SciFi Japan

    Photo courtesy of Shochiku. ©2020

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Site: shochiku.co.jp/ichidoshindemita (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Shochiku has provided information and large, high-res photos from their upcoming drama KIBA: THE FANGS OF FICTION (?????, Damashie no Kiba). The movie is adapted from the 2016 best-selling novel by Takeshi Shiota. The main character in the story was based on actor Yo Oizumi (I AM A HERO, TOKYO GHOUL), who ended up playing the role in the film. The story is about Teruya Hayami (Yo Oizumi), the chief editor for a magazine that is on the brink of cancellation. Wuth the support of his assistant Megumi Takano (Mayu Matsuoka), he goes to extreme lengths to save the magazine. KIBA: THE FANGS OF FICTION was scheduled for nationwide release in Japan on June 19th, but is now listed as “coming soon” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CREDITS Japanese Theatrical

    Asian Cinema

    Movies are the ultimate form of escapism. They transport viewers to mystical realms, allow them to feel the exhilaration experienced by a superhero and permit them a glimpse into the complex and captivating lives of others. Movies though, rely on drama, ultimately there has to be something to hook the viewers’ attention. A naturally dramatic activity such as gambling is therefore a great topic to help ambitious directors weave a beguiling storyline. Poker films are without doubt the most common in the gambling genre, but is the game ever really portrayed accurately? Or is it overly dramatized to get viewers pulses racing? Read on to find out. How Is Poker Portrayed In Japanese Film? Unlike in other modern countries around the world, gambling is almost completely illegal in Japan, including poker in both its online and offline forms. That isn’t to say that poker is not played

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment. ©SAMURAI MARATHON 1855 Film Partners

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Well Go USA, ddPR Special Thanks to Leif Helland From award-winning director Bernard Rose comes SAMURAI MARATHON (????????, 2019), the action-adventure flick with a samurai twist debuting on Digital May 12 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Rose -- whose wildly diverse career has spanned horror classics (CANDYMAN), historical romances (ANNA KARENINA) and indie dramas (IVANS xtc) -- co-wrote the screenplay with Japan’s Hiroshi Saito and Kikumi Yamagishi based on the novel The Marathon Samurai: Five Tales of Japan’s First Marathon. Inspired by a race still held yearly, the film follows an aging lord who challenges his samurai to a grueling marathon -- joined covertly by his daughter -- and the group must overcome deadly odds to survive. SAMURAI MARATHON stars Takeru Satoh (RUROUNI KENSHIN: FINAL CHAPTER), Nana Komatsu (THE WORLD OF KANAKO, SILENCE), Mirai Moriyama (RAGE, VISION), Shota Sometani (FIRST LOVE) and

    U.S. screenings of CHILDREN OF THE SEA are among the Fathom Events postponed by the Coronavirus outbreak. Image courtesy of Fathom Events. ©?2019 Daisuke Igarashi, Shogakukan/”Children of the Sea” Committee

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Fathom Events press release Special Thanks to Jessica Nelson and Katherine Schwappach As movie theaters close across the nation due to COVID-19, Fathom Events is in the process of cancelling or postponing many of their planned events. During this unprecedented time, Fathom Events is actively maintaining contact with partners and monitoring health organizations’ guidance to determine when future events may take place. They will ensure the events are safe and follow the recommendations set by all experts, including exhibitor and content partners, the National Association of Theatre Owners, the CDC, the World Health Organization, and other relevant organizations. Moviegoing is a unifying community experience that is at the heart of our popular culture and they look forward to bringing audiences together again when it is safe to do so. Below is Fathom Events` current list of upcoming cancelled and postponed events. Up-to-date event status can

    A masked criminal stalks a doctor (Kentaro Sakaguchi) and a patient (Mei Nagano) in MASKED WARD. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. ©2020

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Warner Bros. Pictures Japan Official Site: amen-byoto.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Warner Bros. Pictures Japan has provided information and photos from the thriller MASKED WARD (????, Kamen Byoto). The feature film adaptation of the graphically realistic -- and best selling -- medical mystery novel by real-life doctor Mikito Chinen, the movie depicts the heart-stopping battles of a doctor confronting a vicious criminal in a barred-off former psychiatric hospital. MASKED WARD opens in Japanese cinemas this weekend. STORY On-call substitute doctor Hayami (Kentaro Sakaguchi) suddenly finds himself faced with a terrifying criminal in a clown mask. The assailant demands that Hayami treat injured high school student Hitomi (Mei Nagano). The perpetrator sets siege to the building and Hayami finds himself confined with 64 unknown patients. CREDITS Japanese Theatrical Release: Friday, March 6, 2020 (Nationwide Roadshow) Cast Shugo Hayami: Kentaro Sakaguchi Hitomi

    Photo courtesy of Kadokawa Pictures. ©2020

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Kadokawa Pictures Official Site: fukushima50.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Kadokawa Pictures has provided information and photos for their new movie, FUKUSHIMA 50 ??????????, Fukushima Fifuti). Based on the non-fiction novel by Ryusho Kadota, the drama follows 50 workers at the Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Plant as they face a critical situation due to the Great East Japan Earthquake. FUKUSHIMA 50 is directed by Setsuro Wakamatsu (WHITEOUT, THE UNBROKEN). Koichi Sato (UNFORGIVEN, TIME TRIP APP, HIT ME ANYONE ONE MORE TIME) and Ken Watanabe (INCEPTION, RAGE, GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS) head an all-star cast. STORY At 2:46 pm on March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred. It caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. What happened at the plant? What is the truth? This is the story of the workers who continued fighting at the forefront as the

    Lynn Chen, Ayako Fujitani, Yea-Ming Chen, Goh Nakamura and Ayami Riley in I WILL MAKE YOU MINE. Photo courtesy of Accolade PR. © gray hat

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Accolade Publicity and Consulting Special Thanks to Emily Lu Aldrich I WILL MAKE YOU MINE, the new film from writer/director/actor Lynn Chen (SAVING FACE, SHAMELESS), will have its world premiere at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival. Gravitas Ventures will release the film on demand starting May 26. The film is part of the SURROGATE VALENTINE trilogy. I WILL MAKE YOU MINE stars singer/actor Goh Nakamura (AMERICAN GANGSTER, SURROGATE VALENTINE), Lynn Chen, Yea-Ming Chen (DAYLIGHT SAVINGS), Ayako Fujitani (GAMERA Trilogy, MAN FROM RENO), Tamlyn Tomita (THE KARATE KID PART II, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE) and introducing Ayami Riley. Story Rachel (Lynn Chen) lives in idle luxury with a cheating husband, Professor Erika (Ayako Fujitani) juggles career demands while raising her daughter Sachiko (newcomer Ayami Riley Tomine), and struggling musician Yea-Ming (Yea-Ming Chen) is still chasing a fast-fading dream. Three women who could not be more

    Who would have guessed the poker would be prevalent on the Starship Enterprise?

    Asian Cinema

    The sci-fi movie genre is probably one of the last where you would expect to find gambling themes. You’d be forgiven for thinking that sci-fi characters would be more interested in saving the planet or escaping the clutches of alien forces to worry about the river card in a game of Texas Holdem poker. However, gambling has taken a key role in the storylines of some of the biggest ever sci-fi franchises. This article shines a spotlight on the sci-fi genre’s most popular sojourns with gambling, played by the sic-fi characters that millions of us have grown to know and love worldwide. Sabacc and Star Wars You’ll be surprised to read that the Star Wars franchise was obsessed with gambling across the galaxy. A little-known card game called Sabacc was regularly played among characters to settle debts and arguments. Sabacc was played at highstakes in a similar

    Photo courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd. ©2019 LEAVING THE SCENE Film Partners

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Toei Co., Ltd. Official Site: hikinige-movie.com (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE An accident, a crime, and an endless aftermath... Toei Co. has provided information and photos from their new thriller LEAVING THE SCENE (???? -???????-, Hikinige -Saik? no Saiakuna Hi-), the second film from respected actor Yutaka Mizutani (PARTNERS: THE MOVIE series) who made his directorial debut with TAP: THE LAST SHOW (?????????????, Tappu za Rasuto Sh?) in 2017. The original drama written by Mizutani himself examines the emotions brought out by a hit-and-run crime. STORY A car accident in a small city. A woman loses her life, and it becomes a case of hit and run. Driving was Shuichi Munakata. Beside him in the passenger seat was his best friend, Teru Morita. The two were hurrying to a meeting over Munakata’s upcoming wedding to Sanae Shirakawa, whose father is Vice-President

    Photo courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd. ©2019 LITTLE LOVE SONG Film Partners

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Toei Co., Ltd. Official Site: chiikoi.com (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Toei Co. has provided information and photos from the teen film LITTLE LOVE SONG (???????, Ch?sana Koi no Uta), inspired by the song of the same name from the band MONGOL800. At the helm is Kojiro Hashimoto, a student of Somai Shinji and Takita Yojiro, who made his feature-length debut with ORANGE. STORY In a small town on Okinawa where the two countries of Japan and America exist fenced off from one another, a band at a high school is becoming popular. They are scouted by a record company for their original songs and unmistakable talents, but just when their professional debut is arranged, the band is involved in a traffic accident. Now their future is uncertain. CREDITS Japanese Release Date: May 24, 2019 (Roadshow) Running Time: 123 Minutes Cast

    Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. ©Yuki Ando/SHUEISHA ©2019 “Almost a Miracle” Film Partners

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Warner Bros. Pictures Japan, Nippon TV Official Site: machidakun-movie.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Warner Bros. Pictures Japan and Nippon TV have provided information and photos from ALMOST A MIRACLE (???????, Machida-kun no Sekai), based on the manga by Yuki Ando. STORY A new type of main character, who is both extremely ordinary and universally lovable. Machida is unlike any protagonist you`ve seen before. He`s dull, he wears glasses, and he has no distinguishing features. His only talent is his ability to love everyone, unconditionally. However, as he gets to know his classmate Inohara, who says she hates people, he is forced to confront an emotion growing within himself that he has never felt before... Suddenly, a series of unexpected events is set in motion, with unpredictable consequences. Before long, Machida drags more and more people into his orbit, which ultimately

    Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. ©2019 “Diner” Film Partners

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Warner Bros. Pictures Japan, Nippon TV Official Site: diner-movie.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Welcome to a restaurant exclusively for assassins: the Diner. Its owner is a highly proficient killer, and so are its customers... Warner Bros. Pictures Japan and Nippon TV have provided information and photos from DINER (????, Dain?su), an adaptation of the novel by Yumeaki Hirayama. STORY Kanako Oba is all alone, and thinks her life can`t get any worse...until she applies for a dubious part-time job on a whim, and is instantly torn from her mundane existence. She ends up being sold to a restaurant with fortress-like walls, thick iron doors, and an intensely colorful interior. Trapped within, she has no choice but to work as a waitress for the owner Bombero, a genius chef who also happens to be a retired assassin. "This establishment caters exclusively to killers. Even

    Photo courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd. ©Miki Aihara, Shogakukan/2019 Hot Gimmick Production Committee

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Toei Co., Ltd. Official Site: hotgimmick-movie.com (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Toei Co. has provided information and photos from HOT GIMMICK (??????? ?????????, Hotto Gimikku G?ru M?tsu B?i). The live action adaptation of Miki Aihara`s popular manga Hot Gimmick is written and directed by Yuki Yamato, a filmmaker who has an established reputation for depicting the emotions of adolescent girls in the films THAT GIRL IS DANCING BY THE SEASIDE (???????????, Ano ko ga Umibe de Odotteru, 2012) and DROWNING LOVE (??????, Oboreru Naifu, 2016). STORY High school girl Hatsumi Narita (Miona Hori) lives a quiet life with her kind older brother Shinogu (Shotaro Mamiya) and the rest of her family. One day however, Ryoki Tachibana (Hiroya Shimizu), who lives in the same apartment complex, learns she has bought a pregnancy test kit for her younger sister and so in order

    Photo courtesy of Kadokawa Pictures. © 2019 YOKOGAO FILM PARTNERS & COMME DES CINEMAS

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Kadokawa Pictures Official Site: yokogao-movie.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Kadokawa Pictures has provided information and pics for A GIRL MISSING (????, Yokogao), their co-production with the French studio Comme Des Cinemas. The film is a challenging work that tackles the theme of an "innocent assailant". The original script is by director Fukada Koji, who won the Prix du Jury in the Un Certain Regard program with his 2016 movie HARMONIUM (????, Fuchi ni Tatsu) at the 69th Cannes International Film Festival. STORY Risa (Mariko Tsutsui) specifically requests Kazumichi Yoneda (Sosuke Ikematsu) as her hair stylist. Until six months ago she was working as a home-care nurse with the name of Ichiko, but an incident causes her life to fall apart. To get revenge she tries to get close to Kazumichi using the alias of Risa. CREDITS Japanese Theatrical Release Date:

    Photo courtesy of Toho. ©2019 Fuji TV ©Toho

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Toho Co., Ltd., Pony Canyon Official Site: kiokunashi-movie.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE “I have no recollection…” Koki Mitani`s long-awaited new film is a hilarious “political comedy”!!! Toho Co., Ltd. and Pony Canyon have provided SciFi Japan with press notes and high-res photos from HIT ME ANYONE ONE MORE TIME (??????????, Kioku ni Gozaimasen!), an all-new film by the popular screenwriter, producer and film director Koki Mitani (A GHOST OF A CHANCE, THE KIYOSU CONFERENCE), master of laughter and emotion. His 8th full length feature film is set in the world of politics, Prime Minister Keisuke Kuroda is widely despised by his people and his approval ratings are the lowest in the history of Japan. One day while delivering a speech, a rock is hurled at him and knocks him unconscious. When he comes to the next day, his memory

    Photo courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd. ©2019 THE WITNESS Film Partners ©MoonWatcher and N.E.W.

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Toei Co., Ltd. Official Site: mienaimokugekisha.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Toei Co. has provided information and photos from the new thriller THE WITNESS (???????, Mienai Mokugeki-sha). The movie is a remake of the 2011 Korean film BLIND (????, Beulraindeu), the story reworked to take into account the nature of Japanese society. Junichi Mori of the LITTLE FOREST (?????????, Ritoru Foresuto, 2014-15) film series directs. STORY Once an outstanding policewoman, Natsume Hamanaka (Riho Yoshioka) is in the pit of despair after losing her sight and her younger brother to a blunder of her own doing. One night she has a near collision with a car from which she could hear the voice a small girl. She reports this to the police who turn a deaf ear so she begins her own investigation and tracks down another witness at the scene, Haruma (Mahiro Takasugi).

    Photo courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd. ©2019 “Closed Ward” Production Committee

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Toei Co., Ltd. Official Site: heisabyoto.com (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Toei Co. has provided information and photos from CLOSED WARD (????????????, Heisa By?t? ?Sorezore no Asa?), aka FAMILY OF STRANGERS. The film is adapted from the prize-winning novel of the same name by psychiatrist Hosei Hahakigi, which has sold more than 850,000 copies in Japan. CLOSED WARD is directed by Hideyuki Hirayama (BEGGING FOR LOVE, EVEREST: THE SUMMIT OF THE GODS). STORY This film takes places in a psychiatric hospital in Komoro, Nagano Prefecture, where all the patients are dealing with their pasts. Hidemaru Kajiki (played by comedian Tsurube Shofukutei) was sentenced to death for killing his mother and wife, but a mistake was made during the execution, and he survived. Chu (Go Ayano) was once an ordinary office worker, but started hearing voices and acting violently, and is now

    Photo courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd. ©2019 TALKING THE PICTURES Production Committee

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Toei Co., Ltd. Official Site: katsuben.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Toei Co. has provided information and photos from TALKING THE PICTURES (?????, Katsuben!). The film is set roughly 100 years ago, when motion pictures were still silent and in monochrome. Silent film narrators, or "katsuben" (Katsudo Benshi) were a huge thing; they created a unique world with their narrative to draw the audience into the film and captivate them. Here, everything begins when a young boy who dreams of becoming a silent film narrator, ends up at a theater of a small town. TALKING THE PICTURES is directed by Masayuki Suo, who has received many awards with SUMO DO, SUMO DON`T (????????? Shiko Funjatta, 1992) including Best Film at the Japan Academy Prize. SHALL WE DANCE (Shall We ????, Shall We Dansu?, 1996) was awarded in 13 categories at the

    Photo courtesy of Kadokawa Pictures. © 2019 Chihuahua-chan Production Committee

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Kadokawa Pictures Official Site: chiwawa-movie.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Kadokawa Pictures has provided information and pics for CHIWAWA (??????, Chiwawa-chan), the live-action adaptation of the short work published in 1994 by manga artist Kyoko Okazaki. The film is directed by Ken Ninomiya, who made his feature film debut with THE LIMIT OF SLEEPING BEAUTY (????????????????????? , Rimitto Obu Suripingu Byuti, 2017). STORY When a dead girl found in Tokyo Bay is identified as Yoshiko Chiwaki—a 20-year-old nursing student—Miki is unaware that it`s her friend Chiwawa. After all their time together, Miki didn`t even know Chiwawa`s real name. Miki first met Chiwawa when she was having fun with a group of friends at their favorite bar where Yoshida brought along Chiwawa as his new girl. Miki had once dated Yoshida so she wasn`t all that happy about Chiwawa turning up. Later on in the

    Photo courtesy of Shochiku. ©2019 “Samurai Shifters” Film Partners

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Site: hikkoshi-movie.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Shochiku has provided information and large, high-res photos from SAMURAI SHIFTERS (???????, Hikkoshi Daimy?!), the new film from the creator and producers of the SAMURAI HUSTLE series. THE FLOATING CASTLE director Isshin Inudo adapts the novel Hikkoshi Daimyo by Akihiro Dobashi, which is based on an anecdote about the true-life feudal lord, Naonori Matsudairai. STORY In the Edo period, it cost an absolute fortune for a lord to transfer from one fief to another, and if the shogunate reduced their stipend as well, numerous samurai had to be released from service and rendered masterless, making it a cruel fate for all involved. One day, Naonori Matsudaira, the lord of Himeji fiefdom, is ordered to relocate to Oita by the shogunate. The strain of these repeated relocations takes its toll on

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