While filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi is known for horror comedy House (1977), it’s not the only work Obayashi released nor the only genre he stuck to. In 1981, Obayashi released sci-fi comedy School in the Crosshairs and, in 1986, released romantic drama… Read More ›
Japan
GKIDS Films resurrects the first two tales in the “Rebuild of Evangelion” series with brand-new Blu-ray editions.
Photosensitivity Warning: The scenes involving Angels and/or Angels battling EVA Units, which make up a significant portion of the films, almost always involve flashing lights. Be prepared before watching. GKIDS Films gained home release control of Hideaki Anno’s polarizing and… Read More ›
A Conversation with “The Curse (咒死你)” writer/actor Ken’ichi Ugana. [Fantastic Fest]
EoM Senior Interviewer Thomas Manning recently spent time talking with writer and director Ken’ichi Ugana about his film The Curse, which screened at Fantastic Fest 2025. This gnarly, supernatural thriller comments on the increasingly dangerous potential of the digital world… Read More ›
Martial arts dramedy “Ghost Killer,” Kensuke Sonomura’s third film, is ready to join up with your home collection.
Those keeping track of modern martial arts action know the name Kensuke Sonomura between his work as a stunt director and as a director. If it hits hard, looks badass, and helps move the narrative forward, you can almost guarantee… Read More ›
Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low” gets a 4K UHD added to its formats released by The Criterion Collection.
Everyone says that they want original stories to watch at the movies, but what they really mean is that they want good stories, engaging stories, stories that they can’t stop talking about or thinking about when they leave the theater…. Read More ›
Filmmaker Ken’ichi Ugana’s onryō tale “The Curse (咒死你)” blends cultural customs with modern conveniences in order to craft maximum carnage. [Fantastic Fest]
It’s not an uncommon practice for a filmmaker to release two films in a year. John Huston released The Treasure of the Sierra Madre the same year as Key Largo (1948), Akira Kurosawa released Scandal in the same year as… Read More ›
Tokuzō Tanaka’s 1966 jidaigeki tale “The Betrayal (大殺陣 雄呂血)” receives a first-time Blu-ray edition from Radiance Films worthy of its influence.
Photosensitivity Warning: Occasionally black and white films will possess a flicker and its continuous presence within The Betrayal may prove disorienting to photosensitive viewers. One of the greatest mistakes in humanity is incuriosity, this notion that all you know is… Read More ›
Manga Breathing First Form — “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” reaches the first part of its three-part cinematic finale in the blood-soaked “Infinity Castle.”
Manga author Koyoharu Gotouge’s fantasy adventure shonen Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃) first published in February 2016, introducing audiences to Tanjiro Kamado, a young boy living in Taishō era Japan with his mother and siblings, making their living as… Read More ›
“Exit 8” utilizes the video game adaptation genre to dive deep into humanity and individual choices. [TIFF]
To go into a movie without knowing anything about it is a rare experience, but sometimes something drops into your inbox and you decide to jump head first into it knowing nothing other than that it is a festival screening…. Read More ›
You may not know you’re “Transcending Dimensions,” but you’ll certainly feel it. [Fantasia]
Photosensitivity Warning: There are three instances of powerful strobing/flashing lights that may trigger a painful response in audiences: two shortly after the title card appears and one in the climatic sequence of the film. Japanese filmmaker Toshiaki Toyoda has built… Read More ›
Meta movie “I Fell in Love with a Z-Grade Director in Brooklyn” is the rare one that hits you in the feels. [Fantasia]
There is something special about movies that are love letters to filmmaking, genres, and low-budget movies — it is just such a niche topic to touch upon but, when done right, it can be a cinephile’s perfect movie. Thankfully, Kenichi… Read More ›
“Detonation! Violent Riders” explodes upon impact via 88 Films.
Content Warning: The following review discusses scenes of sexual violence. A sweaty biker gang leader with a head shaved in the shape of a swastika huffs fumes from a plastic bag, swearing revenge and delivering exposition at the same time…. Read More ›
Underdog sports action drama “Blazing Fists” offers profound revelations to go along with bone-crunching action. [Fantasia]
Between the stories we tell ourselves and the ones we present to others, somewhere in the middle lies the truth of who we are, that part of ourselves that we either can’t bear to put into the light of day… Read More ›
When death is on your side, “All You Need Is Kill.” [Fantasia]
Live. Die. Repeat. Live. Die. Repeat. Live. Die. Repeat. Live. Die. Repeat. Before these words were linked to the Doug Liman-directed Edge of Tomorrow (2014), they belonged to Hiroshi Sakurazaka and his light novel All You Need Is Kill. Initially… Read More ›
Amid clunky execution, fantasy rom-com “ChaO” reminds that we are forever our own storytellers. [Fantasia]
We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams, Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams;— World-losers and world-forsakers, On whom the pale moon gleams: Yet we are the movers and shakers Of the world… Read More ›
“Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards” walks the fine line between manga art direction and reality, bringing some fun along with it. [Fantasia]
Trigger Warning: An extended introduction sequence includes frequent brief flashing effects that may be difficult for photosensitive viewers. What does it mean to be a hero? Stories from around the world and throughout time try to navigate this question. Few… Read More ›
Filmmaker Tōru Murakawa’s “The Beast to Die” gets a welcomed limited edition 4K HD restoration from Radiance Films.
If someone is asked to identify their favorite war-related films, most likely they’ll name American-made films, not because they’re inherently better but because they are often more prolific. The truth is that war is one of the few concepts that… Read More ›
Lo-fi punk comedy “The Gesuidouz” isn’t for everyone (and that’s alright). [Japan Cuts]
Art isn’t for everyone. It can be profitable for the artist if it is, striking the balance between personal vision and widespread appreciation, but it’s not a necessity. Sometimes art is entirely for the artist, the work so niche that… Read More ›
Sci-fi fantasy “Rewrite” encourages a re-evaluation of what people expect from time loop stories. [Fantasia]
Each story — the ones we tell ourselves that make up our reality and the ones that creatives make for the books, shows, and films we ingest — is a matter of perspective and, frequently, the audience is rarely asked… Read More ›
“Grave of the Fireflies” gets a very timely re-release on several formats in the U.S.
Warning: The following review will include discussion of violent imagery, infanticide, and genocide. If you read my piece last year on Hayao Miyazaki’s modern masterpiece The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか) (2023), then you know that the Ghibli studio head… Read More ›