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In 2017, director Shinichiro Ueda became an instant celebrity thanks to his genius low-budget box-office smasher “One Cut of the Dead”, a clever mix of comedy and zombies with a twist he both wrote and directed. The bar had been set very high, and his following films never quite matched the success of his debut feature. This year, he is presenting his new caper/comedy “Angry Squad: Civil Servant and Seven Swindlers”, whose screenplay – co-written with Yuko Miyashita – has been in the making for a long time.

Angry Squad Civil Servant and Seven Swindlers is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

Corporate tax officer Jiro Kumazawa (Seiyo Uchino) is a sweet-hearted, middle-aged family man who’s more inclined to help and advise local small-business owners than hunt down major criminals. In contrast, his colleague Mochizuki (Kawai Rina) sees herself as a superhero-style avenger, relentlessly pursuing big-time tax evaders. Her current target...

Vaulted on the international stage by his low-budget horror blockbuster “One Cut of the Dead” (2017) director Shinichiro Ueda gives a shot at a feature film adaption of the Korean TV series “Squad 38”. Ueda tries to surf his wave of success and is backed by a prominent cast to tell a story about revenge within the prude setting of Japanese bureaucracy. After its international premiere at Shanghai Japanese Film Festival “Angry Squad” continues its rally around the world with the European premiere at Udine Fat East Film Festival.

Angry Squad is screening in Far East FIlm Festival

Tax officer Kumazawa Jiro is deceived by a swindler when buying a used car. When he manages to confront the swindler, the latter offers to help him steal over a billion yen (for charitable purposes) from a shady businessman who systematically evades taxes, in exchange for Jiro not pressing charges against him. Jiro...

“Doesn’t everyone have something they’re not proud of?” This question, asked by the eldest sister Tsunako in the new trailer for Asura, sets the tone for a series that dives into family secrets and personal struggles. The Japanese drama remake, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, will premiere on January 9 and promises to engage audiences with its powerful story and talented cast.

The main cast includes Jun Kunimura as the sisters’ father Kotaro, Keiko Matsuzaka as their mother Fuji, and Masahiro Motoki as Makiko’s (Machiko Ono) husband Takao. Ryuhei Matsuda plays Katsumata, a private investigator who has feelings for Takiko (Yu Aoi).

Kisetsu Fujiwara appears as Sakiko’s (Suzu Hirose) boxer boyfriend Hide, while Seiyo Uchino portrays Sadaharu, a restaurant owner secretly involved with Tsunako (Rie Miyazawa). These supporting characters shine alongside the four sisters, building excitement for their on-screen dynamics.

Other notable roles include Yui Natsukawa as the wife of Tsunako’s lover,...

The official website for Hajime Hashimoto’s Rinjo has been updated with a new 60-second trailer.

The film continues the 2-season drama which aired on TV Asahi in 2009 and 2010. Masaaki Uchino returns as Yoshio Kuraishi, a coroner with the Metropolitan Tokyo Police Department who has a knack for understanding the evidence at a crime scene.

In 2010, a man went berserk with a knife in the Kichijōji area of Tokyo, killing 4 and injuring 15. After psychological testing, he was pronounced innocent by reason of insanity.

In the present day, the lawyer and psychiatrist responsible for getting the man released are found murdered in Tokyo and Kanagawa, respectively. Police immediately suspect the families of the massacre victims and eventually narrow it down to one obvious choice, but for Kuraishi, this conclusion just doesn’t fit the evidence. Against the strong objections of the lead investigator, he continues own investigation to uncover the truth behind the deaths.

A sequel has been announced for “All About My Dog” (Inu no Eiga), a 2005 compilation of short films about people’s relationships with dogs. It was first released in mini theaters and grew to become vastly popular among dog lovers. The sequel is titled Inu to Anata no Monogatari: Inu no Eiga and will reportedly consist of six segments. The cast will include Nao Omori, Nanako Matsushima, Masaaki Uchino, Kie Kitano, Akira Nakao, and Atsuko Takahata.

The original featured actors like Misaki Ito, Manami Konishi, and Aoi Miyazaki—so the sequel had a lot to live up to in terms of casting.

Nao Omori, who recently gained some added fame for starring in the financial thriller Hagetaka, and TV drama mainstay Nanako Matsushima will play a couple in their segment. This marks the pair’s first time acting together, but Omori claims portraying a couple felt completely natural and being...

Word began to trickle out early this year about the film adaptation of the suspense comedy Akumu no Elevator, which is based on the first installment of author Hanta Kinoshita’s popular “Akumu series”. It marks the the directorial debut of actor Keisuke Horibe and stars Masaaki Uchino, Aimi Satsukawa, Fuyuki Moto and Takumi Saitoh. Supporting roles go to Koichi Ohori, Sei Ashina and Manami Honjo.

Three men and a women trapped for hours together in an elevator, each desperate to leave, for their own very different reasons. Inside the confined space first tempers flare as their frustration turns to anger and distrust. Later as boredom and fatigue take hold, they each start to recount their darkly funny tales, of how they came to be stuck there in the first place. 24Fps

It would seem that the trailer has been out for a couple weeks now but better late than never.

Now with even more Typhoons - the official site for Warner Japan’s new big budget disaster movie 252: Signal of life has been updated with a full length theatrical trailer. As trails go it’s looking great - right up until the point where the J-pop power (sheesh) ballad kicks in?! Directed by Nobuo Mizuta and starring Hideaki Ito and Masaaki Uchino, the film is due out in Japan December 6th. On site, click on the button directly under the "252" logo for the trailer. Synopsis: A few weeks after a gigantic earthquake strike Tokyo, the temperature of the Pacific Ocean suddenly increased and causes the largest typhoon ever seen in Japan to head towards Tokyo with devastating force....

Now with even more Typhoons - the official site for Warner Japan’s new big budget disaster movie 252: Signal of life has been updated with a full length theatrical trailer. As trails go it’s looking great - right up until the point where the J-pop power (sheesh) ballad kicks in?! Directed by Nobuo Mizuta and starring Hideaki Ito and Masaaki Uchino, the film is due out in Japan December 6th. On site, click on the button directly under the "252" logo for the trailer. Synopsis: A few weeks after a gigantic earthquake strike Tokyo, the temperature of the Pacific Ocean suddenly increased and causes the largest typhoon ever seen in Japan to head towards Tokyo with devastating force....