One of Hollywood's most frustrating recent news stories is that Francis Ford Coppola is having trouble finding distribution for his self-funded passion project, "Megalopolis" (via The Hollywood Reporter). In a just world, making "The Godfather" would grant Coppola a lifetime blank check, but that has never been the world we've lived in.
What you may not be aware of is one of Coppola's influences for his magnum opus. Like his friend "Star Wars" director George Lucas, Coppola looked to Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. While Lucas took after Kurosawa's Jidaigeki (historical) films, Coppola looked to one of the director's contemporary-set films: "The Bad Sleep Well."
Released in 1960 and starring his go-to leading man Toshiro Mifune, the movie is one of Kurosawa's (comparatively) more obscure ones. It was especially overshadowed by "High and Low," the masterful kidnapping thriller that Kurosawa and Mifune released in 1963. Both movies are set in the world of...
What you may not be aware of is one of Coppola's influences for his magnum opus. Like his friend "Star Wars" director George Lucas, Coppola looked to Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. While Lucas took after Kurosawa's Jidaigeki (historical) films, Coppola looked to one of the director's contemporary-set films: "The Bad Sleep Well."
Released in 1960 and starring his go-to leading man Toshiro Mifune, the movie is one of Kurosawa's (comparatively) more obscure ones. It was especially overshadowed by "High and Low," the masterful kidnapping thriller that Kurosawa and Mifune released in 1963. Both movies are set in the world of...
- 4/15/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
The original 1954 "Godzilla" was directed by Ishirō Honda, butithout minimizing his importance, it's impossible that the film would have turned out the same way without the special effects Director Eiji Tsuburaya. Portraying a giant monster with the convincing scale of Godzilla had almost never been done before and crafting the monster was Tsuburaya's responsibility.
Tsuburaya had a prolific career that began almost 30 years before he worked on "Godzilla," and included previous collaborations with Honda on the war films "Eagle of the Pacific" and "Farewell Rabaul." Today, though, he is mostly remembered as "the father of Tokusatsu" or effects-heavy Japanese film/TV. Such productions typically depict actors in costume as giant monsters, robots, or superheroes. Tsuburaya earned this title not just through his work on "Godzilla" and subsequent films (such as "Rodan"), but by creating the 1967 TV series turned media phenomenon "Ultraman."
While Ultraman is a hero, Godzilla is (at least...
Tsuburaya had a prolific career that began almost 30 years before he worked on "Godzilla," and included previous collaborations with Honda on the war films "Eagle of the Pacific" and "Farewell Rabaul." Today, though, he is mostly remembered as "the father of Tokusatsu" or effects-heavy Japanese film/TV. Such productions typically depict actors in costume as giant monsters, robots, or superheroes. Tsuburaya earned this title not just through his work on "Godzilla" and subsequent films (such as "Rodan"), but by creating the 1967 TV series turned media phenomenon "Ultraman."
While Ultraman is a hero, Godzilla is (at least...
- 2/4/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
There was a time, maybe fifteen years ago, when a title like “Ninja vs. Shark” would have been enough to whip up some early-viral excitement. In those days, the tongue-in-cheek grindhouse homage was still a novel idea, and upstart filmmakers were in a rush to combine b-movie tropes into self-consciously “epic” packages. Now, after more than a decade of lazy faux-exploitation productions dropped on streaming, the freshness factor has worn off. Still, not all filmmakers are created equally, and it’s important to note that “Ninja vs. Shark” is directed by stunt legend Koichi Sakamoto, who has made a career crafting dizzying fight choreography and directing live action anime and Tokusatsu features. His reputation made the idea of yet another “[B-Movie Creature] vs. [“B-Movie Creature]” title a little more exciting, and the good news is that he’s created a legitimately entertaining and refreshingly brief movie that, for better or worse, plays a little...
- 9/22/2023
- by Henry McKeand
- AsianMoviePulse
After reimagining two other larger-than-life Japanese icons, Hideaki Anno naturally sought out another tokusatsu juggernaut to complete his “Shin” trilogy. And after the success of both Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman, fans of the filmmaker and/or Kamen Rider were curious to see how the grandfather of tokusatsu television would be updated. The final product ends up being more low-risk than Anno’s past projects, but Shin Kamen Rider is also one of his most heartfelt works to date.
Kamen Rider is certainly no stranger to reinvention. Despite the many entries in this long-running franchise, Anno goes back to the very beginning for Shin Kamen Rider’s story. Much like in the original TV series created by Shōtarō Ishinomori, the Kamen Rider seen here is a force of good with a dark origin. However, the movie reenvisions the terrorist organization Shocker as Shocker (an abbreviation for Sustainable Happiness Organization with...
Kamen Rider is certainly no stranger to reinvention. Despite the many entries in this long-running franchise, Anno goes back to the very beginning for Shin Kamen Rider’s story. Much like in the original TV series created by Shōtarō Ishinomori, the Kamen Rider seen here is a force of good with a dark origin. However, the movie reenvisions the terrorist organization Shocker as Shocker (an abbreviation for Sustainable Happiness Organization with...
- 6/1/2023
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
The two biggest streaming releases this week could not be more different. One is a nostalgia-fueled special based on one of the most popular franchises of the '90s, in the form of "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always." The other is a brand new, original, and very bizarre TV show, "Mrs. Davis." Elsewhere, for those looking for more tokusatsu fun like "Power Rangers," there are anime series like "Ssss Dynazenon" and "Love After World Domination," which offer unique spins on the "Power Rangers" formula. Or perhaps you want something that embraces the fun of these stories while offering something more serious, like "Shin Godzilla." Similarly, while you're waiting to know more about the mystery that is "Mrs. Davis," you would do well to check out co-creator Damon Lindelof's previous work on "Lost" and its vast mythology, the darkly weird blend of sexy and funny in "Alien: Covenant,...
- 4/17/2023
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Being a Kaiju fan wasn’t always this easy. Not only were dubbed and subtitled copies of Japanese monster movies hard to come by before the advent of online streaming and boutique Blu-rays, but it was also hard to find other cinephiles with the same taste for rubber-suits and cardboard destruction. Fortunately, times have changed, with the rise of internet culture allowing what were once niche interests to find their way into mainstream culture.
However, while general audiences are now mostly aware of Godzilla and his titanic rogues’ gallery, there’s still a whole world of untapped kaiju flicks out there, just waiting to be discovered by a new generation of fans. And with the internet making even the most obscure creature features more accessible, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six Kaiju movies that aren’t Godzilla-related.
While we obviously have nothing against everyone’s favorite radioactive lizard,...
However, while general audiences are now mostly aware of Godzilla and his titanic rogues’ gallery, there’s still a whole world of untapped kaiju flicks out there, just waiting to be discovered by a new generation of fans. And with the internet making even the most obscure creature features more accessible, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six Kaiju movies that aren’t Godzilla-related.
While we obviously have nothing against everyone’s favorite radioactive lizard,...
- 3/2/2023
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
Jennifer Coolidge demands attention on the final cover of Volume 2 of W Magazine‘s Directors Issue.
The fun, playful and imaginative shoot sees the actress looking fierce as she gets into character and steps into a number of bold and avant-garde fashion pieces.
Before chatting about the entertaining and exuberant photoshoot, directed by Academy Award nominees Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Coolidge comments on her fan-favourite “White Lotus” character Tanya, whose fate was revealed at the end of the second season.
Read More: Jennifer Coolidge Reacts To Fans Wanting Pamela Anderson To Join ‘The White Lotus’ (Exclusive)
“I feel bad for her, because she didn’t know what she was made of. She didn’t have that kind of faith in herself,” the 61-year-old star tells the publication. “Sometimes these scary things happen in life. And then you find out, in like two seconds, that you are a survivor and...
The fun, playful and imaginative shoot sees the actress looking fierce as she gets into character and steps into a number of bold and avant-garde fashion pieces.
Before chatting about the entertaining and exuberant photoshoot, directed by Academy Award nominees Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Coolidge comments on her fan-favourite “White Lotus” character Tanya, whose fate was revealed at the end of the second season.
Read More: Jennifer Coolidge Reacts To Fans Wanting Pamela Anderson To Join ‘The White Lotus’ (Exclusive)
“I feel bad for her, because she didn’t know what she was made of. She didn’t have that kind of faith in herself,” the 61-year-old star tells the publication. “Sometimes these scary things happen in life. And then you find out, in like two seconds, that you are a survivor and...
- 3/1/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi are living the tokusatsu dream. Both grew up loving “Godzilla,” “Ultraman,” and “Kamen Rider,” and here they are adapting films of their favorite childhood properties while adding their unique stamps to them. But, of course, being a fan of something does not automatically guarantee quality content. One’s admiration for a franchise is acknowledgeable, but the feature can fail as a solid piece of entertainment and feel like an overproduced fan project lacking substance. Yet, if “Shin Godzilla” proved anything, directing a solid movie comes first for Anno and Higuchi, as not only was that a fantastic reboot of a long-running franchise but an excellent film on its own merits. Moreover, considering both directors’ outspoken love for “Ultraman,” especially the classic 1966 television show, one can only assume their love letter would be a fun feature without feeling too on the nose with fan service. Thankfully,...
- 7/24/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Titan Manga (new imprint from Titan Comics) is thrilled to announce a new partnership with Stonebot to publish Kamen Rider Kuuga and Atom: The Beginning manga series. The partnership will also include a brand-new originated comic series based on the Tokusatsu TV series Kamen Rider Zero-One (currently on Shout! Factory in the US). Written by Brandon Easton (Transformers), this series is due to launch in Fall/Winter 2022.
The partnership kicks-off on October 11, 2022 with the releases of Atom: The Beginning Vol. 1 – an original manga series based on the God of Manga Osamu Tezuka’s world-famous series Astro Boy, which has spawned multiple anime adaptations, video games, and more! Atom: The Beginning is a sci-fi manga about the turbulent lives of two robotics engineering students and their latest revolutionary project: the unassuming yet insanely strong A106, or “Six.”
Based on the original concept and story by Tokusatsu legend Shotaro Ishinomori, Kamen Rider...
The partnership kicks-off on October 11, 2022 with the releases of Atom: The Beginning Vol. 1 – an original manga series based on the God of Manga Osamu Tezuka’s world-famous series Astro Boy, which has spawned multiple anime adaptations, video games, and more! Atom: The Beginning is a sci-fi manga about the turbulent lives of two robotics engineering students and their latest revolutionary project: the unassuming yet insanely strong A106, or “Six.”
Based on the original concept and story by Tokusatsu legend Shotaro Ishinomori, Kamen Rider...
- 4/29/2022
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Born of a merger between two film companies in 1951, Toei is one of Japan’s leading film producers, distributors and exhibitors, with a wide range of media businesses. Starting in the 1950s with samurai swashbucklers and continuing in the 1960s with actioners featuring Japan’s native gangsters, the yakuza, Toei gained a reputation as maker of entertainment for the masses, not the critics.
Rival Toho may have had Kurosawa Akira and Shochiku, Ozu Yasujiro — both world-class auteurs — but Toei had Ishii Teruo, whose “Abashiri Prison” action series (1965-’72) made a major star of the strong-but-silent Takakura Ken, and Fukasaku Kinji, whose “Battles Without Honor and Humanity” series (1973-’74) was a groundbreaking re-creation of a real-life yakuza war. Neither won many awards or much international recognition at the time, but their contributions helped make Toei a box office powerhouse. Beginning in the 1950s and continuing in the 1960s as the diffusion...
Rival Toho may have had Kurosawa Akira and Shochiku, Ozu Yasujiro — both world-class auteurs — but Toei had Ishii Teruo, whose “Abashiri Prison” action series (1965-’72) made a major star of the strong-but-silent Takakura Ken, and Fukasaku Kinji, whose “Battles Without Honor and Humanity” series (1973-’74) was a groundbreaking re-creation of a real-life yakuza war. Neither won many awards or much international recognition at the time, but their contributions helped make Toei a box office powerhouse. Beginning in the 1950s and continuing in the 1960s as the diffusion...
- 6/30/2021
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Sion Sono takes another trip towards the preposterous, this time managing to mix tokusatsu, kaiju, and family film elements while mocking a vast plethora of notions, including the Olympic Games, history, the music industry, bullying, pop culture, and even Santa Claus.
Love and Peace is screening as part of Five Flavours Asian New Year’s Eve Online
Ryoichi is the definition of the loser. When he was young, he dreamt of becoming a punk rock star but instead ended up being a timid white-collar employee of a musical parts company. Furthermore, everybody seems to constantly mock him and that includes not just his co-workers and boss, but actually everybody. From the passengers of the train he takes to work every day, who seem to stare at him perpetually, to talk-show producers on TV, in a distinct surrealistic notion, typical of Sono’s style. Ryoichi has feelings for a co-worker, Yuko Terajima,...
Love and Peace is screening as part of Five Flavours Asian New Year’s Eve Online
Ryoichi is the definition of the loser. When he was young, he dreamt of becoming a punk rock star but instead ended up being a timid white-collar employee of a musical parts company. Furthermore, everybody seems to constantly mock him and that includes not just his co-workers and boss, but actually everybody. From the passengers of the train he takes to work every day, who seem to stare at him perpetually, to talk-show producers on TV, in a distinct surrealistic notion, typical of Sono’s style. Ryoichi has feelings for a co-worker, Yuko Terajima,...
- 12/24/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Minoru Kawasaki’s films have always been silly as much as entertaining, with his tendency to portray various professional humans in animal form, having drawn joyous laughter by all audience that enjoy cult parody. This time his approach deals with the kaiju-tokusatsu theme, in a film that parodies “Godzilla” (Resurgence) as much as Kawasaki’s own films.
Kaiju Mono will be available from Terracotta Distribution
The story starts with a film crew from SpiritSpots.com entering Specter Pass in Mount Myojin, where strange lights have been reported to appear recently. During their search, they are warned by the mysterious Professor Nindo Izumi not to proceed. However, they pay no attention to him and soon end up dead by a gigantic creature that emerges from the ground. All the while, reports for abnormal weather around the globe, earthquakes in Mount Myojin and the reemergence of ancient plants are all over the news,...
Kaiju Mono will be available from Terracotta Distribution
The story starts with a film crew from SpiritSpots.com entering Specter Pass in Mount Myojin, where strange lights have been reported to appear recently. During their search, they are warned by the mysterious Professor Nindo Izumi not to proceed. However, they pay no attention to him and soon end up dead by a gigantic creature that emerges from the ground. All the while, reports for abnormal weather around the globe, earthquakes in Mount Myojin and the reemergence of ancient plants are all over the news,...
- 12/15/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Ten years ago a fan of Tokusatsu could have never imagined the access we’d have to these programs today. Back then official releases of anything outside of the American adaptations, particularly Power Rangers, seemed like a far off dream. However in the past few years especially there’s been a slow trickle of Toku shows becoming available to stream in North America.
In the last few months though that trickle became a waterfall as several new services have quickly become mainstays, finally allowing Toku fandom to finally enjoy their favorite shows legally. This also allows more casual fans a chance to experience these shows for the first time and that’s who this guide is mostly for. If you’re curious about the wider world of Tokusatsu and need a place to start, this guide should cover your bases for the many kinds of Toku series out there.
Just as a note,...
In the last few months though that trickle became a waterfall as several new services have quickly become mainstays, finally allowing Toku fandom to finally enjoy their favorite shows legally. This also allows more casual fans a chance to experience these shows for the first time and that’s who this guide is mostly for. If you’re curious about the wider world of Tokusatsu and need a place to start, this guide should cover your bases for the many kinds of Toku series out there.
Just as a note,...
- 7/11/2020
- by Shamus Kelley
- Den of Geek
Rider Jump! Rider Kick! Fans of Tokusatsu, especially classic Toku, are having a lot of reasons to celebrate. The biggest one is that the very first entry in the Kamen Rider franchise is now streaming on TokuSHOUTsu. All ninety-eight episodes of the first Kamen Rider series ever are streaming with English subtitles!
Click here to enter via our official giveaway page!
This is the first chance many fans have had to experience the classic series and we’re excited right along with them. To help fuel that excitement we’ve teamed up with TokuSHOUTsu to offer a prize package of three Kamen Rider Figuarts figures and a Kamen Rider poster! Recreate your favorite action-packed scenes and create some of your own — or just admire them on your shelf. The official description for those figures are below (and photos of them are above!)
Masked Rider Neo 2 “Kamen Rider”, Bandai S.H.
Click here to enter via our official giveaway page!
This is the first chance many fans have had to experience the classic series and we’re excited right along with them. To help fuel that excitement we’ve teamed up with TokuSHOUTsu to offer a prize package of three Kamen Rider Figuarts figures and a Kamen Rider poster! Recreate your favorite action-packed scenes and create some of your own — or just admire them on your shelf. The official description for those figures are below (and photos of them are above!)
Masked Rider Neo 2 “Kamen Rider”, Bandai S.H.
- 3/25/2020
- by Shamus Kelley
- Den of Geek
Marvel is about to get even more larger than life. In the continuing quest to expand Ultraman into the west, franchise owner Tsuburaya Productions has teamed up with Marvel Comics to release all-new stories based on the classic Ultraman series. Marvel’s Ultraman comic will be titled The Rise of Ultraman and the first issue will be hitting later this year! Along with the title it was also announced that Kyle Higgins (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and Matt Groom (Self/Made) will be writing the series and art will be done by Francesco Manna.
All of the talent attached to this is spectacular but the most noteworthy for fans of the genre is Higgins, since he was a driving force behind the Power Rangers comic for Boom! Studios. The first writer on the title, Higgins helped establish the comic and made huge contributions to the “Shattered Grid” event. He has...
All of the talent attached to this is spectacular but the most noteworthy for fans of the genre is Higgins, since he was a driving force behind the Power Rangers comic for Boom! Studios. The first writer on the title, Higgins helped establish the comic and made huge contributions to the “Shattered Grid” event. He has...
- 3/3/2020
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
Shamus Kelley Mar 3, 2019
The explosion of Ameri-Toku in the wake of Power Rangers' success met with mixed results. We rank 'em all.
When Power Rangers exploded onto the scene in 1993 it became a global phenomenon. Sold out toy shelves, live appearances, and merchandising galore. It was the hottest property since Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the '80s. It’s no surprise Saban, the creators of the series, wanted to ride the bandwagon they created and in turn they (and others) developed several shows to ride the coattails of Power Rangers, referred to by fans as “Ameri-Toku” series. That's short for American Tokusatsu, Tokusatsu being the Japanese word for these subgenre of superhero shows.
There was a lot of these shows so we decided to rank them all from worst to best!
7. Kamen Rider Dragon Knight
The second adaption of the popular Japanese franchise on our native soil had a ton of ambition.
The explosion of Ameri-Toku in the wake of Power Rangers' success met with mixed results. We rank 'em all.
When Power Rangers exploded onto the scene in 1993 it became a global phenomenon. Sold out toy shelves, live appearances, and merchandising galore. It was the hottest property since Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the '80s. It’s no surprise Saban, the creators of the series, wanted to ride the bandwagon they created and in turn they (and others) developed several shows to ride the coattails of Power Rangers, referred to by fans as “Ameri-Toku” series. That's short for American Tokusatsu, Tokusatsu being the Japanese word for these subgenre of superhero shows.
There was a lot of these shows so we decided to rank them all from worst to best!
7. Kamen Rider Dragon Knight
The second adaption of the popular Japanese franchise on our native soil had a ton of ambition.
- 4/19/2014
- Den of Geek
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