1,481
1.5K
Jan 22, 2021
01/21
by
Akira Inoue
movies
eye 1,481
favorite 16
comment 0
Nearing the village of his sensei, Zatoichi decides to pay the teacher a visit, only to learn that he has been murdered and his daughter forced into prostitution. Ichi’s investigation into these injustices uncovers a corrupt alliance between government officials and criminals, putting the blind swordsman on a bloody path of retribution in one of the series’ darkest entries.
Topics: Akira Inoue, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, Yakuza, drama, film series 10 of 25, English-subtitles
5,692
5.7K
Jul 9, 2020
07/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 5,692
favorite 102
comment 1
In this powerful early noir from the great Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune bursts onto the screen as a volatile, tubercular criminal who strikes up an unlikely relationship with Takashi Shimura's jaded physician. Set in and around the muddy swamps and back alleys of postwar Tokyo, Drunken Angel is an evocative, moody snapshot of a treacherous time and place, featuring one of the director's most memorably violent climaxes.
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Japanese, English subtitles, postwar Japan
6,516
6.5K
Oct 26, 2020
10/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 6,516
favorite 101
comment 0
The Hidden Fortress stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan’s princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip-roaring ride is among the director’s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas’s Star Wars.
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, English subtitles, black and white 2K remaster
5,262
5.3K
Dec 27, 2020
12/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 5,262
favorite 65
comment 2
After finishing what would become his international phenomenon Rashomon , Akira Kurosawa immediately turned to one of the most daring, and problem-plagued, productions of his career. The Idiot , an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's nineteenth-century masterpiece about a wayward, pure soul's reintegration into society—updated by Kurosawa to capture Japan’s postwar aimlessness—was a victim of studio interference and, finally, public indifference. Today, this "folly" looks...
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, drama, post war Japan, English-subtitles
2,039
2.0K
Nov 29, 2020
11/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 2,039
favorite 17
comment 0
Kurosawa’s first film was such a success that the studio leaned on the director to make a sequel. The result is a hugely entertaining adventure, reuniting most of the major players from the original and featuring a two-part narrative in which Sanshiro first fights a pair of Americans and then finds himself the target of a revenge mission undertaken by the brothers of the original film’s villain.
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, English subtitles, martial arts
2,940
2.9K
Oct 27, 2020
10/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 2,940
favorite 44
comment 1
Both the final film of this period in which Akira Kurosawa would directly wrestle with the demons of the Second World War and his most literal representation of living in an atomic age, the galvanizing I Live in Fear presents Toshiro Mifune as an elderly, stubborn businessman so fearful of a nuclear attack that he resolves to move his reluctant family to South America. With this mournful film, the director depicts a society emerging from the shadows but still terrorized by memories of the...
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, English subtitles, post Second World War, atomic age
49,238
49K
Jul 8, 2020
07/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 49,238
favorite 473
comment 5
One of the most thrilling movie epics of all time, Seven Samurai ( Shichinin no samurai ) tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits. This three-hour ride from Akira Kurosawa—featuring legendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura—seamlessly weaves philosophy and entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action, into a rich, evocative, and unforgettable tale of courage and...
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 5 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Japanese, English subtitles, 50 Years of Janus Films, chanbara, Jidaigeki
7,560
7.6K
Dec 26, 2020
12/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 7,560
favorite 127
comment 2
The incomparable Toshiro Mifune stars in Akira Kurosawa's visually stunning and darkly comic Yojimbo. To rid a terror-stricken village of corruption, wily masterless samurai Sanjuro turns a range war between two evil clans to his own advantage. Remade twice, by Sergio Leone and Walter Hill, this exhilarating genre-twister remains one of the most influential and entertaining films of all time.
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Sanjuro, Sergio Leone, Walter Hill, Chanbara, Jidaigek, English-subtitles
2,643
2.6K
Dec 7, 2020
12/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 2,643
favorite 31
comment 1
For his final film, Akira Kurosawa paid tribute to the immensely popular writer and educator Hyakken Uchida, here played by Tatsuo Matsumura. Madadayo is composed of distinct episodes based on Uchida's writings that illustrate the affection and loyalty felt between Uchida and his students. Poignant and elegant, this is an unforgettable farewell from one of the greatest artists the cinema has ever known.
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Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Hyakken Uchida, English-subtitles, Madadayois
2,954
3.0K
Jul 9, 2020
07/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 2,954
favorite 43
comment 1
In Akira Kurosawa's first film after the end of World War II, future beloved Ozu regular Setsuko Hara gives an astonishing performance as Yukie, the only female protagonist in Kurosawa's body of work and one of his strongest heroes. Transforming herself from genteel bourgeois daughter to independent social activist, Yukie traverses a tumultuous decade in Japanese history.
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Japanese, English subtitles, social activism, based on the 1933 Takigawa incident
2,520
2.5K
Jul 8, 2020
07/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 2,520
favorite 46
comment 1
In a Japanese slum, various residents play out their lives, dreaming of better things or settling for their lot. Among them is a man who pines for a young woman but is stymied by her deceptive family.
favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Japanese, English subtitles, post WWII
5,426
5.4K
Oct 26, 2020
10/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 5,426
favorite 67
comment 2
Toshiro Mifune is unforgettable as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a cold-blooded kidnapper in High and Low ( Tengoku to jigoku ), the highly influential domestic drama and police procedural from director Akira Kurosawa. Adapting Ed McBain's detective novel King's Ransom, Kurosawa moves effortlessly from compelling race-against-time thriller to exacting social commentary, creating a diabolical treatise on contemporary Japanese society.
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, English subtitles, crime drama, black and white HD digital remaster
4,129
4.1K
Jul 10, 2020
07/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 4,129
favorite 65
comment 1
A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop and criminal’s lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami’s own dark side. Starring Toshiro Mifune as the rookie cop and Takashi Shimura as the seasoned detective who...
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Japanese, English subtitles, postwar Japan, crime drama
9,031
9.0K
Jun 16, 2020
06/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 9,031
favorite 117
comment 1
A young executive hunts down his father’s killer in director Akira Kurosawa’s scathing The Bad Sleep Well. Continuing his legendary collaboration with actor Toshiro Mifune, Kurosawa combines elements of Hamlet and American film noir to chilling effect in exposing the corrupt boardrooms of postwar corporate Japan.
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Japanese, English subtitles, postwar Japan, corporate corruption, Hamlet, Japanese,...
2,994
3.0K
Dec 8, 2020
12/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 2,994
favorite 36
comment 0
The fourth film from Akira Kurosawa is based on a legendary twelfth-century incident in which the lord Yoshitsune and a group of samurai retainers dressed as monks in order to pass through a dangerous enemy checkpoint. The story was dramatized for centuries in Noh and kabuki theater, and here it becomes one of the director’s most riveting early films.
Topics: 12th century Japan, samurai, drama
1,803
1.8K
Dec 16, 2020
12/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 1,803
favorite 35
comment 1
A handsome, suave Toshiro Mifune lights up the screen as painter Ichiro, whose circumstantial meeting with a famous singer (Yoshiko Yamaguchi) is twisted by the tabloid press into a torrid affair. Ichiro files a lawsuit against the seedy gossip magazine, but his lawyer, Hiruta (Kurosawa stalwart Takashi Shimura), is playing both sides. A portrait of cultural moral decline, Scandal is also a compelling courtroom drama and a moving tale of human redemption.
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, courtroom drama, English-subtitles
9,560
9.6K
Dec 6, 2020
12/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 9,560
favorite 117
comment 1
When a warlord dies, a peasant thief is called upon to impersonate him, and then finds himself haunted by the warlord’s spirit as well as his own ambitions. In his late color masterpiece Kagemusha, Akira Kurosawa returns to the samurai film and to a primary theme of his career—the play between illusion and reality. Sumptuously reconstructing the splendor of feudal Japan and the pageantry of war, Kurosawa creates a historical epic that is also a meditation on the nature of power.
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, samurai, feudal Japan, English subtitles
5,091
5.1K
Dec 16, 2020
12/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 5,091
favorite 91
comment 1
Unfolding in a series of eight mythic vignettes, this late work by Akira Kurosawa was inspired by the beloved director’s own nighttime visions, along with stories from Japanese folklore. In a visually sumptuous journey through the master’s imagination, tales of childlike wonder give way to apocalyptic apparitions: a young boy stumbles on a fox wedding in a forest; a soldier confronts the ghosts of the war dead; a power plant meltdown smothers a seaside landscape in radioactive fumes....
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Japanese folklore, Vincent van Gogh, Martin Scorsese, English-subtitles
2,781
2.8K
Jul 9, 2020
07/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 2,781
favorite 48
comment 1
This affectionate paean to young love is also a frank examination by Akira Kurosawa of the harsh realities of postwar Japan. During a Sunday trip into war-ravaged Tokyo, Yuzo and Masako look for work and lodging, as well as affordable entertainments to pass the time. Reminiscent of Frank Capra’s social-realist comedies and echoing contemporaneous Italian neorealism, One Wonderful Sunday touchingly offers a sliver of hope in dark times.
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Japanese, English subtitles, postwar Japan
5,038
5.0K
Dec 26, 2020
12/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 5,038
favorite 81
comment 1
Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Akira Kurosawa's tightly paced, beautifully composed Sanjuro. In this sly companion piece to Yojimbo, jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a "proper" samurai on its ear. Less brazen in tone than its predecessor but equally entertaining, this classic character's return is a masterpiece in its own right.
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, comedy, drama, English-subtitles
3,337
3.3K
Nov 29, 2020
11/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 3,337
favorite 36
comment 0
Kurosawa’s effortless debut is based on a novel by Tsuneo Tomita about the rivalry between judo and jujitsu. Starring Susumu Fujita as the title character, Sanshiro Sugata is a thrilling martial arts action tale, but it’s also a moving story of moral education that’s quintessential Kurosawa.
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, English subtitles, martial arts, judo, jujitsu
3,405
3.4K
Dec 26, 2020
12/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 3,405
favorite 73
comment 2
A testament to the goodness of humankind, Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard ( Akahige ) chronicles the tumultuous relationship between an arrogant young doctor and a compassionate clinic director. Toshiro Mifune, in his last role for Kurosawa, gives a powerhouse performance as the dignified yet empathic director who guides his pupil to maturity, teaching the embittered intern to appreciate the lives of his destitute patients. Perfectly capturing the look and feel of 19th-century Japan, Kurosawa...
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, 19th century Japan, Akahige, Jidaigeki, drama, English-subtitles
6,644
6.6K
Dec 24, 2020
12/20
by
Akira Kurosawa
movies
eye 6,644
favorite 104
comment 0
A vivid, visceral Macbeth adaptation, Throne of Blood, directed by Akira Kurosawa, sets Shakespeare’s definitive tale of ambition and duplicity in a ghostly, fog-enshrouded landscape in feudal Japan. As a hardened warrior who rises savagely to power, Toshiro Mifune gives a remarkable, animalistic performance, as does Isuzu Yamada as his ruthless wife. Throne of Blood fuses classical Western tragedy with formal elements taken from Noh theater to create an unforgettable cinematic...
Topics: Akira Kurosawa, Macbeth, Shakespeare, feudal Japan, English-subtitles
372
372
Jun 16, 2020
06/20
by
Bally Midway, SEGA
movies
eye 372
favorite 0
comment 0
1,922
1.9K
Feb 11, 2021
02/21
by
Buichi Saito
movies
eye 1,922
favorite 32
comment 0
In this distinctly lowbrow entry in the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Itto Ogami is hired by the Owari clan to assassinate a tattooed woman who is killing her enemies and cutting off their topknots. Meanwhile, Daigoro is separated from his father when he follows a pair of traveling street performers outside of town.
Topics: Buichi Saito, chanbara, Jidaigeki, yakuza, film series 4 of 6, drama, graphic violence,...
451
451
Jan 1, 2021
01/21
by
Daniel Raim
movies
eye 451
favorite 5
comment 0
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Daniel Raim took a pilgrimage to Japan to get his own firsthand look at some of these iconic items, among them the bright-red teakettle and the patterned teacups that accent the household of Equinox Flower (1958). The archival treasures on display in Raim’s film, a tribute to Ozu that pays special attention to his vibrant color films, also include artifacts from his sets: the white cotton hat he often wore, the tripod he used to compose his famous low-angle...
Topics: Documentary, Yasujiro Ozu, English-subtitles
797
797
Nov 1, 2020
11/20
by
FUNKY HORROR BAND
movies
eye 797
favorite 11
comment 0
LaserDisc release containing light backstory and music videos. Acts as a companion piece to a story book of the same name. Funky Horror Band – Searching For Atlantis label: Invitation – VILL-4 format: Laserdisc , 12 ", Stereo Country: Japan Released: 1990 Genre: Electronic , Pop style: J-pop , Synth-pop recorded music 1 Poseidon 2 Joy ~ Soul Magic ~ 3 Gimme Little Love Four Mam, Don't You Cry Five Looking for Atlantis
Topic: Funky Horror Band
1,072
1.1K
Feb 28, 2021
02/21
by
Hajime Sato
movies
eye 1,072
favorite 23
comment 0
After an airplane is forced to crash-land in a remote area, its passengers find themselves face-to-face with an alien force that wants to possess them body and soul—and perhaps take over the entire human race. Filled with creatively repulsive effects—including a very invasive bloblike life-form—Hajime Sato’s Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell is a pulpy, apocalyptic gross-out.
Topics: Hajime Sato, horror, Shochiku, aliens, English-subtitles
457
457
Dec 2, 2020
12/20
by
Hakusan Kimura; Tomu Uchida; Hidehiko Okuda
movies
eye 457
favorite 8
comment 0
1,498
1.5K
Apr 2, 2021
04/21
by
Haruki Kadokawa
movies
eye 1,498
favorite 22
comment 1
In 16th century Japan, two samurai engage in massive battles across the countryside; one attempting to conquer and the other attempting to defend his land while repressing his love for a woman after taking a vow of celibacy.
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Haruki Kadokawa, chanbara, jidaigeki, drama, romance, English-subtitles, Ten to Chi to
11,576
12K
Jan 15, 2022
01/22
by
Hideki Takayama
movies
eye 11,576
favorite 29
comment 1
ORIGINAL JAPANESE TITLE: Chôjin densetsu Urotsukidôji NO SUBS AS OF NOW! THIS ANIMATION IS NOT CHILDREN! FOR ADULTS ONLY! 18+ DISCLAIMER: THIS MOVIE AND ANIME SERIES IS A HENTAI! THIS MOVIE WAS THE FIRST ANIME TO BE GIVEN AN NC-17 RATING BY THE MPAA WARNING: THIS FILM CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, GRAPHIC SEXUAL VIOLENCE, GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE, DISTURBING IMAGERY, DISTURBING THEMES AND DISTURBING CONTENT! VIEWER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED! PLOT: The relative...
favoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: nc-17, adults only, 18+, action, hentai, animation, sci fi, horror, supernatural, fantasy, anime,...
1,164
1.2K
Mar 21, 2021
03/21
by
Hideo Gosha
movies
eye 1,164
favorite 26
comment 1
Legendary swordplay filmmaker Hideo Gosha's Sword of the Beast chronicles the flight of the low-level swordsman Gennosuke, who kills one of his ministers as part of a reform plot. His former comrades then turn on him, and this betrayal so shakes his sense of honor that he decides to live in the wild, like an animal. There he joins up with a motley group who are illegally mining the shogun’s gold, and, with the aid of another swordsman, gets a chance not just at survival but to recover his...
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Hideo Gosha, chanbara, Jidaigeki, drama, English-subtitles
1,632
1.6K
Dec 20, 2020
12/20
by
Hiroshi Inagaki
movies
eye 1,632
favorite 33
comment 0
In the first part of the epic Samurai Trilogy, Toshiro Mifune thunders onto the screen as the iconic title character. When we meet him, Miyamoto is a wide-eyed romantic, dreaming of military glory in the civil war that is ravaging the seventeenth-century countryside. Twists of fate, however, turn him into a fugitive. But he is saved by a woman who loves him and a cunning priest who guides him to the samurai path. Though the opening installment of a series, this film, lushly photographed in...
Topics: Hiroshi Inagaki, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, Academy Award, Best-Foreign Language Film 1955
1,463
1.5K
Dec 21, 2020
12/20
by
Hiroshi Inagaki
movies
eye 1,463
favorite 27
comment 0
Toshiro Mifune furiously embodies swordsman Musashi Miyamoto as he comes into his own in the action-packed middle section of the Samurai Trilogy. Duel at Ichijoji Temple furthers Miyamoto along his path to spiritual enlightenment, as well as further from the arms of the two women who love him: loyal Otsu (Kaoru Yachigusa) and conniving yet tragic Akemi (Mariko Okada). The film also brings him face to face with hordes of rivals intent on cutting him down, especially his legendary rival...
Topics: Hiroshi Inagaki, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, Samurai Trilogy, English-subtitles
1,334
1.3K
Dec 21, 2020
12/20
by
Hiroshi Inagaki
movies
eye 1,334
favorite 25
comment 0
A disillusioned Musashi Miyamoto (Toshiro Mifune) has turned his back on the samurai life, becoming a farmer in a remote village, while his nemesis Kojiro (Koji Tsuruta) now works for the shogun. Circumstances bring them back together for one final face-off. Though it’s marked by a memorably intense final battle sequence, the rousing conclusion to the Samurai Trilogy is engaged with matters of the heart as well, as Miyamoto must ask himself what it is that makes a warrior and a man.
Topics: Hiroshi Inagaki, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, Samurai Trilogy, English-subtitles
804
804
Feb 28, 2021
02/21
by
Hiroshi Matsuno
movies
eye 804
favorite 16
comment 0
In this atmospheric tale of revenge from beyond the watery grave, a pirate-ransacked freighter’s violent past comes back to haunt a young woman living in a seaside town. Mixing elements of kaidan (ghost stories), doppelgänger thrillers, and mad-scientist movies, Hiroshi Matsuno’s The Living Skeleton is a wild and eerie work, with beautiful widescreen, black-and-white cinematography.
Topics: Hiroshi Matsuno, horror, Shochiku, kaidan, mad-scientist, doppelgänger, English-subtitles
2,543
2.5K
Oct 12, 2021
10/21
by
Ichiro Itano
movies
eye 2,543
favorite 33
comment 0
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, DEPICTIONS OF TORTURE AND BRIEF NUDITY NOT FOR CHILDREN! DISCRETION: THIS SERIES IS ANTI SEMITIC! I DO NOT CONDONE ANTI SEMITISM, I DO NOT CONDONE NATIONALISM AND THE VIDEO DOES NOT REFLECT MY VIEWS! TAKE THIS AS A LESSON AS TO WHY IT'S NOT OK TO MAKE CONTENT LIKE THIS AND WHY THIS TYPE OF MEDIA IS HARMFUL! PLOT: An elite anti-terrorist agent battles terrorists threatening Japan, but a mysterious third player is involved in their own way. EPISODE 1 SPECIAL SECURITY...
Topics: 1980s, 1990s, 1989, 1990, 1994, anime, OVA, animation, Japan, japanese cinema, japanese film,...
963
963
Mar 22, 2021
03/21
by
Kaneto Shindo
movies
eye 963
favorite 14
comment 0
Director Kaneto Shindo’s documentary-like, dialogue-free portrayal of daily struggle is a work of stunning visual beauty and invention. The international breakthrough for one of Japan’s most innovative filmmakers—who went on to make other unique masterworks such as Onibaba and Kuroneko — The Naked Island follows a family whose home is on a tiny, remote island in the Japanese archipelago. They must row a great distance to another shore, collect water from a well in buckets, and...
Topics: Kaneto Shindo, Hikaru Hayashi, documentary-like, dialogue-free, English-subtitles
2,522
2.5K
Feb 24, 2021
02/21
by
Kaneto Shindo
movies
eye 2,522
favorite 43
comment 0
In this poetic and atmospheric horror fable, set in a village in war-torn medieval Japan, a malevolent spirit has been ripping out the throats of itinerant samurai. When a military hero is sent to dispatch the unseen force, he finds that he must struggle with his own personal demons as well. From Kaneto Shindo, director of the terror classic Onibaba, Kuroneko (Black Cat) is a spectacularly eerie twilight tale with a shocking feminist angle, evoked through ghostly special effects and...
Topics: Kaneto Shindo, horror fable, jidaigeki, Black Cat, English-subtitles
761
761
Feb 28, 2021
02/21
by
Kazui Nihonmatsu
movies
eye 761
favorite 13
comment 0
The insects are taking over in this nasty piece of disaster horror directed by Kazui Nihonmatsu. A group of military personnel transporting a hydrogen bomb are left to figure out how and why swarms of killer bugs took down their plane; the answer is more deliriously nihilistic—and convoluted—than you could imagine. Also known as War of the Insects, Genocide enacts a cracked doomsday scenario like no other.
Topics: Kazui Nihonmatsu, War of the Insects, horror, Shochiku, English-subtitles
1,411
1.4K
Feb 28, 2021
02/21
by
Kazui Nihonmatsu
movies
eye 1,411
favorite 28
comment 0
When a crew of scientists returns from Mars with a sample of the space spores that contaminated their ship, they inadvertently bring about a nightmarish earth invasion. After one of the spores is analyzed in a lab, it escapes, eventually growing into an enormous, rampaging beaked beast. An intergalactic monster movie from longtime Shochiku stable director Kazui Nihonmatsu, The X from Outer Space was the first in the studio’s short but memorable cycle of horror pictures.
Topics: Kazui Nihonmatsu, horror, Shochiku, Mars, spores, English-subtitles
1,223
1.2K
Jan 19, 2021
01/21
by
Kazuo Ikehiro
movies
eye 1,223
favorite 15
comment 0
After arriving in a small village, Zatoichi finds himself accused of stealing the citizens’ hefty tax payments. To clear his name, he must face off against a corrupt official, a succession of hired blades, and a bullwhip-wielding titan, played by star Shintaro Katsu’s brother Tomisaburo Wakayama. This sixth installment of the increasingly popular and prestigious Zatoichi series features ravishing visuals by Rashomon cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa.
Topics: Kazuo Ikehiro, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, Yakuza, film series 6 of 25, drama, English-subtitles
1,323
1.3K
Jan 24, 2021
01/21
by
Kazuo Ikehiro
movies
eye 1,323
favorite 14
comment 0
Troubled by his violent past, Zatoichi begins a journey to a series of shrines for a dose of cleansing spirituality. But as always, trouble isn’t far behind, and the blind swordsman soon finds himself defending a widow from the self-interest of ruthless thugs and despicable townsfolk. Written by Kaneto Shindo ( Onibaba ), this fourteenth Zatoichi is a scathing attack on the upper classes and those who wield power, both in the criminal underworld and everyday society.
Topics: Kazuo Ikehiro, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, Yakuza, drama, film series 14 of 25, English-subtitles
1,689
1.7K
Jan 20, 2021
01/21
by
Kazuo Ikehiro
movies
eye 1,689
favorite 16
comment 0
The blind swordsman is shot and nursed back to health by kind strangers. He soon discovers that his saviors are caught between sparring crime lords; bound by honor, Zatoichi stays to ensure their safety. Along the way, we learn more about the origins of Zatoichi’s amazing abilities, and get to see them in action in a stunning underwater duel and a nighttime clash set against fireworks.
Topics: Kazuo Ikehiro, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, Yakuza, drama, film series 7 of 25, English-subtitles
347
347
Dec 31, 2020
12/20
by
Kazuo Inoue
movies
eye 347
favorite 1
comment 0
The movie is a mixture of interviews with people who worked with Ozu and clips from Ozu's movies. One actor interviewed was Chishû Ryû, who appeared in 52 of Ozu's 54 films.
Topics: Documentary, biography, Yasujiro Ozu, English-subtitles
1,313
1.3K
Jan 22, 2021
01/21
by
Kazuo Mori
movies
eye 1,313
favorite 13
comment 0
An elderly prisoner accused of murder begs Zatoichi to find evidence of his innocence. The blind swordsman, for the first time, chooses not to help, but fate has other plans for him. Director Issei Mori, who played a significant role in getting Shintaro Katsu cast as Zatoichi in the first place, shows his filmmaking flair, delivering bloody battles and raucous humor while mischievously upending narrative expectations.
Topics: Kazuo Mori, Chanabar, Jidaigeki, comedy, drama, film series 11 of 25, English-subtitles
1,628
1.6K
Feb 2, 2021
02/21
by
Kazuo Mori
movies
eye 1,628
favorite 13
comment 1
Zatoichi comes across a pregnant woman dying from sword wounds and helps deliver her baby. Her final request to him: take the boy to see his father. From here, the film evolves into one of the wilder rides in the Zatoichi series, including such quirky touches as a mysterious child who follows Ichi and pelts him with rocks, monkey performances, and an unexpectedly hilarious take on the ronin challenger.
favoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Kazuo Mori, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, drama, comedy, film series 23 of 25, English-subtitles
1,318
1.3K
Jan 17, 2021
01/21
by
Kazuo Mori
movies
eye 1,318
favorite 17
comment 0
The Tale of Zatoichi proved so popular that a follow-up went into production the same year. Here, Zatoichi is hired to give a massage to a powerful political official who, he discovers, is mentally ill—a secret that the nobleman’s retinue is determined to keep at any cost. This second Zatoichi film picks up the pace, featuring bigger action sequences, tighter plotting, and a mysterious one-armed swordsman played by star Shintaro Katsu’s brother Tomisaburo Wakayama ( Lone Wolf and Cub ).
Topics: Kazuo Mori, chanbara, jidaigeki, Film series 2 of 25, English-subtitles
407
407
Mar 18, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 407
favorite 9
comment 0
A middle-aged man's family loses patience with him as he struggles with his seemingly directionless life.
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, drama, English-subtitles
487
487
Mar 21, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 487
favorite 8
comment 0
The Good Fairy is an early 1950's Japanese movie that looks at journalism and marriage. The plot is about a young reporter who is assigned by his editor the story of a wife who has left her government official husband. This assignment ends up changing both of their lives significantly.
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, drama, romance, English-subtitles
462
462
Mar 2, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 462
favorite 16
comment 0
The sweet but naive denizens of a charming port town are hoodwinked by a couple of con men at the outset of World War II. But the hustlers’ plan backfires when they come down with severe cases of conscience. Keisuke Kinoshita’s directorial debut is a breezy, warmhearted, and often very funny crowd-pleaser that’s a testament to the filmmaker’s faith in people.
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, drama, comedy, World War II, English-subtitles
451
451
Mar 19, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 451
favorite 9
comment 0
A young wife loses patience with her career-minded husband and returns to her parents' home while an unpaid mortgage force the couple to rent their home for the summer.
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, drama, English-subtitles
468
468
Mar 1, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 468
favorite 8
comment 0
As World War II escalates, the tight-knit inhabitants of a street in Tokyo must relocate from their homes so the government can use the space. Kinoshita’s sensitive film—beautifully and resourcefully shot—traces the fears and desires of the evacuees.
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, World War II, drama, English-subtitles
1,397
1.4K
Feb 22, 2021
02/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 1,397
favorite 23
comment 0
This haunting, kabuki-inflected version of a Japanese folk legend is set in a remote mountain village where food is scarce and tradition dictates that citizens who have reached their seventieth year must be carried to the summit of Mount Narayama and left there to die. The sacrificial elder at the center of the tale is Orin (Kinuyo Tanaka), a dignified and dutiful woman who spends her dwindling days securing the happiness of her loyal widowed son with a respectable new wife. Filmed almost...
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, kabuki-inflected, folk legend, drama, Japan's cinematic golden age,...
2,259
2.3K
Mar 19, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 2,259
favorite 19
comment 1
Toshiko (Mitsuko Mito) joins her criminal lover at a beach resort, where he tries to convince her to run away with him. With expressive technique and picturesque on-location shooting, director Keisuke Kinoshita stylishly captures a woman's struggle to free herself from her past.
favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, drama, Japanese noir, yakuza, English-subtitles
460
460
Mar 2, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 460
favorite 11
comment 0
Kinoshita’s first film after the end of World War II is a wrenching, superbly wrought tale about a liberal-minded Japanese family torn apart by war and imperialist politics. Morning for the Osone Family is both palpably bitter about the nation’s fresh wartime wounds and inspiringly hopeful about a democratic tomorrow.
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, World War II, drama, English-subtitles
506
506
Mar 21, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 506
favorite 11
comment 0
Somewhat reminiscent of Kinoshita's most famous film, Twenty-Four Eyes, in that its story takes place in two time periods, before the war and after it. A war widow, Kinuyo Tanaka (who starred in Ugetsu, Red Beard and Equinox Flower, among others), reminisces about her short courtship with her soldier husband (Keiji Sada, who also starred in several Ozu films, as well as The Human Condition).
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, drama, romance, pre-WWII, post WWII, English-subtitles
481
481
Mar 2, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 481
favorite 10
comment 0
A superstitious farming family is hesitant to use its fields to grow crops to help feed the nation’s troops. Keisuke Kinoshita’s rural drama was made to promote the war effort, but his story branches off in many directions, including one subplot about the family’s heirloom samurai sword and another about a blossoming young romance.
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, World War II, drama, romance, English-subtitles
473
473
Mar 21, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 473
favorite 12
comment 0
An elderly sweet potato vendor collapses in the home of a self-absorbed wealthy family. He must be allowed to remain there while he recovers, and a screwball comedy of manners ensues. A host of family and visitors comes and goes, disrupting hopes of the greedy patriarch for peace and quiet, and subplots swirl. Movie fans will recognize elements of It Happened on Fifth Avenue, The Man Who Came To Dinner, and Boudu Saved From Drowning.
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, comedy, It Happened on Fifth Avenue, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Boudu Saved...
531
531
Jan 5, 2021
01/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 531
favorite 14
comment 0
A doctor who was widowed during the bombing of Nagasaki decides to write his memoirs before he succumbs to radiation sickness.
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, WWII, atomic bombing, drama, English-subtitles
732
732
Mar 1, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 732
favorite 14
comment 0
Kinoshita’s ambitious and intensely moving film begins as a multigenerational epic about the military legacy of one Japanese family, before settling into an emotionally complex portrayal of parental love during wartime. As the mother and father of a boy shipped off to battle, Kinuyo Tanaka and Chishu Ryu locate profound depths of feeling that transcend ideology.
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, World War II, drama, English-subtitles
460
460
Mar 19, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 460
favorite 14
comment 0
First love is often hot and heavy, but short-lived. A woman endures the hardships of an abusive husband for too long, and when an old lover returns she begins to fan that flame. As things heat up between these childhood sweethearts, her family expresses their disapproval. Energized by the warmth of her former beau she considers setting her current relationship ablaze.
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, drama, romance, English-subtitles
375
375
Mar 19, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 375
favorite 7
comment 0
A man whose son has been murdered pushes to create laws to financially protect victims' families
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, drama, English-subtitles
513
513
Mar 22, 2021
03/21
by
Keisuke Kinoshita
movies
eye 513
favorite 15
comment 0
Keisuke Kinoshita’s Twenty-Four Eyes ( Nijushi no hitomi ) is an elegant, emotional chronicle of a teacher’s unwavering commitment to her students, her profession, and her sense of morality. Set in a remote, rural island community and spanning decades of Japanese history, from 1928 through World War II and beyond, Kinoshita’s film takes a simultaneously sober and sentimental look at the epic themes of aging, war, and death, all from the lovingly intimate perspective of Hisako Oshi...
Topics: Keisuke Kinoshita, pre-WWII, post WWII, Nijushi no hitomi, English-subtitles
1,450
1.5K
Jan 28, 2021
01/21
by
Kenji Misumi
movies
eye 1,450
favorite 17
comment 0
Hired by a yakuza boss to eliminate an accused debtor, Zatoichi fulfills his task, only to witness the victim’s sister paying the owed amount minutes later. When the crime lord tries to possess the woman along with the cash, the blind swordsman wrestles with the injustice he has caused, and vows to protect the young lady at all costs.
Topics: Kenji Misumi, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, Yakuza, drama, film series 19 of 25, English-subtitles
2,665
2.7K
Jan 17, 2021
01/21
by
Kenji Misumi
movies
eye 2,665
favorite 45
comment 2
The epic saga of Zatoichi begins. As tensions mount between rival yakuza clans, one boss hires a formidable but ailing ronin as his clan’s muscle—while the other employs a humble, moral blind masseur named Ichi. With its lightning-fast swordplay, sleight-of-hand dice games, and codes of honor upheld and betrayed, this first chapter sets the stage for all the Zatoichi adventures to come. And Shintaro Katsu brings author Kan Shimozawa’s blind swordsman to vivid life, making the character...
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )
Topics: Kenji Misumi, chanbara, jidaigeki, yakuza, Film series 1 of 25, drama, comedy, English-subtitles
1,754
1.8K
Jan 29, 2021
01/21
by
Kenji Misumi
movies
eye 1,754
favorite 19
comment 0
Cowritten by star Shintaro Katsu, this adventure pits Zatoichi against one of his most diabolical foes: a blind yakuza boss whose reign of terror and exploitation has made him nearly mythic. Guest starring the legendary Tatsuya Nakadai as a ronin haunted by a traumatic past, and featuring an unforgettable nude swordfight in a bathhouse, this twenty-first entry in the series is a fan favorite.
Topics: Kenji Misumi, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, Yakuza, drama, film series 21 of 25, English-subtitles
1,903
1.9K
Feb 4, 2021
02/21
by
Kenji Misumi
movies
eye 1,903
favorite 41
comment 0
In this exploitation-cinema classic, which took the action and graphic violence of the Lone Wolf and Cub series to delirious new heights, Itto Ogami and Daigoro continue their quest for vengeance through meifumado, the spiritual way of “demons and damnation,” pursued constantly by the Shadow Yagyu clan and the shogun’s spies.
Topics: Kenji Misumi, chanbara, jidaigeki, film series 2 of 6, English-subtitles, exploitation-cinema,...
1,204
1.2K
Jan 19, 2021
01/21
by
Kenji Misumi
movies
eye 1,204
favorite 16
comment 0
While on the road, Zatoichi befriends a young mother right before she is savagely murdered. Promising her that he will hand over her baby to its father, the blind masseur embarks on an adventure both sentimental and beset by perilous action. This eighth Zatoichi feature is an excellent showcase for star Shintaro Katsu, who evinces an extraordinary physical and emotional range as the blind swordsman, here father, mother, husband, and reluctant killer all at once.
Topics: Kenji Misumi, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, drama, film series 8 of 25, English-subtitles
3,424
3.4K
Feb 4, 2021
02/21
by
Kenji Misumi
movies
eye 3,424
favorite 43
comment 0
The inaugural film in the Lone Wolf and Cub series immediately thrust Itto Ogami into the ranks of the all-time great samurai movie icons. In this installment, the Shadow Yagyu clan plots to solidify its power by taking Ogami’s coveted position of shogun’s executioner for its own. The legendary assassin escapes with his infant son, Daigoro, and swears vengeance.
Topics: Kenji Misumi, chanbara, jidaigeki, exploitation-cinema, graphic violence, film series 1 of 6,...
1,205
1.2K
Jan 21, 2021
01/21
by
Kenji Misumi
movies
eye 1,205
favorite 17
comment 0
Kenji Misumi, who directed the first installment of the Zatoichi series, returns with this tale in which the blind swordsman once again finds himself the protector of a child: a little girl pursued by both devious family members and bloodthirsty ruffians. Further complicating his journey is a new acquaintance—a tremendously skilled chess player (the charismatic Mikio Narita) who has mysterious motivations and a dark past.
Topics: Kenji Misumi, Chanbara, Jidaigeki, drama, comedy, film series 12 of 25, English-subtitles
1,555
1.6K
Feb 12, 2021
02/21
by
Kenji Misumi
movies
eye 1,555
favorite 29
comment 0
Balancing physical action with Buddhist musings on life and death, the most spiritual of the Lone Wolf and Cub films finds Ogami’s combat skills put to the test by five different warrior-messengers.
Topics: Kenji Misumi, chanbara, Jidaigeki, graphic violence, exploitation cinema, films series 5 of 6,...
1,961
2.0K
Feb 19, 2021
02/21
by
Kenji Misumi
movies
eye 1,961
favorite 33
comment 0
Unfolding in an idyllic countryside that contrasts sharply with the violence that occurs within it, the third Lone Wolf and Cub film follows Itto Ogami and Daigoro as they continue their journey and stumble upon a crime scene involving a group of lowlife swordsmen from the watari-kashi class.
Topics: Kenji Misumi, chanbara, Jidaigeki, exploitation cinema, graphic violence, film series 3 of 6,...
2,058
2.1K
Feb 23, 2021
02/21
by
Kenji Mizoguchi
movies
eye 2,058
favorite 43
comment 0
By the time he made Ugetsu, Kenji Mizoguchi was already an elder statesman of Japanese cinema, fiercely revered by Akira Kurosawa and other directors of a younger generation. And with this exquisite ghost story, a fatalistic wartime tragedy derived from stories by Akinari Ueda and Guy de Maupassant, he created a touchstone of his art, his long takes and sweeping camera guiding the viewer through a delirious narrative about two villagers whose pursuit of fame and fortune leads them far...
Topics: Kenji Mizoguchi, chanbara, jidaigeki, drama, English-subtitles, Akinari Ueda, Guy de Maupassant, 50...
1,068
1.1K
Mar 7, 2021
03/21
by
Kenji Mizoguchi
movies
eye 1,068
favorite 26
comment 0
After World War II, Mizoguchi was inspired by Italian neorealism to make one of the most emotionally and visually raw films of his career. Filmed on location in Osaka, Women of the Night concerns two sisters—Fusako, a war widow, and Natsuko, having an affair with a narcotics smuggler—who along with their younger friend Kumiko descend into prostitution and moral chaos amid the postwar devastation surrounding them.
Topics: Kenji Mizoguchi, Italian neorealism, drama, English-subtitles
