I recently picked up the Kiju Yoshida Love + Anarchism box set from Arrow Academy. Eros + Massacre is an interesting film. Like Jean-Luc Godard transposed to the late-Sixties Japanese New Wave. Also very happy to report that I finally own a copy of the rare Masters of Cinema Naruse Volume One DVD box set.
Have that on the "to watch" list. Looks very strange (in a good Miike strange way). Recently saw Yakuza Apocalypse which although I cannot recommend it as a "good" film I did enjoy the crazy incomprehensible weirdness about most of it.
He really is. I have the BFI and MoC box sets, and love all the titles therein. I'm desperate to see more, but it's hard to find legit, English-subtitled editions of his films. Such a shame his stuff doesn't sell well in the West. My next move will be the Eclipse Silent Naruse box set.
Kurosawa's 'Redbeard' is terrific as well (if no one has mentioned it yet) 'Battle Royale' the original (and far superior) 'Hunger Game'
Two fascinating Japanese films by non-Japanese directors: Like Someone In Love by the Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami Cafe Lumiere by the Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien Both are more or less overt homages to Ozu but bring a palpably different and illuminating perspective to Japanese culture.
Nice to see Mizoguchi's The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums getting some attention in the press this week: http://www.theguardian.com/film/201...rysanthemums-review-slow-burning-storytelling
As an amateur Go player (though, sadly, not a very good one), I am interested in films using Go as part of the plot. I recently watched Tokyo Newcomer (see link below), and enjoyed it quite a bit. Any recommendations for similar Japanese movies using Go as part of the plot or setting? Thanks, zbase http://asianwiki.com/Tokyo_Newcomer
If Janus did the restoration, then we should see a repertory release of some sort in the US, and presumably a Criterion Blu-ray at some point, which would be very good news. That last comment in the Guardian piece is quite entertaining, as well!
Just an overwrought attempt at making a bad pun. The Guardian's comments section can be amusing, and sometimes even enlightening, but I found that particular post to be neither. I have The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums as part of the Artificial Eye BD box set, but any new restoration, or home video release, of Mizoguchi's work is always welcome.
I've had my eye on this for a while. Finally caved and ordered it from the Arrow store this morning. I used some reward points then gained double points on the remaining cash amount paid. Gotta love Arrow sales.