Japanese dont watch Japanese movie?

Sorry for my broken english.
Here, I made friends with those who share similar interest with me that is movie.
I see Japanese movie as a production that Japanese should be proud of. In term of screenplay, of production design and etc, of course not all but some.
So i happen to make a friend from Japan who love movie too except that they dont watch Japanese movie but they do watch international movie from France etc Now, i want to know is Japanese proud of their own product (movie) or what?? The depatures won an oscar award. Hmmm....i was hoping they tell me more about Japanese movie making...just wondering :)

Japanese movies are very popular among the Japanese. In 2010, for example, 6 out of the 10 most popular movies were Japanese.

Your friends are not average Japanese by the fact that they have foreign friends. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that they are also interested in non-Japanese movies more than the average Japanese person.

by any chance, is your friend somewhat young? What I noticed with some of the Japanese people I know is that youngsters nowadays watch more foreign films than Japanese films...I'm not saying all of them though.

Lini 29,

My understanding as a big movie fan is that in any country there are people who love French movies, and then there are other people who love Hollywood movies, and then there are other people who love Japanese movies, and so on and those groups do not necessarily merge with each other.

I'm Japanese and I just watch whatever appeals to me, and lately, I've been noticing myself watching more and more Japanese movies. But my Japanese friends who watch mainly British movies look at me like I'm from another planet. I have a friend who enjoys going to the cinema with me, but we have so much trouble finding the movie to go together, because I like major movies while she mainly likes independant movies.

Same goes with any kind of art form. Those who listen to Goth music don't listen to too much jazz. Those who like metal rock concerts don't go see classical orchestras.

As mentioned, Japanese movies are popular among the Japanese, but not everybody likes the same thing. Or should I say that not everybody is interested in seeing the same things. Especially, those who enjoy French movies are usually old-school, while many of the recent Japanese movies are targeted to those who prefer TV.

But I must admit that while many Europeans might watch "Departures" thinking it's an Oscar movie, many Japanese might not watch it assuming, "Isn't that just another Hirosue movie?" Maybe you'll have a good conversation asking your friends why they don't watch "Departures." But either way, I loved "Departures."

gelianque wrote;
"What I noticed with some of the Japanese people I know is that youngsters nowadays watch more foreign films than Japanese films...I'm not saying all of them though."

Gelianque is lucky, but on a related note, it's actually the other way around. Youngsters nowadays watch more Japanese films than foreign, or at least more films in Japanese "language."

Surely, it so happens that the 2 biggest blockbusters today are both foreign movies the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series and the "Harry Potter" series), but most youngsters prefer to go see them in Japanese overdubs. And then they don't watch much of the other foreign films.

When I was a teenager 30 odd years ago, foreign movies was the thing. When we go out, we went to watch foreign movies and they were always subtitled versions, because that's all they had. But nowaways, kids don't go to the movies, period. They go to karaoke and game archades, because they're much cheaper and "fun." And if they should go to the movies, they prefer to watch them in Japanese, because they don't want to read subtitles.

This is why most theaters used to give out discounts for "a group of 3 or more high-schoolers." Also, most major Hollywood movies now provide both subtitle and overdub versions and most young people prefer the overdubs. My son is the poor exception, by the way.

To Uco,

What do you mean by "Isn't that just another Hirosue movie?" I watched "Departures" and I loved it. This is the first movie I watched Hirosue Ryoko is in. I loved everything except her acting.

Ikuyo Kuruyo,

Like I wrote I loved the movie too, but those who have little interest in seeing it might assume that it's just another pop movie featuring the former idol Ryoko Hirosue or Masaharu Motoki for that matter. In fact, even some of the serious male movie-goers I know saw it hoping to see Hirosue's romantic scenes.

Same goes with Satoshi Tsumabuki, Hiroshi Abe, Takako Matsu and many others. They were all good in their recent works, but movie fans tend to avoid them saying, "The movie sounds good, but they've got what's his name in it." I think that those abroad can watch Japanese movies without those kind of biased views.

Actually, Hirosue wasn't bad (although I hear she was better in the later "Zero No Shoten"), but the real good actors in "Departures" were those with very small parts. I liked the first body in the red dress (as well as the punch line). I hear that the actress was chosen because she didn't move a bit in the audition :)

Thank you, Uco. That makes sense. It also exlains why some Japanese are not much into Japanese movies.

Thank you for the response. Before this, i always thought that all Japanese somehow very proud of their own. Like its in your culture. So i was wrong i'm sorry. I guess Japanese is like the rest of the world. Some like their movies some dont. And i'm glad to know this.
Thank you.

For your information, my friend is in late 20's.

I used to watch a lot of foreign film from France, Germany, American (still watching) but now i'm more focusing on film from asia. In my country, every year Japanese Foundation organize Japanese Film Festival. I go there every year. I found that Japanese production is a good reference from movie makers like me. Always a good screenplay, acting, directing, production design, cg which is the reason why i'm very interested in Japan movie.
My favorite movie so far is Memories of Matsuko. The story is very near to me. :)

Japan movies are really good! These available as commercial DVD are much better that Hollywood production, as far if its not a Terminator-style movies.

I would like to add that it appears that the older Japanese films, like from directors like Ozu, Kurosawa, Naruse, etc., appear to be held, nowadays, in less esteem by Japanese people who are really into film when compared to the average film buff here in Europe.

Lini 29,

The story of Memories of Matsuko is very near to you? You gotta problem, girl! Just kidding.

By the way, the significance of Japanese contemporary films is that there is more money involved. Up to perhaps the end of the 70s, the movie industry here was more about art and less about money, as opposed to the then TV industry.

But today, the Japanese movie industry is working hard to tie up with TV and other sponsers. This is making it easier for the film-makers to do more of what they want to do, as well as making it easier to advertise. The downside is that they no longer major release films unless it's worth the money. Of course, we still have independant films, and it's also interesting to know that many universities now have movie-making majors and students would make films with a cheap digital cameras.

Again, all this is making fans scatter (be it a good thing or not). Some like Kurosawa/Ozu/Naruse, some like Nakashima/Kitano, and some like foreign films.

Actually, Ozu and Kurosawa are still icons, though. In other words, not many people may see their films any more but everyone knows about their works. This is why their works are used as parodies on TV and such.

There have been threads on Japanese movies from time to time. Try searching "movie" on the Search engine of this forum.

To Uco,
Hahaha..i'm sure its not the part where she make love to her former student or becoming the yukuza girl. :) The part that near to me is her relationship with her father. Its been many year since i last watch the movie, i cried at the ending part where she stepping up the stair, luckily the cinema is dark or i'll be embarassing myself crying.

Oh ya, also i watch Battle Royale many years ago, and i heard that Hoolywood will come out with a movie somewhat similar to Battle Royale. As i know Battle Royale is from Japanese novel so do this American movie also from an american novelist. Funny there's so many similarity. Cant wait for it to come out.

We watch a lot of Kurosawa movie in our class as a reference. My lecturer personal favorite is Seven Samurai.

Thank you for the information. By the way are any of you guys actually from movie making business?

I think its the same case here, no film is relese if its not worth the money. If that happen then the film makers have to search ways to balance betwwen the comercial value and art.

Our film scene making history last month with a collection over 10 million. Its commercial movie with a good screenplay that actually true contribute to the success. People dont see the that making money in a movie business is good. They tend to think it will reduce the art value but its not. It deppend how the film makers going to make one-creative process.
A lot of people wiil receive good efect from box office movie. There hundreds people work together to make a film. We need money to you know
..if you know what i mean.

I find recent Japanese films quite introspective, predictable and tame.
If you compare with the Japanese films of the past that were bold boundary breaking that were adored all over the world because of their creativity and fearlessness. Ozu and Kurosawa were true film makers. Today all those "popular" films are just extended commercials for the latest pretty face "talent"...The film industry has become a parody the worst side of Hollywood film making, run by businessmen with no interest in the art of film. Insert Actor A from famous boyband to attract young girls plus Actress B aging idoru to attract the middle aged audience, write some self conscious drivel of a storyline with some quaint references to "Japanese Life" perhaps a few season changes as a metaphor for the story..what story?. We all feel more reassured and pleased to be Japanese. And we can prove our winning formula to the bosses so we can just alter it slightly for next years movie.
Well I liked okuribito too...it was a rare gem in a whole heap of ****.
Film industry bosses love stuff like Pirates of the Caribbean exactly because it is a formula movie like their own that has a guaranteed profit prior to release...it has Actor A (Depp) in a dull storyline but it is a sequel so everyone knows what to expect. The same with all those trashy Hollywood romantic comedies that somehow make it to Japan...two cute, well known but bad actors and a boring rehashed love story. They are probably leaning back to back, pulling kooky faces on the movie poster with some pink hearts splashed on the background.
I wish there were more risk takers and less businessmen in the Japanese film industry.

than you for your opinion. its happening around the world. but be optimistic. i'm sure not all japanese movie are like that. They probably didnt make it long to the local cinema (due to lack of ticket selling) but it got recognition from all over the world. Beside its not easy to come out with great movie everytime. Time will tell. :)

On a related note, those looking for bold film-making should see "Love Exposure (Ai No Mukidashi)." Hard-core movie-goers have rated this number one of the year it was released and I second it.

Be bold enough for a 237 minute story (plus special features on the DVD version).
http://www.ai-muki.com/

I've been to a couple of meetups with a (very active) movie group on Mixi. They really see all kinds of movies, Japanese and foreign. It's just a matter of personal taste.

Personally, I like the variety of Japanese cinema compared to my home country's (Germany). Saya Samurai and Gantz are two of the movies I watched recently. I would never see a movie just because it comes from a certain country.

I had a friend like this too -- she didn't read one Japanese magazine, watch any Japanese TV or any Japanese movies... she had no idea who Hirosue Ryoko even was! She didn't listen to Japanese music either. She complained like Uco said, the same actors/people/whatever over and over. :/