About

Youkoso! I warmly welcome anyone interested in Japanese cinema to follow Sketches of Cinema. There are quite a few web publications spreading word on the latest Japanese mainstream films. Due to personal preferences and lack of time I shall refrain from reviewing the most obvious hit movies, with a few exceptions. Sketches of Cinema is not a commercial or professional release, but simply personal channel to communicate my affection to Japanese cinema, and to spread knowledge of movies that deserve more attention.

Like making movies, reviewing them is also an art form of its own, with no written rules. I believe a good review both informs and entertains the reader. The latter refers to the writer’s personal opinion. Dry reviews with no bite or personal touch never allow one to learn about the reviewer’s personal taste. And personal taste is what movies are all about, in the end. Time is limited, and it’s better used on films you like, rather than on the ones someone else declared as good.

In line with the fore mentioned as well as my Northern European roots please be prepared for healthy dose of (self)irony and certain amount of very much intended subjectivity in the “entertainment part” of the reviews. Excessive objectivity never did any good to readers because movies are not meant to be consumed objectively but experienced personally. If I’ve done my job well enough, you’ll be able to tell whether the film looks like your cup of green tea regardless of how much I liked or disliked it.

May 25, 2011

My rating scale is from 1 to 5, with no free gifts whatsoever. That means every film starts from 1, and earns any higher rating it gets. 1.5/5 is already a slightly positive rating, as the 0.5 was granted for a reason.

1.0 = Bad
1.5 = Weak
2.0 = Passable
2.5 = Average
3.0 = Good
3.5 = Very good
4.0 = Excellent
4.5 = Near masterpiece
5.0 = Masterpiece