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Blake Simons

@blakethinks.bsky.social

410 followers 310 following 120 posts

🎥 interview evangelist, artistic director @ LIFFF ✍ romance, japan, latam, self-reflexivity, global queer at BFI, IndieWire, The Film Stage, ScreenAnarchy and more https://muckrack.com/blakesimons https://desperatelyseekingsubtitles.substack.com

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · May 27

I spoke with Takashi Miike about an industry in flux, for MUBI Notebook mubi.com/en/notebook/...

Head-On: A Conversation with Takashi Miike

The genre auteur discusses queer subtexts, a changing industry, and winning a fight in one minute or less.

mubi.com

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · 6d

'Cinema'

citation needed

Reposted by Blake Simons

Josh Slater-Williams @jslaterwilliams.bsky.social · 6d

London East Asia Film Festival devoting an entire programme strand to AI “Cinema”…

Screenshot of text from London East Asia Film Festival’s 2025 programme:

FUTURE FRAMES: AI

AI Cinema #1 - Opening Film - to be announced

AI Cinema #2

Sigumun | Dir. You Hyeong-jun, Rolen Yealin Jeon, Hong Jin-wook | Korea | 2025 | 15 mins

The Dream of Atlantis | Dir. Choi Young-min | Korea | 2025 | 14 mins

Fragment of Falling | Dir. Kim Woon-ha | Korea | 2025 | 10 mins

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · 7d

In a true exclusive, I spoke with Satoko Okudera for
@indiewire.com

The screenwriter behind The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Shinji Somai's seminal classic Moving, and now Kokuho, she's a singular force, propelling her characters forth into their futures

www.indiewire.com/features/int...

Satoko Okudera, the Screenwriter Behind Japan’s 2026 Oscar Entry, Gives Rare Interview on How Her Country’s Industry Is Shifting for Women

Screenwriter Satoko Okudera, scribe behind this year's Japanese Oscar entry, gives her first interview to an English-language outlet.

www.indiewire.com

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · 12d

desperatelyseekingsubtitles.substack.com/p/daisuke-sh...

Daisuke Shigaya poured seven years into 'Leave the Cat Alone', a small film that speaks volumes (Busan '25)

"We cannot film inside the heart": A sensitive filmmaker with time on his mind speaks with me about his newly Nikkatsu-acquired debut

desperatelyseekingsubtitles.substack.com

Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · 12d

"We cannot film inside the heart"

Daisuke Shigaya poured seven years into BIFF Competition title LEAVE THE CAT ALONE, a small film that speaks volumes

We discussed capturing the uncapturable, and what time can reveal about our creative and romantic impulses

[link below]

Reposted by Blake Simons

Jacob Oller @jacoboller.bsky.social · 13d

I got to see The Onion's fun and funny and refreshing Jeffrey Epstein: Bad Pedophile, which also finds the true-crime industry dead in its cell. Wrote about it: www.avclub.com/jeffrey-epst...

Jeffrey Epstein: Bad Pedophile writes a damning birthday note to the true-crime industry

The Onion mockumentary Jeffrey Epstein: Bad Pedophile asks and answers hard-hitting questions about a news cycle almost beyond parody.

www.avclub.com

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · 13d

Makoto Shinkai's "5 Centimeters Per Second" is a slight, snapshot work. So what happens when you stretch it out, fill in the blanks, and make it live-action? Meaningful magic.

I spoke with director Yoshiyuki Okuyama for
@animenewsnetwork.com

www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/20...

Live-Action Film Director Yoshiyuki Okuyama on Adapting Makoto Shinkai's Classic 5 Centimeters Per Second Anime

One of Shinkai's beloved works is now a live-action film. We spoke with young director Yoshiyuki Okuyama about what probing the past can do for the audience and the filmmaker.

www.animenewsnetwork.com

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · 14d

Birds is a masterpiece

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · 15d

I'm sure I'll hear you there yelling "TETSUO TWO" really loudly

Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · 15d

I have since seen this and eagerly signed up for the pre-sale 🫡

Reposted by Blake Simons

Sean Gilman @theendofcinema.bsky.social · 15d

Hilarious that, by the traditional definition of the term, none of these are New Wave films nor are they directed by New Wave directors.

Disc-Connected: Your trusted news source in physical media @disc-connected.bsky.social · 15d

***ANNOUNCEMENT***

Coming on December 16th as a SHOUT FACTORY WEBSITE EXCLUSIVE on Blu-ray in the US from @shoutstudios.bsky.social as part of their #HongKongCinemaClassics line: #HongKong #NewWave Essentials (1985-1990)!

Special Offer: Order from ShoutFactory.com and get an EXCLUSIVE 18” X 24”

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · 15d

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS ARE WHAT

Reposted by Blake Simons

Sean Gilman @theendofcinema.bsky.social · 18d

🚨🚨🚨Baby Assassins Everyday! (Season One) is coming to HBO Max in October! 🚨🚨🚨

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Reposted by Blake Simons

404 Media @404media.co · 19d

People on r/twinpeaks flooded the subreddit with AI slop images of FBI agent Dale Cooper and ChatGPT generated scripts after the community’s moderators opened the door to posting AI art.

🔗 www.404media.co/pissed-off-f...

Pissed-off Fans Flooded the Twin Peaks Reddit With AI Slop To Protest Its AI Policies

Moderators reversed course on its open door AI policy after fans filled the subreddit with AI-generated Dale Cooper slop.

www.404media.co

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · 19d

NB: There's currently a paragraph attributed to Kutsuna that belongs in the Reedus section. Hopefully the editors will fix it soon.

Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · 19d

I spoke with @hideokojimaen.bsky.kojimaproductions.jp's collaborators for @dazeddigital.com, to discover what his creative process inspired in their own artistic practices

featuring Reedus, Kutsuna, Matsumoto, Grimm Grimm, Woodkid, and CHVRCHES

www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture...

‘Stories with heart’: Inside Hideo Kojima’s constellation of creatives

As the renowned video game director’s Kojima Productions turns ten, we speak to six of Kojima’s diverse collaborators to explore how his singular creative process has shaped their own artistic practic...

www.dazeddigital.com

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · 22d

Breathe it in folks, it's Busan ― and what better way to kick off coverage than with a Japanese high-school weed distribution dramedy?

I sat down with writer-director-editor Takashi Koyama to discuss ALL GREENS, his ballsy and electric second feature

screenanarchy.com/2025/09/busa...

Busan 2025 Interview: ALL GREENS Director Takashi Koyama Talks the High-School Drug-Dealing Dramedy You Didn't Know You Needed

A lively conversation with the mind behind a daring dramedy at this year's BIFF.

screenanarchy.com

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · Sep 10

I spoke with Shu Qi
screenanarchy.com/2025/09/toro...

Toronto 2025 Interview: Shu Qi Talks GIRL, Finding a Film Grammar for Girlhood, and What's Next

Hong Kong-Taiwanese legend Shu Qi discusses her directorial debut.

screenanarchy.com

Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · Sep 9

I should publish my interview for this one

Reposted by Blake Simons

Chris Person @papapishu.bsky.social · Sep 8

Linda explainer!
-Linda Linda Linda is a 2005 movie about a group of girls covering songs by punk band The Blue Hearts.
-Linda³ is an RPG for the PC Engine CD about attempting to recreate Noah's Ark on the planet of Neo Kenya.
-The two are not directly related!

Hope this clears things up!

an ad for the PlayStation port of Linda³, Linda³ Again

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Reposted by Blake Simons

Dan Whitehead @danwhitehead.net · Sep 9

Looking for volunteers to man the perimeter and make sure James Corden gets nowhere near this.

Children's TV favourite Bagpuss to reawaken for new film

It will be the first new official Bagpuss production since the original beloved 1974 series.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Blake Simons

Lioki le Chrysomant @lioki.bsky.social · Sep 7

Barbie peaked wave simulation on PS1 in 1999 🌊 (there's even pools of stagnant water in the sand when every game to this day uses the same single water level everywhere).

Videogame Beaches 🏳️‍⚧️ @videogamebeach.bsky.social · Jun 13

The Beach At Dusk (Barbie: Race & Ride, PS1, Runecraft, 1999)

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · Sep 7

❤️ Hell yeah.

Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · Sep 7

In his first-ever long-form English-language interview, I spoke with Japan's titan of time travel Makoto Ueda about script engineering, game logic, adaptation and homage. It's a special conversation.

desperatelyseekingsubtitles.substack.com/p/makoto-ued...

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Blake Simons @blakethinks.bsky.social · Aug 21

This is my Silksong

Manga Mogura (Anime & Manga News) @mangamogura.bsky.social · Aug 21

"Billy Bat" by "Monster" creator Naoki Urasawa is getting an ENGLISH RELEASE!

Publisher Kana is listing the 1st Volume in English for June 2nd, 2026!

Conspiracy Thriller about a mysterious bat connecting various historical incidents from Adolf Hitler to the Ku-Klux Clan, from JFK to Jesus Christ.