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Clockwise from bottom left: The Color Purple (Warner Bros.), Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (Warner Bros.), Ferrari (Neon), and Wonka (Warner Bros.)Graphic: The A.V. Club

December has always been one of the most important moviegoing months of the year; you’ve got all the prestige pics competing for Oscar nominations,...

Following its official premiere in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, How Do You Live?, has revealed not only its official cast and staff but confirmation of an English release with a new title. While 2013’s The Wind Rises was marketed as Miyazaki’s final film, in 2016, it was announced that Miyazaki had begun working on a new film which would now serve as his last film, How Do You Live? What’s especially interesting is that according to Anime News Network, Studio Ghibli has deliberately decided to release it without any marketing, so people don’t feel spoiled before even seeing it, with not even the basic story being made public at any point.

All of that has changed following How Do You Live?’s premiere, however, and a lot of information about its production and international release has been revealed. Not only has the cast, staff, and actual story finally been revealed,...

“Living in a paradise of blue waters and skies. It’s the touristy image most Japanese have… The locals want to see realism in films about Okinawa” director Yasuhiro Yoshida explains in a recent interview with Jff+. Since December, the streaming platform has uploaded a lineup of free-to-watch titles, including Yoshida’s 2013 feature “Leaving on the 15th Spring”. A gentle, heartfelt drama, the movie brews an unexpectedly nuanced message about growing up, that is both unique and universal.

Leaving on the 15th Spring is streaming as part of Jff+ Independent Cinema

Yuna (Ayaka Miyoshi) is turning 15 soon, a momentous age on her small home island, Minami-Daito. On Minami-Daito, there is no school for children above 14 years-old. As children turn 15, they must all leave to the main island to attend high school. We follow Yuna across her final year, preparing for departure as she juggles teenagehood, budding romance and growing pains.

Hell Dogs is a Japanese action movie adaptation of the 2017 manga novel of same title by Akio Fukamachi. The film is written and directed by Masato Harada, starring Junichi Okada, Kentaro Sakaguchi and Mayu Matsuoka.

Premise

The police officer Shogo Kanetaka, suffers from trauma when his loved one was murdered. All Shogo has on his his mind now is revenge. He then receives an order to go undercover as a yakuza member. The police instructs Shogo to pick a fight with yakuza member Hideki Murooka as a stepping stone to gain entrance into the organization. The police have data that shows Shogo is matched with Hideki 98. Meanwhile, Hideki is the son of a death-row convict. He has a physical condition, where is he always hungry and constantly eating. Also, neither her nor the yakuza can control his emotions.

Director

Masato Harada

Cast

Junichi Okada / Shogo Kanetaka

Kentaro Sakaguchi / Hideki Murooka...

Filmmaker Hideaki Anno is one of Japan’s most imaginative and creative filmmakers working today. Whether it be his superb anime show “Neon Genesis Evangelion” or his excellent film “Shin Godzilla,” the auteur director has made a reputation for himself with his stylish filmmaking mixed with emotional storytelling and social commentary. Early on, Anno directed very grounded and haunting pieces of Japanese cinema but with touches of his usual insanity present throughout his work. His first live-action feature, “Love & Pop,” tells a powerful tale of the bond between a group of school girls and raises awareness of disturbing taboos within Japanese society. Following this, Anno would truly show his talents as a filmmaker in his intimate and beautiful film “Shiki-Jitsu.”

on YesAsia

The title of the movie translates to “Ritual” or “Ceremonial Day.” The project would be produced by Studio Kajino, a subsidiary of the popular animation company Studio Ghibli.

Lady Nikuko (voiced by Shinobu Ôtake) has had a hard life , and all because of how open she is to love. She loves food, and has grown larger and larger over the years – her name can be interpreted as ‘the meaty lady’. She loves men, but the wrong ones, unfortunately, so that despite working hard all her life she has no money left to show for it. But Lady Nikuko has also done a heroic thing, and perhaps, if fate smiles on her, she will eventually be rewarded for it.

Most of this we learn in a meandering prologue. The story begins in earnest when she and young Kikumi (voiced by Cocomi) decide to settle down and make yet another fresh start, this time in a small fishing town which has seen better days. They make their home on a boat (a sign of reduced circumstances, but nonetheless, young...

A gleaming and delightful anime with a large appetite for tenderness and laughter, director Ayumu Watanabe’s mother-daughter saga “Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko” boundlessly adores its titular character even when it lingers a tad too long on her happy-go-lucky naiveté or ample love of food.

We get introduced to Nikuko (Shinobu Ôtake), a charming thirtysomething living with her young daughter, Kikuko (Cocomi), as she contentedly works at a local grill house in a small port town in Northern Japan. Heavyset, carefree and irrepressibly joyful in a manner that both puzzles and disarms everyone around her, she is known as “the cheery plump lady who wound up living here” to townsfolk. There is a lot of truth to that, as the film’s stunning opening montage recaps, guided largely by Kikuko’s voiceover, like the rest of the movie.

Being a punch-drunk romantic a little too trusting of scheming men who mercilessly take advantage of her,...