Blockbusters weren’t always rollercoasters, and this film harkens back to the old days. At the end of World War II, a Japanese kamikaze pilot not only dishonourably flees combat, but also witnesses a terrifying sight: a gigantic monster that threatens all of Japan. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, and produced by Toho Studios, the original studio…
Tag: Japan
Review: Silence
Well, this was sobering. But I’m not sure what I think of it… In the 1600s two young Catholic priests journey to Japan, seeking their mentor who has apparently been converted from the faith during his work as a Christian Missionary. They journey however, becomes more like a battle of beliefs. Director Martin Scorsese is…
Review: Ace Attorney
OBJECTION! What, this wasn’t the video game adaptation you were expecting today? Ryuuichi Naruhodou is a young defense attorney at law, literally working his way out of the broom closet, he finds himself embroiled in The DL-6 Case, a case that involves mysticism, the murder of his mentor and the implication of a childhood colleague….
Review: Kubo and the Two Strings
Ahhh. That nice feeling of watching something original. Kubo is a young son of a warrior who is maimed as a baby by The Moon King and is raised by his mother as a storyteller. Now older he lives in isolation, with his injured mother, hiding from the Moon King’s servants who wish to take…
Review: The Forest
A Hollywood produced psychological horror set in Japan following a young American woman trying to find her sister who has become lost in the notorious “suicide forest” that actually exists on the banks of Mount Fuji. Trying to not sound too snobby, but I feel as though The Forest could have been better served as a…
Review: Ichi the Killer
(Originally published October 2011) Before Saw, there was Ichi the Killer; a Japanese film based on the manga and anime, stretched the boundaries of what cinema could get away with. Directed by Audition‘s Takashi Miike and taking place in Japan’s gangland society, the story follows two unique but equally sadistic individuals. One is a pain-relishing…
Saga Review: X-Men (2000 – 2016)
I love my X-Men movies, but it shouldn’t be any surprise to Cinema Cocoa readers that I did not follow the comics… in fact these films were all I knew about them! Let’s not waste any more time, we have six films to go through! X-Men (2000) You know what worries me the most about…
Review: Godzilla (2014)
I didn’t like my first attempt at reviewing Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla, it was too much of a rant for my tastes, so I took the time to watch the film again. It really has been 2014’s most divisive film yet and I wanted to be sure of my original opinion (You can’t say I’m not…
Review: Vexille
From the creators of Appleseed comes an anime movie that has a lot of squandered potential. Ready for a strange way to find out about a movie? Some time ago, I discovered one of my favourite video games had a song by The Prodigy (one of my favourite bands), but I had trouble finding the…