Based on two stories by Syugoro Yamamoto, “The Smell of an Unknown Flower” and ”Before the Dew Dries”, the script of “The Sea is Watching” was written by Akira Kurosawa, who did not manage to see it becoming a film, though, as he died in 1998. Kei Kumai eventually directed it, in a rare approach to stories about the pre-Meiji era, as it focuses not on geishas, but prostitutes.
on Imprint Asia by clicking on the image below
The setting is a village that would later become part of Tokyo, circa 1868, in the red-lights district, which is separated from the rest of the area by a river. O-shin is a somewhat naive prostitute who always falls for the people in need, something that the other girls make fun of her, including Kikuno, who has taken upon herself the role of protecting the young girl from herself. However, as the story begins,...
on Imprint Asia by clicking on the image below
The setting is a village that would later become part of Tokyo, circa 1868, in the red-lights district, which is separated from the rest of the area by a river. O-shin is a somewhat naive prostitute who always falls for the people in need, something that the other girls make fun of her, including Kikuno, who has taken upon herself the role of protecting the young girl from herself. However, as the story begins,...
- 5/7/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Films that resemble stageplays are not exactly an oddity in Japanese cinema, but still remain in the realm of the “underground” for the most part, frequently waiting for a foreign distributor/programmer to take them on, with Third Window having done a good job in the particular aspect in the past. Kyoji Kamui also presents a film in the category, with “7Ways” being a kind of one-man show, as he is also the script writer, the editor and the cinematographer, but also a rather weird one in almost all of its aspects. The movie opened in Ikebukuro Cinema Rosa this June, while it also screened in Osaka later on, in packed screenings.
“7Ways” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Writer Nao arrives on an isolated island, where she is greeted by the owner of the sole hotel in the area, known as Master. The Master introduces her to stage actor Ginji,...
“7Ways” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Writer Nao arrives on an isolated island, where she is greeted by the owner of the sole hotel in the area, known as Master. The Master introduces her to stage actor Ginji,...
- 8/8/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Last year, Ryuichi Mino was in Tallinn with his ‘family project’, a heavy-weight drama “Make the Devil Laugh” about a young man forced to kill his father to protect his mother and sister from constant physical abuse. The script was written by his brother Kazuhiko, and produced by the other brother Hiroyuki. This year, he is back as the only Mino in the Official Selection Competition of PÖFF with a radically different film, light in tone and set up in the 18th century Japan. “Ginji The Speculator” is not a typical period drama polished to look its time. It is an original, entertaining take on a subject unknown to the larger audience outside Japan: the first serious (rice) market with auctions. Since the rice market was used for assessing the everyday economic situation, and could either- ruin or make someone rich over night, this was an ideal place for someone like Ginji; young,...
- 12/2/2022
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Those who watched Mino’s previous film, the jet black drama “Make The Devil Laugh” that threw its lead into the dark pitches of earthly hell, will be a bit taken aback by his new contender at PÖFF which strikes completely different tones. Instead of pathos, we get the lightness of a story made to entertain and not to tick off any of the ‘important film’ boxes. “Ginji The Speculator”, Mino’s first excursion into the Japanese period dram(a)edy, doesn’t take itself seriously. It’s airy, silly, experimental in costume- and set design, and it flirts with modern fashion and music.
The story is set in 1730, in Shiga Prefecture, where the rice exchange depends on the wind that blows from Osaka, a city that holds a monopolistic grasp on the trade, and determines prices in the entire province, effecting global prices in the country.
The story is set in 1730, in Shiga Prefecture, where the rice exchange depends on the wind that blows from Osaka, a city that holds a monopolistic grasp on the trade, and determines prices in the entire province, effecting global prices in the country.
- 12/1/2022
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
The line-up features 19 world premieres, including J.-P. Valkeapää’s ‘Hit Big’ and three Ukranian productions.
Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has unveiled the full line-up for its official selection, featuring 19 world premieres, with the festival set to run from November 11-27.
World premieres include Finnish director J.-P. Valkeapää’s Hit Big, a Finland-Estonia-Spain co-production. Valkeapää’s credits include Dogs Wear Pants and They Have Escaped. The new film is about a Finnish former beauty pageant star, who left Finland for Spain’s Costa del Sol, finds her family’s murky criminal past starts to unravel. Charades is handling sales.
Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has unveiled the full line-up for its official selection, featuring 19 world premieres, with the festival set to run from November 11-27.
World premieres include Finnish director J.-P. Valkeapää’s Hit Big, a Finland-Estonia-Spain co-production. Valkeapää’s credits include Dogs Wear Pants and They Have Escaped. The new film is about a Finnish former beauty pageant star, who left Finland for Spain’s Costa del Sol, finds her family’s murky criminal past starts to unravel. Charades is handling sales.
- 10/20/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Based on the ongoing, homonymous manga by Rei Hiroe that has sold over 8.5 million copies as of January 2022, “Black Lagoon” is one of the greatest action titles ever to come out of the anime industry, particularly due to its unique characters.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
When Okajima Rokuro, a salaryman, visits Southeast Asia carrying a top secret disk, he is kidnapped by pirates riding in a torpedo boat. Although he thought he would be rescued soon, the company actually abandons him, and sends mercenaries to retrieve the secret disk. He narrowly escapes with his life, but has nowhere to go. He gives up his name and past, and resolves to live as a member of the Black Lagoon, a team of pirate mercenaries who smuggle goods in and around the seas of Southeast Asia in the early to mid 1990s. The Lagoon Company consists of three members: Dutch,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
When Okajima Rokuro, a salaryman, visits Southeast Asia carrying a top secret disk, he is kidnapped by pirates riding in a torpedo boat. Although he thought he would be rescued soon, the company actually abandons him, and sends mercenaries to retrieve the secret disk. He narrowly escapes with his life, but has nowhere to go. He gives up his name and past, and resolves to live as a member of the Black Lagoon, a team of pirate mercenaries who smuggle goods in and around the seas of Southeast Asia in the early to mid 1990s. The Lagoon Company consists of three members: Dutch,...
- 8/27/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
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