Sorum 소름 (2001) Director: Yoon Jong-chan

On By Genki JasonIn Korean FilmsLeave a comment

Happy Halloween! This is the time of year when people celebrate the supernatural and ghoulish aspects of popular culture and national myths. I do my part by highlighting horror movies on Halloween night.

So far I have reviewed Nightmare Detective, Strange Circus, Shokuzai, POV: A Cursed Film Charisma, Don’t Look Up, Snow Woman (2017) Snow Woman (1968)  Fate/Stay Night Heaven’s Feel, Gemini, John Carpenter’s The Thing, Rampo Noir, Door, a Heroic Purgatory podcast episode covering Roger Corman’s adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, and The Inerasable.

Halloween 2026 gets a Korean entry that I think should be much better known. When the Korean wave first got going, there was The Whispering Corridors series (which I’ve covered) and Acacia that got all of the press. Mirror got adapted by Hollywood. Along with those, Spider Forest made its way to the west via film distribution label Tartan. Sorum didn’t and, somewhat appropriately for its content, almost faded from memory. However, horror fans would do well to unearth this treat due to its rich atmosphere and the mystery story, which is absorbing.

Continue reading “Sorum 소름 (2001) Director: Yoon Jong-chan” →

A Silent Voice, Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Aoi Tsukiyo no Mahou no Ko, Yamato yo towa ni: REBEL 3199 roku-nana niji-iro no rinne, Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heaven’s Door, Japanese Film Trailers

On By Genki JasonIn Japanese Film Trailers.3 Comments

Welcome to the third and final trailer post.

Cowboy Bebop the Movie Film Image

Check out part one and part two if you can.

Breaking news this week was the passing of Ryu Murakami. I’ve read a couple of his novels (Coin Locker Babies, Audition, In the Miso Soup, Piercing), since they were at my local library, and I’ve seen a few films adapted from them (Audition, Karaoke Terror). I can’t say I have a good idea of how important he is in Japanese culture, but the fact that his writing and films based on it travelled globally in the late 90s is a testament.

RIP Ryu Murakami

Also, Ashita no Joe manga creator Tetsuya Chiba passed away. I haven’t read it, but I know about it because so many people hold it in high regard and have written about it over the years.

RIP Tetsuya Chiba

It’s an anime entry and there is only one new work, and even this is based on an old sci-fi property. That written, and as dismissive as the prior words sound, you have two certified bangers on release, A Silent Voice and Cowboy Bebop: The Movie.

Here are the last films of the week.

Continue reading “A Silent Voice, Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Aoi Tsukiyo no Mahou no Ko, Yamato yo towa ni: REBEL 3199 roku-nana niji-iro no rinne, Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heaven’s Door, Japanese Film Trailers” →

Yellow Mashi Mashi Rhapsody, Kyoto ALS kanja satsujin jiken, Leading Your Birds, Watashi ga mada shiranai Okinawa, Japanese Film Trailers

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Welcome to the second trailer post of the week.

Three Colours Red 2

Check out part one. The last part comes out tomorrow.

I have two days off work, so I’m doing things around the house and watching extra films. I am also taking the time to finish Phoenix Wright, on Nintendo DS. Original hardware and software as I clear the gaming backlog!

Here are the films

Continue reading “Yellow Mashi Mashi Rhapsody, Kyoto ALS kanja satsujin jiken, Leading Your Birds, Watashi ga mada shiranai Okinawa, Japanese Film Trailers” →

Ryuji, The Potentials, Tsukikage no Golden-gai, Echoes of Motherhood, Japanese Film Trailers

On By Genki JasonIn Japanese Film Trailers.1 Comment

Welcome to the first trailer post of the week

Three Colours Red

Two more will follow this one, so please come back.

Since the last trailer post, I posted a review of The Red Bicycle (2026) and I have continued with my horror movie marathon with many work, including I Walked with a Zombie (1943) and The Loreley’s Grasp (1973).

Here are the first films for this week:

Continue reading “Ryuji, The Potentials, Tsukikage no Golden-gai, Echoes of Motherhood, Japanese Film Trailers” →

A Red Bicycle 赤い自転車 (2026) Director: Ryosuke Handa

On By Genki JasonIn Japanese Film, Japanese Film ReviewsLeave a comment

A Red Bicycle    赤い自転車ポスター表 A Red Bicycle Poster

赤い自転車　「akai jitensha」

Release Date: November 11th, 2026

Duration: 86 mins.

Director: Ryosuke Handa

Writer: Ryosuke Handa, Yoshiko Kanazawa (Screenplay),

Starring: Ryotaro Kawaishi, Kei Marimura, Anli Ohno, Keiun Kim, Yuka Watanabe, Itsuki Furuyama, Mikoto Hashimoto, Makoto Hashimoto, Ayaka Kawaishi,

Website   Twitter: @handafilm_info

This film has not been publicly screened outside Japan, director Ryosuke Handa generously gave me an advanced screening of his latest work and allowed me to revview it.

A Red Bicycle, the third feature film from Ryosuke Handa, follows on from Forest Island (2022) and Passacaglia (2023) in exploring themes such as the echoes of war, lifecycles in the natural world, and the creativity of people who inhabit it, all told in live action and animation done with a DIY aesthetic. What is different is that it is his biggest work yet with a longer duration, larger cast, and a temporal/location-hopping narrative.

The scope may have expanded, but the film flows easily as Handa shows masterful control of a myriad of material to meld everything into a consistently imaginative spectacle that invites audiences to explore the images and themes and reawaken an openness and passion in how film can capture the world.

We follow the life-story of the owner of the red bicycle, Chotaro (Ryotaro Kawaishi), an honest and earnest postman with an extraordinary facility for numbers. Chotaro lives in an idyllic village on a peninsula in Japan and, with his red bicycle as his trusty steed, he rides along the country lanes, dirt tracks, and roads delivering letters to locals, be they writers receiving fan mail or lovers exchanging notes.

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Tsuki no itosugi, Period, RE:AL REIWAROMAN Documentary of RE:IWAROMAN, In their Traces, Chugoku sanchi ushi to hito fudoki, YAMANEKO, Japanese Film Trailers

On By Genki JasonIn Japanese Film Trailers.Leave a comment

Welcome to the last trailer post for this week.

Tsuki no itosugi Film Image 4

Check out part one and part two.

With the approach of Halloween, I’ll have to ready my annual Halloween Horror Movie review. Aside from Resident Evil, the best horror movie I have seen so far this year is Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe. I’m going off the beaten path with my review, however.

Here are the last new releases for this week:

Continue reading “Tsuki no itosugi, Period, RE:AL REIWAROMAN Documentary of RE:IWAROMAN, In their Traces, Chugoku sanchi ushi to hito fudoki, YAMANEKO, Japanese Film Trailers” →

Maebashi Witches Emoemories – Blooming Witches, Dot to Dot: Will I Be Single Forever?, Love Me Kill Me, AYUMI, MANA, Yofu, Japanese Film Trailers

On By Genki JasonIn Japanese Film Trailers.1 Comment

Welcome to the second trailer post of the week.

Tsuki no itosugi Film Image 5

Check out part one, if you haven’t already, and come back tomorrow for the final part.

Here are the films for part two:

Continue reading “Maebashi Witches Emoemories – Blooming Witches, Dot to Dot: Will I Be Single Forever?, Love Me Kill Me, AYUMI, MANA, Yofu, Japanese Film Trailers” →

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk, Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, Whisper of the Heart, Ryuji, Made in Abyss: Mezameru Shinpi, Attack on Titan Part 1: Crimson Bow and Arrow, Japanese Film Trailers

On By Genki JasonIn Japanese Film Trailers.5 Comments

 

Welcome to the first of three trailer posts.

Tsuki no itosugi Film Image

Come back over the next two days for the other two.

Since the last trailer post, I have written my three recommendations for Volume 4 of Mirrorliar Films. I’ve also continued watching horror movies every day.

Here are the first set of films for this week:

Continue reading “In the Clear Moonlit Dusk, Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, Whisper of the Heart, Ryuji, Made in Abyss: Mezameru Shinpi, Attack on Titan Part 1: Crimson Bow and Arrow, Japanese Film Trailers” →

MIRRORLIAR FILMS Volume 4 Recommendations – Goodbyes and Covid Chaos

On By Genki JasonIn Japanese Film Reviews1 Comment

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MIRRORLIAR FILMS volumes 3 and 4 are available to watch oveer at SAKKA for a limited world-wide streaming event October 2 – 24, 2026. Check out this post for more information.

I have had the pleasure of watching both volumes and can attest to the invention and diversity of the high-quality shorts on offer. In collaboration with SAKKA, I have recommended three shorts from the third volume of Mirrorliar films and now I would like to offer three recommendations from Volume 4 to entice potential viewers to check out the shorts:

Continue reading “MIRRORLIAR FILMS Volume 4 Recommendations – Goodbyes and Covid Chaos” →

Enka no sakamichi, Ringo Shiina toutaikai reiwa Hachi-nen retto junkai, LEONIDAS, Succube mon amour, Uso ga honto ni honto ga uso ni, Gojyappe Taxi, One & Cmon, Japanese Film Trailers

On By Genki JasonIn Japanese Film Trailers.Leave a comment

Welcome to the second trailer post of the week.

LEONIDAS Film Image 2

Please check out part one.

Earlier this week, I posted my three recommendations from the third volume of Mirrorliar films, which is available to stream on SAKKA. By the end of the week, I’ll have recommendations for season four of Mirrorliar films.

I’ve kept up with my film-a-day routine and also my festival work.

Here are the rest of the films:

Continue reading “Enka no sakamichi, Ringo Shiina toutaikai reiwa Hachi-nen retto junkai, LEONIDAS, Succube mon amour, Uso ga honto ni honto ga uso ni, Gojyappe Taxi, One & Cmon, Japanese Film Trailers” →