Over the past month, a number of indie films have been played at Theatre Shinjuku. I have placed them in various trailer posts and have now rounded them up into this one because they all look interesting and will hopefully turn up at other festivals. They are part of the Tanabe Benkei Film Festival 2019 screenings where notable titles have been selected for more screenings and there are two films left for screening and they are the first two in this post:
Month: July 2019
Tourism, Tokyo Higata, Crab Planet, Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution, Karappo tokubetsu zoho-ban, Caniba, Okazu-kun in the Ad Agency’s Men’s Dorm: The Movie, 17-year-old Cinderella Tokyo Boys Collection Episode 2, Kofuku no Me, Shianosu Japanese Film Trailers
Happy weekend, people!
I hope we are all good!
I have reached the end of another 12-day work run and I’m finally catching up on my rest. In that time, I am watching Japanese films!
My review for Lying to Mom (2018) was published over at V-Cinema which wraps up my coverage of the New York Asian Film Festival there, however, it continues on this blog. I posted reviews for the Sabu film Jam (2018) and the Japanese drama 5 Million Dollar Life (2019). Expect more film reviews soon as I catch up with other titles.
What is released this weekend?
5 Million Dollar Life 五億円のじんせい Dir: Moon Sung-Ho [New York Asian Film Festival 2019]
五億円のじんせい 「Gooku Yen no Jinsei」
Release Date: July 20th, 2019
Duration: 112 mins.
Director: Moon Sung-Ho
Writer: Naomi Hiruta (Screenplay),
Starring: Ayumu Mochizuki, Anna Yamada, Ryu Morioka, Satoru Matsuo, Sumire Ashina, Junko Emoto, Naomi Nishida, Taro Suwa,
Moon Sung-Ho was first mentioned on this blog in 2014 with his NDJC film Michizure. Originally from Hiroshima, after graduating from high school, he studied film-making in South Korea and then returned to Japan to shoot commercials and short films according to the NYAFF biography. This is his debut feature based on an original screenplay by veteran writer Naomi Hiruta and it has a weird energy thanks to its dark heart, a story so concerned with death and exploitation, and a light delivery in terms of direction and the script/actor’s as well the sunny daytime action.
jam Dir: Sabu (2018) [New York Asian Film Festival 2019]
Release Date: December 01st, 2018
Duration: 102 mins.
Director: SABU
Writer: SABU (Screenplay),
Starring: Sho Aoyagi, Keita Machida, Nobuyuki Suzuki, Shintaro Akiyama, Mariko Tsutsui, Yuta Ozawa, Kanta Sato,
Sabu’s films frequently feature hapless heroes thrown into dangerous circumstances where they are subject to spates of seemingly random encounters, weird coincidences and serendipitous occurrences that all eventually fit together like a jigsaw to reveal smartly constructed narratives that seem free-form but actually tease the idea of fate guiding everything. Jam (2018) features this, however, unlike Sabu’s earlier titles like Dangan Runner (1996) and Postman Blues (1997) which are high tension bounce-about thrillers complete with adrenaline fuelled chases, this one follows the trend of his latest works like Mr Long (2017) and Miss Zombie (2013) by being more contemplative and downbeat. Jam still has time for an awesome chase.
Continue reading “jam Dir: Sabu (2018) [New York Asian Film Festival 2019]”
Itsu no ma ni ka, koko ni iru Documentary of Nogizaka 46, Gekijouban Free! Road to the World Yume, Despair of the Monster, GOZEN junren no ken, Saitan kyori wa mawarikudokute, Fukansho ni natte iku korekara no bokura ni tsuite, Mongol800 Message, Diner, Strawberry Song, Amber Light, Me Singing, Me Fall in Love, Entoko no uta netakiri kajin endou shigeru, Overtime Kawasaki Brave Thunders 2018-19 Season Official Documentary Film, Brave Boxer Hikari Kankei, Hentai Metamorphose Woman Woman Woman Japanese Film Trailers
Happy weekend, everyone.
I hope you are all well.
I am writing that at 2:20 on Saturday morning because I have woken up super-early. I think it was drinking at a friend’s leaving party. I have chocolate, a slight headache and writing to keep me company in the dark.
Three out of four of my reviews for the New York Asian Film Festival have gone live over at VCinema – Samurai Marathon, Mr. Long, The Fable – and there’s one more to go. I’ll be reviewing more from the fest over the next couple of months on this blog. I’ll also be reviewing titles from Japan Cuts so please stay tuned for that. For this blog I posted about the Dreaming Korea Animation Festival and the Japan Foundation UK’s screenings of live-action films at the British Museum and the Japanese films at the Fantasia International Film Festival.
What is released this weekend? Lots. The best-looking titles for me are Fukansho ni natte iku korekara no bokura ni tsuite, Me Singing, Me Fall in Love because I like indie films and they look the most interesting. How about you?
Japan Foundation’s Film Screenings: “Summer Explorers!” 2019
The Japan Foundation and British Library are working together to put on a series of film screenings for Japan Foundation’s annual Summer Explorers season in London. I posted about the fantastic line-up for Pre-Summer Explorers! last month and now audiences can enjoy another series of over the top, offbeat narratives featuring psychic shenanigans and epic high school politics in a collection called:
Summer Explorers 2019 : Manga Comes To Life – Live Action Japanese Film Based on Manga
These films are taken from manga and brought to life in highly cinematic ways – apart from Setoutsumi which looks like one extended conversation but I have been informed that it is absolutely hilarious.
Presented and Curated by the Japan Foundation, in collaboration with the British Library (website for the event), here are the location and date details:
Date: 27 July 2019 – 28 July 2019
Venue: British Library, Knowledge Centre Theatre, 96 Euston Road, St Pancras, London NW1
The cost to view the films is around £8.
Here are the films:
Continue reading “Japan Foundation’s Film Screenings: “Summer Explorers!” 2019″
Japanese Films at the Fantasia International Film Festival 2019 (July 12th – August 02nd)
The Fantasia International Film Festival starts in Montreal next week on July 11th and runs until August 01st. As with last year, the selection of Japanese films is great with titles with many titles that have graced screens at fests like the New York Asian Film Festival and Annecy (and soon, Japan Cuts) appearing here in one place. The animation selection is incredible and there are some choice live-action titles to get behind.
This is the 23rd edition of the festival and it has become a focal point for filmmakers, festival programmers, journalists, and audiences eager to see a diverse slate of films before they hit DVD or the internet and cinema screens. There are recent releases and ones that won’t get released in Japan until next year. There is also the chance to take part in film culture and meet film-makers and fellow film fans. There are lots of guests and great experiences to be had and a chance to get involved with dictating which films get the hype behind them, so please choose Japanese, and try some of the titles listed here. All information has been compiled from IMDB, this festival’s site and other festival sites.
So what’s lined up? Click on the titles to be taken through to the festival page for each film.
Genkinahito 