Notícias

Based on the real-life story of a family who ran cinemas in the Kichijoji district of Tokyo throughout the Twentieth Century, Sora Hokimoto‘s tribute to cinema is at times slow, others frantic; at times bland, others creative. As such, it’s a viewing that’s entertaining, but doesn’t quite fully satisfy overall.

Baus: The Ship’s Voyage Continues is screening at Nippon Connection

Bumbling brothers Saneo (Shota Sometani) and Hajime (Kazunobu Mineta) leave their life in a fishing village in Aomori to move to 1920s Tokyo to start a career in cinema. Working as a narrator over silent films, Hajime’s odd approach doesn’t win him many fans, but the cinema owner takes a shine to Saneo, letting him take over the cinema in his absence. But the war and post-war years take their toll, and Saneo and wife Hama (Kaho) face many struggles. However, the love...

In this incredible and fascinating feature Subhash K Jha focuses on his experiences about writing about filmistan, stars and especially Bollywood in the year 2000.

Looking back, the first year of this millennium was a whopper for me. You could say it did for me what Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai did for Hrithik Roshan. The year introduced me to a whole lot of new and showbiz experiences, which forced me to face the truth.

Film stars and journalists can never be friends. There can be excellent working relationships between a star and a journo, but a real friendship? You’ve got to be living in a make-believe world.

My friend Khalid Mohamed always warned me about star-journo friendships. There are countless instances in his own life when he has been let down by film folks who he presumed would stand by him through thick and thin. “Be careful; you’re going to get hurt,...

Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai Re-Release Box Office Opening Weekend! (Photo Credit – Zee5/Prime Video)

Hrithik Roshan treated fans with a huge surprise as Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai was re-released on his 51st birthday. Unfortunately, the footfalls have not been upto the mark, and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is clearly stealing its thunder. Scroll below for the opening weekend update!

An underwhelming debut!

As per the latest box office update, Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai made box office collections of 0.50 crores in its opening weekend. The numbers are quite low, and it seems the cine-goers are not much interested in reliving the musical romantic thriller on the big screens.

It is also to be noted that there are multiple options in the ticket windows. Pushpa 2 is enjoying a remarkable run while Mufasa: The Lion King also continues to attract footfalls. Fateh and Game Changer are the latest releases in the Hindi belt.

The concept of experiencing romance for the first time is a tried and tested trope in shows, movies, literature, and music. Hikaru Utada’s global 1990’s hit “First Love” which tackles this theme is one of the most successful Japanese pop songs worldwide. It perfectly captures the yearning and grief associated with an all consuming love which ended but still haunts the person who felt it.

Click on the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix

Almost two decades later, Netflix produced a series directly inspired by this song and its 2018 follow up track called “Hatsukoi.” It stars Takeru Satoh, Hikari Mitsushima (“Love Exposure”), as well as Yagi Rikako and Taisei Kido. Consisting of cliches which are woven beautifully, it depicts fated love and serves as a great introduction to Japanese melodramas for audiences worldwide.

Spanning two decades, it narrates the story of Yae (Riko/Mitsushima) and Harumichi (Kido/Satoh), as wide-eyed,...

The crowdfunding campaign for the Sister Princess franchise's 25th anniversary project ended its 63-day run on August 30. As reported , it had already reached its original target amount of 20 million yen by August 12. After reaching the initial amount, the project announced additional stretch goals, including new 3D models of two other sisters, Yotsuba and Rinrin, as well as swimwear costumes for a total of seven sisters. Thanks in part to the new goals, the money continued to pile up during the last two weeks of the campaign. Ultimately, the campaign raised 73,079,928 yen from 1,586 supporters, which was 365 percent of the initial goal of 20 million yen. These numbers proved the popularity of the franchise, which is still strong after 25 years. It is now official that the following content will be realized: Chikage, Yotsuba, and RinRin's 3D models Sister Princess joins HoloModels, an Ar & Mr application that allows users to enjoy digital figures...

The television adaptation of Pachinko by Min Jin Lee returns with a second season of the family saga on August 23 on Apple TV+.

Unlike Lee’s book, the show mixes the timelines of Book 1 and Book 3 with Minha Kim portraying a young Sunja and Youn Yuh-jung playing the older version. Season 2 picks up with older versions of Sunja’s two sons Noa and Mozasu and the start of World War II.

Those in need of a refresher on what happened in Season 1 of Pachinko can read on for a recap.

A Family Will Endure

The show opens with Sunja’s mother (Inji Jeong), who visits a Korean shaman woman to reverse a curse she believes has fallen on her and her husband Hoonie (Lee Dae-ho). Her husband has a cleft-lip deformity, which was seen as negative in society in Korea. This story takes place five years after Japan annexed Korea...

The official X (formerly Twitter) account for the Sister Princess franchise announced that the crowdfunding campaign for the 25th anniversary project has successfully reached its goal of 20 million yen. The campaign is scheduled to run from June 28 to August 30. As of this writing, with 16 days left until the end, it has raised 20,981,830 yen, 104 percent of the target amount, from 379 supporters. With this success, it is now official that the following content will be realized: The production of Chikage's 3D model Sister Princess joins HoloModels, an Ar & Mr application that allows users to enjoy digital figures using VR devices and smartphones A virtual space recreating "Kita no Hanare," a memorable place that appeared in the Sister Princess anime "SisPri Virtual Live," in which sisters sing and dance Additionally, a special live-streaming to commemorate reaching the goal will be held on the Sister Princess franchise's official YouTube channel from 20:00 (Jst) / 04:...

The official X (formerly Twitter) for the Sister Princess franchise announced that a special live-streaming to commemorate its 25th anniversary is planned on its official YouTube channel from 20:00 (Jst) / 04:00 (Pt) on July 29. And none other than Karen (CV: Natsuko Kuwatani), one of the franchise's 12 sisters, will host the program. It will have been almost three years since Karen's last live-streaming on October 1, 2021. Related : Sister Princess Franchise Launches 25th Anniversary Project As previously reported , the franchise launched the 25th anniversary project in April 2024, which includes a crowdfunding campaign . The crowdfunding's aim is to collect the cost for Chikage's 3D model, the sisters' "HoloModels" for Ar and Mr contents, a virtual space "Kita no Hanare" inspired by a memorable place that appeared in the Sister Princess anime, and a virtual live concert performance by the sisters. As of this written, with 36 days left until the end, the crowdfunding has raised 12,471,526 yen from 216 supporters,...

After the previously-reported countdown finally ended last night, the official Twitter account for the Sister Princess franchise announced the launch of its 25th anniversary project. The account was originally launched for the franchise's 20th anniversary in 2019, and it is now relaunched for another anniversary project. According to the announcement, the 25th anniversary project will include: Crowdfunding (details will be announced later) The production of Chikage's 3D model Sister Princess joins HoloModels, an Ar & Mr application that allows users to enjoy digital figures using VR devices and smartphones A virtual space recreating "Kita no Hanare," a memorable place that appeared in the Sister Princess anime "SisPri Virtual Live," in which sisters sing and dance Related: Sister Princess 20th Anniversary Project Starts A Mysterious Countdown The Sister Princess franchise's 20th anniversary project featuring the sisters' virtual YouTuber activities launched in September 2019 as a one-year limited project, and suspended its activities after...

A mysterious countdown on the official Twitter account for the Sister Princess franchise's 20th anniversary project has raised fans' expectations. At 12:00 p.m. on April 7 (Jst), a post with the number "12" and the hashtag #Countdown was posted on the account. As fans know, Sister Princess originally featured 12 sisters, so the number is very important for the franchise. There was no mention of "hours" or "days" with the number 12, but there was no new post at 13:00, so it may suggest that something will be announced 12 days later, on April 19. Nothing is known at this time, but Natsuko Kuwatani, the voice cast of Karen, said on Twitter , "Onii-chan, are you ready for your heart?" The Sister Princess franchise's 20th-anniversary project featuring the sisters' virtual YouTuber activities launched in September 2019 as a one-year time limited project, but thanks to the enthusiastic support of the fans, it continued much longer than originally planned.

Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night , a currently broadcasting original anime series, has revealed six new cast additions. The series began broadcasting in Japan on April 6, 2024, and it also streams in the United States via Hidive. The new cast additions include (pictured below from left to right): Kaho voiced by Ayu Matsuura Mion voiced by Chika Anzai Eru Ari voiced by Nao Toyama Koharu voiced by Asami Seto Yukine voiced by Yuko Kaida Shop Manager Honami voiced by Hekiru Shiina Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night cast additions Ryohei Takeshita directs Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night at animation studio Doga Kobo. Yuki Yaku provides the series composition, and Junichiro Taniguchi provides the character designs based on original designs by popman3580. Related: Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night Anime Releases Kiwi Watase Character Trailer Hidive describes Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night : Shibuya is a city full of identity.

The Stardust Telepath anime may be over, but Yu and Umika live on! Keep memories of the yuri sci-fi anime close at hand with a new wristwatch, made in collaboration with U-Treasure. The analog watch features silhouettes of the show's two heroines on the face, surrounded by a starry night sky. Their rocket, Ultra High-Power Dream, serves as the second hand: Related: Stardust Telepath Manga Gets Live-Action TV Drama Starring AKB48 Members The back of the watch is engraved with the show's title, and the watch arrives in a collector's box. Related: Stardust Telepath TV Anime Gets Special Collaboration Music Video by Singer-Songwriter Kaho The watch is available for pre-order from U-Treasure until April 19 . Watches are priced at 41,800 yen each (tax included) and are scheduled to ship out in late September. Don't forget, you can watch all of Stardust Telepath right here on Crunchyroll ! Umika is a sweet yet shy high school girl.

A live-action TV drama adaptation of Rasuko Okuma's yuri sci-fl manga Stardust Telepath is set to premiere on TV Tokyo's "Darama Tues!" programming block on June 25, 2024. "The I never thought that 'Stardust Telepath' would be made into a TV drama...I am probably the most surprised," said the original manga author, Okuma. "At the same time, I am extremely happy beyond words. I hope I can convey this feeling with 'Odeko-Pathy'! Whether you are a fan of the original manga or a newcomer to the series, I hope you will enjoy 'Stardust Telepath' as it takes a step onto a new stage." The main cast of the drama are played by members of the Japanese girl idol group AKB48, who were chosen through audition. The TV anime adaptation of Rasuko Okuma's yuri sci-fl manga Stardust Telepath aired for 12 episodes from October to December 2023. Crunchyroll...

5 Highest Paid Indian Television Actresses: Rupali Ganguly To Hina Khan, Take A Look! (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Despite the evolution of Ott platforms, Television still remains a go-to medium for every Indian household. Hina Khan and other celebrities may have criticized the regressive content, but the TRPs of saas-bahu daily soaps still remain sky-high. Rupali Ganguly, Tejasswi Prakash, and Divyanka Tripathi have all enjoyed massive fame, but do you know who remains the highest-paid among them all? Scroll below for the exciting details!

Television is a space that does not forget their favorite stars. Rupali Ganguly returned to the small screen after seven long years with Anupamaa, but she’s loved even more than she was for her portrayal as Monisha in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. On the other hand, Divyanka Tripathi and Dipika Kakkar are not as active on-screen, but fans continue to shower them with love via their social media platforms.

Shah Rukh Khan vs Hrithik Roshan: ‘Unfair’ Treatment On K3G Sets, An Ad Mocking The Rising Star – This Is Where Srk Lost The Battle To Hr As Per Fans! ( Photo Credit – Instagram; Prime Video )

Ever thought of Shah Rukh Khan & Hrithik Roshan as rivals? Both brilliant actors could never convince the kids of today about how, at a point in time, they shared a rivalry in Bollywood. It’s back in the day when Hr was new; he had just enjoyed one of the best debut films in the history of Indian cinema and was touted to be the next superstar.

It’s the time when Shah Rukh Khan delivered a few flops at the box office; it’s the early 2000s. Just like in 2019, people started to write him off without realizing that even over a couple of decades later, this man could have the best comeback anyone could ever witness.

The debut feature from Hamaguchi Ryûsuke, one of today’s preeminent auteurs, examines a series of intersecting love triangles as only he can, plunging headlong into the exposed-nerve confessions and unrequited attachments among a group of thirtysomethings. It begins when a couple, Kaho (Kawai Aoba) and Tomoya (Okamoto Ryuta), announce their engagement to their friends over dinner, where it’s also revealed the groom had an affair years earlier. While the two spend the evening apart, Tomoya follows his friends to the apartment of his former classmate (Urabe Fusako), with whom he’s in love, and are led into ever more vulnerable and shocking exchanges of emotional honesty. Though it was made as his student thesis project at Tokyo University of the Arts, Passion displays Hamaguchi’s rich and nuanced insight into modern relationships while establishing the thematic foundations for his later films.

Passion is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and...

From the moment that Kaho (Aobe Kawai) and Tomoya (Ryute Okomoto) announce their engagement to their friends in a restaurant, it’s clear that it isn’t going to work out as planned. Kaho’s shy glow of excitement just isn’t reciprocated by her fiancé. When the women go home after the meal, he joins friends Takeshi (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) and Kenichiro (Nao Okabe) to visit the latter’s girlfriend, Takako (Fusako Orabe), whose cat has just died and who is keen to spend the evening drinking and talking.

The men’s attitude towards Takako is disquieting throughout, if not exactly unusual. Because she lives alone and is happy to have sex without commitment, Takeshi disapproves of her, going so far as to put the security of her living situation at risk. Kenichiro finds her a convenient distraction from his not very secret feelings for Kaho. Tomoya wants to save her,...

Friends meet at a restaurant for a birthday dinner in the opening scenes of Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Passion. Everyone loves the wrong person. Tomoya (Ryuta Okamoto) is engaged to math teacher Kaho (Aoba Kawai), but like the married Takeshi (Kiyohiko Shibukawa), is drawn to post-grad Takako (Fusako Urabe).

Their stories unfold in a world of diners, small apartments, and taxis familiar to fans of Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy and the Oscar-winning Drive My Car. Shot as his thesis film at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Passion is Hamaguchi’s second feature. Though filmed in 2008, it only now opens for its North American theatrical run on Friday, April 14 at Film at Lincoln Center.

Ahead of its release, we spoke to the writer-director via Zoom about his second feature, the Oscars, and future projects. Thanks to Monika Uchiyama for her translations.

The Film Stage: What is your screenwriting process? Do...

Moving into adult life is quite a transition, overshadowed by many obstacles, decisions and changes within yourself, which can often feel soul-crushing and confusing. It is also one of those phases in the life of a person, which has inspired many artists to reminisce about the nature of growing up, how the choices one makes are based on free will or other aspects, such as social pressure or gender expectations. In his second feature, produced as his thesis at Tokyo University of Arts, Ryusuke Hamaguchi's “Passion” tells a story of a group of characters caught in the middle of that period of transition in their lives. It is a movie which not only highlights the director's gift of working with actors, but also his sense of place and time, resulting in a story which is both contemplative and captivating.

Film Movement has announced that “Passion” is opening theatrically on...

Much of the world learned of the talent of Ryusuke Hamaguchi when Drive My Car miraculously and deservedly was nominated for multiple Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film, the latter of which it won. However, many cinephiles have been banging the drum for the director since his 5.5-hour drama Happy Hour, Asako I & II, and his earlier 2022 release, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy. The start of his career goes back even further and now, never before released in the U.S., his second feature Passion will finally get a theatrical release starting at NYC’s Film at Lincoln Center and LA’s Laemmle Royal on April 14. Ahead of the release, the new trailer for his Tokyo University of the Arts thesis graduation film, which he completed in 2008, has arrived courtesy of Film Movement.

The film examines a series of intersecting love triangles,...

Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s sophomore feature will soon be available stateside.

The Japanese filmmaker behind “Drive My Car” and “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” first earned international attention with his thesis graduation film “Passion” out of the Tokyo University of the Arts.

Never before released in the U.S., the second feature from Hamaguchi examines a series of intersecting love triangles as only he can, plunging headlong into the exposed-nerve confessions and unrequited attachments among a group of thirtysomethings. It begins when a couple, Kaho (Aoba Kawai) and Tomoya (Ryuta Okamoto), announce their engagement to their friends over dinner, where it’s also revealed the groom had an affair years earlier. While the two spend the evening apart, Tomoya follows his friends to the apartment of his former classmate (Fusako Urabe), with whom he’s in love, and are led into ever more vulnerable and shocking exchanges of emotional honesty.

The...

First Love Hatsukoi is a Netflix romantic drama series written and directed by Yuri Kanchiku and starring Hikari Mitsushima and Takeru Satō.

In nine episodes you can follow the stories of Yae and Hurimichi as they reminisce about the time they fell in love.

Premise

Their lives did not turn out to be as wondrous as they had expected when then were young, free and madly in love. Everything was so much easier as teenagers, they had everything they could dream of, especially, love. Now, grown and disenchanted with life they will lean on their memories to make it through the day, one dull day at a time. No amount of lackluster, no harsh reality, will take that away from them, they will always have those beautiful memories.

First Love Season 1. Chapters When the Lilacs Bloom

Yae drives through the streets of Sapporo as a taxi driver. Back in her rural hometown,...

Keishi Kondo is a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. Born in 1985, he has been making films since graduating from university. He has worked as a freelancer in Tokyo and Toronto, producing music videos, event videos and other video works, and is currently working on corporate promotions and TV commercials in Japan. “New Religion” is his first feature film.

On the occasion of “New Religion” screening at Warsaw International Film Festival, we speak with him about the visuals and the unusual approach of the movie, Kaho Seto and the casting, violence in movies, the Japanese movie industry and other topics.

“New Religion” screened at Warsaw Film Festival

Do you like the color red a lot?

Yes, but I also think the particular color suits “New Religion”. This film is like my viewpoint οφ the world during the spreading of coronavirus. When we saw the pandemic for the first time, I thought I was watching apocalyptic images.

In 2017, Sion Sono shot a 9-episode series for Amazon Prime Japan, “Tokyo Vampire Hotel.” This film is the festival/movie edition of the production, and a return to his gory, absurd past as much as a tribute to a number of his previous films.

Tokyo Vampire Hotel is screening at Five Flavours, that will be on in Warsaw November 15-22.

The story, which is actually based on a historic episode in which King Matthias Corvinus imprisoned Vlad the Impaler (aka Dracula), has the latter transformed into a whole tribe of the original vampires named Draculas, who are imprisoned by another tribe of vampires, the Corvinus. The Corvinus have some awful plans that involve destroying the whole of humanity and keeping just a number of them in a hotel of theirs (the titular one), in order to serve as their food.

However, the Draculas are on the rise from the bottoms...

Time again for another cinematic look at fractured, non-conventional families, a subject that’s also popular on TV and in novels. This story concerns a quartet of sisters, ranging from 13 to 29, sharing a home with no parental figures in sight (for most of the tale). You might think you’ve seen this “drama-dy” before , but not in this way, or in this unique setting. This family fable is not set in the Us or Europe, but rather in Asia, Japan to be precise. It’s not adapted from a stage play, nor a standard literary best seller or “young adult” novel. This film springs from a comic book, which Us academics now call “graphic novels”, but best known in the far East as “manga”, a medium usually thought to feature mind-blowing science fiction and strange supernatural fantasies. Hey, if our comics can delve into subjects other than superhero epics, then...

To help sift through the increasing number of new releases (independent or otherwise), the Weekly Film Guide is here! Below you’ll find basic plot, personnel and cinema information for all of this week’s fresh offerings.

Starting this month, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.

See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for July 2016

Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, July 8. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.

Wide

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Director: Jake Szymanski

Cast: Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Zac Efron

Synopsis: Two brothers place an online ad to find dates for a wedding and the ad goes viral.

The Secret Life of Pets

Director: Chris Renaud,...

Our Little Sister Sony Pictures Classics Reviewed by: Tami Smith, Guest Reviewer for Shockya Grade: B Director: Hirokazu Koreeda Written by: Hirokazu Koreeda from Akimi Yoshida’s Umimachi Diary Cast: Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, Suzu Hirose, Ryo Kase, Kirin Kiki, Lily Franky, Jun Fubuki, Shinichi Tsutsumi and Shinobu Otake, Opens: July 8th, 2016 Our Little Sister is a Japanese drama that opens and closes with a funeral, dealing with a family of three sisters living at a family home in a small Japanese town. The oldest sister Sachi (Haruka Ayase) is a nurse at a hospital’s Critical Care unit. She feels responsible for her siblings and runs the household. The [ Read More ]

The post Our Little Sister Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

After The Storm, the latest from the great Kore-eda Hirokazu premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival before going on general release in Japanese cinemas where it can still be found. While looking forward for that film to travel abroad, UK fans can make do with the release of his previous effort, Our Little Sister, out today on DVD and Blu-ray. Haruka Ayase (Ichi, Real), Nagasawa Masami (Wood Job!), and Kaho (Tokyo Girl), star as twenty-something siblings living together in an aged and ever-so-slightly ramshackle house in the coastal town of Kamakura. Award-winning newcomer Hirose Suzu plays the little sister of the title, who moves to the house after the death of her father, a man who abandoned the...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

This week will see the unveiling of the Cannes Film Festival lineup, with the possibility of Hirokazu Kore-eda's next film "After The Storm" (watch the trailer) sliding into the mix. But first, stateside fans of his delicate dramas will finally get to experience his previous effort "Our Little Sister," and a new U.S. trailer has landed. Read More: Cannes Review: Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'Our Little Sister' Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho and Suzu Hirose star in a movie about three sisters who meet their half-sister for the first time at their father's funeral. And something gentle and quietly stirring soon follows, as only Kore-eda can conjure. Here's the official synopsis: "Our Little Sister," directed by internationally acclaimed director Hirozaku Kore-eda, is adapted from Yoshida Akimi's best-selling graphic novel "Umimachi Diary." Three twenty-something sisters—Sachi, Yoshino and Chika—live together in a large old house in...

We already got a trailer for Hirokazu Koreeda‘s next feature After the Storm, likely coming to Cannes, but we’re still waiting on Sony Classics to give a release to his last drama Our Little Sister (titled Umimachi Diary in Japan). In the meantime, it’ll hit the U.K. next month and today brings a new trailer, and more. Starring Ayase Haruka, Nagasawa Masami, Kaho, and Hirose Suzu, the story follows a trio of adult sisters, living in their grandmother’s Kamakura home who are visited by a 13-year-old half-sibling.

We said in our review, “Adapted from Akimi Yoshida’s highly successful manga Umimachi Diary, Our Little Sister is once again an examination of the dynamics amongst the members of a damaged family. In attempting to tackle four protagonists, however, Kore-eda seems to have bitten off more than he can chew, delivering an uneven and ultimately superficial story of emotional maturation.

The American Film Institute announced today the films that will screen in the World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, Shorts and Cinema’s Legacy programs at AFI Fest 2015 presented by Audi.

AFI Fest will take place November 5 – 12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and events will be held at the historic Tcl Chinese Theatre, the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres, Dolby Theatre, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, the El Capitan Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.

World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award®consideration. This year’s Shorts jury features filmmaker Janicza Bravo,...

As usual, the Masters programme is cholk-full of carryover items from world renowned auteurs who’ve already premiered last February (Berlin), this past May (Cannes) or as part of the upcoming action on the Lido (Venice). Of the thirteen titles and personalities that need no introduction, it’s the likes of Hong Sang-soo (Locarno) and the Venice preemed, and not yet picked up items from Skolimowski, Bellocchio & Sokurov (all potential Golden Lion winners) that are still sight unseen for several North American based cinephiles. Here are the baker’s dozen of items:

11 Minutes (11 Minut) – Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland/Ireland

North American Premiere

A jealous husband out of control, his sexy actress wife, a sleazy Hollywood director, a reckless drug messenger, a disoriented young woman, an ex-con hot dog vendor, a troubled student on a mysterious mission, a high-rise window cleaner on an illicit break, an elderly sketch artist, a hectic paramedics...

One of writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s marvelous early films, After Life (1998), unfolds a vision of limbo where the recently deceased collaborate with angelic filmmakers to recreate treasured moments — a cherry blossom shower, a plane ride through clouds, and so on — from their lives before they pass on into oblivion. His latest film, Cannes competitor Our Little Sister, sometimes seems to consist of solely of happy, weightless moments like those. Nearly all the conflict is in the film’s past tense as it observes three grown sisters (played by Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa and Kaho) welcome their teenage half-sibling (Suzu Hirose)

read more...

Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.

The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.

Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.

Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.

As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...

One of Japan's great filmmakers has a brand new movie on the way and we couldn't be more excited. Two years after his excellent "Like Father, Like Son," and from the man who gave us movies like "Still Walking," "Nobody Knows," and "After Life," Hirokazu Koreeda returns with "Umimachi Diary." And the first, full-length international trailer is here. Based on the manga by Akimi Yoshida, and starring Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, and Suzu Hirose, the story follows three sisters who attend the funeral of their father who they haven't seen in 15 years. There they meet their 14-year-old step-sister for the first time and decide to care for her when no one else can. While we can't understand a single word in the trailer, we expect another lovely melodrama with complex characters and heart-punching emotions. "Umimachi Diary" opens in Japan on June 13th, and given he's a regular on the Croisette,...

No English subtitles on this one but there's enough here to warrant a mention, if only because the trailer is right up our street. Based on the novel "Pazuru" by Yusuke Yamada, Puzzle is directed by Eisuke Yamada. Freaky masks are all the rage it would seem and there's definitely a hint of Suicide Club about this one. We'll keep you posted on further news as it comes in, but for now, sit back and enjoy the deliciously deranged trailer. Puzzle is released back home on March 8, 2014. Synopsis: High school student Azusa (Kaho) jumps off from the rooftop of a school building, but she survives. One month later, the school is taken over by group of people wearing bizarre masks. A pregnant teacher is imprisoned, while the head director of the school and male students disappear. Azusa then finds pieces of a puzzle in an envelope given to her by classmate Shigeo.

Hong Kong distributor Kam & Ronson will be releasing Makoto Tanaka‘s Sing, Salmon, Sing! (Utatama) on region 3 DVD with English subtitles on June 22nd. When the film was released in 2008, it was billed as the next big uplifting teen comedy in the same vein as Waterboys, Swing Girls, and Hula Girls. Nikkatsu tried to sell it at the American Film Market later that year, but it was never picked up for distribution in the west.

Plot: Kasumi (Kaho) is a soprano in the Nanahama High School chorus and loves nothing more than to sing. When the popular student council president Makimura (Hideo Ishiguro) asks to photograph her, she couldn’t be more excited, but for some reason he seems to only want a shot of her while she’s singing. After her next performance, he shows her the photograph he took and jokingly informs her that her face resembles a spawning salmon whenever she sings.