Uchida delivers what very well might be the feel-good movie of the year.
Nov 7, 2022 • Subscribe
More like this
Offbeat Cops (異動辞令は音楽隊!, Eiji Uchida, 2022)
A maverick cop develops a new appreciation of group harmony after being demoted to the police band in Eiji Uchida’s warmhearted comedy.
Offbeat Cops 異動辞令は音楽隊! (2022) Dir: Eiji Uchida [New York Asian Film Festival 2022]
Offbeat Cops is a fun, family-friendly film about learning to harmonise with others. Offbeat Cops 異動辞令は音楽隊! (2022) Dir: Eiji Uchida [New York Asian Film Festival 2022]
Tokyo’s Top 10 Offbeat Museums
Tokyo is packed with informative if unusual museums. Our curated list of offbeat museums dives into unique cultural experiences that redefine the ordinary.
Kochikame: Tokyo Beat Cops - Movie 2
Note: This was another (dead) group’s project that we just pushed over the finish line. We are NOT a Kochikame group, nor are we likely to e...
Episode 54: 13: ACAB (All Cops Are Blotto)
In this episode of Boku No Stop! we discuss episodes 41-44 of Monster. Content warning: a lot of torture and aftereffect, even if we talk around it Today we're going…
Cops And Delinquents?! Dead Rock Chapter 15 BREAKDOWN
Hello, all. I’m in the midst of another post for another series I’m adding to the roster of series we discuss. I had work most of the week, and by…
Active Raid: 2nd A Good Season of Mecha cops.
Best random use of out of nowhere swearing that I’ve seen in a long time. Where are you going to see a character nonchalantly call someone a “scumwad…
Osaka Man Mistakenly Jailed Twice for 40 Days, Cops Apologize
Police arrested an Osaka man on suspicion of making online threats. And then arrested him again. Turns out they had the wrong guy all along.
Yamabuki (2022) review [IFFR 2022]
“A beautiful socially-engaged narrative that explores the very fact that, by being grasped within the societal network of relations, one cannot but influence the other and become influenced…
The Films of 1973, Part 1: Cops, Crime and Kung Fu
1973 offered a wealth of riches for regular moviegoers, particularly those at neighborhood theaters. Hollywood released a ton of exemplary crime films, alternating hard-nosed cops with career crimi…
Noise (2022) review
A highly satisfying experience that delivers suspense as well as good dose of touching emotionality.
Wandering (2022) review
With his poetic sensitivity, Sang-il Lee delivers a rich tapestry of genuine emotionality and a powerful affirmation of the fact that the affirmation of the subject lies beyond…
Tsuyukusa (2022) review
A narrative of subtle affection carried by the layered performances of the cast.
Review: Hero (2022)
Hero 世间有她 China/Hong Kong, 2022, colour, 2.35:1, 115 mins. Directors: Li Shaohong 李少红 (I), Chen Chong 陈冲 [Joan Chen] (II), Zhang Aijia 张艾嘉 [Sylvia Chang] (III). Rating: 6/10.…
Ribbon (2022) review
Non, in short, proves with her first feature film that she has a future as screenwriter and director.
2022 in Review
2022 winds down as catastrophically as most other recent years. The war in Ukraine grinds on. A "tripledemic" rages in the US. Covid has ret...
Rageaholic (2022) review
“A great dystopian narrative that clearly gives expression the director’s fear of certain right-wing tendencies that linger within Japanese society.”
Usogui (2022) review
‘Usogui’ got 99 problems, but the manga-like appearances of the characters ain’t one.
Review: Summer (2022)
Summer 野夏天 China/Taiwan, 2022, colour, 2.35:1, 113 mins. Director: Su Zhexian 苏哲贤. Rating: 4/10. Taiwan singer Chen Jiahua is overshadowed by Mainland character actor Geng Le in a…
XXXholic (2022) review
“An exquisite visual experience that is sadly held back by its unfitting manga-like moments.”
Parallel (2022) review
A fabulous narrative that does not only delivers a thrilling slasher-like experience, but offers a touching romance between two people that are, in their own particular way, deeply…
Onpaku (2022) review
While Fujii does not re-invent the J-horror genre with Onpaku, he does prove the horror-frame can still be exploited to deliver satisfying horror narratives.
Missing (2022) review
Shinzo Katayama delivers one of the most satisfying drama-thrillers this year.
Review: Snipers (2022)
Snipers 狙击手 China, 2022, colour, 2.35:1, 95 mins. Directors: Zhang Yimou 张艺谋, Zhang Mo 张末. Rating: 6/10. Gripping action/psychodrama, as Chinese and US snipers face off in a…
Straying (2022) review [Camera Japan 2022]
A pleasant and charming exploration of the fact that, within the game of love and romance and beyond, subjects often rely on acting-out to reveal to the other…
Melting Sounds (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“Kahori Higashi’s debut is impressive.”
Random Call (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
Ohkanda’s narrative proves that one does not need a big budget to deliver a narrative that touches the spectator.
Stone Steps (2022) review [JFFH 2022]
A great indie narrative that highlights the need for the parental and the traditional Other to aid the subject to embark on the path of his own desire.…
Angry Son (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“An incredibly rich and deep narrative that not only delivers a satisfying coming-of-age story but also an elegantly delivered social commentary on some of the frictions marking Japanese…
Shaman’s Daughter (2022) review [JFFH 2022]
A genre mish-mash – a cocktail of light-hearted comedy, family drama, bloody thriller, and ghostly romance – that is not only pleasant but offers the spectator a rich…
Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World 2 – 25 [Offbeat Steps Under the Moonlight]
We are at the end of an era or in layman’s terms we have reached the end of Re:Zero season 2 and it’s certainly been a journey. Unfortunately…
Our House Party (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
Kawanobe delivers a very touching and emotional story about homosexuality in Japan.
Goodbye Cruel World (2022) review [Japannual 2022]
“A stylish exploration of the cruel call for destruction that structures the perverse criminal field.”
In The Distance (2022) review [Japannual 2022]
“A very pleasant slice-of-life narrative that elegantly shows that bonds between subjects are that much more genuine if they are grounded in the acceptance of the other’s radical…
Intimate Stranger (2022) review
“A splendid narrative that dares to explore how problematic mothers can be for their children.”
Plan 75 (2022) review
Hayakawa hauntingly confronts the spectator with what would happen if the existence of the subject was radically reduced by the government to how much he/she financially contributes to…
Review: 0.1% World (2022)
0.1% World 好想去你的世界爱你 China, 2022, colour, 2.35:1, 93 mins. Director: Sun Lin 孙琳. Rating: 3/10. Fanciful rom-com’s only original factor is the two millennials being thousands of miles…
Violence Action (2022) review
A mildly entertaining action-comedy that ultimately fails to fully satisfy the spectator.
Review: 0.1% World (2022)
0.1% World 好想去你的世界爱你 China, 2022, colour, 2.35:1, 93 mins. Director: Sun Lin 孙琳. Rating: 3/10. Fanciful rom-com’s only original factor is the two millennials being thousands of miles…
2022 Review Sneak Peek
2022 is finally here, at last, which means another year of anime goddess. 2021 was a wild chaotic year for me for both seasonal and non-seasonal I hope…
Review: Almost Love (2022)
Almost Love 遇见你 China, 2022, colour, 2.35:1, 109 mins. Director: Luo Luo 落落 [Zhao Jiarong 赵佳蓉]. Rating: 5/10. Initially interesting youth romance is worth a quick look for…
Review: Moon Man (2022)
Moon Man 独行月球 China, 2022, colour, 2.35:1, 120 mins. Director: Zhang Chiyu 张吃鱼. Rating: 6/10. Beijing troupe Ma Hua FunAge goes full-on sci-fi with a man stranded on…
Review: Home Coming (2022)
Home Coming 万里归途 China, 2022, colour, 2.35:1, 137 mins. Director: Rao Xiaozhi 饶晓志. Rating: 7/10. Visually impressive but emotionally rather cool drama of Chinese workers evacuated from a…
Sadako DX (2022) review
“A failed re-imagining of a classic horror-story.”
Kisaragi Station (2022) review
Thanks to a good narrative structure and pleasant performance this low-budget horror film succeeds in engaging and satisfying the spectator.
Review: The Hotel (2022)
The Hotel 旅馆 Hong Kong, 2022, b&w, 1.33:1, 104 mins. Director: Wang Xiaoshuai 王小帅. Rating: 5/10. Sleekly-shot chamber drama about characters stranded in a hotel during the Covid…
Review: Ordinary Hero (2022)
Ordinary Hero 平凡英雄 China, 2022, colour, 2.35:1, 96 mins. Director: Chen Guohui 陈国辉 [Tony Chan]. Rating: 4/10. Race-against-time medical drama is a melodramatic meld of weepie and heart-warmer,…
Review: Post Truth (2022)
Post Truth #保你平安 China, 2022, colour, 2.35:1, 110 mins. Director: Da Peng 大鹏 [Dong Chengpeng 董成鹏]. Rating: 6/10. Typically sketch-like comedy by Da Peng, as a sleazy undertaker…
Year in Review 2022
Can you believe this will be the fifth time I get to write this post? Technically the blog is just over 6 years old at this point, but…
Beloved (2022) [Film Review]
Beloved; or, Stay With Me I have an idea. How about we spend one last day together? Go somewhere, walk around, have dinne r… Director B...