Of the few I've seen, these are my fave:
5. Battle Royale
In the not too distant future, an entire grade level of high school students are planted on a island & forced to either kill themselves or defend themselves, until there's only one left standing.
A system of discipline to show 'em how to respect authority that might prove to be more efficient than staying after school cleaning erasers or detention, but probably won't be as enduring.
Cuz, y'know....
the kids would all be dead an' stuff.
4. Seven Samurai
Considered Akira Kurosawa's most accomplished work, Seven Samurai is a black & white classic whose story has inspired many a film afterwards, most notably (& one of my favorites) the Magnificent Seven.
It's a story of the Old East, which coincidently enough, runs themes which will eventually become staples in movies dealing with the Old West.
Here, the heros are truly heroes, but each is shown as a distinctive individual, with human traits & flaws that allow for the empty space to be felt whenever a warrior falls, in battles that, as the movies states, are never truly won.
3. Appleseed Ex Machina
So far, the most updated amazing animation in any animated feature.
Simply put, the computer-generated visuals in this film truly have to be seen in order to be believed.
However, even though the story is solid, as the sci-fi epic that Appleseed's visuals aspire to be, it does lack some originality in it's plotline. It is this reason, combined with the indistinguisnness of the faces (as is usually common for most 3-D anime) that prevented this movie from taking the number one position of this list.
That said, the technical details & intricate designs in Ex Machina are some of the most striking ever to be generated on film. Iron-Man's armor looks like it was created by Fisher-Price compared to the hardware that these guys are wearing.
A true marvel to behold.
2. The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
I had heard of Zatoichi, but never bothered looking up anything about this long-lasting character of the East. I stumbled on this DVD, & found myself enjoying it so much, that the end result was multiple viewings with no diminishment in enjoyment. The movie, just like the series of an earlier time, follows the latest adventure of a mystery traveler commonly referred to as the "blind masseuse", who in actuality is a gentle samurai warrior who's lone wolf journeys could've well been the inspiration of the Italian counter-part, "Man With No Name" of spaghetti western fame. Silent, noble & despite his blindness, the ability to see with more clarity, not just the world around him, but also the will & intentions contained within the hearts of all whom he encounters.
A great classic character of the Japanese tradition.
1. Ran
Before movies like Crouching Tiger/ Hidden Dragon & Hero came along & added the artistically flair fantasy elements to these types of epic movies, there was Ran. Some of the most beautiful & grand visuals ever in an Akira Kurosawa film. The fact that his name was associated with this project guaranteed this film's sweeping quality. And, the added high budget seemed to compromise his vision not in the slightest. Instead, it seemed to open up the potentiality that Mr. Kurosawa had holding in his already abundant visionary dreams.
Definitely my favorite of his works.
Reply to Topic
