Search results

372 results, page 1 of 8

Featured image for Amalock (2024) review [OAFF 2024]Background image for Amalock (2024) review [OAFF 2024]

Amalock (2024) review [OAFF 2024]

A narrative that fluidly combines comedy and tragedy to deliver an experience of smiles and tears.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Sumiko 22 (2024) review [OAFF 2024]Background image for Sumiko 22 (2024) review [OAFF 2024]

Sumiko 22 (2024) review [OAFF 2024]

A subtle but playful narrative about a subject who slowly tries to crawl out the hole of emptiness and diminished self-worth.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Short Movie Time: Ririka of the Star (2024) review [OAFF 2024] Background image for Short Movie Time: Ririka of the Star (2024) review [OAFF 2024] 

Short Movie Time: Ririka of the Star (2024) review [OAFF 2024] 

A narrative that does not merely emphasize the beauty of moving female body, but reveals that such beauty can change subjects.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Memories of this Scent (2024) review [OAFF 2024]Background image for Memories of this Scent (2024) review [OAFF 2024]

Memories of this Scent (2024) review [OAFF 2024]

An endearing and fragrance rich tale of subjective change.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Ask For The Moon (2022) review [OAFF 2024]Background image for Ask For The Moon (2022) review [OAFF 2024]

Ask For The Moon (2022) review [OAFF 2024]

A satisfying narrative that illustrates how the subject’s ego is but a response to his complexes and struggles.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Suton (2024) review [OAFF 2024]Background image for Suton (2024) review [OAFF 2024]

Suton (2024) review [OAFF 2024]

Rikako Watanabe’s narrative succeeds to echo the unvocalized ‘pandemic’ truth of many.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Tokyo Revengers 2: Bloody Halloween Destiny (2023) reviewBackground image for Tokyo Revengers 2: Bloody Halloween Destiny (2023) review

Tokyo Revengers 2: Bloody Halloween Destiny (2023) review

A prime example of a cinematic narrative that is solely made for the fans of the manga and the anime.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters (1968) review [The Godzilla Project]Background image for Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters (1968) review [The Godzilla Project]

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters (1968) review [The Godzilla Project]

Honda delivers another narrative in which Otherness is feared and a deceptive imaginary sense of societal harmony is subtly celebrated.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Kingdom III: Flame of Destiny (2023) reviewBackground image for Kingdom III: Flame of Destiny (2023) review

Kingdom III: Flame of Destiny (2023) review

A straightforward action-epic that delivers everything fans of the manga and the anime desire.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Monster (2023) reviewBackground image for Monster (2023) review

Monster (2023) review

Kore-eda succeeds in delivering an utterly engaging narrative about the fundamental misunderstanding that underpins our fabrication of our truth.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Immersion (2023) reviewBackground image for Immersion (2023) review

Immersion (2023) review

Spectators looking for something new and fresh will find little to like about Shimizu’s latest.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for The Fall Of Ako Castle (1978) reviewBackground image for The Fall Of Ako Castle (1978) review

The Fall Of Ako Castle (1978) review

Fukasaku has crafted a period piece that, due to its impeccable dramatic pacing, has to be counted among the best

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Robinson’s Garden (1988) [Japan Cuts 2021]Background image for Robinson’s Garden (1988) [Japan Cuts 2021]

Robinson’s Garden (1988) [Japan Cuts 2021]

“Yamamoto is not able to create a composition that engages the spectator with its highly relevant message.”

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Remembering Every Night (2022) reviewBackground image for Remembering Every Night (2022) review

Remembering Every Night (2022) review

Kyiyuhara’s narrative brings the spectator in touch in the multitude of subjective effects of the ephemerality of life

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Zom 100: Bucket List Of The Dead (2023) reviewBackground image for Zom 100: Bucket List Of The Dead (2023) review
Featured image for Yudo: The Way of the Bath (2023) reviewBackground image for Yudo: The Way of the Bath (2023) review

Yudo: The Way of the Bath (2023) review

If one, as spectator, merely seeks a heartwarming story, Suzuki’s film is an easy recommendation.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Violence Action (2022) reviewBackground image for Violence Action (2022) review

Violence Action (2022) review

A mildly entertaining action-comedy that ultimately fails to fully satisfy the spectator.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Do Unto Others (2023) reviewBackground image for Do Unto Others (2023) review

Do Unto Others (2023) review

While many spectators will shed tears at the emotional unfolding, our tears lament Maeda’s choice to go full melodrama.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Amiko (2022) review [Japan Cuts 2023]Background image for Amiko (2022) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

Amiko (2022) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

A fabulous narrative that explores the destructive effects caused by the radical misunderstanding that marks the field of speech and the refusal to speak to one’s child as…

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for The Execution Game (1979) reviewBackground image for The Execution Game (1979) review

The Execution Game (1979) review

A satisfying and stylish conclusion full of captivating action-sequences.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Kingdom 2: Far and Away (2022) reviewBackground image for Kingdom 2: Far and Away (2022) review

Kingdom 2: Far and Away (2022) review

An epic and quite emotional experience that sadly fails to reach it full potential by holding on too tight to its shonen-roots.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Guard from Underground (1992)Background image for Guard from Underground (1992)

Guard from Underground (1992)

Kurosawa’s early slasher is a successful stylistic experiment that anyone who calls himself a fan of Japanese horror should see.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Character (2021) reviewBackground image for Character (2021) review

Character (2021) review

It might not be a film that challenges or subverts the tropes and dynamic of the mystery and thriller genre, but it sure does deliver a satisfying and…

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Man Who Causes A Storm (1957)Background image for Man Who Causes A Storm (1957)

Man Who Causes A Storm (1957)

Inoue’s rags-to-riches narrative might not escape the territory of predictability, but he puts enough thematical meat on the table so that the spectator, in full knowlegde of how…

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Top 15 Japanese movies 2023Background image for Top 15 Japanese movies 2023

Top 15 Japanese movies 2023

Our Top movies of 2023. Check it out, now.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for The Master Plan / The End of The Tiny World (2021) reviewBackground image for The Master Plan / The End of The Tiny World (2021) review

The Master Plan / The End of The Tiny World (2021) review

“Pleasant, but ultimately fails to deliver the emotional catharsis it so clearly promises.”

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Funky Forest: the first Contact (2005) reviewBackground image for Funky Forest: the first Contact (2005) review

Funky Forest: the first Contact (2005) review

“Strange, mundane, surprising, deadpan funny, funky, and ethereal all rolled into one.”

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Lonely Glory (2023) reviewBackground image for Lonely Glory (2023) review

Lonely Glory (2023) review

Sakon succeeds in infusing his narrative about selfish benevolence with a rough emotional naturalness that engages and affects the spectator.   

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Trapped Balloon (2023) reviewBackground image for Trapped Balloon (2023) review

Trapped Balloon (2023) review

A touching and visually pleasing narrative about the importance of finding an address for one’s signifiers of suffering

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Following The Sound (2023) reviewBackground image for Following The Sound (2023) review

Following The Sound (2023) review

An incredible narrative about the subject’s struggle to deal with his loss and pain.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Motherhood (2022)Background image for Motherhood (2022)

Motherhood (2022)

An enjoyable and engaging exploration of the destructive impact of a subject’s fixation on gaining the (m)Other’s love and that the often-ignored truth that becoming a mother is…

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for #Manhole (2023) reviewBackground image for #Manhole (2023) review

#Manhole (2023) review

A highly engaging and twist-rich narrative that beautifully illustrates the continued importance of the image for the subject as well as the disastrous effects of the frustration of…

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Best Wishes To All (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]Background image for Best Wishes To All (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
Featured image for Techno Brothers (2023) reviewBackground image for Techno Brothers (2023) review

Techno Brothers (2023) review

An amazing blend of arthouse minimalism and weird deadpan comedy.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for A Far Shore (2022) reviewBackground image for A Far Shore (2022) review

A Far Shore (2022) review

A highly engaging story that explores the destructive effects of a societal field that fails to reach out to subjects-in-need.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Pure Japanese (2022) reviewBackground image for Pure Japanese (2022) review

Pure Japanese (2022) review

Matsunaga’s narrative lacks the glue that would put all the parts fluidly together and create a truly impactful action experience.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Violent Streets (1974)Background image for Violent Streets (1974)

Violent Streets (1974)

A nihilistic and violent yakuza classic.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Village (2023) reviewBackground image for Village (2023) review

Village (2023) review

Introduction Michihito Fujji might not be a big name in Japanese cinema, but he has, over the last few years, put himself on the international map, be it…

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Sadako DX (2022) reviewBackground image for Sadako DX (2022) review

Sadako DX (2022) review

“A failed re-imagining of a classic horror-story.”

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Call Me Chihiro (2023) reviewBackground image for Call Me Chihiro (2023) review

Call Me Chihiro (2023) review

What makes Imaizumi’s narrative a pleasant and such an emotional watch is the fine balance he found between waves of light-heartedness and the forlorn aftertaste that remains after…

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Roleless (2022) review [Japannual 2023]Background image for Roleless (2022) review [Japannual 2023]

Roleless (2022) review [Japannual 2023]

Masahiko Sato, Yutarō Seki and Kentarō Hirase offer the spectator a revealing glance at the dynamic that underpins the dissociative fugue.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Halloween movie special: Summer Of Demon (1981) reviewBackground image for Halloween movie special: Summer Of Demon (1981) review

Halloween movie special: Summer Of Demon (1981) review

Introduction One of the most famous Japanese ghost stories is, without a doubt, Yotsuya Kaidan. It has been adapted to the silver screen and the small screen numerous…

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Halloween Special Review: Shinshaku Yotsuya Kaidan part 1 & part 2 (1949) reviewBackground image for Halloween Special Review: Shinshaku Yotsuya Kaidan part 1 & part 2 (1949) review

Halloween Special Review: Shinshaku Yotsuya Kaidan part 1 & part 2 (1949) review

Kinoshita offers an incredibly engaging psychological exploration of Iemon’s faltering ego and the dramatic shift this faltering causes in his relationship to Oiwa.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Halloween Special Review: The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959) reviewBackground image for Halloween Special Review: The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959) review

Halloween Special Review: The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959) review

Nakagawa succeeds in delivering an unforgettable finale that, due to its hallucinatory feel, mesmerises the spectator with its haunting imagery.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Halloween Special Review: The Ghosts of Yotsuya (1956) reviewBackground image for Halloween Special Review: The Ghosts of Yotsuya (1956) review

Halloween Special Review: The Ghosts of Yotsuya (1956) review

An incredible horror film that retains its power to engage and thrill the spectator due to Tomisabura Wakayama’s outstanding performance.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Okiku and the World (2023) review [Japannual 2023]Background image for Okiku and the World (2023) review [Japannual 2023]

Okiku and the World (2023) review [Japannual 2023]

Introduction Junji Sakamoto (Another World (2019), I Never Shot Anyone (2020), My Brother, The Android and Me (2022)) might not be as well-known by international audiences as other…

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for The Cinderella Addiction (2021) reviewBackground image for The Cinderella Addiction (2021) review

The Cinderella Addiction (2021) review

“A highly enjoyable narrative that explores the opposition between indulging into fantasies and the developing of inter-subjective bonds.”

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Ice Cream Fever (2023) review [Japannual 2023]Background image for Ice Cream Fever (2023) review [Japannual 2023]

Ice Cream Fever (2023) review [Japannual 2023]

A gorgeous stylish exploration of the subjective struggles and the solutions subjects invent within the field of love and desire.

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for Ripples (2023) review [Camera Japan Festival]Background image for Ripples (2023) review [Camera Japan Festival]

Ripples (2023) review [Camera Japan Festival]

With her quirky sense of humor, she delivers one of the most illuminating explorations of the effect the gap between the imaginary equilibrium of the ego and the…

psycho-cinematography

Featured image for The Killing Game (1978) reviewBackground image for The Killing Game (1978) review

The Killing Game (1978) review

Murakawa delivers a satisfying sequel.

psycho-cinematography