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Experience a ground-breaking two-week program and market from November 26 to December 10, 2024, showcasing Japan’s finest video content to the world! The platform brings together a vibrant mix of innovative, creative, and unique films, delivering laughter, tears, nostalgia, and fresh perspectives. From captivating storylines to unexpected twists, it offers something for everyone and meets the growing global demand for exceptional Japanese entertainment. Don’t miss it!

Read more on the official website Here.

Here are all the titles:

A Samurai in Time

Junichi Yasuda : Third Window Films

2024 | 131min | comedy, fantasy, period drama

Nobutora-Samurai Tiger

Shusuke Kaneko, Harumasa Miyashita : Miyaobi Pictures

2021 | 135min | period drama, history, Japanese traditional

Esports!! Real-Time Battle Shogi Edition

Tomari Seiya: Amarrar Inc

2024 | 100min | comedy, drama, family

“Hideyoshi” Works for a Start-up Company

Keisuke Yoshimura: Aichi Television Broadcasting Co.,Ltd.

2023 | 30min×3 | fantasy, drama

Traverse

Yuuki Okda: movie「Traverse」Produchtion Committee

2019 | 96min | action, japanese traditional, kangfoo

Ghost Bugs

Saku Sakamoto: zelicofilm,...

The annual New York Asian Film Festival is about to kick off this summer.

Presented by the New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center, the 23rd edition of the festival will take place from July 12 through 22 at Film at Lincoln Center, with additional screenings from July 22 through 28 at the Sva Theatre and July 13–15, 18–21, and 23–25 at Look Cinemas W57, plus a special collaborative presentation of films at the Korean Cultural Center New York.

This year’s lineup marks the largest list of premieres, with 20 films debuting including the North American premiere of “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,” which debuted at Cannes.

The opening night selection is the world premiere of Park Beom-su’s “Victory,” a cheerleading epic that’s billed as “Bring It On” meets “Parasite.” Lee Hye-ri (of 3rd-gen K-pop band Girl’s Day) will be in attendance with co-star Park Se-wan and director Park.

Horace Ové’s masterpiece “Pressure” is getting the spotlight treatment courtesy of Janus Films and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Bam).

“Pressure” will screen for two weeks as part of the museum’s ode to Black British cinema. The program, titled “Uncharted Territories: Black Britain on Film, 1963-1986” will take place from May 3 through 7, leading up to the new 4K restoration of “Pressure,” widely regarded as the first Black British narrative feature film.

“Uncharted Territories” features rarely screened work from filmmakers of African and Caribbean heritage based in Britain. The series includes “Burning an Illusion,” directed by Menelik Shabazz (1981), John Akomfrah’s “Handsworth Songs” (1986), “Territories” directed by Isaac Julien (1984), and more. The festival is programmed by Ashley Clark.

Screenings of “Pressure” begin May 10 and will continue through May 23. Herbert Norville, Oscar James, and Frank Singuineau star in the feature that follows a London-born teen (Norville), who is the son of Trinidadian parents.

Is it the truth, or a romantic fiction? If the latter, who is telling the story? The vignette at the start of Shûsuke Kaneko’s much-loved manga adaptation packs in every available Gothic cliché. A lonely boy plays the piano late at night, by the light of an oil lamp. He’s disturbed by a sudden gust of wind, which sets white curtains billowing. Leaving the room, he walks along a corridor, slips an envelope under a door, then exits the mansion as a grandfather clock chimes ominously. It’s even a full moon. He’s going to throw himself into the lake, and that’s what we seem to see. But is it what it seems?

Skip forward three months. The school – for that’s what the building is – has emptied for summer vacation, all but for three boys who have nowhere else to go. Seniors Kazuhiko (Tomoko Ôtakara) and Naoto (Miyuki Nakano), together.

Famous for its surreal genre-mashing and cross-gender casting, “Summer Vacation 1999”'s (1988) cultish elements recall the beginnings of shonen-ai (boy's love), one of many queercoded creative spaces that have been veiled for heterosexual enjoyment. Before our time of identity politics and labels, representations of gender and sexual fluidity wove itself into existence by sheer will and unquenchable desire. Today, in the restored catalogs of festivals such as Queer East, we look back in celebration, but also with a mixed sense of wonder, empathy and relief. In Shusuke Kaneko's futurist romantic-mystery, three boys reel from the return of their supposed-dead schoolmate to their countryside boarding school, igniting tensions and unrequited desires. “Summer Vacation 1999” breathes life into a depiction of queer spaces as innocent, fleeting and beautiful, forever scarred into memory.

Summer Vacation 1999 is screening at Queer East Festival

Under an ominous full moon, we witness the dramatic suicide of the well-loved,...

Let's begin by talking about the numbers of the Far East Film Festival 26. This year the Feff community will be able to watch 75 films from 11 countries. More precisely, 15 world premieres (including those of restored classics), 24 international premieres, 19 European premieres and 13 Italian premieres. Expected in Udine from 24 April to 2 May, in the historic headquarters of the Teatro Nuovo and in the spaces of the Visionario, the Far East Film Festival 26 will give life to a 9-day long full immersion and it will colour the heart of the city with Asia (there are over 100 thematic events scheduled). A real feast of cinema.

The Opening Night on Wednesday 24 April will travel between China and South Korea with two international premieres. The task of opening the curtain will fall to “Yolo”, the blockbuster that bears the signature of famous comedy star Jia Ling (here in the double role of director and protagonist). It is...

For 2024, Queer East Festival launches its fifth year milestone with a remarkable line up of film screenings, arts and performance events across London from 17 to 28 April 2024 and then across the UK later in the year. The programme includes contemporary feature films, documentaries and shorts as well as special anniversary and retrospective screenings that showcase a wide range of LGBTQ+ stories from East Asia, Southeast Asia and their diaspora communities.

Queer East Festival's ground-breaking film programme challenges conventions and stereotypes giving audiences an opportunity to explore the contemporary queer landscape across East and Southeast Asia. Amplifying the voices of Asian communities are the UK Premieres of features, documentaries and shorts exploring young queer love, gender nonconformity and asexual identity, as well as thought-provoking classics with the 20th Anniversary screening of Chinese-American romantic comedy Saving Face and 50th Anniversary screening of the once-considered-lost Japanese title Bye Bye Love. Furthermore, the festival's ‘Expanded'...

NewFest and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Bam) have announced the fourth annual lineup for their “Queering the Canon” retrospective film series, this year subtitled “Besties.”

This year’s lineup of films screening at Bam in downtown Brooklyn (April 11 – 15) includes a 4K restoration of Rose Troche’s lesbian classic “Go Fish,” the world premiere of the 4K restoration of Brian Sloan’s queer romantic comedy “I Think I Do,” 35mm screenings of Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho” and F. Gary Gray’s “Set It Off.” The “Go Fish” screening will be accompanied by a Q&a with Rose Troche in person along with star Guinevere Turner.

The repertory series was created by NewFest, co-curated by NewFest’s Nick McCarthy (director of programming) and Kim Garcia (technical director and programmer), and is presented in partnership with Bam.

The event will also include a panel discussion, “Best of the Besties,...

Born December 7th, 1979, Ayako Fujitani grew up in Osaka, Japan, loving movies at a young age. Whether horror, science-fiction, or drama, it didn't matter so long as it delivered. Fast forward to her teens, following an opportunity to present renowned actor Hiroyuki Sanada with a bouquet at a local film festival, something stood out to director Shusuke Kaneko. Hence, he offered her an audition opportunity for a lead part in his film “Gamera: Guardian of the Universe.” Initially hesitant but curious, the youth went to the audition but walked away feeling unsatisfied with how they did. Then, she got the part. Following guidance during the movie's production and its preceding sequels, Ayako grew as an actor, pursued more challenging roles moving forward, and also became active as a writer. Since then, she frequently works internationally.

Ayako Fujitani is a terrific actress with a lot of range who can make her characters feel real.

The classic Kaiju movie formula may have been invented in America with flicks like King Kong and The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, but at this point everyone’s aware that Japan is the one that perfected the genre. From Godzilla to Gamera, Japanese filmmakers have made these giant creature features part of their national identity, so it stands to reason that the west can’t quite keep up when it comes to traditional Kaiju movies.

Sure, we’re lucky enough to be living through a Kaiju renaissance with Legendary’s Monsterverse and the occasional dark horse like Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, but it’s really difficult for western cinema to capture the cheesy chaos of giant monsters wreaking havoc in densely populated urban environments. Thankfully, there are exceptions to this rule, and I’d argue that there’s one recent blockbuster that actually managed to reach the heights of...

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...

The Tokyo International Film Festival undertook a series of bold changes in 2020 to enhance its international reach, including a location change and major shakeups across staffing and programming. For the global film community, however, much of the overhaul went unfelt due to the travel restrictions of the pandemic. The Tokyo festival’s chairman, Hiroyasu Ando, emphasized at a press conference in the Japanese capital Wednesday that the event “aims to take a bigger leap” this year with its upcoming 36th edition, making good on its ambitions for a transformation.

“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.

The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...

One of the greatest underdogs in daikaijū history is a turtle. To be more exact, a giant turtle who breathes flames, flies by jet propulsion and, most importantly, protects mankind from other colossal monsters. And after a lengthy absence on screen, the herculean turtle Gamera is back in an animated series called Gamera Rebirth. Netflix has gifted eager fans an exciting new story that demonstrates the titanic turtle’s appeal and extends his legacy.

While Gamera isn’t exactly unknown by the masses, his presence is, for the most part, limited to the East. There is also the undeniable fact that Gamera is overshadowed by his clear inspiration and pop-cultural counterpart, Godzilla. Between these two Japanese icons, though, Gamera has had a tougher time overcoming his past. An acclaimed ‘90s trilogy of films, one that reimagined Gamera as a serious antihero, was directly responsible for the monster’s critical reevaluation.

Kadokawa Daiei Studio and the Netflix streaming service have teamed up to bring us the kaiju anime series Gamera: Rebirth, which is set to begin streaming on September 7th. With that date just a month and a half away, a new trailer for the show has arrived online, and you can check it out in the embed above!

A “giant, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle monster”, Gamera was first introduced to audiences in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster, which begins with an atomic bomb waking him from a long slumber in the Arctic. Over the next six years, Gamera returned in Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Guiron, Gamera vs. Jiger, and Gamera vs. Zigra. When the studio was struggling with financial issues in 1980, they cut together a bunch of stock footage Gamera: Super Monster. Gamera then took a fifteen year break before being brought back...

Gamera is back in Gamera: Rebirth, a brand new six episode anime series that’s coming soon to Netflix. Announced over the weekend, the series premieres on September 7, 2023.

Gamera will be battling Five different Kaiju in the upcoming series, and the brand new official trailer for “Gamera: Rebirth” introduces all the biggie sized adversaries this week.

The villainous monsters featured in “Gamera: Rebirth” include…

Gyaos Jiger Zigra Guiron Viras

The project’s official Twitter bio states, “From the Showa era to the Heisei era, the production of the new work “Gamera -Rebirth” of the giant monster Gamera that has been loved by monster fans all over the world has been decided! Global distribution on Netflix!”

Director Mr. Shusuke Kaneko said in a statement, “When I came up with my own idea for Reiwa Gamera and made a proposal, Kadokawa has already started a new project, and it’s content that...

In the 1990s, the Heisei Godzilla films were the most successful and popular special effects projects in Japan at the time. Yet, a whole plethora of tokusatsu content was released during this decade. The King of the Monsters wouldn't be the only iconic character to be reimagined. Gamera would make a divine return after a long period in hibernation with Shusuke Kaneko's excellent “Heisei Gamera Trilogy.” Kamen Rider would see some unique renditions of him, such as Keita Amemiya's terrific movie “Kamen Rider Zo,” which celebrates the franchise while giving a more modernized spin on the material. Television would thrive with series like Chojin Sentai Jetman” and “Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger.” Regarding Amemiya, he was prominently proactive during this period, both as a character designer and now as a filmmaker, even working on the two previously mentioned Super Sentai shows. His first picture, “Mirai Ninja,” would show what he could do regarding directing.

‘Bad Kids’ Are As Good As ‘Gold’

“The Bad Kids,” a hit series from Chinese streamer iQiyi, is to be remade as a Japanese feature film “Gold Boy.” The 12-episode gritty crime thriller depicts the troubles that arise after three children accidentally film a murder. The series was previously licensed to Japanese pay-tv group Wowow.

The film is to be directed by Kaneko Shusuke, director of two of the hit “Death Note” franchise films, with screenwriter Minato Takehiko, producer Yoshida Takio (Venice Silver Lion winner with “Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman”), and lead actor Okada Masaki (“Drive My Car”) on board.

Variety previously shortlisted the original series as being among the 15 best international TV series of 2020. The series was adapted from the novel of the same name by Chinese suspense writer Chen Zijin and presented by iQIYI and co-produced by Eternity Pictures, with Han Sanping, former head of China Film Group,...

Last month, we saw a teaser trailer for Gamera: Rebirth, an anime series coming from Kadokawa Daiei Studio and the Netflix streaming service. We still don’t know exactly when this show is going to make its premiere, but a full trailer has now arrived online to give us a preview of its kaiju action. You can check it out in the embed above.

A “giant, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle monster”, Gamera was first introduced to audiences in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster, which begins with an atomic bomb waking him from a long slumber in the Arctic. Over the next six years, Gamera returned in Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Guiron, Gamera vs. Jiger, and Gamera vs. Zigra. When the studio was struggling with financial issues in 1980, they cut together a bunch of stock footage Gamera: Super Monster. Gamera then took a fifteen...

The kaiju known as Gamera is roaring back to life with Gamera: Rebirth, a brand new six episode anime series that’s coming soon to Netflix. Gamera will be battling Five different Kaiju in the upcoming series, and Netflix has unleashed the trailer this weekend.

Watch the official Gamera: Rebirth trailer below!

The project’s official Twitter bio states, “From the Showa era to the Heisei era, the production of the new work “Gamera -Rebirth” of the giant monster Gamera that has been loved by monster fans all over the world has been decided! Global distribution on Netflix!”

Director Mr. Shusuke Kaneko said in a statement, “When I came up with my own idea for Reiwa Gamera and made a proposal, Kadokawa has already started a new project, and it’s content that makes me think that’s what happened, so I can expect this too. With that in mind,...

The kaiju known as Gamera is coming back to life with Gamera: Rebirth, a brand new six episode anime series that’s coming soon to Netflix. Gamera will be battling Five different Kaiju in the upcoming series, and Netflix has unleashed new poster art this morning.

On this latest poster, Gamera and Jiger engage in some monster-sized wrestling action…

The project’s official Twitter bio states, “From the Showa era to the Heisei era, the production of the new work “Gamera -Rebirth” of the giant monster Gamera that has been loved by monster fans all over the world has been decided! Global distribution on Netflix!”

Director Mr. Shusuke Kaneko said in a statement, “When I came up with my own idea for Reiwa Gamera and made a proposal, Kadokawa has already started a new project, and it’s content that makes me think that’s what happened, so I can expect this too.

About three months ago, we heard that Kadokawa Daiei Studio and the Netflix streaming service were teaming up for a mysterious project called Gamera: Rebirth, a continuation of the popular Gamera giant monster franchise. Would it be a film, a series, an anime feature? Well, now a teaser trailer has arrived online to let us know exactly what Gamera: Rebirth is. It’s an anime series that will show the giant turtle Gamera battling five other kaiju over the course of six episodes! The show is expected to premiere sometime in 2023.

A “giant, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle monster”, Gamera was first introduced to audiences in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster, which begins with an atomic bomb waking him from a long slumber in the Arctic. Over the next six years, Gamera returned in Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Guiron, Gamera vs. Jiger, and Gamera vs.

The kaiju known as Gamera is coming back to life with Gamera: Rebirth, a brand new six episode anime series that’s coming soon to Netflix. Today the official teaser trailer has been unleashed, teasing that within those six episodes, Gamera will be battling Five different Kaiju!

One of those beasts is Gyaos, whose appearance is previewed in an official poster as well.

Check out the Gamera: Rebirth teaser and poster art below.

The project’s official Twitter bio states, “From the Showa era to the Heisei era, the production of the new work “Gamera -Rebirth” of the giant monster Gamera that has been loved by monster fans all over the world has been decided! Global distribution on Netflix!”

Director Mr. Shusuke Kaneko said in a statement, “When I came up with my own idea for Reiwa Gamera and made a proposal, Kadokawa has already started a new project,...

Second entry of lesbian interest in the reboot of Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno series, “When the Rain Falls” is probably the most grounded to reality entry of the 8 that comprise it, something that does come as a surprise, considering the director, Shusuke Kaneko, has movies in the Gamera, Godzilla and Death Note franchise under his belt.

Hazuki clips her nail every time it rains, in an effort to remember a sapphic relationship she had in her schooldays. At the same time, she admires Shiori, the head of planning in the publishing company she works at, who also functions as a kind of her mentor. The rest of her co-workers mock Shiori for her “extravagant” clothes, high heels, and always lacquered long nails, but Hazuki definitely does not feel that way. Shiori wants to have a child with her elderly husband, Sawada, who is also the director of the company, but...

Kaiju never go out of style. From Godzilla to King Kong to Clifford the Big Red Dog, giant monster media is always close at hand to remind us all how we're only one bad experiment away from losing our top spot on the food chain. With that charming notion in mind, the latest entry into the creature catalog will be an adaptation of a familiar, scaly face. Netflix Japan officially announced via Twitter that its studio will helm "Gamera: Rebirth," an animated film starring the world's biggest turtle. The statement came packaged with what we can only describe as the shortest teaser trailer ever created.

There's not much to tell just yet, but we love talking almost as much as we love cryptids, and there's plenty to speculate about. Here's everything we know about Gamera's cinematic return, as well as a little background on the Og hero in a half...

A surprise poster and teaser video from Netflix have revealed a new Gamera project, titled Gamera: Rebirth, that will be coming to the streaming platform sometime in the future. The turtle-like kaiju first made his debut in 1965's Gamera, the Giant Monster, where he was initially portrayed as an antagonistic force to humanity, similar to the original Godzilla. Over time, however, Gamera became a more peaceful, often heroic figure, battling monsters like the Gyaos and Viras that threatened the world. Gamera would later earn the nickname "Friend of All Children" due to his benevolent nature toward children, even in his first film.

Netflix has revealed through a new poster and teaser that Gamera will be returning to the screen in Gamera: Rebirth. Following in Godzilla's footsteps, Gamera: Rebirth will be produced by the Guardian of the Universe's original Japanese studio, Kadokawa. While the format of the project is currently unknown,...

Sixteen years have passed since the last time a new film featuring the kaiju Gamera was released… but the long wait for new Gamera content will be coming to an end soon. Kadokawa Daiei Studio and the Netflix streaming service have announced that they’re working on a project called Gamera: Rebirth! It’s not clear exactly what this project is – film, series, anime, etc. – but judging by the copyright notice on the teaser video embedded above, it looks like we’ll be getting the answers in 2023.

A “giant, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle monster”, Gamera was first introduced to audiences in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster, which begins with an atomic bomb waking him from a long slumber in the Arctic. Over the next six years, Gamera returned in Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Guiron, Gamera vs. Jiger, and Gamera vs. Zigra. When the...

Officially announced by Netflix Japan tonight on social media, the kaiju known as Gamera is coming back to life with Gamera: Rebirth, a “new work” that’s coming soon to Netflix!

The project’s official Twitter bio states, “From the Showa era to the Heisei era, the production of the new work “Gamera -Rebirth” of the giant monster Gamera that has been loved by monster fans all over the world has been decided! Global distribution on Netflix!”

Director Mr. Shusuke Kaneko said in a statement, “When I came up with my own idea for Reiwa Gamera and made a proposal, Kadokawa has already started a new project, and it’s content that makes me think that’s what happened, so I can expect this too. With that in mind, I would like to support the team from the position of a baseball commentator who has experience as a manager of...

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Safe to say there isn’t another country bar Japan where a handful of top directors, including celebrated auteurs and an Oscar winner, learned their craft in adult films. Or perhaps even anywhere else in the world where that is imaginable.

But when cinemagoing plunged in parallel with the penetration of television sets into homes in the 1960s, it was so-called Pink Eiga that kept large parts of the movie industry afloat for decades, nurturing a generation of directors, scriptwriters and other filmmaking crew.

Usually between 60 and 70 minutes long, shot on 35mm and released in theaters, often on triple bills, the low-budget productions gave directors a lot of freedom provided they delivered the prescribed number of sex scenes.

In 1964, with the eyes of the world on Japan as it reemerged onto the world stage after World War Two as host of Tokyo Olympics,...

Mamoru Oshii has solidified himself from one acclaimed anime film to another. “Ghost in the Shell” is hailed as a masterpiece of cyberpunk storytelling, and “Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer” is highlighted for its hilarious comedy. Oshii has a lot of range as a visionary that transcends beyond animation, as he has done live-action features as well. One of his most personal projects is the franchise known as the “Kerberos Saga,” a gritty alternate history political thriller. Various forms of media, from radio dramas to comic books, have painted a picture of the gloomy society presented in this horrifying rendition of alternate history. When it comes to cinema, the most popular entry is Hiroyuki Okiura’s anime movie “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade,” which, which Oshii wrote. Yet, the saga’s first depiction on film would be in Oshii’s surreal and marvelous gem, “The Red Spectacles.”

“The...

Translation by Koichi Mori

Shinji Higuchi is a filmmaker and storyboard artist. At a young age, he was taken on a tour by his aunt to Toho Studios, where he saw the making of tokusatsu in action, which greatly inspired him. He would get his big start as an assistant modeler for the production of “The Return of Godzilla” and further advance career-wise with his collaborations with the studio Daicon. During that period, he would meet fellow filmmaker Hideaki Anno, who would become a close friend and frequent collaborator. Higuchi’s recognition would peak for his phenomenal work directing the special effects for the “Heisei Gamera Trilogy” directed by Shusuke Kaneko. Since then, he has been hailed both natively and internationally for his exceptional work as a special effects director and his movie directorial career. Higuchi’s latest film is “Shin Ultraman” the newest entry in the long-running “Ultra” franchise...

The “Godzilla” franchise is one of the most successful long-running film series out there. The iconic monster has gone down in cinema history as a metaphor for the horrors of nuclear warfare. However, the truth is that the quality of the franchise varies. The original “Godzilla,” directed by Ishiro Honda, is a brilliant piece of sci-fi filmmaking, and Hideaki Anno’s witty gem “Shin Godzilla” is a superbly written political thriller. Yet, features like “Destroy All Monsters” and the later Heisei entries of the 1990s show the unfortunate trend of repeated formulas that quickly becomes old and shoddy filmmaking that is a chore to watch. Not to mention, all of the American “Godzilla” projects have been misfires. Following the underwhelming finale feature “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” and the poor 1998 American reboot, Toho would kickstart the experimental Millennium series. Things would start solid with “Godzilla 2000: Millennium” but lose momentum with “Godzilla vs.

Close-Up is a feature that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Bertrand Mandico's The Wild Boys (2017), which is receiving an exclusive global online premiere on Mubi, is showing from September 14 – October 14, 2018 as a Special Discovery.“I’m sick to death of this self. I want another.”—Orlando, Virginia Woolf, 1928Bertrand Mandico’s The Wild Boys depicts a metamorphosis from male to female, set against a landscape of gender fluidity. Upon a cursory glance, Mandico’s cinema seems to exist to be deconstructed. Like his short films, his first feature occupies an epicene world that collapses the binaries of biological sex and gender, extrapolating a dilemma described in Laura Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” which addresses men’s creation and spectatorship of images of women on film. In The Wild Boys, Mandico complicates the spectatorship of biological sex in that the titular boys are all played by women.

This week's roundup of DVD releases include fan favorites from TV, a scarred comic book antihero, the next installment of The Lost Boys, the requisite creature features, a Roger Corman set, and SyFy's apocalyptic view of the world. Also, don't forget to check out the soundtrack from the hottest vampire TV show right now (well, there's only one playing currently) at the very end of this list.

While waiting for your orders to arrive by mail, you can always catch up on Camera Obscura for free with our Episode 1-7 episodes & recap or watch the newest episodes on Dailymotion. You can also learn all about creature making from our Q&A With Camera Obscura's FX Maestro Jeff Farley.

On with the list....

Jonah Hex

Directed by Jimmy Hayward

Out of the pages of the legendary comics and graphic novels steps Jonah Hex (review), a scarred drifter and bounty hunter...

Earlier this month, a trailer was released for the upcoming film adaptation of Akiko Itoyama’s love story Bakamono.

The story begins in 1999 with 19-year-old Hide (Hiroki Narimiya) meeting a 27-year-old woman named Gakuko (played by former teen idol Yuki Uchida) who takes his virginity. Hide quickly falls in love, and is devastated the following year when Gakuko abruptly informs him that she’s marrying another man.

Hide eventually leaves university and moves to Tokyo where he finds work and a new girlfriend named Shoko (Miho Shiraishi), but his misery leads him to become dependent on alcohol.

Almost 10 years after their first meeting and the youthful love affair which followed, Hide and Gakuko meet again under drastically different circumstances, with each of their lives having been drastically altered by irreparable loss.

The film was directed by Shusuke Kaneko (Death Note, Pride) and will be released in Japan sometime this December.

Earlier this month, a trailer was released for the upcoming film adaptation of Akiko Itoyama’s love story Bakamono.

The story begins in 1999 with 19-year-old Hide (Hiroki Narimiya) meeting a 27-year-old woman named Gakuko (played by former teen idol Yuki Uchida) who takes his virginity. Hide quickly falls in love, and is devastated the following year when Gakuko abruptly informs him that she’s marrying another man.

Hide eventually leaves university and moves to Tokyo where he finds work and a new girlfriend named Shoko (Miho Shiraishi), but his misery leads him to become dependent on alcohol.

Almost 10 years after their first meeting and the youthful love affair which followed, Hide and Gakuko meet again under drastically different circumstances, with each of their lives having been drastically altered by irreparable loss.

The film was directed by Shusuke Kaneko (Death Note, Pride) and will be released in Japan sometime this December.

• IFC Films and Mpi Home Video gave Fango the scoop on the details and a first look at the cover art for its DVD release of Home Movie, Christopher Denham’s unnerving story of a family unraveling in frightening ways as seen through the lens of their camcorder. The disc arrives December 8.

Written and directed by Denham (an actor who appears in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Shutter Island) and produced by Offspring and The Girl Next Door’s Andrew van den Houten, Home Movie stars Heroes’ Adrian Pasdar, Cady McClain and real-life young siblings Austin Williams and Amber Joy Williams; see our review here. The movie will be accompanied on the disc by a making-of featurette and the trailer; retail price is $19.98.

• Media Blasters gave Fango the first news that it plans to release Frank Henenlotter’s latest feature Bad Biology, the touching story of two young people with aberrant—and hungry—sex organs,...

Filmmaker and Fango Japanese correspondent Norman England gave us the word that his new horror short Feed Me is now available on-line, and sent along some exclusive pics (see the download details and photos below). The movie centers on a group of university students who get into a debate about American vs. Japanese horror, and wind up encountering a ghost girl who upsets their notions about how such a spirit is supposed to behave.

Over the past several years, England (first photo) tells us, “I’ve watched the Japanese horror genre go from being the hot new thing to last week’s trash. I love these films, but you have to admit that the ghosts don’t pose any actual threat. So I had the idea to do a story where some Westerners mock the fact that J-horror is all delivery and little payoff, and a ghost turns things on...

**Note: This will be at the top for a bit; new stories will appear below!** It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of remakes -- also known as the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of bad, it was the epoch of incredible; it was the season of fright, it was the season of dumb; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair -- and man, did we have a lot of it; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; some flicks took us directly to heaven, others took us the other way. The year was 2008, and it was pretty memorable.

Dig on our Best of and Worst of lists by following the links below!

[Andrew Kasch]

[The Foywonder]

[Nomad]

[The Buz]

[Morgan Elektra]

[Debi "The Woman in Black" Moore]

[Johnny Butane]

[Uncle Creepy]

Andrew Kasch's Picks

Let the Right One In: This Swedish vampire gem takes us back to...

We just got the new, final Kiss Of The Vampire art...

• Tla Video revealed the cover art for its DVD of Ryan Nicholson’s gorefest Gutterballs, which streets January 27. The company also gave Fango the scoop on the supplements.

In addition to an anamorphic 1.78:1 transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, the disc will include:

• Audio commentary by writer/director Nicholson

• Behind the Balls: The Making of Gutterballs documentary

• Stills gallery

• Teaser trailer

Retail price is $19.99.

• A few new street dates have come to light: Dimension Extreme and Genius Products have Feast III coming February 17, while it appears that Lionsgate Home Entertainment will have Saw V joining Repo! The Genetic Opera Jan. 20. Lionsgate also has Dead Noon, Andrew Wiest’s horror/Western co-starring Kane Hodder, slated for Feb. 3, and Are You Scared? 2 arriving Feb. 10. The latter, needless to say, has nothing to do with the original Scared?; it’s a retitle...

We begin with the wackiness that is Minoru Kawasaki, the filmmaker responsible for The Calamari Wrestler and Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit, and the DVD release of his silly and surreal 2005 animal costume slasher/thriller/comedy Executive Koala.

Tamara is just an average Japanese salaryman working for a pickle company except for the fact that he suffers from periodic memory loss, his vanished years earlier, and he happens to be a six-foot tall koala bear. His latest girlfriend is murdered and he becomes the prime suspect. Tamara joins forces with his boss (a white rabbit) and a friendly convenience store clerk (a frog) to prove his innocence.

Synapse Films will be treating us Americans to Executive Koala on November 18th (pre-order it here!), releasing it as part of what they are calling "The Minoru Kawasaki Collection". The other two in the collection, also being released on the 18th,...

• Dimension Extreme gave Fango a first look at the cover art for Eden Lake, the killer-youth chiller it releases January 6 with Genius Products. As we previously reported, the disc will include commentary by writer/director James Watkins and a making-of featurette, retailing for $19.97 (with a Blu-ray also coming for $29.95). See Fango #279, on sale in December, for an Eden Lake set visit.

• Ariztical Entertainment revealed to us the full specs for its disc of Gay Bed & Breakfast Of Terror, streeting November 18 (following select theatrical playdates that began this past Friday). Presented in 16x9-enhanced widescreen with stereo sound, the movie will be accompanied by:

• Audio commentary by writer/director Jaymes Thompson, actors Mari Marks and Robert Borzych and postproduction crew Tim Kelley

• Behind-the-scenes featurette

• Fruitcake short film

• Outtakes

• Music video

Retail price is $29.95.

• Media Blasters provided us with cover art (temporary in a couple of cases) and details on a bunch of its winter titles.

Fantastic Fest 2008 may have just ended, but let's take a moment out to remember one of the highlights of Fantastic Fest 2007, Shusuke Kaneko's triumphant Death Note saga.

Based on a popular manga (and anime), the two Death Note films represented one of the best examples of genre filmmaking to come out of Japan this decade, taking a smart, compelling (and very suspenseful) narrative and spreading it out between two very good films that represent Kaneko's best work since the Gamera films of the late 90s. Both of these films were acquired in the U.S. by Fantasic Fest 2008 sponsor Viz Pictures (they also distributed such Fantastic Fest classics as Funky Forest - The First Contact and Maiko Haaaan!!!), who have teamed up with Fathom Events to bring the two Death Note films to theaters for special two night only screenings in theaters all across the the U.S. next Tuesday and Wednesday.

We first reported the news that Viz Pictures will be releasing the live action Death Note (review) DVD on September 16, 2008, way back in June, but details on the disc were scarce. Today Viz Media sent out a press release with the skinny on what we can expect.

The DVD features include:

A newly dubbed English soundtrack, along with the original Japanese dialogue with English subtitles An interview with director Shusuke Kaneko An insightful making-of segment The original theatrical trailers "Fans across the country have eagerly anticipated the release of Death Note on DVD following a very successful series of nationwide theatrical engagements that Viz staged with Ncm Fathom earlier this year," says Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of Viz Pictures. “Fans now have a brand-new way to enjoy this riveting story as a live action DVD, and for those who have yet to witness what the buzz is about, this...

Viz Pictures announced today that they'll be releasing Shusuke Kaneko's Death Note II: The Last Name in 300+ theaters this October. If you click here you can check out theater listings and score tickets for the two-day event that takes place October 15 and 16 at 7:30. The story begins on the heels of the first movie as Light Yagami joins the investigation team in pursuit of the serial killer known as "Kira." While L still strongly suspects that Light is "Kira," Light tries to uncover L's real name so he can kill him with his Death Note. Confusingly enough, a new rash of murders all around the world are taking place, with a "Second Kira" claiming responsibility. Light learns the identity of the Second Kira and suggests they join forces to get rid of L. Will L be able to catch "Kira" before he is killed?...

Sci Fi Japan reports that Death Note will finally get a region 1 DVD release. The DVD will include the uncut 126 minute-long film in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the original Japanese audio track, a brand-new English language dub, and removable English subtitles. Bonus features include an interview with director Shusuke Kaneko. Additional extras Tba. The suggested retail price is $24.98. The story begins when Light Yagami, an ace student with great prospects, finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god named Ryuk. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and Light vows to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals mysteriously begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to investigate, and he is soon hot on the trail of Light, who must reevaluate his once-noble goal.

This one’s for our North American brothers and sisters. We’re aware that there are those in our community who shake their angry fists at the sky whenever we announce a DVD release and it is region coded for somewhere off our shores. Rather than scold you for not having that all important all-region DVD player we do keep a watchful eye out for domestic releases as well so one day you too can join in on the water cooler conversations about international cinema.

Immensely popular in its home Japan and on the festival circuit both Death Note films and the spinoff L: Change the World have enjoyed large success. Viz Media announced that they will be bringing the first film to Region 1 DVD this September 16.

The DVD will include the uncut 126 minute-long film in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the original Japanese audio track, a brand-new English language dub,...

One of the most stunning films to play last year's Fantastic Fest was Death Note from Japan, a mind-twisting tale that has created an avalanche of excitement in its native country. We're happy to hear that some of that excitement has carried the film to the Us for a limited release, and Fantastic Fest congratulates the folks behind Death Note on their international success!

Details on the upcoming Us screenings are below in this official press release from Viz Entertainment:

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Viz Pictures And Ncm Fathom Bring Death Note To The Big Screen For Only Two Nights In North American Debut

San Francisco, CA, April 14, 2008 - Viz Pictures, an affiliate of Viz Media, Llc that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced that it will team with Ncm Fathom, the entertainment division of National CineMedia, to present a special two-night multi-city debut at over 300 theaters across the United States for...

BRUSSELS -- South Korean monster movie "The Host" won the jury's Golden Raven award Tuesday at the 25th annual Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film.

Written and directed by Boon Joon-ho, "The Host" is the highest-grossing Korean film of all time, having sold 13 million tickets.

The two runners-up -- awarded Silver Ravens -- were the New Zealand horror comedy "Black Sheep", directed by Jonathan King, and Cho Dong-Ho's South Korean fantasy horror entry "The Restless".

The Pegasus public prize was won by Shusuke Kaneko's "Death Note", which is based on the Japanese manga comic series. The top prize for a European film, the Silver Melies, was awarded to mystery thriller "Dead In Three Days", from Austria's Andreas Prochaska.

The fest, which screened about 76 movies from 27 countries from April 5-17, hosted the world premieres of Lloyd Kaufman's "Poultrygeist", Michael Winnick's "Shadow Puppets" and Uwe Boll's "In the Name of the King" as well as the European premieres of Wisit Sasanatieng's "The Unseeable", Byeong-ki Ahn's "Apt" and Keita Amemiya's "Unholy Women".