Category:film
The Girl in the Well: The Ring and Japanese Ghost Stories
One of the most memorable images from The Ring (1998) is that of Sadako crawling out from a well. The story of a ghost girl and a well has roots in Japanese folklore in the form of the tale of Banchō Sarayashiki (番町皿屋敷, The Dish Mansion at Banchō). Given the nature and popularity of legends …
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The Blade or the Armor, the Sword or the Ball: Making a Choice in The Book of Boba Fett and Lone Wolf and Cub
Spoiler warnings for Chapter 6 of The Book of Boba Fett and for Lone Wolf and Cub. Early in the first season of The Mandalorian comparisons were made to the classic Japanese manga and later movie series Lone Wolf and Cub. The themes and motifs of the two collided as the Star Wars series has …
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Resident Evil in Tokyo
With the imminent release of Resident Evil Village on the horizon at the time of the writing of this post, I decided to look back on the Resident Evil collaborations and promotional events I encountered during my stays in Japan. Resident Evil, or Biohazard (バイオハザード) as it is known in Japan, has been an enduring …
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Skyfall: The Fighting Temeraire
In a scene in the 2012 film Skyfall, James Bond sits in the National Gallery, silently contemplating a painting when he is joined by Q. The newcomer briefly remarks on the painting before identifying himself to a visibly irritated 007. While the moment serves as the introduction of the new Quartermaster, it also underscores the …
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Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza and the Fear of a Rising Japan
For some, John McTiernan’s 1988 Die Hard has undergone a cultural transformation into the unlikely position of a favorite Christmas classic. The setting of the film on Christmas Eve and the inclusion of Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC, Let It Snow over the end credits, and Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s 9th playing as …
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