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Mifune The Last Samurai (2015)
A documentary about Toshirō Mifune
Filmmaker(s): Steven Okazaki

An account of the life and work of legendary Japanese actor Toshirō Mifune (1920-97), the most prominent actor of the Golden Age of Japanese cinema.

Cut is the strangest thing. If we see too much of something we believe it less. Stories are like this; the things that are left out can carry the agency more powerfully, and often the missing is referenced by the obvious. I like filmmakers that understand...


Published September 22, 2022
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Female Fantasy (2015)

It’s the early morning hours in Stockholm, and the light is pale. A young woman is heading home after a night out. As she is waiting for the bus, a man sits down next to her. Her mind starts racing. When she gets home she can’t stop thinking about what could have happened. She lets her imagination carry her away – and this film takes us right inside her ecstatic fantasy.

Mass Transit short is just barely listed in IMDB, with no reviews or ratings. It has no dialogue. The ‘story’ is simple: a young woman sits next to a guy at a bus stop and has a fantasy about having sex with him. On the...


Published December 15, 2022
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Z is for Zachariah (2015)
After the end of the world she thought she was alone. She was wrong.
Filmmaker(s): Craig Zobel

In the wake of a nuclear war, a young woman survives on her own, fearing she may actually be the proverbial last woman on earth, until she discovers the most astonishing sight of her life: another human being. A distraught scientist, he’s nearly been driven mad by radiation exposure and his desperate search for others. A fragile, imperative strand of trust connects them. But when a stranger enters the valley, their precarious bond begins to unravel.

M is for... ...


Published February 22, 2023
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Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)
Desperate times. Desperate measures.
Filmmaker(s): Christopher McQuarrie

Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet—eradicating 'The Syndicate', an International and highly-skilled rogue organization committed to destroying the IMF.

The Woman the disaster that I consider ‘Barbie’ and the very mixed feelings I have about ‘Wonder Woman’, I’ve been sensitive to how women are often portrayed in action films, how I feel about it, and what would be better. I completely forget what came after...


Published March 9, 2024
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Dinotrux (2015–2017)

Half dinosaur, half construction truck, full-on fun! Watch giant Ty Rux, his little buddy Revvit and the crew come face-to-face with evil D-Structs.

Inner Toys kids have outgrown this by a few years; I suppose it takes that long to have the tendency fade to dismiss it as trivial. I actually have a rather high opinion of this now. These types of things have three layers. There’s the...


Published April 20, 2024
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The Hateful Eight (2015)
No one comes up here without a damn good reason.
Filmmaker(s): Quentin Tarantino

Bounty hunters seek shelter from a raging blizzard and get caught up in a plot of betrayal and deception.

Samsinging use Apple products. I probably would use them even if the experience were poor, if they didn’t give utility, purely because of the privacy issue. But they do give pleasure. Some of that pleasure is in the absolute quality of the user experience. I...


Published October 29, 2024
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Love and Mercy (2014)
The Life, Love and Genius of Brian Wilson
Filmmaker(s): Bill Pohlad

In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip on reality. By the 1980s, under the sway of a controlling therapist, he finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter.

The Sergeant’s Retreat scriptwriter’s obligation is to sketch a world that has enough definition for us to inhabit and understand the influences on the characters within. The default is to make that world simple so we do the least work in engaging. That’s what they...


Published August 22, 2024
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Man from Reno (2014)
The greatest mystery she's ever written. And it could be her last…
Filmmaker(s): Dave Boyle

A mystery outside of San Francisco brings together small-town sheriff Paul Del Moral, Japanese author Aki Akahori, and a traveler from Reno who soon disappears, leaving behind his suitcase and a trail of questions.

Shell Game I continue to find comments original posted to IMDB, deleted because of a complaint by an unseen adversary — and therefore lost. However, a re-viewing brings this later comment. Spoilers here. This is much like ‘Chinatown’ with some ‘Vertigo’ mixed in. Both noirs of...


Published September 20, 2024
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Night Train to Lisbon (2013)
Only when you are lost can you truly find yourself
Filmmaker(s): Bille August

Raimund Gregorius, having saved a beautiful Portuguese woman from leaping to her death, stumbles upon a mesmerizing book by a Portuguese author, which compels him to suddenly abandon the boring life he has led for years and to embark on an enthralling adventure. In search of the author, Gregorius acts as detective, pulling together pieces of a puzzle that involves political and emotional intrigue and the highest possible stakes. His voyage is one that transcends time and space, delving into the realms of history, medicine and love, all in search of true meaning to his life.

Authorship did not work for me, and I would like to discover and report why. It is a film adapted from a successful book, in which (another) book is the primary agent. Both the outer and inner books are deeply philosophical, abstracting themes about life that...


Published December 24, 2024
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The God of Ramen (2013)
Filmmaker(s): Takashi Innami

Every day, people would queue for over two hours for a bowl of ramen. What’s the celebrated chef’s secret ingredient? There is no secret ingredient. In fact, as most fans of Taishoken believe, it’s the charisma of owner Kazuo Yamagishi that attracted people from all around Japan to his modest shop. His personality and love for his craft, combined with a precise mélange of flavours, combined to create perfection in each ramen bowl. This heart-warming documentary is not just for noodle fans, but for anyone who loves to be inspired by passionate people.

Optional Demigods is a tricky one. This documentary is centred on a fellow who is celebrated as the best chef, in precisely the stance we have with ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’. That film predates the release of this but not the beginning of filming. Jiro...


Published February 19, 2025
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