Updated my home entertainment system, including buying my first blu ray player. And for my first blu ray purchase, I got the Zatoichi collectiion.
It has surpassed my expectation. I first saw a Zatoichi movie in a theater when I was a kid in Hawaii; in the ensuing decades I got both VHS and DVD versions of the movies. In all that time, I never imagined I would be sitting at home watching a Zatoichi film looking so clean and crisp . . . but with this Criterion set, I have.
There is so much to praise about this box set, but I will just say it's well worth getting if you're a fan of jidaigeki.
Congrats!
Next up would be all of the Kurosawa films on Blu-Ray...
Next up would be all of the Kurosawa films on Blu-Ray...
I have already purchased and received three of his films on blu ray: Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Sanjuro. I have Amazon Prime, and I was both surprised and delighted when they were delivered not in the customary two days but only one day after I placed my order. And they were delivered on a Sunday.
The only other Kurosawa film I may get on blu ray would be High and Low. Kurosawa was a great director, and I've seen almost all of his films, but when it comes to purchasing them, the ones I have mentioned are the only ones that I would own because they are the only ones that I know I would view multiple times.
Btw, the second blu ray disc I purchased after the Zatoichi box set was John Huston's The Man Who Would Be King. This has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it in a theater many years ago. I have always been perplexed why it hasn't been more feted; it's one of the great adventure epics, and to see it on blu ray was quite a treat.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 9:52 am Post subject:
Just finished watching Zatoichi 1 and 2 in black & white, the Criterion Collection versions in HD which I rented off iTunes. Old celluloid that I found quite entertaining.
I have already purchased and received three of his films on blu ray: Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Sanjuro. I have Amazon Prime, and I was both surprised and delighted when they were delivered not in the customary two days but only one day after I placed my order. And they were delivered on a Sunday.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 6:35 am Post subject:
Kazuya Kamenashi to star in 'Joker Game' film adaptation
Kamenashi Kazuya will star in the film adaptation of "Joker Game" as a spy.
"Joker Game" is based on the award-winning novel written by Yanagi Koji.
Setting on the eve of the World War II, in an international city in a certain Asian country, the story revolves around a fictitious spy training organization called "D Organization" that was established within the army. The spies from various countries like Japan, Germany, and the Soviet Union, develop an ultimate spy game using several stratagems with their transcendental brains.
Kamenashi plays as the protagonist named "Kato" who is scouted to the D Organization, and his costars are Iseya Yusuke and Fukada Kyoko. Iseya's role is "Yuki", the lieutenant colonel who takes the command of the organization, while Fukada plays as a mysterious woman called "Rin", the U.S. Ambassador's mistress.
Kamenashi commented, "I have read the original novel before, and was wishing to be a part of it if it ever got a live-action adaptation, so I was very happy." Apparently, the filming will be held not only in Japan, but also in overseas like Singapore and Indonesia, and regarding the filming, Kamenashi said, "As this will be my first time to film in overseas, and to attend the action scenes with people from overseas, I am really looking forward to it."
The film is directed by Irie Yu ("SR Saitama no Rapper" series), and it is set for release sometime in 2015.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 8:01 pm Post subject:
37th Japan Academy Prize nominees announced
Picture of the Year:
•The Devil's Path
•Like Father, Like Son
•A Boy Called H
•Tokyo Family
•The Great Passage
•Ask This of Rikyu
Animation of the Year:
•The Tale of Princess Kaguya
•The Wind Rises
•Space Pirate Captain Harlock
•Puella Magi Madoka Magica New Feature: Rebellion
•Lupin the Third vs Detective Conan THE MOVIE
Director of the Year:
•Ishii Yuya (The Great Passage)
•Koreeda Hirokazu (Like Father, Like Son)
•Shiraishi Kazuya (The Devil's Path)
•Mitani Koki (The Kiyosu Conference)
•Yamada Yoji (Tokyo Family)
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
•Ichikawa Ebizo (Ask This of Rikyu)
•Hashidume Isao (Tokyo Family)
•Fukuyama Masaharu (Like Father, Like Son)
•Matsuda Ryuhei (The Great Passage)
•Watanabe Ken (Unforgiven)
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
•Ueto Aya (A Tale Of Samurai Cooking - A True Love Story)
•Ono Machiko (Like Father, Like Son)
•Maki Yoko (The Ravine of Goodbye)
•Miyazaki Aoi (The Great Passage)
•Yoshiyuki Kazuko (Tokyo Family)
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
•Odagiri Joe (The Great Passage)
•Tsumabuki Satoshi (Tokyo Family)
•Pierre Taki (The Devil's Path)
•Matsuda Ryuhei (The Detective is in the Bar 2)
•Lily Franky (The Devil's Path, Like Father, Like Son)
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
•Aoi Yu (Tokyo Family)
•Ono Machiko (The Detective is in the Bar 2)
•Nakatani Miki (Ask This of Rikyu)
•Maki Yoko (Like Father, Like Son)
•Yo Kimiko (A Tale Of Samurai Cooking - A True Love Story)
Newcomer of the Year:
•Kutsuna Shiori (Unforgiven, Before the Vigil)
•Kuroki Haru (The Great Passage, A Chair on the Plains)
•Dan Mitsu (Sweet Whip)
•Hamada Kokone (Oshin)
•Ayano Go (A Story of Yonosuke, The End of Summer)
•Suda Masaki (The Backwater)
•Hoshino Gen (Blindly in Love, Why Don't You Play in Hell?)
•Yoshioka Tatsuki (The Boy Called H)
For the next twenty-four hours at Criterion.com, all in-stock Blu-rays and DVDs will be 50% off the suggested retail price (SRP), including our monumental Zatoichi box set and brand-new editions of It�fs a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Blue Is the Warmest Color. Just enter the promotional code MADFOX on your shopping cart page to apply the discount.
If you need some help deciding what to buy, we�fve created a real-time dashboard where you can see top sellers and what�fs running low, plus categories like samurai films, essential art-house, slapstick comedies, and more. And we�fll be adding new themes every few hours.
The code expires at noon EST tomorrow, February 26, so don�ft delay!
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 6:24 pm Post subject:
"Watashi no Otoko" wins two awards at Moscow Film Festival
The movie "Watashi no Otoko" which is currently being shown in Japan, won two awards i.e. best movie and best leading actor (Asano Tadanobu) during the 36th Moscow International Film Festival as announced on 28 June. This is the first win in 15 years for a Japanese film in the best movie category since 1999's "Ikitai" and the first best leading actor win in 31 years since Kato Yoshi got it in 1983 for his movie "Furusato". This is also Asano's first acting award in an international film festival.
As Asano was in Nagoya for a live performance at the time when the award was announced, he could not be in Moscow for the ceremony but expressed his joy at being given the award. The director of the movie Kumakiri Kazuyoshi commented that the filming was tough as they had to do things like wait for the drift-ice to appear before shooting some scenes and overcome various problems. However, he was glad that the effort paid off in the end. Female lead Nikaido Fumi also congratulated her co-star Asano and the director for their wins and expressed her pride at having been involved in this film.
Asano and Nikaido are expected to attend a press conference in Tokyo on 30 June where they will make the official announcement about the awards to the media.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 3:53 am Post subject:
Miyuki Oshima wins Best Actress award for male role in "Fukubukusou no Fuku-chan"
Comedian Oshima Miyuki won the best actress award for her performance in the new movie "Fukubukusou no Fuku-chan" in the 18th Fantasia International Movie Festival held at Montreal, Canada, on 9 August which makes her the first Japanese winner in 5 years since Mitsushima Hikari won it for her role in "Ai no Mukidashi" in 2009. The interesting thing is, Oshima shaved her head to play a man by the name of Fuku-chan who develops a phobia for women because of his first love (Mizukawa Asami) and later overcomes this condition when he reunites with her and falls for her again.
When interviewed about her win, Oshima commented that it was fascinating to win a best actress award even though she had acted as a man. She expressed her gratitude towards the director Fujita Yosuke for helping her to make the character Fuku-chan come alive. As for Fujita, he also praised Oshima for giving her all in playing this role and admitted that it was a gamble to get a woman to play a man but Oshima made the gamble pay off handsomely.
In response to Oshima's win, her husband Suzuki Osamu posted on his blog that he was very surprised to hear that his wife won the award by playing a middle-aged man which is something rarely heard of. Suzuki revealed that Fujita had brought the script to his wife some years ago before the March 11 tsunami crisis but there were many hiccups along the way before the movie was finally filmed. Suzuki expressed his joy at his wife's achievement and congratulated her for winning the best actress award.
Oshima is currently taking a break from work in order to prepare for motherhood.
The movie "Fukubukusou no Fuku-chan" will be shown nationwide in cinemas from 8 November.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 11:18 pm Post subject:
Kyoka Suzuki to star in "Okaasan no Ki"
Suzuki Kyoka will be starring in the new movie "Okaasan no Ki" which is due to be shown in cinemas from 6 June. The movie which is based on a folk story written by Okawa Essei in 1969 and published in the Primary 5 Japanese textbook between 1977 and 2009, features Suzuki as a mother named Tamura Mitsu staying in Nagano during WWII who raised her 7 children alone after her husband passed away. However, as the war progressed, she had to send them away as soldiers one by one and planted a paulownia tree each time in the hope of seeing them return safely. Co-stars include Miura Takahiro who plays the second son, Tanabe Seiichi who plays Mitsu's husband's friend and Shida Mirai who plays Mitsu's daughter.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 7:24 am Post subject:
Film adaptation of Shuichi Yoshida's novel "Ikari" to feature star-studded cast
The movie adaptation of Yoshida Shuichi's novel "Ikari" (Anger) will be directed by Lee Sang Il and features a star-studded cast including Watanabe Ken, Moriyama Mirai, Matsuyama Kenichi, Ayano Go, Hirose Suzu, Pierre Taki, Miura Takahiro Takahata Mitsuki, Hara Hideko, Ikewaki Chizuru, Miyazaki Aoi and Tsumabuki Satoshi. Filming for the movie began from 8 August and there are three stories set in Chiba, Tokyo and Okinawa.
In the first story set in a fishing port at Chiba, Watanabe plays a employee there named Maki Yohei whose daughter Aiko (Miyazaki) starts dating his new colleague named Tashiro Tetsuya played by Matsuyama. However, as Tashiro's background is shrouded in secrecy, Maki finds it impossible to trust him with Aiko even though he is hoping that her relationship will turn out well. Watanabe commented that this is the first time he is playing a role who finds it so difficult to trust another person so it's a very challenging experience for him. Meanwhile, Miyazaki and Matsuyama who are also working with Director Lee for the same time, commented that even though their respective roles are difficult to play, they are enjoying the filming process as much as they can.
In the Tokyo story, Tsumabuki plays the role of Fujida Yuma who works at a major advertising firm and unwittingly starts living together with Onishi Naoto (Ayano) who he met by chance one day. As compared to Yuma's openness towards Naoto, the latter behaves strangely in the daytime which leads Yuma to become suspicious about his new friend. Tsumabuki who had read the novel before, commented that he had always wanted to play the role of Yuma and is eager to put in his best performance.
As for the Okinawa story, Hirose plays Komiyama Izumi who shifts there with her mother and is on a walk on a deserted island where she meets Tanaka Shingo (Moriyama) who is living alone there. Despite meeting each other for the first time, they become good friends as they can speak about anything to each other. However, Izumi happens to meet with a mishap when she visits Naha with her classmate Tatsuya. Unable to deal with the guilt he has towards Izumi, Tatsuya goes to Tanaka to confide in him and unexpectedly finds out that the latter had actually witnessed what happened. Hirose said that after reading the novel, she was so fascinated by Izumi's role that she volunteered to take part in the audition. As for Moriyama, he said that his role is one who is unable to deal with pain and anger so he hopes to show the silent treatment of these emotions through his acting. The role of Tatsuya will be played by newcomer Sakumoto Takara who was chosen from 1,200 applicants during an audition.
Co-stars in this movie include Pierre and Miura who play the police detectives looking for the criminal involved in Izumi's case, Takahata who plays Kaoru who is an acquaintance of Naoto, Hara who plays Yuma's mother and Ikewaki who plays Aiko's friend Asuka.
Filming is expected to be wrapped up in mid October and the movie is due to be shown nationwide in autumn 2016.
Source: Eiga.com
Speaking of Japanese movies, in the latest post in Manami Konishi's blog she talks about some movies she's just seen: http://lineblog.me/konishimanami/
It looks like she's holding some programs. Do they give away programs at movies in Japan? Or is this just at the ritzier theaters?
Watched the first Death Note film. Quite enjoyed it and can understand why everyone was raving about Matsuyama Kenichi's L. Ryuk freaked me out at first but I grew quite fond of him halfway through, especially when he was begging for apples, haha. _________________
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2015 8:26 pm Post subject:
Sadao Abe, Yuko Takeuchi, & Eita part of big name cast in "Dono, Risoku de gozaru!"
Abe Sadao will be leading a big-name cast in the new movie "Dono, Risoku de gozaru!" which is set in the middle of the Edo era 240 years ago and features how the commoners fight against the elites in a money battle. Abe takes on the role of Kokutaya Juzaburo who works together with another 8 commoners to lend money to the noble clan and distributes the interest income received to the residents of the Yoshioka relay station. Other cast members include Eita who plays a tea master Sugawaraya Tokuheiji, Tsumabuki Satoshi who plays Juzaburo's younger brother and is the owner of a brewery, Takeuchi Yuko who plays a widow named Toki and manages the eating house at the relay station and Matsuda Ryuhei who plays Kayaba Moku, a ruthless official in the clan who manages the finances. Takeuchi's character will be depicted as carrying a torch for Juzaburo. Among them, Takeuchi is acting in a period movie for the first time while Matsuda is acting in his first period movie in 10 years. Co-stars also include Terawaki Yasufumi, Kitarou, Chiba Yudai, Hashimoto Ichiro, Nakamoto Ken, Nishimura Masahiko, Kusabue Mitsuko and Yamazaki Tsutomu.
With regard to the casting, the director Nakamura Yoshihiro commented that he had spent the longest time to date on this compared to his past projects because he needed to consider the ages, looks, images and impressions which the viewers have of them so as to achieve a balance among the 9 commoners and the woman who is a supporter of them. As for Takeuchi's character, Nakamura explained that he went to check on her profile on Wikipedia and noticed that she had never been in a period movie thus decided to offer her the role as one of the key reasons was that he wanted to see her with her hair bundled up as in the Edo era. The two had also recently worked on his horror movie "Zane" so Takeuchi was pleasantly surprised to be approached by Nakamura so soon after that. As for choosing Matsuda as a cold and ruthless official, Nakamura said that he had worked with Eita and Matsuda 9 years ago in his movie "Ahiru to kamo no coin locker" and noticed how Matsuda was so calm and collected on set that it sent shivers down his spine. As such, he felt that Matsuda would be suited to bring out the scary side of his character.
The movie will be shown in cinemas from 14 May 2016.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 2:09 am Post subject:
Yuki Amami and Hiroshi Abe play married couple in "Koisaika Miyamoto"
Abe Hiroshi and Amami Yuki will be teaming up in the new movie "Koisaika Miyamoto" (Miyamoto - the man who loves his wife) which will be directed and written by scriptwriter Yukawa Kazuhiko who is making his directorial debut through this movie. The movie which is based on writer Shigematsu Kiyoshi's novel "FamiResu" (Family Restaurant), features Abe and Amami as a married couple who is faced with the issue of how to live with each other after 25 years of marriage and the departure of their child from the family home after he gets married.
Abe plays the role of Miyamoto Yohei, a junior high school teacher who got to know his wife Miyoko through a go-kon and got married hastily soon after due to her pregnancy. After being married for 25 years, the couple find themselves having to contend with the notion of living with each other only on the day their son and his wife move to Fukushima for his work. On that very night, Miyoko gets herself drunk as she is filled with apprehension about the days ahead while Yohei is aghast to see a divorce application hidden by her which was already filled up. As she struggles to cope with the frustrations of living with her husband who is retiring, Miyoko suddenly leaves home which leaves Yohei scrambling to salvage his marriage.
Yukawa said that he got the offer to write the script for this movie in January last year despite the fact that he does not write scripts for adaptations and prefers to write his original stories. However, he found the theme of a couple's struggles to live with each other after retirement fascinating thus agreed to write the script on the condition that he could still inject his personal touch into the story. Initially, there were a few candidates for the director's post but the producer Fukuyama Ryo told Yukawa in April this year that he should be the best candidate for the job since he knows the story inside out. Thus, this was what led to Yukawa taking on the challenge of being a director for the first time.
Abe who is acting in a Yukawa work for the first time, commented that he is eagerly looking forward to how Yukawa will present Shigematsu's story in his own unique manner. As for Amami, she has prior experience working with Yukawa in dramas such as "Joou no Kyoushitsu" and "Gisou no Fuufu" so she anticipates that this will be another tough project for her but one which will make the audience laugh and cry at the same time.
Filming begins in January next year and the movie is due to be shown in cinemas in 2017.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2015 7:15 pm Post subject:
Hiroshi Abe and Yoko Maki to star in Hirokazu Koreeda movie
Abe Hiroshi and Maki Yoko will star in the new Koreeda Hirokazu movie "Umi yori mo mada fukaku" (It's way deeper than the sea) which is due to be shown in cinemas from 21 May 2016. The movie's story started off with a sentence written by Koreeda i.e. "not everyone can become the adult they aspire to be" and focuses on the theme of people who can't give up on their dreams that seem impossible to realise. Koreeda commented that this film is most reflective of his current situation among his productions so far and will be one he is proud to show off in front of the gods when he dies.
Abe plays the role of Ryota, an unpopular writer who won a literature award 15 years ago but has not be able to capitalise on this all this while. Since then, he has been working in a detective agency with the excuse of finding inspiration for his novels so as to fend off concerns from the people around him and lie to himself for the sake of holding on to his dream. In addition, he is very obsessed with gambling and cannot pay the maintenance fees for his son. Maki will play his ex-wife while Kiki Kirin will play his mother who still loves her son whole-heartedly despite him being unable to live as what a man of his age should do. His 11-year-old Shingo will be played by child actor Yoshizawa Taiyo.
Abe commented that he could identify with the problems faced by his character because he had the same experience in his teens when he could not achieve his dream and was unsure of what to do every day after that. As such, he was particularly impressed by how the script managed to describe Ryota's situation so aptly. Kiki also commented that Abe had a hard time in the early days of his career as he was too tall. Nonetheless, she joked that through this film, he could finally have another signature role other than in the Rome bathroom (referring to the hit Thermae Romae movies) and that they were able to become mother and son in the movie naturally by chatting about various things during the filming breaks.
Maki who worked in another Koreeda film previously i.e. "Soshite Chichi ni naru", said that she was able to be at ease on set and that her character Kyoko is a woman who has a clear view of her and her child's future but finds herself drawn naturally to an "useless" man like Ryota who keeps chasing his dream.
The filming was largely done at the Asahigaoka housing estate in Kiyose City, Tokyo, which was where Kiki's character Yoshiko lives at and also happens to be where Koreeda lived from the age of 9 to 28. Kiki commented that it was tough for her to film at a place like this where there are no elevators given that she is already over 70 years old but the warm atmosphere and reception from the residents who know Koreeda since he was young, left a deep impression on the cast.
Co-stars also include Ikematsu Sosuke, Ryota's partner at the detective agency, Lily Frankie, the president of the detective agency, Kobayashi Satomi who plays Ryota's elder sister and Hashizume Isao who plays the guy which Yoshiko admires.
Stumbled upon a pretty funny tanpatsu from 2011 entitled Suteki no Kakushidori: Kanzen Muketsu no Concierge. Written and directed by Koki Mitani, it appears to have been made around the same time as his theatrical movie A Ghost of a Chance; many of the same actors appear in both.
Eri Fukatsu plays a new hotel concierge who is admonished by her superior to do anything to meet to the needs of the guests. What follows is a series of scenes taking place in a suite in which she tries to do just that.
Among the scenarios:
Tadanobu Asano plays a desperate choreographer who asks Fukatsu to dance for him so he can get inspiration.
Koji Yamamoto plays a professional photographer who asks Fukatsu to pose for him after his model cancels.
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi plays a cirque de soleil-type performer who asks Fukatsu to help him with his new trick.
Yuko Takeuchi plays a TV celebrity chef who doesn't know a thing about cooking; she wants Fukatsu to show her how to prepare gnocchi from scratch for an upcoming show.
Keiko Toda plays a call girl who needs Fukatsu's help after her client, a famous politician, dies of a heart attack while being serviced by her.
Toshiyuki Nishida plays a lowly salaryman who has stolen 100 million yen from his company; he calls Fukatsu so he can tip her three million yen for recommending a good sushi restaurant.
There are a couple of other scenarios plus some interludes in which other well known faces show up.
The best thing about this made-for-TV movie is Fukatsu's performance. She is one of Japan's best actresses, adept at playing comedy and drama, and here she is hilarious as this perky, naive, eager-to-please novice.
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玉木宏、藤木直人、佐藤健 
