Someday (大鹿村騒動記)Director: Junji Sakamoto
Cast: Yoshio Harada, Michiyo Ookusu, Ittoku Kishibe, Takako Matsu, Koichi Sato, Satoshi Tomiura, Eita
Running Time: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
Language:: Japanese
Classification: U
Synopsis: In this rural mountain village, they have the tradition of putting on amateur Kabuki performances. Zen, who runs an eatery serving deer meat in Oshika village, is also a top-billed star in the local tradition of performing Kabuki. One day in autumn, as the villagers are preparing to put on a show, Zen is thrown a curveball when he is visited by his wife Takako and his childhood friend Osamu, both of whom who ran away together eighteen years ago and all sorts of troubles begin to unfold against the backdrop of Japan's magnificent natural beauty.
Hayabusa (はやぶさ)Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi
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Cast: Yuko Takeuchi, Toshiyuki Nishida, Masahiro Takashima, Shiro Sano, Koji Yamamoto
Running Time: 2 Hours 20 Minutes
Language:: Japanese
Classification: U
Synopsis: May 9, 2003 - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launches its unmanned spacecraft Hayabusa into orbit. Its mission is to collect samples from a near Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa. Hayabusa is scheduled to make contact with the asteroid in November 2005. Aspiring astronomer Mizusawa Megumi is scouted by Dr. Matoba of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, and joins the team Hayabusa, which aims to reach the asteroid Itokawa. Before long, she begins writing the Adventure Diary of Hayabusa. But as the spacecraft approaches its rendezvous date with the asteroid, problems arise for the JAXA staff back on Earth.
Permanent Nobara (パーマネント野ばら)Director: Daihachi Yoshida
Cast: Miho Kanno, Eiko Koike, Chizuru Ikewaki, Mari Natsuki, Yosuke Eguchi
Running Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
Language:: Japanese
Classification: P13
Synopsis: Newly divorced Naoko (Miho Kanno) returns to her hometown to work at beauty salon Permanent Nobara, which is run by her mother. Permanent Nobara is situated in a small village by the sea and the only beauty salon in the area. The women from the village go to Permanent Nobara to talk about their love lives and troubles. Masako (Mari Natsuki) loves her husband, but her husband cheats on her. Tomo (Chizuru Ikewaki) keeps dating other men, but is betrayed by the guys she dates. The other women tell Tomo that "it's better than not dating." Meanwhile, Naoko, who has returned to her hometown with her daughter, begins a relationship with Mr Kashima (Yosuke Eguchi), her first love who is also her high school teacher.
Death of a Japanese SalesmanDirector: Mami Sunada
Cast: Tomoaki Sunada
Running Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Language:: Japanese
Classification: U
Synopsis: Like the title character in Arthur Miller's play, Tomoaki Sunada was once work-obsessed; now his career is over and thoughts turn to family. Recently retired, Tomoaki is diagnosed with terminal cancer. A practical man, he starts to organise his death: a visit to the priest, a funeral plan and a list of things he'd like to do before he goes - his 'end-of-life journal'. A common practice in Japan, Sunada's journal includes saying "I love you" to his wife and playing with his grandchildren. His filmmaker daughter Mami follows his final months, speaking as her father and using extracts from his diary. A prize winner at both the Dubai and Chicago International Film Festivals, and acclaimed by critics at home, this is a pragmatic yet immensely moving tribute to the end of a life.
Wonder Child / Shindo (神童)Director: Koji Hagiuda
Cast: Narumi Riko, Kenichi Matsuyama, Satomi Tezuka, Masahiro Komoto
Running Time: 2 Hours
Language:: Japanese
Classification: P13
Synopsis: Uta Naruse (Riko Narumi) is a "unique" 13 year old child. She possesses the talent to read sheet music even before she could speak, but has now come to the point where she hates playing the piano. Her father was also a piano virtuoso, but mysteriously disappeared from her life at a young age. Because of her father's disappearance, Uta's mother had to move out of their posh home and into a more modest working class neighbourhood. In this working class neighbourhood lives a grocer whose son, Oto Kikuna (Ken'ichi Matsuyama), happens to be a budding musician, but lacks the drive to truly succeed. That is until Uta Naruse comes into his life...
Rebirth (八日目の蝉)Director: Izuru Narushima
Cast: Hiromi Nagasaku, Mao Inoue, Eiko Koike
Running Time: 2 Hours 27 Minutes
Language:: Japanese
Classification: P13
Synopsis: A woman named Kiwako (Hiromi Nagasaku) abducts a baby from a man whom she has had an affair with. For four years Kiwako raises the child as her own until she is arrested. The child named Erina is then returned to her birth parents, but she can't find peace. As an adult, Erina (Mao Inoue) also becomes involved with a married man and becomes pregnant. To confront her past, Erina goes to Shodoshima where she lived with Kiwako as a child. There Erina discovers a shocking truth and is forced to make a decision.
A Good Husband (今度は愛妻家)Director: Isao Yukisada
Cast: Etsushi Toyokawa, Hiroko Yakushimaru, Asami Mizukawa, Renji Ishibashi, Yuu Shirota
Running Time: 2 Hours 21 Minutes
Language:: Japanese
Classification: P13
Synopsis: Shunsuke Kitami (Etsushi Toyokawa) used to be a hard working photographer, but he has not touched the camera in a year. His wife Sakura (Hiroko Yakushimaru) bickers frequently with Shunsuke, but nevertheless takes good care of her husband. A year ago, right before Christmas, Shunsuke took his wife on a trip to Okinawa to conceive a baby - even though Sakura does not like to travel. That was the last time he took a picture. Now, despite the insistence of his assistant, Shunsuke still has not touched the camera. Shunsuke then decides to photograph a young actress (Asami Mizukawa), with the ultimate goal to have an affair with her. But before the affair can happen, Sakura suddenly shows up. Later, Sakura makes her own confession that she has been seeing someone else for almost a year and asks Shunsuke to take a photograph of her to commemorate their divorce. "Take my picture" was also the words Shunsuke heard Sakura say during their trip in Okinawa...
The Last Ronin (最後の忠臣蔵)Director: Shigemichi Sugita
Cast: Yakusho Koji, Koichi Sato, Nanami Sakuraba, Koji Yamamoto, Jun Fubuki
Running Time: 2 Hours 13 Minutes
Language:: Japanese
Classification: P13
Synopsis: 16 years after the fateful "revenge of the 47 Ronins," involving samurais from the Ako domain who avenged their leader and then committed seppuku (ritual suicide), the sole survivor of that incident, Kichiemon Terasaka (Koichi Sato) traverses the country on a mission. His purpose is to find the families of the fallen samurais and spread the truth of the ronin uprising. On his way to attend the 17th Buddhist ceremony for the 47 Ronins in Kyoto at Choho Shindo's mansion, Kichiemon unexpectedly comes across his close & long-time friend Magozaemon Senoo (Koji Yakusho) - who ran away the day before the ronin uprising. After his disappearance, Magozaemon changed his name and hid from the world. Now he is a merchant who trades antiques and lives in a remote house, hidden in a deep bamboo grove, with a beautiful girl named Kane (Nanami Sakuraba). But the truth is that they both had received secret orders to stay alive from Oishi Kuranosuke, who was leading the forty-seven samurai...
Always -Sunset on Third Street- 3 (ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日'64)Director: Yamazaki Takashi
Cast: Yoshioka Hidetaka, Koyuki, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Maki Horikita, Hiroko Yakushimaru, Kenta Suga, Kazuki Koshimizu
Running Time: 2 Hours 24 Minutes
Language:: Japanese
Classification: U
Synopsis: Tokyo in 1964. The Olympics are set to take place in Tokyo and the country has experienced a period of rapid economic growth. The inhabitants of Third Street live amidst all the change in their usual optimistic ways. Novelist Ryunosuke (Hidetaka Yoshioka) is now married to Hiromi (Koyuki) and they live with Junnosuke (Kenta Suga) who is now in high school. Auto mechanic Norifumi Suzuki (Shinichi Tsutsumi) stills run his mechanic shop across the street with his wife Tomoe (Hiroko Yakushimaru), son Ippei (Kazuki Koshimizu) and employee Mutsuko (Maki Horikita). Their shop has experienced growth over the years. A turning point then occurs for the residents on Third Street...
Ninja Kids!!! (忍たま乱太郎)Director: Takashi Miike
Cast: Seishiro Kato, Roi Hayashi, Futa Kimura, Takeshi Kaga, Takuya Mizoguchi
Running Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
Language:: Japanese
Classification: U
Synopsis: Rantaro was born into a low class ninja family. His parents hope he can one day become an elite ninja to make his family proud. Rantaro, bearing his parents' expectations, enters the Ninja Academy. At the academy, he becomes friends with Shinbe (Futa Kimura), the son of a wealthy merchant family and Kirimaru (Roi Hayashi ), who lost his father in the war. The students at the Ninja Academy are called Nintama - which means future ninjas. Rantaro has a fun time at school, but Rantaro, Shinbe and Kirimaru have difficulties with their studies. One day, a killer appears in the house of Yukitaka Saito (Takeshi Kaga) and his son, 4th grader at the Ninja Academy, Takamura (Takuya Mizoguchi). Although Yukitaka Saito now runs a popular store, Yukitaka and Takamura were once members of the Usetake ninjas. Now, the Usetake ninjas are aiming to kill them both. Can the students at the Ninja Academy save them?
I Wish (奇跡)Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Cast: Koki Maeda, Oshiro Maeda, Nene Otsuka, Joe Odagiri
Running Time: 2 Hours 8 Minutes
Language:: Japanese
Classification: U
Synopsis: Two brothers are separated after their parent's divorce. Older brother Koichi (Koki Maeda) lives with his mother (Nene Otsuka) and grandparents in Kagoshima. Younger brother Ryonosuke (Oshiro Maeda) lives with his father (Joe Odagiri) in Fukuoka. Meanwhile, the Kyushu train line connecting these two cities is nearing completion. A rumour spreads that when the bullet trains first runs (one coming from the north and one coming from south) and at the exact moment the two trains crosses paths energy is released and wishes will be granted to those that witness the event. Koichi hears of the rumour and implements a plan with his younger brother to reunite his family....
Releases and details according to CinemaOnline.
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