griggs's - Japanuary 2025 (Ranked) List
-
Tampopo (1985)Dandelion
The tale of an eccentric band of culinary ronin who guide the widow of a noodle-shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, this rapturous "ramen western" by Japanese director Juzo Itami is an entertaining, genre bending adventure underpinned by a deft satire of the way social conventions distort the most natural of human urges - our appetites. Interspersing the efforts of Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto) and friends to make her cafe a success with the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster and glimpses of food culture both high and low, the sweet, sexy, and surreal 'Tampopo' is a lavishly inclusive paean to the sensual joys of nourishment, and one of the most mouthwatering examples of food on film ever made. - Director:
- Jûzô Itami
- Cast:
- Ken Watanabe, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto
- Formats:
-
-
High and Low (1963)Tengoku To Jigoku
Based on the Ed McBain novel, 'High and Low' is a gripping police thriller starring Toshiro Mifune. Wealthy industrialist Kingo Gondo (Mifune) faces an agonising choice when a ruthless kidnapper, aiming to snatch his young son, takes the chauffeur's boy by mistake - but still demands the ransom, leaving Gondo facing ruin if he pays up. An anatomy of the inequalities in modern Japanese society, High and Low is a complex film noir, where the intense police hunt for the kidnapper is accompanied by penetrating insight into the kidnappers state of mind. Kurosawa's virtuoso direction provides no easy answers, and in short, intense sequences, he portrays the businessman, the police and the criminal as equally brutal but nonetheless human. - Director:
- Akira Kurosawa
- Cast:
- Toshirô Mifune, Yutaka Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai
- Formats:
-
-
Sansho Dayu (1954)Sansho the Bailiff
When an idealistic governor disobeys the reigning feudal lord, he is cast into exile, his wife and children left to fend for themselves and eventually wrenched apart by vicious slave traders. Under Kenji Mizoguchi's dazzling direction, this classic Japanese story became one of cinema's greatest masterpieces, a monumental, empathetic expression of human resilience in the face of evil. - Director:
- Kenji Mizoguchi
- Cast:
- Kinuyo Tanaka, Kisho Hanayagi, Kyôko Kagawa
- Formats:
-
-
Evil Does Not Exist (2023)Aku wa sonzai shinai
Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) and his daughter Hana (Ryô Nishikawa) live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a glamping site near Takumi's house; offering city residents a comfortable 'escape' to nature. When two company representatives from Tokyo arrive in the village to hold a meeting, it becomes clear that the project will have a negative impact on the local water supply, causing unrest. The agency's mismatched intentions endanger both the ecological balance of the nature plateau and their way of life, with an aftermath that affects Takumi's life deeply. - Director:
- Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
- Cast:
- Hitoshi Omika, Ryô Nishikawa, Ryûji Kosaka
- Formats:
-
-
The Life of O-Haru (1952)Saikaku ichidai onna
Winner of the 1952 Venice Film Festival silver lion award, Kenji Mizoguchi's tragic tale, set in the 17th Century, of a young noblewoman's fall from grace established his reputation as one of Japan's greatest directors. Kinuyo Tanaka stars as O-Haru, a beautiful courtesan who surrenders to her passion for a commoner, played by Toshiro Mifune. As punishment, she and her parents are banished into exile where O-Haru desperately attempts to escape her past. A compelling and powerful critique of feudal Japan as seen through the eyes of a woman, 'The Life of O-Haru' portrays the human dramas and historical settings with unflinching realism and atmospheric detail, demonstrating Mizoguchi's complete mastery of the medium. - Director:
- Kenji Mizoguchi
- Cast:
- Kinuyo Tanaka, Tsukie Matsuura, Ichirô Sugai
- Formats:
-
-
Mothra vs. Godzilla
- Director:
- Ishiro Honda
- Cast:
- Katsuhiko Sasaki, Hiroyuki Kawase, Yutaka Hayashi
- Formats:
-
-
Spirited Away (2001)Sen to chihiro no kamikakushi
Chihiro, a headstrong 10-year-old girl, is unhappy that her family are moving house and that she will have to make new friends. As they make their way to the new home, Chihiro's father takes a detour to explore a mysterious tunnel in the woods. On the other side is what seems to be a deserted theme park but is in fact a ghostly town. Unwittingly, they have strayed into the Land of the Spirits, a world of dreamlike scenery inhabited by ancient gods and magical beings, ruled over by the sorceress, Yubaba. With her parents held captive and Yubaba set on enslaving them forever, Chihiro must use all her energy to survive in this strange new place. With the help of Haku, a brave young spirit, she is forced to overcome her Pears and join an epic battle for her family's freedom. - Director:
- Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast:
- Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino
- Formats:
-
-
All About Lilly Chou-Chou (2001)Riri Shushu no subete
The story is told through the eyes of Yuichi, a teenage boy in love with pop music and pop stars. Particularly beholden to Yuichi is the ethereal star Lily Chou Chou, the subject of her own website where a loyal coterie of 'Lilyphiles' trade gossip, information, and speculation. Yuichi takes increasing solace in her fictional world, gradually using it as a weapon with which to fight his crippling shyness and the harsh realities of the outside world. - Director:
- Shunji Iwai
- Cast:
- Hayato Ichihara, Shûgo Oshinari, Ayumi Itô
- Formats:
-
-
First Love (2019)Hatsukoi
Blood, gore, severed heads, but a tender love story at heart. Takashi Miike is back! One night in Tokyo. Leo (Masataka Kubota), a young boxer down on his luck, meets his 'first love' Monica (Sakurako Konishi), a callgirl and an addict, but still an innocent. Unwittingly caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme, Leo and Monica find themselves pursued through the night by a corrupt cop, a yakuza, his nemesis, and a female assassin hired by the Chinese Triads. Prepare for unadulterated mayhem and carnage and fall for 'First Love'. - Director:
- Takashi Miike
- Cast:
- Nazeeh Tarsha, Becky, Bengaru
- Formats:
-