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One of Clint Eastwood's great World War II films has found a new streaming home -- but there's a catch. Letters from Iwo Jima is now available for streaming on Prime Video.

Letters From Iwo Jima was one part of Eastwood's fantastic WWII epic, released in December 2006 and critically acclaimed, including multiple Academy Award nominations. The move to Prime Video allows it to find a new audience, but the film's companion piece, Flags of Our Fathers, is not available on the streamer.

Letters from Iwo Jima arrived in theaters just months after Flags of Our Fathers. Both films were directed by Eastwood, with the former written by Iris Yamashita and the latter written by William Broyels Jr. and Paul Haggis. Whereas Flags of Our Fathers was based on James Bradley and Ron Powers' book of the same name about the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima -- following the action...

Exclusive: London-based Sc Films International has picked up Brillante Mendoza’s latest film project, Chameleon, for worldwide sales ahead of the Cannes market.

Currently in post-production, the Philippines-Japan crime drama focuses on a Filipino transgender dancer named Marie (played by Mariko Ledesma) who joins the Japanese Yakuza underworld. Set in early 2000s Sapporo, Japan, Marie becomes entangled with the dangerous Yakuza world after an immigration raid pushes her into the orbit of the deadly Yakuza. Desperate, she takes a job at the Chameleon club and quickly becomes a favorite of the Yakuza boss, named Shimamura. Marie must find a way to escape even though the promise of freedom may be fleeting.

First footage from the film will be available during Cannes, with the film receiving support from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs. Production took place over two years in Japan.

Chameleon stars veteran Japanese actor Eiji Okuda as Yakuza boss Shimamura, alongside Tsuyoshi Ihara, Rina Takeda (Attack on Titan) and Shogen (Gensan Punch).

Besides Ledesma, Filipino actors in Chameleon include Ruby Ruiz, Gigi Hernandez and Vince Rillon.

Mendoza won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009 for his feature film Kinatay.

Troy Espiritu, who also served as a writer on Mendoza’s 2016 Cannes entry Ma’ Rosa, penned the screenplay for Chameleon alongside Mendoza.

Chameleon is produced by the same group of producers who previously collaborated on boxing biopic Gensan Punch, which won the Kim Jiseok Award at the 2021 Busan International Film Festival. Producers include Takahiro Yamashita from Japan’s Yaman Films, Krisma Maclang Fajardo of The Philippines’ Center Stage Productions, UK-based Fumie Suzuki Lancaster of Sc Films International and Bobo.

The film is also executive produced by Yoshi and Hironobu Arai , with music composed by Yoshihiro Hanno (Mountains May Depart).

“We’re thrilled to reunite with director Brillante Mendoza and his outstanding team,” said Lancaster, who serves as one of the film’s producers. “This powerful comeback film is deeply rooted in Mendoza’s unique vision, shedding light on the untold stories of Filipinos who came to Japan in the early 2000s with hopes and dreams of a better life. Following our successful collaboration on Gensan Punch, an HBO Original that won acclaim at the Busan International Film Festival, we are proud to continue supporting Brillante’s bold storytelling on the global stage.”...

“Sidonie in Japan” will travel far and wide, as international agent Indie Sales has posted a raft of new sales out of Rome’s Mia Market. Starring Isabelle Huppert and directed by Elise Girard, the wistful romance world premiered out of Venice’s independent, auteur-oriented sidebar Venice Days last month.

The Paris-based sales company has altogether secured distribution deals for Australia/New Zealand (Sharmill Films), the Baltics (Next Episode Sl), Brazil (Imovision), the Cis (Arthouse), Germany (Majestic), Italy (Academy 2), India and subcontinent (BookMyShow), Spain (Surtsey) and Switzerland (Outside the Box), while negotiations are still ongoing with partners in Belgium and China. Gallic distributor Art House will handle the film’s domestic release early next year.

Led by Huppert and co-starring August Diehl and Tsuyoshi Ihara (“Letters from Iwo Jima”) the bittersweet film follows a widowed French author who accepts an invitation to Kyoto, only to find her husband’s ghost waiting for her there.

The mythology around Japan as a nation of everyday ghosts — where the living and the dead share space, occasionally in view of each other — can lead certain western filmmakers into dubious territory: If you don’t recall how Gus van Sant floundered with the mawkish, condescending exoticism of “The Sea of Trees,” trust that it’s best forgotten. Centered on a long-grieving Frenchwoman who finally makes peace with her husband’s death over the course of a Japanese work trip, “Sidonie in Japan” risks similar pitfalls — but Élise Girard’s droll, bittersweet romance mostly dodges them with grace and good humor, plus a pointed awareness of the limitations of its outsider perspective.

Premiering in the Venice Days sidebar at this year’s Venice Film Festival, this is a sweetly unassuming affair that is given some vinegary oomph by the presence of Isabelle Huppert in the lead — which will doubtless secure...

Jean-Luc Godard famously said that all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun. Another version of that, at least based on French writer-director Élise Girard’s latest film, Sidonie in Japan (Sidonie au Japon), could be: All you need to make a movie is Isabelle Huppert wearing chic pantsuits and wandering around lots of picturesque Japanese locations.

That’s a good part of what happens in this sweetly minimalist international romance/ghost story, in which Huppert plays a writer who recalls her past lives while on a book tour through Osaka, Kyoto and a few other intoxicating places during a one-week excursion. Along the way, she strikes up a friendship — and perhaps something more — with her Japanese publisher, a man of few words who watches over her throughout the trip. Oh, and she also sees dead people.

Premiering in the Venice Days sidebar on the Lido,...

Second Chance Romance: Girard Haunts Huppert in Erstwhile Ghost Story

Isabelle Huppert conjoins two of her most recent recurring cinematic themes with Sidonie in Japan, which showcases the legendary French actress in a foreign country while also being haunted by the past. Headlining the third film from Élise Girard, Huppert becomes a stranger in a strange land while visiting Kyoto, Japan thanks to the republication of her first novel, L’ombre Portee (The Shadow Cast), which becomes more than just a metaphorical map to her current dilemma as a writer who no longer writes.

As Sidonie (Huppert) reluctantly travels to Kyoto, she is greeted at the airport by Kenzo Mizoguchi (Tsuyoshi Ihara), who also happens to be the publisher of her reprinted first novel, as well as devoted escort for the remainder of her trip.…...

§tElise Girard directs her third film about a woman mourning her husband in Kyoto while on her book tour.

Indie Sales has unveiled the new trailer for Elise Girard’s romantic drama Sidonie In Japan starring Isabelle Huppert and has signed deals in Germany, Switzerland and Italy ahead of the film’s premiere at Giornate degli Autori in Venice.

Out of the Box will release the film in Switzerland and Majestic Filmverleih is handling German distribution, joining the film’s French distributor Art House Films and Italy’s Academy Two.

Sidonie in Japan stars Huppert as a French writer mourning...

Sidonie In Japan

We can add this France-Japan title to the under-the-radar items featuring the great Isabelle Huppert. Production on Elise Girard‘s third feature Sidonie In Japan began production in July of last year with August Diehl and Tsuyoshi Ihara also on board. The Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland co-production tells the tale of discovery — of not one but two men. Girard previously directed Belleville-Tokyo (2010) with Valérie Donzelli, and the Berlinale preemed Strange Birds (2017) with Lolita Chammah (Huppert’s daughter).

Gist: During her first trip to Japan, Sidonie Perceval (Huppert), a promotional writer, sees the ghost of her husband again, while she lives a love affair with Kenzo Mizoguchi, her publisher, a mysterious man.…...

“Senna,” Netflix’s biggest and most ambitious series ever in Latin America, now has a director. Seasoned Brazilian film-tv action thriller director Vicente Amorim — whose credits include “Good” with Viggo Mortensen and “Yakuza Princess,” with Japanese American singer Masumi and Jonathan Rhys Meyers — has boarded the production.

Portraying the life of Formula One racing genius Ayrton Senna, “Senna,” produced for Netflix Brazil by Sao Paulo-based Gullane in partnership with the Senna family, is now in prep.

The eight-episode fiction miniseries will plumb “the intimacy of the man who became a national hero and conquered the world,” Netflix Brazil announced on Monday.

It looks set to be the biggest play ever by Netflix for one of its biggest markets anywhere in international. In January 2021, Netflix was reported to have already run up 19 million household accounts in Brazil, nearly as many as the streamer’s then 25.49 million for the whole of Asia.

The continuously busy Isabelle Huppert has booked her next flight. She’ll be heading to Sidonie au Japon — French filmmaker Élise Girard‘s third feature project. Production kicks off next month and we’ve learned that August Diehl and Tsuyoshi Ihara will complete the trio. This Japan, France, Germany and Switzerland co-production was in the final finances stages (Tokyo Gap Financing Market) in 2021.

In her first trip to Japan, Sidonie Perceval (Huppert) is an author on a promotional tour who sees the ghost of her husband (Diehl) while she lives a love affair with Kenzo Mizoguchi (Ihara), her publisher, a mysterious man.…...

Movies that stem from series are actually quite a normal phenomenon in the Japanese entertainment industry, with both anime and TV series franchises frequently indulging in the practice. “Signal The Movie” comes as a continuation of the Fuji TV series “Signal” itself a remake of the South Korean drama of the same name, written by Kim Eun-hee

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Movies that stem from series are actually quite a normal phenomenon in the Japanese entertainment industry, with both anime and TV series franchises frequently indulging in the practice. “Signal The Movie” comes as a continuation of the three seasons of “Cold Case”, which is actually a remake of the homonymous US title.

This last part allows Hajime Hashimoto to make a comment about corruption, which actually takes place in both arcs, adding more contextual depth but also analyzing further the protagonists, with their will to fight against authority highlighting their character but...

Movies that stem from series are actually quite a normal phenomenon in the Japanese entertainment industry, with both anime and TV series franchises frequently indulging in the practice. “Signal The Movie” comes as a continuation of the three seasons of “Cold Case”, which is actually a remake of the homonymous US title.

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The title’s basis and the one that sets it apart (to a point at least), is that two present-day detectives, Kento Saegusa and his superior, Misaki Sakurai, are in communication with a policeman from 2009, Takeshi Oyama, via walkie-talkies that actually work without batteries. In the movie, the case Saegusa and Sakurai get involved in, concerns the death of a high-ranking government official who is killed when his chauffeur loses control on an expressway. Saegusa suspects it was far from accidental, while it is soon revealed that a neurotoxin and the remaining members of a cult that...

Yakuza Princess will be released to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray, DVD and On Demand on November 16 from Magnolia Home Entertainment. Directed by Vicente Amorim, and starring Masumi, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Tsuyoshi Ihara, we have an opportunity for Daily Dead readers to win a Blu-ray copy!

"Set in the expansive Japanese community of Sao Paulo in Brazil — the largest Japanese diaspora in the world — Yakuzaprincess follows Akemi (Masumi), an orphan who discovers she is the heiress to half of the Yakuza crime syndicate. Forging an uneasy alliance with an amnesiac stranger (Rhys Meyers) who believes an ancient sword binds their two fates, Akemi must unleash war against the other half of the syndicate who wants her dead."

We have (2) Blu-ray copies to give away! For a chance to win, make sure to follow @DailyDeadNews on Twitter and interact with our contest post: https://twitter.com/DailyDeadNews/status/1460347758204882948

We'll randomly select 2 winners on November 22nd,...

"It makes me happy to help folks out a little." Film Movement has debuted the US trailer for an acclaimed Japanese indie drama titled They Say Nothing Stays the Same, which initially premiered back in 2019. The film is the latest directed by Japanese actor / filmmaker Joe Odagiri, and features cinematography by the award-winning Dp Christopher Doyle. "Why does one need a ferryman? One needs a ferryman where there is a body of water and a bridge does not exist. The village high in the hills has a ferryman, but a bridge is in the works. The poor peasant is about to become even more poor. The people, livestock, and goods won't need his services much longer... He meets a young girl on a day when everything was supposed to go like any other day." The film stars Akira Emoto, Ririka Kawashima, Nijiro Murakami, Tsuyoshi Ihara, ...

Japanese actor Joe Odagiri has made his directorial debut with They Say Nothing Stays the Same, a drama that premiered at the Venice Film Festival back in 2019 followed by a subsequent release in its native country. Now finally receiving a U.S. release courtesy of Film Movement on November 12, we’re pleased to debut the exclusive new trailer for the film shot by the great Christopher Doyle, longtime collaborator of Wong Kar-wai.

The drama follows an old ferryman in a remote Meiji-era community. His life is a peaceful, cyclical existence, given meaning by the essential role he plays in transporting people, livestock, and goods across the water, connecting villages and lives. When news arrives that a bridge is being built, it’s clear that his services will no longer be needed. Meanwhile, his life will be equally transformed by the appearance of a mysterious young woman whom he saves from drowning.

A glum arthouse market may be entering a gateway weekend into happier days after months of distributors — with rare exceptions — pulling out their hair at dismal per-screens averages. That’s because festival buzz is mounting for film after film – from Card Counter, Dune and Spencer, to King Richard and Cyrano.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Dear Evan Hansen open in theaters on Sept, 17 and Sept. 24 after Toronto premieres. Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch from Cannes rolls out Oct. 22. Warner Bros’ Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark has an Oct. 1 release date. Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast has a Nov. 12 theatrical date after a world premiere in Toronto (and a glimpse at Telluride.)

It’s like the Marvel Cinematic Universe of arthouses, films set to give a bump to a specialty...

After recently screening at the Fantasia Film Festival, Yakuza Princess is now screening in theaters and is available on VOD services. Directed by Vicente Amorim, and starring Masumi, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Tsuyoshi Ihara, we have an exclusive clip just for Daily Dead readers!

"Set in the expansive Japanese community of Sao Paulo in Brazil — the largest Japanese diaspora in the world — Yakuzaprincess follows Akemi (Masumi), an orphan who discovers she is the heiress to half of the Yakuza crime syndicate. Forging an uneasy alliance with an amnesiac stranger (Rhys Meyers) who believes an ancient sword binds their two fates, Akemi must unleash war against the other half of the syndicate who wants her dead."

Based on the graphic novel "Shiro" by Danilo Beyruth, Yakuza Princess was written by Fernando Toste and Kimi Howl Lee.

To learn more about the movie and where you can watch it, visit the official website at: https://www.

Yakuza Princess goes for the jugular with visceral katana-slicing action, but unfortunately gets bogged down by sluggish pacing. Adapted from the graphic novel "Samurai Shiro" by Brazilian comic book artist Danilo Beyruth, the film has striking cinematography and intriguing characters. It takes a deep dive into Japanese organized crime, samurai culture, and sword fighting tactics. Issues arise when the mystery that drives the narrative drones on. The tension established continually deflates with melodramatic lulls. A brutal finale swerves Yakuza Princess back on track for a recommendation.

In 1999 Osaka, Japan, a family gathering turns into a bloody massacre. Twenty-one years later in São Paulo, Brazil's Japanese district, Akemi (Masumi) struggles with the random murder of her beloved grandfather. She follows his wishes and continues to practice Kendo with her nearly lifelong master (Toshiji Takeshima). Meanwhile, two seemingly separate events have major repercussions. Takeshi (Tsuyoshi Ihara), a fierce Yakuza lieutenant (kanbu), learns a long kept secret.

The legal drinking age in most countries around the globe is 18 years old; Brazil is among those nations. Japan, however, makes their young people wait until they turn 20 for the right to booze it up. Yet, in nonsensical fashion, when Akemi (singer-songwriter Masumi), the Japanese-born, Brazilian-raised heroine of Vicente Amorim’s “Yakuza Princess,” toasts in front of her late grandfather’s portrait, she follows American regulation and celebrates finally turning 21 as a major milestone. Such a seemingly trivial detail is indicative of the astounding incoherence and misguided international ambitions of this subpar action saga.

Gruesome dismemberment at a family party opens the film, adapted from the graphic novel “Samurai Shiro” by Danilo Beyruth. That incident in Osaka two decades prior landed Akemi and her grandfather in Sao Paolo — text on screen explains the South American city hosts the largest Japanese community outside of the island state. But while having Brazilian creators at the helm,...

A young woman discovers she’s a crime family heiress in “Yakuza Princess,” a grimy action-thriller set in the neon-drenched streets of São Paulo’s Japanese district. Adapted from Danilo Beyruth’s graphic novel by Brazilian filmmaker Vicente Amorim (“Motorrad), “Yakuza” delivers stylish shootouts and eye-catching swordplay but lacks the dynamic characters and story-telling panache required to lift it into the top grade. Starring Japanese American singer Masumi in her first feature role, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as an amnesiac assassin, this well produced item still packs enough punch to satisfy undemanding action fans and should perform respectably when released in U.S. theaters and on VOD on Sept. 3.

Considering São Paulo is home to the world’s largest ethnic Japanese community outside Japan (an estimated 1.6 million people), it’s surprising how rarely the city’s Nikkei Burajiru-jin (Japanese Brazilians) have been granted leading character status in feature films. “Gaijin:...

Yakuza Princess Review — Yakuza Princess (2021) Film Review from the 25th Annual Fantasia International Film Festival, a movie directed by Vicente Amorim and starring Masumi, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Kenny Leu, Eijiro Ozaki, Mariko Takai, Toshiji Takeshima and Nicolas Trevijano. Yakuza Princess is a mostly unconventional yet occasionally routine action picture that keeps audiences [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: Yakuza Princess: A Fast Moving Flick with Guns and Swords [Fantasia 2021]...

Masumi in Yakuza Princess Photo: Magnet Releasing

A thundering slice of action built around one young woman’s calling to avenge the family she never knew, Vicente Amorim’s Yakuza Princess had its première at the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival and will soon be released in cinemas. It stars Masumi in her breakthrough role as Akemi, alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Tsuyoshi Ihara as mysterious men as mysterious strangers who know how to fight but may or may not be on her side.

Every sword has a story Photo: Magnet Releasing

Prior to this, Masumi was best known for her music. A talented singer/songwriter, she rose to fame by playing her guitar in Dallas clubs, going on to perform all over the world, but turned down an offer to make her a pop idol in Tokyo because she wanted to retain control of her musical direction. Acting, she says, was...

Stars: Masumi, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Eijiro Ozaki, Jonathan Rhys Meyers | Written by Vicente Amorim, Kimi Lee, Tubaldini Shelling, Fernando Toste | Directed by Vicente Amorim

Based on Danilo Beyruth’s graphic novel Samurai Shiro, Yakuza Princess takes a familiar story and gives it a new twist by setting it in São Paulo Brazil. Why there? Because it’s the home to over 1.6 million Japanese and Brazilians of Japanese ancestry, the largest Japanese community outside of Japan. It’s also, like most Brazilian cities, overcrowded and rife with poverty, crime and corruption. What better place to set a film about the Yakuza?

Twenty years ago in Osaka Japan we watch as a family photo session turn into a massacre as a gunman opens fire, killing everyone. In Present day São Paulo Shiro wakes up in the hospital. Badly injured and with no memory of his past. His only possession an ancient katana.

Akemi...

Based on the graphic novel, Samurai Shirô, by Danilo Beyrouth, Yakuza Princess is like a bloody, violent, no holds barred episode of NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? as the film follows a young woman on her journey to discover family truths. A film about loss, with themes of identity and belonging, and in a stylish, thrilling, and mysterious neo-noir package with strong elements from the jidaigeki genre and samurai history, Vicente Amorim’s Yakuza Princess treads in the footsteps of a dark legacy.

A home sits beneath the hills as a flag burns ahead. A family is met with bullets and steel, a dynasty of crime in Osaka is believed to be destroyed. But in present-day São Paulo, the family’s sole survivor embodies its fighting spirit as she trains in Kendo, a traditional Japanese martial art derived from the fighting methods of samurai. Akemi (singer-songwriter Masumi...

We enter 20 years into the past at a birthday party in Japan. This wealthy family spared no expense for the celebration but no amount of money can stop what’s coming. Swords are drawn, guns are fired, and soon enough everyone is dead—save a little girl taken from her mother’s lifeless arms. The assumption is that the victors have stolen her to nurture as their own before the inevitable discovery of her real heritage and subsequent desire for revenge. Learning the opposite to be true is thus a confusing hiccup once we fast-forward to present-day Brazil and find Akemi (Japanese singer-songwriter Masumi) mourning the death of the man who raised her: a man she calls Grandfather. How did she get there? We’ll find out soon enough.

Director Vicente Amorim and fellow screenwriters Tubaldini Shelling, Kimi Lee, and Fernando Toste have no qualms with Yakuza Princess—based on...

Yakuza Princess Trailer — Vicente Amorim‘s Yakuza Princess (2021) movie trailer has been released by Magnolia Pictures. The Yakuza Princess trailer stars Masumi, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Toshiji Takeshima, Eijiro Ozaki, Mariko Takai, and Kenny Leu. Crew Fernando Toste and Kimi Howl Lee wrote the screenplay for Yakuza Princess. Fabiano Krieger and Lucas Marcier [...]

Continue reading: Yakuza Princess (2021) Movie Trailer: Masumi & Jonathan Rhys Meyers Wage War Against Half of the Yakuza...

"To fulfill it... You and your sword must become one." Magnolia has launched the first official trailer for a badass action film titled Yakuza Princess, from filmmaker Vicente Amorim, set in the expansive Japanese community of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Two action films about taking on the Yakuza in one day...?! Oh my!! (You should also watch the trailer for Kate here.) This is premiering at the upcoming 2021 Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal later this month. Japanese pop star Masumi stars as Akemi in this, who discovers the truth about her heritage when she turns 21. The heiress to half of the Yakuza crime syndicate forges an uneasy alliance with an amnesiac stranger who believes an ancient sword binds their two fates. She must unleash war against the other half of the syndicate who wants her dead. Described as a "rip-roaring, violent action-thriller." The film's cast includes Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Tsuyoshi Ihara,...

Even before coronavirus, Brazil’s film sector was in extraordinary trouble, victim of a near 18-month freeze on government film funding under far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

Now, many executives fear a radical shake out. “We have the incentive freeze, coronavirus, economic crisis, need for a new audiovisual law,” says Fabiano Gullane, one of Brazil’s biggest film-tv producers. The shingle has drama “Paloma,” from Marcelo Gomes, on tap.

“I fear for the future of medium-sized and small companies in Brazil,” he says. “They are near 100% dependent on [federal film agency] Ancine, [and] may well not have the cash-flow to survive the crisis.”

Adds producer Rodrigo Teixeira: “If we don’t have access to subsidies, production will stop, not only because of the pandemic but also the way Brazilian film financing is structured.”

The double crisis will push Brazilian companies into producing for TV as well as Brazil’s digital platforms.

Last October,...

Takashi Miike’s second phase of filmmaking, the one mostly dealing with manga adaptations, has been at its best when the Japanese master was able to make films that function as a collage of different ideas. “Ai to Makoto”, the manga by Ikki Kajiwara and Takumi Nagayasu the film is based on, gave Miike a perfect opportunity to produce a movie in that style, as it includes elements of 70s exploitation, musical and anime/manga aesthetics, to name a few. Let us take things from the beginning though.

The anime intro begins in 1961, when a skiing accident introduces the aristocrat Ai to the punk Makoto. 11 years later, and in live-action mode, the two meet again, when Ai, a senior in a prestigious high school, stumbles upon Makoto as he fights the members of a Tokyo gang on his own. Makoto emerges victorious, after the first musical act of the film,...

"Sometimes I wish I were a bowl of ramen." Strand Releasing has unveiled the official trailer for an indie drama titled Ramen Shop, which surprisingly is not a documentary about a ramen shop, rather a narrative feature film about a young ramen chef. Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo directs Ramen Shop, which is about a ramen chef named Masato, as played by Takumi Saitô, who's curious about his deceased parents' past. He leaves Japan and takes a food journey down to Singapore where he uncovers much more than just delicious meals. The small cast includes Jeanette Aw, Mark Lee, Tsuyoshi Ihara, and Beatrice Chien. This film looks quite moving and heartfelt, and dangerously delectable with all these amazing shots of food being cooked and served and eaten. My goodness, I'm super hungry just watching this trailer. Bon appetite. Here's the first official trailer (+ posters) for Eric Khoo's Ramen Shop, direct from Strand's YouTube: Masato,...

The culinary arts sometimes get lost in the maelstrom of film, music, literature and other mediums of expression, including the forging of a national identity where cuisine is often homogenised with other regional variations (as it is perceived among the white West). Food is so much more than this, though: it is a labour of love, a fragrant harmonium of the senses, a powerful trigger of long lost memories. It brings all manner of people closer together and transcends language and national barriers. These are all the things sumptuously captured in Eric Khoo’s latest; a film which, since premiering at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, has extensively toured the circuit and has won a whole heap of praise. ‘Ramen Shop’ (or ‘Ramen Teh’) may boast similarities to other soul-searching journeys committed to screen, but triumphs in its total embrace of its key palate-pleasing ingredients.

“Ramen Shop” is...

The film tells the story of a young ramen chef from Japan.

Japanese stars Takumi Saitoh and Seiko Matsuda have joined the cast of Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo’s upcoming foodie drama Ramen Teh.

Singapore’s Mark Lee and Jeanette Aw also star in the film, which will be co-produced by Khoo’s Zhao Wei Films and Wild Orange Artists. Also joining the ensemble cast are Tsuyoshi Ihara, Tetsuya Bessho and Singaporean theatre actress Beatrice Chien.

The film, which has started shooting in Singapore, tells the story of a young ramen chef from Japan who travels to Singapore to learn more about his Singaporean mother who died when he was ten years old.

Japanese chef Keisuke Takeda and Singapore food blogger Dr Leslie Tay have been tapped to consult on the culinary scenes in the film.

Singapore’s Clover Films will distribute the film locally. Theatrical release is scheduled for the second quarter of 2018.

Okay, we’re cheating this week. This isn’t a Hollywood film; it’s from Japan. So why are we breaking the rules? Because we can! (These are Our rules.) This week, Cinelinx looks at Gamera: Guardian of the Universe.

The first Gamera film was produced by Daiei Studios in 1965. It was clearly meant to cash in on the success of the popular Godzilla film franchise. The concept of a giant turtle that defends Earth from monsters may seem like a dopey idea—and truthfully, it is—but it’s so much fun, and Gamera is one of the best creations of the Kaiju genre.

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995), which was released 30 years later, is a reboot of the franchise (inspired by the well-received Godzilla reboot series of the late 80s-Early 90s) However, it’s not so much a remake of the first 1965 Gamera film as it is a...

Two productions being introduced to buyers at Hong Kong Filmart.

Japan’s Village Inc. is launching sales on samurais-battling-demons story Asura and avenging samurai love story Midare Uguisu at Filmart.

The films are part of Geki Cine’s portfolio which, motivated by fans who complained their star-powered stage plays’ runs were too limited, started shooting the productions two times each with 20 HD cameras, and then doing post-production including sound mixing and special effects at Warner Brothers.

Hiroyuki Hata, director of International Operations at Village Inc. said: “The productions have much more work in them than your average independent film. For instance, top notch sound mixing by BAFTA winner Mike Prestwood Smith, who has worked on films such as Casino Royale and Mission: Impossible

Directed by Hidenori Inoue and written by Kazuki Nakashima (Kill La Kill), Asura stars Somegoro Ichikawa (Semishigure), Yuki Amami (Amalfi), Tsuyoshi Ihara (Thirteen Assassins).

Midare Uguisu as a film is in pre-production with Izumi Inamori...

A new year means an opportunity to reflect on the past. This is our list of the 100 best films of the last 15 years, Part 1 #100 through 76.

The first decade and a half of the 21st century has brought a lot of changes to the landscape of film. The advancement and sophistication of computers has made realistic computer generated effects a mainstay in both big-budget and small-budget films. The internet and streaming technologies have given big Hollywood new competition in films produced independently and by non-traditional means. We went from purchasing films on yards of tape to plastic disks, and now we can simply upload them to the cloud. Advertisements for films have reached a higher, more ruthless level where generating hype through trailers and teasers is crucial for a film’s commercial success. Movie attendance has fluctuated along with the economy, but that hasn’t stopped films from breaking box office records,...

Stars: Clive Owen, Morgan Freeman, Aksel Hennie, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Ahn Sung-ki, Giorgio Caputo, Daniel Adegboyega, Shohreh Aghdashloo, James Babson, Brian Caspe, Cliff Curtis, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ayelet Zurer | Written by Michael Konyves, Dove Sussman | Directed by Kazuaki Kiriya

Set in an age of honour and justice by the sword, Last Knights tells the story of Raiden (Owen) – a fallen warrior who must rise up against a corrupt and sadistic ruler to avenge Bartok (Freeman), his dishonoured master. Think of the film as something akin to Seven Samurai but set in the middle ages and you’ll be somewhere close.

If I’m honest, I’m not the biggest fan of historical epics – give me a down and dirty, straight to DVD schlockfest over one any day. However when said historical epic the English language debut of famed Japanese director Kazuaki Kiriya (Casshern, Goemon), I can’t help but put my prejudices aside.

We've had First Knight, now prepare for Last Knights, an altogether more doom-laden, Game Of Thrones-like affair in which Clive Owen gets early-medieval in the name of vengeance and there’s minimal jousting. The film has a new trailer and poster to share below.brightcove.createExperiences();A mash-up of European epics and Japanese samurai adventure (overseen by a veteran of the latter), Last Knights introduces Owen as Raiden, member of a warrior caste in service to a worthy nobleman played by Morgan Freeman. All’s well in this unnamed if wintry land until Headhunters’ Aksel Hennie appears as the emperor’s emissary and skulls start getting seriously dugged.Hennie is the big bad here, boasting a snarly visage, terrible villain hair and a sinister henchmen in Tsuyoshi Ihara (Letters From Iwo Jima). Behind you can say “get busy living or get busy dying”, Morgan has got busy dying and Owen...

As post production is currently underway for Kiriya Kazuaki's English-Language debut, The Last Knights, a new poster art and several new images have arrived, giving us our first look at Clive Owen and Morgan Freeman. The action adventure is a Us/Korean co-production featuring an international cast that includes Cliff Curtis (The Last Airbender), Tsuyoshi Ihara (Ninja, 13 Assassins), Sung-kee Ahn (The Tower) and Park Si-yeon (Dachimawa Lee).A knight seeks vengeance when his lord is unjustly executed by a tyrannical emperor.Knight's commander Raiden receives an honor above all else when Bartok, his childless lord, names him as his heir. But his happiness is destroyed when the emperor's evil emissary Mott forces him to behead his surrogate father, and casts him and his men out of their...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

13 Assassins

Stars: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Mikijiro Hira, Hiroki Matsukata | Written by Daisuke Tengan & Shoichiro Ikemiya | Directed by Takashi Miike

“In mid-19th Century Japan the era of the samurai is beginning to fade as the feudal nation begins to enjoy a rare period of peace. But the fragile calm is soon threatened by the bloody rise of Lord Naritsugu, the Shogun’s sadistic, psychopathic younger brother, whose position places him above the law and free to rape, mutilate and murder on a whim. Concerned that Naritsugu’s actions will eventually destroy the Shogunate, top Shogun official Sir Doi covertly calls on esteemed and noble samurai warrior Shinzaemon Shimada (Koji Yakusho) to assassinate the evil Lord before it is too late. Shinzaemon willingly agrees and immediately gathers together an elite group of samurai to assist him in the task, knowing that what they are about to embark upon...

The first trailer has been released for the upcoming Takashi Miike samurai adventure 13 Assassins, which will be released in theaters nationwide on April 29. Click on the video player below to take a look at this new period adventure.

Click to watch 13 Assassins Trailer!

Cult director Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Audition) delivers a bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a wartorn future.

13 Assassins comes to theaters April 29th, 2011 and stars Kôji Yakusho, Yusuke Iseya, Tsuyoshi Ihara. The film is directed by Takashi Miike.

...Or we should say "Cheat Sheets" since this year's SXSW Film Festival boasts over 140 films, requiring more than just one page to cover every single one of the narrative and documentary features that will be playing in Austin from March 11th through 19th. While the festival has already provided a very helpful schedule to flip through and Pdf of the screening grid online, consider this your quick hit guide to all the features at the festival - every title leads to its corresponding festival page in addition to links to trailers, official sites, filmmakers' Facebook pages and Twitter accounts so you can follow the action from the festival or from home.

Meanwhile, there will be plenty of action during these next two weeks on IFC.com where, in addition to our live video page, Matt Singer (@mattsinger) and I (@mfrushmore) will be filing reviews and interviews throughout the film festival.

Essential Eastwood: Director's Collection was just released in a four-disc DVD and Blu-ray set on June 1 and we just have to celebrate this collection with some of the best films directed by the legendary Clint Eastwood. We have a new contest running and we're giving away copies of this new Bd set to our readers. You know these high-def sets will go fast, so be sure to enter this contest today.

Winners Receive:

Essential Eastwood: Director's Collection four-disc Blu-ray set

to win this brand new Blu-ray set today.

Letters From Iwo Jima Japanese soldiers defend the Pacific island against invading Americans during World War II. General Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) and his men transform what might have been swift defeat into nearly 40 days of resourceful combat.

Million Dollar Baby "I don't train girls," boxing manager Frankie Dunn growls. But one wins his respect and earns her shot at success in a...

The "Ninja" group has two fresh clips. Check out the first two minutes of the movie as well as a "Battle in the Rain" clip. The First Look release is out on March 2nd and stars Scott Adkins, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Mika Hijii, Todd Jensen, Togo Igawa, Garrick Hagon and Miles Anderson. Isaac Florentine directs from the writing by Zaki Rubenstein, Boaz Davidson and Michael Hurst. Produced by Boaz Davidson, Les Weldon and Danny Lerner. It remains as true today as it did in the days of the ancient Samurai: the weapons of the Ninja hold legendary powers for both good men and evil. The deadly weapons of the last Koga Ninja have now been entrusted to an American Ninjutsu student (Scott Adkins, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Expendables, Undisputed) studying in Japan...

See the trailer and pics from First Look Studios "Ninja," starring Scott Adkins, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Mika Hijii, Todd Jensen, Togo Igawa, Garrick Hagon and Miles Anderson. The actioner is helmed by Isaac Florentine ("Undisputed II: Last Man Standing") from the writing by Boaz Davidson, Michael Hurst and Zaki Rubenstein. It remains as true today as it did in the days of the ancient Samurai: the weapons of the Ninja hold legendary powers for both good men and evil. The deadly weapons of the last Koga Ninja have now been entrusted to an American Ninjutsu student (Scott Adkins, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Expendables, Undisputed) studying in Japan. Commanded by his Sensei to return to New York and protect the weapons at all cost, he must defeat the skilled...

Director: Isaac Florentine. Review: Tim Irwin. It’s hard to believe that two movies with the word Ninja in the title came out in the same year, and were both made in the same country. Indeed, while Ninja Assassin [reviewed here] went over the top with CGI blood and absurd violence, Ninja feels a little more credible in terms of story and characters. Granted, its primary ninja looks more like a cyborg assassin or Batman than a martial arts expert, but don’t let that detract from the experience. Scott Adkins stars as Casey Bowman, an American who has grown up in a dojo his whole life. I wasn’t familiar with Adkins either, but a quick glance at his filmography turns up small parts in blockbusters like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Bourne Ultimatum, and the lesser-known Unleashed (starring Jet Li). Casey has spent his life studying martial arts, and as time...

When I was a kid there was nothing better than a Ninja. I watched anything and everything to do with the dark warriors, including those dubbed shows on the USA network. So a movie called Ninja has to be great right? Well, we’ll find out when the film comes out … until then here’s a slew of featurettes giving you more than enough throwing stars to keep you jonesin’ for more.

Ninja is directed by Isaac Florentine and starring Scott Adkins, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Mika Hijii

A featurette for Ninja which takes a behind the scenes look at the making of the film.

A featurette for Ninja entitled “The Yoroi Bitsu” which takes a behind the scenes look at the Yoroi Bitsu.

A featurette for Ninja entitled “The Art of The Dojo” which takes a behind the scenes look at the art of the Dojo.

A featurette for Ninja entitled...

Some new images and a new, 6-minute behind-the-scenes look at the making of Scott Adkins’ “Ninja”, featuring cast interviews and additional footage not seen before. Plus, the girls express their appreciation of Scott Adkins’ hunkiness, while there are some new ninja action for the boys. Mind you, I’m not saying some of you boys can’t also appreciate Scott Adkins’ hunkiness. Ahem. Directed by Isaac Florentine, the film stars Scott Adkins as our ninja hero, Tsuyoshi Ihara as our ninja villain, Mika Hijii as our spry Japanese love interest, Todd Jensen as our befuddled New York cop. They are joined by Togo Igawa, Garrick Hagon, Miles Anderson, Valentin Ganev , Kenji Motomiya, and Nikolai Sotirov. Via Scott Adkins Fanz and the “Ninja” YouTube channel. This is apparently the first of 3 behind-the-scenes featurette. We’ll add them here as they’re added to the channel. Behind-the-Scenes: Part 1...

Five incredibly cool behind-the-scenes clips from Isaac Florentine and Scott Adkins’ upcoming martial arts actioner “Ninja”. There are plenty of new footage in the clips, but there are also some nifty lessons about the history of the ninja. Is any of it true? Um, probably not, but not like you care. It’s got ninjas, girls, Scott Adkins, and kick-ass action. Any questions? A westerner named Casey, studying Ninjutsu in Japan, is asked by the Sensei to return to New York to protect the legendary Yoroi Bitsu, an armored chest that contains the weapons of the last Koga Ninja. Starring Scott Adkins, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Mika Hijii, Todd Jensen, Togo Igawa, Garrick Hagon, Miles Anderson, Valentin Ganev, Kenji Motomiya, Nikolai Sotirov, and directed by Isaac Florentine. Thanks to the boys at Scott Adkins Fanz for the heads up. For more “Ninja” videos, check out their YouTube channel. Ninja Clip: Fists of Fury...

Sweet Samurai Jesus.

It was only yesterday that we put up five pics from the upcoming redo of 13 Assassins by Takashi Miike and like that we now know who all 13 actors will be. Led by Koji Yakusho, who most around these parts would know from Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Retribution, Cure, Pulse, Tokyo Sonata, to name a few, in the lead assassin role of Shimada Shinzaemon, the other dozen actors are Hiroki Matsukata [Izo],  Yusuke Iseya [Blindness, Sukiyaki Western Django and Casshern], Takayuki Yamada [Crows Zero films and Mw], Tsuyoshi Ihara [Letter from Iwo Jima], Arata Furuta [Tokyo Zombie and Zebraman], Ikki Sawamura [Gokusen: The Movie and Steamboy], Sousuke Takaoka [Crows Zero films, Blue Spring and Battle Royale], Yuma Ishigaki [Gokusen: The Movie, Azumi 2 and Battle Royale 2], Masataka Kubota, Seiji Rokkaku [My Boss, My hero], Kazuki Namioka [Crows Zero films, L Change the World and Midnight Eagle], and Koen Kondo [Linda Linda Linda, Zebraman and Nodome Cantabile].

That is a fine mix of veteran and young talent. Filming has only just begun and is expected to go into September which means we still have a ways to go before we get to see this.

You know, it’s probably a damn shame that Scott Adkins’ “Ninja” won’t make it into theaters. It’s probably got better action choreography than 90% of the stuff Hollywood puts out there at the moment, if this kick-ass clip from Isaac Florentine’s movie is any indication. Sure, the plot isn’t going to win any awards, and I’m not gonna crow about the acting, either. But let’s face it, it’s a movie called “Ninja”. Whaddaya want, “Gone with the Wind”? It’s about the action. Ninja action, baby! Check out this subway fight clip from the movie. A westerner named Casey, studying Ninjutsu in Japan, is asked by the Sensei to return to New York to protect the legendary Yoroi Bitsu, an armored chest that contains the weapons of the last Koga Ninja. Starring Scott Adkins, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Mika Hijii, Todd Jensen, Togo Igawa, Garrick Hagon,...