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Arsene Lupin III’s closest friend is getting a movie of his own. Jigen Daisuke is the world’s most famous gunman, and his rapid fire in 0.3 seconds technique has laid waste to many an enemy. But where did he come from, and how did he come to be so talented in the deadly arts? Fans can learn the answers to those questions in the new Prime Video Original movie “Jigen Daisuke,” which heads to streaming on Friday, Oct. 13. You can watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Amazon Prime Video.

How to Watch 'Jigen Daisuke' When: Friday, October 13, 2023 Where: Amazon Prime Video Stream: Watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Amazon Prime Video. 30-Day Free Trial$8.99 / month amazon.com About 'Jigen Daisuke'

You’ve seen him in action before, but never like this! Jigen Daisuke is leaving the animated world for live action for the first time since...

Monkey Punch's Lupin III manga continues to expand its universe with a newly-announced kabuki stage play that will run at the Shinbashi Enbujo theater in Tokyo this December.

According to Anime News Network, the stage play's original story will depict Lupin and his cohorts in the Japanese Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600), the same era of the original Goemon Ishikawa. While the Goemon most fans are familiar with is his 13th descendant, this play will be an opportunity for fans to see the main cast interact with the fabled original, who remains a mythological hero in Japan.

Related: The Precure Franchise is Getting a New Anime Movie in 2024

The play will star Ainosuke Kataoka as Lupin III, Matsuya Onoe as Goemon Ishikawa, Saburō Ichikawa as Daisuke Jigen, Emiya Ichikawa as Fujiko Mine and Chūsha Ihchikawa as Inspector Zenigata. The franchise has had stage plays before, but not of the kabuki variety.

In...

After experimenting with his form of boundary-pushing, cinema-as-memory films to great, succesful lengths with his last three narrative features–not to mention Voyage of Time, which we’re still awaiting an actual U.S. release for–Terrence Malick will return to more of a traditional script with his WWII drama Radegund, hopefully releasing later this year. But first, after splicing in avant-garde and experiential touches with his last few films, he’s making the natural step into virtual reality.

Premiering at South by Southwest Festival–where he gave a rare public talk last year–on March 13 is the Vr experience Together, which is directed by Malick and shot by cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Silence, The Wolf of Wall Street, Brokeback Mountain). Clocking in at 5 minutes and 46 seconds and featuring music by Simon Franglen, see the synopsis below, as well as the first look above.

“Together” is a Vr experience about the power of human connection.

Following the announcement that John Krasinski's A Quiet Place will be the opening night movie at SXSW, the anticipated Midnighters genre slate has now been revealed, including the buzzed-about Hereditary (read Heather Wixson's Sundance review here), Leigh Whannell's Upgrade, Jenn Wexler's The Ranger, and Field Guide to Evil.

You can check out the full list of Midnighters below, and visit the official SXSW website for more information on the festival's schedule.

From SXSW: "The SXSW Midnighters section is a perennial favorite for SXSW audiences thrilled by the weird, electric, and sometimes terrifying selections. Featuring 10 genre films, including 6 World Premieres, the slate includes dark comedies, thrillers, Sci-Fi, mystery and slasher horror from a mix of established and first-time filmmakers. The Midnighters, as well as 12 additional films, which are included in the 132 total features now to be screened at the SXSW 2018 Film Festival.

Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative...

This year’s South by Southwest Conference and Festivals has announced the remainder of its film festival program, including the full run of their Midnighters, Shorts, Virtual Cinema, Music Video, Title Sequence, and the brand-new Independent Episodic lineup, along with a number of additions to their Features slate. Additionally, the festival has announced that the North American premiere of Wes Anderson’s highly anticipated new stop-motion feature, “Isle of Dogs,” will serve as the event’s Closing Night Film, following the film’s world premiere at Berlin. The festival has also added a number of Sundance favorites, including “Sorry to Bother You,” “Blindspotting,” and “Science Fair.”

This year’s Midnighter’s section — a long-time favorite of the genre-loving SXSW audiences — features 10 genre films, including six world premieres, with offerings that span dark comedies, thrillers, sci-fi, mystery, and slasher horror from a mix of established and first-time filmmakers.

Highlights include Ari Aster’s “Hereditary,...

As previously reported, Shun Oguri will play the lead role of Lupin. However, we have some casting changes. Tetsuji Tamayama (Casshern) will play the pistol- wielding Daisuke Jigen, while Gou Ayano (Rurouni Kenshin) is now playing the skilled swordsman Goemon Ishikawa. Thor: The Dark World's Hogun the Grim, actor Tadanobu Asano is playing Detective Kōichi Zenigata. At the time of our reporting last June, a number of actress were said to be vying for the role of Fujiko Mine but none of those names on the list secured the role. Instead, the seductive temptress will be played by Meisa Kuroki (Crow Zero II). Ryūhei Kitamura (Godzilla: Final Wars) is directing from a script written by Mataichirō Yamamoto (Crows Zero). Jerry Yan (Meteor Garden) is playing an original character named Michael Lee, an adversarial rival of Lupin's. Also starring are...

Plot72% Acting70% Directing65%Interesting story with some fun elementsHas a lot more potentialHiroshi Abe is a bit on automatic pilot mode 69%Overall Score Reader Rating: (1 Vote)55%

Elevator to the gallows, original title Shikeidai no erebêtâ, is a remake of the noirish French film Ascenseur pour l’échafaud from 1958. As with most remakes, it is almost inevitable to compare it with the original film. The original is a pretty well known classic from 3-time Oscar nominated director Louis Malle. 52 years later, it was up to Japanese director Akira Ogata to take on the assignment to direct this Japanese remake.

Hiroshi Abe is Takahiko Tokito, a doctor at a big medical corporation. He has decided to run away with his lover, Meiko (played by Michiko Kichise), the wife of the president of his company. But before he is able to leave the country with Meiko, she has one request: he has to...

Chicago – Tran Anh Hung’s adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s 1987 novel has garnered a bevy of negative reactions from literary fans, and it’s easy to see why. Pivotal characters remain underdeveloped despite the film’s two-hour-plus running time. Grand gestures are made without any tangible motivation. And epic romances are explored only through a few lustful glances.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

With that being said, “Norwegian Wood” is still worth a look, primarily because the attractive young cast manages to transcend the heavy-handed script. Kenichi Matsuyama is somewhat of a wooden leading man, but he’s greatly aided by two leading ladies that bring out the best in him. “Babel” star Rinko Kikuchi once again delves into the wounded soul of a woman who’s lost the ability to connect with the outside world, while 21-year-old newcomer Kiko Mizuhara proves to be a real find.

Read Matt Fagerholm’s full review of...

Title: Norwegian Wood Red Flag Releasing Grade: C+ Director: Tran Anh Hung Screenwriter: Tran Anh Hung from Haruki Murakami’s novel Cast: Kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi, Kiko Mizuhara, Reika Hirishima, Kengo Kora, Eriko Hatsune, Tetsuji Tamayama Screened at: Review 1, NYC, 12/20/11 Opens: January 6, 2012 “Norwegian Wood” has been a wildly popular novel, though a moviegoer, seeing the filmed adaptation, may wonder what the excitement is all about. Perhaps this is a work that should be read, not seen on the screen, for its lyrical writing which includes statements like this: “I read Naoko’s letter again and again, and each time I read it I would be filled with the...

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Directed By: Anh Hung Tran

Starring: Kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi, Kiko Mizuhara

Norwegian Wood is beautiful and affecting, even if it does nearly collapse under the weight of its own earnestness at times.

This is a vintage costume fest from the outset. The location is late 1960s Tokyo with fashion largely influenced by Western pop culture. The story is centred on adolescent relationship issues, a sort of love triangle consequent to the irreversible pain of loss. Virtually all of the characters are in their late teens-early twenties. Their clothes are a mix of hip-hugger pants, white Levis, pointed collar shirts, long line and short pleated skirts, sleeveless hostess dresses and bell bottom jeans. Costume designer Yen Khe Luguern instigates several changes, virtually a new outfit for each scene. These are inconsistent personalities,...

Norwegian Wood (15)

(Tran Anh Hung, 2010, Japan) Kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi, Kiko Mizuhara, Tetsuji Tamayama, Kengo Kôra. 133 mins

Between its daunting cult status and its decidedly un-romcom themes, it's amazing Haruki Murakami's proto-emo Japanese teen tale ever got made. Coming of age here is a languid, melancholy journey across tragedy, mental illness, sexual frustration and other sorrows, but the tone is beautifully maintained, visually and aurally, and it captures something most youth movies never even attempt to find.

Fair Game (12A)

(Doug Liman, 2010, Us) Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Ty Burrell. 108 mins

What Hollywood liberal bias? This dramatisation of the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame over her husband's non-cooperation with Bush's Iraq plans dares to name names and point fingers. True-life political and personal tensions are brought back to the boil.

Battle: Los Angeles (12A)

(Jonathan Liebesman, 2011, Us) Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan. 116 mins

This massive-scale action epic launches...

Toho has released a new teaser and this full trailer for Tomoyuki Takimoto’s Hoshi Mamoru Inu via their video channel on Yahoo! Japan.

Based on a manga by Osakan cartoonist Takashi Murakami (not to be confused with the contemporary artist), the film begins as the body of a man (Toshiyuki Nishida) is found near a small town in Hokkaido. He’s believed to have been dead around six months, and the remains of a dog are found nearby which has been dead about one month. A local civil servant named Okutsu (Tetsuji Tamayama) discovers the purchase receipt for an abandoned car left in field, leading the reluctant detective to retrace the final steps of a mysterious middle-aged man and his loyal dog.

“Hoshi Mamoru Inu” will be released in Japan on June 11, 2011.

Thanks to logboy for the heads up.

Watch »...

On Thursday, an official website for Yoshishige Miyake’s upcoming film Hankyu Densha was launched with a teaser and full trailer.

Based on a novel by Hiro Arikawa which sold over 240,000 copies, the film uses the 15-minute, one-way Hankyu Imazu Line as the backdrop for several characters dealing with various issues in their lives. Miki Nakatani stars as an office worker in her 30s whose fiance is stolen away by a younger co-worker while Erika Toda plays a young college student with a good-for-nothing boyfriend. Other cast members include Nobuko Miyamoto, Mana Ashida, Kaho Minami, Mitsuki Tanimura, Kasumi Arimura, Ryo Katsuji, Tetsuji Tamayama, Yu Koyanagi, and Saki Aibu.

Toho will be releasing “Hankyu Densha” in Japan on April 23, 2011.

A 34-second teaser has been released for Tomoyuki Takimoto’s Hoshi Mamoru Inu, a film adaptation of a manga by Takashi Murakami (the cartoonist from Osaka, not the contemporary artist from Tokyo).

In the film, a man’s remains are found near a small town in Hokkaido. He’s believed to have been dead around six months, and the remains of a dog are found nearby which has been dead about one month. A local civil servant named Okutsu (Tetsuji Tamayama) discovers the purchase receipt for an abandoned car left in field, leading the reluctant detective to retrace the final steps of a mysterious middle-aged man and his loyal dog.

Toho will be releasing “Hoshi Mamoru Inu” in Japan on June 11, 2011.

Source: Yahoo! Eiga...

Brand new images have just arrived for several big name films that will be showing in and out of competition at this year's 67th Venice Film Festival including brand new looks at Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, Julie Taymor's The Tempest, Robert Rodriguez's Machete, Anh Hung Tran's Norwegian Wood, Sofia Coppola's Somewhere and Ben Affleck's The Town.

The festival runs from September 1 - 11 and I only wish I was going to be in attendance as films such as Somewhere and The Tempest won't be crossing over and showing in Toronto. Not to mention, while I am excited for my first trip to Toronto this year, it wouldn't be half-bad hanging out in Venice, Italy. Nevertheless, let's get to the previews...

I've included one pic from each film directly below. You can click on the picture or the link to be taken to the full gallery,...

Five years ago, acclaimed Japanese fashion photographer and music video director Kazuaki Kiriyamade an explosive and groundbreaking assault on the movie world with his directorial debut feature, the visually stunning and hugely ambitious sci-fi epic, ‘Casshern’. Now, Kiriya returns in his own inimitable style with the equally spectacular period, fantasy action-adventure, Goemon.

Produced by Kiriya and legendary producer Takashige Ichise (The Ring; Dark Water; The Grudge; Shutter) and boasting a star-studded cast that includes Yosuke Eguchi (Shaolin Girl), Takao Osawa (Ichi; Sky High), Jun Kaname (Blood; K-20; Casshern), Tetsuji Tamayama (Norwegian Wood; Casshern) and Susumu Terajima (Casshern; Ichi The Killer), Goemon is based on the exploits of the film’s eponymous, ninja bandit hero – the Japanese folklore equivalent of Robin Hood.

The year is 1582 and the ruler of Japan, Oda Nobunaga, has been brutally murdered leaving the country in a state of political chaos. Meanwhile, a chivalrous thief known as Goemon,...