Emi-Abi is an absurdist crowd-pleaser reminiscent of the likes of Fish Story and Inside Llewyn Davis.
Read MoreJapan Cuts 2016: Emi-Abi (Kensaku Watanabe)
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Japan Cuts 2016: Ken and Kazu (Hiroshi Shoji)
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The debut film from Hiroshi Shoji has some of the pratfalls of the crime genre but is able to instill the excitement of an emerging artist.
Read MoreJapan Cuts 2016: The Whispering Star (Shion Sono)
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The Whispering Star might disappoint those looking for another Suicide Club or even Love & Peace but it's Sono's best film in years and yet another exploration of a post-3/11 world if The Land of Hope can be seen as an exploration of post-3/11 Japan.
Read MoreJapan Cuts 2016: The Shion Sono (Arata Oshima)
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This documentary gives an insightful look into the man and also allows Sono to throw out his constant insights into life, filmmaking, and how to properly treat your canvas.
Read MoreJapan Cuts 2016: The Magnificent Nine (Yoshihiro Nakamura)
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Nakamura's latest has all of the elements of his greatest work, unfortuanely it does not live up to his ouvre or its English title.
Read MoreJapan Cuts 2016: Lowlife Love (Eiji Uchida)
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The latest producing venture from Third Window Films and Greatful Dead director Eiji Uchida is a grand indictment of the Japanese film industry both on the indie level and above. A more cynical The Player if that's even possible.
Read MoreJapan Cuts 2016: Bitter Honey (Gakuryu Ishii)
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Gakuryu Ishii's latest film is a whimsical tale of artist and muse/creator and creation that features one of the most enjoyable, must see performances from Fumi Nikaido.
Read MoreJapan Cuts 2016: Mohican Comes Home (Shuichi Okita)
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Shuichi Okita's latest sports one of the best cast families and because of it is one of the better examples of the Japanese family drama.
Read MoreCuration/Narration: The Beat Goes On - Drafthouse's Kitano Series
The recent program of five films presented by the Alamo Drathouse Littleton presents a narrative about the great filmmaker that sadly does not do justice to the man.
Read MoreFilm Review: Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made (Jeremy Coon/Tim Skousen)
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The latest documentary from Drafthouse Films will please anyone who knows the blood, sweat, and tears of making a movie as well as anyone who has ever pursued their dream.
Read MoreNYAFF '16: A Bride for Rip Van Winkle (Shunji Iwai)
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Shunji Iwai's latest is a 3-hour masterpiece, subtle yet emotionally complex. Delicate but hard hitting. A cinematic achievement of the highest degree.
Read MoreNYAFF '16: What's In the Darkness (Wang Yichun)
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A coming of age story in which a small town murder mystery provides the subplot, this debut feature from Wang Yichun skillfully blends both elements to make a lasting depiction of girlhood during a time rarely seen in Chinese film.
Read MoreNYAFF '16: Heart Attack aka Freelance (Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit)
in Film Reviews
This Thai almost rom-com for workaholics successfully allows itself to be a conundrum: energetic yet subdued, highly stylized yet not overtly so. An intelligent depiction of a certain type of driven mind set.
Read MoreNYAFF '16: Alone (Park Hong-Min)
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The sophomore feature from Park Hong-min is usually engaging and at times successfully unsettling waking nightmare that runs only slightly too long for what it is.
Read MoreNYAFF '16: Twisted Justice (Kazuya Shiraishi)
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Despite its familiarity, Twisted Justice is an indictment of Japan's police departments that is fast paced and features a standout performance from Gou Ayano who anchors the film.
Read MoreFilm Review: De Palma (Noah Baumbach/Jake Paltrow)
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This two hour journey through De Palma's career solely with the man himself is hard to pinpoint just who it is intended for but proves to be a decent introduction to the man. A glorified DVD extra.
Read MoreNYAFF '16: What a Wonderful Family! (Yoji Yamada)
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At 84, Yoji Yamada has made a charming family comedy that feels as if it was made fifty years ago.
Read MoreNYAFF '16: Creepy (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
in Film Reviews
Kiyoshi Kurosawa's latest film will please both fans of his earlier J-horror work as well as those appreciative of his recent sensibilities.
Read MoreDVD-Review: Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise (Robert Mugge, 1980) - Mug-Shot Productions
in Blu-ray/DVD
Mugge's definitive documentary portrait of jazz visionary Sun Ra has been brought back into print.
Read MoreBlu-Review: Der Fan (Eckhart Schmidt, 1982) - Mondo Macabro
in Blu-ray/DVD
The Fan is a twisted coming of age story that slowly burns to a fetishistic denouement.
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