Category Archives: Uncategorized

Further on from my train of thought in the previous post, I saw Ali, a guitar band from Indonesia at the Field of Heaven in the late afternoon. Apropos that stage, their music is spacey and ethnic, a kind of … Continue reading →

They keep saying this is the 25th anniversary of FRF’s move to Naeba, which is technically true, but I prefer to think 2024 is the 26th year the festival has been in Naeba. Yeah, a trivial distinction, but just saying. … Continue reading →

Walked around the grounds this morning before the music started. The festival has definitely downsized since I was last here in 2019. The World Food Court is essentially gone. Field of Heaven only had six vendors, whereas five years ago … Continue reading →

On May 3, which is Constitution Day in Japan, prominent right wing pundit Yoshiko Sakurai held a symposium in Tokyo on the Constitution, which she wants to amend in order to establish the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) as a full-fledged national … Continue reading →

Having had no emotional investment in Marvel Comics since I was 10 I have little to say about the Marvel Cinematic Universe that’s critically meaningful, since the whole point of the MCU is stoking established fans’ passions for the various … Continue reading →

The inspiration for Alasdair Gray’s novel on which Yorgos Lanthimos based his movie is Frankenstein, though Lanthimos tends to make fun of the more serious themes that Mary Shelley traded in, particularly the idea of a man aspiring to be … Continue reading →

On Jan. 5, three of Japan’s top business lobbies held a joint New Year’s press conference and one of the topics discussed was the disaster in Ishikawa Prefecture, in particular how it might affect the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, whose progress … Continue reading →

Here are links to the articles I wrote for this year’s TIFF website. Thanks to Karen Severns. Gondola Q&A Sermon to the Birds Q&A A Long Shot Q&A Blind at Heart Q&A Zhang Yimou masterclass Tatami Q&A Roxana Q&A Tony … Continue reading →

Khozy Rizal served double duty at the 28th Busan International Film Festival. On the one hand, his short film, Basri & Salma in a Never-ending Comedy, was part of the special program Renaissance of Indonesian Cinema. But he was also … Continue reading →