In the last few years, physical media boutique Arrow Video has restored many martial arts-centric films. These range from two Shaw Brothers collections totaling 22 films, Come Drink with Me (1966), and One-Armed Boxer (1972), to name a few, while… Read More ›
Japanese
Director Kei Ishikawa’s dramatic thriller “A Man (ある男)” explores the value of self and identity. [Santa Barbara International Film Festival]
Who are you? Stop for a moment. Read not a line further, and think on that. Are you one thing or are you many? Are you your thoughts and fears? Your anxieties or successes? Your actions? Are you your present… Read More ›
Takeish Kushida’s “Woman of the Photographs” explores the warped nature of self perspectives.
Whenever I see a film that is on a subject that I know is controversial, I try to place myself in at least the headspace of the main character (when able to) to see if I can connect and resonate… Read More ›
Director Masaaki Yuasa’s “Inu-Oh” is more than an anachronistic jam session, it’s an exploration of the enduring power of stories.
Every story ever told really happened. Stories are where memories go when they’re forgotten. – Doctor Who, Season 9 Episode “Hell Bent” Adapted from novelist Hideo Furukawa’s “The Tale of the Heike: The Inu-Oh Chapters,” Inu-Oh is a tale of… Read More ›
Director Kōsaku Yamashita’s 1968 crime drama “Big Time Gambling Boss” releases on Blu-ray for the first-time via Radiance Films.
In the world of boutique cinema home releases, there is Arrow Video, Synapse, Vinegar Syndrome, The Criterion Collection, and, now, Radiance films. Built by 12-year Arrow Video veteran Francesco Simeoni, Radiance Films is a brand-new boutique, offering films, books, and… Read More ›
Writer/director Atsuko Ishizuka’s animated adolescent adventure “Goodbye, Don Glees!” begins at home.
When we’re children, the world appears small. It’s filled with the things that we can perceive and, often, little else. This means that what stresses us out, what keeps us up at night, seem huge because we lack the perspective… Read More ›
Animator Masashi Ando’s directorial debut, “The Deer King,” is available on home video from Shout! Factory.
Adaptations, in live action or animation, are the lifeblood of storytelling. We, as audiences, like to think that the magic comes from original stories, but, more often than not, that thing you love is an adaptation of a story originating… Read More ›
Illustrator-turned-director loundraw impresses with short film “Summer Ghost,” available from Shout! Factory and GKids Films.
One of the greater mysteries in life is whether or not there’s something after the living world. It’s a question that’s been explored through faith, philosophy, and art. Depending on the community or culture you come up within, the afterlife… Read More ›
Kensuke Sonomura’s sophomore film “Bad City” includes the action you expect and subtext you won’t. [Fantastic Fest]
Over the last few years, much of the best stunt work has been coming out of Asia. Preman: Silent Fury (2022) from Indonesia, Aliennoid (2022) from Korea, Baby Assassins (2021) and HYDRA (2020) from Japan, and Raging Fire (2021) from… Read More ›
“Goodbye, Don Glees!” Hello, innumerable possibilities.
As long as there are children who grow into adulthood via adolescence, there will always be coming-of-age stories. They may not be indicative of your experience, but they will speak to the universal ideas of growing up, shifting from an… Read More ›
Get the full experience of Mamoru Hosoda’s “BELLE” through the 4K UHD collector’s edition from Shout! Factory and GKids Films.
After hitting the festival circuit in 2021, writer/director Mamoru Hosoda’s musical drama BELLE landed in select U.S. theaters in January of 2022 and then shelves the following April. Both times, my reviews of the film lauded the look and sound… Read More ›
Well Go USA unleashes action/comedy “Baby Assassins” upon a grateful home release audience.
Since its international premiere at Fantastic Fest 2021, writer/director Yûgo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins hasn’t been far from mind. I discussed it on two Cine-Men episodes, gave it a highlight mention in the 2021 Sticky List, and made sure to include… Read More ›
Horror/thriller “Missing” lacks the suspense it needs to pack a punch. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
After a release in 2021, first-time feature director Shinzô Katayama’s (Mother, third assistant director) horror/thriller Missing (さがす) is having its North American premiere during Fantasia International Film Festival 2021. The concept of the film seeks to join the likes of… Read More ›
Anachronistic musical fusion “Inu-Oh” adapts an old story to tell a very modern tale of artistic freedom and personal identity. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
One of the oldest storytelling conveyances is the oral tradition. Before we could write or read, we spoke and the sounds we made transfixed audiences, transporting them to times before their present. With the advent of the written-word, one might… Read More ›
Good news! “Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko” arrives on home video with our two-hours of bonus materials.
The latest GKids Films release, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, is set to arrive on home video from Shout! Factory with a host of special features that celebrate the last adaptation of author Kanako Nishi’s work. In this case, the adaptation… Read More ›
“Popran (添付)” is an amusing, heartfelt phallus joke whose finish delights, even if not leaving one awash in afterglow. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
In 2017, writer/director Shin’ichirô Ueda released unto the world One Cut of the Dead, his adaptation of Ryoichi Wada’s play “Ghost in the Box!”. If you haven’t seen the film, it’s an absolute marvel that’s an inventive lo-fi zombie film… Read More ›
Turn down the lights, pop some corn, and snag your favorite candy to celebrate the home release of “Pompo: The Cinéphile” with a well-deserved movie night.
It all begins with three words: Lights. Camera. Action! Sure, with the changing of technology, the specific terms have changed, but they all go back to these three. Three words which, while not large, immediately call to mind tales of… Read More ›
“Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko” with lots of love, and that’s all you need.
Author Kanako Nishi has written 22 novels, as well as assorted illustrated and nonfiction works. Five of her novels have been adapted for theaters with her 2011 novel, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, being the fifth. This adaption, a collaboration between… Read More ›
The Criterion Collection offers a lovely restoration of director Jûzô Itami’s 1984 satirical comedy “The Funeral.”
It seems fair to say that we’ve all experienced a sense of loss in some form or another since March 2020. It may be literal in the form of a loved one passing or as an extended estrangement due to… Read More ›
Let the gales of song guide you to director Mamoru Hosoda’s “BELLE,” coming to home video from Shout! Factory and GKids Films.
One can never really predict what we’ll discover with art — what emotions, what memories, what reactions will be triggered through an artist’s work. When I first learned of writer/director Mamoru Hosoda’s BELLE, I presumed, like most, that it would… Read More ›