The Playlist

Sion Sono To Direct 'Kill Bill'-Esque 'Why Don't You Play In Hell?'

  • By Joe Cunningham
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  • September 21, 2012 2:19 PM
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  • 0 Comments
Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” already had it’s share of Eastern references, but now Japanese director Sion Sono is planning a picture which by his own admission has an “accidental resemblance to 'Kill Bill.' ” Sono’s a fairly prolific director and has helmed seven films since 2008 including “Love Exposure,” “The Land of Hope” and “Cold Fish” -- all works that have earned him a rather strong cult following.

Ezra Miller May Star In Film About Norwegian Black Metal Band Mayhem From Japanese Helmer Shion Sono

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • May 22, 2012 8:20 AM
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  • 4 Comments
In only a few short years, 19-year-old Ezra Miller has become something of a poster child for American independent film. The young actor has had his flirtations with the mainstream -- he appeared on "Californication" and on "Royal Pains," and was courted by Warner Bros for "Akira" before the project fell apart. But for the most part, since his breakthrough in Antonio Campos' "Afterschool," he's been leaning on the independent side of the fence, with projects including "City Island," "We Need To Talk About Kevin" and the upcoming duo of "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" and "Madame Bovary." And he looks to continue in that vein, announcing that he's in discussions with one of international cinema's most uncompromising filmmakers for a picture with fascinating subject matter.

'Cold Fish' & 'Guilty Of Romance' Director Sion Sono Making Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami Pic 'The Land Of Hope'

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • January 20, 2012 2:42 PM
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  • 1 Comment
Is seems Sion Sono isn't done with last March's devastating earthquake in Japan just yet. Perhaps best known to genre fans stateside for his thriller "Cold Fish" or the epically bonkers "Love Exposure," last year Sono went to Venice with "Himizu" his tale centered on the danger zone following the Japanese earthquake. And with cameras now rolling on this next film, he hasn't left that event behind.

Venice '11 Review: Sono Sion's 'Himizu' Is Close To Unwatchable, And Yet Vitally Important

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • September 6, 2011 7:50 AM
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  • 7 Comments
If you're after a quick response to recent events, particularly in the case of a cataclysmic disaster, cinema is not your medium. It takes years to write and develop even a bad script, let alone the financing, casting, shooting and pre-production of a film. And that's even without taking into account a reticence to address what has the potential to be traumatic material; there's a reason that it took half-a-decade for the events of 9/11 to reach the screen, and even then many believed that it was too soon for what some dismiss as mere entertainment to address such epoch-changing events.

Review: 'Love Exposure' Is Four Hours Of Madhouse Kink

  • By Gabe Toro
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  • August 31, 2011 2:24 AM
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  • 4 Comments
Sion Sono‘s “Love Exposure” is a film that, upon its conclusion, feels as if you’ve spanned the globe to tell its narrative. So broad is its scope -- addressing topics like religion, incest and murder -- that the film never once seems like its staying in one place, so hyperactive and eager to stimulate. Sion, who grows with each new picture, has begun to resemble a more mature sibling to fellow countryman Takashi Miike, not ignoring narrative so much as sliding it to the side, creating a believable marriage between absurd form and weighty content.

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