I was surprised to find myself utterly underwhelmed by my experience with this film. Perhaps a rewatch is in order as I often felt like I just wasn't getting it. Characters seemed to act in inexplicable ways, and what's more, inconsistently. Character arcs seemed to shoot all over the place, and never really resolve. Ultimately the ethics guiding the characters is also one that I can't relate to. I would call it "very Japanese", and did so at the time.…
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Wood Job! 2014
Probably the biggest surprise of 2014's Japanese Film Festival. Going into this film with zero expectations, I have to say I was thoroughly entertained. Wood Job! is the perfect 'inaka' film. A kind of Japanese film which idolises the Japanese hometown that most city dwellers have never known, yet hold in their hearts. The Japanese countryside where men are born into hard work, women are solid foundations, the ancient shinto and folk traditions are observed literally religiously, and the country…
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Kiki's Delivery Service 2014
It's difficult to divorce all notions of Miyazaki's classic adaptation, to the point where one wonders what anybody was thinking attempting to readapt the enormously popular novel '魔女の宅急便'. However if one is able to extricate thoughts of the animated classic when viewing this film, some enjoyment is to be had.
The film does a lot right to start off. The set design is REALLY nice in the way it pops out. It has a sort of quirky colourful feeling that…
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Lady Maiko 2014
Imagine my horror, when, myself, hater of haters when it comes to musicals. Was 5 minutes in to this movie and the first song struck up. Not only that, but it was corny and dramatic beyond belief. "God damn, what have I done?!" I thought, as I considered the two hour trip I'd just made to see this on the big screen as part of the Japanese Film Festival in Melbourne, and prepared to cringe and snore my way through…