by Mehdi Achouche
Watching “Night River” (also known with the better title of “Undercurrent”), you understand why director Kozaburo Yoshimura (1911-2000) has so often been compared to Kenji Mizoguchi – although that has often been at Yoshimura's expense. Both delivered post-war melodramas often centering on strong, independent-minded female characters being repressed by their families and the social order. Yoshimura (who started as Ozu's assistant director) even took over from Mizoguchi after the latter's death and directed “An Osaka Story” in 1957. The year before, he made “Night River”, penned by feminist screenwriter (and frequent Naruse collaborator) Sumie Tanaka, and adapted from a novel by Hisao Sawano. The story is set in Kyoto and can be seen as part of an informal set of melodramas that Yoshimura directed in the 1950s. These films follow the lives of hard-working women in a rapidly modernizing post-war Kyoto, including the powerful “Clothes of Deception” (1951), “Sisters...
Watching “Night River” (also known with the better title of “Undercurrent”), you understand why director Kozaburo Yoshimura (1911-2000) has so often been compared to Kenji Mizoguchi – although that has often been at Yoshimura's expense. Both delivered post-war melodramas often centering on strong, independent-minded female characters being repressed by their families and the social order. Yoshimura (who started as Ozu's assistant director) even took over from Mizoguchi after the latter's death and directed “An Osaka Story” in 1957. The year before, he made “Night River”, penned by feminist screenwriter (and frequent Naruse collaborator) Sumie Tanaka, and adapted from a novel by Hisao Sawano. The story is set in Kyoto and can be seen as part of an informal set of melodramas that Yoshimura directed in the 1950s. These films follow the lives of hard-working women in a rapidly modernizing post-war Kyoto, including the powerful “Clothes of Deception” (1951), “Sisters...
- 5/15/2024
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Toho Studios were attempting to experiment to replicate the formula established in the original “Gojira” for original monster movies. Experiments ranged from “Rodan” and “The Mysterians” to “Varan the Unbelievable” and several others to varying degrees of success, finally prompting the implementation of one of the most beloved giant monsters in the studios’ canon with their all-time classic “Mothra”.
Mothra is screening at Japan Society, Friday, July 8, 2022 at 7:00 Pm
After rescuing several stranded mariners, Dr. Harada (Ken Uehara) informs reporter Fukuda (Frankie Sakai) and his photographer Michi (Kyoko Kagawa) about the survivors’ ability to return from a highly radioactive area in the South Pacific, without injury. As they claim the result is from the natives on a remote island that was long thought to have been deserted, he hooks up with Dr. Chujo (Hiroshi Koizumi) about the possibility of the story and...
Mothra is screening at Japan Society, Friday, July 8, 2022 at 7:00 Pm
After rescuing several stranded mariners, Dr. Harada (Ken Uehara) informs reporter Fukuda (Frankie Sakai) and his photographer Michi (Kyoko Kagawa) about the survivors’ ability to return from a highly radioactive area in the South Pacific, without injury. As they claim the result is from the natives on a remote island that was long thought to have been deserted, he hooks up with Dr. Chujo (Hiroshi Koizumi) about the possibility of the story and...
- 6/30/2022
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
It’s another CineSavant review of a movie largely unavailable, especially the original Japanese version. This third Ishirô Honda / Eiji Tsuburaya outer space action epic is probably the best Toho science fiction feature ever, an Astral Collision tale in which the drama and characters are as compelling as the special effects. Nothing can stop a colossal planetoid heading toward Earth, but science comes to the rescue with the biggest construction job ever undertaken by mankind. The fine screenplay generates thrills, suspense and human warmth. It also takes place in the far, far future: 1980.
Gorath
CineSavant Revival Screening Review
Not On Region A Home Video
1962 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 88 83 min. / Yôsei Gorasu
Starring: Ryô Ikebe, Yumi Shirakawa, Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno, Akihiko Hirata, Kenji Sahara, Jun Tazaki, Ken Uehara, Takashi Shimura, Seizaburô Kawazu, Takamaru Sasaki, Kô Nishimura, Eitarô Ozawa, Hideyo Amamoto, George Furness, Ross Benette, Nadao Kirino, Fumio Sakashita, Ikio Sawamura, Haruo Nakajima.
Gorath
CineSavant Revival Screening Review
Not On Region A Home Video
1962 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 88 83 min. / Yôsei Gorasu
Starring: Ryô Ikebe, Yumi Shirakawa, Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno, Akihiko Hirata, Kenji Sahara, Jun Tazaki, Ken Uehara, Takashi Shimura, Seizaburô Kawazu, Takamaru Sasaki, Kô Nishimura, Eitarô Ozawa, Hideyo Amamoto, George Furness, Ross Benette, Nadao Kirino, Fumio Sakashita, Ikio Sawamura, Haruo Nakajima.
- 3/30/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Toho’s fabulous, kid-safe Kaiju spectacle about the super-moth from Infant Island might be a stealth Cold War fairy tale. Kids respond to the fanciful Shobijin fairy princesses, while adults (watching the Japanese version) might catch the authors’ message about national belligerence and the abuse of Third Worlders. Greedy ‘Rolisican’ opportunists pay the price of an ancient curse. For its expression of Nature’s justice, vigilante-style, Ishiro Honda’s music-filled show stands right up there with Gorgo — and the giant Moth is also the only Japanese Kaiju monster identified as female.
Mothra
Steelbook Edition
Blu-ray
Mill Creek Entertainment
1961 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 88, 101 min. / Mosura / Street Date July 9, 2019 / 24.98
Starring: Frankie Sakai, Hiroshi Koizumi, Kyoko Kagawa, Ken Uehara, Emi Ito, Yumi Ito, Jerry Ito, Takashi Shimura, Tetsu Nakamura, Akihiro Tayama.
Cinematography: Hajime Koizumi
Director of Special Effects: Eiji Tsuburaya
Original Music: Yuji Koseki
Written by Yoshie Hotta, Shinichiro Nakamura, Shinichi Sekizawa from a...
Mothra
Steelbook Edition
Blu-ray
Mill Creek Entertainment
1961 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 88, 101 min. / Mosura / Street Date July 9, 2019 / 24.98
Starring: Frankie Sakai, Hiroshi Koizumi, Kyoko Kagawa, Ken Uehara, Emi Ito, Yumi Ito, Jerry Ito, Takashi Shimura, Tetsu Nakamura, Akihiro Tayama.
Cinematography: Hajime Koizumi
Director of Special Effects: Eiji Tsuburaya
Original Music: Yuji Koseki
Written by Yoshie Hotta, Shinichiro Nakamura, Shinichi Sekizawa from a...
- 7/13/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Matthew Wilkas (Top Five) is set for a recurring role on Aj and the Queen, Netflix’s upcoming comedy series starring RuPaul Charles, from Charles, 2 Broke Girls co-creator and former Sex and the City showrunner Michael Patrick King and Warner Bros. TV. Written by King and Charles, the series stars RuPaul as Ruby Red, a bigger-than-life but down-on-her-luck drag queen who travels across America from club to club in a rundown 1990s Rv with her unlikely sidekick Aj (Izzy G), a recently orphaned, tough-talking, scrappy 9-year-old stowaway. Wilkas will play Officer Patrick Kennedy, a macho, gay police officer who is charming, easy going, and comfortable in his own skin. Officer Patrick works for the New York Police Department alongside Officer Rhonda Whyatt (Misty Monroe). Wilkas is best known for his work in films Gayby, Top Five and Island Zero. He can also be seen recurring in the upcoming Netflix series Bonding,...
- 1/18/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
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