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By Justin Aylward

Kiyoshi Kurosawa, one of Japan’s most popular film directors of recent years, has made numerous classics including “Cure” (1997), “Pulse” (2001), and “Tokyo Sonata” (2008). Although many of his best films have received international acclaim, there remain a few underseen TV-Movies waiting to be discovered by audiences around the world. One film is “The Revenge: A Visit from Fate”, a short but impactful crime drama about one man’s descent into apathetic mania. If Kurosawa is respected as a unique director, known as much for creating ominous atmospheres and casual violence in his most successful work, this forgotten yakuza classic is sure to remind audiences of the man’s exceptional flare for crafting dread and angst.

“The Revenge: A Visit from Fate” stars Sho Aikawa as Anjo, a tough but moralistic cop with a traumatic past. Anjo witnessed his parent’s murder years earlier at the hands of a local yakuza gang,...

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Apartment 7A is a psychological horror thriller film directed by Natalie Erika James who also co-wrote the film with Christian White and Skylar James. Based on the 1967 novel titled Rosemary’s Baby by author Ira Levin, the Paramount+ film serves as a prequel to the iconic 1968 film by Roman Polanski. Apartment 7A is set in 1965 in New York City and it follows the story of a young dancer who rents a room from an elderly couple after suffering from a serious injury that ends her career. Apartment 7A stars Julia Garner, Dianne West, Kevin McNally, Jim Sturgess, Marli Siu, Rosy McEwen, Amy Leeson, Scott Hume, and Andrew Buchan. So, if you loved the psychological horror, edge-of-the-seat thrills, and compelling characters in Apartment 7A here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Rosemary’s Baby Credit – Paramount Pictures

Rosemary’s Baby...

Ultraman: Rising , a CG-animated feature film co-produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Netflix, released two new main trailers today in both English and Japanese dub versions. The movie will start streaming worldwide on June 14, 2024. Ultraman: Rising main trailer The main voice cast members for the English version include: Ken Sato / Ultraman voiced by Christopher Sean Professor Sato voiced by Gedde Watanabe Emiko Sato voiced by Tamlyn Tomita Dr. Onda voiced by Keone Young Ami voiced by Julia Harriman Ultraman: Rising Japanese dub main trailer The main voice cast members for the Japanese dub version include: Ken Sato / Ultraman voiced by Yuki Yamada (Joe Gibken/Gokai Blue in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger ) Professor Sato voiced by Fumiyo Kohinata (Dr. Dee in Mary and the Witch's Flower ) Emiko Sato voiced by Akari Hayami (ex-Momoiro Clover Z member) Dr. Onda voiced by Fumihiko Tachiki (Gendo Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion ) Ami voiced by Ayumi Tsunematsu...

In the 1960s, director Kinji Fukasaku created what would be the ultimate yakuza-sage for years to come with his “Battles Without Honor and Humanity”-series. While the various features of the series can be regarded as great entertainment on the one hand, they gain much more value when considered as a reflection on human greed, power and manipulation. Over the course of his career, director Takeshi Kitano has made quite a number of features, such as “Sonatine” or “Brother”, which would blend these themes with a certain poetic or philosophical approach, depending on your point of view. However, with the “Outrage”-series, he attempted to create his own version of Fukasaku's epic, albeit with a much more cynical undertone.

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The second entry into the “Outrage”-series, “Beyond Outrage”, takes place five years after the incidents of “Outrage”, with the...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week — and since we’re off next week, you get an extra item!

Ghoulies Plushes from Toynk

Who among us hasn’t wanted to cuddle with the Ghoulies? Your dream can come true in the end, thanks to Toynk.

Summon 14″ plush toys of Fish Ghoulie, Cat Ghoulie, and Rat Ghoulie for $30 each. They’re currently eligible for a Buy 3, Get 1 Free deal.

Creature from the Black Lagoon Figure from Super 7

Creature from the Black Lagoon is joining Super7’s Super Cyborg line of “x-ray” toys next month for $125. Shipping is free with the code WINTER79.

The 11″ action figure features three removable panels that expose the anatomy of Gillman’s head, arm, and torso. It has seven points of articulation.

The Days is a new Japanese series directed by Hideo Nakata and Masaki Nishiura. starring Kôji Yakusho and Yutaka Takenouchi.

Blamed by some, hailed as heroes by others, those involved with Fukushima Daiichi face a deadly, invisible threat — an unprecedented nuclear disaster.

Trailer The Days Release date

June 1

Where to watch The Days

Netflix

The Cast

Kōji Yakusho

Fumiyo Kohinata

Yutaka Takenouchi

Kaoru Kobayashi...

Koshiro (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is the son of a salmon dealer for the Nibuyama Domain of Echigo. His saintly nature doesn’t make him the best businessman, but he lives a peaceful life surrounded by people who care for him dearly, including his father Sakubei (Fumiyo Kohinata). But one day, a group of officials rush to his home, and his father Sakubei reveals shocking news to him: He is actually Koshiro Matsudaira, a descendant of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (Koichi Sato) and heir to the Nibuyama Domain! Koshiro also learns that Ikkosai has left the estate to him and retired. This Cinderella story of a commoner becoming a lord overnight seems like great fortune, but it turns out that the Nibuyama Domain is actually in debt for 10 billion yen!

Blamed by some, hailed as heroes by others, those involved with Fukushima Daiichi face a deadly, invisible threat – an unprecedented nuclear disaster. (Source: Netflix)

Netflix has released the first teaser trailer for its upcoming 8 episode drama on the Fukushima nuclear disaster. This series is tentatively set for release sometime in 2023. It is helmed by co-directors Hideo Nakata and Masaki Nishiura. The former is known for his horror movies Ring (1998), Ring 2 (1999) and Dark Water (2002); while the latter has extensive experience in Japanese dramas and TV movies including both seasons and the movie for Fuji TV’s Code Blue franchise. The Days will feature Koji Yakusho (13 Assassins), Yutaka Takenouchi (Shin Godzilla), Fumiyo Kohinata (The Confidence Man Jp movies). A subtitled trailer is available here.

There is no denying the appeal of “The Confidence Man Jp” to its domestic audience. A successful TV series, in addition to three films, have all been undeniable hits, leading the box office and entering homes since 2018. The first of these big-screen showings, “The Confidence Man Jp: The Movie” shows why, but also allowed room for future instalments, ones which subsequently came.

“The Confidence Man Jp: The Movie” is screening as part of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme

At its core, there are a group of con-artists, both ambitious and reckless, yet at the same time somewhat grounded and tactful. They are Dako (Masami Nagasawa), Boku-chan (Masahiro Higashide), Richard (Fumiyo Kohinata), Igarashi (Shinya Kote), and newcomer Monako (Lisa Oda), who team up to try and take down “Ice Princess,” a Hong-Kong based triad boss and prominent corporate figure who possesses an item the gang are desperate to get their hands on.

Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie Review — Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie (2021) ) Film Review from the 25th Annual Fantasia International Film Festival, a movie directed by Tôya Satô, starring Haruka Ayase, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Rei Dan, Fumiyo Kohinata, Atsuko Maeda, Minosuke, Naomasa Musaka, and Shirô Sano. Memory loss, secret agents, corporate and [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie: A Genre-Bending Series Follow-Up That Capably Stands On Its Own [Fantasia 2021]...

The classic whodunit genre is seeing a revival of sorts, with tentpole Hollywood blockbusters like “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Knives Out” leading the way and recently even Netflix jumping on the bandwagon with the Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston starring “Murder Mystery” and the Hindi-language film “Raat Akeli Hai” proving to be hits for the streaming platform. Yet another project in the same genre which saw a fair amount of success was 2019’s “Masquerade Hotel” by Masayuki Suzuki, which is based on a Keigo Higashino book and was produced and released, like many Higashino adaptations, after a long drawn-out bidding battle over the book’s rights.

A serial killer is on the loose in Tokyo, three seemingly random murders only having a code left at the scene being the connecting factor between them. The code, when decoded, tells of the location of the next murder...

Shinobu Yaguchi specializes in feel-good “zero to hero” films, where a group of people take up an unlikely activity, face a number of obstacles, but finally succeed. His film Waterboys was particularly successful and led to a TV series which entered its third season in 2005. He was awarded Best Screenplay at the 2005 Yokohama Film Festival for his film Swing Girls. (Wikipedia)

Having previously won the ‘audience choice award’ at season four of Asian Pop Up Cinema, his film “Survival Family” was brought back as part of the online themed festival ‘father’s day cheer’. On this occasion, we got a chance to speak to the director about challenges in capturing a powerless Japan, as well as his own thoughts on the role technology plays in modern society.

“Survival Family” is screening as part of Father’s Day Cheer on Asian Pop Up Cinema

*Asian Movie Pulse would like to give...

Within a society driven by technological dependency, “Survival Family” looks at how the familiar family structure would be disrupted when faced with a complete blackout. Backed by this premise, a family of four is forced to venture out in search of necessities as there seems to be no end or insight into the dire situation. While the family has to face hordes of others in the same desperate scenario, they also must learn to understand their place in the family, which was previously subdued by a focus on money and distraction with the conveniences of modern age.

“Survival Family” is screening as part of Father’s Day Cheer on Asian Pop Up Cinema

The sheer amount of work in creating a landscape without any source of power imbues the production with a sense of awe and wonder. The commitment to world building is apparent in every scene, making for a surreal experience in seeing various locations,...

The Tiffcom market, a sales event adjacent to the Tokyo International Film Festival, always includes the latest film launches from Japan. This year the selection is especially varied and rich. Arranged by sales company, highlights include:

Kadokawa

“Chiwawa”

Scripted and directed by Ken Ninomiya, this mystery about a 20-year-old Instagram star who ends up dead in Tokyo Bay, is based on a popular comic. It features a cast that includes the internationally known Chiaki Kuriyama (“Kill Bill”) and Tadanobu Asano (“The Third Murder”).

“Hard-Core”

Festival favorite, Nobuhiro Yamashita has adapted a cult hit comic about a pair of misfits who are inseparable friends. They encounter a retro-looking robot with astonishing powers, and together embark on a bizarre hunt for long-buried treasure.

“The Antique: Secret of the Old Books”

Yukiko Mishima, director of the acclaimed 2017 drama “Dear Etranger,” has returned with a literary mystery, based on En Mikami’s best-selling novel.

A little girl takes a magical broomstick ride to a school for witches in this appealing animation from the director of When Marnie Was There

‘Innocence has a catalytic effect on the absorption of magic.” These words, from the worryingly named Doctor Dee, are a very good description of the film’s ethos. This Japanese animation is from director Hiromasa “Maro” Yonebayashi, who made When Marnie Was There for Studio Ghibli. It is another example of that remarkable way in which Japanese animation is reviving the memory of classic English children’s literature from the 1960s and 70s – otherwise forgotten in its native land.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower is adapted from the 1971 novel The Little Broomstick, by the prolific popular author Mary Stewart. A little English girl called Mary is a lonely child living with her great-aunt in the countryside while her parents are away. She encounters a...

Author: Steven Neish

When aspiring alchemists Edward (Ryôsuke Yamada) and Alphonse Elric (Atom Mizuishi) are robbed of their mother at an early age they decide to turn their prodigious talents to the taboo practice of human transmutation in the vein hope of bringing her back. Working against the laws of nature, however, they each pay a heavy price for their transgression when Ed loses an arm and Al loses everything to the powers that be. Sacrificing another limb to bind his brother’s disembodied soul to a nearby suit of armour, Ed vows to track down the only item he believes capable of restoring his brother to his former body: the Philosopher’s Stone.

A live-action adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa’s beloved manga, previously retold as a pair of revered animes currently streaming alongside it on Netflix, Fumihiko Sori’s Fullmetal Alchemist was always going to struggle to extrapolate the...

Mary and the Witch’s Flower Trailer 3 Hiromasa Yonebayashi‘s Mary and the Witch’s Flower / Meari to majo no hana (2017) movie trailer 3 stars Hana Sugisaki, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Yûki Amami, Fumiyo Kohinata, and Hikari Mitsushima. Mary and the Witch’s Flower‘s plot synopsis: based on the book by Mary Stewart, “It is [...]

Continue reading: Mary And The Witch’S Flower (2017) Movie Trailer 3: Mary Becomes a Witch For One Night...

The police have a reputation to protect.

Picking up where Outrage (2010) left off, Beyond Outrage (2012) goes a bit further.  With Otomo (Takeshi Kitano) in prison and the Sanno yakuza family in ascension, the police (particularly Det. Kataoka (Fumiyo Kohinata)) stir the pot by pitting one set of gangsters against another.  When Kataoka tries and fails to use the ambitious Tomita (Akira Nakao) to lure the Hanabishi into a war with the Sanno, he goes back to Otomo--a badass killer of the old school--to team up with Kimura (Hideo Nakano)--who, incidentally, stabbed Otomo in jail for killing his (Kimura's) former boss and permanently, hideously scarring his face--to use their mutual grudge against Kato (Tomokazu Miura), the current Chairman of the Sanno (who, incidentally, got to that position by murdering his former boss in the last movie) and bring the Hanabishi into war with the Sanno.  It seems a bit complicated,...

Title: Beyond Outrage (Aka Outrage Beyond) Directed by: Takeshi Kitano Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Toshiyuki Nishida, Tomokazu Miura, Fumiyo Kohinata Running time: 112 minutes, Rated R, Available now on VOD/iTunes – In theaters 01/03/14 The anticipated sequel to Outrage. The police have organized a crackdown of the two major Yakuza crime sydicates – the Sanno and Hanabishi. Detective Kataoka (Fumiyo Kohinata) proposes an early prison realase of Otomo (Takeshi Kitano), a former Yakuza. Kataoka hopes that Otomo will seek out revenge from being forced to serve time and take out the bosses of both syndicates. His plan works and both syndicates are forced to unite. How far will Otomo take his [ Read More ]

The post Beyond Outrage Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Takeshi Kitano is back!! Watch the Red Band Trailer of Outrage Beyond the long waited sequel of Outrage (2010).

The great Japanese director Takeshi Kitano returns to the big screen with the genre that gave him international recognition and made him one of the best Asian filmmakers.

Outrage Beyond

Director: Takeshi Kitano

Screenwriter: Takeshi Kitano

Cast: Beat Takeshi (Takeshi Kitano), Toshiyuki Nishida, Tomokazu Miura, Ryo Kase, Hideo Nakano, Yutaka Matsushige, Fumiyo Kohinata

Music: Keiichi Suzuki

Photography: Katsumi Yanagijma

Production: Japan | 2012

Original Title: Autoreiji Biyondo

Duration: 110 minutes

Rated: R

Ôtomo (Beat Takeshi) now a free man seek to live his life away from the yakuza world but during his imprisonment, things have changed. The Sanno family – who destroyed Ôtomo´s family – has become too powerful and the old-guard members felt that the young leaders are risking the whole business because of their extreme greed. Knowing this situation, Kataoka -an anti-gang detective decides...

Starring:

Takeshi Kitano

Tomokazu Miura

Ryo Kase

Fumiyo Kohinata

Toshiyuki Nishida

Director:Takeshi Kitano

Distributed by: Warner Bros

Outrage Beyond is a 2012 Japanese yakuza film directed by Takeshi Kitano and sequel of Kitano’s 2010 Outrage. It was in competition for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival

Plot

The Sanno crime family has grown into a huge organization, expanding its power into politics and legitimate big business. The Sanno’s upper ranks are now dominated by young executives, and the old-guard members are penting up resentment while being pushed to the sidelines. This vulnerable spot in the Sanno hierachy is exactly what anti-gang detective Kataoka has been looking for, as the police force prepares a full-scale crackdown. With secret plots and dirty tricks, the ambitious Kataoka instigates conflict between the Sanno and their long-time ally, the Hanabishi, in the hopes that they ultimately destroy each other. But...

★★★☆☆ 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano returns to the Venice Lido this year with Outrage Beyond (Autoreiji: Biyondo, 2012), a sequel to his 2010 gangster drama Outrage. Writing, directing and editing, Kitano also stars as Otomo, a jailed Yakuza whose imminent release is making the Sanno family jittery. Both a nightclub hostess and a cop mixed up with the mob have been murdered, whilst scheming corrupt policeman Detective Kataoka's (Fumiyo Kohinata) Machiavellian scheming seems set to cause a war between the Sanno and Hanabishi families.

Read more »...

It’s enough to forget that the director of Diner, The Natural, and Rain Man made a new film. More surprising, however, is letting slip the fact that it’s a found footage horror extravaganza. Everyone can get in on the fad these days, but I can’t keep track.

Barry Levinson will premiere his genre jump, The Bay, when the Toronto International Film Festival kicks off in just a few short weeks; naturally, we have our first look. Nothing about these shots necessarily communicates the found footage aesthetic — i.e., no Hud or blinking “Record” lights — or anything past “people get sores on their body.”

But Nyff, in announcing it as part of their midnight lineup, provide this rundown:

“Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Wag the Dog) takes an unexpected turn towards eco-horror in this creepfest produced by found footage pioneer Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity) about a outbreak...

When it comes to Venice Film Festival, Japanese director Takeshi Kitano is definitely not a stranger. I’m sure you all remember his Hana Bi from 1997 (for which he recevied the Golden Lion), or 2003 Zatoichi project (Silver Lion statue).

Well, guess what, Kitano is now back In Competition with his completely new project, titled Outrage Beyond. And, in case this sounds like it has something to do with Kitano’s Outrage movie from last year’s Cannes film festival – relax, you’re not tripping – it’s just a sequel to the original story…

So, this time we have the Sanno crime family all grown into a huge organization, expanding its power into politics and legitimate big business. The Sanno’s upper ranks are now dominated by young executives, and the old-guard members are penting up resentment while being pushed to the sidelines.

This vulnerable spot in the Sanno hierarchy is...

Renowned Japanese writer-director-actor Takeshi Kitano (Dolls, Zatoichi) returned to the big screen back in 2010 with his yakuza film, Outrage.

Debuting to great reviews at Cannes two years ago, Kitano is heading to Venice and Toronto next month with the sequel, Outrage Beyond, and now the first full-length trailer has been released – it’s in the original Japanese, with no subtitles, but it still looks awesome regardless of whether or not you understand exactly what is going on.

“As the police launch a full-scale crackdown on organized crime, it ignites a national yakuza struggle between the Sanno of the East and Hanabishi of the West. What started as an internal strife in Outrage has now become a nationwide war in Outrage Beyond.”

Kitano is directing from his own script, and stars (as Beat Takeshi) alongside Ryo Kase, Tomokazu Miura, Toshiyuki Nishida, Hideo Nakano, Yutaka Matsushige, and Fumiyo Kohinata.

Outrage Beyond will...

Following the Toronto International Film Festival line-up earlier this week, the 69th Venice Film Festival has weighed in with their choices this morning. Outside of films also premiering at Tiff — including most notably Ramin Bahrani‘s At Any Price and Terrence Malick‘s To the Wonder – they have a strong batch of films not at that fest. We have the highly anticipated next feature from Olivier Assayas (Summer Hours, Carlos), titled Something In The Air, as well as Brian De Palma‘s sensual thriller Passion with Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace.

Then things get a little silly with Harmony Korine‘s James Franco and Selena Gomez gangster/party film Spring Breakers. Rounding out the other major titles are Susanne Bier following up her Oscar win with Love Is All You Need and Spike Lee’s Michael Jackson documentary Bad 25. The lack of Paul Thomas Anderson‘s heavily rumored The Master...

This week sees the line-up announcement of not one but two of the year’s biggest events in the film industry. Toronto International Film Festival’s line-up was officially announced earlier this week, and was absolutely fantastic, and now the Venice International Film Festival have officially announced their line-up, featuring some incredibly anticipated films as well.

The festival will run from 29th August to 8th September, and will be opened by Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist, making its world debut and premiering out of competition. Heading up the most notable films among the announcement are Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, with James Franco, Selena Gomez, and Vanessa Hudgens; Brian De Palma’s Passion, with Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace; Ramin Bahrani’s At Any Price, with Zac Efron, Dennis Quaid, and Heather Graham; Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage: Beyond, with Tomokazu Miura, Ryo Kase, and Fumiyo Kohinata; Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep,...

Today a new making-of video was released for Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage Beyond, the upcoming sequel to 2010’s Outrage.

In the new film, Sanno-kai—the major yakuza organization within the Kanto region and the main focus of the first film—butts heads with Hanabishi-kai from the Kansai region as police try to take them all down. Kitano (credited as Beat Takeshi as an actor), returns as crew boss and all-around dirty-job-doer Otomo, who was assumed dead at the end of the first movie.

The clip is split into 2 parts. The first part is titled “Otomo’s release” and shows Otomo exiting jail alongside crooked police detective Kataoka (Fumiyo Kohinata). New cast member Yutaka Matsushige is also in the scene as a detective named Shigeta.

The second part is titled “Kansai - Hanabishi-kai” and features two leaders of Hanabishi-kai, Nishino (Toshiyuki Nishida) and Nakata (Sansei Shiomi), alongside Chairman Fuse (Shigeru Koyama...

The upcoming sequel to Takeshi Kitano's 2010 gangster film Outrage has been a tough one to figure, and fair warning -- the reason for that involves some spoilers from the original.

On Tuesday, a press event was held at Seimei no Mori Resort in Chiba Prefecture to present the cast of the second film, now titled Outrage Beyond. New additions Toshiyuki Nishida, Yutaka Matsushige, Katsunori Takahashi, Kenta Kiritani, and Hirofumi Arai were in attendance along with returning cast members Kitano, Tomokazu Miura, Ryo Kase, and Fumiyo Kohinata.

There has been some question about how a sequel might work, simply because the first film was a complete blood bath. Most of the main characters were killed and it ended with Kitano's character, Otomo, getting stabbed and then later being confirmed dead by Kohinata's character, a crooked detective named Kataoka.

Producer Masayuki Mori confirmed that Otomo is in fact alive, but was...

Koki Mitani’s already-big upcoming comedy Once in a Blue Moon (Suteki na Kanashibari) just got a little bigger.

It was previously announced that the film would star Eri Fukatsu as a third-rate lawyer who’s forced to depend on a 421-year-old ghost (Toshiyuki Nishida) as the sole witness to her client’s innocence.

Earlier today, a bunch of new names were added to the cast list, including Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (Smap), Masachika Ichimura, Takayuki Kinoshita (Tko). Fumiyo Kohinata, Takashi Kobayashi, Kan, Sen Yamamoto, Keiko Toda, Kazuyuki Asano, Katsuhisa Namase, Zen Kajihara, Kenji Anan, and Yoshimasa Kondo.

In addition to the casting update, Toho also revealed the theatrical release date: October 29, 2011.

Sources: Tokyograph, Cinema Today...

Kamei Toru (Neko Taxi, Yoju: Mame Shiba) is directing a film adaptation of the TV drama Inukai-san chi no Inu, aka “Mr. Inukai Keeps a Dog”, which has been airing on Japanese Uhf stations since January. This marks Toru’s 5th animal-themed project in the past three years.

Fumiyo Kohinata will reprise his role as Mr. Inukai, an ironically-named dog hater (inukai also means “dog-keeper”) who returns home from an extended business trip to discover his family has secretly taken in a Samoyed dog named Samon in his absence. Series cast members Chiharu, Tokunaga Eri, and Kinami Haruka will also return.

You can find various clips, TV spots, and trailers of the original drama on its YouTube channel.

“Inukai-san chi no Inu” will be released nation-wide in Japan on June 25, 2011.

Sources: Tokyograph, Cinema Today...

Back on October 25th, a live-action film adaptation of Shohei Manabe’s manga Smuggler was announced in Kodansha’s Afternoon magazine. Earlier today, further details were revealed.

The film is being directed by Katsuhito Ishii (Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl, The Taste of Tea) and will feature Satoshi Tsumabuki in the lead role. In Tsumabuki’s last film, Akunin, he played a character described as a “vacant youth”, and his this new role would also seem to fit that description. He plays a young man named Ryosuke who, frustrated with fruitlessly chasing his dream of becoming an actor, takes a part-time job at a pachinko parlor. He soon racks up a massive debt and is forced to take a lucrative smuggling job, which leads to even more trouble.

As it turns out, the smuggling job consists of disposing of corpses to earn 50,000 yen per successful “delivery”. Unfortunately for Ryosuke,...

Tokyograph has posted some first details for director/writer/actor Takeshi Kitano next project. According to the report, Kitano will finally return to “his” violent Yakuza eiga genre with this yet unnamed project after several years.

Filming has already started in August with Kitano starring next to Tomokazu Miura, Kippei Shiina, Ryo Kase, Soichiro Kitamura, Renji Ishibashi, Jun Kunimura and Fumiyo Kohinata. Distributed by Warner Bros. Japan, the film is supposed to open in Japan in 2010.

[via @wildgrounds]...

Evidently, nothing disturbs an Academy Award-nominated actor more than being offered a cameo role in a foreign-language remake of a movie in which he starred. Reportedly, Paul Giamatti was "stunned" when he was offered a small part in the Japanese remake of Alexander Payne's Sideways. "I don't know what I was going to play," the actor said, according to WENN.com. "I said no. I felt my career hasn't hit that low yet. I thought, 'What am I gonna play - the sushi chef or something?'" Giamatti was also none too pleased with the actor chosen to play Miles, the wine snob he made semi-famous: "They got a strange, little troll to play me."

We wrote about the remake last November. At the time, I noted that California wine imports in Japan had significantly increased, and also observed that a popular, wine-themed comic was credited with sending wine sales skyrocketing across Asia.

I'm constantly grumbling about Americans remaking Asian films -- the idea of Steven Spielberg trying to redo Park Chan-wook's Oldboy with Will Smith is potentially the most cringe-worthy of them all -- so, to be fair, I suppose I should be complaining that a Japanese remake of Alexander Payne's Sideways recently started filming in Napa Valley, California, according to Variety. But an unrelated comic book may hold the key to the remake's appeal.

Payne's superb tale of romantic yearning and mid-life anxiety famously centers on wine snob Paul Giamatti (he praised pinot noir and derided merlot) and his much coarser buddy Thomas Haden Church as they wine, dine, and romance Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh. The movie's success caused a strong surge in sales of pinor noir in the Us.

Japan doesn't seem to have an equivalent wine culture; owing to weather, soil, and scarcity of land, the country is not well-suited to viticulture,...