JFF Online 2024

June 6, 2024

"The actual movie itself has a similar conceit: though it has none of the gloss, nor the budget, nor the star power, nor the grand ambition, it doesn't matter. It's a movie people wanted to make, and they made it." (8/10)

Full review here.

June 8, 2024

Two rival foodies meet their match (unsurprisingly, it's Japanese bureaucracy) and band together to save the school lunches they passionately adore. The original DNA of Oishi Kyushoku— skits that celebrate childlike creativity with food— do not lend themselves to a longer format, so the film thankfully spends most of its runtime ruminating on it central themes in other ways. (7/10)

June 10, 2024

Who would have thought a laissez-faire sensibility would pair so well with a post-Bourne action romp? When it's two young adults fresh out of school, the biggest problem in the world isn't global warfare, it's putting up with roommates and surviving the terrible job market. Assassination might as well be just another useless degree. (8/10)

June 15, 2024

There is no shortage of historical dramas wherein the hero saves the day by slaying enemies. However, I can't think of many where the solution is balancing books. For a comedy, Maeda Tetsu's modern subversion of the samurai amuses more than it thrills, but it's certainly a feast for the eyes. (6.5/10)