This week I closed my Korean movie season with a review of The Man from Nowhere and 
then posted trailers for Rurouni Kenshin and the latest Nanoha movie. Next week will see another Sion Sono Season complete with podcasts and reviews. More details on Monday. Oh, and the Kino no Tabi simulwatch has come to an end and I realised that the anime is even better than I remember. Cue picture.
What’s does the Japanese movie box-office chart look like this week?
- Snow White and the Huntsman
- Hotaru: It’s Only a Little Light in my Life
- Men in Black III
- Thermae Romae
- Go, Masao!
The only change in the top five is last week’s newest entry sneaking in at five. Thermae Romae continues to hang in there for the ninth week in a row while the latest Berserk film enters at nine. This Berserk film focusses on the epic battle to capture Doldrey castle and it is a pretty gripping part of the story.
What’s released in Japan today?
Seesaw 
Romaji: Shi-So-
Japanese Title: シーソー
Release Date: 23rd June 2012 (Japan)
Running Time: 70 mins.
Director: Keihiro Kanyama
Writer: Keihiro Kanyama
Starring: Maki Murakami, Keihiro Kanyama, SoRA, Keigo Oka
This indie feature, which has been doing the rounds on the international festival circuit since 2010, finally gets a Japanese theatrical release.
Makoto (Murakami) is a Japanese teacher who lives with Shinji (Kanyama). When Shinji’s friend gets married, he starts to think maybe he should take the plunge. This does not impress Makoto who regards Shinji as naïve for wanting to get married because she thinks marriage changes nothing. But her feelings are about to change because she might be pregnant.
The Brat! 
Romaji: Kusogaki no Kokuhaku
Japanese Title: くそガキ の 告白
Release Date: 30th June 2012 (Japan)
Running Time: 94 mins.
Director: Taichi Suzuki
Writer: Taichi Suzuki
Starring: Hiroki Konno, Sayaka Tashiro, Haruka Nakagawa, Masato Tsujioka, Rika Imai, Hiroshi Kitayama, Kenichi Takahashi, Tomiko Ishii
I rarely comment on posters but I really dislike this one. I would avoid this film based on the poster alone. That would be a mistake because the plot actually sounds interesting. This is Taichi Suzuki’s debut and it appeared at this year’s Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival where it won three awards including the Special Jury Prize. It stars Hiroki Konno (Crows Zero), Haruka Nakagawa of the idol group AKB48, and Tomoko Ishii (Shall We Dance?).
Daisuke Bamba (Konno) is thirty-two and wants to be a director but he has no idea about what he wants to shoot and he has a complex about his physical traits. Momoko Kinoshita (Tashiro) has always wanted to be an actress since she was a school student. Since then she has been an extra in movies. The two will meet on a film set and change the course of their lives.
Rinjo: Gekijoban (The Last Answer) 
Romaji: Rinjo: Gekijoban
Japanese Title: 臨場：劇場版
Release Date: 30th June 2012 (Japan)
Running Time: 129 mins.
Director: Hajime Hashimoto
Writer: Hideo Yokoyama
Starring: Masaaki Uchino, Masanobu Takashima, Yuki Matsushita, Toru Masuoka, Dai Watanabe, Tasuku Emoto, Yasunori Dandam, Kyozo Nagatsuka
A movie adaptation of a Japanese murder mystery series inspired by Hideo Yokoyama’s novel series, Masaaki Uchino (Thirteen Assassins) takes the lead as a police coroner Yoshio Kuraishi. He is supported by many actors from the two Rinjo TV series Masanobu Takashima (Infection), Dai Watanabe (Crows Zero, Higanjima), and Yuki Matsushita (Beck).
Yoshio Kuraishi (Uchino) is a police coroner who lost his wife to a crazed murderer. He sees his mission in life as finding justice for the dead and understanding their pain. In this film he has to investigate the closely spaced murders of a psychiatrist and a lawyer who helped a mass murderer (Emoto) escape the death penalty. Is it a case of a relative of a victim seeking revenge or something more?
Genkinahito 
Looking forward – a lot – to your Sion Sono season. Love Exposure is still sitting in my to-watch pile…
「シーソー」…. been wanting to see that! Had it on a Trailer Weekly a while back. Do you know if it screened at any film festivals in the UK? I have a feeling it’s going to be hard to get chance to see that – whether in the cinema or on DVD.
I’m looking forward to more Sono as well!
When I was researching シーソー I came across a review from last year’s Bradford International Film Festival where it was screened: http://itpworld.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/biff-2011-7-seesaw-japan-2010/
I’m a baaakaaa actually… I went back to the <a href="http://alualuna.wordpress.com/2012/04/29/trailer-weekly-31/"Trailer Weekly, and lo and behold, though I first came across it on bizasia.com (it seems), I referred to the Bradford FF in the post as well. Plus that the film is crowdsourcing funding for independent distribution.
oops, sorry messed up that link (*perfectionist self is bashing head against the wall*)
Baka, you are not. Hats off to you for using html in a comment. I’ll search for your post the old fashioned way.
Hi Jason
I agree with you about that poster for The Brat – it would definitely put me off. See Saw on the other hand would completely draw me in and I must admit I like the look of The Last Answer – I like the actor out of 13 Assassins.
Lynn 😀
I haven’t seen the TV series The Last Answer based on but it would interesting to see this since it looks like CSI Tokyo.
The Brat! is the sort of film that’ll be shown at Raindance…..in fact I’d love to put a bet on it being shown.
When I did my round-up of the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival earlier this year I pretty much ignored it but this looks pretty good. Good enough to travel the festival circuits. Kind of like Cut
I can see this, Fish on Land, Tokyo Playboy Club, Hard Romanticker and Ringing in their Ears all being shown at Raindance this year……admittedly this has started to turn into a bit of a wish list.
I see Outrage Beyond being shown at London Film Festival (they love Kitano)
I see River being shown at either of these and hopefully I’m Flash! is at one of these too.
Oh I can see The Drudgery Train aka Kueki Ressha at the London Film Festival too! Nobuhiro Yamashita is another director who frequently makes appearances at LFF.
I’m going to stop now otherwise I know I’ll be really disappointed when titles get announced for these festivals.
I keep forgetting about Raindance London. I assume they play a lot of Asian films then… Yes, you’d better stop naming titles before I get jealous and decide to move to London 😛
Tokyo Playboy Club is the one I find most interesting although I’d be interested to see how Fumi Nikaido is doing post-Himizu in Ringing in their Ears. Hard Romanticker also looks intriguing. River was at Nippon Connection so I guess it will hit London on its festival run. I like Kitano’s early Yakuza films a lot but I have yet to see anything post Zatoichi. I’m going to get his film Getting Any? tomorrow.
Speaking of Nobuhiro Yamashita
Raindance normally has a Japanese strand every year (around 6-10 films?). I think it’s one of the best London festivals because it’s really dedicated to screening those non-mainstream productions and always has a great selection on offer. So I think there’s a good chance of getting some those films on our wish list, as Eliot Grove (Raindance founder) has a definite interest in what’s happening in Japanese cinema. With the BFI, well, we’ll get something but probably mostly the big names (directors) and maybe one or two riskier choices (like the Korean Jooltak Dongshi/Stateless Things last year).
You should just take a vacay and visit London for some days for Raindance.
I never really paid attention to Raindance until last year and even then it was a curosry glance. I could take a two week holiday and gorge myself on Japanese films at both the BFI and Raindance 😉
You should volunteer at Raindance – you’ll get free entry to films. I have volunteered as an usher in the past and am writing some catalogue entries for them this year. I’ll get to see everything I want in a very affordable way! I haven’t tried volunteering for the BFI, that’s probably harder to get into.
The London Korean Film Festival is around that time too (last year there was an overlap). You could gorge yourself silly on films really!
LINDA LINDA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love that movie…………gotta watch it now.
Nobuhiro Yamashita is truly great, I wasn’t the biggest fan of My Back Page (thought it was overly long) but aside from that I’ve enjoyed pretty much everything he’s done. I’m very much looking forward to The Drudgery Train, especially as it has Mirai Moriyama in it who I find fun to watch plus I think Yamashita and Moriyama will make a good combo.
Outrage is worth checking out, gotta be clear headed when you watch it though as you can easily get lost. I’m going to watch Glory to the Filmmaker again as I’ve watched a ton more movies since then so will probably enjoy the movie within movie elements more.
I picked up Outrage as well as Getting Any?. I’m bracing myself for a weekend of extreme comedy and violence.