Why Makoto Shinkai Made a Talking Chair the Heart of ‘Suzume’

Chukwudi Iwuji was a kid growing up in Nigeria and Ethiopia, he imagined he could fly. The second youngest of five, he would spend hours on his own, meticulously reenacting scenes he’d seen on TV, playing every part himself. Virtually all of what captured his imagination were American shows and films from the 1970s and ’80s: “Charlie’s Angels,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” “The Godfather” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” via broadcast reruns and bootleg VHS tapes. After he first saw “Star Wars,” he would stare intensely at a plastic cup, willing it to move. And “Superman,” of course, convinced Iwuji he could leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Ain’t No Mo, Cost of Living, Leopoldstadt, Good Night, Oscar, and now, The Thanksgiving Play (★★★★★), a dark and devilish satire by Larissa FastHorse.While gratitude should be a reflection and practice we incorporate into our daily lives, it is a virtue most closely associated with the fourth Thursday of November. That’s when we gather with friends and family, stuff ourselves silly with turkey, watch football, and fall asleep on the couch — all in the name of a long-perpetuated myth.FastHorse is having none of it.

Ed Sheeran is going on tour this summer!

Colton Dixon just dropped his new EP, and we want Just Jared readers to get to know him even better!

JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown have announced they will be going on a North American tour this summer in support of their joint album ‘Scaring The Hoes’.The run of dates is due to begin in Nashville, Tennessee on July 25. From there, the two rappers will embark on a 20-city stint throughout the US.

MipTV 2023 is coming to an end, with many international execs and stars having jetted in for the 60th edition of the sales confab and Canneseries events. Despite large portions the Croisette being dug up as construction work went on before the Cannes Film Festival next month, there was a positive feel. That will please organizer RX France, which has faced down of ongoing talk of the event’s reduced status in the post-Covid 19 era. Footfall was notably lighter than pre-pandemic, but a less frenetic pace isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Read on for our key takeaways.

The eve of the King’s Coronation will be marked by a glittering Buckingham Palace reception attended by foreign royalty. Princess Beatrix, the former queen of the Netherlands, has confirmed her attendance at the event, expected to be hosted by Charles, alongside her granddaughter and heir to the Dutch throne Catharina-Amalia, the Princess of Orange.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Eco-thriller “The Swarm,” which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, has been acquired in the U.K. by pay-TV operator Sky. Negotiations with a U.S. partner are in the final stages. The show, produced by multiple Primetime Emmy award winner and “Game of Thrones” executive producer Frank Doelger and NDF IP’s managing director Eric Welbers, is set to play on the Sky Max channel in the U.K. later this year. “The Swarm” scored huge ratings in Germany on ZDF and on Austria’s ORF. In Germany, it attracted up to 10 million views per episode (linear and catch-up combined), multiple prime time wins, and big successes within the younger target group (between the ages of 14-49).

SPOILER ALERT: This interview includes details about Crunchyroll’s Suzume.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are promoting their new film “Air,” telling the story of Nike’s Air Jordans. The film follows a Nike executive that lands a Michael Jordan endorsement, boosting the young athlete’s career and creating a product that revolutionized the sports market. In an interview, Affleck and Damon discussed the first time they met Jordan, with Jordan and Affleck entering a challenge of who was tallest.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot points of “Suzume,” currently playing in theaters. Makoto Shinkai’s latest anime feature, “Suzume,” hits American theaters this weekend. The film is set in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake that devastated Japan’s Tohoku region, centering on themes of loss and grief. Shinkai brings in a talking cat and mobile three-legged chair to help tell the story of a young girl, Suzume, who travels across disaster-stricken Japan in hopes to save the country from its devastation. This leads her to the Ever After, a fantastical realm of souls which Suzume first discovers when she finds a mysterious door and walks through it.

After passing $500M globally through Thursday, Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s The Super Mario Bros Movie is now on its way to an estimated $659M through Sunday worldwide. Of that, the international box office is estimated to rep $318.6M. 

It’s time to break out the good hair and sip on some celebratory champagne because HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show has returned for its fourth season tonight. Keeping in theme with the series’ previous seasons, creator and star Robin Thede, alongside her mainstay cast members Gabrielle Dennis and Skye Townsend, continues to highlight the niche inner workings of the Black American community through absurdist humor and topical commentary. Season 4 ushers in three series newcomers, TikTok personality DaMya Gurley, The Voice star Tamara Jade, actress Angel Laketa Moore along with a special bevy of guest stars including Jackée Harry, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Colman Domingo, who suffers a hilariously awkward interview with fan-favorite character Dr. Hadassah Olayinka Ali-Youngman Pre-PhD.

Suzume is Crunchyroll’s latest anime movie and it’s playing now in theaters across the U.S.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor As seasoned espionage pros, they didn’t give up much, and they didn’t indulge in too much nostalgia. But for an hour or so on Wednesday evening, five core players of “The Americans” reunited in Midtown Manhattan to share stories and spread a few compliments for work they did together on the highly lauded FX series. To mark the 10th anniversary of the spy drama’s debut, stars Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Noah Emmerich were joined by showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields for a lively reunion conversation hosted by the Paley Center for Media. Fields reminded his colleagues that Superstorm Sandy made a surprise guest appearance in “The Americans” pilot, turning the production schedule upside down just before they were scheduled to begin shooting the pilot for DreamWorks Television and Fox Television Studios.

Angelique Jackson The all-star cast for Netflix’s adaptation of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” has been revealed. Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington will star in the feature film, reprising their roles from the highly successful Broadway revival of Wilson’s play, which recently concluded its run at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, “The Piano Lesson” follows the lives of the Charles family, a household led by Doaker Charles (Jackson), and an heirloom, the family piano, which is decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor. Washington plays Boy Willie, Doaker’s nephew, a role Jackson originated in the 1987 production.

Meghan Markle is not attending King Charles' Coronation next month and there are many reasons that could have influenced this decision.

A Polish woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has hit back at critics in a foul-mouthed Instagram post after a DNA test concluded she is not the missing tot.

Parents across Greater Manchester are considering quitting their jobs due to the soaring cost of childcare - as new research showed families are being priced out.

Kim Kardashian and North West have said goodbye to TikTok… but why?