Japanese Movies/Discussion/Recommendations

bmwracer wrote:
Haven't had the opportunity to see it, but I did see a review in the L.A. Times the other day... Very positive, if I recall. :)

I'll see if I can dig it up from the Times archives.

yeah they had a blow up cardboard cut out of the L.A. Times review of the film...I read it while mulling around the theater lobby.

lastsamurai wrote:

Hi hi !! I am new here. Saw this forum and would like to recommend a really good Japanese romance movie to you. " Be With You" by Shidou Nakamura and Yuko Takeuchi. The story is about widower (Nakamura) lives his quiet life with his six year old son after the death of his beloved wife (Takeuchi). He always remember that his wife promised that she will come back to him when the rainy season comes.Is a very touchy movie. Hope you will like it.

I recommend it too.

bmwracer wrote:

Tony Takitani

even thought rie miyazawa's dual roles are uncomplicated she does brilliantly execute her craft....she wears that stunning wardrobe with a dignified grace...which is essential to the part (if you see the film you'll understand this point more meaningfully)

@lastsamurai and seghal: thanks for the recommendation, I'll look forward to seeing it...

Just watched Minna no Ie (All About Our House), a 2001 film written and directed by Koki Mitani. It's about a young couple who decide to build their dream house. They hire a hip young interior designer who has been heavily influenced by the West as their architect and then enlist the help of the wife's semi-retired, very traditional contractor father to build the house. Naturally the two immediately clash, which sets up the main conflict of the movie. While it's not the equal of Mitani's earlier Radio no Jikan (Welcome Back, Mr. MacDonald) which was an absolutely superb film, Minna no Ie is nonetheless a very good, very entertaining movie. There are many humorous scenes, and it's fun to see cameo appearances by some of Japan's most recognizable cinema and TV actors. BTW, Mitani is currently directing another film which he also wrote entitled Uchoten Hotel. Set to open in Jan. 2006, it takes place in a swank hotel on New Year's Eve. Koji Yakusho and Takako Matsu play the leads, but there's a large cast among which are some of the most recognizable Japanese actors/actresses working today.

watched 'love letter' again yesterday. i still find it a very touching movie, especially the very last scene. :shamefulcry:

Finally saw "Be with You" starring Takeuchi Yuko and I have to agree with the people who recommended it to me. It's a nice romance-drama movie...

Like Asura (starring: Otake Shinobu, Kuroki Hitormi, Fukatsu Eri, Fukada Kyoko)

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I loved Eri Fukatsu in Like Asura. She delivered a really good performance as the smart, introverted, awkward third sister who craves the attention her fourth sister (played by Kyoko Fukada) always attracted. It was a comedic yet touching performance, and the movie was very interesting although at first it seemed that it would be a very typical story about a 70 year old father's affair coming to light, his daughters' reactions and attempts to keep their mother blissfully unaware.

Shimotsuma monogatari is playing at the Nuart in Santa Monica, has anyone seen this yet?

krim wrote:Shimotsuma monogatari is playing at the Nuart in Santa Monica, has anyone seen this yet?

Yep, I thought it was pretty funny.

well for me I'm eagerly waiting the opening of Shinobo (joe odagiri & yukie nakayama) was lucky to catch the trailer in apple (.jp) and was blown away by the visual. Looks like a classic epic with the whole shebang of themes (betrayal , love, honor) etc.

the last show i watch from japan in the cinema was casshern which i like pretty much

For all yukie's fans, she really look ethereal and beautiful in the show.:)

For those who enjoy horror flicks, run, don't walk away from a little ditty that was just released on DVD called "Tales of Terror from Tokyo" (2004).

The movie is a collection (I assume from some TV show) of beginnings of scary stories. No middles... no endings... just a series of 4 or 5 minute segments setting up what might or might not have been a scary story, and then flash... on to the next. Pointless.

I thought I'd stumbled onto something when Rina Uchiyama opened the "movie" in a little scene where Rina, as a a bride-to-be was, for some reason, unnerved by the sight of some people in an elevator. But since her character didn't get on the elevator, it wasn't too scary.

Once the elevator left, we went on to another "story".

That was the opening 3 minutes of the film. 1 hour and 2 minutes later, Rina's character reappears. This time she reads from a children's book. Two minutes later she's off the screen, and the movie pretty much ends.

I know it was over because they ran credits. That's the only way I could tell.

Pointless. [/i][/b]

krim wrote:Shimotsuma monogatari is playing at the Nuart in Santa Monica, has anyone seen this yet?

I saw it at a movie festival last week. Not quite as crazy as I was hoping for, but crazy enough. I already ordered the hk dvd.
btw, everybody seems to love Kyoko Fukada, but I liked Anna Tsuchiya better. My friend thought she was horrible, but I thought she was kind of cute (especially when she's angry, haha).

Others japanese films I saw at the festival:

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence:
A bit slow, but still interesting throughout. The film offers some of the visually most mind blowing scenes ever made.
4/5

Howlfs Moving Castle
I'm not a huge fan of Miyazaki, but he's definitely making good films. Howlfs Moving Castle was good, but a bit too long.
3/5

Nobody Knows
Excellent and touching drama. All actors are great, especially the 14 year old Yûya Yagira, who won the best actor award in Cannes for this role.
4/5

Blood and Bones
Not as good as I expected. It's not a bad film, but it repeats itself. I've heard the film works better if you are familiar with the japanese history and the era in which this film takes place. It's still an enjoyable film, and Kitano gives a good performance.
3/5

Appleseed
I had heard a lot of negative comments on this film, but I loved Appleseed. Therefs some bad music and too many slow-mo shots but I didnft let those things bother me. Great animation, striking visuals, cute girls and lots of action, thatfs what I want from anime, and thatfs what Appleseed offered.
4/5

Since I started watching j-dramas way back , japanese movies has always been one of my fave. I guess what I liked about them is the layer of subtleties and meaning behind every scene or shot. And up till now I havent really been dissappointed by the films i have watched from japan.

Well lucky us Cathay always managed to bring in the good films from japan so we can watch it on the big screen.
Here are some recommendation from me:
This is my fave genre from japan, nuanced "art" film about life and love. Kinda like lessons on what life is really about. Highly recommended>
Imai Ai Nu Yukimasu
Love Letter
Hana & Alice

Funny shows from japan displaying their skillful mix of different genre together (humour, thriller, growing up and other themes)?
Water Boys
Swing Girls
Bayside Shakedown
Umizaru

The Blind Swordman (when has Takeshi Kitani ever dissappoint:)
Battle Royale (really nice apocalytical thriller)
Ichi-the Killer (oh god, I found this film accidentally on my bro's computer, one of the bloodiest film I have ever seen. lucky its film in a comical direction)

Rashomon (lol watch this if you wanna blow your mind out keeping up with the plot:P)

I finally broke down and watched Kurosawa's "Donzoko" ("Lower Depths" and --- Wow.

I'd avoided it for years because I was very familiar with the original Max Gorky play. I was in it once, a million years ago. And I hated it. Jeez, it has to be one of the most depressing and oppressive pieces of ART that ever came out of Russian Theater. And they can be a very gloomy bunch.

I also really hated the French version of the movie that came out about five or six years before Kurosawa's version.

But for me... Kurosawa got it. He told the same story, with the same characters... but he made it into a human comedy, rather than a dark, tragic, soul souring, trial.

Amazing.

For those who don't go to a lot of live theater, this might not be for you. This is as close to a filmed stage play as you're gonna get without a director simply filming a stage play.

But if you like classical theater, this is about as striking a new vision of an old piece of material as... I don't know... Bert Lahr's performance in "Waiting For Godot." A play that was considered a failure until someone had the bright idea of putting comics in the lead roles. (And that's getting a bit obscure, so I'll move away from the ref.)

Mifune is brilliant in this one. And the chance to see Yamada Isuzu on film, rather than just reading about her is a treat.

For my money, one of Kurosawa's very best.

Geezer wrote:I finally broke down and watched Kurosawa's "Donzoko" ("Lower Depths" and --- Wow.

I'd avoided it for years because I was very familiar with the original Max Gorky play. I was in it once, a million years ago. And I hated it. Jeez, it has to be one of the most depressing and oppressive pieces of ART that ever came out of Russian Theater. And they can be a very gloomy bunch.

I also really hated the French version of the movie that came out about five or six years before Kurosawa's version.

But for me... Kurosawa got it. He told the same story, with the same characters... but he made it into a human comedy, rather than a dark, tragic, soul souring, trial.

Pretty much in agreement with you, Geez. I've got the Criterion release and it comes bundled with the Jean Renoir version which I can't sit through... :sweat:

Mifune is brilliant in this one. And the chance to see Yamada Isuzu on film, rather than just reading about her is a treat.

If that's the case, then you've gotta check out Throne of Blood, if you haven't already. Yamada's Japanese version of Lady Macbeth is creepy and terrific. :thumbsup:

For my money, one of Kurosawa's very best.

He is.

Though for variety's sake see this: http://stray-dog.blogspot.com/2005/09/six-must-see-japanese-movies-not.html

BMW,

Oh, I've seen Throne of Blood.

Best all time viewing. I was working crew on a produciton of Macbeth a few years ago.

Once the show had been up for a few weeks the director wanted to give the cast a shot in the butt because everyone seemed to be getting tired.

He called in the cast, and crew, early one afternoon, sat everyone in the audience, and ran Throne on a screen set in front of our set.

Woke everybody up. Pumped everybody up.

Too much so, as it turned out. Man, the cast was bouncing off the walls that night, chewing scenery to beat the band.

Which of course the crew loved.

Re: seeing Yamada Isuzu on film. I've seen some, but seeing her film performances and thinking you know her work is like reading Shakespeare's sonnets, without every seeing the plays, and thinking you know his work.

She's been making movies since the early '30's, but seeing her on stage is supposed to be amazing. She's sort of the Helen Hayes of Japan.

I loved getting to see her in a theatrical version of an actual play.

From DVD Beaver: Criterion to release Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well(1960) in January 2006.... More details later.

DVD Beaver comparison of Tampopo: http://www.compare.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview/tampopo.htm

bmwracer wrote:DVD Beaver comparison of Tampopo: http://www.compare.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview/tampopo.htm

hmm... you make me want to replace all of my DVD's... i hate you. :grumble: :hehe: