Watanabe Ken and Kikuchi Rinko talk about their movie, “Shanghai”, with Yahoo! Japan

Yahoo! Japan recently conducted an interview with Watanabe Ken and Kikuchi Rinko about their movie, “Shanghai“.

Check out their interview below!

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Interviewer: What did you most expect when you decided to be a part of this project?

Kikuchi Rinko: When I read the script, I thought it was a rich story that cannot be dealt by ordinary means. The cast was already chosen, …


Japan Box Office Report – July 02nd/03rd

"Andalucia: Revenge of a Goddess" / "Super 8" / "Pirates of the Caribbean"

"Andalucia: Revenge of a Goddess" / "Super 8" / "Pirates of the Caribbean"

The top 3 this weekend didn’t change from last weekend, with “Super 8” placing first, “Andalucia” in second, and “Pirates of the Caribbean” rounding out the top 3.

Over 150,000 people saw “Super 8″ on its second weekend, grossing over 200 million Yen (2.5 million USD).

Meanwhile more than …


Akanishi Jin to get his Hollywood debut through “47 Ronin”

Remember when we reported on the rumors about Akanishi Jin’s Hollywood debut? Well, as it turns out, he didn’t land a role in “Pirates of the Caribbean 4“, but he did pass an audition for his very first Hollywood movie.

Nikkan Sports announced earlier today that Jin will make his debut in the movie “47 Ronin“, which also stars Keanu …


Sanada Hiroyuki, Tadanobu Asano, and Kikuchi Rinko join star studded “47 Ronin” cast

We previously posted that Japanese singer Shibasaki Kou will be joining American actor Keanu Reeves in the American adaptation of “47 Ronin“.

It was recently announced that three other Japanese stars are also joining the cast: Sanada Hiroyuki (The Last Samurai, Rush Hour 3, Lost), Tadanobu Asano (Mongol, Ichi the Killer), and Academy Award nominee Kikuchi Rinko …


Cast of “Norwegian Wood” attends premiere, declares film to be “perfect”

On November 23rd, the cast of Murakami Haruki’s “Norwegian Wood” attended the first Japanese premiere for the film at Waseda University. Director Tran Anh Hung as well as actors Matsuyama Kenichi (“NANA“, “Death Note“) a Kikuchi Rinko (“Brothers in Bloom“) as well as director Tran Anh Hung, walked the red carpet before heading inside for the screening.

“Norwegian Wood” was originally a bestseller written by one of Japan’s …


Kikuchi Rinko’s relationship status

Actress Kikuchi Rinko (29), who is currently at the 67th Venice International Film Festival for her film “Norwegian Wood”, said that she’s currently in a relationship with American director and producer Spike Jonze (40).  Spike Jonze is known for movies like “Being John Malkovich” or “Where the Wild Things Are”.

They didn’t really intend to keep their relationship private. …


‘Norwegian Wood’ opens in Venice

“Norwegian Wood”, starring Matsuyama Kenichi (25), had its opening at the 67th Venice International Film Festival, where it is one of the 24 films vying for the prestigious Golden Lion award. It will open in theatres on December 11 in Japan, and will be also be available to 36 countries.

Fans came pouring in at the Sala Grande …


Norwegian Wood to challenge Venice International Film Festival

Norwegian Wood“, in which Matsuyama Kenichi and Kikuchi Rinko star in, will enter one of the biggest film festivals in the world, the Venice International Film Festival (September 1st ~11th).  The author of the original novel, Murakami Haruki has been nominated for the Nobel literature prize many times, and moreover, the director of the movie is Tran Ah …


“Norwegian Wood” + the Beatles = MUST watch!

Upcoming movie “Norwegian Wood” (starring Matsuyama Kenichi and Kikuchi Rinko) which is originally a novel written by Murakami Haruki, has announced that the theme song for this movie will be “Norwegian Wood” by the Beatles.

As you can see, the title of the novel was from the Beatles’ masterpiece.  However, the songs by the Beatles are managed by Apple Records, and …