‘My Name Is Yours’: The kids are not alright in this already dated drama
Momoko Fukuda’s film about teenage ennui seems out of step during a time in which the coronavirus pandemic has put many rites of passage on hold.
‘Labyrinth of Cinema’: Nobuhiko Obayashi’s final film is a colorful antiwar fantasy
“Labyrinth of Cinema” bursts with energy, passion and dreamlike invention that immerses the audience in a world that is uniquely Obayashi’s.
Asia short film festival to be held in September after 3-month delay
The Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia, one of Asia's largest film festivals held annually in Tokyo, will take place from Sept. 16 to 27 after being postponed for three months due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, its organizer said Wednesday. The festival, with some ...
‘#Handball Strive’: The team may be fake, but the film is a winner
Daigo Matsui’s comedy about a sham high school handball team feels more like the real deal thanks to a younger cast.
'#Handball Strive' digs into the pitfalls of performing for the 'likes'
Daigo Matsui’s comedy is about a fake handball team that chases Instagram fame and falls victim to online perils.
‘Theatre: A Love Story’: No sparks in this tortured romance
Based on a novel by comedian-turned-author Naoki Matayoshi, “Theatre: A Love Story” centers on a narcissistic playwright and his long-suffering girlfriend.
‘Just the Two of Us’: It’s two against the world in this downbeat drama
In “Just the Two of Us,” Shiori Doi holds her own as a sympathetic blind caretaker for Masatoshi Nagase’s bitter and injured painter.
‘A Tale of the Riverside’: Inn love, with water sprites
Masaki Tsujino’s “A Tale of the Riverside” may at times be more twee than charming, but water sprites are also a welcome addition.
‘The Gun 2020’: Locked, loaded and nowhere to go
“The Gun 2020” revisits the story of Masaharu Take’s 2018 film, “The Gun,” this time with a woman as the weapon-wielding protagonist. A feminist thriller it is not.
‘Japan Sinks: 2020’: When disaster strikes, keep your family close
Masaaki Yuasa’s new anime series about the literal sinking of Japan may hit close to home for viewers, but the main takeaway is that love is the key to survival.
‘I Never Shot Anyone’: This nostalgic neo-noir misses its mark
Junji Sakamoto's neo-noir film about a writer leading a shadowy double life has a cast laden with heavyweight talents, but it doesn’t quite hit the spot.
‘Mother’: When parental bonds turn toxic
Director Tatsushi Ohmori takes a cue from Alfred Hitchcock in “Mother,” a drama about an abusive mother-child relationship that takes a psychological toll on the son.
