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Shingo Matsamura's gripping drama “The Lump In My Heart” about a student who is challenged by a life-changing diagnosis is based on a script adapted from Yokoyama Takuya's eponymous stage play, and penned by Takahashi Izumi, producer/ director/ writer who has proved his writing versatility with contributions to genre and dramas alike.

The Lump In My Heart is screening at Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme

When Chinatsu (Yoshida Mizuki) runs into her chidlhood friend and teenage crush Kohki (Okudaira Daiken) at the university campus, she becomes obsessed with something he had said to her a long time ago that made her aware of the male gaze. That particular remark made such an impact on her in the past, that she has developed a permanently complicated relationship to her body. When her breasts come to focus again many years later, due to a medical check-up she is required to do,...

“Drive My Car” star Hidetoshi Nishijima has signed with CAA for representation.

Nishijima starred in the acclaimed 2021 Japanese feature “Drive My Car,” which was nominated for four Academy Awards, and walked away with the Oscar for best international feature film.

He earned several awards for his performance in the Cannes-premiering critical darling, including best actor from the National Society of Film Critics and the Boston Film Critics Circle Awards, as well as the Japan Academy Film Prize for best actor.

Nishijima will next star alongside Rashida Jones in “Sunny,” Apple TV+’s half-hour dark comedy series from A24 and Lucy Tcherniak. He also stars in Kitano Takeshi’s “Kubi,” which will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month.

Nishijima’s previous credits include “Shin Ultraman” (2022), Kitano Takeshi’s “Dolls” (2002), and “License to Live” for which he won the best actor award at the Japanese Professional Movie Awards.

Nishijima has also appeared in TV series,...

With the recent hit series “Kamen Rider Black Sun” and Hideaki Anno’s upcoming film, “Shin Kamen Rider,” Kamen Rider continues to flourish as one of Japan’s most popular and beloved tokusatsu characters. Created in the imaginative mind of manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori, the franchise began in 1971 with a successful television and manga series; the rest is history. Since then, the insectoid motorcycle-riding superhero has been reimagined in countless ways throughout the years. While not as frequent as appearances in tv shows, the franchise has also seen its fair share of movies. With the upcoming theatrical release of “Shin Kamen Rider,” it’s fascinating to look back on how Ishinomori’s creation has been depicted in cinema throughout the years. Generally speaking, the character’s track record in the film has ranged from serviceable to lackluster. Some, like “Kamen Rider: The First,” is at best a passable viewing experience,...

From Takashi Shimizu, the visionary creator of The Grudge franchise comes the new supernatural horror film Ox-Head Village, which is now streaming on Screambox!

In the horror movie, “After watching a viral video, a woman, who believes that she’s the twin of one of the participants, decides to investigate the town where the video was shot.”

A Screambox Original, Ox-Head Village screened at numerous international festivals including the New York Asian Film Festival and Fantaspoa Film Festival. It stars Kôki (Touch), Riku Hagiwara (Three Sisters of Tenmasou) and Haruka Imô (Kamen Rider Black Sun).

Directed by Shimizu, who also co-wrote the dark and gritty film along with Daisuke Hosaka, the film presents a sinister mystery with a supernatural twist. Creative partners for many years, Shimizu and Hosaka previously worked together on Howling Village and The Shock Labyrinth 3D.

You can also watch Takashi Shimizu’s awesome Suicide Forest Village,...

Happy Valentine’s Day! You might not expect the horror genre to have a very strong showing on a day like this one, but the genre’s bloody heart just never seems to stop beating.

In fact, Six brand new horror movies just released for Valentine’s Day!

Here’s all the new horror released on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

From Takashi Shimizu, the visionary creator of The Grudge franchise, comes brand new supernatural horror film Ox-Head Village, which is now streaming on Screambox!

In the horror movie, “After watching a viral video, a woman, who believes that she’s the twin of one of the participants, decides to investigate the town where the video was shot.”

A Screambox Original,Ox-Head Village screened at numerous international festivals including the New York Asian Film Festival and Fantaspoa Film Festival.

Kôki (Touch...

From Takashi Shimizu, the visionary creator of The Grudge franchise, comes the new supernatural horror film Ox-Head Village.

In the horror movie, “After watching a viral video, a woman, who believes that she’s the twin of one of the participants, decides to investigate the town where the video was shot.”

A Screambox Original, Ox-Head Village screened at numerous international festivals including the New York Asian Film Festival and Fantaspoa Film Festival. It stars Kôki (Touch), Riku Hagiwara (Three Sisters of Tenmasou) and Haruka Imô (Kamen Rider Black Sun).

Directed by Shimizu, who also co-wrote the dark and gritty film along with Daisuke Hosaka, the film presents a sinister mystery with a supernatural twist. Creative partners for many years, Shimizu and Hosaka previously worked together on Howling Village and The Shock Labyrinth 3D.

Ox-Head Village will release on digital and stream exclusively on Screambox February 14.

In the meantime, you can...

"Kamen Rider" celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 3 2021 by announcing three big new projects. One was "Fuuto Pi," an anime sequel to the popular detective series "Kamen Rider W." Another was "Shin Kamen Rider," the newest film by "Neon Genesis Evangelion" director Hideaki Anno. The last was "Kamen Rider Black Sun," a reboot of the classic "Kamen Rider Black." Each pays homage to the past while working to redefine the future of "Kamen Rider" in anime, film and live-action television.

"Kamen Rider Black Sun" was uploaded to Amazon Prime on October 28th, 2022. "Kamen Rider" fans had a tough time finding the series through Amazon's search engine; some resorted to posting direct links to the series via social media so their friends could check it out. "Black Sun" earned a positive write-up on Crunchyroll via tokusatsu expert Alicia Haddick, but has otherwise been completely ignored by the United States television press.

Iranian action drama “World War III,” which won two awards at the recent Venice festival, will feature among the main competition titles at next month’s Tokyo International Film Festival.

The festival will operate as an in-person event with foreign filmmakers, media and other guests in attendance from Oct. 24-Nov. 2, 2022.

“World War III” is joined in the competition section by the world premiere of Milcho Manchevski’s “Kaymak,” Spanish director Carlos Vermut’s “Manticore” and Roberta Torre’s “The Fabulous Ones,” Michale Boganim’s “Tel Aviv Beirut,” and Youssef Chebbi’s debut film “Ashkal.”

The 15-strong competition also includes two Japanese films Imaizumi Rikiya’s “By The Window” and Matsunaga Daishi’s “Egoist” and two Japanese co-productions, Fukunaga Takeshi’s “Mountain Woman,” and Kyrgyzstan director Aktan Arym Kubat’s “This Is What I Remember.”

Winners from the competition section will be chosen by a jury headed by Julie Taymor, along with Joao Pedro Rodrigues,...