Blake Simons
@blakethinks.bsky.social
🎥 interview evangelist, programming @ LIFFF
✍ romance, japan, animation, queer, latam, at BFI, IndieWire, The Film Stage, ScreenAnarchy and more
Contact: blakesimons97(at)gmail(dot)com
https://muckrack.com/blakesimons
✍ romance, japan, animation, queer, latam, at BFI, IndieWire, The Film Stage, ScreenAnarchy and more
Contact: blakesimons97(at)gmail(dot)com
https://muckrack.com/blakesimons
Pinned
Blake Simons
@blakethinks.bsky.social
· May 27
Head-On: A Conversation with Takashi Miike
The genre auteur discusses queer subtexts, a changing industry, and winning a fight in one minute or less.
mubi.com
I spoke with Takashi Miike about an industry in flux, for MUBI Notebook mubi.com/en/notebook/...
Reposted by Blake Simons
I regret to inform you that they found drugs in the Suica penguin’s apartment
November 11, 2025 at 7:59 AM
I regret to inform you that they found drugs in the Suica penguin’s apartment
Reposted by Blake Simons
Reposted by Blake Simons
Just lost a great one.
Rest in peace, Tatsuya Nakadai. What a legend.
Rest in peace, Tatsuya Nakadai. What a legend.
November 11, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Just lost a great one.
Rest in peace, Tatsuya Nakadai. What a legend.
Rest in peace, Tatsuya Nakadai. What a legend.
Reposted by Blake Simons
you think you've got a decent grasp of what the hokey pokey is until the song says "and then you do the hokey pokey" and you're right back to square one
December 31, 2024 at 12:43 AM
you think you've got a decent grasp of what the hokey pokey is until the song says "and then you do the hokey pokey" and you're right back to square one
Reposted by Blake Simons
There’s a good chance the British Prime Minister’s main adviser on AI is an OpenAI shareholder - but the government refuses to say whether she is.
🧵 1/5
🧵 1/5
November 11, 2025 at 9:25 AM
There’s a good chance the British Prime Minister’s main adviser on AI is an OpenAI shareholder - but the government refuses to say whether she is.
🧵 1/5
🧵 1/5
Reposted by Blake Simons
A few lesser-known (in the English-speaking world) Tatsuya Nakadai recommendations:
Willful Murder - Monochrome masterpiece from Kei Kumai starring Nakadai as a reporter exploring the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Japan National Railways CEO Sadanori Shimoyama.
Willful Murder - Monochrome masterpiece from Kei Kumai starring Nakadai as a reporter exploring the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Japan National Railways CEO Sadanori Shimoyama.
Willful Murder (日本の熱い日々 謀殺・下山事件, Kei Kumai, 1981)
A dogged reporter comes to the conclusion an industrialist was murdered but cannot say by whom in Kei Kumai’s searing exploration of the occupation and the economic miracle.
wp.me
November 11, 2025 at 11:39 AM
A few lesser-known (in the English-speaking world) Tatsuya Nakadai recommendations:
Willful Murder - Monochrome masterpiece from Kei Kumai starring Nakadai as a reporter exploring the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Japan National Railways CEO Sadanori Shimoyama.
Willful Murder - Monochrome masterpiece from Kei Kumai starring Nakadai as a reporter exploring the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Japan National Railways CEO Sadanori Shimoyama.
Reposted by Blake Simons
The Aichi Nagoya International Animation Film Festival (ANIAFF) has revealed the lineup (11 titles) for the Feature Film Competition:
aniaff.com/en/programs/...
aniaff.com/en/programs/...
November 10, 2025 at 1:44 PM
The Aichi Nagoya International Animation Film Festival (ANIAFF) has revealed the lineup (11 titles) for the Feature Film Competition:
aniaff.com/en/programs/...
aniaff.com/en/programs/...
For @soundspheremag.bsky.social, I spoke with director Elizabeth Miyaji about Tokyo TIFF premiere TIMELIMIT, a rock doc reshaped by the shifting circumstances of life. This interview moved me quite profoundly.
www.soundspheremag.com/news/tokyo-i...
www.soundspheremag.com/news/tokyo-i...
Tokyo IFF: Elizabeth Miyaji talks “TimeLimit”, a rock-doc that reckons with life in flux - Soundsphere magazine
TimeLimit, a rock-documentary celebrating Kazuya Yoshii, lead singer of hit Japanese rock band THE YELLOW MONKEY, was intended to celebrate his accomplishments and look back on his past – a straightfo...
www.soundspheremag.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:27 PM
For @soundspheremag.bsky.social, I spoke with director Elizabeth Miyaji about Tokyo TIFF premiere TIMELIMIT, a rock doc reshaped by the shifting circumstances of life. This interview moved me quite profoundly.
www.soundspheremag.com/news/tokyo-i...
www.soundspheremag.com/news/tokyo-i...
Reposted by Blake Simons
Thanks to Variety for a headline that is sure to sell extra tickets
variety.com/2025/film/fe...
variety.com/2025/film/fe...
‘Female Teacher: Forbidden Sex’ Among Selections as Rotterdam Spotlights Japan’s V-Cinema Movement
Rotterdam's 2026 Focus spotlights Japan's V-Cinema era with films by Miike Takashi, Nakata Hideo, Kurosawa Kiyoshi and Aoyama Shinji.
variety.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Thanks to Variety for a headline that is sure to sell extra tickets
variety.com/2025/film/fe...
variety.com/2025/film/fe...
With Chainsaw Man Movie hype high, it really is impressive that this is another classic moment of "Amazon Prime Video fail to promote that this is out now"
November 8, 2025 at 11:57 AM
With Chainsaw Man Movie hype high, it really is impressive that this is another classic moment of "Amazon Prime Video fail to promote that this is out now"
Mamoru Hosoda wants revenge. Fusing hand-drawn 2D and 3D CG, the anime veteran has transformed a Shakespeare tragedy into a grimdark fable that embodies the afterlife of animation itself
I was the first in the world to speak with Hosoda about SCARLET
www.animationmagazine.net/2025/11/mamo...
I was the first in the world to speak with Hosoda about SCARLET
www.animationmagazine.net/2025/11/mamo...
Mamoru Hosoda Discusses His Epic Animated Revenge Tableau 'Scarlet' (Exclusive) | Animation Magazine
Japanese auteur Mamoru Hosoda discusses the possibilities of CG animation and his new feature 'Scarlet' in an exclusive interview.
www.animationmagazine.net
November 8, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Mamoru Hosoda wants revenge. Fusing hand-drawn 2D and 3D CG, the anime veteran has transformed a Shakespeare tragedy into a grimdark fable that embodies the afterlife of animation itself
I was the first in the world to speak with Hosoda about SCARLET
www.animationmagazine.net/2025/11/mamo...
I was the first in the world to speak with Hosoda about SCARLET
www.animationmagazine.net/2025/11/mamo...
Reposted by Blake Simons
The cat's out of the bag: I'm curating a V-Cinema focus program for the upcoming International Film Festival Rotterdam
www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
Rotterdam Film Fest Unveils Focus Program on Japanese V-Cinema Phenomenon
The direct-to-video trend that emerged in the late 1980s “left a lasting mark on contemporary film culture,” organizers said. The focus program will “feature early works by now-famous auteurs, through...
www.hollywoodreporter.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:15 AM
The cat's out of the bag: I'm curating a V-Cinema focus program for the upcoming International Film Festival Rotterdam
www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
Reposted by Blake Simons
New Skwigly contributor @blakethinks.bsky.social had the pleasure of sitting down with director Wataru Takahashi during the Tokyo International Film Festival, where his new film The Obsessed (Toritsukare Otoko) enjoyed its World Premiere
www.skwigly.co.uk/obsessed-wat...
www.skwigly.co.uk/obsessed-wat...
The Obsessed | Interview with director Wataru Takahashi - Skwigly Animation Magazine
On the cobbled streets of a European location that could be anywhere but is nowhere in particular, the fresh-faced and bright-eyed Giuseppe (Masaya Sano)
www.skwigly.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 1:16 PM
New Skwigly contributor @blakethinks.bsky.social had the pleasure of sitting down with director Wataru Takahashi during the Tokyo International Film Festival, where his new film The Obsessed (Toritsukare Otoko) enjoyed its World Premiere
www.skwigly.co.uk/obsessed-wat...
www.skwigly.co.uk/obsessed-wat...
Obsessive boy meets friendly girl. What happens next will (not) shock you.
Like a moth to a flame, I enjoyed speaking with the director of delightful new anime feature THE OBSESSED during Tokyo TIFF, for @skwigly.bsky.social
www.skwigly.co.uk/obsessed-wat...
Like a moth to a flame, I enjoyed speaking with the director of delightful new anime feature THE OBSESSED during Tokyo TIFF, for @skwigly.bsky.social
www.skwigly.co.uk/obsessed-wat...
The Obsessed | Interview with director Wataru Takahashi - Skwigly Animation Magazine
On the cobbled streets of a European location that could be anywhere but is nowhere in particular, the fresh-faced and bright-eyed Giuseppe (Masaya Sano)
www.skwigly.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Obsessive boy meets friendly girl. What happens next will (not) shock you.
Like a moth to a flame, I enjoyed speaking with the director of delightful new anime feature THE OBSESSED during Tokyo TIFF, for @skwigly.bsky.social
www.skwigly.co.uk/obsessed-wat...
Like a moth to a flame, I enjoyed speaking with the director of delightful new anime feature THE OBSESSED during Tokyo TIFF, for @skwigly.bsky.social
www.skwigly.co.uk/obsessed-wat...
Reposted by Blake Simons
Here's a fun one. For @cartoonbrew.bsky.social, I spoke with gonzo anime director Takeshi Koike about the legacy of Redline, his collaborations with cult filmmaker Katsuhito Ishii, and his farewell to Lupin III — the only chauvinist media franchise worth a damn
www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/takesh...
www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/takesh...
Cult Anime Icon Takeshi Koike On 'Redline,' 'Lupin III'
Koike discusses bringing intensity, style, and motion to Lupin’s world, and why collaboration drives his boundary-pushing anime vision.
www.cartoonbrew.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Here's a fun one. For @cartoonbrew.bsky.social, I spoke with gonzo anime director Takeshi Koike about the legacy of Redline, his collaborations with cult filmmaker Katsuhito Ishii, and his farewell to Lupin III — the only chauvinist media franchise worth a damn
www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/takesh...
www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/takesh...
Reposted by Blake Simons
To celebrate the spooky season, I spoke with CORPSE BRIDE co-director Mike Johnson for @cartoonbrew.bsky.social about (re)animating Tim Burton's characters, why the film's still kicking at 20, and what he's been up to since
www.cartoonbrew.com/interviews/c...
www.cartoonbrew.com/interviews/c...
'Corpse Bride' At 20: Mike Johnson On Pushing Stop-Motion Limits
Johnson discusses how 'Corpse Bride' reshaped stop-motion, proving the medium could match CG in fluidity and ambition while keeping to its handcrafted roots.
www.cartoonbrew.com
October 28, 2025 at 6:51 PM
To celebrate the spooky season, I spoke with CORPSE BRIDE co-director Mike Johnson for @cartoonbrew.bsky.social about (re)animating Tim Burton's characters, why the film's still kicking at 20, and what he's been up to since
www.cartoonbrew.com/interviews/c...
www.cartoonbrew.com/interviews/c...
Reposted by Blake Simons
Reposted by Blake Simons
my least favorite part of writing reviews is having to quantify my opinion into a review score, something nearly always impossible to do without cheapening both my review and the original work
October 26, 2025 at 12:28 AM
my least favorite part of writing reviews is having to quantify my opinion into a review score, something nearly always impossible to do without cheapening both my review and the original work
Plays tonight at LFF!
Euphoric queer fantasia 100 NIGHTS OF HERO is this year's #LFF Closing Film.
I spoke with director Julia Jackman about fluid filmmaking, how to make a varied cast cohesive, and what it means to launch a plea for acceptance into a world that's pushing back against it
www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/j...
I spoke with director Julia Jackman about fluid filmmaking, how to make a varied cast cohesive, and what it means to launch a plea for acceptance into a world that's pushing back against it
www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/j...
“The sexiness of queerness is that there’s no fixed role”: Julia Jackman on 100 Nights of Hero
The LFF closing night film is a storybook fable based on Isabel Greenberg’s graphic novel. We spoke to director Julia Jackman about a movie rooted in fairytales but with a very contemporary call to ar...
www.bfi.org.uk
October 19, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Plays tonight at LFF!
Reposted by Blake Simons
Euphoric queer fantasia 100 NIGHTS OF HERO is this year's #LFF Closing Film.
I spoke with director Julia Jackman about fluid filmmaking, how to make a varied cast cohesive, and what it means to launch a plea for acceptance into a world that's pushing back against it
www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/j...
I spoke with director Julia Jackman about fluid filmmaking, how to make a varied cast cohesive, and what it means to launch a plea for acceptance into a world that's pushing back against it
www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/j...
“The sexiness of queerness is that there’s no fixed role”: Julia Jackman on 100 Nights of Hero
The LFF closing night film is a storybook fable based on Isabel Greenberg’s graphic novel. We spoke to director Julia Jackman about a movie rooted in fairytales but with a very contemporary call to ar...
www.bfi.org.uk
October 17, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Euphoric queer fantasia 100 NIGHTS OF HERO is this year's #LFF Closing Film.
I spoke with director Julia Jackman about fluid filmmaking, how to make a varied cast cohesive, and what it means to launch a plea for acceptance into a world that's pushing back against it
www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/j...
I spoke with director Julia Jackman about fluid filmmaking, how to make a varied cast cohesive, and what it means to launch a plea for acceptance into a world that's pushing back against it
www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/j...
Reposted by Blake Simons
Me reading all these reviews of Del Toro's Frankenstein that paint it as "What if Crimson Peak was even more Gothic, florid, and horny?"
October 17, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Me reading all these reviews of Del Toro's Frankenstein that paint it as "What if Crimson Peak was even more Gothic, florid, and horny?"
A joy to speak with Nobuhiro Yamashita, Doona Bae, and James Iha about the legacy of LINDA LINDA LINDA, an underdog indie that continues to capture the hearts of new fans. For @filmmakermagazine.com.web.brid.gy
filmmakermagazine.com/132226-oral-...
filmmakermagazine.com/132226-oral-...
Oral HIstory: Nobuhiro Yamashita, Doona Bae, and James Iha on “Linda Linda Linda” at 20
Nobuhiro Yamashita, Doona Bae, and James Iha on the making of their cult classic “Linda Linda Linda.”
filmmakermagazine.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:33 PM
A joy to speak with Nobuhiro Yamashita, Doona Bae, and James Iha about the legacy of LINDA LINDA LINDA, an underdog indie that continues to capture the hearts of new fans. For @filmmakermagazine.com.web.brid.gy
filmmakermagazine.com/132226-oral-...
filmmakermagazine.com/132226-oral-...