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Cinema Adrift

Film 'Zine (+Site) for Film Freaks
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Japan Cuts 2016: Emi-Abi (Kensaku Watanabe)

July 19, 2016 in Film Reviews

Emi-Abi is an absurdist crowd-pleaser reminiscent of the likes of Fish Story and Inside Llewyn Davis.

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Japan Cuts 2016: Ken and Kazu (Hiroshi Shoji)

July 17, 2016 in Film Reviews

The debut film from Hiroshi Shoji has some of the pratfalls of the crime genre but is able to instill the excitement of an emerging artist.

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Tags: Japanese film, Japan Cuts 2016, Third Window Films
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Japan Cuts 2016: The Whispering Star (Shion Sono)

July 17, 2016 in Film Reviews

The Whispering Star might disappoint those looking for another Suicide Club or even Love & Peace but it's Sono's best film in years and yet another exploration of a post-3/11 world if The Land of Hope can be seen as an exploration of post-3/11 Japan.

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Tags: Japanese film, Sion Sono, The Whispering Star, Japan Cuts 2016
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Japan Cuts 2016: The Shion Sono (Arata Oshima)

July 16, 2016 in Film Reviews

This documentary gives an insightful look into the man and also allows Sono to throw out his constant insights into life, filmmaking, and how to properly treat your canvas.

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Tags: Documentary, Sion Sono, Japanese film, Japan Cuts 2016
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Japan Cuts 2016: The Magnificent Nine (Yoshihiro Nakamura)

July 15, 2016 in Film Reviews

Nakamura's latest has all of the elements of his greatest work, unfortuanely it does not live up to his ouvre or its English title.

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Tags: Japanese film, Japan Cuts 2016, The Magnificent Nine, Sadao Abe, Yoshihiro Nakamura
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Japan Cuts 2016: Lowlife Love (Eiji Uchida)

July 15, 2016 in Film Reviews
Japan Cuts 2016: Lowlife Love (Eiji Uchida)

The latest producing venture from Third Window Films and Greatful Dead director Eiji Uchida is a grand indictment of the Japanese film industry both on the indie level and above. A more cynical The Player if that's even possible.

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Tags: Lowlife Love, Eiji Uchida, Adam Torel, Japanese film, Japan Cuts 2016, Greatful Dead, Filmmaking
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Japan Cuts 2016: Bitter Honey (Gakuryu Ishii)

July 14, 2016 in Film Reviews

Gakuryu Ishii's latest film is a whimsical tale of artist and muse/creator and creation that features one of the most enjoyable, must see performances from Fumi Nikaido.

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Tags: Japanese film, Ren Osugi, Fumi Nikaido, Gakuryu Ishii, Japan Cuts 2016, Mitsu no aware, Bitter Honey
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Japan Cuts 2016: Mohican Comes Home (Shuichi Okita)

July 12, 2016 in Film Reviews

Shuichi Okita's latest sports one of the best cast families and because of it is one of the better examples of the Japanese family drama.

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Tags: Mohican Comes Home, Shuichi Okita, Japanese film, Akira Emoto, Atsuko Maeda, Ryohei Matsuda, Masako Motai, Japan Cuts 2016, SDAFF 2016
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Curation/Narration: The Beat Goes On - Drafthouse's Kitano Series

July 11, 2016 in Essays/Features

The recent program of five films presented by the Alamo Drathouse Littleton presents a narrative about the great filmmaker that sadly does not do justice to the man.

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Tags: Takeshi Kitano, Violent Cop, Boiling Point, Hana-bi, Zatoichi, Sonatine, Outrage, Ryuzo and the Seven Henchman, A Scene at the Sea, Curation/Narration, Alamo Drafthouse, Getting Any?, Kikujiro, Japanese film
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Film Review: Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made (Jeremy Coon/Tim Skousen)

July 06, 2016 in Film Reviews

The latest documentary from Drafthouse Films will please anyone who knows the blood, sweat, and tears of making a movie as well as anyone who has ever pursued their dream.

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Tags: Raiders!, Drafthouse Films, Documentary
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NYAFF '16: A Bride for Rip Van Winkle (Shunji Iwai)

June 29, 2016 in Film Reviews

Shunji Iwai's latest is a 3-hour masterpiece, subtle yet emotionally complex. Delicate but hard hitting. A cinematic achievement of the highest degree.

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Tags: A Bride for Rip Van Winkle, Shunji Iwai, Haru Kuroki, Japanese film, NYAFF, Cocco, Gou Ayano, SDAFF 2016
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NYAFF '16: What's In the Darkness (Wang Yichun)

June 27, 2016 in Film Reviews

A coming of age story in which a small town murder mystery provides the subplot, this debut feature from Wang Yichun skillfully blends both elements to make a lasting depiction of girlhood during a time rarely seen in Chinese film.

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Tags: Wang Yichun, NYAFF, Chinese film, What's in the Darkness, Memories of Murder, Coming of Age
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NYAFF '16: Heart Attack aka Freelance (Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit)

June 27, 2016 in Film Reviews

This Thai almost rom-com for workaholics successfully allows itself to be a conundrum: energetic yet subdued, highly stylized yet not overtly so. An intelligent depiction of a certain type of driven mind set.

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Tags: Freelance, Heart Attack, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Thai film, NYAFF, Mary is Happy, 36
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NYAFF '16: Alone (Park Hong-Min)

June 25, 2016 in Film Reviews

The sophomore feature from Park Hong-min is usually engaging and at times successfully unsettling waking nightmare that runs only slightly too long for what it is.

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Tags: Alone, Korean film, Park Hong-Min, NYAFF
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NYAFF '16: Twisted Justice (Kazuya Shiraishi)

June 23, 2016 in Film Reviews

Despite its familiarity, Twisted Justice is an indictment of Japan's police departments that is fast paced and features a standout performance from Gou Ayano who anchors the film.

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Tags: Twisted Justice, Gou Ayano, Kazuya Shiraishi, NYAFF, Japanese film
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Film Review: De Palma (Noah Baumbach/Jake Paltrow)

June 21, 2016 in Film Reviews

This two hour journey through De Palma's career solely with the man himself is hard to pinpoint just who it is intended for but proves to be a decent introduction to the man. A glorified DVD extra.

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Tags: Brian De Palma, De Palma, Noah Baumbach, Documentary
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NYAFF '16: What a Wonderful Family! (Yoji Yamada)

June 20, 2016 in Film Reviews

At 84, Yoji Yamada has made a charming family comedy that feels as if it was made fifty years ago.

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Tags: NYAFF, Japanese film, Yoji Yamada, Yu Aoi, What a Wonderful Family!, Yasujiro Ozu, Tokyo Story
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NYAFF '16: Creepy (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

June 20, 2016 in Film Reviews

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's latest film will please both fans of his earlier J-horror work as well as those appreciative of his recent sensibilities.

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Tags: Creepy, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Teruyuki Kagawa, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Japanese film, NYAFF, SDAFF 2016
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DVD-Review: Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise (Robert Mugge, 1980) - Mug-Shot Productions

June 14, 2016 in Blu-ray/DVD

Mugge's definitive documentary portrait of jazz visionary Sun Ra has been brought back into print.

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Tags: Documentary, Sun Ra, Jazz, Robert Mugge, A Joyful Noise
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Blu-Review: Der Fan (Eckhart Schmidt, 1982) - Mondo Macabro

June 08, 2016 in Blu-ray/DVD

The Fan is a twisted coming of age story that slowly burns to a fetishistic denouement. 

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Tags: Mondo Macabro, Der Fan, Eckhart Schmidt, German cinema
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