It is shocking that Silence Has No Wings has so few views. As with most Japanese New Wave films, it tackles many social and political issues specific to Japan. There is no shortage of visually engaging and thematically dense films from the Japanese New Wave era, but what makes this one stick out from an impressive collection of films is its form and structure. Kuroko Kazuo opted to go without traditional narrative techniques; instead, he presents the viewer with a…

Last Life in the Universe remains one of my favorite films of all time, even after multiple watches. I have revisited it at various points in my life, and it always hits the same. Rarely have I ever felt such a personal connection to the dialogue, characters, and vibes of a film. It is a moody cinema masterpiece.

Kenji, played by favorite actor Tadanobu Asano, is a lonely, suicidal, obsessive-compulsive librarian. He is also a Japanese man working in Thailand…

Journey to the Beginning of Time is a magical and fun cinematic experience. The production for the film is fascinating and incredibly impressive for the time. I was pleasantly surprised by how educational the film was, too. It's a children's movie, and the premise is as simple as some children rowing through different eras. Still, it does not disappoint when it comes to capturing childlike curiosity and wonderment.

Life has been a bit rough for me lately, so watching a…

Come and See is about as emotionally draining as a film can be. It depicts all the horrors and tragedies of war through the eyes of a teenage boy. The film's title feels like a provocation of sorts, inviting the viewer to peek at just how low humanity has gone and will continue to go. By the end of the film, I had a hard time processing all of my emotions. It is depressing to know that humans treated each…

Day #12 of Japanuary!

Continuing with the theme of watching Japanese films throughout January, I decided to watch another film directed by Akira Kurosawa.

Seven Samurai is arguably one of the most important films to watch if you are going to consider yourself a true fan of Japanese cinema. I had been putting it off due to the runtime and not being the biggest samurai movie fan, but also because I wanted to watch some of Kurosawa's other films first.…