Yamato (California) [2016]

Director: Daisuke Miyazaki

Notable Cast: Hanae Kan, Nina Endô, Reiko Kataoka, Mayumi Katô, Shûya Nishiji

Set in the town that hold the largest U.S military base in Japan, which is owned by the States, Yamato is the place of focus for a hip-hop loving woman named Sakura, a local resident who struggles to find herself as she tries day to day to rap her way to stardom. She wishes desperately to leave her mark on the scene which she is such a huge part of, but seems to be failing to do so regularly. We see her sitting upon a pile of rubble at a large junkyard, which gives post-apocalyptic vibes as the camera pans around this particular place during the opening shot. She is spitting bars about her miserable existence, and the isolation that plagues her everyday in this place where nothing seems to make sense. Yamato explores this hybrid community filled with racial tension dealing with immigrants, the homeless, and all around a tense atmosphere that would put a strain on anyone, while examining art and its impact on human existence from the aspect of hip-hop.

Tokyo Idols (2017)

Director: Kyoko Miyake

A fascinatingly chilling documentary that focuses on the young and upcoming idol, Rio. She is 19 years of age and has a small but loyal fanbase that seems to love her, quite literally. Interspersed with Rio's ongoing journey of rising to fame, we see a select few other idols, quite younger than even her that bring a disturbing look at society's sickening fascination with idolized youth. The level of obsession with celebrities and these young women that these men worship is the common thread that this film examines thoroughly in one of the most effective and haunting docs I've seen since perhaps Oppenheimer's Act of Killing.



Before we get this going, I'm quite aware that cultures are vastly different from one another and the idea of physical beauty and love itself is viewed to some varying degree, but there is no denying that what is going on here is not only disturbing but plain crazy in almost every manner. These young women truly believe that what they are doing is right, to conform to and project their beauty upon these broken men. In a country where women are still oppressed to an extent (insert country with greater oppression here), many think the only way to succeed and be celebrated is to go the route of becoming an idol. For those unfamiliar, in Japan an idol is a young girl, often between the age of 10-15, that dresses glamorously and produces pop music to perform on stage, in front of groups of 'fans', typically male, ranging from young adults to the elderly. In general these men in turn idolize and obsess over these young girls, often claiming some sort of love towards them, though they know typically that there is never a chance of anything actually ever blooming into fruition.

Haruneko (2016)

Director: Sora Hokimoto

Notable Cast: Lily, Min Tanaka, Yôta Kawase

Set in an eerie isolated wooded area, deep in the midst of seemingly nowhere, one by one, people that wish to die arrive via a small white car to these woods, where they are then brought to a mysterious café amongst the wild. Inhabited by a young boy in a partially knit scarf, and elderly woman in a rocking chair, and the young long-haired man whom manages the place, that brings each selective person to this odd establishment, Haruneko is a wonderful experimental feature filled to the brim with interesting characters and vivid imagery. Fans of the bizarre will find lots to enjoy here while more casual movie goers my find themselves scratching their heads from time to time. It's not to talk down on anyone though, because there were things that most certainly went beyond me, and I'm not afraid to admit it.

Scandal Makers (2008)

Director: Kang Hyeong-cheol

Notable Cast: Cha Tae-hyun, Park Bo-yeong, Hwang Seok-hyeon, Hwang Woo-seul-hye

A film I've watched at least a dozen times since seeing it a few years back, and each and every time, I find more and more to love about it. While it is pretty predictable, it is so well crafted and confident in its style and comedy, that it more than makes up for its slight predictability.

Sometimes its not about coming up with something new, but rather telling a familiar story, just doing so better and with more gravitas, and this is a borderline master class in doing so. I believe this film to be the definitive family film from Korea.