Film / Reviews Nov 5, 2020
‘Ora, Ora Be Goin’ Alone’: Grandma isn’t done living life to the fullest
by Mark Schilling
Shuichi Okita’s film about a lonely elderly woman searching for meaning in her life presents old age with humor and pathos.
Film / Reviews May 16, 2018
'Mori, the Artist's Habitat': A delightful dip into a creator's world
by Mark Schilling
Fact-checking biopics is an easy game for critics to play since nearly all films about real people fudge facts or even outright lie to tell a story. I've played the game myself, but in the case of Shuichi Okita's delightful "Mori, the Artist's Habitat," ...
Film Feb 22, 2017
Kanji Furutachi: Reacting to Japan's film industry
by Mark Schilling
Over the years I've heard many complaints about the bad acting in Japanese films, from the hammy emoting of over-indulged veterans to the amateurish turns of "idols" cast more for their agency connections than any perceptible talent. I've added to this chorus of negativity, ...
Film Dec 21, 2016
A new wave of Japanese filmmakers matches the old
by Mark Schilling
Nearly two decades after the Japanese New Wave of the 1990s, the directors who led it, including Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Hirokazu Koreeda and Naomi Kawase, are still the local industry's most prominent faces abroad. But this year a new generation of filmmakers has finally started ...
Film / Reviews Apr 13, 2016
Okita keeps every hair in place
by Mark Schilling
Millions of Japanese have come from the countryside to find their fortunes in Tokyo, with most arriving in the postwar boom when jobs were everywhere and the future looked bright. But many, like the punk rocker hero of Shuichi Okita's offbeat, warm-hearted family comedy ...
Film / Reviews Nov 12, 2014
Ecotherapy Getaway Holiday: Finding feminism on the way to a waterfall
by Mark Schilling
Doesn't every kid imagine being lost in the woods? The mental outcome, of course, is always positive as you follow the first stream you find back to civilization and safety. But in reality, a little disorientation can be a scary thing, as I learned in ...
Film Dec 26, 2013
Mark Schilling's 2013 Top 10: Farewell to Ghibli's anime masters
by Mark Schilling
Japanese films did quite well both commercially and critically in 2013, with Hayao Miyazaki's final feature animation, "Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises)," thumping the Hollywood competition at the local box office. But the industry's over-reliance on sure-thing manga, TV shows and novels for source ...