2014 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco Kicks Off July 19th, 2014

2014 JAPAN FILM FESTIVAL OF SAN FRANCISCO LAUNCHES JULY 19th TO OFFER SPECIAL BAY AREA PREMIERES OF THE BEST IN NEW JAPANESE CINEMA

Week-Long Film Festival Launches At NEW PEOPLE Cinema In Conjunction With 2014 J-POP SUMMIT And Offers Exciting First-Run Titles, Special Guests Of Honor And Other Unique Content; Advance Tickets On Sale Now

The 2014 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco, the only fully-dedicated annual Japanese film celebration for the S.F. Bay Area, returns for its second consecutive year and kicks off during the 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival. Set to open on Saturday, July 19th and running thru Sunday, July 27th, the Japan Film Festival of San Francisco (JFFSF) will showcase a variety of unique programs, many as first-run U.S. premieres.

The 2014 JFFSF takes place at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema, located inside the NEW PEOPLE J-POP entertainment complex at 1746 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94115. Tickets are $15.00 for most films, unless otherwise noted. Film summaries, trailers, screening times and advance tickets are available at: www.JFFSF.org.

The Japan Film Festival of San Francisco is presented in conjunction with the 2014 J-POP Summit, taking place Saturday July 19th and Sunday July 20th across the city’s historic Japantown district to celebrate the phenomenon of Japanese pop culture with a colorful array of live bands and artists, film premieres, edgy fashion shows, a J-pop dance and singing contest, celebrity appearances and more. Full details are available at www.J-POP.com.

Special film screenings taking place during J-POP SUMMIT include J-POP Splash! 2014, a FREE cinema event presented by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco featuring a colorful feast of music videos by some of the hottest J-Pop artists! Also set to screen at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema during J-POP SUMMIT will be Tokyo Short Shorts: A New Generation of 5 Short Films, as well as Count Five To Dream of You and Kotodama: Spiritual Curse, which both star members of the smash hit teen idol pop group Tokyo Girls’ Style, who will perform at J-POP SUMMIT and also host a special audience Q&A following the film screenings.

For the 2014 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco, exclusive live-action programs representing a vivid cross-section of the best in new Japanese cinema will have their exclusive U.S. and/or San Francisco premiere at NEW PEOPLE Cinema. The JFFSF will complement this press release next week with a subsequent announcement detailing an exciting slate of anime feature films also set to receive their U.S. and/or San Francisco premieres.

Special JFFSF Screenings During 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival:

COUNT FIVE TO DREAM OF YOU – U.S. PREMIERE!!!
Saturday, July 19th, 12:00pm - Featuring Special Appearance by Tokyo Girls’ Style!
Thursday, July 24th, 7:00pm

This year's alluring Guest of Honor, Tokyo Girls’ Style, make their big screen debut taking on the leading parts of this film that takes place at an all-girl private high school where the planning for the beauty pageant is in full swing. The short-lived and unforgettable moments of adolescence that is colored by adoration, impatience and impulses, is brought to life by each student played by the members of Tokyo Girls’ Style.

KOTODAMA: SPIRITUAL CURSE – U.S. PREMIERE!!!
Sunday, July 20th, 12:00pm - Featuring Special Appearance by Tokyo Girls’ Style!
Tuesday, July 22th, 9:15pm

Starring the members from Tokyo Girls’ Style, the story revolves around a high school where students start to gossip about the tragic deaths of former students from a gas accident inside of a mysteriously blocked classroom. Since then, a series of bizarre phenomenon begin to occur. Meanwhile, Hitomi and her friends sneak into an abandoned school for a video shoot without knowing that they are stepping into the underworld.

J-POP SPLASH! 2014
Saturday, July 19th, 2:15pm

Come check out the special FREE event, J-POP Splash! 2014, a flood of music videos presented by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, featuring the hottest J-Pop artists! Enjoy the latest musical acts topping the Japanese pop, rock, and modern charts on the big screen including Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, World Order, Sekai no Owari, Mr. Children, Rip Slyme, and many more! Don't miss special guest DAICHI's live performance as the opening act!

TOKYO SHORT SHORTS; A NEW GENERATION OF 5 SHORT FILMS – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Saturday, July 19th, 4:00pm;

Discover the latest big screen talent through a unique collection of five short films taking place in Tokyo and other parts of Japan directed by a new generation of filmmakers. From parallel stories of love unfolding around the world's tallest tower, Tokyo Skytree, to a surreal comedy of a careless death god that pays a visit in the middle of surgery, these shorts are colorful and they warmly applaud life's new beginnings and comebacks.

Additional Japan Film Festival of San Francisco Live-Action Screenings:

ASK THIS OF RIKYU – S.F. PREMIERE!!!

Saturday, July 19th, 6:00pm - Featuring Special Appearance by Director Mitsutoshi Tanaka!

Based on the award-winning novel, "Rikyu Ni Tazuneyo," by Kenichi Yamamoto, the film begins with the final days of Rikyu, the tea master with the most profound influence on chanoyu, the Japanese "Way of Tea" tradition, who was ordered to commit ritual suicide by the chancellor Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Who was Rikyu - who inspired fear in the most powerful man of his time?

BON LIN – U.S. PREMIERE!!!
Friday, July 25th, 7:00pm

Director Keiichi Kobayashi's second feature film is a surprisingly pleasant and refreshing road movie about a young couple in Akihabara, the world-renowned holy ground for Otaku culture and anime fandom. Natsuko, a.k.a. BON, an eccentric Boys' Love (BL) and online game nerd girl, heads to Tokyo along with LIN, her longtime game-playmate, in order to save her best friend MIYU, who seems to be suffering from an abusive boyfriend she lives with.

CROWS EXPLODE – U.S. PREMIERE!!!
Thursday, July 24th, 9:00pm; Sunday, July 27th 12:00pm

Based on the popular "school of punk" manga by Hiroshi Takahashi, Crows: EXPLODE boldly ignites the gang wars in the delinquent schoolyards of Japan. The deadly road battle quietly begins when lone wolf Kazeo Kaburagi transfers to the notorious Suzuran High School. He quickly establishes himself as a fearless fighter, though he has no interest in the power struggle that encircles him.

KANZABURO THE MOVIE – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Sunday, July 27th, 4:50pm

This rare documentary features Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII, a popular Kabuki actor who died of cancer at the age of 57 in 2012. With nearly 7,000 hours of footage that captured his life journey, the film takes us through his enthusiastic life as one of the greatest Kabuki Actors of our time, and his personal side as a father of two sons succeeding his path as descendants of the family with a long history in Kabuki tradition.

PECOROSS’ MOTHER AND HER DAYS – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Saturday, July 26th, 2:10pm

Based on the autobiographical comic by Yuuichi Okano, this heart-warming comedy depicts a middle-aged comic artist Pecoross's humorous daily life with his hapless mother, Mitsue, who has dementia that began soon after her husband passed away 10 years before. Directed by Azuma Morisaki, the oldest active filmmaker in Japan at the age of 85, the film was critically acclaimed as one of the best movies of 2013 in Japan.

SILVER SPOON – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Tuesday, July 22rd, 7:00pm

Based on the bestselling manga by Hiroshi Arakawa, Silver Spoon centers around an isolated agricultural high school in Hokkaido at the northern end of Japan. Kengo is a freshman with an inferiority complex due to his failure to meet his fathers' expectation. He finds himself to be a misfit among eager students from farmers’ families, but he gradually discovers his own perspective on life through farming and friendship.

A STORY OF YONOSUKE – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Saturday, July 26th, 7:00pm

A Story of Yonosuke is a beautiful endearing film that reminds us of the incredible impact one person can have on the lives of others. Yonosuke, an 18-year old university freshman just moving to Tokyo, attracts people with his loving character. Set in the 80’s, the story is connected to the modern day by four friends of Yonosuke. Each have lost contact with him somehow, but are pleasantly reminded of their time together.

A TALE OF SAMURAI COOKING: A TRUE LOVE STORY – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Friday, July 25th, 9:00pm; Sunday, July 27th, 2:20pm

A once-divorced woman named O-haru remarries into the Funaki family, generations of trusted samurai chefs that serve the lord of the Kaga Domain. Her husband Yasunobu is the young heir of the family, however, his cooking skills and passion aren’t up to par. With the full support of her new mother-in-law, O-haru takes it upon herself to help Yasunobu find his way to become a great chef and maintain pride of his family tradition.

WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL? – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Sunday, July 20th, 6:00pm

Why Don't You Play In Hell? is among Sono’s best work as his trademark outrageous-style is infused with his affection for 35mm and Japanese cinema. The Fuck Bombers are an eager group of wannabe filmmakers whose dream of making movies comes crashing down. Circumstances have brought them to this fateful moment where they’ll be able to film Why Don't You Play In Hell?

NEW PEOPLE Cinema is a 143-seat cinema located in the underground floor of NEW PEOPLE in San Francisco. Equipped with a cutting-edge HD digital projection and THX®-certified sound system, NEW PEOPLE Cinema is home for local film festivals and entertaining events. www.newpeoplecinema.com

About JAPAN FILM FESTIVAL OF SAN FRANCISCO
Launched in 2013, Japan Film Festival of San Francisco is the first and only fully-dedicated Japanese film event for the SF Bay Area, will feature a colorful mix of narratives, anime and documentary film premieres and exclusive screenings with special guest appearance at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema in SF Japantown from July 19 (Sat) through 27 (Sun), 2014. More details and ticket information available at www.jffsf.org

About J-POP SUMMIT Festival
Launched in 2009, J-POP SUMMIT Festival is an annual street fair held in San Francisco, CA that celebrates Japanese popular culture. By introducing the latest in Japanese music, film, art, fashion, gaming, anime, food, as well as niche subcultures, the festival has become a prominent platform to showcase the latest pop trends and creative innovations from Japan.

The 5th annual J-POP SUMMIT held in July 2013 welcomed more than 80,000 attendees, making it one of the largest Japanese festivals in the United States. In addition to the original Festival held in Japantown, new attractions include the J-POP LIVE AT UNION SQUARE concert in downtown San Francisco, the Bay Area’s premier dedicated Japan Film Festival of San Francisco, and sake-tasting and fine foods events at the POP GOURMET Food Festival, which have each further enriched the experience. Additional information about J-POP SUMMIT Festival is available at: J-POP.com.

"Edge of Tomorrow" #1 at the Worldwide Box Office

“Edge of Tomorrow” Clocks in as the Weekend’s #1 Film Worldwide

Doug Liman’s Critically Acclaimed Sci-fi Thriller, Starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, Takes in $111.1 Million For the Weekend

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Edge of Tomorrow” grossed $111.1 million, making it the weekend’s #1 film internationally and worldwide. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Internationally, the film has been in limited release for 12 days, including Wednesday openings, and debuted in an additional 36 countries over the weekend, earning an impressive $82 million, including outstanding returns in Russia with $8.6 million, China with $25 million, and Korea at $16.6 million. The international cumulative gross now stands at $111 million. On the domestic side, in its first three days of release, “Edge of Tomorrow” has grossed $29.1 million, bringing the worldwide total to $140.1 million and counting.

In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “‘Edge of Tomorrow’ has received terrific critical acclaim, which has been echoed by audiences who have responded to the film and the fantastic performances of Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Word-of-mouth is extremely strong, which should continue to drive moviegoers to the theatre, either for the first time or to enjoy the film again.”

Kwan Vandenberg stated, “‘Edge of Tomorrow’ has risen above the crowded summer marketplace and continues to gain momentum, from our massive opening in Korea to the incredible results we’ve seen in Russia and China. We congratulate Doug Liman, Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt and the remarkable filmmakers, cast and crew on reaching this terrific benchmark.”

Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ sci-fi thriller “Edge of Tomorrow,” under the direction of Doug Liman.

The epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.

Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.

But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.

The international cast also includes Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Taylor, Kick Gurry, Dragomir Mrsic, Charlotte Riley, Jonas Armstrong, Franz Drameh, Masayoshi Haneda and Tony Way.

Liman directed “Edge of Tomorrow” from a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth, based on the novel entitled All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Erwin Stoff produced, along with Tom Lassally, Jeffrey Silver, Gregory Jacobs and Jason Hoffs. The executive producers are Doug Liman, David Bartis, Joby Harold, Hidemi Fukuhara and Bruce Berman, with Tim Lewis and Kim Winther serving as co-producers.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a 3 Arts Production, in association with Viz Productions, a Doug Liman Film, “Edge of Tomorrow.” The film is distributed in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow. www.edgeoftomorrowmovie.com

This movie has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material.

The Motion Picture Academy Celebrates "Arab Cinema Classics"

The Academy Presents Top Arab Films From Dubai International Film Festival's “100 Greatest” List

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in partnership with the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), will present “Arab Cinema Classics,” a two-day screening series of the best in Arab film on Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 21, at the Bing Theater in Los Angeles.

With input from nearly 500 prominent film critics, writers, novelists, academics and other arts professionals, DIFF in 2013 compiled a tally of the 100 greatest Arab films of all time. The Academy will screen three selections from DIFF’s Top 10:

“The Night of Counting the Years” (“Al-Mummia,” 1970)
Friday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Director Shadi Abdel Salam’s film is based on the true story of the Horabat tribe’s 1881 plundering of pharaohs’ tombs in the ancient city of Thebes.  Long unavailable for exhibition, the film was restored in 2009 by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation.

“Cairo Station” (“Bab el Hadid,” 1958)
Friday, June 13, at 9:20 p.m.
Directed by the internationally renowned Egyptian auteur Youssef Chahine, the film takes place at Cairo’s main railroad station, commonly referred to as the Iron Gate, and offers a tense portrait of life at the margins of Egyptian society.

“West Beirut” (“West Beyrouth,” 1998)
Saturday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m.
With special guest writer/director Ziad Doueiri
This directorial debut of Ziad Doueiri is set in the tumultuous spring of 1975, as the Lebanese Civil War unfolds.  Following the lives of two teenagers from the Muslim section of Beirut, the film blends the personal and the historical into a vibrant coming-of-age drama.

The screening series is part of the Academy’s International Outreach initiative, which brings together Academy members representing a range of cinematic crafts with filmmakers and film lovers from around the world.

“The vibrancy of Arab cinema today owes much to the rich legacy and proud history of Arab filmmaking,” said Sid Ganis, chair of the International Outreach Committee.  “The Academy is pleased to embrace some of the region’s most influential films and artists through this Los Angeles presentation.”

Tickets for each evening of Arab Cinema Classics is $5 general admission and $3 for Academy members, LACMA Film Club members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased starting June 3 online at www.oscars.org.  The Bing Theater is located at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art campus.  For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

ABOUT DIFF
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) is the leading film festival in the region. Since its inception in 2004, the festival has served as an influential platform for Arab filmmakers and talent at an international level, by spearheading the cinema movement in the region. The 11th edition of DIFF will take place from December 10 – 17, 2014. For more and updated information about DIFF, please visit www.diff.ae.

Review "Excalibur" is Epic, Unforgettable (Happy B'day, Liam Neeson)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 77 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Excalibur (1981)
Running time:  140 minutes (2 hours, 20 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER:  John Boorman
WRITERS:  Rospo Pallenberg and John Boorman; from an adaptation by Rospo Pallenberg of Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Alex Thomson
EDITOR:  John Merritt with Donn Cambern (no screen credit)
COMPOSER:  Trevor Jones
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/FANTASY/WAR

Starring:  Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Paul Geoffrey, Nicol Williamson, Robert Addie, Gabriel Byrne, Keith Buckley, Katrine Boorman, Liam Neeson, Corin Redgrave, Niall O’Brien, Patrick Stewart, and Clive Swift

The subject of this movie review is Excalibur, a 1981 drama and fantasy film from producer-director John Boorman.  The film is mostly based on Le Morte d’Arthur, the 15th century Arthurian romance written by Thomas Malory.  Excalibur focuses on Merlin the magician, King Arthur, and Morgana Le Fey.  It depicts how Arthur unites a land, creates the Round Table, and builds Camelot, while forces conspire to destroy it all.

John Boorman’s Excalibur is the acclaimed director’s lushly filmed take on the Arthurian legend as adapted from Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur.  Early in the film, we see Arthur’s illicit conception when his father, King Uther Pendragon (Gabriel Byrne), use magical trickery to seduce, Igrayne (Katrine Boorman), another man’s wife, and impregnates her with the child that would become Arthur.  Later, Merlin (Nicol Williamson) claims the infant Arthur as the price Uther must pay Merlin for providing the magical disguise Arthur used to seduce Igrayne.

Later, young Arthur (Nigel Terry) pulls the sword of kings, Excalibur, from a stone, which makes him King Arthur.  The film tells the story of the rise of Arthur’s kingdom and the righteous birth of The Knights of the Round Table.  Then, things go bad when Arthur’s wife, Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi), takes Arthur’s best, bravest, and most favored knight, Lancelot (Nicholas Clay), as her lover.  Arthur’s sister, Morgana (Helen Mirren), a crafty sorceress, connives until the balance of power shifts from Merlin to her.  The film concludes with Arthur’s final battle, this against his son, Mordred (Robert Addie), whom Arthur fathered with Morgana.

Boorman, his screenwriting partner Rospo Pallenberg, cinematographer Alex Thomson (who earned an Oscar nomination for his work here), composer Trevor Jones, and costume designer Bob Ringwood (who earned a BAFTA Award nomination for his work in this film) came together to create an exquisite rendition of the tale of King Arthur and Camelot.  The film is full of Christian symbolism, in particularly dealing with Christianity supplanting the old gods and necromancy in favor of men.  There is also a lot of sexual subtext, much of it is surprisingly gay; there is lots of man love and admiration of the virility, honor, bravery, and skill of men.  Men really admire and love great men in this story, and women, for the most part, are trouble in this film.

Boorman wanted to emphasize the story over the characters in his take on the Arthurian myth, and he uses the stunning visuals to evoke feelings, but to also get the viewer to think about the things for which the stories of King Arthur and his kingdom stand.  However, the actors really don’t surrender and play the role of puppets.  They play up to the symbolism and imagery.  They don’t treat their roles as figurative, but as interpreters of the things that this myth teaches us about the better parts of human nature – humility, charity, bravery, and sacrifice, and an understanding to forgive the trespasses our friends, loved ones, countrymen, and fellow humans make against us and we against them.

In Excalibur, John Boorman composes his scenes and photographic shots as if each were a giant painting, a series of representational works meant to tell a powerful tale about universal ideals.  There is something grand in Excalibur, and in spite of its faults:  some poor dialogue, the tendency for the film to suddenly take big leaps forward in the narrative time, and Boorman’s assumption that we should be familiar with these characters and their motivations, it succeeds.

8 of 10
A

Monday, May 23, 2005

Updated:  Saturday, June 07, 2014

NOTES:
1982 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Cinematography” (Alex Thomson)

1982 BAFTA Awards:  1 nomination: “Best Costume Design” (Bob Ringwood)

1981 Cannes Film Festival:  1 win: “Best Artistic Contribution (John Boorman) and 1 nomination: “Palme d'Or” (John Boorman)

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites for June 1 to June 7, 2014 UPDATED #2

News and Miscellaneous:

TMZ has a suite of photos from the Abu Dhabi set of Star Wars: Episode VII.  Huffington Post posted all of them in one article, including the following

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The Business Insider at Yahoo has a nice article on the children of Jack Kirby and their attempt to get the Supreme Court to here their copyright case against Marvel/Disney.

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Variety has news that Will Smith will star in a drama about the NFL's concussion problem.  Ridley Scott is one of the film's producer.  Peter Landesman will write and direct.

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Jared Leto as Doctor Strange a/k/a Stephen Strange in Marvel's Dr. Strange movie?  Sinister director Scott Derrickson to direct?  Go to Collider.  What happened to Johnny Depp as Strange?

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"12 Years a Slave" came out in America and that sucked up all the guilt about black people that was available. They were so exhausted feeling guilty about slavery that I don't think there was much left over to be nice about our film. So our film didn't do as well as we'd hoped, which was a bit heartbreaking.

Yes, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, William Nicholson, actually said that. [From Hitfix]

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How did James Cameron write three sequels to Avatar simultaneously?  Find out at this Slash Film article.

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Slash Film also has an exclusive article on Jurassic World.  It concerns plot leaks about the film, the latest installment of the Jurassic Park franchise.

Obits:

Ann B. Davis, the actress who played the housekeeper, Alice, on the television series, "The Brady Bunch," died on Sunday, June 1, 2014 at the age of 88.  In the 1950s, Davis won two supporting actress Emmys for her role on "The Bob Cumming Show."

Review: "47 Ronin" Lacks Magic

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

47 Ronin (2013)
Running time:  119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, and thematic elements
DIRECTOR:  Carl Rinsch  
WRITERS:  Chris Morgan and Hossein Amini; from a screen story by Chris Morgan and Walter Hamada
PRODUCERS:  Pamela Abdy, Eric McLeod, and Scott Stuber
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  John Mathieson  
EDITOR:  Stuart Baird
COMPOSER:  Ilan Eshkeri

HISTORICAL/MARTIAL ARTS/DRAMA/FANTASY

Starring:  Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano, Rinko Kikuchi, Min Tanaka, Jin Akanishi, Masayoshi Haneda, Hiroshi Sogabe, Takato Yonemoto, Shu Nakajima, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

47 Ronin is a 2013 samurai action movie and historical fantasy.  The film is a fantasy-based, fictional account of the legendary “forty-seven Ronin” and an incident in which they were involved that took place in the early 1700s in Japan.

47 Ronin tells the story through Kai (Keanu Reeves), a half-Japanese, half-English outcast.  He lives in the domain of Ako, which is ruled by the benevolent daimyo (lord), Takumi no Kami Asano Naganori (Min Tanaka).  Lord Asano found Kai, when he was a child, lost in the forest.  Despite being scorned by most people in Ako, including Asano’s samurai, Kai finds deep kinship with Asano’s daughter, Mika (Ko Shibasaki), who loves the half-breed.

Asano is tasked with hosting the Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa).  Lord Kira Yoshinaka (Tadanobu Asano) is also invited, but Kira wants Ako to be merged with his domain, Nagato.  Joined by a conniving Witch (Rinko Kikuchi), Kira masterminds a series of events that ruins Asano.  The Shogun orders Asano to die with honor though seppuku (ritual suicide).

Lord Asano’s samurai are cast out and become Ronin (samurai without a master).  Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), the leader of Asano’s men, finds Kai, whom he once despised, and together they plot revenge against Lord Kira.  The duo gathers Asano’s former samurai, and soon there are 47 Ronin on a mission to kill Kira.  But the ruthless daimyo is more crafty and cunning than these Ronin imagine.

47 Ronin was not exactly a box office bomb, but it reportedly was a money-loser for Universal Pictures.  I think Universal Pictures spent around $175 million on a movie that does not know what it wants to be.  47 Ronin looks like an American version of an epic samurai period drama (a “jidaigeki”).  At the same time, the film is filled with fantasy and supernatural elements such as yokai (creatures of Japanese folklore) and magic.

I think that at one point, Universal wanted to make 47 Ronin a kind of epic fantasy franchise like the Lord of the Rings films.  What the movie studio ended up with was a samurai movie with supernatural elements awkwardly tacked onto it.

47 Ronin is not a bad movie, nor is it a particularly good movie.  There are characters, scenes, and sections of the plot that I really enjoyed and even found riveting.  One actor I really liked was Hiroyuki Sanada who played Oishi, Lord Asano’s chief counselor.  This is really Oishi’s movie; Sanada gives a nice performance filled with delicacy and grace.  Keanu Reeves is Keanu Reeves – intense presence, but wooden delivery of dialogue.  So I can recommend 47 Ronin to people who like samurai films, knowing that viewers may have a mixed reaction towards it.

5 of 10
B-

Thursday, June 05, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

"Edge of Tomorrow" Earns Big in Early International Openings

“Edge of Tomorrow” Rises Early in International Openings

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Edge of Tomorrow,” starring Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt and directed by Doug Liman, has earned an outstanding $33 million at the box office in early international openings ahead of its June 6 worldwide debut. The announcement was made today by Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

    “The sensational results on Wednesday, coupled with the film’s excellent playability in territories where it debuted last weekend, give us great momentum as we launch in 36 additional countries this weekend, including such major markets as Russia, Australia, Mexico and China.”

“Edge of Tomorrow” had a spectacular opening in Korea, with an estimated KRW 3.9b ($3.8m) on 681 screens, including sneak preview showings. Its Wednesday debut marked the biggest opening of all time for Warner Bros. Pictures in Korea, as well as the fourth biggest opening industry-wide, for that market. The film also opened yesterday at #1 in Denmark and Norway, as well as France, where it was #1 in both admissions and box office even amid strong competition from U.S. product and a popular local comedy.

Kwan Vandenberg said, “The sensational results on Wednesday, coupled with the film’s excellent playability in territories where it debuted last weekend, give us great momentum as we launch in 36 additional countries this weekend, including such major markets as Russia, Australia, Mexico and China.”

The early box office results come on the heels of the film’s groundbreaking worldwide event when, for the first time ever, three fan premieres were held in three different cities—London, Paris and New York—in just one day, “resetting” the red carpet as Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt raced the clock to make each event before time ran out.

Sue Kroll, Warner Bros. Pictures President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, noted, “Tom is a huge star globally and has been a phenomenal partner as we’ve introduced this exciting and original adventure to audiences everywhere. The film has been enthusiastically embraced by critics and consumers alike. Tom has gone above and beyond to support the film, traveling all over the world to share it with fans, and these incredible efforts have made a tremendous impact as we gear up to release ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ worldwide.”

Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ sci-fi thriller “Edge of Tomorrow,” under the direction of Doug Liman.

The epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.

Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.

But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.

The international cast also includes Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Taylor, Kick Gurry, Dragomir Mrsic, Charlotte Riley, Jonas Armstrong, Franz Drameh, Masayoshi Haneda and Tony Way.

Liman directed “Edge of Tomorrow” from a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth, based on the novel entitled All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Erwin Stoff produced, along with Tom Lassally, Jeffrey Silver, Gregory Jacobs and Jason Hoffs. The executive producers are Doug Liman, David Bartis, Joby Harold, Hidemi Fukuhara and Bruce Berman, with Tim Lewis and Kim Winther serving as co-producers.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a 3 Arts Production, in association with Viz Productions, a Doug Liman Film, “Edge of Tomorrow.” The film is distributed in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow. www.edgeoftomorrowmovie.com

This movie has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material.

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