ken watanabe

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NECK: Takeshi “Beat” Kitano To Finish Directing Career Off With Summer Start On Period Actioner

Barring any other expectations by fans of Takeshi “Beat” Kitano, the next stage for the cult filmmaking legend looks to be his final directorial outing, adapting his own novel, Neck. The new period actioner is based on Kitano’s 2019 Kadokawa publication, reportedly inspired in part by Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 jidaigeki opus, Seven Samurai, and is currently set for a May production start. Here’s Variety‘s Mark Schilling with more: The novel “Kubi” is one of many fictional treatments of the real-life Honno-ji Incident, in which famed warlord Oda Nobunaga was assassinated at a temple in Kyoto in 1582. The characters are mainly real historical figures, including Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Nobunaga retainer who avenges his dead lord in battle, and Sorori Shinzaemon, a Hideyoshi attendant noted for his wit. In Kitano’s novel, which starts prior to the assassination, Shinzaemon captures Araki Murashige, a Nobunaga general accused of disloyalty. The plot revolves around […]

Japan Cuts Review: Setsuro Wakamtasu’s FUKUSHIMA 50, And The Faults Of Human Ingenuity

Japan Cuts Review: Setsuro Wakamtasu’s FUKUSHIMA 50 Casts A Teachable Moment About Human Ingenuity

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been more than nine years since the world bore witness to the devastation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. For posterity, the story of the people who stayed on site became the subject of Ryusho Kadota’s own non-fiction own novel, “On the Brink: The Inside Story of Fukushima Daiichi”, published originally in 2012 prior to English translations made available thereafter. That book now takes on new life in Fukushima 50, the latest film from Aircraft Carrier Ibuki and Snow On The Blades helmer Setsuro Wakamatsu, and screenwriter Youichi Maekawa who makes the transition here from television for his first-ever feature screenplay. It is the first film made that directly depicts the events of March 11, 2011, and the hours that followed as a team of fifty people worked to maintain the cooling systems in all four reactor buildings, all while mitigating with bureaucratic red tape from the Tokyo […]

TWC Grants SHANGHAI A Limited Release On August 27!

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been five years since Escape Plan and 1408 helmer Mikael Håfström’s neo-noir wartime drama, Shanghai bowed in China. Interestingly enough, TWC has since landed the film for a limited theatrical release beginning on August 21, and while this is very much newly on my radar, seeing the likes of John Cusack, Gong Li, Chow Yun-Fat and Watanabe Ken together feels very rewarding and promising of some stellar performances to come. SYNOPSIS: Nothing is what it seems in this Casablanca-style international thriller set in the ancient Chinese city a week before the attack on Pearl Harbor. U.S. Secret Agent Paul Soames (John Cusack) has just arrived to investigate the murder of his best friend, only to become quickly immersed in a web of conspiracy and lies that beset the city. Shadowed by a Japanese intelligence officer Tanaka (Ken Watanabe), Soames’ investigation quickly centers on a charismatic local gangster, Anthony Lanting […]

The Bailey Review: GODZILLA (2014)

Lee B. Golden III

SYNOPSIS: An epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence. Gareth Edwards directs “Godzilla,” which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (“Kick-Ass”), Oscar® nominee Ken Watanabe (“The Last Samurai,” “Inception”), Elizabeth Olsen (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”), Oscar® winner Juliette Binoche (“The English Patient,” “Cosmopolis”), and Sally Hawkins (“Blue Jasmine”), with Oscar® nominee David Strathairn (“Good Night, and Good Luck.,” “The Bourne Legacy”) and Bryan Cranston (“Argo,” TV’s “Breaking Bad”). REVIEW: Godzilla is the single greatest creature movie since Jurassic Park. I said it. I stand by it. Let’s talk about it. From the opening credits of the film, where vintage footage of nuclear bomb “tests” are shown, we are immediately engaged in this world. We see glimpses of Godzilla’s scaly back right from the get-go. The […]

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Check Out These New Clips From GODZILLA

Lee B. Golden III

With a forthcoming mobile video game and prequel comic book on the way this month by Legendary Comics, Godzilla fans have all the reason in the world to stay excited as the King Of Monsters himself prepares to dominate the box office on May 16. In light of this, we have some clips for the film which you can check out below, courtesy of IGN. Check out the clips and make sure to get your tickets ASAP, and CLICK HERE to purchase your copy of Godzilla: Awakening and other Godzilla-related swag. SYNOPSIS: An epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence. Gareth Edwards directs “Godzilla,” which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (“Kick-Ass”), Oscar® nominee Ken Watanabe (“The Last Samurai,” “Inception”), Elizabeth Olsen (“Martha Marcy May […]

Bryan Cranston Knows What's Been Hidden In The New Trailer For GODZILLA

Lee B. Golden III

Following a new poster and Empire Magazine cover and audio unveiling, the new official trailer arrived for the for the forthcoming May 16, 2014 release of Godzilla from director Gareth Edwards, which you can check out above. The film starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Taylor-Johnson has already garnered some major fan approval, including from that of Guns And Roses former lead guitarist, Slash, whose most recent screening of Edwards’ new film earned its critique as “pretty fn’ epic” on Twitter this week. Check out the trailer, as well as the recent empire cover below and stay tuned for more info. SYNOPSIS: An epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence. Gareth Edwards directs “Godzilla,” which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (“Kick-Ass”), Oscar® nominee Ken Watanabe […]

GODZILLA Goes International With A TV Spot, Trailer And New Poster Art

Lee B. Golden III

Following the unveiling of the North American trailer for director Gareth Edwards‘s forthcoming sci-fi action adventure monster epic, Godzilla, it was also made known that Japanese distributors Toho would be showcasing the film as well in Japan, where it all started. As such, two spots have already gone viral with a trailer and television promo for the film set to release in 2D and 3D on May 16, 2014, with Warner Bros. distributing in North America and other territories. Toho will premiere the film’s Japan release on July 25, 2014. Check out the two Japanese promos below the synopsis courtesy of ComingSoon.net, as well as the two new synonymous posters for the film. SYNOPSIS: An epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence. […]