Now Showing Nov 24

With the memory of last year’s outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus still fresh in our minds, a movie has come along which will no doubt resonate with many here in Japan. Much like ‘Resident Evil’, ‘I Am Legend’ and ’28 Days Later’, it’s an ‘epidemic plague’ film, a genre of film that isn’t lacking in fans here in Japan. The question raised by this type of film is: ‘What on earth is it that we should really be scared about?’ Is it the ‘undead’, who have contracted the virus and now prey on the humans who are left? Is it the humans, who are seized by panic, and loose the power of reason? Or is it actually the indifference of the modern audience, who laugh, and dismiss it all as 'just a movie’?

At the beginning of the story, a military plane crashes in a small country town. The plane had been loaded with a biological weapon, and when the virus spills into the town’s river, the water supply becomes contaminated. One by one, the residents who have drunk the water start to go crazy and indiscriminately attack the people around them. In an instant, the peaceful town is thrown into a state of absolute panic. In order to contain and cover up the incident, the military move in and put all the residents into quarantine. Local sheriff David rescues his wife, who has been classified as infected, and plans an escape, along with his co-worker Russell. But the virus has a latent period of 48 hours before the onset of any symptoms. Are the pair infected, or not? All the while, the army are planning to incinerate the entire town.

This film is a remake of zombie film maestro George A. Romero’s 1973 ‘The Crazies’, as shot by ‘Sahara’ director Breck Eisner. It’s brought him to prominence in Hollywood, and he has since been offered many other remakes. His version of ‘The Crazies’ is told on a grand scale, as can be seen in the way the military completely surround the entire town to try to eradicate all evidence, whether the victims are carrying the virus or not. It’s well worth seeing.

In recent years, remakes of horror masterpieces are churned out one after another. Musician and film director Rob Zombie remade ‘Halloween’, the film that jumpstarted John Carpenter’s career. While Zombie pays tribute to the original, he also brought his own sense of style to the film, including music and images overflowing with originality. A sequel to his remake also came out in June this year. A Samuel Bayer remake of the Wes Craven classic ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, which features the murderous demon Freddie Krueger (who attacks his victims in their sleep) was also released in June. Bayer first established himself with his work on music videos for the likes of Nirvana and Green Day. If you take time to view and compare both the originals and the remakes, you are likely to find even more ways to enjoy them.

The Crazies

USA/UAE, 2010
Opened: Nov 13
Director: Breck Eisner
Production Direction/Original Screenplay: George A Romero Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker
Distributor: Showgate
Website: crazies.jp/

Herb and Dorothy

Over a period of 30 years husband and wife Herb and Dorothy have lived on Dorothy’s income as a librarian and used all of postal worker Herb’s salary to buy art works and have built up a collection of around 2,000 pieces. A large proportion of their collection, which is crammed into their one-bedroom apartment, was given to the National Gallery of Art in Washington. In her feature-length film debut, director Megumi Sasaki carefully researched her subjects – Herb and Dorothy – including interviews with the artists the couple have been supporting. The film has been critically acclaimed and has won several awards in America, including a ‘Best Documentary’ award and an ‘Audience Award.’

USA, 2008
Japanese Title: Habu to Dorosii Aato no Mori no Chisana Kyojin
Opened: Nov 13
Director/Producer: Megumi Sasaki
Cast: Herb Vogel, Dorothy Vogel, Christo & Jeanne-Claude, Richard Tuttle, Chuck Close
Distributor: Crest International
Website: www.herbanddorothy.com/jp/

Atashin'chi the Movie 3D – Jounetsu no Chô-chônouryoku Haha Daibousou

(c) Marmalade / Shin-ei Animation, Media Factory, TV Asahi, ADK 2010

‘Atashin'chi’ is a popular comic about the daily lives and funny things that happen to the Tachibana family, which consists of Father, Mother, son Yuzuhiko and daughter Mikan. It’s been running in the newspaper for the last 16 years, and then compiled into books, the latest of which came out last month and brought the sales of the series as a whole up to the record number of 10,000,000 volumes. This best-selling comic has now seen an unlikely conversion into a 3D film. In the movie, Mother is struck by lightning and is given supernatural powers. Not believing her luck, she uses her new powers to finish off the housework in no time, but feeling that isn’t quite enough, she transforms into ‘Esupa Mama’ (Super Mama) and this new, not-so-super superhero, whose mission is to help all the local townspeople, runs rampant.

Japan, 2010
Opened: Nov 13
Director: Wataru Takahashi
Distributor: Toei
Website: 3d-atashi.jp/

Tracing 50 Years of Antonio Inoki, Fierce Fighting Spirit

(c)2010 TV Asahi

To coincide with the release of ‘Antonio Inoki Debyu 50-shunen Kinen DVD Box’, a DVD box-set commemorating the 50th anniversary of wrestler Antonio Inoki’s debut, a film has also been produced featuring an abundance of priceless footage, including countless famous wrestling matches and interviews. It’s September 30, 1960 at the Taito-ku Taiikukan (Taito Ward Gymnasium). On that day, and from that point on, a legendary professional wrestler, who would come to represent Japan on the world stage, was born. Fifty years have passed since then, and once more the many tough battles fought by the ‘fierce fighting spirit Antonio Inoki’, which are as exciting and unforgettable as ever, will return to life on the big screen. The amazing path he has followed, from his origins as a ‘fighting spirit,’ to his transformation into a legend, will be seared into your memory.

Japan, 2010
Original Title: Moeru Tokon Antonio Inoki 50-nen no Kiseki
Opened: Nov 13
Cast: Antonio Inoki

K-Pop Dream Concert: History 07-09

(c) 韓国演芸制作者協会

Since its start in 1995, Korea’s biggest music event, the Dream Concert, has been attracting audiences of around 70,000 members every year. The first of the Dream Concert films features amazing live footage from the 2007, 2008 and 2009 shows, including some footage that has never been screened before in Japan. Starting with the ever-popular TVXQ (aka Tohoshinki), you can see performances from many of Korea’s top pop stars, including the increasingly popular Supernova (Choshinsei), and girl groups like Girls’ Generation (Shojo Jidai) and Kara. Don’t miss the chance to see Korea’s hottest artists on the big screen, and feel like you were actually there.

Opened: Nov 13
Cast: Tohoshinki, Super Junior, SS501, Shojojidai, Kara, Choshinsei Website: dreamconcert.brokore.com/