Amechiyo is being hunted by his father for being too beautiful and as he tries to escape he runs into Princess Raccoon, a raccoon in human form. They fall for each other, but humans and raccoons shouldn’t mix so the raccoon court causes some trouble. She saves his life, then he saves hers by finding the Frog of Paradise on the Sacred Mountain and so forth, until the tragic finale.

	
Princess Raccoon.mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	1 h 50 min
Size: 	1.54 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	718x478 ~> 849x478
Aspect ratio:  	16:9
Frame rate: 	23.976 fps
Bit rate: 	1 800 kb/s
BPP: 	0.219
Audio
#1:  	Japanese 5.1ch AC-3 @ 192 kb/s

https://nitro.download/view/01B2B80BD1B96FB/Princess_Raccoon.mkv

Language(s):Japanese
Subtitles:English

Many thanks to @Evan for this copy

The post Seijun Suzuki – Operetta tanuki goten AKA Princess Raccoon (2005) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Quote:
On the anniversary of the death of the mother of a hip and happening Tokyo-based photographer, the son returns to his hometown for the funeral. What follows is a return to the past that is more than just a trek home. Old relationships, love, conflicts and memories resurface and collide. Apparently, old perspectives don’t wither.

2.54GB | 1h 59m | 1024×554 | mkv

https://nitro.download/view/A265EABDEC7F405/Miwa_Nishikawa_-_(2006)_Sway.mkv

Language:Japanese
Subtitles:English

The post Miwa Nishikawa – Yureru AKA Sway (2006) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Japanese artist, Foujita, is Paris’ darling in the roaring twenties, loved for his delicate nudes. After leaving his 1st wife, Fernande, he meets Lucie Badoud and names her Yuki (snow in Japanese) after her exquisitely pale skin. Together with their friends Van Dongen, Kisling, Picasso, Modigliani & Kiki, they go to all the parties! On the outbreak of WWII, Foujita returns to Japan with his new Japanese wife, Kimiyo. He exhibits his war paintings that are much darker than the delicate whites of his Paris period. As the battles intensify, Foujita retreats to the country with Kimiyo and discover a Japan he never knew. Foujita returns to France years later. Here, newly naturalised, he takes on the French name Léonard and builds the chapel “Notre Dame de la Paix” in Reims, his final work.

3.81B | 2h 06s | 1920×1040 | mkv

https://nitro.download/view/6902BB2AB725C48/Foujita.2015.1080p.WEB-DL.DD+5.1.H.264-SbR.mkv

Language:French, Japanese
Subtitles:English, Japanese (Hardcoded)

The post Kôhei Oguri – Foujita (2015) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Quote:
Saori has always disliked her gay father and has lived her life denying his existence. One rainy day she receives a visit at work from a young man called Haruhiko. He tells her that her father is dying of cancer and that the nursing home he operates is in danger of closing. Out of curiosity and debt, Saori goes to visit her father at the House of Himiko, a nursing home for gay old men. It is a sad place but filled with sardonic good cheer. Surprised but pleased, Haruhiko shows her around. The old men who live there are delighted. Saori is at first repelled by the relationship between Haruhiko and Himiko but she soon sees that their feelings are genuine. She begins taking an interest in keeping the nursing home alive…

3.08GB | 2h 10mn | 1024×544 | mkv

https://nitroflare.com/view/96A59B318A3268C/Isshin_Inudou_-_(2005)_Mezon_do_Himiko.mkv
or
https://nitroflare.com/view/B9C7E5C6F9DF6E9/Isshin_Inudou_-_(2005)_Mezon_do_Himiko.part1.rar
https://nitroflare.com/view/5AD4FF9DE386357/Isshin_Inudou_-_(2005)_Mezon_do_Himiko.part2.rar
https://nitroflare.com/view/48C6098AC483073/Isshin_Inudou_-_(2005)_Mezon_do_Himiko.part3.rar
https://nitroflare.com/view/ED228FE4317542F/Isshin_Inudou_-_(2005)_Mezon_do_Himiko.part4.rar

Language(s):Japanese
Subtitles:English

The post Isshin Inudô – Mezon do Himiko AKA La maison de Himiko (2005) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Quote:
Dream (or Bi-mong, as is the Korean title) is already Ki-duk’s 15th film. It’s also the 15th Ki-duk film I watched so obviously you can consider me a fan. Ki-duk is a director who’s known to stay pretty close to what he does best, so even though the differences between Dream and his earlier films might not seem stellar, they do present a big deviation for Ki-duk standards. Yet in the end, Dream is still 100% Ki-duk and couldn’t have been made by any other.

Central to Dream is the casting of Jo Odagiri, Japanese acting talent who’s often considered to be Tadanobu Asano’s professional twin (and rightfully so). Odagiri is known for his interesting choices in film and his foreign appeal. Even their looks seem to match from time to time. Odagiri plays a large part in Ki-duk’s latest and marks Ki-duk’s first big deviation. It’s the first time a foreign film star takes the center stage in one of his films.

Probably even bolder is the fact that Odagiri is allowed to speak Japanese throughout the whole of the film. There is no language barrier for the characters, which is a pretty rare choice to make. Even though it is never specified whether Odagiri plays a Japanese or Korean character, the way Japanese and Korean are mixed is very unnatural. Still, after a few minutes of getting used to it only works in favor of the film as Odagiri can focus on acting rather than struggle with a foreign language.

Ki-duk’s second departure from his signature style is the amount of dialog featured in the film. Not exactly the first time he allows his characters to communicate verbally (cfr Time – Shi Gan), but it still feels very un-Ki-duk-like. On the other hand, it fits the film well and Ki-duk does a much better job of handling the dialog than he did with Time. And even though there might be more dialog to Ki-duk standards, there are still pretty long stretches were characters do little more than grunt and act, especially near the end of the film.

Apart from these two deviations, all crucial Ki-duk elements are still very much in place. There are the strong key performances, very troubled and somewhat enigmatic characters, a touch of magic and at the end there is hope, tragic as the events might have been. And in between all that there is enough confusion and symbolism to keep people who like to puzzle more than satisfied.

Visually Ki-duk is aiming for a more outspoken visual style here. He’s not completely succeeding but the key scenes are all well directed and from time to time there is some stellar imagery to admire. Still, there is room for improvement as some scenes still feel a bit bland compared to the others. Much better is the soundtrack, which is every bit as mystical as it is special. Though a little overdone in the dream segments, the singing near the end of the film really gives the film some extra chills and cuts right through the bone. No idea which language was used for the songs, but it fit the film wonderfully.

Apart from the strong leads, the big plus of Dream is it’s exceptional concept. Rather than spoil it here – it is much nicer to find it out for yourself – I’ll say that it is every bit as magical as Bin-Jip’s finale. Ki-duk eases the viewer into the story and goes full out in the last half hour, turning the film around again to be all you’d expect from a Ki-duk film. Characters are hurting, reality is often as flaky as dreams can be and tragedy lies just around the corner.

The scene in the field near the river marks a shift to Ki-duk’s usual trickery and from there on the film is elevated to a higher level. Odagiri is as strong as ever, his female companion acts on an equal level and the both of them really bring Ki-duk’s Dream to life. If you get past the excessive dialog (for a Ki-duk film at least) and accept the quirky (but smart) mix of Korean and Japanese, Dream’s another Ki-duk film rivaling the best of his previous work.

Since Bin-Jip, only Shi Gan was a small disappointment. Apart from that one, Ki-duk seems to be on a roll with a string of near-masterpieces almost uncontested by any other director. That said, I think Ki-duk is still missing that final touch to make his films into true full-fledged masterpieces. Some more attention to the visual side and a little more attention to the integration of the soundtrack, but it seems he’s getting there, slowly but surely. Odagiri’s presence was a smart move, so was the strong and exceptional idea behind the film. One of Ki-duk’s best, no doubt.

	
Dream.2008.DVDRIP.x264.AC3.KJNU.mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	1 h 34 min
Size: 	1.62 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	716x466 ~> 862x466
Aspect ratio:  	1.85:1
Frame rate: 	23.976 fps
Bit rate: 	2 000 kb/s
BPP: 	0.250
Audio
#1:  	Korean 5.1ch AC-3 @ 448 kb/s

https://nitro.download/view/A96A9B8F6556888/Dream.2008.DVDRIP.x264.AC3.KJNU.mkv

Language(s):Korean
Subtitles:English

The post Ki-duk Kim – Bi-mong aka Dream (2008) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Quote:
“To see Tokyo in all it’s wacky and scenic splendor, take a long walk with Tenten (a.k.a. Adrift in Tokyo). The latest from director Miki Satoshi (Insects Unlisted in the Encyclopedia ), Tenten is a brilliantly manic road comedy starring the unbeatable tag team of Odagiri Joe (Tokyo Tower – Mom & Me, and Sometimes Dad) and Miura Tomokazu (The Taste of Tea). Both actors are playing roles they could do in their sleep – prickly middle-ager and slacker student with unfortunate hair – and they bring the exact combination of calm calamity and charismatic craziness the film calls for. In the grand tradition of male bonding road movies, Tenten is just the aimless story of two strange guys walking around Tokyo for a few days and the stranger adventures they encounter – and yet, it’s so much more. Underachieving law student Takemura (Odagiri Joe) – on his eighth year and counting – has racked up quite a sizable debt in the name of higher education. The urgency of his financial situation announces itself in the form of hot-tempered debt collector Fukuhara (Miura Tomokazu), who comes bursting into his apartment one night demanding payment and threatening painful repercussions. Short of hitting it big on pachinko, Takemura has no idea how he can possibly pay back the sum. As the deadline closes in, Fukuhara makes Takemura an unexpected proposition: walk with him from Kichijoji (in western Tokyo) to Kasumigaseki (in central Tokyo), and he’ll pay the indebted student one million yen, enough to cover his debt. Bewildered but in no position to argue, Takemura hits the road with Fukuhara who, it turns out, just killed his wife and wants to turn himself in at a specific police station in Kasumigaseki. Getting there will take some time though, because many wacky people (including Koizumi Kyoko as a club madam) and surprise detours await them on the road in between.”

https://nitro.download/view/59D5501405EA931/Tenten.avi
http://nitroflare.com/view/FE69B689C00DCD4/Tenten.idx
http://nitroflare.com/view/EDC9EB06A4E9E51/Tenten.sub
http://nitroflare.com/view/B5D797D860BF697/extras.avi

Language(s):Japanese
Subtitles:English sub/idx

The post Satoshi Miki – Tenten aka Adrift In Tokyo [+Extras] (2007) first appeared on Cinema of the World.