 Babel 2006   R, 142 min.
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Adriana Barraza, Gael Garcia Bernal, Rinko Kikuchi, Koji Yakusho, Elle Fanning, Nathan Gamble, Mohamed Akhzam, Mustapha Amhita, Peter Wight, Harriet Walter, Boubker Ait El Caid
This story involves people in four cities showing how we are all interconnected despite differences in geography and race. It begins with a random shooting in Morocco by a young boy that leaves Susan (Cate Blanchett) bleeding badly. As American tourists, Susan and husband Richard (Brad Pitt) are on a trip hoping to repair their marriage, and now Richard fights to keep Susan alive. The scene switches to Tokyo where deaf-mute teenager Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) engages in sexual acts as a outlet to deal with her mother's suicide. Finally, the scene cuts back to San Diego where Richard and Susan's illegal alien housekeeper Amelia (Adriana Barraza) faces the problem of what to do with their children who she is tending while Richard and Susan are away. Amelia's son is getting married in Mexico, and she opts to take the American children across the border for the wedding. But, as luck would have it, problems present themselves when the group attempts to re-cross the border. The film received an Oscar for Best Original Score; five other nominations were received, including Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Rinko Kikuchi), and Supporting Actress (Adriana Barraza).
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Charisma 1999  N/R, 104 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Ren Osugi, Yoriko Douguchi, Jun Fubuki, Akira Otaka, Yutaka Matsushige, Sachiko Meguro, Masayuki Shionoya, Masahiro Toda, Yoji Tanaka
After a hostage negotiator fails at his rescue attempt, he takes a vacation in a remote forest where he comes across a strange tree called "Charisma" that some of the local people want to destroy.
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 Cure 1997  N/R, 115 min.
Genre: Foreign / Thriller
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Masato Hagiwara, Anna Nakagawa, Yoriko Douguchi, Yukijiro Hotaru, Denden, Ren Osugi, Masahiro Toda, Misayo Haruki
Homicide Detective Kenichi Takabe (Koji Yakusho) investigates a series of murders in which the victims have had a large "X" carved on their bodies. In each case, the murderer is nearby and confesses, though not sure of what happened. Eventually, a drifter comes under scrutiny but on questioning does not seem to have a memory of anything and always asks "Who are you?" Meanwhile, Kenichi's wife has her own mental illness problems, and Kenichi begins to understand more about the drifter's situation. Eerie.
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Eureka 2000 N/R, 217 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Shinji Aoyama
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Aoi Miyazaki, Masaru Miyazaki, Yoichiro Saito, Ken Mitsuishi, Go Riju, Yutaka Matsushige, Sansei Shiomi, Kimie Shingyoji, Sayuri Kokusho, Eihi Shiina, Machiko Ono
The trauma suffered by three survivors–bus driver Makoto (Koji Yakusho and brother and sister Kozue and Naoki (Masaru Miyazaki and Aoi Miyazaki)–of a commuter bus hijacking is examined two years after the crime when Makoto contacts Naoki and Kozue. Makoto moves into their home and becomes their father figure. Their college student cousin Akihiko (Yoichiro Saito) arrives for summer vacation, and Makoto takes the family on a trip that begins where the hijacking took place and continues across Japan. A series of murders follows them on their odyssey, but they seem to be putting their lives back together.
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Kamikaze Taxi 1995 N/R, 170 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action
Director: Masato Harada
Cast: Kazuya Takahashi, Koji Yakusho, Kenichi Yajima, Mickey Curtis, Reiko Kataoka, Taketoshi Naito, Toshi Shioya, Tomorowo Taguchi, Takeshi Caesar, Chika Nakagami
After his girlfriend is murdered by the crime boss, retribution becomes the name of the game for gangster Tatsuo (Kazuya Takahashi).
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Korei 2000 TV, 95 min.
Genre: Foreign / Thriller
aka: Seance
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Jun Fubuki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Kitarou, Hikari Ishida, Ittoku Kishibe, Ren Osugi, Sho Aikawa, Daikei Shimizu
Junko (Jun Fubuki) is a medium who yearns for public recognition. Her chance for success comes when a kidnapped girl is found in their home, and she and her husband (Koji Yakusho) keep the location of the girl a secret from the police. But, when the girl dies, she haunts the couple, and the plot backfires.
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Pulse 2001 N/R, 110 min.
Genre: Foreign / Horror
aka: Kairo
Circuit
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Cast: Haruhiko Kato, Kumiko Aso, Koyuki, Kurume Arisaka, Masatoshi Matsuo, Jun Fubuki, Shinji Takeda, Koji Yakusho, Shun Sugata, Sho Aikawa, Kenji Mizuhashi
After Taguchi (Kenji Mizuhashi) commits suicide, his friends (Haruhiko Kato and Kumiko Aso) experience strange events that could mean Taguchi is trying to contact them–or is he?
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 Shall We Dance? 1996 PG, 118 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Masayuki Suo
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Tamiyo Kusakari, Naoto Takenaka, Eriko Watanabe, Akira Emoto, Yu Tokui, Hiromasa Taguchi, Reiko Kusamura, Hideko Hara, Shuichiro Moriyama
Accountant Shohei Sugiyama (Koji Yakusho) steps outside his conservative world and enters the world of ballroom dancing, which works as a catharsis to his joyless state of being.
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Tampopo 1986 N/R, 114 min.
Genre: Foreign / Comedy
Director: Juzo Itami
Cast: Ken Watanabe, Tsutomu Yamakazi, Nobuko Miyamoto, Rikiya Yasuoka, Kinzoh Sakura, Koji Miyamoto, Koji Yakusho, Mario Abe, Hitoshi Takagi, Masahiko Tsugawa
This parody on spaghetti Westerns has a widow, Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto), making the perfect Japanese noodle after the driver of a semi-truck, Ooro (Tsutomu Yamakazi), rides into town searching for the perfect noodle restaurant.
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Unagi 1997 N/R, 115 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
aka: The Eel
Director: Shohei Imamura
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Misa Shimizu, Fujio Tsuneta, Mitsuko Baisho, Akira Emoto, Sho Aikawa, Ken Kobayashi, Sabu Kawahara, Etsuko Ichihara, Tomorowo Taguchi
Takuro Yamashita (Koji Yakusho)–upon release from prison after serving eight years for killing his wife–opens a barbershop and brings along his "pet" eel. The eel becomes his confidante as he refuses to let people into his personal space.
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Warm Water Under a Red Bridge 2001 N/R, 119 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Shohei Imamura
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Misa Shimizu, Mitsuko Baisho, Mansaku Fuwa, Kazuo Kitamura, Isao Natsuyagi, Yukiya Kitamura, Hijiri Kojima, Toshie Negishi, Sumiko Sakamoto
After losing his wife and job, Yosuke Sasano (Koji Yakusho) sets out in search of a stolen Buddha statue rumored to rest in a house near a red bridge. But, along the way he finds a more satisfying treasure: the beautiful, but sexually mysterious, Saeko (Misa Shimizu). After almost 50 years of filmmaking, Shohei Imamura continues to turn out superb films.
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| 1. Babel (2006)
2. Charisma (1999)
3. Cure (1997)
4. Doppelganger (2003)
5. Eureka (2000)
6. Kamikaze Taxi (1995)
7. Korei (2000)
aka: Seance
8. Pulse (2001)
aka: Kairo
aka: Circuit
9. Shall We Dance? (1996)
10. Tampopo (1986)
11. Unagi (1997)
aka: The Eel
12. Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (2001)
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