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'
Cafe Lumiere (2003)
7/10
Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Starring: Yo Hitoro, Tadanobu Asano, Masato Hagiwara, Kimiko Yo
Inspired by the centenary of acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu's birth, Hou Hsiao-Hsien's luminous portrait of modern Japan chronicles the lif... Read more
Casshern (2004)
6.2/10
Director: Kazuaki Kiriya
Starring: Yusuke Iseya, Kumiko Aso, Akira Terao, Kanako Higuchi, Fumiyo Kohinata, Hiroyuki...
A great war leaves an alternate earth diseased and polluted. Geneticist Dr. Azuma claims he can regenerate humankind but is refused government funding... Read more
Charisma (1999)
7/10
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Starring: Koji Yakusho, Ren Osugi, Jun Fubuki, Yoriko Douguchi, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi
Part eco-thriller, part existentialist fable, 'Charisma' is a bizarre allegorical tale from director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, exposing a sinister natural wor... Read more
Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
7.2/10
Director: Makoto Shinkai
A.k.a. "Journey to Agartha". A coming-of-age anime from director Makoto Shinkai ("5 Centimetres Per Second") following the adventures of a young girl... Read more
Crazed Fruit (1956)
7.5/10
Director: Ko Nakahira
Starring: Masahiko Tsugawa, Yujiro Ishihara, Mie Kitahara
Two brothers compete for the amorous favours of a young woman during a seaside summer of gambling, boating, and drinking in this film from director Ko... Read more
Crows: Episode 0 (2007)
7.4/10
Director: Takashi Miike
Starring: Shun Oguri, Kyosuke Yabe, Meisa Kuroki, Takayuki Yamada, Sansei Shiomi, Kenichi...
Suzuran Boys' High has a rep as the toughest educational institution in town, and when skinny gangster's son, Genji, arrives he plans to prove to his... Read more
Cure (1997)
7.4/10
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Starring: Koji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, Anna Nakagawa
A Tokyo detective's investigation of a series of grisly and bizarre murders, committed by seemingly average citizens, leads him to a mysterious drifte... Read more
Cutie Honey (2004)
6.3/10
Director: Hideaki Anno
Starring: Eriko Sato, Jun Murakami, Mikako Ichikawa, Eisuki Sakai, Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Sie K...
A live adaptation of Go Nagai's popular Manga and anime series, featuring Honey Kisaragi, a perky, uninhibited girl with the ability to transform hers... Read more
Daredevil in the Castle (1961)
6.9/10
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Kyoko Kagawa, Yuriko Hoshi, Yoshiko Kuga, Isuzu Yamada, Yosuke N...
Toshiro Mifune plays Mohei, a lone samurai wandering in despair after his family is wiped out. He arrives in Osaka and is taken in by the Toyotomi cl... Read more
Dark Water (2002)
6.7/10
Director: Hideo Nakata
Starring: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno
Yoshimi Matsubara (Hitomi Kuroki) is about to reach a divorce agreement with her husband concerning the custody of their daughter Ikuko. In order to s... Read more