J-Film Blog

Departures | おくりびと (2008)

Japanese Title: おくりびと (Okuribito, “Sent away” People?)
US Title: Departures
Wow, what a totally awesome movie.  For lots of different reasons.  It’s thoughtful, funny, well-written, well-acted…  It’s just that good.  Plus it offers a few insights into Japanese culture that you may or may not pick up on.  Read on for the whole scoop.
When [...]

Ping Pong (2002)

How in the hell can you make a decent, funny movie about ping pong?  Well, they’ve done it.  Ping Pong chronicles the exploits of two table tennis masters: The timid and reserved “Smile” Tsukimoto” (Arata) and the over-the-top “Peco” Hoshino (Yosuke Kubozuka) as they battle through life and their high school ping pong [...]