A while back, I posted my 5 Movies That Should Be Made Into An Anime which turned out to be a huge hit. Now, with Akira Kurosawa month all but over, I’m going back in for another edition of movies that should be made into an anime. And while Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai has already recieved the anime treatment, there are plenty of other Kurosawa films that could make for an excellent animated watch. So whether I’m flirting with success (or disaster), I give you 5 Kurosawa Films That Should Be Made Into An Anime. More »

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I’m really grateful to have had the chance to see Kurosawa’s last film, Dreams (1990), at the New York Film Forum. Not only is it an incredible film–certainly one of his best–but it provides, if in a problematic form, a sort of answer to the two questions Kurosawa claims to have struggled with all his life: Why can’t people be happier? and Why can’t they be happier together? More »

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This film is a treasure. Technically it shouldn’t be here, as it was made in Thailand and directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaraung (okay, I’ll stop making fun of my friends who get confused by Japanese names). But as a collaboration with bad-boy Japanese director Takashi Miike, it features superstar Tadanobu Asano in the main role with dialogue in Thai, Japanese and English. Last Life in the Universe (2003) is a crime film of sorts, but at the same time a penetrating look at cross-cultural communication (or the lack thereof) and how all human longing is, in some sense, romantic. More »

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Rekuru’s Japanese Cinema Royale Special is still going strong and today, we look at the Playstation 2 title Onimusha 3: Demon Siege which not only stars japanese heart-throb Takeshi Kaneshiro but hit-man with a heart Jean Reno as well. As always, a trailer will follow the review for your viewing pleasure. More »

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Of course, no discussion of Akira Kurosawa would be complete without a mention of Kurosawa’s (arguably) best and (certainly) best-known film: The Seven Samurai. More »

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Prepare yourself Japanese film enthusiasts and mark your calendars because on March 30th, distributor Well Go USA is unleashing some chainsaw swinging, wire-fu, CGI goodness. More »

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Japan has seen a surge of shock horror films in the past decade with such movies as Ichi the Killer, Audition, and now, The Machine Girl joins these ranks. More »

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Perhaps motivated by white guilt (having only a trace of Asian heritage myself), I’ve always opposed characterizations of Japanese art as subtle, inscrutable, feminine or “Zen” (whatever that means)…and then I encounter an artist who actually is all those things: filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. Ozu is perhaps Kurosawa’s most serious competition for the title of “greatest twentieth century Japanese director,” and his name routinely appears on lists of the greatest directors of all time. More »

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If you don’t know who Takeshi Kaneshiro is (shame on you), this post should prove quite enlightening. Known mostly for his roles in Chungking Express, House of Flying Daggers, Fallen Angels, as well as a host of other films, Kaneshiro is one of Japan’s finest actors and this post is going to show you just why… More »

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Forget Sherlock Holmes, there’s a new detective in town. The popular manga Konchu Tantei Yoshida Yoshimi (Insect Detective Yoshimi Yoshida) is getting the silver screen treatment this April. More »

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