Nagasaki Joe

It’s a “violent screwball comedy” in a similar vein as Tarantino’s movies, though his films are more tongue-in-cheek than comedies, frankly, it just didn’t work in Bullet Train. Of course, I don’t take it as an authentic portrayal of Japan, but since it is based on a novel by a Japanese author, I hoped for a more interesting portrayal. Though I’m not a big Tarantino fan, I at least find him a fairly astute observer of Japanese culture, especially pop culture, but Bullet Train showed no cultural astuteness at all. It really hardly mattered that it was set in Japan.
Yes, Steven Seagal has a past in Japan. He is a 7th-degree black belt in Aikido and claims to be the first foreigner to operate a martial arts Dojo (owned by his father-in-law) in Japan. I saw him interviewed on Japanese TV back in the 80s and 90s. I enjoyed some of his earlier films such as "Above the Law" and "Marked for Death," but what’s perhaps lesser known is the claim that he is a reincarnated tulku (a reincarnated guardian of a specific lineage in Tibetan Buddhism). The Dalai Lama, Panchen Lamas, and other high-ranking lamas are all reincarnated tulkus. The film “Kundun” directed by Martin Scorsese, deals with the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of searching for and identifying reincarnated tulkus, sometimes in far-off lands. As one might expect, when this was first announced, it was met with guffaws, especially in Hollywood. Many accused him of making a payoff to receive this title. Due to the controversy, the Dalai Lama eventually stepped in and announced that this title was true.


Steven Seagal - Reincarnated Lama, Believe It or Not! (I don't think the guy on the left believes it)

hijiji

I'm an Ozu fan, too. I recently watched a silent film of his from 1935. An Inn In Tokyo. 東京の宿. An amazing look at what Tokyo was like way back when.

Nagasaki Joe

A great director. "An Inn in Tokyo" and "Tokyo Story" can both be seen on Youtube in their full versions. Copyrights including for movies last for 70 years in Japan, so much of his work should be in the public domain by now.

kevincrumbs

Anytime I look at Tokyo on Google Maps and see a starred place that doesn't immediately make sense, I assume that I saved the place because it was featured in an Ozu film for a few minutes. Most likely train stations that look nothing like how they looked when Ozu shot the location.

Speaking of Tampopo, I do feel like director Juzo Itami's other films are criminally underrated, including the "A Taxing Woman" and the charming "Supermarket Woman". I don't think Kawasaki counts for this thread but I do have the Kawasaki Velodrome saved on Google Maps as it features in the last scene of "A Taxing Woman".