matteoB
@matteob.bsky.social
By day: lumpenproletariat.
By night: Japan-based film critic and writer for Il Manifesto and other publications.
Independently writing and researching about Asian documentary here: https://asian-docs.com/
By night: Japan-based film critic and writer for Il Manifesto and other publications.
Independently writing and researching about Asian documentary here: https://asian-docs.com/
ザ・フライング・ルナクリッパー The Flying Luna Clipper (Ohno Ikko, 1987)
February 15, 2026 at 12:23 PM
ザ・フライング・ルナクリッパー The Flying Luna Clipper (Ohno Ikko, 1987)
I missed the announcement a couple of week ago, but this is the line-up for this year Niigata International Animation Film Festival (February 20-25):
niigata-iaff.net/en/programs/...
it seems a bit downsized compared to the previous editions...
niigata-iaff.net/en/programs/...
it seems a bit downsized compared to the previous editions...
February 14, 2026 at 10:17 AM
I missed the announcement a couple of week ago, but this is the line-up for this year Niigata International Animation Film Festival (February 20-25):
niigata-iaff.net/en/programs/...
it seems a bit downsized compared to the previous editions...
niigata-iaff.net/en/programs/...
it seems a bit downsized compared to the previous editions...
2026 marks both
the 100th anniversary of Imamura Shōhei's birth and the 20th anniversary of his death...
(whispering) I might finally write something about his documentaries...
the 100th anniversary of Imamura Shōhei's birth and the 20th anniversary of his death...
(whispering) I might finally write something about his documentaries...
February 11, 2026 at 6:23 AM
2026 marks both
the 100th anniversary of Imamura Shōhei's birth and the 20th anniversary of his death...
(whispering) I might finally write something about his documentaries...
the 100th anniversary of Imamura Shōhei's birth and the 20th anniversary of his death...
(whispering) I might finally write something about his documentaries...
They don't make Westerns like they used to...
Instructions for a Light and Sound Machine (Peter Tscherkassky, 2005)
⚠️warning: flashing lights
Instructions for a Light and Sound Machine (Peter Tscherkassky, 2005)
⚠️warning: flashing lights
February 10, 2026 at 10:58 AM
They don't make Westerns like they used to...
Instructions for a Light and Sound Machine (Peter Tscherkassky, 2005)
⚠️warning: flashing lights
Instructions for a Light and Sound Machine (Peter Tscherkassky, 2005)
⚠️warning: flashing lights
黒川の女たち In Their Own Words: The Women of Kurokawa (Matsubara Fumie) is good
asian-docs.com/2026/02/07/k...
asian-docs.com/2026/02/07/k...
February 9, 2026 at 11:46 PM
黒川の女たち In Their Own Words: The Women of Kurokawa (Matsubara Fumie) is good
asian-docs.com/2026/02/07/k...
asian-docs.com/2026/02/07/k...
Lacrima Christi (Teo Hernández, 1979-80)
February 9, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Lacrima Christi (Teo Hernández, 1979-80)
Salomé (Carmelo Bene, 1972)
February 9, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Salomé (Carmelo Bene, 1972)
not that it matters, but it's interesting to see each individual list...
there's, unsurprisingly, a lot of variation in the selections...especially in the Japanese movies lists...
while One Battle After Another is at the top of almost every non-Japanese list...
there's, unsurprisingly, a lot of variation in the selections...especially in the Japanese movies lists...
while One Battle After Another is at the top of almost every non-Japanese list...
February 9, 2026 at 8:27 AM
not that it matters, but it's interesting to see each individual list...
there's, unsurprisingly, a lot of variation in the selections...especially in the Japanese movies lists...
while One Battle After Another is at the top of almost every non-Japanese list...
there's, unsurprisingly, a lot of variation in the selections...especially in the Japanese movies lists...
while One Battle After Another is at the top of almost every non-Japanese list...
If you know Tanaka Tatsuya’s work(left), you might have felt a sense of déjà vu watching some of the imagery from the Winter Olympics in Italy (right)...
my question is: were the Olympics' posters conceived and made by AI?
if so, is there a possibility that AI models were trained on his works?
/1
my question is: were the Olympics' posters conceived and made by AI?
if so, is there a possibility that AI models were trained on his works?
/1
February 9, 2026 at 3:41 AM
If you know Tanaka Tatsuya’s work(left), you might have felt a sense of déjà vu watching some of the imagery from the Winter Olympics in Italy (right)...
my question is: were the Olympics' posters conceived and made by AI?
if so, is there a possibility that AI models were trained on his works?
/1
my question is: were the Olympics' posters conceived and made by AI?
if so, is there a possibility that AI models were trained on his works?
/1
"the society of social media"
February 8, 2026 at 1:34 PM
"the society of social media"
today, February 7, is the anniversary of the death of Ogawa Shinsuke, who passed away in 1992 at the age of 55
February 7, 2026 at 2:47 PM
today, February 7, is the anniversary of the death of Ogawa Shinsuke, who passed away in 1992 at the age of 55
The third and last 70mm movie made in Japan is 太平洋戦争と姫ゆり部隊 The Pacific War and Himeyuri Corps (Komori Kiyoshi, 1962) at Ōkura Pictures
/5
/5
February 1, 2026 at 11:44 PM
The third and last 70mm movie made in Japan is 太平洋戦争と姫ゆり部隊 The Pacific War and Himeyuri Corps (Komori Kiyoshi, 1962) at Ōkura Pictures
/5
/5
Ichikawa Raizō, Katsu Shintarō, Hongō Kōjirō, Kyō Machiko, but also Tonō Eijirō and Filipino actress Charito Solis. The only missing one is Wakao Ayako, but she will be in The Great Wall, the second Japanese movie in 70mm, again in Super Technirama 70...
/4
/4
February 1, 2026 at 11:39 PM
Ichikawa Raizō, Katsu Shintarō, Hongō Kōjirō, Kyō Machiko, but also Tonō Eijirō and Filipino actress Charito Solis. The only missing one is Wakao Ayako, but she will be in The Great Wall, the second Japanese movie in 70mm, again in Super Technirama 70...
/4
/4
as far as I know, it was photographed in 35mm and later enlarged to 70 mm. It was a gigantic production inspired by William Wyler’s Ben-Hur, a film that arrived in Japanese theaters the year before, and in its themes by The 10 Commandments, trying to make a religious epic for the Asian continent
/2
/2
February 1, 2026 at 11:33 PM
as far as I know, it was photographed in 35mm and later enlarged to 70 mm. It was a gigantic production inspired by William Wyler’s Ben-Hur, a film that arrived in Japanese theaters the year before, and in its themes by The 10 Commandments, trying to make a religious epic for the Asian continent
/2
/2
釈迦 Buddha (Misumi Kenji, 1961) and 秦 始皇帝 The Great Wall (Tanaka Shigeo, 1962) are currently being screened at Gifu Royal Gekijō on film (35mm).
Produced by Daiei, Buddha 釈迦 is the first Japanese movie projected/produced in 70mm, using the Super Technirama 70 technology.
As far as I know...
/1
Produced by Daiei, Buddha 釈迦 is the first Japanese movie projected/produced in 70mm, using the Super Technirama 70 technology.
As far as I know...
/1
February 1, 2026 at 11:30 PM
釈迦 Buddha (Misumi Kenji, 1961) and 秦 始皇帝 The Great Wall (Tanaka Shigeo, 1962) are currently being screened at Gifu Royal Gekijō on film (35mm).
Produced by Daiei, Buddha 釈迦 is the first Japanese movie projected/produced in 70mm, using the Super Technirama 70 technology.
As far as I know...
/1
Produced by Daiei, Buddha 釈迦 is the first Japanese movie projected/produced in 70mm, using the Super Technirama 70 technology.
As far as I know...
/1
The Man Who Stole the Sun was famously co-written by Hasegawa and Leonard Schrader (Paul's brother) who was active in Japanese cinema at the time (Tora-san, Mishima, etc.).
The main role is played by the great Sawada Kenji, opposite Sugawara Bunta...
The main role is played by the great Sawada Kenji, opposite Sugawara Bunta...
February 1, 2026 at 1:48 PM
The Man Who Stole the Sun was famously co-written by Hasegawa and Leonard Schrader (Paul's brother) who was active in Japanese cinema at the time (Tora-san, Mishima, etc.).
The main role is played by the great Sawada Kenji, opposite Sugawara Bunta...
The main role is played by the great Sawada Kenji, opposite Sugawara Bunta...
he was assistant director for some films by Kumashiro Tatsumi, but basically directed just two movies, both singular cinematic experiences. The Man Who Stole the Sun is the most celebrated, but The Youth Killer (with a very young Mizutani Yutaka of Aibou fame) is great, and Harada Mieko is on fire
February 1, 2026 at 1:38 PM
he was assistant director for some films by Kumashiro Tatsumi, but basically directed just two movies, both singular cinematic experiences. The Man Who Stole the Sun is the most celebrated, but The Youth Killer (with a very young Mizutani Yutaka of Aibou fame) is great, and Harada Mieko is on fire
Images of Class: Operaismo, Autonomia and the Visual Arts (1962-1988)
Jacopo Galimberti, Verso
Jacopo Galimberti, Verso
January 28, 2026 at 11:10 AM
Images of Class: Operaismo, Autonomia and the Visual Arts (1962-1988)
Jacopo Galimberti, Verso
Jacopo Galimberti, Verso
finally saw 黒の牛 Black Ox (Tsuta Tetsuichirō, 2024)
underwhelmed by the visuals in the first hour or so, the film definitely gets more inspired, at least for me, in its second half.
The last 10', when the B&W turns into vivid and copper-like tonalities, were awe-inspiring
underwhelmed by the visuals in the first hour or so, the film definitely gets more inspired, at least for me, in its second half.
The last 10', when the B&W turns into vivid and copper-like tonalities, were awe-inspiring
January 28, 2026 at 7:48 AM
finally saw 黒の牛 Black Ox (Tsuta Tetsuichirō, 2024)
underwhelmed by the visuals in the first hour or so, the film definitely gets more inspired, at least for me, in its second half.
The last 10', when the B&W turns into vivid and copper-like tonalities, were awe-inspiring
underwhelmed by the visuals in the first hour or so, the film definitely gets more inspired, at least for me, in its second half.
The last 10', when the B&W turns into vivid and copper-like tonalities, were awe-inspiring
R.I.P. Higashi Yoichi
沖縄列島 Okinawa Islands (1969)
沖縄列島 Okinawa Islands (1969)
January 27, 2026 at 10:16 AM
R.I.P. Higashi Yoichi
沖縄列島 Okinawa Islands (1969)
沖縄列島 Okinawa Islands (1969)
my favourite version of The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928) is the one scored in 2005 by Yanashita Mie and at 20fps...
other-worldly
other-worldly
January 24, 2026 at 12:06 PM
my favourite version of The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928) is the one scored in 2005 by Yanashita Mie and at 20fps...
other-worldly
other-worldly
it's an adaptation from Yonezawa Honobu's book The Samurai and the Prisoner, as far as I gathered, a period piece mystery...
January 22, 2026 at 3:12 AM
it's an adaptation from Yonezawa Honobu's book The Samurai and the Prisoner, as far as I gathered, a period piece mystery...
just watched ㊙色情めす市場 Secret Chronicle: She Beast Market (Tanaka NOboru, 1974)...my goodness....what a raw punch...
January 21, 2026 at 9:42 AM
just watched ㊙色情めす市場 Secret Chronicle: She Beast Market (Tanaka NOboru, 1974)...my goodness....what a raw punch...
a very young Dean Stockwell in Song of the Thin Man (1947), the last entry in the series
January 19, 2026 at 6:20 PM
a very young Dean Stockwell in Song of the Thin Man (1947), the last entry in the series