Need some advice for report on Japanese film.

[ElCapichan]

I am taking a Lit of Japan class this semester, and I have the pleasure of doing a report on Japanese film. I have dabbled a tiny but into the genre (Samurai Fiction, Versus, Ichi the Killer, and one crazy ninja flick I can't remember the name off). I have seen a few of Akira Kurosawa's films, and I plan on picking up the box set with 3-4 of his movies so as to discuss them in the report. I am also considering discussing modern day Japanese film that displays the culture of today. So what I pretty much need is some suggestions on both time pieces and modern day films. Akira Kurosawa's films offer enough for the time pieces, but I would like to get some other classics in if there are any that are noteworthy.

[Mr-K]

Kurosawa is a must (Ran, Rashomon, and Seven Samurai being the big critic's favorites--but he also has movies that aren't period) and a name that I see often but whose work I am not familiar with is Yasujiro Ozu, so I would look into his work as well.

[bbobb]

One of my personal favorite current Japanese directors is Koreeda. Nobody Knows and After Life are excellent works set in modern Japan.

Juzo's work is worth checking out as well... I'm a big fan of both The Funeral and Tampopo.

[Sqoon]

The quintessential Japanese movie! Black, violent, caustic, and ridiculous. You seriously cannot tell if Suzuki was joking or not.

I gotta veto the After Life recommendation. What a load of crap that was.

[Dolemite]

[Hubbitron]

Tentacle rape speaks volumes about Japanese culture through film.

[Dolemite]

Indeed.

[ElCapichan]

I'm partial to 1&2 myself (actually don't remember which eps are which as its been years since I've seen them) but someone else is covering anime and manga, so I'll leave the hentai to him.

[Josh]

Urotsukidoji imo...

[Salsashark]

The big classic names to look into (other than Kurosawa):

Yasujiro Ozu - Huge, arguably bigger than Kurosawa. He made many, many movies and I haven't seen one that was a slouch, so I don't think you can really go wrong. This is not riveting stuff, most are focused family dramas/comedies that have to do with arranged marriage, but if you're really interested in some kind of defined "Japanese aesthetic" or theme he's the first one to watch.

Kenji Mizoguchi - People don't talk about him as much as Kurosawa or Ozu, but he's really part of "The Big Three." See Ugetsu (a ghost story set in fedual japan and one of the most beautiful black and white movies of all time).

Mikio Naruse - Contemporary of Ozu and Mizoguchi. When I said "Big Three" I really meant four, because Naruse was probably just as talented. A Woman Ascends the Stairs and Mother are both worth seeing.

Contemporary:

Kiyoshi Kurosawa - Blends genre movie concepts with surreal and enigmatic ideas. Some are more successful at actually being entertaining than others, but I wholeheartedly recommend Cure and Kairo for starters.

Takeshi Kitano - You're pretty much either going to get a light-hearted comedy or unflinching Yakuza movie, but he's great at both. He has a really unique deadpan style. Anything by him that you can find on Region 1 should be good, except for Brother. I'd avoid that as a first, because it's kind of crappy (but in a strange and exciting way). Also don't watch Takeshi's.

Nagisa Oshima - His most famous movies are In the Realm of the Senses (porn) and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawerence (David Bowie).

Shinobu Yaguchi - He makes really fun, light-hearted comedies...to this very day. Swing Girls, Adrenaline Drive, My Secret Cache and Waterboys are all great.

Hideaki Anno - Yeah, he made Evangelion but he is also cool for making 3 very satisfying live action movies.

Yasuzo Masumura - A great, often overlooked director. Blind Beast, Giants and Toys, and Afraid to Die are all really great and totally different movies.

Koji Wakamatsu - The most famous pink film director from the 60's, but his movies are much more than just softcore porn. Most of them are full of terrible violence and torture as well, so it's not just sex!

Seijun Suzuki - Made some of the most stylish movies ever made, and he's STILL making interesting (to varying degrees) movies!! The man is in his 80s. Like Sqoon said, Branded to Kill is a total classic, as is Tokyo Drifter.

Juzo Itami - Like Bbobb said.