News

While director Łukasz Jaworski gets spirited performances across the board in the sixth instalment of the hit Polish franchise, it leans heavily on familiarity with the characters

‘When the pressure builds, you don’t notice it. But once that valve blows, it’s chaos. And during the holidays, people’s valves tend to blow.” It’s fortunate that plumber Lucek (Janusz Chabior), repairing a burst pipe so warring couple Szczepan (Piotr Adamczyk) and Karina (Agnieszka Dygant) can salvage their Christmas dinner, specialises in simultaneous waterworks and relationship advice. That yule season is the same fraught affair everywhere is the message served up in glossy globalised style by this hit Polish franchise, now on its sixth instalment after kicking off in 2011 inspired by Love, Actually.

Lucek, though, is hardly a good guy; he’s actually angling to fleece Józek (Hiroaki Murakami), a wide-eyed Japanese visitor to Warsaw out to reconnect with his Polish ancestry.

“Pachinko” on Apple TV+ has returned with episode 7 of its second season. Previously, it showed old Sunja’s growing friendship with Kato-san. Mozasu looked into Kato-san’s past, concerned about his mother’s well-being. Solomon learned a shocking truth about Naomi that shook the foundation of their relationship. Back in the 1950s, Noa secured a place at Waseda University but refused to study, fearing the financial burden on his family. Later, Sunja convinced him to pursue his further education. Now, “Pachinko” (season 2) episode 7 follows Noa preparing to leave for his education in Tokyo. Hansu receives a shocking update about his daughter’s wedding. Chang-ho contemplates his life choices.

Spoilers Ahead

Pachinko (Season 2) Episode 7 ‘Chapter Fifteen’ Recap:

In 1951, Noa (Kang Tae Joo) secured a place at Tokyo’s Waseda University to pursue further education. It brought joy to Sunja’s (Minha Kim) family, who had been through a lot. We see...

More stills have come our way for the zany new zombie flick from acclaimed Japanese director Noboru Iguchi, Dead Sushi, and we have every strange moment for you right here on tap served with wasabi and ginger. Dig it!

Synopsis:

The film, which stars 21-year-old martial arts prodigy Rina Takeda, tells the tale of Keiko, the daughter of a legendary sushi chef, who runs away from home when his kung fu-like regimen becomes too severe. Finding work at a rural hot springs inn, she is ridiculed by the eccentric staff and guests, including the employees of a pharmaceutical firm there on a work vacation. But little do they know that a disgruntled former researcher has also come to the inn with a plan for revenge, using a serum he developed that can awaken the murderous instincts of ordinary sushi, turning it into bloodthirsty monsters! Keiko must use both her sushi...

An exclusive image has come our way from the hot wasabi action flick Dead Sushi from acclaimed Japanese director Noboru Iguchi, which will have its world premiere at Montreal’s prestigious Fantasia International Film Festival on July 22nd.

Synopsis:

The film, which stars 21-year-old martial arts prodigy Rina Takeda, tells the tale of Keiko, the daughter of a legendary sushi chef, who runs away from home when his kung fu-like regimen becomes too severe. Finding work at a rural hot springs inn, she is ridiculed by the eccentric staff and guests, including the employees of a pharmaceutical firm there on a work vacation. But little do they know that a disgruntled former researcher has also come to the inn with a plan for revenge, using a serum he developed that can awaken the murderous instincts of ordinary sushi, turning it into bloodthirsty monsters! Keiko must use both her sushi training...

David Bond and Manda Manuel, producers of the upcoming The Profane Exhibit, have some new info to share on the anthology film. The word we’ve received is that shooting of Yoshihiro Nishimura's segment is complete!

Nishimura has a great track record with films like Helldriver and Tokyo Gore Police, and the fact that he's reunited with Eihi Shiina (Audition, Helldriver, Tokyo Gore Police) for "Jigoku No Chorishi" ("The Hell Chef") makes this one segment of The Profane Exhibit we'll definitely be looking forward to.

About "Jigoku No Chorishi" ("The Hell Chef")

Serial killing and cannibalism meet gourmet cooking in Yoshihiro Nishimura's "Jigoku No Chorishi" ("The Chef of Hell"/"The Hell Chef"), a fetishistic tale of murder, suicide and madness set in contemporary Tokyo. Iconic actress Eihi Shiina stars as a mysterious, parasol-carrying woman who encounters a school uniform-wearing, wrist-cutter girl on the street, only to watch her...

They work fast in Japan. We've given a lot of time and attention to Japanese multi-director cult flick Mutant Girls Squad in these pages and while that film has just released in Japan and will be receiving its International Premiere later this month at the New York Asian Film Festival, the three directors behind Mgs are already hard at work on other projects.

Tak Sakaguchi is currently shooting Yakuza Weapon with co-director Yudai Yamaguchi. Yoshihiro Nishimura is wrapping up photography on his zombie driving movie Helldriver. And farthest along is Noboru Iguchi, the director of Machine Girl and Robogeisha, who wrapped principal photography on Zaborgar last month and is currently editing the film with the goal of a mid-fall completion.

Iguchi's highest-budgeted film to date, Zaborgar is a live action adaptation of classic television series Denjin Zaborgar which should allow Iguchi to explore some new territory.

Tokyo-based filmmaker (The Idol...