Kazuchika Kise is one of the best-known and acclaimed anime character designers in history. Best known for his work on the Ghost in the Shell series, he has also worked on the xxxHolic and Blood series, and is currently the principal character designer for the popular fantasy series Made in Abyss.
Recently, the acclaimed designer gave an interview for the official Ghost in the Shell website, in which he talked about his projects, about the struggles of character designers in the modern anime market, as well as his opinions on the current state of the anime market. We are bringing you the best pieces of the interview here on Anime Horizon. You can check out the full three-part interview here.
The first part of the interview discussed Ghost in the Shell and Kise’s own preferences. Here, he revealed that drawing Ghost in the Shell was quite challenging and that...
Recently, the acclaimed designer gave an interview for the official Ghost in the Shell website, in which he talked about his projects, about the struggles of character designers in the modern anime market, as well as his opinions on the current state of the anime market. We are bringing you the best pieces of the interview here on Anime Horizon. You can check out the full three-part interview here.
The first part of the interview discussed Ghost in the Shell and Kise’s own preferences. Here, he revealed that drawing Ghost in the Shell was quite challenging and that...
- 4/5/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
Mamoru Oshii has solidified himself from one acclaimed anime film to another. “Ghost in the Shell” is hailed as a masterpiece of cyberpunk storytelling, and “Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer” is highlighted for its hilarious comedy. Oshii has a lot of range as a visionary that transcends beyond animation, as he has done live-action features as well. One of his most personal projects is the franchise known as the “Kerberos Saga,” a gritty alternate history political thriller. Various forms of media, from radio dramas to comic books, have painted a picture of the gloomy society presented in this horrifying rendition of alternate history. When it comes to cinema, the most popular entry is Hiroyuki Okiura’s anime movie “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade,” which, which Oshii wrote. Yet, the saga’s first depiction on film would be in Oshii’s surreal and marvelous gem, “The Red Spectacles.”
“The...
“The...
- 10/2/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
While the way animation was regarded by critics and audience had certainly shifted thanks to the release of Katsuhiro Otomo’s “Akira” (1988) and Mamoru Oshii’s “Ghost in the Shell” (1995), it wasn’t until the late 1990s that the paradigm shifted and anime with more adult-oriented themes were considered more seriously. One of the main reasons for this shift is the creative output during those years which, like in the years before, proved the great variety and imagination within the directors and animators of the time, who, besides exploring genres such as science-fiction and drama, also made intriguing remarks on their home country, its society and its politics. One such example has to be Hiroyuki Okiura’s “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade”, based on Mamoru Oshii’s manga “Kerberos Panzer Cop”. Even twenty years after its release, its image of an authoritarian Japan, and how a repressive system turns people against each other,...
- 9/27/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
by Robert Edwards
Mamoru Oshii is most famous, arguably, for creating “Ghost in the Shell”. A cyberpunk classic that helped bring anime to a global audience. His work is profound and philosophical, often challenging the audience with complex themes and ideas. As well as “Ghost in the Shell”, Oshii is famous for a wide range of anime works, films like, “Angels Egg”, “Patlabor: The Movie”, and “The Sky Crawlers”. What often gets overlooked by fans is his live-action pieces, especially his Kerberos saga films. These were filmic adaptations of his “Kerberos Panzer Cop” manga (also known as “Hellhounds Legend”) which ran from 1988 to 2000. The series had two other film entries, “The Red Spectacles” and “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade”, the latter directed by Hiroyuki Okiura, not Oshii, and the only anime adaptation in the trilogy.
“Stray Dog: Kerberos Panzer Cops” is the second film and prequel to the series.
Mamoru Oshii is most famous, arguably, for creating “Ghost in the Shell”. A cyberpunk classic that helped bring anime to a global audience. His work is profound and philosophical, often challenging the audience with complex themes and ideas. As well as “Ghost in the Shell”, Oshii is famous for a wide range of anime works, films like, “Angels Egg”, “Patlabor: The Movie”, and “The Sky Crawlers”. What often gets overlooked by fans is his live-action pieces, especially his Kerberos saga films. These were filmic adaptations of his “Kerberos Panzer Cop” manga (also known as “Hellhounds Legend”) which ran from 1988 to 2000. The series had two other film entries, “The Red Spectacles” and “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade”, the latter directed by Hiroyuki Okiura, not Oshii, and the only anime adaptation in the trilogy.
“Stray Dog: Kerberos Panzer Cops” is the second film and prequel to the series.
- 5/12/2020
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Illang: The Wolf Brigade
Stars: Woo-sung Jung, Dong-won Gang, Hyo-Joo Han, Ye-ri Han, Minho Choi, Jun-ho Heo, Jin-ho Choi, Moo Yul Kim, Eun-soo Shin, Chul-Hyung Im, Hong-In | Written by Kim Jee-Woon, Jun Chul-Hong, Lee Ji-Min | Directed by Kim Jee-Woon
In the year 2029, South and North Korea agree to set up a unified government. They have prepared for the unification for the past 5 years. Meanwhile, demonstrators, supporting and opposing the unification, become more fierce. A terror organization known as Sect” appears. They are against unification. A special police force is formed in response, while a powerful government intelligence agency is also against unification.
Illang: The Wolf Brigade, directed by Kim Jee-woon and based on the 1999 anime Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade which was directed by Hiroyuki Okiura and written by Mamoru Oshii, has so much potential at its fingertips but loses it all in a meandering tale of social malevolence and melodrama...
Stars: Woo-sung Jung, Dong-won Gang, Hyo-Joo Han, Ye-ri Han, Minho Choi, Jun-ho Heo, Jin-ho Choi, Moo Yul Kim, Eun-soo Shin, Chul-Hyung Im, Hong-In | Written by Kim Jee-Woon, Jun Chul-Hong, Lee Ji-Min | Directed by Kim Jee-Woon
In the year 2029, South and North Korea agree to set up a unified government. They have prepared for the unification for the past 5 years. Meanwhile, demonstrators, supporting and opposing the unification, become more fierce. A terror organization known as Sect” appears. They are against unification. A special police force is formed in response, while a powerful government intelligence agency is also against unification.
Illang: The Wolf Brigade, directed by Kim Jee-woon and based on the 1999 anime Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade which was directed by Hiroyuki Okiura and written by Mamoru Oshii, has so much potential at its fingertips but loses it all in a meandering tale of social malevolence and melodrama...
- 8/2/2019
- by Jak-Luke Sharp
- Nerdly
Let me start on some personal notes. The original “Wolf Brigade” by Mamoru Oshii and Hiroyuki Okiura is one of my favorite anime of all time, one of the very few that can match “Ghost in the Shell” in the sociopolitical, philosophical comments with intense action combination. Furthermore, I felt that Kim Jee-woon is probably one of the most fitting directors for the task of adapting it as a live-action film, although the involvement of American companies (Warner Bros and Netflix) in the production and the adaptation to a Korean setting, did not leave me with much hope for a film that would match the quality of the original. The result was somewhere in the middle, since “Illang” is not “The Last Stand” but is definitely not “Jin-Roh” neither “I Saw the Devil.” Let us take things from the beginning though.
The intro of the film sets the background of the story.
The intro of the film sets the background of the story.
- 10/26/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
South Korean director Kim Jee-woon has finally completed the live-action/remake based on Mamoru Oshii’s manga series, “Kerberos Panzer Cop” which has already had two live-action adaptations (“The Red Spectacles” in 1987 and “StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops” in 1991), and one anime adaptation (Hiroyuki Okiura’s “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade” in 1999).
His new film is called “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade” aka “In-rang” and Warner Bros. has just released a new trailer for it.
Synopsis
In the year 2029 a special police unit has been created to maintain the order between South and North Korea while the two countries are about to create a unified government after 5 years of negotiations. Protests and demonstrations, pro and anti the new government, become fierce and the titular special force will have to confront the terrorist group known as The Sect, opposing the unification.
Starring Gang Dong-Won, Han Hyo-Joo, Kim Moo-Yul, and Han Ye-Ri, it’s due...
His new film is called “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade” aka “In-rang” and Warner Bros. has just released a new trailer for it.
Synopsis
In the year 2029 a special police unit has been created to maintain the order between South and North Korea while the two countries are about to create a unified government after 5 years of negotiations. Protests and demonstrations, pro and anti the new government, become fierce and the titular special force will have to confront the terrorist group known as The Sect, opposing the unification.
Starring Gang Dong-Won, Han Hyo-Joo, Kim Moo-Yul, and Han Ye-Ri, it’s due...
- 6/15/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Guys! Jee-Woon Kim, the Korean director of I Saw the Devil, and The Good the Bad and the Weird has a new live-action of adaptation of of Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. I don't know if it's a remake of Hiroyuki Okiura's 1999 anime or more faithful to the manga but with Kim in the director's chair it should be pretty good.
A couple posters have emerged for the film which comes out July in South Korea. check them out below.
Synopsis:
Set in the distant future where both North and South Koreas agree to establish a joint government, which has been in preparation for a du...
A couple posters have emerged for the film which comes out July in South Korea. check them out below.
Synopsis:
Set in the distant future where both North and South Koreas agree to establish a joint government, which has been in preparation for a du...
- 5/28/2018
- QuietEarth.us
To say that we're fans of Okiura Hiroyuki is an understatement, to say we wish he'd make more films even more so. While his hands have been all over some of anime's best known classics, and his career includes working with Oshii Mamoru and the late, lamented Kon Satoshi, he himself has only directed two films so far: 1999's sublime Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade and the more recent (2011) A Letter To Momo. And while these films have both been released West of the Atlantic on Blu-ray, here in Europe we've had to wait a good deal longer to see these appear in English-friendly editions. Jin-roh could at least be gotten on DVD, but A Letter To Momo was conspicuously missing. Scottish distributor Anime Limited...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 5/23/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Okiura Hiroyuki's A Letter To Momo is a fine piece of anime, released in 2012 in its home country of Japan, and the Sitges festival had it even earlier. But despite critical and general acclaim, it had so far not seen a release in the UK, meaning Europe was aching for an English-friendly edition. Scottish distributor Anime Limited has now remedied that with a fine release, one which includes the DVD, the Blu-ray, a nice booklet and some fancy packaging. I reviewed the film itself four years ago (you can read that here), and I will review this release as well shortly. But for now, here is a gallery, showing what the film looks like. For even though Anime Limited didn't give it a giant-sized...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 5/22/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Nishikubo Mizuho's animated feature film Giovanni's Island won the Excellence Prize in the Animated Films Category of the 38th annual Japan Academy Prizes. This prize now nominates it for the Grand Prize in the same category. Winners will be announced by the Japan Academy Prize Association on February 27th. In the past years, Mamoru Oshii's "The Sky Crawlers" (32nd edition) , Shinsuke Sato's "Oblivion Island" (33rd edition) and Hiroyuki Okiura's "A Letter to Momo" (36th edition) received the Excellence Prize."Giovanni's Island" screened in the official selection of several prestigious film festivals around the world, including the 36th Moscow International Film Festival, the 58th London Film Festival and the 36th Cairo International Film Festival. It was invited as closing film at the 4th Sakhalin International Film Festival, held...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 1/14/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Hiroyuki Okiura's beautiful hand-drawn anime A Letter to Momo puts a slightly more mature spin on the themes of Hayao Miyazaki's beloved My Neighbor Totoro, both being tales of young girls relocated to the country during parental traumas, and who discover supernatural forces that help them come to terms with their grief. Eleven year-old Momo (Karen Miyama) is obsessed with a letter her father started writing before he died at sea – he set down nothing more than the words "Dear Momo." She's also haunted by the fact that her own last words to him were spoken in anger. Meanwhile, Momo's mother Ikuko (Yuka) moves them to a small island, where the easily-spooked Momo discovers three mischief-making goblins that only she can see. Being grotesques...
- 7/23/2014
- Village Voice
I took the wife and kids to two of the Free events last weekend and we had a blast!
Cinema St. Louis’ Sliff/Kids, the First Annual St. Louis International Children’s Film Festival presented by Pnc Arts Alive continues this weekend.
Here are the Sliff/Kids Venues for the last weekend of the fest:
• Ronnies 20 Cine: 5320 S. Lindbergh Blvd. Attendees should go to the box office when they arrive at the theater to obtain complimentary tickets. • St. Louis Public Library’s Central Library Auditorium (screenings) and Creative Experience (camps): 1301 Olive St. downtown. • Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium: Forsyth Boulevard and Chaplin Drive (two blocks west of Skinker Boulevard). Parking is available in the lots between Skinker Boulevard and Chaplin Drive; no permits are required. And here is the line-up for the films show at Sliff/Kids this weekend. Did we mention that everything is Free??!!
Michael Sporn...
Cinema St. Louis’ Sliff/Kids, the First Annual St. Louis International Children’s Film Festival presented by Pnc Arts Alive continues this weekend.
Here are the Sliff/Kids Venues for the last weekend of the fest:
• Ronnies 20 Cine: 5320 S. Lindbergh Blvd. Attendees should go to the box office when they arrive at the theater to obtain complimentary tickets. • St. Louis Public Library’s Central Library Auditorium (screenings) and Creative Experience (camps): 1301 Olive St. downtown. • Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium: Forsyth Boulevard and Chaplin Drive (two blocks west of Skinker Boulevard). Parking is available in the lots between Skinker Boulevard and Chaplin Drive; no permits are required. And here is the line-up for the films show at Sliff/Kids this weekend. Did we mention that everything is Free??!!
Michael Sporn...
- 8/2/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Sliff/Kids opens tonight! I’m planning on attending tonight’s show and tomorrow night’s as well. This should be a great, Free, event and hopefully will turn into an annual fest.
Did we mention everything is free!!!
Cinema St. Louis introduces Sliff/Kids, the First Annual St. Louis International Children’s Film Festival, presented by Pnc Arts Alive. With a half-dozen presenting partners, Csl will offer film programs, camps, and a workshop as part of Sliff/Kids, which is held from July 26-Aug. 4, 2013. A total of 14 film programs will be screened on the fest’s two weekends (July 26-28 and Aug. 2-4) at Webster University, the St. Louis Public Library, the Missouri History Museum, Washington University, Lindenwood University, and the Wildey Theatre. With the participation of both Lindenwood and Webster universities, filmmaking camps on live action and animation will be held at the St. Louis Public Library’s...
Did we mention everything is free!!!
Cinema St. Louis introduces Sliff/Kids, the First Annual St. Louis International Children’s Film Festival, presented by Pnc Arts Alive. With a half-dozen presenting partners, Csl will offer film programs, camps, and a workshop as part of Sliff/Kids, which is held from July 26-Aug. 4, 2013. A total of 14 film programs will be screened on the fest’s two weekends (July 26-28 and Aug. 2-4) at Webster University, the St. Louis Public Library, the Missouri History Museum, Washington University, Lindenwood University, and the Wildey Theatre. With the participation of both Lindenwood and Webster universities, filmmaking camps on live action and animation will be held at the St. Louis Public Library’s...
- 7/26/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The official website for the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California lists that it will screen Hiroyuki Okiura‘s A Letter to Momo film on April 26th and Mamoru Hosoda‘s Wolf Children film on April 27th, 2013. Both screenings will begin at 7:30 p.m. A Letter to Momo follows a girl named Momo who struggles with her father’s sudden passing and her move to the countryside. Momo finds an otherworldly surprise at her new home. Okiura spent seven years planning, writing, storyboarding, and directing the film; it is his first return to the proverbial director’s chair since Jin-Roh in 2000. The film held its world premiere...
Click to continue reading Wolf Children and A Letter To Momo to Play in Santa Monica on | FilmoFilia
Related posts: King’s Speech Ensemble Wins at Santa Barbara Canada’s Waterloo Adds Rainbow Fireflies Screening Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children...
Click to continue reading Wolf Children and A Letter To Momo to Play in Santa Monica on | FilmoFilia
Related posts: King’s Speech Ensemble Wins at Santa Barbara Canada’s Waterloo Adds Rainbow Fireflies Screening Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children...
- 3/25/2013
- by Vesna Sunrider
- Filmofilia
Yes, if Internet reports are to be believed. (And we know how reliable those are. Ahem.) In any case, according to some Korean outlets (via Twitch), South Korean director Kim Jee-woon will be returning to his homeland after wrapping up the Arnold Schwarzenegger actionfest “The Last Stand”, in order to begin work on a live-action film based on the 1999 Japanese anime “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade”. (I reviewed the title years ago here. Honestly, though, it’s been so long I can’t say if I remember all that much about the movie, though re-reading (er, re-skimming) my review, I seemed to have liked it. A lot.) The original was directed by Hiroyuki Okiura and co-written by its creator, Mamoru Oshii (of “Ghost in the Shell” fame), and is set in a parallel reality where the Nazis won World War II. The story follows a member of an elite para-military police...
- 12/12/2012
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
The Fantasia International Film Festival is over for now, but don't be too sad; the 2013 dates have already been announced! Fantasia will be back from the 18th of July to the 6th of August 2013. In the meantime read on for the last news from the 2012 edition.
From the Press Release:
The festive atmosphere of Fantasia’s 16th edition will live on for several directors whose acquisition deals were announced during the festival: Boris Rodriguez, the Montreal director of Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal, is celebrating his new contract for a theatrical release in the United States with Music Box Films. As well, Kern Saxton’s Sushi Girl was recently picked up by Phase 4 and Magnolia, while Quentin Dupieux’s Wrong will be distributed by Drafthouse Films.
The last juries have finished deliberating on this year’s competitions and are pleased to announce the following winners:
Aqcc Jury – Asian Section
President: Daniel Racine,...
From the Press Release:
The festive atmosphere of Fantasia’s 16th edition will live on for several directors whose acquisition deals were announced during the festival: Boris Rodriguez, the Montreal director of Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal, is celebrating his new contract for a theatrical release in the United States with Music Box Films. As well, Kern Saxton’s Sushi Girl was recently picked up by Phase 4 and Magnolia, while Quentin Dupieux’s Wrong will be distributed by Drafthouse Films.
The last juries have finished deliberating on this year’s competitions and are pleased to announce the following winners:
Aqcc Jury – Asian Section
President: Daniel Racine,...
- 8/11/2012
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
Tokyo – Korean parasite outbreak movie Deranged (Yeongasi) has knocked The Amazing Spider-Man off the top of the box office ranking in its home market, selling more than 1.3 million movie tickets in the first four days since its release on July 5. The Amazing Spider-Man saw just under 400,000 admissions for the same period in South Korea, while Japanese film A Letter to Momo by Hiroyuki Okiura was in third place with fewer than 50,000 ticket sales. Starring Kim Myeong-min and directed and written by Park Jung Woo (Kick the Moon), Deranged tells the
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- 7/10/2012
- by Gavin J. Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Terracotta Far East Film Festival is on in London through the weekend, presenting, as Electric Sheep notes in the introduction to its newish issue, "the UK premiere of Sion Sono's Himizu [review: John Bleasdale], using a comic to tackle the fallout from Fukushima." Es takes "a look at manga adaptations with Takashi Miike's stylized, violent high school movie Crows Zero [comic strip review: Joe Morgan] and Toshiya Fujita's 70s revenge tale Lady Snowblood: Blizzard from the Netherworld [review: Virginie Sélavy]."
Hiroyuki Okiura's A Letter to Momo, seven years in the making, opens in Japan next week after a run through the festival circuit and, in the Japan Times, Mark Schilling gives it four out of five stars: "Hayao Miyazaki is the obvious point of comparison, but unlike many of Miyazaki's more fanciful landscapes, Okiura's port is vividly, recognizably real — so much so that you can almost smell the salt in the water and feel the warmth of the stones.
Hiroyuki Okiura's A Letter to Momo, seven years in the making, opens in Japan next week after a run through the festival circuit and, in the Japan Times, Mark Schilling gives it four out of five stars: "Hayao Miyazaki is the obvious point of comparison, but unlike many of Miyazaki's more fanciful landscapes, Okiura's port is vividly, recognizably real — so much so that you can almost smell the salt in the water and feel the warmth of the stones.
- 4/13/2012
- MUBI
From the director of Hiroyuki Okiura's 'Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade' comes his latest effort 'A Letter To Momo.'
Momo is a young girl who grew up in a big city. However, following the premature loss of her father, she has to move with her mother to the old family house on a remote island. Here, time seems to have stopped: old wooden buildings, holy shrines surrounded by trees, fields painstakingly carved out from steep hills... and no shopping mall.
Needless to say, Momo is not too overenthusiastic about this new environment. Most of all, her heart is still feeling uneasy about an unfinished letter left by her father. A letter that contained only two words: "Dear Momo..."
'A Letter to Momo' will be released in Japanese cinemas on 21 April 2012.
Momo is a young girl who grew up in a big city. However, following the premature loss of her father, she has to move with her mother to the old family house on a remote island. Here, time seems to have stopped: old wooden buildings, holy shrines surrounded by trees, fields painstakingly carved out from steep hills... and no shopping mall.
Needless to say, Momo is not too overenthusiastic about this new environment. Most of all, her heart is still feeling uneasy about an unfinished letter left by her father. A letter that contained only two words: "Dear Momo..."
'A Letter to Momo' will be released in Japanese cinemas on 21 April 2012.
- 12/1/2011
- by noreply@blogger.com (Flicks News)
- FlicksNews.net
Hiroyuki Okiura's A Letter To Momo - the director's first effort since Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade - is still some months away from its April release in Japan but that didn't stop the producers from posting a new trailer for the film on YouTube a couple days ago.Momo is a young girl who grew up in a big city. However, following the premature loss of her father, she has to move with her mother to the old family house on a remote island. Here, time seems to have stopped: old wooden buildings, holy shrines surrounded by trees, fields painstakingly carved out from steep hills... and no shopping mall.Needless to say, Momo is not too overenthusiastic about this new environment. Most of all, her heart...
- 12/1/2011
- Screen Anarchy
You can't say that Hiroyuki Okiura is a prolific director. It's been more than ten years since his directorial debut with Jin-Roh and despite that film's tremendous success it's not until now that his second film sees the light. When thinking of Japanese animation's powerhouse Production Ig, you'll probably picture scenes from a dark high-tech futuristic world or maybe some sword wielding schoolgirl fighting demons. But this time the studio moves away from its more adult-oriented films to deliver A Letter To Momo, a wonderful family friendly movie along the lines of Ghibli works.After the death of her father on a shipwreck, Momo and her mother leave the city to move to their old family house in a fishing town on a remote island...
- 10/14/2011
- Screen Anarchy
A Letter to Momo, director Hiroyuki Okiura’s (Jin-Roh) second feature, is a hand-drawn animation that took seven years to make. Carefully animated, it gorgeously shows, as the flow of Momo is seamless in both the storytelling and rendering. There are spare flaws in this coming-of-age film, while anyone can enjoy and relate to the adventure.
Momo first appears to be expressionless and lifeless. She stares blankly in space and speaks as little as possible. She and her mother move the island of Shio, leaving behind Tokyo and the traces of Momo’s recently deceased father for a fresh start. Momo feels incredible guilt because she had gotten angry with her father just before he died. After his funeral, Momo finds a letter written by her father with the words “Dear Momo.” She clings to this letter and wonders what he wanted to say.
Forced to stay home alone, Momo...
Momo first appears to be expressionless and lifeless. She stares blankly in space and speaks as little as possible. She and her mother move the island of Shio, leaving behind Tokyo and the traces of Momo’s recently deceased father for a fresh start. Momo feels incredible guilt because she had gotten angry with her father just before he died. After his funeral, Momo finds a letter written by her father with the words “Dear Momo.” She clings to this letter and wonders what he wanted to say.
Forced to stay home alone, Momo...
- 9/26/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
News is rolling out of Toronto for this year's festival, with the Galas and the Special Presentations sections announced. As always with Tiff, the sheer number of films can seem overwhelming, but with new films by David Cronenberg (A Dangerous Method, pictured above), Terence Davies (!), Francis Ford Coppola, Wang Xiaoshuai, Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud, and William Friedkin added to big names that premiered already this year (including Almodóvar, Von Trier, Nanni Moretti, and Nicolas Winding Refn) it looks like the 2011 iteration will be as packed with must-see cinema as ever before. We'll be updating this listing as new lineups are announced. See Tiff's official website for details.
Galas
Albert Nobbs (Rodrigo Garcia, Ireland) Butter (Jim Field Smith, USA) A Dangerous Method (David Cronenberg, France/Ireland/UK/Germany/Canada) From the Sky Down (Davis Guggenheim, USA) A Happy Event (Rémi Bezançon, France) The Ides of March (George Clooney, USA) The Lady (Luc Besson,...
Galas
Albert Nobbs (Rodrigo Garcia, Ireland) Butter (Jim Field Smith, USA) A Dangerous Method (David Cronenberg, France/Ireland/UK/Germany/Canada) From the Sky Down (Davis Guggenheim, USA) A Happy Event (Rémi Bezançon, France) The Ides of March (George Clooney, USA) The Lady (Luc Besson,...
- 8/9/2011
- MUBI
Twitch Film and Movies.com once again present the International Trailer Domination Tour, a selection of the best – and one crazy-ass low-budget success story – trailers from upcoming international films. In this edition we’ve got the return of an anime master, slick Korean gangster action, UK first person horror, an alien in a bikini and a documentary stunt that should have Morgan Spurlock blushing in shame at how tame his ideas are. 1. A Letter To Momo by Hiroyuki Okiura, Japan It was eleven years ago that director Hiroyuki Okiura burst on to the scene as the director of the Mamoru Oshii scripted anime feature Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. In my opinion, Jin-Roh is one of the greatest animated feature films ever made and the future could not have looked...
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- 8/6/2011
- by Movies.com
- Movies.com - Celebrity Gossip
Twitch Film and Movies.com once again present the International Trailer Domination Tour, a selection of the best – and one crazy-ass low-budget success story – trailers from upcoming international films. In this edition we’ve got the return of an anime master, slick Korean gangster action, UK first person horror, an alien in a bikini and a documentary stunt that should have Morgan Spurlock blushing in shame at how tame his ideas are. 1. A Letter To Momo by Hiroyuki Okiura, Japan It was eleven years ago that director Hiroyuki Okiura burst on to the scene as the director of the Mamoru Oshii scripted anime feature Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. In my opinion, Jin-Roh is one of the greatest animated feature films ever made and the future could not have looked...
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- 8/6/2011
- by Movies.com
- Movies.com
Shawn Ashmore, Ashley Bell, Shannyn Sossamon, Dominic Monaghan and Cory Hardrict in The Day
Photo: Content Media The 2011 Toronto International Film Festival announced 56 more movies added to its festival line-up this year with selections in the Vanguard, Midnight Madness, Documentaries, City to City and Tiff Kids programs. And to be honest, the line-up is filled with titles, most of which are absolutely new to me.
I have seen one of the films under the Vanguard banner, a selection of young and cutting edge features and I've heard of Joachim Trier's Oslo, August 31, Ben Wheatley's Kill List (watch the trailer to the right) was a hit at South by Southwest earlier this year and the documentary selections include familiar names such as Werner Herzog, Morgan Spurlock, Jonathan Demme, Alex Gibney and Wim Wenders, the latter of which is delivering a 3D documentary centered on the dance world of Pina Bausch and her company.
Photo: Content Media The 2011 Toronto International Film Festival announced 56 more movies added to its festival line-up this year with selections in the Vanguard, Midnight Madness, Documentaries, City to City and Tiff Kids programs. And to be honest, the line-up is filled with titles, most of which are absolutely new to me.
I have seen one of the films under the Vanguard banner, a selection of young and cutting edge features and I've heard of Joachim Trier's Oslo, August 31, Ben Wheatley's Kill List (watch the trailer to the right) was a hit at South by Southwest earlier this year and the documentary selections include familiar names such as Werner Herzog, Morgan Spurlock, Jonathan Demme, Alex Gibney and Wim Wenders, the latter of which is delivering a 3D documentary centered on the dance world of Pina Bausch and her company.
- 8/3/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
It was just yesterday that Twitch was excitedly writing about the first trailer for Hiroyuki Okiura's A Letter To Momo and today comes word that the film will have its world premiere as part of the four film Tiff Kids program at the Toronto International Film Festival.Okiura's second film is his first in eleven years, ending a lengthy gap since he first appeared on the scene directing the Mamoru Oshii scripted Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade.Check the complete lineup - with videos, where available - below.Toronto -- The Toronto International Film Festival® presents a charming lineup of films in this year's Tiff Kids™ programme (formerly known as Sprockets Family Zone). These selections from around the globe will captivate film-lovers of all ages, showcasing the best...
- 8/3/2011
- Screen Anarchy
It has been a long, long wait for fans of director Hiroyuki Okiura and Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. With his debut feature Okiura created a modern day classic, a film that is - in my opinion - one of the greatest animated features ever made. It is virtually a perfect film but rather than capitalizing on its success Okiura simply faded into the background and didn't direct another feature for eleven long years. And now he's back with A Letter To Momo.Momo is a young girl who grew up in a big city. However, following the premature loss of her father, she has to move with her mother to the old family house on a remote island. Here, time seems to have stopped: old...
- 8/2/2011
- Screen Anarchy
This is the first teaser trailer for Production I.G’s anime Momo e no Tegami (A Letter to Momo) from Hiroyuki Okiura. His last job as a director was for the adaptation of Mamoru Oshii’s Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade so I guess he was waiting for something special…
[See full post to watch this video]
Synopsis:
“Dear Momo” — that was all that was written on a letter left behind by Momo’s late father. Momo and her mother have just moved from Tokyo to the countryside of Japan’s Inland Sea. On an island lies a wondrous town surrounded on all sides by quaint homes and nature’s landscape. Even as Momo starts a new life, she wonders, “Father, what did you really want to write in your letter…?” One day, she discovers an ancient book in the attic, and from that day forward, strange happenings occur all around Momo.
[via Catsuka & @aicnanime & Ann]...
[See full post to watch this video]
Synopsis:
“Dear Momo” — that was all that was written on a letter left behind by Momo’s late father. Momo and her mother have just moved from Tokyo to the countryside of Japan’s Inland Sea. On an island lies a wondrous town surrounded on all sides by quaint homes and nature’s landscape. Even as Momo starts a new life, she wonders, “Father, what did you really want to write in your letter…?” One day, she discovers an ancient book in the attic, and from that day forward, strange happenings occur all around Momo.
[via Catsuka & @aicnanime & Ann]...
- 8/2/2011
- by Ulrik
- Affenheimtheater
It has been eleven long years since Hiroyuki Okiura made his directorial debut with Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. Eleven years in which his only directing credit is the title sequence for the Cowboy Bebop feature. To say the silence has been surprising is an understatement - Jin-Roh is nothing short of a masterpiece and Okiura surely could have had his choice of projects since. But evidently this is a man who does not like to be rushed and the project he wanted to do next was the understated A Letter To Momo.Momo is a young girl who grew up in a big city. However, following the premature loss of her father, she has to move with her mother to the old family house on...
- 7/11/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Kadokawa announced several films from their 2012 lineup on Tuesday, with a 3D continuation of the popular “Ring” horror franchise sucking up most of the oxygen. The film, tentatively titled Sadako 3D after the series’ recurring antagonist, will feature an entirely new script by Koji Suzuki, the author of the original “Ring” novels.
According to Suzuki, the new film will indeed include a scene with the long-haired ghost Sadako crawling out of a television set, much like the iconic scene from Hideo Nakata’s original 1998 Ring film and Gore Verbinski’s 2002 Hollywood remake.
Another major film announcement was Production I.G’s animated film Momo e no Tegami (A Letter to Momo). According to Anime News Network, director Hiroyuki Okiura spent seven years planning and working on the film, which will mark his first time directing since 2000’s “Jin-Roh”.
The story centers around a girl named Momo who is in possession...
According to Suzuki, the new film will indeed include a scene with the long-haired ghost Sadako crawling out of a television set, much like the iconic scene from Hideo Nakata’s original 1998 Ring film and Gore Verbinski’s 2002 Hollywood remake.
Another major film announcement was Production I.G’s animated film Momo e no Tegami (A Letter to Momo). According to Anime News Network, director Hiroyuki Okiura spent seven years planning and working on the film, which will mark his first time directing since 2000’s “Jin-Roh”.
The story centers around a girl named Momo who is in possession...
- 2/16/2011
- Nippon Cinema
I admit, I have a soft spot for films from first-time directors. That first chance to make something universal and lasting is often met with considerable amounts of enthusiasm and spirit. And more importantly, creativity. On the other hand these films often lack bursts of balance and continuity, though this hardly bothers me at all.
From time to time these freshmen attempts outgrow their initial potential and turn out to be simple gems of cinema. These cases are rather rare, but they do pop up from time to time. For most directors its the start of a successful career towards more commercial successes.
But for a select few, it's their only moment of fame. Some directors disappear as quickly as the arrived, leaving only one masterpiece and a void of unfulfilled potential. For this ToM I looked for directors who should be forced to make their sophomore feature film as quickly a possible.
From time to time these freshmen attempts outgrow their initial potential and turn out to be simple gems of cinema. These cases are rather rare, but they do pop up from time to time. For most directors its the start of a successful career towards more commercial successes.
But for a select few, it's their only moment of fame. Some directors disappear as quickly as the arrived, leaving only one masterpiece and a void of unfulfilled potential. For this ToM I looked for directors who should be forced to make their sophomore feature film as quickly a possible.
- 12/7/2009
- Screen Anarchy
Nothing is sacred. The moment we heard that Akira was being adapted into a live-action movie, that meant that nearly every other last anime would eventually follow suit. Next up is Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade, the 1998 anime from director Hiroyuki Okiura. This news comes from the Anime News Network (via AICN) where they report that Production I.G Vice President Maki Terashima-Furuta said that "somebody has the live-action rights, and somebody was planning to make a live-action Jin Roh, but at the moment, I have no comment." I think that means some big name is involved with this, but she isn't allowed to say who yet. Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade is an anime set within Mamoru Oshii's Kerberos saga, an alternate history of a totalitarian Japan about what would happen if Japan lost World War II to Japan's friends - the Germans. The fascinating story follows a...
- 7/7/2009
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
During this years Anime Expo, Production I.G vice-president Maki Terashima-Furuta acknowledged/confirmed that the live-action rights for Jin-Roh – The Wolf Brigade have been sold to “somebody” and that this “somebody” is planning to produce a live-action film based on Hiroyuki Okiura’s anime. However, she wouldn’t spill out any more details on the name of the buyer or when production will start.
I hope it’s a Japanese studio/record company so every role will be played by some young J-Pop star that will storm the charts with their cheesy title song that will also ruin every trailer.
Or maybe an Us studio that will dumb down the original to get a PG-13 rating and will just let “some Asian looking guy” (probably Keanu Reeves) take the lead. Can’t wait to see it…
The Jin-Roh universe has already been transferred into the real-world, Mamoru Oshii directed two films,...
I hope it’s a Japanese studio/record company so every role will be played by some young J-Pop star that will storm the charts with their cheesy title song that will also ruin every trailer.
Or maybe an Us studio that will dumb down the original to get a PG-13 rating and will just let “some Asian looking guy” (probably Keanu Reeves) take the lead. Can’t wait to see it…
The Jin-Roh universe has already been transferred into the real-world, Mamoru Oshii directed two films,...
- 7/7/2009
- by Ulrik
- Affenheimtheater
Once my favorite animation house in Japan things have been relatively quiet on the Production Ig front in recent days. Sure, they’ve been busy contracting out on a number of projects but the amount of original material they’ve been working on has dropped off and what they have been doing - with the obvious exception of Mamoru Oshii’s Sky Crawlers - hasn’t been of any great interest to me. But that changes with their announcement of two brand new feature film projects.
Up first is The Abandoned Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, a children’s oriented fantasy film. Ig are making a big deal over this one because it is the first feature to be developed using software developed by the company to convert 2D drawings into 3D animation - which sounds like an intriguing process as it should keep all the quirks and details...
Up first is The Abandoned Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, a children’s oriented fantasy film. Ig are making a big deal over this one because it is the first feature to be developed using software developed by the company to convert 2D drawings into 3D animation - which sounds like an intriguing process as it should keep all the quirks and details...
- 10/4/2008
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
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