Arrow USA has released it's second Yakuza film, Yasuharu Hasebe's Retaliation with Jô Shishido and Meiko Kaji.
It's a pretty decent gangster film. Look for Meiko Kaji acting under a different name. http://www.doblu.com/2015/05/07/retaliation-blu-ray-review/
My Japanese movie experiences so far are - seven samurai. Awesome - ikiru. Liked it, not looking to buy it - Tokyo story. I found it interesting on paper, a slow drag to watch. Yes I know it's supposed to be an all time cinema great High and Low just arrived from Netflix today.
If you didn't like Tokyo Story, stay away from Ozu's films. Most are slow family dramas. If you enjoyed Seven Samurai, Kurosawa's Sanjuro and Yojimbo might be to your liking. Ran is a visual treat along with great tale.
That's the plan, more Kurosawa. Netflix queue is stacked, trying not to go crazy on a Criterion buying spree. Only saw Seven Samurai last month. I definitely appreciated Tokyo Story and why it's considered great, but it wasn't my thing.
Lets us know your likes & dislikes as you do your viewing. Others may make suggestions based on your taste.
Toshiya Fujita's "Shurayukihime" a.k.a "Lady Snowblood" (1973) and "Shura-yuki-hime: Urami Renga" a.k.a "Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance" 1974) staring Meiko Kaji
The Ballad of Narayama Winner of Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress Kinema Junpo Awards 1958 Keisuke Kinoshita Winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival 1983 Shôhei Imamura
I felt the same way about Tokyo Story but I can watch Floating Weeds and Autumn Afternoon without any problem at all. Autumn Afternoon is probably the easiest one to start with. If that is tedious to see, then definitely the rest will drag too.
