Film / Reviews Nov 25, 2020
‘Underdog’: This two-part boxing epic packs a punch
by Mark Schilling
Director Masaharu Take’s 276-minute film was inspired by Martin Scorsese’s boxing saga “Raging Bull.”
Film / Reviews Jul 9, 2020
‘The Gun 2020’: Locked, loaded and nowhere to go
by James Hadfield
“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.
Film / Reviews Nov 7, 2018
'The Gun': A blast of stylish nihilism
by James Hadfield
Chekhov's principle about how you can't introduce a gun in the first act of a story without using it later on might also apply to Toru (Nijiro Murakami). When the university student impulsively snatches a pistol from a dead body he finds by a riverside ...
Film / Reviews Jan 10, 2018
'We Make Antiques!': A caper flick that's the genuine artifact
by Mark Schilling
One of my guilty pleasures is watching "Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan," which translates loosely as "Get Lucky! The 'Anything Goes' Appraisal Team" in English. It has been airing on TV Tokyo since 1994 and has encouraged countless folks to unearth family treasures for inspection by ...
Film / Reviews Jan 7, 2015
100 Yen Love: Punching your way out of an old paper bag
by Mark Schilling
Boxing films share a similar arc, typically climaxing in a big bout that decides everything — at least everything relevant to the hero's fate. This does not always means triumph, as fans of the "Rocky" series know, but even in defeat the hero usually ...