Tag: takeshi kitano

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of GHOST IN THE SHELL In St. Louis

GHOST IN THE SHELL

In the near future, Major (Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals. When terrorism reaches a new level that includes the ability to hack into people’s minds and control them, Major is uniquely qualified to stop it. As she prepares to face a new enemy, Major discovers that she has been lied to: her life was not saved, it was stolen. She will stop at nothing to recover her past, find out who did this to her and stop them before they do it to others. Based on the internationally acclaimed Japanese Manga, “The Ghost in the Shell.”

Directed by Rupert Sanders and stars Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Michael Pitt & Juliette Binoche.

See GHOST IN THE SHELL in theaters nationwide on March 31, 2017 in REALD 3D and IMAX 3D.

WAMG invites you to enter for the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of GHOST IN THE SHELL on March 29TH at 7PM in the St. Louis area.

Answer the following:

Scarlett Johansson stars as Griet, a young 17th-century servant in the household of the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer in which 2003 film?

TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.

This film has been rated PG 13.

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Scarlett Johansson Stars In First Superbowl TV Spot With GHOST IN THE SHELL

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Everything they told her was a lie.

Get a first look at the new GHOST IN THE SHELL spot before it debuts in the Big Game on Sunday.

Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, GHOST IN THE SHELL follows Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.

Directed by Rupert Sanders, the film stars Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Michael Pitt & Juliette Binoche.

GHOST IN THE SHELL opens in theaters nationwide on March 31, 2017 in REALD 3D and IMAX 3D.

GHOST IN THE SHELL Social Handles
#GhostInTheShell
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Twitter: @GhostInShell
Facebook: /GhostInTheShellMovie

Scarlett Johansson plays The Major in Ghost in the Shell from Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures in theaters March 31, 2017.

Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures
© 2016 Paramount Pictures. All rights Reserved.

Scarlett Johansson, Takeshi Kitano And Director Rupert Sanders Share First Look At GHOST IN THE SHELL Trailer

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In celebration of the upcoming film GHOST IN THE SHELL, stars Scarlett Johansson, “Beat” Takeshi Kitano, and director Rupert Sanders joined fans and influencers from across the globe in Tokyo on Sunday for the film’s global launch party.

Scarlett Johansson on stage during the Ghost in the Shell Fan Event at Tabloid in Tokyo, Japan November 13, 2016
Scarlett Johansson on stage during the Ghost in the Shell Fan Event at Tabloid in Tokyo, Japan November 13, 2016

Opening with Taiko drummers, including the legendary anime film composer Kenji Kawai, the event held at TABLOID began with a screening of never-before-seen footage from the film. Attendees were given an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the costumes and props from the film, as well as an opportunity to capture their experience in a film-centric experiential photo booth – “Becoming the Major.” The exciting show concluded with Johansson, Kitano, and Sanders debuting the film’s global trailer, triggering its worldwide launch.

Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, GHOST IN THE SHELL follows Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.

GHOST IN THE SHELL opens in theaters March 31, 2017.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GhostInTheShellMovie

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GhostInShell

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostintheshellmovie/

Tumblr: http://ghostintheshell.tumblr.com/

Scarlett Johansson plays The Major in Ghost in the Shell from Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures in theaters March 31, 2017.
Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures © 2016 Paramount Pictures. All rights Reserved.

Second Wave of FANTASTIC FEST 2012 Films Announced

The second wave of genre films slotted to play this year’s Fantastic Fest has been unleashed upon the masses. Among the the are two of the year’s most anticipated films, LOOPER and SINISTER. Continue reading for the films announced and a brief plot synopsis of each… but, do so at your own risk! (The inconceivable awesomeness of Fantastic Fest may be too much for some to handle. Those unaccustomed to this level of awesomeness should refrain from indulging in such films without first consulting your physician to verify you are in fact an adult with adventurous taste and not still just a sniveling, winy brat.)

THE ABCs OF DEATH (2012)
US Premiere with multiple directors in person
Director – Various, 110 minutes
Twenty-six directors. Twenty-six ways to die. Co-produced by Drafthouse Films, and finally ready to be unleashed—see what happens when you give more than two dozen of the most brilliant filmmakers from around the world free reign to indulge their creative impulses and black humor. From A to Z, it’s got something for every genre fan and is like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

THE AMERICAN SCREAM (2012)
World Premiere with director Michael Paul Stephenson and stars Manny Souza and Victor Bariteau in person
Director – Michael Paul Stephenson, 81 minutes
In a small Massachusetts community, three Halloween-obsessed households transform into neighbor-terrifying supernatural wonderlands in this surprisingly touching documentary from the director of BEST WORST MOVIE.

COLD BLOODED (2012)
Regional Premiere with director Jason LaPeyre in person
Director – Jason LaPeyre, 86 minutes
Things quickly spiral out of control when a policewoman must protect her recently comatose suspect from a violent crime boss who has cornered them in an isolated hospital wing.

COLD STEEL (2011)
Texas Premiere
Director – David Wu, 107 minutes
After 17 years spent directing television series in North America, director David Wu (a longtime collaborator of John Woo) returns to his native China to deliver the heart-pounding World War II epic COLD STEEL.

DOOMSDAY BOOK (2012)
Austin Premiere
Director – KIM Jee-woon and YIM Pil-sung, 113 minutes
Innovative Korean genre directors Kim Ji-Woon (A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, A BITTERSWEET LIFE, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD, I SAW THE DEVIL) and Yim Pil-Sung (HANSEL & GRETEL) turn their imaginations to apocalyptic sci-fi with this three-part omnibus film which outlines three possible ways in which the world goes kaput.

GRACELAND (2012)
Texas Premiere with director Ron Morales and producers Theo Brooks and Joshua Sobel in person
Director – Ron Morales, 84 minutes
When a driver for a powerful congressman picks up his and his boss’s daughter from school, he’s annoyed to find himself being pulled over. But this alleged cop, far from an officer of the law, sets in motion a downward spiral of kidnapping, murder, deceit and deep depravity.

HENGE + THE BIG GUN (2012)
US Premiere
Director – Hajime OHATA, 106 minutes
A double shot from Japanese up-and-comer Hajime Ohata. Blending elements of Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Shinya Tsukamoto with just the right amount of kaiju monster battles, Ohata is quickly building a reputation as one of Japan’s brightest new talents.

HERE COMES THE DEVIL (2012)
US Premiere with director Adrian Garcia Bogliano in person
Director – Adrian Garcia Bogliano, 97 minutes
Fantastic Fest veteran Adrian Garcia  Bogliano (COLD SWEAT, PENUMBRA) returns with his latest supernatural horror.  When two children who went missing while exploring a cave are found, it quickly becomes apparent something evil has come home with them.

HOLY MOTORS (2012)
North American Premiere
Director – Leos Carax, 116 minutes
While following a day in the life of Mr. Oscar as he attends several appointments, things quickly unravel and spiral out of control, abandoning all sense of logic or sanity.  Fans of Carax’s ‘Mierde’ segment of Fantastic Fest 2008 hit TOKYO! will be right back at home.

LOOPER (2012)
Special Screening with director Rian Johnson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in person
Director – Rian Johnson, 118 minutes
In the futuristic action thriller LOOPER, time travel will be invented – but it will be illegal and only available on the black market.  When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a “looper” – a hired gun, like Joe – is waiting to mop up.  Joe is getting rich and life is good… until the day the mob decides to “close the loop,” sending back Joe’s future self for assassination. The film, starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Emily Blunt, is written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Ram Bergman and James D. Stern.

MY AMITYVILLE HORROR (2012)
US Premiere
Director – Eric Walter, 88 minutes
You’ve seen the movie, now hear the story of the Amityville haunting from someone who lived it. Regardless of the source, it’s clear there was darkness in that Long Island house.

NEW KIDS NITRO (2012)
US Premiere with cast Huub Smit, Wesley van Gaalen, Steffen Haars and Flip Van der Kuil
Director – Steffen Haars & Flip van der Kuil, 78 minutes
In 2011, NEW KIDS TURBO rocked Fantastic Fest audiences with its potent brand of Dutch gross-out humor. Now, Fantastic Fest is proud to present the highly anticipated—and very offensive—sequel: NEW KIDS NITRO.

NO REST FOR THE WICKED (2012)
Regional Premiere
Director – Enrique Urbizu, 104 minutes
A dirty cop who tries to cover up a crime stumbles upon a massive criminal conspiracy.  NO REST FOR THE WICKED swept the Spanish Goya awards this year with an electrifying performance by lead actor Jose Coronado.

OUTRAGE BEYOND (2012)
US Premiere
Director – Takeshi Kitano, 112 minutes
As Japanese police launch a full-scale crackdown on organized crime, it ignites a national yakuza struggle between the Sanno of the East and Hanabishi of the West.  What started as internal strife in director Takeshi Kitano’s OUTRAGE, has now become a nationwide war in his latest film OUTRAGE BEYOND.

SINISTER (2012)
Special Screening with director Scott Derrickson, producer Jason Blum and writer C. Robert Cargill in person
Director – Scott Derrickson, 110 minutes
SINISTER is a frightening new thriller about a true crime novelist who discovers a box of mysterious, disturbing home movies that plunge his family into a nightmarish experience of supernatural horror.

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING (2012)
World Premiere with Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins in person
Director – John Hyams, 93 minutes
Surviving Unisols Luc Deveraux and Andrew Scott battle anarchy to build a new order ruled by Unisols without government oversight. To accomplish this, they weed out the weak and constantly test their strongest warriors in brutal, life-and-death combat.

VANISHING WAVES (2012)
US Premiere
Director – Kristina Buozyte, 124 minutes
A scientist with a neurological research team volunteers to experiment with a new technology which will allow him to access the thoughts of a coma victim.

WARPED FOREST, THE (2011)
US Premiere
Director – Shunichiro Miki, 81 minutes
Shunichiro Miki delivers a shot of utter madness. Penis guns! Nipple monsters! A giant girl running a very small shop! This quasi-sequel to THE FUNKY FOREST more than lives up to the weird factor of its predecessor.

Fantastic Fest – Austin, Texas – September 20-27, 2012!

Look for more film and event programming announcements for Fantastic Fest in the weeks ahead. For the latest developments, tickets and badges visit the Fantastic Fest official site and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

OUTRAGE – The Review

In many ways, Takeshi Kitano is perhaps as close to a one man machine as you will find in the filmmaking business. As is generally the case with most of his films, Kitano wrote, edited directed and starred in his latest film to hit the United States called OUTRAGE (2010). Once again, Kitano delves into a story centered on the Yakuza life. As is often, but not always the case, OUTRAGE contains more than a fair share of violence bordering on gratuitous, but relevant given Kitano’s ideology of showing the Yakuza in the extreme light and ironic nature that he often does with his storytelling.

Kitano, credited under the fitting pseudonym of “Beat” Takeshi, plays Otomo, an experienced Yakuza enforcer with an implied history as a boxer. The boss of the head family, known as Mr. Chairman, orders his lieutenant to crack down on the drug trafficking being perpetrated by a lesser branch of the Yakuza gone rogue. The complications quickly arise when Mr. Chairman reveals himself as a ruthless, backstabbing boss that has strayed from the old ways and code of the Yakuza. As they say, the “shit flows downhill” and Otomo ends up being at the bottom where he discovers his years of loyalty have meant nothing.

For the first third to half of OUTRAGE, the plot feels somewhat slow and messy, twisted and fragmented, but be patient and follow along as best you can, as it all comes together in the end. In some respects, this is a typical revenge story, but told in a very atypical fashion. Kitano’s chopping editing and fragmenting of the story serves to accentuate the manufactured chaos being designed by Mr. Chairman, paying off with a multi-faceted string of plot twists in the end.

“Beat” Takeshi is always a joy to watch play a badass. His common tendency is to wash emotion and expression fro his character’s face, resulting in an oddly serene but serious persona that could, in an instant, snap and do some serious damage to the person confronting him. As a filmmaker, Kitano is extraordinarily adept at visualizing his stories through the camera. Composition of frame is one of the key elements that continually draw me to Kitano’s films, meticulously constructing frames of beauty out of the simplest setting, like the art of Zen gardening with shrubs and stones.

One of the most fascinating examples of Kitano’s eye for the camera in OUTRAGE is a shot taken from a high angle over a long stretch of two-lane road. This stretch of road follows the coastline and travels into the distance, disappearing into the top edge of the frame, playing on the horizon perspective, while the angle itself offers a tremendous visual dynamic to an otherwise drab setting. This shot follows one of the most brutal, albeit creative, Yakuza kill scenes, and lingers for a moment.

OUTRAGE is not amongst the best of Kitano’s undertakings, but is certainly worth seeing. One may think his continued source of inspiration in the Yakuza would get dry and overused, but surprisingly, it does not. One element that adds to my enjoyment of OUTRAGE is the uncharacteristically electronic score from Keiichi Suzuki, giving the film a fresh edge. In the end, OUTRAGE is a superficially complex tale of criminal bosses in a power struggle with each other, riddled with deception and hair-trigger violence, but levels out to reveal itself as an ironic twist of fate with a melancholy ending.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

OUTRAGE opens today in St. Louis at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre.

Takeshi Kitano gives us ‘Achilles and the Tortoise’

The Japanese cult filmmaker Takeshi Kitano returns with ‘Achilles and the Tortoise’, a film that comically addresses the world of art and art dealership. The title is taken from the ancient Greek paradox of motion. Kitano’s non-action films (some of my personal favorites) are always both charmingly funny and extremely thoughtful. ‘Achilles…’ is the final installment of his trilogy of films about entertainment, following ‘Takeshis’ (2005) and ‘Glory to the Filmmaker!’ (2007). If you haven’t seen any of Kitano’s work, I recommend ‘Sonatine’ and ‘Kikujiro’ for a glimpse into his more poignant side, and for his more action-packed but still very thought-provoking films, I suggest ‘Boiling Point’ (1990) or ‘Hani-bi’ (1997) also released in the US as ‘Fireworks’.

Here’s the plot for ‘Achilles and the Toortoise’:

[“Achilles and the Tortoise” confronts the fundamental questions of what art really is and whether it has any true value beyond what it means to its creator.

In doing so, it mocks the art market, with an unscrupulous dealer passing off a child’s work as that of a master and a gallery owner pontificating on the merits of a series of works.] — Yahoo.com

To learn more, read my Meet the Makers feature on Takeshi Kitano.

Meet the Makers: Takeshi Kitano

[Takeshi Kitano originally studied to become an engineer, but was thrown out of school for rebellious behavior. He learned comedy, singing and dancing from famed comedian Senzaburà ´ Fukami. Working as a lift boy on a nightclub with such features as comic sketches and striptease dancing, Kitano saw his chance when a comedian suddenly fell ill, and he went on stage in the man’s place. With a friend he formed the comic duo “The Two Beat” (his artist’s name, “Beat Takeshi”, comes from this period), which became very popular on Japanese television. Kitano soon embarked on an acting career, and when the director of “Violent Cop” fell ill, he took over that function as well. Immediately after that film was finished he set out to make a second gangster movie in 1990. In 1995, Kitano was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that almost killed him. It changed his way of life, and he became an active painter. This change can be seen in his later films, which are characterized by his giving more importance to the aesthetics of the film, such as in Hana-bi (1997).] — IMDB.com

Continue reading Meet the Makers: Takeshi Kitano