SORRY / APRIL SCREENING / RECS FOR SOME GOOD OLD JAPANESE FILMS

The club’s March screening was a dud due to tech issues. Apologies for that. I’ll try to reschedule ‘Cure’ for another screening in the next few months as it’s a film that deserves to be watched in a cinema.

Please do let me know over email or Instagram if you haven’t received your refund for ‘Cure’.

April’s Filum screening will be CHESS OF THE WIND (1976, Iran) a most subversive gothic thriller banned by the royal government and then banned again by the theologians in power from 1979 - come see why at the Genesis April 23rd.

SOME RECOMMENDATIONS

I did have an article ready2go on ‘Cure’ but I’ll save that for when we screen it. Instead, I’m recommending a whole three old Japanese films, with links to watch. For satire, anime, and ballroom dancing, read on.

GIANTS & TOYS (1958)

A sharp satire of corporate capitalism in Japan lampooning the advertising industry and the celebrity machine. Reminded me of the American film by Robert Downey, ‘Putney Swope’, in its tone. Highlights are the saturated colours, the laugh-out-loud dialogue (despite the language barrier), and Kyoshi’s (above) ‘jazz’ song and dance number.

Watch on Arrow Player (7-day free trial if you subscribe on Amazon Prime)

GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995)

With unforgettable animation, this landmark cyberpunk classic follows counter-cyberterrorist Major Motoko Kunsanagi - who has the consciousness of a human inside a machine body - as she hunts a hacker called The Puppet Master. Watch for complex themes of technology and human existence, an epic choral soundtrack, and an ending dense with possible interpretations.

Watch on All 4

SHALL WE DANCE? (1996)

A salaryman takes ballroom dancing lessons to spice up his drab life. Koji Yakusho stars in this colourful romantic comedy that celebrates the joy of self expression - the last sequence is achingly heartwarming without being over-sentimental. Naoto Takenaka’s Aoiki, a salaryman colleague, is another highlight. Maybe a good film to watch after some horrifically nihilistic J-Horror.

Watch on YouTube 

Next newsletter to come April 9th - announcing this to foster some accountability.

Thanks for reading!

-Aki