Tag Archives: Japan

Space Dandy Promo

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Enzo Nakamura

Enzo Nakamura writes: I haven’t watched any anime in years. But who can resist Space Dandy? It’s got everything!

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Art Du Jour

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Utagawa Kuniyoshi, “Battlefield Carnage,” c. 1840s

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“Summer Clouds”

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: The 1958 “Summer Clouds” is a sprawling but tightly structured work, one that has an almost mathematical precision to it. Chikage Awashima plays Yae, a war widow doing what she can to sustain herself, her son, and her mother-in-law on a … Continue reading →

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Notes on “Snow Country”

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: An exceptionally beautiful melodrama that, though it never delivers on its narrative and thematic promises, is the kind of thing that seems to live in your memory even as you’re watching it. Director Shiro Toyoda is reminiscent … Continue reading →

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Men Really Have Strange Emotions

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Men really have strange emotions and behave in the most bizarre ways. Sometimes a man will leave a very pretty woman to marry an ugly one. Surely a gentleman who frequents the Palace should choose as his love … Continue reading →

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“Untamed”

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Released in 1957, “Untamed” is an episodic account of a woman’s semi-voluntary trudge towards independence, one that uses the Westernization of Japan as its backdrop. (It’s set during the Taisho period of the early 20th century.) Hideko Takamine — … Continue reading →

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Notes on Two Late Naruse Films

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: “The Stranger Within a Woman,” from 1966, is an unsettling late Naruse that feels a bit like one of Bergman’s ’50s films, especially in its use of the flashback as a structuring device. The plot concerns a … Continue reading →

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“The Living Skeleton”

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: This seaside spook-fest from 1968 shows what can be done with a few good images and a flair for sustained moods. The screenplay, by Kyuzo Kobayashi and Kikuma Shimoiizaka, has something to do with a gang of modern-day pirates, … Continue reading →

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Linkage

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: How Japan keeps Muslims at arm’s length. A short interview with Nassim Taleb. (H/T Paleo Retiree) The Cathedral begins the smearing of Ed Snowden. 25 Things to Know About Sexism & Misogyny in Publishing. The incoherence is … Continue reading →

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“Carmen Comes Home”

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: This sprightly, sweet-spirited comedy from 1951 was the first full-length Japanese film made in color. It features Hideko Takamine and Toshiko Kobayashi as Kin and Maya; they’re a couple of big-city strippers who cause a scandal when they pay a visit to Kin’s hometown, … Continue reading →

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