Yo Oizumi Movies

A seedy private detective hatches an ingenious plan to profit off of a photograph depicting a missing salaryman and a pretty club hostess in this mystery-driven comedy from director Kenji Uchida. Upon receiving a photograph depicting a man named Kimura and the unidentified woman cavorting together, down at the heels private dick Kitazawa accepts the offer to make some quick cash by finding the photogenic philanderer. His first move is to track down his old classmate Jinno, now a teacher at the same school they once attended together. As it turns out, Jinno too is searching for Kimura. The day before Kimura's first child was born, he had told his wife that he needed to work late. Kimura was never seen again, leaving Jinno to take help his wife get to the hospital when she went into labor the following day. When Kitazawa discovers that the woman in the photograph is in fact Ayumi, the girlfriend of a feared yakuza boss, he recognizes the opportunity to make a considerable profit with the snapshot. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A meek child changes his ways in this anime adventure from Japanese director Koichi Chigira. Wataru is an eleven-year-old boy whose life is not as he would like it to be; he's not a good student, he's bullied by the girls in his class, he's painfully shy, and his parents' marriage is in trouble. The bottom falls out for Wataru when his father leaves town with another woman, and his mother is seriously hurt in an accident. Gathering what little courage he has, Wataru goes to an old house that's said to be haunted, hoping to make his way to another world where wishes can be granted. As it happens, Wataru has indeed found the gateway to the land called Vision, but the journey to the Tower of Fortune, where a magical being can restore his mother's health and his father's fidelity, is fraught with danger. Wataru must find new reserves of bravery and strength as he battles strange and dangerous creatures en route to the Tower of Fortune, but he also meets a number of valued allies along the way. Based on a popular fantasy story by Miyuki Miyabe, Brave Story received its American premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Master animation director Hayao Miyazaki follows up on his record-breaking 1997 opus Princess Mononoke with this surreal Alice in Wonderland-like tale about a lost little girl. The film opens with ten-year-old Chihiro riding along during a family outing as her father races through remote country roads. When they come upon a blocked tunnel, her parents decide to have a look around -- even though Chihiro finds the place very creepy. When they pass through the tunnel, they discover an abandoned amusement park. As Chihiro's bad vibes continue, her parents discover an empty eatery that smells of fresh food. After her mother and father help themselves to some tasty purloined morsels, they turn into giant pigs. Chihiro understandably freaks out and flees. She learns that this very weird place, where all sorts of bizarre gods and monsters reside, is a holiday resort for the supernatural after their exhausting tour of duty in the human world. Soon after befriending a boy named Haku, Chihiro learns the rules of the land: one, she must work , as laziness of any kind is not tolerated; and two, she must take on the new moniker of Sen. If she forgets her real name, Haku tells her, then she will never be permitted to leave. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi