The Flowers of War (2011)

AKA:
Jin ling shi san chai >> Original

Synopsis:
In 1937 China, during the second Sino-Japanese war, a mortician, John (Christian Bale) arrives at a Catholic church in Nanjing to prepare a priest for burial. Upon arrival he finds himself the lone adult among a group of convent girl students and prostitutes from a nearby brothel. When he finds himself in the unwanted position of protector of both groups from the horrors of the invading Japanese army, he discovers the meaning of sacrifice and honor.

Starring:
Christian Bale
Ni Ni
Xinyi Zhang

Director: Yimou Zhang

Nanjing! Nanjing! (2009)

AKA:
Nanking
City of Life and Death

Synopsis:
In 1937, Japan occupied Nanjing, the Chinese capital. There was a battle and subsequent atrocities against the inhabitants, especially those who took refuge in the International Security Zone.

Starring:
Ye Liu
Wei Fan
Hideo Nakaizumi

Director: Chuan Lu

Nanjing 1937 (1995)

Synopsis:
In December 1937, during the Second Japanese-Sino War, a Chinese doctor, his Japanese pregnant wife, their teenage daughter and their young son travel from Shanghai to Nanjing seeking shelter in the Capital during the Japanese invasion. The family faces the Rape of Nanking by the Imperial Japanese Army, with rapes, mass murder of prisoners of war and civilians including women, children and elders, and disrespect of international conventions.

Starring:
Han Chin
Ai Saotome
Rene Liu

Director: Ziniu Wu

Purple Sunset (2001)

AKA:
Ziri
紫日

Synopsis:
A Soviet Russian lady officer, a Chinese peasant and a Japanese schoolgirl must walk their way out of a forest toward the end of World War II, despite their mutual distrust of one another.

Starring:
Anna Dzenilalova
Eddie Eagle
Dalong Fu

Director: Xiaoning Feng

Arakimentari (2004)

About:
A look at the life and work of Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki and his impact on Japanese culture.

Starring:
Araki
Nobuyoshi Araki
Björk

Director: Travis Klose

Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)

Synopsis:
Ninjitsu master Casey is back and out for revenge when his pregnant wife is murdered.

Fight everyone and trust no one: it's the code of survival practiced by martial-arts master Casey Bowman after his life of domestic bliss is shattered by a savage act of violence. Vowing revenge, the fearless American stealthily tracks the killer from Osaka to Bangkok to Rangoon with the help of a wise and crafty sensei. His only clues: a series of victims whose necks bear the distinctive mark of strangulation by barbed wire. Fighting to avenge as well as to survive, Casey must sharpen his razor-like responses and take his battle skills to the next level, even using deep meditation to fake his own death. His target: the sinister drug lord Goro, who is flooding the streets with deadly meth cooked at his remote jungle factory. To prepare for his ultimate confrontation, Casey must finally become an invisible warrior worthy of the name Ninja. But just when his prey is cornered, an unexpected twist shows Casey that his battle is only beginning: he truly can trust no one.

Starring:
Scott Adkins
Kane Kosugi
Mika Hijii

Director: Isaac Florentine

Ai no korîda (1976)

AKA:

感覚の領域で
The Realm of the Senses
The Empire of the Senses

Synopsis:
Based on a true story set in pre-war Japan, a man and one of his servants begin a torrid affair. Their desire becomes a sexual obsession so strong that to intensify their ardor, they forsake all, even life itself.

Starring:
Tatsuya Fuji
Eiko Matsuda
Aoi Nakajima

Director: Nagisa Ôshima

Operation Paperclip (2008)

About:
Documentary made by Leo and Adam for NHD. This is the first polished version.

Japan Tsunami 3/11/2011 ()

Shion Sono (2008)

AKA:
Love Exposure
Ai no Mukidashi

Synopsis:
Sono's epic tale of love, family, lust, religion and the art of upskirt photography. The movie focuses on three characters and their interactions: Yu, the son of a catholic priest and an expert at taking pictures of girls' panties, Yoko, a teenage girl who fiercely hates men after being abused by her father, and Aya, a member of a cult group called Zero Church. First part of the movie. 

Crime or Punishment (2009)

Synopsis:
This is a black comedy in the Japanese/British style about an unsuccessful model named Ayame (the pretty Riko Narumi) who unwittingly steals a girlie magazine she is in from a convenience store. The magazine has her in it but upside down and having the remnants of a squashed bug on her upper lip. As a sentence, she has to be police chief for a day (according to the person introducing the film at the Japan Society in New York where this film premiered, this actually happens). Her assistant is a former lover who is a serial killer. He once tried to kill her but she as well as the police are looking the other way about that. Also in the mix is Sakura Ando as Momo. In the span of one week I've seen her in three films, "Love Exposure", "Ain't No Tomorrows" and this one. She is remarkably versatile and should have a great career ahead of her, like the equally talented Ms. Narumi. Anyway, throw in a salaryman who witnesses a murder done by the serial killer and then gets hit by a truck, as well as a trio of hapless robbers with a taser gun and you have a comedy which is all over the place. Stay with it, though. If you don't like black comedy I think you should skip it, but otherwise it is recommended. Don't take it seriously and you'll be fine.

Hachiko Monogatari (1987)

AKA:
Hachi-ko
ハチ公物語

Synopsis:
The true story about a dog's loyalty to its master, even after his death

Starring:
Tatsuya Nakadai
Kaoru Yachigusa
Toshinori Omi

Director: Seijirô Kôyama

Tasogare Seibei ()

AKA:
The Twilight Samurai
たそがれ清兵衛

Synopsis:
Seibei Iguchi is a low-ranking samurai of the Unasaka clan in Shonai Province of northeast Japan. His wife died of tuberculosis, a frequent cause of demise in those early years of hunger and malnutrition. With two daughters, Kayano and Ito, and an aging mother to support, he and his family must survive in austerity. The moment his daily work is over, he hurries home, refusing to drink or eat with fellow samurai, and concentrates on housework and moonlighting. Behind his back, samurai teasingly call him "Tasogare Seibei (Twilight Seibei)."

One day Seibei meets Tomonojo Iinuma, a childhood friend, and hears about Tomoe, the latter's sister, whose dogmatic husband Toyotaro is such a lush that she divorced him and moved in with her brother. The next day, Tomoe visits Seibei and the two enjoy reminiscing. As Seibei walks Tomoe home they encounter her ex, furiously determined to take her back. As fate would have it, Seibei, instead of Tomonojo who is a poor fencer, must duel with Toyotaro. On the day of their fight, Seibei, with only a wooden sword, easily beats Toyotaro who uses a real sword. As rumors of the duel rapidly spread, Tomoe takes to frequently calling at Seibei's residence. Seibei's daughters Kayano and Ito grow attached to her, and Tomonojo suggests that Seibei marry the girl. However, fearing he is too poor, Seibei declines, which puts an end to Tomoe's visits.

Meanwhile, strife within the clan has continued over who will be its successor. After the matter is resolved, Seibei is ordered to kill a retainer named Zenemon Yogo, who disapproves of the new lord of the fief. Seibei opts to refuse, claiming he lacks the skill to perform the task. Told that the clan's orders are the same as the lord's, he reluctantly agrees. The next morning Seibei sends for Tomoe, describes his mission and asks her to help him prepare. During the tense period as they wait for the samurai coming for him, Seibei tells Tomoe that since his childhood, his dream has been to marry her. "I'm going to fight a duel," he vows. "I shall win and come back. If I then ask you to marry me, will you accept?" What Seibei does not know is that Tomoe has just made arrangements for an engagement.

Seibei heads to Yogo's residence, but to his surprise, he finds Yogo drunk. "Well, sorry for the trouble, but I am going to be on the run. The world is about to change, with totally different culture from the west coming in. The way of the samurai is now dead." The drunkard samurai was talkative. He starts his story of losing his wife of tuberculosis, and the absurdity of harakiri, which he did not believe in at all. Also losing his wife of tuberculosis, Seibei sympathizes with the samurai and tells his hardships. "I didn't even have money to give a funeral, and finally, ended up selling the life' of a samurai, my sword." With his words, he draws the sword out of its scabbard, which reveals itself as only a wooden sword. Seeing this, Yogo's makes a sudden attack to Seibei. Seibei makes a move, and Yogo's blade barely missing him. Seibei tries to talk Yogo out of the duel, but Yogo keeps on roaring, moving closer to Seibei, and makes his final attack...

It is in the evening twilight that Seibei returns home. Ito comes running out to welcome him. Seibei picks her up in his arms, and smiles. Then, a shadow moves from the house and Seibei stops. It is Tomoe, who just cannot stop her tears seeing Seibei's return.

...In a lonely grave in a hidden temple, is Ito, now old. The grave is Seibei and Tomoe's. The two married, but Seibei was killed right afterwards, in the Meiji Revolution war, with a gun. Still, he lived a happy life, surrounded by the people he loved, thought Ito.

Kuro-Obi (2007)

AKA:
Black Belt

Synopsis:
The events take place in 1932 in Japanese-occupied Manchuria, in which the corrupt leaders of the Japanese army are trying to take over all the Karate dojos for their own personal benefit. Amidst these circumstances the master of one of these dojos dies before passing on the Kuroobi to his successor, leaving three of his pupils the task of deciding amongst themselves who deserves it most. After they bury their master, they are forced to leave the dojo and join the Japanese army. At this point, their journey leads them on rather different paths both in life and in the understanding of their master's teachings of martial arts, only to reunite them at the end.

Starring:
Akihito Yagi
Tatsuya Naka
Yuji Suzuki

Director: Shunichi Nagasaki

Valley of Flowers (2006)

Starring:
Milind Soman
Mylène Jampanoï
Naseeruddin Shah,
Eri

Director: Pan Nalin

Pearl Harbor: The View From Japan (1994)

Synopsis:
On December 7, 1941, explosions rocked Pearl Harbor and altered the course of history. Now, meet the man who executed the attack. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was a military genius who brought modern warfare into the aerial age. Although opposed to attacking the United States and "awakening the sleeping giant," Admiral Yamamoto dedicated his life to the battle that devastated U.S. morale and forced America into World War II.

In an interesting historical departure, this fascinating documentary analyzes the attack on Pearl Harbor from the Japanese point of view and focuses on Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the Japanese military mastermind who (though bitterly opposed) planned the attack on the U.S. fleet anchored in Hawaii. If history is written by the victors, this view of the events of December 7, 1941, fills an important gap in the historical narrative of World War II.

It is somewhat mis-titled, for it actually briefly covers the entire ill-fated Pacific campaign. It has a strong focus on Admiral Yamamoto himself--his foresight and vision as a military leader, and his reluctance to enter into a fight with the U.S. It is interesting to hear a few words from the Japanese perspective, yet it seems that is all you get--a few words. There is little groundwork laid which might explain more fully Japan's reasons for attacking us.

Ae In ()

AKA:
The Intimate

Synopsis:
Telling a story of two strangers who meet by chance in an elevator, The Intimate follows their journey through the day and night (which doesn't seem to end by the way), as they discover about each other, and about themselves in the process. Kinda like Before Sunrise in its treatment, the lovers, nameless except known as Boy (Jo Dong-Hyuk) and Girl (Sung Hyun- Ah), play the usual courtship mind games, playing coy, being aggressive, taking turns to bust each others chops as they fall into each other's arms.

Sounds like your typical romance movie, no? At certain points the usual elements are there, like plot devices romanticizing a bench and hand drawn pictures, and the mushy things lovers whisper to the ears of another. Clichéd highlights include one needing to leave the country the next day, and the other being engaged to someone else, and now both of them, by Fate, are presented a chance to do something totally different. But in this story, it managed to take aged old questions of doubt, and weave a compelling movie around them.

The basic question will be what is love. Is it supposed to be long drawn and lasting a lifetime, or is the feeling actually made up of short passionate bursts? And after being with someone for so long, is it a question of being afraid to leave the comfort zone of familiarity, or does it boil down truly to faithfulness? The nagging fear of being about to marry someone, and then you meet your soulmate - what do you do? Blame the person for turning up in your life too late? And it is somehow true that the longer you know someone, the more faults that you will find, and the question is, will you be able to live with those faults, or do you prefer to live in that constant crest of emotional highs and bailing out when the slightest inclination of such faults start to rear its head?

It helps that both leads are eye-candy, as they offer you a chance to answer some of those questions yourself if you were to put yourselves in their shoes and be offered the same set of temptations - here's what you currently have, and here's what someone else can offer. What would you do? If there is a gripe, it'll be the one-dimensional fiancé that somehow has to be demonized in order to make the other option all the more appealing.

It's a relatively engaging movie, though watching the out takes while the end credits rolled made you appreciate the movie's direction a little more. While those scenes which were left out may be seen as more interesting, somehow I felt it would have disrupted the pace and dragged events rather than having it all compacted into a screen duration of 24 hours. It would have been a totally different look and feel altogether, but probably not for the better.

Paranormal Activity II: Tokyo Night (2010)

AKA:
Paranormal Activity 2

Synopsis:
Japanese woman, Haruki comes back from a trip to the us after breaking both her legs in a car accident and killing an american female in the accident. Her brother video tapes her return. The dad leaves for singapore on a business trip and after a few days the two experience.... PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.

Starring:
Aoi Nakamura
Noriko Aoyama.

Director: Toshikazu Nagae

Shuto Kousoku Max (1996)

Synopsis:
Megalopolis Expressway Trial Max (1996) Full Movie English Subtitle.
Shuto Kōsoku champion Shikiba Tatsuya (R33 GT-R) travels to Osaka to challenge Osaka Kanjō (loop) champion Sendō (JZA70 Supra). Sendō crashes during the race, writing off his car, and ending up in hospital. The opening credits roll, featuring Osaka's Tsūtenkaku. Tsuchiya Keiichi (NSX Type R) tells his mechanic Kazuki (also Shikiba's friend) he must give up street racing. Kazuki asks Shikiba to race one last time. Two months pass. Sendō leaves hospital in his new JZA80 Supra to find Shikiba in Tokyo. Shikiba has given up racing, and spends time looking at the wrecked shell of Kazuki's R33 GT-R. It transpires that Kazuki died during their final race. Sendo finds Shikiba, but Shikiba will not race him, giving him an Akira Sudō ticket as compensation. Akira Sudō's performances are intercut with some of the races/dialogues. Shikiba accepts a final challenge from a Nissan Z32 driver who has also just got out of hospital. When Shikiba passes the spot where Kazuki died he cannot finish the race, and drives to look at Kazuki's GT-R again. He finds Tsuchiya there, who criticises him strongly, and challenges him to race on the track. He races but is no match for Tsuchiya. Tsuchiya tells him street racing is useless, and if he can't make it on the track, he's unfit for the wheel. Shikiba takes to the tōge in anger, and spins. Flashback to Kazuki's death. Shikiba finally returns home two days after the race to find Sendo staying with his sister. They have a fist fight, Shikiba leaves. Flashback showing that Shikiba's R33 GT-R was originally Kazuki's, Shikiba (SW20 MR2) won it from him in a race on their first meeting. Kazuki was so impressed that he asked Shikiba to help him create a legend using the GT-R, defeating all champions on roads across Japan, then moving into professional circuit racing, with Kazuki as the tuner. Flashback ends. Kazuki's bereaved girlfriend Kaoru harasses Shikiba on the docks. Meanwhile Sendō challenges and defeats the new 300ZX Shuto Kōsoku champion. Tsuchiya and Shikiba's sister independently tell Kaoru that Kazuki's dreams are still important. Kaoru finds Shikiba moping near Kazuki's GT-R and calls him a coward for giving up on Kazuki's dream. She gives him the tuned ROM Kazuki was working on before his death. Shikiba says he will race the Shuto Kousoku one more time. He challenges Sendō. Shikiba and Kaoru prepare the GT-R. Sendo and Shikiba's sister prepare the Supra. During the race, Shikiba finds the car has less power. Eventually he realises the power band has moved higher so adjusts his style and wins. Later he returns to the circuit to find Kaoru and Tsuchiya. While there, Tsuchiya offers Shikiba another race, but declines, saying that he has already raced him, and knows how it's like to race on the track. He then gives Kaoru the GT-R keys saying he will not give up on Kazuki's dream. The GT-R is Kazuki's dream, he feels it should be with Kaoru. Shikiba, is about to leave, but Tsuchiya challenges him for the last time. Sendō and Shikiba's sister turn up to watch, Shikiba's sister is now interested in Sendō. Tsuchiya lends Shikiba an NSX, and the movie ends with the NSXs drifting around each other, around the circuit.

Shuto Kousoku Trial I (1988)

AKA:
Shuto Kousoku Trial 1

Synopsis:
Made during one of the most notorious eras of street racing, when the Mid Night Club ruled the scene and became one of the most infamous and feared or "respected" car clubs in Japan. Before they were banned from doing so, car magazines freely covered illegal races.
Street racers challenge each other to exceed the current speed record held by the F1 racer. However, in order to break the record of the Shuto Expressway, you need to have "luck" in addition to a high-powered street-machine and driving technique. And you must be able to conquer "Devil's Curve". Racers bet their dreams and their lives against one another in a dangerous game of speed. The 1st movie of the series and the only one which involves Police car chase.
This movie was banned from Japanese theaters due to its message, nevertheless the series followed in video releases.