The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has announced its first wave of program details for its upcoming 58th edition, which is set to take place from June 28 through July 6, 2024. The Czech festival, widely considered to be the most prestigious film festival in Eastern Europe, is set to honor one of the nation’s most famous writers with a new retrospective titled “Franz Kafka and the Cinema.”
The series is set to feature screenings of a wide range of films inspired by the Czech novelist, who famously wove themes of alienation and existential angst into cryptic novels that often flirted with surrealism. Some films, like Orson Welles’ “The Trial” are direct adaptations of Kafka’s writings; but the series also includes movies about Kafka’s life, and films like Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours” that were influenced by Kafka’s ideas.
“For decades, Kafka’s oeuvre has functioned as a continuing provocation to filmmakers,...
The series is set to feature screenings of a wide range of films inspired by the Czech novelist, who famously wove themes of alienation and existential angst into cryptic novels that often flirted with surrealism. Some films, like Orson Welles’ “The Trial” are direct adaptations of Kafka’s writings; but the series also includes movies about Kafka’s life, and films like Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours” that were influenced by Kafka’s ideas.
“For decades, Kafka’s oeuvre has functioned as a continuing provocation to filmmakers,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
In 2019, the documentary of 80s horror In Search of Darkness became an instant hit with horror fans. Now, a beautiful coffee table style companion book is available and is a must-own for all fans of one of horror’s greatest eras. The book is a walk down the horror aisle of the best mom and pop video store in the heyday of VHS, featuring full color photos, poster art, insightful essays and more. More than just a nostalgic throwback, In Search of Darkness is the kind of book I wish I’d had back in my years as a burgeoning horror fan but is also satisfying for the film fanatic I have become in the years since.
The format is beautifully and simply laid out, with at least a dozen (usually more) movies from each year of the decade presented in order of release accompanied by informative and insightful essays...
The format is beautifully and simply laid out, with at least a dozen (usually more) movies from each year of the decade presented in order of release accompanied by informative and insightful essays...
- 3/18/2024
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
Shinya Tsukamoto’s Shadow of Fire begins as a troubling but measured film, but about a half-hour in something happens that shatters its quietude. Suddenly, a man who to this point has been impotent and deferential throws a small boy out a window and begins beating a woman. From the director best-known for Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and whose other films are often similarly stylish and sexually violent, that might not sound like much, but it is precisely the restraint of Shadow of Fire that makes the violence one of the more harrowing moments in Tsukamoto’s growing oeuvre.
Tsukamoto used to make movies at a swift pace: from his 1989 debut Tetsuo to 2011’s Kotoko, a dozen films. Since then, Shadow of Fire is just his third, all three of which are focused in some way on war, and each has taken longer to arrive than the one before. Whether...
Tsukamoto used to make movies at a swift pace: from his 1989 debut Tetsuo to 2011’s Kotoko, a dozen films. Since then, Shadow of Fire is just his third, all three of which are focused in some way on war, and each has taken longer to arrive than the one before. Whether...
- 2/2/2024
- by Forrest Cardamenis
- The Film Stage
Having run for over twenty years, the UK’s largest festival of Japanese cinema, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme (JFTFP24), returns with its biggest showcase ever for 2024.
Memories play a powerful role in the mind. Shaped fluidly by individuals or time, they have been a source of inspiration for many filmmakers, fuelling their creativity to craft colourful stories. Under the theme ‘Unforgettable: Memories, Times and Reflections in Japanese Cinema’ the JFTFP24 delves into Japanese cinema to explore how memories are employed in the cinematic voices of Japanese filmmakers, from films where memories are a focal point to works where they play a subliminal role in driving or affecting people’s minds and behaviour. With an incredibly diverse range of films all based on memories, time, and reflections, this year’s programme is set to provide UK audiences with memorable stories and unforgettable moments.
Under this theme the packed programme...
Memories play a powerful role in the mind. Shaped fluidly by individuals or time, they have been a source of inspiration for many filmmakers, fuelling their creativity to craft colourful stories. Under the theme ‘Unforgettable: Memories, Times and Reflections in Japanese Cinema’ the JFTFP24 delves into Japanese cinema to explore how memories are employed in the cinematic voices of Japanese filmmakers, from films where memories are a focal point to works where they play a subliminal role in driving or affecting people’s minds and behaviour. With an incredibly diverse range of films all based on memories, time, and reflections, this year’s programme is set to provide UK audiences with memorable stories and unforgettable moments.
Under this theme the packed programme...
- 12/21/2023
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme, the U.K.’s largest festival of Japanese cinema, will take to the road in February and March. Its 2024 selection is the event’s largest ever with much of it attuned to the theme of memories, times and reflections.
“The JFTFP24 delves into Japanese cinema to explore how memories are employed in the cinematic voices of Japanese filmmakers, from films where memories are a focal point to works where they play a subliminal role in driving or affecting people’s minds and behavior,” said organizers.
The festival will run Feb. 2 – Mar. 31 and take in 30 U.K. cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, Oxford, Orkney, Exeter and York.
Program highlights include: the U.K. premiere of “Shadow of Fire,” directed by festival favorite Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man); a new entry in Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno genre, “Hand”; visually stunning anime “Lonely Castle in the Mirror,...
“The JFTFP24 delves into Japanese cinema to explore how memories are employed in the cinematic voices of Japanese filmmakers, from films where memories are a focal point to works where they play a subliminal role in driving or affecting people’s minds and behavior,” said organizers.
The festival will run Feb. 2 – Mar. 31 and take in 30 U.K. cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, Oxford, Orkney, Exeter and York.
Program highlights include: the U.K. premiere of “Shadow of Fire,” directed by festival favorite Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man); a new entry in Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno genre, “Hand”; visually stunning anime “Lonely Castle in the Mirror,...
- 12/20/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Tomorô Taguchi, Shinya Tsukamoto, Nobu Kanaoka, Sujin Kim, Hideaki Tezuka, Tomoo Asada, Iwata, Keinosuke Tomioka | Written and Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto
After kickstarting his career with 1989’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man, writer/director Shinya Tsukamoto returned to the Japanese body horror series 3 years later with Tetsuo II: Body Hammer – an unconnected sequel which takes its own journey regarding a man’s transformation into machine. The opening moments show the camera acting as an unseen character’s perspective, stalking an unnamed salaryman who gets killed after the unseen character holds out his index finger like a gun and fires it.
The story then cuts to Taniguchi Tomoo (Tomorô Taguchi), a married salaryman with a young son named Minori. Adopted as a child, Tomoo questions his unknown past and the reasons for his recurring nightmares. His world is turned upside down when two men kidnap Minori and inject the father with an unknown substance.
After kickstarting his career with 1989’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man, writer/director Shinya Tsukamoto returned to the Japanese body horror series 3 years later with Tetsuo II: Body Hammer – an unconnected sequel which takes its own journey regarding a man’s transformation into machine. The opening moments show the camera acting as an unseen character’s perspective, stalking an unnamed salaryman who gets killed after the unseen character holds out his index finger like a gun and fires it.
The story then cuts to Taniguchi Tomoo (Tomorô Taguchi), a married salaryman with a young son named Minori. Adopted as a child, Tomoo questions his unknown past and the reasons for his recurring nightmares. His world is turned upside down when two men kidnap Minori and inject the father with an unknown substance.
- 10/26/2023
- by James Rodrigues
- Nerdly
Stars: Tomorô Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka, Shinya Tsukamoto, Renji Ishibashi, Naomasa Musaka | Written and Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto
After spending his youth creating short films and entering experimental theatre, Shinya Tsukamoto made an indelible mark on Japanese horror cinema with his feature debut, Tetsuo: The Iron Man. The writer/director/producer/editor also appears on-screen as a metal fetishist, setting the tone for this bizarre work as his character inserts scrap metal into a self-inflicted wound in his thigh. The sight of maggots within the wound causes him to run in fear, resulting in him becoming the victim of a hit-and-run accident.
The story then focuses on a salaryman (Tomorô Taguchi), who discovers a metallic thorn sticking out of his cheek while shaving. While he later waits in a subway station, a woman infected with metallic tentacles begins chasing him. This begins a campaign of terror upon the salaryman,...
After spending his youth creating short films and entering experimental theatre, Shinya Tsukamoto made an indelible mark on Japanese horror cinema with his feature debut, Tetsuo: The Iron Man. The writer/director/producer/editor also appears on-screen as a metal fetishist, setting the tone for this bizarre work as his character inserts scrap metal into a self-inflicted wound in his thigh. The sight of maggots within the wound causes him to run in fear, resulting in him becoming the victim of a hit-and-run accident.
The story then focuses on a salaryman (Tomorô Taguchi), who discovers a metallic thorn sticking out of his cheek while shaving. While he later waits in a subway station, a woman infected with metallic tentacles begins chasing him. This begins a campaign of terror upon the salaryman,...
- 10/11/2023
- by James Rodrigues
- Nerdly
The future looks more purgatorial than paradisiacal in “Divinity,” Eddie Alcazar’s second feature as writer-director. Like the first, 2018’s “Perfect,” this is a cryptic sci-fi body horror allegory where undeniably arresting aesthetics are nonetheless more a symptom of shallow lookism-based values than the intended critique. Stephen Dorff plays a wealthy recluse peddling the titular mystery serum, which promises eternal youth — though, naturally, there may be drawbacks. This invention attracts attention not just from consumers, but from apparent space aliens who arrive to halt its disturbance of the natural order.
Those looking for midnight-movie eccentricity will find much to enjoy in the black-and-white film’s mix of the trippy, queasy and erotic. But as before, the effortfully quirky elements don’t really add up to a cogent whole, resulting in something a mite too reflective of its creator’s background in commercials and game design — a rarefied, stimulating surface without depth.
Those looking for midnight-movie eccentricity will find much to enjoy in the black-and-white film’s mix of the trippy, queasy and erotic. But as before, the effortfully quirky elements don’t really add up to a cogent whole, resulting in something a mite too reflective of its creator’s background in commercials and game design — a rarefied, stimulating surface without depth.
- 10/9/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Ah, body horror. That exquisite subgenre that makes us squirm in our seats, cringe in delicious terror, and occasionally lose our lunch. These films are not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. They probe, twist, and mutilate the human form in ways that are both horrifying and oddly fascinating. So, brace yourself and maybe keep a barf bag handy, as we dive into the 20 Most Disturbing Body Horror Films Ever Made.
20th Century Fox 20. The Fly (1986)
The Fly, directed by David Cronenberg, tells the story of scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), who invents teleportation, but of course, it’s not all Nobel Prizes. After an experiment with a fly goes horribly wrong, Brundle begins a grotesque transformation into a human-fly hybrid. What makes this film so disturbing is the gradual, inexorable alteration of Brundle’s body, culminating in a physical and psychological nightmare that’s impossible to forget.
20th Century Fox 20. The Fly (1986)
The Fly, directed by David Cronenberg, tells the story of scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), who invents teleportation, but of course, it’s not all Nobel Prizes. After an experiment with a fly goes horribly wrong, Brundle begins a grotesque transformation into a human-fly hybrid. What makes this film so disturbing is the gradual, inexorable alteration of Brundle’s body, culminating in a physical and psychological nightmare that’s impossible to forget.
- 8/19/2023
- by Jonathan Dehaan
Stars: Sôsuke Ikematsu, Shin’ya Tsukamoto, Minami Hamabe, Mirai Moriyama, Tasuku Emoto, Nanase Nishino | Written and Directed by Hideaki Anno
The third entry in the Shin Japan Heroes Universe, Shin Kamen Rider, steps away from the kaiju-oriented plots of Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman to let writer/director Hideaki Anno, the driving force behind the Shin project, reboot a character that dates back to 1971 and who has, over the years appeared in various incarnations spanning live action, anime, and manga forms.
Takeshi Hongo was a socially inept college student who only cared about his motorcycle until he was kidnapped by S.H.O.C.K.E.R., Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling, and experimented on by Professor Midorikawa, played appropriately enough by Shin’ya Tsukamoto, the director of Tetsuo: The Iron Man and its sequels.
He fused Hongo’s DNA with that of a grasshopper giving him incredible strength,...
The third entry in the Shin Japan Heroes Universe, Shin Kamen Rider, steps away from the kaiju-oriented plots of Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman to let writer/director Hideaki Anno, the driving force behind the Shin project, reboot a character that dates back to 1971 and who has, over the years appeared in various incarnations spanning live action, anime, and manga forms.
Takeshi Hongo was a socially inept college student who only cared about his motorcycle until he was kidnapped by S.H.O.C.K.E.R., Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling, and experimented on by Professor Midorikawa, played appropriately enough by Shin’ya Tsukamoto, the director of Tetsuo: The Iron Man and its sequels.
He fused Hongo’s DNA with that of a grasshopper giving him incredible strength,...
- 7/24/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
The Japanese horror boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s, spawned in large part by Hideo Nakata’s Ring, gets the spotlight in the upcoming documentary The J-Horror Virus.
Check out the trailer below, first shared by Fangoria earlier today.
From Sarah Appleton and Jasper Sharp, The J-Horror Virus is said to be a “feature-length documentary charting the origins, evolution and diffusion across the world of a distinctive brand of made-in-Japan supernatural chillers that seeped into the global consciousness at the turn of the millennium, films featuring vengeful ghosts manifesting themselves through contemporary technology again a backdrop of urban alienation and social decay.”
The synopsis continues, “From its origins in Teruyoshi Ishii’s 1988 fake documentary Psychic Vision: Jaganrei (1988) and Norio Tsuruta’s seminal Scary True Stories (1991/92) straight-to-video series, through such key titles as Hideo Nakata’s Ring (1998), Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse (2001) and Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-On: The Grudge...
Check out the trailer below, first shared by Fangoria earlier today.
From Sarah Appleton and Jasper Sharp, The J-Horror Virus is said to be a “feature-length documentary charting the origins, evolution and diffusion across the world of a distinctive brand of made-in-Japan supernatural chillers that seeped into the global consciousness at the turn of the millennium, films featuring vengeful ghosts manifesting themselves through contemporary technology again a backdrop of urban alienation and social decay.”
The synopsis continues, “From its origins in Teruyoshi Ishii’s 1988 fake documentary Psychic Vision: Jaganrei (1988) and Norio Tsuruta’s seminal Scary True Stories (1991/92) straight-to-video series, through such key titles as Hideo Nakata’s Ring (1998), Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse (2001) and Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-On: The Grudge...
- 6/20/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Maybe more than any other character in the pantheon of horror villain legends, Freddy Krueger was custom built to put the fear of god into us. Nothing about his presence was thrown together haphazardly. Instead, nearly every aspect of his design had a tremendous amount of thought put into it. From makeup effects great David B. Miller’s inspired work creating the Krueger’s crispy kisser, to the subliminal mind games played by creator Wes Craven when choosing certain aspects of his look (the razor glove was meant to resemble the clawed paws of a prehistoric predator while the colors of his sweater were chosen due to the difficult time the human eye has processing red and green together), we were meant to feel Freddy’s menace on a subatomic level.
As the franchise rolled on over the years, that visual blueprint was more or less stuck to religiously. After all,...
As the franchise rolled on over the years, that visual blueprint was more or less stuck to religiously. After all,...
- 6/7/2023
- by Patrick Brennan
- bloody-disgusting.com
Feature examines film as conduit for humanity’s end-of-millennium fear, anxiety, elation and obsession.
New York and LA-based genre arthouse specialists Yellow Veil Pictures have acquired worldwide rights to Amanda Kramer’s cyberspace cinema documentary So Unreal narrated by Blondie singer and pop icon Debbie Harry and will launch sales in Cannes.
So Unreal puts cyberspace cinema from 1981-2001 like The Matrix, Tron, Tetsuo and eXisTenz under the spotlight and examines film as a conduit for humanity’s fear, anxiety, elation and obsession over the emerging technology at the end of the millennium.
“What a deep honour that Debbie Harry lent her legendary,...
New York and LA-based genre arthouse specialists Yellow Veil Pictures have acquired worldwide rights to Amanda Kramer’s cyberspace cinema documentary So Unreal narrated by Blondie singer and pop icon Debbie Harry and will launch sales in Cannes.
So Unreal puts cyberspace cinema from 1981-2001 like The Matrix, Tron, Tetsuo and eXisTenz under the spotlight and examines film as a conduit for humanity’s fear, anxiety, elation and obsession over the emerging technology at the end of the millennium.
“What a deep honour that Debbie Harry lent her legendary,...
- 5/9/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The world of Japanese cinema is one of the most acclaimed and beloved. This video examines many of the classics, the most essential films ever made in Japan or by Japanese filmmakers. Why is the appreciation of Japanese cinema so enduring? "Narrator Luiza Liz Bond emphasized the 'heightened aesthetic sensibility' of Japanese filmmakers, on display in 'the tender observation of Ozu's Tokyo Story, the poetic rhapsody of Kurosawa's Dreams, the harrowing feminine gaze of Videophobia." The video essay is split into different chapters covering different styles of films: Bushidō, Wabi-Sabi, Mono No Aware, Yūgen, Guro, and Hen. Many all-timer films are featured including The Sword of Doom, Seven Samurai, Hausu, Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Tampopo, Love Exposure, Sansho the Bailiff, Tokyo Sonata + many more. Discover films below. // Continue Reading ›...
- 3/31/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Shinya Tsukamoto has always been, to many, a man hidden behind the scenes. When thinking of experimentation within the Japanese pulp titles from the 90s and 2000s, it is likely that a figure such as Takashi Miike or Kinji Fukusaku would come to mind for the average viewer, and Shinya Tsukamoto might simply be referred to as “the guy who made Tetsuo: The Iron Man.” Yet as time goes on, Tsukamoto is slowly becoming more respected and recognized as a pioneer in the 90s and 2000s Japanese experimental pulp genre: A title which he certainly deserves. And so, now feels like a more-than-appropriate time to take a look at Tsukamoto's most thought-inspiring (yet highly-overlooked) masterpieces. This list will look at Tsukamoto's various overlooked contributions to the Japanese avant-garde film industry, from the beginning of his career to the current moment.
1. The Adventures of Denchu-Kozo (1987)
Many might be under the impression...
1. The Adventures of Denchu-Kozo (1987)
Many might be under the impression...
- 3/9/2023
- by Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette
- AsianMoviePulse
Movies That Made Me veteran guest and screenwriter Dan Waters discusses his favorite year of cinema (1989) with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Phantom Carriage (1921)
Love At First Bite (1979)
Hudson Hawk (1991)
Demolition Man (1993)
Heathers (1989)
Warlock (1989)
The Matrix (1999)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Jaws (1975)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Nashville (1975)
Born On The Fourth Of July (1989)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Field Of Dreams (1989)
My Left Foot (1989)
Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Sex Lies And Videotape (1989)
Easy Rider (1969)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
All That Jazz (1979)
Hair (1979)
Alien (1979)
Fight Club (1999)
Office Space (1999)
Magnolia (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
American Pie (1999)
The Iron Giant (1999)
All About My Mother (1999)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Pretty In Pink (1986)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Say Anything… (1989)
Miracle Mile (1989)
True Love (1989)
Powwow Highway (1989)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
Southside With You...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Phantom Carriage (1921)
Love At First Bite (1979)
Hudson Hawk (1991)
Demolition Man (1993)
Heathers (1989)
Warlock (1989)
The Matrix (1999)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Jaws (1975)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Nashville (1975)
Born On The Fourth Of July (1989)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Field Of Dreams (1989)
My Left Foot (1989)
Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Sex Lies And Videotape (1989)
Easy Rider (1969)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
All That Jazz (1979)
Hair (1979)
Alien (1979)
Fight Club (1999)
Office Space (1999)
Magnolia (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
American Pie (1999)
The Iron Giant (1999)
All About My Mother (1999)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Pretty In Pink (1986)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Say Anything… (1989)
Miracle Mile (1989)
True Love (1989)
Powwow Highway (1989)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
Southside With You...
- 2/21/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Joel Schumacher's 1997 film "Batman & Robin" is a large, clunky, over-designed nightmare. In his two-star review, Roger Ebert referred to the film as resembling "an art-deco garbage disposal," and there often appears to be a consensus that it remains, to this day, one of the worst comic book movies ever made. Director Schumacher has even gone on record apologizing to anyone who might have felt disappointed by his film.
"Batman & Robin," while following the same Batman continuity that began in 1989 with Tim Burton's "Batman," couldn't be farther from the original. Burton's film took visual cues from 1930s German expressionism film, and was shot using shadows and steam. "Batman & Robin" looks like a Las Vegas dance spectacular, rife with bright colors, swirling lights, and neon tubing. Even the film's central villain, Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), has glittery silver skin, a glowing blue mouth, and a busy, light-up suit of armor.
"Batman & Robin," while following the same Batman continuity that began in 1989 with Tim Burton's "Batman," couldn't be farther from the original. Burton's film took visual cues from 1930s German expressionism film, and was shot using shadows and steam. "Batman & Robin" looks like a Las Vegas dance spectacular, rife with bright colors, swirling lights, and neon tubing. Even the film's central villain, Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), has glittery silver skin, a glowing blue mouth, and a busy, light-up suit of armor.
- 2/20/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Shinya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1992) isn’t so much a follow-up to his monochromatic frenzy of an original as it is a new approach to the same themes he explored in the first go around. 1989’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man is an industrial nightmare – a scouring pad to the grey matter. Body Hammer […]
The post ‘Tetsuo II: Body Hammer’ – Cyberpunk Body Horror Classic Spawned a Wild Sequel 30 Years Ago appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
The post ‘Tetsuo II: Body Hammer’ – Cyberpunk Body Horror Classic Spawned a Wild Sequel 30 Years Ago appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
- 8/5/2022
- by Tyler Eschberger
- bloody-disgusting.com
When someone says the name Shinya Tsukamoto, many different things come to mind. ‘Creepy,’ might be one. ‘Weird’ might be another. Most people might think of him as ‘the guy who made Tetsuo: The Iron Man,’ the gory cyberpunk classic which he is most likely known for. However, very rarely will someone associate the word ‘beautiful’ with Tsukamoto’s work.
‘Vital’ might be the one exception. This blend of romance and horror tells the story of Hiroshi Takagi immediately after a devastating car crash that has erased his memory and taken the life of his girlfriend. During the recovery process, Takagi happens to stumble across an anatomy textbook in his closet and remembers his pre-accident studies. Takagi decides to enroll in medical school, during which he is tasked with dissecting cadavers. There is one cadaver in particular that he begins obsessing over, and the more he works on dissecting it,...
‘Vital’ might be the one exception. This blend of romance and horror tells the story of Hiroshi Takagi immediately after a devastating car crash that has erased his memory and taken the life of his girlfriend. During the recovery process, Takagi happens to stumble across an anatomy textbook in his closet and remembers his pre-accident studies. Takagi decides to enroll in medical school, during which he is tasked with dissecting cadavers. There is one cadaver in particular that he begins obsessing over, and the more he works on dissecting it,...
- 5/8/2022
- by Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette
- AsianMoviePulse
We’re back for a new Let’s Scare Bryan to Death, and this month we’re navigating the gritty, grimy world of live-action Japanese cyberpunk with perhaps the quintessential example of the subgenre, Shinya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man. This 1989 film is one of the more high-intensity, visceral experiences ever put to celluloid, so I’m thankful to have guest Dani Bethea to guide me through it.
Bethea has one of the best minds in horror journalism today. Formerly the editor-in-chief for the We Are Horror zine, you may have seen their work at cinéSPEAK, Studies in the Fantastic, and the Transploitation Project. You can also catch them in the upcoming documentary Mental Health and Horror and read some really fascinating long-form pieces via their Medium blog.
Bethea had a number of great movie recommendations, but Tetsuo is one I’ve been eyeing up for quite some time.
Bethea has one of the best minds in horror journalism today. Formerly the editor-in-chief for the We Are Horror zine, you may have seen their work at cinéSPEAK, Studies in the Fantastic, and the Transploitation Project. You can also catch them in the upcoming documentary Mental Health and Horror and read some really fascinating long-form pieces via their Medium blog.
Bethea had a number of great movie recommendations, but Tetsuo is one I’ve been eyeing up for quite some time.
- 4/27/2022
- by Bryan Christopher
- DailyDead
Between celebrating the many things that February has to offer make the most of your down time and check out what Arrow has to offer on their video player. Next month's highlights include David Buchanan's surrealist Laguna Ave and Daniel Griffith's documentary, The Sleeper Must Awaken: Making Dune, a new film devoted to the making of David Lynch's 1984 film. Cult titles coming next month included the always popular Turkey Shoot from Brian Trenchard-Smith. Things get evocative with the thrillers Angel and Avenging Angel. Some of Japan's best and most unconvential titles - Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Burst City and Dead of Alive: Final - are coming next month. Lastly, one of our favorite directors of dynamic action and chaos, Gareth Evans,...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 1/27/2022
- Screen Anarchy
Following up on her 2016 feature debut, Raw, which chronicled a veterinary-cum-vegetarian student’s pivot to cannibalism, Julia Ducournau pushes her fascination for the pliability of human flesh to even further extremes with Titane. The film, awarded the Palme d’Or in Cannes earlier this year—only the second time the top prize is given to a woman director—kicks off with a near-fatal car accident, after which Alexia is left with a titanium plate fixed to her skull and a seemingly insatiable appetite for the vehicular. Next we see her, she’s turned into a serial killer and a car show dancer. In one outrageous early sequence, she’s impregnated by a Cadillac. Following a killing spree that sends her on the lam, she disfigures herself to pass as a boy gone missing years prior, Adrien, and finds an unlikely refuge in Vincent (Vincent Lindon), a middle-aged firefighter who welcomes her back as his son,...
- 10/27/2021
- MUBI
Not the only Halloween-ready franchise being resuscitated this month, “V/H/S/94” puts back in action the omnibus series that was last seen seven years ago with disappointing third entry “V/H/S: Viral.” This belated return lands closer in quality to the 2012 kickoff feature than the following year’s superior “V/H/S/2,” as a mixed bag of entertainingly diverse if variably successful horror shorts. Going straight to genre streaming platform Shudder on Oct. 6, it should provide fans with a satisfying enough, seasonally apt new package of macabre tales still linked by a faux-found-footage concept.
That style does not seem a natural fit for Jennifer Reeder, who made the very mannered, David Lynchian feature “Knives and Skin” two years ago. That divisive movie certainly had a firm grip on its aesthetics, and she seems divested of both inspiration and conviction having to go with a hand-held video look here. An underwhelming wraparound frame for the other segments,...
That style does not seem a natural fit for Jennifer Reeder, who made the very mannered, David Lynchian feature “Knives and Skin” two years ago. That divisive movie certainly had a firm grip on its aesthetics, and she seems divested of both inspiration and conviction having to go with a hand-held video look here. An underwhelming wraparound frame for the other segments,...
- 10/6/2021
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
The U.S. release of Julia Ducournau’s historic Palme d’Or winner “Titane” is right around the corner, and IndieWire is marking the occasion by exclusively premiering the first track from Jim Williams’ wild original score. “Titane” reunites Ducournau and Williams after their breakthrough work on the filmmaker’s feature directorial debut “Raw.” The first track released from the “Titane” score is the main theme “Sarabande,” an ominous, pulsating piece of music that’s indicative of the darkly foreboding quality of Ducournau’s vision.
“The score for ‘Titane’ grows from a short theme for a scene where the protagonist leaves home in startling circumstances,” Williams said in a statement. “Initially in a contemporary popular music style with a tinge of John Barry, later this was set with metal percussion and male voice choir using the Neapolitan Minor for a scene set in a car. As the film develops the theme takes on an emotional,...
“The score for ‘Titane’ grows from a short theme for a scene where the protagonist leaves home in startling circumstances,” Williams said in a statement. “Initially in a contemporary popular music style with a tinge of John Barry, later this was set with metal percussion and male voice choir using the Neapolitan Minor for a scene set in a car. As the film develops the theme takes on an emotional,...
- 9/23/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Micro-budget movies come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the undisputed champions of the form are almost always those which avoid splashy effects, embracing their shoestring aesthetic, and all the wild creative freedom that comes with it. The more gonzo the better, and it’s safe to say that David Buchanan’s Laguna Ave mostly gets it right, borrowing from the best of the best in weaving together a slowly unraveling LA neo-noir with the sort of splashy campiness of John Waters, crossed with echos of mad-eyed genre greats from Tetsuo to Troma.
Russell Steinberg’s washed-up one-handed drummer is the sort of witty stoner that seemed to make up a hefty majority of American movie leads in the 1990s; furiously trying to make rent without a stable job, with his relationship hanging by a thread and quiet oblivion not far out of reach. In fact, the whole...
Russell Steinberg’s washed-up one-handed drummer is the sort of witty stoner that seemed to make up a hefty majority of American movie leads in the 1990s; furiously trying to make rent without a stable job, with his relationship hanging by a thread and quiet oblivion not far out of reach. In fact, the whole...
- 8/27/2021
- by Ben Robins
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
French filmmaker Julia Ducournau is poised to become one of the biggest sensations in international genre filmmaking thanks to her surprise Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or win last weekend for “Titane.” That film took the festival’s top prize from a jury led by Spike Lee, and will next be released in the United States by Neon on October 1 in theaters.
Fans may remember her 2016 stomach-twisting debut feature “Raw,” but five years before that Ducournau directed a short film titled “Junior.” This amazingly disturbing short centers on a 13-year-old tomboy whose body becomes home to a startling metamorphosis. Courtesy of Unifrance you can now watch the full short in full below.
IndieWire recently interviewed Ducournau about her shocking feature “Titane,” following an erotic dancer who becomes impregnated by a Cadillac and is also a serial killer. “I can tell you that I do try to create affiliation between my films,...
Fans may remember her 2016 stomach-twisting debut feature “Raw,” but five years before that Ducournau directed a short film titled “Junior.” This amazingly disturbing short centers on a 13-year-old tomboy whose body becomes home to a startling metamorphosis. Courtesy of Unifrance you can now watch the full short in full below.
IndieWire recently interviewed Ducournau about her shocking feature “Titane,” following an erotic dancer who becomes impregnated by a Cadillac and is also a serial killer. “I can tell you that I do try to create affiliation between my films,...
- 7/24/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
During the first half of Julia Ducournau’s “Titane,” it’s hard to tell if you’re watching the most fucked up movie ever made about the idea of found family, or the sweetest movie ever made about a serial killer who has sex with a car, poses as the adult version of a local boy who went missing a decade earlier, and then promptly moves in with the kid’s still-grieving father. During the second half, it becomes obvious that it’s both — that somehow it couldn’t be one without the other.
Following the cannibalistic “Raw” with another ravenous film that pushes her fascination with the hunger and malleability of human flesh to even further extremes, Ducournau has made good on the promise of her debut and then some. Whatever you’re willing to take from it, there’s no denying that “Titane” is ; a shimmering aria of...
Following the cannibalistic “Raw” with another ravenous film that pushes her fascination with the hunger and malleability of human flesh to even further extremes, Ducournau has made good on the promise of her debut and then some. Whatever you’re willing to take from it, there’s no denying that “Titane” is ; a shimmering aria of...
- 7/13/2021
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Boxing has always been a very cinematic sport, with the its overall rules and the head-to-head mentality providing material for both captivating scripts and impressive visuals. Asian cinema has also been dealing with the concept, even if sporadically, but recently, there has been a surge of titles revolving around boxing, as we are still waiting for Brillante Mendoza’s “Gensan Punch”, which the protagonist, Shogen, having described the shooting as a once in a lifetime experience.
Among these titles, we picked 15 we think are among the most captivating to watch, as always with a focus on diversity in country of origin, filmmaker and style, although Japan has taken the lion’s share of entries in this list. The list is in chronological order.
1. Knockout
Violent, funny, dramatic and quirky are few of the contradictory words that can describe both “Knockout” and Hidekazu Akai, who plays the protagonist here, Eiji. As...
Among these titles, we picked 15 we think are among the most captivating to watch, as always with a focus on diversity in country of origin, filmmaker and style, although Japan has taken the lion’s share of entries in this list. The list is in chronological order.
1. Knockout
Violent, funny, dramatic and quirky are few of the contradictory words that can describe both “Knockout” and Hidekazu Akai, who plays the protagonist here, Eiji. As...
- 7/12/2021
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Nikkatsu has added “Hiruko the Goblin,” a 1991 adventure-horror film by cult director Tsukamoto Shinya, to its sales slate at the Cannes Market, an adjunct to the Cannes Film Festival. To mark the 30th anniversary of the film’s original release, it has been restored and remastered in a new 2K version.
The second feature by Tsukamoto, who had made a sensational debut in 1989 with the bizarre sci-fi shocker “Tetsuo: The Iron Man,” “Hiruko the Goblin” starred pop star and actor Kenji Sawada as an archeologist who investigates a tomb said to haunted by evil spirits. Meanwhile, his brother-in-law, a junior high school teacher, goes mysteriously missing together with one of his students and, while hunting for him, the teacher’s son encounters the titular goblin. Various strangeness ensues. The story was based on a manga by Morohoshi Daijiro, with a script by Tsukamoto.
Made with then cutting-edge visual effects, as well as stop-motion animation,...
The second feature by Tsukamoto, who had made a sensational debut in 1989 with the bizarre sci-fi shocker “Tetsuo: The Iron Man,” “Hiruko the Goblin” starred pop star and actor Kenji Sawada as an archeologist who investigates a tomb said to haunted by evil spirits. Meanwhile, his brother-in-law, a junior high school teacher, goes mysteriously missing together with one of his students and, while hunting for him, the teacher’s son encounters the titular goblin. Various strangeness ensues. The story was based on a manga by Morohoshi Daijiro, with a script by Tsukamoto.
Made with then cutting-edge visual effects, as well as stop-motion animation,...
- 7/4/2021
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
We have an eclectic array of home media offerings coming out this week, led by the latest from Neil Marshall, The Reckoning. Shadow in the Cloud, featuring Chloë Grace Moretz, is also headed to Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday, and if you missed the previous release of the Shinya Tsukamoto set from Arrow, they are releasing a standard Special Edition version of Solid Metal Nightmares as well.
Other Blu and DVD releases making their debut on April 6th include Doors, Sleepless, Dawn of the Beast, Lurking in the Woods, and Killer Karaoke.
The Reckoning
After losing her husband during the Great Plague, Grace Haverstock (Charlotte Kirk) is unjustly accused of being a witch and placed in the custody of England’s most ruthless witch-hunter, Judge Moorcroft (Sean Pertwee). Forced to endure physical and emotional torture while steadfastly maintaining her innocence, Grace must face her own inner demons as the Devil...
Other Blu and DVD releases making their debut on April 6th include Doors, Sleepless, Dawn of the Beast, Lurking in the Woods, and Killer Karaoke.
The Reckoning
After losing her husband during the Great Plague, Grace Haverstock (Charlotte Kirk) is unjustly accused of being a witch and placed in the custody of England’s most ruthless witch-hunter, Judge Moorcroft (Sean Pertwee). Forced to endure physical and emotional torture while steadfastly maintaining her innocence, Grace must face her own inner demons as the Devil...
- 4/5/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Tom Mes, in his book “Iron Man: The Cinema of Shinya Tsukamoto” writes: The international breakthrough of Tsukamoto and Tetsuo came at a time when Japanese cinema seemed all but forgotten by foreign minds. The monolithic Akira Kurosawa and a few survivors of the generation that had come to prominence in the 1960s – the filmmakers who made up the Japanese New Wave, most notably Nagisa Osima and Shohei Imamura – still gained praise during the ’80s, but it can be argued that the 1983 Palme d’Or for Imamura’s The Ballad of Narayama in Cannes had less impact than the award for Best Film from Tetsuo at the relatively modest FantaFestival in Rome. The reason is that not only was Tetsuo a film by a director from a new generation, it also brought a new generation of foreign fans to Japanese film. Rather than being built on the remnants of the past,...
- 3/26/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Shinya Tsukamoto's Vital and A Snake of June are playing on Mubi in the United States in the double bill The Human Extremes of Shinya Tsukamoto.Top: A Snake of June. Above: Vital. Shinya Tsukamoto has explored the full spectrum of human darkness over his four decades of filmmaking, including the raw nihilism of 1989’s Tetsuo: Iron Man, the desperate grief of 1998’s Bullet Ballet, and the paralyzing pacifism of 2018’s Killing, just to name a few select examples. And yet the director is usually only associated with the violence and surrealism of the earlier films, particularly edgelord employee pick Tetsuo. What’s often overlooked by fans is that these earlier films stem from the same fascinations foregrounded in his later, more restrained works like Killing (2018) and Fires on the Plain (2014): abject corporeality amid environments molding us as much as we exist in them, and ontological explorations of breaking through those constraints.
- 11/19/2020
- MUBI
“You’re not in touch with your feelings.”
Considering the majority of his work deals with the link of the body, our consciousness and the (often urban) environment, making a film about sexuality was perhaps just the logical next step in the career of Shinya Tsukamoto. In fact, the director admits having thought about that idea ever since the production of “Tetsuo: The Iron Man”, especially since both works demonstrate narrative and formal parallels. Much like this film’s premise the story for the project, which would later be called “A Snake of June”, also consisted of a minimalist environment in which a character is stalked and finally confronted by a villainous person.
“A Snake of June” is streaming on Mubi
However, it took him longer than expected to make “ A Snake of June”. In the end, this time benefited the project to a certain degree, Tsukamoto admits, for his relationship towards the opposite sex,...
Considering the majority of his work deals with the link of the body, our consciousness and the (often urban) environment, making a film about sexuality was perhaps just the logical next step in the career of Shinya Tsukamoto. In fact, the director admits having thought about that idea ever since the production of “Tetsuo: The Iron Man”, especially since both works demonstrate narrative and formal parallels. Much like this film’s premise the story for the project, which would later be called “A Snake of June”, also consisted of a minimalist environment in which a character is stalked and finally confronted by a villainous person.
“A Snake of June” is streaming on Mubi
However, it took him longer than expected to make “ A Snake of June”. In the end, this time benefited the project to a certain degree, Tsukamoto admits, for his relationship towards the opposite sex,...
- 11/10/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Ever since his international breakthrough with “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto has been a constant presence on many film festivals. His body of work includes such titles as “Bullet Ballet”, “A Snake of June” and “Fires on a Plain”, most of which discuss the link between body and spirit as well as the changes the body goes through in the face of at times hostile circumstances.
At this year’s Nippon Connection in Frankfurt Tsukamoto was given the Nippon Honor Award for his role as a representative of Japanese film and culture. Asian Movie Pulse met with the director to talk about his new film “Killing”, his inspirations for the project and the possibility of a new “Tetsuo”.
A Collection of Shinya Tsukamoto’s movies are screening on Mubi
First of all thanks for agreeing to this interview. It is an honor to speak with you. Just...
At this year’s Nippon Connection in Frankfurt Tsukamoto was given the Nippon Honor Award for his role as a representative of Japanese film and culture. Asian Movie Pulse met with the director to talk about his new film “Killing”, his inspirations for the project and the possibility of a new “Tetsuo”.
A Collection of Shinya Tsukamoto’s movies are screening on Mubi
First of all thanks for agreeing to this interview. It is an honor to speak with you. Just...
- 11/8/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The black-and-white film never actually died, with a plethora of filmmakers from all around the world occasionally choosing this format, sometimes due to financial reasons, sometimes as an artistic choice. The tendency has become more frequent during the latest years in Asia, through a number of movies that could only perceived as great.
With a focus on diversity on themes, directors and country of origin, here are 20 great films in black-and-white from Asia
1. A Quiet Dream
Zhang Lu directs and pens a distinct art-house film, whose aesthetics are eloquently described in its title, since there is almost no music, and there are a number of scenes that could pass as dreams, particularly the surrealistic ending sequence. Apart from this last aspect, though, the movie emits realism from every frame, since the circumstances of the neighborhood and the three characters that live in the borders of society definitely move towards this direction.
With a focus on diversity on themes, directors and country of origin, here are 20 great films in black-and-white from Asia
1. A Quiet Dream
Zhang Lu directs and pens a distinct art-house film, whose aesthetics are eloquently described in its title, since there is almost no music, and there are a number of scenes that could pass as dreams, particularly the surrealistic ending sequence. Apart from this last aspect, though, the movie emits realism from every frame, since the circumstances of the neighborhood and the three characters that live in the borders of society definitely move towards this direction.
- 10/25/2020
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
In today's edition of Horror Highlights, we have details on the Arrow streaming platform, the trailer for Expulsion, and a Q&a with Jacob Bloomfield-Misrach to discuss his work on 12 Hour Shift:
Arrow Launches New Streaming Platform in North America in Time for Halloween: "London, UK - Arrow Video is excited to announce the bow of their new subscription-based Arrow platform, available in the US and Canada beginning October 1. Building on the success of the Arrow Video Channel and expanding its availability across multiple devices and countries, Arrow boasts a selection of cult classics, hidden gems and iconic horror films, all curated by the Arrow Video team.
Arrow begins streaming with headliners The Deeper You Dig, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Crumbs, The Hatred, Cold Light of Day, Videoman and The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast. Also immediately available are perennial Halloween hits Hellraiser 1 & 2, Elvira, Ringu, tthe complete Gamera series,...
Arrow Launches New Streaming Platform in North America in Time for Halloween: "London, UK - Arrow Video is excited to announce the bow of their new subscription-based Arrow platform, available in the US and Canada beginning October 1. Building on the success of the Arrow Video Channel and expanding its availability across multiple devices and countries, Arrow boasts a selection of cult classics, hidden gems and iconic horror films, all curated by the Arrow Video team.
Arrow begins streaming with headliners The Deeper You Dig, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Crumbs, The Hatred, Cold Light of Day, Videoman and The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast. Also immediately available are perennial Halloween hits Hellraiser 1 & 2, Elvira, Ringu, tthe complete Gamera series,...
- 9/29/2020
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Arrow Video is excited to announce the July slate of titles on their subscription-based Arrow Video Channel, including acclaimed undead comedy Zombie for Sale and Gamera: The Complete Collection, all twelve films starring mankind’s greatest defender: a fire-breathing mutant turtle.
An infectiously funny slice of modern Korean cinema where Train to Busan, The Quiet Family and Warm Bodies collide to create Zombie for Sale, a memorable rom-zom-com from debut director Lee Min-jae. For the first time ever, fans can trace the decades-long evolution of Gamera, from the “friend of all children” in his more light-hearted earlier films, to the Guardian of the Universe in the groundbreaking 1990s reboot series, often hailed as three of the best kaiju films ever made.
Zombie for Sale and Gamera: The Complete Collection will be available July 1st on the Arrow Video Channel in the Us and the UK. Additional new titles available July 1st include Creepshow 2,...
An infectiously funny slice of modern Korean cinema where Train to Busan, The Quiet Family and Warm Bodies collide to create Zombie for Sale, a memorable rom-zom-com from debut director Lee Min-jae. For the first time ever, fans can trace the decades-long evolution of Gamera, from the “friend of all children” in his more light-hearted earlier films, to the Guardian of the Universe in the groundbreaking 1990s reboot series, often hailed as three of the best kaiju films ever made.
Zombie for Sale and Gamera: The Complete Collection will be available July 1st on the Arrow Video Channel in the Us and the UK. Additional new titles available July 1st include Creepshow 2,...
- 6/26/2020
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
We're back with another edition of Horror Highlights! In today's installment, watch the short film The Mother of Beauty, check out the new red band trailer for Becky, and find out what's coming to the Arrow Video Channel:
The Mother Of Beauty Short Film: "In ‘The Mother of Beauty’ a single mother-to-be lives in isolation on the edge of the wilderness. She makes a living through her work with vulture culture: using the remains of dead animals to create art and memorialize the lives that once were. As she attempts to overcome the struggles of parenthood, the forces of life and death pull her in opposing directions, and she must find a way to reconcile the two before they tear her apart."
Director: Nick Meunier
Producer: J.W. Cole
Co-producer & Writer: Lonnie Nadler
Starring: Tristan Risk
Director Of Photography: Steven Hayes
Production Design: Rob Warren
Editor: Adam MacKay
---------
Becky Red Band Trailer: "Spunky and rebellious,...
The Mother Of Beauty Short Film: "In ‘The Mother of Beauty’ a single mother-to-be lives in isolation on the edge of the wilderness. She makes a living through her work with vulture culture: using the remains of dead animals to create art and memorialize the lives that once were. As she attempts to overcome the struggles of parenthood, the forces of life and death pull her in opposing directions, and she must find a way to reconcile the two before they tear her apart."
Director: Nick Meunier
Producer: J.W. Cole
Co-producer & Writer: Lonnie Nadler
Starring: Tristan Risk
Director Of Photography: Steven Hayes
Production Design: Rob Warren
Editor: Adam MacKay
---------
Becky Red Band Trailer: "Spunky and rebellious,...
- 6/3/2020
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
After he had explored death and the afterlife in his 2004 feature “Vital”, Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto would continue this thematic journey two years later with “Nightmare Detective” as well as its sequel in 2008. In an interview with Screen Anarchy, explains how he thought the concept of the “human body and the city, which had started with the first “Tetsuo”-film, was finished, but then he found himself with more ideas on the issue. The two films, which he had originally planned as a trilogy, may be regarded as Tsukamoto’s closest approach to mainstream cinema, especially since they contain elements reminiscent of J-horror, but in the end they feel more like additions or, as the director says, afterthoughts to the themes he had explained before.
In the first feature, a series of gruesome incidents has plagued the streets of Tokyo with the victims found viciously stabbed, seemingly self-inflicted,...
In the first feature, a series of gruesome incidents has plagued the streets of Tokyo with the victims found viciously stabbed, seemingly self-inflicted,...
- 4/15/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
By Omar Rasya Joenoes
“Are you married?”
“I hate men.”
“Then, you have no hope.”
“My hope is to die.”
The conversation in the search description takes place on a ride home, under the pouring rain. It is initiated by a man, who happens to be Japan’s no. 3 hitman, and answered by a woman, who is a suicidal femme fatale. Witnessing their first exchange is a dead bird, hung between them. And in this weirdest of all film-noir films, the scene belongs to a long line of surreal, mind-boggling, out-of-this-world scene after scene after scene after scene.
“Japanese films are weird” is surely a stereotype most of you, if not all of you, have heard at least once before. It is not entirely true and not entirely mistaken. With cult titles like Funky Forest (2005), Hausu (1977), Big Man Japan (2007), Versus (2000), Tokyo Gore Police (2008), RoboGeisha (2009), Tetsuo the Iron Man...
“Are you married?”
“I hate men.”
“Then, you have no hope.”
“My hope is to die.”
The conversation in the search description takes place on a ride home, under the pouring rain. It is initiated by a man, who happens to be Japan’s no. 3 hitman, and answered by a woman, who is a suicidal femme fatale. Witnessing their first exchange is a dead bird, hung between them. And in this weirdest of all film-noir films, the scene belongs to a long line of surreal, mind-boggling, out-of-this-world scene after scene after scene after scene.
“Japanese films are weird” is surely a stereotype most of you, if not all of you, have heard at least once before. It is not entirely true and not entirely mistaken. With cult titles like Funky Forest (2005), Hausu (1977), Big Man Japan (2007), Versus (2000), Tokyo Gore Police (2008), RoboGeisha (2009), Tetsuo the Iron Man...
- 3/23/2020
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
The last two years of the 20th century and the beginning of 21st century enshrined a surprise that would prove to be essential to the growing popularity of the horror genre- the arrival of modern Japanese horror. What separated this particular cinematic movement from other horror genres was its influence from folklore stories and urban legends, combined with the necessary adjustments in order to place these old tales in modern culture. Although there are previous examples of horror films with similar classic ghost story influences, both American and Asian (”The Ghost of Yotsuya”- 1959), it wasn’t a specific genre until the late 90s, early 2000s, when a bunch of Japanese filmmakers, like Hideo Nakata, Takashi Miike and Kiyoshi Kurosawa, decided to add together an interesting technological spin in recurring horror themes, an innovative use of sound effects and design, more character-driven plot lines and a blend of scary Japanese...
- 2/12/2020
- by Lyberis Dionysopoulos
- AsianMoviePulse
Above: Tetsuo: the Iron ManKei Fujiwara’s name is hardly recognizable to most fans of Japanese cinema despite her crucial role in director Shinya Tsukamoto’s early cult classics. As Tsukamoto’s “right hand” woman in the 1980s, Fujiwara became closely involved in his underground theater troupe, Kaijyu Theater, and contributed to the productions of the experimental and Diy films The Phantom of Regular Size (1986), The Adventures of Denchu Kozo (1987), and Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989). Her credits include actress, cinematographer, prop artist, makeup artist, and set-designer (her apartment was used as a primary set). She also engineered Tetsuo’s iconic phallic drill.Born in Kumamoto in 1957, Fujiwara moved to Tokyo in her early twenties and discovered theater troupe director Jūrō Kara, who became her mentor. After a decade, she created her own troupe called Organ Vital, which underwent a series of evolutions but remains her life work. Her new project this year is Ibunkitan,...
- 12/4/2019
- MUBI
Clémence Polès at Happy Bones on The Music Of Regret and My Art director Laurie Simmons and Women Without Men and Looking For Oum Kulthum director Shirin Neshat at Fffest: “They both are artists that are filmmakers as well and I thought a conversation could be interesting.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The 2nd annual Fffest screened Bette Gordon’s Variety and I-94; Kirsten Johnson’s Cameraperson with Sofia Bohdanowicz’s Veslemøy’s Song; Nadia Farés’s Honey And Ashes; Kei Fujiwara’s Organ with Shinya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man; Shirin Neshat’s Women Without Men with Forough Farrokhzad’s The House Is Black; Laurie Simmons’ The Music Of Regret, and a Women From Ghetto Film School free short film programme.
Laurie Simmons with Shirin Neshat on the Fffest red carpet Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
A panel with Erin Lee Carr (I Love You Now Die), Desiree Akhavan (The Miseducation Of Cameron Post), Dianna Agron,...
The 2nd annual Fffest screened Bette Gordon’s Variety and I-94; Kirsten Johnson’s Cameraperson with Sofia Bohdanowicz’s Veslemøy’s Song; Nadia Farés’s Honey And Ashes; Kei Fujiwara’s Organ with Shinya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man; Shirin Neshat’s Women Without Men with Forough Farrokhzad’s The House Is Black; Laurie Simmons’ The Music Of Regret, and a Women From Ghetto Film School free short film programme.
Laurie Simmons with Shirin Neshat on the Fffest red carpet Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
A panel with Erin Lee Carr (I Love You Now Die), Desiree Akhavan (The Miseducation Of Cameron Post), Dianna Agron,...
- 11/3/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
From his beginnings as a 14-year-old with a Super 8 camera, to his latest film, Killing; a twist on the classic samurai movie, Tsukamoto Shinya has always blazed his own cinematic path. Receiving Japan Cuts 2019 Cut Above award for his influence on Japanese cinema, and for his dedication to originality, Director Tsukamoto chatted exclusively with Lmd about his iconic cyberpunk opus, Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and how to keep motivated as a filmmaker. The Lady Miz Diva: What was the inspiration behind Killing? I believe this is your first time making a historical piece? Tsukamoto Shinya: As a director, I knew that one day I would love to make a jidaigeki, or period film. The first time I was really...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 8/1/2019
- Screen Anarchy
Based on the novel Nobi by Natto Wada, the original, 1959 film, instigated much controversy in the west, for its grotesqueness and the fact that it portrayed Japanese soldiers as victims. In Japan, however, it was immediately hailed for its anti-war message and artfulness, winning a number of awards in local festivals, before Locarno also netted it the Golden Sail for Best Film in 1961. However, through the years, the film was recognized globally, and is currently considered a masterpiece. Shinya Tsukamoto presents a low-budget (the film was produced through his own company Kaijyu theater), gorier take on the story of a Japanese soldier trying to survive during the last days of the war, as the Imperial Army retreats in disorderly fashion.
Third Window Films will release the film in a dual format (dvd/bluray) on June 12th.
The soldier’s name is Tamura, a low-level soldier who suffers from TB, and...
Third Window Films will release the film in a dual format (dvd/bluray) on June 12th.
The soldier’s name is Tamura, a low-level soldier who suffers from TB, and...
- 4/15/2017
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
To celebrate the release of Takashi Miike’s Black Society Trilogy - out on DVD & Blu-Ray from 16th January – we are giving away a Blu-ray copy courtesy of Arrow Video!
After several years spent working almost exclusively in the direct-to-video world of “V-cinema” in Japan, Takashi Miike announced himself as a world-class filmmaking talent with this trio of thematically-connected, character-centric crime stories about violence, the underworld of Japanese society, families both real and surrogate, and the possibly hopeless task of finding one’s place in the world. His first films made specifically for theatrical release, and his first for a major studio, the Black Society Trilogy was the beginning of Miike’s mature career as a filmmaker and they remain among the prolific director’s finest works.
Set in the bustling Kabuki-cho nightlife neighborhood of Tokyo, Shinjuku Triad Society follows a mixed-race cop (Kippei Shiina, Outrage) struggling with private issues...
After several years spent working almost exclusively in the direct-to-video world of “V-cinema” in Japan, Takashi Miike announced himself as a world-class filmmaking talent with this trio of thematically-connected, character-centric crime stories about violence, the underworld of Japanese society, families both real and surrogate, and the possibly hopeless task of finding one’s place in the world. His first films made specifically for theatrical release, and his first for a major studio, the Black Society Trilogy was the beginning of Miike’s mature career as a filmmaker and they remain among the prolific director’s finest works.
Set in the bustling Kabuki-cho nightlife neighborhood of Tokyo, Shinjuku Triad Society follows a mixed-race cop (Kippei Shiina, Outrage) struggling with private issues...
- 1/13/2017
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
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Want a quality action film, but you only have an hour and a half? Step this way...
Looking back over the genre, action films definitely haven’t suffered from the trend to make everything longer. They’ve always been pretty long, regularly clocking in at over two hours. Perhaps because of all the slo-mo? But while the sweet spot for action classics seems to be the 100-110 minute mark, there are those that have cut the genre right down to basics, and succeeded all the more for it.
Below is my pick of 25 great action films 90 minutes or under. Even more so than other genres, action crosses many other films - picking a pure ‘action’ flick is all but impossible. So below I’ve chosen films that retain action sequences as their main narrative device, and keep the action at the heart of the movie, rather than as a extra.
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Want a quality action film, but you only have an hour and a half? Step this way...
Looking back over the genre, action films definitely haven’t suffered from the trend to make everything longer. They’ve always been pretty long, regularly clocking in at over two hours. Perhaps because of all the slo-mo? But while the sweet spot for action classics seems to be the 100-110 minute mark, there are those that have cut the genre right down to basics, and succeeded all the more for it.
Below is my pick of 25 great action films 90 minutes or under. Even more so than other genres, action crosses many other films - picking a pure ‘action’ flick is all but impossible. So below I’ve chosen films that retain action sequences as their main narrative device, and keep the action at the heart of the movie, rather than as a extra.
- 3/10/2016
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
What is it about foreign horror films that makes them more interesting than so many English language horror films? You would have to think that the language barrier makes it more terrifying; people screaming is already difficult, but speaking a language you don’t understand can only make it worse. So, why are the remakes typically so bad? On this portion of the list, we are treated to a few of the more upsetting films in the canon – one movie I wouldn’t wish for anyone to see, a few that blazed the trail for many more, and one that I would elevate above the horror genre into its own little super-genre.
30. Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003)
English Title: A Tale of Two Sisters
Directed by: Kim Ji-woon
Another excellent Korean horror film America had to remake to lesser results. 2003’s A Tale of Two Sisters is just one of many film adaptations of the folktale,...
30. Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003)
English Title: A Tale of Two Sisters
Directed by: Kim Ji-woon
Another excellent Korean horror film America had to remake to lesser results. 2003’s A Tale of Two Sisters is just one of many film adaptations of the folktale,...
- 10/24/2015
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
It starts with a cry of pain. Then a look of terror or ecstasy. And then the body starts to change. Hair grows from the knuckles. Maybe the eyes turn black. Sometimes fangs sprout. Before you know it, the person in front of you isn’t a person anymore. The Transformation can be the most horrific moment in a horror film because it’s where the internal becomes the external. No more false faces. No more hiding. And depending how fearsome the new being is, no more running as well.
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An American Werewolf in London (1981)– London wolf calling
It starts out so innocently. Knowing that a full moon is approaching, David Kessler (David Naughton) locks himself in the home of nurse Alex Price (Jenny Agutter) in order to be able to transform into a werewolf peacefully, not killing any innocent people and proving that he doesn’t have to commit...
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An American Werewolf in London (1981)– London wolf calling
It starts out so innocently. Knowing that a full moon is approaching, David Kessler (David Naughton) locks himself in the home of nurse Alex Price (Jenny Agutter) in order to be able to transform into a werewolf peacefully, not killing any innocent people and proving that he doesn’t have to commit...
- 10/1/2015
- by Staff
- SoundOnSight
Coming up in November, the Ithaca International Fantastic Film Festival 2015 edition is set to rock the upstate NY college town with some inspirational freakiness. The festival has teamed up with new horror streaming provider Shudder to present the retrospective series Organic Horror: Obsession with Body Alterations. Not for the squeamish, the series will include horror classics, such as Georges Franju's Eyes Without A Face, Andrej Zulawski's Possession, Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo, Takeshi Miike's Audition, and David Cronenberg's Shivers, restored for its 40th anniversary.The first title wave also includes films about to play Fantastic Fest, and some that have screened at Tiff and the Stanley Film Festival. Attendees can see Mads Mikkelsen act smarmy and gross in Anders Thomas Jensen's twisted Men & Chicken, Antoine Bardou-Jacquet's fake moon landing comedy...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 9/23/2015
- Screen Anarchy
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