Author: Dustin Dunaway
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
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
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
A film about the intersection of sexuality with food might initially feel like a pretty out-there pitch. However, anyone casually considering the topic will find that the concepts of hunger and desire are far more intertwined than we may readily want to admit. In Sexual Drive, writer/director Kota Yoshida explores this theme across three different
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
Fans of serialized tokusatsu shows or classic anime OVAs from the 80s and 90s will find themselves right at home checking out this entry at the 2021 Japan-Filmfest Hamburg (JFFH). The story follows the adorable but cold Kirin, a girl who travels across Japan seeking other yokai that have become overwhelmed with evil intentions so
“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.” -Friedrich Nietzche Last year, cinema fans worldwide were able to engage and appreciate the talents of director Macoto Tezuka (officially romanized as Tezka and used here to denote between father and son) thanks to Third Window Films’ restoration and
Winterbeast. Holy shit. Winterbeast. That’s about the quickest summation I can give of the feeling one has while watching this treat of regional filmmaking. It remains the sole creation of the film’s writer/director Christopher Thies and is a marvel of independent filmmaking that’s sure to excite fans of schlock cinema and the truly weird. For
Today I want to talk about a little film called Avatar. No, not the bloated CGI-laden thinly-veiled sci-fi retelling of Disney’s Pocahontas directed by James Cameron Avatar, I’m talking about the 2011 J-Horror movie directed by Atsushi Wada. Sure, it’s the only Japanese horror film with the title but unfortunately, the general headspace for most