Cinema Escapist
Exploring the world and self through a cinematic lens
This movie helps explain why Turkey and Japan are such good friends
BY Anthony Kao
"Ertugrul 1890" reveals how it all starts with a century-old disaster.
Review: Lowlife Love (Japan, 2016)
BY Akshay Suggula
A 2016 black comedy that skewers the Japanese film industry in a tale of sex and failure.
5 Japanese movies (and 3 shorts) to watch if you love cats
BY Anthony Kao
Like cats? Like Japanese movies? Check out these Japanese movies with cats!
Review: Your Name (Japan, 2016)
BY Jake Goldwasser
Makato Shinkai's 2016 film "Your Name" is a vibrantly-animated meditation on memory in Japanese culture, told through the story of a teenage body swap.
Review: If Cats Disappeared from the World (Japan, 2016)
BY Anthony Kao
A heartfelt Japanese film with a somewhat misleading title (fortunately).
Review: The Eternal Zero (Japan, 2013)
BY Jordan Li
2013 was a good year for Japanese aviation fans. Hayao Miyazaki released his magnum opus The Wind Rises, a fictionalized biopic of Jiro Horikoshi (the...
Review: Outrage (Japan, 2010)
BY Anthony Kao
In an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japanese director Takeshi Kitano discussed how, for his 2010 film Outrage, his only ambition was to be entertaining....
Review: Kabukicho Love Hotel (Japan, 2014)
BY Akshay Suggula
Steamy sex scenes, dark secrets, and broken dreams —“pink film” kingpin Ryuichi Hiroki does it again. A multi-threaded drama featuring a Korean call girl, an aspiring...
Review: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Japan, 2006)
BY Anthony Kao
Imagine if one day, while carrying papers into a chemistry classroom, you fall upon a walnut that grants you the ability to–literally–jump through time. This...
Review: Neko Samurai (Japan, 2014)
BY Anthony Kao
What do you get when you cross the internet’s favorite animal with sword-wielding Japanese warriors? Well, something a lot like the 2014 Japanese comedy-drama Neko...
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Review: Menashe (United States, 2017)
By Jake Goldwasser, 10 Sep 17
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Review: Lowlife Love (Japan, 2016)