News by Matt S. I often complain about how difficult it is to access Japanese cinema here in Australia. The Japanese Film Festival (JFF) is a noble effort to right that balance, and in 2022, they’re offering an online event that allows you to stream 17 films, completely free. These…
Read MoreGame Theory by Matt S. The seven-entry narrative arc that comprises the Yakuza series (0 through to 6) is considered by many to be a crowning glory of video game storytelling, and rightfully so. The arc takes Kiryu, his friends, rivals and special ward (Haruka) from impetuous youngsters right through…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. Cinemas are closed and a trip downtown is increasingly looking like something from an apocalyptic nightmare, but that’s no reason to miss out on the kind of culture that only a film festival can provide. The Japan Foundation in Sydney has launched a streaming service to…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. Yesterday brought some great news; a selection of Studio Ghibli films would be coming to Australia (and most of the rest of the world) on Netflix. In total, 21 classic animated films will be coming across three “waves” – seven per month over three months. These…
Read MoreTelevision by Matt S. A second season to one of the best hidden gems on Netflix landed fairly recently. I missed that release, whenever it was (perhaps I was in Japan at the time), but after noticing that it was there a couple of nights ago, I’ve since binged the…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. A fair few months ago, a trailer for the upcoming Sonic film was released… and it looked terrible. So terrible, in fact, that the entire Internet seemed to blow up at the creators, who rapidly announced that they were going to go right back to the…
Read MoreFilm review by Matt S. When it comes to history, the Japanese anime, manga and games space has the unique ability to make eras and events that we in the west might be completely unfamiliar with accessible. As I’ve said many times before, Samurai Warriors was what got me interested…
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Film review by Matt S. Japanese cinema has had a long tradition of embracing transgression. From the modern auteurs such as Sono Sion and Miike Takashi, through to the great master of the form, Fukasaku Kinji, Japanese filmmaking and transgression have been so closely linked that the people have even…
Read MoreList by Matt S. Studio Ghibli is rightfully celebrated across the world for its contributions to cinema, as “Japan’s Disney,” only with a far greater emphasis on the artistry and storytelling potential of animation than Disney’s mass-market commercialisation. As one of Japan’s greatest exports, Ghibli, helped by two of the…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. In the latest installment of Hollywood’s ongoing efforts to make everything in history about America, it is now making a film about the nuclear bomb attack on Hiroshima… and in a move that will surprise absolutely no one, it’s also making that film all about a…
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