"Leave the Cat Alone," Daisuke Shigaya's drama about two former lovers, finds emotional weight in the closely observed details. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/04/24/film/leave-the-cat-alone/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #daisukeshigaya #yukinomurakami #somafujii
‘Leave the Cat Alone’: Even when life and love get messy, creativity survives

In Daisuke Shigaya's film about a chance reunion of former flames, the drama is in the details, where memory slips and feelings quietly shift.

The Japan Times

Continuing with my rewatching of #StudioGhibli movies. This evening, The Wind Rises. Not as emotional or sweet as Kiki or Spirited Away, but some beautiful #art and #animation , especially the dream sequences, and a message about beautiful designs so often being co-opted for terrible purposes.

#film #AnimatedFilm #TheWindRises #JapaneseFilm #2010sFilm

Go Riju's relationship drama "Rhapsody, Rhapsody" sets up a mismatched pair, but the rom-com beats collide uneasily with heavier psychological drama. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/04/17/film/rhapsody-rhapsody/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #goriju #isseitakahashi #kumikureshiro
'Rhapsody, Rhapsody’ falters between rom-com whimsy and psychodrama

Director Go Riju sets up a mismatched pair, but the film's tonal swings make their uneasy connection hard to fully invest in.

The Japan Times

@newsguyusa

#Pentagon #presssecretary prayer was “obviously inspired by dialogue in Pulp Fiction”... “Anyone saying the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 2517 is peddling fake news and ignorant of reality.”

⭕NO, YOU ARE🤪

#PulpFiction writer-director #QuentinTarantino reportedly drew from a scene in the 1973 #japanesefilm “Bodyguard Kiba” as the basis for Jackson’s monologue.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/16/hegseth-pulp-fiction-ezekiel-prayer

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pete-hegseth-pulp-fiction-bible-verse_n_69e0e4d2e4b09c96f93e9391

Hegseth channels his inner Tarantino with fake Bible verse from Pulp Fiction

The defense secretary said his prayer drew on Ezekiel, but wording closely matches Quentin Tarantino dialogue

The Guardian
The live-action adaptation of "Sakamoto Days" takes a digest approach to Yuto Suzuki's manga series, making for an uneven romp that starts strong but runs out of steam long before the final showdown. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/04/16/film/sakamoto-days/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #yutosuzuki #yuichifukuda #anime #manga
‘Sakamoto Days’ is a faithful adaptation, rather than a good one

Yuichi Fukuda's adaptation of a popular manga sticks closely to the source material, but after a strong start it runs out of steam long before the final showdown.

The Japan Times
Three Japanese directors vie for top prize at Cannes, a first since 2001

Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Koji Fukada bring a strong Japanese presence to the Cannes Film Festival's competition section this year.

The Japan Times
"One Last Love Letter" doesn't stray far from formula, but it knows its audience and delivers the kind of cathartic tears they crave. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/04/10/film/one-last-love-letter/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #yuyaishii #harukaayase
‘One Last Love Letter’: A wistful throwback to romance in the age of texts

Yuya Ishii's drama leans into familiar tropes but delivers a tender reminder of the power of words left unsaid for too long.

The Japan Times
"WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3" is seeing a limited rerelease ahead of the new series drops. Think "Godzilla" meets a 1970s paranoid thriller with just enough "Patlabor" to make it count. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/04/10/film/wxiii-patlabor-the-movie-3/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #anime #patlabor
‘WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3’: The franchise’s melancholy, noir outlier

The black sheep of the 'Patlabor' mecha franchise sidelines its robots for a 1970s-style paranoid thriller.

The Japan Times