With Dada Chen at NYAFF 2013

With Dada Chen at NYAFF 2013
With Dada Chen at NYAFF 2013

Friday, December 30, 2016

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE screening at Japan Society NY on January 13, 2017

Japan Society NY
Presents
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence © 1983 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence / Senjo no Meri Kurisumasu
Directed by Nagisa Oshima
With David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto,
Takeshi Kitano, and Jack Thompson
Japan, 1983, 123 minutes, 35mm, color
In English and Japanese with English subtitles

When: Friday, January 13, 7 PM
Where: Japan Society
333 East 47th Street, NYC
Map

This international co-production from director Nagisa Oshima features a magnetic David Bowie in one of his greatest screen roles as a rebellious British officer imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp during World War II who draws the intense fascination of the camp's conflicted commandant, played by composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Divided by language and incongruous understandings of duty and honor, the fraught relationship between prisoners and captors slowly builds towards tragedy. Also featuring a breakout performance by Takeshi Kitano in his first dramatic role, Oshima's film is an entrancing, brutal examination of the absurdities of war punctuated by moments of tenderness and poetry.

Screening in memory of David Bowie (January 8, 1947-January 10, 2016) and Nagisa Oshima (March 31, 1932-January 15, 2013).

Part of Monthly Classics
Year-round screenings of beloved classics, hidden gems and recent discoveries of Japanese cinema. Only $5 for Japan society members!

Thursday, December 29, 2016

THE MONKEY KING 2 coming to Blu-ray and DVD next Tuesday

Well Go USA
Entertainment
Presents
The Monkey King 2 / Xi you ji zhi: Sun Wukong san da Baigu Jing
Directed by Soi Cheang
China/Hong Kong, 2016, 120 minutes

The legendary Monkey King returns for a new adventure when Well Go USA Entertainment debuts The Monkey King 2 on Blu-ray™ and DVD next Tuesday, January 3rd. (It's been available on digital since December 6th,)

The follow up to the international fantasy blockbuster finds Soi Cheang (The Monkey King, Kill Zone 2) back in the director’s chair, with martial arts legend Sammo Hung (Kung Fu Hustle, Tai Chi Zero) on board as action director, for the epic sequel set 500 years after the original. This edition finds Aaron Kwok (Cold War) replacing Donnie Yen as The Monkey King, a warrior who must protect a traveling monk (William Feng Shaofeng, Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon) from the White Bone Spirit (Gong Li, Curse of the Golden Flower), a demon seeking immortality. The Monkey King 2 also stars Xiao Shen Yang (The Grandmaster), Him Law (Young and Dangerous: Reloaded) and Kris Phillips (Painted Skin: The Resurrection).

Synopsis:
The follow up to the international fantasy blockbuster, The Monkey King 2 fast forwards 500 years after the Monkey King (Aaron Kwok) wreaked havoc in heaven. Newly freed from his confines under the Five Finger Mountain, the Monkey King vows to protect the innocent from a demon seeking immortality as he accompanies a young monk on an epic journey to the West.

Bonus Materials:
-- A Five-part “Making of” Featurette
   -- The Monkey King
   -- Bajie
   -- The Monk
   -- Wujing
   -- A New World
-- Trailer

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

BATTLE FOR INCHEON; OPERATION CHROMITE coming to digital download on January 10, 2017, Blu-ray & DVD on January 24

CJ Entertainment
Presents
Battle for Incheon: Operation Chromite / In-cheon sang-ryuk jak-jeon
Directed by John H. Lee
South Korea, 2016, 111 minutes

The adrenaline-fueled, true story of a squad of unsung heroes sacrificed to turn the tide of the Korean War during its darkest days, the epic war drama Battle for Incheon: Operation Chromite explodes on digital download Jan. 10 and DVD/Blu-ray Jan. 24 from CJ Entertainment.

In this suspenseful, action-packed, military adventure based on death-defying, real-life events, U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur (Liam Neeson, the Taken trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, Star Wars: Episode I, Batman Begins, Schindler's List) is appointed head of the United Nations Command at the height of the Korean War and conducts a covert operation to infiltrate North Korean headquarters far behind enemy lines.

Led by Navy Lieutenant Jang Hak-soo (Lee Jung-jae, Assassination, New World, The Thieves, The Housemaid), the courageous X-Ray intelligence unit finds themselves pitted against not only ruthless North Korean commander Lim Gye-jin (Lee Bum-soo, The Divine Move, IRIS: New Generation, The City of Violence) and his men, but the Russian and Chinese troops supporting them.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

RAILROAD TIGERS opening in theaters on January 6th, 2017

Well Go USA
Entertainment
Presents
Directed by Ding Sheng
Starring Jackie Chan, Huang Zitao, Wang Kai, Darren Wang 
China, 2016

In this action-comedy caper harkening back to Jackie Chan’s classic Hong Kong films, a railroad worker (Chan) and his ragtag group of freedom fighters find themselves on the wrong side of the tracks when they decide to ambush a heavily armed military train filled with desperately needed provisions. Unarmed and outnumbered, they must fight back against an entire army using only their wits, in a series of a dazzling set pieces and action scenes rivaling anything seen on the big screen.

AsianCineFest expects to have more information as the opening date approaches.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

BEYOND REDEMPTION coming to digital on January 3, 2017 and to Blu-ray & DVD on February 7

Well Go USA
Entertainment
Presents
Beyond Redemption
Directed by Bruce Fontaine
Canada, 2015, 89 minutes

Martial arts expert and actor (Once Upon a Time in China) Bruce Fontaine makes his feature film directorial debut with the action-packed thriller Beyond Redemption, hitting digital January 3 and Blu-ray™ and DVD February 7 from Well Go USA Entertainment. In this fast-paced drama featuring high-impact fight sequences, a weary undercover cop (Brian Ho, X-Men: Days of Future Past) must maintain his cover while trying to save the daughter of a notorious Triad boss (Don Lew, Godzilla) from becoming collateral damage in a sting operation gone wrong. Beyond Redemption also stars Osric Chau (Killing Poe), Hong Kong cinema legend, Eddy Ko (Heroes Shed No Tears), newcomer Linna Huynh, Tony Towe, Paul Wu (Blade: Trinity), Johnson Phan (Shadow of the Lotus), Vicky Huang (Shadow of the Lotus), Darren E. Scott (Game of Assassins) and Patrick Sabongui (“Homeland,” “The Flash”).

Synopsis:
After successfully passing an initiation test to join the upper ranks of the Ching Tau Gang, undercover cop Billy Tong (Brian Ho) is brought in on a plan for a home invasion against a wealthy Chinese businessman that will give Billy the evidence he needs to bring down the gang. As plans are proceeding, Billy learns that his ex-wife is pregnant and begins questioning his career choices. Although Billy realizes the need to put things right and prepare for his new family, his checkered past as a police officer complicates his decision to simply be reassigned. Things become complicated when he is forced to protect the daughter of a rival gang leader’s daughter when he learns both sides are planning to strike an important deal.

Bonus Materials go behind-the-scenes on two of the exciting action sequences of the film:
-- “Hallway Fight”
-- “Mauler Opening Fight”

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Sentai Filmworks announces acquisition of "BanG Dream!"


Sentai Filmworks has announced its acquisition of BanG Dream! The anime is part of an exciting mixed-media project featuring live performances by the popular girls’ band, Poppin’ Party, and includes the group’s three hit singles, “Yes! BanG_Dream!”, “STAR BEAT! ~Hoshi no Kodou~”, and “Hashirihajimeta bakari no kimini”.

When she was a child, Kasumi Toyama (played by Poppin’ Party’s lead singer, Aimi) felt a heart-pounding thrill every time she gazed at the stars, and she’s been looking without success for something that could inspire the same feeling ever since. One day, she comes across a star-shaped guitar in a rundown pawnshop and, for the first time, discovers the thrill she’s been searching for.

Kasumi becomes determined to form an all-girl band, and her search leads her to four like-minded souls: Saya, Arisa, Rimi, and Tae (all brought to life by the members of Poppin’ Party). Does this band have what it takes to make their dreams of stardom come true?

The series was directed by Atsushi Otsuki (To Love-Ru, Wagnaria!!2), with series composition by Yuniko Ayana (Hello!! KINMOZA, The IDOLM@ASTER Cinderella Girls, FLIP FLAPPERS). All music was produced by Noriyasu Agematsu of Elements Garden (Utano Princesama Legend Star, Magical Lyrical Girl Nanoha, Symphogear).

BanG Dream! is scheduled for a January 2017 broadcast in Japan. It will soon be available on select digital outlets with a home video release to follow.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Sentai Filmworks has licensed URARA MEIROCHO


Fortune telling is the name of the game in Sentai Filmworks’ newest license: Urara Meirocho. This supernatural comedy follows four girls in their quest to become fortune tellers (uranaishi).

Girls from all over the country come to live in Meiro-cho for one reason: to train to become the top uranaishi – the Urara. One day, a 15-year-old girl named Chiya enters the gates, but she has another, secret reason for wanting to become an uranaishi. Together with three very different girls, Kon, Koume, and Nono, Chiya gets started as a fortune teller’s apprentice.

The series is based off the original four-panel manga by Harikamo, with character design for the anime by Mai Otsuka (Shakugan no Shana, Non Non Biyori). Youhei Suzuki (SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Don’t Exist, Hentai Prince and Stony Cat) will direct with series composition by Deko Akao (Flying Witch, Noragami, Snow White with Red Hair).

Urara Meirocho is scheduled for a January 5, 2017 broadcast in Japan. It will soon be available on select digital outlets with a home video release to follow.

Friday, December 09, 2016

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO CONQUERED TIME will be playing at Japan Society NY next Tuesday

Japan Society NY
Presents
The Little Girl Who Conquered Time (c) 1983 Kadokawa Corp.
The Little Girl Who Conquered Time / Toki o Kakeru Shojo
Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi
With Tomoyo Harada, Ryoichi Takayanagi, Toshinori Omi
Japan, 1983, 104 minutes
DCP, color, in Japanese with live English subtitles

When: Tuesday, December 13th at 7:00 PM
Where: Japan Society
333 East 47th Street, NYC
Map

Launching Kadokawa idol Tomoyo Harada into superstardom, this timeslip drama is based on the famous science fiction novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui and directed by the creative whirlwind Nobuhiko Obayashi (House). As Harada's schoolgirl struggles to figure out why she uncontrollably jumps forward and backward in time, Obayashi's unique and offbeat sensibility crafts a film that captured the hearts of an entire generation of moviegoers in Japan.

It also offers a meditation on the new sense of time that a Kadokawa film offered—a vision of Japan that is simultaneously past, present and future. Remade several times since, the most well-known version in the U.S. is the 2006 anime version by Mamoru Hosoda.

New 4k restoration!

Part of Pop! Goes Cinema: Kadokawa Film & 1980s Japan.

Monday, December 05, 2016

THE MONKEY KING 2 debuts on Digital tomorrow; coming to Blu-ray & DVD on January 3rd, 2017

Well Go USA
Entertainment
Presents
Aaron Kwok as The Monkey King
The Monkey King 2 / Xi you ji zhi: Sun Wukong san da Baigu Jing
Directed by Soi Cheang
China/Hong Kong, 2016, 120 minutes

The legendary Monkey King returns for a new adventure when Well Go USA Entertainment debuts The Monkey King 2 on digital tomorrow, December 6th and on Blu-ray™ and DVD January 3rd.

The follow up to the international fantasy blockbuster finds Soi Cheang (The Monkey King, Kill Zone 2) back in the director’s chair, with martial arts legend Sammo Hung (Kung Fu Hustle, Tai Chi Zero) on board as action director, for the epic sequel set 500 years after the original. This edition finds Aaron Kwok (Cold War) replacing Donnie Yen as The Monkey King, a warrior who must protect a traveling monk (William Feng Shaofeng, Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon) from the White Bone Spirit (Gong Li, Curse of the Golden Flower), a demon seeking immortality. The Monkey King 2 also stars Xiao Shen Yang (The Grandmaster), Him Law (Young and Dangerous: Reloaded) and Kris Phillips (Painted Skin: The Resurrection).

Synopsis:
The follow up to the international fantasy blockbuster, The Monkey King 2 fast forwards 500 years after the Monkey King (Aaron Kwok) wreaked havoc in heaven. Newly freed from his confines under the Five Finger Mountain, the Monkey King vows to protect the innocent from a demon seeking immortality as he accompanies a young monk on an epic journey to the West.

Bonus Materials:
-- A Five-part “Making of” Featurette
   -- The Monkey King
   -- Bajie
   -- The Monk
   -- Wujing
   -- A New World
-- Trailer

Friday, December 02, 2016

PLAY IT, BOOGIE-WOOGIE at Japan Society next Tuesday, December 6th

Japan Society NY
Presents
Play It, Boogie-Woogie © 1982 Kadokawa Corp.
Play it, Boogie-Woogie / Suro na Bugi ni Shite Kure
Directed by Toshiya Fujita
With Atsuko Asano, Masato Furuoya, Tsutomu Yamazaki
Japan, 1982, 130 min.
DCP, color
In Japanese with live English subtitles

When: Tuesday, December 6, 7 PM
Where: Japan Society
333 East 47th Street, NYC

A young woman, a motorcycle-riding youth, and an older man negotiate a strange and tensely romantic relationship in a film that is unusual in the Kadokawa lineup. Employing 1970s wildman director Toshiya Fujita (Lady Snowblood), Kadokawa Film continues to play with the fragments of U.S. pop culture while Fujita injects a playfully stylized realism. The film continued Haruki Kadokawa's new strategy of using more auteur-minded directors that had no qualms about working in genre film. Atsuko Asano created a stir for her embodiment of a young woman not willing to be bound by conventions and intent on negotiating new forms of relationships.

Part of Pop! Goes Cinema: Kadokawa Film & 1980s Japan.

Thursday, December 01, 2016

Section23 Films announces its January 2017 slate of releases


Home video distributor Section23 Films has announced its January slate of releases; including Sentai Filmworks’ Limited Edition Premium Box Set of Infinite Stratos 2!

Product details in order of release:

Title: THE WORLD GOD ONLY KNOWS ULTIMATE COLLECTION
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 1000 min.
Street Date: 1/3/2017
Format: BD, DVD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $99.98, $79.98

SYNOPSIS: Keima Katsuragi's skill at winning women's hearts is so legendary that he's called The God Of Conquests, but that's only in dating video games, not the real world. Suddenly, Keima's life takes a turn for the weird when he answers what he thinks is an online gaming challenge. Instead, he ends up with a demon contract, and now he has to help perky demon hunter Elsie track down a bunch of demons that have escaped from hell! The reason: the demons have hidden themselves within the hearts of a group of random girls, and the only way to get them out is if Keima can make the girls fall in love with him. Also, just to make sure that Keima is properly incentivized, his failure will result in the loss of something important: his head! Hopefully, the tricks Keima's mastered with virtual girls will work just as well with live ones. Otherwise, things are going to get really messy in the spectacular ultimate collection of THE WORLD GOD ONLY KNOWS!


Title: BEAUTIFUL BONES – SAKURAKO’S INVESTIGATION – COMPLETE COLLECTION
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 300 min.
Street Date: 1/10/2017
Format: BD, DVD
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $59.98, $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Shotaro Tatewaki knows that Sakurako Kujo isn't a normal person. After all, most young women have multiple interests revolving around things like work, fashion, and sports, but Sakurako is fixated on just one thing: bones. While she already has a huge collection of them, mostly animal, she's always trying to gather more, especially those of the human variety. This can be quite a problem for Shotaro: especially since he and Sakurako have a positively unnatural aptitude for discovering dead bodies together. Fortunately, Sakurako is a naturally brilliant detective who unearths the mystery of what happened to the owners of those bones, but it's up to Shotaro to make apologies for Sakurako's odd quirks and tendency to make off with the evidence. It's a grave business that can leave him literally bone-tired, but for the wheels of justice to turn, there are always more skeletons to be bared and new secrets to be exhumed in BEAUTIFUL BONES - SAKURAKO'S INVESTIGATION -.


Title: INFINITE STRATOS 2 PREMIUM BOX SET
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 315 min.
Street Date: 1/24/2017
Format: BD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $219.98

SYNOPSIS: There are probably worse things that could have happened to Ichika Orimura than being the only guy in a training academy filled with military hardware and several battalions of highly competitive and extremely boy-crazed teenage girls. And being caught in a five-girl crossfire between his obsessive childhood friends Lingyin and Houki and the even more zealous British, German and French pilots Cecillia, Laura and Charlotte, at least turned out to be survivable. But surely, Ichika's finally put all his female troubles behind him, right? Oh don't be ridiculous. None of the femmes fatales in his life have canceled their conquest scenarios; there's double trouble arriving in the form of the Sarashiki sisters; the rest of the school is still waiting in line to take their shot; and when a whole new set of female pilots working for the bad guys shows up with a new generation of stolen IS hardware, things are about to get utterly lethal! The mayhem continues, the mecha runs amok, the hormones run wild and the maiden's behavior becomes even less maidenly as Ichika gets schooled for a second spectacular semester in INFINITE STRATOS 2!


Title: TRIAGE X COMPLETE COLLECTION
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 275 min.
Street Date: 1/24/2017
Format: BD, DVD
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $59.98, $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Our society is infected with a disease, a gangrenous cancer in the form of those who commit the most monstrous of evils, yet whose power and influence place them beyond the reach of the law. When corrupt politicians fail to act and the police seem helpless, there is a third, secret option that stands ready to excise the malignancy in a tactical surgical strike: Black Label, a dedicated team of doctors, nurses, and students who moonlight as an elite team of assassins. With the world's deadliest nurse, a master swordswoman MD, an idol with an affinity for explosives, and a pair of seemingly indestructible high school students, their mission is as simple as it is deadly: identify the drug runners, terrorists, and criminal masterminds who can't be destroyed any other way, and then eliminate them by whatever means necessary in TRIAGE X!


Title: FATE / KALEID LINER PRISMA ILLYA 2WE HERZ! COMPLETE COLLECTION
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 250 min.
Street Date: 1/31/2017
Format: BD, DVD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $69.98, $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Illyasviel von Einzbern's life has become ridiculously complicated since the Kaleidostick Ruby convinced her to become a magical girl and join the quest for collecting the seven Class Cards. Since then, almost every day has brought a new surprise, from gaining new friends and partners like Miyu Edelfelt, to encountering her own magical twin! One would think Illya deserves a little time off, right? No such luck: a trip to the beach quickly turns into a magical quest, and Illya finds herself caught in a string of magical feuds, encounters with love potions, an excursion into the world of "boys love" comics (plus the women who read them), and half a dozen other delirious diversions. However, that's only the warm-up for what might be her final mission: recovering the long-lost Eighth Card! It's a mystical whirlwind of unexpected escapades and surprising new revelations as Illya's saga continues in FATE/KALEID LINER PRISMA ILLYA 2WEI! HERZ!