movies with asano.

lately i have been on a tadanobu asano trip of sorts.

i’m finding that every movie he’s in is interesting in a disturbing, if not dark, comical way.  everytime i watch something, i know i’m in for a completely unexpected turn of events.  he’s a real artist- and deep down inside, i think i want to be as cool as him.

if you’re not already a fan, here are a few of my favourites so far:

last life in the universe is great if you’re one for slower-paced movies.  i watched this one alone, and i don’t think i could have watched it any other way.

survive style 5+ resembles a murakami short story compilation; if murakami were on steroids and a little sillier.

bright future reminds me a lot of growing up for some reason.  this one is a little bit serious, but has some really inspiring shots.

vital: i just watched this and it is edgy to say the least.  i don’t know what it is about this movie, but i was feeling pretty uneasy the whole way through.  still, very beautiful in a meek and unsettling sort of way.

taste of tea remains to be one of my favourites so far.  there is one scene in particular where asano has a reunion with his (assuming) ex-girlfriend.  it’s very intriguing and sweet in a disappointing sort of way.

there are a few more i could recommend, but i’d say just go look for more- that’s what i’m doing.  and also, i know that a lot of the impact of these movies are attributed to the directors, (i think, in particular, kurosawa, tsukamoto and ishii)- i’m simply mentioning asano as the common ground; it’s his repetoire and track record of working with great directors that strung me along.  tell me what you guys think, if you have a chance to see any of these.

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