NickTrop
Veteran
Chris - there are a number of episodes posted up on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiGd8gT2fjg
Years ago I revisited a number of episodes on VHS that a neighborhood rental place had in stock.
Japanese Film Scene
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Chris - there are a number of episodes posted up on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiGd8gT2fjg
Years ago I revisited a number of episodes on VHS that a neighborhood rental place had in stock.
steamer
Well-known
Kurosawa's nostalgic "Ikiru" is one of the best.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19960929/REVIEWS08/401010329/1023
Also my friend who writes about Japanese movies sent me this list:
Best J films 2000-2009
Top 10 Japanese films of the decade (2000-2009)
By ROB SCHWARTZ
10. Eureka (2000)
Director Shinji Aoyama’s magnum opus is a reflection on trauma and healing, though it is slow and long. Influenced by the sarin gas attacks as well as the atomic bombings of Japan, this sepia-toned, hypnotic tale will mesmerize those willing to put in the considerable effort. (217 min.)
9. Vital (2004)
Though Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuya: Iron Man series) is not generally my cup of tea this startling flick manages to be an intense drama and metaphysical poem simultaneously. Tadanobu Asano stars as a distraught med student who has lost his girlfriend in a car accident and ends up doing the autopsy on her body. Brilliant. (86 min.)
8. Gururi no Koto (All Around Us) (2008)
Ryosuke Hashiguchi burst on to the scene in 1993 with Hatachi no Binetsu (A Touch of Fever), becoming the first openly gay filmmaker in the industry. This work surpasses that excellent film. It’s a wonderfully intimate and insightful portrayal of 10 years of marriage, replete with indifference, challenges and surprises. (140 min.)
7. Vibrator (2003)
Ryuchi Hiroki is among many mainstream directors who started out in softcore porn. Thus it’s no surprise this gripping, gritty flick, which won the Grand Prize at the Tokyo Internat’l Film Fest, portrays a promiscuous, confused woman attempting to come to grips with life. (95 min.)
6. Nihon no Kuroi Natsu (Darkness in the Light) (2001)
Kei Kumai, the only director among this lot who is no longer with us, is something of a forgotten man in Japan. He had a brilliant 40-plus year career, and while Umi to Dokuyaku (The Sea and Poison, 1986) is his masterwork, this sly take on the sarin gas attacks in Matsumoto is a tour-de-force as well. (118 min.)
5. Fish Story (2009)
Despite opening in March, I called this the best J flick of 2009, and I stand by that. A Charlie Kaufman-esque drama has everything, fantasy, romance, comedy, music, action, its sprawling, multi-faceted plot does the unlikely and ties it all together. (112 min.)
4. Mind Game (2006)
Epitomizing the sheer energy and crazy inventiveness of the best of anime, this will mesmerize those with no particular draw to the form. Nishi, murdered senselessly in a bar, races through the after life on a phantasmagorical ride in order to return to the land of the living. Astounding. (103 min.)
3. Tokyo Sonata (2008)
Genre-hopping Kiyoshi Kurosawa authors a powerful and finely tuned drama. Starting off as a brilliantly realistic tale of a laid-off salaryman, the piece morphs into a surreal elegy that encompasses many facets of contemporary Japan. (103 min.)
2. Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away) (2001)
Hayao Miyazaki’s best-known and deeply loved film is the highest grossing film of all time in Japan. Suffice it to day that is a masterpiece in the truest sense: a forceful personal yet universal vision which is bizarre and relatable at the same time and sketches a variety of distinct moods and feelings. (125 min.)
1. Dare mo Shiranai (Nobody Knows) (2004)
Hirokazu Kore-eda has never been more in control of his craft than with this thoroughly compelling drama of children who must fend for themselves after their mother deserts them. Then 14-year old Yuya Yagira deservedly walked away from Cannes with the Best Actor award and the denouement is simultaneously understated and overwhelming.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19960929/REVIEWS08/401010329/1023
Also my friend who writes about Japanese movies sent me this list:
Best J films 2000-2009
Top 10 Japanese films of the decade (2000-2009)
By ROB SCHWARTZ
10. Eureka (2000)
Director Shinji Aoyama’s magnum opus is a reflection on trauma and healing, though it is slow and long. Influenced by the sarin gas attacks as well as the atomic bombings of Japan, this sepia-toned, hypnotic tale will mesmerize those willing to put in the considerable effort. (217 min.)
9. Vital (2004)
Though Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuya: Iron Man series) is not generally my cup of tea this startling flick manages to be an intense drama and metaphysical poem simultaneously. Tadanobu Asano stars as a distraught med student who has lost his girlfriend in a car accident and ends up doing the autopsy on her body. Brilliant. (86 min.)
8. Gururi no Koto (All Around Us) (2008)
Ryosuke Hashiguchi burst on to the scene in 1993 with Hatachi no Binetsu (A Touch of Fever), becoming the first openly gay filmmaker in the industry. This work surpasses that excellent film. It’s a wonderfully intimate and insightful portrayal of 10 years of marriage, replete with indifference, challenges and surprises. (140 min.)
7. Vibrator (2003)
Ryuchi Hiroki is among many mainstream directors who started out in softcore porn. Thus it’s no surprise this gripping, gritty flick, which won the Grand Prize at the Tokyo Internat’l Film Fest, portrays a promiscuous, confused woman attempting to come to grips with life. (95 min.)
6. Nihon no Kuroi Natsu (Darkness in the Light) (2001)
Kei Kumai, the only director among this lot who is no longer with us, is something of a forgotten man in Japan. He had a brilliant 40-plus year career, and while Umi to Dokuyaku (The Sea and Poison, 1986) is his masterwork, this sly take on the sarin gas attacks in Matsumoto is a tour-de-force as well. (118 min.)
5. Fish Story (2009)
Despite opening in March, I called this the best J flick of 2009, and I stand by that. A Charlie Kaufman-esque drama has everything, fantasy, romance, comedy, music, action, its sprawling, multi-faceted plot does the unlikely and ties it all together. (112 min.)
4. Mind Game (2006)
Epitomizing the sheer energy and crazy inventiveness of the best of anime, this will mesmerize those with no particular draw to the form. Nishi, murdered senselessly in a bar, races through the after life on a phantasmagorical ride in order to return to the land of the living. Astounding. (103 min.)
3. Tokyo Sonata (2008)
Genre-hopping Kiyoshi Kurosawa authors a powerful and finely tuned drama. Starting off as a brilliantly realistic tale of a laid-off salaryman, the piece morphs into a surreal elegy that encompasses many facets of contemporary Japan. (103 min.)
2. Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away) (2001)
Hayao Miyazaki’s best-known and deeply loved film is the highest grossing film of all time in Japan. Suffice it to day that is a masterpiece in the truest sense: a forceful personal yet universal vision which is bizarre and relatable at the same time and sketches a variety of distinct moods and feelings. (125 min.)
1. Dare mo Shiranai (Nobody Knows) (2004)
Hirokazu Kore-eda has never been more in control of his craft than with this thoroughly compelling drama of children who must fend for themselves after their mother deserts them. Then 14-year old Yuya Yagira deservedly walked away from Cannes with the Best Actor award and the denouement is simultaneously understated and overwhelming.
ampguy
Veteran
Steamer, I have seen the first 3 in your top 10 list, maybe others. 1. was very interesting, I think I watched it twice. 3. got pretty weird towards the end, once was enough.
A very sad and depressing animation movie is Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓, Hotaru no Haka). A good movie, but not one to see more than once, maybe twice.
I like the old Samurai movies, that have some sense of plot. Otherwise, I like long dramas that go on for months or longer.
A very sad and depressing animation movie is Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓, Hotaru no Haka). A good movie, but not one to see more than once, maybe twice.
I like the old Samurai movies, that have some sense of plot. Otherwise, I like long dramas that go on for months or longer.
chikubi
Established
They play this over there on TV at least once every year and it's a killer everytime I see it. Hits even harder when you live there and have friends and family that tie the impact in on a closer, more personal level. My wife refuses to watch it anymore cause she's always a mess afterwards.
NLewis
Established
The best stuff in Japan these days are their television dramas. The quality, consistency and creativity is amazing. It's like a Golden Age of television there, and has been for the past 15-20 years or so. Makes today's Hollywood seem tired, worn out and repetitive. It is, generally, tons better than their "cinema" releases and there's 100x more of it. Unfortunately, none of it is translated.
chikubi
Established
Lucky for you, you're wrong. 😀 Try these two sites:
For up to date info on any drama you can think of. Good for finding what's current and hunting for older shows that might interest you.
http://www.jdorama.com/
Download said dramas from this site, both in untranslated raw and more importantly fansubbed versions. Usually the fansubs get released about one cycle behind the original release (fansubbed summer dramas show up in the fall)
http://d-addicts.com/forum/index.php
Luckily, I speak Japanese, so I watch either no problem, but subs are still nice for some shows where the theme is maybe technical (legal dramas, etc).
Kawabatnam
Established
Hadaka no shima (The Naked Island)
The-absolute-movie... among quite many other Japanese films of that period - about 1946-1970. There was an aesthetic at work then, that I can't find in no other cinematography; even though I'm biased...
The-absolute-movie... among quite many other Japanese films of that period - about 1946-1970. There was an aesthetic at work then, that I can't find in no other cinematography; even though I'm biased...
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