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Everywhere has its own film culture, and no two nations have perfectly identical cinematography. Like all art, movies are inherently tied to their origins. A film from America carries American values, while a movie made in France will abide by French ideals. This fact is neither surprising nor necessarily subtle. For many, these built-in disparities are the greatest benefit of international films. That said, most Western films have a (mostly) homogenous cultural background. There will be minor social differences between works from different Western nations, but they generally abide by the same belief systems and traditions. The same cannot be said for other global regions, particularly Asia. There’s an inherent cultural barrier between Western audiences and Eastern — especially Japanese — films.

More importantly, there are different storytelling concepts. One of the most apparent differences is the emphatic inclusion of what Western studios would call “downtime.” East Asian films have no qualms about letting audiences breathe.

What if you could start over, change your identity and lead a completely different life? What different choices would you make, and could you really escape your past? These are some of the questions at the heart of “Key of life”, a philosophically minded Japanese comedy that is, for the most part, touching and thoughtful.

Key of Life is streaming on Jff Theater until 2025/02/01 11:00:00 [Jst]

Junitsu Kondo and Takeshi Sakurai could not be more opposed human beings. Kondo is a ruthless, cold killer for hire who leads a high-flying lifestyle. Sakurai is a jobless, penniless actor who cannot achieve anything, even his own suicide. Fate makes them cross paths in a sento as Kondo slips on a bar of soap, hits his head on the floor and becomes totally amnesiac. Sensing an opportunity, the wily Sakurai swaps his belongings with Kondo’s and steals his identity, setting wild events in motion.

One of the prestigious national cinema awards in Japan presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, the 65th edition of the Blue Ribbon Awards announced its winners on February 24, 2023. The nominees are selected from movies released in 2022 within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. Leading with 6 nominations, A Man by Kei Ishikawa, wins Best Film while Plan 75 by Chie Hayakawa picks up Best Director and Best Actress for Chieko Baisho. The full list of winners is described below.

Best Film

A Man

Kingdom 2: To Distant Lands

Small, Slow But Steady

Missing

Silent Parade

Dr Coto’s Clinic

Plan 75

Motherhood

Fragments of the Last Will

Wandering

A Man Best Director

Kei Ishikawa – A Man

Shinzo Katayama – Missing

Takahisa Zeze – Tombi: Father and Son; Fragments of the Last Will

Chie Hayakawa – Plan 75

Ryuichi Hiroki – 2 Women, Motherhood; Phases of the Moon

Best Actor

Sadao Abe – Lesson in Murder; I am...

Snow on the Blades

“Zakurozaka no adauchi”

Written by Jirô Asada (short story)

Directed by Setsurô Wakamatsu

Japan, 2014

For the devout, honor can become a prison. Snow on the Blades is director Setsurô Wakamatsu’s romantic rumination on one samurai’s futile devotion to the code that society left behind. Though too heavy-handed in its thematic approach, the memorable characters and breathtaking imagery draw you in and refuse to let you go. This is a samurai movie less concerned about the swordplay than the men holding the swords.

The year is 1860 in Hikone, Japan, and the samurai Kingo (Kiichi Nakai) is revered amongst men. He has just taken the beautiful Setsu (Ryôko Hirosue) to be his bride. His prideful mother and father delight over his ascension to chief protector of the Shogun’s First Minister, Ii Naosuke (Kichiemon Nakamura). All of his friends, including his closest confidante, Shinnosuke (Masahiro Takashima), consider him above reproach.

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,...

I remember watching the 1961 black and white version of Zero Focus a long time ago thinking, 'this needs an update.' The Hitchcockian premise was very intriguing: a man disappears during his business trip leaving his young wife distressed and confused. She travels to the snow country up north to find the missing husband and digs up some ugly past while dead bodies turning up around her. But it was visually bland and lacked any kind of suspense. So it was a nice surprise to see the remake on this year's Japan Cuts line-up.

The film is an epic. It begins with stock footage of the destroyed post-war Japan, then seamlessly moves into the economic-boom era of the 50s with impeccable periodic detail. Director Isshin Inudo here crafted a sumptuous picture of the bygone era Japan seldom seen in contemporary films.

The year is 1957. A naïve, young wife Teiko (Ryoko Hirosue...

Early last week, Tokyograph reported that 16-year-old Umika Kawashima would be covering the 1997 debut of pop idol-turned-actress Ryoko Hirosue, "Maji de Koi Suru 5 Byou Mae", as the theme song for her upcoming movie Watashi no Yasashikunai Senpai.

Tokyo Metropolitan Television aired the news the same day, and someone was kind enough to upload the relevant clip -- complete with the very first footage made available from the film -- to YouTube:

The actual cover can only be heard briefly around the 1:15 mark. Compare with the original:

"Watashi no Yasashikunai Senpai" marks the live-action debut of Yutaka Yamamoto, director of "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", "Lucky Star", and "Kannagi". It's based on a story written by novelist Akira while still in high school. Kawashima plays a girl named Yamako who desperately wants to confess her love for an upperclassman (Jingi Irie), writing several drafts of a confession note only to...

2010 is in full swing and some really great movies are hitting store shelves this week for the first time and for the first time on Blu-ray. This week’s releases include Moon, Halloween II, Cliffhanger, Kathy Griffin: She’ll Cut a Bitch, I Can Do Bad All By Myself and the Blu-ray release of The Hurt Locker (pictured above).

Check out this week’s releases:

Movies

Amreeka ~ Yussuf Abu-Warda, Hiam Abbass, Alia Shawkat (DVD)

Big Fan ~ Patton Oswalt, Michael Rapaport, Matt Servitto (DVD and Blu-ray)

Cliffhanger ~ Sylvester Stallone (Blu-ray)

Departures ~ Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue (DVD)

8 1/2 (The Criterion Collection) ~ Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, Claudia Cardinale (Blu-ray)

Halloween II (Unrated Director’s Cut) ~ Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Sheri Moon Zombie (DVD and Blu-ray)

I Can Do Bad All By Myself ~ Tyler Perry, Taraji P. Henson (DVD and Blu-ray)

In the Loop ~ James Gandolfini (DVD and Blu-ray)

The Hurt Locker ~ Ralph Fiennes,...

The Box (12A)

(Richard Kelly, 2009, Us) Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella. 116 mins

Will Kelly ever make another movie as good as Donnie Darko? There are signs here that he might, but he hasn't this time. The Twilight Zone plot – press the button on this box and you'll get $1m, but someone will die – opens up more moral/conspiracy/sci-fi elements than the film can handle. Still, too much is better than not enough, especially when it's as smoothly sinister, visually sophisticated and borderline bonkers as this.

Me And Orson Welles (12A)

(Richard Linklater, 2008, Us/UK) Zac Efron, Claire Danes. 114 mins

Efron graduates from High School backstage to Welles's 1930s theatre troupe in this sweet coming-of-age flick, holding his own against Christian McKay's rakish, bombastic Welles – even when they fall for the same girl.

Cracks (15)

(Jordan Scott, 2009, UK) Eva Green, Juno Temple. 104 mins

Set within the confines of a posh girls' boarding school,...

Here’s the new poster (click to enlarge) & trailer for the movie which won the Best Foreign Language film at the 2009 Academy Awards. It’s called Depeartures (Okuribito), stars Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue, Kazuko Yoshiyuki and is directed by Yôjirô Takita.

It’s being released in UK cinemas 4th December and you can check out the synopsis and trailer below.

A delightful and sensitive journey into the heartland of Japan and an astonishingly beautiful look at a sacred part of Japan’s cultural heritage, Departures tells the story of Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Matoki), a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved who now finds himself without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad entitled “Departures” thinking it is an advertisement for a travel agency only to...

(Screened as part of the 23rd Leeds International Film Festival which ran from 4th-22nd November 2009. Didn't see a Twitch review for this at all, so here we are.)

The biggest problem with Yōjirō Takita's Departures is probably how utterly predictable it is. After all, this is a film where the main character jumping (wrongly) to conclusions leads him to a life-changing epiphany he never expected, yet it's so ruthlessly put together nothing ever surprises. Nearly every pivotal moment is exactly what it seems.

Masahiro Motoki (The Bird People In China) plays Daigo Kobayashi, a cellist for a small orchestra who's just moved back to his home town after being made redundant. Struggling to find a job outside the big city, Daigo comes across a tiny classified ad for help wanted - the wording's a little ambiguous, but it seems to be something to do with travelling. Holiday bookings, perhaps?...

By Austin Lugar

for MovieSet.com

{Ed Note: ‘Departures‘ is also known by the Japanese title ‘Okuribito’}

Like most film nerds, I watched the Oscars with a lot of anticipation and predictions. So when the Best Foreign Film category came along, I was hoping The Class was going to beat out Waltz With Bashir because, as I mentioned, I’m a nerd. Yet Departures went home with the golden statue, which left all of America saying, “What in the world is Departures?” It only played at the Hawaii Film Festival in 2008, which qualified it for the Oscars and is only now starting to trickle to theatres across the country.

Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) and Shokichi Hirata (Takashi Sasano) in 'Departures.'

So now that I’ve seen it, I can safely say: Yes, it deserves the prize. There are a lot of movies about death, but there aren’t many...

An unemployed cellist finds his true calling as a corpse cosmetician in the moving new Japanese film Departures. A smash hit in Japan, Departures, a film about death, life, and forgiveness, was an upset winner for best foreign film at this year’s Oscar ceremony and it’s easy to see why this sentimental art-house crowd pleaser won over the political favorite Waltz With Bashirs and the more challenging The Class. Departures is a well-acted and smartly directed drama that manages to be emotional without feeling manipulative. It is slightly overlong and slow paced and, despite the Oscar, I doubt that it will find much mainstream cross-over appeal. With Departures, director Yojiro Takita has created an engrossing film that is sweet, sad and funny, a portrait of a young man coming to terms with abandonment by his father and learning about himself through the process of his employment.

Daigo Kobayashi...

Departures (Okuribito)

Directed by: Yojiro Takita

Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue

Running Time: 2 hrs 10 mins

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: July 3, 2009

Plot: Daigo Kobayashi (Motoki) loses his job as a professional cellist. In debt and disappointed, he moves with his wife, Mika (Hirosue), to the home that his deceased mother left him. There he takes a job as an “encoffineer,” ritually preparing bodies for burial. But his work is looked down upon by his family and friends.

Who’s It For? Fans of well-crafted films. Especially if they don’t mind subtitles.

Expectations: Departures won the Best Foreign Film Oscar back in February, so I was hoping for a really great film.

Scorecard (0-10)

Actors:

Masahiro Motoki as Daigo Kobayashi: Daigo’s in the middle of a crisis. The orchestra he worked so hard to join is being disbanded due to lack of funds and he is in debt after purchasing a professional cello.

Release Date: May 29 (limited)Director: Yojiro Takita

Writer: Kundo Koyama

Cinematographer: Takeshi Hamada

Starring: Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Kimiko Yo Studio/Run Time: Regent Releasing, 130 mins.

Affable but unfocused hit from Japan

On its face, the odd, clunky Japanese dramedy Departures pitches itself as a classic story of reinvention and renewal. It follows a young cellist (Masahiro Motoki) who is let go and lacks the talent to move to a different orchestra. He answers a newspaper ad and finds a job with a peculiar old man who prepares corpses for burial, a sticky profession he hides from his wife but quietly grows to like.

The greatest mystery of this year's Oscar ceremony was why the tear-jerker "Departures" won the foreign-language award.

Of the five nominees, "Departures" is definitely the weakest. It isn't a bad movie, but then again it isn't a great one. Call it a case of sap over substance.

Directed by Yojiro Takita, who got his start making erotic, soft-core flicks, "Departures" follows a classical cellist (Masahiro Motoki) who moves back to his hometown with his pert wife (Ryoko Hirosue) after his Tokyo orchestra goes under for lack of an audience.

He answers an ad for...

We're all for getting out in the summertime, but there might not be anything more refreshing than cooling off in a movie theater... or seeing a movie in the comfort of your air-conditioned home on demand, on DVD, or online... or better yet catching a classic on the big screen at a nearby repertory theater. With literally hundreds of films to choose from this summer, we humbly present this guide to the season's most exciting offerings.

May 1

"Eldorado"

The Cast: Bouli Lanners, Fabrice Adde, Philippe Nahon, Didier Toupy, Franise Chichy

Director: Bouli Lanners

Fest Cred: Cannes, Warsaw, Glasgow, Palm Springs,

The Gist: When Elie (Adde), a hapless young thief attempts to rob Yvan (Lanners), a 40-year-old car dealer, the two form a unlikely friendship that leads to a road trip across Belgium in this slight comedy that won the Best European Film at the Director's Fortnight at Cannes last year.

See eight clips as well as the trailer in various formats for the Regent Releasing Academy Award®-winning drama "Departures," starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Kimiko Yo and Takashi Sasano. The film opens in limited areas on May 29th. See the gallery here. Trailers in other formats What's "Departures" all about? Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, Departures is a delightful journey into the heartland of Japan as well an astonishingly beautiful look at a sacred part of Japan’s cultural heritage. “Departures” follows Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and who is suddenly left without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad entitled “Departures” thinking it is an advertisement for a travel agency only to...

See eight clips as well as the trailer in various formats for the Regent Releasing Academy Award®-winning drama "Departures," starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Kimiko Yo and Takashi Sasano. The film opens in limited areas on May 29th. Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, Departures is a delightful journey into the heartland of Japan as well an astonishingly beautiful look at a sacred part of Japan’s cultural heritage. “Departures” follows Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and who is suddenly left without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over...

See eight clips as well as the trailer in various formats for the Regent Releasing Academy Award®-winning drama "Departures," starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Kimiko Yo and Takashi Sasano. The film opens in limited areas on May 29th. Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, Departures is a delightful journey into the heartland of Japan as well an astonishingly beautiful look at a sacred part of Japan’s cultural heritage. “Departures” follows Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and who is suddenly left without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over...

Japanese drama Departures dominated the 2009 Japan Academy Awards, taking home 10 prizes - a day before the movie became a surprise Oscar winner.

The film, about a young man who gets a job in a mortuary, also scooped a Best Actor honour for Masahiro Motoki and Best Actress trophy for Kimiko Yo at the 32nd annual ceremony in Tokyo, Japan.

Immediately after the prizegiving, filmmaker Yojiro Takita and stars Motoki and Ryoko Hirosue flew to Los Angeles to compete at Sunday's Oscars, where Departures beat hotly-tipped Israeli movie Waltz With Bashir to land the Best Foreign Language Film title.

The movie has scooped more than 60 statuettes during Japan's current award season and taken more than $33 million (£22.6 million) at the domestic box office.

Yojiro Takita’s “Okuribito” (Departures) won top honors at the 2008 edition of the Montreal World Film Festival, taking home the grand prize of the Americas.

Starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue, the drama focuses on a cellist who loses his job and decides to move back to his hometown, where he starts to work as the local undertaker.

Meanwhile, the jury awarded its special prize to Benoît Pilon’s Canadian drama “Ce qu’il faut pour vivre” (The Necessities of Life), about an Inuit hunter who forms a special bond with a youngster while he’s being treated for tuberculosis at a sanatorium in Quebec.