Movies
Shunichiro Miki going solo. After joining forces with Katsuhito Ishii on earlier projects, Miki seized full creative control over The Warped Forest. The result is one of the weirdest and most mind-boggling absurd comedies I've ever seen. It's pretty much impossible to explain what this film's about, but for the sake of this capsule review I'll give it a shot anyways. Miki's world is filled to the brim with explicitly absurd elements that are to be accepted without any obvious explanation. Things might get a little too repetitive near the end and Miki isn't the most gifted director, but he's certainly a creative force whose particular signature is incomparable to anything I'm familiar with. If you love oddities and you're open to Japanese weirdness, this is a film that must be seen. Read all
A mere 4 years after Katsuhito Ishii made Taste of Tea, he was directing low-budget indie films to stay afloat. It's a remarkable downfall for a director who made one of the most charming films of the 00s. Sorasoi is a cute little film, but hardly equipped to stand out in the yearly downpour of Japanese dramas. Ishii's quirkiness surfaces from time to time, but this is more of a lighthearted drama where kids learn about life during a summer holiday. There are traces of Ogigami's Glasses here, but the acting isn't as good and the presentation feels a little cheap. A nice enough film, but hardly a stand-out.Read all
