, the film is a winner of several more awards and much acclaim, including three wins at the Japanese Academy Awards.
The story takes place in an isolated village in the 19th century. The senicidal practice of Obasute, the procedure of which involves carrying an infirm aged relative to a mountain to die, is an important part of the village traditions. In this particular village, one needs to turn 70 before being carried to a sacred mountain. Orin, played by Sumiko Sakamoto, is 69, and spends her time readying herself for the one-way trip. She is not afraid to die; tradition condemns refusal of the trip.
Shohei Imamura is the only Japanese director to see his films win the prestigious Palme D’Or twice. The first of the wins came in 1983, with “The Ballad Of Narayama.” An adaptation of Shoichiro Fukazawa’s debut novel of the same name, the film is a winner of several more awards and much acclaim, including three wins at the Japanese Academy Awards.
The story takes place in an isolated village in the 19th century. The senicidal practice of Obasute, the procedure of which involves carrying an infirm aged relative to a mountain to die, is an important part of the village traditions. In this particular village, one needs to turn 70 before being carried to a sacred mountain. Orin, played by Sumiko Sakamoto, is 69, and spends her time readying herself for the one-way trip. She is not afraid to die; tradition condemns refusal of the trip.
- 11/8/2020
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Jidai-geki, chanbara or simply samurai films are probably those that gave Japanese cinema the place it occupies even now in world cinema, with the entries of Akira Kurosawa, Kihachi Okamoto, Masaki Kobayashi and many others being included among the best films of all time. However, and with few exceptions, the majority of international audience are not particularly aware of the entries in the genre that were produced after 2000. This list aims to fill this gap with 25 five great movies presented in chronological order, that cover the whole spectrum of the category, from cult and splatter to arthouse and anime and everything between.
1. Versus
Ryuhei Kitamura directs a film where action is frantic and unrelenting, blending samurai, zombies and Yakuza elements, all of which are connected through extreme gore. “Versus” is evidently low budget; however, the choreography of the swordplay, the martial arts and the gun battles are intricate and the...
1. Versus
Ryuhei Kitamura directs a film where action is frantic and unrelenting, blending samurai, zombies and Yakuza elements, all of which are connected through extreme gore. “Versus” is evidently low budget; however, the choreography of the swordplay, the martial arts and the gun battles are intricate and the...
- 3/16/2020
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Bong Joon Ho has long been one of South Korea’s best filmmakers thanks to acclaimed movies such as “Memories of Murder,” “Mother,” and “The Host,” but it wasn’t until 2019 that Bong become a worldwide cinema superstar to the general public. With “Parasite,” Bong vaulted himself into the topmost echelon of the world’s best directors working today. “Parasite” world premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it made history by becoming the first South Korean film to win the prestigious Palme d’Or. The months that followed brought Bong to nearly all of awards season’s biggest festivals and ceremonies. Bong’s incredible journey with “Parasite” culminated in six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. The drama is the first South Korean film to compete for Academy Awards in the Oscars’ 92-year history.
With Bong now a household name across the world, it might be of...
With Bong now a household name across the world, it might be of...
- 2/6/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Medically speaking, Labyrinth of Cinema shouldn’t exist. The doctors who, three years ago, diagnosed director Nobuhiko Obayashi with terminal lung cancer gave him only months to live, not enough time to see Hanagatami—his lifelong dream project, which was just about to begin production when he got the bad news—through to fruition, let alone sufficient time to complete a follow-up feature. But rather like cinema itself, Obayashi continues to defy prognostications of imminent death. That is not to say, however, that he’s blithely unconcerned about what lies ahead: like the films that comprise his War Trilogy, Obayashi’s newest work treats the continued life of the moving image as an urgent moral question. In fact, in light of the times, it might be the only question. Somewhere amid the flurry of title cards, dedications, and salutations that opens Labyrinth of Cinema, Obayashi cites a few lines from early Shōwa-era poet Chūya Nakahara,...
- 1/28/2020
- MUBI
Pioneering filmmaker and actress was second woman to direct a feature in history of Japanese cinema.
The Locarno Film Festival will celebrate the work of Japanese director and actress Kinuyo Tanaka at its upcoming 73rd edition (August 5-15), in its first ever retrospective dedicated to a female artist.
Tanaka (1909 –1977) was a pioneering figure in Japanese cinema throughout her 50-year career, appearing in the films of legendary directors Yasujiro Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi before striking off to direct her own films.
“This is the first time that the festival will be dedicating its retrospective to a female director, after 73 years,” said...
The Locarno Film Festival will celebrate the work of Japanese director and actress Kinuyo Tanaka at its upcoming 73rd edition (August 5-15), in its first ever retrospective dedicated to a female artist.
Tanaka (1909 –1977) was a pioneering figure in Japanese cinema throughout her 50-year career, appearing in the films of legendary directors Yasujiro Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi before striking off to direct her own films.
“This is the first time that the festival will be dedicating its retrospective to a female director, after 73 years,” said...
- 1/23/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Director of Colorful and Miss Hokusai selected for Tiff’s annual Animation Focus section.
This year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff, Oct 25-Nov 3) will highlight the work of Miss Hokusai director Keiichi Hara in its Animation Focus section.
Tiff said Hara had been chosen due to his “increased international recognition” as well as “his ability to combine a strong auteurist approach with commercial appeal”. The festival, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, also observed that this year marks the 100th anniversary of Japanese animation.
Full details of the titles selected for ‘The World of Keiichi Hara’ will be announced at the same time as the Tiff line-up in September. The animation focus will include screenings of Hara’s animated films and TV works, along with live action films. Screenings will be followed by panel sessions with special guests.
Following his early work on hit series such as Doraemon and Crayon Shin-chan, Hara started...
This year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff, Oct 25-Nov 3) will highlight the work of Miss Hokusai director Keiichi Hara in its Animation Focus section.
Tiff said Hara had been chosen due to his “increased international recognition” as well as “his ability to combine a strong auteurist approach with commercial appeal”. The festival, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, also observed that this year marks the 100th anniversary of Japanese animation.
Full details of the titles selected for ‘The World of Keiichi Hara’ will be announced at the same time as the Tiff line-up in September. The animation focus will include screenings of Hara’s animated films and TV works, along with live action films. Screenings will be followed by panel sessions with special guests.
Following his early work on hit series such as Doraemon and Crayon Shin-chan, Hara started...
- 6/14/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Closet Monster (Stephen Dunn)
Writer/director Stephen Dunn’s feature debut Closet Monster cares little about convention to tell the story of Oscar Madly (Connor Jessup) growing up with a psychological revulsion to his sexual urges, all thanks to an extremely disturbing event witnessed as a child. This prologue glimpse at his youth (played by Jack Fulton) is a mash-up of tough coming-of-age-dramatics and a dark-edged imaginative whimsy that intrigues to draw you closer.
Closet Monster (Stephen Dunn)
Writer/director Stephen Dunn’s feature debut Closet Monster cares little about convention to tell the story of Oscar Madly (Connor Jessup) growing up with a psychological revulsion to his sexual urges, all thanks to an extremely disturbing event witnessed as a child. This prologue glimpse at his youth (played by Jack Fulton) is a mash-up of tough coming-of-age-dramatics and a dark-edged imaginative whimsy that intrigues to draw you closer.
- 1/20/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Here are CriterionCast, we receive many, many discs for review consideration. We try to roll out full reviews when we can, offering analyses of the films in the context of their time as well as their relevance today. But sometimes you get a box set of eight films and just don’t have the time. But given that The Shohei Imamura Masterpiece Collection is a limited edition, meant to make these films available one last time before all of them go out of print from Masters of Cinema, we felt it important to write a bit about them, and let people know what a fantastic deal this is.
The set is currently being offered for £37.99 on Amazon.co.uk, and, having skimmed through the release (I’ve seen a couple of these before, but so long ago I hardly remember them), I can easily say this is one of the...
The set is currently being offered for £37.99 on Amazon.co.uk, and, having skimmed through the release (I’ve seen a couple of these before, but so long ago I hardly remember them), I can easily say this is one of the...
- 11/16/2015
- by Scott Nye
- CriterionCast
Forget English soap operas about upstairs and downstairs upheavals, Yoji Yamada's chronicle of a life in the little Tokyo house with the little red roof is an emotional grabber. It's the war years of patriotic acquiescence and home-front selfishness -- and a secret, forbidden romance. The Little House (Chiisai ouchi) Twilight Time Savant Blu-ray Review Limited Edition 2014 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 136 min. / Chiisai ouchi / Ship Date August 11, 2015 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Takaku Matsu, Haru Kuroki, Takataro Kataoka, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Chieko Baisho Cinematography Masashi Chikamori Art Direction Mitsuo Degawa, Daisuke Sue Film Editor Iwao Ishii Original Music Joe Hisashi Written by Yoji Yamada, Emiko Hiramatsu, Kyoko Nakajima Produced by Tadashi Ohsumi Directed by Yoji Yamada
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
When Twilight Time brings out a disc not licensed from a major studio, I pay special attention. Last year they released a good Yoji Yamada film called The Twilight Samurai,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
When Twilight Time brings out a disc not licensed from a major studio, I pay special attention. Last year they released a good Yoji Yamada film called The Twilight Samurai,...
- 9/8/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
DVD Release Date: Dec. 16, 2014
Price: DVD $69.95
Studio: Criterion
Eclipse Series 41: Kinoshita and World War II features the work of highly regarded Japanese filmmaker Keisuke Kinoshita.
Hugely popular in his home country of Japan, Kinoshita worked tirelessly as a director for nearly half a century, making lyrical, sentimental films that often center on the inherent goodness of people, especially in times of distress.
Kinoshita began his directing career during a most challenging time for Japanese cinema: World War II, when the industry’s output was closely monitored by the state and often had to be purely propagandistic.
This collection of Kinoshita’s first films—four made while the war was going on and one shortly after Japan’s surrender—demonstrates the way the filmmaker’s humanity and exquisite cinematic technique shone through, even in the darkest of times.
The five-disc DVD box includes the following films, all of which are...
Price: DVD $69.95
Studio: Criterion
Eclipse Series 41: Kinoshita and World War II features the work of highly regarded Japanese filmmaker Keisuke Kinoshita.
Hugely popular in his home country of Japan, Kinoshita worked tirelessly as a director for nearly half a century, making lyrical, sentimental films that often center on the inherent goodness of people, especially in times of distress.
Kinoshita began his directing career during a most challenging time for Japanese cinema: World War II, when the industry’s output was closely monitored by the state and often had to be purely propagandistic.
This collection of Kinoshita’s first films—four made while the war was going on and one shortly after Japan’s surrender—demonstrates the way the filmmaker’s humanity and exquisite cinematic technique shone through, even in the darkest of times.
The five-disc DVD box includes the following films, all of which are...
- 9/22/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
A still from “Unforgiven”
Twelve new Japanese films will be screened at the upcoming 44th International Film Festival of India, which is to be held in Goa, from November 20 to 30, 2013 as Japan will be the “country in focus”.
In addition, press conferences will be held with directors and producers in attendance.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa, director of Real; Sang-il Lee, director of Unforgiven; Keiichi Hara and Yoshitaka Ishizuka; director and producer respectively of Dawn of a Filmmaker: The Keisuke Kinoshita Story have been invited to attend the festival.
The following twelve Japanese films will be screened:
1. Real, director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa (2013/127 min)
2. Unforgiven, director: Sang-il Lee (2013/135 min)
3. Dawn of a Filmmaker: The Keisuke Kinoshita Story, director: Keiichi Hara (2013/96 min)
4. Oshin, director: Shin Togashi(2013/109 min)
5. The Devil’s Path, director: Kazuya Shiraishi(2013/128 min)
6. Recipes of Diet Diaries,director: Toshio Lee (2013/100 min)
7. Rebirth, director: Izuru Narushima (2011/147 min)
8. The Garden of Words,director: Makoto Shinkai(2013/46 min)
9. Wolf Children,...
Twelve new Japanese films will be screened at the upcoming 44th International Film Festival of India, which is to be held in Goa, from November 20 to 30, 2013 as Japan will be the “country in focus”.
In addition, press conferences will be held with directors and producers in attendance.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa, director of Real; Sang-il Lee, director of Unforgiven; Keiichi Hara and Yoshitaka Ishizuka; director and producer respectively of Dawn of a Filmmaker: The Keisuke Kinoshita Story have been invited to attend the festival.
The following twelve Japanese films will be screened:
1. Real, director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa (2013/127 min)
2. Unforgiven, director: Sang-il Lee (2013/135 min)
3. Dawn of a Filmmaker: The Keisuke Kinoshita Story, director: Keiichi Hara (2013/96 min)
4. Oshin, director: Shin Togashi(2013/109 min)
5. The Devil’s Path, director: Kazuya Shiraishi(2013/128 min)
6. Recipes of Diet Diaries,director: Toshio Lee (2013/100 min)
7. Rebirth, director: Izuru Narushima (2011/147 min)
8. The Garden of Words,director: Makoto Shinkai(2013/46 min)
9. Wolf Children,...
- 11/18/2013
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
After the surprising thematic unity of day two of Ebertfest (the four films screened explored similar topics), with day three’s picks Roger Ebert seemed more interested in exploring contradictions. The day began with director Joachim Trier’s Oslo, August 31st, a Norwegian film that follows a recovering drug addict, Anders, over the course of his day. Anders has two weeks left in his rehabilitation facility outside the city and is given a day’s leave so he can go to Oslo for a job interview. The film rides along peacefully with Anders over this day, allowing the audience to sit with him, trying to piece together a picture of this rather complicated man; who he is, who he was, and how he got where he is. It doesn’t seek to give answers, rather it embraces the reality that for many addicts, there isn’t one triggering factor or illuminating insight.
- 4/20/2013
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
Welcome back to my ongoing coverage of the Melbourne Cinematheque's fantastic program for 2013. Here, I will be reviewing the first film each season (month). This month I took a look at Trial of the Road (1971), the first of the films from Russian director Aleksey German. For the month of February I introduced one of Keisuke Kinoshita's works which can be found here. I hope you saw at least something from this series! Running from March 6-20, Aleksey German's retrospective of shocking and eye opening films that centre on the condemnation of the censored past of the Soviet Union display an uncanny filmmaking ability unlike anything at the time. Mixing hyper-surrealism and undefined characters that can never be identified as good or bad, all...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/7/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Keisuke Kinoshita’s 1958 classic The Ballad of Narayama gets the Criterion treatment, an experimental film featuring the use of one of Japan’s signature cultural styles, Kabuki Theater, despite its cultural popularity still on the wane post-World War II. But with its exaggeration and extreme stylization, Kinoshita taps into the tragic, melancholy heart of this fable concerning abandonment of the elderly as a socially sanctioned tradition of necessity, as developed by poverty stricken ancestors.
Based on a novel by Shichiro Fukazawa, a subsequent adaptation from new wave Japanese auteur Shohei Imamura was released in 1983, a more horrific and grisly treatment of the source text. But Kinoshita’s kabuki opera, with its grand flourishes and over the top nature still manages to touch on the horrors of inhumane practices, made all the more powerful with a moving lead performance and the haunting score and narration, reminding us constantly of impending death...
Based on a novel by Shichiro Fukazawa, a subsequent adaptation from new wave Japanese auteur Shohei Imamura was released in 1983, a more horrific and grisly treatment of the source text. But Kinoshita’s kabuki opera, with its grand flourishes and over the top nature still manages to touch on the horrors of inhumane practices, made all the more powerful with a moving lead performance and the haunting score and narration, reminding us constantly of impending death...
- 2/19/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
"I feel the need ... the need for speed." – some homeless amphetamine addict
Greetings from the apocalypse! This week the U.S. Postal Service announced they will no longer deliver mail on Saturdays, and if that isn't a sign of the impending end of days I don't know what is. Luckily my triple ball mace arrived today, so I will be able to defend myself, my faithful dog, and you from marauding motorcycle mutants looking to destroy the weekend and siphon all your gasoline. Got a full tank? Then drive through the barriers and roll out to the movies, soldier …
Friday, February 8
If Steven Soderbergh is gonna actually retire from making movies (not a Bs Sean Penn "retirement") he's gonna go out with a bang, and his swan song "Side Effects" comes on the market this week for your viewing consumption. This tale of Hitchcockian intrigue within the pharmaceutical industry involves...
Greetings from the apocalypse! This week the U.S. Postal Service announced they will no longer deliver mail on Saturdays, and if that isn't a sign of the impending end of days I don't know what is. Luckily my triple ball mace arrived today, so I will be able to defend myself, my faithful dog, and you from marauding motorcycle mutants looking to destroy the weekend and siphon all your gasoline. Got a full tank? Then drive through the barriers and roll out to the movies, soldier …
Friday, February 8
If Steven Soderbergh is gonna actually retire from making movies (not a Bs Sean Penn "retirement") he's gonna go out with a bang, and his swan song "Side Effects" comes on the market this week for your viewing consumption. This tale of Hitchcockian intrigue within the pharmaceutical industry involves...
- 2/8/2013
- by Max Evry
- NextMovie
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Feb. 5, 2013
Price: DVD $19.95, Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Criterion
Kinuyo Tanaka wishes happiness for her son in The Ballad of Narayama.
The 1958 film drama The Ballad of Narayama is a haunting, kabuki-inflected version of a Japanese folk legend directed by Keisuke Kinoshita (Twenty-four Eyes).
The tale is set in a remote mountain village, where food is scarce and tradition dictates that citizens who have reached their seventieth year must be carried to the summit of Mount Narayama and left there to die. The sacrificial elder at the center of the tale is Orin (Ugetsu’s Kinuyo Tanaka), a dignified and dutiful woman who spends her dwindling days securing the happiness of her loyal widowed son with a respectable new wife.
Filmed almost entirely on cunningly designed studio sets, in vivid color and widescreen, The Ballad of Narayama is a stylish and vividly formal work by the dynamic Knoshita, one...
Price: DVD $19.95, Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Criterion
Kinuyo Tanaka wishes happiness for her son in The Ballad of Narayama.
The 1958 film drama The Ballad of Narayama is a haunting, kabuki-inflected version of a Japanese folk legend directed by Keisuke Kinoshita (Twenty-four Eyes).
The tale is set in a remote mountain village, where food is scarce and tradition dictates that citizens who have reached their seventieth year must be carried to the summit of Mount Narayama and left there to die. The sacrificial elder at the center of the tale is Orin (Ugetsu’s Kinuyo Tanaka), a dignified and dutiful woman who spends her dwindling days securing the happiness of her loyal widowed son with a respectable new wife.
Filmed almost entirely on cunningly designed studio sets, in vivid color and widescreen, The Ballad of Narayama is a stylish and vividly formal work by the dynamic Knoshita, one...
- 11/19/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
The 15th of the month has become a major marker for cinephiles as it means the next announcement for what The Criterion Collection has up their sleeve, and their February announcement is nowhere near a disappointment. The five titles announced yesturday afternoon provide a varied selection that offers a little bit of something for everyone. Fans of American classics, documentaries, Japanese New Wave, contemporary world cinema, and stellar Blu-Ray upgrades will all be satisfied. Coming February 5th is the second appearance in the collection by Keisuke Kinoshita ("Twenty-Four Eyes"), with a DVD and Blu-Ray release of "The Battle of Narayama." The film revolves around Orin who, in preparation for her villages tradition of being carried to a mountain and left to die at the age of seventy, attempts to secure happiness for her recently widowed son. The disc is barebones in terms of extras-only offering a trailer, teaser and an essay by Phillip Kent,...
- 11/16/2012
- by Eric Mattina
- Indiewire
14th Mumbai Film Festival (Mff) announced its complete lineup today in a press conference. Mff will be held from October 18th to 25th at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (Ncpa) and Inox, Nariman Point, Liberty Cinemas, Marine Lines as the main festival venues and Cinemax, Andheri and Cinemax Sion as the satellite venues. Click here to watch trailers and highlights from the festival.
Here is the complete list of films to be screened during the festival (October 18-25)
International Competition for the First Feature Films of Directors
1. From Tuesday To Tuesday (De Martes A Martes)
Dir.: Gustavo Fernandez Triviño (Argentina / 2012 / Col. / 111′)
2. The Last Elvis (El Último Elvis)
Dir.: Armando Bo (Argentina / 2012 / Col. / 91′)
3. The Sapphires
Dir.: Wayne Blair (Australia / 2012 / Col. / 103′)
4. The Wall (Die Wand)
Dir.: Julian Pölsler (Austria-Germany / 2012 / Col. / 108′)
5. Teddy Bear (10 timer til Paradis)
Dir.: Mads Matthiesen (Denmark / 2012 / Col. / 93′)
6. Augustine
Dir.: Alice Winccour (France / 2012 / Col.
Here is the complete list of films to be screened during the festival (October 18-25)
International Competition for the First Feature Films of Directors
1. From Tuesday To Tuesday (De Martes A Martes)
Dir.: Gustavo Fernandez Triviño (Argentina / 2012 / Col. / 111′)
2. The Last Elvis (El Último Elvis)
Dir.: Armando Bo (Argentina / 2012 / Col. / 91′)
3. The Sapphires
Dir.: Wayne Blair (Australia / 2012 / Col. / 103′)
4. The Wall (Die Wand)
Dir.: Julian Pölsler (Austria-Germany / 2012 / Col. / 108′)
5. Teddy Bear (10 timer til Paradis)
Dir.: Mads Matthiesen (Denmark / 2012 / Col. / 93′)
6. Augustine
Dir.: Alice Winccour (France / 2012 / Col.
- 9/24/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Criterion, I’m taking you to task, right now. Consider this post a loving little prod, hoping that this love that you have given one Keisuke Kinoshita is something more than a little tease. First, the news.
Read more on The Criterion Collection adds some more films to Hulu Plus; including even more Keisuke Kinoshita...
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Read more on The Criterion Collection adds some more films to Hulu Plus; including even more Keisuke Kinoshita...
No related posts.
No related posts.
- 4/27/2012
- by Joshua Brunsting
- GordonandtheWhale
Robert De Niro, Roman Polanski, Alfred Hitchcock and Roberto Rossellini top the bill of the Cannes Classics wing devoted to restored prints of old classics
The starriest sidebar at Cannes was unveiled today, with the likes of Robert De Niro, Roman Polanski, Jerry Lewis, Alfred Hitchcock and Roberto Rossellini topping the bill. They've all got films scheduled in the Cannes Classics wing devoted to restored prints of old classics, and created in 2004 "as the relationship between contemporary cinema and its own memory was disrupted by the advent of the digital age".
Thirteen features, two shorts, a mini-concert and four documentaries – all world premieres – are on the bill, including the previously announced restored and extended print of Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America, which has been overseen by Martin Scorsese. Robert De Niro, Elizabeth McGovern and Jennifer Connelly, who star in the film, will attend, alongside the Leone family.
The starriest sidebar at Cannes was unveiled today, with the likes of Robert De Niro, Roman Polanski, Jerry Lewis, Alfred Hitchcock and Roberto Rossellini topping the bill. They've all got films scheduled in the Cannes Classics wing devoted to restored prints of old classics, and created in 2004 "as the relationship between contemporary cinema and its own memory was disrupted by the advent of the digital age".
Thirteen features, two shorts, a mini-concert and four documentaries – all world premieres – are on the bill, including the previously announced restored and extended print of Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America, which has been overseen by Martin Scorsese. Robert De Niro, Elizabeth McGovern and Jennifer Connelly, who star in the film, will attend, alongside the Leone family.
- 4/26/2012
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Looks like no day this week is going to go by without a big announcement from Cannes. Today's is the lineup for Cannes Classics, a program created in 2004 "showcasing restored prints of classic films and masterpieces of film history." From May 16 through 27, the program will be featuring "13 feature films, two shorts, a mini-concert and four documentaries. All these films will be world premieres."
Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America (1984). Running 245 minutes, this newly restored version with 25 minutes of additional scenes is based on Leone's original cut. "This restoration was requested by Martin Scorsese. The screening will be attended by Robert De Niro, Elizabeth McGovern, Jennifer Connelly, producer Arnon Milchan (which also has a small role in the film) and, of course, the Leone family."
Roman Polanski's Tess (1979). Polanski supervised the restoration and, with Nastassja Kinski, will attend the screening.
Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975). Newly restored in...
Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America (1984). Running 245 minutes, this newly restored version with 25 minutes of additional scenes is based on Leone's original cut. "This restoration was requested by Martin Scorsese. The screening will be attended by Robert De Niro, Elizabeth McGovern, Jennifer Connelly, producer Arnon Milchan (which also has a small role in the film) and, of course, the Leone family."
Roman Polanski's Tess (1979). Polanski supervised the restoration and, with Nastassja Kinski, will attend the screening.
Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975). Newly restored in...
- 4/26/2012
- MUBI
Only on Hulu Plus can you get new additions from the likes of Oshima, Truffaut, Cocteau, a treasure trove of Keisuke Kinoshita pictures and a handful of masterpieces.
Criterion has added a staggering amount of films to their Hulu Plus page this week, ranging from little known gems to some of the greatest films ever made. Enough talking, let’s get into what we have here.
Read more on Criterion adds films from Akira Kurosawa, Jean-Pierre Melville and even more Keisuke Kinoshita to Hulu Plus...
Criterion has added a staggering amount of films to their Hulu Plus page this week, ranging from little known gems to some of the greatest films ever made. Enough talking, let’s get into what we have here.
Read more on Criterion adds films from Akira Kurosawa, Jean-Pierre Melville and even more Keisuke Kinoshita to Hulu Plus...
- 4/7/2012
- by Joshua Brunsting
- GordonandtheWhale
Looking back at 2011 on what films moved and impressed us it becomes more and more clear—to me at least—that watching old films is a crucial part of making new films meaningful. Thus, our end of year poll, now an annual tradition, which calls upon our writers to pick both a new and an old film: they were challenged to choose a new film they saw in 2011—in theaters or at a festival—and creatively pair it with an old film they also saw in 2011 to create a unique double feature. Many contributors chose their favorites of 2011, some picked out-of-the-way gems, others made some pretty strange connections—and some frankly just want to create a kerfuffle. All the contributors were asked to write a paragraph explaining their 2011 fantasy double feature. What's more, each writer was given the option to list more pairings, with or without explanation, as further imaginative...
- 1/5/2012
- MUBI
It’s that time of the week when you want to sit back, relax a bit and throw on something new and exciting. Well, you’ve come to the right place. It’s the second week in this Hulu Plus excursion, and I’ve had a blast with it. A lot of Daily Show, Colbert Report and Kitchen Nightmares intake in the last week. I can’t help but love my politically minded comedy and angry chef shows. But I digress.
This last week there was a ton of new content from Criterion put onto Hulu Plus. A wonderful array of films and a ton of supplemental material from certain films, which I will yet again break down for all of you, and the links will be within, so you don’t even have to search for them. We here at the Criterion Cast aim to please.
When the first...
This last week there was a ton of new content from Criterion put onto Hulu Plus. A wonderful array of films and a ton of supplemental material from certain films, which I will yet again break down for all of you, and the links will be within, so you don’t even have to search for them. We here at the Criterion Cast aim to please.
When the first...
- 5/8/2011
- by James McCormick
- CriterionCast
The great Japanese actress Hideko Takamine, who passed away on December 28 at the age of 86, has been eulogized beautifully on Mubi already (here, here, here and here) but I wanted to add my own personal tribute in posters. The 1958 Rickshaw Man (directed by Hiroshi Inagaki) starred Takamine as a young widow opposite Toshiro Mifune. I wish I could have found better poster images for Takamine’s films for Mikio Naruse (if anyone has better ones please let me know) but I did manage to find these smaller jpegs for Naruse’s masterpieces Floating Clouds (1955, top) and Lightning (1952, below left), as well as one for Keisuke Kinoshita’s 1951 Carmen Come Home (below right).
I also really like this poster for a recent Takamine retrospective that I found on someone’s Tumblr page. Hideko Takamine rest in peace.
I also really like this poster for a recent Takamine retrospective that I found on someone’s Tumblr page. Hideko Takamine rest in peace.
- 1/7/2011
- MUBI
Masaki Kobayashi's six-part magnum opus, The Human Condition, based on Junpei Gomikawa's postwar novel, bears the imprint of Kobayashi's tutelage under legendary filmmaker Keisuke Kinoshita at Shochiku's Ofuna studio, a critical, introspective, and deeply personal account of wartime Japan framed from the perspective of an idealistic everyman (and Kobayashi's alterego), Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai). Opening to the ironic image of lovers Kaji and Michiko (Michiyo Aratama) meeting under an archway auspiciously called the Southern Gate of Peace in Manchuria as Imperial troops march in the street, Kobayashi presents an incisive image of 1930s Japanese society that is morally consumed—and ravaged—by increasingly extremist values of militarism, occupation, and nationalism.
- 11/11/2009
- MUBI
COLOGNE, Germany -- Japanese entertainment giant Shochiku said on Monday it will receive the Berlinale Camera achievement award at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, becoming the first ever company honored. Shochiku's managing director of production and theatrical distribution Takeo Hisamatsu will accept the Berlinale Camera statuette. Shochiku, which is celebrating its 110th anniversary this year, has been one of the most influential forces in Asian cinema, introducing famed Japanese directors such as Yasujiro Ozu, Hiroshi Shimizu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Nagisa Oshima, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yoji Yamada to an international audience.
- 1/17/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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