Japanese Movies/Discussion/Recommendations

Watched NANA yesterday, nice movie :victory:

thtl wrote:

There's a d'l link in the "Theme Songs & OST" forum if you are interested.

U mean the link to the movie itself?

Iv3_imt wrote:

U mean the link to the movie itself?

No, just the soundtrack.

I mentioned this over on the Miki Nakatani thread, but I figure it couldn't hurt to mention it here.

Newly released on DVD (in the U.S.) is a Japanese movie titled: "Curse, Death & Spirit"

According to the blurbs, it stars Miki Nakatani.

Nope.

The "movie" is in fact a collection of three short ghost stories, filmed on video tape for TV back in 1992.

Miki Mizuno is actually the lead in story #3. Not Miki Nakatani.

All that said... it was kind of interesting seeing these three shorts. They all feature actresses who went on to have very nice careers in dramas years later.

As to the stories... nothing special.

Curse Death & Spirit was released in the UK last year as a bonus feature on the Chaos DVD (which does star Miki Nakatani). Technically the 3 parts are no great shakes, as they were obviously made for tv on a tight budget (however the Takashi Shimizu segments from Gakko no Kaidan G showed what could be done with some imagination). But it's great to see some early Hideo Nakata work. Maybe someday the whole Gako no Kaidan series will get a subtitled release. Hideo Nakata and Kiyoshi Kurosawa are among the directors who were behind it's segments.

Good News: "Touch" dvd-rip is out!

Bad News: no English subs yet. :sweat:

Like Samurai movies?

Well, they've put out a new DVD release of the 1969 Samurai jewel, "Goyokin" starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Ruriko Asaoka and it's gorgeous.

Okay, Ruriko Asaoka is gorgeous. But the movie looks pretty darned good too.

Along with being the first Japanese Samurai movie to be filmed in Panavision, this movie also boasts a solid story, outstanding acting, and some of the best fight scenes you'll ever see in the genre.

And did I mention it has Ruriko Asaoka? (Can't help it. Along with being one of the best and most versitile actresses of her generation... she's easily one of the most beautiful women who'se ever been on the screen.)

Geezer wrote:Like Samurai movies?

Well, they've put out a new DVD release of the 1969 Samurai jewel, "Goyokin" starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Ruriko Asaoka and it's gorgeous.

Okay, Ruriko Asaoka is gorgeous. But the movie looks pretty darned good too.

Along with being the first Japanese Samurai movie to be filmed in Panavision, this movie also boasts a solid story, outstanding acting, and some of the best fight scenes you'll ever see in the genre.

And did I mention it has Ruriko Asaoka? (Can't help it. Along with being one of the best and most versitile actresses of her generation... she's easily one of the most beautiful women who'se ever been on the screen.)

Here's a DVDBeaver review, Geez: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews20/goyokin_dvd_review.htm :D

Wow! A samurai movie with a "Bleeding Liberal heart"?????


I wonder what movie that guy was watching?

Oh well. Suffice to say, I couldn't disagree more with that review.

Technical comments aside, this is a samurai movie that makes sense. It's not slash and kill for the sake of slash and kill. It' s not just about body count. It's a well constructed story. You know why the hero is doing what he is doing. And you know why the bad guy is doing what he's doing. You can understand how both sides came to their relative positions. I really liked this flic.

A cultural (historical?) question:

Why do older women (30 and up) have their teeth blacked out in some Samurai movies?

I've seen this in a couple of movies and TV shows. Older first wives, or widows with theatrical blacking on their teeth to suggest they are toothless?

Is it suppoed to be make-up? A ffashion or style from the time? Or is it supposed to suggest that upper class women always lost their teeth once they passed 30?

I bring it up because the hero's wife has her teeth blacked out in this movie. It isn't mentioned. It just is.

It's puzzling.

Geezer wrote:Wow! A samurai movie with a "Bleeding Liberal heart"?????


I wonder what movie that guy was watching?

Oh well. Suffice to say, I couldn't disagree more with that review.

Technical comments aside, this is a samurai movie that makes sense. It's not slash and kill for the sake of slash and kill. It' s not just about body count. It's a well constructed story. You know why the hero is doing what he is doing. And you know why the bad guy is doing what he's doing. You can understand how both sides came to their relative positions. I really liked this flic.

A cultural (historical?) question:

Why do older women (30 and up) have their teeth blacked out in some Samurai movies?

I've seen this in a couple of movies and TV shows. Older first wives, or widows with theatrical blacking on their teeth to suggest they are toothless?

Is it suppoed to be make-up? A ffashion or style from the time? Or is it supposed to suggest that upper class women always lost their teeth once they passed 30?

I bring it up because the hero's wife has her teeth blacked out in this movie. It isn't mentioned. It just is.

It's puzzling.

hey geezer didn't you recently see a period piece (i.e. jidageki) with kimura takuya in it....where did you get your copy from, if may ask?

Geezer wrote:

A cultural (historical?) question:

Why do older women (30 and up) have their teeth blacked out in some Samurai movies?

I've seen this in a couple of movies and TV shows. Older first wives, or widows with theatrical blacking on their teeth to suggest they are toothless?

Is it suppoed to be make-up? A ffashion or style from the time? Or is it supposed to suggest that upper class women always lost their teeth once they passed 30?

I bring it up because the hero's wife has her teeth blacked out in this movie. It isn't mentioned. It just is.

It's puzzling.

Women of the imperial court began blackening their teeth during the Heian Era (circa 749--1185). Here's some more info:
Womenfs make-up was also quite involved. Faces were whitened with heavy rice powder. They often shaved their eyebrows and either redrew them in a perfect arch high above the natural brow line or gave themselves "thumbprints." To make "thumbprints," a woman would dip her thumbs into black make-up, cross them, then press them into the forehead. This left two symmetrical smudges towards the center of the forehead. An exaggerated hairline with a widowfs peak was sometimes drawn around the face, either to emphasize what was already there or to create what was not. It may also have been used to soften the border between the hairline and the face if a wig was being worn. Eyes were lined in black and occasionally in red. Lips were painted red but cheek blush was not regularly used at this time. Women also blackened their teeth, top and bottom. It was thought that the whiteness of the teeth was too reminiscent of the little white tiles used to venerate ancestors. It was not until the 20th century that a Japanese woman of rank appeared with her natural face and tooth color in public.

Geezer wrote:A cultural (historical?) question:

Why do older women (30 and up) have their teeth blacked out in some Samurai movies?

I've seen this in a couple of movies and TV shows. Older first wives, or widows with theatrical blacking on their teeth to suggest they are toothless?

Is it suppoed to be make-up? A ffashion or style from the time? Or is it supposed to suggest that upper class women always lost their teeth once they passed 30?

I bring it up because the hero's wife has her teeth blacked out in this movie. It isn't mentioned. It just is.

It's puzzling.

I think I've seen some men (priests, lords, etc.) in some dramas and movies with their teeth blacked out as well...

shin2

Thank you very much. I'd read somewhere that the eyebrow business was an immitation of what they'd seen in the Chinese court, but I didn't know what to think about the blackened teeth.

Man, regardless of the country, court fashion always seems to get bizarre at one point or another.

Tu_triky

I think the period piece you're talking about is "Chuushingura 1/47" . It stars Kimura and Sato. It was a Fuji TV special from 2001. Comes in at just under 3 hours of video. And I got it over at d-addicts. I just checked and it's still being seeded.

My cousin bought me "Moonchild" and "Casshern." I've yet to watch them but I'm excited. I've been wanting to see these movies.

Geezer wrote:shin2

Thank you very much. I'd read somewhere that the eyebrow business was an immitation of what they'd seen in the Chinese court, but I didn't know what to think about the blackened teeth.

Man, regardless of the country, court fashion always seems to get bizarre at one point or another.

Tu_triky

I think the period piece you're talking about is "Chuushingura 1/47" . It stars Kimura and Sato. It was a Fuji TV special from 2001. Comes in at just under 3 hours of video. And I got it over at d-addicts. I just checked and it's still being seeded.

thanks for replying to my query....i appreciate it! very kind & helpful of you.

The trailer is out for the PoT live action movie.

http://www.tenipuri-movie.jp/mov/trailer_480.mov

The special effects look great and the moves are really accurate looking. I'm looking forward to watching it. :mrgreen:

30 Lies Or So (2004)

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Starring: Miki Nakatani, Satoshi Tsumabuki

"30 Lies or So" is about a group of conmen (and women) who were swindled by one of their own during a job and disappeared. Three years later, the team that's left decides to set aside their differences and re-unite to pull off another job. Little did they know that the current chief of the group also invited the woman who swindled them three years before! As if that's not bad enough, history repeats itself when they find out that the money that they had conned is stolen again! It becomes a case of "Whodunit?" as the group starts to point fingers and suspicion arises.

Haha, funny that the last time I recommended something, Satoshi Tsumabuki was also in it. Anyway... "30 Lies or So" is full of mystery, romance, comedy, and drama. It's actually a very character-driven plot, and throughout the movie you slowly learn the history of this group of swindlers and their companionship. Seeing as this film is based on a play, it's no wonder that the whole movie takes place in one setting: their getaway train. The swindling action takes place off-screen to further indicate that this isn't a heist film, but a film centered around it's characters.

Directed by the same dude who directed NANA, I thought the cinematography in this movie was superior. It's a very stylish film. The jazzy soundtrack is great, which makes me love the movie even more. Definitely check it out!

P.S. Miki Nakatani is especially hot in this movie. :mrgreen:

Watch the trailer here:

http://www.apple.com/jp/quicktime/trailers/asmik-ace/30lies_large.html

i recently wrote a translation for the movie 'ima ai ni yukimasu' for a friend of mine who watched my dvd. she loved the film and said my notes were easy to follow. i'm pleased i got someone to appreciate a good japanese movie. :thumbsup:

I've mentioned a few times on this thread that I'm a big Seijun Suzuki fan. I think his movies like "Branded to Kill" and "Tokyo Drifter" and even "Lupin the 3rd" are fast, stylish, creative, and entertaining.

Okay, so that said, his very successful, and award winning trilogy--- including "Zigeunerweisen" (1980) - "Kagero-za" (1981) and "Yumeji" 1991)--- was recently released through Netflix, so I jumped at the chance to see these films.

Had I looked before I jumped I would have seen that these films (not movies, but "films") are described by words like "Enigmatic" Absurdist" "Surreal" "Artistic"

None of those words are a good sign for a movie viewer like me.

On the DVDs I watched interviews with Suzuki who said that he was known for making action movies... but he wanted to get away from all that because he saw no future for Japanese action movies.

In other words, he wanted to get away from making the sort of movies that made me a fan of his.

These are clues, folks.

I got through "Zigeunerweisen" with liberal use of the fast forward button.

I got half way through "Kagero-za" before putting it back in its envelope and mailing it back to netflix.

"Yumeji" arrived before I had time to cancel it. I never even bothered putting it in the player. I just resealed it and sent it away.

For those far more artistic, intelligent, and sophisticated than I... these might be interesting to you. They did, after all, win all sorts of awards, and they were box office hits.

I just found them to be self indulgent, and boring beyond measure.

I got around to watching the trailer for the new movie "Memoirs of Matsuka," from the director of Kamikaze Girls. It looks crazy, as usual... but in a good way. :mrgreen:

http://kiraware.goo.ne.jp/trailer04.html