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 […]
Reviews
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, […]
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 […]