Su-ki-da 「好きだ,」(2006) Dir: Hiroshi Ishikawa (4/5)

I recently landed a role as contributor to V-Cinema and I have reviewed a number of films for the website. I have been something of a fan and enjoyed listening to their podcasts when they have covered Japanese cinema so I’m pretty excited to be a part of the team and helping to highlight Japanese cinema. Writing reviews is something I enjoy doing and I hope people enjoy reading my reviews!

My second review for V-cinema was for the film Su-ki-da which is the second film from Hiroshi Ishikawa. It’s an improvement on the first film and has a great performance from Aoi Miyazaki. Ishikawa makes a slightly more conventional film in the shape of a romance but with Ishikawa’s long game way of storytelling. I’m going to write about all three of Ishikawa’s films. This is just a snippet of the review with images and links to a little research. The full review can be found through a link at the bottom just before a bunch of images:

Tokyo.Sora 「Tokyo.Sora」(2002) Dir: Hiroshi Ishikawa (3.5/5)

I recently landed a role as contributor to V-Cinema and I have reviewed a number of films for the website. I have been something of a fan and enjoyed listening to their podcasts when they have covered Japanese cinema so I’m pretty excited to be a part of the team and helping to highlight Japanese cinema. Writing reviews is something I enjoy doing and I hope people enjoy reading my reviews!

My first review for V-Cinema is of Tokyo.Sora, a film from Hiroshi Ishihara. He has three films under his belt and this is his debut. This is just a snippet of the review with images and links to a little research. The full review can be found through a link at the bottom:

Tokyo.Sora   

Tokyo Sora Film Poster

Tokyo.Sora「Tokyo.Sora」

Release Date: October 29^th, 2002

Running Time: 127 mins.

Director: Hiroshi Ishikawa

Writer: Hiroshi Ishikawa

Starring: Yuka Itaya, Haruka Igawa, Manami Honjou, Ayano Nakamura, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Sun Cheng-Hwa, Keishi Nagatsuka,

IMDB

Hiroshi Ishikawa has had a long career in filmmaking but only has a few features films to his name. His work as a TV commercial and music video director stands in stark contrast to the slow moving dramas he writes and directs where not a lot is said out loud and the audience is expected to tease out just what is going on from the accretion of detail in slow-paced films. From this, his debut, to his more current film, the world of his characters inhabit is a very lonely place.

Berserk: Golden Age Arc III: Advent ベルセルク黄金時代篇III:降臨 (2013)

Berserk: Golden Age Arc III: Advent                       

ベルセルク　黄金時代篇III:降臨　 「Beruseruku Ogon Jidai-Hen III: Kourin」

Release Date: February 01^st 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 112 mins

Director: Toshiyuki Kubooka

Writer: Ichiro Okouchi (script), Kentaro Miura (original manga)

Starring: Hiroaki Iwanaga (Guts), Takahiro Sakurai (Griffith), Toa Yukinaru (Casca), Aki Toyosaki (Charlotte), Kenta Miyake (Nosferatu Zodd), Takahiro Fujiwara (Pippin)

Studio: Studio 4°C

Website   ANN   MAL

There are three entries in the Berserk Golden Age Arc and this review follows on from one I wrote in 2012 after watching Berserk: Golden Age Arc I: The Egg of the King at a cinema. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD alongside the second film, Berserk Golden Age Arc II: The Battle for Doldrey, and third film, Berserk Golden Age Arc III: Advent.

This trilogy of films adapts Kentaro Miura’s on-going manga which has reached 38 volumes at the time of this review. It has already been adapted into a twenty-five episode TV anime in 1997/98 and a new series is going to air in the summer. With this film…

The Golden Age arc is coming to an end.

Berserk Golden Age Arc II: The Battle for Doldrey ベルセルク黄金時代篇 IIドルドレイ攻略 (2012)

Berserk Golden Age Arc II: The Battle for Doldrey   

ベルセルク　黄金時代篇 II　ドルドレイ攻略  「Beruseruku Ogon Jidai-Hen II: Doldrey Koryaku」

Release Date: June 23^rd, 2012

Running Time: 93 mins.

Director: Toshiyuki Kubooka

Writer: Ichiro Okouchi (script), Kentaro Miura (original manga)

Starring: Hiroaki Iwanaga (Guts), Takahiro Sakurai (Griffith), Toa Yukinaru (Casca), Aki Toyosaki (Charlotte), Kenta Miyake (Nosferatu Zodd), Takahiro Fujiwara (Pippin)

Studio: Studio 4°C

Website   ANN   MAL

There are three entries in the Berserk Golden Age Arc and this review follows on from one I wrote in 2012 after watching Berserk: Golden Age Arc I: The Egg of the King at a cinema.

This trilogy of films adapts Kentaro Miura’s on-going manga which has reached 38 volumes at the time of this review. It has already been adapted into a twenty-five episode TV anime in 1997/98 and a new series is going to air in the summer. The three films adapt around twelve volumes of the manga and cover the same ground as the TV anime. A quick flashback at the beginning of the second film sets the scene but it’s best to watch the opener so you can figure out what is going on and who each character is. Essentially…

Japan Cuts 2016 Preview

Japan Cuts 2016 takes place from July 14th to the 24th and there are lots of familiar titles, many of which I’ll put as shorter entries to save space. However you cut it the line-up is really good with a diverse mixture of genres and stories. The guestlist is absolutely fantastic with the likes of Lily Franky, Atsuko Maeda, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Sion Sono, and so many more talented filmmakers descending upon the festival! Here’s hoping Adam Torel of Third Window Films gets to attend the festival to introduce three films he has helped come into being. There’s also Japan Cuts Microcinema which sees some of the best short films from the last ten years played throughout the festival. Each film lasts around 30 minutes and people can jump in and watch whichever title takes their fancy between films. There’s also an interesting talk which analyses the Japanese film industry and how films get made.

What is on the programme, then? This is a quick preview but there’s a lot. I’ll break it down into sections and you can view trailers and more details for each on the films by clicking on the links:

Natsumi’s Firefly, Eternal Maria, 64: Part 2, Sabuibo Mask, Shiratori Reiko de Gozaimasu! the Movie, Lost Serenade, Moratorium Cut-up, Shiranai Machi, Sato ni kitara eeyan, SING LIKE TALKING LIVE MOVIE Strings of the night Japanese Film Trailers

Hello dear readers!

I did say I would take a break but I had a spare hour and started writing previews and thought, ‘why stop now? I did say I would try and keep the previews going…’ My serious studying starts next week (honest), I have one or two more festival films to review and possibly a DVD and Blu-Ray. I rushed this post so apologies.

What did I post this week? A preview of the Japanese films at the New York Asian Film Festival and the next film to be screened at the Japanese Embassy in London which is Summer Every Day.

What’s released this weekend?

Japanese Films at the New York Asian Film Festival 2016

The 2016 New York Asian Film Festival takes place from June 22^nd to July 09^th and it is the 15^th edition of the event. This year’s run features art-house and mainstream films, crime and romance, and a healthy stock of Japanese titles with guests jetting in from Japan! I’ll be reviewing a couple of these so stay tuned.

What’s on the programme?

The Japanese Embassy in London to Screen “Summer Holiday Everyday” on June 21st

Summer Holiday Everyday is the next film to get screened at the Japanese embassy in London and it’s a gentle comedy that looks at middle-class mores and social order when a seemingly respectable family fall apart. It is adapted from a comic book written by Yumiko Oshima, one of Japan’s best comic artists for girls and the story involves subjects like school bullying and corporate conformism. The director, Shusuke Kaneko, has worked across genres and I am most familiar with him from his work on Necronomicon: Book of Dead (segment “part #2: The Cold”) and the Death Note films. It looks like a gentler version of Tokyo Sonata or Wild Berries.

Here are more details on the film:

Evergreen Love, The Kodai Family, Detective Mitarai’s Casebook: The Clockwork Current, A Rain Woman, FAKE, Danchi, Ninkyo Yaro, Tokyo Sunrise and other Japanese Film Trailers

Hello dear readers!

Right, down to business. I’ll be taking a bit of a break from the blog because I am about to embark upon a teaching course. I have film reviews stacked up but the trailer posts might thin out since they take up time and I want to spend as much time as possible studying. I’ll try and keep them going but I need to hit the books. I hope everything works out. There are film festival screeners possibly winging their way to me over the next month or so and I have a couple of film festival posts to write and publish amidst the reviews but I will go dark for some time. I will respond if you comment on a post because I really do appreciate everyone who reads my writing. Thank you to all my regular commenters. I hope to see you guys soon!

I also want to wish Adam Torel, owner of Third Window Films, a speedy recovery. He’s a great guy and brings life to the Asian film scene in the West.

What did I post this week? A review for the wonderful film Our Little Sister (2015).

What’s released this weekend?