James Balmont

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.

Kaiju Battle Royale: Who is Japan’s Most Formidable Giant Monster?

Features

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!

2022-01-11 18:10:56By James Balmont

Eight unlikely adventures of the Japanese salaryman

Features

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.

2022-01-07 15:52:07By James Balmont

Battle Royale: the sum of all conflicts

Features

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.

2022-01-06 17:38:31By James Balmont

Snake Girls, Spirals and Slit-Mouthed Killers: a History of Twisted Manga Adaptions

Features

Snake Girls, Spirals and Slit-Mouthed Killers: a History of Twisted Manga Adaptions

We look at 7 film adaptions that originally came from Manga and assess how these disturbing tales of horror were converted to the silver screen.

2021-11-17 17:35:45By James Balmont

How Teruo Ishii Became Japan's Ero Guro King

Features

How Teruo Ishii Became Japan's Ero Guro King

With his combination of eroticism and violence, Japanese director Teruo Ishii became the leading name in the Ero Guro genre.

2021-02-26 09:43:01By James Balmont