Contributions from James Balmont | Little White Lies

Contributor James Balmont

Two people sitting in a flooded room, one wearing a black jacket and the other a white shirt, against a backdrop of shelves and a computer monitor.
Interviews

‘I watched the film crash and burn at the box office’ – Jang Joon-hwan on Save The Green Planet!

by James Balmont

The direc­tor of the cult clas­sic Kore­an wave sci-fi com­e­dy reflects on his wild debut two decades on, and the forth­com­ing remake from Yor­gos Lanthimos.
Woman looking pensive in low light, with violet and blue tones.
Film Music

How Chungking Express brought dream pop to Hong Kong

by James Balmont

Cocteau Twins’ Simon Ray­monde and The Cran­ber­ries’ Noël Hogan reflect on the musi­cal lega­cy of Wong Kar-wai’s 1994 film.
Two people in diving gear embracing mid-air, surrounded by white butterflies against a bright blue sky.
Review

Away

by James Balmont

This spell­bind­ing and spir­i­tu­al Lat­vian ani­ma­tion has par­al­lels with Stu­dio Ghibli’s The Red Turtle.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two young men engaged in a physical altercation in a wooded setting. The image shows one man grabbing the other man's arm forcefully.
Home Ents

The action-horror hybrid that took Asia Extreme to a whole new level

by James Balmont

Ryûhei Kitamura’s fre­net­ic, crazi­ly-ambi­tious cult favourite is low-brow film­mak­ing at its mind-bog­gling best.
Rainy city street at night, dimly lit with neon signs and a lone figure with an umbrella walking through the puddles.
Home Ents

Why now is the perfect time to watch Goodbye, Dragon Inn

by James Balmont

Tsai Ming-liang’s 2003 film, new­ly released on Blu-ray, is a poignant and pow­er­ful love let­ter to the cinema.
Elderly man wearing a woven headdress with vibrant orange flowers in a lush, verdant setting.
In Praise Of

How Takeshi Kitano went from comedian to crime auteur

by James Balmont

With his yakuza thriller Boil­ing Point, ​“Beat” Takeshi staked his claim as a seri­ous filmmaker.
A man in a white robe leans over another man lying on a bed.
In Praise Of

How V-Cinema sparked a Japanese filmmaking revolution

by James Balmont

The ​’90s straight-to-video boom rein­vig­o­rat­ed the indus­try and made stars of direc­tors like Takashi Miike.
A close-up of a smiling woman with long dark hair, embraced by two men in suits.
In Praise Of

The Japanese cult classic that paved the way for the modern female action hero

by James Balmont

In 1972’s Female Pris­on­er #701: Scor­pi­on, Meiko Kaji emerged as a bona fide, badass star.