CINEMATON 5 - Heart of Japanese Cinema Blogathon

Setsuko Hara in her regal beauty in Late Spring (Ozu, 1949)

Adrian here:

Heart of Japanese Cinema blogathon looks not only into Japanese Cinema as a whole, but to into its soul. The rule is simple, make something: a review, a list of your best Japanese films, best Anime you've watched for the past month, or a critical memoir of a director and relate it the question: how close is this to the Japanese soul?

Since this is a blogathon, just like a marathon, you have to post as many posts as you want from today, April 10 to Saturday, April 16. It can one post a day, or more as long as you have the stamina and endurance, go for it. Remember, stick with the topic. Do not forget to add this link (Japan 2011 Crisis Response) to every post you make to help aid relief.

You can add your contribution by making a comment on this post or you can email me: adrian.lessegers@gmail.com or try my other contact details here.

Here are the final list of participants.

Participants:

1. Auditoire (http://adrianmendizabal.blogspot.com/)
2. Next Projection (http://nextprojection.com/)
3. Kaws Kamote (http://kawtskamote.blogspot.com/)
4. Pixelated Popcorn (http://pixelatedpopcorn.blogspot.com/)
5. The Reel Bits (http://www.thereelbits.com)
6. Point and Counterpoint (http://www.titopao.com/)
7. Whatever Carl, Whatever (http://whatevercarl.tumblr.com/)
8. Me Likes Art (http://melikesart.blogspot.com/)
9. Lessons From the School of Inattention (http://oggsmoggs.blogspot.com/)
10. Brainstorm from the Shower (http://etchieblog.wordpress.com/)
11. Below the Dotted Line (http://belowthedottedline.blogspot.com/)
12. Lilok Pelikula (http://lilokpelikula.wordpress.com/)
13. By Kubrick's Beard (http://bykubricksbeard.blogspot.com/)
14. Light Within Light (http://light-within-light.blogspot.com/)
15. Kasabawan, Kaalaman atbp. (http://therevellious.wordpress.com/)
16. Critic After Dark (http://criticafterdark.blogspot.com/)
17. Pinoy Film Zealot (http://pinoyfilmzealot.wordpress.com/)


Let the blogathon begin!

INDEX OF POSTS

Day 1

We'll start with Next Projection's beautiful review on Hokusai (1954)
Another old written piece by Sir Noel Vera on Kenji Mizoguchi's Sansho the Bailiff (1954)

Day 2

For today, we have Ibetolis' wonderful write up on Akira Kurosawa's Stray Dogs (1949)

Epoy Deyto: experience on Shuji Terayama's cinema and on his Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1970)

And we also have Adrian Mendizabal's screenshots of Kenji Mizoguchi's masterpiece, Ugetsu Monogatari (1953)

Day 3

We'll start with Will Cabrera's review of Departure (2008), an Academy Award winning Japanese film.

Also Oggs Cruz slated his review on the controversial documentary film, Children of Hiroshima (1952)

Day 4

Interestingly, Etchie Pingol made a write up on Sora Aoi, a Japanese nude model and adult video (AV) actress, and the mainstream adult video cinema of Japan. Etchie entitled it The Sky is Blue: Sora Aoi and Japanese Mainstream Soft-Core

Today, we also look into another fantastic review of Oggs Cruz with Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (2001) by Shohei Imamura.

Japanese cinema is not all about the film language. Paolo Barazon, a music-cinema lover comments on Claude Debussy's famous composition Claire de Lune in his wonderful review on Tokyo Sonata (2008).

Will Cabrera of Me Likes Art looks into late Japanese animator, Satoshi Kon, who died late last year. He ranks his favorite Satoshi Kon's works here entitled The Satoshi Kon Legacy.

Meanwhile, Fidan Medel of Pixelated Popcorn picks his favourites from Hayao Miyazaki's filmography.

Day 5

We'll start with Will's write up on Japanese horror entitle Afterthoughts on Japanese Horror

Oggs Cruz offers another cool review with Takashi Miike's Bodyguard Kiba (1993)

Day 6

The best way to start the sixth day is an excellent personal write up on Japanese Cinema written by Jay-R Trinidad, a veritable cinephile, entitled Loving J-Cinema.

A rare Isao Takahata is reviewed by film critic Noel Vera entitled Little Norse Prince (1968). Sir Noel also reviewed two other great Studio Ghibli materpieces, Grave of the Fireflied (1988) and Whispers of the Heart (1995).

Day 7

Etchie shares an interesting take on Yakuza in the contemporary cinema of Japan entitled Bushido Outlaws?: The Yakuza in Contemporary Cinema

Sir Noel's take on Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Pulse (2001)

You can use the posters and banners below to promote the blogathon. Share this with your friends and fellow bloggers and let them know about Japenese Cinema.

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Ciao!
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