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
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
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.
Paid-members only Misumi Kenji Liquid Swords in the Age of ICE, or Parenting Tips from the Lone Wolf and Cub
Oshii Mamoru Angel's Egg and The Red Spectacles (Oshii Mamoru, 1985 & 1987) Two restorations of Oshii classics are in theatres now
Paid-members only Devils on the Doorstep Glass Heart (Goto Kotaro and Kakimoto Kensaku, 2025) & CITY the Animation (Ishidate Taichi, 2025)
Yamashita Nobuhiro Linda Linda Linda (Yamashita Nobuhiro, 2005) Yesterday was the first day of school for my kids, which I would suggest should be a national holiday for stay-at-home parents, but then, there wouldn’t be school on a national holiday and that would defeat the purpose. I celebrated in the usual way: watching Linda Linda
Strange Tales Fantasia Festival 2025 Reviews of Rewrite, Honeko Akabane's Bodyguards, Holy Night: Demon Hunters, and Sham
Strange Tales NYAFF 2025 Part Two Reviews of Muromachi Outsiders (aka Samurai Fury), Deep in the Mountains, The Informant, and The Stone.
Sonomura Kensuke Ghost Killer (Sonomura Kensuke, 2024) Ever since I learned of the existence of Ghost Killer, about a year ago now, it has been my most anticipated film. Now it’s opening here in the US (on digital first and then on 4k and bluray), thanks to the fine people at WellGo USA, and I simply
Devils on the Doorstep Japan Cuts 2025 - Part Two Reviews of She Taught Me Serendipity, See You Tomorrow, So Beautiful Wonderful and Lovely, and The Gesuidouz
Yamanaka Yoko Desert of Namibia (Yamanaka Yoko, 2024) A slightly different version of this was originally published at InReview Online as part of their coverage of the Museum of the Moving Image's 2025 First Look series. At first, Yamanaka Yoko’s Desert of Namibia seems to be just another entry in what I’m calling Millennium
Miike Takashi Blue Fight (aka Blazing Fists) (Miike Takashi, 2025) A slightly different version of this was originally published at InReview Online as part of their coverage of the 2025 International Film Festival Rotterdam. I watched two films for this year’s IFFR. One was the smash hit Hong Kong family melodrama set in the world of funerals The Last
