Midnight Eye. 6/05.

With the re-release of Shinya Tsukamoto's cyberpunk classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man slated for June 28, Midnight Eye editor Tom Mes's new book, Iron Man: The Cinema of Shinya Tsukamoto, couldn't be more timely. Which, of course, is not very likely a coincidence, but still. Looks like a fun browse and maybe even a terrific read.

In the issue proper, more nostalgia of a sort, as Mes interviews Sogo Ishii, focusing on the Japanese punk scene of the 70s and 80s. In terms of historical placement (rather than style, certainly), he seems to have been a sort of Japanese Jim Jarmusch.

Kenji Misumi is the subject of this issue's Round-Up. "Best known for his work on the Baby Cart and Zatoichi series," writes Mes, but "it's time for a drastic re-appraisal."

Reviews:

• Jaspar Sharp on A Stranger From Afar: "With each of his films proving even more successful than the last, [Takashi] Shimizu's career looks unstoppable, but one can't help but hold a few reservations as to which direction he will head in next." Even so, "Fear junkies certainly won't come away wanting."

• Sharp on Akihiko Shiota's Canary: "For various reasons aside from its shared cinematographer, the work of Kore'eda springs to mind."

• Mes on Nobuhiro Yamashita's Linda Linda Linda: "[E]ven for those entirely unfamiliar with the history of Japanese rock music, this film's infectious, three-chord charm will prove hard to resist. And that former Smashing Pumpkin James Iha provides the score won't hurt its international appeal either."

Posted by dwhudson at June 15, 2005 6:13 AM