Reviews

The generational run that cinema has been on in 2026 will be studied for generations to come. A run that includes everything and anything that the film industry can muster the money to make, create and bless the masses with. One of those films is Na Hong-Jin's Hope. Hope originally debuted at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, and like many other cinephiles, I had to sit there on my phone reading updates and reactions of the various films that were competing for the

When most people think of Japanese cinema, the same few names tend to come up: Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki, Yasujiro Ozu. These are masters in their own right — titans of the form who have shaped not just Japanese film but world cinema as a whole. But Japanese filmmaking doesn't begin and end with those household names. There is a rich, vibrant world of directors working today — and from decades past — whose work deserves far more attention than it typically gets. This is

The "Kore-eda effect" is back. As Japan prepares for the nationwide release of "Sheep in the Box" on May 29, 2026, early preview screenings have left audiences on social platforms like X (formerly Twitter) in a state of emotional reflection. Returning to an original screenplay for the first time in several years, the Palme d'Or winner is trading his typical domestic realism for a "low-sci-fi" lens—and the results are reportedly devastating. The Premise: A "Little Prince" for