I'm a sucker for the sappy stuff, like "Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu" and the high-school comedies like "Swing Girls."

Some Japanese DVDs (or the HK versions) have English subtitles, too.  Like "Survive Style 5+, which is kind of Pulp Fiction-y.

I agree with JimmySeal in recommending Beat Takeshi's film.  Its a pretty cute movie.  I also liked his ソナチネ a bit better. 

As for other films, I have tried for many years to find good media (movies, music, etc.) in general from Japan.  It is a hard task if you look outside of the occasional comic book or animated movie.  I absolutely can't stand most of the quirky stuff.  So if you are the type who like "Puka-Puka-chan and her Magical Transformation in Octopus Land" or high school girls running around flashing panties as they fight rubber aliens, then I am not the guy to listen to.  If you are a bit more discerning (or share my lack of taste depending on perspective) then I have a few more recommendations for you.

I am somewhat of a fan of 岩井俊二 (Shunji Iwai)'s films.  In particular I liked スワロウテイル, リリイ・シュシュのすべて, and to a lesser extent 花とアリス.  The last of the three being kind a let down, but still a cut above most movies from Japan. (You can find all of these movies on wikipedia)

I also liked a couple of recent movies, but they deal more with the Showa era(set about 50 years or so ago) than the current era.  ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日 and currently in theaters 母べえ　is decent (but it is a bit of a knock off of the former).

If you are looking for something more comical I liked ラジオの時間 from a few years back.

I am also going to watch ユメ十夜 on the recommendation of a Japanese friend of mine but I can't vouch for that one.

That is all I can think of off the top of my head.

Last edited by dilandau23 (2008 February 08, 12:50 am)

I liked タンポポ (Tampopo) as a teen, though I never watched it in Japanese...
also "Drive" by Sabu was fun, but again I can't tell how good or useful the Japanese in that film is.

That's right, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamagata-ben in Swing Girls.  It's comical, so not as hard to understand as muttering obaasan, but maybe too hard for a beginner.  Maybe "Hula Girls," then, which looks like the same movie with hula dancing instead of swing music (haven't seen it).  Or "Tokyo Sora," where everyone speaks good Standard Japanese.

Mark Schilling writes English-language reviews of exclusively Japanese films for The Japan Times, and he has a book out.  I've liked the films I've seen that he's recommended.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/entertainment/film.html

Not sure whether it'll help in your studies but I recommend Dark Water if you're a horror fan.

If you go to "aznv.tv" there's a ton of Japanese movies available to watch (streaming) with full English descriptions. You have to have winamp to watch them.  Asian movies always seem to be available pirated but it's quite a bit cheaper there than renting them from the store (10$ for 75 streaming hours).  Most of the films here are subtitled so you'll have to cover them up but other than that I've had no problems over the past two years that I've been using it.

I'll have to check out Stupeur et tremblements. I like the idea of French/Japanese films, since I can practice both my second languages at once. Along that line is Wasabi, a movie about a French detective who ends up in Japan after discovering he had a daughter there. A fun movie, not deep, good action.
Anybody know any other combination French/Japanese movies?
Also agree with recommendation for Tampopo, completely enjoyable film, and Beat Takashi's films are great. Hanabi, Dolls, Kikujiru, ...

Odoru Daisousasen is excellent. I'd recommend the TV Series. And the specials. And the films. There are also two Spin-Offs: "Negotiator Mashita Masayoshi" and "The Suspect Muroi Shinji". Negotiator Mashita Masayoshi was fun, but not as good as the series or the films. Have yet to see The Suspect.

not so sure about movies, but try this thread for scripts for japanese TV drama series. the dramanote website listed there really has a ton of stuff.
http://forum.koohii.com/viewtopic.php?id=545

as for japanese films, my vote's for hana and alice (花とアリス）: )

There is a film called "I am Nipponjin". It's about a Japanese-American
going to Japan and experiencing culture shock. I've heard a lot of good things about this film.

Also, I'm gonna stick my neck out and say:
Use moves/TV shows to practice listening/speaking.
Use manga/readings to practice reading/writing.
And keep it that way.

Writing down vocab while you're watching film/TV  can really bog you
down if you do it too often. These days, I think it's just better to just
listen and don't write anything down. Over time, you'll get better without
noticing.

I really liked lady snowblood. Yojimbo is a must. But I can't talk about Japanese movies without pimpin zatoichi (used that for a movie!)

Kurosawa's High & Low

Or any Kurosawa movie for that matter