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Japanese Cinema

This category contains 31 posts

‘Sanctuary’ (2023): The Big Boys of Japan

Created by: Kan Eguchi|| Written by: Kanazawa Tomoki Directed by: Kan Eguchi || Starring: Wataru Ichinose, Pierre Taki, Shioli Kutsuna, Shōta Sometani, Hiroki Sumi, Koyuki Kato, So Kaku, Suzuki Matsuo, Tomorowo Taguchi, Kimiko Yo No. of Episodes: 8 (~380 minutes total) The dominant stereotypes I’d wager most Americans/Westerners have of the Japanese are their (1) … Continue reading

‘Fable’ (2019, 2021): The Goofy, Lovable ‘John Wick’

Directed by: Kan Eguchi || Produced by: Naoto Fujimura, Takeshi Udaka, Mitsuru Sato Screenplay by: Yûsuke Watanabe [1], Kan Eguchi, Masahiro Yamaura [2] || Starring: Jun’ichi Okada, Fumino Kimura, Mizuki Yamamoto [1, 2], Sôta Fukushi, Yûya Yagira, Kôichi Satô [1], Yurina Hirate, Masanobu Andô, Shin’ichi Tsutsumi [2] Music by: Antongiulio Frulio || Cinematography: Kazunari Tanaka … Continue reading

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ‘The Third Murder’ (2017) & ‘Monster’ (2023)

Directed by: Hirokazu Kore-eda || Produced by: Matsuzaki Kaoru [1], Hijiri Taguchi [1, 2], Megumi Banse, Minami Ichikawa, Taichi Itô, Ryo Ota, Kiyoshi Taguchi, Hajime Ushioda, Kenji Yamada, Tasumi Yoda [2] Screenplay by: Hirokazu Kore-eda [1], Yuji Sakamoto [2] || Starring: Masaharu Fukuyama, Suzu Hirose, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Mikako Ichikawa, Izumi Matsuoka, Yuki Saito, Kōtarō Yoshida, Isao … Continue reading

‘Bucket List of the Dead’ (2023): The Difference between Ordeal & Adventure

Directed by: Yûsuke Ishida || Produced by: Akira Morri Screenplay by: Tatsuro Mishima || Starring: Eiji Akaso, Mai Shiraishi, Shuntarô Yanagi, Yui Ichikawa, Kazuki Kitamura, Mayo Kawasaki, Akari Hayami Music by: Yoshiaki Dewa || Cinematography: Taro Kawazu || Edited by: Eri Usuki || Country: Japan || Language: Japanese Running Time: 128 minutes As a doctoral … Continue reading

‘Godzilla Minus One’ (2023): Death is the Enemy

Directed by: Takashi Yamazaki || Produced by: Minami Ichikawa, Shūji Abe, Kenji Yamada, Kazuaki Kishida, Gō Abe, Keichirō Moriya Screenplay by: Takashi Yamazaki || Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki Music by: Naoki Satō || Cinematography: Kōzō Shibasaki || Edited by: Ryōji Miyajima || Country: Japan … Continue reading

‘Samurai Marathon’ (2019): Endurance Tests Need Structure, Too

Directed by: Bernard Rose || Produced by: Jeremy Thomas, Toshiaki Nakazawa Screenplay by: Bernard Rose, Hiroshi Saito, Kikumi Yamagishi || Starring: Takeru Satoh, Nana Komatsu, Mirai Moriyama, Shota Sometani, Munetaka Aoki, Naoto Takenaka, Danny Huston, Etsushi Toyokawa, Hiroki Hasegawa Music by: Philip Glass || Cinematography: Takuro Ishizaka || Edited by: Mako Kamitsuna || Country: Japan, … Continue reading

‘I Am a Hero’ (2015): The Meek Become the Mighty

Directed by: Shinsuke Sato || Produced by: Akihiro Yamauchi Screenplay by: Akiko Nogi || Starring: Yo Oizumi, Kasumi Arimura, Masami Nagasawa, Hisashi Yoshizawa, Yoshinori Okada Music by: Nima Fakhara || Cinematography: Roger Campredon, Taro Kawazu || Edited by: Tsuyoshi Imai || Country: Japan || Language: Japanese Running Time: 126 minutes Revisiting Japanese cinema after years … Continue reading

‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ (1989): You Can’t Go Home Again

Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki || Produced by: Hayao Miyazaki Screenplay by: Hayao Miyazaki || Starring: Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi, Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, Matthew Lawrence Music by: Joe Hisaishi || Cinematography: Shigeo Sugimura || Edited by: Takeshi Seyama || Country: Japan || Language: Japanese Running Time: 103 minutes Two recent film-related YouTube channels … Continue reading

‘Hell Dogs’ (2022): Decent Action Drowned in Mountains of Exposition

Directed by: Masato Harada || Produced by: Hiroyasu Nagata Screenplay by: Masato Harada || Starring: Jun’ichi Okada, Kentaro Sakaguchi, Mayu Matsuoka, Miyavi, Kazuki Kitamura, Shinobu Otake, Satoshi Kanada, Mai Kiryu, Kyoko, Arisa Nakajima Music by: Reiko Tsuchiya || Cinematography: Takahide Shibanushi || Edited by: Yuki Izumi, Soichi Satake || Country: Japan || Language: Japanese Running … Continue reading

‘Akira’ (1988), ‘Ghost in the Shell’ (1995), & ‘Cowboy Bebop: The Movie’ (2001): An Outsider’s Look at Classic Anime

Directed by: Katsuhiro Otomo [1], Mamoru Oshii [2], Shinichiro Watanabe [3] || Produced by: Ryohei Suzuki, Shunzo Kato [1], Yoshimasa Mizuo, Ken Matsumoto, Ken Iyadomi, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa [2], Masuo Ueda, Masahiko Minami, Minoru Takanashi [3] Screenplay by: Katsuhiro Otomo, Izo Hashimoto [1], Keiko Nobumoto [3] || Starring: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Taro Ishida, … Continue reading

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