Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (US/Japan, 1985)

A fictionalized account in four chapters of the life of celebrated Japanese author Yukio Mishima. Three of the segments parallel events in Mishima's life with his novels (The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Kyoko's House, and Runaway Horses), while the fourth depicts the actual events of the 25th Nov. 1970, "The Last Day".

Mishima is actually directed by an American film-maker, Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver) but a film about Yukio Mishima seems too good to pass up. Mishima was a nationalist and founded his own right-wing militia. In 1970, he and three other members of his militia staged an attempted coup d'état when they seized control of a Japanese military base and took the commander hostage, then tried and failed to inspire a coup to restore the Emperor's pre-war powers. Mishima then committed ritual suicide by seppuku. 

It's a fascinating history and it feels like it easily could have been very melodramatic and unnecessarily violent in the hands of the wrong director, but Schrader portrays the events with the greatest of respects. Not only does he carefully tell the story and all of its context, but at the same time bringing it to life with fantastic, dreamlike cinematography and all sorts of playful ways of using his camera. The films production designer, Eiko Ishioka, was tracked down by Schrader after the team had seen her work on the Japanese poster for Apocalypse Now (1979), and had this to say about the work on Mishima:

"It would be like the sets themselves were characters, as though they were actors, and they would challenge the real actors. So that when the sets and the actors came together, they’d set off a spark and a new kind of energy."

I just really adore how this movie looks, and Eiko's idea of making each of the films segment's be filmed in what looks like theatrical sets gives the film rich, numerous personalities. I could post screenshots from it all day long, but I'll try to refrain from that. Superb film about a maybe somewhat less-known piece of Japanese history. 

Mishima could be called a samurai film set in modern days, with how Yukio tried his best to honor the traditions and ways of the bushido, so in the end when his crushing defeat was unavoidable he also chose to die like a samurai. 

Genre: Biography/Drama

Ryuzo and the Seven Henchmen (Japan, 2015)

Ryuzo is a retired yakuza gangster who lives a quiet unassuming life with his son. One day, the old gangster receives a call from an impostor pretending to be his son asking for ¥5 million. Ryuzo sees through the trick and learns from police detective Murakami (Beat Takeshi) that a member from the Keihin Rengo gang is responsible. Re-uniting his seven former henchmen to strike back, Ryuzo learns that they have all grown weak with their old age.

Director/actor Takeshi Kitano is once again back with a Yakuza film, and oh how I missed it. Ryuzo let's him have a lot more fun with the genre than his previous Outrage-series which were very straightforward and by-the-book. This one is a far more enjoyable Yakuza romp that's actually both funny and dark while also being lovely violent. The main characters all have the usual traits; one is way too old for action, one is wise and more laid-back, another is a revolver maniac, but it really doesn't feel as been-there-done-that as it should. Instead it's charming as hell to see a bunch of old men trying to relive their long past Yakuza years for a good cause. 

Genre: Action/Comedy

The Night is Short, Walk On Girl (Japan, 2017)

The story of the titular girl known only as Otome and her insanely long night of partying and drinking-complete with a book fair, festival, and many adventures in between. It is also the story of Senpai, her upper class man who has been attempting to get closer to her by "coincidentally" running into her again and again. However, on this night, meeting up with her may be the greatest challenge of his life.

Just seeing Masaaki Yuasa's name on the box of the film makes me foam at the mouth. His Mind Game (2004) left a permanent change in how I view and enjoy different animation. Though of course not as big in scope as that film, The Night is Short focuses on an innocent young girl who discovers all the temptations of a big city's nightlife. Wicked art style, mad side characters who all help drag Otome further into the night and a serious intake of alcoholic beverages makes up for a special kind of evening in the Tokyo limelight. I could have done without a male love interest but still, a crazy night out portrayed with timeless animation.   

Genre: Animation/Adventure/Comedy

Rhapsody in August (Japan, 1991)

An elderly woman living in Nagasaki Japan takes care of her four grandchildren for their summer vacation. They learn about the atomic bomb that fell in 1945, and how it killed their grandfather.

I've always had a huge interest in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It's such a horrible and shocking chapter in the history of the world that every movie that deals with these events automatically gains my attention. Rhapsody tells of a family which greatly has been affected by the bombings, and of their story many years later when grandchildren all become parts of a living legacy. It's more of a family drama with a sad undertone, but no less fascinating. Not the movie I'd expect to see Richard Gere in, but he does have a small part in it. One of three films directed by Akira Kurosawa which revolves around the atomic bombings, the other two were I Live in Fear (1955) and Dreams (1990). Not one of his most prominent works but a good film nonetheless. 

Genre: Drama