Yoji Tanaka Movies
A story of two very different people coming together in the wake of personal tragedies, Last Life in the Universe stars Tadanobu Asano as Kenji, a quiet, bespectacled Japanese librarian living in Bangkok. Obsessed with suicide, he meticulously stages ways to kill himself, only to be interrupted every time. One night, his more raucous brother shows up for an unexpected visit, accompanied by a yakuza gangster. A gunfight breaks out, leaving both visitors dead. Kenji ventures out into the night and happens upon Noi (Sinitta Boonyasak), a feisty bargirl whose sister has just died in an accident following a fight over their shared boyfriend. Kenji accompanies Noi to her sprawling, dilapidated house in the country, where a relationship develops despite their language barrier and clashing personalities, until another twist of fate threatens to tear them apart. ~ Tom Vick, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tadanobu Asano, Sinitta Boonyasak, (more)
- 2002
Directed by Lee Sang-II, Border Line chronicles the lives of convenience-store clerk Aikawa (Yumi Asou), as she struggles to pay the bills after her husband abandons her and their young son, and low-leval yakuza Miyaji (Ken Mitsuishi), whose aid to an associate may ultimately cost him his life. Throwing a wrench into the already complicated situation is Matsuda (Tetsu Sawaki), who is a possible suspect in the murder of his own father. Different as they are, the characters share a common bond: each individual is overwrought with an onslaught of unprecedented responsibility. Set in Japan, the film is a modern commentary on various economic-related troubles and the results of a skyrocketing divorce rate. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yumi Asou, Tetsuya Chiba, (more)
- 2002
Naoto Yamakawa's Toki no Kaori (Scent of Time) is a remake of a Korean film. Kazue Fukiishe and Takumi Saito play students at the same college, only one is there in the late seventies, while the other attends in 2001. They are able to communicate over a ham radio. Similar to Frequency, Toki no Kaori is believed to be the first Japanese remake of a Korean film in over three decades. The film was screened at the Hawaii Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kazue Fukiishi, Takumi Saito, (more)
- 2000
When aspiring writer Eri (Sayuri Oyamada) authors a cheesy romance novel with the fitting title "Soft Cream Love," the book becomes a surprise hit. Suddenly Eri is traveling among the pop-cultural elite, and everyone is clamoring to know what she has planned for her sophomore effort. The young author becomes obsessed with writing a more serious sequel to her debut, so much so that she isn't fazed when her characters literally assume lives of their own. Adding to the weirdness is Eri's attraction to a cranky older publisher (Yuichi Kishino) and the fact that people just beyond Eri's range of vision are getting abducted by UFOs. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yoji Tanaka
- 1999
Made under the restrictions of "no zoom, pan, editing or post-sound," directors Shinobu Yaguchi and Takuji Suzuki skewer Japanese social conventions in 14 short episodes. In one segment a woman misreads an advertisement and arrives at a job interview dressed in a bunny suit. Another concerns a woman who hides to surprise her friends only to overhear their unkind appraisal of her hygiene. And another entitled "Grandpa from Hell" is a surreal yarn about a cult leader. Ranging from the humorous to the deeply bizarre, the film's static, minimalistic style makes such "Dogme 95" films as The Celebration (1998) look extravagant. One Piece! was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yoji Tanaka
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