It’s time to take a look at a modern master of Japanese (and beyond) cinema with the essential Hirokazu Kore-eda films… Often seen as the heir apparent to Yasujiro Ozu, this director may not be immediately recognised by Western audiences, but chances are you may have seen one or two of his more well-travelled films. […]
Japan Is Winning Cinema Right Now
Several great Japanese movies have come out in the past year, adding to a recent golden period, so is Japan making the best of the best right now? Cinema around the world is all about cycles. You’ll see peaks and troughs where a nation is producing stellar work followed by a period of creative lull […]
Grief, depression, guilt and mortality in Maborosi
Tom Jolliffe looks back at Hirokazu Kore-eda’s debut narrative feature Maborosi from 1995 – a masterclass in the art of subtle, meditative storytelling… Hirokazu Koreeda struck a huge chord worldwide in recent years with the acclaimed Shoplifters. A melancholic, gritty and charming depiction of family and class. It travelled well outside of his native Japan […]
Great Films From the Past Four Years That You Might Have Missed
Tom Jolliffe looks back at 15 recent films which you might have missed… The last few years seems to have bought an upturn in interesting and engaging cinema. Even as conventional blockbuster fare, which can feel interchangeable, rules the roost, indie and world cinema is beginning to find a place and more acknowledgement. At the […]
Movie Review – Shoplifters (2018)
Shoplifters, 2018. Written and Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Starring Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Kirin Kiki, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki, Sosuke Ikematsu, Chizuru Ikewaki, Akira Emoto, Kengo Kora, Yôko Moriguchi, Yuki Yamada, Moemi Katayama, and Naoto Ogata. SYNOPSIS: A family of small-time crooks take in a child they find on the street. Rendering a […]
The Movies You Might Have Missed In 2018
EJ Moreno on the movies you might have missed in 2018… In a year filled with incredible films, there’s been plenty of room to shine. Sony’s Venom found a place at the box office in a year with films like Aquaman, Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther. Hereditary shocked audiences and scared up some considerable money […]
