There have been a rash of Japanese films purporting a revisionist history of WWII over the last decade or so, not the least of which was Pride, which tried to lionize war-time prime minister Hideki...
Last year the indie film Kantai (Hospitalite) garnered the Japan Eyes prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival and generally received critical support, though it hardly did any business at the box office. Directed by...
This fascinating film by auteur Amir Naderi, an Iranian-born filmmaker who has been working in the US for decades, is extremely difficult to review, as it is simultaneously gripping and disappointing. It combines the story...
This hard-boiled thriller is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of Korean-Japanese Gu Su-yeon, who also directs. It revolves around his gang experiences in the rough-and-tumble town of Shimonoseki on the southwestern tip on Honshu. We...
This is one of those films where there is a huge gap between what it thinks it is and what it actually is. Directed by Yuya Ishii and debuting at the Tokyo International Film Fest...
Japanese comedies these days, under the influence of genre-leading director Satoshi Miki, have tended towards a self-consciously over-the-top absurdity that leaves behind any hint of realism. Fortunately, this isn’t the case here, despite a healthy...
Reminiscent of Zawa Zawa Shimokitazawa (2000), this flick is also a kind of love story set in a bohemian section of Tokyo with a sly, offbeat atmosphere. Directed by Shoichi Kato, and based on the...
Based on the popular NHK TV series of the same name, now in its sixth season, Sarariman NEO is a humorous updated take on the life of business people in Japan. While the TV show...
One of the biggest things Japanese film is criticized for recently is its lack of originality. Well, that’s pretty much on display here, despite the filmmakers’ attempt to throw as many monkey wrenches and surprises...
Nowhere is Japan’s divide between honne (real value) and tatemae (face value) more distinct than works of fiction concerning sex, and particularly extra-marital affairs. While it’s an open secret that the country is rife with...
Shinji Imaoka is a long-time pinku (softcore porn) filmmaker and clearly one of those that think the B-grade (at best) genre has real aesthetic value. It makes sense then that he’d decide to make a...
Tengoku Kara no Yell may either be one of the last productions from long-standing indie film studio Asmik Ace—or the savior of the production house with its revenue. The studio is in serious financial difficulties...
When Japan’s space agency JAXA re-energized its cosmic exploration program eight years ago and launched an unmanned probe to collect samples from an asteroid, one could imagine this (supposedly) chest-thumping accomplishment as a Japanese feature...
Japan has a special sub-genre of film that glorifies and praises the wonderful pleasures of food. These films seem to be increasing in quantity recently and numerous reviews have appeared in this column, including Chonmage...
Despite the fact that Japanese theaters are filled with commercial tripe usually based on manga or some kind of long-time franchise, art-house cinema is in fact alive and well in Japan. The country still produces...
With a movie series based on a Disney ride (Pirates of the Caribbean) producing such serious amounts of money, it’s no surprise that flicks springing from video games are also a burgeoning genre. The Tekken...
Of the current crop of Japanese directors Naomi Kawase is among the most heralded. At the Cannes Film Festival she’s won the Camera D’Or (in 1997 for Moe no Suzaku) as well as the...
The problem of the depopulation of the Japanese countryside has led to a crisis in medical care in provincial areas, particularly for the elderly. This serious situation moved Dr. Sosuke Natsukawa to write the novel...
No doubt in his own estimation Sono Sion believes he is an edgy filmmaker pushing the boundaries of his art, and as such, in this adaptation of a manga of the same name, he includes...