We’ve got some exclusive images from the upcoming film Bunraku for you. In the vein of Sin City and 300, the story centers on a mysterious drifter and a young Japansese warrior who wander into a town that has been terrorized by criminals.  The two set out on their separate quests, encountering a number of strange and fantastical characters and situations along the way.  Directed by Guy Moshe, the film stars Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore, Ron Perlman, and Gackt.  Hit the jump to check out the images. Bunraku is currently available VOD and hits theaters September 30.

Borrowing its name from a 400-year-old art of Japanese puppetry, the fantasy drama Bunraku (available on VOD on September 1^st and in theaters on September 30^th) is about a mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett) and a passionate young Japanese warrior named Yoshi (Gackt), that both arrive in a town that has been terrorized by extreme criminals. Each man is obsessed with his own separate mission, and are guided by the wisdom of The Bartender (Woody Harrelson), but they eventually join forces to bring down the corrupt Nicola (Ron Perlman), who is at the root of each of their problems. Set in a unique world of hyper-real colors and locations, and combining the themes of Samurai and Western films, it gives the story’s classic conflict a vitality and imagination that makes the dynamic fresh.

To promote the film’s release, Josh Hartnett did this exclusive phone interview with Collider, in which he talked about the visual presentation that the film’s director showed him before he agreed to take the role, how much fun he had developing the backstory for a character known only as The Drifter, how this is such a universal story because everybody wants someone to come in and save the day and change our lives for the better, and the importance of keeping his character’s emotions as real as possible in such a surreal setting. He also talked about how he quit the business for awhile so that he could decide the direction he wanted to take his career, choosing things that are unique in an attempt to break the mold, and how he just finished another film, Roland Joffe’s Singularity, that is an epic tale of an impossible love set across two time periods and continents. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

In the last 24 hours, many people here at the Toronto International Film Festival got to check out writer/director Guy Moshe’s Bunraku.  Starring Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore, Kevin McKidd and Ron Perlman, this was one of those films on my radar since we ran the images that showcased the hyper stylized sets and costumes.

Going in, I figured the film was either going to be incredibly cool, or a train wreck of epic proportions.  It was neither. Instead, I walked out thinking Moshe aimed really high with Bunraku and while some of it was pretty cool, a lot of it had some problems – the biggest of which was the two hour running time.  I think if he had cut it down to 90 minutes, the film would be a lot stronger.  Saying all this, I respect that he made something unique and different and think everyone (included all the actors) gave it their all.  For a lot more, hit the jump:

With Fantastic Fest 2010 in Austin, Texas mere weeks away, the third wave of films playing the festival has been announced. Among the highlights are Darren Bousman’s thriller Mother’s Day starring Rebecca De Mornay, Guy Moshe’s Bunraku with Woody Harrelson and Josh Hartnett and Red, starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and many more. Add these to the previous announcements of the World Premiere of Sharktopus, special screenings of Let Me In, Buried, Stone, I Spit on Your Grave and more, Fantastic Fest certainly sounds like it’ll live up to its name.

Hit the jump for more details on the third wave including two repertory screenings featuring Bill Pullman.

What I love about this time of year are all the movies getting ready to unspool for the first time.  Over the next few weeks, the Toronto Film Festival, Telluride, the Venice Film Festival, and even Fantastic Fest will premiere tons of movies – with many of them under the radar (for now). That’s because every year plays out the same way…as a few movies will come out of nowhere to win some of the biggest Awards at each of the Festivals and then they’ll get released around the world.  That’s why everyone gets so excited for this time of year, because over the next few weeks, the world’s leading film critics will get to see almost all the big releases for the rest of the year and everyone wants to be the first one predicting what will win an Oscar and what film was a huge disappointment.

So why this long winded intro?  Because one of the many films off my radar was writer/director Guy Moshe’s Bunraku. While I knew the film from the times I’d seen the title listed on Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore, Josh Hartnett, Kevin McKidd and Ron Perlman’s IMDb profiles, I didn’t know anything about it.  However, we just got the first images from the film and the synopsis and now I’m very curious.  Hit the jump for more:

James Gunn’s Super will make its world premiere as part of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival “Midnight Madness” line-up.  Super centers on Frank (played by Rainn Wilson), a regular guy who decides to become a superhero when his wife (played by Liv Tyler) becomes a drug addict.  I dug the film’s panel at Comic-Con and if you like James Gunn’s style of humor, then Super looks like it won’t disappoint.  The cast also includes Ellen Page, Kevin Bacon, Michael Rooker, and Nathan Fillion.

Hit the jump to check out a new image from Super as well as a list of all the films playing at Midnight Madness.  This year’s Toronto International Film Festival will run from September 9 – 19th. [Updated with new films and a synopsis for each film]

The upcoming dramedy Everything Must Go is headed to this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.  Based on the Raymond Carver short story, Dan Rush’s low-budget dramedy centers on a recovering alcoholic (played by Will Ferrell) “who falls off the wagon, is tossed from both his job and home, and must survive on his front lawn by selling his belongings in a yard sale.”  Ferrell scored another hit this weekend when The Other Guys scored $35.6 million at the box office this weekend.  While I enjoyed the film, I always want to see Ferrell in roles outside his comfort zone and his part in Everything Must Go sounds like one of them.

THR also reports that Brad Anderson’s thriller The Vanishing on 7th Street, starring Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo, and Guy Moshe’s action noir movie Bunraku, starring Josh Hartnett, Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson, will play at the festival.  The 2010 Toronto International Film Festival will run from September 9 – 19th.