This film is the third installment in The Fast and the Furious series which is set in Tokyo. It follows the story of Sean Boswell, a car enthusiast who moves to Japan to live with his dad and joins the city’s drifting and racing community. However, being a foreigner in Tokyo, he struggles to find a spot in the community. This blockbuster film is action packed with a nice backdrop of Tokyo.
Based off of the novel by the same name, this film is set in Nagasaki during the 17th century (Edo Period) when Japan was isolated from the rest of the world. It follows the story of two Jesuit priests from Portugal who come to Japan to find their missing mentor and attempt to spread Catholic Christianity in a largely untouched Buddhist country. The film truly emphasized silence as there is no traditional soundtrack with music, but rather the soundtracks are the sounds of nature and subtle sounds throughout the movie.
Based on the biography Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, this film follows the true story of Louis Zamperini an Olympian and Captain in the Army Air Force who survived on a life raft for 47 days after his B-24 bomber went down over the Pacific during the Second World War. After being on the life raft, he is captured by the Japanese and sent to several different POW camps where he is tortured and beaten for several years.
A documentary about the concern for suicide in Japan. It follows a Buddhist monk who asks us what we owe each other and counsels those who are contemplating between life and death. Quiet, sad and touching, this monk guides people in finding answers.
In this documentary, filmmaker Mami Sunada is granted special access to the world renowned Studio Ghibli and follows their employees including renowned directors Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki while they are trying to produce two films: The wind Rises and The Tale of Princess Kaguya. This documentary explores the true genius and beauty behind those of Studio Ghibli and how they are able to produce some of the best animations in the world.
This documentary centers around Jiro Ono, an 85 year old sushi master who owns a 10 seated, sushi only, 3 starred Michelin restaurant in a Tokyo subway station. His restaurant only takes reservations - which must be reserved months in advanced - and costs a minimum of 30,000 Yen (about 300 dollars). Learn and discover the secrets of Jiro who maintains such a high quality level of sushi over the years.
Considered by critics to be one of the greatest films ever created, Tokyo Story is a 1953 film that centers around an aging couple and their daughter who visit their doctor son and wife in Tokyo. The insensitive doctor, too busy for them, send them off to a resort where they are unable to enjoy themselves in a noisy place filled with tourists. When the film came out in 1953, it was considered too Japanese to be shown in the West. But, when it released in America in 1972, the film received extremely high praise. Often cited as one of the greatest films of all time and consistently on greatest films of all times lists, this film is considered Yasujiro’s masterpiece.
Ring is a 1998 film based on the novel with the same name by Koji Suzuki. This horror film follows a reporter who is rushing to solve a strange mystery behind a cursed video where someone dies within a week of watching the video. The film was a huge box office success and even inspired American remakes of the film.
One Cut of the Dead is a zombie-comedy film with a low budget (about 25,000 dollars) starring unknown actors. It released in small theaters in Japan with plans to only screen for 6 days, however the film received massive success for it’s unique and new style of movie-making. The film features a quirky opening scene where a low budget zombie film is being filmed in an abandoned water filtration plant when a real zombie apocalypse breaks out. The director insists on continuously filming and the camera doesn’t stop for 37 minutes straight. This film was highly praised for it’s new film-making styles, humor, writing and direction.