Asian

Based upon the case of Sada Abe, who on May 17, 1936 killed and emasculated her lover. These events took place during a period of war, economic depression, public unease and growing militarism, a time of unrest and confusion when public opinion was, at best, unpredictable. Sada, condemned by the law, found herself lionized by the press and hailed as a ‘saint’ of love. Because she committed murder out of passion, the purity of her motivation elevated her from the status of criminal to that of popular heroine.Read More »

Synopsis
Francis (Bosco Francis) is a man at the end of his tether. He has a 10-year-old son he loves desperately, but sorrow, guilt and constant inebriation have made him an ineffectual father. The son (Jathisweran) is a stoic ‘old soul’ who has learned to bury is affection for his old man and to cope with his chaotic life. A broken spirit and a single parent, Francis hopes to redeem himself and win his son’s love and respect. He makes a painful – and bizarre – return to magic. An unexpected incident one night sets father and son on the road. In dilapidated building, these two wounded souls come to terms with their love – a love which is as deep and acute as their grief.Read More »

Tateo is a young man living in a small rural village. He is a credit bank clerk, but his work is tedious. He tends to be interested in sex, but he does not quite fit in with the sexually loose milieu. The only thing he is really interested in is cinema. He dreams of becoming a screenwriter and writes some fragmentary scripts. But he cannot find any good subjects around him. Pretty much everything there is boring to him. One day, Tamami, his neighbour’s daughter, comes back from Osaka, where she worked in a cabaret. And things start slightly changing.Read More »

Reiko is a journalist who travels to Nagaoka to report on the victims of the Tohoku earthquake. She will also run into her ex-boyfriend Kenichi, who hopes to convince her to star in a play based on the bombing the city underwent during the Second World War. Through his magnificent and unmistakable signature, Ôbayashi reflects on Japan’s historical wounds.Read More »

Komori Tiaki is a budding tennis student, however one day in training her coach hits the ball into her eye accidently. She is taken to hospital but it advised that she will never regain the sight in her eye. Her coach knows of a mysterious doctor ‘Blackjack’ who lives in a secluded house, who might be able to help. ‘Blackjack’ agrees to do the operation, but for a ‘substantial reward’! Her sight is regained, but now she starts to see a mysterious man that is invisible to those around her…..Read More »

Yong-hyun moves into a creepy apartment which seems somehow familiar to him. His apartment was formerly occupied by a writer who burned to death in his room, but that doesn’t seem to bother the detached young taxi driver. Across the hall from him is Jin-young who endures daily beatings from her husband. Her husband knows of a brutal murder that occurred about 30 years ago within the walls of this building and mysteriously touches on all their lives. Strange secrets begin to reveal themselves sending the characters down a path of terror… (from IMDB)Read More »

Mitamura Yuka is a normal, shy high school student… Except for the fact that she has psychic powers. When a new student with similar powers begins to show her skills, creating a force of psychic Nazi student enforcers, Yuka and her friends vow to stop her. But behind it all is a mysterious force that will put Yuka’s powers to the ultimate test!Read More »

“The Lianhua Film Company became the leading progressive studio of the 1930s. Symphony of Lianhua 1937 is a rarely seen showcase of short films by eight directors, many of whom later worked in Hong Kong. Cai Chusheng’s Five Little Brothers is an early cinematic exploration of children’s lives and Zhu Shilin’s contribution is one of the first Chinese horror films. Other films range from comedy to social realism.Read More »

Quote:
Stray Dog is an intense criminal story that examines the psychology of the characters as in compares the similarities between criminals and detectives. These similarities are balanced on a thin line based on choice, which Kurosawa dissects studiously through the camera lens. Kurosawa’s investigation of the character’s psychology creates a spiraling suspense that is enhanced through subtle surprises and brilliant cinematography. The camera use often displays shots through thin cloths, close ups, and new camera angles, which also makes the film aesthetically appealing. When Kurosawa brings together camera work and cast performance, among other cinematic aspects, he leaves the audience with a brilliantly suspenseful criminal drama, which leaves much room for introspection and retrospection.Read More »