r/AsianMoviePulse

https://asianmoviepulse.com/2015/09/makeup-room-review/

Winner of the 2015 Grand Prize in the Fantastic Off Theater Competition of Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival, Makeup Room is one of those films that only get made in Japan. We are talking about a comedy about the porn industry, with no sex scenes and very little nude, which take place exclusively in a makeup room, thus looking more like a stage play than a motion picture.

Check the full review in the link and let us know your thoughts on the movie

The much anticipated and hyped Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” is an adaptation and extension of Murakami’s short story of the same title from the 2014 collection “Men Without Women”. It comes shortly after “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” and, although a very different film, it also resumes and develops its final episode’s concept, of performing and role-playing as a way people can connect with their true feelings.

What are your thoughts on the film?

Click on the link to read our review: https://asianmoviepulse.com/2021/10/film-review-drive-my-car-2021-by-ryusuke-hamaguchi/

Even though it's a very short movie, it tells a soft and beautiful romantic story. What makes it special is how it focuses on raw emotions and small details rather than drama or exaggeration. If you enjoy calm romance that leaves a warm feeling after watching, I highly recommend it.

#监狱来的妈妈

Cinematic Trailer

https://letterboxd.com/film/her-heart-beats-in-its-cage/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37964058/

Tokyo Godfathers

The film draws its core element of a trio of people becoming godfathers to a newborn child from Peter B Kyne’s novel titled ‘Three Godfathers.’ Upon its release in 2003, it received an Excellence Prize at the 2003 Japan Media Arts Festival.

Read our review of Satoshi Kon's Tokyo Godfathers on Asian Movie Pulse at the link below and let us know what you think of the film!

https://asianmoviepulse.com/2019/12/film-review-tokyo-godfathers-2003-by-satoshi-kon/

2LDK

In 2002, on a night in Berlin filled with alcohol, producer Shinya Kawai (The Ring), challenged directors Ryuhei Kitamura and Yukihiko Tsutsumi to a duel in filmmaking, with several peculiar rules: 1. The duration of the films ought to be 60 minutes, plus or minus 10 minutes. 2. The film could not be R-rated. 3. The entire story was to be shot on a single set. 4. It could not have more than two characters. 5. Kitamura was to cast male and Tsutsumi female protagonists. 6. The movie was to be completed in a week, with an equal and minuscule budget. 7. At least one of the characters was not going to live through the film. The venture’s name was Dual Project, and the two films that were created were “Aragami” and “2LDK.” The films were screened successively, and, at the end of the screening, the spectators were asked to choose the movie they preferred. Unfortunately, the result never became known.

Read our review of Yukihiro Tsutsumi's 2LDK on Asian Movie Pulse at the link below and let us know what you think of the film!

https://asianmoviepulse.com/2020/01/film-review-2ldk-2003-by-yukihiko-tsutsumi/

A few years back, I woke up to an audition request for the lead role in a major blockbuster film. I grew up watching the franchise, so booking the part would be a dream come true. I acted my ass off, submitted my tape, and prayed for good news (along with thousands of other Asian actors). I didn’t think anything would come of it, but a few weeks later, the producers finally reached out for a callback, then a chemistry read, until one day they said the two words many actors would commit war crimes to hear: screen test. For a week straight, I went to the studio lot for rehearsals, martial arts training, and director sessions. It was exhilarating.

As the day approached, I felt on top of the world. No one was going to take this from me. I had to book this. Deep down, I doubted there would be another opportunity for someone like me for a long time. Sure, Asian markets might be hot right now, but how long would that last before “the powers that be” decided to move on to the next minority group? As a filmmaker, I always championed Asian American representation, but, in that moment, I championed my own individual representation. Fuck everyone else - I was “the best Asian guy.” The role was mine.

I didn’t get the part. When I got the news, I was devastated… for about a day. Then, I quickly recognized my own hypocrisy and was forced to look within. For years, I have spoken on panels, done Q&A’s at film festivals, and talked about the importance of Asian American representation in the film industry. However, when presented with a life-changing opportunity, my attitude shifted to “Fuck these guys, I’m the best Asian.” This ultimately inspired the question — what do you do when your values are at odds with your ambitions?

This inevitably led me to create “Flavor of the Month,” a dark comedy that explores the absurdities of representation politics in modern-day Hollywood. Viewed through the lens of a Chinese American actor, Harrison Huang, the film dives headfirst into themes of performative activism, virtue signaling, and internalized racial inferiority.

I hope you enjoy my film, and thank you for taking the time to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?is=m6KQJyc3j-LY7CFV&v=7FqByyXn7j4&feature=youtu.be

A Tale of Two Sisters

Within the landscape of the Korean film industry, director Kim Jee-woon can look back not only on a very successful career but also on one defined by versatility and creativity, as evidenced by his work across many different genres. Even his first feature “The Quiet Family”, which inspired Takashi Miike’s “Happiness of the Katakuris” to some extent, indicated that while obeying certain genre rules, Kim was willing to bend these and also mix them with other storylines, thus surprising his viewer with unforeseen developments and plot twists, making his features unique to this day. Additionally, many of his films, such as “A Bittersweet Life” and “I Saw the Devil,” showed the director’s roots, since he began his career in the theater, as expressed in the staging of scenes and the definition of his characters who, more than once, remind us of tragic heroes. All of these concepts can be seen in what might just be one of this most popular genre entries to this day, his 2003 horror film “A Tale of Two Sisters”, which is, at its core, a deeply moving and quite disturbing family drama about deception, emotional trauma and repression.

Read our review of Kim Jee-woon's A Tale of Two Sisters on Asian Movie Pulse at the link below and let us know what you think of the film!

https://asianmoviepulse.com/2021/04/film-review-a-tale-of-two-sisters-2003-by-kim-jee-woon/

https://asianmoviepulse.com/2026/08/japanese-erotic-movies/

Think Japanese erotic cinema is just about sex and provocation? Think again.

For more than half a century, pinku eiga, Roman Porno, cult filmmakers and arthouse auteurs have used desire to push against censorship, convention, gender roles and the boundaries of Japanese cinema itself.

We selected 52 Essential Japanese Erotic Films, moving from the rebellious classics of the genre to films such as “Lovers Are Wet”, “Wet Woman in the Wind”, “Call Boy”, “Hand” and many more.

Check the full list in the comments and let us know:

How many have you seen?

Which is your favorite?

And, most importantly: what film should have been #53?

Last Exile

Invoking an approach that shares some similarities with “Full Metal Alchemist”, particularly through the concept of two kids whose parents have died and are trying to make a living by following in their footsteps, and the 19th-century Europe-like setting, “Last Exile” is a great specimen of the golden era of anime series.

Read our review of Koichi Chigira's Last Exile on Asian Movie Pulse at the link below and let us know what you think of the film!

https://asianmoviepulse.com/2021/09/anime-review-last-exile-2003-by-koichi-chigira/