shinya tsukamoto

Japan Cuts XVII Review: Shinya Tsukamoto’s SHADOW OF FIRE, Just Like A Prayer

4 min. read The tainted, bleak interior shots of a small pub diner are just an incremental hint of the larger setting of Fires On The Plain and Killing director Shinya Tsukamoto’s newest drama, Shadow Of Fire. When the woman who runs it (Shuri) isn’t sleeping, she’s at the beckoncall of men who pay their way for room and board, as well as her conjugal services. The work is far from pleasant – albeit an extension of the far deteriorating condition the surrounding village is in, suffering in the aftermath of World War II as people are hungry and desperate. One such person comes in the form of a young war orphan (Oga Tsukao) often dismissed as a thief by other neighbors, and a wayward soldier (Hiroki Kono) looking for a place to rest and drink. The woman and the soldier eventually strike an unwritten agreement to live together as […]

Shinya Tsukamoto’s SHADOW OF FIRE: The Residual Ruin Of Wartorn Lives Explored In The First Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Formerly-titled “The Post-War Project,” is writer/director Shinya Tsukamoto’s next offering, with a teaser now online for roaring period drama, Shadow Of Fire (or Hokage). Featuring actress Shuri, the film centers on the lives of three people in a dilapidated pub left standing amid the black market-driven ruins of World War II: A woman who sells her body to make a living, a war orphan, and a demobilised soldier suffering from PTSD. Shuri, whose lead role in Kosai Sekine’s Love At Least (2018) won her Newcomer of the Year at the 42nd Japan Academy Awards, is joined by burgeoning talent Oga Tsukao, actor Hiroki Kono who previously appears in delinquent thriller Demekin (2017) and Shin’ichirô Ueda’s Special Actors (2019), and Mirai Moriyama whose credits partly include two-part boxing drama Underdog (2020), and Shin Kamen Rider (2023). “It’s about a fire and the everchanging shadows it casts on its surroundings,” said Tsukamoto, […]

HIRUKO THE GOBLIN: Shinya Tsukamoto’s 2K-Restored 1991 Thriller Scores Japan Cuts Premiere This Month!

Lee B. Golden III

Japan Cuts: Festival Of New Japanese Film is gearing up for its hybridized and fifteenth festival installment launching on August 20 through September 2. For this, you’re welcome to hit this tag and check out the 2021 coverage so far, which includes the full line-up, as well as a few reviews already making headway online. This now brings us to the latest addition to this year’s festivities, Hiruko the Goblin, Shinya Tsukamoto’s 1991 sophomore directing move. Just in time for its 30th anniversary, the film was handed a 2K restoration for its recent theatrical outing in Japan last month, and will now follow accordingly with an international premiere as part of the Japan Cuts XV line-up. Read on, and start looking into Japan Cuts for your summer J-moviegoing needs! Brought onboard to adapt two stories from acclaimed manga artist Daijiro Morohoshi (whose widespread influence has been cited by Hayao Miyazaki […]

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JAPAN CUTS Review: 21 Years Later, Shinya Tsukamoto’s BULLET BALLET Still Hits Its Mark

Lee B. Golden III

Just shy of half a century is how long its been since director Shinya Tsukamoto entered filmmaking. He’s become one of the most celebrated filmmakers of this generation next to the likes of Takashi Miike and Sono Sion, and for good reason, aptly applying his visionary and stylish craft to numbers like his 1998 film, Bullet Ballet. Granted, Tsukamoto’s accolades didn’t come without some requisite pot-stirring along the way, which is exactly what Bullet Ballet achieved at the time, becoming one of the most polarizing pieces of work. Some critics have taken a liking to his “aggro art” style more so than others in the years since surfacing on the cinema map. The film certainly even goes out of its way breaking all sorts of rules during the more raucousing moments of action and danger, culminating its psychedelic, trippy, edgy indie feel to go hand-in-hand with its 35mm black-and-white lensing. […]

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JAPAN CUTS Review: Shinya Tsukamoto’s KILLING Cuts Deep Into The Existential And Horrific

Lee B. Golden III

Shinya Tsukamoto’s latest film takes a toll on the senses with Killing, a chilling eight-minute chanbara drama that suitably provides a template on which the multi-hat wearing filmmaker gets to exhibit the more visionary ends of his craft. The story and setting are encompassed by a foreboding undertone in Killing in which we engage the story of Mokunoshin Tsuzuki (Sosuke Ikematsu), a samurai tentatively housed with a farming family. Partaking on his share of the workload, he also spars at wooden swords with the son of the family Ichisuke (Ryusei Maeda), whose sister, Yu (Yu Aoi), shares all but concern regard her brother’s desire to be as talented a samurai as is their guest. The same goes for Tsuzuki who plans on leaving for Edo very soon for the battlefield. One day, a chance meeting with Jiaremon Sawamura (Shinya Tsukamoto), an aged ronin upon whom they spotted in a duel […]

JAPAN CUTS XIII: Dance With Me, Killing, Jesus, Night Cruising And More Outline Next Month’s Sprawling New York City Event

Lee B. Golden III

Following last week’s announcement of Japanese cinema auteur Shinya Tsukamoto’s centerpiece ceremony for this year’s Japan Cuts, the official line-up is now online from Japan Society along with a robust new trailer. The line-up is ripe with the usual assortment of features host to colorful cinematic stylings from a raft of directors on the feature-length and shortfilm front, as well as Q&A segments with directors. With any luck I’ll get some screening going on my end as there are several titles on this list I would love to check out, including documentary Night Cruising, Tsukamoto’s latest celebrated hit, Killing, and even Samurai Shifters among others. Tickets are available on the official website where you’ll find film trailers and details on next month’s event. Japan Society Announces Full Lineup for the 13th Annual JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film North America’s largest festival of contemporary Japanese cinema presents a […]

JAPAN CUTS XIII: Japanese Auteur Shinya Tsukamoto Takes Center Stage For Centerpiece Presentation & CUT ABOVE Prize In July

Lee B. Golden III

Japan Society’s 13th Japan Cuts festival is poised to kick off its nine-day event on July 19. Screening among nearly 30 feature films, ranging from a variety of titles amid multiple genres to be announced on June 11 will be the festival’ss Centerpiece Presentation: Japanese film auteur Shinya Tsukamoto whose new period sword drama, Killing, on July 24. Killing is described as a subversive samurai drama from influential cult director Shinya Tsukamoto that the filmmaker has described as a “scream” in response to the current state of the world. The film has been widely received at festivals since premiering last summer in Venice with international sales firm Nikkatsu shepherding sales rights. Nikkatsu also recently acquired the rights to Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989), Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1992), Tokyo Fist (1995), Bullet Ballet (1998), A Snake Of June (2002), Vital (2004), Haze (2005) and Kotoko (2011), and The Adventure Of […]