Born December 7th, 1979, Ayako Fujitani grew up in Osaka, Japan, loving movies at a young age. Whether horror, science-fiction, or drama, it didn't matter so long as it delivered. Fast forward to her teens, following an opportunity to present renowned actor Hiroyuki Sanada with a bouquet at a local film festival, something stood out to director Shusuke Kaneko. Hence, he offered her an audition opportunity for a lead part in his film “Gamera: Guardian of the Universe.” Initially hesitant but curious, the youth went to the audition but walked away feeling unsatisfied with how they did. Then, she got the part. Following guidance during the movie's production and its preceding sequels, Ayako grew as an actor, pursued more challenging roles moving forward, and also became active as a writer. Since then, she frequently works internationally.
Ayako Fujitani is a terrific actress with a lot of range who can make her characters feel real.
Ayako Fujitani is a terrific actress with a lot of range who can make her characters feel real.
- 2/18/2024
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Considering the recent success of films like “Minari”, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”, and “Past Lives” the necessity for such a list became dire, even though film critics and programmers around the world are still fighting about the genuine origin of the movies that are Asian-themed, but are either produced by companies from countries outside Asia, or by individuals of Asian descent. In that fashion, we also decided to include co-productions where the non-Asian element is quite intense either in terms of production or crew. The +1 is obviously there due to the particular director, although the film is Hollywood in every other aspect.
Without further ado, here are the best Asian Diaspora Movies of 2023, in reverse order, and, as always, with a focus on diversity in style, directors, and country of origin. Some films may have premiered in 2023, but since they mostly circulated in 2023, we decided to include them. When...
Without further ado, here are the best Asian Diaspora Movies of 2023, in reverse order, and, as always, with a focus on diversity in style, directors, and country of origin. Some films may have premiered in 2023, but since they mostly circulated in 2023, we decided to include them. When...
- 1/8/2024
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Nowadays, there is a standardized formula for countless Christmas movies. Recurring themes range from stories of redemption to emphasizing the warmth of a strong family bond and festive cheer. Yet, it is always fascinating to see flicks that depart from the usual holiday tropes and instead focus on an issue that may be too challenging for casual moviegoers, who prefer a more sanitized portrayal of reality for the holidays. Shutaro Oku's unusual yet effective feature, “Death of Domomata,” uses the happiest time of the year to explore recovering from drug addiction and the harsh realities that come with a dysfunctional rehabilitative environment.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
As a filmmaker, Shutaro Oku is still relatively unknown to many but has made a decent amount of films, a notable one being “Seiza.” Generally, he's more active in theater, having directed various theatrical presentations, including...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
As a filmmaker, Shutaro Oku is still relatively unknown to many but has made a decent amount of films, a notable one being “Seiza.” Generally, he's more active in theater, having directed various theatrical presentations, including...
- 12/9/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Marc Marriot directs his first feature film, “Tokyo Cowboy,” a superb movie with a lot of heart that tells an uplifting fish-out-of-water story driven by cross-cultural interaction. The screenplay is a co-written effort by filmmaker Dave Boyle, and actress Ayako Fujitani, who also appears in the picture in a prominent role. Starring in what is his first international project is Arata Iura. “Tokyo Cowboy” would win “Best Narrative Feature” at the Tallgrass Film Festival.
Concerning the plot, businessman Hideki balances many priorities, from work-related practices to plans to settle down with his longtime girlfriend, Keiko, whom he also works with. For his latest project, he proposes to his bosses a trip to a profitless cattle ranch in Montana to try and turn the locale into a business asset. Upon approval, he flies there with spokesperson Wada to assist him on the work excursion. Yet, when his partner gets into an accident and is hospitalized,...
Concerning the plot, businessman Hideki balances many priorities, from work-related practices to plans to settle down with his longtime girlfriend, Keiko, whom he also works with. For his latest project, he proposes to his bosses a trip to a profitless cattle ranch in Montana to try and turn the locale into a business asset. Upon approval, he flies there with spokesperson Wada to assist him on the work excursion. Yet, when his partner gets into an accident and is hospitalized,...
- 10/26/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Nowadays, crime movies are often very action-oriented, aiming more for spectacular thrills than necessarily a compelling mystery, sometimes even as competition against special effects-heavy blockbusters. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Yet, it seems today, many of these features are a far cry from the good old days of mystery films. Pictures that keep viewers guessing what is going to happen next while maintaining overwhelming suspense with a slow yet effective pace. Yet, occasionally, some films harken back to the classic noir atmosphere and with grounded realism. After all, everyone loves a good mystery. A good example is Dave Boyle's “Man from Reno,” which weaves a unique cross-cultural communication story while also being a superb neo-noir.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Filmmaker and writer Dave Boyle is generally known for directing comedies and dramas. Just look at “The Surrogate Valentine Trilogy,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Filmmaker and writer Dave Boyle is generally known for directing comedies and dramas. Just look at “The Surrogate Valentine Trilogy,...
- 4/14/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
It is the perfect time to reflect on some of the essential works of filmmaker Hideaki Anno (b. 1960) in culmination with the recent release of his latest feature, “Shin Kamen Rider.” From his days as an animator to becoming one of Japan's most renowned directors working today, the postmodernist auteur has captivated and certainly polarized moviegoers with his unique line of work both in animation and live-action filmmaking. Taking influence from his favorite pieces of entertainment and his personal life experiences, Anno has become widely recognized for his extraordinary visual style, superb editing, and nonconformist approach to storytelling with the mental deconstruction and psychological examination of his characters. Anime fans likely know him best for his hit series “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” a show that has since then become a recognizable staple of Japanese media culture that would spawn numerous movies. Recently, he contributed as the screenwriter and producer of the spectacular superhero flick “Shin Ultraman,...
- 4/9/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Filmmaker Hideaki Anno is one of Japan’s most imaginative and creative filmmakers working today. Whether it be his superb anime show “Neon Genesis Evangelion” or his excellent film “Shin Godzilla,” the auteur director has made a reputation for himself with his stylish filmmaking mixed with emotional storytelling and social commentary. Early on, Anno directed very grounded and haunting pieces of Japanese cinema but with touches of his usual insanity present throughout his work. His first live-action feature, “Love & Pop,” tells a powerful tale of the bond between a group of school girls and raises awareness of disturbing taboos within Japanese society. Following this, Anno would truly show his talents as a filmmaker in his intimate and beautiful film “Shiki-Jitsu.”
on YesAsia
The title of the movie translates to “Ritual” or “Ceremonial Day.” The project would be produced by Studio Kajino, a subsidiary of the popular animation company Studio Ghibli.
on YesAsia
The title of the movie translates to “Ritual” or “Ceremonial Day.” The project would be produced by Studio Kajino, a subsidiary of the popular animation company Studio Ghibli.
- 7/2/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
With the rebranded franchise in full swing, director Shusuke Kaneko decided to take his time with offering up the final chapter to the critically and culturally well-received series. Taking a full three years to get the entry out to the masses after the rushed schedules of the first two films, this captivating installment, which concludes the beloved Heisei Gamera trilogy, is included in the massive box-set of the entire franchise released by Arrow Video.
Living in a rural part of Japan, high-schooler Ayana (Ai Maeda) grows up resentful of the fact that her parents were killed on Gamera’s defense of Tokyo against Gyaos several years earlier. When a neighborhood prank causes her to come into contact with a strange egg in a local cave, she takes it home and cares for it. After realizing that there are more Gyaos lurking in the wild, ornithologist Mayumi Nagamine...
Living in a rural part of Japan, high-schooler Ayana (Ai Maeda) grows up resentful of the fact that her parents were killed on Gamera’s defense of Tokyo against Gyaos several years earlier. When a neighborhood prank causes her to come into contact with a strange egg in a local cave, she takes it home and cares for it. After realizing that there are more Gyaos lurking in the wild, ornithologist Mayumi Nagamine...
- 8/30/2020
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
Lynn Chen didn’t seek out writing and directing her first feature, “I Will Make You Mine,” so much as she inherited it.
Two years ago, the actor had been hiking with friend Dave Boyle, who had directed Chen in the first two movies of the indie Surrogate Valentine series, “Surrogate Valentine” (2011) and “Daylight Savings” (2012). A third had yet to materialize — which Chen remembers probing him about. Turns out, Boyle did not intend to make one. “And when he said that, my heart broke, not only because I wanted a job,” she says, “but also because I felt bad for these characters who I wanted to see live on, and I didn’t feel like they’d had their story told.”
For two decades, Chen, a Taiwanese American actor, has carved out a career in film and TV, earning an Asian Excellence Award for Outstanding Newcomer for her starring turn...
Two years ago, the actor had been hiking with friend Dave Boyle, who had directed Chen in the first two movies of the indie Surrogate Valentine series, “Surrogate Valentine” (2011) and “Daylight Savings” (2012). A third had yet to materialize — which Chen remembers probing him about. Turns out, Boyle did not intend to make one. “And when he said that, my heart broke, not only because I wanted a job,” she says, “but also because I felt bad for these characters who I wanted to see live on, and I didn’t feel like they’d had their story told.”
For two decades, Chen, a Taiwanese American actor, has carved out a career in film and TV, earning an Asian Excellence Award for Outstanding Newcomer for her starring turn...
- 6/10/2020
- by Audrey Cleo Yap
- Variety Film + TV
Lynn Chen’s “I Will Make You Mine” proves yet again that black-and-white films are often anything but. Overseeing a debut that’s nuanced and gently wry (and shot to sumptuous effect), she brings fine shading to the story of three very different women and the thwarted musician who still exerts some gravitational pull in their lives, and vice versa.
While “I Will Make You Mine” stands firmly on its own, it concludes a very indie trilogy that began with “Surrogate Valentine” (2011) followed by “Daylight Savings” (2012). The earlier features were directed and co-written by Dave Boyle, starred Goh Nakamura (also a co-writer) as a version of himself and premiered at South by Southwest. Chen appeared in both as Rachel, Goh’s friend, never quite girlfriend. In “Daylight Savings,” Ayako Fujitani arrived as girlfriend Erika, and musician Yea-Ming Chen appeared as a version of herself. The three actresses take control of “I Will Make You Mine.
While “I Will Make You Mine” stands firmly on its own, it concludes a very indie trilogy that began with “Surrogate Valentine” (2011) followed by “Daylight Savings” (2012). The earlier features were directed and co-written by Dave Boyle, starred Goh Nakamura (also a co-writer) as a version of himself and premiered at South by Southwest. Chen appeared in both as Rachel, Goh’s friend, never quite girlfriend. In “Daylight Savings,” Ayako Fujitani arrived as girlfriend Erika, and musician Yea-Ming Chen appeared as a version of herself. The three actresses take control of “I Will Make You Mine.
- 6/2/2020
- by Lisa Kennedy
- Variety Film + TV
Director and cinematographer Benjamin Ree injected his deep interest with art theft in his latest feature The Painter and the Thief, which drops in virtual cinemas as well as VOD platforms starting Friday.
The documentary debuted at Sundance earlier this year and went on to win the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Creative Storytelling before being acquired by Neon. In the film, two paintings by Czech artist Barbora Kysilkova are stolen from an Oslo art gallery. The thieves are identified with a quickness but the paintings are nowhere to be found.
Barbora reaches out to one of the thieves (Karl-Bertil Nordland) and she ends up painting a portrait of him. After a series of portraits the two form a bond and become unlikely friends.
“I’ve always been fascinated with art theft,” said Ree. “I think it’s because of the contrasts. The socially elevated art industry with...
The documentary debuted at Sundance earlier this year and went on to win the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Creative Storytelling before being acquired by Neon. In the film, two paintings by Czech artist Barbora Kysilkova are stolen from an Oslo art gallery. The thieves are identified with a quickness but the paintings are nowhere to be found.
Barbora reaches out to one of the thieves (Karl-Bertil Nordland) and she ends up painting a portrait of him. After a series of portraits the two form a bond and become unlikely friends.
“I’ve always been fascinated with art theft,” said Ree. “I think it’s because of the contrasts. The socially elevated art industry with...
- 5/22/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
There are some cinematic universes worth reentering and when they do, it feels like you’re reconnecting with an old friend. The Surrogate Valentine cinematic universe is certainly one of these.
Shot in stark black-and-white and starring musician Goh Nakamura, first in his 30s finding his voice and now in his 40s confronting the reality of adulthood, marriage, and his past, the latest installment checks in with him and his love interests eight years after Daylight Savings. Created by Dave Boyle and Nakamura, I Will Make You Mine, directed by Lynn Chen, spends more time with the three women of the previous films than with Goh. The movie is somewhere between a daydream–where you can relive those kinds of long spring days spent around your college dorm playing guitar in bed–and the grim reality of an adulthood that is nothing like you imagined it back in your idealistic days.
Shot in stark black-and-white and starring musician Goh Nakamura, first in his 30s finding his voice and now in his 40s confronting the reality of adulthood, marriage, and his past, the latest installment checks in with him and his love interests eight years after Daylight Savings. Created by Dave Boyle and Nakamura, I Will Make You Mine, directed by Lynn Chen, spends more time with the three women of the previous films than with Goh. The movie is somewhere between a daydream–where you can relive those kinds of long spring days spent around your college dorm playing guitar in bed–and the grim reality of an adulthood that is nothing like you imagined it back in your idealistic days.
- 4/8/2020
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
Editors’ Note: With full acknowledgment of the big-picture implications of a pandemic that has already claimed thousands of lives, cratered global economies and closed international borders, Deadline’s Coping With Covid-19 Crisis series is a forum for those in the entertainment space grappling with myriad consequences of seeing a great industry screech to a halt. The hope is for an exchange of ideas and experiences, and suggestions on how businesses and individuals can best ride out a crisis that doesn’t look like it will abate any time soon. If you have a story, email mike@deadline.com.
Lynn Chen has been seen on numerous TV series including Silicon Valley, The Affair and Shameless, and starred in Nice Girls Crew from Sundance winner Tanuj Chopra. Her indie résumé includes the recent Emily Ting comedy Go Back to China, and she is probably best known for her role in Alice Wu’s film Saving Face.
Lynn Chen has been seen on numerous TV series including Silicon Valley, The Affair and Shameless, and starred in Nice Girls Crew from Sundance winner Tanuj Chopra. Her indie résumé includes the recent Emily Ting comedy Go Back to China, and she is probably best known for her role in Alice Wu’s film Saving Face.
- 3/24/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
While the 2020 SXSW Film Festival has been canceled due to the coronavirus, IndieWire is covering select titles from this year’s edition.
, “I Will Make You Mine” is a long-awaited gift for a small cult of fans: those who’ve been following Goh Nakamura’s romantic misadventures since “Surrogate Valentine” first introduced them to (a fictionalized version of) the lovelorn singer-songwriter in 2011. Nakamura returned shortly thereafter for a more grounded and heartsick sequel called “Daylight Savings,” but the “dreamsicle pop” musician has been missing from screens ever since, leaving us to wonder if he ever settled down or if he was consigned to spend all eternity crooning about the ways he almost found the right girl at the right time. Not only does “I Will Make You Mine” answer that question once and for all, but this shaggy and self-contained little ditty also asks it with enough warmth to seduce...
, “I Will Make You Mine” is a long-awaited gift for a small cult of fans: those who’ve been following Goh Nakamura’s romantic misadventures since “Surrogate Valentine” first introduced them to (a fictionalized version of) the lovelorn singer-songwriter in 2011. Nakamura returned shortly thereafter for a more grounded and heartsick sequel called “Daylight Savings,” but the “dreamsicle pop” musician has been missing from screens ever since, leaving us to wonder if he ever settled down or if he was consigned to spend all eternity crooning about the ways he almost found the right girl at the right time. Not only does “I Will Make You Mine” answer that question once and for all, but this shaggy and self-contained little ditty also asks it with enough warmth to seduce...
- 3/18/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Back in the mid-to-late Noughties, a spate of anthology films with contributions from world cinema auteurs painting a picture of a particular city were in demand. Films like “Paris Je T’aime” and “New York, I Love You” featured a number of directors with their respective shorts of much shorter lengths. One such film was “Tokyo!” which collected three short films of around 40-minutes by French directors Michel Gondry and Leos Carax as well as Korea’s Bong Joon-ho. Where most films tend to show the beauty of the cities and the lives of its citizens, “Tokyo!” is more interested in exploring places not usually on tourists’ itineraries- the tiny gaps between the buildings in the cities, the underground sewers of Tokyo and the confines of a Japanese house.
“Tokyo!” will be screened at Japan Society
First up is “Interior Design” by Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...
“Tokyo!” will be screened at Japan Society
First up is “Interior Design” by Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...
- 11/23/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Lynn Chen will make her directorial debut with the indie I Will Make You Mine.
The movie — the final installment in a trilogy, following SXSW features Surrogate Valentine and Daylight Savings — shares the perspective of three women, who are romantically linked to the same musician, as they maneuver into their 40s and face major life changes.
Chen wrote the screenplay and will star along with Ayako Fujitani and Yea-Ming Chen. Musician Goh Nakamura will also star, along with Tamlyn Tomita, Joy Osmanski, Mike Faiola, Christy Meyers and Jeff Meacham.
Dave Boyle will produce the feature, which will soon begin production in ...
The movie — the final installment in a trilogy, following SXSW features Surrogate Valentine and Daylight Savings — shares the perspective of three women, who are romantically linked to the same musician, as they maneuver into their 40s and face major life changes.
Chen wrote the screenplay and will star along with Ayako Fujitani and Yea-Ming Chen. Musician Goh Nakamura will also star, along with Tamlyn Tomita, Joy Osmanski, Mike Faiola, Christy Meyers and Jeff Meacham.
Dave Boyle will produce the feature, which will soon begin production in ...
Lynn Chen will make her directorial debut with the indie I Will Make You Mine.
The movie — the final installment in a trilogy, following SXSW features Surrogate Valentine and Daylight Savings — shares the perspective of three women, who are romantically linked to the same musician, as they maneuver into their 40s and face major life changes.
Chen wrote the screenplay and will star along with Ayako Fujitani and Yea-Ming Chen. Musician Goh Nakamura will also star, along with Tamlyn Tomita, Joy Osmanski, Mike Faiola, Christy Meyers and Jeff Meacham.
Dave Boyle will produce the feature, which will soon begin production in ...
The movie — the final installment in a trilogy, following SXSW features Surrogate Valentine and Daylight Savings — shares the perspective of three women, who are romantically linked to the same musician, as they maneuver into their 40s and face major life changes.
Chen wrote the screenplay and will star along with Ayako Fujitani and Yea-Ming Chen. Musician Goh Nakamura will also star, along with Tamlyn Tomita, Joy Osmanski, Mike Faiola, Christy Meyers and Jeff Meacham.
Dave Boyle will produce the feature, which will soon begin production in ...
Okay, we’re cheating this week. This isn’t a Hollywood film; it’s from Japan. So why are we breaking the rules? Because we can! (These are Our rules.) This week, Cinelinx looks at Gamera: Guardian of the Universe.
The first Gamera film was produced by Daiei Studios in 1965. It was clearly meant to cash in on the success of the popular Godzilla film franchise. The concept of a giant turtle that defends Earth from monsters may seem like a dopey idea—and truthfully, it is—but it’s so much fun, and Gamera is one of the best creations of the Kaiju genre.
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995), which was released 30 years later, is a reboot of the franchise (inspired by the well-received Godzilla reboot series of the late 80s-Early 90s) However, it’s not so much a remake of the first 1965 Gamera film as it is a...
The first Gamera film was produced by Daiei Studios in 1965. It was clearly meant to cash in on the success of the popular Godzilla film franchise. The concept of a giant turtle that defends Earth from monsters may seem like a dopey idea—and truthfully, it is—but it’s so much fun, and Gamera is one of the best creations of the Kaiju genre.
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995), which was released 30 years later, is a reboot of the franchise (inspired by the well-received Godzilla reboot series of the late 80s-Early 90s) However, it’s not so much a remake of the first 1965 Gamera film as it is a...
- 5/23/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
Aki Akahori (Ayako Fujitani) is a successful mystery author from Japan who has decided to call it quits on her current book tour. She tells no one and instead simply absconds to San Francisco to hide out and catch her breath, but it’s a handsome stranger named Akira (Kazuki Kitamura) who catches her eye instead. They spend the night together, and he disappears the next day. His abrupt exit combined with the suitcase he left behind triggers her nose for mystery, but as a trio of curious strangers begins circling she realizes too late that this is one mystery with an ending out of her hands. Running parallel to Aki’s amateur sleuthing is a slightly more official investigation by nearby Sheriff Paul Del Moral (Pepe Serna) that begins when he accidentally hits a man with his car after the Bay area’s infamous fog rolls inland. The victim survives but disappears from the hospital without...
- 4/3/2015
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Visually, Man From Reno looks like the year’s best mystery thriller. Much of it is set in San Francisco, that twisty, foggy city by the sea that has housed the works of Raymond Chandler and Alfred Hitchcock. Several sequences within Dave Boyle’s film have the olive green tinted lighting of a David Fincher flick, and that director’s fascination with laying out the details of a dense investigation is also replicated here.
Boyle’s screenplay, which he co-wrote with Joel Clark and Michael Lerman, pays tribute to the wit and panache of classic sleuths. Both of the film’s detective protagonists are conventional in the classical way: one is a sly, intelligent woman trying to flee her past, the other an old time sheriff of a small town with a creased face and fatigued voice.
Unfortunately, Boyle’s beautifully lensed pastiche is less the sum of its parts,...
Boyle’s screenplay, which he co-wrote with Joel Clark and Michael Lerman, pays tribute to the wit and panache of classic sleuths. Both of the film’s detective protagonists are conventional in the classical way: one is a sly, intelligent woman trying to flee her past, the other an old time sheriff of a small town with a creased face and fatigued voice.
Unfortunately, Boyle’s beautifully lensed pastiche is less the sum of its parts,...
- 3/31/2015
- by Jordan Adler
- We Got This Covered
While everyone knows the ingredients of film noir, putting them together and adding just the right twist on top, is an art few can achieve. It seems Dave Boyle’s “Man From Reno” manages the feat. Our critic called the neo-noir "stellar pulp storytelling," and today we have an exclusive clip from the picture. Starring Ayako Fujitani, Pepe Serna and Kazuki Kitamura, the story is set just outside of San Francisco, and follows the colliding fates of a Sheriff, the Japanese pedestrian he accidentally hits with his car, a Japanese mystery writer, and her lover who suddenly disappears. As you'll see in this moody scene, nothing is quite as it seems, with an eeriness that hangs over an otherwise passionate moment. "Man From Reno" is now playing in limited release. Watch below.
- 3/27/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Dave Boyle’s “Man From Reno” is the type of film where alleyways are home offices, every bar matchbox has an unknown number inside, and if a character enters a bookshop, you better believe old issues of “True Detective” are hanging visibly in frame. Boyle, who previously made festival favorite “White on Rice," plunges his first genre entry into the annals of film noir. This is stellar pulp storytelling with a twist, blending fine performances from Ayako Fujitani (“Tokyo!”) and Pepe Serna (“Scarface”) with an evocative view of California’s Bay Area. Placed somewhere between “The Big Sleep” and “Chan is Missing” — Wayne Wang’s 1982 independent neo-noir about two Chinese taxi drivers scouring San Francisco for stolen money — the film shares aspects of Wang’s take on the genre. Both films explore the coastal city from a little-seen perspective, here delving into its Japanese-American community with a unique eye. 'Reno'...
- 3/26/2015
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
Reno 911: Boyle’s Indie Neo-Noir an Enjoyable Pulpy Exercise
For his fifth feature, indie filmmaker Dave Boyle pays homage to film noir tropes with his twisty, engaging Man From Reno. Along the lines of the light, comically inclined indie sleuthing of Aaron Katz’s Portland set Cold Weather (2010), Boyle gives noir a fresh face in the culturally ambiguous city of San Francisco. Though not all of its tangential elements feel quite successful, Boyle’s screenplay, co-written with his regular collaborators Michael Lerman and Joel Clark, features an unpredictably dark third act that more resolutely recalls the films it’s inspired by than most of its modern counterparts.
Recently escaping from a book tour back home in Japan, famed pulpy mystery author Aki (Ayako Fujitano) finds herself alone in San Francisco while her disappearance causes a dramatic furor. She runs into a sexy stranger who calls himself Akira (Kazuki Kitamura...
For his fifth feature, indie filmmaker Dave Boyle pays homage to film noir tropes with his twisty, engaging Man From Reno. Along the lines of the light, comically inclined indie sleuthing of Aaron Katz’s Portland set Cold Weather (2010), Boyle gives noir a fresh face in the culturally ambiguous city of San Francisco. Though not all of its tangential elements feel quite successful, Boyle’s screenplay, co-written with his regular collaborators Michael Lerman and Joel Clark, features an unpredictably dark third act that more resolutely recalls the films it’s inspired by than most of its modern counterparts.
Recently escaping from a book tour back home in Japan, famed pulpy mystery author Aki (Ayako Fujitano) finds herself alone in San Francisco while her disappearance causes a dramatic furor. She runs into a sexy stranger who calls himself Akira (Kazuki Kitamura...
- 3/25/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
In this exclusive clip from Dave Boyle’s Man From Reno, (Eleven Arts, March 27th) Pepe Serna’s character of Sheriff Paul Del Moral is to say the least, implicated and deeply submerged in a swerving tale of romance and mystery. Nominated for the Indie Spirits’ John Cassavetes Award, Boyle’s fifth feature also stars Ayako Fujitani and Kazuki Kitamura. Here are the screening dates, and clip below.
- 3/24/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Man From Reno (2014) Film Review, a movie directed by Dave Boyle, and starring Ayako Fujitani, Pepe Serna, Kazuki Kitamura,Yasuyo Shiba, Hiroshi Watanabe, Tetsuo Kuramochi, Yuki Matsuzaki, Shiori Ideta, Elisha Skorman, Masami Kosaka, Rome Kanda, Ross Turner, Thomas Cokenias, Geo Epsilanty and Ron Eliot The dim light of a [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Man From Reno (2014): A Unique Take On Neo-Noir...
Continue reading: Film Review: Man From Reno (2014): A Unique Take On Neo-Noir...
- 3/6/2015
- by Victor Stiff
- Film-Book
Gravitas Ventures has taken North American rights to Dave Boyle's thriller "Man From Reno," nominated for the John Cassavates Award at this year's Independent Spirit Awards. Here's the synopsis: "The wonderfully evocative film unfolds like a deliciously prepared riddle with a story that involves the intersection of three unlikely characters: an aging but still dogged sheriff of a small farming town on the outskirts of San Francisco, a reclusive yet popular writer who harbors a deep secret that would shock her fans and a mysterious drifter -- the eponymous Man from Reno. " The cast includes Ayako Fujitani, Pepe Serna, Hiroshi Watanabe and Kazuki Kitamura. "Man From Reno" won the La Film Festival's Best Dramatic Feature prize, the San Diego Asian Film Festival's Narrative Feature prize and more. Screen Daily calls it "A stylishly made genre film that revels in its old-fashioned sense of mystery and suspense" and THR reports,...
- 2/20/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
A Japanese crime novelist and a small town sheriff collide in the new trailer for Dave Boyle's "Man From Reno." A murder mystery told through a neo-noir lens, the film centers on author Aki Akahori, who begins a romantic affair with a mysterious Japanese traveller from Reno who is staying in the same San Francisco hotel. Her new lover is charismatic and charming but abruptly disappears from the hotel, leaving behind his suitcase and a trail of questions that lead directly to a sheriff with a similar ambiguous mystery. Starring Ayako Fujitani ("Tokyo!") Pepe Serna ("Scarface") and Kazuki Kitamura ("The Raid 2"), "Man From Reno" won the Best Narrative Feature prize at the 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival and is currently a John Cassavetes Award nominee at the 2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The Film hits New York and Los Angeles theaters on March 27 before expanding to additional markets on April 10. Watch.
- 2/6/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
With the La Film Festival drawing to a close the time has come to hand out the prizes and the big winner - taking Best Narrative Feature - is Dave Boyle's Man From Reno. True to past work, Boyle's latest shows a fascination with the intersection of cultures - specifically Japanese and American - but this time out he steps away from the light hearted comedy that has marked his previous work, instead deliver a thriller.Filmmaker Dave Boyle's cross-cultural mystery Man From Reno received the Best Narrative Feature Award today at the 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival. The film follows a Japanese crime novelist (Ayako Fujitani) as she investigates a murder in San Francisco. Man From Reno was produced by Ko Mori of Eleven Arts...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/20/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Man From Reno, a Kickstarter-backed movie about a Japanese crime novelist investigating a murder mystery in San Francisco, won the Best Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival. “Its exploration of barriers of age, language and success set against a noir plot line infuses a pop energy into the well observed portrayal of its unique characters,” the jury stated, awarding director Dave Boyle the $5,000 prize. The film stars Ayako Fujitani as the novelist as well as Pepe Serna (Scarface) and Kazuki Kitamura (The Raid 2).
Stray Dog, Debra Granik’s first film since Winter’s Bone, won the festival prize for Best Documentary Feature.
Stray Dog, Debra Granik’s first film since Winter’s Bone, won the festival prize for Best Documentary Feature.
- 6/20/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Dave Boyle’s "Man From Reno," and Debra Granik’s "Stray Dog" lead the list of jury award-winners at the Los Angeles Film festival, which closes Thursday night with Clint Eastwood's "Jersey Boys." Full list of audience and jury prize-winners below. Narrative Award (for Best Narrative Feature) Winner: Man From Reno, directed by Dave Boyle Producer: Ko Mori Cast: Ayako Fujitani, Pepe Serna, Kazuki Kitamura Film Description: A stranger in the increasingly strange city of San Francisco, Japanese crime novelist Aki is unsure of precisely what role she has to play in a real-life murder mystery involving ambiguous MacGuffins and amorphous identities. Unfolding in lonely places such as bookshops and hotel bars, Dave Boyle's moody thriller uncovers exhilarating new takes on genre conventions. Consequently, it's an alluring homme fatal who supplies Aki with the breadcrumb...
- 6/20/2014
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
A film about a mystery novelist and a Japanese man who vanishes from a San Francisco hospital won the top narrative prize at the Los Angeles Film Festival Thursday. “Man from Reno" stars Osaka-born actor Ayako Fujitani as Aki Akahori, a crime writer who takes a breather from her press tour and ends up mixed up with Akira Suzuki—played by Kazuki Kitamura, who hails from the same Japanese city as his co-star—a mysterious stranger from Reno who’s staying at the same hotel in San Francisco. The film, directed by Dave Boyle ("White on Rice"), uses a mix of English and subtitled Japanese. "Stray Dog" took the Best Documentary Feature award. The first documentary from director Debra Granik ("Winter's Bone") followed a Vietnam War veteran biker and his struggle for place in America. Meanwhile, the festival’s audience picked “Young Kieslowski,” directed by Kerem Sanga, in the narrative category,...
- 6/20/2014
- backstage.com
Dave Boyle’s “Man From Reno” is the type of film where alleyways are home offices, every bar matchbox has an unknown number inside, and if a character enters a bookshop, you better believe old issues of “True Detective” are hanging visibly in frame. Boyle, who previously made festival favorite “White on Rice," plunges his first genre entry into the annals of film noir—this is stellar pulp storytelling with a twist, blending fine performances from Ayako Fujitani (“Tokyo!”) and Pepe Serna (“Scarface”) with an evocative view of California’s Bay Area. Placed somewhere between “The Big Sleep” and “Chan is Missing”—Wayne Wang’s 1982 independent neo-noir about two Chinese taxi drivers scouring San Francisco for stolen money—the film shares aspects of Wang’s take on the genre. Both films explore the coastal city from a little-seen perspective, here delving into its Japanese-American community with a unique eye. 'Reno'...
- 6/18/2014
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
The unease at the heart of "Man from Reno" is expressed via two different, initially separate, narrative threads. In one, burnt-out mystery novelist Aki absconds to San Francisco to escape the doldrums of a press tour, causing a flood of media speculation in her native Japan; in the other, a sheriff from elsewhere in the Bay Area runs over (and nearly kills) an unidentified Japanese man who’d abandoned his vehicle earlier that foggy night. Shortly after checking himself out of the hospital, the mysterious victim is found face-down in a pond. That these two plot lines are connected is a certainty, yet the how and why of it all remain clouded for quite some time. Even if you think you’ve figured out the identity of the eponymous Nevadan early on, the suspicion that this case is littered with misdirection and outright lies grows from scene to scene. Co-writer...
- 6/18/2014
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
In a great dedication to the film noir genre, “Man from Reno” presents a great modern day crime drama filled with twists and turns.
At this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival, the entire cast and director Dave Boyle were in attendance for the world premiere of the film. Latino-Review caught up with actors Ayako Fujitani and Pepe Serna before the premiere on the red carpet.
Here’s the synopsis:
A stranger in the increasingly strange city of San Francisco, Japanese crime novelist Aki is unsure of precisely what role she has to play in a real-life murder mystery involving ambiguous MacGuffins and amorphous identities. Unfolding in lonely places such as bookshops and hotel bars, Dave Boyle's moody thriller uncovers exhilarating new takes on genre conventions. Consequently, it's an alluring l'homme fatal who supplies Aki with the breadcrumb trail of clues that entices her into a labyrinthine plot of sinister dealings.
At this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival, the entire cast and director Dave Boyle were in attendance for the world premiere of the film. Latino-Review caught up with actors Ayako Fujitani and Pepe Serna before the premiere on the red carpet.
Here’s the synopsis:
A stranger in the increasingly strange city of San Francisco, Japanese crime novelist Aki is unsure of precisely what role she has to play in a real-life murder mystery involving ambiguous MacGuffins and amorphous identities. Unfolding in lonely places such as bookshops and hotel bars, Dave Boyle's moody thriller uncovers exhilarating new takes on genre conventions. Consequently, it's an alluring l'homme fatal who supplies Aki with the breadcrumb trail of clues that entices her into a labyrinthine plot of sinister dealings.
- 6/17/2014
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
Exclusive: World premiering in competition this week at the 20th La Film Fest is Dave Boyle’s Man From Reno, starring Ayako Fujitani (Tokyo!) as a Japanese mystery author who hides out from her latest book tour in San Francisco. She begins an affair with a mysterious Japanese traveler from Reno who abruptly disappears from their hotel, leaving behind a suitcase and a trail of questions. This is Fujitani’s second film for writer-director Boyle (White on Rice, Surrogate Valentine), who last helmed indie drama Daylight Savings and co-wrote Man From Reno with Joel Clark and Michael Lerman. Scarface‘s Pepe Serna and […]...
- 6/11/2014
- Deadline
After premiering his indie Surrogate Valentine at South by Southwest Film Festival in 2011, producer/writer/director/editor Dave Boyle was back again this year for a semi-sequel titled Daylight Savings. Once again starring Goh Nakamura, we praised this drama (full SXSW review here) about the creative process, saying it is a “refreshing, soulful film” and “delightful.” The first trailer has now arrived and one can check it out below via Apple, along with the first poster.
Synopsis:
San Francisco-based musician Goh Nakamura (playing himself) is at the height of his career. With a national tour on the horizon and his song being featured in a national TV commercial, Goh has the life he always wanted. When his long-distance girlfriend Erika (Ayako Fujitani) breaks up with him over Skype, Goh feels lost, as though no one could ever heal his broken heart. One night in San Francisco, he meets a fellow indie musician,...
Synopsis:
San Francisco-based musician Goh Nakamura (playing himself) is at the height of his career. With a national tour on the horizon and his song being featured in a national TV commercial, Goh has the life he always wanted. When his long-distance girlfriend Erika (Ayako Fujitani) breaks up with him over Skype, Goh feels lost, as though no one could ever heal his broken heart. One night in San Francisco, he meets a fellow indie musician,...
- 5/9/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Sound On Sight will once again be covering the SXSW Film Festival this year, making it our second time attending. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas fest taking place March 9-17, including 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. As previously announced, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods will have the honours of opening the festival, and now they have released the full list of films – and it’s looking pretty amazing. Enjoy!
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
- 2/3/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry, shot by Bob Gruen in 1977
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
- 2/1/2012
- MUBI
With Sundance 2012 Film Festival over, the next big one on the horizon is South by Southwest, which we’ll be heavily covering. The biggest chunk of the line-up has been announced today, which has some great premieres including 21 Jump Street, Tiff and Sundance hit The Raid, Will Ferrell‘s Casa de mi Padre, the documentary Girl Model (which we liked at Tiff), as well as the next from Broken Lizard, The Babymakers. There are many other promising titles included and you can see them all below. Check back for our coverage for the fest, kicking off March 9th.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
- 2/1/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Attendees of South by Southwest 2012 are in for a treat. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas festival taking place March 9-17. Among them are 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. The organization already announced [1] Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods would open the festival (the movie is phenomenal [2]) and today the majority of the remaining line up has been revealed. One of the highlights is the unbelievably smart and hilarious 21 Jump Street, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Both of those are World Premieres. Other highlights include The Hunter, Killer Joe, The Babymakers, frankie goes boom, God Bless America, The Imposter, The Raid, Bernie and Casa de mi Padre just to name a few. After the jump, read descriptions of all the films that have been announced so far. Before I copy and paste the rest of the list, a few minor notes.
- 2/1/2012
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
The Film:
Gamera has always lived in the shadow of Toho’s Godzilla, and was infamous for being nothing more than a campy, cheesy, rip-off the Toho’s creation. However, Shusuke Kaneko came and did something some thought was impossible: he gave you a reason to take Gamera seriously. The first two films in his trilogy, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe and Attack of Legion (you can read my reviews of those here), were both critically and commercially successful. However, many trilogies suffer from a rushed and lackluster ending.
But Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris not only improves on the last two films, its argued to be one of the greatest Kaiju films ever made.
The film take splace three years after Gamera defeated Legion in Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, and Gamera has now shed his connection to humanity. Meanwhile, the Gyaos have returned from their defeat in Gamera: Guardian of the Universe,...
Gamera has always lived in the shadow of Toho’s Godzilla, and was infamous for being nothing more than a campy, cheesy, rip-off the Toho’s creation. However, Shusuke Kaneko came and did something some thought was impossible: he gave you a reason to take Gamera seriously. The first two films in his trilogy, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe and Attack of Legion (you can read my reviews of those here), were both critically and commercially successful. However, many trilogies suffer from a rushed and lackluster ending.
But Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris not only improves on the last two films, its argued to be one of the greatest Kaiju films ever made.
The film take splace three years after Gamera defeated Legion in Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, and Gamera has now shed his connection to humanity. Meanwhile, the Gyaos have returned from their defeat in Gamera: Guardian of the Universe,...
- 9/30/2011
- by Matt Keith
- Killer Films
Tokyo! Directed by: Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Bong Joon-ho Written by: Gabrielle Bell, Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Bong Joon-ho Starring: Ayako Fujitani, Ayumi Ito, Ryo Kase, Denis Lavant, Jean-François Balmer, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yû Aoi Historically, short films have never really received much mainstream attention because, let's face it, you can't exactly put them in a movie theatre and charge full price for admission. They've mostly been relegated to the realm of film festivals and YouTube, but every now and then someone comes up with a clever way to package a collection of short films and sell it to the public. The 2007 film Paris, Je T'aime had a fairly successful (albeit limited) theatrical run collecting 18 shorts from such directors as The Coen Brothers, Tom Tykwer, Gus Van Sant and Wes Craven. It eventually spawned a sequel of sorts called, New York, I Love You. Following in the footsteps of these films comes Tokyo!
- 8/15/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Here’s a list of some of the new DVD releases this week. Plus, some old favorites coming out this week on Blu-Ray.
New Movies:
* 12 Rounds - John Cena, Aidan Gillen (DVD and Blu-Ray)
* The Betrayed – Melissa George, Donald Adams (DVD)
* Barbra Streisand: Live in Concert 2006 (Blu-Ray)
* Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (Three-Disc Special Edition) – Kristin Kreuk, Chris Klein (DVD and Blu-Ray)
* Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience (DVD and Blu-Ray)
* Ted Nugent: Motor City Mayhem–6,000th Concert (Blu-Ray)
* Two Lovers – Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw (DVD and Blu-Ray)
* Tokyo! – Ayako Fujitani, Jean-Francois Balmer, Denis Lavant (DVD and Blu-Ray)
Classic and Previously Released Movies:
* Seven – Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman (Blu-Ray)
* Do the Right Thing – Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis (Blu-Ray)
TV Shows:
* Eastbound & Down: The Complete First Season – Danny McBride, Katy Mixon, John Hawkes, Andrew Daly (DVD)
* Parker Lewis Can’t Lose: The Complete First Season – Corin Nemec,...
New Movies:
* 12 Rounds - John Cena, Aidan Gillen (DVD and Blu-Ray)
* The Betrayed – Melissa George, Donald Adams (DVD)
* Barbra Streisand: Live in Concert 2006 (Blu-Ray)
* Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (Three-Disc Special Edition) – Kristin Kreuk, Chris Klein (DVD and Blu-Ray)
* Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience (DVD and Blu-Ray)
* Ted Nugent: Motor City Mayhem–6,000th Concert (Blu-Ray)
* Two Lovers – Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw (DVD and Blu-Ray)
* Tokyo! – Ayako Fujitani, Jean-Francois Balmer, Denis Lavant (DVD and Blu-Ray)
Classic and Previously Released Movies:
* Seven – Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman (Blu-Ray)
* Do the Right Thing – Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis (Blu-Ray)
TV Shows:
* Eastbound & Down: The Complete First Season – Danny McBride, Katy Mixon, John Hawkes, Andrew Daly (DVD)
* Parker Lewis Can’t Lose: The Complete First Season – Corin Nemec,...
- 7/1/2009
- by Joe Gillis
- The Flickcast
This triptypch of short flicks about the Japanese capital by non-Japanese filmmakers is wildly intriguing to me, as someone who has never been there but would like to visit -- I wonder, though, how natives or familiar foreigners would parse the peculiarities of these disturbing urban fairy tales. French filmmaker Michel Gondry’s (The Science of Sleep) opening installment, “Interior Design,” is perhaps the most universal (and is, in fact, based on a graphic novel called “Cecil and Jordan in New York”): in it, a young woman (Ayako Fujitani) finds a way to cope with her sense that she is invisible and unnecessary not just to her filmmaker boyfriend (Ryo Kase) but to the world at large when they move to the titular city, which is huge and dehumanizing, as Gondry depicts it, to a gal not so confident in her own self. It’s a startling story that...
- 5/12/2009
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Tokyo! - 80
Tokyo Sonata - 85
Tokyo!
Release Date: March 6
Directors/Writers: Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Bong Joon-Ho
Cinematographers: Masami Inomoto, Caroline Champetier, Jun Fukomoto
Starring: Ayako Fujitani, Ryo Kase, Denis Lavant, Teruyuki Kagawa
Studio/Run Time: Liberation Entertainment, 112 mins.
Tokyo Sonata
Release Date: March 13
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Writers: Max Mannix, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Sachiko Tanaka
Cinematographer: Akiko Ashiza
Starring: Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Yu Koyanagi
Studio/Run Time: Regent Releasing, 119 mins.
Tokyo! and Tokyo Sonata, two films by four directors containing six narratives, propose the Japanese megalopolis as a site for major weirdness. A girl turns into a chair. A man drives a car from the beach into the ocean. A zombie in a green suit climbs from the sewers and wreaks havoc.
Tokyo Sonata - 85
Tokyo!
Release Date: March 6
Directors/Writers: Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Bong Joon-Ho
Cinematographers: Masami Inomoto, Caroline Champetier, Jun Fukomoto
Starring: Ayako Fujitani, Ryo Kase, Denis Lavant, Teruyuki Kagawa
Studio/Run Time: Liberation Entertainment, 112 mins.
Tokyo Sonata
Release Date: March 13
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Writers: Max Mannix, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Sachiko Tanaka
Cinematographer: Akiko Ashiza
Starring: Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Yu Koyanagi
Studio/Run Time: Regent Releasing, 119 mins.
Tokyo! and Tokyo Sonata, two films by four directors containing six narratives, propose the Japanese megalopolis as a site for major weirdness. A girl turns into a chair. A man drives a car from the beach into the ocean. A zombie in a green suit climbs from the sewers and wreaks havoc.
- 3/13/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
"In the movies, you can't be offended to be second choice," said Michel Gondry, and he could well have been talking about The Green Hornet, which Columbia tapped him to direct last month after Kung Fu Hustle's Stephen Chow backed out. But in fact, he was referring to Tokyo!—the three-part portmanteau film that includes a Gondry short, "Interior Design," and featurettes by Leos Carax and Bong Joon-ho. Discussing the film last week at the Soho Grand, the two Frenchmen in that group said they'd been backup choices. Aki Kaurismaki, or Abbas Kiarostami, and maybe some others (they couldn't quite remember) had been approached before them. Gondry didn't seem bothered.
"Interior Design," which he co-wrote with girlfriend Gabrielle Bell, revolves around familiar Gondry protagonists: a creative duo with big dreams and limited resources. Hiroko (Ayako Fujitani) and Akira (Ryo Kase) have just moved to Tokyo. He's a penniless filmmaker; she likes art and photography,...
"Interior Design," which he co-wrote with girlfriend Gabrielle Bell, revolves around familiar Gondry protagonists: a creative duo with big dreams and limited resources. Hiroko (Ayako Fujitani) and Akira (Ryo Kase) have just moved to Tokyo. He's a penniless filmmaker; she likes art and photography,...
- 3/6/2009
- Interview Magazine
Cannes film review, Un Certain Regard
"Tokyo!" interprets facets of life in the Japanese metropolis with footloose imagination and a nonchalant attitude toward artistic discipline or meaning. An omnibus by France's Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Korea's Bong Joon-Ho ("The Host"), the directors lay down strong stamps of personality in their choice of subjects and mise-en-scenes, while employing touches of fantasy that range from teasingly surreal to unsubtly grotesque. The film would uniformly improve with at least 10 minutes trimmed from each segment to sharpen the narrative focus.
Though these vignettes appear frivolous and inconsequential when set beside the directors' features, they will tickle the funny bones of a general audience. A safe choice for fantastic fests, worldwide cinemas will open to the kind of audiences who bought tickets to see "Paris J'taime" or "To Each His Own Cinema".
Exploring the city as outsiders, all three filmmakers portray misfits who either slip out of the social fabric through mutation or withdrawal, or take on the human race with savage terrorist tactics.
Gondry's "Interior Design" retains most of his impish creativity. He describes a pair of Tokyo newcomers' humiliating struggle to fit into the city (mentally and spatially) with droll humor, and utilizes ingenious CG effects to create hypnotic dreamlike images.
Carax opens his segment "Merde" with a breathtaking continuous shot that tracks a Caucasian sewer-dweller (Denis Lavant) walking down Ginza, paralyzing pedestrians with his uncouth behavior. The nihilistic plot displays rudiments of an allegory on the historic legacy of militarism, xenophobia and the judiciary system, but these are left undeveloped, as Carax gets carried away with offensive burlesque.
Bong Joon-Ho's "Tokyo Shaking" takes on the Japanese phenomenon of "hikkikomori" -- extreme recluses who stay in their bedrooms for years -- and enters the psyche of one such person (Teruyuki Kagawa). Beautifully shot and edited, the story is disarming except for the overuse of reaction shots and blank stares of Kagawa, who never lets go of an opportunity to overact.
Writer-directors: Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Bong Joon-Ho. Screenwriter: Gabrielle Bell. Cast: Ryo Kase, Ayako Fujitani, Denis Levant, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yu Aoi. Producers: Masa Sawada, Michiko Yoshitake.
Sales: The Wild Bunch
No MPAA rating, 152 minutes.
"Tokyo!" interprets facets of life in the Japanese metropolis with footloose imagination and a nonchalant attitude toward artistic discipline or meaning. An omnibus by France's Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Korea's Bong Joon-Ho ("The Host"), the directors lay down strong stamps of personality in their choice of subjects and mise-en-scenes, while employing touches of fantasy that range from teasingly surreal to unsubtly grotesque. The film would uniformly improve with at least 10 minutes trimmed from each segment to sharpen the narrative focus.
Though these vignettes appear frivolous and inconsequential when set beside the directors' features, they will tickle the funny bones of a general audience. A safe choice for fantastic fests, worldwide cinemas will open to the kind of audiences who bought tickets to see "Paris J'taime" or "To Each His Own Cinema".
Exploring the city as outsiders, all three filmmakers portray misfits who either slip out of the social fabric through mutation or withdrawal, or take on the human race with savage terrorist tactics.
Gondry's "Interior Design" retains most of his impish creativity. He describes a pair of Tokyo newcomers' humiliating struggle to fit into the city (mentally and spatially) with droll humor, and utilizes ingenious CG effects to create hypnotic dreamlike images.
Carax opens his segment "Merde" with a breathtaking continuous shot that tracks a Caucasian sewer-dweller (Denis Lavant) walking down Ginza, paralyzing pedestrians with his uncouth behavior. The nihilistic plot displays rudiments of an allegory on the historic legacy of militarism, xenophobia and the judiciary system, but these are left undeveloped, as Carax gets carried away with offensive burlesque.
Bong Joon-Ho's "Tokyo Shaking" takes on the Japanese phenomenon of "hikkikomori" -- extreme recluses who stay in their bedrooms for years -- and enters the psyche of one such person (Teruyuki Kagawa). Beautifully shot and edited, the story is disarming except for the overuse of reaction shots and blank stares of Kagawa, who never lets go of an opportunity to overact.
Writer-directors: Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Bong Joon-Ho. Screenwriter: Gabrielle Bell. Cast: Ryo Kase, Ayako Fujitani, Denis Levant, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yu Aoi. Producers: Masa Sawada, Michiko Yoshitake.
Sales: The Wild Bunch
No MPAA rating, 152 minutes.
- 5/16/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- Via Director File (the one stop for Michel Gondry info on news), further details on Gondry's contribution to Tôkyô! have been revealed: actually we know the complete premise and get a Gondry-scribbled poster for good measure. For starters, we already established that Tôkyô! is a project that involves three filmmakers and is a three short film split. Belonging to a new trend of collective short film compilations honoring some of the world's favorite metropolitin hubs, 07's Paris, je t'aime and the upcoming project New York, je t'aime, the two other directors joining Gondry are fellow Frenchman Leos Carax (who made the memorable Mauvais Sang and the very ambitious Lovers on the Bridge) and Bong Joon-ho who became a household fav after the release of his monster movie The Host. While their narratives are still unknown - they are now is post, and will try selling the film internationally at
- 12/19/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
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