Loft (product link) Horror / Thriller Kiyoshi Kurosawa is one of the best directors working today, and Loft is his scariest film yet. Kurosawa's style is similar to Coppola and Scorsese in that he gives you an environment and slowly lets his characters come into it. All of his films take on many elements not found in just one genre.
In Loft he creates a mystery wrapped in a ghost story with elements building one on another on another. At times the film reminded me of Vincent Price's The Mummy and even Anne Rice. At other times it was almost a David Lynch dream sequence. Loft is genuinely scary with little blood, and tons of atmosphere. Both Miki Nakatami and Toyokawa Etushi shine in the film. Both the professor and the writer have buried secrets and ghosts, mummies and other problems to face. Although Retribution is his latest work, Loft stands out as a scary, intelligent film.
Retribution [2006] (product link) Mystery / Thriller Reading the description for Retribution one might think it is the standard Japanese ghost story with long haired woman and obsessed dectective. You would be wrong. Kiyoshi Kurosawa never does the expected. His characters are rich in detail, and his photography is surreal and beautiful. Kurosawa also is a master of the punchline. This film is no exception. My biggest problem with the film is it is not a scary ghost story. There are cheap thrills, and spooky moments, but the terror is deeper than JUST a ghost story. It is an amazing mystery with superb acting beginning to end. Highly recommended for ghost/horror fans but more so for mystery fans.
Seance (product link) Horror / Thriller Seance is a Hitchockian thriller dripping with guilt, greed and ghosts. Like all Kurosawa films it is not what it seems. Since Seance is based on a book, the elements of that writing come through in the film more so that other Kurosawa films. It is creepy, unsettling for all the human elements. Those expecting a standard ghost story, or mystery will be disappointed. You will know the who, what, where, when & why before you hit the end. It's the consequences that make this film.
Doppelganger (product link) Thriller / Drama Doppleganger is Kiyoshi Kurosawa's funniest film. Reading the plot one is reminded of the old Twilight Zone episode. Making a movie out of that seems ludicrous. Guess again.
Koji Yakusho steals the show as Hayasaki. He is shy, reserved, and troubled in one instant; and high strung, wild and insane the next. Yakusho's dialogues with himself make the film.
The film is filled with Kurosawa's wry humor and attacks on society and what is expected. By the end of the film I couldn't stop laughing. I highly recommend it for fans of Charisma since they both share a unique view of the world.
Noroi is hands down my favorite Asian ghost/horror story. Since I've had my copy I've watched it 3-4 times, and bought it as a gift for friends many times. The film has wrongly received the name as the "Japanese Blair Witch." It is a wrong comparison.
Noroi begins as a series of unrelated events from screaming children, dead birds, and a psychic actress. Two hours later is it the most challenging story to even take on a Japanese demon. After the success of Cloverfield, this film should be on those fans' lists.
I've described it as a Japanese Geraldo Rivera who specializes in the supernatural following a story for a year. I consider this film to be revolutionary like The Ring, Ju-On, and Suicide Circle. It challenges everything you would expect in a Japanese film. I also consider it bold for not going the simple route of a ghost. The demon is a loftier goal and so much more interesting. It is my hope that more people find this film. It is amazing!
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