Sumiko Fuji Movies
- 2009
A special kind of toy is suddenly introduced to the real world around her in this artful fantasy from Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. Hideo (Itsuji Itao) is a middle-aged man who doesn't have many friends, but he wards off loneliness with his companion Nozomi (Bae Du-na), who joins him for dinner each evening and in bed afterwards. But Nozomi is actually an inflatable love doll that can't speak or move on her own -- or she can't until one morning when she discovers she's developed the heart, flesh and soul of a human being. Unfamiliar with the world outside Hideo's apartment, Nozomi tentatively learns to walk, dress herself and venture out into the neighborhood, where she mimics the speech and habits of others. Hideo is surprised when he discovers his "air doll" has come to life, but he soon adjusts to Nozomi's new form. But Nozomi begins learning about the pain and confusion that having a heart can bring when she gets a job at a video store and falls in love with one of her co-workers, Junichi (Arata). As she struggles with her feelings, she seeks out her creator -- Sonoda (Joe Odagiri), the designer who invented the model of doll she used to be. Kuki Ningyo (aka Air Doll) was an official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened as part of the "Un Certain Regard" program. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bae Doo na, Arata, (more)
- 2007
The Professor and His Beloved Equasion director Takashi Koizumi re-teams with Ran producer Masato Hara for the first time since working together on Akira Kurosawa's 1985 lavish period drama to tell the tale of a horrific yet largely unexplored chapter in the history of World War II. Adapted from author Shohei Ooka's novel Nagai Tabi, Koizumi and Hara's film follows the war crimes tribunal of Lieutenant General Tasuku Okada (Makoto Fujita) after he is accused of executing thirty-eight American POWs without the requisite military tribunal. The executions came in the aftermath of the American bombing of Nagoya, and now as Okada makes clear his reasoning behind his drastic course of action the entire courtroom, including his defense lawyer Joseph Featherstone (Robert Lesser), begin to realize just how heavy a tool that war can take on a man who has vowed to protect his country to the death. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Makoto Fujita, Sumiko Fuji, (more)
As the Korean War draws to a close and the pressing demand for copious amounts of coal takes a sudden plunge, the remote Japanese mining town of Joban attempts to compensate for the devastating economic blow by transforming itself into a lavish Hawaiian retreat in an affectionate comedy inspired by real events and directed by Lee Sang-il. The year s 1965 and the changes that have swept through the outside world are finally reaching Joban. As the mineworkers are laid off and the women of the town take it upon themselves to gently nudge their once-prosperous community from the brink of economic collapse, the ancient Hawaiian art of the hula dance seems to offer the ideal means of doing so. Though highly fashionable Tokyo urbanite Madoka Hirayama (Yasuko Matsuyuki) at first seems terribly out of place when she arrives in Joban to teach local ladies how to saw their hips with authentic grace, her noble efforts soon instill her students with a newfound sense of confidence in both themselves, and their struggling community. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yasuko Matsuyuki, Etsushi Toyokawa, (more)
- 2006
Precisely thirty-years after first bringing star detective Kosuke Kindaichi to the screen in The Inugami Family, acclaimed Japanese director Kon Ichikawa returns to follow author Seishi Yokomizo's super sleuth on his most challenging case. World War II has recently drawn to a close, and as powerful pharmaceutical executive and notoriously ruthless family patriarch Sahei Inugami (Tatsuya Nakadai) lays dying in his Nasu deathbed, his heirs all gather around to hear the reading of the will. Unfortunately for his eager offspring Sahei expires before summoning the strength to name his heirs, and family lawyer Furadate (Atsuo Nakamura) states that the will cannot be read aloud until all family members are present and accounted for. As eldest daughter Matsuko (Sumiko Fuji) sends for her war-ravaged son in Fukuoka, the lawyer's assistant contacts detective Kindiachi (Koji Ishizaka) with concerns about foul play. No sooner does the assistant voice his suspicions than he drops dead due to poisoning, and the eagle-eyed gumshoe begins working around the clock to crack the case. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Koji Ishizaka, Nanako Matsushima, (more)
- 2005
Masahiko Makino's willfully offensive comedy Nezu No Ban concerns a beloved comedian (Hiroyuki Nagato) who from his deathbed asks to see the private parts of a woman. The people he has worked with for years attempt to make that dream a reality, but their success has unintended consequences. Based on a traditional Japanese theatrical style that utilizes exceedingly vulgar language, the film continues onto a series of funerals as the various people who worked with the old man die themselves. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kiichi Nakai, Hiroyuki Nagato, (more)
