Despite its title, Twisters isn’t really about tornadoes. Don’t get me wrong; they serve a vitally important narrative function. They are...

Conquest is dark even by the usual standards of the dark fantasy genre. Armies of savage beast-men roam the untamed wilderness,...

[The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Japan Cuts frequently programs movies about amateur filmmakers—a...

[The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] When introducing Japan Cuts’ recent screening of Toshiharu Ikeda’s...

[The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Kubi is a film of deliciously compelling contradictions. A period...

Nezumikozo Jirokichi—recently screened as part of Japan Cuts’ Shorts Program 2–managed to hit three major categories on my annual...

[The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Look Back opens with a shot that seems simple at first glance, but...

[The following review contains frank descriptions of sexually explicit material (albeit in a tasteful, artistic context); YOU HAVE BEEN...

[The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.] The Box Man is based on a Kobo Abe novel that is—according to my...

Recently, I’ve noticed that some amateur critics online (particularly on Twitter, but elsewhere, as well) tend to evaluate films as...

Despite watching Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence way back in college (on a borrowed DVD copy that I certainly hope I eventually returned...

Czech filmmaker Jiří Barta’s stop motion adaptation of The Pied Piper is a triumph of style as substance. Every frame is both...

The visual style of the 1939 adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is best described as “efficient”—nothing too fancy, but...

[The following review contains SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.] I somehow missed Junya Okabe’s ZVP when it was originally released on...

The Unknown, an unabashedly lurid silent melodrama from the director of Dracula (the Lugosi version) and Freaks, proves beyond a shadow...

[NOTE: For the sake of clarity, this review will refer to relevant characters by the names established in Akira Toriyama’s original...

[The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Inside Out 2 is cute, charming, and—if the enthusiastic response of...

Star vehicles for musicians are hardly a rarity in Hollywood—after all, creatively bankrupt studio executives are perfectly willing to...

[The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] I. Living Off the Corpse of the Old World Come on, Max. Tell me your...

Premise: Before embarking upon their legendary expedition to discover strange new worlds, the iconic crew of the Enterprise must conquer...