It feels appropriate that Tomoki Kanazawa’s “Sabakan” is set in the summer of 1986: the year Rob Reiner’s “Stand By Me” was released. And while the two films end up very different, the Nagasaki-set family film starts with a very similar character dynamic.
Sabakan is screening at Camera Japan
Takaaki (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) is a struggling writer and divorcee. Suffering from writer’s block, he reminisces about the summer of 1986, when a shared experience with a classmate had a lasting impact. Kenji (Konosuke Harada) is from a poorer background than most at school; the eldest of five siblings of a struggling widow. While others tease Kenji, Takaaki (the younger played by Ichiro Banke) remains straight-faced. A fact that Kenji notices.
Unexpectedly that summer, Kenji drops in on Takaaki to take him to nearby Boomerang Island, where there have been recent sightings of dolphins. Along the way, they encounter delinquents,...
Sabakan is screening at Camera Japan
Takaaki (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) is a struggling writer and divorcee. Suffering from writer’s block, he reminisces about the summer of 1986, when a shared experience with a classmate had a lasting impact. Kenji (Konosuke Harada) is from a poorer background than most at school; the eldest of five siblings of a struggling widow. While others tease Kenji, Takaaki (the younger played by Ichiro Banke) remains straight-faced. A fact that Kenji notices.
Unexpectedly that summer, Kenji drops in on Takaaki to take him to nearby Boomerang Island, where there have been recent sightings of dolphins. Along the way, they encounter delinquents,...
- 9/25/2023
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
“Yoko No Tabi” directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (“Manhole”) was crowned winner of Best Feature Film of the the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival, one of the leading festivals in East Asia, during the awards ceremony on Saturday.The film also bagged an award for Best Actress and one for Best Screenplay.
A human drama directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (Mukoku) and headlined by Rinko Kikuchi. Other cast members include Pistol Takehara, Asuka Kurosawa, Jun Fubuki and Joe Odagiri. Kikuchi was recently nominated for best supporting actress in “Babel” at the 2007 Academy Awards.
Synopsis:
Given up her dream and life long ago, Yoko has been socially isolated for years and barely leaves her tiny apartment. When she receives the news of her estranged father's death, she is forced to leave the room and ride with her cousin to return home for the first time in 20 years. However, Yoko ends up left alone in the highway rest stop…...
A human drama directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (Mukoku) and headlined by Rinko Kikuchi. Other cast members include Pistol Takehara, Asuka Kurosawa, Jun Fubuki and Joe Odagiri. Kikuchi was recently nominated for best supporting actress in “Babel” at the 2007 Academy Awards.
Synopsis:
Given up her dream and life long ago, Yoko has been socially isolated for years and barely leaves her tiny apartment. When she receives the news of her estranged father's death, she is forced to leave the room and ride with her cousin to return home for the first time in 20 years. However, Yoko ends up left alone in the highway rest stop…...
- 6/19/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Yoko is a 42-year-old single “freeter” (freelancing part-time worker) who has suffered setbacks and opposition from her father in pursuing her dreams. One day when she receives news of her estranged father's death, she decides to return to her hometown of Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture for his funeral. Along the way, she encounters car troubles and being cash-strapped, embarks on a hitchhiking journey where she meets various people such as a desperate working single mum and a kind-hearted couple.
A human drama directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (Mukoku) and headlined by Academy Award® nominee Rinko Kikuchi. Other cast members include Pistol Takehara, Asuka Kurosawa, Jun Fubuki and Joe Odagiri. This movie will premiere in Japan with a roadshow on July 28, 2023.
A human drama directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (Mukoku) and headlined by Academy Award® nominee Rinko Kikuchi. Other cast members include Pistol Takehara, Asuka Kurosawa, Jun Fubuki and Joe Odagiri. This movie will premiere in Japan with a roadshow on July 28, 2023.
- 5/25/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Japanese humor is rather unique, occasionally moving towards intelligent, quirky and deadpan paths, occasionally towards absurd, slapstick or even appalling and “blasphemous” ones. “Zokki”, the collective effort of Naoto Takenaka, Takayuki Yamada and Takumi Saitoh, thankfully lingers mostly towards the first two categories, in five intermingling episodes written by Yutaka Kuramochi, based on short stories by manga artist Hiroyuki Ohashi.
“Zokki” is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
The omnibus begins with a story of a kidnapping that ends up with a grandfather talking about secrets with his granddaughter, who eventually throws out of her mouth the milk she was drinking, which sets up the tone, to a point at least, for the rest of the movie. Another story focuses on Fujimura, a loner who decides to go for a road trip with his bike, eventually arriving at a seaside town, where he is taken in by a friendly...
“Zokki” is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
The omnibus begins with a story of a kidnapping that ends up with a grandfather talking about secrets with his granddaughter, who eventually throws out of her mouth the milk she was drinking, which sets up the tone, to a point at least, for the rest of the movie. Another story focuses on Fujimura, a loner who decides to go for a road trip with his bike, eventually arriving at a seaside town, where he is taken in by a friendly...
- 8/25/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
It’s been something of a long wait for the latest release from “Dreams for Sale” director Miwa Nishikawa. Her fifth feature film, “The Long Excuse” is a considered look at grief, and continues where her last film left off, looking at the concept of self-deception and how people cope with times of crisis.
“The Long Excuse” screened at the New York Asian Film Festival
Sachio (Masahiro Motoki), a writer whose career has turned more to TV celebrity than literary genius, receives a haircut from his hairdresser wife. Slightly drunk, they have a discussion where he shows his annoyance at his status and how his name is that of a baseball legend. Leaving for a trip with her best friend Yuki (Keiko Horiuchi), Natsuko’s (Eri Fukatsu) bus soon crashes on its way through the mountains, killing both, while her husband has an affair with a younger woman.
Having grown cynical,...
“The Long Excuse” screened at the New York Asian Film Festival
Sachio (Masahiro Motoki), a writer whose career has turned more to TV celebrity than literary genius, receives a haircut from his hairdresser wife. Slightly drunk, they have a discussion where he shows his annoyance at his status and how his name is that of a baseball legend. Leaving for a trip with her best friend Yuki (Keiko Horiuchi), Natsuko’s (Eri Fukatsu) bus soon crashes on its way through the mountains, killing both, while her husband has an affair with a younger woman.
Having grown cynical,...
- 6/29/2019
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
Michiro Endo is a cult icon in Japan. Born in 1950, in Fukushima, he formed the former punk band “The Stalin” in 1980, a group with radical performances and methods of expression, which featured in Sogo Ishii’s “Burst City.” “The Stalin” were disbanded in 1985, and Michiro Endo started his solo career in 1993, giving, mostly, acoustic folk performances. In 2011, he begins the “Project Fukushima!” with various activities to support the restoration of the area after the Great East Japan Earthquake. The same year starts his Kanreki tour, to celebrate his 60th birthday. He films this tour from January 23 to September 16, and the footage becomes the backbone of “Mother, I’ve Pretty Much Forgotten Your Name.”
The film will screen at the 18th Japan-Filmfest Hamburg, that will be on 31.05-04.06.2017
The film starts with a performance by “The Stalin” (Endo reunited them for this tour), that highlights the band’s, but mostly his,...
The film will screen at the 18th Japan-Filmfest Hamburg, that will be on 31.05-04.06.2017
The film starts with a performance by “The Stalin” (Endo reunited them for this tour), that highlights the band’s, but mostly his,...
- 5/15/2017
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The award ceremony for the oldest Japanese cinema competition took place on February 5 at the Bunkyo Civic Center, and the list of winners is:
Best Actor: Yuya Yagira (Destruction Babies)
Best Actress: Rie Miyazawa (Her Love Boils Bath Water)
Best Supporting Actor: Pistol Takehara (The Long Excuse)
Best Supporting Actress: Hana Sugisaki (Her Love Boils Bath Water)
Best Director: Sunao Katabuchi (In This Corner of the World)
Best Director (Foreign): Clint Eastwood (Sully)
Best Screenplay: Hideaki Anno (Shin Godzilla)
Best New Actor: Nijiro Murakami (Destruction Babies, Natsumi no Hotaru)
Best New Actress: Nana Komatsu (Oboreru Knife, Destruction Babies)
Best Ten Japanese Feature Films
In This Corner of the World (Sunao Katabuchi)
Shin Godzilla (Shinji Higuchi/Hideaki Anno)
Harmonium (Koji Fukada)
Destruction Babies (Mariko Tetsuya)
Long Excuse (Miwa Nishikawa)
The Bride of Rip Van Winkle (Shunji Iwai)
Her Love Boils Bath Water (Ryota Nakano)
Creepy (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
Over the Fence...
Best Actor: Yuya Yagira (Destruction Babies)
Best Actress: Rie Miyazawa (Her Love Boils Bath Water)
Best Supporting Actor: Pistol Takehara (The Long Excuse)
Best Supporting Actress: Hana Sugisaki (Her Love Boils Bath Water)
Best Director: Sunao Katabuchi (In This Corner of the World)
Best Director (Foreign): Clint Eastwood (Sully)
Best Screenplay: Hideaki Anno (Shin Godzilla)
Best New Actor: Nijiro Murakami (Destruction Babies, Natsumi no Hotaru)
Best New Actress: Nana Komatsu (Oboreru Knife, Destruction Babies)
Best Ten Japanese Feature Films
In This Corner of the World (Sunao Katabuchi)
Shin Godzilla (Shinji Higuchi/Hideaki Anno)
Harmonium (Koji Fukada)
Destruction Babies (Mariko Tetsuya)
Long Excuse (Miwa Nishikawa)
The Bride of Rip Van Winkle (Shunji Iwai)
Her Love Boils Bath Water (Ryota Nakano)
Creepy (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
Over the Fence...
- 2/6/2017
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Sachio Kinugasa is a formerly successful writer who currently makes his living by appearing on talk shows. He is married to a hairstylist, Natsuko, but constantly ignores her while he is having an affair with his editor. His life turns upside down when Natsuko is killed in a bus accident, along with her friend Yuko. The two widowers, Sachio and Yoichi deal with the incident in completely different fashion. Sachio tries to “seduce” the media once more, while Yoichi is utterly devastated. However, due to Yoichi’s efforts to become friends with him, the two men start socializing, and eventually Sachio agrees to act as a babysitter for Yoichi’s two kids, Shinpei and Akari. As he starts warming up to them, Sachio realizes the mistakes he has made in his life, particularly regarding his deceased wife.
Miwa Nishikawa directs and pens (actually adapts her own book) a touching movie that starts as a drama,...
Miwa Nishikawa directs and pens (actually adapts her own book) a touching movie that starts as a drama,...
- 11/17/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
A trailer has finally been released for the latest film by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (Antenna, Non-ko), Sketches of Kaitan City.
The film is based on Yasushi Sato’s unfinished novel “Kaitanshi Jokei” (Sea Coal City Scenery), which was published after Sato committed suicide in 1990. The novel simply and realistically depicts life in the seaport town of Hakodate, Hokkaido as he saw it and is said to offer a glimpse into the lives of various people going through individual hardships.
Plot: After massive restructuring, Souta (Pistol Takehara) finds himself forced out of his job at a local shipyard. He decides to go on an impromptu trip with his younger sister Honami (Mitsuki Tanimura) to witness the first sunrise of the new year from the peak of a mountain.
A planetarium operator (Kaoru Kobayashi) deals with the pain caused by his wife’s betrayal.
After taking over his family’s gas company, Haruo...
The film is based on Yasushi Sato’s unfinished novel “Kaitanshi Jokei” (Sea Coal City Scenery), which was published after Sato committed suicide in 1990. The novel simply and realistically depicts life in the seaport town of Hakodate, Hokkaido as he saw it and is said to offer a glimpse into the lives of various people going through individual hardships.
Plot: After massive restructuring, Souta (Pistol Takehara) finds himself forced out of his job at a local shipyard. He decides to go on an impromptu trip with his younger sister Honami (Mitsuki Tanimura) to witness the first sunrise of the new year from the peak of a mountain.
A planetarium operator (Kaoru Kobayashi) deals with the pain caused by his wife’s betrayal.
After taking over his family’s gas company, Haruo...
- 9/24/2010
- Nippon Cinema
A trailer has finally been released for the latest film by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (Antenna, Non-ko), Sketches of Kaitan City.
The film is based on Yasushi Sato’s unfinished novel “Kaitanshi Jokei” (Sea Coal City Scenery), which was published after Sato committed suicide in 1990. The novel simply and realistically depicts life in the seaport town of Hakodate, Hokkaido as he saw it and is said to offer a glimpse into the lives of various people going through individual hardships.
Plot: After massive restructuring, Souta (Pistol Takehara) finds himself forced out of his job at a local shipyard. He decides to go on an impromptu trip with his younger sister Honami (Mitsuki Tanimura) to witness the first sunrise of the new year from the peak of a mountain.
A planetarium operator (Kaoru Kobayashi) deals with the pain caused by his wife’s betrayal.
After taking over his family’s gas company, Haruo...
The film is based on Yasushi Sato’s unfinished novel “Kaitanshi Jokei” (Sea Coal City Scenery), which was published after Sato committed suicide in 1990. The novel simply and realistically depicts life in the seaport town of Hakodate, Hokkaido as he saw it and is said to offer a glimpse into the lives of various people going through individual hardships.
Plot: After massive restructuring, Souta (Pistol Takehara) finds himself forced out of his job at a local shipyard. He decides to go on an impromptu trip with his younger sister Honami (Mitsuki Tanimura) to witness the first sunrise of the new year from the peak of a mountain.
A planetarium operator (Kaoru Kobayashi) deals with the pain caused by his wife’s betrayal.
After taking over his family’s gas company, Haruo...
- 9/24/2010
- Nippon Cinema
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