Tagged with Japanese film

The 50 Best Movies of the 1940s

The 50 Best Movies of the 1940s

What’s that, you say? A list? Honestly, I kinda wish we’d been able to keep this sucker to 40 for synchronicity’s sake, but the 40s were a fertile period in cinema all over the world, in particular Japan, Italy, and America, so we had to bump the number out by 10. There are worse things.  Anyways: … Continue reading

Review: Zatoichi, 2003, dir. Takeshi Kitano

Review: Zatoichi, 2003, dir. Takeshi Kitano

To describe Japan’s Takeshi Kitano (or Beat Takesi) as anything other than “versatile” is outright unthinkable. While frequently known and celebrated for his forays into crime dramas with a series of films involving cops and yakuza to his credit– Brother, Sonatine, Hana-bi, Violent Cop— Kitano has displayed an unwillingness to be pigeonholed as a participant … Continue reading

Sukiyaki Western Django, 2007, dir. Takashi Miike

Japan’s most recognizable modern symbol of cinematic controversy, Takashi Miike, is a hard man to nail down. Since 1991, he has directed a staggering number of films (totaling in the 70’s at this point), and while there are common threads between most of his movies*, one would be hard-pressed to successfully argue that he sticks … Continue reading