A sendup of the stereo-typical Japanese family: dad is a salaryman jerk, unable to relate to anyone; mom is a hopeless housewife Read More »
Tag Archives: japanese
Chuji Tabinikki Daisanbu Goyohen / A Diary of Chuji’s Travels (1927) Daisuke Itô, Denjirô Ôkôchi, Hideo Nakamura, Kichiji Nakamura, Drama
The Japanese equivalent of penny dreadfuls glorifying Jesse James, A Diary of Chuji’s Travels gives a unique gloss to the tale of Chuji Kunisada, the legendary bakuto (or gambler, the precursors to modern-day yakuza). Read More »
Yama no oto / Sound of the Mountain (1954) Mikio Naruse, Setsuko Hara, Sô Yamamura, Ken Uehara, Drama
The businessman Ogata Shingo works with his son Shuichi, who is his secretary, and they live together in the suburb with their wives Yasuko and Kikuko respectively. Read More »
Ken (1964) Kenji Misumi, Raizô Ichikawa, Yûsuke Kawazu, Hisaya Morishige, Drama
Interesting story about a young man obsessed by kendo. Kokubu is a university student and has just been made captain of the kendo team, just ahead of Kagawa. Read More »
Inazuma / Lightning (1952) Mikio Naruse, Hideko Takamine, Mitsuko Miura, Kyôko Kagawa, Drama
Mikio Naruse’s second adaptation of a novel by Fumiko Hayashi stars Hideko Takamine, the director’s frequent muse, as bus conductress Kiyoko Komori, the youngest daughter in a family of squabbling half-siblings. Read More »
Nemuri Kyoshiro 1: Sappocho / Sleepy Eyes of Death: The Chinese Jade (1963) Tokuzô Tanaka, Raizô Ichikawa, Tamao Nakamura, Shinobu Araki, Drama
Nemuri Kyoshiro, a youthful and cynical ronin with unparalleled skill, is approached by both sides in a game of corruption, ambition, and double crosses. Read More »
Kiru / Destiny’s Son (1962) Kenji Misumi, Raizô Ichikawa, Shiho Fujimura, Mayumi Nagisa, Action, Drama
The story follows the adult life of Shingo, a humble orphan raised by a low ranking samurai. Read More »
Fish on Land (2011) Yûsuke Iseya, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Mirai Moriyama, Nae, Drama
A college senior (Mirai Moriyama) takes a bicycle trip for his last summer vacation. On his trip he comes across drive-in “HOUSE475” and its manager Seii (Hidetoshi Nishijima). Read More »
Daimajin gyakushû / Wrath of Daimajin (1966) Kazuo Mori, Hideki Ninomiya, Shinji Hori, Masahide Iizuka, Fantasy
An evil warlord invades a peaceful lakeside village during one of their annual festivals. Read More »
Daimajin ikaru / Return of Daimajin (1966) Kenji Misumi, Kôjirô Hongô, Shiho Fujimura, Tarô Marui, Drama, Fantasy
Giant statue exacts revenge upon those who conquer its worshippers.
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Heres to the girls (1949) Keisuke Kinoshita, Shûji Sano, Setsuko Hara, Sugisaku Aoyama, Comedy, Romance
Keizo Ishizu (Shuji Sano), owner of a car shop in Tokyo, meets Yasuko Ikeda (Setsuko Hara), the daughter of a former aristocratic family, on a matchmaking date arranged by Mr. Sato (Takeshi Sakamoto), a regular customer. Read More »
Paradaisu byû / Paradise View (1985) Go Takamine, Kaoru Kobayashi, Jun Togawa, Haruomi Hosono, Arthouse, Fantasy
Reishu quits a job on a US military base; while mulling over his future he catches snakes, sticks numbers on ants and gets village girl Nabi pregnant. Read More »
Karayuki-san / The Making of a Prostitute (1975) Shôhei Imamura, Kurahachi Fukuda, Tora Hirano, Documentary
It is a documentary on one of the Japanese “karayuki-san,” who were women that were taken from their homes in Japan and used as prostitutes in the post-war period. Read More »
Yorokobi mo kanashimi mo ikutoshitsuki / Times of Joy and Sorrow (1957) Keisuke Kinoshita, Hideko Takamine, Keiji Sada, Takahiro Tamura, Drama
Covering the years from 1932 through 1957, this is the story of the trials and tribulations of lighthouse keeper Keiji Sada and his wife Hideko Takamine. Read More »
Kizzu ritân / Kids Return (1996) Takeshi Kitano, Ken Kaneko, Masanobu Andô, Leo Morimoto, Crime, Drama, Sport
Two buddies visit the schoolyard of the high school they used to attend, and remember their young and dumb days. They used to be the bullies in the school, until they find their own ways of life; one as a boxer, and the other as a member of the yakuza.
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