James Balmont
James Balmont is a freelance journalist based in London, whose work has been published by The Guardian, BBC Culture, Sight & Sound and more. He specialises in coverage of contemporary East Asian cinema, and has previously worked as a music reporter for outlets including NME and Crack Magazine.
Five decades of juvenile delinquency cinema in Japan
Mild-mannered school children waving guns around? We track teenage rebellion in Japanese cinema over 50 years.
The Brotherhood of Satan and eight other crazy cults on film
Charismatic leaders, strange rituals and foretelling doom? Sounds like you might have a cult on your hands...
Kaiju Battle Royale: Who is Japan’s Most Formidable Giant Monster?
Mothra vs Gamera vs King Ghidorah? They're all competitors in our rundown of Japanese monster films battling to be the best kaiju!
Eight unlikely adventures of the Japanese salaryman
We look at 8 films that examine the Japanese salaryman - a character that personifies the work culture of Japan and is often subverted in film.
Battle Royale: the sum of all conflicts
Battle Royale may have been the last film from director Kinji Fukasaku but the themes of his best work remained constant throughout his output.