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All controversy aside, if this moving story of a pre-war airplane engineer is the animator's last film, it will be our loss

The Wind Rises, the new film from 72-year-old Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki, takes its title from a line in a Paul Valery poem ("The wind is rising! We must try to live!") and is inspired by the life of aeronautical engineer Jiro Horikoshi who designed Mitsubishi's A6M Zero fighter. It's probably the gentlest animated feature about an armaments designer you'll ever see.

"Poor countries want airplanes," Jiro (Hideaki Anno) is told, as they watch oxen haul the latest prototype out onto the field for testing. Lacking the power of western engines, Jiro and his fellow engineers must instead work with everything at his disposal – flush rivets, split flaps, retractable undercarriages, the lightest aluminium alloy – to reduce the drag on that aircraft and pluck it into the vast,...

Tsutomu Hanabusa's 'Sadako 3D 2', which marks yet anther official installment in the J-horror 'Ringu' series, is set for a Western home release next week. Unfortunately we never got to see the 3D theatrical version on these shores and it doesn't look like it's getting the 3D Blu-ray treatment either but I'm sure we'll be able to watch the new release and pinpoint exactly where the out-of-screen action was meant to be. The English subtitled version of the sequel lands on DVD and Blu-ray from 28 February 2014 and stars Miori Takimoto, Satomi Ishihara, Koji Seto, Yusuke Yamamoto and Kokoro Hirasawa. You can check out the trailer below....

Jirô (Hideaki Anno) is a Japanese boy who often dreams of flying machines, but he knows full well that his poor eyesight will never allow him to become a pilot. With Italian aviation pioneer Caproni (Mansai Nomura) guiding him through a series of lucid dreams, Jirô recognizes that his true destiny is to become an aviation engineer. (Jirô is said to be a fictionalized interpretation of Japanese aviation engineer Jirô Horikoshi with a bit of novelist Tatsuo Hori thrown in for good measure.) Jirô begins to read English-language aviation magazines with the aid of a dictionary, eventually studying aeronautical engineering at a university in Tokyo. On one fateful train trip to Tokyo, Jirô meets Nahoko (Miori Takimoto) for the first time. She saves his hat, he saves her nanny; there is an obvious connection between them, but they soon must go their separate ways. Years later, while Jirô is on a business trip for Mitsubishi,...

An A-list roster of voice talent has been assembled for the English-language version of Studio Ghibli's The Wind Rises, which opens in select North American theaters on Feb. 21, 2014, expanding wide on Feb. 28, 2014. The film marks director Hayao Miyazaki's final feature, as the legendary animation veteran announced his retirement in September 2013.

In The Wind Rises, Jiro dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes, inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni. Nearsighted and unable to be a pilot, he becomes one of the world's most accomplished airplane designers, experiencing key historical events in an epic tale of love, perseverance and the challenges of living and making choices in a turbulent world. The voice cast of the English-language version follows.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Don Jon, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For) lends his voice to Jiro Horikoshi, who harbors strong ambitions to create his own beautiful airplane. A bubbling mix of wild excitement,...

I suspect my forthcoming Top 10 list isn’t the only place you’re going to see master animator Hayao Miyazaki’s final feature film, The Wind Rises, featured and celebrated prominently as 2013 comes to a close – read my review here – but in truth, the first time most Americans will have a chance to see the film is this February, when the movie arrives in theatres throughout the United States.

As per Disney’s normal practice for releasing Studio Ghibli films, an English-language dub has been produced – though for fans who want to see the subtitled version, it will also be made available to theatres – and today, we have a much better idea of what that adaptation will look (er, sound) like, as the English-language cast has been announced. Headed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead role, with high-profile actors like Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, John Krasinski, and Mandy Patinkin, it...

Watch the latest trailer for The Win Rises directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The animated adventure features the voices of Hideaki Anno, Miori Takimoto, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Masahiko Nishimura, Stephen Alpert, Morio Kazama, Keiko Takeshita and Mirai Shida. Toshio Suzuki produces, and the Touchstone Pictures release from Studio Ghibli opens in limited theaters on February 21st, 2014 and expands the week after that. In The Wind Rises, Jiro dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes, inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni. Nearsighted from a young age and unable to be a pilot, Jiro joins a major Japanese engineering company in 1927 and becomes one of the world’s most innovative and accomplished airplane designers. The film chronicles much of his life, depicting key historical events, including the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923...

The Wind Rises Us Trailer. Hayao Miyazaki‘s The Wind Rises / Kaze tachinu (2013) Us movie trailer stars Hideaki Anno, Mirai Shida, Jun Kunimura, Miori Takimoto, and Hidetoshi Nishijima. The Wind Rises‘ plot synopsis: “In “The Wind Rises,” Jiro—inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni—dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes. [...]

Continue reading: The Wind Rises / Kaze Tachinu (2013) Us Movie Trailer and Poster...

Having recently wrapped an Oscar-qualifying run in New York and La, the first Us trailer has now debuted for Hayao Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises, which the legendary filmmaker has said will be his final film as a director.

The latest in a long line of hugely popular Studio Ghibli movies, The Wind Rises opened in Japan over the summer, and is set to open wide in the States early next year. The studio is maintaining its relationship with Disney, who are handling its distribution in North America under the Touchstone Pictures banner, and will no doubt be giving it a big push for the Oscars.

This new trailer, launched via Deadline, is the first domestic trailer for its stateside release, following the subtitled Japanese trailer that landed over the summer.

This decade-spanning epic from maestro Hayao Miyazaki is his most unique films to date, inspired by the true stories of Jiro Horikoshi,...

After the first international trailer was released in August, Touchstone Pictures announced that it will distribute director Hayao Miyazaki's final movie The Wind Rises in U.S. theaters on February 21, 2014. Today, the studio has unveiled the first domestic trailer for this animated feature, which follows a young man named Jiro, who dreams of becoming a pilot before learning that he is nearsighted. He turns his passion for the sky into a career as an aeronautical engineer for a Japanese company in 1927.

The Wind Rises comes to theaters February 21st, 2014 and stars Hideaki Anno, Jun Kunimura, Mirai Shida, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Masahiko Nishimura, Keiko Takeshita, Mansai Nomura. The film is directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

Touchstone Pictures has released the first theatrical poster for The Wind Rises, director Hayao Miyazaki's final animated feature. The story follows Jiro, a young man who always dreamed of being a pilot before learning that he is nearsighted. He turns his passion for the sky into becoming an engineer for a major Japanese company in 1927. We reported in September that Touchstone is releasing the film in domestic theaters next February.

In The Wind Rises, Jiro-inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni-dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes. Nearsighted from a young age and thus unable to become a pilot, Jiro joins the aircraft division of a major Japanese engineering company in 1927. His genius is soon recognized, and he grows to become one of the world's most accomplished airplane designers. The film chronicles much of his life, and depicts key historical events that deeply affected the course of Jiro's life,...

London – Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises will open the inaugural Ajyal Youth Film Festival, mounted by the Doha Film Institute in Qatar. The gala opening will mark the Middle Eastern and North African premiere for the anime film. Starring Japanese animator and film director Hideaki Anno, Japanese actress and former musical performer Miori Takimoto, actor Hidetoshi Nishijima and theatre and film actor Masahiko Nishimura, The Wind Rises depicts the story of a young boy living in a provincial town. Review: The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu) When he wakes up to a dream about flying like an airplane from the top

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Knowing The Wind Rises is expected to be writer/director Hayao Miyazaki's final feature film brings with it a certain sense of want, expectation and hope. Miyazaki has given us some of the best animated films cinema has ever seen from films such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro and any countless number of personal favorites you and I have beyond that. To imagine such a splendid cinematic era coming to an end brings with it a bit of disappointment as well, which is only emphasized due to the fact this final effort lands with a bit of a dull thud. Taking his past filmography into consideration, The Wind Rises is a bit of a departure from what we've come to expect from the animation icon. It's a much darker, more down-to-earth drama. The fantastical elements he usually employs are less a part of the story and more a...

The Walt Disney Studios and Studio Ghibli revealed North American release plans for The Wind Rises a Studio Ghibli film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Ponyo), at the North American premiere of the film today at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is slated for limited release in North American theaters on Feb. 21, 2014, and expanded release on Feb. 28, 2014, under the Touchstone Pictures banner. The Wind Rises will also open for Academy Award qualification engagements in New York and Los Angeles Nov. 8-14, 2013, showcasing the original film in Japanese with English subtitles.

In The Wind Rises, Jiro-inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni-dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes. Nearsighted from a young age and thus unable to become a pilot, Jiro joins the aircraft division of a major Japanese engineering company in 1927. His genius is soon recognized, and he grows to become...

During a press conference at the Venice Film Festival yesterday, Studio Ghibli announced that acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki will "retire from the production of feature-length films." However, the announcement doesn't rule out the possibility of the filmmaker directing short films for the studio.

His final movie, The Wind Rises, has been playing in Japanese theaters since mid-July, but it doesn't have a U.S. release date set. The animated film is based on the life of Jiro Horikoshi, who designed Japanese fighter planes during World War II. It is currently playing in competition at the Venice Film Festival, which runs through September 10.

Hayao Miyazaki formed Studio Ghibli in 1984 with fellow filmmaker Isao Takahata, where he directed critically-acclaimed classics such as Nausicca of the Valley Wind, Lapuata: Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo and The Wind Rises.

★★★★☆ Venice favourite Hayao Miyazaki - who today announced his retirement from feature filmmaking - makes his final appearance in competition at said festival with The Wind Rises (2013), a straight biopic on the life of aviation engineer Jirô Horikoshi (Hideaki Anno), the designer of the Mitsubishi Zero fighter plane. Elements of fantasy still exist, and despite the shift in genre the themes and concerns are in fact consistent with his other, more pantheistically exhilarating films such as Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. The film begins with Jirô as a boy, dreaming of flight and the famous Italian designer Caproni.

Cursed by short-sightedness, Jirô quickly realises that he'll never be the pilot he dreams of being, but Caproni assures him of the worth in designing aircraft: "Airplanes are beautiful dreams". However, even these early dreams are haunted by visions of aerial bombardment and the violence and destruction which the invention will...

The Toronto International Film Festival® has announced the addition of 3 Galas and 19 Special Presentations to the 2013 Festival programme, including a further 12 World Premieres. Representing countries from around the world, the Gala and Special Presentations programmes offer a lineup of diverse titles and genres.

Toronto audiences will be among the first to screen films by directors Fred Schepisi, Alberto Arvelo, Reha Erdem, Dexter Fletcher, Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, Megan Griffiths, Arnaud Larrieu and Jean-Marie Larrieu, Kevin Macdonald, Arie Posin, Charlie Stratton, Nils Tavernier and John Turturro.

The 38th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5 to 15, 2013.

Galas Blood Ties

Guillaume Canet, France/USA North American Premiere

New York, 1974. 50-year-old Chris has just been released on good behavior after spending several years in prison. Waiting for him reluctantly outside the prison gates is his younger brother, Frank, a cop with a bright future. Chris and Frank have always been different, yet blood...

Director Hayao Miyazaki returns with his latest animated film The Wind Rises, making its world premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival. An international trailer has arrived for this sprawling film that unfolds over a decade, depicting the true story of Jiro Horikoshi, who designed the Japanese fighter planes in World War II. It isn't known when The Wind Rises will be released in the United States, so stay tuned.

The Wind Rises comes to theaters in 2013 and stars Hideaki Anno, Mirai Shida, Jun Kunimura, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Steve Alpert, Mansai Nomura, Masahiko Nishimura. The film is directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

Released in Japanese cinemas last month, Hayao Miyazaki’s anticipated The Wind Rises (a.k.a. Kaze Tachinu / 風立ちぬ) is about to get its international debut on the festival circuit in Venice and then Toronto.

Ahead of its appearance out at Tiff, the festival has launched an official subtitled version of the trailer for the latest from the acclaimed animation house, Studio Ghibli.

This decade-spanning epic from maestro Hayao Miyazaki is his most unique films to date, inspired by the true stories of Jiro Horikoshi, visionary designer of one the most beautiful airplanes in history — the famed Zero fighter — and the poet Tatsuo Hori, whose verses are brought to life by the vivid animation of Studio Ghibli.

Hideaki Anno, Miori Takimoto, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Masahiko Nishimura, Jun Kunimura, Shinobu Otake, and Mansai Nomura lead the voice cast, with the American-English dubbed cast yet to be announced.

Miyazaki is directing from his own script,...

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Ponyo), the Wind Rises features voices of Hideaki Anno, Miori Takimoto, Steven Alpert, Morio Kazama, Keiko Takeshita, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Mirai Shida, Mansai Nomura and Masahiko Nishimura. The film will screen as part of the Toronto International Film Festival. This decade-spanning epic from maestro Hayao Miyazaki is his most unique films to date, inspired by the true stories of Jiro Horikoshi, visionary designer of one the most beautiful airplanes in history — the famed Zero fighter — and the poet Tatsuo Hori, whose verses are brought to life by the vivid animation of Studio Ghibli.

Earlier today, the Toronto International Film Festival announced additions to their Galas and Special Presentations programs. Among the films with new images and synopses are: Words and Pictures (Directed by Fred Schepisi) Starring Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche. A Promise (Directed by Patrice Leconte) Starring Rebecca Hall, Alan Rickman, and Richard Madden. Child of God (Directed by James Franco) Starring James Franco, Scott Haze, Tim Blake Nelson, and Jim Parrack. The Wind Rises (Directed by Hayao Miyazaki) Featuring the voices of Hideaki Anno, Miori Takimoto, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Masahiko Nishimura, Jun Kunimura, Shinobu Otake, and Mansai Nomura. Hit the jump to check out the images and synopses. The 2013 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5 – 15th. Via Tiff. Words and Pictures A writer (Clive Owen) whose talent has dried up and an artist (Juliette Binoche) struggling to paint, clash at the school where they teach, sparking both an unlikely romance and...

A new trailer is here for the sequel to the insipid Sadako 3D (review), and it's filled with little girls, long black hair, and really cheesy pop music. Remember when Ring was scary? Sadako 3D 2 opens in Japanese theatres on August 30th.

Directed by Tsutomu Hanabusa, Sadako 3D 2 -- set five years after Sadako 3D -- stars Miori Takimoto as a clinical psychologist raising her four-year-old niece, whose mother died in childbirth. The cursed online video clip reappears, and strange things begin to occur around the young girl.

Ring author Kôji Suzuki tackled the writing duties on this latest entry and is the only reason we're even moderately interested in this could-be abomination.

Synopsis

Fuko Ando (Miori Takimoto), a 24-year-old graduate student in psychology, is tasked to care for her 4-year-old niece. Soon mysterious events begin to occur around her niece. Fuko Ando then learns of an incident...

Tsutomu Hanabusa's 'Sadako 3D 2' has slipped into post-production ready to scare up more audiences and dragging elements and characters from Koji Suzuki's original novel screaming into the 21st Century. This is the sixth outing for the 'Ringu'-related universe which follows-up last years re-emergence of the terrifying Sadako. And now the sequel, which will combine a new smartphone app to coincide with the release so audiences can truly become emerged into the world of little Sadako, has got itself a full official Japanese trailer. The sequel stars Miori Takimoto, Satomi Ishihara, Koji Seto, Yusuke Yamamoto and Kokoro Hirasawa and will hit Japanese theatres on 30 August. Head below for the trailer and more on the new technology....

We have news from our Beating a Dead Horse Department: The sequel to the insipid Sadako 3D (review), which has been cleverly titled Sadako 3D 2, will be giving new meaning to the old telephone slogan "Reach out and touch someone" when it slinks into Japanese theatres on August 30th.

THR reports that the flick will be shown in a “smartphone 4D” version in Japan with a free app delivering vibration, flash, and sound special effects as well as extra visuals on mobile handset screens for the latest installment of horror series The Ring.

Instead of the usual warning to switch phones off before screenings, audiences will be asked to keep them turned on to experience what the company promoting the film says will be the world's first-ever smartphone 4D effects. Full details of the effects are not being released, but there are hints that the app may also become active outside of screenings,...

Though a Us release date has yet to be decided upon, Japan needn’t wait too much longer for Hayao Miyazaki’s long-awaited return to the directing chair with The Wind Rises, as the Studio Ghibli film is due out there in under one month’s time (July 20th). History tells us it won’t come stateside until about a year from now, which makes this initial teaser for the film such a pleasant sight.

Short as it is, the images have a sort of poetry to them that you only get with a Miyzaki-directed film. It isn’t enough that he simply script a film, although it never hurts. Where Miyazaki does best is behind the reigns. Compare his last directorial effort, Ponyo, to its immediate successor in the Studio Ghibli canon, The Secret World of Arriety, whose script was contributed by the team of Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa,...

Studio Ghibli's upcoming animated movie explores the life of World War II Zero fighter plane designer Jirō Horikoshi, and is scheduled to open in Japan on July 20th, Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Ponyo), the Wind Rises features voices of Hideaki Anno, Miori Takimoto, Steven Alpert, Morio Kazama, Keiko Takeshita, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Mirai Shida, Mansai Nomura and Masahiko Nishimura. At this time, no Us release or English voice cast have been announced.

Hot on the heels of me being completely offended by Sadako 3D (review), word has come that a sequel is not only on its way, but it's hitting Japanese theatres on August 30th. There is, however, one bright spot to this debacle.

We've got some good news and some bad news for you, kids. Let's start with the bad... Tsutomu Hanabusa (Sadako 3D) is once again directing. Yeah, that hurts. It hurts a lot. However, original Ring author Kôji Suzuki. That's something, right? Miori Takimoto stars.

We'll bring you more on this one as soon as we get it, if only because we're hoping that the involvement of Suzuki can finally steer this ship back on course. Well, that and we are gluttons for punishment. Stay tuned.

Synopsis

Fuko Ando (Miori Takimoto), a 24-year-old graduate student in psychology, is tasked to care for her 4-year-old niece. Soon mysterious events begin to occur around her niece.

Director: Tae-gyun Kim.

Writers: Kôji Matsumoto (manga), and Tetsuya Oishi (screenplay).

Cast: Dai Watanabe, Asami Mizukawa and Kôji Yamamoto.

Despite the misleading title and the film’s comic book origins, the only real problem with Higanjima, Escape from Vampire Island is that Japanese folklore does not have any real vampires to really call their own. There are vampire-like creatures, like the Kappa, said to lure its victims to a watery grave to feast upon their blood; but, it is a creature that's also revered than always feared. There is also an Ikiryoh, a spirit that can drain its victim of its energy. That said, the real life folklore do not deter from the enjoyment of this film. Vampires can freely move about the world and amalgamate into any culture where it is given a new name by the village it is raiding.

In this film, that is almost exactly what happened.

Higanjima – Escape From Vampire Island

Stars: Dai Watanabe, Asami Mizukawa, Kôji Yamamoto, Hideo Ishiguro, Miori Takimoto, Tomohisa Yuge | Written by Tetsuya Ôishi | Directed by Kim Tae-gyun

Two years after his brother goes missing, Akira meets a beautiful young woman, Rei, who claims he is still alive and can be found on the remote, uncharted Japanese island of Higanjima. Desperate to see his brother Atsushi again and to solve the mystery of his disappearance, Akira talks several of his friends into joining him on a trip to the island in search of Atsushi.

Arriving in Higanjima, Akira and his friends learn that they have been lured there by Rei to be food for the island’s inhabitants – a race of extremely bloodthirsty vampires! Captured by Higanjima’s bloodsucking inhabitants, Akira and his friends eventually escape, crossing paths with Atsushi, who proclaims he has devoted himself to slaying all the vampires on Higanjima.