miike takashi

FIRST LOVE Swoons Online With A Cast Teaser For Takashi Miike’s New Action Thriller

Anyday is a good day to be a Takashi Miike fan! So much so that his latest, First Love, landed the Directors’ Fortnight line-up at Cannes from HanWay Films and is now unveiling a first look teaser to kick things in motion. Rounding out the cast is an octet comprised of actors Masataka Kubota (Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo Ghoul: S), and actress Sakurako Konishi, with Nao Omori (Ichi The Killer), Shota Sometani (Legend Of The Demon Cat), actress and singer Becky (Eight Ranger, Eight Ranger 2), and actors Jun Murakami (upcoming Aircraft Carrier Ibuki), Sansei Shiomi (Beyond Outrage, Outrage Coda) and Seiyo Uchino (13 Assassins). Set over one night in Tokyo, we follow Leo (Kubota), a young boxer down on his luck as he meets his ‘first love’ Monica (Konishi), a call girl and an addict but still an innocent. Little does Leo know, Monica is unwittingly caught up in a […]

FIRST LOVE Adds Takashi Miike’s Latest World Premiere Action Thriller To Cannes’ Directors Fortnight Line-Up

Lee B. Golden III

Want some more Miike for your moviegoing? Then take a gander at HanWay Films’ latest nab of the auteur’s new action thriller, First Love. The UK-based international sales/distro banner acquired rights to the Japan/UK co-prod which reteams Miike with Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas’ Recorded Picture Company for a fourth time following Hara-kiri: Death Of A Samurai, 13 Assassins, and Blade Of The Immortal. Deadline‘s Andreas Wiseman notes the film’s description as cited by the producers as follows: Set over one night in Tokyo, the film will follow Leo, a young boxer down on his luck as he meets his ‘first love’ Monica, a call girl and an addict but still an innocent. Little does Leo know, Monica is unwittingly caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme, and the two are pursued through the night by a corrupt cop, a yakuza, his nemesis, and a female assassin sent by the Chinese Triads. […]

ICHI THE KILLER: Watch The Brand New Trailer For Well Go USA’s DEFINITIVE REMASTERED EDITION Re-Release

Lee B. Golden III

2017 was a banner year celebrating a career of well-over 100 movies to his name. This year, consider Well Go USA’s latest, Ichi The Killer, a retrospective of sorts as the 2001 manga adaptation re-emerges once more from its digital veneer to a lush, retreated and revamped 4K director’s cut. Takashi Miike’s ICHI THE KILLER has endured as one of the most influential pieces of genre filmmaking of the last two decades, and now it returns in a stunning all-new 4k restoration approved by Miike himself. This visceral, bloody, and often hilarious film follows Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano), a notoriously sadistic yakuza enforcer whose search for his boss’ killer brings him into the orbit of a demented costumed assassin known as Ichi (Nao Ōmori). The film is currently undergoing a scant theatrical from Well Go USA since premiering in New York City last November. Toronto film programmer is also hosting the […]

Hey New York City! Get Metrograph Tickets For ICHI THE KILLER In 4K Restoration Now!

Lee B. Golden III

Get ready to embrace the craziness once more in a complete 4K restoration of Miike Takashi’s cult manga adaptation, Ichi The Killer. Tickets are available for the film’s opening this Friday and over the weekend at the Metrograph in New York City courtesy of Well Go USA who are also readying a wider release thereafter. Searching for his missing boss and a lot of missing money through the channels of the seedy underworld, Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano), a sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer, more than meets his match in the form of the mysterious Ichi (Nao Ohmori), a shy, sexually-repressed lad who, when enraged, becomes a virtuoso of creative slaughter. Miike’s manic manga adaptation was a phenomenon, appalling audiences around the world, and may never be topped for the sheer variety of ways that it presents to pulverize the human body. Asano Tadanobu and Omori Nao lead the cast for the controversial cult […]

Miike Takashi’s BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL Gets A Stylish New U.S. Poster

Lee B. Golden III

Miike Takashi fans have two terrific reasons to enjoy going to the movies this November. One of them now comes branded with a fantastic new poster from ComingSoon for the hit manga adaptation, Blade Of The Immortal which hits screens on November 3 from Magnet Releasing. Samurai Manji has taken a lot of lives, both innocent and guilty, and now lives life in feudal Japan as a criminal. After being cursed with immortality until he kills enough evil men, Manji meets a young girl who enlists him to be her body-guard. Swearing loyalty, protection and vengeance against the group of sword fighters who slaughtered her family, the unlikely duo set on a remarkable quest to make right against those who did them wrong. I’ve written plenty on this adaptation and having gotten the gist of reactions since the film’s release in Japan and subsequent festival rounds, I’m eager to see […]

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL Lands A December U.K. Release

Lee B. Golden III

I still plan on catching Magnet’s U.S. release of Miike Takashi’s hit manga adaptation, Blade Of The Immortal next month. Folks in the U.K. still have a bit of a wait though and in all likelihood it won’t stall any excitement that has already been drawn from the rave press reviews in the last six months, including this month at Sitges. Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu. The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine… Arrow Films is releasing the film theatrically on December 8. The trailer looks something a bit similar from the international pitch […]

ICHI THE KILLER, Tadanobu Asano, Nao Omori, 2001, ©Media Blasters

ICHI THE KILLER Gets A Digitally Restored 4K Bloodbath From Well Go USA Starting This November

Lee B. Golden III

It was back in May ahead of the Cannes Film Festival that news broke of a forthcoming remastering and re-release of film auteur Miike Takashi’s manga adaptation hit, Ichi the Killer. The controversial ultra-violent crime horror scored a cult following after its 2001 and having only been shot on Betacam and only coverted 35mm film at the time, new technology now deems it possible for a more crisp and pristine finish. Restoration of the film was handled by L’Immagine Rittrovata Asia, the Hong Kong offices of Davide Pozzi’s Bologna, Italy-based film restoration lab which opened to a lucrative streak of restoring Asian film in the wake of bolstering online video demand. Since then, the long-awaited announcement of its acquisition news was made over the weekend with word that Well Go USA have officially acquired distribution rights to the new 4K restoration now dubbed Ichi The Killer: The Digitally Restored Director’s. […]

The U.S. Trailer For Miike Takashi’s BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL Arrives, Drenched In Blood, Body Parts And Brutalizing Fun!

Lee B. Golden III

Celebrated director Miike Takashi has had a major year in film with several manga adaptations hitting festivals this year – two which saw official theatrical releases to high acclaim and fanfare. One of the two, Blade Of The Immortal, made its way to Japan cinemas back in April before hitting screens at Cannes and then Fantasia thereafter. Samurai Manji has taken a lot of lives, both innocent and guilty, and now lives life in feudal Japan as a criminal. After being cursed with immortality until he kills enough evil men, Manji meets a young girl who enlists him to be her body-guard. Swearing loyalty, protection and vengeance against the group of sword fighters who slaughtered her family, the unlikely duo set on a remarkable quest to make right against those who did them wrong. It’s been a big year for manga adaptations and will continue to be so for fans […]

JoJo27s_Bizarre_Adventure-_Diamond_is_Unbreakable-p1

JOJO’S BIZZARE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE: Watch The First Thirteen Minutes Of Miike Takashi’s Live-Action Manga Thriller!

Lee B. Golden III

It remains to be seen when exactly we’ll see some acquisition news regarding Miike Takashi’s second of two anime adaptations this summer, JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable. Apart from that, all one needs to know is that the reactions have all but largely fared well by those who’ve managed to spy an eye on the spooky live-action fantasy horror treatment of Araki Hirohiko’s longstanding anime about a high school student’s journey of self-discovery amid epic battles with “stand users” that soon start to affect the quiet town of Morioh. The film opened in Japan on August 4 following festivals premieres at Neuchatel and at Montreal’s Fantasia Festival. With more updates pending on its rollout, Warner Bros. Japan has been unveiling a series of clips online with our cast in action, as well as some of the striking VFX work put into showcasing the “stands”. I also realize that not […]

Miike Takashi’s BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL Opens In U.S. Theaters This November

Lee B. Golden III

Spring and summer have been much ado with acclaimed director Miike Takashi, now making waves at Fantasia this summer following his most recent theatrical Japan release, Blade Of The Immortal back in April from Warner Bros. Japan. Its Cannes premiere in May led to some terrific news for folks in North America tracking the film and with none other than Magnet Releasing snagging the rights for a U.S. release to be announced. As of Sunday, that date has officially been set for a theatrical release on November 3. Starring actor Kimura Takuya and actress Sugisaki Hana, Blade Of The Immortal is adapted for the screen by Oishi Tetsuya and centers a young woman who, following the murder of her family and devastation of her dojo at the hands of a bloodthirsty martial arts school, desperately seeks vengeance with the help of an afflicted, immortal swordsman with a vendetta of his […]

JOJO’S BIZZARE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE: The Stands Take A Stand In The Newest Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Nothing like a fresh new trailer for Miike Takashi’s JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable to keep the pot stirred ahead of its August 4 release in Japan. This one definitely stirs some with even more supernatural action and adventure with actor Yamazaki Kento starring as a gifted Stand user student forced into a secret war with other forces of evil that have plagued his quiet town. The film is based on Araki Hirohiko’s fourth series of the manga with actors Mackenyu and Okada Masaki starring as the afflicted Nijimura brothers, Yamada Takayuki as the elusive killer Angelo, Kamiki Ryunosuke and Komatsu Nana as Hirose Koichi and Yamagishi Yukako, and Iseya Yusuke as one of the longstanding JoJo protagonists, Kujo Jotaro. The film is gearing for an opening day premiere at Fantasia on July 13. Click here for the latest international trailer, otherwise the newest trailer is below.

JOJO'S BIZZARE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE Lands An International Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

It was no mere feat announcing the recent NIFFF appearance of acclaimed director Miike Takashi. Having left a mark this Spring with the highly celebrated Blade Of The Immortal, his latest return to festival furor will have him at Fantasia for the North American presentation of his other live-action manga adaptation, JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable. Previous iterations of the title had it hinting as the first of more than one chapter which would be fitting if Warner Bros. Japan saw fit to expand on the property. This latest treatment would adhere to the fourth phase of the JoJo saga with actor Yamazaki Kento leading the cast as a high school student uniquely gifted with the mysterious ability to call on a Stand – a spiritual anomaly of which there appear to be many lurking in town in one form or another through its secret users. Fantasia programmer Rupert […]

NIFFF 2017 Unveils Its Full Line-Up!

Lee B. Golden III

This years events at Neuchâtel are just days away, further adding to the summer film festival furor with a number of competing titles and international screenings. Acclaimed filmmaker Miike Takashi will surely be on hand for some of his own work in recent memory including The Mole Song: Hong Kong Cappriccio, Blade Of The Immortal, and the world premiere of JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable (don’t forget some of our earlier reporting on his films during Cannes as good a year it is to be a Miike fan). Other new and/or prominent titles in the line-up include and aren’t limited to Cambodian martial arts hit comedy, Jailbreak, upcoming horror romp Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight, hit South Korean thriller The Merciless, the Millott/Murnion-directed Bushwick, Chang’s Jackie Chan-produced Reset and S.S. Rajamouli’s epic action sequel, Baahubali: The Conclusion among others… Fourteen days and counting! Read onward below with the trailer playlist included, […]

Crazy Diamond Shines In The Official Second Trailer For JOJO’S BIZZARE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE – CHAPTER ONE

Lee B. Golden III

The marketing is a little iffy for me as I’m still trying to get a grasp about what will happen after the August 4 release of Miike Takashi’s JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable – Chapter One. The original fourth chapter in the series and its subsequent anime is pretty sizable and a lot does happen for everything to be told in one film. For this, I personally I hope there’s a sequel. In the meantime, legendary auteur Miike Takashi is at the helm for this, his 101st film adapting Araki Hirohiko’s popular manga with this particular portion centered on a young high school student, a Pompadour-wearing, polite-yet-short-tempered “stand user” whose abilities bear a history with his extended family, ensuing an adventure of murder, intrigue and supernatural danger that lurks in his quiet town of Morioh. Yamazaki Kento stars in the film and will be making his first film festival […]

Miike’s JOJO’S BIZZARE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE Goes To NIFFF And Fantasia This Summer

Lee B. Golden III

The 17th edition of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival has already announced its first eight titles from its official selection spanning a variety of genres and territories and you’ll find them listed at the official website. In the meantime, they won’t be the only feature on display when the festival kicks off on June 30 when fest attendees can expect to catch acclaimed filmmaker Miike Takashi who himself has been having a pretty lively year. Thus, forthcoming will be the auteur’s arrival as guest of honor in addition to presenting his latest anime/manga adaptation, JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable – Chapter One ahead of its August 4 Japan release from Toho and Warner Bros. Japan. The film will screen on Sunday, July 2nd as part of the International Competition with Miike, select crew and the film’s principal star, actor Yamazaki Kento on hand before the film’s second festival […]

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL Wields A Deadly New English-Subbed Trailer!

Lee B. Golden III

Miike Takashi’s new movie, Blade Of The Immortal, is screening at Cannes on Thursday and with more deals to be made on its distribution after inking a North American deal with Magnet Releasing. In the meantime, we finally have an English-subtitled trailer to share from HanWay Films who are representing the film internationally for buyers. The film, produced by Jeremy Thomas, Misako Saka, and Shigeji Maeda in association with Warner Bros Japan, takes from Samurai Hiroaki’s popular manga of the same name; Oishi Tetsuya’s screenplay centers a young woman who, following the murder of her family and devastation of her dojo at the hands of a bloodthirsty martial arts school, desperately seeks vengeance with the help of an afflicted, immortal swordsman with a vendetta of his own. Actor Kimura Takuya leads the cast along with Sugisaki Hana, and also stars Fukushi Sota, Toda Erika, Ichikawa Ibizo, Tanaka Min and Yamazaki […]

New International Sales Art For BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL Keeps Score

Lee B. Golden III

I don’t quite know everyone’s tastes in music, but recording artist MIYAVI’s title track for Miike Takashi’s latest, Blade Of The Immortal, feels like music to my ears. It’s only on the heels of excellent news of its forthcoming U.S. release from Magnet Releasing as well and I can’t wait to share that experience in theaters provided it gets a decent rollout. In the meantime, the film which opened theatrically in Japan at the tail end of April has an Out-Of-Competition premiere on Thursday at Cannes while sales continue to move forward with HanWay Films representing, and best believe it has some nifty sales art for buyers to take a gander at. Front and center of course are actor Kimura Takuya and actress Sugisaki Hana in roles inspired by Samura Hiroaki’s hit manga of the same name. Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. […]

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL Lands At Magnet For U.S. Release

Lee B. Golden III

HanWay It’s probably some of the best news you’ll hear of it and with any luck it’ll mean a wider release granted than other titles from various distributors and their ridiculous event screenings, but the word now is that Miike Takashi’s 100th film, Blade Of The Immortal now has U.S. distribution over at Magnolia Pictures’s genre arm, Magnet Releasing in a deal with HanWay Films. The film premiered in Japan on April 29 from Warner Bros. Japan and is currently slated as an Official Selection presentation at Cannes this week. Magnet is an especially good shingle for the film to reside at especially considering the film is home to, among its other cult titles, the first two installments of Kitano Takeshi’s Yakuza crime trilogy, Outrage and Beyond Outrage. Based on the famous manga, BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL follows the deeds of Manji, a skilled samurai in the Shogunate era who […]

Miike Takashi’s ICHI THE KILLER Will Get A Remastered And Revived Re-Release

Lee B. Golden III

EMP One needn’t look too far in director Miike Takashi’s career to find any number of titles that near perfectly illustrate the warped, mindbending judo that embodies his craft. I haven’t seen all of his movies but the ones I have are all definitely thrilling classics in their own right – some of which are real envelope pushers. Just shy of the halfway point of his career by 2001, an adaptation of Yamamoto Hideo’s seinen manga, Ichi The Killer, became one of those titles. Starring Omori Nao in the title role opposite Asano Tadanobu, it’s the twisted tale of psychological and emotional tumult and reprieve between the intersecting lives of a pent-up, psychologically-scarred martial artist – armed with a kill switch and a fixed blade on his left foot – who is manipulated into assassinating Yakuza crime figures, and the sadomaschist Yakuza enforcer looking for him. Tanno Masato directed the […]

JOJO’S BIZZARE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE: Things Get Even More Bizzare And Deadly In The Official Trailer!

Lee B. Golden III

My own anime intake still has a lot to cover and especially with the world author Araki Hirohiko built within the chapters of the hit manga property, Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure. The same could be said for director Miike Takashi who hasn’t run short on manga adaptations this year, and especially with some of the content he’s delved into for his Summer offering, Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable. Thus, what we get in the brand new trailer now live as of Wednesday doesn’t look like the film will cover much, although the arc itself, as explored in the subsequent anime, is surely an intense one; The film bookmarks just the latest chapter in the Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure, immersing you in the quiet town of Morioh where we meet Higashikata Josuke, a gifted Stand user whose abilities, embodied by Crazy Diamond, include repairing broken items and healing injuries other than his […]