February 18, 2015 - "The Wind Rises" (2013)

The Wind Rises, 2013
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Origin: Japan
Languages: Japanese | German | Italian | French
Running time: 126 minutes

Master animator Hayao Miyazaki spins a decades-spanning tale inspired by the life of Jirô Horikoshi, designer of the World War II fighter plane the Zero. Too nearsighted to become a pilot, Jirô settles for building planes, with spectacular results. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Rated PG-13 for some disturbing images and smoking
U.S. box office: $5,201,879

Watch the trailer on IMDB.

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Review of last week's film ("The French Minister", 3 stars)
Steven says: This is much more than a slapstick comedy. There is some depth of character and insights into how government offices work, even in the face of debilitating bureaucracy. The foreign affairs minister gets extra points for passion and conviction.

August 27, 2014 - "Like Father, Like Son" (2013)

Like Father, Like Son, 2013
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Origin: Japan
Language: Japanese
Running time: 121 minutes

When successful businessman Ryota Nonomiya learns that his 6-year-old son was switched at birth with another child, he and his wife must decide whether to seek out their biological son or choose the boy they've been raising. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $278,442
Watch the trailer on IMDB.

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Review of previous film ("Fill the Void", 4 stars)
Steven says: This is a beautiful film that shines a bright light on an orthodox Jewish community, its traditions, and its reaction to a tragic event. You'll learn a lot about this religious community from the inside. And you'll wonder how someone can make such difficult and dutiful decisions.

January 29, 2014 - "The Makioka Sisters" (1983)

The Makioka Sisters, 1983

Director: Kon Ichikawa
Origin: Japan
Language: Japanese
Running time: 140 min

Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Kon Ichikawa's epic is set in the 1930s and centers on four privileged sisters from Osaka, Japan, whose war-torn, enmeshed lives intersect as they seek both traditional and modern marriages. Based on Junichiro Tanizaki's novel of the same name, Ichikawa's tale, which unfolds against a lavish background of wealth and cultural customs, stars Keiko Kishi, Yoshiko Sakuma, Sayuri Yoshinaga and Yûko Kotegawa. (from Netflix.com)

Watch the trailer on YouTube.

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Review of last week's film ("The Hunt" 4 stars)
Steven says: From the mouths of babes come cuteness and, in this film, debilitating accusations. It's hard to fathom how quickly someone's existence can implode when faced with damning testimony, no matter how erroneous. And it's even worse to know that life can never really go back to normal. The tribal nature of humans can be comforting in times of need; it can also be be scary when it clicks into protection mode.

July 31, 2013 - "I Wish" (2011)

I Wish, 2011
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Origin: Japan
Language: Japanese
Running time: 128 minutes

When he learns that a bullet train will soon connect the city where his mother lives to the city where his estranged father resides, young lad Koichi and his kid brother hatch a wildly imaginative plan to use the new train to reconnect their parents. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $145,697
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
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Review of last week's film ("Found Memories", 5 stars) 
Steven says: Stunning cinematography in a simply lovely film. Each scene is meticulously framed and staged for maximum beauty. And without feeling mystical, the film makes you wonder if the characters are real or simply forgotten memories. After you have time to think about the possibilities, I think a second viewing is in order, to relive the simple beauty and ponder alternate realities.

April 3, 2013 - "Ju Dou" (1990)

Ju Dou, 1990

The first of three films we're screening from Chinese director Yimou Zhang.




Director: Yimou Zhang
Origin: Japan | China
Language: Mandarin
Running time: 94 min

In this romantic tragedy, Chinese director Yimou Zhang's visually sumptuous cinematography complements the sensual story line in which the abused wife (Gong Li) of a wealthy silk dyer (Li Wei) enters into an affair with her husband's nephew (Li Bao-tian). Arresting images, exquisite use of color and a classic yet complex plot combine for a richly satisfying drama that earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $1,986,433 

Watch the trailer on YouTube.

Read Yimou Zhang's biography from the New York Times.

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Review of last week's film (Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, 3.5 stars)
Steven says: This is a movie of extremes -- extreme normalcy and extreme violence, though we only experiece the latter through secondhand reactions and storyline. Within those two extremes, two strangers thrown together figure out that their cultural differences can be overcome to create a friendship, and maybe more. Much of the cultural references are lost on non-Indian viewers, but the story is still worth the time to see additional perspectives on this centuries-old issue of clashing cultures.

June 8, 2011 - Still Walking (2008)

Still Walking, 2008
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Origin: Japan
Language: Japanese
Running time: 114 minutes

To commemorate his brother's death by accidental drowning 15 years earlier, Ryota Yokoyama (Hiroshi Abe) and his new wife reunite with the rest of his family, only to discover that his parents are still overcome with grief. Writer-director Hirokazu Koreeda offers this deeply compelling reflection on the bond -- sometimes resilient, sometimes fragile -- between family members. Yoshio Harada and Ryôga Hayashi co-star. (from Netflix.com)

We've also screened Koreeda's film "Nobody Knows" during a previous season.

MPAA rating: Not rated
U.S. box office: $163,512