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Childhood, single motherhood and the call of the wild converge in Hosoda’s most emotionally resonant film – a beautifully drawn tale of love, loss and letting go

The latest in the set of 4K Mamoru Hosoda rereleases might be his strongest work, a graceful and emotionally rich fable from 2012 that gathers in its arms themes of single motherhood, neighbourliness, ecological conservation and the meaning of adult independence. It’s indebted to My Neighbour Totoro in its setup: urbanite mum Hana (voiced by Aoi Miyazaki) brings her two werewolf children, Yuki (Momoka Ono as a child/Haru Kuroki as a teenager) and Ame (Amon Kabe/Yukito Nishii) to a beaten-up country house. While not quite matching the Miyazaki masterpiece’s complete storytelling economy, Hosoda achieves a rawer sense of wildness and elation by pitching his fantasy closer to young-adult realism.

Hana has to raise her two transmogrifying toddlers alone after her...

The 48th Japan Academy Film Awards ceremony took place on March 14, 2025 at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo on March 14, 2025, with free announcer Shinichi Hatori and actress Sakura Ando hosting the show.

“A Samurai in Time” continued gathering awards after the three it netted from Nikkan Sports, Michihito Fujii cemented his place on the top of the current directors, while Yuumi Kawai highlighted that she is the next super star of the local industry. “Kingdom 4″ Return of the General” expectedly won the majority of the technical awards. Here is the full list

Best Picture

A Samurai in Time Fantasia Film Review: A Samurai in Time (2024) by Junichi Yasuda

Best Animation Film

Look Back Anime Review: Look Back (2024) by Kiyotaka Oshiyama

Best Director

Michihito Fujii – Faceless

Best Screenplay

Akiko Nogi – Last Mile Film Review: Last Mile (2024) by Ayuko Tsukahara

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Ryusei Yokohama – Faceless

Best...

The award ceremony for the 48th Japan Academy Film Prizes was held at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo on March 14. From the five nominees in the animation category, Look Back won the Best Animation of the Year award. Additionally, the eight main animators of Look Back were also selected for the Creative Contribution Award, which was newly established this year to honor engineers who have made particularly outstanding contributions to the films selected for the awards. The eight animators were: Kiyotaka Oshiyama , Toshiyuki Inoue , Yuka Geshi , Takuya Ninuma , Katsuhiko Kitada , Shuichi Ohara , Tasan , and Ayako Hata . Among them, Oshiyama also served as the director, screenplay writer, and character designer of the film. Meanwhile, actor Yuumi Kawai , who voiced one of the film's two protagonists, Fujino, won the Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role award for her role as An Kagawa in the Yu Irie-directed...

The official website for the live-action adaptation project of The Silent Service, based on Kaiji Kawaguchi's political-military manga, released a teaser trailer and visual for its second theatrical film today, subtitled "Hokkyokukai Daikaisen" (translated to "The Great Sea Battle of The Arctic Ocean"). The trailer shows the nuclear submarine Yamato sailing in the Arctic Ocean, and the general House of Representatives election beginning in Japan. Shiro Kaieda, the captain of Yamato played by Takao Osawa, murmurs with cold eyes, “Wake up." at the end. The tagline on the visual reads "There is no retreat. Find a way out." Eight cast members from the first film are additionally confirmed to reprise their roles: Hiromi Ichitani (newscaster) played by Aya Ueto Eiji Yamanaka (the Deputy Captain of Yamaro) played by Aoi Nakamura Toshio Takegami (Prime Minister of Japan) played by Takshi Sasano Hitomi Sonezaki (Minister of Defense) played by Yui Natsukawa...

The 48th annual Japan Academy Film Prizes, also known as Japan Academy Awards, has revealed its nominees for Excellent Animation Award on Jan 21, 2025, with Look Back, Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, and 3 other anime films among the contenders.

The nominated anime films are:

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle Case Closed: The Million-dollar Pentagram Look Back Give It All

In addition to the animated categories, Asuka Saito, Anna Yamada, and Rihito Itagaki, known for their roles in the live-action adaptations of Oshi No Ko, Golden Kamuy, and Cells At Work! respectively, are all nominated for the Best New Actor category.

In the Outstanding Supporting Actress category, Mana Ashida has earned a nomination for her role as Niko Urushizaki in the live-action adaptation of Cells at Work!.

Go Ayano has been nominated for Outstanding Actor for his role as Kyouji Narita in the live-action film adaptation of Yama Wayama’s Let’s Go Karaoke!

The biggest celebration of Japanese film, the Japan Academy Prize, is gearing up for its 48th annual ceremony on March 14, 2025. Ahead of then, the Japan Academy Prize Association revealed the nominees for all the top awards today . The Animation category is filled with some of the biggest anime films from 2024, including Look Back , Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, and more! The full list for Animation of the Year includes: Ganbatte Ikimasshoi Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram Look Back Outside of anime, the latest Kingdom live-action film, Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General , is up for Picture of the Year, with director Shinsuke Sato up for Best Director, lead actor and supporting actor Kento Yamazaki and Takao Osawa up for their respective awards as well as many production awards. The Cells at Work live-action film also picked up a few nominations,...

With stout muscles and a domineering presence, the legendary General Ohki (Takao Osawa) has been the one swordsman fans of the Kingdom series have longed to see in action. Now through 2024's Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General, that wish can finally be granted. More interestingly, the relatively unknown (at least on this side of the world) martial arts epic has begun powering itself up the streaming charts of Netflix. Return of the Great General currently holds a spot in the streamer's Top 10, as the eyes of a global audience are drawn to the intensity of the fight, as warring factions seek control of Ancient China.

A lesser-known (at least on this side of the globe) martial arts epic has surged to success on streaming worldwide. The action sequel, 2024’s Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General, has now powered its way into the top 10 on Netflix, with audiences all over the globe tuning in to discover what happens next in this saga of warring factions in ancient China. Here’s a spoiler, what happens is epic in a way that few movies are.

Directed by Shinsuke Sato and led by Alice in Borderland star Kento Yamazaki, the rest of the cast includes Ryo Yoshizawa, Kanna Hashimoto, Nana Seino, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Amane Okayama, Takahiro Miura, Takayuki Hamatsu, Riku Hagiwara, Koji Kikkawa, Masami Nagasawa, Shun Oguri, Takao Osawa, Koichi Sato, and Hiroshi Tamaki, Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General is the latest installment in the Kingdom franchise, which is based on the manga by Yasuhisa Hara.

My Neighbor Totoro is one of Studio Ghibli's most beloved films and with Totoro as Studio Ghibli's mascot character, it's no surprise that it is. What makes My Neighbor Totoro, so great is how it gets down to the root of life and what makes it so beautiful. The simplicity of adapting to a new environment, character growth and mingling back with nature makes the film a breaht of fresh air.

Fortunately for fans of My Neighbor Totoro, there are a bountiful number of anime series and movies out there that carry the same weight and heartwarming feelings that My Neighbor Totoro delivers to every viewer. From action-packed anime movies like The Boy and the Beast to bittersweet anime series like March Comes in like a Lion, fans of My Neighbor Totoro have plenty of wonderful animations to pick and choose from.

Related 10 Best Studio Ghibli Movies for New Anime Fans,...

The official website for the live-action adaptation project based on Kaiji Kawaguchi's political-military manga The Silent Service announced today that its second theatrical film is set to release in Japan on September 26, 2025 . The subtitle for the second movie is "Hokkyokukai Daikaisen," which is translated to "The Great Sea Battle of The Arctic Ocean." On the website, a teaser visual — depicting Yamato diving into the deep sea between the icebergs with the Northern Lights in the sky — and a behind-the-scenes clip showing the filming that took place from August to October were also released. Kawaguchi's original manga was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Morning magazine from 1988 to 1996, then compiled in 32 tankobon volumes with a total circulation of 32 million copies (paper and digital). As Amazon Studios' first Japanese theatrical film, the first live-action project's feature film released in Japan on September 29, 2023, earning 1.37 billion yen (9.02 million Usd) from its total domestic run.

My Hero Academias Dabi, revealed to be Toya Todoroki in season 6 of the series, is one of the most intricately crafted and well-written villains in anime. He is the League of Villains' frontrunner in firepower and brutality, known for his anger and spite against a hero-worshipping society (and a father) that has wronged him and so many others.

Dabi is beloved for his insanity and complexity, and part of what makes his character come alive for Western anime fans is his English voice actor. Jason Liebrecht perfectly translates the essence of Dabis character into English. And, as a voice-acting veteran with an impressive vocal range, Liebrecht has been able to do the same with numerous well-known anime characters in the span of his career.

Related Is Dabi a More Interesting Villain Than Shigaraki?

Sohei Fujii is a Wolf Girl's Childhood Sweetheart Wolf Children Gives Liebrecht his "Youngest" Role

Sohei Fujii...

The official website for the live-action Kingdom film series, based on Yasuhisa Hara's historical adventure manga, released new trailers for its upcoming fourth installment: Kingdom: Daishougun no Kikan ( The Return of The Great General ). The clips feature the theme song "Delusion:All" performed by Japanese rock band One Ok Rock . The band previously provided the theme song "Wasted Nights" for the first film in the live-action series released in 2019, 90-second trailer 30-second trailer "It has been a long time since 'Wasted Nights,' which was written for the first in the series, but we are very honored to be making a comeback in this way," said One Ok Rock's vocalist Taka. "We have created a song that is appropriate for 'Kingdom' by taking into account 'various conflicts in the world and the current background of the times.' Please enjoy the theme song 'Delusion:All' along with the movie.

The official website for the live-action Kingdom film, based on Yasuhisa Hara's historical adventure manga, released a main trailer and visual for its upcoming fourth film: Kingdom: Daishougun no Kikan ( The Return of The Great General ). The new tagline reads: "An unforgettable battle begins." The site also confirms that Masao Kusakari, a 71-year-old actor, will play King Qin, who was once called the "God of War" and served by Wang Qi (played by Takao Osawa). Kingdom: Daishougun no Kikan 90-second trailer Kingdom: Daishougun no Kikan 30-second trailer Main visual Additionally, Yuko Araki is cast as a mysterious general named Kyou. She is one of the six great generals of Qin and is deeply involved in the "past relationship" between Wang Qi (Takao Oasawa ) and Hou Ken (Koji Kikkawa). Her character trailer is now streaming. Related: Fourth Live-Action Kingdom Film Releases New Teaser Trailer, Visual The first live-action film, Kingdom,...

The official website for the live-action Kingdom film, based on Yasuhisa Hara's historical adventure manga, released a new teaser trailer and visual for its forthcoming fourth film: Kingdom: Daishougun no Kikan ( The Return of The Great General ). The latest installment depicts the climax of the Battle of Bayou, the all-out war between Qin and Zhao that has continues from the previous third installment, Kingdom: Unmei no Honoo ( The Flame of Destiny ) released in July 2023. Kingdom: Daishougun no Kikan is set to release in Japan on July 12, 2024, and will also be screened in the IMAX, MX4D, 4Dx and Dolby Cinema theaters from the first day of its release. The first live-action film, Kingdom, released in Japan in April 2019, followed by Kingdom 2: Harukanaru Daichi he ( Far and Away ) in July 2022 and Kingdom: Unmei no Honoo ( The Flame of Destiny ) in July 2023. The total box-office gross of the past three films...

One of the closest to the original live-action adaptations reached its third part in 2023, retaining the quality and entertainment of the first two, even if the story is, necessarily, a bit more condensed on occasion.

Click the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix

The film is split into two parts, with the first one focusing more on the characters and the second on the battle itself. While Shin is training under Ohki, the Best General in the World, the powerful neighboring country of Zhao suddenly attacks Qin. Within the palace, Eisei has to deal with inner politics, as Ryofui, who obviously commands much authority within the council, is promoting his own man, general Mobu, as the one to be in charge of the defense of the country. In the meantime, though, Shoheikun, who is the one with the last word on the matter, has invited Ohki back to the court,...

After a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (Jmsdf) submarine sinks in an accident, the media reports that all 76 crew members have perished. Miraculously though, all of them actually survived, including the captain, Second Lieutenant Shiro Kaieda (Takao Osawa). As it turns out, the story was actually a cover as the crew have been selected to man a top-secret nuclear submarine called the Sea Bat that was built by Japan and the United States. On its maiden voyage, Captain Kaieda declares the submarine to be an independent state and disappears into the deep ocean. Now multiple countries are determined to track them down…...

The third instalment for the live-action Kingdom historical epic is currently set to premiere in Japan on July 28, 2023. Based on Yasuhisa Hara's hit manga set during the Warring States period in China, director Shinsuke Sato returns to continue the story focusing on the “Battle of Bayou” and “Escape from Zhao” arcs.

The first two Kingdom movies were blockbuster hits in Japan with a combined box office gross last reported to be over 10 billion yen. Returning cast members for this third movie includes Kento Yamazaki (Li Xin), Ryo Yoshizawa (Ying Zheng), Kanna Hashimoto (He Liao Diao), Nana Seino (Qiang Lei) and Takao Osawa (Wang Qi).

Prime Video today announced that it will produce a live-action film based on the manga franchise The Silent Service, which will be distributed theatrically by Toho on September 29. The pic will be the first time Prime Video has produced a Japanese Amazon Original Movie.

The Silent Service is a popular manga series written and illustrated by artist Kaiji Kawaguchi. The series was published in Kodansha’s Weekly Morning manga magazine from 1988 to 1996 and sold a total of 32 million copies.

The story, set in Japan’s first nuclear submarine, depicts the unpredictable actions of its captain, Shiro Kaieda, as he attempts to realize his ideal world, the company has said.

Actor Takao Osawa, who played Wang Qi in the Kingdom movie series, will take the role of Shiro Kaieda. The Silent Service is produced by Credeus, Inc, which produced the Kingdom film series and the Gintama film series. The director is Kohei Yoshino.

Amazon’s Prime Video is in production on “The Silent Service,” which will mark the streaming platform’s first original movie in Japan.

Separately, Amazon confirmed that it has picked up rights to the Japanese national team’s games in the upcoming 2023 World Baseball Classic.

“The Silent Service” is a popular manga series written and illustrated by artist Kawaguchi Kaiji, which was published in Kodansha’s Weekly Morning manga magazine from 1988 to 1996, and has sold a total of 32 million copies.

The story, set in Japan’s first nuclear submarine, depicts the unpredictable actions of its captain, Kaieda Shiro, as he attempts to realize his ideal world. The story makes audience think about true peace amidst the complexities of international relations.

The live-action film is directed by Kohei Yoshino (last year’s “Anime Supremacy”) and stars Osawa Takao (“The Kingdom”) as the captain. Osawa is also set as a producer, presenter...

It must be great fun to use one own’s family name to create the legend of a famous samurai who fought demons 1000 years ago, with power-bearing descendants to carry on with his heroic deeds in present times. It is equally conspicuous that Yusuke Watanabe had a blast re-creating the world of Yokai which aged well due to Takashi Miike’s previous take on creatures from the Japanese folklore and mythology: “The Great Yokai War (2005)” is still as exciting to watch as it was 15 years ago, and it stands out as one of the best fantasy films ever made.

“The Great Yokai War: Guardians” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

If there could be any talk of change in quality between the original movie and its sequel, it can be frankly attributed to one technical aspect only (although the great job was also done back in 2005). The special effects...

A cavalcade of creatures from Japanese folklore come alive in “The Great Yokai War: Guardian,” a hugely enjoyable fantasy-adventure directed by the famously prolific and supremely versatile Takashi Miike. Starring amazingly talented child actors Kokoro Terada and Rei Inomata as brothers summonsed by peace-loving spirits to stop an angry demon from engaging in the time-honored Japanese monster movie tradition of destroying Tokyo, this smashing piece of young-adult entertainment should be a big hit in Japan, where it’s sure to get plenty of love from older adults as well. With its standout visuals and uplifting messages about trust, friendship and acceptance, “Guardians” should attract the interest of specialized overseas distributors following its international premiere as the closing-night attraction of Fantasia 2021.

Miike is most closely associated with extremely violent crime stories such as “Audition” and blood-soaked costume action-thrillers like “Blade of the Immortal.” Less well known outside Japan are his family-friendly hits such as “Ninja Kids!

It must be great fun to use one own’s family name to create the legend of a famous samurai who fought demons 1000 years ago, with power-bearing descendants to carry on with his heroic deeds in present times. It is equally conspicuous that Yusuke Watanabe had a blast re-creating the world of Yokai which aged well due to Takashi Miike’s previous take on creatures from the Japanese folklore and mythology: “The Great Yokai War (2005)” is still as exciting to watch as it was 15 years ago, and it stands out as one of the best fantasy films ever made.

The Great Yokai War: Guardians is screening at Japan Cuts

If there could be any talk of change in quality between the original movie and its sequel, it can be frankly attributed to one technical aspect only (although the great job was also done back in 2005). The special effects of today are simply more advanced,...

Another Decade with Takashi Miike is a series of essays on the 2010 films of the Japanese maverick, following Notebook's earlier survey of Miike's first decade of the 21st century.After Lesson of the Evil in 2012 Takashi Miike was a different filmmaker, maybe a different man. He’d chased the ultimate in orgiastic pain and pleasure, the righteously profane with gusto unparalleled, and then suddenly he had said all he had to. When you not only murder children but do it simply because and have fun doing it, it’s because you hope never to have to again. Violence has recurred since—he wouldn’t be Miike without it—but his attitude changed. Ideas and symbols appear that are alien to his cinema and yet suddenly fit right into the new scheme. A man with a wooden sword throwing himself into combat against men with steel blades, a fight he knows...

The full Fantasia 2013 lineup will be announced next Tuesday, July 9th, but in the meantime we have the second wave of titles to share, and per usual, it's a doozy!

From the Press Release:

Following last week’s first wave of programming announcements, the Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to unveil several additional highlights to warm you up for our July 9th Press Conference, where we’ll be unveiling of our full 120+ film lineup. The festival runs from July 18 to August 6.

Official Opening Night Film – Takashi Miike’s Shield Of Straw (North American Premiere)

Hot off its screening in official completion at the Cannes Film Festival, Takashi Miike’s riveting crime thriller Shield Of Straw will be kicking off Fantasia’s 2013 edition with its first screening on the North American continent. Shield Of Straw stars Takao Osawa, Nanako Matsushima, and Tatsuya Fujiwara. Fantasia’s 1997 screening of Fudoh marked the...

From the press release:

Following last week’s first wave of programming announcements, the Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to unveil several additional highlights, before their July 9th Press Conference, where they’ll be unveiling the full 120+ film lineup!

Official Opening Night Film – Takashi Miike’s Shield of Straw

(North American Premiere)

Hot off its screening in official completion at the Cannes Film Festival, Takashi Miike’s riveting crime thriller Shield of Straw will be kicking off Fantasia’s 2013 edition with its first screening on the North American continent. Shield of Straw stars Takao Osawa, Nanako Matsushima, and Tatsuya Fujiwara. Fantasia’s 1997 screening of Fudoh marked the first time that a Miike film had ever been shown in North America, making it all the more joyous to open our 2013 festival with his latest work.

Extensive Artist Talks with Bryan Singer and Simon Boswell

Fantasia will once again offer audiences...

After hundreds of films have screened in competition slots, in special screenings and in sidebars, Cannes film festival is drawing to a close. There may be a few films yet to screen, but at this stage of the festival, the collected producers, hacks and cinephiles tend to make their way back home, so it seems an appropriate time to explore some of the highlights of the festival.

Inevitably, not all of Cannes’ chosen films are great – they are chosen on artistic merit or intrigue rather than quality quite often, and the festival programmers like to offer something new, as well as some provocative inclusions ever year. The performances in those sorts of films can be great, but with so many great casts on show this year on the Croisette, it shouldn’t be too much of a shock to see a strong representation of known names in this list.

Honourable...

Burnt Offerings: Miike’s Latest Can’t Quite Reach Satisfying Blaze

That audacious auteur of excess, Takashi Miike, unveils his latest offering, Shield of Straw to be a surprisingly straight laced police narrative that’s notably unfettered by psychosexual shock value or absurdly grotesque violence. Sporting a generously enjoyable first half hour or so, Miike’s excessiveness instead configures itself in pace deadening repetition, where the film’s central theme is explored, regurgitated and discussed over and over again in every monologue, diatribe, shootout and/or explosion. Which is a pity considering the interest Miike manages to instill in the wan but promising B grade dramatic conflict from a concept we’ve seen before in several variations.

Quickly we learn that the ragged corpse of a young girl seen in the opening sequence belongs to the granddaughter of a vengeful billionaire Ninagawa (Tsutomu Yamazaki), who has used his vast...

Takashi Miike is a director fast becoming a regular fixture at the Cannes Film Festival, despite his notorious work-rate of often several films a year and the frequently inconsistent level of quality that this doubtless invites. Miike stands as one of very few directors who would be able to land a populist – at least for the standards of the festival – action thriller In Competition. As such, Shield of Straw is a refreshing palate-cleanser amid the more stereotypical festival fare, and on its own standing, coheres as a sharp thriller even as it weathers its fair share of flaws. Following his murder of a 7-year-old girl, serial killer Kunihide Kyomaru (Tatsuya Fujiwara) has a billion-Yen bounty placed upon his head by the child’s grandfather, Ninagawa (Tsutomu Yamazaki), with the peculiar condition that the murder be state-authorised (a rather oblique term never properly explained). As the tension rises, Kyomaru hands himself in to the police, yet...

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Takeshi Miike is another name that seems to have become associated with Cannes a lot in the past few years. In many ways he has cut a familiar and reliable figure: you know what you’re getting with the barmpot director with a penchant for extreme violence and black humour. Or at least, that used to be the case.

2011′s Hara-Kiri wasn’t exactly the explosive affair we might have expected, offering an almost tender look at a post-Samurai world, effused with emotion and driven by human relationships, and there wasn’t the usual commitment to silliness that Miike usually slathers on his work. The reason that film springs to mind here is that Miike has once again been playing with expectations: rather than the zany action we’re used to, played against a backdrop of a smiling Miike, winking at the camera, the director has gone,...

Cannes, France — Director Takashi Miike says shooting an action movie in Japan is a lot harder than it looks.

His Cannes Film Festival entry "Shield of Straw" is a robust thriller about a team of police tasked with escorting a child-killer with a billion-yen bounty on his head safely across the country.

"It was extremely difficult to shoot all the scenes in Japan," he told reporters Monday. "It was impossible to close down the highways and get so many police cars on the road" – and Japan's railway operator refused to let the filmmaker shoot on its trains. Fortunately, Taiwan uses Japanese trains on its system, and was happy to oblige.

Although touched with serious themes of loyalty and duty, at heart "Shield of Straw" is an old-fashioned action flick, bursting with car chases, gunfights and explosions to rival anything from Hollywood – including a spectacular highway pileup and minutes of mayhem on a high-speed train.

★☆☆☆☆ Cult Japanese director Takashi Miike is often forgiven for the hit-and-miss nature of his output due to the fact that he's so prolific - occasionally churning out multiple films in a single year. Hopes were high for his new Cannes competition entry after the sublime 13 Assassins (2010) slashed through Venice a couple of years ago. Sadly, Shield of Straw (Wara no tate, 2013) is a stone-cold dud which really has no place on the Croisette. When a little girl is raped and murdered, her super-rich grandfather offers a huge reward to anyone who kills the suspected killer, Kunihide Kiyomaru (a maniacal Tatsuya Fujiwara).

There are conditions, however. The killer has to be found guilty and the state must sanction the act. Two police officers from the State Security Service - the grieving Kazuki Mekari (Takao Osawa) and single mother Atsuko Shiraiwa (Nanako Matsushima) - are given the job of transporting Kiyomaru (who...

Shield of Straw Trailer, Photograph. Takashi Miike’s Shield of Straw (2013) movie trailer, movie image stars Nanako Matsushima, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Takao Osawa, Gorô Kishitani, and Masatô Ibu. Shield of Straw‘s plot synopsis: based on Wara no Tate by Kazuhiro Kiuchi, “Ninagawa is a powerful man in Japanese politics and with top economic connections.His granddaughter is [...]

Continue reading: Shield Of Straw (2013) Movie Trailer: Cops Protect a Suspected Killer...

Shield of Straw (or if you prefer Wara no tate) is an upcoming police-thriller which comes from controversial Japanese director Takashi Miike, and is selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. We recommend you to check out official trailers and some great images from the movie, because this project definitely looks promising. Takashi Miike directed the movie from a script written by Tamio Hayashi, based on the novel of the same name by Kazuhiro Kiuchi. It revolves around two cops, played by Takao Osawa and Nanako Matsushima who are tasked with escorting a convicted killer across Japan. The whole...

Click to continue reading Takashi Miike’s Shield Of Straw, Cannes 2013 on www.filmofilia.com...

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Aidan Turner and Cch Pounder have joined Harald Zwart's fantasy adaptation "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" at Constantin Film.

Turner will play Luke Garroway, the surrogate father to the protagonist Clary Fray (Lily Collins). Pounder portrays Madame Dorthea, a witch who is Clary's downstairs neighbor in New York City. [Source: Variety]

Two Night Stand

Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton are set to star in Max Nichols' romantic comedy "Two Night Stand" for Flynn Picture Co. Shooting kicks off in late September.

The story follows a pair of unlikely lovers who are trapped together in an apartment after a record-breaking blizzard forces them to extend a regrettable one-night stand. [Source: Variety]

Saving Mr. Banks

"The Office" star B.J. Novak has joined the cast of "Saving Mr. Banks" at Disney Pictures. The story deals with the making of "Mary Poppins".

Novak will play Robert Sherman, the Disney...

In less than two months, we reviewed two different Takashi Miike films. This came after last year’s review of Hara-Kiri — which is starting to open in the United States — and all of those will only precede a rundown of his next outing, Lesson of the Evil, later this year. My point being, this is a guy who makes everyone around him look lazy — if, as our reviews indicate, not always bad.

Next up, according to Variety, is Shield of Straw, which has found its leads in Takao Osawa, Nanako Matsushima (Ringu), and Tatsuya Fujiwara (Battle Royale, Death Note). Here, Miike is adapting Kazuhiro Kiuchi‘s novel of the same name, wherein a couple of cops (Osawa and Matsushima) are commanded to take a killer (Fujiwara) across Japan. A simple task at first blush, but one which becomes problematic when the man’s grandfather puts a $12 million bounty on his head and,...

On Tuesday, further cast members were announced for the upcoming Strawberry Night movie, including Takao Osawa and Tomokazu Miura as brand new characters.

It was previously known that Yuko Takeuchi would be reprising her role from the 2010 Fuji TV special and 2012 drama as the main protagonist, detective Reiko Himekawa.

The film is based on Tetsuya Honda’s 2009 novel “Invisible Rain” and features a story of forbidden love between Himekawa and a gangster played by Osawa.

The story begins with Himekawa investigating the slaughter of a low-ranking yakuza. Due to the victim’s affiliations, the case is initially written off as a gang dispute and put on the back-burner due to a lack of conclusive evidence. Later, they receive a phone tip implicating a man named Kento Yanai as the perpetrator, but the higher-ups order that no further investigation be done of that particular name.

Going against that order, Himekawa begins...

An official website for Masayuki Suo’s The Terminal Trust has been launched along with a YouTube embed of the film’s new teaser trailer.

As you can tell from the opening frame of the teaser, the big PR draw of this project seems to be the fact that it reunites Koji Yakusho and Tamiyo Kusakari, co-stars of Suo’s blockbuster 1996 film “Shall We Dance?” The pair have not appeared together in anything else until now.

The new film deals with “sanctity of life” concerns vs. the right to be allowed to die. Kusakari plays a doctor named Ayano Orii and Yakusho plays Shinzo Egi, a patient with a serious illness who tells her that when the time comes, he wants her to ease his suffering quickly by not placing him on life support. Tadanobu Asano and Takao Osawa also co-star.

“The Terminal Trust” will be released by Toho in...

Ntv has posted a second trailer for Mamoru Hosoda’s Wolf Children (Okami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki) on their YouTube channel.

The story revolves around a woman named Hana who falls in love with a “wolf man”. They get married and Hana eventually gives birth to two babies each named for the weather when they were born—a girl named Yuki (snow) and a boy named Ame (rain). The children inherit both human and wolf characteristics from their parents.

The family lives a happy, quiet life in a secluded area of the city. However, when her husband dies, Hana decides it would be best for Yuki and Ame if they move away from the city to the countryside.

Along with the new trailer comes the news that Hana is voiced by Aoi Miyazaki and the wolf man is voiced by Takao Osawa.

“Wolf Children” will be released by Toho...

Hitting movie theaters this weekend:

African Cats – Samuel L. Jackson (Narration)

Deep Gold – Bebe Pham, Jaymee Ong, Michael Gleissner

Madea’s Big Happy Family – Tyler Perry, Loretta Devine, Bow Wow

Water for Elephants – Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz

Movie of the Week

Water for Elephants

The Stars: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz

The Plot: A veterinary student (Pattinson) abandons his studies after his parents are killed and joins a traveling circus as their vet.

The Buzz: This period piece looks to be a well put together romantic drama. I enjoyed Pattinson’s general vibe in the trailer; thankfully a far cry from his brooding ham-bake of the Twilight films. Witherspoon is winsome, I typically love her in her more dramatic pieces — aside from the laborious Vanity Fair. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of on-screen magic this pair can conjure up. Happy to see Christolph Waltz again,...

Really just to be able to type Chuck Norris’ name was reason enough to bring up the news of a trailer for the sugary pop of Love Fight, a film that looks to make your eyes water as that sugar goodness invades your taste buds.

Kevin over at NipponCinema started it :::pointing accusing finger::: and is hosting the trailer for what appears to be your usual teen love story, but with boxing and kicking gags to boot! I’ll let his description play it out for you.

The movie is based on a novel by Eri Makino called “Seibo Shojo”. Izuru Narushima (Midnight Eagle) directed and Takao Osawa (also Midnight Eagle) served the dual role of supporting actor and producer. The story involves a boy named Minoru (Kento Hayashi) who’s always been a bit of a weakling. Throughout his childhood his spunky female friend Aki (Kie Kitano) watched out...

TOKYO -- The 20th annual Tokyo International Film Festival kicks off with an opening reception today and begins in earnest Saturday night with a red-carpet event that officially launches the nine-day event.

The opening film, the premiere of Shochiku/Universal Japan co-production "Midnight Eagle", tells the story of a stealth bomber that goes missing in the mountains of northern Japan. Directed by Izuru Narushim and starring Takao Osawa, Yuko Takeuchi and Hiroshi Tamaki, it was made with the help of the Japanese military.

The closing film, "Silk", is a collaborative venture of Japan, Italy and Canada. Directed by Francois Girard, "Silk" is the story of a married silk trader who is drawn to a mysterious Japanese woman from a nobleman's court. Set in Japan and based on a novel by Alessandro Baricco, it stars Keira Knightley, Michael Pitt, Miki Nakatani and Koji Yakusho.

A jury of six, led by Alan Ladd Jr., will select the winner of the festival's main competition, the $50,000 Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix, as well as a $20,000 Special Jury Prize.

TOKYO -- Director Izuru Narushim's Midnight Eagle has been selected to open the 20th annual Tokyo International Film Festival.

Starring Takao Osawa, Yuko Takeuchi and Hiroshi Tamaki, the thriller is about a stealth aircraft that disappears in the mountains of northern Japan while still carrying a bomb with enormous destructive power.

"We decided to lead with 'Midnight Eagle' because it's a large-scale, spectacular movie that is just perfect to open an event as large as this year's TIFF," Mariko Yoshida, a spokeswoman for the festival's organizing committee, said Tuesday. "And we must also point out that this is a joint production between Shochiku and Universal Japan, and that collaboration underlines the importance of this international film festival."

Based on the novel by Tetsuo Takashima, Eagle was filmed with the assistance of Japan's military on a budget of $10 million.

The festival runs Oct. 20-28, though Eagle will make its world premiere Oct. 2 in Los Angeles, with Shochiku apparently hoping to attract attention ahead of the American Film Market in Santa Monica.