The Ghost in the Shell | Episode 1

July 7, 2026

The Ghost in the Shell is so much. For reasons within and without, it feels precious and rare like a gemstone in every second, every frame. It is true there hasn’t been a recent installment, the latest now six years old, but it’s also an example of anime, a craft initially defined by limited movement in comparison to Western animation, and yet Science Saru adapts Masamune Shirow’s kinetic manga with buttery-smooth animation, an active camera, and generous colors. The only visual element withheld is the gore, the opening body explosion covered in a digital mosaic – which somehow makes it more obscene – leading to the splat of a bloody stick-figure against the wall. Where traditional adaptations pare back the farcical, even manic quality of the source material, opting instead for deadly serious meditations which, honestly, better fit the subject matter, The Ghost in the Shell is paced with a punchline rhythm, and is altogether a carousel of great faces. One of the small joys of the manga is the candid glimpses of characters in repose, where Batou might be wearing an enormous grin or otherwise be looking silly (or pervy). This is practically the animating philosophy at the heart of 2026’s Ghost in the Shell, if the first episode is any indication. … More The Ghost in the Shell | Episode 1

I Understand There’s an Issue Here

July 5, 2026

Rare situation. Late last year, I became somewhat enamored of this actress Jung Eun-chae, right? That’s totally normal. Lots of people are like me. Beyond her striking appearance is an exciting talent, as she selects roles for their substance rather than billing in the credits. Admittedly, this is a double-edged sword, because while supporting roles tend to be the most interesting – especially in K-dramas – in practice, the dearth of leading roles means a lot of Jung Eun-chae material without a lot of Jung Eun-chae. To date, the best performance of hers I’ve seen is in the Bae Suzy drama Anna, in which she bares her fangs as a villainous socialite, but isn’t featured in every episode. The cumulative result is that she’s done just about everything, from cameos and guest spots to indie films and international productions, donning the right outfits for lawyers, judges, detectives, opera stars, middle managers, and even the prime minister. Surprisingly, no doctor yet, as far as I can tell. And while “detective” would catch my eye on that list, it’s in a supernatural show about demons, which is a bit of a no-fly zone for me personally (it’s bad enough Park Shin-hye is gonna make me sit through another season of The Judge from Hell). … More I Understand There’s an Issue Here

Who You Callin’ Stupid?

June 18, 2026

I posted a review for The Furious one week ago, and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it – not the movie but the review. And not just because it was a brilliant piece of film criticism, but because the apparent dichotomy between its near-perfect star rating and the more negative text of the review indeed represents a confusion I’m still processing. To go back, it wasn’t too long before my learning about The Furious and hearing the swell of excited reactions out of the festivals. This was the next Raid, and unlike the other Raid-likes over the years, it was coming to U.S. theaters. That had to mean something. Then the trailer releases online and, in addition to being phenomenal, is filled with enthusiastic, superlative sound bites. “One of the best action films of the decade” (in a decade which includes RRR, John Wick 4, and for me, Baby Assassins 3). I click around on Reddit and read similar opinions, though one person comments that the trailer pretty much gives everything away. “How could that be possible?” I huff. Well, one punch at a time, and I think this was a huge part of my reaction. … More Who You Callin’ Stupid?

No-Brainer | The Furious (2025) Review

June 11, 2026

We’ve got to talk about Joe Taslim and Kensuke Sonomura and Jeeja Yanin and all the With Eyes East favorites who’ve assembled for this action movie Super Bowl, but the story of The Furious might begin with a different name: Bill Kong. The last (and first) time producer Bill Kong came up on this site, it was in the comparison between live-action Blood: The Last Vampire – which he produced as a vehicle for Gianna Jun – and Kingdom: Ashin of the North, the homegrown Korean product which more successfully showed off Jun Ji-hyun to the world. If there’s one thing Bill Kong likes, it’s an American audience, as he also helped foster such crossover hits as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the Disney live-action Mulan. He may have found a fellow traveler in director Kenji Tanigaki, the Japanese action coordinator who cut his teeth on Hong Kong productions like SPL, Flash Point, and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (not to mention odds and ends like Blade II and Takashi Yamazaki’s Always: Sunset on Third Street). Together, they’ve brought The Furious to the international market, starting with the Toronto International Film Festival, up to and including American screens the same day as the latest Spielberg release. That’s confidence. … More No-Brainer | The Furious (2025) Review

I Will Be So Sad if This is Bad

May 28, 2026

Mark your calendars, folks, for a new Ghost in the Shell on July 7th! “Ghost in the Shell?!” I hear you erupt, indignant, “You mean the Japanese cyberpunk media franchise which hasn’t been good in over ten years, being generous?” “Ah,” I say, with scholarly poise, “Japanese postcyberpunk media franchise.” How clever indeed. The plan was to totally play it cool and wait to write about Science Saru’s The Ghost in the Shell only upon its release, theoretically doable as I haven’t been trapped in a hype cycle (hype psyop) in what feels like ages. And frankly, the first two teaser trailers weren’t doing much for me, beyond providing excellent music samples – the second like something out of Metroid Prime – and selling the concept of animating the artwork of Masamune Shirow with a budget larger than, say, the Appleseed OVA. So, what happened to turn things around? The third trailer. And so, I want to tell you a story in three trailers, and it’s my favorite one: the story of the Major. … More I Will Be So Sad if This is Bad

Kitana Wins

May 7, 2026

I’ve just gotten back from Mortal Kombat II, with a couple of hours to post this and prove that I saw it extra nerd early on Thursday rather than on Friday. I suppose I could show you the ticket, which I’d wanted to anyway because it was for 6:30, but then on the door, it said 6:45. And when I looked at Fandango today to see if anybody was gonna be sitting next to me, it also said 6:45, but there’s no way to prove that now. So, take my word that I thought to myself, “How can it be a 6:30 showing and a 6:45 showing at the same time?” Like a practiced modern moviegoer, I arrived at the theater at 6:30 sharp, budgeting enough time for all the pre-movie rituals, including waiting at the concession stand wherein the group in front of me appeared to be buying tickets? Growing surprisingly anxious, I finally made it to the premium-format theater and my seat and proceeded to sit there like a dope through, like, ten minutes of ads for insurance and cars. … More Kitana Wins

2026 Movie Preview

April 16, 2026

We’ve had a lot of movie news pouring out lately, apparently because of CinemaCon, something I’m only vaguely aware of. A high-profile exhibition for movies, in an age where movie theaters and international industries are dying and we don’t even have E3 anymore? Sounds made-up. But anyway, it looks like the rest of 2026 is pretty jam-packed, which I was not expecting. I already got The Bone Temple; I was good for the year. Also, 2025 was quite jam-packed itself, with representatives from my favorite brands and directors — Alien, Predator, Jurassic Park, Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, Alex Garland, David Cronenberg, and on and on. What could possibly be left? … More 2026 Movie Preview

This Wasteland

April 2, 2026

On the most recent episode of QNA, Donovan and I spoke with the hosts of Comic Timing about the comics industry, which like Hyman Roth, has been dying of the same heart attack for the last twenty years. I think it’s easy to hit the panic button in situations like these, as Korean luminaries recently have with regards to the local film industry. On the press tour for No Other Choice, Director Park described a “state of great danger.” It was only the blockbuster release of The King’s Warden that would appear to course-correct from the COVID slump, but there are perhaps deeper, systemic problems. … More This Wasteland

Feels Great! | Second Life (2024) Review

March 22, 2026

This is the rare case where my memory of a film, “edited” into snatches of images by whatever neurological sorcery, just about matches the film itself. When you hit play on Second Life, also known as Son of a Punch, you’d better not take a second to close an app on your phone or fiddle with a bag of – what do the kids like these days? – Fritos. It doesn’t even clear one minute, including studio logos, before something insane happens. A gang boss busts in on a police funeral and starts talking when all of a sudden he’s silenced forever by the flying kick of the widow, Lao Liang. Pregnant and now imprisoned, Liang establishes herself as top dog by defeating the treacherous Sister Hong in a fast, prop-heavy battle scored with music out of an old King Hu epic. The lighthearted tone and broad comedy are established here, as well as a relentless pace. The moment Hong is put down, she becomes a lifelong ally and friend, jumping to Liang’s aid when her water breaks only moments later. And in the next few moments, we jump ahead thirty years and meet Gui, an enforcer for gang boss Chang Meng who shoots up the ranks after protecting him from a dozen guys in a shirtless blaze. … More Feels Great! | Second Life (2024) Review

There Are No Female Kamen Riders

March 21, 2026

“Cool! Where’s the girl version?” has been my reflex with pop culture for as long as I can remember, and surely for longer than I was able to admit. I was into a lot of things – genres, subject matter, etc. – which were not, in turn, interested in women. Funny how that came to a head during my own coming-of-age, with #GamerGate and Star Wars and everything. Not “funny” ha-ha, mind. Anyway, Kamen Rider was one of those examples of pop culture, and same with Ultraman. Godzilla less so, because I’d heard that the one in Godzilla Raids Again was female, and that was good enough for me, parthenogenesis or not. I like Kamen Rider, but my ideal version – ‘90s, Keita Amemiya – never made it past a pilot or two. And truthfully, my ideal version is “girl Kamen Rider,” so I was heartbroken to discover that, out of the one-thousand-and-one Kamen Riders to ever don the motorcycle, none have been women. And even when they sort of were, they wouldn’t wear the helmet! That’s, like, a totally different thing, man. So, imagine my surprise – and confusion – when this popped up in my algorithm … More There Are No Female Kamen Riders