Tokyo Sonata is a sort of odd little picture. Sort of funny, sort of serious, sort of sad… You come away feeling all of these, but in the end you never really get that… punch that you’d like to have.
Salaryman Ryuhei Sasaki (Teruyuki Kagawa) loses his job to downsizing. Rather than suffer the shame of [...]
Finally got around to visiting acclaimed director Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story. After a few minutes of “WTF did I get myself into? Why is this so great?” It hit me. This is really good stuff. Really.
What am I talking about? Well, the first few scenes involve an older couple living in the small fishing village [...]
The Bad Sleep Well | 悪い奴ほどよく眠る (1960)
The Bad Sleep Well, aka 悪い奴ほどよく眠る, or “the bad guys sleep well”…. an apt description for this complex drama from master Akira Kurosawa.
Look, I’m going to be honest with you. This movie’s plot is quite complex. I’m not even sure I understood exactly what all was happening. Its a [...]
Retribution | 叫 (2006)
A creepy murder-mystery with a ghost-story twist, Retribution (or 叫, “sakebi” actually isn’t all that bad! Better than I was expecting, anyway. Even if a bit predictable.
Police detective Yoshioka (Kouji Yakusho) is called upon to investigate a bizarre series of drownings. They think that they’re dealing with a serial killer, due to [...]
Departures | おくりびと (2008)
Japanese Title: おくりびと (Okuribito, “Sent away” People?)
US Title: Departures
Wow, what a totally awesome movie. For lots of different reasons. It’s thoughtful, funny, well-written, well-acted… It’s just that good. Plus it offers a few insights into Japanese culture that you may or may not pick up on. Read on for the whole scoop.
When [...]
Rashomon | 羅生門 (1950)
I dunno about Rashomon. One of Kurosawa’s definitive classics, you really have to be prepared to stick through the whole thing to get to the heart of the matter. Until then, you’re kind of wondering what the point of it all is. Which, after all, is the point of it all…. Maybe [...]
Um, well, I can definitely say that 1964’s Onibaba isn’t at all what I was expecting. And that’s a good thing to be sure. For 1964, this is a seriously twisted, frank, raw, provocative, and mesmerizing movie.
Set sometime in Japan’s war torn medieval period, we find an old woman (Nobuko Otawa) and her daughter-in-law (Jitsuko [...]
Nobody Knows | 誰も知らない (2004)
Nobody Knows is a sad movie. Just getting that part out of the way right now. Supposedly based on real events (which makes it that much sadder) it’s definitely got potential as a real tear-jerker.
When the incredibly annoying and daft Keiko (“You”) relocates yet again to a new apartment, sneaking in [...]
Ichi
Wow! What a movie! TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) brings a welcome update to the classic “Blind Swordsman Zatoichi” franchise with the aptly titled “Ichi.” And the bottom line?
I loved this movie. I loved nearly everything about it. It’s the perfect blend of samurai action, drama, comedy, story, soundtrack… you name it.
Rated 4/5 on Jan 20 [...]
Seven Samurai | 七人の侍 (1954)
There are epic movies. And then there are epics. The ones that the other so-called epic films look up to and say “someday I want to be just like you.”
Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is one of the few in that latter category. It’s also one of the few films I’ve seen [...]
