Japan Notes and Whatnot

Bong Joon-ho's THE HOST may have disappointed at the box office in Japan, but it apparently impressed more than a few critics. Kinema Junpo just released its poll of the top movie of 2006, and THE HOST was ranked No. 3 among foreign films.

Btw, this was not the first time a Korean film did well on the Kinema Junpo poll. THE PRESIDENT'S BARBER made No. 6 last year. (Coincidentally, both films star Song Gang-ho).

Actually, there is a whole bunch of interesting stuff going on the world of Japanese movies these days. Hoga Central has a nice look at the year's box office (which apparently had fewer huge hits and more middling hits last year).

Jason Grey has some information about the new Miike Takeshi remake of DJANGO (or whatever the heck that odd film is). You should check out the next story in his blog, too, about NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE Director Tsukamoto Shinya.

Midnight Eye has an interview up with manga creator and animator Katsuhiro Otomo.

And just for the sake of completeness, check out Ryuganji from time to time for all your Japan film news.