A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Reviews of Japanese-language films I find significant or interesting.
Katsuhiro Otomo, “Akira” (1988) In an alternative but parallel universe in 1988, a scientific experiment using young children as test subjects for research into superhuman mental…
Yasujiro Ozu, “Early Summer” (1951) Calm and serene with a thin plot, “Early Summer” looks at a family and the changes it undergoes as a result…
French and French-language Films, Japanese Films
Barbet Schroeder, “Inju, la bête dans l’ombre” (2008) Enjoyably silly movie about a literature academic and aspiring crime fiction writer whose career, night-time as well as…
Hayao Miyazaki, “Princess Mononoke” (1997) When I first saw this movie about a decade ago, like everyone else I was bowled over by the stunning animated…
Ten Shimoyama, “Shinobi – Heart under Blade” (2005) Based on a novel “The Kouga Ninja Scrolls” written by Futaro Yamada in the late 1950’s, this movie will…
Takashi Miike, “One Missed Call” (2004) Coming from Takashi Miike (of “Ichi the Killer” fame), this contemporary update on the Japanese psychological horror ghost story in…
Akihiko Shiota, “Dororo” (2006) Based on the original manga by Astroboy creator, Osamu Tezuka, “Dororo” is a fun and entertaining escapist fantasy adventure about two wanderers,…
Nagisa Oshima, “Empire of Passions” (1978) By coincidence, when I saw this film the first time early in 2010, I had just finished reading “Therese Raquin”,…
Akira Kurosawa, “Throne of Blood” (1957) Often referred to as an adaptation of the Shakespearean play, “Macbeth”, this historical drama by Kurosawa is a fine film…
Akira Kurosawa, “Ran” (1985) “Ran” (“Chaos” or “Revolt”) was Kurosawa’s last attempt at creating and filming an epic historical drama set in Japan’s Kamakura period when feudal…