M
Production
Motohiro Hatanaka
No biography available.
Known For
Howl's Moving Castle · 2004Howl's Moving Castle
★ 8.42004
MovieFantasyAnimation
Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.
The Cat Returns · 2002The Cat Returns
★ 7.12002
MovieAdventureFantasy
Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.
The Milkwoman · 2005The Milkwoman
★ 6.92005
MovieDrama
Minako (TANAKA Yuko), begins her day running up and down the hills of her hometown delivering milk door to door. When that's done, she heads to her day job as a supermarket cashier. Minako is 50 and single. In one of the houses to which she delivers milk is a man with whom she has secretly been in love since high school. The man, Keita (KISHIBE Ittoku), lives with his wife Yoko, who is terminally ill. Caring for her at home, he works in the children's affairs section of the local municipal office. Though he insists that he wants nothing more than an "ordinary" existence, his life is in turmoil below the surface. The director uses a variety of narrative devises to portray the loneliness, isolation, and hope of these people who have seemingly allowed their goals and dreams to slip away, whilst keeping them agonizingly close to hand.
Crickets · 2006Crickets
★ 7.02006
MovieDrama
Kaoru, a wealthy woman whose youth is fading, abandons the hustle and bustle of the city to live peacefully in a home on the coast. There, she takes care of an old deaf, dumb and blind man as if he were an insect, a child or a pet. He can’t do anything for himself, so she feeds him and accompanies him on his walks. This strong mutual dependency offers Kaoru an escape from society and allows her to free herself from restrictions imposed by common sense.
Beautiful Sunday · 1998Beautiful Sunday
★ 7.61998
MovieComedyDrama
A droll and formalistic comic drama about the various relationships among, and odd obsessions of, the residents of a Tokyo apartment block.
Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name · 2003Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name
★ 5.52003
MovieMysteryDrama
A private detective takes on an assignment to return a girl, who is set to marry into a prestigious family, from a mysterious commune in the forest.
Yah Chayka! · 2008Yah Chayka!
2008
Movie
Renowned Japanese poet Shuntaro Tanikawa teams with former "rock chick" Wakako Kaku to craft this pensive love story told almost entirely in still photographs. After steering a suicidal man away from the brink of despair, an astronomical observatory worker teaches him her favorite watchword, "Yah Chakya!" ("I, Seagull"). The phrase had once been spoken by the first female cosmonaut, and was the call-sign for the Soviet spacecraft Vostok. But for this woman, the word has taken on greater meaning; not only is it a greeting, but a secret handshake and a symbol of the universe as well. Upon learning the phrase, the man finally finds the strength to go on living.
The Private Detective Mike · 2002The Private Detective Mike
★ 8.52002
SeriesCrime
Mike Hama, Private Detective, is a chain-smoking, wisecracking tough guy with a weakness for the ladies and a soft spot in his heart, especially for his kid sister Akane. Mike's so down on his luck he'll take any case, from finding a lost pet to spying on cheating spouses. But every now and then, along comes a client with dubious and dangerous case… and that's when Mike shows his stuff.
Filmography
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