Exo

I didn't add it to my list cause you mentioned it. It's a wonderful film.

Exo

Subtle and subdued like Haneke?

John Wilkes Booth

somebody at work recently recommended this to me. i might have to give it a watch. i don't know why but if i see the same film or show or whatever pop up twice from two unrelated sources it makes me more interested in seeing it.

Goofle

Thanks man, I really needed that

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James

Similar vibe, but it's taken to the extreme. Almost unbelievably so. The camera rarely moves, and the majority of shots are at ground level to reflect traditional etiquette in Japan where they sit on the floor to eat. Certainly wouldn't be surprised if he was a major influence for Haneke.

Janszoon

I'm a pretty big fan of Detective Dee and the Phantom Flame. Quirky, unique fun that doesn't take itself too seriously.

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A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man

Time & Place

25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die

last.fm

grindy

Another great newer film is "Cure" (1997). It's a horror movie, but there is something unique about this film. It's difficult to put your finger on what it exactly is though. It has a beautiful, but subtle visual style (as do all Kiyoshi Kurosawa movies), some extremely powerful scenes, great acting and the story does have a lot of well known elements, but it seems like the movie mostly plays with them, hinting at something different at the bottom of it altogether.

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A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.

misspoptart

My exchange student recommended that to me and I watched it. It was beautifully done and I agree 100% about the acting, but the movie didn't affect me actually. I also found it extraordinarily slow-paced.

Considering the theme primarily deals with death, that might be the reason. Death doesn't seem to bother me or get me emotional in movies. Good to hear of someone else who's seen Okuribito, though.

EPOCH6

Ghost in the Shell
Easily my favorite animated film, the Ghost in the Shell franchise is an unparalleled dive into techno-capitalism, evolution, the nature of consciousness, the nature of information & intelligence, cyber-security, telecommunications politics, cyberization, techno-poverty, globalism & digital economics, the evolution of food and drugs, and nearly any other subject regarding the evolution of a technological civilization that you can possibly imagine. The original film is fantastic in both English and Japanese, the sequels are almost equally as enjoyable, and the episodic series is massively ambitious and thoroughly enjoyable start to finish. Absolutely essential viewing for anyone fascinated by the evolution of our species & technology.



And I'm a real sucker for Japanese cyberpunk films.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Legendary exercise in style and atmosphere. Extremely abrasive, dark, loud, obnoxious, cold, alienating, and relentlessly absurd. A soundtrack designed to get under your skin and shift around like a terrible itch, unsettling stop motion animation, and countless scenes of unsettling metal fetishism.



Rubber's Lover
Psychologically jarring, confusing, and surreal. An oftentimes repulsive mixture of cyberpunk, science fiction, technophilia, and primal claustrophobic horror.



964 Pinocchio
Sickening love story between an escaped lobotomized cyborg sex slave and a psychopathic homeless girl with no memory. Relentlessly disgusting, dark, unsettling, and uncomfortably comedic.

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grindy

How nice to see there are other people who have seen Rubber's Lover and Pinocchio. That's some far out stuff. Can't say I loved those films, they are really annoying at times, but overall they are a fun experience.

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A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.