[J-ENT] Movie Recommendations

[kuroihikari]

So anyone know of good recent Japanese movies?

The only thing I really don't care watching are serial killer flicks or horror flicks. Of the big name directors, I haven't seen a Sion Sono movie that I liked (I liked Minna ESPer Dayo! up until the last few episodes). Takashi Miike is fine if he doesn't take himself too seriously.

I'd prefer comedy and/or romantic films over the rest. Action films are also good. I'm also a very tired of the terminal illness movies.

What I want to see little doses of are:
1. gore
2. depressing themes.
3. Blatant popstar merchandising and/or riding a cashgrab train.
4. Gangster/underworld themes.
5. Glorifying bad guys.

Things I like to see in movies:
1. Uplifting themes
2. Pretty faces are nice, but not a deal breaker.
3. Great action scenes.

Any recommendations?

Recent films I've seen are:
Romantic Comedies (I'm a sucker for these, so I've liked all of them):
1. Kyou, Koi wo Hajimemasu
2. Bokura Ga Ita Zenpen, Kohen
3. High School Debut
4. Renai Ginkyoku
5. Both NANA films.

Light-hearted Crime Mysteries (liked all of these, too)
1. Both Galileo movies
2. After-Dinner Mysteries the movie
3. Both Trick movies
4. HERO

Cop action-dramas (didn't really hate any of them, but not a must-watch)
1. All Odoru Daisousasen movies
2. Wild 7

Mystery Thrillers
1. All SPEC movies (liked all except the last one (Reincarnation))
2. Cold Fish (Sion Sono film, don't like it)

Live-Action action films
1. Rurouni Kenshin (liked it)
2. Yatterman (ambivalent on it. I didn't think it was horrible, but I never really knew the source material)
3. K-20 (Same as Yatterman).

There are others but it'll be a VERY long list. I don't like any of the Death Note shows so no Death Note. Same with Gantz or Crows Zero.

I'm thinking of watching Kimi ni Todoke, but I'm wary that it'll be too serious.

 

[Jacky392000]

Kimi ni Todoke wasn't so bad, although that wasn't really my favourite shoujo manga live action film. have you seen Paradise Kiss yet? I'm personally a fan of both the anime and the movie as well, so there's my recommendation.

I've also recently seen Kamen Teacher's movie and I thought the action scenes were great, both from the Kamen Teachers and the actors themselves. it was basically like "Ichigo & Nigo VS Shocker Riders"-ish to me.

 

[kuroihikari]

My impressions of the Paradise Kiss anime were that it was too.... fashion-ey. I never really saw any episodes, though, so I may be entirely wrong. How was the Live Action in that aspect? I guess something to the level of Reira's scenes in NANA are fine by me.

I assume I have to see the KT series to appreciate the movie more, right? So you recommend the KT series, too?

 

[Jacky392000]

yeah, Paradise Kiss is about fashion but it was also about Yukari's dilemma/struggles between getting into a good university (as her mother wants her to) or actually choosing to do what she really likes/wants. the movie is very close to the anime except the ending.

as for Kamen Teacher, I suggest watching in this order: SP, series and movie. the SP revolves around Araki's past before the events in the series and the movie basically continued from where the series finale left off. I enjoyed Kamen Teacher only for its action scenes though. :sweat:

 

[kuroihikari]

What's wrong with the rest of KT? Is it basically a Gokusen clone?

 

[Jacky392000]

none of the characters, besides the main character himself, were likeable IMO. doesn't help that most of the important characters are Johnny's guys. I guess I expected too much because of the fact that it's based on a manga by the same guy who created GTO.

 

[kuroihikari]

I don't really hate Johnny's guys (even though some of their vanity projects can be overbearing). For me they're basically male AKB48. But I think I understand what you're driving at, and if they're unlikeable at their job, it's a problem.

I'll keep that in mind, thanks.


EDIT:

Okay, I saw Gatchaman. There were so many differences from the source material, but I didn't really have a problem with those. For some reason I saw the plot twist coming a mile away, and the crazy love triangle weirdness that I'd expect coming from Gatchaman comes out of nowhere.

The suits are weird.... more Iron Man-ish than ninja. The fights in-suit were either CGI-fests or something like Garo fights, and few and far in-between. Also, the Phoenix, and its cockpit seemed to be added as an after-thought rather than as an integral part of Gatchaman.

 

[Bigdog]

In speaking of anything scary, I'd go for:
Tetsuo: The Iron Man/ Bullet Man. The Iron Man movie is a cyberpunk horror that's filmed entirely on Super 8 cameras in black and white. It's about a guy who has metal objects get stuck all over his body. The action and thriller suspense is great, and despite it not having much in the way of dialogue, it's a decent film.

Matango: while it doesn't have much in the way of the titular creature, its a psychological more than a horror movie.

Action?
Kenshin. You already seen it, but Kenshin is probably the best if not one of the few anime adaptations to actually get its source material.

Hidden Fortress: One of the main inspirations of Star Wars aside from Seven Samurai and Westerns, it features great choreography and fight sequences. Many of the archetypes in this film are mainly intact in Star Wars, though a few are split up and altered.

Sukiyaki Western Django: A Japanese twist on the spaghetti western. And Quentin Tarantino cameos.

 

[kuroihikari]

Ah Sukiyaki Western Django. I've been meaning to watch that for years and totally forgot about it. Thanks.

Bringing up Matango reminds me that the Japanese have that odd genre which is both psychological thriller and creature horror.

 

[Bigdog]

Ah Sukiyaki Western Django. I've been meaning to watch that for years and totally forgot about it. Thanks.

Bringing up Matango reminds me that the Japanese have that odd genre which is both psychological thriller and creature horror.

While I didn't like it the first time around, Sukiyaki Western Django, in my opinion, is steps ahead Django Unchained in hindsight. Matango is the same way. I'd recommend Rodan, the original Japanese version, with War of the Gargantuas and Varan.

For non-Toho monster fare, cannot recommend enough Daimajin and Daimajin Gyakushu, the Kaneko Gamera series, and Satomi Hakkenden. The entire Daimajin series is scored by Akira Ifukube, and its an Edo meets Daikaiju affair that doesn't sugarcoat its time period, while the second Gamera series is in my opinion, the definitive Gamera.

For a contemporary action or horror film, I'd go for Battle Royale or Ju-On: The Grudge. Not the first short V-Cinema, but the first theatrical film that's a basis for the [admittedly superior] Raimi remake. Maybe it's the broken storytelling, but I couldn't take it as seriously as the remake. Aside from that and ignoring the plain special effects, it has a chilling factor to it. Not by far the worst horror I've seen, which I reserve to Silent Hill 3D and H2 Rob Zombie, but not the best.

Battle Royale is one of those stories where it is far better as a film or other visual medium than in the written word. I put the book down mid-way through since its prose and writing style almost became too repetitive. As a film, Battle Royale is accurate, but improves with the principal photography, shots and direction. Deaths aren't overly stylized and since the viewer bonds and can feel themselves in their shoes, the story becomes even more unsettling and impactful as a result. I'd probably have the opposite reaction with Game of Thrones, which to me was unreadable for its vast amount of detail.But I don't care much for that franchise either.