The Japanese film industry is in a state of instability now, many of the old masters have passed on and the more fashionable names are proving to be inconsistent at best. There a few new names emerging in your Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Sion Sono or Yoshihiro Nakamura’s who have only come […]
Rob Simpson
Chief Editor
Host of the Uncut Network. With a love of movies kicked off by Hong Kong Action and Claymation Monsters, Rob has forever been cradled in the bosom of Cinema. Rob has his hands in many a pie, including no budget film making. Filthy
The Foreign Duck, The Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker (Review)
Director Yoshihiro Nakamura came to prominence with his 2009 with Fish Story, since then the prolific director has gone on to direct a further 4 features, with 3 more projects in the post-production phase. Back in 2007, the director adapted Kotaro Isaka’s novel, the unwieldy piece entitled [the] foreign duck, […]
2012 in Review: Top Ten
Today is the final day of my series of 2012 posts reviewing the year in cinema, and today it’s the turn of the year’s top 10 films. Just to reiterate what I have previously said, 2012 has been a brilliant year for films to the point that I could have […]
Isn’t Anyone Alive?: Anarchic Japanese Punk and his Comedy Apocalypse on Campus (Review)
Sōgo Ishii or as he is now known Gakuryū Ishii, is one of the many eccentric visualists of Japanese cinema, with films like Electric Dragon 80,000v. With his latest film, based on a stage play by Shirô Maeda, in isn’t anyone alive? The director has calmed his oeuvre down, subdued […]
Kotoko (2011) Tsukamoto shocker with added emotional substance (Review)
Kotoko is the latest film from Japanese auteur and master of intimidation – Shinya Tsukamoto. Japanese folk musician Cocco stars as the titular character unable to tell the difference between the imaginary and the real due to disturbing mental neuroses. Tsukamoto’s depiction of mental illness collects leading lady Cocco’s own […]
Top 10 Films of 2011
It’s down the final countdown of films in 2011 with this post, in which I count down by 10 favourite films. Once again, I have to stress that this list is made up of films that I enjoyed the most (or as much as one can, given the nature of […]