Takashi Miike has a new film worth reminding ourselves over as we await his latest arrival over at Netflix in the animation arena with Onimusha. For this, we turn to a new minute-long trailer for Lumberjack The Monster which hit the web last week with actor Kazuya Kamenashi starring based on the hit manga by author Mayusuke Kurai.
Japan auteur Takashi Miike has already taken a hold on a few headlines this week re: The Great Yokai War: Guardians. Don’t count him out just yet however as it’s only the middle of the week, because Miike is on track to get some extra attention with the teaser now running for Lumberjack The Monster, opening locally in theaters on December 1 from Warner Bros. Japan.
SRS Cinema has acquired The Great Yokai War: Guardians, the long-awaited sequel to Takashi Miike’s 2005 Daiei revival. Miike returns to direct the pic which firstly opened in August 2021, featuring young actor Kokoro Terada, and written by Yusuke Watanabe.
December is chock-filled with some Asian action delights over at Well Go USA’s niche streaming channel, Hi-YAH!, and the company has a brand new promo which you can view below, firstly introducing footage from Channel Choi’s Kowloon Walled City (2021), starring Shi Yan Neng (a.k.a. Xing Yu) as a migrant from Dongbei who finds himself up against evil forces to protect friends within the notorious city.
My first exposure to Takashi Miike began less than twenty years ago, eyeing Suncoast’s DVD kiosks where I would nab copies of some of their Media Blasters/Tokyo Shock titles. His range of directing proved to me to be as unique as it is versatile, exuding a style that rightfully stirred the pot at times and peppered it beautifully at others.
If you took a liking any to Takashi Miike’s 2005 Daiei revival from the late 1960s, The Great Yokai War, you’re more than welcome to get your hopes up for more in the new year with the first promo art now online for the follow-up, The Great Yokai War: Guardians.
In reflecting on Takashi Miike’s 2002 rendition of Kinji Fukasaku’s Graveyard Of Honor, news of pending remakes of Mario Van Peebles’ New Jack City and that of Brian De Palma’s Scarface comes to mind. Remakes and reboots of movies are the lifeblood of controversy for some film eager and opinionated film fans, and brouhaha with the latter two were no exception, although it’s worth imagining if those remakes will be anything like how Miike revised such a throwback classic.
Otakus and cinema fans alike who’d been hoping to take a gander at Takashi Miike’s live action adaptation, JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable – Chapter 1, are in luck with Tuesday’s newly-announced release of the film on Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack.
Most of my e-mail alerts nowadays pertaining to the new crime thriller, First Love, all have much to do with critical responses that are nothing short of positive.
Yes, Takashi Miike is back and the buzz he’s earned since premiering his new action thriller at Cannes and Neuchâtel this year with First Love all but suggests this. The film is finally poised for a theatrical relsase on September 27 and we now have an official teaser making the rounds to get the word out.
Takashi Miike’s newest Cannes darling, First Love, is coming to North America, and Well Go USA is all but on-top of things with its acquisition reported on Wednesday from THR. The film had its Directors’ Fortnight run in France and stars 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 (Aircraft Carrier Ibuki), Sansei Shiomi (Beyond Outrage, Outrage Coda) and Seiyo Uchino (13 Assassins).
Japanese film auteur Miike Takashi (Crows, Yatterman, Ichi The Killer) is still on par to release his latest self-described return to form with the upcoming action horror, Yakuza Apocalypse. Obviously based on the most recent teaser, such a film will delve into the usual gonzo array of gory imagery and wackiness to accomdate the creative vision planned here, but that’s Miike for you, and to suggest there’s a limit to his style would be the equivalent of expecting gravity to work in outer space, which reminds me…
Terra Formars (テラフォーマーズ) is a 2011 Japanese sci-fi manga written by Yū Sasuga and illustrated by Kenichi Tachibana. The story follows that in an attempt to colonize Mars, 21st century humanity first sought to terra form the planet by sending modified algae to change the planets atmosphere. Cockroaches were cleverly used as the method to transport the algae across the planet. Five hundred years later, the first humans descended upon Mars to see if the terra forming experiment was successful. What greeted them were giant, mutated cockroaches who possessed immense strength. The landing party was completely wiped out but not before sending a warning back to Earth. Decades later, (and with a mysterious illness sweeping Earth that may have connections to the terra forming experiment) another expedition is launched but this time, the passengers have had their DNA grafted with other bugs and animals which has bestowed them with increased strength and durability. Now, this new expedition must get to the bottom of the mysterious illness and the true catalyst behind this astounding evolution.
Such is the current description (via Blastr) of Miike‘s new project now in the form of the live-action manga installment, Terra Formars, based on Shueisha’s 2011 publication by sci-fi manga authors Tachibana Kenichi & Sasuga Yū. The franchise has already built itself a following both in-print and on the small screen through original video animes as as one of the more highly rated properties as of late. Readers in North America can find the manga available via Viz Media as more info about the film should come.
In the meantime… going from battling Yakuza vampires to hunting down giant humanoid cockaroaches on Mars huh Miike? …hmmk cool.
H/T: ANN
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