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Movie Night – Sleepy Eyes of Fun!
J-Sei At the Movies: Samurai Watch Party
Friday, November 10, 2023 (on Zoom)
This program originally scheduled for September is back on!
We will screen one of the films from the famed Nemuri Kyōshirō series, known in the U.S. as “Sleepy Eyes of Death” — 12 chambara films made in the 1960s starring matinee idol Ichikawa Raizo as the anti-hero ronin who travels the countryside and falls unwillingly into adventure and intrigue. While several versions of this story appeared in movies and TV throughout the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, it was the version with Ichikawa, who was known as the “James Dean of Japan,” that is probably best known and loved. The film series would surely have continued beyond 12 films if not for the tragic early death of its star.
RSVP with “Nov Movie Night” in the subject line. We’ll send a Zoom link prior to the event. See you at the movies!
J-Sei Movie Night Bento
We’ll keep you updated if Movie Night Bento is happening. Please stay tuned. 🙂
Support J-Sei At the Movies
Thanks to you, J-Sei At the Movies is in its Sixth Year! We look forward to more creative programming with educational and inspiring Japanese and Japanese American films. We are especially grateful for the up close and personal chats with filmmakers and experts as we learn so much from the exchange.
We love having a growing and enthusiastic audience. We welcome any donations to help us offset costs for Movie Night. Thanks for considering this.
J-Sei at the Movies: Japanese Movie Talk & Discussion
J-Sei Movie Night: Japanese Classic Movie
Friday, August 18, 2022 – 6:30 pm (on Zoom)
J-Sei Movie Night continues its summer program featuring meetings with scholars and professionals to educate us about the movies we love to watch.
For our next special program, on Friday, August 18, J-Sei Goes to the Movies to learn and talk about a groundbreaking work in Japanese film history. Our special guest, film scholar and programmer Rob Buscher, will introduce us to the classic Japanese film Crazed Fruit (狂った果実 in Japanese), which debuted in 1956 and launched an entirely new and radical film genre called taiyozoku (“Sun Tribe”) to the post-WWII generation of young filmgoers.
In this seminal Sun Tribe (taiyozoku) film from director Nakahira Kō, two brothers compete for the amorous favors of a young woman during a seaside summer of gambling, boating, and drinking. Adapted from the controversial novel by Ishihara Shintarō (who later became a very conservative mayor of Tokyo), and critically savaged for its lurid portrayal of the postwar sexual revolution among Japan’s young and privileged, Crazed Fruit is an anarchic outcry against tradition and the older generation.
The format for this month’s movie program is for each of us to watch the movie Crazed Fruit on our own (on streaming services or dvd rental—we’ll tell you how) beforehand. Then, on August 18, we’ll get together on Zoom to hear Prof. Buscher’s presentation about the movie and bring our own questions and comments to the group discussion that will follow.
This is an exciting opportunity to learn more about classic Japanese cinema from the experts. Please join us for a fun and enlightening evening!
RSVP with “August Movie Night” in the subject line.
We’ll send info to watch the movie and the Zoom link prior to the Aug 18 event.
Meet Our Speaker
Rob Buscher is a film and media specialist, educator, curator, and published author who has held leadership positions in non-profit organizations for over a decade. As a person of mixed-race Japanese American heritage who is deeply involved in his community, Rob also has an expertise in cultural sensitivity training, community organizing, and advocacy issues related to the Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Rob serves as Philadelphia Chapter President of the civil rights group Japanese American Citizens League and lectures part-time at University of Pennsylvania’s Asian American Studies Program.
J-Sei Movie Night Bento – August 18
For movie night, you can order specially made obento from My Friend Yuji for pickup on Friday, August 18 in conjunction with Movie Night. Here are Chef Yuji’s mouth-watering offerings:
- Yasai Agebitashi – Fried eggplant and okra marinated in dashi (can share between 2-3 people) – $14
- Corn and Tomato Pasta – Creamy chicken & corn sauce, fresh corn and summer tomatoes flashed and mixed into pasta – $18
- Salmon Teriyaki Donburi – Salmon teriyaki, daikon pickles, greens and koshihikari rice – $18
Click on the button below to place your order. Pick up your meal at the selected pick-up time at J-Sei on Friday, August 18. Please observe safety protocols when picking up your bento at J-Sei. Thank you!
To order: When you click on the button above, it will take you directly to a pop-up order form on the My Friend Yuji webpage, where you first select a pickup time. In the next window, click a bento and select the number you want to order; repeat with other bento if desired. Click the “View order” bar at the bottom to confirm your order and click “Continue to payment” to sign in and pay for your order.
Support J-Sei At the Movies
Thanks to you, J-Sei At the Movies is in its Sixth Year! We look forward to more creative programming with educational and inspiring Japanese and Japanese American films. We are especially grateful for the up close and personal chats with filmmakers and experts as we learn so much from the exchange.
We love having a growing and enthusiastic audience. We welcome any donations to help us offset costs for Movie Night. Thanks for considering this.
J-Sei at the Movies: Panel Discussion on AAPI Films
J-Sei Movie Night: What Is Asian American Cinema?
Friday, July 21, 2022 – 6:30 pm (on Zoom)
During the pandemic and the necessary shift to online Zooming, J-Sei Movie Night has been so fortunate to be joined by talented individuals in the film and TV industry who have so generously shared their time and expertise with us via Zoom. These professionals represent a range of media know-how and artistic creativity — directors, producers, cinematographers, actors, activists, and critics — working or commenting on feature-length films, shorts, documentaries, and TV series, and they have logged on from locations near and far, including Southern California, the East Coast, Hawaii, and Japan! This month’s Movie Night will be another great addition to that lineup.
On Friday, July 21, J-Sei Goes to the Movies to learn about Asian American Cinema past and present, as well as the challenges that lie ahead. We’ll hear from experts — scholars and programmers who are bringing Asian American cinema to a wide audience through film festivals, media, and written pieces on AAPI films and popular culture. Our panelists — Aram Siu Wai Collier, Brian Hu, and Oliver Wang — will engage in an informal discussion about a wide range of topics, such as: What exactly is Asian American Cinema? Are there trends emerging in the next generation of films? How is a film festival put together?
This is an exciting opportunity to learn more about the Asian American shows and movies we love to watch. Please join us for a fun and enlightening evening!
RSVP with “July Movie Night” in the subject line.
We will send Zoom information prior to the July 21 event.
Meet Our Panelists
Aram Siu Wai Collier is a filmmaker, educator, and film festival programmer. He is currently the Artistic Director at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. His feature, documentary, and experimental films have played festivals across North America and internationally. Aram is a mixed-race Asian Canadian/American (Chinese and English/Dutch/German) originally from San Francisco native and is now based in Toronto, Canada.
Brian Hu is Associate Professor and Area Head in Television, Film, and New Media at San Diego State University. He’s also the Artistic Director of Pacific Arts Movement, producers of the San Diego Asian Film Festival. Beyond SDAFF, he has curated film programs for the Criterion Channel and the UCLA Film and Television Film Archive, and is the Asian film programmer for the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Along with Ada Tseng, he co-produces and co-hosts the Asian American film history podcast Saturday School.
Oliver Wang is a writer and scholar of Asian American popular culture. He’s a professor of sociology at CSU Long Beach and has written on everything from Filipino American DJ culture to Korean American food trucks to Chinese American cinema. He’s currently curator of the forthcoming JANM exhibit: Cruising J-Town: Japanese American Car Culture in Southern California. [Photograph by Joseph Philipson]
J-Sei Movie Night Bento – July 21
For movie night, you can order specially made obento from My Friend Yuji for pickup on Friday, July 21 in conjunction with Movie Night. Here are Chef Yuji’s mouth-watering offerings:
- Pico de gallo hiyashi chuka: Cold ramen in a chicken/fish dashi with fresh summer tomatoes, herbs and shallots $18
- Tekka don: Sliced cured tuna over sushi rice with wasabi and ginger $26
- Fried kama set: Fried hamachi & salmon kama, salad and rice with a chili ponzu $40
Click on the button below to place your order. Pick up your meal at the selected pick-up time at J-Sei on Friday, July 21st. Please observe safety protocols when picking up your bento at J-Sei. Thank you!
To order: When you click on the button above, it will take you directly to a pop-up order form on the My Friend Yuji webpage, where you first select a pickup time. In the next window, click a bento and select the number you want to order; repeat with other bento if desired. Click the “View order” bar at the bottom to confirm your order and click “Continue to payment” to sign in and pay for your order.
Support J-Sei At the Movies
Thanks to you, J-Sei At the Movies is in its Sixth Year! We look forward to more creative programming with educational and inspiring Japanese and Japanese American films. We are especially grateful for the up close and personal chats with filmmakers and experts as we learn so much from the exchange.
We love having a growing and enthusiastic audience. We welcome any donations to help us offset costs for Movie Night. Thanks for considering this.
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