Beyond Kurosawa: Five Underrated Japanese Directors With an Excellent legacy

Discover five revolutionary Japanese filmmakers—Tsukamoto, Naruse, Shindo, Teshigahara, and Obayashi—whose groundbreaking works remain underappreciated despite their profound influence on world cinema

Lonely Heart

Nobuhiko Obayashi’s spate of teen-oriented dramas and comedies from the 1980s stand out from his prolific career. They simultaneously expand upon his early experimental work—especially in their use of hand-drawn special effects—while targeting a wider audience and preserving Obayashi’s personal set of references. Lonely Heart (1985) opens with Hiruko (Toshinori Omi), a teenage boy, looking at Obayashi’s hometown of Onomichi through the viewfinder of his camera.

HIS MOTORBIKE, HER ISLAND (1986) | Horror Cult Films

Now Available from Third Window Films on Blu-ray and to Stream Part of the Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 80s Kadokawa Years Collection While Obayashi may be known for his eccentric, and often rather psychedelic, flights of fancy, [...]

SCHOOL IN THE CROSSHAIRS (1981) | Horror Cult Films

Now Available from Third Window Films on Blu-ray and to Stream Part of the Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 80s Kadokawa Years Collection Time for a story about extra-sensory perception and alien beings from Venus. Which, if these [...]

House (1977 film) - Wikipedia

Noel Thingvall's review of Something Wicked This Way Comes (Green Town, #2)

4/5: It takes a little while to settle into the characters, and doesn't really take off until the dad becomes an active player in things with a thematic contrast of his age with the childrens' youth and how they find a way to work together. The town is lovingly realized, even if some of the side characters are overly brisk (where did that teacher go after her big twist? kept expecting more from that setup). The twisted allure of the carnival is the real star, all creaky and grimy, but full of mystery and spectacle, and an evil cadre of monstrous folk tapping souls and attacking our leads in wild...