The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre's 13th annual Toronto Japanese Film Festival will be held from June 6th to 20th at the Jccc's Kobayashi Hall. The festival has now grown into one of the largest film events of its kind in the world and is recognized by the Japanese film industry as a vital conduit for bringing Japanese film to the world.
TorontoJFF is programmed to reflect the rich diversity of the world 4th largest film industry and the 2024 edition will feature 24 films including the International Premieres of Kosai Sekine's mystery drama Stay Mum「かくしごと 」starring Anne Watanabe and Eiji Okuda and Toshiyuki Teruya's heartwarming Okinawa-based comedy Kanasando「かなさんどー 」. The festival is also very proud to present the World Premiere of Alice Il Shin's Landscapes Of Home 「故郷の風景」 from producer Eiko Kawabe Brown. The film is an investigation of Japanese Canadian struggle from a new perspective redefining...
TorontoJFF is programmed to reflect the rich diversity of the world 4th largest film industry and the 2024 edition will feature 24 films including the International Premieres of Kosai Sekine's mystery drama Stay Mum「かくしごと 」starring Anne Watanabe and Eiji Okuda and Toshiyuki Teruya's heartwarming Okinawa-based comedy Kanasando「かなさんどー 」. The festival is also very proud to present the World Premiere of Alice Il Shin's Landscapes Of Home 「故郷の風景」 from producer Eiko Kawabe Brown. The film is an investigation of Japanese Canadian struggle from a new perspective redefining...
- 4/26/2024
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
The Japan Academy Film Prize Association held the 47th edition of its awards ceremony on March 8, 2024. The nominees are selected by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association of industry professionals from the pool of film releases between January 1 and December 31, 2023 which must have screened in Tokyo cinemas.
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards and leading with 12 nominations, Toho Studios' and Takashi Yamazaki's kaiju cinema masterpiece “Godzilla Minus One” takes top honours winning Picture of the Year and a slew of technical awards. Sakura Ando cements her place as one of Japan's top actresses securing both awards for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (for “Monster”) as well as Supporting Role (for “Godzilla Minus One”).
The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
Monster
Godzilla Minus One
Mom, Is That You?!
September 1923
Perfect Days
Animation of the Year
Kitaro Tanjo – GeGeGe no...
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards and leading with 12 nominations, Toho Studios' and Takashi Yamazaki's kaiju cinema masterpiece “Godzilla Minus One” takes top honours winning Picture of the Year and a slew of technical awards. Sakura Ando cements her place as one of Japan's top actresses securing both awards for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (for “Monster”) as well as Supporting Role (for “Godzilla Minus One”).
The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
Monster
Godzilla Minus One
Mom, Is That You?!
September 1923
Perfect Days
Animation of the Year
Kitaro Tanjo – GeGeGe no...
- 3/12/2024
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
The 66th edition of the Blue Ribbon Awards, presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, has announced its winners on January 24, 2024. The nominees are selected from movies released in 2023. The trifecta wins for “Godzilla Minus One” come as no surprise, sweeping the Best Film, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress categories. Yuya Ishii picks up the Best Director award for both his movies “The Moon” and “Masked Hearts”.
Best Film
Masked Hearts
Ichiko
Egoist
Monster
The Dry Spell
Godzilla Minus One
Mom, Is That You?!
(Ab)normal Desire
The Moon
One Last Bloom
Perfect Days
Bad Lands
September 1923
Do Unto Others
As Long as We Both Shall Live
Best Director
Yuya Ishii – The Moon, Masked Hearts
Hirokazu Koreeda – Monster
Daishi Matsunaga – Egoist
Takashi Yamazaki – Godzilla Minus One
Yoji Yamada – Mom, Is That You?!
Best Actor
Goro Inagaki – (Ab)normal Desire
Ryunosuke Kamiki – Godzilla Minus One, We're Broke, My Lord!
Best Film
Masked Hearts
Ichiko
Egoist
Monster
The Dry Spell
Godzilla Minus One
Mom, Is That You?!
(Ab)normal Desire
The Moon
One Last Bloom
Perfect Days
Bad Lands
September 1923
Do Unto Others
As Long as We Both Shall Live
Best Director
Yuya Ishii – The Moon, Masked Hearts
Hirokazu Koreeda – Monster
Daishi Matsunaga – Egoist
Takashi Yamazaki – Godzilla Minus One
Yoji Yamada – Mom, Is That You?!
Best Actor
Goro Inagaki – (Ab)normal Desire
Ryunosuke Kamiki – Godzilla Minus One, We're Broke, My Lord!
- 1/25/2024
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
One of the highlights of the Busan International Film Festival is its Open Cinema section. Its free screenings take place in the Biff Theater, an outdoor venue with room for hundreds of spectators. This year’s program included Thomas Cailley’s French sci-fi The Animal Kingdom; Revolver Lily, a Japanese period thriller starring Haruka Ayase as a super-assassin; and the Bollywood musical Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani / Rocky and Rani’s Love Story.
Directed by Bollywood veteran Karan Johar, Rocky and Rani pits two top stars––Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh––in a screwball romance that unfolds on a massive scale. Singh is Rocky, a “filthy rich” heir to a laddoo pastry fortune. Bhatt’s Rani hosts a controversial talk show where she defends liberal causes.
You know the formula: meet-cute, enormous song and dance, stupid argument, another gigantic song, eventual reconciliation followed by an even bigger production number.
Directed by Bollywood veteran Karan Johar, Rocky and Rani pits two top stars––Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh––in a screwball romance that unfolds on a massive scale. Singh is Rocky, a “filthy rich” heir to a laddoo pastry fortune. Bhatt’s Rani hosts a controversial talk show where she defends liberal causes.
You know the formula: meet-cute, enormous song and dance, stupid argument, another gigantic song, eventual reconciliation followed by an even bigger production number.
- 10/19/2023
- by Daniel Eagan
- The Film Stage
Director Keishi Ohtomo returns to feudal Japan with his newest picture, “The Legend and Butterfly.” Having concluded the live-action “Rurouni Kenshin” film series, Ohtomo shifts gears for his latest feature, focusing more on real Japanese history, albeit with a heavily fictitious spin in a screenplay by Ryota Kosawa. The story deals with the rise and fall of Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga and explores his relationship with his wife, Nohime. This feature wouldn't be the first time Lord Nobunaga has been depicted in film or television. Still, with a big budget and an all-star cast, this epic was set to sweep away audiences and the box office while commemorating the 70th-anniversary celebration of Toei Company. Yet, despite a strong opening, it quickly dwindled in popularity and was met with mixed reception.
The Legend and Butterfly is screening at Japan Cuts
The story takes place over 30 years, beginning with a politically driven...
The Legend and Butterfly is screening at Japan Cuts
The story takes place over 30 years, beginning with a politically driven...
- 8/2/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
The Legend and Butterfly, directed by Japanese director Keishi Otomo and written by Ryota Kosawa, is an epic story set in the Warring States Period in Japan, where a man and a woman come together under special circumstances to become husband and wife. Their relationship undergoes monumental stages as the history of Japan takes shape in the background. Starring Takuya Kimura and Haruka Ayase, The Legend and Butterfly marks their third collaboration together. The performances are worthy of praise as they helm this period drama and elevate it into a grand love story.
Spoilers Ahead
Viper Meets Tiger
Lord Owari’s son Nobunaga prepares for his first night after Owari and the nearby state’s lord Mino agree to marry their children together. The wedding was actually a ploy by Lord Owari to ensure his domain’s safety against the attacks by Lord Mino. If his daughter was married right in the Owari domain,...
Spoilers Ahead
Viper Meets Tiger
Lord Owari’s son Nobunaga prepares for his first night after Owari and the nearby state’s lord Mino agree to marry their children together. The wedding was actually a ploy by Lord Owari to ensure his domain’s safety against the attacks by Lord Mino. If his daughter was married right in the Owari domain,...
- 6/5/2023
- by Ayush Awasthi
- Film Fugitives
Oda Nobunaga (Takuya Kimura) and Nohime (Haruka Ayase) were originally married to mend a hostile relationship between neighbouring regions. Unfortunately, they were like oil and water, making for a somewhat unhappy marriage. When Oda’s enemy, Imagawa Yoshimoto, attacks Owari with his vast army, Oda is devastated by the overwhelming gap in military strength. However, Nohime encourages him not to despair and the pair draw up a tactical plan that will allow them to overcome the odds.
- 12/11/2022
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
Japanese firm also boards ‘Yes, I Can’t Swim’ ahead of Filmart Online.
Japan’s Free Stone Productions has closed a brace of deals on upcoming romantic drama Tsuyukusa from veteran director Hideyuki Hirayama.
The feature has been sold to South Korea (Jinjin Pictures) and Taiwan (Sky Digi Entertainment) ahead of Hong Kong’s Filmart Online, where Free Stone will present the film as part of its slate this week.
Hirayama is known for directing features such as Turn and Begging For Love, which was Japan’s submission for the best foreign language film Oscar in 1998 and won the Japanese...
Japan’s Free Stone Productions has closed a brace of deals on upcoming romantic drama Tsuyukusa from veteran director Hideyuki Hirayama.
The feature has been sold to South Korea (Jinjin Pictures) and Taiwan (Sky Digi Entertainment) ahead of Hong Kong’s Filmart Online, where Free Stone will present the film as part of its slate this week.
Hirayama is known for directing features such as Turn and Begging For Love, which was Japan’s submission for the best foreign language film Oscar in 1998 and won the Japanese...
- 3/14/2022
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie Review — Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie (2021) ) Film Review from the 25th Annual Fantasia International Film Festival, a movie directed by Tôya Satô, starring Haruka Ayase, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Rei Dan, Fumiyo Kohinata, Atsuko Maeda, Minosuke, Naomasa Musaka, and Shirô Sano. Memory loss, secret agents, corporate and [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie: A Genre-Bending Series Follow-Up That Capably Stands On Its Own [Fantasia 2021]...
Continue reading: Film Review: Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie: A Genre-Bending Series Follow-Up That Capably Stands On Its Own [Fantasia 2021]...
- 8/22/2021
- by Jacob Mouradian
- Film-Book
Japanese cinema likes making feature film versions of anything remotely popular, be it novels, mangas, anime or TV shows. So it was only a matter of time before the Haruka Ayase starring “Caution, Hazardous Wife” was adapted for the big screen. Sure enough, three years since the telecast of the popular tv show, the feature film adaption came along, helmed by Toya Sato, every single of whose feature films before this have been manga or anime adaptations.
“Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie” is Screening at Fantasia International Film Festival
The quiet seaside town of Tamami is reeling from the news that a methane hydrate R&d plant is to come up off their shores. The people involved in the plant project have the government’s support and see the chemical reserve there as a cash-cow, whereas the people of the town have always held the sea as something sacred and...
“Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie” is Screening at Fantasia International Film Festival
The quiet seaside town of Tamami is reeling from the news that a methane hydrate R&d plant is to come up off their shores. The people involved in the plant project have the government’s support and see the chemical reserve there as a cash-cow, whereas the people of the town have always held the sea as something sacred and...
- 8/21/2021
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s big-screen adaptation of Rokuro Inui’s novel A Perfect Day for Plesiosaur marks the director’s slow transition from horrors like “Cure” and “Retribution” to more recent dramas including 2017’s “Before We Vanish” and “To the Ends of the Earth.” In this genre mashup of thriller, science fiction, drama, romance, and monster movie, Kurosawa creates an experience which is bound to be bizarre and disorienting, even for viewers who are accustomed to his surreal style.
The story revolves around Koichi Fujita, a neurologist with access to new and innovative technology, trying to access the depths of his comatose lover’s mind. Atsumi Kazu is a manga artist who had attempted to kill herself the year before, after a negative experience with writer’s block, and has been unconscious ever since. Alongside his assistants Aihara and Yonemura, Koichi spends hour-long sessions in the mind of Atsumi through a...
The story revolves around Koichi Fujita, a neurologist with access to new and innovative technology, trying to access the depths of his comatose lover’s mind. Atsumi Kazu is a manga artist who had attempted to kill herself the year before, after a negative experience with writer’s block, and has been unconscious ever since. Alongside his assistants Aihara and Yonemura, Koichi spends hour-long sessions in the mind of Atsumi through a...
- 12/1/2020
- by Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette
- AsianMoviePulse
Hirokazu Koreeda once more proved his prowess in the family drama genre, directing a film that is genuinely Japanese in its themes, motifs, pace and characters.
Three sisters, Sachi, Yoshino and Chika live in a large house in Kamakura. When their estranged father dies, they travel to the country to attend his funeral. While there, they meet their adolescent half-sister, Suzu. A bond quickly forms and the three sisters invite her to live with them in Kamakura. She accepts immediately and gladly and the sisters begin their life together.
Koreeda focuses on the very different characters of the four sisters and the interaction between them, portraying their everyday lives, feelings and thoughts, and all the little moments that define the human nature. Sachi has the role of the mother and boss of the trio. However, her position is often contested by Yoshino, a white-collar bank worker, who...
Three sisters, Sachi, Yoshino and Chika live in a large house in Kamakura. When their estranged father dies, they travel to the country to attend his funeral. While there, they meet their adolescent half-sister, Suzu. A bond quickly forms and the three sisters invite her to live with them in Kamakura. She accepts immediately and gladly and the sisters begin their life together.
Koreeda focuses on the very different characters of the four sisters and the interaction between them, portraying their everyday lives, feelings and thoughts, and all the little moments that define the human nature. Sachi has the role of the mother and boss of the trio. However, her position is often contested by Yoshino, a white-collar bank worker, who...
- 7/30/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Hirokazu Koreeda once more proved his prowess in the family drama genre, directing a film that is genuinely Japanese in its themes, motifs, pace and characters.
Three sisters, Sachi, Yoshino and Chika live in a large house in Kamakura. When their estranged father dies, they travel to the country to attend his funeral. While there, they meet their adolescent half-sister, Suzu. A bond quickly forms and the three sisters invite her to live with them in Kamakura. She accepts immediately and gladly and the sisters begin their life together.
Koreeda focuses on the very different characters of the four sisters and the interaction between them, portraying their everyday lives, feelings and thoughts, and all the little moments that define the human nature. Sachi has the role of the mother and boss of the trio. However, her position is often contested by Yoshino, a white-collar bank worker, who...
Three sisters, Sachi, Yoshino and Chika live in a large house in Kamakura. When their estranged father dies, they travel to the country to attend his funeral. While there, they meet their adolescent half-sister, Suzu. A bond quickly forms and the three sisters invite her to live with them in Kamakura. She accepts immediately and gladly and the sisters begin their life together.
Koreeda focuses on the very different characters of the four sisters and the interaction between them, portraying their everyday lives, feelings and thoughts, and all the little moments that define the human nature. Sachi has the role of the mother and boss of the trio. However, her position is often contested by Yoshino, a white-collar bank worker, who...
- 7/30/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Hideki Takeuchi seems to be making a career out of people jumping into the real world from another “dimension”, and after the two “Thermae Romae” and the Roman in contemporary Japan, he directs a story of a movie character coming to life in Japan in the 60’s. Let us take things from the beginning, though.
Tonight, at the Movies is part of the 2019 Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
Kenji is a struggling assistant director during the 60’s, when the industry in Japan experienced a significant decline due to popularity of TV, who tries to make it happen but is, in essence, just an errand boy. Furthermore, he is a workaholic, whose long-hours occasionally lead him into making blunders, just like when he spills paint all over the costume of the company’s star, Ryonosuke Shundo. In his quite hard life, the only source of true enjoyment comes from a theatre...
Tonight, at the Movies is part of the 2019 Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
Kenji is a struggling assistant director during the 60’s, when the industry in Japan experienced a significant decline due to popularity of TV, who tries to make it happen but is, in essence, just an errand boy. Furthermore, he is a workaholic, whose long-hours occasionally lead him into making blunders, just like when he spills paint all over the costume of the company’s star, Ryonosuke Shundo. In his quite hard life, the only source of true enjoyment comes from a theatre...
- 1/11/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Time again for another cinematic look at fractured, non-conventional families, a subject that’s also popular on TV and in novels. This story concerns a quartet of sisters, ranging from 13 to 29, sharing a home with no parental figures in sight (for most of the tale). You might think you’ve seen this “drama-dy” before , but not in this way, or in this unique setting. This family fable is not set in the Us or Europe, but rather in Asia, Japan to be precise. It’s not adapted from a stage play, nor a standard literary best seller or “young adult” novel. This film springs from a comic book, which Us academics now call “graphic novels”, but best known in the far East as “manga”, a medium usually thought to feature mind-blowing science fiction and strange supernatural fantasies. Hey, if our comics can delve into subjects other than superhero epics, then...
- 9/15/2016
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
To help sift through the increasing number of new releases (independent or otherwise), the Weekly Film Guide is here! Below you’ll find basic plot, personnel and cinema information for all of this week’s fresh offerings.
Starting this month, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for July 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, July 8. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Director: Jake Szymanski
Cast: Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Zac Efron
Synopsis: Two brothers place an online ad to find dates for a wedding and the ad goes viral.
The Secret Life of Pets
Director: Chris Renaud,...
Starting this month, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for July 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, July 8. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Director: Jake Szymanski
Cast: Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Zac Efron
Synopsis: Two brothers place an online ad to find dates for a wedding and the ad goes viral.
The Secret Life of Pets
Director: Chris Renaud,...
- 7/8/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Our Little Sister Sony Pictures Classics Reviewed by: Tami Smith, Guest Reviewer for Shockya Grade: B Director: Hirokazu Koreeda Written by: Hirokazu Koreeda from Akimi Yoshida’s Umimachi Diary Cast: Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, Suzu Hirose, Ryo Kase, Kirin Kiki, Lily Franky, Jun Fubuki, Shinichi Tsutsumi and Shinobu Otake, Opens: July 8th, 2016 Our Little Sister is a Japanese drama that opens and closes with a funeral, dealing with a family of three sisters living at a family home in a small Japanese town. The oldest sister Sachi (Haruka Ayase) is a nurse at a hospital’s Critical Care unit. She feels responsible for her siblings and runs the household. The [ Read More ]
The post Our Little Sister Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Our Little Sister Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 7/4/2016
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
After The Storm, the latest from the great Kore-eda Hirokazu premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival before going on general release in Japanese cinemas where it can still be found. While looking forward for that film to travel abroad, UK fans can make do with the release of his previous effort, Our Little Sister, out today on DVD and Blu-ray. Haruka Ayase (Ichi, Real), Nagasawa Masami (Wood Job!), and Kaho (Tokyo Girl), star as twenty-something siblings living together in an aged and ever-so-slightly ramshackle house in the coastal town of Kamakura. Award-winning newcomer Hirose Suzu plays the little sister of the title, who moves to the house after the death of her father, a man who abandoned the...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/14/2016
- Screen Anarchy
This week will see the unveiling of the Cannes Film Festival lineup, with the possibility of Hirokazu Kore-eda's next film "After The Storm" (watch the trailer) sliding into the mix. But first, stateside fans of his delicate dramas will finally get to experience his previous effort "Our Little Sister," and a new U.S. trailer has landed. Read More: Cannes Review: Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'Our Little Sister' Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho and Suzu Hirose star in a movie about three sisters who meet their half-sister for the first time at their father's funeral. And something gentle and quietly stirring soon follows, as only Kore-eda can conjure. Here's the official synopsis: "Our Little Sister," directed by internationally acclaimed director Hirozaku Kore-eda, is adapted from Yoshida Akimi's best-selling graphic novel "Umimachi Diary." Three twenty-something sisters—Sachi, Yoshino and Chika—live together in a large old house in...
- 4/12/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
The awards were first introduced in 1946 by the Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞) newspaper, which is the oldest daily Japanese one, since it has been on circulation since 1872. Nowadays, it is one of the three largest in the country, and it is noteworthy that two of its general directors were elected Prime Ministers.
The first winners were:
Best Film: Aru yo no tonosama (Teinosuke Kinugasa)
Best Firector: Tadashi Imai (Minshu no teki)
Best Script: Osone ke no ashita (Eijiro Hisaita)
Best Actor: Eitaro Ozawa (Osone ke no ashita)
Best Soundtrack: Minshu no teki (Fumio Hayasaka)
Since 1962, a year after the death of Noburo Ofuji, one of the pioneers of Japanese anime, a new award was introduced in his name, for the best anime of the season. The first winner was Osamu Tezuka, with “Story of a Certain Street Corner.”With the rise of the anime industry during the 80’s, the major studios started dominating the award,...
The first winners were:
Best Film: Aru yo no tonosama (Teinosuke Kinugasa)
Best Firector: Tadashi Imai (Minshu no teki)
Best Script: Osone ke no ashita (Eijiro Hisaita)
Best Actor: Eitaro Ozawa (Osone ke no ashita)
Best Soundtrack: Minshu no teki (Fumio Hayasaka)
Since 1962, a year after the death of Noburo Ofuji, one of the pioneers of Japanese anime, a new award was introduced in his name, for the best anime of the season. The first winner was Osamu Tezuka, with “Story of a Certain Street Corner.”With the rise of the anime industry during the 80’s, the major studios started dominating the award,...
- 2/26/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. So, for all you lovebirds out there who just want a staycation date, grab a bowl of popcorn and watch these Asian romantic comedies this weekend that will give you all the feels.
Secret (2007)
Secret stars Jay Chou as piano major student Ye Xianglu and Gwei Lun-mei as time traveling heroine Lu Xiaoyu.
My Girlfriend is a Cyborg aka Cyborg She (2008)
Kwak Jae-yong, director of My Sassy Girl, had a comeback in this mix of romance, comedy, and science fiction. My Girlfriend is a Cyborg stars Keisuke Koide as Jiro Kitamura, a lonely man from Tokyo, while Haruka Ayase plays the Cyborg he falls in love with. The Cyborg was created by an older Jiro after a girl he met in his past and sent her to the past to protect him after a devastating earthquake in Tokyo.
What Women Want (2011)
What Women Want...
Secret (2007)
Secret stars Jay Chou as piano major student Ye Xianglu and Gwei Lun-mei as time traveling heroine Lu Xiaoyu.
My Girlfriend is a Cyborg aka Cyborg She (2008)
Kwak Jae-yong, director of My Sassy Girl, had a comeback in this mix of romance, comedy, and science fiction. My Girlfriend is a Cyborg stars Keisuke Koide as Jiro Kitamura, a lonely man from Tokyo, while Haruka Ayase plays the Cyborg he falls in love with. The Cyborg was created by an older Jiro after a girl he met in his past and sent her to the past to protect him after a devastating earthquake in Tokyo.
What Women Want (2011)
What Women Want...
- 2/12/2016
- by Kat Meneses
- AsianMoviePulse
The award ceremony was held on February 7th in the Yokohama Kannai Hall and the winners were:
Best Film: Our Little Sister (Hirokazu Koreeda)
Best Director: Hirokazu Koreeda (Our Little Sister) Ryosuke Hashiguchi (Three stories of Love)
Yoshimitsu Morita Memorial Best New Director: Daishi Matsunaga(Pieta in the Toilet)
Best Screenplay: Shin Adachi (100 Yen Love, Obon Brothers)
Best Cinematographer: Mikiya Takemoto (Our Little Sister)
Best Actor: Masatoshi Nagase (Sweet Red Bean Paste) Kiyohiko Shibukawa (Obon Brothers, Areno)
Best Actress: Haruka Ayase (Our Little Sister)
Best Supporting Actor: Ken Mitsuishi (Obon Brothers, Three stories of Love)
Best Supporting Actress: Aoba Kawai (Obon Brothers, Kabukicho Love Hotel)
Best New Talent:Suzu Hirose (Our Little Sister) Hana Sugisaki (Pieta in the Toilet, The Pearls of the Stone Man) Ryoko Fujino (Solomon’s Perjury)
Special Jury Prize: The cast and staff of Bakuman
Special Grand Prize: Kirin Kiki
Top Ten Movies:
1. Our Little Sister...
Best Film: Our Little Sister (Hirokazu Koreeda)
Best Director: Hirokazu Koreeda (Our Little Sister) Ryosuke Hashiguchi (Three stories of Love)
Yoshimitsu Morita Memorial Best New Director: Daishi Matsunaga(Pieta in the Toilet)
Best Screenplay: Shin Adachi (100 Yen Love, Obon Brothers)
Best Cinematographer: Mikiya Takemoto (Our Little Sister)
Best Actor: Masatoshi Nagase (Sweet Red Bean Paste) Kiyohiko Shibukawa (Obon Brothers, Areno)
Best Actress: Haruka Ayase (Our Little Sister)
Best Supporting Actor: Ken Mitsuishi (Obon Brothers, Three stories of Love)
Best Supporting Actress: Aoba Kawai (Obon Brothers, Kabukicho Love Hotel)
Best New Talent:Suzu Hirose (Our Little Sister) Hana Sugisaki (Pieta in the Toilet, The Pearls of the Stone Man) Ryoko Fujino (Solomon’s Perjury)
Special Jury Prize: The cast and staff of Bakuman
Special Grand Prize: Kirin Kiki
Top Ten Movies:
1. Our Little Sister...
- 2/8/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The 28th ceremony took place at the New Otani Hotel, in Tokyo and the list of winners is:
Best Film: Solomon’s Perjury (Izuru Narashima)
Best Director: Masato Harada (The Emperor in August, Kakekomi)
Best Actor: Kengo Kora (TheMourner, Being Good)
Best Actress: Haruka Ayase (Our Little Sister)
Best Supporting Actor: Masahiro Motoki (The Emperor in August, The Big Bee)
Best Supporting Actress: Masami Nagasawa (Our Little Sister)
Best International Film: Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)
New Face Award: Suzu Hirose (Our Little Sister)
Fan Award: Joker Game (Yu Irie)
Yujiro Ishihara Award: The Emperor in August
Achievement Award: Yukichi Shinada (film critic)
Kengo Kora
Masami Nagasawa
the winners...
Best Film: Solomon’s Perjury (Izuru Narashima)
Best Director: Masato Harada (The Emperor in August, Kakekomi)
Best Actor: Kengo Kora (TheMourner, Being Good)
Best Actress: Haruka Ayase (Our Little Sister)
Best Supporting Actor: Masahiro Motoki (The Emperor in August, The Big Bee)
Best Supporting Actress: Masami Nagasawa (Our Little Sister)
Best International Film: Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)
New Face Award: Suzu Hirose (Our Little Sister)
Fan Award: Joker Game (Yu Irie)
Yujiro Ishihara Award: The Emperor in August
Achievement Award: Yukichi Shinada (film critic)
Kengo Kora
Masami Nagasawa
the winners...
- 12/29/2015
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The American Film Institute announced today the films that will screen in the World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, Shorts and Cinema’s Legacy programs at AFI Fest 2015 presented by Audi.
AFI Fest will take place November 5 – 12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and events will be held at the historic Tcl Chinese Theatre, the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres, Dolby Theatre, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, the El Capitan Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award®consideration. This year’s Shorts jury features filmmaker Janicza Bravo,...
AFI Fest will take place November 5 – 12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and events will be held at the historic Tcl Chinese Theatre, the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres, Dolby Theatre, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, the El Capitan Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award®consideration. This year’s Shorts jury features filmmaker Janicza Bravo,...
- 10/22/2015
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
As usual, the Masters programme is cholk-full of carryover items from world renowned auteurs who’ve already premiered last February (Berlin), this past May (Cannes) or as part of the upcoming action on the Lido (Venice). Of the thirteen titles and personalities that need no introduction, it’s the likes of Hong Sang-soo (Locarno) and the Venice preemed, and not yet picked up items from Skolimowski, Bellocchio & Sokurov (all potential Golden Lion winners) that are still sight unseen for several North American based cinephiles. Here are the baker’s dozen of items:
11 Minutes (11 Minut) – Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland/Ireland
North American Premiere
A jealous husband out of control, his sexy actress wife, a sleazy Hollywood director, a reckless drug messenger, a disoriented young woman, an ex-con hot dog vendor, a troubled student on a mysterious mission, a high-rise window cleaner on an illicit break, an elderly sketch artist, a hectic paramedics...
11 Minutes (11 Minut) – Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland/Ireland
North American Premiere
A jealous husband out of control, his sexy actress wife, a sleazy Hollywood director, a reckless drug messenger, a disoriented young woman, an ex-con hot dog vendor, a troubled student on a mysterious mission, a high-rise window cleaner on an illicit break, an elderly sketch artist, a hectic paramedics...
- 8/12/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
One of Japan's great filmmakers has a brand new movie on the way and we couldn't be more excited. Two years after his excellent "Like Father, Like Son," and from the man who gave us movies like "Still Walking," "Nobody Knows," and "After Life," Hirokazu Koreeda returns with "Umimachi Diary." And the first, full-length international trailer is here. Based on the manga by Akimi Yoshida, and starring Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, and Suzu Hirose, the story follows three sisters who attend the funeral of their father who they haven't seen in 15 years. There they meet their 14-year-old step-sister for the first time and decide to care for her when no one else can. While we can't understand a single word in the trailer, we expect another lovely melodrama with complex characters and heart-punching emotions. "Umimachi Diary" opens in Japan on June 13th, and given he's a regular on the Croisette,...
- 3/12/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Kamakura Diary
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda// Writer: Hirokazu Koreeda
Another Japanese auteur returning with another project is Hirokazu Koreeda, whose last film, 2013’s Like Father, Like Son won the Jury Prize at Cannes (and was optioned by Steven Spielberg for a Us remake). He’s back with an adaptation of Kamakura Diary by Akimi Yoshida, and stars several notable actors, including Riri Faranki (from Like Father, Like Son), Ryohei Suzuki (from Sono’s Tokyo Tribe and Kurosawa’s Seventh Code) and Masami Nagasawa (from Koreeda’s 2011 I Wish). Koreeda tends to prize the perspective of children (most notably with 2004’s Nobody Knows), and his latest concerns three sisters who live in their grandmother’s home, their existence disturbed at the arrival of their 13-year-old half sister.
Cast: Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Suzu Hirose, Ryo Kase
Production Co.: Gaga, TV Man Union, Toho Company
U.S. Distributor: Rights available
Release Date: Already in post-production,...
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda// Writer: Hirokazu Koreeda
Another Japanese auteur returning with another project is Hirokazu Koreeda, whose last film, 2013’s Like Father, Like Son won the Jury Prize at Cannes (and was optioned by Steven Spielberg for a Us remake). He’s back with an adaptation of Kamakura Diary by Akimi Yoshida, and stars several notable actors, including Riri Faranki (from Like Father, Like Son), Ryohei Suzuki (from Sono’s Tokyo Tribe and Kurosawa’s Seventh Code) and Masami Nagasawa (from Koreeda’s 2011 I Wish). Koreeda tends to prize the perspective of children (most notably with 2004’s Nobody Knows), and his latest concerns three sisters who live in their grandmother’s home, their existence disturbed at the arrival of their 13-year-old half sister.
Cast: Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Suzu Hirose, Ryo Kase
Production Co.: Gaga, TV Man Union, Toho Company
U.S. Distributor: Rights available
Release Date: Already in post-production,...
- 1/7/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Click here to read our french "Real" movie review, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa with Takeru Satô, Haruka Ayase, Jô Odagiri starring.Koichi (Sato) and Atsumi (Ayase) are childhood friends who have become lovers. Despite this closeness when Atsumi attempts suicide Koichi is at a loss to understand the circumstances that drove her to do such a thing. Now she is in a coma and Koichi needs to find out the reason. Since Koichi is a neurosurgeon he has access to the latest studies and so he takes part in a medical procedure that will allow him to enter Atsumi's subconscious. Through 'sensing', a type of neurosurgical procedure allowing contact with the intentional aspect of a comatose patient's mind, Koichi tries to discover why Atsumi tried to kill herself, and to bring her back to...
- 3/26/2014
- www.ohmygore.com/
The latest film from "Tokyo Sonata" director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, "Real," which had its premiere at Locarno, will be a part of the New York Film Festival main slate. Read More: Locarno Film Festival Review: Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 'Real' Wanders Through a Comatose Mind The synopsis of the film, from the Film Society of Lincoln Center: "A star manga artist (Haruka Ayase) is in a coma, the result perhaps of a suicide attempt. In an experimental medical procedure, her husband (Takeru Satô) enters her unconscious in an attempt to awaken her. But when one psyche merges with another, mirror opposites are the possible, troubling result. A haunting successor to the mother of all time travel films, Chris Marker’s La JETÉE, with a tip of the hat to Bong Joon-ho’s The Host, Real finds its mysteries in the ordinary. What does it mean to be coupled? Can love conquer death?...
- 8/23/2013
- by Bryce J. Renninger
- Indiewire
Update: Nyff has added Japanese helmer Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Real" to its main slate of films. This is the director's first feature since 2008's "Tokyo Sonata." The film recently had its festival premiere at Locarno. Here's the official synopsis:real is Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s first feature since his 2008 Tokyo Sonata (which was an Nyff Main Slate selection as was his film, License To Live in 1999), and is at once the most romantic and tender film of his career, and entirely consistent with the rest of his unparalleled body of work. It is also, as always, as visually and tonally exquisite as it is unsettling. A star manga artist (Haruka Ayase) is in a coma, the result perhaps of a suicide attempt. In an experimental medical procedure, her husband (Takeru Satô) enters her unconscious in an attempt to awaken her. But when one psyche merges with another, mirror opposites are the possible,...
- 8/23/2013
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Real" features an ironic title. Like "Inception" or "The Matrix," the movie actively questions whether anything it depicts actually takes place. Set in a near-future where a technology called "sensing" allows people to step into the minds of comatose individuals, Kurosawa's adaptation of Rokurou Inui's novel contains a familiar set of ingredients cribbed from the sub-genre of virtual reality experiences. Compared to Kurosawa's other genre outings (including "Tokyo Sonata"), the mood is appropriately contemplative, but "Real" only works as far as its basic premise can carry it before the story takes on the same redundant quality of the dreams plaguing its unconscious characters. That's initially its strength and then something of a setback, but as a whole "Real" admirably services an overdone scenario. Within minutes, Kurosawa establishes the basic conundrum: Manga artist Atsumi (Haruka Ayase) has attempted to kill herself in a river, leaving her.
- 8/16/2013
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The Toronto film festival unveiled its glittering programme this week with an impressive array of titles to charm canuck located cinefans when the 38th edition of the event commences on the 5th September 2013. Running for ten days the world’s largest movie festival in terms of volume of screenings boasts a global prestige and attracts talent from around the world, as one of the only major festivals which is open to the public the chances of rubbing shoulders with the superstars of California and Cannes ensure that tickets are swiftly snapped up for the huge variety of films and debates which arrange across the full gamut of the celluloid spectrum.
Now traditionally seen as strong candidate for highlighting potential future Oscar bait the directorial heavyweights of Europe and North America are out in force, with new films from Alfonso Cuarón, Xavier Dolan, Atom Egoyan, Steve McQueen, Kelly Reichardt, Jason Reitman,...
Now traditionally seen as strong candidate for highlighting potential future Oscar bait the directorial heavyweights of Europe and North America are out in force, with new films from Alfonso Cuarón, Xavier Dolan, Atom Egoyan, Steve McQueen, Kelly Reichardt, Jason Reitman,...
- 7/25/2013
- by John
- SoundOnSight
With each passing year, Tiff is becoming more and more prominent on the film festival circuit, with more and more Oscar-primed films making their debut out in Canada. And with the initial line-up announced for the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, the trend is definitely continuing.
Amongst the many, many films making their presence felt out in Toronto will be Steve McQueen’s highly anticipated 12 Years a Slave, which launched a powerful first trailer earlier in the month. The film sees Chiwetel Ejiofor lead a fantastic cast, with Michael Fassbender returning to work for his Hunger / Shame director, alongside the likes of Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sarah Paulson, Paul Giamatti, and many more.
Opening the festival will be Bill Condon’s The Fifth Estate, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, alongside Daniel Brühl, Laura Linney, Anthony Mackie, and Stanley Tucci.
And closing it will be Daniel Schechter’s Life of Crime,...
Amongst the many, many films making their presence felt out in Toronto will be Steve McQueen’s highly anticipated 12 Years a Slave, which launched a powerful first trailer earlier in the month. The film sees Chiwetel Ejiofor lead a fantastic cast, with Michael Fassbender returning to work for his Hunger / Shame director, alongside the likes of Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sarah Paulson, Paul Giamatti, and many more.
Opening the festival will be Bill Condon’s The Fifth Estate, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, alongside Daniel Brühl, Laura Linney, Anthony Mackie, and Stanley Tucci.
And closing it will be Daniel Schechter’s Life of Crime,...
- 7/24/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Takeru Sato and Haruka Ayase are set to star in Rearu kanzennaru kubinagaryu no hi for filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Toyko Sonata). The title of the film translate to ’s sci-fi drama The Day of the Real, Perfect Plesiosaur. It’s based on the novel of the same name by Rokuro Inui [Variety].
Sato will play a neurosurgeon who enters the dreams of his lover (Ayase) – who’s in a coma – to discover why she tried to take her own life. Miki Nakatani, Jo Odagiri, Yutaka Matsushige and Kyoko Koizumi also star.
It’s an intriguing no doubt, made more intriguing by Kurosawa’s involvement. The writer/director made a name for himself over the last 3 decades in Japan, producing everything from pink films in the 80s to the Internet-inspired horror film Pulse to heady, genre-mixing pieces like Toyko Sonata.
As Sonata snagged the Un Certain Regard at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival,...
Sato will play a neurosurgeon who enters the dreams of his lover (Ayase) – who’s in a coma – to discover why she tried to take her own life. Miki Nakatani, Jo Odagiri, Yutaka Matsushige and Kyoko Koizumi also star.
It’s an intriguing no doubt, made more intriguing by Kurosawa’s involvement. The writer/director made a name for himself over the last 3 decades in Japan, producing everything from pink films in the 80s to the Internet-inspired horror film Pulse to heady, genre-mixing pieces like Toyko Sonata.
As Sonata snagged the Un Certain Regard at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival,...
- 7/19/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Ask and you shall receive? Something like that anyway....It was just last month that we openly wondered about what was going on with Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who featured on our What Ever Happened To These 5 Foreign-Language Filmmakers? list, and lo and behold, he's back with a new feature. It has been four long years since "Tokyo Sonata," but going in front of cameras very soon is the fascinatingly titled "The Day Of The Real, Perfect Plesiosaur" ("Rearu kanzennaru kubinagaryu no hi"). No, we don't know what that means either, but the movie itself -- based on the book by Rokuro Inoi -- boasts a typically intriguing premise, telling the story of a neurosurgeon who goes into the subconscious of his coma stricken lover to find out why she attempted suicide. The director's regulars Miki Nakatani, Jo Odagiri, Yutaka Matsushige and Kyoko Koizumi will all feature with Takeru Sato and Haruka Ayase taking the lead roles.
- 7/18/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
The official website for Yasuo Furuhata’s upcoming road movie Dear has been updated with a new 90-second trailer.
In his first movie role in 6 years, Dear stars screen legend Ken Takakura as a prison guidance officer named Eiji Kurashima who drives an Rv from Toyama to Nagasaki to spread his late wife Yoko’s (Yuko Tanaka) ashes in the harbor of her hometown—both to honor her last request and to discover more about her life. Along the way, he meets various characters and reminisces about his time with Yoko.
The movie will be filled with well-known celebrities in small supporting roles, such as Koichi Sato as an ikameshi vendor and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as a pub patron he has a heart-to-heart with. Other supporting roles are filled by Takeshi Kitano, Kyozo Nagatsuka, Mieko Harada, Kimiko Yo, Haruka Ayase, Takahiro Miura, Hideji Otaki, Tadanobu Asano, and Takashi Okamura.
“Dear” will...
In his first movie role in 6 years, Dear stars screen legend Ken Takakura as a prison guidance officer named Eiji Kurashima who drives an Rv from Toyama to Nagasaki to spread his late wife Yoko’s (Yuko Tanaka) ashes in the harbor of her hometown—both to honor her last request and to discover more about her life. Along the way, he meets various characters and reminisces about his time with Yoko.
The movie will be filled with well-known celebrities in small supporting roles, such as Koichi Sato as an ikameshi vendor and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as a pub patron he has a heart-to-heart with. Other supporting roles are filled by Takeshi Kitano, Kyozo Nagatsuka, Mieko Harada, Kimiko Yo, Haruka Ayase, Takahiro Miura, Hideji Otaki, Tadanobu Asano, and Takashi Okamura.
“Dear” will...
- 6/8/2012
- Nippon Cinema
The official website for Hiroshi Yoshino’s Hotaru no Hikari movie has been updated with a new full trailer.
“Hotaru no Hikari” was originally a manga by Satoru Hiura which was adapted to a TV drama in 2007. Haruka Ayase played a quirky interior design company employee named Hotaru Amemiya who had no interest in relationships. She instead spent most of her free time laying around her messy rented house, earning herself the title “himono-onna” (dried-up woman). During the course of the series, she falls in love with her boss, Seiichi Takano (Naohito Fujiki) and by the end of the second season in 2010, they were finally preparing to get married.
The film is set two years after the second season. Hotaru and Takano-bucho are taking their first overseas trip together on their honeymoon in Italy. Hotaru meets another “himono-onna” named Rio Saeki (Yasuko Matsuyuki) by chance in Rome and gets caught...
“Hotaru no Hikari” was originally a manga by Satoru Hiura which was adapted to a TV drama in 2007. Haruka Ayase played a quirky interior design company employee named Hotaru Amemiya who had no interest in relationships. She instead spent most of her free time laying around her messy rented house, earning herself the title “himono-onna” (dried-up woman). During the course of the series, she falls in love with her boss, Seiichi Takano (Naohito Fujiki) and by the end of the second season in 2010, they were finally preparing to get married.
The film is set two years after the second season. Hotaru and Takano-bucho are taking their first overseas trip together on their honeymoon in Italy. Hotaru meets another “himono-onna” named Rio Saeki (Yasuko Matsuyuki) by chance in Rome and gets caught...
- 4/14/2012
- Nippon Cinema
Yesterday, the supporting cast of Yasuhiro Kawamura’s Akko’s Secret was revealed to Japanese media via press release.
The film is a live-action adaptation of Fujio Akatsuka’s classic “Himitsu no Akko-chan” manga series (1962-1965) about a 10-year-old girl who receives a magical mirror which lets her transform into whatever she wishes. In this live-action version, Haruka Ayase stars as Akko-chan after using the mirror to transform herself into a 22-year-old woman.
It was previously known that Masaki Okada would play Naoto Hayase, an elite employee of a cosmetics company Akko-chan begins working for.
The newly-announced additions include Teruyuki Kagawa as the spirit of the magical mirror, Shosuke Tanihara and Kazue Fukiishi as fellow company employees, Muga Tsukaji as a security guard who befriends Akko-chan, and Ren Osugi as the company’s former president.
Smaller supporting roles include Riko Yoshida as 10-year-old Akko-chan, Keiko Horiuchi as her mother, Shungiku Uchida...
The film is a live-action adaptation of Fujio Akatsuka’s classic “Himitsu no Akko-chan” manga series (1962-1965) about a 10-year-old girl who receives a magical mirror which lets her transform into whatever she wishes. In this live-action version, Haruka Ayase stars as Akko-chan after using the mirror to transform herself into a 22-year-old woman.
It was previously known that Masaki Okada would play Naoto Hayase, an elite employee of a cosmetics company Akko-chan begins working for.
The newly-announced additions include Teruyuki Kagawa as the spirit of the magical mirror, Shosuke Tanihara and Kazue Fukiishi as fellow company employees, Muga Tsukaji as a security guard who befriends Akko-chan, and Ren Osugi as the company’s former president.
Smaller supporting roles include Riko Yoshida as 10-year-old Akko-chan, Keiko Horiuchi as her mother, Shungiku Uchida...
- 4/13/2012
- Nippon Cinema
A 30-second teaser has been released for Yasuhiro Kawamura’s Akko’s Secret, a live-action adaptation of Fujio Akatsuka’s classic “Himitsu no Akko-chan” manga series (1962-1965).
Haruka Ayase stars as Atsuko “Akko-chan” Kagami, a 10-year-old elementary school student who’s transformed into a 22-year-old college student by a compact mirror which was enchanted by a magical spirit. Excited by her new-found access to as much make-up and fashion as she can handle, Akko-chan thinks, “Adulthood’s the best!”
Soon, Akko-chan meets a potential love interest in an elite cosmetics executive (Masaki Okada) whose company is at risk of a hostile takeover. In order to fight against this, he’s been working hard on a new product line, and Akko-chan begins formulating a wild idea that might help.
“Akko’s Secret” will be released by Shochiku in Japan on September 1, 2012.
Source: model bank
Watch »...
Haruka Ayase stars as Atsuko “Akko-chan” Kagami, a 10-year-old elementary school student who’s transformed into a 22-year-old college student by a compact mirror which was enchanted by a magical spirit. Excited by her new-found access to as much make-up and fashion as she can handle, Akko-chan thinks, “Adulthood’s the best!”
Soon, Akko-chan meets a potential love interest in an elite cosmetics executive (Masaki Okada) whose company is at risk of a hostile takeover. In order to fight against this, he’s been working hard on a new product line, and Akko-chan begins formulating a wild idea that might help.
“Akko’s Secret” will be released by Shochiku in Japan on September 1, 2012.
Source: model bank
Watch »...
- 3/19/2012
- Nippon Cinema
The official website for Masayuki Suzuki’s Princess Toyotomi has been updated with a 2nd teaser and this new full trailer.
The film is an adaptation of Manabu Makime’s 2009 novel which was nominated for the Naoki prize and has drawn comparisons to Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” for its historical mystery motif.
Haruka Ayase, Masaki Okada, and Shinichi Tsutsumi play a team of elite accountants from the National Audit Bureau in Tokyo, the department responsible for reviewing the final accounts of national expenditures and revenues. During their review, they stumble upon a secret which has remained closely guarded for over 400 years. Long ago, before Japan was unified under one rule, the Toyotomi Clan clashed with Tokugawa Ieyasu and were eventually defeated in the Tokugawa shogunate’s Siege of Osaka. In the film’s alternate version of history, descendants of the Toyotomi Clan were actually hidden away and protected by Osakan citizens,...
The film is an adaptation of Manabu Makime’s 2009 novel which was nominated for the Naoki prize and has drawn comparisons to Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” for its historical mystery motif.
Haruka Ayase, Masaki Okada, and Shinichi Tsutsumi play a team of elite accountants from the National Audit Bureau in Tokyo, the department responsible for reviewing the final accounts of national expenditures and revenues. During their review, they stumble upon a secret which has remained closely guarded for over 400 years. Long ago, before Japan was unified under one rule, the Toyotomi Clan clashed with Tokugawa Ieyasu and were eventually defeated in the Tokugawa shogunate’s Siege of Osaka. In the film’s alternate version of history, descendants of the Toyotomi Clan were actually hidden away and protected by Osakan citizens,...
- 3/1/2011
- Nippon Cinema
An official website for Masayuki Suzuki’s Princess Toyotomi has been launched with a 30-second teaser trailer.
The film is an adaptation of Manabu Makime’s 2009 novel which was nominated for the Naoki prize and has drawn comparisons to Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” for its historical mystery motif.
Haruka Ayase, Masaki Okada, and Shinichi Tsutsumi play an elite team of investigators from the Board of Audit of Japan, the department responsible for reviewing the final accounts of national expenditures and revenues. During their review, they stumble upon a secret which has remained closely guarded for over 400 years. Long ago, before Japan was unified under one rule, the Toyotomi Clan clashed with Tokugawa Ieyasu and were eventually defeated in the Tokugawa shogunate’s Siege of Osaka. In the film’s alternate version of history, descendants of the Toyotomi Clan were actually hidden away and protected by Osakan citizens,...
The film is an adaptation of Manabu Makime’s 2009 novel which was nominated for the Naoki prize and has drawn comparisons to Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” for its historical mystery motif.
Haruka Ayase, Masaki Okada, and Shinichi Tsutsumi play an elite team of investigators from the Board of Audit of Japan, the department responsible for reviewing the final accounts of national expenditures and revenues. During their review, they stumble upon a secret which has remained closely guarded for over 400 years. Long ago, before Japan was unified under one rule, the Toyotomi Clan clashed with Tokugawa Ieyasu and were eventually defeated in the Tokugawa shogunate’s Siege of Osaka. In the film’s alternate version of history, descendants of the Toyotomi Clan were actually hidden away and protected by Osakan citizens,...
- 12/12/2010
- Nippon Cinema
The official website for Yoshihiro Fukagawa’s upcoming film adaptation of Byakuyako has been updated with a full trailer.
The film is based on a crime story by Keigo Higashino which was originally serialized in the Shueisha literary magazine Shousetsu Subaru for two years from 1997. It was previously adapted to an 2006 TBS drama which starred Haruka Ayase and Takayuki Yamada.
Plot: As children, Yukiho (Horikita Maki) and Ryoji (Kengo Kora) each murder one of their parents to protect the other. Now young adults, they go to extreme measures to protect their mutual secret, even if it means bringing misery to those around them. Eiichiro Funakoshi plays a detective who was involved in the original case and has been closely monitoring the pair as they’ve grown up.
Gaga Communications will be releasing “Byakuyako” in Japan on January 29, 2011.
Thanks to logboy for the heads up.
The film is based on a crime story by Keigo Higashino which was originally serialized in the Shueisha literary magazine Shousetsu Subaru for two years from 1997. It was previously adapted to an 2006 TBS drama which starred Haruka Ayase and Takayuki Yamada.
Plot: As children, Yukiho (Horikita Maki) and Ryoji (Kengo Kora) each murder one of their parents to protect the other. Now young adults, they go to extreme measures to protect their mutual secret, even if it means bringing misery to those around them. Eiichiro Funakoshi plays a detective who was involved in the original case and has been closely monitoring the pair as they’ve grown up.
Gaga Communications will be releasing “Byakuyako” in Japan on January 29, 2011.
Thanks to logboy for the heads up.
- 11/8/2010
- Nippon Cinema
The official website for Yoshihiro Fukagawa’s upcoming film adaptation of Byakuyako has been updated with a second teaser. The new teaser is actually a bit shorter than the first, but the footage is more substantial and trailer-like than the previous version’s montage of dramatic facial expressions.
The film is based on a crime story by Keigo Higashino which was originally serialized in the Shueisha literary magazine Shousetsu Subaru for two years from 1997. It was previously adapted to an 2006 TBS drama which starred Haruka Ayase and Takayuki Yamada.
Plot: As children, Yukiho (Horikita Maki) and Ryoji (Kengo Kora) each murder one of their parents to protect the other. Now young adults, they go to extreme measures to protect their mutual secret, even if it means bringing misery to those around them. Eiichiro Funakoshi plays a detective who was involved in the original case and has been closely monitoring the...
The film is based on a crime story by Keigo Higashino which was originally serialized in the Shueisha literary magazine Shousetsu Subaru for two years from 1997. It was previously adapted to an 2006 TBS drama which starred Haruka Ayase and Takayuki Yamada.
Plot: As children, Yukiho (Horikita Maki) and Ryoji (Kengo Kora) each murder one of their parents to protect the other. Now young adults, they go to extreme measures to protect their mutual secret, even if it means bringing misery to those around them. Eiichiro Funakoshi plays a detective who was involved in the original case and has been closely monitoring the...
- 11/1/2010
- Nippon Cinema
Earlier this month, a teaser trailer was released for Yoshihiro Fukagawa‘s upcoming film adaptation of Byakuyako, a crime story by Keigo Higashino which was originally serialized in the Shueisha literary magazine Shousetsu Subaru for two years from 1997.
The story was adapted to an 11-episode TV drama which aired on TBS in 2006. The television version co-starred Haruka Ayase and Takayuki Yamada, but this version has been recast with Horikita Maki and Kengo Kora in the lead roles.
Plot: As children, Yukiho (Maki) and Ryoji (Kora) each murder one of their parents to protect the other. Now young adults, they go to extreme measures to protect their mutual secret, even if it means bringing misery to those around them. Eiichiro Funakoshi plays a detective who was involved in the original case and has been closely monitoring the pair as they’ve grown up.
“Byakuyako” will be theatrically released by Gaga Communications...
The story was adapted to an 11-episode TV drama which aired on TBS in 2006. The television version co-starred Haruka Ayase and Takayuki Yamada, but this version has been recast with Horikita Maki and Kengo Kora in the lead roles.
Plot: As children, Yukiho (Maki) and Ryoji (Kora) each murder one of their parents to protect the other. Now young adults, they go to extreme measures to protect their mutual secret, even if it means bringing misery to those around them. Eiichiro Funakoshi plays a detective who was involved in the original case and has been closely monitoring the pair as they’ve grown up.
“Byakuyako” will be theatrically released by Gaga Communications...
- 9/25/2010
- Nippon Cinema
Earlier this month, a teaser trailer was released for Yoshihiro Fukagawa‘s upcoming film adaptation of Byakuyako, a crime story by Keigo Higashino which was originally serialized in the Shueisha literary magazine Shousetsu Subaru for two years from 1997.
The story was adapted to an 11-episode TV drama which aired on TBS in 2006. The television version co-starred Haruka Ayase and Takayuki Yamada, but this version has been recast with Horikita Maki and Kengo Kora in the lead roles.
Plot: As children, Yukiho (Maki) and Ryoji (Kora) each murder one of their parents to protect the other. Now young adults, they go to extreme measures to protect their mutual secret, even if it means bringing misery to those around them. Eiichiro Funakoshi plays a detective who was involved in the original case and has been closely monitoring the pair as they’ve grown up.
“Byakuyako” will be theatrically released by Gaga Communications...
The story was adapted to an 11-episode TV drama which aired on TBS in 2006. The television version co-starred Haruka Ayase and Takayuki Yamada, but this version has been recast with Horikita Maki and Kengo Kora in the lead roles.
Plot: As children, Yukiho (Maki) and Ryoji (Kora) each murder one of their parents to protect the other. Now young adults, they go to extreme measures to protect their mutual secret, even if it means bringing misery to those around them. Eiichiro Funakoshi plays a detective who was involved in the original case and has been closely monitoring the pair as they’ve grown up.
“Byakuyako” will be theatrically released by Gaga Communications...
- 9/25/2010
- Nippon Cinema
Author Keigo Higashino’s mystery novels have already inspired several major films, and now another is being added to the list. Today it was announced that Maki Horikita will be starring in the film adaptation of his novel Byakuyako.
The story was originally serialized in the Shueisha literary magazine Shousetsu Subaru for two years from 1997. In 1999, it was released as a compiled novel which went on to sell 1.8 million copies. In 2006, TBS aired an 11-episode drama adapted from the novel which starred Haruka Ayase and Takayuki Yamada.
The two main characters in the story are a boy named Ryoji Kirihara and a girl named Yukiho Karasawa who are each other’s first love. As a kid, Ryoji murdered his father when he discovered he was a pervert who did terrible things to Yukiho. As it turns out, Yukiho’s mother was also responsible. Driven by greed, she forced her own...
The story was originally serialized in the Shueisha literary magazine Shousetsu Subaru for two years from 1997. In 1999, it was released as a compiled novel which went on to sell 1.8 million copies. In 2006, TBS aired an 11-episode drama adapted from the novel which starred Haruka Ayase and Takayuki Yamada.
The two main characters in the story are a boy named Ryoji Kirihara and a girl named Yukiho Karasawa who are each other’s first love. As a kid, Ryoji murdered his father when he discovered he was a pervert who did terrible things to Yukiho. As it turns out, Yukiho’s mother was also responsible. Driven by greed, she forced her own...
- 4/27/2010
- Nippon Cinema
Warner Bros. Japan is offering a peek at the latest thriller from the director of Ringu , Hideo Nakata. It's called The Incite Mill and was announced in early January (my, Nakata moves fast considering they said principal photography began in March). Based on the novel by Honobu Yonezawa, the story finds an ensemble cast trapped in an underground facility and pushed into a seven-day murder spree. Death Note fans take, er, note... Tatsuya Fujiwara leads the cast. Haruka Ayase and Satomi Ishihara also star. Here's a teaser!
- 4/21/2010
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Haruka Ayase (25), Masaki Okada (20), and Shinichi Tsutsumi (45) have been cast in a film adaptation of Manabu Makime’s Naoki Prize-nominated novel Princess Toyotomi.
The three stars will play elite investigators from the Board of Audit of Japan, the department responsible for reviewing the final accounts of national expenditures and revenues. During their review, they stumble upon a secret which has remained closely guarded for over 400 years. Long ago, before Japan was unified under one rule, the Toyotomi Clan clashed with Tokugawa Ieyasu and were eventually defeated in the Tokugawa shogunate’s Siege of Osaka. In the film’s alternate version of history, descendants of the Toyotomi Clan were actually hidden away and protected by Osakan citizens, leading to a bizarre situation in which Osaka could actually be considered an independent country.
The story is said to be reminiscent of Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” for it’s historical mystery motif,...
The three stars will play elite investigators from the Board of Audit of Japan, the department responsible for reviewing the final accounts of national expenditures and revenues. During their review, they stumble upon a secret which has remained closely guarded for over 400 years. Long ago, before Japan was unified under one rule, the Toyotomi Clan clashed with Tokugawa Ieyasu and were eventually defeated in the Tokugawa shogunate’s Siege of Osaka. In the film’s alternate version of history, descendants of the Toyotomi Clan were actually hidden away and protected by Osakan citizens, leading to a bizarre situation in which Osaka could actually be considered an independent country.
The story is said to be reminiscent of Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” for it’s historical mystery motif,...
- 4/9/2010
- Nippon Cinema
Hideo Nakata, the director of the Japanese horror classics “Ring” and “Ring 2,” has signed on to direct the upcoming psychological suspense thriller “The Incite Mill.” Based on a bestselling novel of the same name by author Honobu Yonezawa, is about ten people hired for a mysterious high-paying job. However, they instead find themselves locked in an underground maze-like complex and forced to survive a murderous game for seven days. The film’s cast features Tatsuya Fujiwara (”Death Note”), Haruka Ayase (”Happy Flight”) and Satomi Ishihara (”No Longer Human”), with two more roles up to being filled. Nakata is slated to start filming this March. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for more news. By [...]...
- 1/19/2010
- by Costa Koutsoutis
- ShockYa
Horror hot shot Hideo Nakata ("Ring," "Ring 2") will take the wheel once again for the psychological thriller "The Incite Mill." Based on Honobu Yonezawa's bestseller, focuses on 10 people hired for a job which pays $1,200 per hour. However, they end up locked in an underground complex and forced to play a murderous game for seven days. Cast members include Tatsuya Fujiwara ("Death Note"), Haruka Ayase ("Happy Flight") and Satomi Ishihara ("No Longer Human"). Nakata will start shooting in March for a release some time in the fall.
- 1/19/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
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