Okay.
I've been waiting for this thread for a while.
About three years ago I attempted to start a JP/Asian TV/film appreciation circle here but it was beat down as weeaboo tripe at the time.
And some of it is.
But some of them are genuinely fun/original films. These aren't reviews. When I write a film review it's usually a mini-thesis. These are just some suggestions of film's I've seen that I think others interested in Japan, how Japanese view themselves, how the world views Japan and how Japan views the world.
And a smattering of films from around the world as well.
I've gotta warn you, I haven't seen the vast majority of what Asian cinema has had to offer in the past few years so most of my picks are from a few years back.
Save the Green Planet
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First from Korea. The trailer doesn't lie. You have never seen a film like this. It will twist and pull you in all sorts of directions, each of them wonderful. The best part? The story is accessible. Asian films (some on this list too) that display mixed genre are a dime a dozen but most of the time they're self-important ponderings on unimportant and boring topics. When you see this movie you will understand it. But it's worth watching again and again to see how the lead changes over time.
Don't miss it.
Kikujiro- Has already been mentioned. It is my favorite movie. Of all time. Period.
Zatoichi (2003)- Takeshi. Tadanobu Asano. Guadalcanal. Cane sword. Geisha. CG Blood. Straw penises. Tap-dancing. Win.
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Dead or Alive (1, 2 and 3)- Brutal honesty. I don't remember which film was which, nor do I care. They're great Japanese exploitation cinema. That said, 90% of the entertainment comes from the final scene of each film, and they don't disappoint. Do yourself a favor and don't check YouTube because they're bound to have the final scenes uploaded and that will ruin the fun. Just know, there is no 4th wall anywhere in sight.
Gozu & Izo-These are two different films but you might as well see them both in one sitting. Both are either brilliant views on afterlife or 4 hours of FUCKED UP shit.
I see a lot of hooplah over this Robogeisha thing. Kids, ya ain't seen nothing. Trust me. Just the openings of both films make anything you're likely to see in Robogeisha their bitch. I suggest them for one reason, they will expand your creativity. There are scenes you'll see that will stick with you that you can revist later in life and ponder on or even be inspired by in creative work.
There wouldn't be a need for pot if more people saw these films.
The Happiness of the Katakuris- Basic story: A family man who is laid off takes his severance pay to buy a small inn in the mountains of Japan as a place to rest for weary hikers.
"Wow Greg! I'm so excited! Tell me more about this gripping work!"
Of the pitifully few customers they actually get, each of them through various circumstances has the habit of dying on their premises. It's up to the family to cover up the deaths and maintain their sanity.
Oh, and it's a musical.
Lots of crazy fun.
The City of Lost Souls (aka Hazard City)- Basically a live-action anime done really (really) well. There's enough goodness in the film to show the trailer without spoilers and that should do a much better job of summarizing why you should see it than I could.
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Tampopo- The world's first, and I'm guessing only, self-proclaimed Ramen Western Movie. No, it's not a clever play on 'spaghetti western' that uses an Asian setting for a Western, (for that look to 2007's Sukiyaki Western: Django), it's literally a classic Western (a genre itself heavily influenced by J-cinema so figure that shit out) approach to a ramen store. A woman hard-up on her luck running her departed husband's ramen store is trained how to be a master ramen cook by a kindly trucker who passes through her store one night.
The film also travels off from time to time to a loosely connected number of vignettes with food as the central theme, all ponderings on how life (and death) and food are connected.
Look for a young and oily Ken Watanabe.
Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (The Radio Hour)- (Not to be confused with David Bowie and Takeshi in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence) Koki Mitani makes films but he might as well be the world's most prolific stage writer. Each of his films could easily be performed on a single stage but it's a treat to see him play with a film's budget and high-priced stars. In the Japanese grand tradition of making uninteresting things terribly interesting, this is the story of a late-night broadcast of a radio play. Very funny and a great ending.
The Uchoten Hotel- Also from Mitani. Takes a step-up from The Radio Hour and moves the setting to a hotel on the brink of a crazy New Year's. If you enjoyed The Radio Hour, as I did, it's more of the same and will enjoy it thoroughly.
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I cannot suggest his most recent film, The Magic Hour. It's not a bad piece, but it's far too long. A good 20-30 minutes could have been cut from it and it would have been a much more interesting film.
ALWAYS: Sunset on Third Avenue- This is a really special movie for me. It's what inspired me to propose on Christmas Eve which as you might know what a
. That said, I'm ovbiously biased as FUCK towards this movie, but I think there's something in it for everyone. And for people in your 30's, this is a damn fine movie to watch with your parents if you're interested in showing them what the other side of the world was like when they were growing up that
DOESN'T dwell on depressing topics. My parents don't always dig all the films I force them to watch but they loved this.
I read a review once that described the movie as 'emotional masturbation' and I have to agree. It's hard for me to even listen to the main theme without tearing up. Plain and simple, it's a touching story with vibrant and colorful characters.
"So what's it about?"
Basically the story of a small city neighborhood in post-war Japan bouncing back from the war. The Japanese DVD comes with English subs by the way.
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The sequel isn't bad either. The opening of the second is so unexpected and awesome that the rest of the movie almost pales in comparison which is a shame. Although look for a short and sweet story with the mother that was MASTERFULLY handled. They tell a whole story in a 5 or 6 minute scene, it's really impressive writing.
Nobody Knows- An increasingly uncomfortable film to watch, but one with AMAZING direction that catches children not as actors, but as children.
Real children.
You think Where The Wild Things Are captured childhood? Bah! No matter how much they attempted to make him a bag of ADD, you could tell 'Max' was acting. Nobody Knows catches these kids as REAL kids.
Based on true events, it's driven by the selfishness present in modern Japanese society and how that affects children. I don't want to say much about it but it goes beyond sad. It's a stomach-turning tragedy that will leave you numb. And it's an amazing film.
The Foreign Duck, The Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker- If the title alone isn't enough to get you off your ass, I don't know what is. No, it's not some spastic WACKY AND KUUUUUHRAAAAAZAAAY Japanese flick. It's based on book by the writer of Fish Story (and if you haven't seen Fish Story yet what the FUCK is wrong with you!?) and pulls a similar 'surprise' final 1/3 or so but surprises alone, do not a good movie make. A young and somewhat awkward high school graduate moves into a new urban apartment in Sendai for college and in the same complex lives a crazy-cool role player who, upon their first meeting, invites him to rob a used bookstore.
What?
Believe me. It makes perfect sense.
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More coming when I have another block of time :)