chigasaki story ( ３泊４日 、 ５時の鐘 3-paku 4-ka 5-ji no kane ) is a 2014 japanese romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by takuya misawa .

haya nakazaki , ena koshino , kiki sugino , natusko hori , and juri fukushima star as guests whose lives intersect at a resort in chigasaki , kanagawa .

chigasaki story

on the second day , the mayor of chigasaki city , nobuyuki hattori greeted the audience before the screening the film chigasaki story .
yasujiro ozu fans take note : chigasaki story unfolds in the very seaside inn where the japanese auteur lived for half a year and conceived of tokyo story and late spring .
nursery centers in chigasaki - shi gather . it is perfect opportunity when we can hear story of plural nursery centers .
last year , they made sure their superlative indie hit chigasaki story was screening with english subs in local theaters ; they’re doing the same with their new film , the directing debut of indie queen kiki sugino , executive producer and star of chigasaki story .
“the story of our home” – 2016 pyongyang film review the north korean film
the story of our home
( 우리 집 이야기 ) is loosely based on the true story of the country ' s
girl mother .
. . .
( l - r ) kiki sugino as maki and ena koshino as karin in takuya misawa’s “chigasaki story . ” ( still courtesy of the singapore international film festival )
ironically expressed love story of ３ men and 4 women in the beach , suburb of tokyo .
the story takes place in chigasaki city , where there’s an inn called “chigasakikan” which the famous japanese film director named yasuji ozu stayed regularly to write the script . it is a humorous love story of 7 young men and women , which also depicts the lives of young generation .
karin ( ena koshino ) and maki ( kiki sugino ) visited the chigasaki kan to attend the wedding of the eldest daughter of chigasaki kan , who is also their old colleague .
we also mentioned that chigasaki story is set in the beautiful 115 - year - old chigasaki inn near shonan beach , the actual retreat where ozu wrote some of his greatest works , including late spring ( 1949 ) , early summer ( 1951 ) and the masterpiece tokyo story ( 1953 ) . and we highlighted the director’s use of frames - within - frames and “pillow shot” interludes eliding time , favorite ozu devices .
born in 1987 , takuya misawa studies at the japanese film institue . he worked on the production of koji fukada’s film hotori no sakuko . chigasaki story , his first film , was presented at the rotterdam festival in 2015 .
we are from chigasaki , the sister city of honolulu . chigasaki is blessed with rich nature and people who live in chigasaki can enjoy the customs and cultures that are similar to the ones in honolulu , such as surfing and hula . we would like to deepen our friendship with honolulu and keep exchanging cultures for our children of the future .
after premiering at the 2014 singapore international film festival , and acclaimed screenings at festivals in rotterdam , beijing and helsinki , first - time filmmaker takuya misawa’s chigasaki story finally hits tokyo theaters — and just in time to cure our late - summer blahs .
the city of honolulu and chigasaki city signed a sister - city agreement 2 years ago . some may wonder why ?
the scenery , atmosphere and human empathy of chigasaki city was surely depicted on the silver screen which reminded of hawaii .
we are from chigasaki ( japan ) , the sister city of honolulu . chigasaki is blessed with rich nature and people who live in chigasaki can enjoy the customs and cultures that are similar to the ones in honolulu , such as surfing and hula . we would like to deepen our friendship with honolulu and keep exchanging cultures for our children of the future .
her real name was not chiharu chigasaki , but sakura honjou . sakura was the only daughter of the obscenely rich honjou family .
that ' s what i call a plot twist
agreed , shirase . rather , that ' s what i call inconceivable story telling . urltoken
basically the story of a man forced to finally see the injustice around him . riley’s movie is designed to do the same thing to you . …
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
scripted and directed by first - timer takuya misawa , a chigasaki native who worked as an assistant on two films directed by frequent wa entertainment collaborator sugino , “chigasaki story” is more than the sum of its winking gags . in everything from the setting — an old - fashioned inn used by yasujiro ozu to script eight of his films — to the erotic tensions roiling beneath the smiling surface , the film aims more for actuality than frothy romcom artifice .
the baby , so he decided to raise her as his daughter instead . that ' s how sakura honjou became the chiharu chigasaki we know .
it is opportunity when we can confirm plural nursery centers in chigasaki - shi at a time ! resumes are free to do unnecessary , clothes and are free to do entrance and exit . you come casually , and please know nursery center of chigasaki - shi ! we look forward to participation .
kouji chigasaki heard the news about that and realized he would get no honjou money in this state . it would be dangerous to try to return +
after what will surely be a successful theatrical run for chigasaki story , misawa’s next milestone will be film school graduation next spring , but he is already working on several new scripts . it’s not often that a first feature feels like a mid - career high mark , and we can’t wait to see what he directs next .
yasujiro ozu gets both an homage and an update in “chigasaki story , ” a delightful film that combines breezily effervescent comedy with more poignant notes . it is a remarkable debut feature by the young director takuya misawa , as well as the latest in an impressive line of modestly budgeted – but far more than modestly talented – independent films shepherded by actress - producer kiki sugino , who also delivers a fine performance in this film . ( “chigasaki story , ” interestingly , has quite a bit in common with “au revoir l’été , ” another recent , and quite lovely , film sugino also produced and starred in , which also covers a vacation sojourn in picturesque surroundings . )
itaru chigasaki ( everyones fave for some reason ? ? ) i love him he has such nice hair and a voice thats really suitable for his character .
however , when sakura was 6 months old , she was kidnapped by kouji chigasaki . her real father , kei honjou , rushed to the ransom delivery +
this is chigasaki city of kanagawa prefecture , which became a sister city of honolulu since october , 2014 . honolulu and chigasaki have similar climate and cultures such as great nature , surfing and hula . we would like to deepen our relationship with honolulu city and pass down this great relationship to our future generations .
the film’s production company , wa entertainment , has now made another rohmer - esque ensemble drama , “san - paku yokka go - ji no kane” ( “chigasaki story” ) , but as indicated in the japanese title — which translates roughly as “three nights , four days , five o’clock bell” ) — one more in tune with local realities .
the mayor hattori explained “chigasaki city used to be an agricultural and fishing village where there were only a few residences . however , the temperament and the atmosphere of the city have been embraced to warmly welcoming the stranger , which is similar to honolulu . the director takuya misawa successfully depicted the attractiveness of chigasaki city” .
the actress and director both love the genre , but as they told indiewire , they also knew it needed to be retrofitted to tell the true story of catherine weldon and sitting bull .
after playing at major film festivals around the globe for the past 10 months , scooping up the best screenplay award in the future forward section of the beijing film festival , and earning accolades for being such a congenial homage to yasujiro ozu , chigasaki story finally arrived at fccj for a sneak preview ahead of its theatrical debut in tokyo over the weekend .
with an obvious respect for its lineage , “chigasaki story” may tilt into overly self - conscious territory , but it’s refreshing to see a post - modern , self - referential film that is highly aware of film history . it is definitely of a piece , with a consistent approach throughout . though not entirely successful , but just the attempt itself is impressive . [ b - ]
please connect with chigasaki - shi government office nursery section ( 0467 - 82 - 1111 ) . tell the staff about attendance seat of full name , part 1 and part 2 .
so there were some surprises in store during the q & a session after the screening , when first - time feature director takuya misawa was asked whether he’d planned to pay homage to the classic master from the beginning . “we didn’t actually set out to make a story about the chigasaki inn , ” he admitted . “that only came about later in the production process . the original script stipulated ‘an inn’ for the location , and it wasn’t until we went location hunting and found the chigasaki inn , which luckily gave us the okay to shoot , that we made changes to the script so it was set there . ”
for the kids in the audience , a movie like this will work because it tells a fun story , contains a lot of humor , and is exciting to watch . older viewers may be even more absorbed , because
toy story ,
the first feature made entirely by computer , achieves a three - dimensional reality and freedom of movement that is liberating and new . the more you know about how the movie was made , the more you respect it .
director takuya misawa is clearly a cinephile , and his directorial debut , “ chigasaki story , ” was a fine selection to follow the tribute to japanese cinema at the marrakech film festival , as the film’s title is a direct reference to the legendary yasujiro ozu’s “ tokyo story . ” there is even direct reference to the auteur , as the seaside resort where the film takes place is described as the location where ozu would hole up to do his writing . and because it takes place in a hotel , it’s impossible to not draw comparison to renoir’s “ la règle du jeu , ” and the associations don’t stop at the location : the film is rife with make ups , break ups , miscommunications and misunderstandings among the denizens .
“ chigasaki story ” strives to achieve a sort of arch , quirky tone , somewhere between wes anderson and woody allen , but it comes off as rather stiff and awkward ( for example , maki’s drunken face - plant in the sand or tomoharu’s stiff posture and tendency to sprint from place to place ) . elements like little dramas play out over ping pong games shot in unbroken lateral wide shots , and reactions performed in a hyper - stylized way lend to the stilted feel of the piece .
anyways thats it to this blog and i do hope you get this game because the story and cg ' s are very neat . maybe one day there will be an anime for it like idolish7 : ' ) ( doubt it but hey theres always hope ! )
as indicated by the film’s japanese title , their holiday is typically brief . even so , much transpires in the course of their four - day break , which is marked with the daily 5 p . m . blaring of the folk song “aka tombo” ( “red dragonfly” ) from a loudspeaker . but as the film’s romantic roundelay unfolded , accompanied by comic bits and catchy old - time jazz , i began to think “chigasaki story” was channeling not only rohmer , but also woody allen in his lighter moods .
the film was directed by takuya misawa , who is a rookie film director that hopes to spread the words about chigasaki city in which he chose chigasakikan as his filming location . his love for the city is apparent throughout his work .
chigasaki is one of honolulu’s sister cities , where its stunning nature , hula and surf culture have a lot in common with honolulu . we would like to foster our friendship with honolulu , and engage in cultural exchange for future generations .
“chigasaki story” also benefits greatly from its excellent cast , beginning with sugino , who wonderfully conveys how maki’s initially stiff , uptight - seeming demeanor masks a deep passion and yearning awakened by an unexpected visitor from her past . koshino , as maki’s coworker karin , also impresses as the sassy , flirtatious counterpart – and often antagonist – to maki . nakazaki and fukushima also beautifully play their quiet and shy characters , whose fraught yet largely unspoken relationship is but one of the wonderfully rendered narrative strands of this lovely film .
a japanese seaside resort at the end of august . a class of archaeology students lands in a youth hostel . the tall and shy tomoharu , a devoted seasonal worker , is put in charge of taking care of the group and guiding them to the local sites . if his classmate , the sweet ayako , has fallen for him and his diligent heart , his own heart seems to favour karin , a trendy and brazen woman who has come to the hostel with her colleague , the elegant maki , to celebrate a bachelorette party . filmed in the house where yasujiro ozu wrote tokyo story and late spring , chigasaki story weaves a delicate and colourful narrative filled with love games , the complex combinations of which allow the characters to be progressively revealed to themselves and to each other . ( mathieu macheret )
director misawa , who also penned the excellent screenplay that subtly maps out the intricate web of relations between the characters , and which beautifully conveys the lives they lead beyond the span of the brief time period the film covers , has created far more than a slavish homage to ozu . “chigasaki story” possesses unique charms all its own , taking full advantage of the visual beauty of its resort setting – kudos to the evocative work by cinematographer shogo ueno – that forms a vibrant backdrop to the compelling comedy and drama on display .
that it does , though in contrast to the many local movies that regard women as passive objects of male desire , the sexual initiative in “chigasaki story” belongs almost solely to its female principals . and though its romantic conflicts initially unfold through significant glances and silent gestures , when emotions erupt , it’s always a woman doing the dishing out . this , i think , is less a feminist statement than the simple truth of how the sexual game is often played here , especially when the quarry is a shy , inexperienced boy or a guy seemingly oblivious to everything but work .
the mayor hattori took a picture with the city’s mascot called “eboshimaro” . the hat of the mascot representing the chinaman’s hat in hawaii . also , there is a rock that is similar to the chinaman’s hat called “eboshi - iwa” in chigasaki city which is another interesting coincidence .
the closest station to mokichi foods garden is jr chigasaki that is located on the tokaido line and also the sagami line , though that is a local country line through the countryside with one or two trains an hour . it’s about a ten minute walk from the north exit .
workmates karin ( ena koshino ) and maki ( kiki sugino ) have come to the beach resort of chigasaki , kanagawa prefecture , to attend the wedding party of risa ( natsuko hori ) , a former colleague who is now helping run her family’s 115 - year - old inn .
tomoharu ( haya nakazaki ) works at a traditional japanese inn ( chigasaki ) . he works with karin ( ena koshino ) and maki ( kiki sugino ) . risa ( natsuko hori ) , the daughter of the inn ' s owner , is set to have a wedding in 3 days .
set in the 115 - year - old chigasaki inn near shonan beach — the actual retreat where ozu wrote some of his greatest works , including “late spring” ( 1949 ) , “early summer” ( 1951 ) and the masterpiece “tokyo story” ( 1953 ) — the story begins with the innkeeper , risa ( natsuko hori ) , who is hosting a group of archaeology students led by prof . kondo ( satoshi nikaido ) , and awaiting the arrival of her former airline colleagues karin ( ena koshino ) and maki ( a deliciously unpleasant sugino ) . they’re coming to attend risa’s wedding party , which is being held several weeks after the actual ceremony in hawaii ( another ozu touch : an offscreen wedding ) . risa’s staff includes the shy student tomoharu ( haya nakazaki ) , who immediately attracts the attentions of the flirty , long - legged karin . tomoharu is also the object of fellow student ayako’s ( juri fukushima ) secret affections , and he ping - pongs between the two women without noticing their increasing jealousy .
the next day , maki finally released her anger on karin , because of her continuous selfishness . however , running in to kondo ( satoshi nikaido ) , the professor leading the seminar lodging trip to chigasaki kan , blew off the irritation instantly . kondo was the teacher who maki liked during her school days .
this power of the past emerges as a major theme of “chigasaki story . ” past events that have occurred offscreen very much inform the action that unfolds within the film’s three - day time span , bracketed by the wedding of risa ( natsuko hori ) – the chigasaki inn owner’s daughter – and the wedding party that awaits the arrival of risa’s newlywed husband’s return from hawaii , where the wedding took place . the past also figures prominently in the profession of archaeology , the practice of which we witness during the film . the other guests at the inn include a group of archaeology students on a field trip to chigasaki , where they are on an expedition to gather shards of earthenware , which they will attempt to mend together to reconstruct the pottery which constituted their original forms . three of the film’s major characters are connected to archaeology : tomoharu , who is part of the archaeology class in addition to his duties as inn caretaker , as well as his classmate ayako ( juri fukushima ) , who silently admires him but can’t quite bring herself to be fully open about her feelings for him . maki also studied archaeology in college , a fact that will figure in a major plot strand that emerges later in the film , during which she will attempt to reconstruct her past emotionally , just as the archaeology students try to reconstruct the physical objects that they’ve excavated .
traditionally , the sister cities of honolulu were been selected upon historical ties to hawaii . despite of it , chigasaki city was chosen because it shares mutual cultural values , which we hope for the audience to see on the screen . the present mayor of honolulu also agreed and said that the shared cultures and values are the reason behind the signed agreement .
seeing
toy story ,
i felt some of the same exhilaration i felt during
who framed roger rabbit .
both movies take apart the universe of cinematic visuals , and put it back together again , allowing us to see in a new way .
toy story
is not as inventive in its plotting or as clever in its wit as
rabbit
or such disney animated films as
beauty and the beast
; it ' s pretty much a buddy movie transplanted to new terrain . its best pleasures are for the eyes . but what pleasures they are ! watching the film , i felt i was in at the dawn of a new era of movie animation , which draws on the best of cartoons and reality , creating a world somewhere in between , where space not only bends but snaps , crackles and pops .
mokichi foods garden ( not to be confused with mokichi trattoria in kagawa , or mokichi craft beer in fujisawa - though if you did it wouldn’t be the end of the world ) can be found in chigasaki , kanagawa - just one stop on the train if you’re me , or 30 minutes from yokohama on the tokaido line if you’re not me ( and most of you aren’t ) .
the film’s considerable debt to ozu in both its cinematic style and setting is made explicit in an early scene in which tomoharu ( haya nakazaki ) , a caretaker at an inn in the seaside town of chigasaki , where the film takes place , tells two of the inn’s guests – co - workers maki ( kiki sugino ) and karin ( ena koshino ) – about the history of the inn . tomoharu tells them that they are staying in the same room where ozu wrote some of his classic films such as “tokyo story” ( which this film directly evokes with its english title ) . in fact , there are still marks on the ceiling left by the oil burner ozu used in the room . this detail symbolizes the fact that this inn and its surroundings exist in an environment where the past is very much tied to , and exerts great influence on , the present .
mankai company haven ' t been paying the money they owe to the yakuza ( criminal organization - similar to a mafia ) which have payed for them when they didn ' t get any income . due to the company not being able to pay off the yakuza , they are being threaten to bulldoze the whole building . izumi tachibana the heroine of the whole story was received a letter and thought it had something to do with her father . she makes her way to the theater to help it out hoping to receive answers when becoming it ' s director .
misawa takuya is a young filmmaker ( 1987 ) who hasn’t even yet graduated from the japan institute of the moving image , but his film breathes nostalgia for the history of cinema . in chigasaki story , so much colour has been bled from the image that the film could be remembered as black - and - white , even though it wasn’t shot in black - and - white . the film has an extremely light touch and doesn’t stick to a single predominant narrative line . during a weekend , students and lecturers come together for a wedding . this takes place in chigasakikan hotel , where the film master ozu yasujiro retired to write his screenplays . it’s not that the director simply follows on from ozu ; he also seems to have taken a good look at playful french classics . repressed and occasionally open irritations and infatuations , old and new , flare up between the various characters in the hotel . kiki sugino , who was in the tiger awards jury at the festival last year , produced the film and plays a minor role as a teacher .
toy story
creates a universe out of a couple of kid ' s bedrooms , a gas station , and a stretch of suburban highway . its heroes are toys , which come to life when nobody is watching . its conflict is between an old - fashioned cowboy who has always been a little boy ' s favorite toy , and the new space ranger who may replace him . the villain is the mean kid next door who takes toys apart and puts them back together again in macabre combinations . and the result is a visionary roller - coaster ride of a movie .
forma directed by the kumamoto born ayumi sakamoto , forma took 6 years to complete . screened at the national museum of singapore , the film tells the story of ayako who coincidentally bumps into her former classmate yukari and offers her a job . accepting ayako’s offer , yukari finds herself reporting to her former classmate who soon makes her life utterly miserable . the film’s skilfully constructed plotline is expertly weaved through the characters and their dialogue . packed with tension , ayumi sakamoto rewards the audience with an unforgettable movie and keeps us hanging on with her plot and unexpected surprise in the middle of the film .
mokichi foods garden is a great , noisy , family - friendly ( and smoke - free ) place to go and have a load of lovely shonan beer and pizzas . it’s not for the softly - spoken or people who want to be able to hear the yeast farting in the back room , but it is a fun dining and boozing experience in a unique building that is a curious mix of old showa style and postmodern hipstery portland aesthetic ( but without the irony or pretension ) . this place is a definite recommendation from beertengoku , and can be formed up voltron - style with gold’n bub and beer cafe hopman for a chigasaki beer crawl .
after an audience member praised him for the film’s dialogue , misawa admitted that he’s always eavesdropping on conversations in family restaurants , since they’re a good source of chit - chat , and he paid tribute to the improvisatory skills of his actors , hinting that several of the scenes were heavily ad libbed . as for the catchy score , he explained : “the music came about during post - production . i did try matching the visuals with classical music , but i ultimately chose to use jazz , which woody allen does . he uses ragtime , which arrived early in jazz history . it came on the scene around the time that the chigasaki inn started business , and i thought that was relevant , as well . ”
yes , this almost turned into another joe gets lost story . almost , but not quite . why does this massive building have such poor access ? i’ll tell you . mokichi foods garden is located in a former barley mill , which started operation before the second world war . as most buildings in japan either aren’t built to last , or end up getting destroyed by natural disaster or the war , there are very few buildings standing that are more than fifty or sixty years old in this area . most of the area around the restaurant building has been alternatively concreted , car parked or apartmented . as a result , what once was probably a direct road from station to mill has been jigsawed into a jumble of backroads and houses . i also think the barley mill might be the oldest building in the area ( mokichi trattoria is similarly located in a 450 - year old former residence - i love that kumazawa brewing has an aesthetic that they’re adhering to ) .
risa ( natsuko hori ) has taken up temporary residence in the casual inn in order to prep for her wedding celebration ( the groom is en route ) . her work pals karin ( ena koshino ) and maki ( kiki sugino ) arrive in short order , the two complete opposites ( karin is ditzy and sexy , while maki is tightly wound ) . also at the hotel are a group of students on a research trip , and hapless , nerdy worker tomoharu ( haya nakazaki ) , whose head is set spinning by the attentions of the various ladies .
of course , relationships quickly crack under the tension of being under one roof , with the trio of friends competing for various attentions and becoming annoyed with one another , and tomoharu torn between an admiring student and the flirtations of karin . to add to the complications , the teacher leading the research trip has a history with maki , and possibly something going on with the newlywed .
unfortunately , due to the tone and performance style , and because most of the characters aren’t very likable , there’s no investment in any one journey , and therefore the film falls flat . perhaps it’s lost in translation , but the jokes miss too , and it never executes the quirky rom - com vibe it goes for . though it ends up sweet , the lead up is sour .
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eric kohn and anne thompson discuss their favorite films of the year so far . they also debate several new releases and share some streaming recommendations .
in an episode dedicated to the show within the show , “glow” illustrates its grand capacity for storytelling , and the very good tv podcast breaks down how .
rules weren’t meant to be broken when it comes to tv episode lengths , but these 10 examples — introduced on the very good tv podcast — are clear exceptions .
after studying under cinematographer ed lachman , shevaun mizrahi forged her own unique filmmaking path with its own set of rules .
lane and schoenbrun discuss how her interest in morgellons disease patients ( “the pain of others” ) and his exploration of the slenderman myth ( “a self - induced hallucination” ) led them to make archival films from youtubes .
koji fukada’s 2013 beach film “hotori no sakuko” ( “au revoir l’ete” ) was a loving homage to french master eric rohmer , with lengthy european - style vacations bestowed on fukada’s japanese protagonists .
soon after she arrives , the free - spirited karin casually sets out to seduce tomoharu ( haya nakazaki ) , a college boy working at the inn . the older , more conservative maki sternly disapproves of this flirting , and flies into a rage when karin impulsively goes for a walk with an unwitting tomoharu instead of meeting for a planned visit to a local aquarium . but after maki runs into her former archaeology teacher ( satoshi nikaido ) , she signals an interest in this ruggedly handsome guy that goes beyond reliving her now distant college days .
another complication arrives in the form of ayako ( juri fukushima ) , a sweet - tempered student who has a crush on classmate tomoharu and is quietly upset by karin’s transparent ( at least to her eyes ) designs .
then there is kota ( shuntaro yanagi ) , risa’s gangly surfer brother , who can look beyond social niceties to inner realities , and risa herself , who seems happy as a new wife and innkeeper but shows signs of envying karin and maki’s freedom . and her foreign husband is nowhere in sight . as the old johnny mercer song says , something’s gotta give .
proactive does not always mean attractive in the film’s beachside bubble : voices are loudly raised and feelings brutally hurt . for all its ozu associations , the film has melodramatic moments that ozu himself would have scripted out .
the moral : if a working woman here wants to spend her 30s with something other than her inbox , she had better take the lead — even if she can only take four days off .
john williams presents a made - in - japan take on one of kafka ' s classics written at the start of world war i and published in 1925 after its author ' s untimely death , franz kafka ' s
the trial
is one of those novels everyone knows by reputation ( or , in my case , from a fe . . .
' you , your , yours ' : goofball gags that ' ll go over well with goofball guys love can drive you nuts . one recent illustration of how can be seen in the american tv show
crazy ex - girlfriend ,
about a successful new york lawyer who runs into her teen crush one day , and soon . . .
actress kirin kiki wants an ending with no twists when life gave her lemons , film star kirin kiki didn ' t make lemonade , but wild grass enzyme juice . it ' s the only thing that has satisfied her taste buds since her advanced - stage cancer caused he . . .
laughs aplenty in this bright and giddy comedy in a small , sun - kissed town . twitter
as soon as they arrived , free - spirited karin trifled with tomoharu ( haya nakazaki ) , the university student who works as a part timer . but serious maki reproved her behavior . karin and maki’s relationship were incompatible by nature .
ayako ( juri fukushima ) , the university student who secretly loves tomoharu , and risa’s younger brother kota ( shuntaro yanagi ) , joining in the group gradually began to complexly entangle the emotion of the characters .
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2014 ( 25th ) singapore international film festival - dec . 4 - 14 , 2014 - asian vision * world premiere
2014 ( 14th ) marrakech international film festival - dec . 5 - 13 , 2014 - films in competition
2015 ( 44th ) international film festival rotterdam - jan . 21 - feb . 1 , 2015 - bright future * european premiere
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meniscus magazine is an arts , entertainment & lifestyle publication focusing on asian culture , film , fashion & much more .
natsuka kusano’s “antonym” – 2014 singapore film review kusano ' s debut is dragged down by narrative and thematic inertia as she devotes too much time building a sense of false ennui and quirkiness . . . .
“lang tong” ( 靚汤 ) – 2014 singapore film review the question should not be how
lang tong
managed to get past singaporean censorship regulators , but how the film managed to even get past pre - production . . . .
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meniscus magazine is excited to partner with u . k . - based art supply company derwent academy ! we’re giving away three sets of 12 - count derwent academy watercolour pencils ! u . s . - based readers can enter the contest by [ … ]
behind by just four points at the half , the mystics ( 10 - 6 ) managed to tie the phoenix mercury ( 13 - 5 ) three times but eventually lost by 10 .
food becomes an education at sushi masato , which serves dinner to 120 lucky patrons a week . bonus : a list of chef masa ' s preferred places to eat in tokyo .
behind by three at the half , the washington mystics ( 9 - 5 ) outscored the sun ( 8 - 6 ) , 33 - 15 , in the third quarter and never looked back .
centred around three people’s liberation army dance troupe members as they live through ‘70s and ‘80s china , “youth” ( 芳华 ) is the latest from feng xiaogang .
popular : trivia , history , america , television , tv , usa , geography , world , . . . more
the only actor that was there at first was sakuya sakuma who just joined the theater a day before . izumi tachibana wants to make a strike back on making the company a success by having to scout 4 more boys to make a troupe . when all 5 come together to form the spring troupe , they do there best to perform a play called romeo and julius . there are three other troupes in the whole game that come together inspired .
there is a rival theater called the god座 they hold hatred towards the theater but even more hatred towards tachibanas father . the more you read the storyline the more interesting it is .
this game reminds me of ensemble stars . you can literally love all the characters . they ' re all so great . i have a hard time loving just one person that i have to have three faves ; v ;
out of all the troupes spring troupe is my personal fave . it holds a group of characters that have really different personalities . theres a worrywart , sunshine boy , gloomy sun , gentlemen and another cryptic guy lmao . there really all so unique . my fave three though has to be
now as much as i want to continue talking bout those guys i will include that this game isn ' t just some actors / idol game if it didnt concern itself with some otome . otome is a important topic i have to include in this cause it is what brought me towards this game haha .
as seen in the dialog above . masumi here wants to take it slow t ^ t
as a matter a fact it has alot more otome kinda gameplay then idolish7 . the heroine has a very important role in the plot .
my favorite thing about it concerning itself with the heroine more is theres a ton of fanart with tachibana in it . and when i say a ton i mean a ton . : ' ) ) ) : heart : as much as i love idolish7 there just isn ' t enough art with the heroine in it : /
the cg ' s are very nice to look at . for example seeing these dorks having fun and teasing each other . it is the legit cutest thing . vvvvv
the platform to the game is also pretty easy to handle but i am still confused on what to do every so often , just like every character collection game though . getting those ssr ' s is the best feeling : two _ hearts : : ok _ hand : 🏻
i love this game really much ! ~ and when they are chibi ' s with cute voice especially the joker or whatever he is .
comun on twitter :
at first i was worried , but then i looked at my fan count and realized i ' m basically invincible . …
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怪物監督、世界最初の人類 @ comuncoutinho ' s interior crocodile alligator ( spoiler account ) . current subjects : new danganronpa v3 .
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this was not supposed to happen . why ? why ? why ? why ? why ? why ? why ? why ? why ? why ? why ? it can ' t be . hime - sama should never be able to lose .
on the plus side , hime ' s not bad to watch at all . urltoken
also , i ' m now agreeing with the characters . the executions are just cg . urltoken
i decided to listen to hime ' s song today as mourning and the youtube comments were all spamming
闇は深い
( the darkness is deep ) .
normally that would get me hyped for her backstory , but i can ' t take that line seriously because it reminds me too much of
動機は深い
.
動機は深い
means
motives are deep
, or as the localization put it ,
motives are complex
.
challenge 4 is something completely different . after a little bit of exploration , we would have a popularity vote .
at first i was worried , but then i looked at my fan count and realized i ' m basically invincible . urltoken
surprisingly enough , ren voted for me . ( i know it was her because rito hates my guts ) . urltoken
but it turns out the challenge was not over after ren ' s execution . there was another voting round , but the opposite of the first .
we had to vote for who want to lose . luckily shirase is still here and still loves me . rito ' s loss was a given .
as much as i dislike as i dislike rito , i got admit her execution was really good . i wasn ' t expecting this kind of emotional death .
down to her last moments , all she could think of was about her love for ayaka . urltoken
then he starts than about her secret past , that even she didn ' t know about . turns out chiharu ' s backstory makes no sense at all .
without even calling the police , but he died in a car accident halfway through and couldn ' t deliver the ransom money .
now here ' s the part that doesn ' t make sense : chiharu lived a perfectly happy and healthy live with a loving family . exactly , her kidnappers .
shirase feels kinda chuuni with all her talk about being reborn and revenge . her route sounds fun . urltoken
doripaku shows the corpse bags to prove that all death lives were in fact real . how does our heroic protagonist chiharu will react ?
remember in danganronpa , where no wants things to go monokuma ' s way ? that resistance is simply non - existent here .
i performed horribly , but my fan count was so high that shirase didn ' t stand a chance anyway . urltoken
after shirase ' s execution , doripaku congratulates me for becoming his perfect complete idol who overcomes any and every despair . urltoken
chiharu hears the police sirens , making her realize everything doripaku said was real . she also has to ask her parents about her kidnapping .
of course they wouldn ' t reveal the mastermind ' s identity in the first route , but was expecting at least a cliffhanger twist for the climax .
well , that was it for chiharu ' s route . as we have 6 girls left , when i get home i ' ll roll my die to choose the next one .
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sanpaku yokka goji no kane 3泊4日、5時の鐘 directed by takuya misawa ( 三澤拓哉 ) japanese with english subtitles | 89 mins venue : k ' s cinema shinjuku | sept . 19 - 25 , 2015 : 21 : 00 , sept . 26 - oct . 16 : 18 : 00 trailer : sanpaku yokka goji no kane official website : urltoken tariff : general : ￥1 , 800 , student : ￥1 , 400 , senior : ￥1 , 200 , h . s . student : ￥800 , junior high student and under : ￥500 advance tickets : ￥1 , 300
this remarkable debut is an avowed tribute to japanese master yasujiro ozu , from its setting in a small seaside town , to its visual homages ( trains coming and going , frames - within - frames and “pillow shot” interludes eliding time ) , its deceptively complex narrative of friends old and new , and its bouncy score ( which also recalls woody allen ) . an effervescent comedy of manners , misawa’s tale is infused with light , bright sentiments and mellow - drama , anchored by a charming young cast . that cast is led by indie queen kiki sugino , who also executive produced .
also jealous is the uptight maki , who finds her younger colleague’s behavior inexcusable and decides to retaliate by going after kondo , with whom she had studied eight years earlier . but the professor has someone else in mind , and all these petty feuds and flirtations finally erupt on the eve of risa’s hawaiian - themed wedding party , with some surprises in store .
it’s not often that a first feature feels like a mid - career high mark , and we can’t wait to see what misawa directs next .
tokyo filmgoer makes every effort to provide the correct theater showtimes , but schedules are subject to change . please be sure to check with the theater before going .
tired of skipping japanese films in the theaters because you’re at a linguistic disadvantage ? we hunt down all the english - subtitled screenings and provide you with all the pertinent viewing info — allowing you to delve into japan’s rich and prolific cinema culture while you’re here .
cinema is a window to other cultures . whoever said it first , udine proves it to … read more
whimsical film in which students and teachers come together during a weekend for a wedding . the film flutters back and forth between the various characters and their feelings until the wedding starts . shot in the old beach hotel where the great ozu wrote his screenplays .
this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are . see what’s now showing
the producer and director share one of many laughs during the q & a session .
our announcement had trumpeted : “there’s nothing like an effervescent comedy of manners to cure the late - summer blahs… inspired both visually and musically by yasujiro ozu ( with a little woody allen thrown in ) , the tale is infused with light , bright sentiments and low - key mellow - drama , anchored by a charming young cast . ”
misawa had assisted sugino on two prior films , the extent of his apprenticeship before taking the directorial reigns himself .
then came the kicker : “i wasn’t necessarily trying to pay homage to ozu while we were shooting . but during the editing process , i started feeling that it seemed a bit like an ozu film . so i made some changes to certain scenes to improve [ the similarities ] , but without deconstructing what i set out to do . some of the ‘pillow’ scenic shots were filmed during post - production . ”
a young japanese man in the audience noted that he found the film to be more like an eric rohmer or a woody allen work , and misawa was pleased : “one of my favorite directors is woody allen , especially the way his characters aren’t quite what they seem . ”
as critic derek elley earlier noted , “this type of film is much more difficult to pull off than it seems , but misawa shows a remarkable assurance in both writing and direction , helped by an expertly picked cast . ” he was also helped by wa entertainment , a boutique production - distribution company that hired him as an intern in 2012 . he served as sugino’s producing assistant on the koji fukada comedy au revoir l’ete ( which we screened at fccj in january 2014 ) , and then served as her assistant director when she made her indonesia - set film taksu last year .


matt shakman ( born august 8 , 1975 ) is an american film , television , and theatre director , and former child actor .

he is most well known for his work on it 's always sunny in philadelphia , fargo and game of thrones .

matt shakman

‘spoils of war’ director matt shakman named geffen playhouse a . d . | deadline
matt shakman is the new artistic director at geffen playhouse . ( geffen playhouse )
shame that matt shakman won’t be back , his style is excellent in my opinion .
matt shakman , lin - manuel miranda , dick van dyke and gil cates jr .
that said , i think that in this case , matt shakman is probably absolutely correct .
here ' s what director matt shakman revealed about the show ' s stirring final scene .
matt shakman was born on august 8 , 1975 . he is a director and producer , known for
matt shakman , who directed “the spoils of war , ” spoke with variety about season 7’s biggest battle thus far .
matt shakman ( born august 8 , 1975 ) is an american film and television and theatre director and former child actor .
the geffen playhouse has a new artistic director : matt shakman , a veteran director with credits on the stage , in movies and on tv .
director , matt shakman , talked to variety and inverse about filming that extraordinary dragon battle sequence in his directorial debut on game of throne s .
los angeles’ geffen playhouse has announced that theatre , film , and television director matt shakman has been named its newest artistic director . shakman will join the geffen staff in putting together the 2018–2019 season beginning september 20 .
“it was an extraordinary directing from matt shakman , who came in with a lot of pressure on his shoulders , ” showrunner david benioff told entertainment weekly . “
acclaimed theater , film and television director matt shakman has been named artistic director of the geffen playhouse , the non - profit theater ' s board of directors announced today .
for more matt , go see cut bank in theaters april 3rd and follow him on twitter @ mattshakman .
cut bank director matt shakman has something in common with 35 mm film fanatics martin scorsese and quentin tarantino . for his movie debut the director insisted on shooting on film rather than digital .
director matt shakman has an eye for the setting—the alberta locations look great—but the town should be a character à la david lynch’s “blue velvet” and here it is simply a backdrop to the action .
matt that’s really subjective . he could have watched every episode and think that this is his favorite . it’s personal preference .
- christmas is ruined ( 2005 ) . . . ( as matthew shakman )
margie is played by kaczmarek , who speaks highly of shakman as a director .
since 2002 , shakman has mostly been directing for television . among his credits include
mr shakman even managed to coax a different expression out of emilia clarke’s face .
but to really drive his points home , shakman turned to classic war films .
as far as shakman is concerned , good people has some of those same qualities .
sallie patrick on twitter :
wish matt shakman were still on twitter so he ' d see how his 1st # got ep blew up the internet ! 2nd ep next wk . goat director & lovely person❤… urltoken
“we discussed early on that the center of that flame would be so hot that it would carbonize almost instantly , ” matt says .
“the battle , i think , was 18 main - unit days , roughly around 5 second - unit days , and then several weeks of the effects - unit shooting back in belfast , ” director matt shakman tells variety .
the director matt shakman made his “game of thrones” debut sunday with an episode full of thrilling action set pieces , including daenerys targaryen’s fiery dragon - and - dothraki assault on the lannister army and arya and brienne’s electrifying sword fight .
if you watched the game of thrones episode “the spoils of war” earlier this year and thought “wow , whoever directed this is going to get to make a big movie in the very near future , ” congrats . you were right . and it looks like director matt shakman will make his big screen debut with an adaptation [ … ] the post ‘ the phantom tollbooth ’ movie coming from ‘ game of thrones ’ director matt shakman appeared first on / film .
matt shakman is a game of thrones newbie , but if anybody had doubts that he could direct an episode of the show , they were silenced when “the spoils of war” aired this past sunday . shakman sat down with variety to talk about making the episode , particularly that action - packed battle at the end of it .
matt shakman , who directed this month’s “the spoils of war” episode of “game of thrones” featuring the epic dragon battle , has been named artistic director of l . a . ’s geffen playhouse , the theater’s board of directors announced monday .
geffen playhouse ' s board of directors announced that matt shakman will be the company ' s artistic director . he will join the staff on september 20 and begin work on building the 2018 - 19 season with executive director gil cates jr .
haha , i remember when directors were announced and there was quite negative response from people on this site , especially due to absence of certain directors ( not from me of course ) . and now matt shakman did such a great job overall .
if we’re posting matt shakman interviews , you should post the one where he talks about what sansa’s look meant after the arya / brienne ‘fight’ ( urltoken ) . then perhaps people will stop projecting onto sansa imaginary emotions ( “jealousy” ) that weren’t there .
it’s great to see matt shakman getting such widespread acclaim from everyone . he deserves every bit of it . he directed an absolutely masterful episode , one of the very best of this brilliant show , and now , he gets to reap the rewards !
but if it looked a bit familiar , that was by design . the new york times interviewed the episode’s director , matt shakman , about his plan for the scene . as it turns out , the plan came from two well - known films .
unfortunately , it looks like season 7 will feature shakman’s only directorial gigs on game of thrones . asked if he will be returning for season 8 , shakman says , “i will not be . ”
game of thrones could have channelled dragons like from smaug in the hobbit films or the 400 - year - old vermithrax pejorative in dragonslayer , but director matt shakman’s biggest inspiration for the sequence were the helicopters in apocalypse now . he told the hollywood reporter :
the ominous name of shakman’s theater comes from his appreciation of james ellroy’s novel , the black dahlia .
rosanazugey : if we’re posting matt shakman interviews , you should post the one where he talks about what sansa’s look meant after the arya / brienne ‘fight’ ( urltoken ) . then perhaps people will stop projecting onto sansa imaginary emotions ( “jealousy” ) that weren’t there .
lord parramandas : haha , i remember when directors were announced and there was quite negative response from people on this site , especially due to absence of certain directors ( not from me of course ) . and now matt shakman did such a great job overall .
“it’s a dream come true to join such a vibrant cultural institution , ” shakman said in a statement .
what attracted shakman to good people is the story . that’s what drives him to become involved in any project .
shakman received the los angeles drama critics circle’s milton katselas award for career or special achievement in direction last month .
after the initial read of good people and the subsequent reads thereafter , shakman came away with an array of questions .
shakman has made a name for himself in the entertainment industry , but he dares not pat himself on the back .
shakman drew inspiration from a number of war films , perhaps most notably , apocalypse now for its use of smoke .
“we are thrilled to welcome matt shakman to the geffen playhouse as our new artistic director , ” board co - chairs martha henderson and pamela robinson said , announcing the appointment . “his unique artistic vision , coupled with his directorial and entertainment business experience , makes him an outstanding cultural fit for our theater . ”
while directing is one of his loves , shakman says if that’s all an audience sees , he hasn’t done his job .
by naming it after an old hollywood crime and noir novel , shakman says he gave the theater “a bit of history” .
the script appeared on hollywood’s 2009 black list of the best unproduced films and has been in shakman’s hands for five years .
“we are thrilled to welcome matt shakman to the geffen playhouse as our new artistic director , ” commented geffen co - chairs martha henderson and pamela robinson on behalf of the board of directors . “after a comprehensive nationwide search , matt clearly emerged as our first choice . his unique artistic vision , coupled with his directorial and entertainment business experience , makes him an outstanding cultural fit for our theater . he and gil cates , jr . make an incredibly powerful team to lead the geffen into the future . ”
on behalf of the board of directors , co - chairs martha henderson and pamela robinson said ,
we are thrilled to welcome matt shakman to the geffen playhouse as our new artistic director . after a comprehensive nationwide search , matt clearly emerged as our first choice . his unique artistic vision , coupled with his directorial and entertainment business experience , makes him an outstanding cultural fit for our theater . he and gil cates , jr . make an incredibly powerful team to lead the geffen into the future .
shakman , an experienced director with credits on both coasts , joins geffen executive director gil cates , jr . on september 20 .
after moving from ventura to los angeles , shakman helped to start the fledgling firefly theatre , along with his friend steven klein .
i think shakman did good work , but he not a sapochnik or marshall . what happened to marshall , not been back .
this wednesday’s episode of it’s always sunny in philadelphia , “charlie work , ” will leave you stunned . it’s one of my favorites already : fast - paced and much of it filmed in a single shot . matt shakman directed the episode , as well as 36 other episodes of sunny and many other episodes of our favorite tv shows .
“he suggested maybe i come work on the show , ” mr . shakman said . “i thought at first he was kidding . ”
in his “thrones” directing debut , matt shakman managed to upstage series veterans jeremy podeswa and mark mylod and deliver an hour of television completely driven by directorial vision . scene after scene , his decision making elevated every line of dialogue and every performance . simply put , it was the kind of directing that proves why “thrones” really is extraordinary television .
“the horror on the ground is much larger than it has been , i think — the damage and the destruction — from the last time we saw a dragon attack in season 6 , ” matt explains .
matt shakman , a theater , film and television director who helmed the celebrated august 6 “spoils of war” episode of hbo’s game of thrones , has been named artistic director of the geffen playhouse in westwood . shakman succeeds departing a . d . randall arney , who announced his intention to move on in february after 17 years with the nonprofit theater , which has consistently offered a polished alternative to l . a . ’s other major nonprofit theater , center theatre group’s mark taper forum .
exclusive : tristar is setting matt shakman to direct the phantom tollbooth , a live - action / hybrid adaptation of norton juster ’s classic children’s book . shakman is the artistic director of the geffen playhouse who spent five years as executive producer of it’s always sunny in philadelphia and directed two game of thrones episodes last season , “east watch” and “the spoils of war . ” he chose this over a number of offers as he steps up to a big feature . the script is by…
before this past sunday , most people knew matt shakman — if they knew him at all — as the director behind episodes of shows like fargo , mad men , and it’s always sunny in philadelphia . he had a respectable career , but little in it would suggest that he was up to directing an action specular like “the spoils of war . ”
this is shakman’s first time directing at the geffen . a much larger theater than the 30 - seat black dahlia , the gil cates theater boasts 495 seats . it’s not the first time shakman has directed at a large house . still , he doesn’t take the opportunity lightly .
shakman turned 42 today . between the two episodes and all the hype . must have been some glorious celebration . long may he direct !
matt shakman , the director behind two recent watercooler episodes of “game of thrones , ” has been named the artistic director of los angeles’ geffen playhouse . he’ll join the staff next month , working alongside the geffen’s executive director , gil cates jr . , to begin programming the 2018 - 19 season . he fills a role about to be vacated by randall [ … ]
shakman opened the black dahlia theatre in the pico corridor in august 2000 . for a while he did a series of workshops and small performances .
to prepare for “the spoils of war , ” shakman revisited earlier episodes of game of thrones , including “the battle of the bastards” and “hardhome . ” those two episodes were critically acclaimed , but shakman told the new york times that he wanted “the spoils of war” to have a distinct tone .
“the beginning of this battle in ‘the spoils of war’ is more similar to the battle of the bastards in that you have lines colliding , horses hitting men on the ground . so it’s more traditional warfare , ” matt says .
when i first saw tonight ' s “it ' s always sunny in philadelphia , ” i instantly had questions for the episode ' s director , matt shakman , about how they pulled off the various technical challenges involved in “charlie work . ” he was kind enough to provide a detailed explanation , coming up just as soon as i bang the stool on the floor three more times…
“i don’t know , you’d have to ask someone else why i was chosen , ” says shakman , who seems to weigh his answers before speaking .
shakman donated the $ 1 , 000 check he received with the award ( funded by the katselas theatre company ) back to the black dahlia theatre .
matt shakman , the director behind two recent watercooler episodes of “game of thrones , ” has been named the artistic director of los angeles’ geffen playhouse . he’ll join the staff next month , working alongside the geffen’s executive director , gil cates jr . , to begin programming the 2018 - 19 season . he fills a role about to be vacated by randall arney after 17 years in the post .
shakman describes it as a “simple play . ” it’s about everyday people who live in south boston , trying to make their own way in the world .
we often hear about child actors who ultimately find themselves at career dead - ends , leading to disappointing or even tragic lives . yet for some prodigious talents , such as highly regarded director - producer matt shakman , success as a young thespian was a precursor to greater career heights . an energetic , multitasking professional , shakman has found creative success as the founder and artistic director of the award - winning black dahlia theatre in los angeles while simultaneously enjoying a flourishing career in directing for television . under shakman ' s helm , the dahlia opened its latest production last week : the world premiere of jonathan tolins ' secrets of the trade , a seriocomic showbiz saga , starring john glover , amy aquino , and bill brochtrup .
with his success , some fans may be wondering if shakman will return to direct an episode of the show’s eighth and final season , but no such luck .
shakman also directed the next episode of season 7 , “eastwatch . ” can he reveal anything about that ? “i hope people enjoy the episode . ” ditto .
shakman said he referenced game of thrones battles that came before his , as well . that long handheld shot of bronn’s death - defying move across the battlefield drew from the battle of the bastards , directed by miguel sapochnik in season six . shakman said he and another series director neil marshall were inspirations for the sequences .
i hope you’re right about some of those . for whatever reason , d & d seem to really like mylod and podeswa , despite the fact that none of their episodes have been great . i’d rather see david nutter , michelle mclaren , jack bender , matt shakman or even alex graves ( who was unfairly pilloried for one unfortunate scene and then blackballed from the show ) back than either of them , to be honest .
i hope you’re right about some of those . for whatever reason , d & d seem to really like mylod and podeswa , despite the fact that none of their episodes have been great . i’d rather see david nutter , michelle mclaren , jack bender , matt shakman or even alex graves ( who was unfairly pilloried for one unfortunate scene and then blackballed from the show ) back than either of them , to be honest .
even with the theater gig , shakman will continue to direct for tv and film . he is a helmer and producer for fx’s long - running comedy series it’s always sunny in philadelphia and has also worked on the good wife , fargo and mad men . shakman founded los angeles’ black dahlia theatre and served as its artistic director from its inception in 2001 . among his awards and distinctions , shakman was awarded the milton katselas award for career achievement in direction by the los angeles drama critics circle in 2011 .
before coming on game of thrones to direct last night’s “the spoils of war , ” matt shakman was best known for his work on dramas like fargo and the good wife , and for directing literally dozens of episodes of it’s always sunny in philadelphia . originally , “spoils” was due to be directed by david nutter , who directed the dragon - heavy “the dance of dragons” back in season 5 . unfortunately , nutter ran into health problems , and shakman stepped in . fans could be forgiven for wondering if he had the chops for the job , but after last night , all doubts were put aside .
the term “cork in someone else’s river” was uttered by austin pendleton , an actor who wrote orson’s shadow , the inaugural play staged at shakman’s black dahlia theatre in 2001 .
kevin garvey , i don’t think mylod does a great deal of planning for his episodes . shakman said he did six months for the loot train and it certainly showed .
director of a musical matt shakman ,
hey , morgan !
( black dahlia theatre ) michael matthews ,
the color purple : a musical
( celebration theatre ) william selby ,
forbidden broadway : greatest hits , vol . 2
( musical theatre west ) rick sparks ,
i love lucy live on stage
( rockahn , llc ) patrick pearson ,
rooms : a rock romance
( the chance theater )
all in all , shakman spent the bulk of six months preparing for this battle , which took 18 days to shoot . and as complicated as it was to incorporate the dragon , seeing the dothraki in the field of battle was another major moment . talking to the hollywood reporter , shakman described how he approached depicting dany’s band of warrior horsemen :
shakman took some time just for us to answer the ew community’s biggest questions about what he does and how he does it . and we cannot be happier that he did :
adding onto that sentiment , in an interview with inverse , shakman emphasized the need to expand beyond the wish - fulfillment element of daenerys’ spreading fire and blood with her dragon .
the haters would be glad to find out that sheeran’s solider was one of those burned to a crisp in episode 4 , but were he and his band of polite , rabbit - and - wine - sharing lannister soldiers even at the loot train battle ? were they diverted from their riverrun peacekeeping assignment sometime between episodes 1 and 4 ? matt shakman , who directed “the spoils of war , ” weighed in on the question in an interview with mashable .
me neither . since matt shakman apparently won’t direct any further episodes , he went out blazing and we can’t thank him enough for providing us with such a stellar s7e4 , but we will never know , what of his “off - days” looks like . podeswa has done just fine so far and maybe that even included an off - episodes of his ? ! we just don’t know yet , but i’m sure he will still have a few tricks up his sleeve !
“matt is very smart and very specific in his direction and he sets a very high bar , ” says kaczmarek . “he is a joyful director but cracks his whip and lets his great expectations be known . we all feel we are doing our most creative work in years . ”
“i am delighted to welcome matt to the geffen , ” commented cates . “his passion for extraordinary storytelling , his strong relationships with artists in theatre , film and television , and his commitment to fostering community will be immensely valuable as we continue to advance the mission of the theater . ”
“i am delighted to welcome matt to the geffen , ” said cates . “his passion for extraordinary storytelling , his strong relationships with artists in theater , film and television , and his commitment to fostering community will be immensely valuable as we continue to advance the mission of the theater . ”
shakman will work alongside geffen executive director gil cates jr . , the los angeles theater announced monday , starting sept . 20 and getting down to business on its 2018 - 19 season .
shakman , the founder and artistic director of the black dahlia , says he took pendleton’s words to heart . in the process he has become a seasoned and respected theatrical and television director .
i am delighted to welcome matt to the geffen ,
said cates .
his passion for extraordinary storytelling , his strong relationships with artists in theater , film and television , and his commitment to fostering community will be immensely valuable as we continue to advance the mission of the theater .
exclusive : usa network has passed on olive forever , its comedic crime drama pilot from insurgent and the babysitter writer brian duffield , awesomenesstv and its former ceo brian robbins . i hear universal cable prods . , which produced the pilot , plans to shop it elsewhere . olive forever was an outlier for usa with its young lead . written by duffield and directed by matt shakman , the project follows the exploits of olive ( emily rudd ) , a high school student , con artist , cat…
circling back to “the spoils of war , ” shakman confirmed to mashable that ed sheeran’s kindly lannister soldier — the one we met in the premiere alongside a bunch of other friendly , booze - sharing lannister soldiers — probably wasn’t present for the loot train attack , which should please some fans and bafflingly infuriate others . “i don’t think literally those soldiers were there , ” shakman said .
the geffen playhouse today announced that it has added three directors to its upcoming 20182019 season , the first from new artistic director matt shakman . tony award nominee michael arden will direct charles dickens ' a christmas carol , adapted by and starring tony award winner jefferson mays obie award winner jo bonney will direct the world premiere of jose rivera ' s the untranslatable secrets of nikki corona and obie award - winner robert o ' hara will direct the world premiere of inda craig - galvan ' s black super hero magic mama .
shakman talked to vulture about working with the actors , the stunt crew , and showrunners and co - writers david benioff and dan weiss to drive home the horror of a whole new form of warfare .
“i loved old hollywood , ” says shakman . “when i started a theater , i was keenly aware of trying to create an organization that felt it had longer , deeper roots than i did . ”
the directors guild of america won’t be announcing the film nominations for the dga awards until tomorrow , but this morning they revealed the tv honorees and it goes without saying “ game of thrones ” ruled . “ game of thrones , ” “ curb your enthusiasm ” and “ better call saul ” lead wga awards tv nominees the hbo drama series took three nominations for episodes directed by alan taylor , matt shakman and jeremy podeswa . continue reading ‘ game of thrones ’ simply dominates the 2018 dga awards tv nominations at the playlist .
“i did it for quite some time , but it didn’t end up coming to fruition despite a lot of groundwork , ” says shakman . “the interest of new plays was coming around at that time . ”
shakman founded the l . a . - based black dahlia theatre in 2001 and served as its artistic director . under his leadership , productions such as hey , morgan ; theatre district ; nocturne ; and orson’s shadow garnered a number of los angeles drama critics circle and la stage alliance nominations and awards . in 2011 , the los angeles drama critics circle awarded shakman the milton katselas award for career achievement in direction .
shakman will continue to direct for television and film while serving in his new role . he recently directed two season 7 episodes of hbo’s “game of thrones” — “the spoils of war” and last week’s “eastwatch . ”
a ventura native , shakman is a son of a doctor and a homemaker . in high school , he acted and directed . at yale university , he studied art history and theater . he graduated in 1997 .
the roots of the dahlia trace back to shakman ' s years at yale .
during my college studies ,
he says ,
i met steven klein . he ran the yale undergraduate shakespeare company . i directed the scottish play , which steven was in and produced .
during their college years shakman and klein , the dahlia ' s staff producer , didn ' t discuss the possibility of running a theatre together , though shakman always had interests in this area . when their paths crossed again in los angeles , the two launched a theatre collective , the firefly , collaborating on experimental projects that meant a lot to them . in 2001 , shakman and a small group of colleagues formed a company and began preparing to open the 30 - seat black dahlia theatre on pico boulevard , converting it from a tiny storefront . klein joined this effort not long thereafter .
even though shakman won’t be back for season 8 , he directed another episode of season 7 : this upcoming sunday’s “eastwatch , ” which mclachlan promises has “some lovely crowd - pleasing scenes in it . ” stay tuned .
“the spoils of war” marked matt shakman’s ( it’s always sunny in philadelphia , mad men ) directorial debut on the series — he shot this coming weekend’s “eastwatch” as well — and presented one of the biggest , bloodiest , burning - est battles in the show’s history . for the first time , we saw daenerys targaryen unleash the fury of the dothraki horde and a full - grown dragon on westeros . and for the men on the other side of the battle , most notably nikolaj coster - waldau’s jaime lannister and jerome flynn’s bronn , the experience was utterly horrifying .
shakman says the team works well . some pick up the slack when others are heavily occupied with other career projects . says shakman ,
for each show , we usually depend on the talents of one or two of us who oversee the production , more or less turning over their life for the period . then they might take the next play off , but everyone is always willing to help paint sets and do things like that .
it’s not uncommon for actors to want to stretch their creative muscles and be taken more seriously on the business side of things as their careers grow to new heights . many actors , from those who started in the business as children , including fred savage , jason bateman and matt shakman , to the likes of zach braff and tony goldwyn , took the initiative to establish themselves as directors in order to increase their chances at career longevity . this television season , jesse williams , alex o’loughlin , justin baldoni , jussie smollett and ben feldman are among the actors that took advantage of the
the directors guild of america awards has announced the nominees for outstanding achievements in television in 2017 , and unsurprisingly game of thrones rules the roost . the hbo series nabbed three of the five spots available for dramatic series , with stranger things ’ the duffer brothers and the handmaid’s tale’s reed morano scoring the other two slots . the game of thrones episodes singled out were the “loot train battle” episode “the spoils of war” , directed by matt shakman , the “ jon snow and his pals go on a suicide mission” episode “beyond the wall” , directed by alan taylor , and the finale “…
i was speaking in general , not for shakman specifically . i don’t know if it was the first or the second thread about the directors when i basically stopped following wotw for months because i was so disappointed by this negative attitude .
if the writers intend sansa to be jealous , then the writers should write it in the script . that’s what they do . and then shakman would have known that sansa’s reaction was one of jealousy and not merely surprise at the transformation .
but the triumph of shakman’s direction in “the spoils of war” extends beyond the climactic moment . his choices were uniformly strong throughout the entire episode . even a shot - reverse - shot conversation between littlefinger and bran was heightened by shakman’s escalating close - ups , each cut making the tension tighter . when bran uttered one of littlefinger’s most famous lines , “chaos is a ladder , ” shakman pulled a jonathan demme by cutting into a tight close - up of each character staring directly at the camera . it’s a simple but startling choice , one that rattles the viewer as much as it does littlefinger , who must surely be worried that whatever bran can dig up as the three eyed raven could ruin his mission for power .
shakman founded los angeles’ black dahlia theatre and served as its artistic director from its inception in 2001 . it was named one of “a dozen young american companies you need to know” by american theatre magazine and “best small theatre” by los angeles magazine .
shakman also referenced the epic dystopian science fiction film children of men , concluding that he “looked at a lot of different references” to find inspiration . check out the full interview here ; it’s a fascinating look behind the scenes of hbo’s biggest show .
i referred to matt shakman above via his 44 episodes of it’s always sunny , which are his most prominent credit . but i left out that he’s directed episodes of everything from fargo to mad men to you’re the worst to the good wife , and his episodes have often added a necessary cinematic flair to even the scuzzy interiors of sunny . he’s one of those tv directors who’s been around for ages ( since 2002 ) , but mostly working out of the limelight , bouncing between comedy and drama . ( also , he starred as “the son” in the late ’80s family sitcom just the ten of us , which i just learned . )
matt shakman is set to direct tristar ' s live action / hybrid adaptation of the norton juster classic children’s book the phantom tollbooth , the hollywood reporter has confirmed . phil johnston wrote the latest draft of the script , originally by michael vukadinovich . donald de line and ed mcdonnell are producing , with tristar head hannah minghella and nicole brown overseeing . first published in 1961 with illustrations by jules pfeiffer , the phantom tollbooth centers on milo , an apathetic child who is bored by everything . when a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room , he drives through it and discovers the magical lands beyond — which is full of intriguing places . . .
according to a release , that means helping
stage new work and revivals of classic plays with a focus on exceptional storytelling and audience experience .
shakman will join the geffen on sept . 20 to begin work on the 2018 / 2019 season .
since 2002 , shakman has mostly been directing for television . among his credits include mad men , six feet under , new girl , brothers & sisters , house m . d . and it ' s always sunny in philadelphia ( also producer ) .
like an army of hapless humans facing down a fire - breathing dragon , the rest of tv was no match for game of thrones in this year’s directors guild nominations . the hit hbo fantasy scorched the competition when the 2017 dga award nominations were announced on wednesday , landing three of the possible five nominations in the drama - series category . jeremy podeswa ( “the dragon and the wolf” ) , matt shakman ( “the spoils of war” ) and alan taylor ( “beyond the wall” ) scored nods for their episodes — meaning that nearly half of season 7’s seven installments were honored by the dga . rounding out the dga drama nominees were the duffer brothers ,
but direct it he did , and it’s been a huge success . shakman spoke to inverse about how the battle at the end of the episode — daenerys’ attack on the lannister supply train — was different than other times we’d seen the dragons in action .
“after a comprehensive nationwide search , matt clearly emerged as our first choice , ” board co - chairs co - chairs martha henderson and pamela robinson said in a statement . “his unique artistic vision , coupled with his directorial and entertainment business experience , makes him an outstanding cultural fit for our theater . he and gil cates jr . make an incredibly powerful team to lead the geffen into the future . ”
finally , let’s talk about that cliffhanger . obviously , shakman didn’t reveal whether jaime will survive his dip in the lake , but he did say that the episode ended as writings david benioff and dan weiss envisioned , and revealed tidbits about how they filmed it :
matt shakman : when the guys wrote it , they were influenced by true detective . there was a one - shot in that , which i think influenced them to include a large part of “charlie work” as a one - shot . … so rob called me up when i was working on fargo and said , “hey , we’re doing this episode , and it’s all going to be in one shot . so get ready . ” i was excited . … since then , and since the score was created , which has this sort of jazz sound , birdman came out . so it has this sort of strange , unintentional birdman homage to it even more than true detective .
“i don’t think there is any point in leading with a big concept , ” says shakman . “˜i’m not interested in making people aware of my direction . if it moves them and they understand it and it resonates with them , then my work is accomplished . ”
on monday , mr . shakman , who also oversaw next week’s episode , discussed the meaning of sunday’s sword fight , the movies that inspired the closing battle sequence , and the challenges of directing a character who isn’t there . following are edited excerpts from the interview .
describing the leading character , shakman explains , “all she wants is a job . she has hit bottom economically . it’s about a world that is offering her nothing . she goes about trying to provide for herself and her child in the simplest , most direct way possible . ”
by juxtaposing the high - flying spectacle of drogon burning the lannister army alive with the gruesome reality of actually being on the receiving end , shakman toyed with the audience’s allegiances to daenerys and jaime lannister and crafted a battle sequence of unrelenting suspense . daenerys was equal parts hero and villain , and drogon was equal parts savior and destroyer . as “thrones” gets closer to its end game , the more we’re going to be seeing characters we know and love in direct conflict . we can only hope these encounters are as well staged as what shakman achieved here .
about an hour before his noon rehearsal , a bearded and smiling shakman — donned in jeans , black kicks , a black t - shirt , checkered shirt and black jacket — looks younger than his 36 years as he stands in the geffen , just outside the gil cates theater .
the smartest decision shakman made in crafting this battle was in making sure the aesthetics of the scene changed depending on which side you were experiencing the events through . the shots of daenerys atop drogon were some of the most grandiose and epic the series has ever done . a wide shot of the dragon flying across the frame from left to right and laying waste to the army below him was a particular jaw dropper . in these moments , daenerys was glorified as the franchise’s most badass hero . but that’s not how shakman viewed her while directing from the lannister perspective .
outside of the films shakman and mclachlan cited specifically , the influences of movies like 300 , troy , the hobbit films , the lord of the rings : return of the king , the revenant , and gladiator can clearly be seen throughout , the nerdwriter noted in a video breakdown .
hmm , the only negative comment on shakman i could find was hot pink lipstick saying that his name sounded like a frat boy’s name , which is not at all a criticism of his actual directorial abilities . most of the complaints were mylod , although some loved him , too .
shakman founded los angeles ' black dahlia theatre and served as its artistic director from its inception in 2001 . under his leadership , the theater was named one of
a dozen young american companies you need to know
by american theatre magazine and
best small theatre
by los angeles magazine . productions such as hey , morgan , theatre district , nocturne and orson ' s shadow garnered numerous los angeles drama critics circle and la stage alliance nominations and awards . in 2011 , the los angeles drama critics circle awarded shakman the milton katselas award for career achievement in direction .
“in charting that simple story , lindsay - abaire showed us south boston and other suburban boston communities and used it as a way to talk about our nation as a whole , ” surmises shakman . “he also tells a human story about what we’re forced to do to make ends meet . ”
he wasn’t , and mr . shakman , who has also directed episodes of “ mad men , ” “ the good wife ” and “ fargo , ” among many others , eventually found himself in cáceres , spain , surrounded by hundreds of extras , stuntmen , horses and plenty of fire .
shakman has staged several shows at the geffen , including the west coast premiere of david lindsay - abaire’s good people , in 2012 , and the world premiere of jeffrey hatcher’s adaptation of frederick knott’s wait until dark in 2013 . most recently , he directed the geffen’s production of joshua harmon’s bad jews .
as for shakman himself , he says that he wanted “to tell the story of what it would be like to be on the ground in the middle of a dragon attack , to see what it’s like ; to be in a napalm attack , to see the birth of a new weapon . ”
shakman is perhaps most widely known for his television and film directing credits , having helmed two episodes of the current seventh season of game of thrones (
the spoils of war
and
eastwatch
) as well as being a director and producer of it ' s always sunny in philadelphia .
shakman has directed several productions at the geffen , beginning with the 2012 west coast premiere of david lindsay - abaire’s tony award - nominated “good people . ” he also helmed jeffrey hatcher’s world premiere adaptation of frederick knott’s “wait until dark” in 2013 and joshua harmon’s comedy “bad jews” in 2014 - 15 .
shakman says there aren’t a lot of playwrights doing that kind of writing . “when i read good people and his other plays , i’ve been impressed that he figured out what shakespeare figured out at the end of his career , ” explains shakman . “he spent the beginning doing comedy and then drama and tragedies . by the time he got to the end of his life , he realized , ‘um , maybe i should write plays about all those things , ’ you know , the tempest , a winter’s tale , plays that are as funny as they are moving and as suspenseful as they are dramatic . ”
dahlia isn ' t a membership company .
i didn ' t want to have that kind of a structure ,
explains the gracious and articulate shakman .
i wanted a company that was free to make all decisions that we felt were best for our key artistic mission — developing new works — rather than trying to satisfy the needs of each member in a large group . i wanted to find the best plays to produce and then find people to be a part of them .
yet simpatico artists return to work with the theatre .
that ' s especially true with designers ,
says shakman .
alongside his theatre career , shakman has continued to direct for film and television . he recently helmed two episodes of hbo’s game of thrones and is a director and producer for fx’s long - running it’s always sunny in philadelphia . his directing credits also include episodes of the good wife , fargo , and mad men .
cates noted that he ' s
delighted
to welcome shakman into the geffen fold , adding , “his passion for extraordinary storytelling , his strong relationships with artists in theater , film and television , and his commitment to fostering community will be immensely valuable as we continue to advance the mission of the theater . ”
born and raised in ventura , calif . , shakman began acting on camera at age 4 and attended boarding school in nearby ojai for high school . he then received his theatre training at yale university while performing during summers at the new jersey shakespeare festival . he subsequently launched his career by
pounding the pavement
in new york , which he continued for two and a half years , landing gigs as assistant director and acting off - broadway . after running a new shakespeare company in vail , colo . , with a colleague for a year or so , shakman returned to california in the late 1990s to pursue new career avenues .
however , it sounds like he really gave it his all . before starting production , shakman had lunch with game of thrones veteran , david nutter who told him “you’re about to be given the keys to the best ferrari in the world ; all they want you to do is put the pedal to the metal . ”
shakman is no stranger to the geffen playhouse . in 2012 , he directed the west coast premiere of david lindsay - abaire’s tony award - nominated good people , followed by jeffrey hatcher’s world - premiere adaptation of frederick knott’s wait until dark in 2013 . most recently , he directed the geffen’s production of joshua harmon’s bad jews .
jaime lannister’s portrayal in the sequence resembled tom hanks’s character in saving private ryan . amid the carnage on omaha beach , the sound faded away to focus on captain miller’s shock . “that’s very much what jaime was like in the middle of the battle as he sees these people carbonized and turned to ash , ” shakman said .
too bad shakman won’t be back for season 8 . but at least he directed one of my top episodes in the series ( easily in the top 5 , but the exact placement i can only do after got is over and i start a rewatch from the beginning ) . looking forward this sunday to his second venture .
“i looked at saving private ryan , the opening battle on the beach , where the sound drops out and tom hanks is watching men being burned alive and shot to death , ” shakman said . “that to me was very much what it should feel like for jaime , watching men die left and right around him . ”
with that much danger on the battlefield , shakman wanted the audience to fear that any one could die at any minute . “i hoped the people watching it would fear for jaime , that they would fear for daenerys when she was on the ground , that they would fear for drogon , that they would fear for bronn , ” he said .
in addition , shakman founded los angeles ' s black dahlia theatre , serving as its artistic director from its beginning in 2001 . the los angeles drama critics circle awarded him the milton katselas award for career achievement in direction in 2011 . even in his new role at the geffen playhouse , however , he will continue to direct for television and film .
“ [ the final scene ] was the first time we saw a battle with the dragons between people that we actually like , ” shakman said . “we’ve seen them in heroic situations—daenerys taking on the slavers in meereen and watching from above as she deals death from the sky . but this was a chance to frame it in a different way . ”
shakman did a terrific job of putting us in the middle of the battle , particularly with that long take where bronn was scrambling to get to the scorpion . and then there was that breathless moment at the end , where jaime charged daenerys in an attempt to take out the dragon queen and end the war for good . “there’s a point where we think someone is going to die — either jaime or dany , ” shakman said . “and when he charges it’s meant to be the most beautiful death you’ve ever seen . he’s charging through the ash and , in a way , tilting at windmills like don quixote . then he’s obviously saved at the last second — from the dragon fire at least . ”