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Japan has a robust and storied history of film, with some of the most influential movies of all time coming from the country. Akira Kurosawa is considered one of the greatest directors of all time, Kurosawa's movies helped pioneer the modern Hollywood blockbuster, with monumental films like Seven Samurai, and Yojimbo, which played a major role in shaping the Hollywood Western, and vice versa. In fact, George Lucas was heavily influenced by Kurosawa's films when making Star Wars, particularly The Hidden Fortress, as they share many similarities.

Japan's cinematic history is incredibly varied, with some of the greatest films fitting into a variety of genres, including samurai stories, family dramas, and horror. Alongside legendary directors, these films also include some of the best acting performances of all time, with some of the best actors in the world. Actors like Hiroyuki Sanada, Setsuko Hara, and Toshirō Mifune have all played significant roles in Japan's film industry,...

Takeshi Kitano, the filmmaker and star of such classics as Violent Cop, Sonatine and more, is currently making an untitled film for Amazon MGM.

One of the most famous stars in Japan, Takeshi Kitano, is making a movie for Amazon MGM Studios. At present, nothing else is known about what Kitano’s making; a statement from the production published by Variety simply says that Amazon “will produce globally acclaimed Japanese director Takeshi Kitano’s feature film.”

It also adds that Kitano will star, continuing a tradition that stretches back 35 years. The multi-talented actor, director, comedian, writer and occasional game designer has written, directed and starred in such classic films as Violent Cop (1989), Boiling Point (1990), Sonatine (1993) and Hana-bi (1997). More recently, Kitano made the Outrage trilogy (2010-2017) of gangster films, and the samurai drama Kubi, which made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023.

Kitano has also starred in other filmmakers’ movies,...

Starting his career with an uncredited role in Akira Kurosawa's “Ran” in 1985, the first role anybody would have noticed Susumu Terajima would have been in Takeshi Kitano's 1989 debut “Violent Cop”, as a drug addict henchman. Since then, he has been a notable face in many a cops vs. thugs film, among others, now with over 200 credits to his name.

Having been a regular with some of Japan's leading directors, notably Kitano, Takashi Miike, Hirokazu Koreeda and Sabu, to name but a few, he is typically always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Terajima's career has been one of support roles, not often taking the lead, but his face is a reliable one, with many top directors turning to him, and any Japanese cinema connoisseur will need more than 2 hands to count the number of roles of his they've seen.

Here are some standouts from his career that has seen him play: a likeable,...

5000 Space Aliens is an animated film that introduces 5,000 space aliens throughout its 83-minute run, promising a unique viewing experience with stunning visuals. Director Scott Bateman used programs like Photoshop and Premiere Pro to create each of the aliens featured in the film, manipulating public domain footage to bring them to life. The film takes an unconventional approach to storytelling, offering an entertaining non-narrative experience. It has received recognition and won awards at film festivals, and its digital release will allow the public to appreciate its unique artistic angle.

Screen Rant is proud to present a closer look at Newman Ferrara's upcoming release, 5000 Space Aliens. The film will be coming to digital download on November 21st and will be available worldwide. In accordance with its name, five thousand space aliens are introduced throughout its five thousand-second run, equating to 83 minutes in total. The animated feature promises a unique viewing experience with...

Held annually since 1932, the Venice Film Festival is the world's oldest film festival. Along with the Cannes Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival is one of the "Big Three" European Film Festivals. Recently, many potential Academy Award front-runners have used the Venice Film Festival as a launching pad for their Oscar campaigns.

First introduced in 1949, the Golden Lion is the highest prize awarded at the Venice Film Festival. The Golden Lion remains one of the film industry's most prestigious and coveted awards. Countless winners of the Golden Lion now rank among the best films ever made.

Related: 10 Best Low-Budget Movies That Won An Oscar

Belle de Jour (1967)

Luis Buñuel's Belle de Jour stars Catherine Deneuve as a young housewife who constantly daydreams about erotic fantasies. Eventually, unbeknownst to her husband, she becomes a prostitute, working during the daytime while her husband is at work.

As your 4th of July plans come together, there’s another event you will definitely want to add to your schedule. The 2023 Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular features incredible fireworks, along with appearances and musical performances from an impressive lineup of stars. Prepare to be amazed as fabulous fireworks light up the New York City sky. While celebrating Independence Day, the show will also pay tribute to Tina Turner. This special event airs live on NBC beginning on Tuesday, July 4 from 8 p.m. through 10 p.m. Et. You can watch NBC with a 5-Day Free Trial of Directv Stream. You can also watch with Hulu Live TV, Fubo, Peacock, or YouTube TV.

How to Watch 2023 Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular When: Tuesday, July 4, 2023 at 8:00 Pm Edt TV: NBC Stream: Watch with a 5-Day Free Trial of Directv Stream. 5-Day Free Trial$74.99+ / month directv.com/stream About...

If someone suicidal had a second chance to step away from their impending actions, would they change their mind? Fireworks or Kembang Api begs the same question. Adapted from the Japanese film 3ft Ball And Soul (2017), Fireworks follows four people who find each other in a group chat. The group chat is essentially a suicide club, and the movie begins when the four of them decide to meet up to commit group suicide. The movie is called Fireworks because the method of suicide is by detonating a large firework “bomb” created by one of the four participants. Of course, there’s an underlying message, but without giving any spoilers, we can look at it this way: The majority of the film takes place in a claustrophobic, confined place where the protagonists gather to commit their grand act. It creates a sense of urgency and makes one question the motives of all the characters.

Nicola Maccanico with Anne-Katrin Titze on current Cinecittà productions: “Joe Wright, Roland Emmerich and Luca Guadagnino.” Photo: Sally Fischer

I met with Nicola Maccanico to discuss the significant expansion of Cinecittà Studios under his leadership on the morning of the Open Roads: New Italian Cinema luncheon at The Leopard at des Artistes, attended by The Hummingbird (Il Colibrì) director Francesca Archibugi, Tommaso Ragno, Margherita Mazzucco (star of Susanna Nicchiarelli's Chiara and Saverio Costanzo’s My Brilliant Friend), directors Michele Vannucci (Delta), Niccolo Falsetti (Margins), Monica Dugo, and Fireworks (Stranizza d’Amuri)) director Giuseppe Fiorello with his stars Gabriele Pizzurro and Samuele Segreto.

Nicola Maccanico on Luca Guadagnino: “Bones and All! His last movie, I think is a masterpiece.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Inside Film at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, Nicola joined me for a conversation on the robust state of Italian cinema and the current international productions going on at Cinecittà,...

The first season of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is available to enjoy in full, with new romances, new drama, and most importantly, new music. The 10-episode series takes viewers back to a few years before the events of the original Grease film, setting the stage for the arrival of Sandy and Danny with style. The story of the Pink Ladies’ genesis is full of twists and turns and is a worthy watch for any fan of the original films.

While the songs of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies were written by executive music producer Justin Tranter and a team of other songwriters, the score was composed by Nick Sena and Zachary Dawes. Sena and Dawes have worked on a number of projects together, including the Apple TV+ series The Big Door Prize. Screen Rant is excited to debut a selection of the duo’s work on Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies...

Most artists, if they’re lucky, invent one thing. But Kenneth Anger, who was a filmmaker, an author, a debauched aristocratic scenester and, to the day of his death at 96, a figure of puckish mystery, invented several things, each one of them epic.

In “Fireworks,” his transcendent 14-minute avant-garde film of 1947, Anger invented the very consciousness and imagery of gay liberation — not the desire to be liberated (which was buried in the hearts of gay people everywhere), but the rapturous visual reverie of what that liberation might look like, what it would feel like, why it seemed so forbidden, and why it needed to be. In “Scorpio Rising,” his homoerotic demon-biker/Top-40-orgy blast from the underground, Anger invented MTV, invented what Martin Scorsese did in “Mean Streets” and David Lynch did in “Blue Velvet,” invented a way to express how music and reality talk to each other.

In “Hollywood Babylon,...

Experimental filmmaker Kenneth Anger, who also wrote the novel Hollywood Babylon (which was banned in the U.S. when it was first released in 1965) and was considered to be a pioneer of underground cinema, has passed away at the age of 96. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his death was announced by Sprüeth Magers art gallery, which has presented exhibitions of his work.

Anger made more than thirty dialogue-free short films over a career that spanned from 1941 to 2013, but The Hollywood Reporter estimates that the work he did in those 72 years would take a viewer just 8 hours to watch in its entirety. His shorts have been described as “a kaleidoscope of symbolism, homoeroticism and the occult”. Some of his most popular shorts include the 1963 collage Scorpio Rising, described as “a pastiche of pop songs plastered over homoerotic biker imagery, pulp cartoons, Nazism, and paraphernalia”; the 13-minute 1953 short Eaux d’Artifice, which...

According to a report in Variety, pioneering experimental queer filmmaker Kenneth Anger, the director of seminal shorts like "Fireworks," "Rabbit's Moon," "Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome," and "Scorpio Rising," has died at the age of 96.

The news was announced on Anger's website by Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers, the managers of Anger's art galleries. He had passed away on May 11, 2023, and the news was only just announced today.

Anger was a firebrand, an artistic rebel who aggressively and provocatively eschewed convention to present the world a new, cohesive type of underground, ultra-queer aesthetic that informs media and culture to this day. His shorts "Fireworks" and "Scorpio Rising" in particular blended traditionally ultra-masculine imagery -- Naval officers, leather-clad bikers -- with unapologetic gay lust, revealing the desire that exists so naturally in those worlds. Anger also blended images of queerness with religious iconography, tearing down conventional Christian morality, and introducing...

Filmmaker and artist Kenneth Anger has passed away. Anger's death was announced on the official website for Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers, who operated his art gallery. While the cause of death and circumstances surrounding his passing were not disclosed, Sprüth and Magers say they must let everyone know about the news that they deliver with "deep sadness" along with the entire gallery team.

"Kenneth was a trailblazer. His cinematic genius and influence will live on and continue to transform all those who encounter his films, words and vision," the statement reads in part. "Anger considered cinematographic projection a psychosocial ritual capable of unleashing physical and emotional energies. The artist saw film as nothing less than a spiritual medium, a conveyer of spectacular alchemy that transforms the viewer.”

Anger was born Kenneth Wilbur Anglemyer on Feb. 3, 1927. He is known to cinephiles for developing dozens of experimental short films throughout the decades,...

The pioneering movie-maker had a major influence on queer culture and the 60s counterculture, and is also remembered for authoring the cult film history book

Kenneth Anger, the artist and film-maker whose work offered a distinctively radical mix of paganism and homoeroticism, has died aged 96. Art gallery Sprüth Magers confirmed his death, saying: “Through his kaleidoscopic films, which combine sumptuous visuals, popular music soundtracks, and a focus on queer themes and narratives, Anger laid the groundwork for the avant garde art scenes of the later 20th century, as well as for the visual languages of contemporary queer and youth culture.”

Anger’s films, which included Fireworks (1947), Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954), Scorpio Rising (1963) and Lucifer Rising (1972), made him a key figure in the counterculture over four decades, and later a hero to subsequent generations of film-makers grappling with similar themes. While he never found commercial success through his films, his...

Kenneth Anger, the experimental filmmaker, actor and author who directed nearly 40 short films including the homoerotic “Fireworks” and “Scorpio Rising,” has died, according to the Sprüeth Magers art gallery. He was 96.

“It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of visionary filmmaker, artist and author Kenneth Anger (1927–2023),” the gallery, which exhibited Anger’s work, wrote. “Kenneth was a trailblazer. His cinematic genius and influence will live on and continue to transform all those who encounter his films, words and vision.”

It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of visionary filmmaker, artist and author Kenneth Anger (1927–2023).

Kenneth was a trailblazer. His cinematic genius and influence will live on and continue to transform all those who encounter his films, words and vision. pic.twitter.com/xIfxWNmGUK

— Sprueth Magers (@SpruethMagers) May 24, 2023

From his first homemade film in 1937 as a boy to his final effort, a two-and-a-half-minute film “Missoni...

Kenneth Anger, the avant-garde filmmaker whose surrealistic queer compositions Fireworks and Scorpio Rising made him a pioneer of underground cinema and a target for censorship, has died. He was 96.

Anger’s death was announced Wednesday by the Sprüeth Magers art gallery. “Kenneth was a trailblazer,” it said in a statement. “His cinematic genius and influence will live on and continue to transform all those who encounter his films, words and vision.”

No details of his death were immediately available.

In 1959, Anger authored the smutty exploitative book Hollywood Babylon — banned after its U.S release in 1965 — and followed it up with a sequel in 1984.

Anger’s work spanned the years 1941 to 2013 yet totaled just eight hours, a kaleidoscope of symbolism, homoeroticism and the occult found in his 36 dialogue-free short films (some complete, others fragmented) by THR‘s count.

His collage Scorpio Rising (1963), a pastiche of pop songs plastered over homoerotic biker imagery,...

Experimental filmmaker, artist and author Kenneth Anger has died. He was 96.

His gallery, operated by Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers, confirmed the news on their website, writing, “Kenneth was a trailblazer. His cinematic genius and influence will live on and continue to transform all those who encounter his films, words and vision.”

Born in 1927 in Santa Monica, Calif., Anger produced over 30 short films from 1937 to 2013, having made his first movie at 10 years old. Known as “one of America’s first openly gay filmmakers,” he gained a reputation for exploring themes of erotica and homosexuality decades before gay sex was legalized in America. Anger received recognition for his homoerotic 1947 film “Fireworks,” which landed him in court on obscenity charges. Filmed in his childhood home in Beverly Hills while his parents were away for the weekend, “Fireworks” is known as the first gay narrative film produced in the U.S.

Afterward, Anger...

“Time is all we have and every second that ticks away is one less second we’re alive,” Kenneth Anger told an interviewer from The Guardian 16 and a half years before his death this May at the age of 96. “The sands of time are going through the hourglass but it doesn’t frighten me.”

If Woody Allen’s Zelig was found rubbing elbows with the storied and famous of the ’20s and ’30s, starting in the 1950s Anger was for some decades more than a match for him. His legacy is poised between the pathbreaking cinematic auteur who made such avant-garde shorts as “Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome” (1954) and “Scorpio Rising” (1963) and the purveyor of at times fictionalized Hollywood scandal in the sensational and frequently updated “Hollywood Babylon” (1959).

He was not immune from his own brushes with dark history — the very bikers he incorporated in some of his middle-period work...

For all their grisly mayhem, the earliest films by Takeshi Kitano all demonstrated a keen grasp of negation. Violence was an omnipresent fixture of his first crime capers––from Violent Cop (1989) to Fireworks (1997)––but it unfolded in hiccups. The director enjoyed trading in tantalizing elisions, and his most gruesome scenes would often leave the action offscreen, offering a set-up and aftermath while cutting the most dramatic moments––an approach that would become more frequent after A Scene at the Sea (1991), the first feature he’d edit himself. It was as if Kitano had realized the most visceral shots were those left on the cutting room floor and proceeded to fashion those early projects on an iceberg principle: prodding one to imagine the bloodletting without ever displaying it in full. It was a style predicated on absence; it made the violence all the more vivid, the films all the more original.

It’s Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday — especially when it’s New Music Friday! We’re breaking down this week’s best new tracks to keep on your radar.

New Music Friday – April 28th, 2023

Jack Harlow – “They Don’t Love It”, plus Jackman (Album)

Bebe Rehax – “Seasons ft. Dolly Parton”, plus Bebe (Album)

The National and Taylor Swift – “The Alcott”

Niall Horan – “Meltdown”

Kesha – “Eat The Acid”

Shania Twain – “Bone Dry”

Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker, Illenium – “Eyes Wide Shut”

Jason Derulo – “Glad You Came”

Miguel – “Give It To Me”

Other noteworthy artists with releases this week include Tim McGraw – “Standing Room Only”, Robyn Ottolini – “Match For My Memory”, Cooper Phillip and Durand Bernarr – “The Answers”, Valley – “Break For You”, Rico Nasty – “Turn It Up”, Alana Springsteen – “twenty something”, Laur Elle – “Buring Out”, Joseph – “Fireworks”, VeeAlwaysHere and Ted Park – “I don’t dance”, Freya Ridings – “I Feel Love” plus...

Leading Japanese film studio Kadokawa has picked up all rights to “Kubi,” the upcoming film by Kitano Takeshi which will have its premiere out of competition in Cannes. Kadokawa will handle both the international sales and the Japanese commercial release.

The film depicts the historical ‘Honno-ji Incident’ from 1582, when a key vassal of Oda Nobunaga rose in revolt and caused his master to commit hara-kiri in Kyoto. The reasons for the revolt and whether Akechi Mitsuhide was really the ringleader have been debated ever since.

The film will explore the ambitions, betrayals, and fates of various characters, including warlords, ninjas, traveling performers, and peasants, and brings out the essence of Kitano’s world, including intense violence and dark humor.

Speaking at a press event over the weekend, Kitano explained that “This film is based on my own understanding of what the period and people were like,” and it will definitely...

Italian director Susanna Nicchiarelli, whose trilogy of female biopics, “Nico, 1988,” “Miss Marx,” and “Chiara” all launched from the Venice Film Festival, is set to direct the TV series “Fireworks” depicting the struggle of Italy’s partisans against Nazis and Fascists through the point of view of a twelve-year-old girl named Marta.

Shooting is set to start on May 8 in the Piedmontese Alps on “Fireworks,” which is being produced by Domenico Procacci’s Fandango and Rome shingle Matrioska.

Fandango, who is the show’s lead producer, is in advanced talks with Italian state broadcaster Rai to come on board. Fandango is also talking up the six-episode limited series at the Series Mania confab in Lille, France, where they are seeking prospective international partners.

The “Fireworks” cast, which is not fully contractualized, is being kept under wraps.

The historical series is based on the book “Fuochi d’artificio” by prolific Italian writer...

@1027kiisfm

#KatyPerry tells the story of first hearing BillieEilish’s Ocean Eyes!

It’s been eight years since Italy’s key film and TV market Mia kicked off in Rome and each year its popular co-production market and pitching forum seems to go from strength to strength.

This year the strand, which is already established in drama, documentary and feature film sections, has spread its tentacles to include animation and will see local producers looking for high-profile financial partners and co-production deals get the opportunity to showcase their projects before an audience of industry professionals and top international players from global studios, Ott platforms, broadcasters, production and distribution companies as well as agents and financiers.

This year, Deadline can reveal that there are already some standout pitches across all segments that are sure to drum up interest starting with Crimson Crown, the first series exec produced by Italian master of horror Dario Argento. Being pitched in the Mia drama section, Argento will...

The “World According to Jeff Goldblum” is a light-hearted, quirky, and informative Disney + original TV series featuring the wit and wisdom of Jeff Goldblum. In each episode of the Primetime Emmy nominated documentary format TV show, star Jeff Goldblum takes an in-depth look at things people love — like dogs, ice cream, or birthdays — and he shares the fascinating science behind them. What’s science got to do with birthdays? You’ll have to watch the show to find out!

In this article, we’ll discuss the highlights of season two and share all the latest news about the Disney plus series.

Where Can You Watch “The World According to Jeff Goldblum?”

“The World According to Jeff Goldblum” is a Disney+ original and is currently only available for viewing on Disney Plus.

What Happened in Season 2 of “The World According to Jeff Goldblum?”

In “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” season two,...

Screening from August 11-20th, 2022 With 67 films on offer this year, horror and thriller fans can get stuck into the fantastic selection of films screening at this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival. This exciting strand includes Sam Max’s Chaperone starring Zachary Quinto, Double Oscar® Winner Paul J. Franklin’s Fireworks, Thomas Simon’s Bowlhead starring John Hursley …

The post Horror Fans Can Enjoy Multiple Fright Nights Watching 67 Films at the 18th Annual HollyShorts Oscar-Qualifying® Film Festival appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

When at some point in the near future “Neck” is released, it will not only be a new feature directed by Takeshi Kitano, but also, as the filmmaker himself claimed, his last directorial effort. Given the pace with which he has worked and also the fact Kitano tried to balance his many projects, as a director, a TV host, a painter and an author (to name but a few), it is perhaps no surprise to hear the 75-year-old wishing to slow down a bit. Still, the phenomenon that is Kitano still continues to fascinate audiences in his home country Japan as well as internationally ever since he has left his mark with feature such as “Hana-Bi” and “Kikujiro”, or, perhaps lesser known to some, as the host of formats like “Takeshi’s Castle”. In 2020, French filmmaker Yves Montmayeur, who already made features about Yakuza-cinema and Pink films, tackled the life and...

Donald Trump has said the Queen should have stripped Prince Harry of his royal titles on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored show, as Talk TV continues to tease clips of tonight’s much-anticipated exchange.

Speaking in traditionally candid fashion, the former Potus said Harry should have lost the advantages given to the royal family when he made the decision to relocate to L.A. with wife Meghan Markle.

Trump said this is “one of the only things I’ve ever disagreed with the Queen on” and predicted Harry’s relationship with Markle will end.

“I’m not a fan of Meghan and think poor Harry is being led around by his nose,” said Trump in a 55-second clip teasing tonight’s full length Uncensored interview on Talk TV.

“I wonder if Harry is going to go back on his hands and knees to the Queen. He’s been so disrespectful to...

Screening In-Person April 1, 2022 (Friday) at 7 pm

25th Anniversary – Archival 35mm Presentation! Crippled by tragedies at home and work, a depressed police detective resolves to rectify his situation and the lives of those around him through illicit means. Told through elliptical editing and interspersed with flora-inspired canvases painted by Kitano himself, Hana-bi oscillates between tender moments and temperamental bouts of violence, delicately constructing an affecting and melancholic meditation on mortality. Screening by Japan Society Film as part of the Monthly Classics series.

Tickets and further information are available from the website.

Painting for Hana-bi

Dispersed throughout Hana-bi are a series of colorful, flora-inspired canvases painted by Kitano himself. Kitano took on painting when he was recovering from a horrific 1994 motorcycle accident that left half his face paralyzed. The characters of Nishi and Horibe in Hana-bi represent Kitano’s life before and after his accident.

Kitano’s perception in Japan

For many years,...

Iran’s government may support Russia’s of Ukraine, but the bulk of the country’s film community is outraged by the war — and some more openly than others.

Prominent Iranian actor Hamid Farokhnezhad, best known internationally for starring in Asghar Farhadi’s “Fireworks,” has posted a video widely circulated on social media in which he denounces “the brutal attack of Russia against Ukraine.”

Farokhnezhad (pictured above), in protest against the Russian invasion, expressed his wish in the video to return the best actor statuette he received from the Moscow Film Festival in 2005 for his role in anti-war drama “Big Drum Under Left Foot,” directed by Kazem Ma’asoumi.

As Iranian multi-hyphenate Babak Karimi, speaking from Tehran, puts it, “Iran has experienced eight years of war with Iraq, which had similarities to the war in Ukraine.”

“The memory of war is very much alive here,” he notes. “So it’s obvious...

Documentary+, the free streaming service launched by non-fiction studio Xtr, is getting into original programming and has ordered its first project.

The company will launch Fireworks, a feature doc directed by Nathan Truesdell, who recently produced Oscar-nominated film Ascension.

Fireworks will delve into a botched LAPD operation that causes catastrophe in an LA neighborhood.

The film will be part of Documentary+’s new Lost and Found collection, which is one of three strands that it is launching as part of the originals drive. Lost and Found will feature stranger than fiction stories using found footage.

The other two collections are Pop Docs, documentaries that sit at the collision between controversy and pop culture, and After Hours, slow content documentaries created for a late night audience.

The inaugural original for the Pop Docs strand will be a film about Hot Cheetos, which goes behind the fascination of the cult snack food...

After winning the Golden Lion Award at the 1997 Venice Film Festival for “Hana-Bi”, the interest in Takeshi Kitano’s works as a director was at its peak, with many calling him one of the most important filmmakers in today’s Japan, even going so far as to compare him to Akira Kurosawa. While the international fame was certainly not unwelcome, Kitano could not help but notice the shift between the media attention he received in his home country versus the way he was now perceived in other countries, but also how he was associated with the yakuza-genre and the themes within it. In a way, his next feature “Kikujiro” can be viewed as a means to show a different side to his persona and his work, one which had already been present in “Kids Return” or “A Scene at the Sea”, and also an exploration into a genre he had not done before,...

For much of its running time, “Asakusa Kid” is a safe, traditional and easily enjoyable biographical drama about the scrappy early career of legendary Japanese comedian-actor-author-filmmaker “Beat” Takeshi Kitano. When the handsomely packaged Netflix movie injects the verve and invention Kitano is celebrated for, it shines much more brightly. Though it doesn’t offer the penetrating insight into Kitano that many viewers would be hoping for, this adaptation of his memoir by writer-director Gekidan Hitori (“A Bolt From the Blue”) does provide a respectful and touching portrait of Kitano’s mentor Senzaburo Fukami, the master entertainer whose fame and fortune declined sharply as Kitano’s career started to soar.

Published in 1988 and previously filmed in 2002 by Makoto Shinozaki (also director of the 1999 Kitano documentary “Jam Session”), “Asakusa Kid” charts the early life adventures and showbiz education of university dropout Kitano in the early 1970s. Opening in familiar biography style with...

It’s a very musical episode! Director and Tfh Guru, Allan Arkush, returns to talk about his favorite rock and roll movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

No Nukes (1980)

Amazing Grace (2018) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Oscar nominee reactions

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Get Crazy (1983) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary

Blackboard Jungle (1955) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Rock, Rock, Rock! (1956) – ​​Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary

Mister Rock And Roll (1957)

Go, Johnny, Go! (1959) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Hail Hail Rock And Roll! (1987) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

The Girl Can’t Help It (1956) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary

Hellzapoppin’ (1941)

Innerspace (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Almost Famous (2000) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Wayne’s World (1992)

The Graduate (1967) – Neil Labute’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Scorpio Rising...

Rome’s Mia Market for TV series, feature films, documentaries and factual content wrapped a watershed 7th edition on Sunday, having boosted its standing on the global calendar as a prominent emerging industry hub in Europe.

In a significant indicator of the Eternal City’s Oct. 13-17 event’s restart relevance Mia, organizers on the final day announced a total of 2,000 industry executives from 56 countries, all of whom attended the new-concept market in-person, while there were only 46 online attendees, mostly from Asia and Latin America due to coronavirus constraints that impeded travel to Italy from those countries.

While the Oct. 11-14 Mipcom market in Cannes suffered a reduced presence – and the AFM this year has gone entirely online – Mia reaped the benefits of being conceived more congenially to how the global content industry is evolving because it offered a wide range of product, plenty of which in early stages.

The...

Rome’s new concept Mia Market dedicated to international TV series, feature films, documentaries and more kicked off Wednesday in the Eternal City’s 17th century Palazzo Barberini with 1,700 registered industry execs – roughly 600 of whom have made the trek from abroad – and 350 new titles of various types, in development and production, on display.

At a press conference attended by Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini and all top Italian industry reps, organizers also boasted a 30% increase in completed films screening at the Mia film market where about 80 mostly European titles will be having their market – or, in some cases, even world – premieres.

While the Oct. 11-14 Mipcom market in Cannes is suffering a reduced presence, and the AFM this year has gone entirely online, Mia seems to be reaping the benefits of being conceived more congenially to how the global content industry is evolving.

“Mia was born as a challenge,” said...

Rome’s growing Mia market, dedicated to international TV series, feature films and documentaries, has secured a rich roster of fresh international product in various stages and announced a clutch of prominent U.S. and European execs set to make the trek for the mostly in-person Oct. 13-17 event.

While companies such as ITV Studios, Banijay and Fremantle are either bowing out or reducing their presence at the Oct. 11-14 Mipcom market in Cannes — and the AFM has gone entirely online — Mia seems to be succeeding in luring a robust group of international industry heavyweights. They are also boasting a 30% increase in completed films screening on its film market side while some 80 new European film, TV and doc projects will be pitched to prospective partners.

Joe Russo, who with his older brother Anthony became the creative superheroes of the Marvel Universe with a string of four blockbusters climaxing with 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,...

24 companies, all but five launched last decade, descend on Locarno from Aug. 6, mostly in person, to present their production slates.

Every market in international is its own story. So the projects they bring run a huge gamut. Following, a quick drill down on the companies and their banner titles. A second article, published later at Locarno, will look at some of the young indie sector’s major concerns and growth areas.

Estonia

Kafka Films, Karolina Veetamm

Tallinn-based, focused on narrative and doc features, at Match Me with a slate led by a trio of socially-relevant titles: “Tell Me,” a “poetical documentary,” says producer Veetamm; women’s emancipation tale “Aurora,” from Andres Maimik and Rain Tolk; and “The Last Five,” a dark comedy about Tallinn homeless from Triin Ruumet director of 2016 dark comedy, “The Days That Confused,” a Karlovy Vary East of the West Special Jury Prize winner.

Alexandra Film, Marianne Ostrat...

The Great Yokai War: Guardians

The final titles were added to this year's Fantasia line-up today, and it was revealed that the festival will close with The Great Yokai War: Guardians. Helmed by Takashi Miike, it sees Japanese demons going head to head in a battle on which the fate of the world could depend.

Other freshly added highlights include the brutal puppet mayhem of Frank And Zed, and unforgettable English documentary Alien On Stage.

The festival team also revealed today that they will be presenting writer, director and video artist Shunji Iwai with a Career Achievement award, recognising his 30 years of distinctive contributions to cinema. His latest work, The 12 Day Tale Of The Monster That Died In 8, will be screening as part of this year's line-up along with earlier works April Story, All About Lily Chou-Chou and Fireworks, Should We See It From The Side Or The Bottom?

Also receiving an award.

California is facing a double threat this holiday weekend. As Covid-weary residents gear up to celebrate a consequential Fourth of July, the state is grappling with a series of wildfires as the crushing drought continues. Add to that the hazard of fireworks — both “safe and sane” and illegal — and the danger potential is huge.

Most of the active wildfires are in the northern part of the state, but firefighters around California are on high alert this weekend. The Shasta Fire in Lakehead destroyed at least one neighborhood this week, and officials are worried that hot weather and gathered crowds will increase the threat of new fires.

State and local authorities are urging residents not to set off their own fireworks and watch professional displays instead. “The wildfire danger is ever present,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement. “We encourage all to seek public fireworks shows, which will...

After postponing America’s birthday celebrations last year, cities across the U.S. are celebrating Independence Day in full force in 2021 with some of their most extravagant special effects-filled displays yet. But if you’re not ready to brave big crowds for a prime spot, or you prefer to watch some of the best 4th of July fireworks shows around the country from your own poolside or backyard soirée, you can grab a front-row seat by watching the events on your TV, tablet or smartphone.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, we may ...

Spoiler Alert: The following article contains details from the series finale of CBS’s MacGyver.

On tonight’s series finale of MacGyver, MacGyver (Lucas Till) and Riley (Tristin Mays) stumble onto a mind control conspiracy, which leads them to question their commitment to the Phoenix Foundation.

Directed by David Straiton, from a script by Alessia Costantini, Stephanie Hicks, Andrew Klein and Monica Maser, “Abduction + Memory + Time + Fireworks + Dispersal” hinges on a plot thread set up in Episode 11, in which Mac and Riley are exposed, via tear gas, to nanoscopic tracking devices.

The episode opens in seemingly ordinary fashion, with Mac, Riley, Desi (Levy Tran) and Bozer (Justin Hires) undertaking an undercover operation at an underground poker game. Desi stealthily places a tracker on the back of a target, and all is going well—until Mac and Riley suddenly go missing.

When Phoenix Foundation Head Matty (Meredith Eaton) discovers that Mac’s comms have gone offline,...

A muscular and unflinching Korean filmmaker with a flair for operatic ultra-violence, Park Hoon-jung does at least one thing better than anyone else on the planet: Shoot legions of suit-wearing gangsters beating the absolute shit out of each other. After scripting 2010’s “I Saw the Devil” and pioneering his particular brand of Musou-inspired mayhem as the director of “The Showdown” the next year, Park came into his own with 2013’s “New World,” a bruising and brilliant mob epic that spends much of its 134-minute run time stuffing Armani-slick henchmen into confined spaces with the chaotic energy of a child pouring a gallon of milk into a teacup. It’s as if someone took the infamous hallway fight from “Oldboy” and stretched it into a crime saga worthy of comparison to “Goodfellas.”

“Night in Paradise” doesn’t play against Park’s strengths — this is, at heart, — but it doesn’t want to rely on them either.

London-headquartered visual effects house Dneg — whose credits include Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar and Tenet — has partnered with Xr entertainment studio Dimension to offer virtual production capabilities to filmmakers around the world by sharing their technology, workflows and expertise.

They are already offering virtual production services on several undisclosed projects in addition to a new short, Fireworks, directed by two-time Academy Award winner and Dneg creative director Paul Franklin. Fireworks is a political thriller set simultaneously in an MI6 ops room and on the ground in Tripoli, written by Steven Lally and produced by Annalise Davis through Wilder Films. The short is a collaboration with Epic Games (maker ...

London-headquartered visual effects house Dneg — whose credits include Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar and Tenet — has partnered with Xr entertainment studio Dimension to offer virtual production capabilities to filmmakers around the world by sharing their technology, workflows and expertise.

They are already offering virtual production services on several undisclosed projects in addition to a new short, Fireworks, directed by two-time Academy Award winner and Dneg creative director Paul Franklin. Fireworks is a political thriller set simultaneously in an MI6 ops room and on the ground in Tripoli, written by Steven Lally and produced by Annalise Davis through Wilder Films. The short is a collaboration with Epic Games (maker ...

Less than six months have passed since Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom welcomed their daughter Daisy Dove Bloom, but she's already made a profound impact on their lives. On Thursday, Jan. 28, the singer spoke about her motherhood experience on Instagram Live, describing how the little one "changed my life." "She changed my life and still continues to change my life," the "Fireworks" singer reflected, explaining that because of her typically demanding schedule, she's had to learn how to prioritize time with Daisy. Katy said that involves creating "boundaries" in her personal life, explaining, "I think that you realize that when you become a mother... you just...

There’s a genre of literature, rife with fear and dismay, that’s more steeped in sinister fate than the novels of Thomas Hardy, more flecked with cruelty than the bad-dream collages of William Burroughs. It’s so infused with a sense of life’s unfairness that merely to read it is to stalk the darkness.

I’m talking, of course, about YA fiction.

Someday, somebody will write an academic thesis — maybe it’s already been done — about why so many YA tales hinge on events of grandiose misfortune. Fatal cases of cancer, cataclysmic car accidents, or, in the case of “The Ultimate Playlist of Noise,” a sweet handsome menschy suburban teenager, Marcus Lund (Keean Johnson), who must undergo a brain operation that will leave him deaf. You could argue that the darkness of these stories is a way of respecting young audiences, a way of forcing them to confront how tough life can be.

The early life of Japanese cultural icon Takeshi “Beat” Kitano is set to have a the biopic treatment in a film, it has been announced today. The film, titled “Asakusa Kid”, will be based on the memoir written by Kitano himself and will focus on the early career of the comedian and legendary director.

The focus of the story will be on the relationship between the young Kitano, starting when he was working at a strip club in the Tokyo entertainment district of Asakusa, and Fukami, who was the club’s reigning comic.

The project will be directed and written for screen by comic Gekidan Hitori, who also directed the 2014 drama “Bolt from the Blue”. Yuya Yagira, best known for Koreeda’s “Nobody Knows” and for playing Toshiro Hijitaka in the live-action adaptation of the “Gintama” series, will play Kitano while Yo Oizumi (“I am a Hero“) will play Fukami Senzaburo,...

A new Netflix movie has been announced based on the early career of comedian and film director Kitano Takeshi.

Titled “Asakusa Kid,” the film is based on a memoir of the same title written by Kitano. The director and scriptwriter is comic Gekidan Hitori, who also directed the 2014 drama “Bolt from the Blue.” Yagira Yuya (“Nobody Knows”) stars as Kitano and Oizumi Yo (“I Am a Hero”) plays Fukami Senzaburo, a comedian who was Kitano’s mentor. Sakamoto Kazutaka of Netflix is serving as executive producer and Oyamada Yoichi of Nikkatsu as producer.

The focus of the story will be on the relationship between the young Kitano, starting when he was working at a strip club in the Tokyo entertainment district of Asakusa, and Fukami, who was the club’s reigning comic.

In a statement, Gekidan Hitori said that he has been developing the script for six years and that...

This morning, Nintendo revealed the next free Summer update to Animal Crossing: New Horizons bringing both new things, and a much needed technical feature. Nintendo continues to roll out the free updates for Animal Crossing, ensuring that you’ll never truly leave…Today brings word of the Summer “Wave 2” additions, which will bring special fireworks shows, […]

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