K-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces / K-20: Kaijin niju menso den (2008)

I first looked at K-20 because it was written and directed by a woman, Shimako Sato, expecting something similar to Sway or Wild Berries. Boy, was I surprised. What I found instead was a full Spielbergian extravaganza, full of barely credible derring-do told with the same kind of inventive yet nostalgic recreation of the feeling …

Cat’s Eye (1997)

Many Japanese movies were based on manga but few I have seen caught the true comic book experience as well as Cat's Eye. A live action adaptation of an eighties animated TV series, it navigates the space between parody of and love for its early teen story line that makes it a great pleasure for …

Killers on Parade / My Face Red in the Sunset / (1961)

Now and then you come across a movie that is so jaw-droppingly weird that you just don't know where to even start a commentary.  Japan seems to have produced rather more than its share, though I suppose that depends on how you define weird. Certainly, Hausu, Branded to Kill, Princess Raccoon, Demon Pond, Ichi the …