Sion Sono has lived many lives behind the camera. After several relentless decades spent churning out softcore pornos, demented J-horror classics, furious confrontations with post-Fukushima Japan, a hyper-violent rap opera about masculine fragility, one of the most unflinching serial killer dramas since “Vengeance Is Mine,” a four-hour epic about upskirt photographers (and death cults), an Amazon miniseries called “Tokyo Vampire Hotel,” and a few dozen other films that defy such easy description, the only thing less surprising than the massive heart attack that struck Sono in February 2019 — and literally killed him for an entire minute — is that it hasn’t slowed him down whatsoever.
Forgive the familiar lede, but some things bear repeating, particularly in the context of a new movie that unfolds like a mission statement for its irrepressible creator. The poet emeritus of ero guro nansensu has been prolific as ever since rolling out of his hospital bed two years ago,...
Forgive the familiar lede, but some things bear repeating, particularly in the context of a new movie that unfolds like a mission statement for its irrepressible creator. The poet emeritus of ero guro nansensu has been prolific as ever since rolling out of his hospital bed two years ago,...
- 2/8/2021
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The failure or success of a film, both commercially and critically, is often determined whether a film manages to capture (or embrace) a certain taste within it viewer, which again is also related to a set of conventions. Most of us are aware of the concept, which becomes even more significant when we look at the way the selection of movies shown in movie theaters, to give one example, determines these conventions, these tastes, thus defining what we might call mainstream. While looked down upon by critics and viewers (at least some of them) alike, the definition of what is mainstream often sheds light on the mindset of those in charge of our culture, those that finance a project and those who create them. Finally, everything that is not part of said mainstream, ends up having a lot of trouble being made, if indeed someone is willing to step beyond...
- 5/17/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
After shooting 15 movies and two TV shows this decade alone, hyper-prolific renegade filmmaker Sono Sion was rushed to a Tokyo hospital in February, where emergency surgery was performed to save his life. The gonzo auteur behind the gleefully demented likes of “Suicide Circle” and “Why Don’t You Play in Hell?” had just finished work on an unhinged Amazon Prime series called “Tokyo Vampire Hotel,” which may have been his wildest project thus far; high praise for someone whose previous career highlights include the likes of “Love Exposure” (a four-hour epic about a teenage Catholic who falls in with a secret cult of up-skirt panty photographers) and “Tokyo Tribe” (a hyper-violent rap opera about a gangster who torches an entire city to the ground to compensate for his micro-penis).
Needless to say, the only thing less surprising than the fact that Sono suffered a heart attack is the fact that...
Needless to say, the only thing less surprising than the fact that Sono suffered a heart attack is the fact that...
- 10/14/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
A boxer with a brain tumor, a crooked cop with terrible luck, a screw-up yakuza who’s seen too many movies, a dismembered Chinese gangster who wields a pump-action shotgun with his one remaining arm, a terrified prostitute who’s stalked by a ghost in tighty whities, an unkillable femme fatale who will kick a man to death just for being in her way, and the world’s most wonderful heroin. Those are just some of the many different ingredients that prolific Japanese auteur Takashi Miike swirls into his frequently sublime new gangster film, a piece of work so feral and full of life that you’d never guess it was (at least) the 90th feature its director has made in the last 30 years. Even now, after making everything from scarring horror masterpieces (“Audition”) to unwatchable family comedies (“Ninja Kids!!!”), Miike hasn’t lost any of his lust for life,...
- 5/17/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Here’s a match made in movie heaven you never knew you needed: Nicolas Cage and Sion Sono collaborating on a crime thriller. The result is the upcoming “Prisoners of the Ghostland,” which Cage says “might be the wildest movie [he’s] ever made.” That may sound hard to believe — this year’s “Mandy” was pretty out there, and who can forget the likes of “Vampire’s Kiss” or that “Wicker Man” remake? — but anyone who’s seen “Love Exposure” or “Suicide Club” knows that Sono is capable of much oddity.
“I’m thrilled about it! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read before,” Cage said of the film during the Film Festival and Awards Macao, according to Screen Anarchy. “It might be the wildest movie I’ve ever made, and that’s saying something. It’s out there. I wear a skintight black leather jumpsuit with grenades attached to different body parts,...
“I’m thrilled about it! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read before,” Cage said of the film during the Film Festival and Awards Macao, according to Screen Anarchy. “It might be the wildest movie I’ve ever made, and that’s saying something. It’s out there. I wear a skintight black leather jumpsuit with grenades attached to different body parts,...
- 12/14/2018
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Starting out as an actor feeling the sting of racism and ignorance in Hollywood, Bruce Lee rose to fame as he moved back into his home country to star in some of the most influential martial arts films in the world. Whether it is “The Big Boss”, “The Way of the Dragon”, “Fist of Fury” or “Game of Death”, Lee has left an undeniable mark in the action and martial arts genre. Thanks to his on-screen presence, his unique fighting technique along with his definition of a protagonist have become parts of pop culture reaching as far as Chad Stahelski’s “John Wick: Chapter 2” or Sion Sono’s “Tokyo Tribe”. The finale of “Enter the Dragon” alone is perhaps one of the most visually stunning sequences in action cinema.
In the past there have been many attempts to capture the uniqueness of the persona Bruce Lee. In his new...
In the past there have been many attempts to capture the uniqueness of the persona Bruce Lee. In his new...
- 12/2/2018
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The first thing you should know about Sono Sion’s characteristically unhinged “Tokyo Vampire Hotel” is that — spoiler alert? — most of it takes place inside of a vampire’s vagina. Well, technically speaking, most of it takes place inside of a massive hotel, but that massive hotel is actually squeezed into an inter-dimensional pocket of space-time that’s located between the legs of a decrepit vampire queen. And that decrepit vampire queen lives in Tokyo, hence the title “Tokyo Vampire Hotel.” Or maybe lives in Romania. It’s kind of unclear. The hotel is definitely in her vagina, though — there’s no doubt about that.
A demented cocaine giallo that splits the difference between Suzuki Seijun and Claire Denis, Sono Sion’s latest exercise in gonzo digital mayhem is maybe the wildest thing he’s ever made; that’s high praise when discussing the punk auteur responsible for the likes...
A demented cocaine giallo that splits the difference between Suzuki Seijun and Claire Denis, Sono Sion’s latest exercise in gonzo digital mayhem is maybe the wildest thing he’s ever made; that’s high praise when discussing the punk auteur responsible for the likes...
- 7/31/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Sion Sono has inked a prime deal. The provocative Japanese auteur responsible for such controversial, must-see films as “Love Exposure” and “Tokyo Tribe” is creating the original series “Tokyo Vampire Hotel” for Amazon. The show will consist of nine episodes, all of which will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Japan beginning June 16.
Read More: ‘Anti-Porno’ Trailer: Japanese Director Sion Sono Returns with a Feminist Take on Sexuality
Telling the tried-and-true story of humanity fighting for its very survival against the mythical bloodsuckers, the series stars Kaho, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Ami Tomite, Yumi Adachi and Megumi Kagurazaka, who happens to be Sono’s wife. Jun Tsugita and Manabu Ikarimoto penned the screenplay; Tomohiro Kubo have Daisuke Matsuo have written and directed two episodes.
Read More: ‘Shinjuku Swan II’ Trailer: Sion Sono Returns With Sequel To Live Action Manga Series Adaptation
“Our focus is to work with the content creators to...
Read More: ‘Anti-Porno’ Trailer: Japanese Director Sion Sono Returns with a Feminist Take on Sexuality
Telling the tried-and-true story of humanity fighting for its very survival against the mythical bloodsuckers, the series stars Kaho, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Ami Tomite, Yumi Adachi and Megumi Kagurazaka, who happens to be Sono’s wife. Jun Tsugita and Manabu Ikarimoto penned the screenplay; Tomohiro Kubo have Daisuke Matsuo have written and directed two episodes.
Read More: ‘Shinjuku Swan II’ Trailer: Sion Sono Returns With Sequel To Live Action Manga Series Adaptation
“Our focus is to work with the content creators to...
- 4/23/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Having directed nearly fifteen films this decade alone, Japanese director Sion Sono (whose Why Don’t You Play in Hell? and Tokyo Tribe seemed to get the most substantial U.S. releases as of late) will be adding onto his resume his latest film, Anti-Porno. Ahead of a Japanese release this month, the first trailer has now arrived.
For this project, Sono has collaborated with Japan’s mega entertainment company Nikkatsu with the goal of resurrecting the old iconic Roman Porno series—a series of Japanese softcore pornographic films that ran from November 1971 to May 1988. The director also plans to put forth his own creative touch on the pornographic genre with refreshing tones on women’s sexuality that’s rarely shown on the big-screen. While the trailer doesn’t have subtitles, one can glean a glimpse at Sono’s vibrant color palette.
Starring Ami Tomite and Mariko Tsutsui, check out...
For this project, Sono has collaborated with Japan’s mega entertainment company Nikkatsu with the goal of resurrecting the old iconic Roman Porno series—a series of Japanese softcore pornographic films that ran from November 1971 to May 1988. The director also plans to put forth his own creative touch on the pornographic genre with refreshing tones on women’s sexuality that’s rarely shown on the big-screen. While the trailer doesn’t have subtitles, one can glean a glimpse at Sono’s vibrant color palette.
Starring Ami Tomite and Mariko Tsutsui, check out...
- 1/12/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Time to meet the Shinjuku Swan. A full Japanese trailer has debuted for Sion Sono's latest film, Shinjuku Swan II, a sequel to his first adaptation of a manga about an adult entertainment scout named Tatsuhiko Shiratori. Sion Sono is one of Japan's best directors working today, behind films like Love Exposure, Why Don't You Play in Hell? and Tokyo Tribe, though this film series hasn't picked up any Us distribution yet. Shinjuku Swan II stars Gou Ayano, Alice Hirose, Kippei Shiina, Yusuke Iseya, Motoki Fukami, Nobuaki Kaneko, Yu Yamada, Hideo Nakano, as well as Tadanobu Asano as the rival scout CEO that Tatsuhiko goes up against. This looks like some of Sono's most commercial work, but might still be fun. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Sion Sono's Shinjuku Swan II, from YouTube (via Tfs): And for reference, here's a trailer for the first Shinjuku...
- 11/9/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Full Metal Alchemist’s next film adaptation will be live-action, with fans of the extremely popular anime already getting fired up.
The filming will begin this June in Italy, with the release in Japan being scheduled for 2017. The movie will use a combination of real actors and CGI. Fumihiko Sori (“Ping Pong”, “Ashita no Joe”) will direct and the cast revealed is as follows:
Ryosuke Yamada (Asssassination Classroom) as Edward Elric.
Tsubasa Honda (Blue Spring Ride) as Winry Rockbell.
Dean Fujioka (Dance! Dance! Dance!) as Roy Mustang.
Ryuta Sato (Tokyo Tribe) as Captain Maes Hughes.
Yo Oizumi (Kakekomi) as Major Shou Tucker.
Yasuko Matsuyuki (Smuggler) as Lust.
Kanata Hongo (Attack on Titan) as Envy.
Shinji Uchiyama (Gokusen: The Movie) as Gluttony.
The plot for the first half of the upcoming film will faithfully reproduce the story of the original Fullmetal Alchemist manga by Hiromu Arakawa. The film will digress in...
The filming will begin this June in Italy, with the release in Japan being scheduled for 2017. The movie will use a combination of real actors and CGI. Fumihiko Sori (“Ping Pong”, “Ashita no Joe”) will direct and the cast revealed is as follows:
Ryosuke Yamada (Asssassination Classroom) as Edward Elric.
Tsubasa Honda (Blue Spring Ride) as Winry Rockbell.
Dean Fujioka (Dance! Dance! Dance!) as Roy Mustang.
Ryuta Sato (Tokyo Tribe) as Captain Maes Hughes.
Yo Oizumi (Kakekomi) as Major Shou Tucker.
Yasuko Matsuyuki (Smuggler) as Lust.
Kanata Hongo (Attack on Titan) as Envy.
Shinji Uchiyama (Gokusen: The Movie) as Gluttony.
The plot for the first half of the upcoming film will faithfully reproduce the story of the original Fullmetal Alchemist manga by Hiromu Arakawa. The film will digress in...
- 4/4/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Robert De Niro's Tribeca Film Festival, originally cobbled together as a way of helping New York City get back on its feet after 9/11, has slowly grown into one of the film world's most diverse and expansive annual events. On Thursday, the fest revealed 51 of the 101 features that will ultimately play at the 2016 edition, and the lineup is already poised to be Tribeca's best to date.
One-third of the films selected for this year's fest, running from April 13th - 24th, are directed by women, and their contributions represent some...
One-third of the films selected for this year's fest, running from April 13th - 24th, are directed by women, and their contributions represent some...
- 3/2/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Every week we dive into the cream of the crop when it comes to home releases, including Blu-ray and DVDs, as well as recommended deals of the week. Check out our rundown below and return every Tuesday for the best (or most interesting) films one can take home. Note that if you’re looking to support the site, every purchase you make through the links below helps us and is greatly appreciated.
Amy (Asif Kapadia)
Asif Kapadia came onto most cinematic radars in 2010 with his BAFTA award winning Senna, a terrific documentary on the life and tragic death of Formula 1 race car driver Ayrton Senna. The subject matter of his follow-up documentary doesn’t seem, at first, to be a million miles away. Amy, which screened out of competition in Cannes, follows the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the late singer Amy Winehouse. It is a devastating, infuriating and sometimes breathtaking watch,...
Amy (Asif Kapadia)
Asif Kapadia came onto most cinematic radars in 2010 with his BAFTA award winning Senna, a terrific documentary on the life and tragic death of Formula 1 race car driver Ayrton Senna. The subject matter of his follow-up documentary doesn’t seem, at first, to be a million miles away. Amy, which screened out of competition in Cannes, follows the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the late singer Amy Winehouse. It is a devastating, infuriating and sometimes breathtaking watch,...
- 12/1/2015
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
December 1st Blu-ray & DVD Releases Include Fear The Walking Dead Season 1, Goodnight Mommy, Cooties
Hard to believe it, but December is finally upon us and for the first Tuesday of the month, the new horror and sci-fi home entertainment releases are an eclectic, but awesome, bunch. Anchor Bay is keeping busy with both Goodnight Mommy (easily one of my favorites of 2015) and season one of Fear the Walking Dead on Blu-ray and DVD, and Lionsgate is bringing home the dark comedy Cooties to both formats as well.
Kino Lorber is also resurrecting two cult classics on December 1st—Twice Told Tales and Queen of Blood—and a pair of indie films debut this week too: L.A. Slasher and Tokyo Tribe.
Fear the Walking Dead: Season One (Anchor Bay Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)
Living in the same universe as The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead is a gritty drama that explores the onset of the undead apocalypse through the lens of a fractured family.
Kino Lorber is also resurrecting two cult classics on December 1st—Twice Told Tales and Queen of Blood—and a pair of indie films debut this week too: L.A. Slasher and Tokyo Tribe.
Fear the Walking Dead: Season One (Anchor Bay Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)
Living in the same universe as The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead is a gritty drama that explores the onset of the undead apocalypse through the lens of a fractured family.
- 12/1/2015
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
We're nearing the holidays, which means a ton of big box sets have been appearing at various retailers over the last several weeks. It's a trend that will continue in December, as The Walking Dead fans, Marvel fans and more will see a few really cool sets hit shelves. A bunch of Digital releases are also out this month and while the new entries are thin compared to the last few months (which saw a bunch of this summer's hits get released), there's still a lot to choose from. You can take a look at the December 2015 stuff coming out soon, below. December 1 December 1 Blu-ray And DVD Releases Fear The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season The Walking Dead Season 5 Limited Edition Blu-ray Amy Mistress America Goodnight Mommy Grace of Monoco DVD Some Kind of Beautiful Cooties Zoo: Season 1 Mississippi Grind Lost in the Sun Tokyo Tribe...
- 11/23/2015
- cinemablend.com
To celebrate the Australian release of Parasyte Part 1 on home video, Madman is giving you the chance to win one of Five awesome live-action manga / anime adaptation prize packs!Each prize pack consists of the following: - Parasyte Part 1 (DVD or Blu-ray)- Lupin the Third (DVD or Blu-ray)- Black Butler (DVD only)- Tokyo Tribe (DVD only)- Rurouni Kenshin (DVD or Blu-ray)- 009-1: The End Of The Beginning (DVD only)- Death Note Movie 1 & 2 Special Edition (DVD + Blu-ray Combo)- Death Note: L Change The World (DVD only)- Gantz Movies 1 & 2 Collection (DVD or Blu-ray)- Hentai Kamen (DVD only)For a chance to win, all you have to do is to follow these two steps:1) Tell me in 35 words or...
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- 11/13/2015
- Screen Anarchy
XLrator Media will be releasing Sono Sion's hip hop musical crazy fest, Tokyo Tribe, on DVD and Blu-ray on December 1st. TwitchFilm has two Blu-rays to give to lucky readers in the U.S.In a futuristic Japan, territorial street gangs form opposing factions collectively known as the Tokyo Tribes. When one of the gang leaders breaks the fragile peace, it triggers a brutal street war for supremacy. Based on a popular Manga series and told almost entirely in rap verse, Tokyo Tribe is an ingenious mash-up of Yakuza gang violence, martial arts action and hip-hop musical.To enter read Eric's interview with the Japanese director and answer this skill testing question.When Sono Sion was designing the imaginary world of Tokyo Tribe what cult film influenced him? When you...
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- 11/13/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Xlrator Media and Shock want to give you a copy of new Sion Sono movie on Blu-ray. One of insanely prolific Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono’s latest films is the super-charged, violent Manga-inspired, rap/horror/action meltdown Tokyo Tribe an ‘ingenious mash-up of Yakuza gang violence, martial arts action and hip-hop musical’. You want fucked up? This is…
The post Contest: Win a Copy of Sion Sono’s Tokyo Tribe on Blu-ray appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Contest: Win a Copy of Sion Sono’s Tokyo Tribe on Blu-ray appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 11/10/2015
- by Chris Alexander
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Before releasing the crazy amount of six films in only one year, master filmmaker Sono Sion adapted the manga Tokyo Tribes into a unique and fun hip hop musical about several rival gangs (all but one very violent) that are about to unite in order to defend themselves from a greater evil. Since XLrator Media finally released Tokyo Tribe in North America on October 23 (in cinemas and on VOD and iTunes), I had to chance to interview Sono via e-mail. Here's what the wild Japanese director told us. Twitch: How was your first approach to the original comic book, and when did you decide to make a film adaptation? Sono Sion: I still do not why but the producer brought me this project one night....
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- 11/9/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Sion Sono’s Tokyo Tribe is, to put it mildly, 2015’s most deliriously over-the-top creation. A violent, messy, occasionally uproarious (and frequently off-putting) hip-hop musical, this latest genre stew from the director of Why Don’t You Play in Hell? is set in a futuristic Japan of rival street gangs. Based on a popular Manga series, Tokyo Tribe is, well, unlike anything else to grace screens in recent memory. It is, then, vintage Sion Sono.
The film has finally been released in U.S. theaters and on VOD, and interestingly, the prolific director’s latest film, The Whispering Star, made its world premiere at September’s Toronto International Film Festival. The Film Stage was able to line him up for a brief email interview to promote Tokyo’s long-awaited American release.
What appealed to you about the manga series you adapted for Tokyo Tribe? And what made the musical the right genre for your adaptation?...
The film has finally been released in U.S. theaters and on VOD, and interestingly, the prolific director’s latest film, The Whispering Star, made its world premiere at September’s Toronto International Film Festival. The Film Stage was able to line him up for a brief email interview to promote Tokyo’s long-awaited American release.
What appealed to you about the manga series you adapted for Tokyo Tribe? And what made the musical the right genre for your adaptation?...
- 10/29/2015
- by Christopher Schobert
- The Film Stage
Last week saw the opening of Sion Sono’s magnificently batty Japanese hip-hop musical Tokyo Tribe, as well as the Bollywood wedding comedy Shandaar. That’s something: Two foreign-language musical films arriving on American shores in the same week. It’s a genre that doesn’t seem to travel as well as others — due to the difficulty of translating lyrics, perhaps, and also because musical tastes differ so much from country to country. While the U.S. does now see a steady stream of Bollywood releases, it’s still rare to find musicals from other countries in American theaters. It’s a shame, really, because the diversity of international musicals throughout film history has been staggering. So, this seemed like an ideal time to go around the world and highlight some of the best ones. Of course, some countries will fare better than others on a list like this. (India and France,...
- 10/27/2015
- by Bilge Ebiri
- Vulture
Title: Tokyo Tribe XLrator Media Director: Sion Sono Writer: Sion Sono, Santa Inoue (based on Manga) Cast: Ryohei Suzuki, Young Daisz, Akihiro Kitamura, Riki Takeuchi, Ryûta Satô, Tomoko Karina, Akihiro Kitamura, Hitomi Katayama, Nana Seino, Yôsuke Kubozuka Running time: 116min Rated: Unrated (violence, blood, bare breasts, implied rape) Theatrical, VOD And iTUNES Release Date: October 23, 2015 Based on the Manga by Santa Inoue, Tokyo Tribe takes place in an alternate/futuristic town in Japan, street gangs have a peace treaty that becomes disrupted when Merra, leader of the Wu-Ronz tribe of Bukuro attempts to kill Kai, member of the Musahino Saru; he kills Kai’s friend Tera by mistake. Tera is a beloved go-between of all the tribes, to which his [ Read More ]
The post Tokyo Tribe Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Tokyo Tribe Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/26/2015
- by juliana
- ShockYa
Words can never do justice to the awe-inspiring, brain-eating weirdness of Sion Sono’s Japanese dystopian hip-hop kung-fu musical Tokyo Tribe. Based on a popular manga series by comic artist and urban-fashion impresario Santa Inoue, the film presents us with a kaleidoscopic wasteland of post-apocalyptic kitsch, dated street fashions, rap posturing, body horror, hilariously over-the-top violence, and a mash-up of martial arts and dance. But even that litany of influences and styles can’t quite express how insane this film is. In the film’s opening setpiece, a crane shot follows a young Mc named Show (Shota Sometani) as he walks through a packed, graffiti-covered street that looks like an alarmist vision out of a ’90s music video. The imagery here is both tongue-in-cheek and epic, but the delivery of Show, our Virgil-like guide to this hellscape, has a brooding poetry. “An earthquake could break at any time,” he raps,...
- 10/24/2015
- by Bilge Ebiri
- Vulture
Why Don’t You Play in the Streets?: Sono’s Overblown Street War Musical
Many consider Sion Sono to be Takashi Miike’s succeeding enfant terrible, both in the sheer magnitude of prolific output as well as his provocative depictions of violence and sexuality. His meta-bizarro 2013 entry, homage to B-action film tropes Why Don’t You Play in Hell? was championed by many for its Grand Guignol celebration of overzealous filmmaking, though it showcased many of the director’s worst tendencies as regards his ability to concisely edit himself. Fans of his desensitizing overloads of maddening visual stimulations, particularly those who considered the two hour continual explosion of Hell to be a cornerstone masterpiece in his filmography, should certainly appreciate his 2014 follow-up Tokyo Tribe, a hip-hop musical street turf face-off, as a pleasurable aftershock. Others will find its elaborate visuals to be marred by endless tone-deaf musical performances, much...
Many consider Sion Sono to be Takashi Miike’s succeeding enfant terrible, both in the sheer magnitude of prolific output as well as his provocative depictions of violence and sexuality. His meta-bizarro 2013 entry, homage to B-action film tropes Why Don’t You Play in Hell? was championed by many for its Grand Guignol celebration of overzealous filmmaking, though it showcased many of the director’s worst tendencies as regards his ability to concisely edit himself. Fans of his desensitizing overloads of maddening visual stimulations, particularly those who considered the two hour continual explosion of Hell to be a cornerstone masterpiece in his filmography, should certainly appreciate his 2014 follow-up Tokyo Tribe, a hip-hop musical street turf face-off, as a pleasurable aftershock. Others will find its elaborate visuals to be marred by endless tone-deaf musical performances, much...
- 10/23/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Have you ever thought to yourself, "You know what 'Walter Hill's The Warriors' needed? More gangster rap, and preferably in Japanese"? Then allow me to introduce you to "Tokyo Tribe." Sion Sono may well be one of the most interesting and prolific figures in international cinema. This year alone, he has made 574 new feature films, and in the time it's taken me to type this sentence, he has written and shot another 40. I am almost completely sure that every single film I saw at this year's Toronto Film Festival was directed by Sion Sono. Perhaps I exaggerate slightly, but I am truly in awe of this guy's amazing work ethic, and by the variety in the films he makes. I find it hard to believe that the same man who made the delicate, quiet "The Wandering Star" could be the same candidate for every watchlist ever who made the hilariously perverted "Love Exposure.
- 10/15/2015
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
If you have had up to here with trying to assembleyour latest purchase from Ikea then perhaps you need to take a page from the home decorating catalog of Nkoi from Sono Sion's hip hop musical Tokyo Tribe. Nkoi (Kubozuka Yosuke) is the son of kingpin Buppa (Japanese cult icon Takeuchi Riki) and he has taken a more, natural approach to furnishing his room. His very red room. Just a heads up that this Nsfw clip contains nudity. Tokyo Tribe is being released by XLrator Media in cinemas and on iTunes and VOD on October 23rd."Tokyo Tribe, never ever die"....
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- 10/2/2015
- Screen Anarchy
October is finally upon us which means horror and sci-fi fans have a lot to be looking forward to, especially when it comes to the films hitting VOD this month as there numerous highly anticipated choices arriving on various platforms throughout the month, including Tales of Halloween, Deathgasm, Gravy, Knock Knock, The Final Girls, A Christmas Horror Story, Bone Tomahawk, and one of my own most anticipated films of 2015, Tokyo Tribe from visionary filmmaker Shion Sono.
Here’s a look at all the genre titles arriving on VOD this October!
A Christmas Horror Story (Rlj Entertainment) - October 2nd
Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, peace and goodwill. But for some folks in the small town of Bailey Downs, it turns into something much less festive. When Krampus - the anti-Santa who punishes the naughty children - is summoned by a young boy, everyone’s fight for survival begins.
Here’s a look at all the genre titles arriving on VOD this October!
A Christmas Horror Story (Rlj Entertainment) - October 2nd
Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, peace and goodwill. But for some folks in the small town of Bailey Downs, it turns into something much less festive. When Krampus - the anti-Santa who punishes the naughty children - is summoned by a young boy, everyone’s fight for survival begins.
- 10/1/2015
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
It was at his intro to Sion Sono's Tokyo Tribe at last year's Fantastic Fest that HitFix's Drew McWeeny put it best: "You are all my tribe," he said to the packed auditorium, and the sentiment was apparent even before the crowd erupted in of approval and applause. There really is no film festival quite like Alamo Drafthouse's Fantastic Fest - about to kick off its 11th year. There is no program like the one put together every year by Drafthouse and Fantastic Fest founder Tim League and his selection crew. There is no, and I stress this, No crowd like a Fantastic Fest crowd, and the kinship felt among those who have attended and keep returning is undeniable. There's just something about Fantastic Fest. "It's my Christmas," I have often heard Junkfood Cinema's Brian Salisbury say. The 2015 Fantastic Fest, running from September 24th-October 1st, will be the 9th...
- 9/24/2015
- by Jeremy Kirk
- firstshowing.net
★★★☆☆ Sion Sono is nothing if not eclectic. Last year he dropped the gonzo bomb that was hip-hopera Tokyo Tribe (2014) on an enormously willing Toronto audience, and this year he is back with something that is almost the polar opposite. The Whispering Star (2015) is entirely devoid of oddball energy, instead remaining a remarkably contained affair despite traversing the farthest reaches of distant solar systems and the nature of memory, the relativity of time and the distinctly human notion of nostalgia. Distinct because these concepts are examined through the binary eyes of a cyborg, shuttling across space in a ship shaped like a Japanese bungalow with packages for the remnants of humanity.
- 9/17/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
This isn’t a review of writer/director Sion Sono’s incredible hip-hop action musical Tokyo Tribe, but I must insist that you give it a whirl. It’s definitely not for everyone — it’s insanely over-to-top and packed with cheesiness — but it’s… Continue Reading →
The post XLrator to Release Sion Sono’s Tokyo Tribe in Theaters and VOD Next Month appeared first on Dread Central.
The post XLrator to Release Sion Sono’s Tokyo Tribe in Theaters and VOD Next Month appeared first on Dread Central.
- 9/12/2015
- by Todd Rigney
- DreadCentral.com
"Tokyo Tribe, never ever die!" Oh yes, it's time. XLrator Media has debuted the official Us trailer for one of the wackiest, wildest, most badass action films of last year - Tokyo Tribe, from director Sion Sono. This premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2014, where I raved about it, calling it "totally balls out, insane, wacky and just plain awesome." It's a very campy, very excessively elaborate rap musical set in futuristic Tokyo, with various "Tribes" battling it out over dominance in Tokyo. It's the perfect kind of movie to gather all of your friends on Saturday night, with lots of pizza and beer, to watch. No seriously, this film is just crazy. Enjoy! Here's the official Us trailer (+ poster) for Sion Sono's Tokyo Tribe, from Apple (via The Film Stage): In a futuristic Japan, territorial street gangs form opposing factions collectively known as the Tokyo Tribes. When one of...
- 9/10/2015
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
It is time for me to make my peace with the fact that I will not be at Fantastic Fest this year. Last year's fest was one of my favorites ever, fitting for a tenth anniversary, and I would love to go this year. It's just not in the cards, though. It guts me, too. The event continues to grow and change and evolve, and it features one of the greatest programming teams in the business right now. There are films playing at the festival that I'll see in Toronto, and I'm sure I'll catch up with others, but that's not the point. Fantastic Fest is an experience, and an amazing one. If you want to go, you still can. "Daytime Only Badges, Fan Badges, and 2Nd Half Badges for Fantastic Fest 2015 are available for purchase here," today's press release urged. If you can go for the second half, you'll...
- 8/27/2015
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Female of the Species: Sono’s Pseudo-Allegory Reifies the Male Gaze
Superficially, there’s not too much new on hand in Sion Sono’s Tag, credited as the third of a whopping six features due out in 2015, each to most likely be juggled around the film festival circuit before a little luck sees them reach theatrical release next year thanks to the auteur’s continually growing cult audience (it’s fair to say he’s browbeating the output of native prolific provocateur, Takashi Miike). This latest lands somewhere on the more bizarro end of Sono’s eclectic spectrum, though is nowhere near as gonzo, batshit crazy as Why Don’t You Play in Hell? (2013) or last year’s gangster musical Tokyo Tribe. However, neither is this on par with the director’s more sterling titles, like the magnum opus Love Exposure (2008), the first chapter of his daunting “Hate” trilogy. Instead,...
Superficially, there’s not too much new on hand in Sion Sono’s Tag, credited as the third of a whopping six features due out in 2015, each to most likely be juggled around the film festival circuit before a little luck sees them reach theatrical release next year thanks to the auteur’s continually growing cult audience (it’s fair to say he’s browbeating the output of native prolific provocateur, Takashi Miike). This latest lands somewhere on the more bizarro end of Sono’s eclectic spectrum, though is nowhere near as gonzo, batshit crazy as Why Don’t You Play in Hell? (2013) or last year’s gangster musical Tokyo Tribe. However, neither is this on par with the director’s more sterling titles, like the magnum opus Love Exposure (2008), the first chapter of his daunting “Hate” trilogy. Instead,...
- 8/10/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
It's fair to say my appreciation for the films of Sono Sion runs hot and cold. I was hot on Cold Fish, a near perfect blend of raw, visceral violence both emotional and physical, all told through a narrative structure that's glacial while being supremely compelling. Himizu, on the other hand, I found tedious and silly, and had a memorable Tiff spent arguing this fact with Gareth Evans about the quality of the work (he loved it). Last year's Tokyo Tribe was for me an abomination - treacly tunes, a rape-y narrative barely passing for a storyline that took facets of West Side Story and made them dull and ridiculous. It may be a bit of fun, but screened at Midnight it was deadly....
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[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 8/1/2015
- Screen Anarchy
One of the most diverting new flourishes introduced to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for its 50th incarnation this week, is a brand new sidebar in which six international directors were invited to present their favorite films not from their own oeuvres. Dubbed "Six Close Encounters" it gave us Mark Cousins presenting underseen Iranian jewel "A Moment of Innocence"; Michael Roskam ("Bullhead," "The Drop") presenting Jules Dassin's anointed classic "Rififi"; Kim Ki-Duk presenting Lee Chang-dong's immaculate "Poetry"; Sergei Loznitsa ("Maidan") presenting raw Russian epic "The Asthenic Syndrome"; and, in an oddly apropos choice, Sion Sono ("Tokyo Tribe") presenting "Babe." The first one, not the weird dark second one. Rounding out the line-up, however, was George Romero, who introduced Powell & Pressburger's "The Tales of Hoffmann" in its pristine new 4K...
- 7/15/2015
- by Jessica Kiang
- The Playlist
They grow up so fast. In 2009, I had the great pleasure of interviewing the then-rising teen star, Sometani Shota, on the verge of his first film of what would be a fruitful collaboration with maverick director, Sono Sion. Returning to New York with Director Hiroki Ryūichi for the ensemble, Kabukicho Love Hotel, Sometani chatted with me about spitting rhymes for Sono's hip-hop musical, Tokyo Tribe, and the start of his own directing career.The Lady Miz Diva: Director Hiroki, Toru is very much the anchor of Kabukicho Love Hotel. All the action happens around him. What made you believe that Sometani Shota was the correct choice to play this role?Hiroki Ryūichi: I would say that because Mr. Sometani was in this film, that this film...
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[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 7/9/2015
- Screen Anarchy
If only director Sion Sono can keep up the current pace he’s working at, this universe may very well still be worth saving.
After a handful of gorgeous and criticially beloved features like Love Exposure, Sono blew the doors off of 2014’s year of cinema with his brilliant and in many ways definitive Why Don’t You Play In Hell?. Well, he’s back once again with what may very well be his most anarchic and revelatory achievement to date.
Entitled Tokyo Tribe, Sono takes to the world of gangsters in what is ostensibly a Tokyo sometime in the near-ish future. For all intents and purposes an action film in the body of a musical, Sono’s latest is based on the manga series Tokyo Tribe 2 from Santa Inoue, and melds Shaw Brothers-esque clan battles with a futuristic setting and rap music. Think The Kid With The Golden Arm...
After a handful of gorgeous and criticially beloved features like Love Exposure, Sono blew the doors off of 2014’s year of cinema with his brilliant and in many ways definitive Why Don’t You Play In Hell?. Well, he’s back once again with what may very well be his most anarchic and revelatory achievement to date.
Entitled Tokyo Tribe, Sono takes to the world of gangsters in what is ostensibly a Tokyo sometime in the near-ish future. For all intents and purposes an action film in the body of a musical, Sono’s latest is based on the manga series Tokyo Tribe 2 from Santa Inoue, and melds Shaw Brothers-esque clan battles with a futuristic setting and rap music. Think The Kid With The Golden Arm...
- 7/5/2015
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Kenji Fujishima's preview of this year's New York Asian Film Festival is just one of several we've gathered so far: "Alongside the likes of its opening-night selection, Philip Yung’s Aaron Kwok-led, Christopher Doyle-lensed crime drama Port of Call, and Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii’s latest live-action film Nowhere Girl, are festival-circuit travelers like this year’s centerpiece pick, Sabu’s Chasuke’s Journey, and Sion Sono’s gangster rap musical Tokyo Tribe." But "the programmers at Subway Cinema have not forgotten the past in favor of highlighting the present, as evidenced by the inclusion in its lineup of films as recent as Tsui Hark’s 2014 3D martial-arts epic The Taking of Tiger Mountain and as vintage as Teruo Ishii’s 1965 prison drama Abashiri Prison and Kinji Fukasaku’s ultra-violent 1973 yakuza thriller Battles Without Honor and Humanity." » - David Hudson...
- 6/26/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Kenji Fujishima's preview of this year's New York Asian Film Festival is just one of several we've gathered so far: "Alongside the likes of its opening-night selection, Philip Yung’s Aaron Kwok-led, Christopher Doyle-lensed crime drama Port of Call, and Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii’s latest live-action film Nowhere Girl, are festival-circuit travelers like this year’s centerpiece pick, Sabu’s Chasuke’s Journey, and Sion Sono’s gangster rap musical Tokyo Tribe." But "the programmers at Subway Cinema have not forgotten the past in favor of highlighting the present, as evidenced by the inclusion in its lineup of films as recent as Tsui Hark’s 2014 3D martial-arts epic The Taking of Tiger Mountain and as vintage as Teruo Ishii’s 1965 prison drama Abashiri Prison and Kinji Fukasaku’s ultra-violent 1973 yakuza thriller Battles Without Honor and Humanity." » - David Hudson...
- 6/26/2015
- Keyframe
This week, UK distributor Eureka released Tokyo Tribe on Blu-ray. James Marsh reviewed that release and found it to be much to his liking. In it, veteran actor Takeuchi Riki plays Boss Buppa, a performance which makes Asano Tadanobu's turn as Kakihara in Ichi the Killer look subtle and restrained. As a depraved, overweight and insanely violent cannibal gangster, Takeuchi Riki doesn't just chew the scenery, he devours it, especially when said scenery consists mostly of guns, gold and naked girls! Which is why we love him and why this is an excellent excuse to dedicate a quiz to him. So once again I'm going to use nine pictures of one of my favourite thespians to make a quiz. Click through the images, and guess...
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- 6/19/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Six selected directors include Michaël R. Roskam [pictured], Kim Ki-duk and Sion Sono.
Six international directors who share a history with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 3-11) are to present one of their favourite films at the 50th edition of the festival in the Czech spa town.
The special section, titled Six Close Encounters, will include contributions from directors Mark Cousins, Kim Ki-duk, Sergei Loznitsa, Luis Miñarro, Michael R. Roskam and Sion Sono.
Each will select and personally present a favourite film that played a fundamental role in defining their own styles on filmmaking.
“It is extremely important to us that we maintain long-term relationships with filmmakers whose work we follow continuously, often from the beginning of their careers, which in many cases were launched at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival,” says Kviff artistic director Karel Och.
Mark Cousins: A Moment of Innocence (Nun va Goldoon, 1996), Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Kim Ki-duk:...
Six international directors who share a history with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 3-11) are to present one of their favourite films at the 50th edition of the festival in the Czech spa town.
The special section, titled Six Close Encounters, will include contributions from directors Mark Cousins, Kim Ki-duk, Sergei Loznitsa, Luis Miñarro, Michael R. Roskam and Sion Sono.
Each will select and personally present a favourite film that played a fundamental role in defining their own styles on filmmaking.
“It is extremely important to us that we maintain long-term relationships with filmmakers whose work we follow continuously, often from the beginning of their careers, which in many cases were launched at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival,” says Kviff artistic director Karel Och.
Mark Cousins: A Moment of Innocence (Nun va Goldoon, 1996), Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Kim Ki-duk:...
- 6/17/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
★★★★☆ According to an octogenarian emcee as she lays down some beats on a neon-drenched intersection of sprawling graffiti-laden alleyways, Sion Sono's Tokyo Tribe (2014) is "comin' at ya from the ass-end of hell." The Japanese gonzo director prefers his dials turned up to eleven and that's most certainly the intention with this, a dystopian gangland bubblegum hip-hopera in which there's mayhem on the streets and almost every word is rapped. Hurling a million and one things at the screen at all times, it's both an adrenaline shot and an exhausting experience. It's also eye-popping, loud and riotous fun. A fresh-faced narrator (Shôta Sometani) stalks through this grimy warren to outline the evening's entertainment.
- 6/15/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
THR is reporting that producer Patrick S. Cunningham (Martha Marcy May Marlene) and director Darryl Wharton-Rigby will shoot a pilot for a potential television adaptation of Santa Inoue's manga Tokyo Tribe. Both are based in Japan."Everyone loves this manga and we just formally acquired the rights before the Cannes film festival. We are developing a pilot which we will shoot over the summer and we are looking at a cast of Japanese, U.S., Chinese and possibly Korean actors. The movie will initially be shot in Tokyo but there will also be some international locations," Cunningham told THR. "Inoue is involved in the development one-hundred percent".The manga, an ultra-violent story of 23 street gangs in dystopic Tokyo, was recently adapted to film as an ultra-violent hip...
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- 5/29/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Producer, Patrick S. Cunningham, and filmmaker, Darryl Wharton-Rigby, have acquired rights to the seminal manga series "Tokyo Tribe," which was created by Santa Inoue. Said to be a sensation in Japan when it was originally published in the late 1990s, the manga about hip-hop–influenced Japanese gangbangers, provides audiences with a look at the impact of African American culture on Japanese youth. Here's how Amazon describes it: "Ornate with hip-hop trappings and packed with gangland grit, 'Tokyo Tribes' paints a vivid, somewhat surreal vision of urban youth. Rival gangs from various Tokyo barrios press each other for turf, leaving many a foot soldier...
- 5/26/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War Of The Underworld is one of a few recent films from prolific Japanese director Takashi Miike. It looks like the sort of thing that will go over well for those who’ve loved Sion Sono’s recent movies like Tokyo Tribe and Why Don’t You Play in Hell. Like the latter film from Sono, […]
The post ‘Yakuza Apocalypse’ Trailer: Takashi Miike Makes a Wild, Weird Gangland Story appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Yakuza Apocalypse’ Trailer: Takashi Miike Makes a Wild, Weird Gangland Story appeared first on /Film.
- 4/22/2015
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Japan’s Gaga Corporation is launching sales on a new film based on a comic and TV series from Tokyo Tribe director Sion Sono.
Based on the manga Minna! Esper Dayo! by Wakasugi Kiminori (Detroit Metal City), the film as-yet-untitled in English.
Sion directed a TV series adapted from the manga in 2013 and is now turning it into a film.
Shota Sometani (Parasyte, Himizu) stars as an ordinary high school student, Yoshiro, who discovers he has psychic powers.
He realizes there are others like him, somehow all virgins, and some of them are using their powers to terrorize people and fulfill their sexual urges. So Yoshiro decides to use his powers to save the world from erotic terrorism.
The film is due for release in Japan this September.
Based on the manga Minna! Esper Dayo! by Wakasugi Kiminori (Detroit Metal City), the film as-yet-untitled in English.
Sion directed a TV series adapted from the manga in 2013 and is now turning it into a film.
Shota Sometani (Parasyte, Himizu) stars as an ordinary high school student, Yoshiro, who discovers he has psychic powers.
He realizes there are others like him, somehow all virgins, and some of them are using their powers to terrorize people and fulfill their sexual urges. So Yoshiro decides to use his powers to save the world from erotic terrorism.
The film is due for release in Japan this September.
- 3/23/2015
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Read More: Toronto Review Japanese Hip-Hop Tale 'Tokyo Tribe' is a Wild Ride XLrator Media, distributor of films like "Jimi: All Is By My Side" and "The Machine," has acquired the rights to "Tokyo Tribe," the futuristic street-gang martial arts action-hip-hop musical epic that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. "Tokyo Tribe" was written and directed by Sion Sono, who was the recipient of Tiff's esteemed People's Choice Midnight Madness award for the film, "Why Don’t You Play in Hell?" His new film is based on two opposing factions in the ghetto slums of Tokyo, which erupts into a full-out war. XLrator's CEO, Barry Gordon is thrilled about the acquisition, stating, "audiences have never seen anything like 'Tokyo Tribe' and will be blown away by its originality, energy and mind-blowing action and musical sequences that pay homage to everything from Quentin Tarantino to 'Scarface' to 'West Side.
- 3/12/2015
- by Elle Leonsis
- Indiewire
Sion Sono is a madman. I know this because I’ve seen at least half of his filmography. I continue to know this because I’ve seen Tokyo Tribe, an ultraviolent hip hop musical, a film so insane that upon its end I wasn’t sure was real. Thank god someone’s releasing it in the U.S. No, Tokyo…
The post Sion Sono’s Insane, Must-See Tokyo Tribe out this Fall appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Sion Sono’s Insane, Must-See Tokyo Tribe out this Fall appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 3/12/2015
- by Samuel Zimmerman
- shocktillyoudrop.com
XLrator Media has kicked up North American rights to Tokyo Tribe, an actioner from writer-director Sion Sono (Why Don't You Play In Hell). Described as a "street-gang/martial arts action/hip-hop musical epic," it stars Ryohei Suzuki and Young Dais and is based on the manga by Santa Inoue. In a futuristic, alternate Tokyo made up of ghetto slums and nightclub playgrounds, territorial street gangs rule the city. When a megalomaniacal gang leader tries to invade the other…...
- 3/12/2015
- Deadline
Eureka! Entertainment is bringing Sono Sion's deliriously infectious rap battle epic Tokyo Tribe to screens across the UK and Eire on 8 May, and to support the release they have just unveiled a brand new quad poster for the film, along with a new theatrical trailer and a host of gorgeous new stills. The latest from the director of Love Exposure and Why Don't You Play In Hell? is, to quote our very own Jaime Grijalba, "the best movie of 2014". You can read his full review right here, and check out the gallery below for all the other good stuff.Just when you thought Sion Sono's unique brand of subversive cinema couldn't get any more out there, he's back to explode expectations once again as he...
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- 2/28/2015
- Screen Anarchy
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