Japanese Cinema
Japanese cinema flourished early on and silent films were being made right through the 1930s. Most were accompanied by a 'benshi' or live narrator telling the story as well as live music. Very little survives from this era however; the 1923 earthquake, the bombings of WW2 and the country's high humidity destroyed many of these historical works. Of those that survive, the early works of Kenji Mizoguchi are highly regarded and he went on to make the classic 'The Life of Oharu' in 1952. Of course no discussion on Japanese cinema is possible without mention of their best known son, Akira Kurosawa. With a career spanning 60 years Kurosawa's ground-breaking films (e.g. 'Seven Samurai', 'Kagemusha', 'Ran') influenced film makers around the world. Most recently Japanese cinema hero 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano revitalised the Yakuza genre; and young mavericks like Takashi Miike ('Audition', 'Ichi the Killer) and Hideo Nakata ('Ring', 'Dark Water') have breathed new life into the horror flick, their films often (and promptly!) remade by US production houses.
For Japanime, use the animation link to the left.
Pictured: Kurosawa teamed once more with the incomparable Toshiro Mifune for 'Seven Samurai'
Shin Ultraman (2022)
6.4/10
Starring: Takumi Saito, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Masami Nagasawa, Daiki Arioka, Akari Hayami
After the accidental death of a human during battle, Ultraman takes on the man's appearance and place at the S-Class Species Suppression Protocol to p... Read more
Drive My Car (2021)
7.6/10
Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Starring: Hidetoshi Nishijima
A renowned stage actor and director learns to cope with his wife's unexpected passing when he receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya... Read more
First Love (2019)
6.7/10
Director: Takashi Miike
Leo is a young boxer, successful but unable to show emotion. He has a fight scheduled and is sure that he will win. Instead, his opponent knocks him o... Read more
Shoplifters (2018)
8.1/10
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Starring: Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Sosuke Ikematsu
On the margins of Tokyo, a dysfunctional band of outsiders is united by fierce loyalty and a penchant for petty theft. When the young son is arrested,... Read more
The Red Turtle (Blu-Ray) (2016)
7.5/10
Director: Michael Dudok de Wit
If one day Studio Ghibli decides to produce an animator from outside the studio, it will be him, was Miyazakis pronouncement after watching Dudok de... Read more
A Silent Voice (Koe no katachi) (2016)
8.2/10
Director: Naoko Yamada
A deaf elementary school girl, Shoko Nishimiya, upon transferring, meets a boy named Shoya Ishida in her new class. Shoya, who is not deaf, leads the... Read more
A Silent Voice (Koe no katachi) (Blu-ray) (2016)
7.7/10
Director: Naoko Yamada
A deaf elementary school girl, Shoko Nishimiya, upon transferring, meets a boy named Shoya Ishida in her new class. Shoya, who is not deaf, leads the... Read more
Shin Godzilla (2016)
6.7/10
Director: Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi
From Hideaki Anno, the mind behind EVANGELION. The King of Monsters receives a terrifying resurgence. It's a peaceful day in Japan when a strange f... Read more
The Red Turtle (2016)
7.5/10
Director: Michael Dudok de Wit
If one day Studio Ghibli decides to produce an animator from outside the studio, it will be him, was Miyazakis pronouncement after watching Dudok de... Read more
After the Storm (2016)
7.4/10
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Starring: Hiroshi Abe, Taiyo Yoshizawa, Yoko Maki
Dwelling on his past glory as a prize-winning author, Ryota wastes the money he makes as a private detective on gambling and can barely pay child supp... Read more