Japanese Film - Mizoguchi

This week, I saw the film The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums which is playing at BAM, as part of a series curated by Chicago Reader film critic, Dave Kehr. It's directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, who, along with Kurosawa and Ozu, make up the Japanese triumvirate of cinema masters of their era.

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums is a slow film with, ahem,  incredibly LONG takes, so it's a bit hard to sit through for 2 hours and 20 minutes. But if you have the patience, you will be impressed with Mizoguchi's visual composition, camera angles and point of view, which work together to tell a compelling story of a struggling Kabuki actor and his dedicated, selfless wife. Check it!

Via:  BAM.com 

Fun with Barcodes: Japanese Design

By turning usually unassuming and indistinct barcodes into visual confections, the Japanese have proven their knack to transform the mundane into something special and really f*cking cute...yet again! 

Via: PSFK