Viz Pictures, distributor of Japanese films in the U.S., is opening "New People" J-POP center in Japan Town, San Francisco this summer.  They just announced the grand opening on 8/15.

VIZ Pictures site - NEWS
NEW PEOPLE Website

It will be a brand-new building with a movie theater on the basement, and various shops/gallery/restaurant that showcase Japanese POP culture.

The theater will be dedicated to Japanese live-action movies and animation movies.  It will be a great venue for us Japanese film fans.

However, I happened to notice that I messed "L - change the worLd" premiere, looking at their site!!  Darn!  I was too busy for the past few weeks...  DARN!!

Michi

I just got info that Dorector Koreeda will not be at today's "Still Walking" screening in San Francisco International Film Festival.  I don't know the reason.  Sorry for those who were looking forward to it.

The film will be shown anyway.  Please enjoy!!

Michi

Just heard that 5/3 (Tue) screening of "Still Walking", as a part of San Francisco International Film Festival, and co-sponsored by Japan Society of Northern California, features Director Hirokazu Kore-eda in person.  He will have a Q&A session.  I cannot be there, but if you are lucky enough to hear him and have any comments to report, please let me know!

Michi

Yesterday I attended Japan Society NorCal's "Happy Flight" free screening, sponsored by All Nippon Airways (ANA).  The film is about various teams in airline industry working together to solve the problem, directed by Sinobu Yaguchi.

I LOVED Yaguchi's past films, "Water Boys" and "Swing Girls", both feel-good comedy about teams of high-school students get together and accomplish something.  This time, it is real-life working people.  In the opening briefing, Mr. Mori, president of ANA SF office, told us that the production team researched the real life ANA working environment very closely.

The main characters are assumed to be a pilot, played by Seiichi Tanabe, and a cabin attendant by Haruka Ayase, but in reality, all the teams are the main characters collectivelly - operation cotrol staff, mechanics, air traffic controllers and ground crews all included.

It made me think that my recent favorite Japanese movies and dramas often fall into this same category.  It is not that a single super hero saves the world, but a bunch of interesting characters interact each other and pitch in their strength, to solve the problem.  Such expression of various "by players" and how their acts get inter-twined make the story's good tempo, and it looks like such "by-player" focus films are plenty these days.  Koki Mitani's "Magic Hour" is one such example, and "Odoru" series as well.

And to make it happen, a lot of solid "by-player" actors/actresses are doing their job, just as in the real life work place.  Many of my favorites, Ittoku Kishibe, Takashi Sasano, Shinobu Terajima, Tomoko Tabata, Tetsuji Tanaka, and many others appear in this film.  Even Naoto Takenaka - the staple in Yaguchi's high-school comedies as a "teacher" - is credited (can you point him out?).

According to Wikipedia, Yaguchi first planned it as an "airplane panic movie", but during the research found out that a plane crash rarely happens, and changed his plot.  The end product is "safe and fun" enough to be featured in ANA flight.

So in a way, it IS a big ANA advertisement movie, but heck, it is fun.  I liked it.  I hope you enjoy your flight too.

Michi

I have forgotten about this... but San Francisco International Film Festival has just started this past Thursday.  There are not too many Japanese films shown this year, but the lonely two are good ones.

Departures
Still Walking

I have written TOO MUCH about "Departures", but I wrote a bit about Still Walking, too, so see the following.  It is an "Ozu-style" film about "nothing" that happens to an ordinary family, depicting psychological drama, small conflicts and love mixed together.  Watch out for Hiroshi Abe and Kirin Kiki's serene yet impressive acting.

My "Still Walking" impression

”Still Walking" official English website

Courtesy of Celluloid Dreams
http://www.celluloid-dreams.com/current_slate/all_films/still_walking/

Michi

I just uploaded the interview with director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who visited Los Angeles and San Francisco this month, in my Hoga Central main site.

Hoga Central main page
Kurosawa interview

Thank you always to Izumi Hasegawa at HollywoodNewsWire for providing the interview and photos!

Michi

I understand that these two Japanese films were big winners in Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong.  And I happened to have chances to see the both recently.

Thanks to Japan Society of Northern California, I watched "Tokyo Sonata" last night at San Francisco Embarcadero Center.  I was so surprised that the place was PACKED 30 minutes before the start time!  I had to sit at the very front row because of that...  Tokyo Sonata was shown at International Asian American Film Festival, so maybe people heard the rumor locally.  The commercial showing starts from this coming Friday.

The film was DARK, have the common tone with the previous Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films that I saw before, although at the end there was a light.  What really impressed me was the acting of the cast members.  I knew all along that Teruyuki Kagawa, my fav, can do it.  Koji Yakusho, who was playing a relatively small role, was superb as usual - the guy is DEAD serious and depressed, but that causes audience LAUGH.  But I just LOVED the acting of Kyonkyon (Kyoko Koizumi).  As a mother of two boys, with a stubborn husband, I could relate so much with her.  Kurosawa says that he tried to move away from his signature "horror" movie genre, but I think there still was a horror tone - not a "ghost" kind, but a slight anxiety that creeps into everyday life, and can build up to the point of insanity.  It is not just Tokyo thing - I believe it can be share by people in different cultures.  I could see that everything was very well calculated - good movie, without a doubt.

I didn't know that Fortissimo was credited is a part of the co-production team, and lots of international staff are participating in production.  No wonder it is doing well in international film festivals.  I believe it is a good factor in Japanese film making recently.

As for "Still Walking",  I didn't even know that it is by Hirokazu Kore-eda.  I rented it because Hiroshi Abe, my another fav, is the leading actor.  It is a movie about nothing.  Nothing big happens on one summer day, when all the extended family members gather at grandma's house.  Yes, grandma's, not grandpa's - grandma (Kirin Kiki) is the center of the family, not grandpa (Yoshio Harada).  At the beginning, I was a bit bored.  Then I got sucked into it.  The conversation is so sharp and well constructed.  The love and cruelty and reality of the family, and I could related to many of it, like "oh, yes, my father is like that," or "right, she looks just like me when I visit my in-laws."  It is warm, calm, yet a little bit sad but still nostalgic, like an old painting of a farm house.  Many comment the film reminds them of Anjiro Ozu classics (I have never seen one before, tho.)

"Still Walking" trailer

Both films are highly acclaimed in international festivals as well as in domestic film awards, and people speak highly about them.  Yet, I think I did not appreciate the goodness of these films maybe 2 years ago, when I was more naive moviegoers.  I still don't identify myself as movie expert and watch movies by actors, not by artistic value, but still, I think I made a progress.  Cinema is like wine - the more you taste, the more you can appreciate it.  I am happy to notice my "progress" with these 2 films.

Michi

Japan Society of Northern California and ANA are bringing "Happy Flight" to San Francisco in May.

Japan Society Website "Happy Flight"

My previous entry about "Happy Flight"

AND IT IS FREEEEEEE!!!

I LOVED Shinobu Yaguchi's previous films, "Water Boys" and "Swing Girls", both are fun and cheerful movies about young students.  I have not seen this work place comedy, but I am sure it is another fun and cheerful story.

Thanks, Susan @Japan Society for information!

Michi