Japanese silent film CROSSROADS with live shamisen accompaniment

The Shamisen Sessions, Vol. 2

Yumiko Tanaka live shamisen accompaniment

for

Crossroads / Jujiro

Directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa

With Junosuke Bando, Akiko Chihaya, Yukiko Ogawa,

Ippei Sohma, and Kazuo Hasegawa

Japan, 1928, 87 minutes, 35 mm, b&w

Silent, with English and German intertitles

When: Saturday, November 15, 7:30 PM

Where: Japan Society NY

333 East 47th Street, NYC

(Between 1st and 2nd Avenues)

Map

Tickets

Internationally active experimental shamisen musician Yumiko Tanaka provides a thrilling improvisational soundscape to the silent film Crossroads (Jujiro, 1928). This audacious film by Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner Teinosuke Kinugasa (1896-1982) depicts the love between a poor brother and sister, and features hallucinatory imagery and boundary-pushing German Expressionist-inspired set design.

This program is part of Japan Society’s 2014 Monthly Film Series, The Dark Side of the Sun: John Zorn on Japanese Cinema, curated by musical maverick and film and Japanese culture aficionado John Zorn. For this event, Tanaka will be joined by guest percussionist Satoshi Takeishi. Followed by a reception.

WHY DON'T YOU PLAY IN HELL? opens today, Friday, November 7th

Drafthouse Films

presents

Why Don't You Play In Hell? / Jigoku de naze warui

Directed by Sion Sono

Japan, 2013, 129 minutes

Sion Sono's Why Don't You Play In Hell? opens today, Friday, November 7th at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin Texas and VOD. It's a hilarious movie in which an aspiring film crew and two gangs of yakuza who are at war with one another manage to all come together. The film will be opening in various other cities throughout November and into January, 2015. For a complete listing of theaters, cities and opening dates, as well as VOD platforms, click here.

Hirata (Hiroki Hasegawa)

Hirata (Hiroki Hasegawa) and is an aspiring filmmaker. He wants to make Sasaki (Tak Sakaguchi) an action film star, Japan's Bruce Lee. Other members of Hirata's crew -- known as The Fuck Bombers -- are Miki, "king of the dolly shots," and Tanigawa, "queen of hand-held shots."

On the yakuza side of things are the Muto faily, headed by Boss Taizo Muto (Jun Kunimura). His wife is Shizue (actress Tomochika). Their pert young daughter is Mitsuko, who does toothpaste commercials. Following an attempt on Boss Muto by the Kitagawa yakuza clan which Shizue thwarted, she is given a ten year prison sentence.

The film then picks up approximately ten years later, when Shizue's  release date is approaching. Mitsuko, now played by Fumi Nikaidô, wants to make her film debut. The conflict between Muto and Kitagawa is about to reach a bloody climax. And who better to document the carnage than Hirata and his Fuck Bombers?!

Why Don't You Play In Hell? is awesome fun, terrifically enjoyable. There are some fun cinematic references (Bruce Lee's yellow jumpsuit and a red balloon, for example).

Mitsuko, played by Fumi Nikaidô

The film was shown at Japan Society this past July as a co-presentation of the society's JAPAN CUTS film festival and the New York Asian Film Festival. Actress Fumi Nikaidô, who also starred in two other films shown at NYAFF, was presented with the festival's first Screen International Rising Star Award.

AsianCineFest Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; very highly recommended.

Second printing of UNOFFICIAL HATSUNE MIX due November 19th

Who’s that girl with the long green ponytails you’ve been seeing everywhere? It’s Hatsune Miku, the Vocaloid—the synthesizer superstar! Dark Horse Comics’ first edition of Unofficial Hatsune Mix landed in the New York Times Manga Top 10 list and sold out of bookstores across the nation within the first month of release.

Hatsune Miku’s a global cybercelebrity and a cosplay favorite at conventions. Now Miku’s original illustrator, KEI, brings you Unofficial Hatsune Mix—an omnibus manga of the musical adventures (and misadventures!) of Miku and her fellow Vocaloids Rin, Len, Luka, and more—in both beautiful black-and-white and charming color.

Over 170,000 music videos have been uploaded to YouTube using Miku as the singer. Miku has appeared in ads from Toyota USA, Domino’s, and most recently the Late Show with David Letterman.

The second printing of Unofficial Hatsune Mix will be in comic shops November 19 and in bookstores December 2. Preorder your copy of this bestseller today or risk having to wait for a third printing.

SAILOR MOON SEASON ONE PART ONE is coming November 11th

Sailor Moon Season 1 Set 1 Blu-ray/DVD combo pack (©N.T./PNP, T.A.)

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES

THE HOME MEDIA RELEASE OF

SAILOR MOON SEASON ONE PART ONE

Celebrated Anime Released For The First Time Uncut, Re-mastered

And In High Definition; Limited Edition Blu-Ray/DVD

Combo Pack Packed With Extras Fit For A Moon Princess!

VIZ Media delivers one of the most legendary anime series of all time with the home media release of SAILOR MOON Season 1, Set 1 as a Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack and on DVD on November 11th.

SAILOR MOON has been completely re-mastered and is presented uncut and with a brand new English voice cast. The Standard Edition DVD and first-ever Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack each contain 23 episodes along with a wealth of bonus features and premium packaging. English dubbed as well as Japanese subtitled dialogue options are available on both formats. The limited edition SAILOR MOON Season 1, Set 1 Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack will carry a MSRP of $79.98 U.S. / $93.99 CAN; the DVD edition will have a MSRP of $44.82 U.S. / $51.99 CAN.

The stunning SAILOR MOON Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack offers a deluxe, 6-disc collection (3 DVDs & 3 Blu-rays), housed in a beautiful shimmery holofoil chipboard box with specialty printing, and contains an array of exclusive extra features along with an 88-page full-color booklet filled with artwork, character profiles, an episode guide, lyrics, and more! Blu-ray episodes are presented in full 1080p High Definition video.

Fans also can enjoy a bevy of bonus material available exclusively on the Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack such as an interactive, full-color SAILOR MOON video art gallery, the original series trailers, a ‘signs and songs’ subtitle track, analogue closed captions for the deaf and hard of hearing, and exclusive all-new behind the scenes footage of the English dub sessions as well as special SAILOR MOON convention announcement panel footage, and more!

Sailor Moon Season 1 Set 1 DVD (©N.T./PNP, T.A.)

The SAILOR MOON Season 1, Set 1 Standard Edition DVD features 3 discs with beautifully illustrated variant O-card packaging featuring embossed holofoil printing. Episodes are presented in 480p standard video format. Bonus features include the ‘signs and songs’ subtitle track, VIZ Media SAILOR MOON convention highlights and panel announcements as well as the original series trailers and analogue closed captions for the deaf and hard of hearing. Uncut English dubbed as well as Japanese subtitled dialogue options are available.

SAILOR MOON depicts the adventures of Usagi Tsukino, a cheerful 14-year-old schoolgirl who often finds herself in unwanted trouble. One day, she saves a talking cat named Luna from some mean kids, and her life is changed forever. Luna gives Usagi a magic brooch that transforms her into Sailor Moon, guardian of love and justice! Now Usagi must work with Luna to find the other Sailor Guardians and the Moon Princess, whose Legendary Silver Crystal is Earth’s only hope against the dark forces of the evil Queen Beryl!

“After being out of print and unavailable in North America for over ten years, the return of SAILOR MOON makes this set a truly historic anime release and one that should be a part of every collection,” says Charlene Ingram, Senior Manager, Animation Marketing. “The Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack is an especially noteworthy collection and offers the debut season of this treasured series for the very first time in crisp High Definition, uncut and re-mastered, and with a brand new English dub cast. Join the Pretty Guardians of Love and Justice, and catch all their early adventures in these forthcoming home media releases that are fit for a Moon Princess!”

The smash hit SAILOR MOON anime series is inspired by the bestselling manga (graphic novel) series created by Naoko Takeuchi (published in North America by Kodansha). In the series, Usagi Tsukino is a clumsy but kindhearted teenage girl who transforms into the powerful guardian of love and justice, Sailor Moon. Meeting allies along the way who share similar fates, Usagi and her team of planetary Sailor Guardians fight to protect the universe from forces of evil and total annihilation!

For more information on SAILOR MOON, or other award-winning anime titles from VIZ Media, visit www.VIZ.com.

Sentai Filmworks has acquired WOLF GIRL AND BLACK PRINCE

A girl with a penchant for flagrant fabrications is about to learn a hard lesson as one of her lies becomes a reality in Sentai Filmworks' latest acquisition, Wolf girl and Black prince. This romantic comedy series is directed by Kenichi Kasai (Honey and Clover, Love Stage!!) with series composition by Sawako Hirabayashi (Shiki, Watamote), music by Go Sakabe (Date a Live!, SoniAni: Super Sonico the Animation) and animation production by TYO Animations (Amagami SS, Flowers of Evil).

Synopsis: Prideful Erika talks to her friends all the time about her exploits with her boyfriends, but the sad truth is she's never had one in all her 16 years. Sensing her lies were reaching the breaking point, she secretly takes a picture of a cute guy she sees in town, and tries to boast he's her boyfriend, but it turns out he's Kyoya Sata who goes to the same school. She comes clean and gets him to play along, but despite him seeming like a nice guy, Sata-kun is actually a totally black-hearted sadist! With no choice but to comply, Erika is ordered around like a dog.

Wolf girl and Black prince will be available soon through select digital outlets with a home video release to follow.