The Thieves (2012)

The Thieves   

Release Date: July 25th, 2012

Running Time: 135 mins.

Director: Choi Dong-Hun

Writer: Choi Dong-Hun, Lee Gi-Cheol (Screenplay)

Starring: Kim Yun-Seok, Kim Hye-Soo, Lee Jung-Jae. Gianna Jun, Kim Hae-Sook, Kim Soo-Hyun, Simon Yam, Oh Dal-Su. Angelica Lee, Kwok Cheung Tsang

A gifted con-artist is able to take in their mark with a solid sounding story and enough dazzle to distract. A con-artist can get away with anything especially if the audience doesn’t think too hard about the spectacle. The same could also be said about films and so it proves to be true with the Korean mega box-office hit The Thieves (2012), from writer and director Choi Dong-hoon. He crafts a frothy and fun thriller but don’t look too closely or you might be able to see through the con and the story might not add up.

Miss Hokusai Preview Japan and UK Release Info

Miss Hokusai    

Miss Hokusai Film Poster

Japanese Title: 百日紅 ～Miss HOKUSAI～

Romaji: Sarusuberi ～Miss HOKUSAI～

Release Date: February 20th, 2015

Running Time: N/A

Director: Keiichi Hara

Writer: Miho Maruo (Screenplay), Hinako Sugiura (Original Creator),

Starring: Anne Watanabe (O-Ei), Yutaka Matsushige (Tetsuzo/Katsushika Hokusai), Shion Shimizu (O-Nao), Kumiko Aso (Sayogoromo), Kengo Kora (Utagawa Kuninao),  Gaku Hamada (Zenjiro/Keisai Eisen), Jun Miho (Koto), Michitaka Tsutsui (Katsugoro/Totoya Hokkei), Danshun Tatekawa (Manjido),  

Website

Last week the UK-based distributor Anime limited announced that they had snagged the rights to Production I.G’s forthcoming film Miss Hokusai. The film is based on Hinako Sugiura’s manga Sarusuberi about the daughter of the legendary Japanese artist Hokusai, a woman who is talented in her own right and assists her father in his work but goes uncredited.

The Curtain Rises, Have a Song on Your Lips, The Furthest End Awaits, Listener, Oedo no Candy, Furiko, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Samulife Japanese Film Trailers

Hello dear readers!

I had a great week with work going quickly and meeting lovely people. I also managed to cram in a few films as well. I watched Parade and My Little Sweet Pea to get my reviews of those films written. I watched a few other films including Cold Weather (again) and Italian horror Something Creeping in the Dark.

I published a review of Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno. I have a review for Patema Inverted and then Parade in the works and I hope to follow that with The Light Shines Only There ready to rock in my one post of the week format for reviews. I also published the results of this year’s Japan Academy Awards.

What is released in Japan this weekend?

Japan Academy Awards 2015 Results

The World War II drama The Eternal Zero was the big winner at the 38^th Japan Academy Prize award ceremony taking Picture of the year and best director for Takashi Yamazaki. Another big winner from that film is Junichi Okada who won Best Actor for his portrayal of a kamikaze pilot and he also won best supporting actor for the historical drama, A Samurai Chronicle, becoming the first male actor to get two Japan Academy acting awards. Not only that but he won Most Popular Actor.

Rie Miyazawa’s performance as a bank employee in a lurid affair in Daihachi Yoshida’s drama Pale Moon managed to net her Best Actress in a category full of excellent competitors, while Haru Kuroki took best supporting actress.

The Eternal Zero also took many of the technical awards such as lighting and cinematography.

Looking at the nominees and winners, one cannot help but see it as a pretty dull line-up of films designed not to offend anyone (particularly those of a conservative nature).

Here are the nominees with the winners in bold:

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno るろうに剣心京都大火編 (2014)

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno    

Japanese Title: るろうに剣心京都大火編

Romaji: Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika Hen

Release Date: August 01^st, 2014 (Japan)

Running Time: 139 mins.

Director: Keishi Ohtomo

Writer: Watsuki Nobuhiro (Original Manga), Kiyomi Fujii, Keishi Ohtomo (Screenplay)

Starring: Takeru Sato, Emi Takei, Munetaka Aoki, Yu Aoi, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Yosuke Eguchi, Kaito Oyagi, Yosuke Eguchi, Yusuke Iseya, Tao Tsuchiya, Maryjun Takahashi,

History is never as clean or as clear cut as the books make it out to be and for the survivors’ of the Boshin War and the pivotal Battle of Toba-Fushimi the scars run deep and the old hatreds have simmered. It is to be expected that the consequences of this battle are messier and farther reaching than many would like considering the conflict between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the eventually victorious Imperial forces decided the fate of Japan and set in motion the end of samurai era and ushered in the modernisation and westernisation of Japan. Many who fought on both sides found themselves cast adrift in a new world that does not require their deadly skills but these people who fought to change the future of their nation will find history can never be escaped.

The Case of Hana & Alice, Fantastic Girls, Klevani: Ai no Tunnel / Tunnel of Love The Place For Miracles, The Boy Who Has A Lifeless Eyes / The Boy with Dead Eyes, THE ALFEE 40th Anniversary Film THE LAST GENESIS 40 Year History and Miracle, Minna no Gakkou, Radio Love and Other Japanese Film Trailers

Hello once again dear audience!

I posted the weekly trailers like usual last Saturday and totally forgot it was Valentine’s Day! A belated Happy Valentine’s Day to you all. Yesterday I got some very lovely Studio Ghibli-related gifts from a kind and dear friend who visited the exhibition in Paris. They were an unexpected surprise and I love them! So thanks, if you read this! What a great week!

This week I posted about the UK release of Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (the release date has changed so I updated the original post) and a review of The Devil’s Path something that has been on the back-burner for a while, and a preview of the Japanese films at the Glasgow Film Festival. Expect a review for Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno to be posted next week because I am finally editing that beast down from 2000+ words. I’m writing up my review of the two films I saw at this year’s Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme and I am currently making my way through Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together on the PSP and enjoying it (when I should be writing)!

Like Peter in Dawn of the Dead, I’m leaving things to the last minute!

What’s released in Japan this weekend?

Japanese Films at the Glasgow Film Festival 2015

The Glasgow Film Festival kicks off tonight and it has a selection of excellent films that any fan of cinema will love. Here’s the line-up. This is a bit of a rush post. I decided to cover this at the very last minute because I took a gander at the films and I think that there are enough quality titles to make this film festival stand out. I’m excited to see Fires on the Plain because if this is in the UK it means that it may make its way down to London. Also of note are Pale Moon and Uzumasa Limelight both of which have had excellent reviews including ones by a fellow J-film blogger who has great taste (Uzumasa Review) (Pale Moon Review)! Glasgow usually has good films (it’s how I saw Rentaneko and Museum Hours) so I’ll cover it every year from now on…

Here’s the line-up of films programmed this year:

The Devil’s Path 凶悪 (2013)

The Devil’s Path     

Japanese Title:  凶悪

Romaji: Kyouaku

Release Date: September 21^st, 2013

Running Time: 128 mins.

Director: Kazuya Shiraishi

Writer: Kazuya Shiraishi, Izumi Takahashi (Screenplay),

Starring: Takayuki Yamada, Pierre Taki, Lily Franky, Chizuru Ikewaki, Kazuko Shirakawa, Yu Saito, Nozomi Muraoka

The events depicted in The Devil’s Path detail a series of shocking crimes that occurred in a mundane town in Japan. Thugs targeted isolated elderly people or each other to extort for money, often using violence. The police missed the seriousness of the situation due to the surrounding circumstances of the victims. It was not until a journalist at the Shincho45 editorial department made these crimes public in the nonfiction novel “Kyoaku-Aru Shikeishuu no Kokuhatsu” that the police arrested the culprits.

Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends UK Release Information

Well the hype train has now set off from its station because I got news about the UK release of the third and final part of the Rurouni Kenshin film trilogy. Last week Monday I reported on Anime UK News about the release of Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends which will hit UK cinemas on April 17^th (it was originallt pencilled in for March 06th but it was pushed back and a new trailer was produced) thanks to Warner Bros. UK. Today I got a bit more information including a poster (which looks like a good way of selling it to a UK audience who may not be familiar with the cast) and so I’m posting some news about it here with trailer and synopsis and everything. Poster first:

 

La La La At Rock Bottom / Misono Universe, Little Forest: Winter Spring, The Mourner, A Man’s Life, Murder on D Street, Magic Dolphin and Other Japanese Film Trailers

Hello dear readers! I hope I find you well!

I haven’t been up to much except work and watching films. I have a huge backlog of reviews to whittle down for my own site and I’m spending a lot of time going through them. This week I posted my review of Shindo (2007), a film I saw over a year ago at the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme. I have watched it a more than few times since I first watched it and so to get the review posted, I watched it twice! I also watched Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1990), Gentle 12 (1991) and Fallen Angels (1995). I have plenty to do so I’ve cut out some anime and television shows. I need to get back into regular Japanese practice and writing more things.

Well, enough about me…

What is released this weekend in Japan?