Films with: Yakusho, Kōji

Babel

A wealthy American is touring Morocco with his wife. The two become the focus of an international incident also involving a poor Moroccan farmer who is struggling to keep his two young sons in line and his family together. A San Diego nanny, with her employers absent, makes the disastrous decision to take her charges with her to a wedding in Mexico. A deaf-mute Japanese teen tries to deal with a relationship with her father and the world in general that has been upended by the death of her mother. It's about a gun. It's about communication - or the lack of it - both intercultural and intracultural. Raises issues like terrorism and immigration, and is as basic as husbands talking to their wives and parents understanding their children.

DVD 687

Eel

Finding his wife in bed with another man, Takuro Yamashita murders her, serves an eight year prison sentence, and then moves to a small town to begin life anew as a barber. When he hires a young woman as his assistant, her past collides with his to the detriment of all.

DVD 1255

Hara-kiri Death of a samurai /

"An tale of revenge, honor and disgrace, centering on a poverty-stricken samurai who discovers the fate of his ronin son-in-law, setting in motion a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord."--IMDb.com

DVD 9971

Jūsannin no shikaku 13 assassins /

Thirteen brave samurai must face overwhelming odds in an epic battle against a sadistic lord and his army of 200 to prevent him from plunging Japan into war.

DVD 7432

Memoirs of a geisha

In 1929, a poor fisherman sells his 9-year-old daughter to a geisha house in Kyoto. Chiyo will be an unpaid servant until it is determined if she is beautiful enough for apprenticeship, and the house's clientèle. Run by Mother, the ruling geisha is Hatsumomo, and little Pumpkin her only friend. Trained under strict discipline for a lifetime of entertaining and flattering wealthy men, Sayuri grows up lovely, accomplished, and the target of jealous rivals. Love is no part of this cloistered world, although geisha lore hints that even if they fall in love with clients--the operative word is client, and that love is never free.

DVD 12174

Mirai

When four-year-old Kun's new baby sister, named Mirai (meaning 'future'), quickly wins the hearts of Kun's entire family, his world is turned upside down. As his mother returns to work, Kun becomes increasingly jealous of baby Mirai, until one day he storms off into the garden, where he encounters guests from the past and future, including his sister Mirai as a teenager. Together, Kun and teenage Mirai go on a journey through time, uncovering their family's incredible story.

DVD 12966

Shall we dance?

A middle-aged businessman's dull life takes an interesting turn when he signs up for a ballroom dance class just to meet the beautiful dance instructor.

DVD 3891

Tokyo sonata

Story of a contemporary Japanese family torn apart after its patriarch unexpectedly loses his job. Ashamed, he keeps this a secret, but as he grows more despondent, his family resorts to drastic measures to break away from their fractured lives.

DVD 9201