Details on Toshiaki Toyoda’s Uprising 2021 in Chicago and crowdfunding for his new film.
Mar 22, 2021 • Subscribe
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Toshiaki Toyoda
By Tom Wilmot. When people think of the new masters of Japanese cinema, the same roster of names continues to crop up. Hirokazu Koreeda, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and Takashi…
I’m Flash! (Toshiaki Toyoda, 2012)
A conflicted cult leader experiences an existential crisis after meeting a mysterious woman in a bar in Toshiaki Toyoda’s Okinawan drama
Toshiaki Toyoda: 2005-2021 (Limited Edition Blu-ray) Unboxing
After five years, Third Window Films introduces another Toshiaki Toyoda box set covering films released between 2005 to 2021 on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.
Monsters Club (モンスターズクラブ, Toshiaki Toyoda, 2011)
A traumatised young man still painfully in love with an imperfect world is plagued by trickster ghosts and shapeshifting monsters in Toyoda’s melancholy character study
Shiver 戦慄せしめよ (2022) Director: Toshiaki Toyoda
Shiver 戦慄せしめよ, by director Toshiaki Toyoda, is a music film that presents performances by Koshiro Hino and the taiko drumming group KODO in a visually dazzling way. Shiver 戦慄せしめよ (2022)…
Chicago International Film Festival – Cloud
When I was getting in line for this film, I was genuinely surprised at how long the line was. This particular film probably had the biggest turn out…
Chicago International Film Festival – My Sunshine
Another beautiful day in Chicago, and it was another film in theaters due to the Chicago International Film Festival. I was really lucky that I snagged a ticket,…
Chicago International Film Festival – Super Happy Forever
I headed out once again to Chicago, for the Chicago International Film Festival. With the Kore-eda retrospective finished, there were still three other Japanese films in the lineup…
Chicago Japan Film Collective – House of Sayuri
I actually stumbled upon knowledge about the Chicago Japan Film Collective (CJFC) back in 2023. Due to moving and timing though I wasn’t able to attend the screenings,…
Burning Sky Uprising: A Civilian's Tale
Happy Birthday to me! And what better way to celebrate than with this! The final short fiction in this phase of our plan!
Burning Sky: Uprising – A Djinn Story
Merry Christmas from our team! Our gift to you? A new Burning Sky short fiction! Enjoy! And don’t forget to check out Burning Sky: The Story of Gaea – the official foreword…
Chicago Japan Film Collective 2024 (November 14th-24th)
A look at the 11 films at the Chicago Japan Film Collective 2024 (Nov. 14 – 24) – two in cinemas and nine to stream online via SAKKA
Japanese Films at the Chicago Film Festival 2023
A Preview of the Chicago International Film Festival 2023 – October 11 to 22 – Monster, Evil Does Not Exist, The Boy and the Heron, Before Anyone Else,…
Kpop Concerts in Chicago 2023
A full list of Kpop concerts in Chicago in 2023. The most updated list will be in Wisconsin Kpop Facebook group. ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
G-FEST IN CHICAGO TODAY
G-Fest was a blast today. My son Christian who is now 8 years old, was a maniac. It's funny how he's not really a Godzilla fan, but his…
Kpop Concerts in Chicago 2024
A full list of Kpop concerts in Chicago, IL in 2024. This also includes Milwaukee, WI and Madison, WI which is within a 90 min drive of Chicago.…
Kpop Concerts in Chicago 2025
A full list of Kpop concerts in Chicago, IL in 2025. This also includes Milwaukee, WI (90 min from Chicago) and Madison, WI (2 hr from Chicago). The…
After the Storm Movie and Question and Answer Synopsis at the Chicago International Film Festival
I’m not someone who pays too much attention to big movie festivals, despite be relatively local to many. My twin was nice enough to tip me off that…
Stream Contemporary Japanese Film with the Chicago Japan Film Collective (May 25th to 31st)
Information on the Nine Japanese Films Playing at the Chicago Japan Film Collective (May 25th to 31st)
Stream Contemporary Japanese Film with the Chicago Japan Film Collective (May 21st to 30th 2022)
Information on the Japanese Films Playing as part of the Chicago Japan Film Collective (May 21st to 30th)
Raging Grace (2023) Director: Paris Zarcilla [Chicago International Film Festival 2023]
Raging Grace (2023), by director Paris Zarcilla, cleverly offers a balance of social commentary and historical horror that emerges in the experiences of a carer living in present-day…
Sayuri サユリ (2024) Director: Koji Shiraishi [Chicago Japanese Film Collective 2024]
Director Koji Shiraishi subverts J-Horror tropes he helped create with his comedy-horror Sayuri サユリ (2024) where a grandmother/grandson duo fight the titular ghost for control of a house. [Chicago…
A New Wind Blows 新しい風 Dir: Yutaro Nakamura (2021) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
Fantasy and reality collide in the youth movie A New Wind Blows 新しい風 Dir: Yutaro Nakamura (2021) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
Nobody Knows with post-screening Question and Answer Commentary at the Chicago International Film Festival
Having just watched After the Storm, I had a bit of time to kill before attempting to rush for Nobody Knows. I got real food for dinner, puttered…
A New Wind Blows (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
A great film that shows that the madness of the male subject is often function of a woman, of a woman that unknowingly puts the by a man…
A New Name and A New Chapter
Another post about…well, me. The new me, that is.
Ribbon 2021 Director: Non [New York Asian Film Festival 2022]
Ribbon is a Covid-19-themed film about the frustrations of life in isolation and creative blockages. Combining the two, we see a coming-of-age drama where the protagonist overcomes both through…
New Beginnings – Q2 2021 Check In
It’s been nearly two months since my last post on this blog. Sorry for the impromptu hiatus. My dad had spinal surgery and helping him through recovery and…
New Pokemon Games released in November 2021 and early 2022
The Pokemon Company announced the release date for both Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Pokemon Legend Arc…
Kaiju Transmissions podcast: Pacific Rim Uprising
On my trip across the US, I stopped by Matt of Kaiju Transmissions’ place, and we caught the new Pacific Rim: Uprising together. In lieu of an actual…
Before Anyone Else (2023) Director: Tetsuya Mariko [Chicago International Film Festival 2023]
Before Anyone Else (2023), by director Tetsuya Mariko, is a very atmospheric and well-acted short film set in Chicago. A gritty and believable ride done with restraint and…
A New Year and a New Ministry: Anime and Disability
Happy New Year, Readers! I’m excited to start 2021 on Beneath the Tangles by announcing a new ministry aimed at carrying out our mission to share our love…
Nightingale (鶯, Shiro Toyoda, 1938)
Residents of a small rural town find themselves caught in a moment of confusion amid encroaching modernity in Shiro Toyoda’s warmhearted drama.
Junk Head ジャンク ヘッド Director: Takahide Hori (2021) [New York Asian Film Festival 2021]
Junk Head ジャンク ヘッド Director: Takahide Hori (2021) is a dark dystopian body-horror
GROWING UP A CHICAGO MONSTER KID: GODZILLA 1985
As many people know, GODZILLA: FINAL WARS (2004) will be the last Big “G” film for quite a while. When Toho finally revives everyone’s favor...
New York Asian Film Festival Confirms Lineup For 2021 Hybrid Edition
In-person at Lincoln Center & SVA Theatre and online across the US Aug. 6 – 22
Zokki (2021) [Film Review]
Zokki; or, Too Many Secrets Lately, I've been thinking. If a living creature loses what it keeps secret, maybe it can't go on living. O...
Cube (2021) [Film Review]
Cube (2021); or, Running Scared I see a sin in your eyes. My first encounter with the Cube franchise was not a positive one. Back in…
Kinuyo Tanaka: A Life in Film
Runs August & September at BFI Southbank
Monster 怪物 (2023) Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda [Chicago International Film Festival 2023]
Monster 怪物 (2023), by director Hirokazu Kore-eda, is a Rashomon-like story about how misapprehension can cause problems and hide people’s suffering. [Chicago International Film Festival 2023]…
Dolls’ Frontline #01 — The Sex Doll Uprising
I continue to be impressed by the correct apostraphe placement. Impressions: I love how serious this takes itself on every level while just straight up ignoring how…
Escape from Mogadishu 모가디슈 (2021) Director: Ryoo Seung-wan [New York Asian Film Festival 2021]
Escape from Mogadishu – 모가디슈 (2021) Director: Ryoo Seung-wan – provides pulse-racing action by retelling a dramatic moment in history. It opens the New York Asian Film Festival…
An Interview with Yutaro Nakamura, Director of A NEW WIND BLOWS [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
A Brief Interview with Yutaro Nakamura, Director of A NEW WIND BLOWS [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
It’s a summer film (2021) review [Camera Japan Festival]
“A highly entertaining film that offers a nostalgic and touching dive into youthful passion and romantic feelings and lighthearted celebration of indie-filmmaking and often-forgotten beauty o…
Love, Live, and Goldfish (2021) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
“While Makabe’s narrative does not offer anything truly new or groundbreaking, what it does brings to the table is served with excellence.”
Concrete Utopia 콘크리트 유토피아 (2023) Director: Um Tae-hwa [Chicago International Film Festival 2023]
Concrete Utopia 콘크리트 유토피아 (2023), directed by Um Tae-hwa, is a disaster movie that marries together an apocalyptic earthquake and the dog-eat-dog world of home ownership in Korea. [Chicago…
Ninja Girl シュシュシュの娘(こ)Director: Yu Irie (2021) [New York Asian Film Festival 2021]
Ninja Girl シュシュシュの娘(こ)Director: Yu Irie (2021) [New York Asian Film Festival 2021] is a quirky contemporary ninja action comedy/political satire. It plays on Sunday, August 15th at 5:30pm at…
A Night in Nude (1993) [Film Review]
A Night in Nude; or, Life on Lease Whatever it is, we do it for you, so you don’t have to do it. The late Takashi Ishii…
A Preview of the Japanese Titles at the New York Asian Film Festival 2021 (August 06th – 22nd)
A Preview of the Japanese Titles (and some from other countries) at the New York Asian Film Festival 2021 (August 06th – 22nd) – here are the films…
Japan Foundation Film Tour 2021
By Jasper Sharp. The ongoing Coronavirus crisis may have disrupted many aspects of the cultural calendar, but it is heartening to report that one the Japan Foundation UK…