The movie fizzled at the boxoffice but I suspect that the main distribution channel was always the DVD release. Anyway it’s out. I was pleasantly surprised to see mulitple copies at Blockbuster and several ads online.
It's a strange film in some ways but I enjoyed it a lot. It's a loving tribute to old Japanese cinema and over-the-top Japanese dramas in particular. Like Adaptation it snakes back on itself to become an over-the-top drama itself. But it works and is quite affecting.
The story is about a famous, retired Japanese actress Chiyoko who is being interviewed for a documentary. The documentary maker is a huge fan; his cameraman less so. The film blurs the line between the fact and fiction and mixes episodes from Chiyoko's past and her movies.
I don't know much about Japanes cinema so I probably missed many of the references and I still haven't fully worked out the meaning of the film but I still liked it. I think what carries it through is its tremendous love of the movies (which is personified in the documentary-maker). The animation which covers many historical eras is also very good.