‘On-Gaku: Our Sound’: Annecy Film Review

Maggie Lee Chief Asia Film CriticImagine a Japanese version of “Pygmalion” in which the sculptor continues to caress slabs of marble even after Galatea has come to life. That is the unusual premise of “Romance Doll,” a marital drama in which a sex doll maker’s rapt obssession with his new prototype, leads to rejection of his human muse.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKorean pop sensation, BTS will provide the original theme song for upcoming Japanese movie “Your Eyes Tell.” With BTS member Jung Koo among the composers, it is the first time that the best-selling band has participated with a film in this manner.The song and the movie share the same English-language title, though the English title of the song is presented as “Your eyes tell” and the film also goes by the Japanese title “Kimino mega toikaketeiru.” The song

Sucker Punch Productions, the studio known for Infamous and Sly Cooper, has returned with its first game in six years.Ghost of Tsushimais a brand-new story set in feudal Japan, a period with surprisingly little representation in the world of video gaming. The events in Ghost of Tsushimaunfold amid the Mongol invasion of Japan in 1274 A.D.

Guy Lodge Film CriticThe 1989 murder of Susan Smith is a despairingly grim Southern Gothic story, shot through with reckless sex, institutional corruption and Kentucky-fried local scandal: prime material for the kind of forensic, heavily extended true-crime podcasts (or Netflix-style documentary series) that garner such widespread public fascination these days.

“At each stop throughout this comedically heartfelt journey, Patel is joined by a friend or family member, with whom he shares a big conflict or question about life. He travels to Mexico with his parents to discuss retirement and aging; Japan with his wife to explore parenting and gender roles; Korea with his entrepreneur friend to confront their issues with work/life balance; Denmark with his Muslim friend to explore an immigration crisis not unlike ours here in America.

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticA cigar is never just a cigar where Sigmund Freud is concerned.

Lisa Kennedy Four Vietnam vets reunite for a mission, one that will lean on their wartime exploits but also expose more than a few old tensions.

Dennis Harvey Film CriticSnarled loops of time travel have proved a surprisingly versatile and rewarding fantasy-cinema trope in recent years, from the big-budget likes of “Edge of Tomorrow” to such enterprising indies as “Predestination,” not to mention comedies (“Palm Springs”), horror (“Happy Death Day”), romance (“Before I Fall”) and more.

For a debut feature, writer-director Charlène Favier’s powerful coming-of-age sports drama Slalom couldn't come at a more timely moment.

truth and beauty, too, it’s safe to say that “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” finds a bit of both of those things.Also Read: 'Palm Springs' Film Review: Andy Samberg Puts an Indie Rom-Com Spin on 'Groundhog Day'The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, went to the Berlin and True/False Film Festivals and had a series of virtual screenings on July 8 to celebrate National Dive Bar Day, with a virtual rollout scheduled for July 10.

This is very special. Perez was with Lady GaGa in Osaka in August of 2009. They went to this hole-in-the-wall gay nightspot and she spontaneously got up and performed Just Dance. It’s a very sweet memory. We had the best time!

Next week, BTS will be dropping Map of the Soul: The Journey, which will not just feature Japanese versions of songs from Map of the Soul: 7, but additional new tracks too for ARMY to obsess over. Their fourth Japanese album features the title track, Stay Gold, which has managed to warm hearts all around the world for its positive vibe and has peaked at #1 on iTunes Top Songs chart in 82 countries.

Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmBREAKING: Brad Pitt is set to star in Bullet Train, the Sony Pictures action movie that just got as director David Leitch, the helmer of Deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Zak Olkewicz wrote the script, based on the Japanese novel Maria Beetle by Kotaro Isaka.

Maggie Lee Chief Asia Film CriticEye-popping action steals the show in “Lupin III: The First,” the first computer-animated feature entry in the classic franchise about the French gentleman thief and master of disguise.

Family may be the great subject of Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, but he doesn't draw straightforward portraits. In Kore-eda's hands, family is more malleable.

Trans musician Beverly Glenn-Coppeland’s album Keyboard Fantasies was discovered in 2015 by a Japanese collector before going on to achieve cult status.The story about the discovery of a musical genius took on added poignancy for the fact that Glenn-Copeland had made the groundbreaking album three decades ago in 1986.Now, a film on his life and music – Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story – is being showcased at  the ongoing online Melbourne Documentary Film Festival that is

Tom Grater, Jill Goldsmith Yesterday’s news that the European Union will not lift travel restrictions on the U.S. due to the scale of the country’s ongoing coronavirus outbreak prompted concerns about the re-start of American film and TV production based in Europe.As of today (July 1), travelers from 15 countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and China can cross borders into the EU, but the U.S.

Jill Goldsmith The Council of the European Union has kept restrictions on travel from the U.S. in place even as it lifts them for 15 other countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and China starting tomorrow, July 1.U.S.

The father of tennis powerhouses Serena and Venus Williams cut a deal to be portrayed in the upcoming “King Richard” biopic by actor Will Smith after he’d already sold his life rights to someone else, according to a new lawsuit.A Los Angeles state court lawsuit filed on Tuesday claims that the Warner Bros.’ highly anticipated film about the life of Richard Williams is based on a multi-million dollar breach of contract.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterEXCLUSIVE: North America’s largest festival of contemporary Japanese cinema, Japan Cuts, has selected 30 features and 12 shorts for a 2020 edition that will take place entirely online due to continued corona disruption.Running July 17-30, the traditionally New York-based event will instead be available across the country via a digital platform set up in partnership with Festival Scope and Shift72.