World War Z, Rabbit Horror 3D, An Assassin, Wild 7, The Thing, Trailers and Clips

First week of my J-horror season down. I started with Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s brilliant Kairo, watched Pedro Almodovar’s  latest film The Skin I Live In at the cinema (full review next week but I recommend you see it pronto!), then two low-budget Ringu cash-ins, Ghost System and Dead Waves, that didn’t inspire much confidence in the rest of the J-horror boom. Will I change my opinion? Almost undoubtedly yes because I love Japanese films!

 

日本　の　映画　が　好き　です。

 

I’m still viewing films so next week will see more Kiyoshi Kurosawa films and perhaps another low-budget J-horror I hope to have delivered soon, my salary and postal service permitting.

Right, back to the trailers!

 

World War Z

Release date:N/A

Running time: N/A

Director:Marc Foster

Starring: Brad Pitt

 

YouTube videos showing the filming of World War Z appeared on the Quiet Earth film blog. Now I love Max Brooks’s book so getting a glimpse of scenes being shot in Glasgow is pretty exciting.

 

I assume this is part of the Yonkers storyline but judging by opinion on the Quiet Earth blog the film doesn’t look like it will be a faithful adaptation of the book, that said if we get another Dawn of the Dead (2004) I won’t complain. Check out the original post for more info!

 

An Assassin

Release date:  8^th October (Japan)

Running time: N/A

Director: Go Ohara

Starring: Ryoma Baba, Sayuri Iwata, Yuki Kubota

Shot in Sendai in the Miyagi prefecture, the main cast is full of bright, young things but Go Ohara was the stunt coorsinator on Survive Style 5+ which is full of awesome action sequences. This trailer looks just as awesome if a lot more hard-boiled.

 

Professional Assassin Ryo Hanaki is facing a crisis: after failing a mission due to saving the life of high school girl Rio he becomes the target of another assassin.

Rabbit Horror 3D

Release date: 17^th of September 2011 (Japan)

Running time: N/A

Director: Takashi Shimizu

Starring: Hikari Mitsushima, Teruyuki Kagawa, Nao Omori, Tamaki Ogawa, Takeru Shibuya

I’m a big fan of Hikari Mitsushima, I like Takashi Shimizu’s work on the Ju-On cycle of films and the cinematographer is Christopher Doyle a frequent collaborator of the brilliant Wong Kar-Wai.  I refuse to believe this film can go wrong. The film is released at the end of next week. Here’s a clip from it.

The film follows a young boy whose family is falling apart around him and he develops a dangerous friendship with his stuffed plushy Rabbit after said plushy comes to life.

 

Himizu

Release date: Spring 2012 (Japan)

Running time: N/A

Director: Sion Sono

Starring: Tetsu Watanabe, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Megumi Kagurazaka

Due to be screened at the Toronto Film Festival here’s a chance for you to see a clip for yourself.

I have been following this for a while. Sion Sono is a Japanese director who makes interesting and challenging films and it seems no different with Himizu. It premiered at this months Venice film festival and Wildgrounds has collected various reviews on it. The reviews all see split as is normally the case with a Sono film. Based on Minoru Furuya’s manga about an average kid who goes to the dark side after a traumatic incident, the film stars Tetsu Watanabe, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Megumi Kagurazaka and changes the plot by including more about the recent tsunami that struck Japan.

 

 

Wild 7

Release date:  21^st December 2011 (Japan)

Running time: N/A

Director: Eiichiro Hasumi

Starring: Eita, Kippei Shiina, Ryuhei Maruyama, Tsuyoshi Abe, Takashi Ukaji

Based on Mikiya Mochizuki’s manga (1969 – 1979), the film follows a secret motorcycle unit made up of former Yakuza members set up by the Japanese National Police Agency to tackle rising crime and terrorism in Japan. The film stars Eita (Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai 3D, Monsters Club), Ryuhei Maruyama (Outrage, Sakuran).