Nice, would like to watch this one!
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And to wrap up this “through the decades” project (well, at least this first round of it), one from the 80s:
異人たちとの夏 / The Discarnates
1988, Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
One summer, a writer is reunited with the ghosts of his parents who died when he was 12. At the same time, he starts a relationship with a neighbour. Every time he sees his parents he loses life energy.
If this sounds familiar, it is because this one is the original adaptation of the novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada, on which (as I’ve just now found out) the 2023 film All of Us Strangers is also based.
some comments
Unlike the more recent film though, this Japanese flick stays true to the source: Harada, the main character, is very much straight but recently divorced and with a son he doesn’t have much of a relationship with. His neighbour is a woman - Kei - who by the end brings a slightly “horror” flavour to the film.
These differences give quite a different meaning to the whole story.
Now, which of the two one might prefer, the original story or the… erm… “modern sensibilities” version… remains the agency of the individual.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all 
Referring strictly to this one, my gripes are mainly with the “really 80s” score and hairstyles (ugh), a few weird scene transitions (not too bothersome, though), the choice of actress for Kei (but that’s just me) and the practical effects are a little dated now.
8-8.5/10
Now I gotta wishlist that novel for whenever I might be able to read it in Japanese 
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上意討ち 拝領妻始末 / Samurai Rebellion
1967, Masaki Kobayashi
When she becomes inconvenient, a feudal’s lord mistress is married off to a vassal - this is forced on both the man and woman, but they get along well and have a baby girl. A couple of years later, circumstances will make said feudal lord to request her back - forcing her (Ichi), her husband (Yogoro) and his father (Isaburo) to make choices on how they respond to this demand.
what I thought
Despite the English title, this isn’t really a typical samurai showdown film.
It’s actually a good companion piece to Kobayashi’s Harakiri in that it’s a rather talky social drama with a little bit of fighting (well staged and executed!) at the (tragic) end.
Although it doesn’t quite match the 1962 masterpiece, it is nontheless a very good film worth a watch. The story is certainly good, just not quite as well told as the one in Harakiri.
Toshiro Mifune is great as the jaded ageing samurai, and Tatsuya Nakadai (in a smaller role) is a good counterpart to Mifune.
One thing that didn’t work for me was the casting of Yôko Tsukasa as Ichi - she’s meant to be in her early 20s but the actress was in her 30s and in some scenes she looks much older, due to the heavy makeup I guess.
Cinematography is again very cool with plenty of “Wow, what framing!” moments, but the print quality varies, with a few scenes being pretty poor.
8/10
The Japanese title is way above my level, and Deepl and Google don’t agree on the translation.
I give up 
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I have just finished watching ep. 1 of the J-dorama Hanasaki Mai Speaks Out 2024 (花咲舞が黙ってない) - evidently a remake of an earlier series - on NHK (via paid subscription).
Evidently she can’t shut up when she becomes aware of corruption, criminality, or injustice perpetrated by evildoers at a large bank (where she is employed) - so through a combination of detective work, building confidence with the victims of such misdeeds, and rocking the boat by saying things out loud that others would rather pretend are not happening, she is fixing things that need to be fixed.
I don’t think that there are subtitles available (at least I’m not watching with subtitles) - and it’s a bit of a challenge for me to follow the dialog in some places (but those are interspersed with sections of dialog that I can mostly or completely comprehend), as the pace of speaking is somewhat rapid and the 45-minute-long episode moves swiftly from one scene to another.
I’ll confess that a lot of what I’ve seen so far is confusing as hell - I’m not at all certain (yet, anyways) that I understand a lot of essential plot points, including who the various characters are and their relationships to the protagonist Hanasaki, how she was somehow plucked out of her role as one of many nameless/faceless administrative assistants in a large financial institution and placed into some kind of “internal affairs” watchdog role where she wears a business suit and somehow manages to deal with (and expose the nefarious activities of) higher-ups in the company, what exactly is going on with kickbacks and power harassment by certain management types, and so on. She is definitely a “loose cannon” within the company, and it’s a wonder that her bosses are tolerating her outspokenness and irreverent attitude.
I will probably want to go back and rewatch the episode at some point, replaying segments of the dialog with dictionary in hand, and taking notes, as I am hoping to use this series to help improve my listening comprehension and my vocabulary.
It’s also useful to get a glimpse of (fictional, stylized, yet possibly also somewhat realistic) cultural factors and interpersonal dynamics within a stereotypical, hierarchically-structured Japanese business environment.
This short trailer gives a pretty good taste of what I’ve seen so far in ep. 1:
.
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I’ve had Funeral Parade of Roses/薔薇の葬列 (1969) on my letterboxd watchlist forever and it happened to be showing at a nearby cinema yesterday so I finally got to see it.
It was very “artsy” and maybe not to everyone’s tastes (it definitely went over my head at some points), but also surprisingly funny and tongue-in-cheek, and very aesthetically pleasing. I didn’t know much about Japanese LGBT and underground culture at the time and it was an interesting look at it.
I especially liked that there were little documentary segments in between the main story where they interviewed some of the cast (most of whom I guess today we would class as trans women, though I’m not sure that’s how they define themselves), asking them about their thoughts on gender, why they live as women, and what they think of the movie. The questions are at times a little inane and about as ignorant as you might expect of a bunch of well-meaning straight men in the 1960s to be, but the interviewees are great. I’d love to watch a whole documentary about the subject if one exists.
Overall I really liked it and I’m glad I got to see it on the big screen, it was definitely worth the trip. I wasn’t trying too hard to understand the Japanese but I do think the little bit I understood enhanced my enjoyment of the film, e.g., I was able to pick up that the main characters were using quite feminine speech patterns, using あたし and ending a lot of sentences with わ. Also the main actor was apparently Rem in the second Death Note movie and has roles in a lot of Yoko Taro games which is funny to me.
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Oh funny, I’ve also just watched it this month.
I didn’t enjoy it as much as you do but somehow I noticed that my interest in older movies is very low, which is completely unfair, I can’t explain it but it seems to be a pattern for me!
Probably seeing it on a big screen works better than watching on a monitor while doing something else on another monitor :x
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I get what you mean! I usually like old films when I watch them but I have to be in a specific mood and I often find them harder to focus on when I’m watching them at home. For sure being in the cinema probably increased my enjoyment, it always does and I haven’t seen a screen room so full since before COVID so it was a nice vibe.
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I recently watched Train Man. (Or 電車男) I enjoyed it! I thought it was very heartwarming, with some comedic moments throughout the film. I would recommend this movie, because I found it very enjoyable.
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Good to see more people posting here 
Old films might not be to everyone’s taste, but I’m a sucker for them and one of those just swept me up…
赤ひげ / Red Beard
1965, Akira Kurosawa
Early 19th century Japan. Young doctor Noboru Yasumoto, fresh off the benches of the prestigious Dutch Medical School and with hopes of becoming part of the Shogun’s suite, is sent off as an intern to a countryside free clinic in the Nagasaki region, run by the seemingly gruff Dr. Kyojô Niide, nicknamed “Red Beard”. The young’un is arrogant, upset and angry, but he’s going to learn a thing or three in his stay here…
something or other
In short: lessons in humanity, just as relevant today as they must have been back then.
Mostly harsh lessons, revolving around death and pain, but also gentler ones, with kindness and empathy pervading throughout all of them.
And all told with compassion and masterful direction from Kurosawa.
This was to be his last black and white film, and his final collaboration with Toshiro Mifune.
Feels a lot like… “I’ve done a lot of everything else for everyone else, I can now afford to do one that’s more ‘for me’.”
The cinematography is outstanding (as per, I suppose), with its use of light and shadow and the expert camera handling to follow the story. And the score is right up there with it, too.
The acting is top notch - from Mifune especially, but the rest are very good too, in that Japanese sometimes-leaning-a-bit-on-the-theatrical style.
Could I find things to nitpick at? Sure, maybe, I don’t know… don’t want to, anyway 
A straight 10/10, it was simply wonderful!
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Oh, dear me !!!
Tsk tsk tsk
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I recently watched Matching ( マッチング) and thought it was quite good. I guess for anyone watching a lot of movies the twist was forseeable (at least i got the twist as soon as i watched the whole trailer), but there are some suprise twists, that i didn’t not see coming, so i was pleasantly suprised. 
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It seems my love-hate relationship with Naruse’s films is bound to continue… By that, I mean I both love and hate the same film, and this one was no exception
浮雲 / Floating Clouds
1955, Michio Naruse
During WW2, a young typist - Yukiko - falls in love with a married man - Tomioka - while stationed in Indochina. He promises to leave his wife, but of course he does not. After the war, she seeks him out and their affair resumes. Meanwhile, he has relationships with other women too because… why not?
comments
TLDR: Some men are pigs… enabled by some women
It’s the opposite of a standard melodrama, very bleak, depressing and often infuriating with the way Yukiko (stuck in an addiction-like dependency) is battered (psychologically, there’s no physical violence nor any hint of it) by Tomioka’s behaviour and utter disregard unless he needs something from her.
In the final part his character is changed, but to me it felt too little, too late.
I read Hideko Takamine (a favourite of Naruse) didn’t want this role (understandably so, if you ask me) but gave in at his insistance - and what a magnificent performance she puts in!
One of the best I’ve seen so far in Japanese films 
Masayuki Mori was also good in portraying the dude, even if I despised the character.
Naruse did a fine job at the helm, we have nice cinematography (not quite as good as Ozu’s in the static scenes, though), seamless transitions between present and flashbacks, the deft inclusion of social issues (struggles to rebuild post-war, hardship of the lower middle-class, anti-occupation sentiment).
However the film feels a little too drawn out, mostly because of the cyclical nature of the relationship between the two leads. And you can see the ending coming from a mile away.
8/10
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Well… another Naruse film yesterday evening, another one I loved and hated, of course! But considerably more the former than the latter
女が階段を上る時 / When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
1960, Michio Naruse
Keiko “Mama” Yashiro is a woman in her early 30s, working as a bar hostess in Tokyo’s Ginza district.
On one side she’s hounded for money by her family which she supports, on the other she’s hounded by the male clientele of the bar, to whom she hasn’t given in, yet she must also chase them for debt collections. Feeling her youth fade away, she’s reached a point where she either buys a bar of her own or gets married for security.
comments
This may be Naruse’s most “Westernized” film, at least it is so for me who hasn’t (yet) watched many of his. It does feel more like a “regular” melodrama, however it’s still more… hmmm… ‘natural’, and it still retains the sense of tragedy his other films have.
Either way, it’s a brilliant character study. Those stairs in the title are both physical and metaphorical. Keiko hates the life she has chosen but feels powerless to move on in a male-dominated world - she may be a strong, capable woman but there are society-imposed limits that cannot be overcome.
I loved it for the problems it raises and the statements Naruse tried to make and even more so for Hideko Takamine’s performance who was just amazing (again!), and… what a beautiful woman!
I hated it for how Naruse chose to end it (in typical fashion, I should say) although what happens in the final third is the only logical sequence of events, in a way… because this isn’t a Hollywood flick, it throws at us some harsh realities about men and women (at least in that period).
Really the only thing I didn’t like was the score, a very annoying “happy” jazzy-groovy kind of thing.
9-9.5/10
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I finally managed to watch Shoplifters last night, it was my first pick since there were so many comments here. Wow, definite recommend.
I have a cold and couldn’t sleep last night, at least I had a lot to think about. I haven’t seen a movie that got me thinking that much perhaps ever, or at least in a very very long time
major spoilers and thoughts
It took me a long time to sit with the ending and the longer it rolled around in my mind the more I can see why this film is used in classes as some people mentioned. Each character has 2 perspectives- before and after the shift at the end. You can think through the entire film from each perspective. And seeing the stucture of the group - internally as a family and externally as a complex crime scene. It raises so many questions, like how relationships are affected by how closely (or not) they follow social expectations and laws. And then after all that, thinking about the various scenes and relationships in my own life - which ties bind and which don’t? And how much did that have to do with how acceptable or even “named” a relationship was? I looked at some parts of my life, some people in my life (or now out of my life) in a totally different way. That was my night, essentially replaying the film and my life from different perspectives.
So … while my first reaction was “
the ending”, that rapidly became a lot of complex thoughts, and ultimately, contrasting most compared to my initial impressions, I saw the ending as a painful triumph of Shota’s character development (the young boy)
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So glad to hear you enjoyed it and that it was more than simply “entertainment”.
Get well soon!
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