Find & watch old school Asian film trailers, new intriguing short films, and much more…
Aired on Japanese channel NHK around the time of the J-theatrical release of From Up On Poppy Hill, this making-of documentary shows the production of the film.
More precisely, it portrays the difficult relationship between Hayao and his son Goro Miyazaki. And the title of the doc is quite clear – it can be loosely translated as “The 300 days of war between father and son.” Read more…
The war of the Occult from Japanese filmmaker Akio Jissoji, who directed episodes of Ultraman but also independent art-house films like the ATG-produced Buddhist trilogy. Mix all these influences/works, and the result is Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis, one of the most expensive Japanese productions of its time.
This live-action adaptation of fantasy novel Teito Monogatari is about a psychic named Kato who wants to revive a thousand year-old evil spirit to destruct Tokyo. Hopefully (?) a prophet, a physicist and a businessman intend to protect the city. Does it sound-look crazy enough? In addition, Alien creator H.R. Giger designed creatures for the film, and it stars legends such as Joe Shishido, Shintaro Katsu…! Watch out, NSFW. Read more…
A short but nice scene lost in the middle of the disaster called 1911 Revolution, it’s one of the few interesting & fun moments to watch. Not just because it’s the only fight scene with Jackie Chan. Read more…
Remember the director behind the first Sasori films, with actress Meiko Kaji as the silent & fearless female prisoner? With some stunning & stylish visuals, incredible ideas & great use of colors…? Well, that’s Shunya Ito. And basically, these are the only films he directed that are actually available in the West. Quite frustrating.
Enough good reasons to check out the horror film Curse of the Dog God, which confirms Shunya Ito’s visual craziness & talent. Here, after destroying a small shrine in a rural village, a mining company provokes the wrath and the curse of the Dog God. Which is directly affecting one of the employee, who marries a young woman from this village. But more important than the story, the experience. Seems to be like Nobuhiko Obayashi’s psychedelic film House. Read more…
The early 1970s in Japan saw the emergence of a new genre of yakuza movies. The classic tales representing the yakuza’s code had served its purpose, and soon, films started to depict something more cruel, more violent. People loved it, so studios adopted the trend. The perfect example is Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle without honor and humanity–the title says all! These films really turned values upside down, paving the way for other nihilistic crime thrillers.
Among them, Outlaw Cop, directed by Yusuke Watanabe, it’s his only film. About a cop working so hard to catch yakuza that his wife leaves him for some guy. Who turns out to be… a yakuza. Unable to stand this situation anymore, the hustand decides to turn in his badge & to seek vengeance. With recently-deceased actor Yoshio Harada. NSFW. Read more…
Earlier this year, we pointed out some nice independent Japanese anime works, just to keep in mind that there are some talented artists working outside the mainstream-studios system. That animation in Japan isn’t limited to moe productions – creating fictional desire for cute characters, or Ghibli-like movies. So here’s one more example!
TOWER is an inventive little piece of animation, one could say it’s reflecting in all its glory the power of Art, how it directly affects people from the inside & what’s happening. The kind of short film really demonstrating how animation can be effective to create colorful visuals, allowing the artist to express freely his imagination. Directed by Shoko Takada, enjoy! Read more…
