Movies
Fringe cinema. Peep TV Show is somewhat experimental, the kind of raw punk experiment that you'll find on the outskirts of Japanese cinema. There's no clearly defined narrative here, I've also seen accounts of people who thought this was a documentary, I guess it's just one of those films you need to experience yourself. The film focuses on post-9/11 Japan, and the impact this act of terrorism had on the world. It follows some young people living in Shibuya, who communicate with each other through shady websites, are into surveillance, and seem to have already checked out from their own lives. This isn't an immaculate, proper film. There's a guerrilla feel to the whole thing, including the grainy footage, crude editing, and anger residing in the performances. It felt raw, but heartfelt, capturing a certain zeitgeist that is often overlooked but lives there on the fringes of society. Not the best of its kind, but definitely worth a try if you like this kind of thing.Read all
A documentary that documents. Nowadays, it feels like most docs are made with a clear goal and message in mind. A director has done all the exploring beforehand and looks for footage to support his idea, whereas Yutaka Tsuchiya's The New God is a more genuine exploration of his subject ... and ultimately himself. The idea of a leftist director documenting a right-leaning punk band seems impossible these days, but that's exactly what makes this documentary interesting. Tsuchiya isn't out to ridicule or undermine his subjects either, instead, he looks genuinely interested in their story, and sees his own ideals challenged during production. It's fun to make the journey together with the director and his subjects, though I do feel the pacing could've been a little tighter. The second half does get a little repetitive and keeps on circling the same topics. Though it probably gives a good impression of how the main characters experienced the changes in their lives, I think Tsuchiya could've found a more exciting way to show us.Read all