Topic: Japanese Movies

[Spymon]

Japan has made many a fine film, unfortunately I've not watched many of them.  Here is the place to recommend your favourites.

If you've seen any films directed by the legend from the past Ozu, or the big name star Takeshi Kitano then I wanna know.  Oh and don't forget the horror king, Takeshi Mike!

[Demn]

Some fun ones off the top of my head:
Dolls (Kitano)
Go (stars long haired actor from SOS)
Kids Return (Kitano's son or something)
Kikujiro (Kitano)
Ping Pong (stars long haired actor from SOS)
Stacy - Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies
Suicide Club
--
Movies on my to watch list:
Audition (miike)
Dark Water
Hanabi (Kitano)
tokyo.Sora (the 1% of this movie with music is done by Yoko Kanno)
--
Other Japanese movies, not worth noting above because of cultural setting, but that I have to watch/delete soon:
Lone Wolf and Cub 2-5
Ugetsu

[Spymon]

Audition was excellent, I need to watch it again as I though it was a fantastic allegory for the alienation of the young from the old in Japan, though it could have just been the way it was translated.  Great atmosphere and a well made film, not the gore fest I was expecting.

[sosanimeboy]

The only movie I've seen is The Seven Samurais (I think I got the title correct  )

It was pretty good, and the story was moving and historically significant and informative. The fight scenes weren't too bad for a movie that old....but the worst was that a lot of the good characters died towards the end  

[Demn]

    The Seven Samurai was an awesome movie.  Akira Kurosawa (the director) is one of the greatest. :-/ If you liked it go see Yojimbo first and foremost.  Anything else he did is rad too.

   However if you really just want lots of samurai fighting go see Ran (a new remastered dvd just came out, much better than my shitty old one).  Ran is like King Leer but samurai, which is funny because alot of Kurosawa's films were also converted culturally, but into Western films!

[Spymon]

I missed the chance to see some Akira Kurosawa  classics on 35mm, oh well, there's always DVD, but it's not the same

[Demn]

Just find yourself a projector.  

[chii]

I love Kurosawa!!!!! he really needs more recongition in the west.  But if  you're more in the mood for postmodern madness, I recommend  Takahashi Miike's "Happiness of the Katakuris"!!!  That movie is freaking nuts!  I worte my final paper for a pomo film class on it last summer (and got a 3.9- oh yeah!)  

Don't watch "Audition" unless you have a very strong stomach adn don't care too much about plot continuity. Oh, and you'll never be able to call your kitty again!

Kichi, kichi,kichi...  kichi, kichi, kichi... ergghhhh!!!

[Spymon]

Kurosawa is very highly rated in the west, here in the UK they've been doing retrospectives and DVD re-releases.  I think Ozu is a lot less well known in the West.  I gotta see more Ozu, but hard to find on DVD/VHS now I'm not at Uni any more.

[Subu]

Ichi the killer is great and battle royale, versus arent bad either. dark water and suicide club I found rather boring.

Now I am waiting for BR2 and Kitano's Zatoichi to come out...

[Zentron]

I'm a bit of an admirer of Kurosawa movies, though that funny 'Ichi the Killer' did grab me as being quite excellent, although the dialogue could have been better.

[Spymon]

Dolls is out on DVD later this month, I'll have to check it out.

[chii]

What is Dolls about? I haven't heard of it.

[ugliduckey]

  well i'm new.. but i just finish watching battle royal.. it a great movie.. you guy shuold watch it.. the story is crazy...

[Spymon]

Battle Royale is great, not seen the sequal yet though.

Dolls is a Kitano film made up of multipe stories, will tell you more when I see it, or just check the imdb.