Category Archives: Reviews

Review: Shin Ultraman (Japan 2022)

Posted on July 25, 2022 by David

New York Asian Film Festival 2022 A total throwback to the oldest iterations of the TV series, this latest Higuchi/Anno “Shin” reinterpretation captures the goofy magic of old school Ultraman perfectly. Episodic, tongue-in-cheek but always played straight, the plot moves so … Continue reading →

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Review: Thrilling Bloody Sword (Taiwan 1981)

Posted on February 2, 2022 by David

More gobsmackingly insane phantasmagoria out of Taiwan in the vein of The Ginseng King, Thrilling Bloody Sword is a wild mash-up of Snow White, Aladdin, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, and other fairy tale material, filtered through a DIY wu xia … Continue reading →

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Review: Benedetta (France 2021)

Posted on December 3, 2021 by David

Paul Verhoeven’s new nuns gone wild true story is a fascinating study in wrong-footing an audience. Just when you think you have the movie, and the titular character figured out, Verhoeven shifts the narrative and point of view. Sometimes a … Continue reading →

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Review: Sawdust and Tinsel (Sweden 1953)

Posted on November 21, 2021 by David

“You smell of stables, cheap perfume and sweat. But I’ll lick you clean like a dog.” Maybe earlier Bergman is just more my style, I prefer this more wry, humanist material (and his delightful Smiles of a Summer Night) to … Continue reading →

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Review: Wife of a Spy (Japan 2020)

Posted on September 16, 2021 by David

Watching Kiyoshi Kurosawa experiment with new genres over this past decade or so has been fascinating. The man knows how to make an incredibly spooky supernatural chiller – his Kairo/Pulse is probably the pinnacle of J-horror for me – but … Continue reading →

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Review: Yakuza Princess (Brazil 2021)

Posted on September 3, 2021 by David

Brazil has a large Japanese population, and the social conflicts between returning Japanese ex-pats and more traditional Japanese citizens have been the subject of a lot of great Japanese cinema, like Takashi Miike’s wild City of Lost Souls and Masato … Continue reading →

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Review: Behemoth (USA 2021)

Posted on August 26, 2021 by David

Horror is traditionally one of those genres where you can do a lot on a wing and prayer, and where you can show off your chops despite a low budget. Here, director Peter Szewczyk (coming out of major shops like … Continue reading →

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Review: Wonderful Paradise (Japan 2020)

Posted on August 26, 2021 by David

Japan Cuts 2021 Looking to scratch that “weird Japan” itch but with some more substantive meat under the oddity? This has a bit of an After Hours energy, as a small goodbye party thrown by a depressed family losing their home … Continue reading →

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Review: Go Seppuku Yourselves (Japan 2021)

Posted on August 23, 2021 by David

Japan Cuts 2021 You want a master class in how to make a monologue absolutely riveting? Look no further than this intensely angry short film that maps Toyoda’s anger about government failings during the pandemic onto the story of a samurai … Continue reading →

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Review: Free Guy (USA 2021)

Posted on August 16, 2021 by David

A pinch of Matrix, a healthy smatter of Lego Movie, two tablespoons of They Live, and a dusting of Truman Show, stir in some Ready Player One. Let sit for one year and serve slightly cold.

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