ONIBABA & KWAIDAN (1964): Celebrating Japan's CLASSIC Horror Cinema!!

ONIBABA (1964) d. Kaneto Shindo (Japan)
KWAIDAN (1964) d. Masaki Kobayashi (Japan)

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Tonight, we discuss the 1964 Japanese horror classics Onibaba and Kwaidan, exploring their reflections of post-war Japanese society, folklore, and complex themes of fear and morality.

25 YEARS OF TAKASHI MIIKE'S AUDITION (1999)!!!

AUDITION (1999) d. Takashi Miike (Japan/S. Korea)

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After seven years of mourning and encouraged by his teenage son to find a new wife, widower Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) seeks the advice of a colleague within the film company for which they both work. Together, they hit upon the perfect plan: Staging an audition for actresses, ostensibly for a new feature project, but in reality hoping to find the new ideal woman to share Aoyama’s life. While interviewing a series of candidates, the lonely widower becomes enchanted by Asami (Eihi Shiina), a quiet, young woman, who is immediately responsive to his charms. The two seem to instantly fall for each other, but things take a very dark and twisted turn (or three) as we discover Asami isn't all she seems to be...

LET'S-MAKE-THE-TEACHER-HAVE-A-MISCARRIAGE CLUB review

Let's-Make-The-Teacher-Have-A-Miscarriage Club (2010) d. Naito, Eisuke (Japan)

A discomfiting blend of The Bad Seed and The Children’s Hour, where peer pressure, perceived “innocence of youth” and fear of one’s own body play equal roles. A quintet of elementary school girls form the titular group in protest of the “gross” notion of their pregnant homeroom teacher (Aki Miyata) having sex and/or procreating, their attacks growing increasingly sinister and lethal. (As their sociopathic leader, Kaori Kobayashi paints a vivid portrait of a young lady wrestling with her own terrifying femininity).

While writer/director Naito’s camera techniques are more than a little shaky (literally), the concept’s raw power – both of casually amoral youngsters and adults’ willingness to excuse their actions rather than confront the truth – is chilling in its simplicity. A cowed school board, parents in deep denial and the emotional heat of hormonal imbalance create the perfect breeding ground for adolescent evil to hold sway. Best of all, Naito doesn’t feel compelled to unnecessarily pad out the running time – at 62 minutes, he’s told the story he came to tell and told it well.