@watashimo @realism @umetani666
Thank you ladies and gentleman, I suspect the recommendations you posted will have me returning to this thread time and again.

watashimo Wrote:I can think of few countries with such a variety of great movie directors.

That's a trite sentiment. How about India, America, France, Germany, Egypt, and South Korea?

@watashimo

Heck yea, a fellow Koki Mitani fan, every movie he made is hilarious to me. Radio no Jikan definitely my most favorite of his. Its mindboggling that most of his movies arent released overseas.

I think Takeshi is one of the few good directors in Japan. Outrage was awesome. I haven't seen all of his movies, but hanabi and kid's return were also great. I didn't like Dolls as much, but it was still good. Zatoichi was fun, but pretty shallow. Sonatine was also awesome.

I can't think of many other directors with such a solid track record in modern Japan.

Stansfield123 Wrote:Here's a random list of a hundred or so Japanese movies someone thought were good:
http://www.foreignfilms.com/country.php?id=15

Oo, thanks for the link. It's handy to have box art to refer to (when you have a poor memory for names, like myself).

I can't make any deep conclusions about the guy, but that so-called "Japanese Dirty Harry" film wasn't worth the time, and Zatoichi was what I generally expect from Japanese films in general (poor acting, cheesiness/weak script, mediocre visuals etc). Maybe I've just been watching the wrong movies. I remember liking 容疑者Ｘの献身 for what that's worth.

@Tzadeck: In my opinion most German movies are just trash for the reasons Stansfield123 mentioned. They are not full of clichés, but the quality of directing is poor and the plot is so damnd predictable. They are grey and mostly boring... I gave up on German movies.

I watched "Halfway" （ハーフウェイ） yesterday and I was quite disappointed as it was so slow moving and the dialogues were endlessly unsophisticated..

Stansfield123 Wrote:It's not obvious to me. Here's a few Japanese movies I think are as good and original as any movie anyone made in the last 20 years:
Hara Kiri: Death of a Samurai
13 Assassins
Tokyo Sonata
Spirited Away
Ghost in the Shell
Princess Mononoke
Paprika (could've picked several other Satoshi Kon animes, really)

i haven't see new miike films, but they are remakes and i would be careful about describing them as 'original'.
'tokyo sonata' was a failed attempt at making a serious film. first half is good and makes sense, but then in the second half some narrative threads are randomly introduced(deus ex machina burglar), dramaturgy falls apart and, for some reason, out of nowhere, director thought that it would be a good idea to infuse some corny tv-drama mawkishness into story. from there, it could only end with kitschy last scene. i think it's one of kurosawa's worst. but i guess it was at least better than 'penance'...

i didn't mention any anime on purpose because i didn't want to make this into another anime thread.

Stansfield123 Wrote:As far as the Miike movies you listed, do you consider graphic violence trash?

no. but if purpose of graphic violence is only to catalog such violence, then it's trash, yes.

for example, 'ichi the killer' is such a film. it's basically an exercise for director to see how far he can go. because at this point anything can happen, film becomes boring and monotonous. there's no expectation and no tension, because he didn't set any rules. non-existent story and irritating characters don't help, either.

on the other hand, 'visitor q', who is even more perverse and depraved, is actually one of miike's best films. it has a clever metafilmic structure and it actually says some interesting things about mass media. although story is lifted from pasolini's 'teorema', it upgrades original to modern times(in terms of both style and content).
but too often i find that miike is only obsessed with style, and style goes out of fashion pretty quick. that's why a lot of kitano's and miike's films from the 90's already look dated when seen today.

btw, have you seen any japanese films from 60's that i'm making references to? have you seen 'funeral parade of roses', 'the pornographers' or 'woman in the dunes', to name a few?
i have a hard time finding japanese films made in the past two decades that would be as original and exciting as those three(except for 'after life').

umetani666 Wrote:btw, have you seen any japanese films from 60's that i'm making references to? have you seen 'funeral parade of roses', 'the pornographers' or 'woman in the dunes', to name a few?
i have a hard time finding japanese films made in the past two decades that would be as original and exciting as those three(except for 'after life').

I've seen the films you mention.

A random selction of films made in the past two decades I saw and found good. Mind you, I'm not saying they're masterpieces or anything. By the way, the only masterpiece I have ever seen is The Naked Island (裸の島) (1960) directed by 新藤 兼人 Shindō Kaneto.

The movies below are all good - in their own way, that's what makes them good after all.

Yamada Yoji
Twilight Samurai (2002)
The Hidden Blade (2004)
Love and Honor (2006)
Kabei: Our Mother (2008)
Otōto (2010)

Koizumi Takashi
After the Rain (雨あがる) (1999)
Letters from the Mountains (阿弥陀堂だより) (2002)
The Professor and his Beloved Equation (博士の愛した数式) (2006)
Best Wishes for Tomorrow (明日への遺言) (2007)

Kawase Naomi
Suzaku (萌の朱雀; 1997)
Shara (Sharasōju) (2003)
The Mourning Forest (Mogari No Mori) (2007)

Konuma Masaru - Nagisa (2000)
Tengan Daisuke - The Most Beautiful Night in the World (2008) (Imamura Shohei's son)
Suo Masayuki - I Just Didnt Do It 2006
Mori Tatsuya - A (1998) A2 (2001) Aum documentaries
Nakashima Tetsuya - Memories Of Matsuko (2006)
Yamazaki Takashi - ALWAYS san-chōme no yūhi (2005)
Fukagawa Yoshihiro - Island Times アイランドタイムズ (2006)
Miki Satoshi - Adrift in Tokyo (2007)
Kobayashi Masahiro - Man Walking On Snow (2001)
Mochizuki Rokurō - A Yakuza In Love (1997)
Yamamoto Masashi - Junk Food (1997)
Kumasaka Izuru - Asyl Park and Love Hotel (2007)
Itami Jūzō - Super Market Woman (1996)
Koreeda Hirokazu - Air Doll 2009
Miike Takashi - Kumamoto Monogatari (2001)
Shiota Akihiko - Gipusu (2001)
Higashi Yōichi - My Grandpa 2003
Wakamatsu Kōji - United Red Army 連合赤軍 (2008)

Javizy Wrote:I can't make any deep conclusions about the guy, but that so-called "Japanese Dirty Harry" film wasn't worth the time, and Zatoichi was what I generally expect from Japanese films in general (poor acting, cheesiness/weak script, mediocre visuals etc). Maybe I've just been watching the wrong movies. I remember liking 容疑者Ｘの献身 for what that's worth.

Well what Japanese films have you seen?

Maybe it's time to step away from Kitano movies and watch films by other directors.

Realism Wrote:

Javizy Wrote:I can't make any deep conclusions about the guy, but that so-called "Japanese Dirty Harry" film wasn't worth the time, and Zatoichi was what I generally expect from Japanese films in general (poor acting, cheesiness/weak script, mediocre visuals etc). Maybe I've just been watching the wrong movies. I remember liking 容疑者Ｘの献身 for what that's worth.

Well what Japanese films have you seen?

Maybe it's time to step away from Kitano movies and watch films by other directors.

Well, I think you should give Kid's Return a try. Here's a good sample: http://youtu.be/r2xISvmygik

Javizy Wrote:Zatoichi was what I generally expect from Japanese films in general (poor acting, cheesiness/weak script, mediocre visuals etc).

I used to torture myself with Japanese movies and anime everyone raves about until I realized most of that stuff just didn't connect with me. I took dozens of DVD-Rs (back when we used to burn our media onto those) out to the trash one day indiscriminately, Zatoichi et al and I haven't missed a single one of them since.

Sometimes you have to be honest with yourself and find your own preferences. It's Kurosawa, Kitano and Miike for some people, but it's tv dorama for me and that's final. :lol:

shinsen Wrote:It's Kurosawa, Kitano and Miike for some people, but it's tv dorama for me and that's final. :lol:

No need to worry. Miike will get down to tv dorama soon. You'll be able to drown two birds in three ponds as it were.

Thanks @Buonaparte, I've been trying to figure out which Kawase Naomi films to watch. I saw one or two I couldn't get in to, but Mogari no Mori was really great.

I think Miike Takashi has directed a few dramas:
QP (NTV / 2011)
Negotiator | Koshonin (2003)
MPD Psycho | Tajuu jinkaku tantei saiko (WOWOW / 2000)
N-Girls Vs Vampire Tennen shôjo Man next: Yokohama hyaku-ya hen (1999) (TV)

(from asianwiki)

Tori-kun Wrote:@Tzadeck: In my opinion most German movies are just trash for the reasons Stansfield123 mentioned. They are not full of clichés, but the quality of directing is poor and the plot is so damnd predictable. They are grey and mostly boring... I gave up on German movies.

My point was just that almost every country that has a rather large film industry has a handful of directors worth watching (I left out a few countries for brevity). I myself don't know German movies all that well, but I love Werner Herzog, and I've seen a random collection of German movies that I thought were good.

buonaparte Wrote:I've seen the films you mention.

good. it would've been even better if you wrote a bit what you thought of them. would you recommend these films to people here? or should they avoid them?

buonaparte Wrote:By the way, the only masterpiece I have ever seen is The Naked Island (裸の島) (1960) directed by 新藤 兼人 Shindō Kaneto.

yeah, 'the naked island' is very good. kaneto shindo generally has good films both as director(onibaba, tree without leaves, the strange tale of oyuki) and screenwriter(irezumi, fighting elegy).

I tend not to recommend anything to anyone.
Generally I like movies by Teshigahara Hiroshi, Toshio Matsumoto, Imamura Shouhei, including the movies you mentioned.

Here's a short list I posted some time ago:
I'm into good Japanese cinema - no, I don't mean dorama or anime.
I prefer WATCHING movies to reading about them.
I've seen more than two thousand Japanese movies so far, from pre-war to this year.

Basic info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_cinema
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5%E...0%E7%94%BB
http://www.nipponcinema.com/films
http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/
http://www.criterion.com/library
http://sensesofcinema.com/2003/great-dir.../naruse-2/


http://www.asiatorrents.me/index.php?pag...0&active=1
http://rutracker.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=124


My PERSONAL choice:

監督 - directors
My four favourite directors:
Yamada Youji 山田 洋次 (1931.9.13-) - still active, Amaterasu bless his name!
Naruse Mikio 成瀬 巳喜男 (1905.8.20-1969.7.2)
Ozu Yasujiro 小津 安二郎 (1903.12.12-1963.12.12) Odu Yasujirou
Shimizu Hiroshi 清水 宏 (1903.3.28-1966.6.23) good movies about children
Hara Kazuo - 原 一男 (1945.6.8-)


Some of the best (I watched at least one very good movie by them)

Mizoguchi Kenji 溝口 健二 (1898.5.16-1956.8.24)
Gosho Heinosuke 五所 平之助 (1902.1.24-1981.5.1)
Shimizu Hiroshi 清水 宏 (1903.3.28-1966.6.23)
Ozu Yasujiro 小津 安二郎 (1903.12.12-1963.12.12) Odu Yasujirou
Naruse Mikio 成瀬 巳喜男 (1905.8.20-1969.7.2)
Inagaki Hiroshi 稲垣 浩 (1905.12.30-1980.5.21)
Kurosawa Akira 黒澤 明 (1910.3.23-1998.9.6)
Shindou Kaneto 新藤 兼人 (1912.4.22-2012.05.29) he made his last film when he was 98.
Kinoshita Keisuke 木下 恵介 (1912.12.5-1998.12.30)
Ichikawa Kon 市川 崑 (1915.11.20-2008.2.13) Wada Natto (his wife) wrote many scripts.
Kobayashi Masaki 小林 正樹 (1916.2.14-1996.10.4)
Suzuki Seijun 鈴木 清順 (1923.5.24-)
Imamura Shouhei 今村 昌平 (1926.9.15-2006.5.30)
Teshigahara Hiroshi 勅使河原 宏 (1927.1.28-2001.4.14) (suna no onna)
Gosha Hideo 五社 英雄 (1929.2.26-1992.8.30)
Fukusaku Kinji 深作 欣二 (1930.7.3-2003.1.12) -
Yamada Youji 山田 洋次 (1931.9.13-) -
Oshima Nagisa 大島 渚 (1932.3.31-) Oosima Nagisa
Itami Juzo 伊丹 十三 いたみ じゅうぞう Itami Juuzou (1933.5.15-1997.12.20) - very good comedies
Terayama Syuuji 寺山 修司 (1935.12.10-1983.5.4)
Wakamatsu Kôji - 若松 孝二 (1936.4.1-2012.10.17) started in pinku eiga
Miyazaki Hayao 宮崎 駿 (1941.1.5-) good anime
Koizumi Takashi 小泉 堯史 (1944.11.6-) -
Hara Kazuo - 原 一男 (1945.6.8-)
Oguri Kōhei 小栗 康平 (1945.10.29-)
Kitano Takeshi 北野 武 (1947.1.18-) -

Kurosawa Kiyoshi 黒沢 清 (1955.7.19-) (nothing to do with Akira)
Miike Takashi 三池 崇史 (1960.8.24-) from masterpieces to absolute shit
Sono Sion 園 子温 (1961.12.20-)
Tsukamoto Shin'ya 塚本 晋也 (1960.1.1-)
Shiota Akihiko 塩田 明彦 (1961.9.11-)
Koreeda Hirokazu 是枝 裕和 (1962.6.6-)
Aoyama Shinji 青山 真治 (1964.7.13-)
Sabu サブ (田中 博行 Tanaka Hiroyuki) (1964.11.18-).
Kawase Naomi 河瀨 直美 (1969.5.30-) - a lady
Tominaga Mai 富永 まい (とみなが まい) - a lady



ACTRESSES
The three greatest:
Tanaka Kinuyo 田中 絹代 (1909.11.29-1977.3.21)
Hara Setsuko 原 節子 (1920.6.17-)
Takamine Hideko 高峰 秀子 (1924.3.27-2010.12.28)

I like them for one reason or other:
Asaoka Ruriko 浅丘 ルリ子 （あさおか ルリこ、1940年7月2日 - ）
Baishō Chieko 倍賞 千恵子 (1941.6.29-),(Sakura in Otoko wa turai yo), her sister, Mitsuko
Baishō Mitsuko 倍賞 美津子 (1946.11.22-)
Kaji Meiko 梶 芽衣子 (1947.3.24-), Sasori (Scorpion), a very good singer
Matsuzaka Keiko 松坂 慶子 (1952.7-)
Tanaka Rena 田中 麗奈 (1980.5.22-)
Ayase Haruka 綾瀬 はるか (1985.3.24-)
Ueto Aya 上戸 彩 (1985.9.14-), Azumi, Install


ACTORS
Mifune Toshirou 三船 敏郎 (1920.4.1-1997.12.24)
Mikuni Rentarō 三國 連太郎 (1923.1.20-)
Atsumi Kiyoshi 渥美 清 (1928.3.10-1996.8.4) (Tora-san 寅さん)
Wakayama Tomisaburō 若山 富三郎 (1929.9.1-1992.4.2) Lone Wolf and Cub, The Mute Samurai, Katsu Shintarou's older brother
Takakura Ken 高倉 健 (1931.2.16-)
Katsu Shintarou 勝 新太郎 (1931.11.29-1997.6.21) (Zatouichi 座頭市)
Nakadai Tatsuya 仲代 達矢 (1932.12.13-)
Sugawara Bunta 菅原 文太 (1933.8.18-)
Ogata Ken 緒形 拳 (1937.7.20-2008.10.5)
Fuji Tatsuya 藤 竜也 (1941.8.27-)
Kitano Takeshi 北野 武 (Biito Takeshi (ビート たけし) (1947.1.18-)
Yakusho Kouji 役所 広司 (1956.1.1-)
Asano Tadanobu 浅野 忠信 (1973.11.27-)