KWAIDAN [1964]

aka Kaidan

Masaki Kobayashi, director of The Human Condition trilogy, adapts four ancient Japanese folktales for the ghost story anthology Kwaidan.
A segment for each season of the year, (Hoichi the Earless being my favorite) focuses on victims both innocent and deserving of their ghostly punishments.
After a ridiculously poor DVD release, Criterion gave it a proper blu-ray release in 2015 that did wonders for it's striking visuals that are rich in color, texture and framing.  The theatrical sets are beautifully designed with gorgeously painted backdrops that all give it a fable-like aesthetic that  accentuates that campfire-esque storytelling.  The minimal sound design is exquisite particularly with a proper sound system that allows the startling cricks 'n creaks bury itself deep within your head and purposely break the soothing tranquility of it all.  It's not a particularly frightening watch but it's eerie enough to haunt your thoughts with wonder and awe.  

5 unlucky biwa players out of 5

Three Outlaw Samurai (1964)

The title and the opening shots of this jidaigeki might bring Kurosawa to mind, but it’s more like a brutal Zatoichi film. Three desperate peasants kidnap a magistrate’s daughter simply to use as leverage in tax reform negotiations. A wandering ronin takes pity on their plight and lends his sword in aid, but the magistrate has ronin of his own…
TOS was Gosha’s début feature, but you’d never guess. It’s a masterful display of pacing, characterisation, social commentary and fierce fights that rely on skill, often with little or no edits. If you're a fan of chanbara but haven't seen it, do yourself a favour and seek it out.

4½ betrayals out of 5

The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001)

The only thing you can be sure about when sitting down to a film by Japanese auteur Takashi Miike is that you've opened a window onto the unpredictable. Sadly, after a wonderfully bizarre opening the musical black comedy plummets into another one of his style over substance clusterfucks. Twenty minutes of actual story padded out to two hours of sitcom style antics raised up only by the inclusion of some intentionally hilarious Sound of Music moments left me colder than the corpses that help the Katakuri family find what’s important in life.

2 holes in the ground out of 5

The Twilight Samurai (2002)

Seibei Iguchi was once a swordsman but is now a low-rank accountant on low pay because the ending of an era meant the warrior class were either retired or moved into positions of bureaucracy.

Despite his change in circumstances, Seibei's main concern remains his family; he'll do everything he can to protect them.

Yamada’s film is a samurai film with a difference, it has almost no swordplay. It's a quiet character study focussing on relationships and personal sacrifice, filled with simplicity and portentous symbolism. It's perfect in every way.

5 azaleas out of 5