A Beginner's Guide to Japanese Cinema
by shahrilamri-23391 | created - 3 weeks ago | updated - 2 days ago | PublicJapanese Cinema
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1. Gate of Hell (1953)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama, History
A samurai pursues a married lady-in-waiting.
Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa | Stars: Machiko Kyô, Kazuo Hasegawa, Isao Yamagata, Yatarô Kurokawa
Votes: 4,282
2. Departures (2008)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama
Soon after buying an expensive cello, Daigo learns that his orchestra is disbanding. He moves back to his hometown with his wife, where he answers an ad for what Daigo thinks is a travel agency but is, in actuality, a mortuary.
Director: Yôjirô Takita | Stars: Masahiro Motoki, Ryôko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Votes: 55,011 | Gross: $1.50M
3. Godzilla (1954)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable dinosaur-like beast.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada, Momoko Kôchi
Votes: 39,782 | Gross: $2.42M
4. Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
Approved | 78 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Scout pilots for a fishing fleet are startled to discover a new monster named Anguirus alongside a second Godzilla. The monsters make their way toward Osaka as Japan can only brace for tragedy and relive the horror of Godzilla once more.
Directors: Motoyoshi Oda, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Hiroshi Koizumi, Setsuko Wakayama, Minoru Chiaki, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 8,365
5. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)
Not Rated | 91 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A UN reporter broadcasts a report on the appearance of a prehistoric monster that emerges from hibernation while a pharmaceutical company seeks publicity with a monster of their own. (US Version)
Directors: Ishirô Honda, Tom Montgomery | Stars: Tadao Takashima, Kenji Sahara, Yû Fujiki, Michael Keith
Votes: 11,245 | Gross: $2.73M
6. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
97 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The advertising director of a pharmaceutical company seeks to boost the ratings of their sponsored TV program by capturing a legendary monster in a marketing scheme as Godzilla re-emerges. (Japanese Version)
Directors: Ishirô Honda, Norman Tokar | Stars: Tadao Takashima, Yû Fujiki, Kenji Sahara, Ichirô Arishima
Votes: 1,977
7. Ringu (1998)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Mystery
A reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi, Hitomi Satô
Votes: 77,558
8. Ring 2 (1999)
Not Rated | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Reiko takes Yôichi into hiding when her son begins to display frightening powers. Meanwhile, Mai Takano and the authorities begin a desperate search for them, as the mysterious Ring curse spreads.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Miki Nakatani, Hitomi Satô, Kyôko Fukada, Fumiyo Kohinata
Votes: 14,735
9. Dark Water (2002)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A mother and her 6-year-old daughter move into a creepy apartment whose every surface is permeated by water.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa
Votes: 34,956
10. Chaos (2000)
90 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A handyman becomes involved in the plot to kidnap a businessman's wife, which goes haywire after her mysterious death.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Jun Kunimura, Ken Mitsuishi, Masato Hagiwara, Miki Nakatani
Votes: 1,567 | Gross: $0.00M
11. Life in Overtime (2018)
125 min | Comedy
Sosuke Tashiro is on an elite career course at a major bank until he is transferred - or rather relegated - to a subsidiary company, where he reaches retirement age.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Hiroshi Tachi, Hitomi Kuroki, Ryôko Hirosue, Asami Usuda
Votes: 172
12. Ju-on: The Curse (2000 Video)
TV-PG | 70 min | Horror, Mystery
A teacher visits the house of one of his students after the boy goes missing, only to have a horrifying excuse for his absence from school.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Yûrei Yanagi, Yue, Ryôta Koyama, Hitomi Miwa
Votes: 8,990
13. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
R | 92 min | Horror
A mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Megumi Okina, Misaki Itô, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa
Votes: 48,119 | Gross: $0.33M
14. Ju-On: The Grudge 2 (2003)
R | 92 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
As their curse spreads on, the ghosts find their chance to live once again through the pregnancy of a cursed woman.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Noriko Sakai, Chiharu Niiyama, Kei Horie, Yui Ichikawa
Votes: 10,892
15. Ju-on: The Curse 2 (2000)
Not Rated | 76 min | Horror, Mystery
On his request, the sensitive sister of a real estate agent visits a house he intends to sell, only to cross paths with its resident curse.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Yûrei Yanagi, Takako Fuji, Takashi Matsuyama, Ryôta Koyama
Votes: 4,066
16. Minna no Uta (2023)
102 min | Horror
Takashi Shimizu's newest film is about a mysterious cassette tape containing a melody. People who hear this melody gradually begin to hum it themselves and become involved in a mysterious incident. What is the mystery behind this melody?
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Alan Shirahama, Ryôta Katayose, Hayato Komori, Reo Sano
Votes: 105
17. Reincarnation (2005)
R | 96 min | Horror, Mystery
A Japanese actress begins having strange visions and experiences after landing a role in a horror film about a real-life murder spree that took place over forty years ago.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Yûka, Karina, Kippei Shîna, Tetta Sugimoto
Votes: 6,766
18. Ten Nights of Dreams (2006)
Not Rated | 100 min | Fantasy
Based on renowned Japanese writer Natsume Soseki's same-titled short story collection, Ten Nights of Dreams brings ten fantastical dream sequences to film with great visual and ... See full summary »
Directors: Yoshitaka Amano, Kon Ichikawa, Akio Jissôji, Masaaki Kawahara, Suzuki Matsuo, Miwa Nishikawa, Atsushi Shimizu, Takashi Shimizu, Keisuke Toyoshima, Yûdai Yamaguchi, Nobuhiro Yamashita | Stars: Kyôko Koizumi, Suzuki Matsuo, Harumi Ogawa, Masami Horiuchi
Votes: 466
19. Sadako 3D (2012)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror
The spiteful ghost of Sadako, a murdered woman whose body was thrown down a well, reaches the Internet searching for a host in order to live once again.
Director: Tsutomu Hanabusa | Stars: Satomi Ishihara, Kôji Seto, Ai Hashimoto, Tsutomu Takahashi
Votes: 1,786
20. Sadako 2 3D (2013)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror
Fuko Ando (Miori Takimoto) is a 24-years-old graduate student in psychology. She is tasked to take care of her 4-year-old niece. Soon, mysterious events occur around her niece. She then ... See full summary »
Director: Tsutomu Hanabusa | Stars: Miori Takimoto, Kôji Seto, Itsumi Ôsawa, Kokoro Hirasawa
Votes: 891
21. Sadako vs. Kayako (2016)
Not Rated | 98 min | Horror
The vengeful spirits of the Ring and Grudge series face off.
Director: Kôji Shiraishi | Stars: Mizuki Yamamoto, Tina Tamashiro, Aimi Satsukawa, Misato Tanaka
Votes: 3,993
22. Cure (1997)
Not Rated | 111 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A frustrated detective deals with the case of several gruesome murders committed by people who have no recollection of what they've done.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Masato Hagiwara, Koji Yakusho, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa
Votes: 23,156 | Gross: $0.09M
23. Tokyo Sonata (2008)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama
An ordinary Japanese family slowly disintegrates after its patriarch loses his job at a prominent company.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyôko Koizumi, Yû Koyanagi, Kai Inowaki
Votes: 11,828 | Gross: $0.28M
24. Serpent's Path (1998)
85 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A man enlists a friend to help him identify and exact revenge upon his daughter's murderer.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Shô Aikawa, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yûrei Yanagi, Shirô Shimomoto
Votes: 845
25. License to Live (1998)
109 min | Drama, Comedy
Yoshi, aged 24, awakes after 10 years in a coma, goes on to start a new life and rebuild his family.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Shun Sugata, Lily, Kumiko Asô
Votes: 568
26. Chime (2024)
45 min | Horror, Thriller
A school teacher is woken by a sound that fills him with dread.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Mutsuo Yoshioka, Tomoko Tabata, Ikkei Watanabe
Votes: 31
27. Pulse (2001)
R | 119 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Two groups of people discover evidence that suggests spirits may be trying to invade the human world through the Internet.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Asô, Koyuki, Kurume Arisaka
Votes: 25,633 | Gross: $0.05M
28. Onibaba (1964)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Two women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.
Director: Kaneto Shindô | Stars: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satô, Jûkichi Uno
Votes: 21,892
29. Kwaidan (1964)
Not Rated | 183 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Kenjirô Ishiyama
Votes: 20,013
30. High and Low (1963)
Not Rated | 143 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An executive of a Yokohama shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yutaka Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyôko Kagawa
Votes: 53,289
31. The Sinners of Hell (1960)
Not Rated | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A group of sinners involved in interconnected tales of murder, revenge, deceit and adultery all meet at the Gates of Hell.
Director: Nobuo Nakagawa | Stars: Shigeru Amachi, Utako Mitsuya, Yôichi Numata, Hiroshi Hayashi
Votes: 4,577
32. Late Spring (1949)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama
Several people try to talk 27-year-old Noriko into marrying, but all she wants is to keep on caring for her widowed father.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Chishû Ryû, Setsuko Hara, Yumeji Tsukioka, Haruko Sugimura
Votes: 19,366
33. Woman in the Dunes (1964)
Not Rated | 147 min | Drama, Thriller
An entomologist on vacation is trapped by local villagers into living with a woman whose life task is shoveling sand for them.
Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara | Stars: Eiji Okada, Kyôko Kishida, Kôji Mitsui, Hiroko Itô
Votes: 22,727
34. Lady Snowblood (1973)
Not Rated | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A strikingly beautiful young woman is trained from birth to be a deadly instrument of revenge against the swindlers who destroyed her family.
Director: Toshiya Fujita | Stars: Meiko Kaji, Toshio Kurosawa, Masaaki Daimon, Miyoko Akaza
Votes: 16,323
35. Izu no odoriko (1974)
82 min | Drama, Romance
"The Izu dancer" describes Young solo to Izu peninsula, and close to an entertainer troupe, in particular with the dancer named Kaoru,but to that brief love is just a featuring lyrical and pale memories by their sad waves farewell.
Director: Katsumi Nishikawa | Stars: Momoe Yamaguchi, Tomokazu Miura, Hitoshi Nakayama, Atsuko Ichinomiya
Votes: 231
36. The Last Song (1975)
94 min | Romance
Junkichi is the son of a rich landlord, while Koyuki is the daughter of a poor lumber worker. The mismatched pair soon finds love, and against his father's wishes, Junkichi decides to run away with Koyuki to start a new.
Director: Katsumi Nishikawa | Stars: Momoe Yamaguchi, Tomokazu Miura, Shirô Ôsaka, Tokue Hanazawa
Votes: 74
37. The Shape of Night (1964)
109 min | Crime, Drama
A woman is pushed into prostitution by her violent yakuza boyfriend.
Director: Noboru Nakamura | Stars: Miyuki Kuwano, Mikijirô Hira, Keisuke Sonoi, Masuyo Iwamoto
Votes: 130
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