Korean Romantic Remake Is 28 Years Better Late Than Never
Leading Korean star Jung Woo-sung (“A Moment to Remember”) will star opposite Shin Hyun-been (“Hospital Playlist”) in “Tell Me That You Love Me,” an original series for Genie TV. The show is a remake of the hit Japanese series of the same name that first aired at Tokyo Broadcasting Systems linear channel in Japan some 28 years ago in 1995.
The new show will upload to Genie’s own streaming service on Nov. 27 and the same day in Japan on Disney+. It will also play on Korean cable channel Ena.
The original series featuring Etsushi Toyokawa and Takako Tokiwa, was written by Kitagawa Eriko and told a slow-burning tale of romance developing between an aspiring young actress and an up-and-coming painter who lost his sense of hearing. Each episode topped the ratings of the previous one, making the show a smash it and a (pre-social media) social phenomenon.
Leading Korean star Jung Woo-sung (“A Moment to Remember”) will star opposite Shin Hyun-been (“Hospital Playlist”) in “Tell Me That You Love Me,” an original series for Genie TV. The show is a remake of the hit Japanese series of the same name that first aired at Tokyo Broadcasting Systems linear channel in Japan some 28 years ago in 1995.
The new show will upload to Genie’s own streaming service on Nov. 27 and the same day in Japan on Disney+. It will also play on Korean cable channel Ena.
The original series featuring Etsushi Toyokawa and Takako Tokiwa, was written by Kitagawa Eriko and told a slow-burning tale of romance developing between an aspiring young actress and an up-and-coming painter who lost his sense of hearing. Each episode topped the ratings of the previous one, making the show a smash it and a (pre-social media) social phenomenon.
- 11/20/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Shotaro Ikenami was a prolific writer of samurai novels, a number of which were adapted for TV and film in Japan. One of his most iconic characters is Baian Fujieda, an acupuncturist who also doubles as a hired killer, who has been the source of a TV series and at least four movies, with Ken Ogata and Ken Watanabe playing the character, among others. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Ikenami’s birth on 1923, a consortium of media companies has produced two films based on the series.
Baian the Assassin, M.D. (Part 1) is screening at Camera Japan
Baian may be known to the world as an acupuncturist, including his maid Oseki, who treats him as a combination of nagging wife, mother, and mother-in-law, but he also doubles as a killer for hire, although he picks his targets among people whom he thinks deserve to die. The beginning of the...
Baian the Assassin, M.D. (Part 1) is screening at Camera Japan
Baian may be known to the world as an acupuncturist, including his maid Oseki, who treats him as a combination of nagging wife, mother, and mother-in-law, but he also doubles as a killer for hire, although he picks his targets among people whom he thinks deserve to die. The beginning of the...
- 9/23/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Stars: Go Ayano, Koen Kondo, Masahiro Higashide, Jun Kunimura, Etsushi Toyokawa, Masatoshi Nagase | Written by Kankurô Kudô | Directed by Gakuryû Ishii
”It was a somewhat gloomy day”. Thus begins Punk Samurai, director Gakuryû, formerly Sogo, Ishii and writer Kankurô Kudô’s adaptation of Kou Machida’s supposedly unfilmable novel.
Junoshin Kake wanders into the domain of the Kurokaze clan and promptly kills a beggar who approaches him. He tells Shume Nagaoka a low-level official in the clan, that the man was a member of a dangerous religious cult that only he can save them from. That’s enough to create the opening he needs to find a permanent position in Lord Kuroae’s employ.
Kake plans to exploit the rivalry between two of the clan’s top retainers Shuzen Oura and Tatewaki Naito to rise through the ranks. The only problem is, the cult, The Bellyshaker Party no longer exists and Naito knows it.
”It was a somewhat gloomy day”. Thus begins Punk Samurai, director Gakuryû, formerly Sogo, Ishii and writer Kankurô Kudô’s adaptation of Kou Machida’s supposedly unfilmable novel.
Junoshin Kake wanders into the domain of the Kurokaze clan and promptly kills a beggar who approaches him. He tells Shume Nagaoka a low-level official in the clan, that the man was a member of a dangerous religious cult that only he can save them from. That’s enough to create the opening he needs to find a permanent position in Lord Kuroae’s employ.
Kake plans to exploit the rivalry between two of the clan’s top retainers Shuzen Oura and Tatewaki Naito to rise through the ranks. The only problem is, the cult, The Bellyshaker Party no longer exists and Naito knows it.
- 3/22/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
It is amusing to ponder just how stealthily life can imitate art and vice versa, happening right underneath our noses we are blind to its reflection whilst all those around us have grabbed a front row seat just to watch how it unfolds with popcorn in one hand and a beverage in the other. A stark reminder of how blurred the line between fiction and real life can be, one serving as a harbinger for the other, these encounters usually fall into two categories: a devastating disaster of which no one can avert their eyes from, or a heart-warming glimpse into the fairy-tale world we all wish our lives could be. Thankfully for Shuichi Okita’s latest offering, “One Summer Story”, its loveable cast of misfits practically living out their common ground – a tender anime about a magical plasterer – steers its story into the latter and, for the most part,...
- 11/21/2022
- by James Cansdale-Cook
- AsianMoviePulse
Japan Society is pleased to announce Love Letters: Four Films by Shunji Iwai, a weekend series celebrating the defining early works of filmmaker Shunji Iwai. One of the most original talents to emerge from Japan in the ’90s, Iwai tapped into the dreams and lives of Japan’s youth with his lyrical meditations on the hardships of young adulthood, capturing pivotal and unforgettable moments of life. Balancing popular entertainment with arthouse predilection, Iwai’s exhilarating takes on the youth film provided a much-needed voice for the younger generation, offering delicate portraits of adolescence, ripe with poetic yearnings of grief, friendship, and young love. Iwai’s sumptuous visual style, coupled with his affecting and underground appeal, opened a world of new possibilities in the ’90s cinescape—marking him as one of the most accomplished and unique filmmakers of his generation.
A primer on the director’s essential works, Love...
A primer on the director’s essential works, Love...
- 11/16/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Junji Sakamoto is a director whose long career hasn’t yet hit the heights in both critical acclaim and international exposure. “My Brother, the Android and Me” has a notable cast and certainly looks the part, but does this part sci-fi/part psychological thriller have all the necessary parts to make a satisfying whole?
“My Brother, the Android and Me” is screening at Nippon Connection
Kaoru (Etsushi Toyokawa) is a robotics engineer at a university, but is often preoccupied, neglecting both his teaching and the projects for which he is funded. Suffering from seizures in his legs, he instead spends his days trying to develop an android replica of himself in the family home.
But he hasn’t just been neglecting his work, and his father’s illness prompts his half-brother, Yamashita (Masanobu Ando), to contact him, demanding he sells the family home to pay for the medical fees. But...
“My Brother, the Android and Me” is screening at Nippon Connection
Kaoru (Etsushi Toyokawa) is a robotics engineer at a university, but is often preoccupied, neglecting both his teaching and the projects for which he is funded. Suffering from seizures in his legs, he instead spends his days trying to develop an android replica of himself in the family home.
But he hasn’t just been neglecting his work, and his father’s illness prompts his half-brother, Yamashita (Masanobu Ando), to contact him, demanding he sells the family home to pay for the medical fees. But...
- 6/1/2022
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
Having a great cast in his hands, Shunji Iwai decided to take a trip down his own cinematic past this time, resulting in a rather nostalgic film that works on a number of levels, but also seems to fail to pack a punch. The script is based on his own novel, while in 2018 he directed a homonymous, Chinese film starring Zhou Xun.
Yuri is a middle-aged mother who has just returned to the area she grew up, along with her daughter, Fuka, to attend the funeral of her older sister, Misaki, who has just died, leaving her own daughter, Ayumi, with her grandmother, since her husband is out of the picture. When an invitation for a class reunion comes to the house, Yuri decides to attend, to inform her sister’s classmates of her death, but finds herself being confused with Misaki, to the point that an old boyfriend of hers,...
Yuri is a middle-aged mother who has just returned to the area she grew up, along with her daughter, Fuka, to attend the funeral of her older sister, Misaki, who has just died, leaving her own daughter, Ayumi, with her grandmother, since her husband is out of the picture. When an invitation for a class reunion comes to the house, Yuri decides to attend, to inform her sister’s classmates of her death, but finds herself being confused with Misaki, to the point that an old boyfriend of hers,...
- 12/20/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“Earwig and the Witch” is the upcoming Japanese computer-animated television film produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Gorō Miyazaki, and it is supposed to be a faithful adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones’s eponymous novel. Takes a more three-dimensional approach, “Earwig and the Witch” marks a profound shift in style from the classin Studio Ghibli. The cast includes 13-year-old child actress Kokoro Hirasawa Shinobu Terajima, Etsushi Toyokawa, Gaku Hamada, and the script is by veteran Ghibli writer Keiko Niwa. It is scheduled to air on Nhk on December 30, 2020, with no word as yet of a theatrical release in the country.
Synopsis
In 1990s England, Earwig, a 10-year-old orphan girl who grew up without knowing that she is a witch’s daughter, is taken from the orphanage and adopted by a strange duo and starts living with them in a spooky house filled with mystery and magic.
Synopsis
In 1990s England, Earwig, a 10-year-old orphan girl who grew up without knowing that she is a witch’s daughter, is taken from the orphanage and adopted by a strange duo and starts living with them in a spooky house filled with mystery and magic.
- 12/2/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
It is amusing to ponder just how stealthily life can imitate art and vice versa, happening right underneath our noses we are blind to its reflection whilst all those around us have grabbed a front row seat just to watch how it unfolds with popcorn in one hand and a beverage in the other. A stark reminder of how blurred the line between fiction and real life can be, one serving as a harbinger for the other, these encounters usually fall into two categories: a devastating disaster of which no one can avert their eyes from, or a heart-warming glimpse into the fairy-tale world we all wish our lives could be. Thankfully for Shuichi Okita’s latest offering, “One Summer Story”, its loveable cast of misfits practically living out their common ground – a tender anime about a magical plasterer – steers its story into the latter and, for the most part,...
- 10/8/2020
- by James Cansdale-Cook
- AsianMoviePulse
To most cinephiles, the name Yoshihiro Hanno is still often associated with film music. Apart from composing the score for his own movies, such as “Ugly” and “A Woman Wavering in the Rain” Hanno has created the music for Jia Zhangke’s “Mountains May Depart” and Isao Yukisada’s “Five Minutes to Tomorrow”, to name just a few examples. In his new directorial effort “Paradise Next”, he tells the story of three people feeling lost because of guilt, regret and a sense of spiritual loneliness, utilizing the conventions of the road movie for them to explore these issues as well as their connections to each other. The result has quite a few aesthetic merits, but fails to convince with its uneven, at times indecisive storyline.
“Paradise Next” is screening at Japan-Filmfest Hamburg
For a year now Shima (Etsushi Toyokawa) has sought refuge with a crew of gangsters in Taiwan after...
“Paradise Next” is screening at Japan-Filmfest Hamburg
For a year now Shima (Etsushi Toyokawa) has sought refuge with a crew of gangsters in Taiwan after...
- 8/26/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Films that focus on the rather harsh practices of Bushido have been aplenty among the jidai-geki, but “Sword of Desperation” seems to move the concept a step further, in a rather captivating (if too similar with “Harakiri”) story that is based on the homonymous novel by Hideyuki Kirayama.
The script unfolds in two time frames, both focusing on Kanemi Sanzaemon, a captain of the powerful daimyo Tabu Ukyou. As the film starts, we witness him killing his lord’s concubine, Renko, in a seemingly unwarranted action that has him, however, suffering only a minor punishment, of one-year house arrest. The second period takes place in the past, in essence explaining the reasons for his actions, mostly deriving from the huge influence Renko had on Ukyou, and the repercussions her decisions had.to both his household and the people he ruled. At the same time, we witness Sanzaemon’s relationship with his wife,...
The script unfolds in two time frames, both focusing on Kanemi Sanzaemon, a captain of the powerful daimyo Tabu Ukyou. As the film starts, we witness him killing his lord’s concubine, Renko, in a seemingly unwarranted action that has him, however, suffering only a minor punishment, of one-year house arrest. The second period takes place in the past, in essence explaining the reasons for his actions, mostly deriving from the huge influence Renko had on Ukyou, and the repercussions her decisions had.to both his household and the people he ruled. At the same time, we witness Sanzaemon’s relationship with his wife,...
- 3/12/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Diving into Miike Takashi’s fantasy world is mostly great fun, and in the case of “The Great Yōkai War”, you get catapulted straight back to the 1980-s, a decade marked by a handful of pictures that tackled kids’ imagination. Spielberg’s “E.T” was sweet and Hollywood-cheesy, Richard Donner’s “The Goonies” was the film even our parents approved of, and Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth” was the one film critics wanted us to forget about, which we never did. But we loved them all.
The reason for mentioning those particular film classics is that “The Great Yōkai War” has the retro feel both in terms of the costume design and make-up, and by its extensive use of the stop-motion animation. It also doesn’t care being labelled childish instead of being just a film for children, leaning completely on the fantastic world of the Japanese supernatural...
The reason for mentioning those particular film classics is that “The Great Yōkai War” has the retro feel both in terms of the costume design and make-up, and by its extensive use of the stop-motion animation. It also doesn’t care being labelled childish instead of being just a film for children, leaning completely on the fantastic world of the Japanese supernatural...
- 2/19/2020
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
If Midway really was the hot shit it thinks it is, we’d have something to talk about. But this spare-no-expense production about the most vital naval battle of WWII merely plasters the latest in digital effects over the same war-time movie tropes that Hollywood has been pedaling for decades. Director Roland Emmerich scored a box-office bonanza by showing the United States kicking alien ass in Independence Day. So why shouldn’t he take on a real battle with real heroes and a real enemy and show how the country...
- 11/7/2019
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
In the latest edition of Hollywood Insider's 'Reaction From Stars' - we focus on 'Midway'. Watch Woody Harrelson, Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Mandy Moore, Nick Jonas, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Luke Kleintank, Roland Emmerich, etc. give their views on the making of the movie. Not many know of the Battle of Midway and this film is set to change that. Oh and can we talk about the abundance of eye candy in this film? What's going on? Is Midway the new GQ? Whatever it is, keep it coming. We are obsessed. The film follows the heroic story of Us Navy sailors and aviators who fought through the tragedy of Pearl Harbor, Doolittle's Raid and Battle of Midway itself, a key point in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Director Roland Emmerich, known for massive blockbusters such as Independence Day and The Patriot, tells us his fascination with the story,...
- 10/22/2019
- by Hollywood Insider Staff Writer
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Lionsgate UK has launched the first look trailer for Roland Emmerich’s WWII epic ‘Midway’ starring an all-star cast.
The film tells the story of the epic, real-life saga of the U.S. brothers-in-arms who triumphed over a superior adversary, the Imperial Japanese Navy, at the Battle of Midway, the most stunning and decisive naval victory of the Pacific Theater.
Directed by Emmerich, the cast includes Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Luke Kleintank, Jun Kunimura, Darren Criss, Keean Johnson, Alexander Ludwig, with Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid and Woody Harrelson.
Also in trailers – Madness ensues in new trailer for ‘The Lighthouse’
The film is set for a November 8th UK release.
Midway Synopsis
Midway is the epic, real-life saga about an undermanned American fleet and the brave Navy leaders and pilots who triumphed, against the odds, over a powerful adversary. With democracy and freedom at stake,...
The film tells the story of the epic, real-life saga of the U.S. brothers-in-arms who triumphed over a superior adversary, the Imperial Japanese Navy, at the Battle of Midway, the most stunning and decisive naval victory of the Pacific Theater.
Directed by Emmerich, the cast includes Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Luke Kleintank, Jun Kunimura, Darren Criss, Keean Johnson, Alexander Ludwig, with Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid and Woody Harrelson.
Also in trailers – Madness ensues in new trailer for ‘The Lighthouse’
The film is set for a November 8th UK release.
Midway Synopsis
Midway is the epic, real-life saga about an undermanned American fleet and the brave Navy leaders and pilots who triumphed, against the odds, over a powerful adversary. With democracy and freedom at stake,...
- 9/12/2019
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Daisaku Kimura made a name for himself working as a cinematographer in Japanese cinema since the 70’s, with his work netting him awards from the Japanese Academy three times, namely for “House on Fire”, “Yukai” and “Chorus of Angels“. However, the surprise came when he first transitioned to the director’s chair with “Mt Tsurugidake”, a film that took the Academy by storm in 2010, winning six awards including the ones for direction and cinematography for Kimura. Having exhibited his love and his ability to shoot about and in the mountains, Kimura continued with the theme in “Climbing to Spring”, although in much more tender fashion.
“Climbing to Spring” is screening at Ulju Mountain Film Festival 2019
The story is based on Ryouhei Sasamoto’s homonymous novel and revolves around Tooru, a young man who, as the story begins, works as a securities trader in Tokyo. However, his past is completely different,...
“Climbing to Spring” is screening at Ulju Mountain Film Festival 2019
The story is based on Ryouhei Sasamoto’s homonymous novel and revolves around Tooru, a young man who, as the story begins, works as a securities trader in Tokyo. However, his past is completely different,...
- 9/8/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“Love Letter” marks the theatrical debut of Shunji Iwai’s filmmaking career, the director of such critically acclaimed pictures as “Picnic” (1996), “Swallowtail Butterfly” (1996), and “All About Lily Chou-Chou” (2001). It became an immediate hit in the Japanese box-office. Additionally, it was one of the first Japanese productions to be shown in South Korean cinemas since the end of World War II. Among its many prizes, the film won three Japanese Academy Awards in 1996.
Hiroko Watanabe (Miho Nakayama) is a woman living in the city of Kobe. Two years earlier, her fiancé Itsuki Fujii (Takashi Kashiwabara) died in a mountain climbing accident. Still in depression and grief, Hiroko writes a letter to her dead fiancé and sends it to the address she found in his old high-school yearbook. However, it was the wrong Itsuki Fujii she found. The mail reaches Otaru, a northern town far away from Kobe, and...
Hiroko Watanabe (Miho Nakayama) is a woman living in the city of Kobe. Two years earlier, her fiancé Itsuki Fujii (Takashi Kashiwabara) died in a mountain climbing accident. Still in depression and grief, Hiroko writes a letter to her dead fiancé and sends it to the address she found in his old high-school yearbook. However, it was the wrong Itsuki Fujii she found. The mail reaches Otaru, a northern town far away from Kobe, and...
- 8/27/2019
- by Oliver Ebisuno
- AsianMoviePulse
Lionsgate UK has launched the first look trailer for Roland Emmerich’s WWII epic ‘Midway’ starring an all-star cast.
The film tells the story of the epic, real-life saga of the U.S. brothers-in-arms who triumphed over a superior adversary, the Imperial Japanese Navy, at the Battle of Midway, the most stunning and decisive naval victory of the Pacific Theater.
Directed by Emmerich, the cast includes Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Luke Kleintank, Jun Kunimura, Darren Criss, Keean Johnson, Alexander Ludwig, with Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid and Woody Harrelson.
Also in trailers – Benedict Cumberbatch is electric in new trailer for ‘The Current War’
The film is out in UK cinemas November 8th
Midway Synopsis
Midway is the epic, real-life saga about an undermanned American fleet and the brave Navy leaders and pilots who triumphed, against the odds, over a powerful adversary.
The film tells the story of the epic, real-life saga of the U.S. brothers-in-arms who triumphed over a superior adversary, the Imperial Japanese Navy, at the Battle of Midway, the most stunning and decisive naval victory of the Pacific Theater.
Directed by Emmerich, the cast includes Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Luke Kleintank, Jun Kunimura, Darren Criss, Keean Johnson, Alexander Ludwig, with Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid and Woody Harrelson.
Also in trailers – Benedict Cumberbatch is electric in new trailer for ‘The Current War’
The film is out in UK cinemas November 8th
Midway Synopsis
Midway is the epic, real-life saga about an undermanned American fleet and the brave Navy leaders and pilots who triumphed, against the odds, over a powerful adversary.
- 6/28/2019
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Nick Jonas stars as ‘Bruno Gaido’ in Midway.
Midway opens in theaters on Veteran’s Day Weekend, November 8, 2019. Here’s a first look at the epic new trailer from director Roland Emmerich.
The huge cast includes Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Luke Kleintank, Jun Kunimura, Darren Criss, Keean Johnson, Alexander Ludwig, with Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid and Woody Harrelson.
Midway centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater during WWII. The film, based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome the odds.
I can’t wait for this – the visual effects look massive and the A-list cast is impressive, like old Hollywood. The carrier...
Midway opens in theaters on Veteran’s Day Weekend, November 8, 2019. Here’s a first look at the epic new trailer from director Roland Emmerich.
The huge cast includes Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Luke Kleintank, Jun Kunimura, Darren Criss, Keean Johnson, Alexander Ludwig, with Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid and Woody Harrelson.
Midway centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater during WWII. The film, based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome the odds.
I can’t wait for this – the visual effects look massive and the A-list cast is impressive, like old Hollywood. The carrier...
- 6/27/2019
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Battle of Midway,, World War II naval battle, fought almost entirely with aircraft, in which the United States destroyed Japan’s first-line carrier strength and most of its best trained naval pilots. Together with the Battle of Guadalcanal, the Battle of Midway ended the threat of further Japanese invasion in the Pacific.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Midway
More happened in the days that followed:
June 11, 1944 The U.S. Navy deals a harsh blow to the Japanese, destroying more than 200 of their air fleet in an attack on bases in the Marianas.Less than a week after the D-Day invasion, on June 11, the beaches were fully secured and over 326,000 troops, more than 50,000 vehicles and some 100,000 tons of equipment had landed at Normandy.
Here’s a look at the first poster for director Roland Emmerich’s Midway.
Lionsgate will release the film on November 8, 2019. A great spot for an awards season hopeful.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Midway
More happened in the days that followed:
June 11, 1944 The U.S. Navy deals a harsh blow to the Japanese, destroying more than 200 of their air fleet in an attack on bases in the Marianas.Less than a week after the D-Day invasion, on June 11, the beaches were fully secured and over 326,000 troops, more than 50,000 vehicles and some 100,000 tons of equipment had landed at Normandy.
Here’s a look at the first poster for director Roland Emmerich’s Midway.
Lionsgate will release the film on November 8, 2019. A great spot for an awards season hopeful.
- 6/11/2019
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Lionsgate has set a Veterans Day weekend release date of Nov. 8, 2019, for Roland Emmerich’s World War II action movie “Midway,” opening on the same date as the 25th James Bond film.
The slot is also already occupied by Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” in addition to MGM’s Bond movie. MGM is expected to vacate the date since the project currently doesn’t have a director following Danny Boyle’s recent departure.
Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans, and Mandy Moore are starring in “Midway.” Wilson will play Edwin Layton, the rear admiral in the U.S. Navy who was part of the intelligence team that correctly pinpointed the location of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s attacking fleet near Midway Atoll in 1942. The damage to the Japanese fleet was so extensive that it never recovered and military historians regard the battle as a turning point in the war.
Harrelson is portraying Admiral Chester Nimitz,...
The slot is also already occupied by Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” in addition to MGM’s Bond movie. MGM is expected to vacate the date since the project currently doesn’t have a director following Danny Boyle’s recent departure.
Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans, and Mandy Moore are starring in “Midway.” Wilson will play Edwin Layton, the rear admiral in the U.S. Navy who was part of the intelligence team that correctly pinpointed the location of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s attacking fleet near Midway Atoll in 1942. The damage to the Japanese fleet was so extensive that it never recovered and military historians regard the battle as a turning point in the war.
Harrelson is portraying Admiral Chester Nimitz,...
- 9/5/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Roland Emmerich’s “Midway,” starring Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans and Nick Jonas, will open on Nov. 8, 2019 in wide release, Lionsgate announced Wednesday.
The action drama also stars Patrick Wilson, Ed Skrein, Aaron Eckhart, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Luke Kleintank, Keean Johnson, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano and Jun Kunimura. Wes Tooke is writing the screenplay.
“Midway” will tell the story of the battle of Midway, as told through the perspective of the leader and the soldiers who fought the battle.
Also Read: 'Independence Day 2' Director Roland Emmerich Rips Marvel Movies as 'Silly'
Emmerich’s most recent movie was “Independence Day: Resurgence,” which was released in 2016. Before then, he directed and produced “Stonewall” and “White House Down.” He is represented by Centropolis Entertainment, 42West and CAA.
So far, the only other film slated for the Nov. 8, 2019 release date is “Sonic the Hedgehog,” which will star Jim Carrey, James Marsden and Tika Sumpter.
The action drama also stars Patrick Wilson, Ed Skrein, Aaron Eckhart, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Luke Kleintank, Keean Johnson, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano and Jun Kunimura. Wes Tooke is writing the screenplay.
“Midway” will tell the story of the battle of Midway, as told through the perspective of the leader and the soldiers who fought the battle.
Also Read: 'Independence Day 2' Director Roland Emmerich Rips Marvel Movies as 'Silly'
Emmerich’s most recent movie was “Independence Day: Resurgence,” which was released in 2016. Before then, he directed and produced “Stonewall” and “White House Down.” He is represented by Centropolis Entertainment, 42West and CAA.
So far, the only other film slated for the Nov. 8, 2019 release date is “Sonic the Hedgehog,” which will star Jim Carrey, James Marsden and Tika Sumpter.
- 9/5/2018
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Lionsgate has set Nov. 8 for the opening of Roland Emmerich’s $100M World War II epic Midway. Next year Veterans Day, which has always been a bountiful holiday at the box office, falls on a Monday, giving Midway a four-day run.
Deadline has followed the development of this project for quite some time, breaking such news as Bona Film Group committing an initial $80M to the Mark Gordon production at Cannes 2017, to Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment securing U.S. rights at last year’s Tiff, to multiple castings which include Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson, Ed Skrein, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Nick Jonas, Luke Kleintank, Keean Johnson, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, and Jun Kunimura. Production is already underway.
Wes Tooke wrote this telling of the Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific Theater. The story follows the real soldiers and aviators who pulled off the...
Deadline has followed the development of this project for quite some time, breaking such news as Bona Film Group committing an initial $80M to the Mark Gordon production at Cannes 2017, to Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment securing U.S. rights at last year’s Tiff, to multiple castings which include Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson, Ed Skrein, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Nick Jonas, Luke Kleintank, Keean Johnson, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, and Jun Kunimura. Production is already underway.
Wes Tooke wrote this telling of the Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific Theater. The story follows the real soldiers and aviators who pulled off the...
- 9/5/2018
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Roland Emmerich’s big-budget epic Midway is ready to hit the high seas with Aaron Eckhart, Keean Johnson, Tadanobu Asano, Dennis Quaid and Nick Jonas among those joining the project.
Luke Evans, Woody Harrelson, Mandy Moore, Ed Skrein, and Patrick Wilson have already been revealed for the strong ensemble and they are now joined by Asano (Zatoichi), Eckhart (The Dark Knight), Johnson (Alita: Battle Angel), singer and actor Jonas (Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle), Quaid (Day After Tomorrow), Luke Kleintank (Man in the High Castle), Jun Kunimura (Kill Bill: Vol. 1), and Etsushi Toyokawa (Love Letter).
Based on the true story of the Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific theater of World War II, the $100M+ action-drama will chronicle the exploits of the soldiers and pilots at the heart of the conflict. Shoot is due to get under way from September 5 in Honolulu.
Emmerich directs from a script by Wes Tooke.
Luke Evans, Woody Harrelson, Mandy Moore, Ed Skrein, and Patrick Wilson have already been revealed for the strong ensemble and they are now joined by Asano (Zatoichi), Eckhart (The Dark Knight), Johnson (Alita: Battle Angel), singer and actor Jonas (Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle), Quaid (Day After Tomorrow), Luke Kleintank (Man in the High Castle), Jun Kunimura (Kill Bill: Vol. 1), and Etsushi Toyokawa (Love Letter).
Based on the true story of the Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific theater of World War II, the $100M+ action-drama will chronicle the exploits of the soldiers and pilots at the heart of the conflict. Shoot is due to get under way from September 5 in Honolulu.
Emmerich directs from a script by Wes Tooke.
- 8/10/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
With the final wave of programming, the 2018 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival has now released its full lineup of over 125 features and 220 shorts, featuring the premieres of more than 100 cutting-edge visions from across the world. Fantasia’s brand new website, which has just gone online, details all films and events at this year’s festival.
The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal July 12 – August 2 2018, once again returning to the mammoth Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and the McCord Museum.
Many juicy Asian titles (including several Premieres) can be found within the rich programme of this Canadian Festival. Let’s have a look at them:
Donnie Yen will School you in “Big Brother” (World Premiere)
Mixed martial arts meet high-school intrigue, with Hong Kong superhero Donnie Yen at the blackboard! The closing night festivities of Fantasia 2018 will begin...
The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal July 12 – August 2 2018, once again returning to the mammoth Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and the McCord Museum.
Many juicy Asian titles (including several Premieres) can be found within the rich programme of this Canadian Festival. Let’s have a look at them:
Donnie Yen will School you in “Big Brother” (World Premiere)
Mixed martial arts meet high-school intrigue, with Hong Kong superhero Donnie Yen at the blackboard! The closing night festivities of Fantasia 2018 will begin...
- 6/29/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
The Fantasia International Film Festival gives genre fans even more to look forward to this summer in Montreal with the announcement of their final wave of programming, including the highly anticipated Mandy (starring Nicolas Cage) as the festival's closing movie:
Press Release: 28 June 2018, Montreal, Canada – With today’s final wave of programming, the 2018 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival has now released its full lineup of over 125 features and 220 shorts, featuring the premieres of more than 100 cutting-edge visions from across the world. Fantasia’s brand new 2018 website, which has gone online today, details all films and events at this year’s festival.
The 2018 edition of Fantasia is immensely proud of its full lineup, which includes a record five features birthed from Frontières, its acclaimed film production market. They are Chained For Life, The Dark, Knuckleball, The Night Eats The World and The Ranger.
Fantasia’s 22nd edition will close...
Press Release: 28 June 2018, Montreal, Canada – With today’s final wave of programming, the 2018 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival has now released its full lineup of over 125 features and 220 shorts, featuring the premieres of more than 100 cutting-edge visions from across the world. Fantasia’s brand new 2018 website, which has gone online today, details all films and events at this year’s festival.
The 2018 edition of Fantasia is immensely proud of its full lineup, which includes a record five features birthed from Frontières, its acclaimed film production market. They are Chained For Life, The Dark, Knuckleball, The Night Eats The World and The Ranger.
Fantasia’s 22nd edition will close...
- 6/28/2018
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Oscar-winning composer A. R. Rahman has written the score for the film.
Franck Priot’s Paris-based production outfit Ghosts City is co-producing Tamil-language drama Madras Beats, directed by Rajiv Menon, with India’s Mindscreen Cinemas.
Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman has written the score for the film, about a boy from India’s ‘untouchable’ caste who dreams of becoming a drummer in the South Indian ‘Carnatic’ classical music tradition. Gv Prakash, who is a trained classical musician in addition to an actor, heads the cast.
French editor Nadia Ben Rachid and sound mixer Thierry Delor, who both won Cesars for Timbuktu,...
Franck Priot’s Paris-based production outfit Ghosts City is co-producing Tamil-language drama Madras Beats, directed by Rajiv Menon, with India’s Mindscreen Cinemas.
Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman has written the score for the film, about a boy from India’s ‘untouchable’ caste who dreams of becoming a drummer in the South Indian ‘Carnatic’ classical music tradition. Gv Prakash, who is a trained classical musician in addition to an actor, heads the cast.
French editor Nadia Ben Rachid and sound mixer Thierry Delor, who both won Cesars for Timbuktu,...
- 5/13/2018
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Acclaimed Japanese music composer Yoshihiro Hanno is turning director again for “Paradise Next,” a road movie involving two hit men on a journey of atonement. He previously got behind the camera with 2015 title “A Woman Wavering in the Rain.”
The Taiwan-set film is a co-venture between Taiwan’s Joint Pictures and Japan’s Shimensoka. The partners will handle distribution in their respective territories and are currently looking for a sales agent to handle business overseas. Additional finance comes from the exhibition and new tech sectors.
The project was announced at the Cannes Film Festival. The film’s stars Satoshi Tsumbuki and Etsushi Toyokawa will be presented at the Taiwan industry party on Saturday.
Production is due to begin in late June, and delivery is tentatively scheduled for the second quarter of 2019.
Hanno has managed to attract the services of Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto to compose the film’s theme song.
The Taiwan-set film is a co-venture between Taiwan’s Joint Pictures and Japan’s Shimensoka. The partners will handle distribution in their respective territories and are currently looking for a sales agent to handle business overseas. Additional finance comes from the exhibition and new tech sectors.
The project was announced at the Cannes Film Festival. The film’s stars Satoshi Tsumbuki and Etsushi Toyokawa will be presented at the Taiwan industry party on Saturday.
Production is due to begin in late June, and delivery is tentatively scheduled for the second quarter of 2019.
Hanno has managed to attract the services of Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto to compose the film’s theme song.
- 5/11/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Japanese composer-filmmaker Yoshihiro Hanno is directing the film produced by Taiwan’s Joint Pictures and Japan’s Shimensoka Co.
Japanese stars Satoshi Tsumabuki and Etsushi Toyokawa will head the cast of Japan-Taiwan co-production Paradise Next, which is gearing up to shoot in Taiwan.
Directed by Japanese composer-filmmaker Yoshihiro Hanno, the film will feature a theme song composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Taiwan’s Joint Pictures and Japan’s Shimensoka Co will co-produce.
The story follows two Japanese hit men who are forced into exile in Taiwan, where they embark on a journey of atonement. Production is scheduled to start on June...
Japanese stars Satoshi Tsumabuki and Etsushi Toyokawa will head the cast of Japan-Taiwan co-production Paradise Next, which is gearing up to shoot in Taiwan.
Directed by Japanese composer-filmmaker Yoshihiro Hanno, the film will feature a theme song composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Taiwan’s Joint Pictures and Japan’s Shimensoka Co will co-produce.
The story follows two Japanese hit men who are forced into exile in Taiwan, where they embark on a journey of atonement. Production is scheduled to start on June...
- 5/11/2018
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Three more films have been announced for this year's foreign film Oscar competition, and all are from countries with a fairly large degrees of success with Academy's foreign nominating committee. Though the Academy always has a veritably orgy of films to choose from (usually sixty-plus) for its five-wide profile boosting arguably hit-making honors, they do tend to prefer European pictures. They also tend to prefer Japanese films to other countries when it comes to Asian cinema. Will they choose any of these three pictures?
Japan (12 noms, 1 win, and 3 honorary awards before the foreign category existed)
Postcard, an anti-war film about a soldier (Etsushi Toyokawa) returning home from World War II to see his family devastated, comes from the 98 year old director Kaneto Shindo. He has already stated that this will be his last film.
Sweden (14 noms, 3 wins)
Beyond is the directorial debut of the actress Pernilla August (More and more...
Japan (12 noms, 1 win, and 3 honorary awards before the foreign category existed)
Postcard, an anti-war film about a soldier (Etsushi Toyokawa) returning home from World War II to see his family devastated, comes from the 98 year old director Kaneto Shindo. He has already stated that this will be his last film.
Sweden (14 noms, 3 wins)
Beyond is the directorial debut of the actress Pernilla August (More and more...
- 9/9/2011
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
It marks the first time a samurai period film will screen in competition at the 34th Montreal World Film Festival. The latest adaptation of a Shuhei Fujisawa short story, Hisshiken Torisashi is set to change things up a bit for this festival. If you find yourself in Montreal during this festival don't miss out!
Etsushi Toyokawa stars as Kanemi Sanzaemon, a skilled swordsman and the tending president of the Unasaka clan. Three years ago, he dealt with a case of misgovernment by murdering a former prostitute named Renko (Megumi Seki) who was abusing the influence she had gained by becoming the mistress of a powerful daimyo (Jun Murakami). However, he received a lenient punishment for his actions and was eventually allowed to return to his duties within the clan.
After the death of his wife (Naho Toda), Sanzaemon takes care of her niece, Satoo (Chizuru Ikewaki), but doesn't realize she...
Etsushi Toyokawa stars as Kanemi Sanzaemon, a skilled swordsman and the tending president of the Unasaka clan. Three years ago, he dealt with a case of misgovernment by murdering a former prostitute named Renko (Megumi Seki) who was abusing the influence she had gained by becoming the mistress of a powerful daimyo (Jun Murakami). However, he received a lenient punishment for his actions and was eventually allowed to return to his duties within the clan.
After the death of his wife (Naho Toda), Sanzaemon takes care of her niece, Satoo (Chizuru Ikewaki), but doesn't realize she...
- 6/30/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Excellent. The long line of films adapted from Shuhei Fujisawa short stories keeps growing and we keeping asking for more. Nothing absolutely wrong with having these finely crafted samurai/chambara films coming out so often. Enter Hisshiken Torisashi from Fujisawa's 'Hidden Blade' series.
Etsushi Toyokawa stars as Kanemi Sanzaemon, a skilled swordsman and the tending president of the Unasaka clan. Three years ago, he dealt with a case of misgovernment by murdering a former prostitute named Renko (Megumi Seki) who was abusing the influence she had gained by becoming the mistress of a powerful daimyo (Jun Murakami). However, he received a lenient punishment for his actions and was eventually allowed to return to his duties within the clan.
After the death of his wife (Naho Toda), Sanzaemon takes care of her niece, Satoo (Chizuru Ikewaki), but doesn't realize she harbors a secret love for him. Meanwhile, a situation arises which...
Etsushi Toyokawa stars as Kanemi Sanzaemon, a skilled swordsman and the tending president of the Unasaka clan. Three years ago, he dealt with a case of misgovernment by murdering a former prostitute named Renko (Megumi Seki) who was abusing the influence she had gained by becoming the mistress of a powerful daimyo (Jun Murakami). However, he received a lenient punishment for his actions and was eventually allowed to return to his duties within the clan.
After the death of his wife (Naho Toda), Sanzaemon takes care of her niece, Satoo (Chizuru Ikewaki), but doesn't realize she harbors a secret love for him. Meanwhile, a situation arises which...
- 5/26/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Toei has released a longer trailer for Hideyuki Hirayama‘s Hisshiken Torisashi, the latest in a long line of film adaptations of stories by the late Shuhei Fujisawa. This particular film is based on a short story taken from Fujisawa’s “Hidden Blade” series, a compilation of stories which involve a character (not always the protagonist) mastering a secret sword technique to be unleashed on his enemies later on.
Etsushi Toyokawa stars as Kanemi Sanzaemon, a skilled swordsman and the tending president of the Unasaka clan. Three years ago, he dealt with a case of misgovernment by murdering a former prostitute named Renko (Megumi Seki) who was abusing the influence she had gained by becoming the mistress of a powerful daimyo (Jun Murakami). However, he received a lenient punishment for his actions and was eventually allowed to return to his duties within the clan.
After the death of his wife...
Etsushi Toyokawa stars as Kanemi Sanzaemon, a skilled swordsman and the tending president of the Unasaka clan. Three years ago, he dealt with a case of misgovernment by murdering a former prostitute named Renko (Megumi Seki) who was abusing the influence she had gained by becoming the mistress of a powerful daimyo (Jun Murakami). However, he received a lenient punishment for his actions and was eventually allowed to return to his duties within the clan.
After the death of his wife...
- 5/26/2010
- Nippon Cinema
The second chapter of the film adaptation of Naoki Urasawa's blockbuster sci fi thriller has just hit R1 DVD. Unfortunately, an attempt to juggle too many plots as well as a lead lacking any discernible charisma make The Last Hope something of a letdown.
For those unfamiliar with 20th Century Boys (2008) the overarching story follows a group of childhood pals who band together decades later when a notebook of their fantasy scribblings start coming true thanks to the machinations of the mysterious, masked "Friend." Led by idealistic failed musician Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa), the reunited classmates attempt to remember the full extent of their apocalyptic vision while seeking the true identity of Friend.
The Last Hope takes up the story 15 years later, as Kenji's niece, Kanna (Airi Taira) attempts to keep her head low as the world comes fully under the sway of Friend-mania. World leaders and the everyman see...
For those unfamiliar with 20th Century Boys (2008) the overarching story follows a group of childhood pals who band together decades later when a notebook of their fantasy scribblings start coming true thanks to the machinations of the mysterious, masked "Friend." Led by idealistic failed musician Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa), the reunited classmates attempt to remember the full extent of their apocalyptic vision while seeking the true identity of Friend.
The Last Hope takes up the story 15 years later, as Kenji's niece, Kanna (Airi Taira) attempts to keep her head low as the world comes fully under the sway of Friend-mania. World leaders and the everyman see...
- 3/8/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Shunsuke Kitami (Etsushi Toyokawa) is once the hottest photographer and during his life in early 40s he suddenly becoming so lazy that he have not touched his camera over the last one year since a trip to Okinawa with his wife Sakura (Hiroko Yakushimaru). Despite being persuaded by his assistant Makoto (Gaku Hamada) for him to return to work, Shunsuke's laziness remains and his womanizing behavior continues and this prompts Sakura to file for a divorce. One day Shunsuke tries to take advantage of an young actress, Ranko (Asami Mizukawa) after a photo session. At the same time Sakura arrives and he scrambles to look normal and ensure that nothing happens between both of them. Sakura wants Shunsuke to take last portrait of her while their divorce is being finalized. While developing the photo inside a dark room he sees one shot of Sakura running away from the camera and saying goodbye.
- 2/22/2010
- by simplyzane
- AsianMoviePulse
Because the world can never have enough well crafted samurai dramas, Hideyuki Hirayama is here with Hisshiken Torisashi. Nippon Cinema have just turned up the first teaser and plot synopsis:
Etsushi Toyokawa stars as a skilled swordsman named Kanemi Sanzaemon who kills the mistress of a powerful daimyo for abusing her political influence within the fictional Unasaka domain. This eventually leads to a violent confrontation in which he utilizes a "bird-catching" sword fighting technique. Meanwhile, his niece Satoo (Chizuru Ikewaki)--who is not blood related--harbors a secret love for him.
Check the teaser at Nippon Cinema!
Etsushi Toyokawa stars as a skilled swordsman named Kanemi Sanzaemon who kills the mistress of a powerful daimyo for abusing her political influence within the fictional Unasaka domain. This eventually leads to a violent confrontation in which he utilizes a "bird-catching" sword fighting technique. Meanwhile, his niece Satoo (Chizuru Ikewaki)--who is not blood related--harbors a secret love for him.
Check the teaser at Nippon Cinema!
- 2/21/2010
- Screen Anarchy
MONTREAL -- "Loving is not changing a thought into action. It is the thought itself." So begins "Inochi", an official competition entry and world premiere here slated for commercial release in Japan in the fall. A well-intentioned tale of birth, terminal disease and redemption, based on a trio of autobiographical novels by Miri Yu, director Tetsuo Shinohara's film is mostly somber, well-performed by a small cast and at least a bit uplifting at the end, but it's not destined for significant distribution beyond festivals and Japanese-language markets.
For nearly two hours the film deals with two characters who face major life challenges with each other's help, even though they were once lovers who separated years earlier. "Inochi" opens with writer Yu (Makiko Esumi) breaking up with the married man who she has gotten pregnant with. Having contemplated suicide in the past and facing a husbandless future, Yu is fully aware that she's entered a dangerous time.
She seeks out old boyfriend and theater director Yutaka Higashi (Etsushi Toyokawa), an energetic, confident, demanding chain smoker about to come crashing to earth. Indeed, not much more time goes by before he's been diagnosed with terminal cancer that's spread to several organs. Both feeling that the 10 years they spent together were as close to a "family" as they've ever had, his moving in with her for the rough times to come is a reason to keep wanting to live -- for both of them.
But there's no medical miracle to help Higashi, even when he goes to New York and tries different treatments. He does make it to the birth of Yu's son. Although his goal is to live to hear the boy say his name, holding the newborn in the hospital nursery is a form of rebirth that also strengthens Yu's resolve to live. Taking morphine and starting to hallucinate, his body deteriorating, Higashi reminds her that once she promised to kill him if he became incurably ill and predicts that once he goes, she'll follow him.
While it's very sad to watch Higashi fade away, there's little reason to fear that Yu will do something tragic once he's gone. Indeed, it's Yu's mother in an earlier scene who correctly predicts that her troublesome daughter will never return to her gloomy self once she has the baby.
With a few flashbacks to happier days, but nothing unique in the filmmaking department, "Inochi" is less emotionally manipulative than it sounds, saving the best moment for the parting words of the two leads. With a more recent girlfriend taking over for Yu as time gets short, the death of Higashi is not lingered on. The happiest ending possible, given the circumstances, is a welcome relief to the film's thick atmosphere of disease and bad dreams.
INOCHI
TBS, Toei Co.
Credits:
Director: Tetsuo Shinohara
Screenwriter: Sumio Omotri
Based on novels by: Miri Yu
Producers: Morihiro Kodama, Masao Sato, Osamu Kamei, Teizo Aoyama, Toshiyuki Takagi
Executive producer: Norihiko Tani
Director of photography: Takeshi Hamada
Production designer: Hidetaka Ozawa
Editor: Isao Tomita
Music: Tatsuya Murayama
Cast:
Yu Miri: Makiko Esumi
Yutaka Higashi: Etsushi Toyokawa
Running time -- 111 minutes
No MPAA rating...
For nearly two hours the film deals with two characters who face major life challenges with each other's help, even though they were once lovers who separated years earlier. "Inochi" opens with writer Yu (Makiko Esumi) breaking up with the married man who she has gotten pregnant with. Having contemplated suicide in the past and facing a husbandless future, Yu is fully aware that she's entered a dangerous time.
She seeks out old boyfriend and theater director Yutaka Higashi (Etsushi Toyokawa), an energetic, confident, demanding chain smoker about to come crashing to earth. Indeed, not much more time goes by before he's been diagnosed with terminal cancer that's spread to several organs. Both feeling that the 10 years they spent together were as close to a "family" as they've ever had, his moving in with her for the rough times to come is a reason to keep wanting to live -- for both of them.
But there's no medical miracle to help Higashi, even when he goes to New York and tries different treatments. He does make it to the birth of Yu's son. Although his goal is to live to hear the boy say his name, holding the newborn in the hospital nursery is a form of rebirth that also strengthens Yu's resolve to live. Taking morphine and starting to hallucinate, his body deteriorating, Higashi reminds her that once she promised to kill him if he became incurably ill and predicts that once he goes, she'll follow him.
While it's very sad to watch Higashi fade away, there's little reason to fear that Yu will do something tragic once he's gone. Indeed, it's Yu's mother in an earlier scene who correctly predicts that her troublesome daughter will never return to her gloomy self once she has the baby.
With a few flashbacks to happier days, but nothing unique in the filmmaking department, "Inochi" is less emotionally manipulative than it sounds, saving the best moment for the parting words of the two leads. With a more recent girlfriend taking over for Yu as time gets short, the death of Higashi is not lingered on. The happiest ending possible, given the circumstances, is a welcome relief to the film's thick atmosphere of disease and bad dreams.
INOCHI
TBS, Toei Co.
Credits:
Director: Tetsuo Shinohara
Screenwriter: Sumio Omotri
Based on novels by: Miri Yu
Producers: Morihiro Kodama, Masao Sato, Osamu Kamei, Teizo Aoyama, Toshiyuki Takagi
Executive producer: Norihiko Tani
Director of photography: Takeshi Hamada
Production designer: Hidetaka Ozawa
Editor: Isao Tomita
Music: Tatsuya Murayama
Cast:
Yu Miri: Makiko Esumi
Yutaka Higashi: Etsushi Toyokawa
Running time -- 111 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/3/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Shunji Iwai's debut feature, formerly titled "Love Letter", is the kind of improbably plotted, hyper-romantic story that seems all the vogue in Hollywood these days.
It's no wonder that an English-language remake starring Meg Ryan is being talked about for this Japanese saga about the enduring power of love and memory.
Set in a snow-covered northern Japanese city, the film begins with Hiroko (Miho Nakayama) attending a memorial service of her fiance Itsuki, killed two years earlier in a climbing accident.
Hiroko still hasn't gotten past her grief, as evidenced by her impulsive decision to write to her deceased lover at his old address; a reply, of course, is out of the question.
But she receives a letter back. It seems that another Itsuki, a woman, still lives in his hometown. What's more, this Itsuki is an old childhood friend of the original who attended the same school.
The two women begin a correspondence, and flashbacks detail the story of the childhood experiences of the two Itsukis, who formed a strong bond because of their shared name. Eventually, Hiroko, accompanied by her friend Shigeru (Etsushi Toyokawa), journey to Itsuki's hometown. There, she discovers that her correspondent looks exactly like her (and is indeed portrayed by the same actress).
"When I Close My Eyes" is clearly attempting a sort of poetic rumination on the nature of love, memory and grief, but the less-than-assured directorial style doesn't fully compensate for the silliness of the story line and the lack of momentum in the storytelling.
Missing a strong visual style and featuring a treacly, New Age-style musical score, the sentimental film only fitfully comes to life. Only in isolated segments, such as a flashback involving a harrowing journey to a hospital in a blinding snowstorm, does it exhibit real power.
WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES
Fine Line Features
Director-screenplay-editor: Shunji Iwai
Producers: Koichi Murakami,
Hajime Shigemura, Juichi Horiguchi,
Jiro Komaki, Tomooki Ikeda,
Masahiko Nagasawa
Co-producer: Takaaki Kabuto
Executive producers: Chiaki Matsushita,
Shuji Abe
Director of photography: Noboru Shinoda
Music: Remedios
Color/stereo
Cast:
Hiroko Watanabe/Itsuki Fujii: Miho Nakayama
Shigeru Akiba: Etsushi Toyokawa
Itsuki's Mother: Bunjaku Han
Itsuki's Grandfather: Katsuyuki Shinohara
Itsuki Fujii (as a young girl): Miki Sakai
Male Itsuki Fujii: Takashi Kashiwabara
Running time -- 116 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
It's no wonder that an English-language remake starring Meg Ryan is being talked about for this Japanese saga about the enduring power of love and memory.
Set in a snow-covered northern Japanese city, the film begins with Hiroko (Miho Nakayama) attending a memorial service of her fiance Itsuki, killed two years earlier in a climbing accident.
Hiroko still hasn't gotten past her grief, as evidenced by her impulsive decision to write to her deceased lover at his old address; a reply, of course, is out of the question.
But she receives a letter back. It seems that another Itsuki, a woman, still lives in his hometown. What's more, this Itsuki is an old childhood friend of the original who attended the same school.
The two women begin a correspondence, and flashbacks detail the story of the childhood experiences of the two Itsukis, who formed a strong bond because of their shared name. Eventually, Hiroko, accompanied by her friend Shigeru (Etsushi Toyokawa), journey to Itsuki's hometown. There, she discovers that her correspondent looks exactly like her (and is indeed portrayed by the same actress).
"When I Close My Eyes" is clearly attempting a sort of poetic rumination on the nature of love, memory and grief, but the less-than-assured directorial style doesn't fully compensate for the silliness of the story line and the lack of momentum in the storytelling.
Missing a strong visual style and featuring a treacly, New Age-style musical score, the sentimental film only fitfully comes to life. Only in isolated segments, such as a flashback involving a harrowing journey to a hospital in a blinding snowstorm, does it exhibit real power.
WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES
Fine Line Features
Director-screenplay-editor: Shunji Iwai
Producers: Koichi Murakami,
Hajime Shigemura, Juichi Horiguchi,
Jiro Komaki, Tomooki Ikeda,
Masahiko Nagasawa
Co-producer: Takaaki Kabuto
Executive producers: Chiaki Matsushita,
Shuji Abe
Director of photography: Noboru Shinoda
Music: Remedios
Color/stereo
Cast:
Hiroko Watanabe/Itsuki Fujii: Miho Nakayama
Shigeru Akiba: Etsushi Toyokawa
Itsuki's Mother: Bunjaku Han
Itsuki's Grandfather: Katsuyuki Shinohara
Itsuki Fujii (as a young girl): Miki Sakai
Male Itsuki Fujii: Takashi Kashiwabara
Running time -- 116 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 6/17/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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