Satoru Ogura Movies
- 2009
A man is torn between his compassionate nature and the warrior's philosophy that has been drummed into him in this historical action adventure from director Tian Zhuangzhuang. During the era of the Warring States, Lu Chenkang (Joe Odagiri) is a Chinese shepherd who is strong but gentle, a man who loves animals and keeps a wolf cub as a pet as well as looking after his flocks. General Zhang Anliang (Tou Chung-hua) is leading his troops through the Kunlun Mountains, and when he meets Lu, he's convinced the shepherd has the potential to be a first-class soldier. Lu is wary, but is persuaded to join the General, and is indoctrinated into his philosophy of "Kill or Be Killed." A skirmish that goes wrong leads to the General being sent home, and Lu, who has become one of his most powerful fighters, becomes commander in his absence. As winter comes to China, Lu's army takes over an abandoned village in the mountain, and Lu finds a woman (Maggie Q) hiding in a makeshift shelter dug into the earth. Lu's initial reaction is brutal, but the woman, who had lost her husband in the war, refuses to be intimidated by him, and in time her beauty reawakens the kindness of his spirit. However, as Lu falls in love with the widow, she warns him that she is a member of a spirit tribe that can be transformed into wolves at a moment's notice, and he thinks he may have found a connection to a world in which he truly belongs. Lang Zai Ji (aka The Warrior and the Wolf) received its North American premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2007
The stars of 2005's Summer of Ubume reunite to uncover the truth behind a gruesome series of murders in this mystery adapted from the novel by author Natsuhiko Kyogoku. The year is 1952. Though the war has ended, the specter of death still looms heavy over the streets of Japan. A mysterious killer is murdering beautiful women and cramming their lifeless corpses into tiny boxes, but who is the madman behind these crimes and what is his twisted motivation? When the daughter of a famous but retired actress suddenly goes missing, psychic detective Enokizu (Hiroshi Abe) offers his services in solving the case. Meanwhile, reporter Sekiguchi (Kippei Shiina) and his editor (Rena Tanaka) receive a tip that leads them to believe a fraudulent religious cult may be responsible for the killings. As police detective Kiba (Hiroyuki Miyasako) sets out to investigate a massive, box-shaped building on the edge of the forest, antiquarian bookstore owner Kyogokudo (Shinichi Tsutsumi) draws on his knowledge of the ancient magical art of Onmyodo for answers. Only when this determined crew finally comes together will they learn the truth about the mad doctor named Mimasaka (Akira Emoto) and the gruesome events that laid the groundwork for these brutal killings. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Yuki Urushibara's long-running manga series comes to the screen in this live-action adaptation directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of the groundbreaking manga and anime classic Akira. Mushi are an unusual life form that is neither animal nor vegetable, but is possessed of the elusive essential life force of the universe, and has special talents that approach those of supernatural beings. Very few human beings are able to see the mushi, but Ginko can. Ginko makes his living as a "Mushi-shi," a master who travels from town to town, meeting people who have had troubling experiences with the mushi and helping them sort out their problems while trying to maintain a respectful relationship with the creatures. Starring Joe Odagiri, Nao Omori and Makiko Esumi, Mushi-shi received its world premiere at the 2006 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jô Odagiri, Nao Omori, (more)
Legendary anime director Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Steamboy) makes his second foray into the world of live-action with this fantasy film based on a manga by Yuki Urushibara. Mushi-Shi (which was also made into an anime television series) follows a shaman named Ginko (Jo Odagiri) as he wanders feudal Japan healing people afflicted with "mushi," insect-like creatures that burrow their way into human bodies and cause mysterious illnesses. Otomo underscores the film's supernatural elements -- which borrow heavily from traditional Asian mythology -- with a slow, contemplative tone and cinematography of the lush Japanese countryside. ~ All Movie Guide
Veteran director Seijun Suzuki (Branded to Kill) takes a new direction with the colorful operetta-fairy tale, Princess Raccoon. When Azuchi Momoyama (Mikijiro Hira), the master of Grace Castle, is told by his soothsayer, Virgen the Old Maid (Saori Yuki) that his son, Amechiyo (Joe Odagiri), will soon usurp his place as "the fairest of them all," the king decides to banish the young man to Karasu Mountain, where the shape-shifting tanuki demons (raccoon-like canines native to Japan) live. Dropped at the mountain, Amechiyo is greeted by the beautiful Tanukihime (Zhang Ziyi), who speaks a strange language (Mandarin), and whom he soon learns is the ruler of Tanuki Palace. Amid colorful painted backdrops, lavish costumes, and eclectic musical numbers, the two fall into a forbidden and dangerous romance. After they frolic in the woods, Amechiyo is taken prisoner by tanuki, but Tanukihime's hand maidens, recognizing the princess' love for him, arrange for his escape. Azuchi is determined to end his son's life, however, and even Hagi (Hiroko Yakushimaru), Tanukihime's loyal henchwoman, is determined to separate the lovers, presumably to ensure the princess' safety. Princess Raccoon was shown at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival before having its North American Premiere at the 2005 New York Asian Film Festival, presented by Subway Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zhang Ziyi, Jô Odagiri, (more)
Japanese pop stars Kyôko Fukada (of Takeshi Kitano's Dolls) and Anna Tsuchiya star as the titular hellraisers of writer/director Tetsuya Nakashima's coming-of-age fantasy comedy Kamikaze Girls. The film opens with an animated segment, then switches to live action as Momoko (Fukada), wearing a frilly white dress, is sent flying from her scooter by a high-speed collision with a cabbage truck. Flying through the air in slow motion, Momoko reflects on her life, as the film flashes back to the Rococo era in France, the time and place in which the spacy teen wishes she'd lived. Soon we're back in more recent times, as Momoko recounts her parents' first meeting in a back alley, her birth, and her mother's subsequent abandonment of her failed yakuza father for the obstetrician who delivered Momoko. As a teen, Momoko dresses in the girly Lolita style, carries a parasol, and lives in the country, pining for Tokyo and her favorite clothing store, Baby, the Stars Shine Bright. Disgusted by the slovenly, unfashionable bumpkins that surround her, who buy all their clothing from the local Walmart-style superstore, Momoko retreats into herself and her fantasies. While trying to raise money to support her expensive tastes, she encounters Ichigo (Tsuchiya), a "Yanki" roughneck biker gang member, who expresses herself through spitting and violent headbutting. Momoko is naturally repulsed at first, but the two girls gradually form an unlikely friendship and make a wealth of discoveries about themselves as they travel to Tokyo together in search of a legendary tailor to make Ichigo a special jacket to honor her gang leader's retirement. Kamikaze Girls was shown at Subway Cinema's New York Asian Film Festival in 2005. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kyoko Fukada, Anna Tsuchiya, (more)
Japanese cult director Seijun Suzuki's combination sequel to and remake of his 1967 gangster film classic Branded To Kill stars Makiko Esumi as Miyuki Minazuki, AKA "the Stray Cat," a beautiful female assassin. She is number three in the hierarchy of killers in her criminal organization at the beginning of the film, but soon a battle breaks out among the assassins, all of whom are trying to become the number one killer by murdering their competition. Miyuki finds herself fighting her fellow assassins one by one, encountering along the way such eccentrically-nicknamed opponents as The Teacher, who is confined to a wheelchair, Painless Surgeon, a bearded Westerner who literally feels no pain, and Dark Horse (Masatoshi Nagase), who wears a blond wig and has a perpetual case of the sniffles. Also making an appearance is Goro Hanada, the hero of Branded To Kill (played in the original by Jo Shishido, but here by Mikijiro Hira), who becomes a mentor to Miyuki, and is now known as number zero. The film's skeletal plot mostly allows director Suzuki to develop elaborate visual tableaus that stretch the possibilities of narrative cinema. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Makiko Esumi, Sayoko Yamaguchi, (more)
- 2002
From the Japanese cult-flick director known simply as Sabu, Koufuku No Kane (The Blessing Bell) follows Igarashi (Susumu Terajima) through the last 24 hours before the factory he works for closes down, leaving him unemployed. After a job hunt brings him no results, Igarishi ponders his fate at the banks of a local river. He isn't counting on an old man committing suicide right next to him, but that is precisely what happens. The problem gets further complicated when a policeman finds the body in the same vicinity as Igarishi, and sends him mistakenly off to jail. Rather than leaving Igarishi feeling even more persecuted, prison life gives the blue-collar young man a sense of purpose. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susumu Terajima, Naomi Nishida, (more)
- 1989
- G
- Add The Adventures of Milo and Otis to QueueAdd The Adventures of Milo and Otis to top of Queue
Milo is a kitten, Otis is a dog. When Milo gets into a small box with the intention of taking a trip down a river, Otis follows. En route, the stars encounter bad weather, life-threatening situations, and even potential mates. Original made for Japanese TV under the title Koneko Monogatari, The Adventures of Milo and Otis contained some intense scenes that were edited out for Western audiences. For American consumption, the film was pared down to a G-rated 75 minutes, with a new comic narration added, written by Mark Saltzman and delivered by Dudley Moore. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dudley Moore
- 1986
Five years in the making, this entertaining animal story is about a feisty tomcat named Chatran who wanders away from the safety of his farm in Hokkaido and encounters a series of adventures in the outside world. Director Masanori Hata is a zoologist who runs a private animal farm on Hokkaido. His love for animals shines through in his handling of his "cast" here, which features cows, bears, pigs, snakes and birds, with not a single humans in sight. (This certainly eliminated the usual hassles over percentages or salaries.) Even for non-animal lovers, Chatran's adventures, from when he's a kitten until he grows up to have a family of his own, prove to be enjoyable. This film was given English-language voiceovers by Dudley Moore, and rereleased in the U.S., in 1989, as The Adventures of Milo and Otis. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
