Hayao Miyazaki to Retire from Filmmaking

Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is retiring.  Studio Ghibli president Hoshino Koji announced earlier today at the Venice Film Festival that the 72-year-old filmmaker and master of animation is retiring, but further questions about the decision were not answered.  Miyazaki first started working as an animator in 1961, going on to co-found the wonderful Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli, where he directed a number of highly regarded animation features including 1988’s My Neighbor Totoro, 1989’s Kiki’s Delivery Service, 1995’s Princess Mononoke, and 2007’s Ponyo.

This is not the first time that Miyazaki has announced retirement, as he previously took a sabbatical after Princess Mononoke, only to come return to direct 2004’s Howl’s Moving Castle.  Miyazaki’s latest—and probably final—film, The Wind Rises, is currently making the festival rounds and is poised to play Telluride this weekend and the Toronto International Film Festival next week.

GODZILLA is Coming 2014

GODZILLA is a historical phenomenon in cinema, especially in Japan from which it originated. And even though Hollywood has, in the past, failed in making a good Godzilla movie with Roland Emmerich's awful 1998 Godzilla movie, Hollywood is giving it another crack with a Godzilla movie that promises to 'do it right this time'

The new Godzilla movie is directed by Gareth Edwards, who directed the 2010 indie hit "Monsters" and stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn, Sally Hawkins and Ken Watanabe. GODZILLA gets unleashed May 16, 2014. [more after the jump]

"All You Need Is Kill" has been retitled to "Edge of Tomorrow"

The Japanese sci-fi novel titled ALL YOU NEED IS KILL by Hiroshi Sakurazaka is being adapted into a movie directed by Doug Liman (Bourne Identity, Jumper) and stars Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, and Bill Paxton. This adaptation which had the same title as the novel, has recently been retitled as EDGE OF TOMORROW. The film is scheduled to be released on June 6, 2014. The poster for the film has also recently been released, ready for their panel in the upcoming comic-con in the US. Hit the jump to check out the synopsis of the movie.

"Kiki's Delivery Service" currently being made into a live-action movie

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most popular icons (perhaps even greater than Walt Disney) in the world of animation and animated cinema. In some aspects, he can be considered as a god when it comes to animated cinema. One of his timeless cinematic gems "Kiki's Delivery Service" has now been adapted into a live-action movie. Director Shimizu Takashi who is known for directing Ju-On and The Grudge (Hollywood version/remake of Ju-on) will be taking time away from his horror roots into the more light, fun and fantastical world of Kiki's Delivery Service. The movie is currently in active production, and is set for a 2014 release. [more details, such as a production still, after the jump]

Eugene Domingo shooting alongside Japanese actor Yuki Matsuzaki for Pinoy Indie Film

Pinoy super-popular comedienne Eugene Domingo will be starring opposite Hollywood-based Japanese actor Yuki Matsuzaki (The Last Samurai, Letters to Iwo Jima) in a Cinemalaya film entitled INSTANT MOMMY, directed by Leo Abaya. In the movie, Eugene will be playing Matsuzaki's fiancee, and falsely claims that she is pregnant so that Matsuzaki wont leave her.

Filming has begun this month on this Pinoy indie film. This is a Cinemalaya Indie Film. So that means that we here in Iloilo would have to wait for further notice if it will be shown in our theaters, or if some special screening will take place for it.

Tom Cruise attached to upcoming adaptation of Japanese novel, anime Yukikaze

Fresh off the recent release of Oblivion and has also recently finished in the shooting of Doug Liman’s sci-fi thriller All You Need Is Kill, Tom Cruise has recently been attached to star in an adaptation of author Chōhei Kambayashi’s sci-fi novel series "Yukikaze". Yukikaze was also adapted into a five-episode Japanese Original Video Animation (OVA) wch was release in 2002 till 2005.

The book series takes place on an Earth ravaged by war, where a hyper-dimensional passageway opened up over Antarctica thirty years previously, setting into motion events that would find the human race uniting to fight off the mysterious alien force known as JAM. Cruise would play a second lieutenant who is tasked with heading into enemy territory—the alien home planet Fairy—and gathering information that can bring an end to the war once and for all. [click the link below to read more]