Wild Zero ワイルドゼロ (1999)

Wild Zero    

Wild Zero Film Poster

ワイルドゼロ 「Wairudo Zero」

Release Date: August 08^th, 1999 (Japan)

Running Time: 98 mins.

Director: Tetsuro Takeuchi

Writer: Satoshi Takagi, Tetsuro Takeuchi (Screenplay),

Starring: Guitar Wolf, Drum Wolf, Bass Wolf, Masashi Endo, Kwancharu Shitichai, Haruka Nakajo, Yoshiyuki Morishita,

IMDB

Wild Zero is a film from 1999 which was shot in Thailand (doubling up for Japan) and directed by Tetsuro Takeuchi, a veteran of the music video scene. It’s a B-movie about a young guy discovering the power of rock and love with help from real-life garage rock power trio Guitar Wolf.

While the Women are Sleeping, Artist of Fasting, Chinyuki, The Shell Collector, I’m Not Just Going to Do What Kurosaki-kun Says, Detective Opera Milky Holmes the Movie and other Japanese Film Trailers

Hello dear audience!

Kikujiro Takeshi Kitano Masao Yusuke Sekiguchi

I have been busy this week and about to get busier with preparations for Japan. I may not post next week and there will be a point this year when I may not be posting at all but I’ll try to keep going because there are lots of great Japanese films to write about.

I watched Kikujiro (1999), Appleseed (1988), Darkside Blues (1994) and Vampire Hunter D (1985). I wrote a review for Kikujiro and previewed the Japanese films at next month’s Osaka Asian Film Festival.

What’s released this weekend?

Japanese Films at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2016

Osaka Asian Film Festival 2016 Header

There are a lot of film festivals in Japan and despite this being a Japanese film blog I never report on them (unless you count a few half-hearted attempts at Yubari). Anyway, I want to tackle the Osaka Asian Film Festival because Osaka has become one of the more interesting focal points of Japanese filmmaking with the university producing directors and writers who are creating films like Dressing Up which get great plaudits from film critics. So what about the film festival itself?

The Osaka Asian Film Festival is in its 11^th year and focusses on Asian films. It takes place from March 04^th to 13^th and East Asian territories such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The programme is large and full of many great films (all easily laid out on the website).

Kikujiro 菊次郎の夏 (1999)

Kikujiro

菊次郎の夏「Kikujiro no Natsu」   

Release Date: June 05^th, 1999 (Japan)

UK Release Date: February 22^nd, 2016

UK Distributor: Third Window Films

Running Time: 121 mins.

Director: Takeshi Kitano

Writer: Takeshi Kitano (Screenplay),

Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Yusuke Sekiguchi, Kayoko Kishimoto, Yuko Daike, The Great Gidayu, Rakkyo Ide, Fumie Hosokawa, Beat Kiyoshi,

IMDB

Kikujiro is Takeshi Kitano’s most innocent film. The titular character was inspired by his own father (also named Kikujiro) who was a bit of a chancer, it’s a story of a little boy and his unlikely adult guardian on a summer trip full of friendship and misadventures that make up for some heartbreak.

Koi to Onchi no Houteishiki, Ninja the Monster, Classmates, Oyster Factory, Maiko: Dancing Child, Chimamire sukeban Chainsaw and other Japanese Film Trailers

Happy weekend, readers!

This trailer post is a bit of a rush-job. I spent plenty of time watching films for fun like Michael Clayton (2007) and X the Unknown (1956) and even more time practicing Japanese. This week I posted a review of Yakuza Apocalypse (2015) and a plugged the forthcoming Blu-ray release of Kikujiro.

What’s released in Japan this weekend?

Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War of the Underworld 極道大戦争 (2015)

Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War of the Underworld   

極道大戦争「Goku dou dai sensou」

Yakuza Apocalypse Film Poster

Release Date: June 20^th, 2015 (Japan)

UK Release Date: January 06^th, 2016

UK Distributor: Manga Entertainment

Running Time: 125 mins.

Director: Takashi Miike

Writer: Yoshitaka Yamaguchi (Screenplay),

Starring: Hayato Ichihara, Riko Narumi, Lily Franky, Reiko Takashima, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Sho Aoyagi, Mio Yuki, Pierre Taki, Denden, Yayan Ruhian, Yuki Sakurai,

Website IMDB UK Website

Criminals and vampires are essentially the same thing: parasites. Criminals live off regular people by robbing them much like vampires suck the blood of the innocent to stay alive. This is an analogy exploited to the fullest by Yakuza Apocalypse when a small town comes under assault from yakuza goons, vampires and, yes, yakuza vampires. It’s a hit and miss affair where fantasy and potential fun are hampered by average writing.

Takeshi Kitano Comedy Kikujiro on Blu-ray from February 22nd

Third Window Films are set to release a number of films by legendary director Takeshi Kitano on Blu-ray this year. So far we have had the release of Hana-bi (my review here) and we are going to get a number of others such as Kids Return, A Scene at the Sea, Dolls, and Kikujiro. It’s a phenomenal run of titles and Kikujiro is a very popular film. It’s a family film, a road movie and it will make you laugh and cry and laugh even more. Here’s some info from a press release!

Third Window Films are all set to release Kikujiro on February 22^nd and it’s going to be available on Blu-ray with a new 2K master from Office Kitano.

Kyoto Elegy, Litchi Hikari Club, Children of Iron, Hotel Copain, Selector Destructed Wixoss, Eiga Kentakkun to tetsudou Hakase no Go! Go! 100 no densha Japanese Film Trailers

Happy weekend people!

The Rain Women Film Image

I wrote about the Berlin International Film Festival and its excellent-looking selection of Japanese films. I have only watched one film this week and that was a Fatal Fury anime.

What is released this weekend?

Japanese Films at the Berlin International Film Festival 2016

The Berlin International Film Festival takes place from February 11^th to the 21^st and it features a distinct Anglo-American presence thanks to some high-profile heavyweight Hollywood stars on the screen and gracing the red carpet with the likes of George Clooney and Meryl Streep getting involved from the opening night. There is also a planned tribute to Alan Rickman and David Bowie. While the festival features a mix of mainstream and more socially conscious sights to be seen on screen what we really want to know is…

…what Japanese films are playing at the festival?

Ii nioi no suru eiga, Omote to ura the Final, New Initial D the Movie Legend 3: Mugen, Code Geass: Akito the Exiled 5 (To Beloved Ones), Gekijouban Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam Over the wishes Japanese Film Trailers

Happy weekend… or rather, new week.

Uzumasa Limelight Chihiro Yamamoto and Seizo Fukumoto Train

Sorry, this trailer post’s a bit late because I wanted to let my review of Uzumasa Limelight have a share of the… limelight on the blog. I gave that a 4/5 because I enjoyed it a lot and it can teach viewers a thing or two about the Japanese film industry. I also posted some PR about the film’s theatrical release as part of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme.

I watched a couple of Japanese zombie movies last week like Wild Zero (1999). I also went to the cinema to watch The Revenant and was blown away by the epic scope of the visuals, great acting by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, the great musical score by Ryuichi Sakamoto and the nuanced look at the Native American characters.

What was released last weekend? Lots of stuff.