Hiroyuki Miyasako Movies
Director Hitoshi Matsumoto weaves this darkly comic mockumentary about a Japanese giant who continues the long-standing family tradition of facing off against Tokyo's most formidable monsters. Constantly caught in the middle of everyone's battles, Daisato finds his sincere efforts to keep the peace repeatedly belittled; he's divorced, his neighbors have covered his house in graffiti, and he gets nothing but dirty looks when he walks down the street. When we first meet Daisato, he is the subject of a television documentary. Though on the surface Daisato may seem like your average, slightly unkempt salaryman -- completely unremarkable in all respects -- it soon becomes apparent just how deceiving first impressions can be. After lamenting on camera the fact that he never gets any vacation time due to frequent calls from the Defense Department, the camera follows Daisato as he rides his motorbike to a Tokyo power plant, receives the jolt of electricity that transforms him into a hulking superhuman crime fighter, and clashes with a gargantuan leviathan intent on destroying Tokyo. Daisato comes from a long line of heroic heavyweights, yet while his ancestors were once championed with parades for their noble efforts, public interest in giant invaders has waned and Daisato has become something of a joke to the citizens of Tokyo. Not only is the noise generated by Daisato's battles regarded as a public nuisance, the property damage that he causes while defending the city has the citizens downright angry. Now, as Daisato attempts to balance his responsibilities to his ex-wife, his daughter, his agent, and his senile grandfather, the crushing weight of both his personal and professional obligations simply becomes too much to bear. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hitoshi Matsumoto, Riki Takeuchi, (more)
A group of grotesque supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore enlist the aid of a young boy recently bestowed with the title of Kirin Rider in defeating a powerful dark overlord who preys on humans and monsters alike in this kid-friendly fantasy from Takashi Miike. As a series of bizarre supernatural incidents plague the Japanese countryside and scores of children go missing, a mysterious series of mechanical monster attacks led by a dark mistress (Chiaki Kuriyama) sends the country into a panicked frenzy. In the midst of the otherworldly chaos, a young boy named Takashi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is named Kirin Rider at a rural shrine festival and sent into the hills to claim his sword from the Great Goblin as local legend dictates. Arriving at his destination to find that the mountain is populated by a variety of ghoulish inhabitants visible only to his eye, Takashi pledges to save his new Yokai friends and put an end to the apocalyptic plot set into motion by an evil entity determined to destroy mankind. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A genetic discovery that could prove mankind's saving grace is instead used to create the very beings who threaten their existence in director Kazuaki Kirya's visionary sci-fi epic. The time is the late 21st Century; fifty years of war between Europa and the Eastern Federation have left the planet devastated and the human race completely dispirited. In the aftermath of the Eastern Federation "victory," a new federation known as Eurasia is born. But the planet has been ravaged beyond the point of repair by nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and a half-century of warfare has taken a devastating toll on all mankind. At first, it appears that salvation is imminent when a highly respected geneticist named Azuma announces the discovery of a so-called "neo cell" that can rejuvenate the human body without risk of rejection. Mankind's last hope threatens to become its ultimate downfall, however, when nature and science combine to create a menace that could very well extinguish the human race forever. Now, as the human race prepares to make its last stand against the ultimate enemy, a powerful warrior will emerge to fight for mankind and provide hope for future generations. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yusuke Iseya, Kumiko Aso, (more)
The Akechi family is a quietly unhappy one. Yoshiro (Sei Hiraizumi), the breadwinner, has lost his job, but he keeps it a secret, leaving the house each day and returning late at night, and borrowing money to keep his family in the dark. Akiko (Naoko Otani), his wife, spends her days taking care of Yoshiro's senile father, Kimiko (Moeko Ezawa). She doesn't complain, but she's losing her hair from the stress. Tomoko (Miho Tsumiki) is their daughter, a bright and responsible schoolteacher. She's dating a fellow teacher, Kamata (Toru Tezuka), from a wealthy family. The family's façade of happiness begins to crumble when Kimiko dies. At the rather lavish funeral, Yoshiro is embarrassed by an obnoxious loan shark demanding payment. Tomoko runs into Shuji (Hiroyuki Miyasako), her good-for-nothing brother, who was kicked out of the house years ago. Shuji claims he's there for his grandfather's funeral and scares off the loan shark by pretending to be Yoshiro's lawyer. But now that the family knows he's broke, recriminations fly. As the family's false veneer of tranquility is shattered, Shuji suggests a scheme to solve their financial problems, and Tomoko questions her brother's true motives. Wild Berries is the first feature film from writer/director Miwa Nishikawa. She had previously served as an assistant to director Hirokazu Kore-eda (After Life). Wild Berries was shown at New Directors/New Films in 2003. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hiroyuki Miyasako, Miho Tsumiki, (more)











