157. Japanese Film Log Part 1 (Reviews)

Snapshot from The Funeral.

Below is a list of Japanese films I have watched in the past months:

Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (ラジオの時間), 1996
I found this movie by searching the actor, Masahiko Nishimura (西村雅彦). He won the Best Supporting Actor award at the Japan Academy Awards for the film. The story is the ridiculous production process of a radio drama program, where all of the actors and directors are uncooperative of each other. Nishimura plays the program manager who tries to please everyone, and gets more screen time than everyone else. In the end, it is shown that he was the fake-hero, and the innovative, rebellious director guy finally wins the battle, and broadcasts the radio program in full. The film is minimalist, but rich in character dynamics, as well as having lots of dark humor regarding the media industry.

Tampopo (タンポポ), 1986
I found Tampopo by searching the supporting actor cast, which includes Shall We Dance actor Koji Yakusho (役所広司) and Ken Watanabe. The film is a very well-executed concept: Create a series of human comedies revolving around food. Of course, a central plot to create a popular ramen restaurant ties the film together. The whole thing was strange but feel-good.

Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (シコふんじゃった), 1991
I found the film via supporting actor Naoto Takenaka (竹中直人), who also won the Japan Academy Award that year for his portrayal of a dejected, diffident sumo club member. The film is extremely minimalist -- there are actual only 3 wrestling scenes. The film instead focuses on each member's personality and how teamwork can join however random a group of people together. It also has an interesting foreign character who is appropriately stereotyped, but given enough emphasis so that he maintains significance throughout the film. Although I dislike the lack of interaction, I thought the script was successful.

The Man Who Stole the Sun (太陽を盗んだ男), 1979
This is possibly one of the most controversial conceptual films I have ever watched, it was also the Best Film in Japan in 1980. The story is about a high school teacher (played by Kenji Sawada/沢田研二) who steals plutonium and successfully builds a home-made a-bomb. He is constantly being chased by a detective and a radio host, and both end up dying for and against his cause. He escapes the law again and again until the detonation of the bomb, implied by the fade to black at the ending. I have seen many films where a maniac attempts to make/destroy something in a grand plot, only to see it all fail in the end, but The Man Who Stole the Sun presents an absurdist take on crime-fiction.The script was written by Leonard Schrader.

Snapshot from The Man Who Stole the Sun.

Unagi/The Eel (うなぎ), 1997
I found the film by searching the supporting actress of Sumo Do, Sumo, Don't -- Misa Kyomizu (清水美砂). Koji Yakusho (役所広司). The story is about Yakusho's character overcoming his previous life, where he murdered his unfaithful wife and served 8 years in prison. He meets another woman who looks just like his wife, and battles societal pressure constantly. The other woman is also troubled by her previous life, where her husband is trying to take-over her family's company. In the end, Yakusho moves away having found some self-actualization, and the woman and his new neighbors wait for his return. The film was smart in creating tension and was metaphorical in many instances, especially with the trademark eel. Some parts of the plot were lacking explanations, but it was a well-rounded film.

GO (2001)
Another film starring Tsutomu Yamazaki (山崎努) and rising star Yosuke Kubozuka (窪塚洋介), about a Korean Japanese family's struggles to define themselves in Japan. The film again depicts a society lacking authority and compassion, but throws in just enough Fight-Club-esque sequences to make it hip and interesting. The ending is fairly straight-forward, but it is a calculated script, and will keep you watching had you understood the underlying assumptions and social issues.

Azumi (2003)
Aya Ueto (上戸彩) is a pretty girl, and she had some very nice shots in this ninja historical action flick. The film is a sham of a movie, having TONS of perverted guys and unnecessary squirts of blood everywhere. There is also a total absence of plot, unless the plot is keep on killing and adding random characters played by TV drama actors. There was also a disproportionate amount of screen time given to a crazy samurai guy in drag and a street performer woman who doesn't actually do anything but witness everyone around her die. And when you least expect it, the directors throw in 3-D effects. Do not watch this film.

Vengeance is Mine (復讐するは我にあり), 1979
I do not fully understand this film directed by Shohei Imamura (今村昌平). The story is based on real life events, a series of successive murders by a single man. In the film, the timeline is distorted and jumps from 1974 to 1945, and then back. Four different families/groups are involved with the murders and the identity-theft of the serial killer. In the end, he kills the last family that would show him compassion and turns himself in. The film ends with an older couple from a bathhouse throwing cremated bones and ashes into the wind. The film is filled with random sex scenes, but there just doesn't seem to be much morals. Without the social context (the real-life murders that the film was based on were famous in Japan), I don't think anyone can get much out of the film.

The Funeral (お葬式), 1984
In this classic film by famed director Juzo Itami (伊丹十三), Tsutomu Yamazaki's character portrays a Japanese businessman whose wife's father passes away and must attend to all funeral proceedings. The dynamics of the family are downplayed and flattened in signature Juzo Itami style, and the subtle scenes of dark humor compliment the fact that the movie shows one complete, mundane event. I tend to view most of Juzo's films as anthropological parodies of Japanese life, and although I dislike the lack of excitement, I like the relaxed attitude of all of the characters.

I will post more.

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Written by micr0q, copyright 2012. Images belong to respective owners, no infringement intended. This is a non-profit blog.