These movie reviews are being written to explore aspects of movies that interest me as a film enthusiast, Japanese language student, and independent filmmaker slowly marching forward with my own feature film project.

I do not hide my bias in the Savage Japan movie reviews, and when appropriate I try to explain why I might be predisposed to like or dislike something. For example, I have a big issue with gratuitous violence, which is evident in quite a few of these reviews.

Because of my interest in the production of films and my own upcoming independent feature film project, I do sometimes discuss technical aspects of film production. I try to keep those sections concise and directly related to the film being reviewed.

You will also find a few philosophical ramblings here from time to time, but I also try to keep those side trips very connected to the film being discussed.

I always try to add one or two interesting misc. tidbits about a film at the end of its review, covering something that might not naturally fit in to the main review, and I always wrap things up with a short explanation of why I believe a film is or is not suitable for use in Japanese language listening comprehension practice.

I may be deserving of being criticized for writing a few "too long" reviews, but when a film deals with a subject I have more background or interest in, I sometimes cannot resist opening the floodgates.

You will likely see the reviews tending to get shorter and shorter as I go along. That is one of my objectives in trying to keep this project manageable time wise.

I really hope that Savage Japan Movie Reviews provides some value, benefit, or entertainment to those who journey here.

Drop me an email sometime and let me know how I am doing. I would be pleased to hear what you think of my efforts, good or bad.

Dan Savage
Dan@SavageSnow.com

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Tips for Japanese Language Students
I have found that it is helpful to condition your brain to function in two modes simultaneously to get the most out of this form of listening comprehension practice. You have to separate listening with your ear from the act of reading the subtitles. Our brains normally focus on the text and don't really hear the dialogue when watching a subtitled movie. Even if you know a few Japanese words, you will rarely hear them if you are focused too intently on the subtitles as is very natural to do.

With a little conscious effort you can learn to keep two narratives running in your head, one consisting of what you are reading so you understand completely what is happening in the movie, and the other that is grappling with the audio at the same time.

Imagine that your mind is working like a dual processor computer simultaneously committed to two very different functions.

This is not as difficult as it may first sound. It just takes a willingness to practice doing it. One more reason this is necessary is the fact that the subtitles often do not translate literally to what is being said. You don't want to become too attached to the meanings of the English words on the screen when what you are really trying to do is learn Japanese. If you try to merge the two by looking for a literal and complete connection, you will rarely find it.

Look for more Japanese language study info to be added to the site in the future.