News

For their encyclopedic, eye-popping new narrative and visual history, Godzilla: The First 70 Years, authors Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski had a rare opportunity: unfettered access to the Toho archives. Having previously teamed up for Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa, the first biography of the legendary filmmaker, the duo unearthed a treasure trove of concept art, sketches, photographs, and behind-the-scenes stories about the King of the Monsters, from the iconic Showa Era films (1954-1975) up to 2023's Godzilla Minus One, which earned the franchise its first Oscar win.

In the excerpt below, the authors reveal how a kid raised on Steven Spielberg and George Lucas was selected to transform Godzilla into a formidable awards monster. Here's the story of how Takashi Yamazaki came aboard Godzilla Minus One — a film the authors describe as a "unique rewriting of Godzilla’s origin story [that] received critical acclaim worldwide...

Bitters End has acquired international sales rights for “Two Seasons, Two Strangers,” the latest feature from Japanese director Sho Miyake, ahead of the Cannes film market.

With three decades in the business, Bitters End has established itself as a leading Japanese distributor, handling films from internationally acclaimed filmmakers including Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Bong Joon-Ho, the Dardenne brothers, and Jia Zhangke. Recent acquisitions include “Anora,” “Sex/Love/Dreams,” “Caught by the Tide,” “La Chimera,” and “Perfect Days.” The company also produces and was behind the Academy Award-winning “Drive My Car.”

“Two Seasons, Two Strangers” stars Korean actor Shim Eun-kyung alongside Japanese actor Shinichi Tsutsumi (“Always: Sunset on Third Street”). Currently in post-production, the project is targeting a November domestic release in Japan.

Miyake has built a strong festival reputation with previous works including “All the Long Nights” (Berlinale 2024), “Small, Slow But Steady” (Berlinale 2022), “And Your Bird Can Sing” (Berlinale 2019), and “Playback” (Locarno 2012). His contemplative,...

‘Harbin’ To Be Present At Christmas

Poised to be one of the biggest blockbusters of an uneven year for Korean cinema, “Harbin” is finally confirmed to release on Christmas Day (Dec. 25). The movie had its premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival but its distributor and financier Cj Enm chose to hold back the commercial release in its native Korea until the busy end-of-year season.

The period action film follows Korean independence activists who launch a daring attack against the Japanese occupying forces in Manchuria (modern-day China).

It is directed by Woo Min-ho and stars Hyun Bin (“Crash Landing on You”), Park Jeong-min (“Decision to Leave”) and Jeon Yeo-been (“Cobweb”), who were all in action at a press launch event Monday in Seoul.

Apple Cider

Netflix has unveiled a trailer for Australian-produced “Apple Cider Vinegar,” a limited series which it will upload in 2025. The six-part drama chronicles the...

Kaijus are really the hype of the town right now – yes, even after all these years – with mastermind filmmakers like Takashi Yamazaki dominating the entertainment industry with his outstanding piece Godzilla Minus One. While non-fans may deem it yet another addition to the films on the Kaiju, true fans know just how massive of a masterpiece the 99% critically approved film is.

Takashi Yamazaki. | Credits: Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan/Cca-3.0/Wikimedia Commons.

Since then, Yamazaki has hinted in interviews that he may have something big planned up, and a sequel was recently confirmed as well. But while that was that, reports have further received a tremendous boost as reports reveal that Yamazaki has indicated meeting Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently. That said, could there be a Godzilla vs Avengers movie incoming?

Takashi Yamazaki Hints at His Meeting with Kevin Feige Kevin Feige. | Credits: Gage Skidmore/Cca-by-sa-2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

Last year, Toho released a new Godzilla film, titled Godzilla Minus One (read our review Here), in Japan on November 3rd, which happens to be Godzilla Day, the anniversary of the 1954 release of the original Godzilla movie. That was the 69th anniversary – and since this year marks the 70th anniversary of the original film, Godzilla Minus One is returning to theatres this weekend, with screenings starting on November 1st. There’s also a black & white version of Godzilla Minus One that’s called Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, and that version of the film is also returning to theatres for this celebration. To see if Godzilla Minus One and/or Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color will be showing near you this weekend, check out the Tickets.Godzilla website.

Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One sees an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla.

The concept of the underdog that reaches the top out of nowhere, particularly in sports, has been one of the most popular tropes in international cinema, especially when combined with a sense of nostalgia and a true story, with Hollywood having essentially exhausted the whole concept during the 80s and 90s. Umin Boya follows the same path in “Kano”, which is based on the homonymous, multiracial baseball team from Chiayi, in the Japanese-era Taiwan, that ended up representing the island in the 1931 Japanese High School Baseball Championship at Koshien Stadium. The film, which features well-known Japanese stars and an army of young Taiwanese athletes (and a few Japanese ones) won a number of awards in Asia, and was also a huge box office success, still holding the 6th place in the list of the highest grossing domestic Taiwanese films of all time.

on Amazon by clicking on...

Toho released a new Godzilla film, titled Godzilla Minus One (read our review Here), in Japan on November 3rd, which happens to be Godzilla Day – the anniversary of the 1954 release of the original Godzilla movie. The movie made its way over to the U.S. on December 1st. On January 12th, a black & white version of Godzilla Minus One reached theatres in Japan… and Deadline has confirmed that this black & white version, which is called Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, will also be getting a U.S. theatrical run! Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color will begin showing in U.S. theatres on January 26th, then the theatrical runs for both versions of the film will be coming to an end on February 1st.

Director Takashi Yamazaki, who has let it be known that he would like to make a sequel to the film, had this to say about the black...

Takashi Yamazaki is a leading Japanese filmmaker who received a lot of international attention in 2023 for his latest project, Godzilla Minus One, one of the strongest kaiju films of the last five years. His filmography goes far beyond monster movies, however. Over more than two decades, he has directed period dramas, animated adventures, war movies, sci-fi, and fantasy. In particular, he frequently adapts manga to the screen, most notably Always: Sunset on Third Street and Parasyte.

Famed producer Shuji Abe has passed away at the age of 74.

Via Oricon, Abe had passed away on Dec. 11, 2023, with Toho making the announcement on Dec. 21 in a letter to the public. The letter reads: "Film producer Shuji Abe passed away on December 11th after being treated for an illness for some time." The letter continues, "The private funeral was attended only by close relatives. We plan to hold a 'farewell party' at a later date. Details will be announced on the Robot Co., Ltd. website."

Abe founded Robot Communications in 1986 as an advertising planning business before moving into TV commercial and graphics design the next year. The CG aspect that Robot would later become widely credited for started in 2000, with the special effects company behind some of the biggest titles in Japan and abroad. From the critically acclaimed Always: San-chome no Yuhi (Always: Sunset on Third Street), to the...

Toho released a new Godzilla film, titled Godzilla Minus One (read our review Here), in Japan on November 3rd, which happens to be Godzilla Day – the anniversary of the 1954 release of the original Godzilla movie. Director Takashi Yamazaki has let it be known that he would like to make a sequel to the film, which has been a box office success both in Japan and internationally. But before we find out if Yamazaki is going to get the chance to make another Godzilla movie, it has been confirmed that he was given the opportunity to make another version of this one. A black & white version! The black & white version – which was created because the original Godzilla was made in black & white – is called Godzilla-1.0/C, which stands for Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, and it will be receiving a theatrical release in Japan on January 12th! A trailer and...

A failed kamikaze pilot, one furious radioactive lizard and a Japan devastated by war collide in Takashi Yamazaki’s unashamedly redemptive action thriller

Ever since he first lumbered on to the big screen in Ishiro Honda’s 1954 original film, Godzilla has been more than just a monster. The city-crunching prehistoric mega-reptile has been cast as a metaphor for the nuclear threat, American military might and environmental abuses. He also represents a seemingly boundless franchise opportunity, having appeared in almost 40 films, of wildly varying quality. Of all these, the terrific Godzilla Minus One is one of the very best. Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki (best known for sci-fi horror films Parasyte: Parts 1 and 2 and the comedy drama Always: Sunset on Third Street), this thunderously entertaining prequel, set in Japan in the immediate aftermath of the second world war, takes the king of monsters back to his roots.

In this version,...

Toho released a new Godzilla film, titled Godzilla Minus One (read our review Here), in Japan on November 3rd, which happens to be Godzilla Day – the anniversary of the 1954 release of the original Godzilla movie. The film made its way over to the United States on December 1st, and has quickly become the highest grossing live-action Japanese film in North America. There was a rumor going around that the film had a budget of $15 million – but director Takashi Yamazaki has since spoken up and said he wished he had that much to work with, because the budget was actually lower. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising if Godzilla Minus One‘s success were to lead to a sequel… and Yamazaki says he would like to direct one!

As of this writing, Godzilla Minus One has earned $26 million at the Japan box office and another $26 million from other territories,...

Toho released a new Godzilla film, titled Godzilla Minus One (read our review Here), in Japan on November 3rd, which happens to be Godzilla Day – the anniversary of the 1954 release of the original Godzilla movie. The film made its way over to the United States on December 1st… and Godzilla Minus One has not only done well enough during its release in the states that its theatre count is going to be expanded this weekend, but its $14.36 million haul so far has also earned it the honor of being the highest grossing live-action Japanese film in North America!

Toho has brought Godzilla Minus One to the states in its original Japanese version, with English subtitles. The film has secured a PG-13 rating for its U.S. release.

Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One will see an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla.

The Godzilla Minus One director may be planning to build on the success of the first film with a sequel.

Via Sanspo, director Takashi Yamazaki has shared that he's always wanted to work on a Godzilla film and revealed that after experiencing his first with Godzilla Minus One, he's hopeful to do another. "I had always wanted to create a Godzilla work, so the moment [is] a 50-year dream came true... But I feel lonely... I playfully but earnestly hope I can make about one more," he said.

Related Godzilla Minus One Breaks a 19-Year Domestic Box Office Record Godzilla Minus One continues its successful streak across theaters by outperforming one films almost 20-year record for domestic box office releases.

After the success of Godzilla Minus One, a sequel seems likelier than ever. Yamazaki has long been a renowned director in Japan with Always: Sunset on Third Street and the Stand by Me Doraemon...

Toho released a new Godzilla film, titled Godzilla Minus One (read our review Here), in Japan on November 3rd, which happens to be Godzilla Day – the anniversary of the 1954 release of the original Godzilla film. Today, December 1st, is the film’s official U.S. release date (although there have been Early Access Fan Event Screenings in premium large format theaters since Wednesday), and to mark the occasion the final trailer for Godzilla Minus One has arrived online. You can check it out in the embed above.

Toho brings Godzilla Minus One to the states in its original Japanese version, with English subtitles. The film has secured a PG-13 rating for its U.S. release.

Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One will see an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla. Interestingly, one of Yamazaki’s previous credits is the 2007 film...

Godzilla: Minus One is already being praised as one of the best takes on the prolific King of the Monsters in years, and hopefully, the film's early success is a sign of great things to come for its underrated director, Takashi Yamazaki. Before directing what has become the biggest IMAX opening ever for a live-action film at the Japanese box office, Takashi Yamazaki developed a fascinatingly diverse filmography. He has done it all, such as gripping live-action dramas like the Always: Sunset on Third Street Trilogy and the World War II epic The Fighter Pilot.

Takashi Yamazaki's latest feature, “Godzilla Minus One,” is a terrific new entry to the title monster's extensive franchise. Prior, the director had depicted the character in various media, most notably a cameo in the opening of “Always: Sunset on Third Street 2.” For “Minus One,” Yamazaki sets the story in postwar Japan and draws influence from the original “Godzilla” directed by Ishiro Honda, Shusuke Kaneko's “Gmk: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack,” and Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi's “Shin Godzilla.” After closing out the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival, the film opened strong for its theatrical release, becoming a financial and critical success.

Word War II closes, and traumatized kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima returns to a devastated Japan under American occupation and is further met with tragedy. Koichi is plagued with survivor's guilt while suffering Ptsd from a horrific encounter he experienced on Odo Island. Yet he finds comfort in...

Toho released a new Godzilla film, titled Godzilla Minus One, in Japan on November 3rd, which happens to be Godzilla Day – the anniversary of the 1954 release of the original Godzilla film. The film will be making its way over to the United States on December 1st, and in anticipation of that release the folks at Rotten Tomatoes got an exclusive look at a clip from Godzilla Minus One that shows the iconic kaiju chasing a boat. You can watch the clip in the embed at the bottom of this article.

Toho will be bringing Godzilla Minus One to the states in its original Japanese version, with English subtitles. The film has secured a PG-13 rating for its U.S. release.

Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One will see an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla. Interestingly, one of Yamazaki’s...

“Always: Sunset on Third Street” is based on the manga series “Sunset on Third Street,” written and illustrated by Ryohei Saigan, which follows the lives of various characters in post-war Japan. Upon release, “Always: Sunset on Third Street” would be a box-office hit, receive an overwhelmingly positive reception, and be picked as the Picture of the Year at the 2006 Japanese Academy Awards. The success of the movie would spawn two sequels.

on Amazon by clicking on the image below

Set in 1958 Japan, during the post-war economic recovery, technology is evolving, with the rising advent of television and the building of the Tokyo Tower. The primary location is a lower-income neighborhood in the Yuhi district. Rural schoolgirl Mutsuko Hoshino arrives in the metropolitan city excited to work as an apprentice at Suzuki Auto. Yet, she's perplexed when she learns that her workplace is a rundown auto repair shop...

Today, November 3rd, is Godzilla Day – the anniversary of the 1954 release of the original Godzilla film. To celebrate the occasion, Toho has released a new Godzilla film, titled Godzilla Minus One, in Japan. The film will be making its way over to the United States on December 1st, and a new trailer for the U.S. release has made its way online. You can check it out in the embed above.

Toho will be bringing Godzilla Minus One to the states in its original Japanese version, with English subtitles. The film has secured a PG-13 rating for its U.S. release.

Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One will see an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla. Interestingly, one of Yamazaki’s previous credits is the 2007 film Always: Sunset on Third Street 2, which features a Godzilla cameo in a fantasy sequence.

Godzilla Minus One, the latest Godzilla movie from Toho, is set to be released in Japan on Godzilla Day this year, November 3, 2023. It will then receive a nationwide release in the United States on December 1st. With the first audiences just about to get the chance to watch the movie, a new poster for the U.S. release has arrived online, and you can check it out at the bottom of this article.

Toho will be bringing Godzilla Minus One to the states in its original Japanese version, with English subtitles. The film has secured a PG-13 rating for its U.S. release.

Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One will see an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla. Interestingly, one of Yamazaki’s previous credits is the 2007 film Always: Sunset on Third Street 2, which features a Godzilla cameo in a fantasy sequence.

Godzilla Minus One, the latest Godzilla movie from Toho, is set to be released in Japan on Godzilla Day this year, November 3, 2023. It will then receive a nationwide release in the United States on December 1st. Variety reports that the theatrical-only specialist distributor Pieces of Magic Entertainment has now acquired the rights to distribute Godzilla Minus One in 38 European territories, and will be releasing it at the beginning of December. Along with the news of that distribution deal comes the unveiling of a new trailer for the film, which can be seen at the bottom of this article.

Toho will be bringing Godzilla Minus One to the states in its original Japanese version, with English subtitles. The film has secured a PG-13 rating for its U.S. release.

Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One will see an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla.

“Godzilla Minus One,” the biggest picture to date in the Japanese monster movie franchise and the Wednesday night closing gala title at the Tokyo International Film Festival, is set for pan-European release at the beginning of December.

Rights were acquired for 38 territories by theatrical-only specialist distributor Piece of Magic Entertainment from Toho, the Japanese studio that controls the ‘kaiju’ franchise and distributes the picture in Japan from Nov. 3.

“Godzilla Minus One” takes place in postwar Japan, where Godzilla a new terror rises, forcing the country’s devastated people to not only survive, but fight back. Yamazaki Takashi has multiple credits as director, screenwriter and VFX artist on the film.

It stars Kamiki Ryunosuke, Hamabe Minami, Yamada Yuki, Aoki Munetaka, Yoshioka Hidetaka, Ando Sakura and Sasaki Kuranosuke.

See the new trailer here:

From its origins as an allegory for the devastating potential of the hydrogen bomb, the Godzilla franchise has achieved phenomenal worldwide success,...

Yesterday we learned that Godzilla Minus One, the latest Godzilla movie from Toho, has been given a PG-13 rating for its release in the United States, a rating it earned due to creature violence and action. Now a new TV spot for the film has arrived online, and you can check that out in the embed above. The film is set to be released in Japan on Godzilla Day this year, November 3, 2023. It will then receive a nationwide release in the United States on December 1st.

Toho will be bringing Godzilla Minus One to the states in its original Japanese version, with English subtitles.

Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One will see an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla. Interestingly, one of Yamazaki’s previous credits is the 2007 film Always: Sunset on Third Street 2, which features a Godzilla cameo in a fantasy sequence.

There’s a new Godzilla movie, called Godzilla Minus One, coming our way from Toho, The film is set to be released in Japan on Godzilla Day this year, November 3, 2023. It will then receive a nationwide release in the United States on December 1st… and while Toho gears up to bring Godzilla Minus One to the states, the film has secured a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association ratings board. The reason for the rating: “creature violence and action“. Exactly what we want to see from a Godzilla movie.

Toho will be bringing Godzilla Minus One to the states in its original Japanese version, with English subtitles.

Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One will see an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla. Interestingly, one of Yamazaki’s previous credits is the 2007 film Always: Sunset on Third Street 2, which features...