Tag: Film Festival
There is probably no better place to start discussing Yakuza Princess than with its setting of Sao Paulo, Brazil. As the film quickly points out in its introduction, Sao Paulo has the largest concentration of individuals of Japanese descent outside of Japan. Centered around the Japanese community in the Liberdade neighborhood, there are estimated to
At a dilapidated farmhouse that is slowly decaying Josiah (Robert Patrick), the aging patriarch of the Graham family ekes out a defeated existence boozing his way through his remaining life while being looked after by his son Tommy (Scott Haze). Elsewhere, down on his luck former convict Eli (Nick Stahl) struggles between the sheriff who
Proposing itself as an intimate look at a killer, Eri’s Murder Diary caught my attention among the many titles at Japan Film Fest Hamburg. Directed by newcomer Koji Degura, I was excited to take a deep dive into the mind of a killer and see what I would find. What Is It About? Looking to
Set to screen at the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival, Story of a Southern Islet rests as Malaysia’s only entry into the prestigious festival. Having found myself intently interested on the new wave of horror films coming out of the region, I was excited for a chance to get Ket Aun Chong’s debut film, particularly off his
Japan seems to have nailed the absurdist comedy, whether that’s big budget to small indie features, no other country is comparable in wit at embracing the peculiar. Available at Japan Film Fest Hamburg, the festival always boasts a wonderful mix of genres, but their choices for absurdist cinema always seem to be spot on. Enter
It feels like there is constant chatter online about the decline of the horror genre. Yet, for every hollow remake and safe studio engineered big-budget vehicle, there is a wealth of captivating and impressive features trickling through if you go looking for them. Just within the last five to six years, I’m consistently amazed at
One of the biggest highlights of the Japan Film Fest Hamburg rests within the diverse selection of short films. For the audience, this means getting the chance to see original shorts seldom screened outside of Japan and unlikely to ever release in the West. The fest embracing multiple genres, too, ensures a varied experience. This
Rob Schroeder delivers one incredible directorial debut with this aesthetically lush and deliciously convoluted mystery box film. After his car breaks down during a storm, our protagonist Glen (Vincent Kartheiser) seeks shelter at the nearby home of married couple Art (Bob Stephenson) and Cyndi (Chelsea Lopez). This strange encounter sets into motion a series of
Fishing doesn’t have the best reputation in fiction. Going off literature and film and Dick Cheney, one gets the impression it’s boring, it’s vaguely cruel, and it mostly serves as an excuse for men to get away from their demanding brides. That excuse was the basis for plenty of 90s old bro comedies – Ann
One of the more curious selections to be found on the lineup for the 2021 Japan-Filmfest Hamburg (JFFH). Crowded in among the various alluring arthouse features and more straightforward bombastic exploitation flicks, you’ve got director Shingo Kanemoto’s raunchy little black comedy that is sure to leave viewers amused or storming off in disgust in equal