Sean Gilman

A film critic in Tacoma, Washington. Bylines at The Criterion Collection, the Mubi Notebook, Frame.land, InReview Online, Seattle Screen Scene and more.

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Fantasia 2026

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NYAFF 2026 Part Three

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NYAFF 2026 Part Two

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NYAFF 2026 Part One

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Japan Cuts 2026

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2026 Summer Festival Preview

Looking ahead to my coverage of Japan Cuts, the NYAFF, and Fantasia

Sode Yukiko

All the Lovers in the Night (Sode Yukiko, 2026)

This review appeared in somewhat different form as part of the Cannes coverage at InReview Online. Sode Yukiko’s slice-of-life epic clocks in at just under two and a half hours, but feels more alive than that daunting runtime may suggest. Centered on an extremely shy woman who

Timo Tjahjanto

The Shadow Strays (Timo Tjahjanto, 2024)

Originally published in a slightly different form over at InReview Online in September 2024. We truly are in a golden age of action cinema. From every corner of the globe, with budgets high, low, and in-between, remarkably fit men and women are beating the hell out of each other

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What to Watch After You've Watched The Furious (Or Before, That's Perfectly Fine Too)

A user's guide to the artists behind the year's hottest action movie

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Further thoughts on Kill Bill, The RZA, Keanu Reeves, The Wachowskis, and Multiculturalism in Early 2000s Hollywood Genre Cinema

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The Odd One Dies

Oaters of the East

Devils on the Doorstep

First Look: I Fell in Love with a Z-Grade Director in Brooklyn and Morte Cucina

Reviews of a pair of films from the 2026 First Look Festival

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Miyake Sho

Two Seasons, Two Strangers (Miyake Sho, 2025)

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Sakamoto Yugo

Nemurubaka (Sakamoto Yugo, 2025)

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Benny Chan

A Moment of Romance (Benny Chan, 1990)

Devils on the Doorstep

The Forbidden City (Gabriele Mainetti, 2025) and Bushido (Shiraishi Kazuya, 2024)

Two films newly released in the US with different approaches to mixing high and low genre elements.

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Contemporary Chinese (Streaming) Cinema

The Return of Contemporary Chinese (Streaming) Cinema and The Revenge of the Raquel Report

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Yuen Woo-ping

Blades of the Guardians (Yuen Woo-ping, 2026)

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IFFR 2026

Reviews from the 2026 edition of the Rotterdam International Film Festival

Louis Koo

Back to the Past (Jack Lai and Ng Yuen Fai, 2026)

Louis Koo follows up on his breakthrough TV series 20 years later.

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Clara Law

Clara Law's Immigrant Songs

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Akimoto Kenichiro

All You Need Is Kill (Akimoto Kenichiro, 2025)

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Misumi Kenji

Liquid Swords in the Age of ICE, or Parenting Tips from the Lone Wolf and Cub

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Contemporary Chinese (Streaming) Cinema

The Shadow's Edge (Larry Yang, 2025) and The Sixth Robber (Chris Huo, 2025)

Oshii Mamoru

Angel's Egg and The Red Spectacles (Oshii Mamoru, 1985 & 1987)

Two restorations of Oshii classics are in theatres now