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'
Black Belt (2007)
7/10
Director: Shunichi Nagasaki
Starring: Akihito Yagi, Tatsuya Naka, Yuji Suzuki
Aka 'Kuro-obi'. Director Shunichi Nagasaki and screenwriter George Iida ponder the delicate balance between fierce confrontation and moral reflection... Read more
Black Rain (1989)
6.7/10
Director: Shohei Imamura
The story of the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, based on Masuji Ibuse's novel. Read more
Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody (2006)
7.3/10
Director: Noriyuki Abe
This feature-length film spawned from the anime series finds Soul Reaper Senna destroying curious new creatures of unknown origin, leading Ichigo and... Read more
Blood and Bones (2004)
7.1/10
Director: Yoichi Sai
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Hirofumi Arai, Tomoko Tabata, Jo Odagiri, Kyoka Suzuki
Japanese icon Takeshi Kitano plays Shunpei Kim, a Korean immigrant who comes to Osaka as a teenager in1920. Working at a fish factory, Kim claws his w... Read more
Blood: The Last Vampire (2009)
5.3/10
Director: Chris Nahon
Starring: Gianna Jun, Allison Miller, Liam Cunningham, JJ Field, Koyuki , Yasuka Kurata, L...
A live action adaptation of Hiroyuki Kitakubo's cult anime, starring Gianna Jun as the centuries' old vampire slayer. Now, in the 20th century, Saya i... Read more
Boiling Point (1990)
6.8/10
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Masahiko Ono, Yuriko Ishida
When the coach of a junior baseball team is severely injured by gangsters, two members of the team set off to purchase a gun to get revenge. While on... Read more
Branded to Kill (1967)
7.4/10
Director: Seijun Suzuki
Starring: Annu Mari, Mariko Ogawa, Joe Shishido
A breathtaking blend of violence, eroticism and dark humour, 'Branded to Kill' saw director Seijun Suzuki's ('Tokyo Drifter') reinvention of the gangs... Read more
Brave Story (2006)
6.7/10
Director: Koichi Chigira
Starring: Takako Matsu, Eiji Wentz
When eleven-year-old Wataru is told he can change his destiny by entering a magic gateway into another world, he jumps at the chance. But on his quest... Read more
Brother (2001)
6.8/10
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Omar Epps, Tatyana Ali, Claude Maki
Written and directed by 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano, this violent crime drama also features the filmmaker as a Japanese gangster who must flee Tokyo after h... Read more
Brutal Tales of Chivalry (1965)
6.9/10
Starring: Ken Takakura, Yoshiko Mita
After World War II, their town was a pile of rubble. Gennosuke, the second generation boss of the Kamizu Group was upholding yakuza chivalry by keepin... Read more