Japanese Film Scene

[Chinasaur]

From a newcomer..

As Japan "seems" to have a large film shooter population..

What is the liklihood of having a separate forum disscussing the socio/politico/humanistic/gear centric aspects of this culture?

Or, at the very least, some posts from members in Japan?

TIA.

 

[Luna]

We have a Japan region here don't we?

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=58

Oddly enough, most of my post from there seem to have disappeared.

 

[K14]

Luna, They didn't disappear. There is a drop down box "From the", choose "beginning" and they will appear.😉 The standard display is 75 days...

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Luna]

Luna, They didn't disappear. There is a drop down box "From the", choose "beginning" and they will appear.😉 The standard display is 75 days...

Cheers,
Gary

Yay. Thank you.

 

[Rayt]

Juzo Itami was my favorite contemporary director especially for Tampopo (can never sit though the entire movie without making some noodles). May he rest in peace.

 

[zwarte_kat]

I believe Itami committed suicide. He was a great director. "The Funeral" is another movie that I liked from him.

 

[Neare]

Some of the newer films that have played at the international film festivals such as Departed and Still Walking are worth a look.

 

[kshapero]

I am also (I am serious here) a great fan of Japanese B grade horror/monster films of the 50's and 60's. Some of the images of Godzilla and others must have been some kind of Post traumatic A-bomb fears. Back then we made fun of Japanese products, little did we know......

 

[ampguy]

Anyone have favorite doramas? Mine is probably Long Vacation, but I also enjoyed the year long (or longer?) NHK series on the girl from Okinawa.

 

[Rayt]

Anyone here into Anime? Most people know the classics such as Akira but look into the films by Hayao Miyazaki especially Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

 

[ampguy]

i kind of doubt that

i kind of doubt that

but I think more will be known soon as more folks speak up.

I believe Itami committed suicide. He was a great director. "The Funeral" is another movie that I liked from him.

 

[claacct]

Recently I watched Tokyo Sonata, and not surprising to me it was just another recent nihilistic Japanese movie. But problematically it was not the sort of dark nihilism that you might find in a film lets say by Kurosawa or recently by Hanake but a sort of "cool nihilism", which is a Japanese take on French existentialism, but completely misunderstood due to cultural and religious differences. What I mean by cool nihilism is that the very act of being aimless, unhappy, engaging in immoral acts and being generally miserable is considered very cool and even chic in Japanese popular culture these days. A good example of this is a recent ad for Fuji X100 which I cannot find now but its basically sex, misery, tattoos and gritty images, which convey a sense that nothing has meaning and everything is permitted -- yet all of that trying to sell a camera, very Japanese indeed. The Japanese cinema needs to go back to its masters like Kurosawa and Ozu and stop this nihilistic trend which is basically just another bad and misunderstood import from the west.

My all time favorite movie is Kurosawa's Ran.

 

[kully]

I finished watching 'Death Note' this week, the best Anime series I've seen for years.

 

[efirmage]

Everyone who is into Japanese cinema must watch "High and Low" by Akira Kurosawa. One of his best, with his trademark cinematography at it's best. It's a thriller/mystery/socio economic dissection set in modern times. A nice change up from his Samurai movies (which are mostly excellent).

 

[NickTrop]

1. 60's-70's Kaiji rocks
1b. Eiji Tsburaya was god
2. Kurasawa - try as I might, can't get into his stuff.
3. Best anime - Tobor the 8th Man and original 60's Astroboy
4. Hated Audition
5. Made the best exploitaiton "grindhouse" films in the late-60's/early-70's along with the Italians: Nunsploitation, "Pinky Violence" - great stuff.
6. The sickest of these films are among the most no-holds-barred sickest stuff ever committed to film by major studios for a mass audience.
7. Two film recommendations: Blind Beast and Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell
8. I think Gilligan's Island was "inspired by" Attack of the Mushroom People (which is, by the way, a classic...)
9. Tokusatsu is wonderful and prefer it to anime. If you have Netflix would recommend the series Iron King and Super Robot Red Baron that are available on DVD.
10. For the most part, anime is highly stylized bad animation. The anime style was inspired by American animation - the expressive big eyes used in feature Disney films, and the use of DOF effects animation of the early Max Fleisher Popeye cartoons. This is evident in Astroboy - the first anime series, and these style cues are evident in abundance today.

 

[hendriphile]

I am also (I am serious here) a great fan of Japanese B grade horror/monster films of the 50's and 60's. Some of the images of Godzilla and others must have been some kind of Post traumatic A-bomb fears. Back then we made fun of Japanese products, little did we know......

Ever see the original "Gojira" in Japanese (with English subtitles)?
Quite a different film from what we grew up with as kids.

 

[NickTrop]

Ever see the original "Gojira" in Japanese (with English subtitles)?
Quite a different film from what we grew up with as kids.

Love all Japanese science fiction... No sterile computer graphic effect can compete with hand-crafted miniature sets, props, or men in suits. I'd see the Transfomer movies if they were men in robot costumes smashing Tokyo but have no interest in the 3D stuff. Those old Japanese films are just fun. Were back then, still are now. And the music for the Toho ones, by composer Ikira Ifukube (mostly), including the orginal Godzilla march are brilliant compositions imo. Some of the most memorable musical scores committed to film.

 

[Chris101]

...
3. Best anime - Tobor the 8th Man and original 60's Astroboy
...

This is the first mention of this I have ever read on the internet - I was thinking maybe I had imagined it, but when I was a kid I loved watching Tobor the Detective!

 

[paulfish4570]

Ran, and High and Low, are superb. my favorite Japanese B-flick is Mothra, with the singing girls ...

 

[Cale Arthur]

Another vote for High and Low, i think a great place to start for folks who've found difficulty with other Kurosawa films. Cinematic brilliance. Have yet to see Ran, but am a sucker for anything involving Toru Takemitsu.

Do love Miyazaki as well, Porco Rosso and My Neighbor Totoro being at the top of my list.

I've really enjoyed the few Seijun Suzuki films i've seen. Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter are great. He's a fascinating guy, quite a storied & troubled career.

Has anyone seen Nobuhiko Obayashi's House? An hour & a half of complete & unadulterated insanity.