The Three Sisters of Tenmasou Inn (2023) Japan Cuts 2023

 

The spirit of a young woman who is in coma travels to an inn between life and death where she meets the spirits of the sisters she never knew she had, who are running an inn where people wait to see if they will cross over or return to earth.

This manga based tale is either going to thrill you with it's gushing sentimentality, especially in the final half hour, or it's going to make you flee from the theater. It's a film that works very hard to have a point and to make you feel good about life and what comes next.

Truth be told I really liked much of the film. A great deal of the film is good times with good people. Everyone on the screen is really nice.  SO long as the film is focusing on the various relationships, I was perfectly happy to go along with everything.

The problem for me is that the film works a bit too hard to make us feel warm and fuzzy. The film seems intent on making us tear up and it goes to great lengths to make it happen. It's not completely bad, but you really will wish it dialed things back a notch or two. Especially in the final half hour where it is so intent on getting us to a certain point the film loses several characters along the way.

While not bad, the film kind of wears out it's welcome by the end. This might have worked if it had been a half an hour shorter.

Worth a look for the curious

From the End of the World (2023) Japan Cuts 2023

Kazuaki Kiriya's first film in almost a decade is the story of a young girl named Hana who may have the power to save the world which is due to end in two weeks. It seems she has the ability to alter the books of destiny by her dreams, a fact some forces don't want to happen.

Good looking film with a lot of pretensions, I'm not sure if any of this works. Sure the ideas are good, having been used in other similar films. The trouble is the way the pieces are assembled doesn't add up to much, largely in that the film has left us with too many gaps to fill in. This is a film that seems to be asking us to believe a great deal, not the least of which is why did the people trying to stop the end of the world they knew was coming, until two weeks before the end?

Alternately interesting and ponderous my feelings came and went depending on whether we were in a moment where things were happening or a moment where "deep" ideas were being discussed.

Perhaps this might have been more interesting if Hana wasn't on the verge of tears at every minutte.

A miss

UNDER THE TURQUOISE SKY (2023) Japan Cuts Centerpiece

The good for nothing grandson of a rich tycoon is sent to Mongolia to find the tycoon's lost daughter whom he fathered when he was a soldier during the Second World War. 

Absolutely beautiful road film is one that deserves to be seen on the big screen. the images are the sort you will fall into. I wish I could have seen this on a truly huge screen.

As beautiful as the images are the narrative much too often asks the images to carry the story.  Too much of the emotion comes from a well edited series of shots rather than the characters. Too much is left unsaid. I could feel the construction of the plot. After a while I disconnected as all I saw was the hand of the director moving everything around.

I like the film but I don't love it.

MONDAYS: See You "This" Week! (2023) Japan Cuts

Workers in an office discover that they are stuck in a time loop. They then have to work out how to get themselves out of it.

This funny existential comedy will amuse you.  One part satire of  our repeated dull grind existence, one part office comedy and one part puzzle film. The film always holds our attention and makes us lean in wondering how they are going to sort it all out. While it hits some expected notes the film still manages to always keep us entertained.

I had grand time.

Recommended

Fish Tale (2022) Japan Cuts 2023

With FISH TALE finally reaching New York here is my review of the film from 2022's Fantasia

This is the story of Japanese celebrity ichthyologist, Youtuber, TV host, illustrator and all-around “fish ambassador” Sakana-kun, here called Meebo. She was an obsessed young girl who followed her heart and love of fish to international fame.

The word coming out of Fantasia regarding this film was the talk of the New York Asian Film Festival. What I mean by that was that people at Fantasia were calling people at NYAFF telling them to see the film at the festival. The trouble was that the THE FISH TALE wasn't playing NYAFF which left everyone in Fantasia kind of incredulous (I heard more than one person ask "why not?" on a cellphone call) 

Having seen the film I'm wondering why this film didn't get picked either.

This is a lovely little film about a lovely person. Yea, it uses many of the quirky cute tropes, but at the same time, it's just a lovely little film.  It made me smile from start to finish.

What an absolute joy and must see. 

Wandering (2023) Japan Cuts 2023

 

When Sarassa was nine she ran away from her aunt. She was found by 19 year old Fumi who took her home and lived with her as a sister. Two months later they were found by the police and Fumi was labeled a kidnapper and suspected a pedophile. Fifteen years later the pair run into each other.

Based on a novel by Yu Nagira, WANDERING is a film that is going to rattle any number of people. Raising a number of ethical and moral questions the film doesn't have any easy answers. While the film original encounter between the pair isn't sexual, thus setting up questions about how we perceive events like this and it also makes us wonder how people are affected by events like this.

I'm not sure how to review this. The fact is that my thoughts are kind of split regarding the film. Part  of me is really intrigued by the issues the film raises.  I absolutely love that the film makes us question how we see stories like this and what is going on. On the other hand I know that this is a film that potentially is going to push people's buttons.  Even if you don't think the subject will bother you the film is such that there is a good chance it's going to kick some stuff up.  Part of of me doesn't want to talk about the film for that reason while another part  of me want's me to really talk about it because it raises questions that are not easy deal with.

At the same time I have mixed feelings about the film as a film.  I understand why I have mixed feelings, it's because of choices made by director Sang-il Lee but that doesn't make me like it more. Lee leans into the serious and thought provoking nature of the story so that we can't dismiss it. However doing so makes the film feel less real and more the handiwork of the director. I would have liked the tone to be less like a novel and more like real life. Also as good as the film is I'm not sure if we need  the this to be as long as it it.

The Legend and Butterfly (2023) Japan Cuts 2023

This is an epic fictionalized romance between Oda Nobunaga  his wife, Nohime over a thirty year span from their meeting until the end of their lives.

While Nobungaga was one of the great leaders of Japan and he helped move the country toward unification, pretty much nothing is known about Nohime so the filmmakers have refashioned the tale into a modern leaning feminist love story where the great man had a great woman behind him. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that since it gives us a tale where the characters grow and change over time. This isn't dry history, but a romance for today where the characters move us.

While this is a true BIG screen epic, you do want to see this projected, the story is always the human one. Much of the "action" of war and court intrigue is off screen because the focus is on the characters and not the battles. This doesn't mean that the film doesn't occasionally go big, it does, but always at the right time and always for proper effect. Indeed, a climatic battle sequence is one of the most amazing sequences I've ever seen, with it causing the hairs on my arms to stand up.  

Actually the sheer craft of this film, from top to bottom is among the best you'll see all year. This is filmmaking as a high art and the result is film that will move you both in your heard and in your heart. When the film ended I sat staring at the screen for several minutes after the end credits had rolled.

A must see, especially if you can see this on a big screen.

A must see at Japan Cuts on July 30.

Sanka: Nomads of the Mountain (2023) Japan Cuts 2023

 

Low key coming of age film is perfect for those who want a quiet meditative film.

Set in the 1960’s a young man goes to visit his grandparents in the country there he encounters a nomadic clan who live in the area and has his life changed as a result.

This is a typical coming of age story that has many of the expected moments of stories like this. Normally that might be a death knell for a film like this, but here the story is such that you just go with it because the film is showing us a culture that odds are we are not familiar with. When we think of Japan we don’t think of the people like the Sanka who wander a round a mountain. Instead we think of people who life in the city or in small villages like we see in the movies. This is something new and it keeps us interested.

I really liked this film, and if you are interested in seeing a small gem of a film make your way to the Japan Society when the film plays.

Single 8 (2023) Japan Cuts 2023

If you were making super 8 movies when the original Star Wars film came out then SINGLE 8 is a shot of nostalgia. The same goes if you ever made a home movie inspired by a film you saw. This is a glorious film about being young and discovering the things you will love.

Beginning with a riff on the iconic opening to Star Wars SINGLE 8 the film quickly settles in on a couple of friends in the last days of the school year. They have been floored by the Lucas classic and want to do something similar. Putting together friends, including a certain young lady they will want to know better, the pair set about making a film as a summer project.

I was making films when Star Wars came out and watching this film was like reliving portions of my life. Watching the progression of the film I was reliving conversations with my brothers and with my friend Rob. I saw how we would try and figure out how to make our films looking something other than the half as attempt at misdirection we were going for. This was exactly precisely what things were like way back when and as such as I really loved this film.

I do have to give the film additional points for doing something no other film about the making of film has done and that is show us the film. I love that we see the finished film.

What a joy.

If you love movies, if you ever made a movie or if you want to fall back in love with the movies see this film.

Tokyo Melody: A Film about Ryuichi Sakamoto.(1985) Japan Cuts

A few minutes int TOKYO MELODY I realized with absolute delight that long ago when I was heavily into Ryuichi Sakamoto I had tracked this film down and fell deeper under the spell of the musician and composers spell.  Yes I had fallen in love with his music via the round about route of his score for MERRY CHRISTMAS MR LAWRENCE, but this was the place where my jaw dropped and I realized what an incredible person he was.

Shot by Elizabeth Lennard during the recording of his album Ongaku Zukan the film actually focuses on Sakamoto creating. He talks about how he does what he does and the things that influence him. A section of the film where he talks about writing for film has him playing the theme from MR LAWRENCE, which had only recently been released when the film was made, by looking at his hand written score. What’s interesting is that having seen Sakamoto play the piece over the years I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look at the score.

Truthfully if you want to understand the man you need to see this film. Though Ideally you would pair it with Stephen Nomura Schible‘s recent film RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: CODA which looks at the man a few years before his passing and acts as a kind of up dating of TOKYO MELODY's threads.

I AM A COMEDIAN (2022) Japan Cuts 2023

Three years in the life of comedian Daisuke Muramoto, who along with Paradise Nakagawa his partner in the group Woman Rush Hour were sky rocketing to fame. The trouble is Muramoto began to speak out and makes jokes about things that he wasn’t supposed to. Yes Japan has free speech officially, the trouble is unofficially you simply aren’t supposed to talk about politics, nuclear disasters and the unpleasantries of life. While he was producing laughs in his audiences he was making officials nervous since he was forcing them to deal with things that polite people never spoke about.

Early in the film Muramoto states that there are no limits in stand up comedy. It exists to skewer everything, unfortunately Japanese society has a lot of unwritten rules listing the things you can’t say. Clearly the Japanese have very thin skins, or at least the officials do, since they are the ones who seemingly can’t take a joke. It’s also a stance held by his father who is not happy with his son rocking the boat.

Working on several levels, I AM A COMEDIAN has a great deal to say. It maybe the best observational documentary of a comedian that I’ve ever seen. It’s a warts and all portrait of what it requires to be on the road telling jokes. Even if there wasn’t the issues of free speech the film would be compelling viewing for any one who wants to know what it is like to tell jokes for a living.

The film is a pointed look at a society where free speech allowed by statute but where unwritten rules curtail it. It’s a problem that isn’t just in Japan, but everywhere, including here in the US where the politeness police and the threat of being canceled has made it harder and harder to make jokes about anything and are threatening to rewrite what humor is. While here in the US people are upset about people making fun of groups, in Japan it’s the government and public officials not wanting to be ridiculed for the stupid things they are doing, which kind of makes you wonder if they really are that free at all.

I was moved by this film. Watching it I found I had to stop taking notes and just watch the film the first time through because I was not watching the film but writing out a running commentary on the film. I was engaging with the film in a way that I rarely do.

Wow.

An absolute must see, I AM A COMEDIAN is one of the Japan Cuts films you need to experience for yourself.

I AM WHAT I AM (2023) Japan Cuts 2023

One of the joys of this year’s Japan Cuts is the story of a young woman who doesn’t want any sort of romance and just wants to be. She has no romantic feelings for anyone, nor does she want any sort of romance.

Wonderful character portrait is a look at a woman who simply wants to find her own path and life on a road that most people don’t want to travel.

Toko Miura is perfectly cast as Katsumi. Through her excellent work we come to understand what she’s feeling and why that is totally okay (despite what her mom thinks)

This is a joyous celebration of humanity in all its forms and highly recommended. One of my favorite films at Japan Cuts and 2023.

A pointer toward J005311 (2023) Japan Cuts 2023

This is not a review  but merely a pointer toward J005311. It’s a pointer because having seen the film I know I was exactly the wrong audience for this film, however I have a good number of friends who will absolutely love this film.

This is a low fi film of long takes and silences concerning a young man who offers to pays another man a million yen if he will take him to a location in the country.  The film is largely the trip to the destination. It is an observational film  where what isn’t said is as important as what is.

Sometimes films like this work for me and sometimes they don’t. This time out it didn’t. Don’t get me wrong the film isn’t bad, simply not my cup of tea.

If you are fan of long takes and silences this film is a must when it plays at Japan Cuts.

FATHER OF THE MILKY WAY RAILWAY(2023) Japan Cuts 2023

 

I will be very curious how FATHER OF THE MIKY WAY RAILWAY is received by the general public. The film is a portrait of the author Kenji Miyazawa through the eyes of his father who loved and supported his son even if he didn’t always understand what he was doing. The younger Miyazawa was responsible for dozens of poems and stories, the most famous of which is NIGHT ON THE MILKY WAY RAILWAY which has influenced generations of people across the globe (it is a tale I carry around in my heart happily free of charge).  The reason I’m curious about how the film will play by the general public in America is that the vast majority of people here don’t know Miyazawa’s work, except perhaps RAILWAY and even then probably through the anime from several decades back. I mention this because while FATHER is a bio pic of the father and son much of the film is tied into the stories and poems of the son. The film is bookended by references to RAILWAY, other passage reference other bits of his work, though less overtly.  Knowing, to various degrees, the son’s writing added immeasurably to what I was seeing. I could make connections to deeper subtexts and I saw how what happened in his life ended up in the stories. Additionally the final images left me a sobbing mess because of RAILWAY.

Frankly I loved the film, but I could reference the work of its subject, I’m not sure how that will play out for those who don’t now the stories.

Reservations aside this is still a hell of a ride

PLASTIC (2023) Japan Cuts 2023

Charming romance centered around two young people who find a common bond in a shared love of a band that broke up years ago.

I really don’t know what to say about this film other than this is just good time with great people. It’s less like a film and just hanging out with some really good friends. You like everyone and while there are dramatic ups and downs the film wonderfully lets the various turns play out as if was real life and not bothering to amp everything up for effect or to keep us interested. We watch, and in my case rewatch, the film because we are invested in the characters.

That may not be the most exciting review in the world, but I assure you if you take the time t see the film at the Japan Society’s Japan Cuts you will end up thinking it is. It’s the sort of film that will make you feel good and want to see what happens next.

Recommended

After a year off Japan Cuts returns July 26 to August 6

 

I was four films into the slate of Japan Cuts when I emailed one of the press people handling the festival to say that the selections this year were doing what the best films at a festival does, which is make me want to see what comes next.

I love Japan Cuts. The annual survey of current Japanese cinema is always a blast. It's a grand look at all of Japanese cinema, not just the crazy stuff. Its a series that has opened the eyes of everyone who has attended  it to the work of dozens of filmmakers we might never have noticed. 

More importantly it's possibly you're only shot at seeing many of the films in English.  I say this as a guy who has attempted to run down a favorite film of two over the years and not been able to find copies with English translations.

It is a festival that will broaden your horizons and introduced you to some new favorites.

What I love about this year is that the Japan Society is bringing us the glorious FISH TALE about someone who loves fish so much they become a media sensation. The film premiered last year where it played Fantasia and it caused anyone who saw it to call people in New York to see what the reaction was to the film. The people at Fantasia were certain that New York Asian or Japan Cuts would be showing the film. NYAFF didn't select the film and Japan Cuts couldn't show it for reasons having to do with renovations to the theater. I saw the film for Fantasia last year and loved it and completely understood why everyone was calling everyone they knew to see it. Don't miss out, buy a ticket.

Other films must see films playing the Festival: 

THE LEGEND AND BUTTERFLY- is a grand historical romance, based on actual events that is a true big screen film. Its the sort of epic they don't do any more. This is a BIG screen film that should be seen BIG.

MONDAYS is a crazy film about an office trapped in a time loop and forced to relive one day over and over again.

I AM A COMEDIAN is a portrait of comedian Disuke Muramoto who started to use his comedy to address forbidden subjects. Sure he lives in a country with free speech but there are sill things the authorities don't want you to say. It's a funny and frightening tale of today.

I AM WHAT I AM is a tale of a young woman who wants not to be involved with anything approximating romance. She simply wants to be. Its a wonderful non-romantic tale.

SINGLE 8 is an excellent look at how Star Wars influenced a generation of filmmakers who picked up cameras and made films. I lived some of this.

(Reviews started to drop earlier today so a review of excellent festival opener THE FIRST SLAM DUNK ran co-branded to Fantasia and a review of the must see BEST WISHES TO ALL also ran)

A  couple of films I saw and liked but I'm not doing a full review but I still wanted to mention:

PEOPLE WHO SPEAK TO PLUSHIES ARE KIND is a really good film. See it.

SAGA SAGA is the story of what happens in small town named Saga  when an actress comes home and connects with two other women in the village. This is a very good film that I liked but which didn’t connect with me enough so I’m not doing a review lest it come out negative, which is not at all how I feel about the film. I just don't have the proper words to do it justice.

THE HAND is the story of a young woman with an interest in older men. A tribute of sorts to the Pink film genre (there is a sex scene every 10 minutes) it wasn't, like most films in the genre my cup of tea. However if you like this sort of thing it's recommended.

Regarding the Short films

SILENT MOVIE 

 This film is a delight. 11 silent films from 12 filmmakers unspool over the course of an hour. Narrated by Ichiro Kataoka the films run the gamut from mystery to romance to samurai to kaiju. It’s the cinematic equivalent of box of chocolates where everything you pick up is a delight. This film or collection is an absolute must see.

Flashback Before Death 

An artistic short film about a film returning home and flashing back. It’s a film you will either be enthralled with (there are some wonderful passage) or it’s a film that you will find pretentious. I’m somewhere in the middle.

Okamoto Kitchen

This feels like the first episode of an anime series about food trucks in LA. It’s an amusing film that I would love to see expanded.

Setagaya Game is a very long short (it runs 40 minutes which is the outer length of what is considered a short) about a young man who is forced to play a deadly game. Don’t let the lack of a budget fool you, directors Go and Ken Ohara have a talent for  shooting action and if things break right they will soon be doing something with a big budget.

Having pretty much seen the entire festival I can honestly say it's all good, go buy tickets.

For tickets and more information go here.

The First Slam Dunk (2022) Fantasia 2023 Japan Cuts 2023

With THE FIRST SLAM DUNK Takehiko Inoue has turned his legendary manga into one of the biggest films in Japanese history. Its the story of a high school basketball team battling their way into the the big game. They are led by Ryota, a point guard who learned to love the game from his older brother. Beginning in the big game, the film then flashes back to show us the guys and how they came together.

On the face of it the film shouldn't be as moving as it is. Its a mix of well worn cliches mixed with driving score and gorgeous animation, and normally that would be a sure sign that the film was trying to distract us from any flaws. But the truth is Inoue isn't interested in the flash, but the human. He's crafted a very real and very moving group of guys who we pull for. While the film is mostly focused on Ryota, the truth is everyone is beautifully drawn. We get a sense of them beyond the screen. This is clearly the result of the film coming from a 31 volume manga series, an earlier TV adaption, and several earlier films. The result is a film that moves us and makes us feel well earned emotion.

The animation is impressive. Using a variety of subtle palettes for the different part of the film, the animation adds to the story telling in ways we could never have gotten if this were live action.  For example look at the rich details in the flash back sequences and contrast it with the hard edged game sequences, Yes it all looks essentially the same, but at the same time the differing pen and brush strokes entirely alter our feeling. You can't get that level of image change in anything live action. This is why some films need to be animated.

This film is awesome.  It's a wonderful human tale you need to see on a big screen at Fantasia or Japan Cuts or where ever you can.

Recommended.

BEST WISHES TO ALL (2023) Japan Cuts 2023

If you want a film that is completely unlike any other out there BEST WISHES TO ALL is a just for you. A wild, often surreal ride, the film is a trip into the heart and mind of a young woman who goes to visit her grand parents. It is nominally a look at what makes people happy but it takes some dark and twisted turns. I’s a film that is wild and crazy. It’s not a film that is bright and sunny for it’s whole running time.

You’ll forgive me for my lack of clarity in discussing the film but how you react to the film is going to be determined by how much you know going in. I went into the film literally knowing nothing. I was given a number of Japan Cuts films for review and I simply watched the film blind. That may sound insane, but having been going to Japan Cuts for almost two decades I trust the programmers completely and I’m willing to go where ever they want to take me. Where they wanted to take me was on a wild ride that had me completely engaged and completely unsure of where things were going or how they would play out. This is the sort of magnificent cinematic experience we so rarely get these days.

If you are like me and tired of films that are repeating everything that has gone before, BEST WISHES TO ALL is going to be a breath of fresh air. You may not like where it takes you at times but I’m pretty certain you will be happy you went when the credits roll.