ryuganji: film news from japan

First glimpse of Mizuno Miki in “Kuchisake Onna”

Sanspo has a flattering pic of Mizuno Miki in serious need of chapstick for her role in Shiraishi Koji’s upcoming horror “Kuchisake Onna“. Sato Eriko and Kato Haruhiko play elementary school teachers who face off against a creepy masked woman (Mizuno) who abducts children. It’s hardly an original concept (see this Wikipedia entry), but at least it’s not another hair ghost movie - or is it? Judge for yourself with this trailer. “Kuchisake Onna” opens on March 17th.

Uchida Yuki returns for Suzuki Matsuo’s new film

Actress Uchida Yuki (31) is to make her first film appearance since 1998’s “Beat” in Suzuki Matsuo’s “Kuwaietto Rumu ni Yokoso” (something like “Welcome to the Quiet Room”). Suzuki will direct his own screenplay, based on his novel which was a candidate for the Akutagawa literary prize. Uchida, who ended her three-year marriage to actor Yoshioka Hidetaka in 2005, will play a divorced writer who suddenly finds herself confined to a closed psychiatric ward. Other cast members include Kudo Kankuro, Aoi Yu, Tsumabuki Satoshi and Otake Shinobu. This will be Matsuo’s second film as a director after his debut “Otakus in Love” (Koi no Mon), which was selected for the 2004 Venice International Film Festival. Filming begins on January 25th with a view to a release sometime this autumn. (sources: Sanspo, Sports Hochi)

Even more serious film journalism

And on the pretense of making up for the “Kuchisake Onna” nastiness, here’s something more aesthetically pleasing (or more horrific, depending on your proclivities): the massively talented Natsume Rio resting her assets on a lifesize model of author Natsume Soseki, as part of an extremely well-thought-out promotional event for omnibus film “Ten Nights of Dream” (Yume Juya). No, she doesn’t appear in the film, but she shares a last name with the bloke who wrote the book. Now that’s what you call marketing genius.