Japanese Movies/Discussion/Recommendations

Shurayuki-hime wrote:I'm a bit confused. These two are different films, right?
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews12/ronin-gai.htm
http://www.tbs.co.jp/p-guide/event/roningai/index-j.html

Yow, I completely missed that review from DVDBeaver... :sweat:

Thanks for the heads up. :thumbsup:

Ichi the Killer

aznvietguy wrote:Ichi the Killer

What about it? :headscratch:

Has anyone seen this movie? If so, is it any good? I've been wanting to see it for the longest.

Sorry again, but there's a thread dedicated to Japanese movies here: http://jdorama.com/viewtopic.1753.htm

Moving...


BTW, I hear the movie is quite good: part supernatural, part samurai movie... Actually, I've got a copy of it, but haven't gotten around to seeing it yet... :sweat:

bmwracer wrote:
What about it? :headscratch:

I heard it was a weird but good movie. :beaten: :hehe:

ahochaude wrote:I heard it was a weird but good movie. :beaten: :hehe:

It's "interesting". Ichi is very funny in parts, but quite violent in others. Maybe "twisted" is best way to describe it. I thought the best part about it was Tadanobu Asano as the crazed masochist Yakuza. It's one of his more memorable roles.

I have it on DVD, it is pretty good. Mostly supernatural though, as it takes place in Heian times around the Heian Court, with the onmyo mystics.

Coming in August from Criterion: :applaud:

[image]

bmwracer wrote:Coming in August from Criterion: :applaud:

[image]

Synopsis:
Following the collapse of his clan, unemployed samurai Hanshiro Tsugumo (Tatsuya Nakadai) arrives at the manor of Lord Iyi, begging to commit ritual suicide on his property. Iyi's clansmen, believing the desperate ronin is merely angling for charity, try to force him to eviscerate himself—but they have underestimated his honor and his past. Winner of the 1963 Cannes Film Festival's Special Jury Prize, Masaki Kobayashi's Harakiri is a scathing denouncement of feudal authority and hypocrisy.

bmwracer wrote:Coming in August from Criterion: :applaud:

[image]

One of my all-time favorites!

But I wish they'd call it "Seppuku" because "Harakiri" is not the same thing at all.

loris wrote:One of my all-time favorites!

But I wish they'd call it "Seppuku" because "Harakiri" is not the same thing at all.

Maybe they chose Harakiri because it's a more familiar term than seppuku... :headscratch:

loris wrote:

It's "interesting". Ichi is very funny in parts, but quite violent in others. Maybe "twisted" is best way to describe it. I thought the best part about it was Tadanobu Asano as the crazed masochist Yakuza. It's one of his more memorable roles.

I agree with loris! Not bad of a movie.

bmwracer wrote:Maybe they chose Harakiri because it's a more familiar term than seppuku... :headscratch:

Yes, I'm sure that is the case. I'm sure I've said this before, but sometimes I watch one of those old samurai movies and I hear them say "seppuku", but the subtitle on the screen says "harakiri". I guess it would take up too much subtitle space to say "honorable ritual suicide, the essence of bushido" instead :)

But anyway, I think if one watches this movie, they'll get a good appreciation for the difference! :)

loris wrote:Yes, I'm sure that is the case. I'm sure I've said this before, but sometimes I watch one of those old samurai movies and I hear them say "seppuku", but the subtitle on the screen says "harakiri". I guess it would take up too much subtitle space to say "honorable ritual suicide, the essence of bushido" instead :)

But anyway, I think if one watches this movie, they'll get a good appreciation for the difference! :)

Well, at least we hope they will. ;)

Re: Onmyoji

For what it's worth, after watching the movie as a rental... I went out and bought a copy for my collection. In fact, I bought the sequel as well.

Because they are available I've been watching a bunch of Kitamura's action movies. I think these are mostly what they're calling Jam Films.

Alive, Aragami, Versus, and this week Sky High.

For mindless action, slasher, semi-samuari bits of fluff, these seem to be just a cut above.

Technically the guy does a good job, even if the stories don't hold up that well.

And he likes to cast pretty people. So the eye candy factor is high.

For me, having Kanae Uotani in both Sky High and Aragami made the movies worth the price of the rental.

And seeing Sky High also made me want to see the TV series... so I guess it couldn't have been that bad.

just finished watching 'go (2001)'. great movie, except i felt the ending kinda left me hanging - wanting more. it was definitely different than most of the other jmovies i've seen.

I've collected most of Tokyo Biyori (“Œ‹ž“ú˜aj's OST, but yet missing 1 track: :bleh:

12. himawari (‚Ђ܂í‚è)

Could anyone help me to find this only track missing? Thank you very much. :bonk:

i just watched this movie my friend had, "mojuu (blind beast)" made in the 70s, i think. man, talk about 'macabre'. if you like weird, artsy films that says something about the human mind, then this one is IT.