Kokuho: a sumptuous work weakened by a patchy plot
Lee Sang-il, “Kokuho” (2025) An ambitious and sumptuous work, paying homage to Japan’s kabuki theatre,
Tag: Japanese Films
Reviews of Japanese-language films I find significant or interesting.
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea: a tale of wonder and transformation deflated by flat characters and boring plot
Hayao Miyazaki, “Gake no Ue no Ponyo” / “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea”
Mary and the Witch’s Flower: visually attractive but otherwise a flat effort
Hiromasa Yonebayashi, “Mary and the Witch’s Flower” (2017) A visually very attractive family movie, clearly
My Neighbour Totoro: charm can’t compensate for a thin plot and weakly developed themes
Hayao Miyazaki, “My Neighbour Totoro” (1988) The film that brought Studio Ghibli to an international
The Boy and the Heron: visual virtuosity can’t compensate for a tired formulaic plot and dubious motifs
Hayao Miyazaki, “The Boy and the Heron” (2023) A decade after “The Wind Rises”, the
Broker: road film exploring complexities behind illegal baby adoptions in South Korea
Hirokazu Kore-eda, “Broker” (2022) A young woman brings her baby to a church’s baby box
Japanese Films | North American Films
Bakemono: modern-day ghost story on family relationships
Jorge Lucas, Sumire Takamatsu, “Bakemono” (2019) Even in modern times, the demons and spirits of
Chinese and Chinese-language Films | Japanese Films
What Eating the Rich did for Japan: a useful introduction to Japan’s modern economic history
“What Eating the Rich did for Japan” (Asianometry, October 2021) In this mini-documentary on the
British Films | Japanese Films | North American Films
You Only Live Twice: tired and formulaic film shouldn’t have lived even once
Lewis Gilbert, “You Only Live Twice” (1967) By the time this, the fifth film in
Japanese Films | North American Films
Minamata: a solid film on the power of image as social activism
Andrew Levitas, “Minamata” (2020) In these times when fake news and deliberate disinformation are the