A mixed week in movie terms. Himizu flopped on its opening weekend leading Third Window Films to suspend future theatrical releases. It didn’t deserve to happen because it’s a brilliant film. Seriously, everybody needs to support labels like Third Window Films, Terracotta, Masters of Cinema, Artificial Eye so they keep releasing great gilms. In other news I started my Korean movie season and reviewed Arirang which was interesting but the best high? I went to see Prometheus yesterday and I absolutely loved it. Speaking as a fan of the Alien franchise I loved it. Sir Ridley Scott has delivered another classic – anybody who disagrees is wrong.
What do the Japanese movie box-office charts look like?
- Men in Black III
- Thermae Romae
- Dark Shadows
- The Final Judgement
- Girls for Keeps
Will Smith proves he is still a global superstar but Thermae Romae is still in the top five! After dropping to number three last week it clawed its way back up to two. Nikkatsu’s The Final Judgement enters at four while Black Dawn entered at seven. What Japanese films get released today?
Signal – Monday’s Ruka 
Romaji: Sigunaru ~ Getsuyobi no Ruka
Japanese Title: シグナル月曜日のルカ
Release Date: 09th June 2012 (Japan)
Running Time: 112 mins.
Director: Masaaki Taniguchi
Writer: Hirotoshi Kobayashi, Yoshinobu Kamo,Hisashi Sekiguchi (original novel),
Starring: Azusa Mine, Takahiro Nishijima, Kengo Kora, Ken Utsui, Shunya Shiraishi, Yurie Midori
A mystery/romance film based on Hisashi Sekiguchi’s novel of the same name the lead role is taken by a new face in the form of Azusa Mine while Takahiro Nishijima (Love Exposure, Himizu) provides the male romantic lead. Other big names include Kengo Kora (Norwegian Wood), and Yurie Midori (GANTZ).
Ruka (Mine) is a young woman who has not left the theatre where she has worked as a projectionist for the last few years. This is set to change when university student Keisuke (Nishijima) arrives to work at the cinema oer summer and becomes attracted to Ruka.
Hotaru The Movie: It’s Only A Little Light in My Life 
Romaji: Eiga Hotaru no Hikari
Japanese Title: 映画ホタルノヒカリ
Release Date: 09th June 2012 (Japan)
Running Time: 110 mins.
Director: Hiroshi Yoshino
Writer: Mie Mizuhashi (Script),Hiura Satoru (Manga)
Starring: Haruka Ayase, Naohito Fujiki, Yasuko Matsuyuki, Yuya Tegoshi, Yuka Itaya, Ken Yasuda
It would seem that the manga Hotaru no Hikari by Hirura Satoru is popular as it has had a couple of TV dramas. Well this is the sequel to the second drama series, Hotaru no Hikari 2 and stars the same actors with Haruka Ayase (Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror), Naohito Fujiki (20th Century Boys), Yasuko Matsuyuki (Smuggler), and Yuka Itaya (Apartment 1303).
Hotaru Amemiya (Ayase) is married to Seichi Takano (Fujiki) and they are taking their first overseas trip as part of their honeymoon. Their destination is one that Takano has dreamed of since watching the movie “Roman Holiday”. There is one snag – Rio and Yu Saeki are coming along.
The Way – Man of the White Porcelain 
Romaji: Michi – Hakuji no Hito
Japanese Title: 道－白磁のひと
Release Date: 09th June 2012 (Japan)
Running Time: 118 mins.
Director: Banmei Takahashi
Writer: Tamio Hayashi
Starring: Yu Yoshizawa, Bae Soo-bin, Wakana Sakai, Shun Shioya, Tomoka Kurokawa, Narumi Konno, Danu Chung, Ren Osugi, Satomi Tezuka
Based on the real life story of Takumi Asakawa. The film stars Yu Yoshizawa (One Missed Call 2), Wakana Sakai (Maiko haaaan!!!), Narumi Konno (Death Train, Take the ‘A’ Train), and Ren Osugi (Cure, Exte).
Takumi Asakawa (Yoshizawa) leaves his home in Yamanashi prefecture and enters the Korean peninsula during the Japanese occupation. There he witnesses the beauty of Korean culture and the ugliness of inter-ethnic strife. Takumi decides to take a stand and promote Korean porcelain.
Library War: The Wings of Revolution 
Japanese Title: 図書館戦争革命のつばさ
Romaji: Toshokan Senso Kakumei no Tsubasa
Release Date: 16th June 2012 (Japan)
Running Time: 105 mins.
Director: Takayuki Hamana
Writer: Takeshi Konuta (Screenplay), Hiro Arikawa (Light Novel)
Starring: Tomoaki Maeno (Atsushi Doujou), Marina Inoue (Iku Kasahara), Kanji Suzumori (Genda Ryuusuke), Haruo Satou (Kazuichi Inamine)
Production I.G.’s popular anime TV series Library Wars has its big screen adaptation released today. The voice actors involved are reprising their roles from in the original TV series with Tomoaki Maeno (Junichi in Amagami SS) taking the role of Atsushi, Marina Inoue (Yoko in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann) taking the role of Iku Kasahara and Haruo Satou (Teillagory in Le Chealier D’Eon) voicing Kazuichi.
Adapting Hiro Arikawa’s light novel into an anime movie is director Takayuki Hamana who has worked on titles as diverse as Jin-Roh: The Wolf Bridgade to Prince of Tennis and Chocolate Underground. Awesome J-Rock act Base Ball Bear are providing the cool theme song.
In near future Japan, the Media Enhancement Law has led to the censoring of all media including books To counter this, the Library Defence Force s created and act as a military task force attached to all libraries. Iku Kasahara is the first woman to join the Library Task Force and we follow her and her squad as they protect books and other artefacts from the Media Enhancement Law commission.
Genkinahito 
“anybody who disagrees is wrong” — are you referring to people who have watched Prometheus or also those who haven’t?
I haven’t watched any Ridley Scott films, wouldn’t be able to sleep afterwards.
Re Eiga Hotaru no Hikari – I watched the doramas, they were okay. Not the worst, but not the best either. I think I got bored by the end but at least the main lead was interesting and not fake perfection as you get in too many dramas. (That said, I find that generally j-dramas are a bit more realistic than k-dramas.) Don’t think I would bother with the film though.
I’m referring to people who have watched Prometheus and are dismissing it. I’m taking to the barricades to defend it because I’ve watched/read/seen too many comments and reviews which are making inaccurate statements – I take notes in movies and I’m a big fan of the Alien franchise so I like to think I know what I’m talking about.
As far as Hotaru goes – I can’t say it grabbed me but I liked it when Hotaru rolled down the steps. Is she an oddball who does that a lot? Is she a genki girl?
I may tend to gravitate towards the mainstream end of the film spectrum, but I’d have missed out on some real gems if the smaller distributors like Artificial Eye weren’t there. Hell, without Tartan Films (I believe it’s Palisades Tartan now?), I would have missed some of the greatest movies I’ve seen so far. No disrespect to Universal, Paramount, or any of those major players (I don’t know what I’d do without them!), but these ‘smaller’ films can be so easily forgotten. You’re right. They deserve the attention.
Having said that… Thank you for Prometheus, Ridley Scott!
Well said, to all that. And yes, it’s Palisades Tartan or something along those lines. Like Manga, as soon as it was taken over by an American company it lost much of its character.