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'
K-20: Legend of the Mask (2008)
6.8/10
Director: Shimako Sato
Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Takako Matsu, Toru Nakamura, Takeshi Kaga, Reiko Takashima
Stylish superhero shenanigans in a rollicking adventure, based on a popular '80s manga. K-20 is the nickname for the Fiend with 20 Faces, a prankster... Read more
Ran (4K Ultra HD) (1985)
8.2/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu
A Kurosawa masterpiece, a decade-in-the-making version of 'King Lear' that brilliantly blends Japanese history with Shakespeare's themes. A triumphant... 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
Pigs & Battleships (Blu-ray) (1961)
Director: Shohei Imamura
A young hoodlum decides to work for a criminal organization that is tearing itself apart. 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
The Grudge (2002)
6.7/10
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Starring: Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa
Aka 'Ju-on'. Japanese legend has it that a man who dies in a fit of rage leaves behind a malevolent presence that nests in his home; a contaminant tha... Read more
Dersu Uzala (Blu-ray) (1975)
8.2/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Yuri Solomon, Maxim Munzuk
Kurosawa's remarkable, personal tale of the friendship between a wise old man and a young Soviet explorer, filmed in the beautiful expanse of Siberia,... Read more
The Street Fighter's Last Revenge (1974)
Director: Teruo Ishii
Starring: Sonny Chiba
Meet the meanest karate master ever to rule the streets. He's Sonny Chiba, the greatest martial arts sensation since Bruce Lee! Chiba explodes as Terr... Read more
Tomie Unlimited (2011)
4.6/10
Director: Noboru Iguchi
Starring: Moe Arai, Miu Nakamura, Aika Ohta
A photography student's life takes a turn for the worse when her dead sister is welcomed back into the family home. Read more
Gate of Hell (1953)
7.2/10
Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa
Starring: Kazuo Hasegawa, Machiko Kyo
In this lauded Japanese drama, the samurai Moritoh Enda (Kazuo Hasegawa) performs a heroic act by rescuing the lovely Lady Kesa (Machiko Kyo) from a v... Read more