Japanese Cinema

[Undrave]

Hiya! This semester I got a class about foreign movies and I decided to go with Japan for my end-of-semester long assignement and I need to find myself a movie.

So I came here for some suggestion. I need a localised movie, something not too commercial (sadly no kaiju >< though I'dl ove to work on Gamera :p ) and something that is distinctively Japanese.

And it has to be recent, like 5 years old at worse.

Basically something along the line of 'Shall We Dance?' 'cept more contemporary.

Any help will be appreciated!

[Daishikaze]

Can't help you. If you needed something old, of the Samurai/Ninja/Yakuza variety, I'd be able to give a pretty big list. I'm not to fond of contemporary cinema.

[Undrave]

Oh well...

It is a class titled along the line of 'Contemporary Cinemas of the Five continents'

Right now we're studying Danemark.

[Gibb]

I just watched Shinobi which I thought was quite good. It's only a year old if even that. It's about 2 shinobi groups who have been ordered to fight each other by the "Lord of Lords" who is some emperor/ruler. It was very artistic and well made in my opinion.
http://www.shinobi-movie.com/


Another option: Nana
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=5906

I have not seen this movie yet but it's a live action movie based on the popular manga series of the same name.

[Cotmweasel]

It's about 2 shinobi groups who have been ordered to fight each other by the "Lord of Lords" who is some emperor/ruler.

the "Lord of Lords" was the Shogun (a Shogun is basically the leader of the generals or daimo)

Shogunate The term bakufu originally meant the dwelling and household of a shogun, but in time it came to be generally used for the system of government of a feudal military dictatorship, exercised by the shogun, and this is the meaning that has been adopted into English through the term "shogunate." The bakufu system was originally established under the Kamakura shogunate by Minamoto no Yoritomo. The system was feudal in nature, with lesser territorial lords pledging their allegiance to greater ones. Samurai were rewarded for their loyalty with land, which was in turn handed down and divided among their sons. The hierarchy that held this system of government together was reinforced by close ties of loyalty between samurai and their subordinates. Three primary shogunates were each centered around a family which seized power and received the title of shogun during that regime. One name of the shogunate stems from the location of the headquarters (Kamakura, Muromachi in Kyoto, and Edo). Another name comes from the shogunal family (Ashikaga, Tokugawa)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogun

[Panda Panda]

Crying out, in the Center of the World (Sekai no Chuushin De, Ai wo Sakebu).

This one is well done (IMO), and it does get sad. And it also based on a book.

*loves to copy and paste*

I thought I might be using a lifetime's happiness in a moment. I was that happy and she was that beautiful." A young boy stands on the red earth of Australia under its blue sky. It is 17-year-old Sakutaro Matsumoto. His time with the girl comes back to him. The colored sand runs through his hands and a tear appears on his cheek. He wakes up. It's 2004 and he is 34 years old and in Japan. He thinks "I have been in a world without her for 17 years." Returning home to see his old high school for the last time before it is demolished, Saku confronts anew the loss of the love of his life, Aki, to leukemia 17 years ago. Now a medical researcher at graduate school, he has been living as if half of him died with her since then. Based on the bestselling novel that sold over 3 million copies, the past and present come together in this love story that is both pure and sad.

[Ageha]

My vote goes to Twilight Samurai (Tasogare Seibei)....it's *wonderful*....just absolutely lovely. I think it came out in Japan in 2002, so you should be safe. It was released in the U.S. (that's where I saw it), so if you can't rent it, you should have no trouble buying it (with English subs, that is) online.

Amazon.com
Slow-paced and subtle in presentation, The Twilight Samurai captures a side of the famed samurai that is rarely seen. Set in a northeastern province (Shonai) of late nineteenth century Japan, the film tells the story of Seibei Iguchi (Hiroyuki Sanada)--a low-ranking, debt-ridden samurai who, after losing his wife to consumption, struggles to care for his two young daughters and senile mother. Emphasizing the conflicts between duty and family, and love and class rank, director Yoji Yamada has created a film that is deeply engaging on several levels: a classic tale of honor, love, and courage.

Winner of 12 Japanese Film Academy Awards, as well as an Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, The Twilight Samurailives up to its billing. But don’t expect an action-packed, samurai-fighting film, or you will be sadly disappointed (there are only two modest fight scenes). --Joel Berman

Whatever you choose, good luck! :)

[KuroiKenshi]

I have no idea whatsoever if its available in the US, but i really liked "Amida-do dayori" (umm... letters from the Amitabha hall is my rough translation).

It's about a couple who move back to the husband's hometown from the big city. The husband is a prize-winning writer who hasn't been able to publish in a number of years, and the wife is a doctor, i think. It's the story of their life in the small village, and really of modern Japan - it examines the trend of young people leaving their rural homes and heading out for the city, and what happens to the places left behind. Very beautifully shot, interesting if not "action-packed" story (compared to say, Tasogare Seibei), good acting, and a poem by Miyazawa Kenji. Go for it if you can find it. I know I watched it in the US and it had subtitles, but i dont know where that dvd came from.

[Ageha]

Very beautifully shot, interesting if not "action-packed" story (compared to say, Tasogare Seibei)....

But neither is Tasogare Seibei. In fact, there's virtually no "action" at all, as it's not a fighting movie (despite being samurai themed). That said, your movie sounds good...and sadly accurate-will definitely be on the lookout for it the next time I'm at Tsutaya.

[Bernard_Monsha]

I saw a good one about 6 months ago called Last Life in the Universe.

[Undrave]

Thank you everyone ^_^

I'll be sure to note these down for when I got out to find DVDs in the area ^^

[enigma_hime]

You might also want to consider "Battle Royal"...It's quite a controversial movie...Superficially, you'll think it's just about violence, but when you look beyond the surface, you'll realize that this film is quite philosophical... ^_^

[shin_gyokakuran]

^Anything Kitano is philosophical :lol:

I'd recommend Swing Girls :thumbsup:

[Undrave]

Battle Royale might be too old though.