An intellectual couple in a staid and tedious marriage are surprised when the wife’s niece, who has run away from home, turns up unexpectedly to stay with them. Their mundane lives are sent into disarray by the emotional and energetic Ako.Read More »
Asian
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Kon Ichikawa – Ano Te Kono Te aka This Way, That Way (1952)
1951-1960AsianComedyJapanKon Ichikawa -
Sun-Woo Jang & Wan Sunwoo – Seoul Hwangje aka Seoul Jesus (1986)
1981-1990AsianDramaSouth KoreaSun-Woo JangWan SunwooQuote:
Escaping from the sanatorium for the insane, a man who calls himself Jesus goes to Seoul. He is indulged in the illusion that he should save Seoul from the judgement of fire by finding a woman. He looks for an angel but nobody cares about him, and only a child selling the chewing gum follows him whose wish is to have mother. Finally, he finds a beautiful woman and gains her love through incessant persuasion. Seoul becomes a blessed land and, though Jesus is dragged to the hospital again, the woman becomes the child’s mother, and thus, Jesus promise for the child comes true.Read More » -
Noboru Nakamura – Waga ya wa tanoshi AKA Home Sweet Home (1951)
Noboru Nakamura1951-1960AsianClassicsJapanThere’s no place like home:even with four children,the Uemura family is able to live
a modest but happy life in their cramped, rented flat. The parents support the two elder daughters’ artistic ambitions to the best of their ability, using all the means at their disposal to make it possible for Tomoko to paint and Nobuko to sing in a choir.
There is much rejoicing when the father is honoured for 25 years of service at his
company and awarded a cash prize to boot. Yet the family must make the painful discovery that joy and sorrow are often not far apart: not only does recognition as a painter continue to elude Tomoko, the Uemuras also learn that they will have to leave their home.
One of Tomoko’s paintings finally restores their lost happiness.Read More » -
Kôji Wakamatsu – Tobu wa tengoku, moguru ga jigoku AKA Fly to heaven, or go to hell (1999)
1991-2000AsianDramaJapanKoji WakamatsuA bus full of cult members gets stuck in snow. The cult has to stay in a mountain hotel. Strange things start to happen… This film was only released on VHS in Japan.
The music was composed by J. A. Seazer. And the screenplay was done by Izuru Deguchi and Ei Takatori (1952-2018). And some of the members from Gessyokukageki (月蝕歌劇団) founded by Ei Takatori also performed in this film.Read More » -
Makoto Shinozaki – Wasurerarenu hitobito AKA Not Forgotten (2000)
1991-2000AsianDramaJapanMakoto ShinozakiSynopsis:
The central characters are elderly men, former soldiers in the Pacific War, one of whom is still haunted by guilt for abandoning a wounded colleague to die. When the ‘religious’ cult Utopia turns up and starts swindling old people out of their savings and homes, the veterans are goaded into action one last time.Read More » -
Koji Wakamatsu – Shinjuku Mad (1970)
1961-1970ArthouseAsianJapanKoji WakamatsuSynopsis
Shinjuku Mad is about a desperate father’s search for the killer of his son. The father has rushed from the countryside to comb the seamy, filthy gutters and alleys of Tokyo. He meets some no-good, pot-smoking, guitar-playing, orgy-having hippies who knew his son but just won’t cooperate. Eventually, he discovers that “Shinjuku Mad” killed his son for the sake of some social revolution. The father tracks down the man and his group — if he can’t get a satisfactory answer as to why his son was killed, he wants to at least understand the “revolution” that claimed his son’s life.Read More » -
Yôji Yamada – Natsukashii furaibo AKA The Lovable Tramp (1966)
1961-1970AsianComedyJapanYôji YamadaSaotome is a white-collar worker and he was neglected by his wife and children at home. He met Gen, a blue-collar worker and they became good friends.Read More »
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Hiroshi Inagaki – Chûshingura AKA The 47 Ronin (1962)
1961-1970AsianClassicsHiroshi InagakiJapanThe story tells of a group of samurai who were left leaderless (becoming ronin) after their daimyo (feudal lord) was forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) for assaulting a court official named Kira Yoshinaka, whose title was Kōzuke no suke. The ronin avenged their master’s honor after patiently waiting and planning for over a year to kill Kira. In turn, the ronin were themselves forced to commit seppuku for committing the crime of murder.Read More »
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Sadao Nakajima – Amadera maruhi monogatari AKA Nunnery Confidential (1968)
1961-1970AsianDramaJapanSadao NakajimaThird film in the Maruhi series. Focuses on the life of Buddhist nuns during the Edo Period.Junko Fuji in leading role for the first time.Read More »