Tae Kimura Movies
- 2005
British-born filmmaker John Williams directs this semi-surreal Japanese-language drama that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy while detailing a mystery fiction-loving salaryman's search for his missing wife. There was a time when Ariso (Koichi Sato) longed to become a writer, but these days he's content just to soak up the latest mysteries penned by best-selling author Jo Kuroda. Kuroda's erotic new novel "Starfish Hotel" in particular, has been slowly working its way into the salaryman's subconscious. Confounded by the recent disappearance of his wife and haunted by an affair he once had with sexy temptress Kayoko, introverted Ariso sets out locate his missing spouse after receiving a flyer for Kuroda's latest novel from a mysterious man in a dodgy bunny suit. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Koichi Sato, Kiki, (more)
Two teenagers fall for the same boy with unexpected consequences in this popular comedy drama from Japan. Hana (Anne Suzuki) and Arisu (Yu Aoi) are a pair of 15-year-old girls who have been best friends for years. Arisu, the more outgoing of the two, has developed a crush on a boy and they begin dating. So that Hana won't feel left out, Arisu fixes her up with Masa (Tomohiro Kaku), one of her boyfriend's pals. However, after a few months, the bloom is off the rose for Arisu and her beau, while things are going swimmingly for Hana and Masa. Making matters worse for Arisu is the fact she's become quite infatuated with Masa, and one day while she's following him home from school, she sees him accidentally walk into a wall. Masa is knocked cold for a moment, and when he awakes, he sees Arisu, who attempts to convince him that she's actually his girlfriend...something he doesn't recall thanks to a mild dose of amnesia brought on by the accident, according to Arisu. Written and directed by Shunji Iwai, who created the international success All About Lily Chou-Chou, Hana to Arisu began as a series of candy commercials and became so popular as an expanded series of short subjects available online that Iwai adapted them into a feature. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The Japanese horror film Infection begins with a hospital patient dying from mistakes made by the staff. The people involved stage a cover-up of the events, but their dishonesty and treachery catches up with them when a different patient dies from a mysterious illness, and those involved in the conspiracy begin showing signs of having whatever unknown ailment felled that unfortunate fellow. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
