VIZ Cinema is a 143-seat underground cinema inside NEW PEOPLE in San Francisco, owned and operated by VIZ Pictures. Equipped with a cutting-edge HD digital projection and THX®-certified sound system, VIZ Cinema’s programming focuses on the latest and hottest films from Japan, as well as an incredible legacy of classics, favorites, documentaries and anime – making it the only venue of its kind in the United States.
Let the melody carry us over into the New Year! To teenagers seeking direction in this world, music is sometimes the only thing that can reach their young hearts. VIZ Cinema will continue to introduce movies that are strongly supported by our love for music.
Saturday, 12/26 – Thursday, 1/7, 2010
SHINDO [ Regional Premiere ]
(2007, 120min., Digital, With English Subtitles, Directed by Koji Hagiuda)
Cast: Kenichi Matsuyama, Riko Narumi
Based on a manga by Akira Sasou. Wao, a high school grad wanting to go to music school, meets a 13-year-old child prodigy pianist Uta. Uta often skips lessons behind her mother’s back and takes a liking to Wao, who is sincerely devoted to the piano. Uta soon begins to visit Wao’s family vegetable shop regularly, and although they are neither lovers nor siblings, their relationship is connected by music. Actor Kenichi Matsuyama gives an excellent performance as the young man, Wao, who supports the struggling young genius. The actress playing Uta is Riko Narumi, a talented up and coming actress. This is her first staring role in a feature film.
12/26 (Sat) & 12/27 (Sun) (2:30pm), 5:00pm, 7:30pm
12/28 (Mon) – 12/30 (Wed) 5:00pm, 7:30pm
12/31 (Thu) 5:00pm only!
1/2 (Sat) & 1/3 (Sun) (12:00pm), 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm
1/4 (Mon) – 1/7 (Thu) 5:00pm, 7:30pm
Friday, 1/8 – Thursday, 1/21
Midnight Sun
(2006, 120min, 35mm, With English Subtitles, Directed by Norihiro Koizumi)
Cast: YUI, Takashi Tsukamoto
Kaoru is a talented young teenager, gifted as a singer and guitarist. She also suffers from a rare skin disease called Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP), which prevents her body from repairing cell damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light. This means that she must avoid sunlight completely. She has never attended school and is incapable of doing a lot of things most teenagers take for granted. When she falls in love with a boy named Kouji, however, she once again begins challenging herself as she tries things she had given up for her illness and regains her inner sunshine.
1/8 (Fri) 7:30pm
1/9/(Sat) & 1/10 (Sun) 12:00pm, 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm
1/11(Mon) – 1/13 (Wed) 5:00pm, 7:30pm
1/14 (Thu) 5:00pm
1/15 (Fri) 5:00pm, 7:30pm
1/16/(Sat) & 1/17 (Sun) 12:00pm, 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm
1/18 (Mon) 5:00pm, 7:30pm
1/19 (Tue)- 1/21(Thu) 5:00pm
Tuesday, 1/19 & Wednesday, 1/20 @ 7:30pm / 2 NIGHTS ONLY!
Sword of the Stranger
(2008, 102min, Digital, English Dubbed, Directed by Masahiro Andō)
The biggest and best samurai story is about to kick-off from the world of anime! Animation studio BONES (Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa) pulls out all the stops in this feature-length movie. No Name is a ronin who abandoned his name in troubled times and vowed to never unsheathe his sword again. Luo-Lang is a blond-haired, blue-eyed Western assassin working for the Ming Dynasty. The two strangers are destined to clash, as the only thing they believe in is their swordsmanship. They kill—and kill some more—in a blazing display of Japanese sword action!
1/19 (Tue) & 1/20 (Wed) 7:30pm 2 nights only!
Friday, 1/22 – Thursday, 2/4
Oh! My Buddha
(2009, 114min, 35mm, With English Subtitles, Directed by Tomorowo Taguchi)
Cast: Daichi Watanabe, Kazunobu Mineda, Shigeru Kishida (KURURI)
Jun, a boy who just started his first year at a private Buddhist boys school is obsessed with his guitar and Bob Dylan. Despite his love for the glamorous Rock n’ Roll life, his life is like a mundane routine just passing him by. One day, his friend invites him to go to an island over summer break and stay at a youth hostel where a slew of boys and girls who practice “free love” gather. Jun’s journey into adulthood begins. This film refreshingly depicts the sex-curious awkward stage of adolescent life. Daichi Watanabe from the popular band Kuroneko Chelsey makes his debut in this piece as he shows true potential in his live performance where he sings like a wild animal.
1/22(Fri) 7:30pm
1/23(Sat) – 1/24 (Sun) 12:00pm, 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm
1/25(Mon) 5:00pm, 7:30pm
1/26 (Tue) 5:00pm
1/27 (Wed) 5:00pm, 7:30pm
1/28(Thu) 5:00pm, 7:30pm
1/29(Fri) 5:00pm, 7:30pm
1/30(Sat) 12:00pm, 2:30pm, 5:00pm
1/31(Sun) 12:00pm, 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm
2/1 (Mon) – 2/4 (Thu) 5:00pm, 7:30pm
Tuesday, 1/26 – 1 night only! 7:30 p.m. DVD Release Special!
Daido Moriyama: Stray Dog of Tokyo
(2001, 84 min, With English Subtitles, Directed by Kenjiro Fujii)
Cast: Daido Moriyama, Nobuyoshi Araki, Kazuo Nishii, Michiko Kasahara
7:30pm Ticket + DVD = $25
Tickets – $25: Event ticket price includes a pass to the screening, a brand new DVD of the film($25 Value), a postcard, and NEW PEOPLE buttons!
Daido Moriyama: Stray Dog of Tokyo follows the charismatic photographer Daido Moriyama with a single camcorder as he wanders the streets of Shinjuku with his camera in hand as he takes quick snapshots without looking in the finder. The film even captures the moment when he takes his first digital photo. His stark, high contrast black and white images symbolize his fervent lifestyle.
Saturday, 1/30
Death Note Marathon / Death Note & Death Note II
Death Note (2006, 120min, 35mm, With English Subtitles, Directed by Shusuke Kaneko)
Death Note II (2006, 140min, 35mm, With English Subtitles, Directed by Shusuke Kaneko)
Cast: Kenichi Matsuyama, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Erika Toda, Takeshi Kaga
AOD FANS get $2 off Death Note tickets.
Please show your AOD con-badge at box office!
Based on the bestselling supernatural action mystery manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. With over 15 million copies sold, the hit comic has been adapted into two live-action feature films: Death Note and Death Note II: The Last Name.
The story begins when ace student Light Yagami finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue “Shinigami” death god named Ryuk. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies. Upset with the justice system, Light takes matters into his own hands and vows to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of all evil…
Death Note II begins on the heels of the first movie as Light Yagami joins the investigation team in pursuit of the serial killer known as “Kira.” While L still strongly suspects that Light is “Kira,” Light tries to uncover L’s real name so he can kill him with his Death Note. Confusingly enough, a new rash of murders all around the world are taking place, with a “Second Kira” claiming responsibility. Light learns the identity of the Second Kira and suggests they join forces to get rid of L. Will L be able to catch “Kira” before he is killed?
Death Note: 7:30 pm
Death Note II: The Last Name 10:00 pm
* All programming is subject to change. * Showtimes in ( ) indicates matinee price.
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