THE FILM BEGINS with the sound of cicadas rhythmically whirring over a black background. The sound cuts out, the film title (simple white letters) flashes on-screen. Cut to a vision of hell: a guard shrouded in steam stands beside a wood shelf containing severed heads. We are at the volcanic springs of Unzen, near Nagasaki, where friars are strung up on crosses and longhandled ladles with holes sprinkle boiling hot water on them, delicately poaching their skin. (Today of course the springs are a popular vacation resort).

The Binge By Jessica Zafra ARE YOU ANXIOUS, stressed-out, neurotic? Are you haunted by the past, overwhelmed by the present, and worried about the future? Do...

By Noel Vera DVD Review The Lobster Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos YORGOS LANTHIMOS’ The Lobster is his unique brand of bizarre deadpan humor translated into feature-length English. The...

IT’S NO COINCIDENCE that the birth and growth of Shin Nihon Kikaku (SNK) as a video-game developing, publishing, and manufacturing company coincided with the industry’s rise in popularity. The transition to the 1980s saw the proliferation of gaming arcades and the inevitable releases of home-console versions of popular titles, and it was determined not just to take advantage of the boom, but to ensure its sustainability through constant innovation. Soon enough, it became a major player in the coin-operated business, and it astutely leveraged its experience to penetrate the expanding home market.

By Noel Vera Video Review Begotten Directed by E. Elias Merhige E. ELIAS MERHIGE’s Begotten has sprouted a few legends since it emerged in the 1990s -- how...

By Camille Anne M. Arcilla WHEN YOUNG ADULT novelist Jennifer Niven went to the Philippines, she cried as much as her Filipino fans did when...

By Heather Turk Front Row Features A tale as old as time is at once fresh and familiar thanks to Disney’s remarkable live-action adaptation of the...

NIHON FALCOM is no stranger to Japanese role-playing games. Having been behind the successful Legend Of Heroes, Dragon Slayer, and Ys series, it was...

WHEN KADOKAWA GAMES released God Wars: Future Past on the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 last year, it put forth a tactical role-playing game awash in Japanese lore. Its story, which began with a Queen’s sacrifice of a daughter to appease the gods and continued with the other daughter striving to find out why, offered a stunning look into the history of the Shinto-steeped Land of the Rising Sun. Parenthetically, the hope that the narrative would pull in and not alienate Western audiences was answered with success on retail shelves.

Videogame Review Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Nintendo 3DS Alexander O. Cuaycong and Anthony L. Cuaycong Fire Emblem Gaiden celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. Having debuted...

PARIS — After a string of releases over the past decade, Tricky found himself in an unfamiliar state. The influential trip-hop producer didn’t need...

PLAYING CATCHUP: In the ever-changing landscape of World Cinema, what happened to Hong Kong’s “heroic bloodshed” movement -- those action filmmakers who featured slow motion, balletic action sequences, guns pointed at each others’ faces?