Japanese Live Action Movies I've Seen
Made from looking over my ratings list. List order is more or less from favourite to least favourite. This was pretty difficult to do for two reasons:
1) There are so many genres to compare, from Kurosawa to Robogeisha.
2) My memory of some of these movies has faded over the years. It's hard for me to believe, but I watched some of these almost 15 years ago! I don't know where exactly to slot in new movies because of this.
If you're looking at 'list order' and you want a recommendation:
From 1~35ish is a favorite of mine, so I highly recommend it (my taste and yours will vary, of course...)
35~65ish is a recommend,
65~110ish is a hesitant recommendation (basically, if you're into that sort of movie, you'll probably like it),
110+ is a no
(anything after 'Keitai Kareshi' and 'Keitai Kanojo' is a HELL NO. I use them as the line between 'fun bad' and 'bad bad').
I would love your suggestions! I don't intend to watch Battle Royale though, so please refrain from recommending that. I love the novel too much to see the film, so I won't watch it because I will invariably end up complaining.
1) There are so many genres to compare, from Kurosawa to Robogeisha.
2) My memory of some of these movies has faded over the years. It's hard for me to believe, but I watched some of these almost 15 years ago! I don't know where exactly to slot in new movies because of this.
If you're looking at 'list order' and you want a recommendation:
From 1~35ish is a favorite of mine, so I highly recommend it (my taste and yours will vary, of course...)
35~65ish is a recommend,
65~110ish is a hesitant recommendation (basically, if you're into that sort of movie, you'll probably like it),
110+ is a no
(anything after 'Keitai Kareshi' and 'Keitai Kanojo' is a HELL NO. I use them as the line between 'fun bad' and 'bad bad').
I would love your suggestions! I don't intend to watch Battle Royale though, so please refrain from recommending that. I love the novel too much to see the film, so I won't watch it because I will invariably end up complaining.
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- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsYûya YagiraAyu KitauraHiei KimuraIn a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.Absolute classic
- DirectorTatsuya HagishimaStarsRiko NarumiKeisuke KoideMika HadaRyou is a girl isolated by everyone else in her class, she doesn't even have a cell phone because no one would call her anyway. One day, she suddenly starts hearing voices of Shinya, who lives in a different prefecture.I really love this movie. I cried like five times watching it. The short story is great, but the movie has a stronger focus, making it absolutely beautiful.
- DirectorMasayuki MiyanoStarsYuri NakamuraSayuki MatsumotoMiyavi MatsunoiA nice looking SCOUT hooks a future PORN STAR near the department store one day. It didn't take her long to be the highest paid porn actress, which eventually leads her to meet her NYMPHOMANIAC mother living in a trash-filled house. Next to the house, there lived a KARAOKE BOX STAFF who can't say "no" yet thinks himself as a special agent of the Galactic Forces (photo at left). In his imagination, he fights with yakuza and high-school girls, who extort money from real old-men through affairs in karaoke boxes. Meanwhile, an educated FREELANCE WRITER whose only companion is his little boy, was making out for the first time in many years with an ASPIRING VOICE ACTRESS who secretly films a "Fat Girl and Ugly Guy" porn series. Each life overlaps with one another in the street of Tokyo. Are they happy? Can they overcome such miserable situationReally fun series of vignettes
- DirectorAtsushi WadaStarsAi HashimotoRikako SakataNako MizusawaA student in high school obtains a rare avatar on a social networking site and the boundary between her real and online identities becomes blurred.I really love this one because I play a dress-up avatar game like these characters. Even if you don`t, this movie is really really fun, and obviously more interesting than the big-budget movie of the same name.
- DirectorRyosuke HashiguchiStarsYoshinori OkadaAyumi HamasakiKouji YamaguchiThe movie is built around the very complex relationships between Yoshida, leaving Shimizu for Aihara (or at least he tries to), and his friend Ito, whose love for Yoshida seems to have little chance for success. In the end we have a coalition of Ito and Aihara - who may or may not be in love with Ito - teaching Yoshida a lesson.Extremely romantic and heart-wrenching
- DirectorYasujirô OzuStarsChishû RyûChieko HigashiyamaSô YamamuraAn old couple visit their children and grandchildren in the city, but receive little attention.A real classic
- DirectorHiroshi KurosakiStarsKyôka SuzukiHiroki HasegawaKyôko FukadaSet 5 years after the ending of the NHK drama series "Second Virgin," Nakamura Rui is transferred to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia while still taking care of Suzuki Marie.A deeply romantic movie that I would recommend to anyone. You don`t need to be familiar with the drama to enjoy this.
- DirectorTetsuya NakashimaStarsTakako MatsuYoshino KimuraMasaki OkadaA psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death.Very very very memorable and interesting, and pretty nuts. I enjoyed this one a lot. I would say that this is required viewing.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsShin'ya TsukamotoCoccoYûko NakamuraWhen a single mother suffers a nervous breakdown, she is suspected of child abuse and her child is taken away. Her mental suffering escalates as she succumbs to her darkest fantasies.A great look at mental illness. The editing style is so intense. I wouldn`t want to watch it again though - it`s quite disturbing.
- DirectorKôta YoshidaStarsNoriko EguchiSaori HaraYui Kaneko30 something year old Yuriko (Noriko Eguchi) works as a aromatherapist at an aroma salon. She uses essentials oils and her hands to soothe her client's inner well-being. Yuriko also has a secret she can't tell anyone. She gets incredibly turned on by the sweaty scent of a 17 year old high school student named Tetsuya (Shota Sometani). Tetsuya is also the nephew of the salon owner (Jun Miho). Meanwhile, salon client Ayama (Saori Hara) asks to practice aromatherapy, but her real intent is to press her large breasts against Yuriko.Leads have good chemistry, the story moves along briskly and Noriko Eguchi and Saori Hara are both very beautiful.
- DirectorItsumichi IsomuraStarsKumiko TakedaKazuya TakahashiNatsue YoshimuraTenderly played Japanese love triangle between a man, his girlfriend and a transvestite hooker.Wild pink film...it's just *beep* insane. I was able to take it seriously and revel in the madness.
- DirectorHideaki AnnoStarsTadanobu AsanoMitsuru FukikoshiMegumi HayashibaraA high school girl engages in compensated dating in order to buy an expensive ring before the day ends.Really touching
- DirectorKôki YoshidaStarsKaho MinamiMariko TsutsuiTomorô TaguchiIn this story of a dysfunctional family all the stereotypes of a Japanese unit come to the fore when the wife works the kitchen, the husband is focused on his work and the son does not have a full-time position and all do not really interact. When a family does not communicate the family does not understand each other and the slippery slope rolls downward.Ambitious and atmospheric, just five-minutes in I was feeling the heavy burden of the main character. It really drags you in and it affected me while I was watching it. If you like indies, you will love this one.
- DirectorTatsuya MoriStarsHiroshi ArakiAum Shinrikyo, the Buddhist sect led by Shoko Asahara and responsible for the 1995 Sarin gas attack on a Tokyo subway, becomes the subject of this documentary.Very insightful documentary. I'd recommend it to anyone.
- DirectorSaku NakamachiStarsNaohiro AriyamaTaigo FujisawaJuokaei IkeguchiI am so fascinated by this movie. It`s apparently a pink movie for straight men (I rented the DVD, but found it streaming on a hardcore porn site later when researching info about the movie), but it has a decidedly female viewpoint. What ends up on the screen could be better. Especially the random rape scene of a nameless female character could be removed entirely and I would bump this movie up higher. That scene just HAD TO be added in later for the intended male audience, because up until that point the rapist was supposedly gay. In fact, all of the men in this movie are presumed gay at one point. Every last one. A gay love triangle is the linchpin of this movie about a 24-year-old woman trying to lose her virginity. And when she does, it is just horrifying. This movie was really out-there. It`s not the ideal version of this movie that I have in my head (it wraps up a little too quickly for me - although I love the totally-random-but-not-really ending), but I love it nonetheless. I want to see more movies about lonely women and gay guys, like this and `Onnagokoro`.
- DirectorYoshihiro NakamuraStarsMao InoueGô AyanoNanaoA young woman who works at cosmetic company becomes the prime suspect after her beautiful co-worker is murdered.Loooved this movie. Great plotting and characters, with relevant critique of today's society. I went in expecting nothing and I came out amazed.
- DirectorNaoko OgigamiStarsMikako IchikawaReiko KusamuraKen MitsuishiA single woman runs a rent-a-cat service to provide companions for lonely people.A very lighthearted movie. It`s a little repetitive at times, but I enjoyed it whole-heartedly.
- DirectorKôji FukadaStarsKenji YamauchiKiki SuginoKanji FurutachiThe film follows the follies that ensue when a man and his wife shack up with a family that owns a printing press in their building, the husband takes it over, and the couple begin inviting a motley crew of friends.A very character-driven movie. I really enjoyed the clashes between the 'normal' lifestyle and the 'different' one. I watched this movie a long time ago (it was screened at a local museum!), but I can still remember it well, and that says a lot.
- DirectorRyûichi HirokiSuzuki MatsuoMiwa NishikawaStarsMisaki AmenoNozomi FujiwaraRie HagiwaraFive short films by different directors.Set of sexy short stories. There's one to like for everyone.
- DirectorKenji MizoguchiStarsKinuyo TanakaYoshiaki HanayagiKyôko KagawaIn medieval Japan, a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up amid suffering and oppression.An engaging older film
- DirectorYôjirô TakitaStarsMasahiro MotokiRyôko HirosueTsutomu YamazakiSoon after buying an expensive cello, Daigo learns that his orchestra is disbanding. He moves back to his hometown with his wife, where he answers an ad for what Daigo thinks is a travel agency but is, in actuality, a mortuary.It feels tightly paced, even though it's two hours long. Very good.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMachiko KyôMasayuki MoriThe rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.Also an engaging older film
- DirectorMika NinagawaStarsErika SawajiriNao ÔmoriShinobu TerajimaTop star Lilico undergoes multiple cosmetic surgeries to her entire body. As her surgeries show side effect.Decadent and wild, this movie really plays to my sensibilities. I enjoyed it very much, even though it`s stylishness was suffocating at times.
- DirectorDaisuke MiuraStarsKasumi ArimuraSakurako MizukiFumi NikaidôLooking for jobs, five young friends regularly meet at one's apartment. Judging and gauging one another by their ability to land job pits the friends as also competitors. When one of the friends finds work the remaining four feel abandoned and the relationships are not the same anymore.When I walked out of the theatre, I was like "huh, that happened". But the more I thought about it, the more I liked this movie. It really captured the feeling of "what should I do now" when you're graduating university in Japan - you're either joining a company now or your choosing to withdraw from traditional salaryman life. A Japanese blog on movies suggested that this might work better as a horror movie and I agree to a point...? This movie is short, so if you have access to it, just watch it. ad judge for yourself
- DirectorKoto NagataMika OhmoriTaikan SugaStarsAyaka KomatsuHosachi MoriEri MurakawaA great anthology film that ends up being more memorable than the manga it`s based off of.