Noticias

Since its debut at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors’ Fortnight category, Ghost Cat Anzu amassed online buzz for being one of the most uniquely designed and entertaining animated films of the year. Co-directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita and Yōko Kuno and written by Shinji Imaoka, based on Takashi Imashiro’s manga of the same name, Ghost Cat Anzu centers around a young girl named Karin (Noa Gotō) who is left in the care of her grandfather when her father abandons her to fix his gambling debts. While living at the temple, she encounters a crass, but helpful, ghost cat named Anzu (Mirai Moriyama). Their budding-heads relationship leads to a series of hijinks as they encounter other quirky spirits in their rural town who seek to help Karin find her mother in the afterlife.

Alongside its unique storyline, the film also is a French-Japanese co-production between Shin-Ei Animation and Miyu Productions.

Since premiering at Cannes earlier this year, Yōko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita’s “Ghost Cat Anzu” has often been likened to Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away,” and it’s easy to appreciate why. For one thing, anime films begin with a young girl — in this case, a purple-haired 11-year-old named Karin — becoming separated from their parents at a pivotal moment in their lives, only to wander into a wild (but pointedly matter-of-fact) fantasy world full of spirits who see her as something between a novelty and a nuisance.

In “Ghost Cat Anzu,” however, that world is still very much our own, and the heroine’s coming-of-age isn’t contingent upon finding her way back from the underworld so much as it’s contingent upon her finding some beauty in the strangeness of our brief time above ground. “Ghost Cat Anzu” may be much sillier and less substantial than “Spirited Away,...

Ready to meet “Ghost Cat Anzu?”

The French/Japanese co-production, based on the manga of the same name by Takashi Imashiro, hits theaters on Friday courtesy of GKids — and we’ve got an exclusive clip, which you can watch below.

In “Ghost Cat Anzu,” a young girl named Karin (voiced by Noa Gotô) accompanies her father to the countryside. It’s there that she encounters the title character, an oafish supernatural entity who hustles as a masseuse and wears his cell phone around his neck (he is voiced by Mirai Moriyama). Together, Anzu and Karin set off on an adventure, which crosses over into spiritual realms and sees them encountering all sorts of bizarre characters.

The movie premiered as part of the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival in May. It played the Annecy International Film Festival less than a month later. It was directed by Yôko Kuno (making...

Director Anshul Chauhan has officially commenced production on his highly anticipated film, “Tiger“, an LGBT drama inspired by real-life stories he has meticulously gathered over the past three years. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Tokyo and its surrounding areas, the film is being brought to life by Kowatanda Films and Tower5 Entertainment. Known for his compelling and realistic storytelling, Chauhan’s latest endeavor promises a poignant and authentic exploration of the LGBT community’s experiences in Tokyo, marking a significant addition to his distinguished filmography.

The film features a remarkable ensemble cast, headlined by Takashi Kawaguchi (Bad Poetry Tokyo), a regular collaborator of Chauhan and the lead actor in “Tiger”. Joining him is Maho Nonami, celebrated for her role in the cult classic “2Ldk” (2002) and making a highly anticipated return to the screen. Nonami, a prominent figure in Japanese television industry, is expected to bring a fresh and powerful presence to the film.

We're just a couple days away from the premiere of the Ghost Cat Anzu anime film, a Japanese and French co-production that adapts Takashi Imashiro's manga of the same name. Following the July 19, 2024 opening in Japan, Gkids plans to distribute the film in North America sometime this year. Ahead of that, you can see how the film opens in a new video from the Toho animation channel on YouTube. Ghost Cat Anzu Opening Related: Ghost Cat Anzu Anime Film Reveals New Trailer, Cast and More The original  Ghost Cat Anzu  manga by Takashi Imashiro was serialized in Kodansha's children manga magazine Comic BomBom from August 2006 to November 2007, then compiled in one volume. Yoko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita direct the film, which features rotoscoped animation produced by Shin-Ei Animation ( Doraemon ) and French studio Miyu Productions. Shinji Imaoka provides the script, Kuno provides the character designs, and Keiichi Suzuki provides the music.

Form and content align in the uniquely conceived and delightfully offbeat supernatural adventure “Ghost Cat Anzu.” For a movie about a reality where mortals and otherworldly spirits coexist on the same plane, the filmmakers decided to compound the flesh-and-bone realism of live action cinema and animation’s fantastical qualities. While the plot takes some jarring turns, its impish tone stays consistent throughout, making for a wildly enjoyable (if a bit perplexing) Japanese animated effort on its own wavelength.

Shot first with actors whose voices were also captured on location, this adaptation of Takashi Imashiro’s mid-2000s manga of the same name (written by screenwriter Shinji Imaoka) necessitated two directors. Nobuhiro Yamashita was in charge of staging the interactions between the cast to capture their subtle expressions. Then that footage served as the basis for the rotoscoped animation directed by Yôko Kuno with artists drawing over each frame to transform...

Ghost Cat Anzu is an intriguing conceptualization for an animated film, existing in a realm similar to Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away yet also standing as its antithesis.

This French-Japanese co-production from Miyu Productions and Shin-Ei Animation based on the manga by Takashi Imashiro is one of the most eccentric pieces of animation I’ve encountered in a long time — in both good and bad ways. It’s good because of the innovative techniques and methods employed by directors Yôko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita, who take bold experimental leaps. However, it’s also bad because Shinji Imaoka’s script meanders for nearly an hour before reaching the film’s true core, demanding a lot of patience from the viewer without providing much substance in return.

The story begins with Karin (voiced by Noa Goto) and her father Tetsuya (Munetaka Aoki) arriving at the Sousei-Ji temple, where her widowed grandfather resides.

Ghost Cat Anzu (known in Japan as Bakeneko Anzu-chan ), an upcoming Japanese and French theatrical anime film co-production, released a new trailer today alongside information on new cast, the official movie poster, and the official theme song performer. The film releases in Japanese theaters on July 19, 2024. Gkids, who executive produced the film, will also distribute the film in North America this year. The film will also host its world premiere at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival this month. The new cast members for Ghost Cat Anzu include: Tetsuya, Karin's Father voiced / motion-captured by Munetaka Aoki Yuzuki, Karin's Mother voiced / motion-captured by Miwako Ichikawa Osho-san, Anzu's Foster Parent voiced / motion-captured by Keiichi Suzuki (of Moonriders) The God of Poverty voiced / motion-captured by Shingo Mizusawa Tanuki voiced / motion-captured by Wataru Sawabe (of Skirt) Actors Mutsuo Yoshioka and Shohei Uno also appear in the film. Actor and musician Chiaki Sato...

Hideo Jojo's career began directing pink films before gradually expanding beyond erotic productions. Projects like “On the Edge of Their Seats” would demonstrate his range as a filmmaker whose work can reach a wider audience. However, a recent feature of his, “Twilight Cinema Blues,” is a mixed bag. It's a well-intended, feel-good drama with a promising set-up that occasionally delivers, yet it comes out being, at best, passable.

Twilight Cinema Blues is screening at Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme

Kondo returns to his hometown and is down on his luck, currently homeless and in debt. Yet, he forms a friendship with similarly struggling locals, including a homeless man and a group of people desperately trying to keep a movie theater in business. Things pick up when the lead takes a part-time job in the theater and is allowed to live there. Despite their differences, they warm up to each other,...

Prepare yourself for a dreamy, spherical ghost show. Shinji Imaoka hijacks the audience for a 60-minute afterlife experience.

Is This Heaven? is screening at Camera Japan

Nobou is a middle-aged man, who has a drinking problem. In four episodes, named after alcoholic beverages, he wanders around a scenic waterfront meeting familiar and unknown people from the past, including his wife. In this otherworldly afterlife, everyone is (drunk) laughing and dancing and all sounds are muted. The plot deepens half-way through when Nobou meets the late ex-husband of his wife. Their conversation marks the emotional summit as they reminisce about the different memories that they shared with her.

Check also this interview Interview with Shinji Imaoka: Time as a healing tool for everything is a lie

Veteran actor Hidetoshi Kawaya carries the whole film through his outgoing performance, celebrating his death. Nevertheless, the elliptical odyssey is hard to come by. Without a clear road ahead,...

I do not think there is any other movie industry in the world that produces so many movies about toxic individuals as the Japanese one, with the independent sector in particular dealing with this type of personas quite frequently, as filmmakers like Shinya Tsukamoro. Tetsuya Mariko and Toshiaki Toyoda extensively focus on this type of loser. Nobuhiro Yamashita attempts to do the same, adapting the Akutagawa Prize-winning novel “Kueki Ressha” by Kenta Nishimura, adding though, a very significant element, the presence of female character Yasuko, who did not exist in the original.

on Amazon by clicking on the image below

The character in focus is named Kanta Kitamachi, and he is the epitome of the term ‘loser’. Coming from a family that fell apart when his father was convicted as a sex offender, the 19-year-old has been living alone in a tiny apartment, spending all the money...

Shinji Imaoka has moved far away from his pinku past during the recent years, with films like “Reiko and the Dolphin” proving the fact in the most eloquent fashion. At the same time, however, the sex element is not exactly void from his recent works, in an aspect that implies that he has not completely abolished his cinematic past. “Far Away, Further Away” is a testament to both elements.

Far Away, Further Away is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival

Sayoko is a seemingly carefree woman, who works as a salesperson in a custom furniture company and has a happy relationship with her husband. However, recently she has started to realize that the two of them do not have much in common, and her efforts to change that do not bring any particular result. As such, she begins scouting for apartments, which leads her into meeting Yohei, a real estate...

Amane Sato attended Ritsumeikan University. Here, he made his first short The Pervert (2011), which won the Grand Prix and the Audience Award at the Student Splatter Film Festival. After directing TV episode Don’t Look Back (2016), his first feature film Kaidan Shin Mimibukuro G-Men: Fukkatsu Hen was released in 2017. His 2019 film Shiorinoinmu won the Grand Prix at the Hidden Treasures of Horror festival.

On the occasion of “Ayako Tachibana Wants to Go Viral” screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam, we speak with him about shooting a pink film in the #MeToo era, over exposure on social media, adding horror elements in a pink film, shooting the erotic scenes, and many other topics

How come you ended up shooting a pinku film? How was your cooperation with Op Eiga?

There was a New Director Grand Prix and I applied, and I won that prize. The reason why I applied was because...

Although his work extends much further than erotic films nowadays, Shinji Imaoka’s filmography mostly consists of pinku movies, as part of the latest (and probably the last) group of directors dealing with the category, the Seven Lucky Gods. His productions, however, differ significantly from the rest in the category, particularly due to their absurdly comedic sense and the elements of fantasy/horror, both of which are exemplified in “Uncle’s Paradise”

Uncle’s Paradise is available from Pink Eiga By Using the code AMPFriend, you get a 25% price-off on all products of the website including subscription

Uncle Takashi suddenly appears in the small city his nephew, squid-fishing Haru, is living, and along with him brings his peculiar set of issues: he does not sleep at night, because he always gets horrific nightmares when he does, while when he is awake, he is constantly horny. Expectedly, his appearance has a true impact on local women,...

Allow me to begin this review with a personal note. Among the plethora of books about (Asian) cinema I have read, this one is definitely one of the better ones, if not the best. The combination of research and context (just mentioning all the topics Jasper Sharp examines here would fill a small book), the quality of personal comments, the language, and the overall illustration of the Fab Press edition, which is filled with film stills, posters etc, including a rather impressive middle section as much as great front and back covers, are all top-notch, to the point that one would have to dig really deep to find any flaw in the book. Let us take things from the beginning though.

The book begins ideally, as Sharp starts his narration by dealing with the history of nudity on film, the differences between art and pornography, the differences between Western and Japanese pornography,...

Third Window Films is holding an Easter Day Sale Running from March 30th to April 13th, including DVDs for just £5 and blurays at £10. Head on over to: https://bit.ly/39tOhEr to browse all titles on sale.

Upcoming Titles

One Cut of the Dead: Hollywood Edition

Out May 31st

A Limited edition 2000 unit pressing of the Japanese box office smash ‘One Cut of the Dead’ featuring 4 hours of content, including the spin-off film ‘One Cut of the Dead in Hollywood’.

Bluray Features

• “One Cut of the Dead” Movie (96 mins)

• “One Cut of the Dead in Hollywood” Spin-off Movie (57 mins)

• Making of One Cut of the Dead (45 mins)

• Director Shinichiro Ueda Interview (18 mins)

• Raw “One Cut of the Dead” GoPro footage (38 mins)

• Pom Instruction Video (1 min)

• “One Cut of the Dead” Outtakes (5 min)

• Slipcase featuring artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju)

• Reversible Sleeve with artwork from both movies

• Limited to 2000 copies

Out May 31st!

This year’s program of the Osaka Asian Film Festival presented the new short film by Shinji Imaoka. In “A Rainbow-Colored Trip”, the Japanese director tells from the point of view of his teenage protagonist how her parents’ relationship has changed over time. It’s a familiar topic and a story most people will be able to identify with, that he stages here in sober images, but with a slightly fairy-tale tone.

A Rainbow-Colored Trip is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival

With a last trip together, the family, father, mother and daughter, want to say goodbye to their previous life. Haruka knows very well that it is impossible that her parents will reconcile again. They quarrel constantly and just can’t seem to be able to live together. The mother works for the theatre and has a new boyfriend. The father is a good-natured man, but hurt by his wife’s defensive attitude.

While the pink film genre has certainly proven its versatility, both, formally and content-wise, the notion of blending pink film with the elements of a musical sounds quite outlandish at first glance. However, “Underwater Love”, directed by experienced filmmaker Shinji Imaoka, one of the “Seven Lucky Gods of Pink”, is a project which blends these two concepts into one, telling a story about love, death and how one is remembered in the minds of others. Supported by renowned cinematographer Christopher Doyle, this co-production between Kokuei Company and the German studio Rapid Eye Movies is certainly an oddity among the vast array of pink film published after the genre experienced it rejuvenation some years ago.

“Underwater Love” is streaming on Mubi

Asuka (Sawa Masaki) works in a fish factory and is happily engaged to her boss, when, during an attempt to rescue one of the fish and returning it back to the ocean,...

translation by Lukasz Mankowski

Shinji Imaoka was born in Osaka in 1965. He attended Yokohama City University, but dropped out in 1990 in order to pursue a film career.He entered the film industry as an assistant director at pink film pioneer Satoru Kobayashi’s Shishi Productions.There he worked principally under Hisayasu Satō, and also with such directors as Takahisa Zeze and Mototsugu Watanabe.In December 1994 he worked as assistant director to the esteemed Nikkatsu Roman Porno director Tatsumi Kumashiro on his last film, Immoral: Indecent Relations Imaoka’s directorial debut film was Sex Party of the Beasts: Come Together. In 2000, the Tokyo Athénée Français gave Imaoka a career retrospective tribute which broke the institution’s record for attendance. Other notable titles include “Lunchbox” and “Underwater Love”. “Reiko and the Dolphin” is his latest movie

On the occasion of “Reiko and the Dolphin” screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival, we speak...

In a movie industry like the Japanese, where the indie family dramas that follow the contemporary “rules” set up by Hirokazu Koreeda are in abundance, it is always a pleasure to come across titles that are completely different. “Reiko and the Dolphin” is one of those titles.

“Reiko and the Dolphin” is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival

The story begins the day of the devastating earthquake in Kobe in 1995, where the story introduces us to a married couple, Ichiko and Tasuke, and their little daughter, Reiko, who loves dolphins. The three of them experience the earthquake quite differently, since Ichiko was having sex with another man in a hotel, while Tasuke was outside of their house, smoking. The tragedy however, hits their daughter, who is killed in her sleep, with the events leading the couple to divorce, and leaving them deeply traumatized. The rest of the story unfolds in time leaps forward,...

If you want to know how tolerant a society is, you have to look at the kind of restrictions it applies to its members. The most telling of these laws are not the ones in writing, but rather the set of rules no one talks about but is bound to whether they want to admit it or not. While our society adores youth, desperately clings on to it, if necessary, through the aid of surgery or cosmetics, we have come to despise or reject age, especially when it comes to the areas of the body and sex. What is worse is how mainstream media seems to re-affirm these unspoken codes by depicting the elderly as those whose only concern focuses on health and medicine, which is the sole kind of physicality we allow them to have. When it comes to old people having sex, especially mainstream media thinks of this...

Criterion adds Jellyfish Eyes to its collection, the directorial debut of prolific Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. Known for his multi-faceted platforms of painting, sculpture, and a continual blending of media meant to push the boundaries of what defines notions of art, his 2013 debut is a psychedelic children’s adventure conveying significant messages as concerns social media, the environment, and human interaction. Having had his work featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles during a 2007-2009 retrospective, it’s perhaps no surprise Murakami premiered his film at Lacma (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) in 2013, before it spread to other venues and ultimately a limited theatrical release in the Us in July, 2015. Named by Time magazine in 2008 as one of the one hundred most influential people (the only visual artist to make this particular round) perhaps explains the high expectations and underwhelming critical response to his first cinematic effort.

Following last week’s first wave of programming announcements, the Fantasia International Film Festival has revealed its second wave of programming, which includes a screening of Ju-On: The Beginning of the End and a 40th anniversary screening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, where Tobe Hooper will be presented with a lifetime achievement award:

“Official Closing Film – Abel Ferrara’s Welcome To New York

Fantasia will close its 2014 edition with the North American Premiere of Abel Ferrara’s Welcome To New York, the controversial latest from the legendary filmmaker behind such landmarks as Bad Lieutenant, King Of New York, New Rose Hotel and the recently re-released Ms 45.

Welcome To New York is loosely based on the Dsk scandal and stars the iconic Gérard Depardieu in one of the bravest performances of his career. Co-starring is the equally sensational Jacqueline Bisset.

Abel Ferrara will be on hand to host this special evening,...

We're back with more titles heading to the 2014 Fantasia Film Festival as well as a few new images and word on a Lifetime Achievement Award for Tobe Hooper. Read on for all the details!

From the Press Release:

Following last week’s first wave of programming announcements, the Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to unveil additional highlights to rev you up for our July 10th Press Conference, where our full 2014 film lineup will be revealed.

Official Closing Film - Abel Ferrara’s Welcome To New York

Fantasia will close its 2014 edition with the North American Premiere of Abel Ferrara’s Welcome To New York, the controversial latest from the legendary filmmaker behind such landmarks as Bad Lieutenant, King Of New York, New Rose Hotel and the recently re-released Ms 45.

Welcome To New York is loosely based on the Dsk scandal and stars the iconic Gérard Depardieu in one of...

The 18th Fantasia International Film Festival’s second lineup of films was unveiled Thursday, and it features the closing night film on August 5, Welcome to New York directed by Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant, Ms. 45).

Ferrara will be present to talk about his latest film, starring Gérard Depardieu and Jacqueline Bisset. The film was received with warm reviews after appearing out of competition at Cannes and at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The Fantasia Film Fest runs July 17 to August 5 in Montreal, and the full lineup of films, in addition to the ones already announced, will be released July 10.

View the whole press release of second wave lineup announcements below.

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Fantasia Announces Second Wave

Of 2014 Programming Montreal, Thursday June 26, 2014 – Following last week’s first wave of programming announcements, the Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to unveil additional highlights to rev you up for our July 10th Press Conference, where...

The high-concept low brow film is nothing new, especially among those of us who follow independent films.  Unfortunately, most of them seem to fail in either one or both of those categories, as it is a difficult tight rope to walk.  Shinji Imaoka's Underwater Love was conceived as a high concept work and wasn't necessarily an organic extension of his own imagination, however, in spite of this, he's managed to create something quite special. Third Window Films presents us with Underwater Love for the first time on English subtitled DVD with quality extras and a limited edition run including Stereo Total's fun, lo-fi score. Once you surrender yourself to the experience, this film is a sweet, unassuming piece of work that just happens to feature...

★★★★☆ 'Pink film' is a Japanese phenomenon that conveys complex political issues of gender and sexuality through sex and sexual violence. However, Underwater Love (2011) is a mixture of surrealist comedy, musical and softcore pornography and happily forgoes the sexual violence route. Directed by Shinji Imaoka and featuring Christopher Doyle as director of photography, Underwater Love tells the story of Asuka (Sawa Masaki) - a middle-aged woman working in a small fish factory who is engaged to the factory's owner Hajime (Mutsuo Yoshioka).

Read more »...

Director: Shinji Imaoka. Review: Adam Wing. Just when you thought the Japanese film industry had run out of ideas, along comes Shinji Imaoka’s Underwater Love, a soft porn symphony complete with jaunty tunes, naked flesh and whimsical flights of fancy. If that’s not strange enough, what do you say to a quirky account of love between a woman and a sea creature? Directed by the pink-film veteran behind tasty treats like Lunch Box and Frog Song, shot by famed cinematographer Christopher Doyle (Hero, In the Mood for Love), with original music by German duo Stereo Total, Underwater Love is a musical stampede of the likes you have never seen before. With added fleshy bits. Asuka (Sawa Masaki) works in a lakeside fish factory and life seems to be going swimmingly. In fact, she’s just about to marry her doting boss (Mutsuo Yoshioka). One day, she encounters a Kappa,...

As I sit here, I have Sawako Decides and Quirky Guys and Gals sitting beside me waiting to be reviewed, but I couldn't wait to pass along this good news.Our friends at Third Window Films are releasing a special limited edition DVD of Underwater Love that includes a CD of the catchy-as-hell soundtrack from Stereo Total.  This edition will be limited to 2,000 units and the CD will not be available elsewhere.  In addition to the soundtrack, there are also several neat looking interviews with Christopher Doyle and director Shinji Imaoka.Asuka works in a lakeside fish factory. She is just about to be married to her boss. One day, she encounters a Kappa, a water creature living in the lake and learns that it is...

Love, sex and a sea creature!? Yes Underwater Love - a Pinky Musical - is the latest Japanese is the latest Japanese oddity being brought to us by the good folks at UK distro house Third Window Films. “Directed by pink-film veteran Shinji Imaoka (Lunch Box, Frog Song), shot by Christopher Doyle – the famed cinematographer behind Hero and countless films by Wong Kar Wai – and with music by Germany’s Stereo Total, Underwater Love – A Pink Musical promises to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen.” And we can safely say they’re right on that one! Underwater Love goes on sale in the UK November 21st. Synopsis: Asuka works in a lakeside fish factory. She is just about to be married to her boss. One day, she encounters a Kappa, a water creature living in the lake and learns that it is the reincarnation of Aoki, her first love.

The 2011 Sitges Film Festival has concluded its competition portion and announced awards in more categories than we've seen at any other fest. The biggest winners are Kevin Smith's Red State and Joe Cornish's Attack the Block, but several other films we've been closely watching here on Dread scored victories as well, including Kill List, Livid, The Divide, The Woman, Bellflower, Hell, and Detention.

Here's the full breakdown from the fest, held 6-16 October on the Catalan coast of Spain. Congratulations to all the winners!

Oficial FANTÀSTIC In-competition – Sitges 44

J. A. Bayona, Quim Casas, Lisa Marie, Ryoo Seung-Wan, Richard Stanley (judges)

Best Short Film (tie)

Dirty Silverwear by Steve Daniels

The Unliving by Hugo Lilja

Best Production Design

Marc Thiébault for Livide (Alexandre Bustillo & Julian Maury)

Best Makeup FX

Steven Kostanski for The Divide (Xavier Gens)

Best Special Effects

Lluís Castells and Javier García for Eva (Kike Maíllo)

Best...

In our second Fantasic Fest ‘cast, Rick, Justine and SImon talk up three of the more ballyhooed Japanese flicks kicking around the fest: Yoshimasa Ishibashi’s depressive technicolor dream Milorcrorze: A Love Story; A Boy and His Samurai, the new family-oriented flick from Yoshihiro Nakamura, who also brought us Fish Story and Golden Slumbers; and the “pink musical” Underwater Love, from director Shinji Imaoka and Dp Christopher Doyle.

Download the show in a new window

Music Playlist:

Josh Homme – “Stoned”

Dum Dum Girls – “Only In Dreams”

Ok Go! – “White Knuckles”

Stereo Total – “I Love You, Ono”...

While sitting through the multi-faceted programing schedule of Fantastic Fest, you’re bound to experience a full spectrum of genres ranging anywhere from the mildly fantastic to the outrageously crude. However probably the most interesting genre I have managed to stumble across thus far, is a Japanese sub-genre known as ‘Pink’ films.

I’m going to assume you are just about as far in the dark as I was at the time, and take a minute to explain to you all just exactly what a Pink film is.

You remember those late night cable programs? You know, the ones that you had to sneak out into the living room after your parents went to sleep just to glimpse? Well it’s kind of like that, but with a strong dose of comedic debauchery that only the Japanese could create. It would be easy to just pass the Pink films off as simple softcore pornography,...

A Japanese soft core porn musical involving a woman and a sea creature? Why not? Surprisingly, director Shinji Imaoka’s “Underwater Love” has received quite a bit of praise, as you’ll see in the embedded trailer. It looks insane, especially when you get to the girl-on-sea creature parts. Creepy or erotic? I guess that depends on you, buddy. A plot synopsis? I’ve got one of those: Asuka, a woman in her thirties, works in a lakeside fish factory. She’s about to be married to her boss, Taki. One day, she encounters a Kappa – a water sprite found in Japanese folklore – and learns that the creature is in fact the reborn form of Aoki, an old crush who drowned to death when they were 17. What ensues is a wacky spectacle of love, music and sex. Region 2 owners can pick up the DVD on November 21st, 2011. Not sure when...

Fantastic Fest is one of the best film festivals in the states and the largest in the Us. Held in Austin Texas at the Alamo Drafthouse, the event screens nothing but the best in genre films. Sound On Sight contributors Emmett Duff and I will be in attendance to bring the best coverage we can possibly whip up. With the Toronto International Film Festival just ending, we are back in full swing and our coverage starts now. Here is a preview of some of the high profile films on display this year.

Here is a list of films our staff as already seen. He titles highlighted in red are must sees. We highly recommend not missing them.

1- A Lonely Place to Die – **** stars

Written by Will Gilbey and Julian Gilbey

Directed by Julian Gilbey

UK, 2011

A rare thriller that actually contains thrills, UK export A Lonely Place to Die...

Each year the Sitges Film Festival commercial spot is almost as eagerly awaited by the general public as its lineup, and Rafa Antón, creative director of the China agency and the man responsible for its campaigns over the last ten years, has presented this year’s commercial, entitled "Alter Ego". In addition, the preliminary lineup for the Festival has been revealed, but it's not complete by any means. More will be announced throughout the month.

Antón presented the commercial at the Velodrome, property of the brand, along with Festival director Angel Sala and one of Sitges 2011’s partners Moritz Beer.

As explained at the presentation of the Sitges 2011 posters, artificial intelligence is this year’s central theme, represented through the geminoids created by professor Ishiguro in Japan. For the commercials, Rafa Antón stated that he’d “continued with the same commemorative leitmotif of the tenth anniversary of Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg...

The 2011 Sitges Film Festival, held 6-16 October on the Catalan coast of Spain, has released information on the films that will comprise the fest's "Noves Visions" section, which promises to be a category dedicated to the most innovative and transgressive approaches. Several genre films are represented, and we have the full rundown here.

The films are divided into four categories, three of which can be found below. We're including all the films in these three sections as even if some aren't pure horror, they sound intriguing enough to be of interest to genre fans. The fourth category is comprised solely of documentaries. Be sure to visit the official Sitges Film Festival website for full details on "Noves Visions" and more!

Ficció:

A selection that combines big names in contemporary film with young artists appearing around the festival circuit.

- The Day He Arrives (Sang-soo Hong): A game of meta-language...

Whatever your tastes, there’s a very good chance that Shinji Imaoka’s Underwater Love is unlike anything you’ve seen before. A self-described “pink musical” – meaning it features sequences of soft-core porn to go with its songs – it’s a silly, tasteless, bewitching, and joyously nonsensical foray into romance, myth and taboo-busting. The director has made his career in Japanese soft porn so the high level of sexual content is expected. However this time around Imaoka has teamed up with acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle and turned in a fantasy sex musical revolving around the legendary water creature, the kappa.

Sound On Sight was proudly quoted on the first teaser trailer after its premiere at Tribeca. Now the full Japanese theatrical trailer has arrived. No we are not quoted in this spot but the international trailer includes more music from German pop act Stereo Total. Enjoy!

-...

No doubt about it, Shinji Imaoka's Underwater Love is a strange one. The director has made his career in the pinku - Japanese soft porn - industry so the high level of sexual content is no surprise. No, the odd bit is that Imaoka teamed up with acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle on this one and turned in a full on fantasy sex musical revolving around the legendary water creature, the kappa.Thirtysomething Asuka has an easy life, a job in a fish factory, and a fiancé, Taki, who's also her boss. One day, as she walks by the lake near the factory, she sees her first kappa - a legendary Japanese creature with a human form but a beak face and tortoiseshell back. She soon...

Visit the official Fantasia Film Fest website

Well we are officially through the first week of the Fantasia Film Festival, so I figured we should do a quick look back at all the articles and reviews we have posted so far. In seven days our crew has managed to post over twenty reviews, ten articles and we recorded two podcasts. Keep coming back to the site in the next two weeks for more coverage. We should be recording three more shows this weekend.

UK Cinema

Attack The Block

Scary but not too scary, funny but with respect for its characters, specific to its cultural geography but universal in its ideas, rapidly paced but always clearly staged. Beholden to any number of spiritual forbears (from The Warriors to the unproduced John Sayles script Night Skies, hailed by Cornish in promotional materials), Attack nevertheless emerges as very much its own movie – one fiercer,...

Yesterday, the first wave of films for Austin’s Fantastic Fest 2011 were announced. Since experiencing this festival for the first time last year, I have been waiting, impatiently, for September to roll around to attend this year. We published a “wishlist” of sorts of films we thought might play at Fantastic Fest and it looks like we scored two in this first wave – we aren’t counting Fulci’s Zombie because that was sort of a cheat. Read beyond the break to find out what films will be playing.

From the Press Release:

Austin, TX—Thursday, July 14th, 2011— Fantastic Fest is proud to announce our first wave of programming for the seventh edition of Fantastic Fest, happening September 22-29 in Austin, Texas.

This batch of 20 films spans the globe from Japan, Belgium, Mexico, Russia, Hong Kong, Korea and of course the USA. We’re debuting digital restorations of Italian horror...

Underwater Love

Written by Tom Mes, Shinji Imaoka and Fumio Moriya

Directed by Shinji Imaoka

Japan/Germany, 2011

Whatever your tastes, there’s a very good chance that Shinji Imaoka’s Underwater Love is unlike anything you’ve seen before. A self-described “pink musical” – meaning it features sequences of soft-core porn to go with its songs – it’s a silly, tasteless, bewitching, and joyously nonsensical foray into romance, myth and taboo-busting.

Imaoka wastes no time establishing the movie’s go-for-broke giddiness. Asuka (Sawa Masaki) – frequently described as an “old lady” despite being around 30 – works at a fish-processing factory immediately adjoining a seemingly vast swampland. She is engaged to her boss (Mutsuo Yoshioka), who is both creepily possessive and sexually insatiable. Her daily monotony is broken with the appearance of a “kappa” (Yoshiro Umezawa), a swamp-dwelling creature of myth who subsists on cucumbers and usually sticks close to a body of water.

One of the best damned film festivals on the entire planet, Fantastic Fest, has announced the first wave of films for their 2011 event running from September 22nd to the 29th, and if you've never been, do yourself a favor ... do whatever you have to do to get there and experience the madness first-hand!

This batch of 20 films spans the globe from Japan, Belgium, Mexico, Russia, Hong Kong, Korea and of course the USA. They’re debuting digital restorations of Italian horror classics and a stunning 3D epic with more objects flying in your face than Michael Bay and James Cameron combined. With favorite Fantastic Fest veterans returning with new projects and a new slate of debut directors, 2011 is shaping up to be an epic edition.

"Fantastic Fest is the high-point of my year. Every year old friends return and strangers become friends. Fantastic Fest is my extended dysfunctional family; each...

The Fantasia Film Festival kicks off today with the Canadian premiere of Kevin Smith’s Red State, and now we’re already looking ahead at another major film fest. Fantastic Fest is one of the best film festivals in the states. Held in Austin Texas at the Alamo Drafthouse, the event screens nothing but the best in genre films. Sound On Sight contributors Emmett Duff and Alice Gray are always in attendance to bring us coverage on the event, as well as their favourite films. The list of the first wave of films playing at the festival has been announced and it’s already pretty amazing. Leading the pack is the World Premiere of director Ferdinando Baldi’s Comin’ At Ya! 3D. There are also a few films that already come highly recommended from me, which include the Canadian sci-fi dystopian mind fuck Beyond The Black Rainbow, Julian Gilbey’s A Lonely Place To Die,...

Fantastic Fest is one of the most chaotic, disturbing, entertaining and best film festivals in the United States. For one week straight, the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas plays nothing but the most promising, controversial and exciting genre films the world has to offer with many of them not seeing wide release until several months later. /Film will once again be on the ground in Austin from September 22-29 and we just got the announcement of the first wave of films playing at the festival. Chances are that, with the exception of two restored Fulci films (Zombi and House by the Cemetery) and the 10th Anniversary release of Versus, you haven't heard of these movies yet. But, come September, you most certainly will start hearing a lot more. Check them out after the jump. The above art is this year's official art by Mike Saputo. Below is the...

It's almost that time of year, that happy, happy time of year when the world turns its eyes to Austin, Texas and the craziest genre movies ever at the Alamo Drafthouse's Fantastic Fest.

This morning we got the first wave of twenty films from this year's lineup and it look to be a bumper crop of cinematic insanity. There's a couple of favorites from the festival circuit -- including "Beyond the Black Rainbow" from Tribeca and "A Lonely Place to Die" from ActionFest -- and a couple intriguing premieres, including the evocatively titled "Invasion of the Alien Bikini" (made on a budget of $5,000) and a Dutch comedy called "New Kids Turbo" about "gutter comedy, mullets, and mustaches." Repertory titles include the tenth anniversary screening of Ryuhei Kitamura's "Versus," the theatrical premiere of the new 3K digital restoration of Lucio Fulci's "Zombie," and a Real D presentation of the...

If things go as planned, GeekTyrant will be covering this years Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX. I have never been to what has been named the "Geek Telluride", but I am anxious to attend. Every year there are tons of awesome genre films to assault the senses and this year is no different.

One of the coolest bits is that the fest will be showing a remastered version of Leo Fulci's Zombie, which is one of the best classic zombie films not directed by Romero. There are also some sweet Korean, French, Russian films and so much more.

FantasticFest is truly the place to be in September!

Official Press Release:

Austin, TX—Thursday, July 14th, 2011— Fantastic Fest is proud to announce our first wave of programming for the seventh edition of Fantastic Fest, happening September 22-29 in Austin, Texas.

This batch of 20 films spans the globe from Japan, Belgium, Mexico,...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: The annual Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas has become a must-attend for film fanatics hoping to catch up on an array of cult, international, genre and geek cinema that may or may not make it to a multiplex near you.

Heading into its seventh year, the fest already has begun unveiling its first wave of programming for this year’s event, scheduled for Sept. 22-29. The 20 announced titles span the globe from Japan, Belgium, Mexico, Russia, Hong Kong, Korea and the U.S.

“Fantastic Fest is the high-point of my year. Every year, old friends return and strangers become friends. Fantastic Fest is my extended dysfunctional family; each of us completely obsessed by the wildest and weirdest films on earth,” says festival creative director and co-founder Tim League.

So what do they have planned for this year? Here are the 20 titles that will kick off programming,...

Montreal's Fantasia International Film Festival, which will be held from July 14 to August 7, will kick off with Kevin Smith's Red State.

Fantasia also made the first announcement about the films that will be part of this 15th edition's line-up.

People can see the anthology film Theatre Bizarre. This coproduction between Canada, France, Germany, the UK, the USA reunites Richard Stanley (Hardware), Karim Hussain (La belle bête), Douglas Buck (Cutting Moments), Buddy Giovinazzo (Life Is Hot in Cracktown), David Gregory (Plague Town) and Tom Savini, as directors.

The festival will also hold the world premier of The Wicker Tree, from Robin Hardy. Moreover, a book launch is also expected because The Wicker Tree is based on the novel Cowboys for Christ, by Hardy.

As for a Canadian premiere, Ryoo Seung-wan's The Unjust will be screened. Besides, Ryoo will be invited by the festival's organizers to teach choreography for action films.

The Fantasia Film Festival is by far my favourite film festival in the world and I’ve been impatiently awaiting some news of what films they’ll be screening this year. Considered the world’s largest genre film festival and running over three weeks long, the event is celebrating it’s 15th edition this year and the lineup is already pretty incredible. In the past I’ve seen some of my favourite films premiere at the fest and last year I wrote up a list of the best films ever screened at the fest which you can read here. This year Kevin Smith’s Red State opens the festival and directors Robin Hardy (The Wicker Man) and Richard Stanley (Hardware, Dust Devil) will be in the house to discuss the occult on film. The full lineup which includes 130-feature titles will be announced on July 7. For now here is the...