Koreyoshi Kurahara’s ingeniously plotted, pocket-sized noir concerns the intertwining fates of a desperate bank manager, blackmailed for book-cooking, and his resentful but timid underling, passed over for a promotion. Elegantly stripped-down and carefully paced, Intimidation (Aru kyouhaku) is a moody early film from one of the Japanese New Wave’s preeminent stylists. Continue reading
:::[ PLOT SUMMARY ]::
Koreyoshi Kurahara adapted a novel by Yukio Mishima for Thirst for
Love (Ai no kawaki), a tense psychological drama about a young
woman who is widowed after marrying into a wealthy family, and
becomes sexually involved with her father-in-law, while harboring
a destructive obsession with the family gardener. Kurahara’s
atmospheric style is a perfect match for Mishima’s brooding
sensuality. Continue reading
Plot:
Inspired by Preston Sturges’s Sullivan’s Travels, I Hate But Love (Nikui anchikusho) is a high-octane romantic comedy and road movie that follows a celebrity dissatisfied with his personal and professional life who impulsively leaves Tokyo to deliver a much-needed Jeep to a remote village. When his controlling girlfriend (also his career manager) follows, the two must reconcile while dodging reporters.
In the high-octane, unorthodox romance I Hate But Love (Nikui anchikusho), a celebrity (played by megastar Yujiro Ishihara), dissatisfied with his personal and professional lives, impulsively leaves fast-paced Tokyo to deliver a much-needed jeep to a remote village. When his controlling manager, the woman he loves (Ruriko Asaoka), follows, the two must reconcile while dodging reporters. Continue reading