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Some may recall the early 2000's J-horror boom that saw the likes of “Ringu” and “Ju-On” gaining popularity in the west. “Apartment 1303” was released close to the end of this trend.

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Sayaka Midorikawa mysteriously plummets off the balcony of her new apartment. When her sister Mariko begins to investigate her sibling's death, she discovers multiple similar “suicides” over the last few years in the same room. Experiencing haunting encounters, Mariko must unravel the secret of Apartment 1303 before it is too late.

The cinematography by Tokusho Kikimura provides some appealing compositions, particularly when capturing the environment. This lies in part in the scenery which yields a gulf-based view of the ocean that draws the eyes into the distance. Regarding color grading, outdoor shots bear a degree of saturation that both appears natural and distinguishes environmental features. The indoor scenes on...

Masahiko Sato, Yutaro Seki and Kentaro Hirase met at Tokyo University Of The Arts and have been working together since 2012. Their first short film “Happoen” (2014) was invited to the Cannes Film Festival short film competition. Since 2020, they have been active as the directors' collective gogatsu. After several more internationally successful short films, they made their first feature film “Roleless” in 2022, which was screened in competition at the 2022 San Sebastian Film Festival.

Roleless is screening at Nippon Connection

The film begins showing Miyamatsu, the protagonist of the movie, as a samurai who almost immediately gets killed. It is soon revealed though, that his death was part of a jidaigeki movie, with him, seconds later, getting up, running to an assistant on the set who redresses him, only to die once more a bit later. Miyamatsu is actually a movie extra, which is probably the only interesting aspect of his life that...

Stars: Takayuki Yamada, Howard Harris, Fumi Nikaidô, Shôta Sometani, Hideaki Itô, Ruth Sundell, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Rio Kanno, Yukito Nishii, Ken’ichi Takitô, Daniel Genalo, Noriko Nakagoshi, Erina Mizuno, Fujiko Kojima, Kento Hayashi | Written and Directed by Takashi Miike

I learnt from watching Audition that you never take Takashi Miike movies at face value, he won’t let you. That movie was my introduction into the twisted world of the director, and this is the reason he has quickly become one of my favourites. From horror to gangsters, historical and even school movies like Crows Zero he shows a flexibility and an ability to bring fun to his work, while also masterfully handling the extremes. Lesson of Evil is a movie that risks coming across as boring especially in the first half when it is setting the scene for the violence to come. Whether you find it dull or the characters interest you,...

Mischa Barton, Rebecca De Mornay and Julianne Michelle starrer Apartment 1303 3D, a horror based on novel by Kei Ôishi, will be distributed theatrically, and on VOD by Gravitas Ventures. Sources say that the film will hit VOD on June 17th, and find a theaters more than a month later on July 25th. Michael Taverna directs the film which also stars Corey Sevier and John Diehl. This is actually a remake of the 2007 film of the same title directed by Ataru Oikawa which starred Noriko Nakagoshi, Arata Furuta and Eriko Hatsune. Cindy Nelson-Mullen, Jim Steele, David Shoshan and Taverna produce.

Mischa Barton, Rebecca De Mornay and Julianne Michelle starrer Apartment 1303 3D, a horror based on novel by Kei Ôishi, will be distributed theatrically, and on VOD by Gravitas Ventures. Sources say that the film will hit VOD on June 17th, and find a theaters more than a month later on July 25th. Michael Taverna directs the film which also stars Corey Sevier and John Diehl. This is actually a remake of the 2007 film of the same title directed by Ataru Oikawa which starred Noriko Nakagoshi, Arata Furuta and Eriko Hatsune. Cindy Nelson-Mullen, Jim Steele, David Shoshan and Taverna produce.

While we wait for the schedule for Fantasia 2009 to be finalized, we did receive a couple of press release announcing the fest's line-up, and per usual, those of you who are planning to attend are in for one helluva genre extravaganza.

First up is a bit of news about the fest's extended schedule: Due to a veritable deluge of feature presentations, Fantasia is extending its 13th edition for two extra days and will therefore be taking place from July 9th to the 29th at Concordia University’s Hall Theatre. As North America’s largest genre film festival, Fantasia will once again make good on its promise to deliver diversity, innovation, entertainment, food for thought and a good dose of eccentric and biting humour.

Next is a message from Fantasia's Co-Director of International Programming, Mitch Davis, highlighting some of this year’s spotlights:

2009 marks the 100-year anniversary of Hong Kong’s film industry,...