Tom Cruise sees all the movies

For over a decade now, Tom Cruise has been spending most of his time in the UK. He has homes around the world, obviously, but London seems to be his base. Around this time of year, however, he’s often associated with Los Angeles, not because he’s actually there, but because his Christmas cakes have become famous. There’s a celebrity Christmas cake list, a selection of stars who receive the prized Christmas cake every year. PEOPLE just put together an article today of all the people who’ve talked about getting the cake, although there are no doubt more names, they just don’t reveal that they’re among the specials.

This year, maybe, Tom might be delivering a few of the cakes himself. He was in LA last night, seen at a screening of Lee Sang-il’s acclaimed film, Kokuho. The buzz around this movie has been steadily increasing, especially as we get into the most intense period of award season. We’ve written a lot about how none of the acting categories are locked yet in terms of the nominations and the same is true in the Best International Feature category. 

The undisputed frontrunner for the Best International Feature Oscar is, without a doubt, Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident, which could also receive a nomination for Best Picture, the reigning Palme d’Or winner, and beloved across the board. But this category is blessed by several other strong contenders that, in any other year, could be leading the race. Like Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value (Norway)– also a possible Best Picture nominee – and The Secret Agent (Brazil), starring Wagner Moura, who is a Best Actor contender. Plus Sirat (Spain) directed by Oliver Laxe, Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia), and Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice (Korea). 

Kokuho is Japan’s entry in the Best International Feature category. It is now Japan’s most commercially successful live-action film of all time, earning over $112 million, a huuuuge box office considering it’s a three-hour movie and has yet to open in the United States. The film has reinvigorated the Japanese movie market and, perhaps more importantly, reignited national interest in traditional kabuki theatre which was heading towards modern irrelevance…until Kokuho exploded in popularity. 

Kokuho means “national treasure” in Japanese, and the film is based on a novel by Shuichi Yoshida about two kabuki performers engaged in decades-long operatic battle on stage and backstage. The Hollywood Reporter just profiled director Lee Sang-il and his work on the film this week and Deadline had an exclusive too about its release in other territories. Please look for it in select theatres beginning February 6 in the US and Canada ahead of its wide release on February 20. Even CNN published a report on the film’s influence in Japan and beyond a few days ago. 

If you’re in New York, Kokuho is screening at MoMA on December 20 with tickets available starting tomorrow. F----ckkkk I would so love to see this film at MoMA!

Needless to say, Kokuho is coming on strong, and to go back to Tom Cruise, it was probably a boost for the film’s campaign to have him show up for the screening in LA last night and living up, once again, to what he has always said: that he watches alllll the movies, and that he watches them in theatres. He is one of the most vocal theatrical release actor-ambassadors for the cause, and it’s certainly becoming a cause in some ways, especially now with Netflix’s bid to take over Warner Bros and not bothering to pretend that they care about theatrical business. Films like Kokuho, as beautiful as they are, are meant to be shown on the biggest screen, for a collective viewing experience, to build a community of appreciation. And there he is, among the people, LOL. 

Here's the breathtaking trailer for Kokuho – if you haven’t already seen it, get ready for the goosebumps.