To showcase movies that we feel are culturally-relevant and important, we have decided to collaborate with New York City-based creative collective CLIPS in order to create a list of movies, all favorites between us two, that exhibits some of our favorite directors, animators, alongside movies that we feel have amazing style and atmosphere. The movie list will be co-curated between us here at Sabukaru and CLIPS and will display the type of movies we are passionate about.

Founded in Washington DC in 2017 originally as a film appreciation club for deep cuts that don’t get enough appreciation, CLIPS defines itself as a visual media cooperative. It promotes community collaboration and the celebration of visual media through the curation of both virtual and physical platforms for artists and creators.

We’re still living that Covid reality today so this collaborative list could be considered a continuation of that effort with the added benefit of exposing people to more of the films we love. Alongside it, we are also happy to introduce a co-produced video on of the entries on our Movie list.

sabukaru’s Favorites

TOKYO NOISE [2002]

Tokyo Noise is a 2002 documentary by Swedish directors Kristian Petri, Jan Röed, and Johan Söderberg.

Through in-depth interviews and gorgeous cinematography and sound design, Tokyo noise manages to perfectly capture the subtle traits of the atmosphere and people that make Tokyo what it is. They interview artists [including legendary photographer Nobuyoshi Araki], engineers, a psychiatrist, a professor and even a Shinto priest.

While the Tokyo that Petri, Röed, and Söderberg capture still very much feels familiar to anyone who has gotten the opportunity to spend time in Tokyo recently, it also feels nostalgic as it represents Tokyo two decades ago in the very early part of the new millennium, during a time of rapid technological innovation and changes in Tokyo and across Japan.

By interviewing such a wide variety of people, the documentary captures Tokyo through the lens of many different subcultures, yet nonetheless one comes away from the documentary having found similarities in perspective from every person.

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These interviews seem highly personal, focusing on what Tokyo means to its residents and their enduring experience living in the largest metropolis in the world, rather than broad or predictable information about Tokyo as simply a place. These unique perspectives place you directly in the mind of one the 37 million residents of this crazy city. Tokyo Noise frames the city as its own world. With its own lifestyle beyond anything you can find anywhere else on Earth. As Araki states:

“Only in Tokyo do you get the feeling of being alive. Floating around, challenging yourself, going slightly insane by the city’s noise. For me, that’s truly living… Move to a place with clean air and death comes swiftly.”

— Araki Nobuyoshi

SAILOR SUIT AND MACHINE GUN [1981]

Another one of our favorite films is Sailor Suit and Machine Gun [1981], and we are very proud to present a Sabukaru=produced short video about the movie which you can watch below. School girls, yakuza, guns, what else could make this movie better?

Pusher Triology [1996-2005]

Danish film director Nicolas Winding Refn first made his directorial debut in 1996 with his film Pusher which centered around the criminal underworld of Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen.

It focuses on the story of drug dealer Frank (played by Kim Bodnia) and the other individuals with who he comes into contact, including Tonny, played by Mads Mikkelsen in his film debut. The film was a notable success, gaining a best-supporting actor award and serving as a significant breakthrough for Winding Refn.

While Refn stated that he never intended on making Pusher into a film franchise, financial difficulties led him to reassess this and as a result, went on to make two more sequels: Pusher II: With Blood on My Hands, and Pusher III: I'm the Angel of Death. These went on to amass critical success gaining Winding Refn considerable attention and receiving multiple awards.

The monotonous pace, handheld camerawork, and exemplary performances from the reoccurring cast come together to create an equally realistic and bleak portrayal of Denmark’s underbelly, and invite us into a world which many would otherwise stay far away from.

REDLINE [2009]

Redline is not the most sophisticated of anime films. It is, however, one of the most well-crafted pieces of animation Japan has ever produced. Released over a decade ago in 2009, the style and animation still looks pristine and does not appear to have aged at all, it is arguably better looking than most anime released just a few months ago. A project by the legendary studio Madhouse and directed by Takeshi Koike [who himself is noted for having a very unique style], Redline took a whole seven years to develop. It took over 100,000 hand made drawings to fully animate, and had a completely original 42-song soundtrack.

Set in the far future, Redline follows the journey of outlaw racer, “Sweet” JP. With the whole story revolving around a massive-scale intergalactic race known as the “Redline” and JP’s underdog path to win it. The Redline race takes place in a planet called Roboworld, a place inhabited by robotic humans and ruled under a militaristic dictatorship. The army of Roboworld serve to be the primary antagonists of Redline.

The starts off with JP racing in the “Yellowline”, a final qualification race of some sort where it is revealed that JP’s partner and Junk Dealer Frisbee, rigged his car to mess with the betting odds and make enough money to pay off JP’s debt towards an underground crime boss. Redline is a classic action tale about an underdog trying to overcome the odds dotted with the occasional insights towards the different relationships and dynamics in the movie.

Redline is over-engineered, action-packed, and perhaps most importantly, just simply cool.

SHOPLIFTERS [2018]

The Shibata’s are a poverty-stricken yet close-knit family that are completely down on their luck. Two members of the family, day laborer Osamu and a young boy named Shota, often shoplift goods using a series of hand signs as code language to one another, with Osamu telling Shota that stealing things that have not been sold is fine because it technically does not belong to anyone.

However, their daily lives are soon turned completely around when they decide to bring home a child that was locked outside of her own house by her parents. The girl, whom they eventually name Lin after learning that the police are finally investigating the disappearance of a child, soon learns to shoplift along with Osamu and Shota, something Shota is increasingly feeling guilty about.

Without going any further into the plot to avoid spoilers, Shoplifters is heartwarming, heartbreaking, and director Hirokazu Kore-eda explores in intimate detail just what exactly defines the bond between families beyond relation through blood, the film also explores the life of people in Japan living below the poverty line with incredibly human characters.

GOOD TIME [2017]

Sometimes life comes at you fast. The film opens with Nick Nikas(Benny Safdie) uncomfortably fidgeting while being drilled with questions during a court ordered therapy session after an altercation with his grandmother. Connie Nikas(Robert Pattinson) barges his way into the room mid-session and removes Nick from the session. He proceeds to hastily explain what their next plan is, as Nick stares forward. Nick and Connie are brothers, but more than that, they're partners. They’re partners that get caught up in a web of issues, one more daunting than the next, but the goal is the same - survive and make it to another day.

Directed by the Safdie brothers and starring Robert Pattinson and the likes of Barkhad Abdi, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Buddy Duress, this is an A24 classic that drives home what a modern caper style movie would look like set to the backdrop of Queens, NY. This film is an excellent example of the signature Safdie brothers look and feel - harsh, anxious, and generally stress-inducing. From start to finish, the plot continually forces Nick and Connie to clear obstacles one by one, but rather than having them clear these obstacles one at a time, the Safdie brothers employ a plotline that has their protagonists amble through, and oftentimes, fail to clear any obstacles at all. This leads to a culmination of obstacles and problems compounding on each other, until it reaches a breaking point. Truly a vignette of modern city living - and to an even more specific point - a vignette of living in New York.

One particular flashback scene featuring Ray (Buddy Duress) is what I imagine when anyone brings up the film “Good Time”. In stark detail he runs through everything that’s happened leading up to him meeting Connie - from first day out from jail celebrations to a harrowing recount of how he gets roped into selling acid with a few friends on his first day back, it’s a very fitting scene for the overall tone that the film sets. If you love what the Safdie brothers do, how they do it, and how their movies make you feel, this one is another one for the books.

CROWS Zero [2007]

Directed by one of Japan’s coolest film directors, Takashi Miike, in 2007 and based on the “Crows” manga series, the film is an instant classic of the high school delinquent or yankii genre that is quite popular within Japan. It follows main character Takiya Genji on his conquest to rule Suzuran all-boys highschool, a notorious institution filled to the brim with delinquents. The film is more than 2 hours of non-stop action scenes set to the tunes of Japanese punk music.

His disillusionment with the real world has been the main driving force in the creation of his films.

In the documentary "The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness", Miyazaki emphasises that he is "a man of the 20th century" and, as a result, he cannot adapt to the new century where it seems only personal enrichment is on his mind, to the detriment of the landscapes around him.

CLIPS’s FAVORITES

Mystery Train [1989]

Mystery Train is an independent film produced in 1989 and was directed by Jim Jarmusch, it follows three storylines that happen on the same night and in the same place, which is downtown Memphis, Tennessee in this particular case, the film does not portray Memphis with the glamor of the big city but the scenes shown of the city are desolate and for the most part, empty. While telling the story of three distinct stories, the constant relationships strewn throughout the film include a night clerk played by singer Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the song Blue Moon by Elvis, and a gunshot.v

The first storyline covers a couple from Yokohama making a musical pilgrimage in Memphis. The second follows an Italian widow who finds herself stranded in Memphis trying to get her deceased husband’s coffin back to Italy. Finally, the third story follows an Englishman, played by The Clash’s very own Joe Strummer, named Johnny, with hair slickly pulled back and sideburns so well-managed he is nicknamed “Elvis”, who pulls out a gun in a bar while the story follows his drunken escapades.

HOLY MOTORS [2016]

Holy Motors is a 2012 fantasy/drama film directed by Leos Carax after a 13 year hiatus. The film has also been described as his most bold work. The story follows a Mr. Oscar, who goes to different appointments driven in a limousine by his friend and associate Celine and acts out a number of strange roles complete in elaborate make-up and costumes along with props.

In a rare interview, Leos Carax says that he actually imagined the film very quickly in about two weeks. He didn’t even precisely read what he was doing and only finally went over it at the editing table. Describing what the entirety of the film meant to him, he hoped to describe the totality of human emotion that is experienced within one day without a traditional narrative and without using flashbacks.

MADE IN HONG KONG [1997]

Directed by Fruit Chan in 1997, Made in Hong Kong is an existential drama about the youth of Hong Kong. In the former British colony, the year 1997 marks the handover of Hong Kong’s sovereignty from the British Crown to the People’s Republic of China, marking a definitive end for the Empire. Set in the towering housing blocks which in and of itself is somewhat of an icon for Hong Kong, Made in Hong Kong follows our main character Autumn Moon, a young man whose father has abandoned his family, and a high-school dropout. Now working as a debt collector alongside his friend for the local Triad gang, he falls in love with a debtor’s daughter.

Aside from the plot itself, one of Made in Hong Kong’s incredibly strong points is the styling of the characters. The movie perfectly encapsulated the Y2K aesthetic and flair of the late 1990s through to the early 2000s with how the characters were all dressed and styled.

A film set during one of the most interesting times in one of the world’s most unique locations, Made in Hong Kong is essential viewing for any fans of Hong Kong’s rich cinematic traditions.

Mo' Better Blues [1990]

Written and Directed by Spike Lee, the 1990 film is equal parts a homage to his appreciation for Jazz, a love letter to his hometown of Brooklyn, NY, and a critique of how talent may not be the key to true happiness.

Written and Directed by Lee, the 1990 film is equal parts a homage to his appreciation for Jazz, a love letter to his hometown of Brooklyn, NY and a critique of how talent may not be the key to true happiness.

Set in the present day, the story follows the trajectory of Bleek Gilliam, an up and coming jazz trumpeter who is making a name for himself selling out night clubs on a regular basis with his band, the Bleek Gilliam Quartet. Immediately the audience of clubs, observe how Bleek exudes an immense amount of confidence and comfortability while on stage. His love for his music is only surpassed by his love for himself. Bleek feeds off of the adulation and awe reflected back at him by the crowd while switching between valves on his instrument with his bandmates in lockstep. This grandiose personality follows him off stage into his relationships with women, as well as with his envious saxophone player, Shadow, and his gambling-addicted best friend and manager, “Giant,” played by Director Lee.

Beyond Bleek’s rise and eventual fall from grace, Lee paints a moving landscape of the New York Black jazz scene, made tangible by the motley crew of characters that he populates it with, all having unique aspirations, flaws and identities of their own. Bleek and his friends navigate through Brooklyn’s late night landscape, haggling with shady nightclub owners and dodging henchmen who enjoy snapping a few fingers to send a message for money owed. There is a flow to this world, a rhythm, a harmony; all built on the foundations of loving music and loving to perform. When that foundation crumbles and the veneers are removed, you can’t help but sympathize for a character like Bleek who built his entire identity around being the star of this pocket reality.

MONOS [2019]

There is a long heritage of films that investigate what happens when you leave a group of youths in an isolated and remote location to make decisions based on their own best judgement. Where writer and Director Alejandro Landes has his 2019 film, Monos, stand apart is in the real-world nuances his narrative explores regarding child soldiers forced to live in a dichotomy of following orders and adolescent debauchery. Landes masterfully layers his story over a backdrop of survival, kidnapping, and mayhem, while somehow mixing in softer moments of reflection, camaraderie and companionship.

Dense rainforests and mountainous landscapes are the playground of child soldiers Rambo, Wolf, Bigfoot, Swede, Lady, Smurf, Boom Boom, and Dog. Their personalities are just as eclectic as their names, each seeking some sort of normality while on steady alert for an enemy, possibly hidden in the tree line, with their semi-automatic rifles always within an arm's reach. Regularly visited by their commander who puts them through harsh physical training and repetitive chants akin to something you would find on a military training base, the story almost has you forget that these are indeed just children, tasked with guarding an American hostage for their unnamed Guerrilla organization. When their commander is away, though, they play tag, dance around campfires, and explore their sexuality.

There is an ambiance throughout the first half of the film comparable to a dystopian sleep-away camp; a private society of their own making where the youth are both its only citizens and the ultimate authority. When this simulacrum suddenly falls apart due to a weapon misfire, a domino effect ensues building up palpable emotional pressure and suspense leading into the film’s climax. The groups’ adolescent reasoning and poor decision-making skills digs them deeper into more trouble and breaks up their cohesive nature in a way that is hard to watch and completely captivating at the same time. Both beautiful and heartbreaking, Alejandro Landes’s film is a thrilling adventure full of tension and discovery. Watching the film will have you questioning what choices you would have made when you were a teenager if your own survival was on the line.

BRINGING OUT THE DEAD

Bring Out The Dead is a fever dream of non-stop stress-inducing drama that treks it’s way across the underbelly of a scraped over Late 90’s New York City cityscape in the middle of the night. At any time a scene can provoke a conflict of emotions, leaving you unsure if you should laugh, be angry or be shocked by what is playing out in front of you. The film is a lesser-known addition to Martin Scorsese’s directorial roster, written by Paul Schader and premiering in 1999. It rolls itself out like a playbook of signature Scorsese directing tactics, utilizing sharp camera movements, harsh lighting and starkly contrasted color-grading overlapped with a carefully curated soundtrack in order to drag you feet first into the world of sleep deprived and overworked paramedic, Frank Pierce, played by Nicolas cage. Haunted by the people he couldn’t save, Frank is somehow suspended between perpetual states of both self-destruction and self-preservation. He hides from his walking nightmares and hallucinations at the bottom of a cup of equal parts coffee and whiskey while his EMT truck cuts corners and splits through traffic in a dizzying break-neck fashion.

Overdoses, gun shot victims and blunt-force trauma injuries populate every street in this gotham-esque setting. The morose humor from Frank’s co-workers, hospital doctors and attending nurses function like coping mechanism smoke screens draped over most dialogue, especially when something particularly traumatic is taking place. While Nicolas Cage’s performance is of the highest caliber, he’s almost overshadowed by the top tier cast of co-stars who are at times even more eccentric than he is. Acting legends Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore and John Goodman play co-pilots to Cage’s chaos and function as chapter markers for the film. By the time Frank Pierce is partnered up with Tom Wells, played by Sizemore, his is in a near manic state that Wells feeds off of in excitement, constantly radioing EMT dispatch wanting to “see more blood.” 90’s icon Patricia Arquette plays Mary Burke, the fledgling love interest of Frank, descending into her own trauma and returning to drugs after Frank comes to her Father’s aid attempting to bring him back to life, which becomes an ongoing trope of the film as her father “codes” (has no heartbeat) 17 times throughout the film. While Mary’s emotional outbursts don’t make for the most convincing performance, she is an excellent anchor for Frank, grounding him with some sense of normality.

Frank’s story is not a glossy primetime television depiction of life as a paramedic. There are no extreme high tension bomb threats or obnoxiously attractive physician love interests who somehow look more well-rested than their patients. It’s a gritty and dark depiction of one of the most thankless jobs in society, and pulls no punches when giving a play by play for how this line of work can erode a person’s very being. At the same time that is the beauty of the film. It is an unapologetically harsh light in your eyes, a crunchy feeling under your feet. If viewers can make it through the uncomfortable moments they are in for a wild ride.