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'
Dororo (2007)
6.4/10
Director: Akihiko Shiota
Starring: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Kou Shibasaki, Eita , Mieko Harada, Yoshio Harada, Nakai Kiic...
Based on a manga by anime grandmaster Osamu Tezuka ('Astroboy'), this fantasy actioner features a powerful samurai who makes a deal with 48 demons who... Read more
Tezuka: The Experimental Films (2007)
6.2/10
Director: Osamu Tezuka
Often considered the father of anime, and the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, Osamu Tezuka created such iconic animated characters as Astro Boy an... 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
Sinking of Japan (2006)
Director: Shinji Higuchi
Starring: Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Kou Shibasaki, Etsushi Toyokawa, Mao Daichi, Mitsuhiro Oikawa...
In the wake of a massive earthquake it is feared Japan will sink beneath the sea; estimates are it could happen within 40 years, but one scientist bel... 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
Death Note / Death Note: The Last Name (2006)
Director: Shusuke Kaneko
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Shigeki Hosokawa, Kenichi Matsuyama, Asaka Seto, Yu Kashii
How do you find a serial killer when the killer only needs to know the face and the name of his victims? When Light Yagami, a brilliant college law st... Read more
Retribution (2006)
4.8/10
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Starring: Koji Yakusho, Tsuyoshi Ihara
Detective Yoshioka is called to the site of an ususual homicide. A woman in a red dress has been mysteriously drowned in a pool of shallow water. As c... Read more
Hula Girls (2006)
7.2/10
Director: Sang-il Lee
Starring: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Etsushi Toyokawa, Yu Aoi, Shizuyo Yamazaki, Shoko Ikezu, Eri T...
Winner of five Japanese Oscars including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay, this is the true story of a small mining town in Japan whose fo... Read more
Love and Honour (2006)
7.8/10
Director: Yoji Yamada
Starring: Takuya Kimura, Nenji Kobayashi, Ken Ogata
The conclusion to Yoji Yamada's loose Samurai trilogy (following 'Twilight Samurai' and 'Hidden Blade'), focussing on the themes of the title, and a m... Read more
Princess Raccoon (2005)
6.8/10
Director: Seijun Suzuki
Starring: Zhang Ziyi, Jo Odagiri, Hiroko Yakushimaru
To lovers of romance, there is nothing unusual in the story of how Amechiyo, an exiled prince, meets the exotic and mysterious girl, Tanuki-hime, in t... Read more