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.
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.
Tom Cruise stars in this American period action drama set in the 19th century - a time for modernization and change in Japan - as a Civil War veteran named Nathan Algren who is hired by Emperor Meiji to train an army capable of defeating a Samurai-headed rebellion. But, Nathan is captured by Samurais and learns about their lifestyle and the way of the warrior and soon begins to question which side he should be fighting for. This film was a big blockbuster hit and also paved way for the exposure of Japanese actor Ken Watanabe to Hollywood.
Director: Clint Eastwood
Notable Actors: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya
Awards: Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, National Board of Review Awards for Best Picture, Japan Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film
Year: 2006
This Japanese language-American war film portrays the campaign of Iwo Jima from the Japanese soldiers perspective, which acts as the companion to Flags of our Fathers - the American perspective. Private First Class Saigo, who was just an ordinary baker, experiences the horrors of war and looks to General Kuribayashi to lead them into battle. The film received widespread praise for its direction, story and portrayals of good and bad during wartime.
Director: Ishiro Honda
Notable Actors: Akira Takarada, Momoko Koichi
Awards: 2007 Saturn Awards Best DVD Classic Film Release Award
Year: 1954
The classic 1954 Godzilla movie is a kaiju film (monster or beast) that started the longest running franchise film to date. With the atomic bomb droppings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still fresh in Japans mind, Godzilla is about a kaiju that has evolved from an ancient sea creature that was disturbed by underwater hydrogen bomb tests. Japan must find a way to stop this enormous, destructive sea monster from destroying Tokyo. Since its release, Godzilla has become a worldwide pop culture icon. As it was distributed by Toho, the Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku features a giant Godzilla head that can be seen peering over its building. More details about seeing the Godzilla head can be seen here.
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Notable Actors: Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka
Awards: Asian Film Award for Best Film, Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best FIlm, Japan Academy Award for Best Picture and many more
Year: 2018
Shoplifters is a Japanese drama that revolves around a non-biological family that shoplifts to cope with their poverty. After a routine shoplifting run, Osamu, the father, and his son come across a little girl who is left outside in the cold and decide to bring her into the “family”. As the film progresses the family lives happily together, but soon reveal hidden secrets. This film has received lots of fame in Japan and on the international level.