Our mark is 銀幕, ginmaku — the silver screen, and the same two characters in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

I came to Tokyo at twenty-three for a summer job at a Shibuya mini-theatre and the job never quite ended. Fifteen years of festivals later I still think the only review that counts is the one the room gives you: where the laugh lands, the moment three hundred people stop moving at once, whether anybody stays for the credits.

Cinepuuulse follows Asian cinema — Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand — across about a hundred and twenty sources. A good number of them are Spanish, French and Portuguese, because those countries programme this work seriously and write about it better than most of the English-language trade. Genre and art-house get the same seat here. I am not ranking them, and nothing is scored out of ten.

Each story is a headline, a short excerpt, one still and a link to the outlet that did the reporting. We never republish the piece, and the still belongs to its studio or its photographer. A Korean trade paper appears in Korean, a French review in French. We point at the work; we do not put words in anyone's mouth.

— Daren Wise, Tokyo

← Cinepuuulse Archive

RogerEbert.com

CIFF 2026: “Finding Your Laughter,” “Ana, en passant,” “Chocolate Babies”

10.20Work

The Chicago International Film Festival’s Black Perspectives program celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

Read at RogerEbert.com ↗

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

CIFF 2026: “Finding Your Laughter,” “Ana, en passant,” “Chocolate Babies”

More from RogerEbert.com on Cinepuuulse

The Things That Make You Who You Are: John Turturro on “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” RogerEbert.com

Busan 2026: Midday Meal, Ibuku, Beach Fictions RogerEbert.com

Busan 2026: Zogsool, Full Moon, Beyond Love’s Horizon RogerEbert.com

Hulu’s Witty New Series “Phony” Unravels Into One of the Best Thrillers of the Year RogerEbert.com

A Knock at the Door: Cristian Mungiu on “Fjord” RogerEbert.com

“Tulsa King,” and Stallone, Start to Show Their Age in Season 4 RogerEbert.com