"Retribution" and "Sakuran""Matsugane" open with high acclaims

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Retribution" opened last weekend in Japan, with the opening day stage appearance of the director, stars Koji Yakusho, Manami Konishi, Riona Hazuki, and Tsuyoshi Ihara.  See photos here.  In addition to these already "all-star" cast members, Joe Odagiri and Ryo Kase also appear in the film.

Kurosawa says, "I have made many horror films, but I wanted to make this one very different from any others.  I didn't care if it was scary or not.  It is made from a totally different point of view."

The film got the highest mark (5 stars) by a film critic on Nihon Keizai Shinbun.  I have not seen 5 stars on this newspaper before, at least during my short movie-fan life.

In addition, two popular movies also open this weekend.  One is Mika Ninagawa's cool women's period drama "Sakuran", starring Anna Tsuchiya.  See photos here from the stage appearance.

Another is "Matsugane Ransha Jiken" (literal translation "Matsugane shooting rampage") by Atsuhiro Yamashita ("Linda Linda Linda").  The film depicts a strange incident in a sleepy rural town Matsugane.  See photos here of the director, cast members Hirofumi Arai, Takashi Yamanaka, Tomokazu Miura and Yuichi Kimura.

Both movies are getting high marks in Nihon Keizai Shinbun.

Source:  Nihon Keizai Shinbun, Cinema Topic Online, Cinema Cafe