Jason Gray on "Love and honor"

Jason Gray attended the opening eve screening of "Love and Honor" for Tokyo International Film Festival.  The film, the third of Yoji Yamada's "samurai trilogy" based on Shuhei Fujisawa's novels, drew much attention not only by international movie people but also by Takuya Kimura ("Kimutaku") female fans, probably not a typical group found in the festival.

Jason writes he liked Kimutaku's acting, despite his earlier doubt.  I read somewhere before that Yoji Yamada wanted to bring out the hidden power from the pop icon Kimura in his movie, much like his previous success with Rie Miyazawa in "The Twilight Samurai", the first of his trilogy and an Oscar Foreign Language Film nominee. 

Please see Jason's blog for more details.

I am glad it appearantly worked out, although I have a complaint - Kimura's management office (famous/notorious and powerful Johnny's Jimusho) puts very strong restriction on the press pictures, so his photo never is officially released on the Net.  How can I write about him without his pictures???

Source:  Jason Gray

<Addition 10/22>

See, this is what I am talking about ...  Stage photo without the biggest star??? 

Comments

[Michi]

Ed, you are right, for some reason Kusanagi's photo is on "Sinking of Japan"'s website, and it is a very rare case. For example, "Saiyuki" official site does not show ANY picture of the cast. In most of the press events, at least on major media sites, I don't see anyone from SMAP anywhere. I am sure they are cracking down on fansites.

[ed]

wow, a johnny's web policy! why then haven't they cracked down on fansites, or news photos from press events, like "stage greeting", etc? thought i saw some kusanagi photo in an official site for his TV-movie. a very strange policy indeed!

[Michi]

It certainly is marketing gimmick. Johnny's Jimusho artists never appear on Web, not only just Kimutaku, but also any of SMAP or KAT-TUN or anyone. "2046" was a Hong Kong movie, and Johnny could not influece the out-of-the-country production company. See "Love and Honor" official website. It looks VERY STRANGE that Kimura's photo is missing from the cast pages.

[ed]

RE: kimura's missing mugs
hi michi, isn't this just a marketing gimmick? i recall kimura's photos were released for his other movies, like 2046. unless, of course if he looks very unflattering this time! he must've dressed up as samurai in the SxS variety show before.