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Category: Japanese Films

December 7, 2016December 7, 2016 Jana J. Monji

Remembering Pearl Harbor: ‘None But the Brave’

October 29, 2016November 5, 2016 Jana J. Monji

‘Tampopo’ Means Rāmen Time ✭✭✭✭✭

October 21, 2016October 31, 2016 Jana J. Monji

‘Shin Gojira’ (Godzilla Resurgence) ✭✭✭: Science Fiction as Protest

August 19, 2016August 2, 2018 Jana J. Monji

‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ and the Buddhist Moon

June 23, 2016August 2, 2018 Jana J. Monji

The Cultural Significance of the Whale in ‘The Boy and the Beast’

July 3, 2015 Jana J. Monji

Reflections on ‘When Marnie Was There’

December 25, 2014 Jana J. Monji

‘Unbroken’ breaks into our present dilemma: America on torture

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  • ‘Ralph Wrecks the Internet’ November 14, 2018
    If you missed the 2012 3D computer animated feature film, “Wreck-It Ralph,” you might feel a bit puzzled, but still you’ll be able to enjoy “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” This film is really a must-see for Disney princess fans. The premise for the first movie, “Wreck-It Ralph,” is that at night when the Litwak’s Family Fun […]
    Jana J. Monji
  • ‘Valley of the Heart’: Earnest But Unfocused☆☆ November 8, 2018
    “Valley of the Heart” is overstuffed with good intentions and inclusionist impulses and the result is an overlong sincere essay that doesn’t quite touch the heart as it touches on too many topics. That’s unfortunate because the dialogue about Latinos and Asians, particularly in California, is an important part of the American race dialogue that […]
    Jana J. Monji
  • ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’: Bland Biopic with Great Performances November 8, 2018
    One of the best parts of the “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a curiously bland biopic about one of rock’s most influential bands and its flamboyant frontman is that it allows Asians to reclaim their role in musical history. Freddie Mercury (played with doe-eyed exuberance by Rami Malek) begins as Farrokh Bulsara. His traditional Indian British Parsi family […]
    Jana J. Monji
  • Musicians Following Their Muse: ‘Microhabitat’ and ‘Kate Nash’✮✮✮ November 2, 2018
    Did your parents warn you about musicians? The LAFF premieres of “Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl” and “Microhabitat” compared the predicament of two female musicians an ocean apart. In the documentary, “Kate Nash” has a happy ending, but so does the South Korean “Microhabitat.” For those who haven’t heard, Kate Nash is a singer-songwriter from […] […]
    Jana J. Monji
  • ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’: Window Dressing Without Substance ✮ November 2, 2018
    Disney’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is a handsome production with wonderful actors, gorgeous costumes by Jenny Beavan (“Gosford Park”) and lovely sets by Lisa Chugg, but ploddingly directed by Lasse Hallstöm (“The Hundred-Foot Journey” and “Chocolat”) and Joe Johnson (“Captain America: The First Avenger”). This is the most irritatingly artificially […]
    Jana J. Monji
  • ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ Spells Good Times for the Audience✮✮✮✮ October 30, 2018
    Drew Goddard’s “Bad Times at the El Royale” reads like a setup for a joke: A Catholic priest, a vaccuum salesman, a foul-mouthed singer and a down-on-her-luck black singer end up at a once popular hotel that straddles the Nevada-California border. Goddard, who wrote and directed this neo-noir thriller uses flashbacks and different viewpoint reveals […] […]
    Jana J. Monji
  • ‘Studio 54’: How the Legendary Disco Rose and Fell✮✮✮✮ October 30, 2018
    Over a decade ago, I saw the re-done Studio 54 as it became the Kit Kat Klub for a revival of the John Kander and Fred Ebb 1966 musical, “Cabaret.” Rob Marshall was the co-director/choreographer and Alan Cumming was the emcee to Jennifer Jason Leigh (replacing Natasha Richardson) as Sally Bowles. One of the changes […]
    Jana J. Monji
  • ‘Kusama – Infinity’: Feminism and Artistic Vision ✮✮✮ October 27, 2018
    Get ready for a bit of old-fashioned feminist outrage in this celebratory documentary, “Kusama – Infinity,” yet rein in your rage and you’ll notice a sly contradiction between the visual and the aural. Director/writer Heather Lenz doesn’t always ask the tough questions or provide historic perspective. Still, “Kusama – Infinity” is a bittersweet documentary a […]
    Jana J. Monji
  • ‘Tea with the Dames’: A Must-See for Theater Buffs ✮✮✮ October 27, 2018
    One almost wants to be at the Langham after a fine high tea or brunch before one settles down to watch the documentary “Tea with the Dames.” That’s particularly true if you have a taste for champagne as do these four octogenarian widows, Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, John Plowright and Maggie Smith, all who have […]
    Jana J. Monji
  • Los Angeles Comic-Con 2018: Weekend Tips October 27, 2018
    Friday at Los Angeles Comic-Con was subdued. The noise level was down and the crowd was manageable. You’ll see some familiar faces that you saw at Long Beach Comic-Con and you’ll also witness the continued struggle of a Con trying to define itself. Just this year (April)  Comikaze broke ties with POW Entertainment and will […]
    Jana J. Monji
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