[1] Japanese Film and why I love it.

I've decided to do a 'Japanese (____) and why I love it' type of series where I'll discuss differences between Japanese culture and Western culture.

I've always thought Japanese films are on the whole much better than western films. I have a soft spot for Japanese films which are weird or have a sombre atmosphere.

Some of my all-time favourite films are Japanese, like 'Love Exposure', 'Battle Royale' and 'Kagemusha'. The list is long, but all of these films have a distinctly 'Japanese feel' about them, which couldn't be emulated in a Hollywood remake.

Japanese films tend to also pay more attention to minute details, such as extended shots on facial expressions and scenery. Extended dialogue is also common (about nothing in particular). I watched 'Seven Samurai' by Akira Kurosawa, and although the running time exceeds three hours, it felt worth it and the brilliant cinematography got through even the black-and-white picture (I also love black-and-white films, but that's another story).

Don't get me wrong though, I also like the Japanese films that are adapted from an anime/manga. The most recent example of this is probably 'Smuggler', which starred one of my favourite actors, Satoshi Tsumabuki. This film was a live-action one, and so had over the top fight scenes and was quite violent (as usual).

However, having said all this, only a handful out of the many Japanese films I have watched have made me really think out it or want to see it again. There are a LOT of bad Japanese films. One of the worst I saw was called 'Hanamizuki', an 'epic love story'. It was more like two hours of boredom; predictable and frankly terrible acting. These mediocre films really bring out the brilliance of directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Sion Sono and Beat Takeshi.