From Jason Gray comes the news that the release date for Takeshi Kitano’s latest movie, Achilles and the Tortoise (Akiresu to Kami) has been set for September 20, 2008. The movie’s title comes from one of Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea’s paradoxes; which surmises that motion, time, and change are all illusions. In the film Kitano plays Machisu, a man who was born into an affluent family, but loses both his parents suddenly as a child and decides to follow his dream of becoming a painter. Kanako Higuchi (Ashura, Memories of Tomorrow) plays his wife, who continues to be supportive of his painting throughout the years even though he’s never had any success and sometimes gets discouraged himself. Yurei Yanagi (Ju-on, Kaidan) and Kumiko Aso (Kairo, Casshern) play the same couple in their younger years. Check out the new trailer below.

continue reading »

Permalink      3 Comments

So it dawned on me that the sequel to Gegege no Kitaro, Kitaro and the Millennium Curse (Gegege no Kitaro: Sennen Noroi Uta) is set to be released on July 12, 2008 and I haven’t written about it at all since this little blurb back in February. Well a lot has happened since then. The film got a few promo screenings at Cannes, various members of the cast have been popping up on Japanese variety shows like Mechaike, and the official website got a facelift. If you’re looking for full cast details, a plot synopsis, and links to production stills Ryuganji has the goods. Below the break you’ll find the first teaser, the second teaser which was lovingly subtitled by Shochiku in preparation for Cannes, and the new full-length trailer which (I think) is minty fresh, give or take a few days.

continue reading »

Permalink      0 Comments

When I saw the first teaser for Jersey no Futari a few months back, which basically consisted of Sheena & The Rokkets guitarist Makoto Ayukawa being completely baffled by his convenience store B.L.T. sandwich, it seemed quirky enough that it had to be something worth paying attention to. But the fact that it was written and directed by the notoriously “twisty” director Yoshihiro Nakamura made me a little bit hesitant to write about it yet for fear that there would be some major twist that changes the whole plot. Well, there’s a full trailer now that gives a clearer impression of the film’s tone. And since it’s based on a novel by Yu Nagashima (author of Dog in a Sidecar), chances are nobody will be getting trapped in any alternate dimensions or anything, so here goes.

continue reading »

Permalink      0 Comments

Sokichi Miyata’s mellow, DV-shot road movie Bakabakance stars Kunihiro Suda, Erika Okuda (Tokyo Zombie), Kiyohiko Shibukawa (Ichi the Killer), Yosuke Nakajima, Yoshiyuki Morishita (Funky Forest), and Shirou Nozawa. The film won the 8th Tama Movie Festival “Tama New Wave” special prize back in November and will be released in Japan on July 5, 2008.

Michio (Suda) works at a small western-style restaurant and is slowly trying to get over the loneliness and depression caused by his girlfriend Ai (Okuda) leaving him for another guy six months earlier. To make things worse his boss suddenly takes off with all the money the business had, leaving all his employees to twist in the wind. When Michio goes home he finds Ai there waiting for him. She had recently broken up with her new boyfriend and needs a place to stay. Michio thinks this is ridiculously selfish of her, but since he’s still not over her he can’t seem to refuse. The next morning one of the cooks from the restaurant (Shibukawa) shows up and tells Michio he knows where the restaurant owner will be the following day. So the three of them go off on a drive in a little red convertible to confront him. Unfortunately the car overheats and they’re left stranded in a town by the beach. Now stuck together for a little longer than expected and unsure if they’ll make it to their destination in time, Michio and Ai have some unresolved issues to settle.

continue reading »

Permalink      0 Comments

A new trailer for Minoru Kawasaki’s daikaiju comedy Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit, which I first wrote about here, was released yesterday—and unlike the first teaser it includes some actual footage! There was some confusion over whether this movie would be a full-blown comedy or a serious attempt at an old school monster flick. Judging from this new trailer, Kawasaki seems to have struck a nice balance between his trademark wacked-out sense of humor and his love of the genre, but we’ll have to wait a while to know for sure. “Monster X” opens July 26, 2008 in Japan. Below you’ll find the teaser followed by the new trailer.

continue reading »

Permalink      0 Comments