Can a candidate with no political experience and no charisma win an election if he is backed by the political giant Prime Minister Koizumi and his Liberal Democratic Party? This cinema-verite documentary closely follows a heated election campaign in Kawasaki, Japan, revealing the true nature of "democracy."
The late Shinzo Abe was the longest-serving prime minister of all time, holding office for 2,822 consecutive days. While his hawkish foreign policy and "Abenomics" economic policies won him support, he also attracted public attention for his controversial words, actions and scandals. Nobusuke Kishi, a politician and the maternal grandfather of former Prime Minister Abe, was nicknamed the "Monster of the Showa Era" for his ability to manipulate the political and business worlds by walking the fronts and backs of society. The film explores the mysteries of his blood and upbringing that led him to adopt an extremely "forward-looking" political stance in order to realize his ambitions, which were imprinted in his childhood mind as his "grandfather's teachings". With black humor and satirical picture books, the film unravels who former Prime Minister Abe was and what he left behind for this country.
“Pictures at an Election” (the title refers to Mussorgsky’s suite “Pictures at an Exhibition” featuring at the beginning of the film) is a 68 min. documentary that covers the campaigns of those candidates who tried to win one of the five seats in Tokyo during the Upper House election in 2007. It shows Japan’s electoral machinery in full steam and focuses on the question of how Japanese candidates try to appeal to voters. The documentary depicts different strategies and techniques, and presents a lively picture of political culture in Japan.
Japan, 1137. The Taira family, a samurai clan, becomes involved in the disputes between Emperor Toba and the monks of Mount Hiei.
Political fixer Homei Yamaoka's misdeeds come to light, throwing Japanese politics into deadly confusion. But he's not going down without a fight.
Organized Violence II
Coinciding with the LDP presidential election of the entire national public, a masterpiece depicting the reverse side of Showa political history released, superimposed cast, a group image of real politicians centered on Shigeru Yoshida and political history after the war.
The film stars two of Itami's regular actors, Nobuko Miyamoto as a geisha who brings luck to the men with whom she sleeps, and Masahiko Tsugawa as her unfaithful, sometimes partner. As well as showing her relationships with the man she loves and the men who employ her, it satirizes corruption and the influence of money in Japanese politics.
Who will be the next prime minister? As two candidates start to compete, political game and brutal murder ensue. And the existence of secret love letters changes the situation.
Tells the true story of American Gwen Terasaki, who falls in love with, then marries a Japanese diplomat. When World War II breaks out they encounter animosity and trouble from both sides.
"When human beings venture too far along a trail made by wild beasts, it is said, they quite often discover themselves on a road of no return." Based on the novel of the same name by Seichô Matsumoto.
Yuji and Kosaku become involved with a brother and sister who want to drive a local yakuza gang member out of their neighborhood.
A brand new retrospective documentary produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures and featuring interviews with cinematographer Dean Cundey, production designer/editor Tommy Lee Wallace, photographer Kim Gottleib-Walker, make-up effects artist Steve Johnson, Carpenter biographer John Muir, music historian Daniel Schweiger, visual effects historian Justin Humphreys and assistant Larry Franco
A brand new retrospective documentary produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures and featuring interviews with writer Nick Castle, cinematographer Dean Cundey, composer Alan Howarth, production designer Joe Alves, special visual effects artist/model maker Gene Rizzardi, production assistant David De Coteau, photographer Kim Gottleib-Walker, Carpenter biographer John Muir, visual effects historian Justin Humphreys, and music historian Daniel Schweiger.
A brand new retrospective documentary produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures and featuring interviews with Associate producer Sandy King, cinematographer Gary Kibbe, actor Peter Jason, actor Robert Grasmere, composer Alan Howarth, stunt coordinator/Ghoul Jeff Imada, author Jonathan Letham, music historian Daniel Schweiger, Blumhouse editor Rebekah McKendry, and visual effects historian Justin Humphreys.
A brand new retrospective documentary produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures and featuring interviews with Cinematographer Gary Kibbe, actor Peter Jason, actor Alice Cooper, composer Alan Howarth, script supervisor Sandy King, visual effects supervisor Robert Grasmere, stunt coordinator Jeff Imada, Carpenter biographer John Muir, film historian C. Courtney Joyner, music historian Daniel Schweiger and Producer Larry Carpenters.
Cast and crew offer up a nice overview piece, discussing the picture's authenticity, real life in the time of "Boyz n the Hood," the parallels between Singleton's real life and his film, the process of making the film, the casting process, the quality of the script, the film's reception, its Oscar nominations, and its legacy.
Documentary purporting to expose the cover-up of the JFK assassination conspiracy.
A wonderful retrospective supplement that features much of the primary cast cast as well as Writer/Director John Singleton looking back at the picture's history and legacy. They speak on the themes of the film, the casting process, its importance then and now, its reception upon release, the project's novelty, its placing in the National Film Registry, and more. There's no shortage of good insight here and the piece does a fine job of encapsulating what Boyz n the Hood is all about.
Building Brick is the Behind the Scenes documentary for the film Brick (2006). Brick was written and directed by Rian Johnson in San Clemente, CA in 2003. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Lucas Haas, Noah Segan Building Brick was filmed and edited by L Jean Schwartz (Disclaimer: I shot most of this footage when I was 17 with my family camcorder, edited it when I was 19, and this is not a very high res version, but it has only been available on the German DVD so I wanted a way that my friends could see it) Also, I am endlessly immensely grateful to Rian Johnson for giving me the opportunity to be part of Brick.