Japanese Movies/Discussion/Recommendations

Okay, I just finished watching Christmas on July 24th Avenue.

Wrong time of the year to be watching it, but it was a pleasant little holiday vehicle... Nice music and some lush scenery.

Nakitani Miki played the ugly duckling role pretty well and seeing Ueno Juri guarantees a smile from me without reservation. :smitten:

I'll have to watch it again come December... It'll probably be even more enjoyable... :)

bmwracer wrote:Okay, I just finished watching Christmas on July 24th Avenue.

Wrong time of the year to be watching it, but it was a pleasant little holiday vehicle... Nice music and some lush scenery.

Nakitani Miki played the ugly duckling role pretty well and seeing Ueno Juri guarantees a smile from me without reservation. :smitten:

I'll have to watch it again come December... It'll probably be even more enjoyable... :)

I thought it was a fair movie, but not worth archiving. I deleted it after I viewed it. I think even Geezer said if not for Nakatani he would have dismissed it. It definitely wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

Tu_triky wrote:I thought it was a fair movie, but not worth archiving. I deleted it after I viewed it. I think even Geezer said if not for Nakatani he would have dismissed it. It definitely wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

It'll be better if you watched it around Christmas, I think.

I wouldn't like Miracle on 34th Street or It's a Wonderful Life if I watched it right now....

bmwracer wrote:
It'll be better if you watched it around Christmas, I think.

I wouldn't like Miracle on 34th Street or It's a Wonderful Life if I watched it right now....

yeah that definitely would add to the ambience of the film.

Tu_triky wrote:yeah that definitely would add to the ambience of the film.

Yup.

Sitting here in shorts and a t-shirt with the fan on and watching people with heavy sweaters and scarves frolicking about is bizarre.

bmwracer wrote:
Yup.

Sitting here in shorts and a t-shirt with the fan on and watching people with heavy sweaters and scarves frolicking about is bizarre.

That scene is easily repeated in the winter, given the fact we leave in a soup of photochemical smog in a land called Los Angeles.

Tu_triky wrote:That scene is easily repeated in the winter, given the fact we leave in a soup of photochemical smog in a land called Los Angeles.

Ah yes, but the likelhood of that is only 50-50. :beaten:

bmwracer wrote:
Ah yes, but the likelhood of that is only 50-50. :beaten:

true brother, but to really feel that xmas spirit l.a. is definitely not the place to celebrate... you need to EAST or go abroad....japan which is a decidely non-Christian nation spends more money on lavish holiday displays which engenders far more enthusiasm for the xmas season then most places i'm aware of in the States. i'm sure you've seen pics of the lighted displays in tokyo in the i'm going to japan thread

Speaking of Japanese films....anybody seen "Warai no Daigaku" (University of Laughs)? it's a 2004 film that starts Goro Inagaki..it's about a playwright grappling with censorship in 1940 Japan....it's a fairly amusing film....just wanted to gather if anybody else has seen it and exchange opinions about the movie.

Tu_triky wrote:Speaking of Japanese films....anybody seen "Warai no Daigaku" (University of Laughs)? it's a 2004 film that starts Goro Inagaki..it's about a playwright grabbling with censorship in 1940 Japan....it's a fairly amusing film....just wanted to gather if anybody else has seen it and exchange opinions about the movie.

This is the filmed version of a Koki Mitani play. Mitani is a writer/director whose work I admire a lot. Uchoten Hotel, Minna no Ie, and Radio no Jikan are films he both wrote and directed: The first two are very good; the last one is one of the greatest screwball comedies in any language. Mitani also wrote and directed Shinsengumi!, the 2004 Taiga drama, and wrote the TV series Furuhata Ninzaburo, Ohsama no Resutoran (King's Restaurant), and Sori to Yobanaide (Farewell Mr. Premier) among others.

Warai no Daigaku is clever, witty, and very funny--just what you'd expect from a Mitani work. I think Koji Yakusho is currently Japan's best leading actor (and has been for at least the last decade), and his performance in this movie only reinforces my opinion. While not a fan of any of the SMAP guys, I have to admit Goro Inagaki was pretty good in this movie.

BTW, Warai no Daigaku has also been adapted into English for the stage. (http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20070714TDY17003.htm)

shin2 wrote:

This is the filmed version of a Koki Mitani play. Mitani is a writer/director whose work I admire a lot. Uchoten Hotel, Minna no Ie, and Radio no Jikan are films he both wrote and directed: The first two are very good; the last one is one of the greatest screwball comedies in any language. Mitani also wrote and directed Shinsengumi!, the 2004 Taiga drama, and wrote the TV series Furuhata Ninzaburo, Ohsama no Resutoran (King's Restaurant), and Sori to Yobanaide (Farewell Mr. Premier) among others.

Warai no Daigaku is clever, witty, and very funny--just what you'd expect from a Mitani work. I think Koji Yakusho is currently Japan's best leading actor (and has been for at least the last decade), and his performance in this movie only reinforces my opinion. While not a fan of any of the SMAP guys, I have to admit Goro Inagaki was pretty good in this movie.

BTW, Warai no Daigaku has also been adapted into English for the stage. (http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20070714TDY17003.htm)

Thanks for the info. I've seen a few of the works you enumerated. To be sure, Warai no Daigaku was pretty witty. I personally like Uchoten Hotel a bit better, perhaps because there were more actors who particpated in the film, allowing for some interesting subplots and diversions. The accumulated talent in that film was quite impressive.

The interplay b/n Goro and Koji Yakusho in Warai no Daigaku was great though

Tu_triky wrote:

Thanks for the info. I've seen a few of the works you enumerated. To be sure, Warai no Daigaku was pretty witty. I personally like Uchoten Hotel a bit better, perhaps because there were more actors who particpated in the film, allowing for some interesting subplots and diversions. The accumulated talent in that film was quite impressive.

The interplay b/n Goro and Koji Yakusho in Warai no Daigaku was great though

Yeah, Uchoten Hotel had more stars than a planetarium. Quite an enjoyable movie and very recognizable as a Koki Mitani work. My favorite Mitani movie however, is Radio no Jikan; that and my favorite Mitani TV series--Ohsama no Resutoran--are about as perfect as you can get in terms of writing, casting, and the synergy of those two components.

japanese_boy wrote:

niko2x wrote:i recently had a chance to see 2 pretty good jpn movies:

Dororo - manga made into a movie. Sort of like azumi as a "made-up" historical piece. very much like azumi & kill bill sort of over the top violence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dororo

where did u watched the Dororo movie..
i'm still looking for it...

Sorry for the wait. didn't realize that i had a response. I saw the movie at a theatre in Japan. As a matter of fact, I just came back about a month ago.

Tu_triky wrote:I recently saw Ooku (2006) starring Yukie Nakama & Reiko Takashima. It's a film that centers around the political intrigue of the women stationed at the Shogun's Palace during the feudal Tokugawa era. The costume design is sumptuous and rich and the principle photography is excellent.

I thought the film was okay but nothing above and beyond some other jidaigeki pieces. It may be worth checking out if you enjoy period films so as to formulate your own opinion.

I see. Thanks for the info!

I think I will check it out because I am a fan of period films, and the photography shots, from what I've gathered from trailers, is absolutely breath-taking. I wonder why the standard version does not include subtitles, but the special edition does (according to YesAsia.com) ^^;; *has to resort to buying because she doesn't know where she can download the film*

*Sayaka* wrote:

I see. Thanks for the info!

I think I will check it out because I am a fan of period films, and the photography shots, from what I've gathered from trailers, is absolutely breath-taking. I wonder why the standard version does not include subtitles, but the special edition does (according to YesAsia.com) ^^;; *has to resort to buying because she doesn't know where she can download the film*

if you have bit torrent you can download it here: http://www.mybittorrent.com/info/809256/

*Sayaka* wrote:I wonder why the standard version does not include subtitles, but the special edition does (according to YesAsia.com)

I think YesAsia is wrong... That sounds pretty ridiculous. :crazy:

shin2 wrote:

Yeah, Uchoten Hotel had more stars than a planetarium. Quite an enjoyable movie and very recognizable as a Koki Mitani work.

Loved it. It was truly one the most enjoyable Japanese films I've seen in the last 2 years or so. I know Geezer thoroughly enjoyed it as well, as he reported in this thread many moons ago.

My favorite Mitani movie however, is Radio no Jikan; that and my favorite Mitani TV series--Ohsama no Resutoran--are about as perfect as you can get in terms of writing, casting, and the synergy of those two components.

Tomoko Yamaguchi & Koshiro Matsumoto were pure gold.

Tu_triky wrote:

Tomoko Yamaguchi & Koshiro Matsumoto were pure gold.

When I read this quote, a question straight out of left field immediately crossed my mind: has Tomoko Yamaguchi acted in anything with her husband Toshiaki Karasawa, and has Koshiro Matsumoto acted in anything with his daughter Takako Matsu? Weird.

Tu_triky wrote:

Yeah Geezer said this film was horrible as well.

I really wish I'd seen Geezer's opinion of Otakus In Love, cos then I might have saved some money. :bleh:

Anyone seen The Bird People In China?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0142181/

The cover of the dvd looks beyond weird -

[image]

Keps wrote:

I really wish I'd seen Geezer's opinion of Otakus In Love, cos then I might have saved some money. :bleh:

Anyone seen The Bird People In China?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0142181/

The cover of the dvd looks beyond weird -

[image]

well, if it's a takashi miike film it should be 'interesting'.