Book Release: Directory of World Cinema: Japan 2

Hello all! Today I write to you about a new book release that will appeal to fans of Japanese cinema and film writing: the Directory of World Cinema: Japan 2, edited by John Berra and published by Intellect Ltd. Like the series' first volume on Japan's rich film culture, which was published in 2010, this one features several essays and film reviews touching on a wide variety of genres, directors and trends. As in the first book, you'll find sections devoted to blockbusters, period films (jidai-geki), anime, the Japanese New Wave, a key Japanese film festival (this one being Japan Cuts) and a "Film of the Year" (this one being Yuya Ishii's Sawako Decides), plus new chapters on subjects like Japanese youth cinema and films that portray the lower class.

This time around, I contributed an essay on the filmmaker Hiroshi Shimizu, whose body of work spans from the 1920s and '30s all the way to the end of the 1950s. Some of his more well-known works include Japanese Girls at the Harbor (1933), The Masseurs and a Woman (1938) and Ornamental Hairpin (1941), all of which are conveniently gathered in a great Eclipse set from the Criterion Collection. I also wrote film reviews on works from directors as diverse as Akira Kurosawa, Nagisa Oshima, Takeshi Kitano, Takashi Miike and Takuya Fukushima, who co-wrote and directed the spellbinding independent film Our Brief Eternity (2009).

But above all that, I simply feel so honored to be included alongside some truly talented writers, including John Berra himself, Catherine Munroe Hotes (of Nishikata Film Review), film curator Julian Ross, Brian Ruh (author of Stray Dog of Anime: The Films of Mamoru Oshii), Zachariah Rush, Fred Shimizu and fellow J-Film Pow-Wow cohorts Chris MaGee, Bob Turnbull and Matthew Hardstaff, plus many more devoted fans and scholars of Japanese cinema. They've all done some fantastic work in making this a comprehensive and well-crafted book for readers to sink their teeth into.

The book has recently come out in Europe, while its North American release has been pushed back to April 15th of this year. The corresponding button on the right sidebar will bring you to its page on Amazon.ca. Happy reading (and viewing)!

Wintertime Travels

February 2012 - Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Robert Bresson Roundup

Hello all. Throughout February and March, the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto is running a very impressive retrospective of the films of Robert Bresson, one of French (and world) cinema's most revered figures. Thus far, I've written reviews for two of his films over at Row Three: Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945) and A Man Escaped or: The Wind Bloweth Where it Listeth (1956). Being a bit behind on Bresson's work, I hope to catch more of his films before the program runs its course. As I do so, I'll continue to post my reviews at Row Three. Take a look at the Lightbox's program (part of a wider-ranging North American tour) here.

UPDATE 23/02/2012 - My reviews of Lancelot du Lac (1974) and The Trial of Jan of Arc (1962) are now up at Row Three as well.

Interlocking Stone

November 2010 - Oakville, Ontario, Canada

Dreaming of Spring I

April 2010 - Paris, France

Gojira is Coming to the Criterion Collection

I especially like how the video below emphasizes the other qualities within Ishiro Honda's 1954 classic beyond the titular, now-iconic creature.





On a related note, I recently reviewed Honda's fun 1963 film Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People over at the J-Film Pow-Wow. Click here if you're curious.

My Highlights of 2011

Gathered below are some key moments and accomplishments that helped make 2011 such a memorable year for me:

-Getting to visit my aunt, uncles and grandmum at the start of the year in Victoria, British Columbia.

-Continuing to do my bit (and love every minute of it) for the J-Film Pow-Wow alongside Chris MaGee, Bob Turnbull, Matthew Hardstaff, Eric Evans, Chikako Hirao Evans and Nicholas Vroman. Let’s keep on rockin’ the Japanese film blogging scene through 2012!

-Continuing to count myself among some pretty cool folks at good ol’ Chapters Oakville. Cultured, clever, funny – you all rock!

-Traveling back to Frankfurt for the 11^th Nippon Connection film festival (the second time I’ve attended the annual celebration of Japanese cinema), where I saw lots of great films and met up with friends old and new. Between the beautiful spring weather, keeping busy with my coverage of the fest and getting a few precious chances to explore the city, it truly was a week to remember.

-Talking some Edward Yang and Hou Hsiao-hsien with Coffin Jon, Josh and Rufus on the VCinema Show. I look forward to returning to wrap up the arc on Taiwanese cinema with our discussion of Tsai Ming-liang.

-Attending and covering the 3^rd Shinsedai Cinema Festival in Toronto in July, where I hung out with some cool folks, made some (more!) great cinematic discoveries and got a chance to interview Japanese actress and producer Kiki Sugino for VCinema.

-Getting the awesome opportunity to preview the Fellini: Spectacular Obsessions exhibit at the TIFF Bell Lightbox for a special piece and review series for Toronto Film Scene. Very special thanks to Trista DeVries and the press relations folks at the Lightbox.

-Keeping up a spirited correspondence with extremely talented artist and like-minded film buff Edmund Yeo, whose latest work, Last Fragments of Winter, I recently glowed about in a piece for VCinema. Here’s hoping the coming year is kind to you and your creative endeavors – and that it brings about a chance for us to actually meet!

-Staying in the loop with the Toronto film critic/blogger/lover scene, specifically through Adam Nayman’s brilliant film seminars at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre and all those monthly film blogger pub nights at the Duke of York.

-Sinking my teeth into many assignments for Intellect Books – namely the pieces I contributed to the books World Film Locations: Tokyo, Directory of World Cinema: Japan 2 and Directory of World Cinema: France (of which the latter two will be released in February and May of 2012, respectively). I’m very proud of the final results, and hope that people find them helpful and at least somewhat enlightening!

-Getting published in the Toronto-based film journal CineAction with an essay on one of my favorite filmmakers of all time – the aforementioned Tsai Ming-liang. Writing the essay was a lot of fun and certainly one of the most personally rewarding experiences of my year. Thank you to editor Susan Morrison!

-Maintaining strong ties with my family, which includes my supportive parents and two younger sisters, Natalie and Christina, through quite a variety of experiences - some pleasant and exciting, some trying. Wherever we all end up next year, we’ll still be connected to one another.

-Getting a healthy start in learning Japanese through the lessons and material provided by the good folks at JapanesePod101.com. I’m so excited to learn more about this beautiful and fascinating language.

-Deciding on a bold and exciting new course in my life that will (hopefully) see me moving to Japan as a certified English teacher early in the new year. I haven’t even left the country yet and already I’ve met many great people (through the TESL/TESOL certification course I took in Toronto throughout this past December). Here’s hoping for more fantastic new encounters and experiences – not to mention a successful transition to the Land of the Rising Sun!

-And last but not least, being able to bookend the year by chilling with the most excellent Brad Weston and Bree-An Lucas.

Many thanks to everyone who helped make this a truly special and memorable year for me. As always, I look forward to what the next year will bring – fresh adventures, new encounters, opportunities to test myself and grow, brand new routes and avenues to tread along. As I chart my own course, I sincerely hope everyone else has a happy and productive 2012!

Sailor's Delight

January 2011 - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Starry Night...

October, 2008 - Nice, France

O Christmas Tree...

January 2011 - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Wires 'n' Bulbs

January 2011 - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Edmund Yeo's "Last Fragments of Winter" - VCinema Review

Hello all! A few days ago, I popped up once more at VCinema, that great online/podcasting hotspot for Asian cinema lovers everywhere. I wrote up something very special for them: a review of the latest short film from accomplished Malaysian filmmaker Edmund Yeo. The film, Last Fragments of Winter, is a beautifully crafted piece of work that was shot in Japan and Malaysia and recently had its world premiere at the 8th Dubai International Film Festival. Check out my review for it here, and if you ever have the chance, make sure to catch this fantastic gem!

City of Glass

December 2010 - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Vegetation

August, 2011 - Oakville, Ontario, Canada

Meeting

August 2011 - Oakville, Ontario, Canada

Emily Carr's "Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky"

Hello all. Today, I finished reading Lewis DeSoto's entry in Penguin's Extraordinary Canadians series, which focuses on the life and work of Western Canadian artist Emily Carr. Take a gander at what it's about here; I'd recommend it to anyone interested in this remarkable woman, Canadian art history or that elusive thing known as the creative process in general, as it provides an incredibly refreshing look at her passion for nature, animals and artistic expression (which she mainly tapped through painting and writing).

To celebrate Emily and DeSoto's book about her, I give you her 1935 painting Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky, which DeSoto exalts with the following words: 

"The emotional and symbolic content affects us in an almost physical manner. The power of the painting is undeniable. It is beyond design and decoration; no longer a depiction of something that is meant to represent rapture, it is rapture, the very embodiment and expression of ecstatic liberation."