Nozomu Enoki Movies

A young yokai (specter) who lost his parents at birth wages war against the malevolent monsters that threaten humankind in a fantasy horror film directed by Katsuhide Motaki and starring Eiji Wentz. With the help of his father's soul (which lives in one of his eyeballs), the young warrior stands as the sole barrier between the fragile human race and the nightmarish beasts that populate another dimension. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director Hirokazu Koreeda turns the popularly held conventions of the typical samurai evenge tale on their head with this story of a man whose quest to avenge the death of his father gradually takes a back seat to his emerging role as a key figure in the community. The year is 1702, and young samurai Sozaemon Aoki (Junichi Okada) has arrived in Edo to seek revenge against Jubei Kanazawa (Tadanoby Asano). Kanazawa is the man responsible for the death of Aoki's father, and now it's up to the grieving swordsman to settle the score. When Aoki begins teaching the children of Edo to read and write, however, his bloodlust slowly begins to subside as he cones to realize the true value of his useful place in society. Upon falling in love with the beautiful Osae (Rie Miyazawa), Aoki comes to realize that although the sword may be a powerful symbol of strength, allowing oneself to fall victim to its savage allure may not always be the best way to realizing ones true heroism. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Enraged by decades of treachery and mistrust, two magical samurai clans go to war despite the love that was meant to keep the peace in director Ten Shimoyama's feudal action entry. The year is 1614, and Japan has been unified under supreme shogun Tokugawa. Though the love shared between Gennosuke of Kohga and Oboro of Iga should have been enough to end the cycle of suffering and strife in the two warring villages, the spirit of vengeance has gained too much momentum and the people have become possessed by their own insatiable rage. Now, as a conspiracy set into motion by Tokugawa causes the violence to swell yet again, Gennosuke pushes for peace as Oboro chooses to fight. In a time when every ninja in the land has been bestowed with amazing superhuman powers, the ultimate war is about to get under way. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Yoichi Sai directs Takeshi "Beat" Kitano in this adaptation of the popular Yang Seok-il novel concerning a violent, ruthless family patriarch whose obsession for money destroys all that surrounds him. In 1923, Kim Shun-pei left his home on a remote island south of Korea in order to seek out his fortune in Osaka, Japan. Upon arriving in Japan, Shun-pei faced relentless discrimination while forced to work hard labor under excruciating conditions. Despite the fact that the odds were stacked against him, however, Shun-pei eventually opened a Kamaboko (steamed fish cake) factory using nothing more than his remarkable personal strength and staunch determination. Shun-pei was a cunning and ruthless businessman, and his incredible tyranny extended to his personal life as well. Yet while Shun-pei's obsession with money was the very reason he eventually found success, it would also be his ultimate downfall. Later, as money and the constant quest for wealth overtook every aspect of his life, Shun-pei transforms himself into a vicious loan shark. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Veteran director Shinji Somai lensed this heart-warming family drama about a shabby looking coot claiming to be the father of an elite salaryman. Hiroshi Nirasaki (Koichi Sato) is a securities broker desperately trying to keep the fact that his company is about to go belly-up from his high-strung upper-class wife (Yuki Saito). One day, while walking home from a particularly bad day at work, he gets accosted by an old bum (Tsutomu Yamazaki) who demands to be taken in by his son. Though his mother told him that his dad died when he was born, the drunken geezer knows enough about him and his short order cook mother (Sumiko Fuji) that he is almost convinced. Hiroshi takes him to his large traditional home -- the house of his wife's deceased well-to-do father -- to meet his wife Mizuho (Yuki Saito), his snooty mother-in-law (Shiho Fujimura), and his school-aged son (Keita Okada). Dad immediately makes his presence felt by demanding his fatherly rights and by generally acting crude and obnoxious. Mizuho and her mother can't stand him; Hiroshi's son on the other hand loves the reckless charm of his new grandfather. This film won the FIPRESCI Award given by the International Film Critics Federation at the 1999 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi