From the revered classics of Akira Kurosawa, to the modern marvels of Takeshi Kitano, the films that have emerged from Japan represent a national cinema that has gained worldwide admiration and appreciation. The Directory of World Cinema: Japan provides an insight into the cinema of Japan through reviews of significant titles and case studies of leading directors, alongside explorations of the cultural and industrial origins of key genres. The directory aims to play a part in the distribution of academic output by building a forum for the study of film from a disciplined theoretical base.
This is in the form of an A-Z of reviews, longer essays and research resources. The cinematic lineage of samurai warriors, yakuza enforcers and atomic monsters are discussed in addition to the politically charged works of the Japanese New Wave, making this a truly comprehensive volume.
The list is based on the contents of the Book, sorted by chapters:
More information on this is also aviable on http://worldcinemadirectory.co.uk/!
List for the 2nd edition: http://trakt.tv/users/sp1ti/lists/directory-of-world-cinema-japan-2
The 100 "Top Films" Kurosawa listed in the book "A Dream is a Genius".
Akira Kurosawa discusses his top 100 films with his daughter, Kazuo. Kurosawa limits his choices to one film per director.
Source: http://ww.criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=7192
Thanks to all who’ve made this a very popular list, in spite of glitches causing dozens of fans to suddenly disappear :(
A big welcome to the land of cinematic wonders!
I’ve aimed for a rounded overview to include not only personal favourites but popular hits and international award winners, animé landmarks, avant-
garde films, the New Wave, erotic “pink films” and the great classics that are still the glory of world cinema.Much of silent cinema before the 1930s has been lost, its Benshi narrators displaced but good finally to have the landmark film Souls on the Road on Mubi. In the 20s directors were able to learn their trade through prolific practice, aware of and encorporating developments in both the Soviet Union and the West… and then, what a wealth of wonders! Older masters: the unequalled aesthetic refinement of Mizoguchi, the charm of Shimizu, the quiet observational wisdom of Ozu, the tragically curtailed promise of Yamanaka, the balanced restraint of Naruse, the muscular humanism of Kurosawa… Then, a new generation from the late 50s, in full swing in the sexually freer 60s: the idealism of Kobayashi, the political bite of Oshima, the earthy subversion of Imamura, the cool of Suzuki and Masumura. the avant-garde Terayama.. So many to explore: Yoshida, Ichikawa Kon, Teshigahara, Shinoda, Wakamatsu, Kumai, the documentaries of Ogawa and Hara, the stop motion master Kawamoto, the blood soaked Fukasaku.. the rise of animé, with the international success of Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki’s beautiful flights of fancy, the spiky Tsukamoto, the popular appeal of Kitano, the prolific shocker Miike.. up to the present with Koreeda, Naomi Kawase, Sono, Kurosawa Kiyoshi… oh and i almost went without mentioning Samurai and Godzilla.
Source: http://mubi.com/lists/kenjis-japanese-canon
Missing on TMDB as of now:
ID: tt0242845, Title: Narita: The Peasants of the Second Fortress, Year: -
The scene was not unlike 12 Angry Men (or, in this case, 3 Shlubby Men, 1 Exasperated Woman, And A Dude On Speaker Phone From Arkansas): Armed with lists of their favorite movies of the decade, the five core A.V. Club film writers spent days sequestered in a stuffy, un-air-conditioned room—okay, it was actually just a few hours, and we were comfortable—in an effort to forge consensus on the Top 50 films of the ’00s. The result: A ranked list that is in no way arbitrary and will serve as the canonical standard for decades to come. You’re welcome.
Source: http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-best-films-of-the-00s,35931/
All the Academy Award winners in the Best Picture category.
A FEAST OF FRIGHTFUL FLICKS WAITING TO BE REDISCOVERED
As the leading name in the world of horror, Fangoria magazine has been the source of information for fans of fright flicks for more than twenty years—covering feature films, video games, comic books, collectibles, and all aspects of horror entertainment. Working closely with Fangoria’s experts, including Editor in Chief Anthony Timpone, Adam Lukeman has compiled a must-have guide for casual horror fans and hardcore horror junkies with Fangoria’s 101 Best Horror Films You’ve Never Seen.
Animated feature films by Studio Ghibli. While Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is not officially created by Studio Ghibli, it's success was the reason the studio was founded, so it deserves a spot on the list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_Ghibli
Making lists is not my favorite occupation. They inevitably inspire only reader complaints. Not once have I ever heard from a reader that my list was just fine, and they liked it. Yet an annual Best Ten list is apparently a statutory obligation for movie critics.
My best guess is that between six and ten of these movies won't be familiar. Those are the most useful titles for you, instead of an ordering of movies you already know all about.
One recent year I committed the outrage of listing 20 movies in alphabetical order. What an uproar! Here are my top 20 films, in order of approximate preference.
Source: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/12/the_best_films_of_2011.html
