Belgian J-movie fans may be delighted to hear that the Cinamatek in Brussels has a full Kurosawa retrospective (they show all his movies minus 2 apparently )
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 6884 Location: Syracuse, NY Country:
Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 6:45 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
Cool.
Let's all fly out there, catch some flicks, and hang with Esther...
Great, I'll treat everyone to popcorn. Nice filn from him is called Subarashi Nichiyobi, done right after the war, unlike a lot of his later films. So slow and simple but I can't stop smiling thru most of it, it's in his boxed set Post-War Kurosawa. _________________
Nice filn from him is called Subarashi Nichiyobi, done right after the war, unlike a lot of his later films. So slow and simple but I can't stop smiling thru most of it, it's in his boxed set Post-War Kurosawa.
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 6884 Location: Syracuse, NY Country:
Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 9:12 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
I've got that set.
Those Criterion box sets are so good, little expensive but they really do a good remastering job on the films, actually even though the sets are a bit steep per movie it's not a bad deal. _________________
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 6884 Location: Syracuse, NY Country:
Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 9:34 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
Yup.
Aside from the Asian releases (which are of mixed quality), it's about as close as you can get to these rare films.
Rare is right, last Criterion set I got was Nikkatsu Noir, all really good movies yet I had only heard of one of them, also gave it big kudos for satisfying my Shishodo cravings. _________________
Recently watched two Sai Yoichi films on consecutive nights; hard to believe the same director made two such disparate movies.
Kamui Gaiden (2009) is a muddled mess of a movie. The excessive CG and high wire scenes could not hide a lousy script (by the popular Kudo Kankuro), amateurish acting (including a ludicrous turn by Sato Koichi, whose list of fine performances is probably second only to Yakusho Koji's among Jmovie actors of their generation), and lackluster directing. This action film about ninjas was terrible.
Keimusho no Naka (Doing Time), made in 2002 is the polar opposite. Aside from the first 10 minutes, this is a virtually plotless film, focusing on an older man incarcerated in a Hokkaido prison. The movie is divided into chapters, each one focusing on a specific aspect of prison life experienced by the protagonist and his fellow inmates. Life in this particular prison operates with exaggerated military precision, resulting in a movie full of humor, satire, and self-discovery. Yamazaki Tsutomi plays the protagonist (imprisoned for making a knock-off Dirty Harry 44), and he's excellent, as well as the rest of the cast, including Kagawa Teruyuki as one of Yamazaki's cellmates, a man with an impressive knowledge of fine shoes. None of the prisoners are portrayed sympathetically, but neither are they seen as evil doers; in truth, they come across as a bunch of not-very-smart, docile men adapting reasonably well to an extremely regimented environment. The absence of action doesn't make this movie any less interesting; I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 6884 Location: Syracuse, NY Country:
Posted: Fri May 28, 2010 4:58 am Post subject:
Doing Time really was a good movie, most of the ones Yamazaki is in are.
Viewed Taitei no Ken starring Hiroshi Abe and Kyoko Hasegawa. Sort of a goofball/spoof movie, set back in the samurai/ninja days, Abe plays a samurai trying to find 2 magical pieces for the universe's ultimate power. Aliens also were in it, great watching Riki Takeuchi play a Hulk-like creature inhabited by an alien. Better movies for sure, but if you're a Abe fan then certainly worth a watch. _________________
Dear Doctor is a movie which won a number of awards when it came out in 2009. Written and directed by Nishikawa Miwa, it's about a doctor (Shofukutei Tsurube) practicing in an out-of-the-way country village inhabited primarily by old people. While beloved by his patients, he harbors a big secret only his loyal nurse (Yo Kimiko) and a pharmaceutical sales rep (Kagawa Teruyuki) know. In addition to these three fine actors, the film includes recognizable character actors like Matsushige Yutaka, Yachigusa Kaoru, and Sasano Takashi; there's even a cameo by Kabuki great Nakamura Kanzaburo. Oh yeah, Jdorama.com favorite Eita (I'm bemused by his popularity) is in it as well.
Nishikawa (Best Screenplay) and Yo (Best Supporting Actress) won Japan Academy Awards for their efforts; the influential Kinema Junpo voted Dear Doctor best film, Shofukutei best actor, and Nishikawa best screenplay.
I liked this movie a lot. It can be viewed on several different levels: a cat-and-mouse game; an examination of contemporary rural Japan; a conflict between legality and reality. By turns humorous and serious, reflective and emotional, this is a well made interesting film.
Joined: 29 Jun 2004 Posts: 911 Location: Deus Vult Country:
Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 7:09 am Post subject:
Watched Kita no Zero-nen, also known as Year One in the North(though the title is misleading as the movie spans 5 years). A visually stunning movie, though I admit it's not for everyone. While it's been compared to the American The Last Samurai because of the "change of an era" time frame, it really isn't close. Where The Last Samurai was a movie about the Western romantic interpretation of bushido with robotic characters, Kita no Zero-nen is closer to the frontier movies where men and women venture to the unknown and survive it's trials. What made it uniquely Japanese was the social structure of feudal Japan, and how that structure affects the people when no longer among civilization. The characters are more human. Ken Watanabe is the samurai leader, but rather than a complete "death before dishonor" caricature, he is a flawed individual who must make difficult decisions when his samurai status means nothing anymore. And for fans of Suzuka Ohgo, you can see why Ken Watanabe chose her specifically for Memoirs of a Geisha; her character, while minor and insignificant, serves as the "heart" of the movie, almost revealing itself as through her eyes. Ultimately the movie is about surviving and flourishing through perserverance, luck, and the drive to succeed no matter the difficulties.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:12 am Post subject:
I know Geezer mentioned this flick way back...
Finally saw Ramen Girl which has been sitting on my hard drive for months. It was fairly entertaining, primarily because of Toshiyuki Nishida, who never fails to elicit an emotional response from his audiences with his great performances. The city of Tokyo, with its indefatigable energy, also plays nicely in the story, much in the same way it did in Lost in Translation.
In any event the film prompted me to watch Juzo Itami's Tampopo again, which is far and away the best "quest for a perfect bowl of noodles" movie. Despite being a 1985 film, I laughed so hard and thoroughly enjoyed the film. I felt like I rediscovered a best of breed film that highlights the pinnacle of what Japanese cinema can be.
In any event the film prompted me to watch Juzo Itami's Tampopo again, which is far and away the best "quest for a perfect bowl of noodles" movie. Despite being a 1985 film, I laughed so hard and thoroughly enjoyed the film. I felt like I rediscovered a best of breed film that highlights the pinnacle of what Japanese cinema can be.
Not to mention the appearance of a very young Watanabe Ken.
Finally saw Ramen Girl which has been sitting on my hard drive for months. It was fairly entertaining, primarily because of Toshiyuki Nishida, who never fails to elicit an emotional response from his audiences with his great performances.
If the movie had focused on just Nishida's character, his wife (Yo Kimiko), and their quirky customers, you might have had a pretty good movie.
Tu_triky wrote:
In any event the film prompted me to watch Juzo Itami's Tampopo again, which is far and away the best "quest for a perfect bowl of noodles" movie. Despite being a 1985 film, I laughed so hard and thoroughly enjoyed the film. I felt like I rediscovered a best of breed film that highlights the pinnacle of what Japanese cinema can be.
Not to mention the appearance of a very young Watanabe Ken.
There were a lot of really good actors in this movie: a very young Yakusho Koji as the white-suited chimpira; Hashizume Isao as the waiter in the French restaurant; Tsugawa Masahiko as the market manager stalking the fruit-abusing obaa-san; jidai-geki great Otomo Ryutaro in his last performance; and of course Miyamoto Nobuko and Yamazaki Tsutomu.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 8:04 pm Post subject:
Eri Fukatsu leads next Koki Mitani film
Director Koki Mitani ("The Uchoten Hotel," "The Magic Hour") is working on a new film, starring actress Eri Fukatsu. Titled "Suteki na Kanashibari," the movie is a "courtroom comedy" that Mitani first conceived more than a decade ago.
Like Mitani's previous hits, "Suteki na Kanashibari" features a star-studded cast, including Toshiyuki Nishida, Yuko Takeuchi, Kiichi Nakai, Hiroshi Abe, and Tadanobu Asano.
Emi (Fukatsu) is a third-rate lawyer with no prospects for the future. She is asked to defend a man suspected of killing a wealthy man's wife (Takeuchi). The man claims that on the night of the murder, he experienced sleep paralysis ("kanashibari") in his hotel room, apparently caused by the ghost of a dishonored warrior (Nishida) who died 421 years ago. To support the claim in court, Emi comes up with the ridiculous idea of having the ghost take the witness stand. In addition to playing the victim, Takeuchi also plays her twin sister, who is the actual culprit.
"Suteki na Kanashibari" is scheduled for release in fall 2011.
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 6884 Location: Syracuse, NY Country:
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 3:06 am Post subject:
Geezer wrote:
shin2 was right. The Tora-san movies are Mother's Milk to old farts like me. And I'm at the point now where I know that every time I stick one of them into my DVD player... I'm gonna be happy for at least a couple of hours.
Been trying to refrain from buying anymore movies, but won a gift certificate at work from Amazon, you've mentioned the Tora series a few times so figured I could put the certificate to good use on it. Waiting for this box set to arrive any minute, had to leave work early the anticipation was just too much, really looking forward to it. http://www.dvdsavant.com/s3070tora.html _________________
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 6884 Location: Syracuse, NY Country:
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 5:40 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
^ You could've downloaded it from asiandvdclub.org...
True, but seeing as how it was really free because of the certificate, said 'why not'. Nice box set it came in, need a break from dramas, think this will do the trick. Also came with a faily good booklet, many pics and stories, etc in it. _________________
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Nice filn from him is called 
little expensive but they really do a good remastering job on the films, actually even though the sets are a bit steep per movie it's not a bad deal. 
Aliens also were in it, great watching Riki Takeuchi play a Hulk-like creature inhabited by an alien. Better movies for sure, but if you're a Abe fan then certainly worth a watch. 
Nice box set it came in, need a break from dramas, think this will do the trick. 
Also came with a faily good booklet, many pics and stories, etc in it.
