Art is chaos and chaos is life, therefore, art is a manifestation of the chaos of life. Our experiences, our views, everything that is “us” is transported into what we create. In some instances, what is absent from it is… Read More ›
Japanese
Kensuke Sonomura returns to the director’s chair for a third time with supernatural action dramedy “Ghost Killer.” [Fantastic Fest]
In the world of martial arts action, there are few stunt directors like Kensuke Sonomura. Over the last 20 years, he’s worked on 12 prior projects as part of the stunt crew. Out of those, he was the editor for… Read More ›
Sonny Chiba films “Karate Bullfighter” and “Karate Bear Fighter” get a two-disc restoration release by Eureka Entertainment.
Born Sadaho Maeda, Japanese actor and martial artist Shin’ichi “Sonny” Chiba would be one of the more prolific action stars of his era. From early work on tokusatsu programs to English-language performances in Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Fast… Read More ›
GKIDS Films’s “The Boy and the Heron” reveals itself on home video in 4K.
In the months since the winter release of The Boy and the Heron (2023), the following events have clarified the meaning and depth of this inscrutable film in my mind: The Megalopolis (2024) trailer, the Supreme Court’s sweeping theft of… Read More ›
Sony Pictures Classics gives Tom Tykwer’s romantic thriller “Run Lola Run” its own 4K UHD release.
Before American audiences met Franka Potente as Marie, the accidental ally to amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) in 2002, she portrayed a different type of “on-the-run” character: Lola. Absent intrigue of the spy sort, Potente’s Lola is a strong… Read More ›
Within the weird and zany world of “Ghost Cat Anzu” lies a bittersweet story of broken hearts searching for healing. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
In Japanese folklore, there exists what’s known as “kaibyō,” a cat that possesses supernatural properties. Of the three types within kaibyō — bakeneko, maneki-neko, and nekomata — manga creator Imashiro Takashi took inspiration from the bakeneko type for his series… Read More ›
Yûgo Sakamoto’s “Nice Days” showcases why you should never underestimate these “Baby Assassins.” [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Over the last few years, writer/director Yûgo Sakamoto’s (A Janitor) created a very specific cinematic world in which low-stakes slacker comedy meets high-stakes wet work via his Baby Assassins series. Returning for a third outing in Baby Assassins Nice Days,… Read More ›
Tai Katō’s intense prison drama “Eighteen Years in Prison” get a homecoming with a HD transfer by Radiance Films.
When it comes to prison break films or life in prison films, there’s a certain level of escapism to be expected. Whether it’s Frank Darabont’s poignant 1994 hit The Shawshank Redemption or Don Michael Paul’s silly but fun-as-hell 2002 flick… Read More ›
Writer/director Jun’ichi Yasuda’s “A Samurai in Time” is a meta sci-fi dramedy with a thoughtful core. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
“To have never gone to war is something to be proud of.” – Seiji Akitsu (Kuranosuke Sasaki) in Godzilla Minus One (2023) There’s this belief that the old ways are better than new. They’re tried, they’re true, and they meet… Read More ›
Director Tatsuya Oishi composites the “Monogatari” prequel trilogy into “Kizumonogatari -Koyomi Vamp-” an interesting curio of a cinematic experience. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Shtriga, vrykolakas, strigoi, vampire — they are mythical creatures of the night who feed on human blood, exist in a perpetual outward appearance of the moment of their transformation, and can live forever under specific conditions. Stories of their existence… Read More ›
The Criterion Collection captures those “Perfect Days” in its 4K UHD release.
Perfect Days (2023) is the title of Wim Wender’s (Paris, Texas) newest film, which has entered the illustrious Criterion Collection, but, at the same time, it almost perfectly describes the ambiance and sentiments of the movie, as well. Perfection is… Read More ›
Shout! Studios and GKIDS Films release a HD home edition of Takehiko Inoue’s “The First Slam Dunk” that’ll have you out of your seat until the shot clock stops.
Sports films are often used as a metaphor for something else. The grit, the determination required to succeed either as a team or an individual being a symbol for some other kind of battle. In the feature film directorial debut… Read More ›
The destined battle plays out fair and square in the theatrical adaptation of “Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle.”
Mangas, like all other kinds of storytelling, come in a variety of types. Americans are familiar with the isekai (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime), shonen (Jujutsu Kaisen), and parody (One-Punch Man), with several breaking through into mainstream… Read More ›
The brutality of the iconic “Shinobi” trilogy comes in high definition thanks to Radiance Films.
The shuriken throwing star, the black mask and suit, the high-flying moves — the few identifiers synonymous with the ninja archetype. Radiance Films brings home one of the most respected and influential ninja films of all time with the Shinobi… Read More ›
Imprint Films brings Akira Kurosawa’s unfinished film, “The Sea is Watching,” to Blu-ray.
The Sea is Watching is the latest splash in the ongoing wave of previously unavailable East Asian films coming to America through boutique Blu-ray labels, this one through Imprint: Asia. It’s the second-to-last screenplay from one of the greatest Maestros… Read More ›
“Noryang: Deadly Sea” Blu-ray Giveaway
In 2014, director Kim Han-Min began his epic three-film tale documenting Korean naval history with The Admiral: Roaring Currents, following it up in 2022 with Hansan: Rising Dragon. At the end of 2023, the story concluded with Noryang: Deadly Sea, a… Read More ›
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi utilizes a documentary-style approach in new film “Evil Does Not Exist” in order to examine the conflict of ecological harmony and capitalistic indifference. [Atlanta Film Festival]
In nature, there’s no such thing as evil. There’s the ecosystem with predator and prey, but while there are behaviors that some groups would define within a power dynamic, it’s atypical for the natural world to engage in behavior humans… Read More ›
Jazz and animation flow in animated powerhouse “BLUE GIANT” on home video via Shout! Studios.
Adaptations are growing in number more and more these days in entertainment. If there’s not a cinematic version of a book, show, or comic, there’s a television one. Often times, these tales involve beings of incredible strength or speed, of… Read More ›
Noboru Nakamura’s “The Shape of Night” is the latest Shochiku studio release by Radiance Films.
Trigger Warning: The Shape of Night contains an exploration of sex work, the narrative of which may prove difficult to endure for those who’ve suffered sexual assault. In 1929, Japanese film studio Shochiku was established, transitioning from the theatrical arts… Read More ›
“Monster” brings our global, idiotic anxiety about teachers home on Blu-ray.
Monster (2023) was one of the best films of last year that no one saw, as is typical of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s (Shoplifters; Nobody Knows) films as of late. It’s also part of a worrying trend and aftershock of American politics… Read More ›