Hideo Kojima’s Closet Picks

The pioneering video game creator throws a spotlight on treasures of 1950s and ’60s Japanese cinema, including Yasujiro Ozu’s TOKYO TWILIGHT and Nobuo Nakagawa’s JIGOKU.
Shop Hideo Kojima’s Closet Picks: www.criterion.com/shop/collec...

[@taylorleverage3889]

"They said I could take this with me." What a treasure this man is.

[@marksmovieroom]

“I would love for you to watch this” ❤

[@dmgice]

Everytime he puts something in his bag, he acts as if he is shoplifting. It cracks me up.

[@FabioLizakMusic-or6eo]

@@dmgice 🤣😂 LOL why you did that? It became so cringy for me now...

[@adrianjohnson8527]

I would too! That closet is cinematic Valhalla!

[@jensenraylight8011]

he could buy an entire truck of that DVDs, but he still giggle excitedly from getting that one dvd

[@ElliotCoen]

I know there have been big stars and filmmakers in the closet but to me, this feels like the BIGGEST event

[@vittoriostoraro]

How sad for you.

[@Drforrester31]

@@vittoriostoraro Lighten up Francis

[@mikeg4691]

​@@vittoriostoraro🤡

[@AdAstra78]

Good god...

[@ErenTheWarcriminal]

@@vittoriostoraroL

[@tiptester]

Five minutes of Kojima shoplifting 👏

[@RickR69]

Him repeatedly saying that he's allowed to take these leads me to believe otherwise.

[@SneedFeedAndSeed]

@@RickR69 that's exactly what a shoplifter would say

[@salmonking1960]

Isn't he quite rich?

[@RickR69]

@@salmonking1960 He does it for the thrill. With darkness and silence through the night...

[@chararaltacc]

@@RickR69 A thrill indeed. Though he was really searching for these movies, like they melted into him.

[@konugetka]

Kojima is like "And this one traumatized me as a kid... and this one also traumatized me as a kid... oh and also this one!"

[@macfrommage949]

Not to mention the ones that have ghosts in them.

[@0TylerDurden0]

Now we know why his games can be traumatic to us. These damn movies.

[@MadeAnAccountOnlyToReplyToThis]

it's not a big deal

[@mothmanmedia8511]

Please have him come back for a round 2. Kojima is such a great curator, his book is literally about what books he would recommend you read and it is an absolute page turner. How I could be so enthralled about material that I’m no t even reading just reading someone else’s love for is wild.

[@Blackgriffonphoenixg]

For those wondering, the book is called "The Creative Gene" and it's a great read even for those who don't know a single thing about the books and films he talks about in each chapter. Great read!

[@egg__boy]

The Creative Gene is such a phenomenal book.

[@msab4883]

Yes, i'm interested in his non Japanese picks

[@pachucodreams]

The dude is a voracious reader it's crazy how much he's read.

[@YouTubdotCub]

100% agree with this commenter, have him back for a part 2!

[@dougfarrell7355]

For those who may be wondering, all of these are available for streaming on the Criterion Channel.

[@spacemonkey377]

❤

[@omarcavazos92]

it would be really dumb to put them on this video and not have them available

[@noiseworks]

unfortunately, not for the UK people

[@andersb80]

Not in Europe…

[@nikomiller]

@@andersb80you can use it with VPN

[@HorseheadNebula85]

Hideo Kojima is a filmmaker at heart, who CHOSE to bring his perspective of film and storytelling to the games medium. And on top of that, he's an incredible gameplay designer. He's absolutely up there with Shigeru Miyamoto, Hidetaka Miyazaki, and so many other contemporaries. His games are a breath of fresh air in the industry. I will play anything this man makes for the rest of his life.

[@poorcolossus]

I totally agree, people dunk on him saying that he just wants to make movies but his games are so well designed in very medium specific ways.

[@KillerLettuce]

Same my dude. I think his stories are absurd and often make little sense and feel very silly at times. I’m rolling my eyes half the time playing his games but I love it.

[@Dogy0909]

MGS being so absurd is why I love it

[@RobertMBachComposing]

From what I've read, he did it cause he needed a job and couldn't get into film making, so I don't know if "CHOSE" is the best word lol. Eventually, they just kept paying him too much for him to turn it down, so he abandoned film making at one point and went all-in on games.

[@orangeslash1667]

@@KillerLettuce There's a reason for that Metal Gear was originally going be an over the top action game in the same vain as Capcom's Commando. That was what Konami wanted, but Kojima felt that an action game would be too difficult on the MSX, so it become a stealth game instead.

[@KarimJovian]

I love this guy, I wonder if he will ever make video games

[@WreckerALeX]

hAHAHAHhahhaehaehaaaa1! leul you original funny big boy pants jokester hobo

[@gunsharck]

@@puckered6036No no, he made ONE decent game then rode on its coattails

[@gdadder]

@@gunsharckthat’s just false as hell Policenauts was great and popular in Japan and zone of Enders was big as hell in the mecha genre.

[@marciocouto3543]

only fedex simulators.

[@Runedavid45]

@@marciocouto3543 "only fedex simulators xDDDDddddDD" respectfully, find a stool.

[@NickPiers]

Kojima makes a great point about film and streaming today. A friend of mine pointed out that, unless it's a classic, the vast majority of content on streaming platforms is from the 80s and later. Once you get into the 70s and earlier, it's much harder to find something that isn't already incredibly well known.

[@xMcWeenx]

I have found Shudder to be pretty good for hosting older genre films. Kanopy added a boatload of lesser known blaxploitation films earlier this year.

[@postmodernrecycler]

So true, and the main reason I still buy physical copies. Sometimes "genre" movies (a term I'm not in love with) are easy to find, but anything else besides classics is unobtainium.

[@uniqueusername69]

This is why I sail the seas. So many lost media because of digital-only and streaming.

[@postmodernrecycler]

@@uniqueusername69 Oooh, there is nothing like checking out a used media shop in a foreign country. Have your region-free player ready!

[@rafaelfernandeslopesdeoliv1700]

Live as a pirate cause pirates are free.

[@Goo_Ze]

Films picked in order: - High and Low (1963) - Akira Kurosawa - Late Spring (1949) - Yasujirō Ozu - Eclipse Series 3: Late Ozu - Yasujirō Ozu - Ugetsu (1953) - Kenji Mizoguchi - Kwaidan (1964) - Masaki Kobayashi - Harakiri (1962) - Masaki Kobayashi - Jigoku (1960) - Nobuo Nakagawa - Onibaba (1964) - Kaneto Shindō - Woman in the Dunes (1964) - Hiroshi Teshigahara

[@mingyuhuang8944]

Bro the fact that my favorite video game creator also loves my favorite movie creator (Akira Kurosawa) is something which brings me so much shock and joy.

[@thekidfromqueens93]

👍

[@twerps1]

I've watched all of these and couldn't agree more, all masterpieces across the board

[@edskt_]

Thanks man, for your time in organizing this for us, it's going to help me a lot in finding some movies I haven't seen yet.

[@Goo_Ze]

@@mingyuhuang8944 I love that he also picked High and Low! Such an underrated gem that more people should check out! Love Kojima for that!

[@ghostyboi9186]

i think Kojima's passion for the art of film making is why he's one of the best storytellers in videogaming

[@player2-lightwater914]

Kojima originally wanted to be a filmmaker but he could not enter the movie industry.

[@merqri]

the list is presented on screen at 5:46. But here it is as well, Akira Kurosawa - High and Low Yasujiro Ozu - Late spring Yasujiro Ozu - Tokyo Twilight Mizoguchi - Ugetsu Kwaidan Harakiri Nobuo Nakagawa - Jigoku Kaneto Shindo - Onibaba Tegahara - Woman in the Dunes

[@saylosrelyks8645]

The man's got good taste, no doubt.

[@tuemely7251]

thanks a lot!

[@2salzig2spucknapp]

can you please add behind if that particular film got him traumatized as a kid please?

[@TattiePeeler]

Thank you.

[@binaryvoid0101]

Bless you, you’re a saint!

[@GenericName52]

We are one step closer to having Hideaki Anno in the closet.

[@projectmessiah]

That would be awesome, Hideaki Anno is such an entertaining guy whenever he does interviews or other similar things

[@MrTibster]

Quickest I’ve ever clicked for one of these. Love this guy, a truly unique voice in the industries of both Cinema and Video-games

[@you2me931]

same. Man a damn legend.

[@no_problem8023]

His games are ESSENTIALLY movies with interactable parts in between scenes.

[@Glitchedx3D]

Agreed. Snatcher is probably my all time favorite game. Highly underrated.

[@mingyuhuang8944]

Bro the fact that my favorite video game creator also loves my favorite movie creator (Akira Kurosawa) is something which brings me so much shock and joy.

[@policenautpr]

Same here man, I had a quick response clicking the play button! hahaha

[@wesshort7202]

This by far my favorite of these closet picks. Genuine enthusiasm and just an amazing creative mind. It's nice to see what inspires him.

[@Jonnicom]

Kojima is a genius of an artistic mind, but he makes it more clear to me than anyone else: Genius artists are inspired by genius art. The cycle of repetition is unavoidable, in paying tribute to what you love, you almost have to rip it off or copy it. But it's how you do it, and how open you are about it, that spreads the love, by getting new people into it. I love Kojima for how he's always been very open and obvious about where his inspirations come from. The man is a living legend. I will always appreciate how creatively fresh he is with the way that he works.

[@EriqOrtiz]

I love how much of a movie fan Kojima is; you see his passion for film in every game he's worked on.

[@laughingBun]

His instagram is basically just movies he likes, If anyone is interested.

[@trask9100]

@@laughingBun Yup, highly recommend, guy is a movie fanatic, unsurprisingly. Not just Japanese movies either, and he loves to break them down and point out the artistic parts that stand out to him in particular.

[@squeebbb]

Well he is made up of 70% movies!

[@Shinu_Pain]

@@trask9100 Unless it's a movie he didn't like. Then he'll just point out how he watched it and nothing more lol.

[@queuedjar4578]

So movie like that you can set down the controller for 90% of each of his games and still complete them. Genius of game design.

[@DaringDasher]

Full body chills when the GOAT Kojima pulled out my favorite Kurosawa film of all time first 😭

[@SL4PSH0CK]

gonna love him more as ever with his post on Instagram 🙆‍♂

[@BruceWayne-zj1kw]

Why

[@inyostudio]

Can't wait to watch it for the first time

[@nathanielmills4678]

It's one of Criterion's which is not available in the UK. That didn't stop me from importing it though. Great watch! It's up there with Seven Samurai.

[@futurestoryteller]

I was similarly impressed. But my favorite is Red Beard.

[@Kyntteri]

I watched Seppuku maybe two years ago and there really is a reason why it won so many awards.

[@drewom9404]

As someone who studied Japanese cinema in college, it is like watching my worlds collide hearing Kojima-san speak of the films I consumed and picked apart so intently and passionately. I would kill to spend some time speaking film with him. 🧡🧡🧡

[@eatmanyzoos]

i hope people understand how important this man is to my generation.

[@llort7771]

He just makes games that steal the plot and ideas from movies he likes lol maybe one day he'll have an original idea

[@thecluckingassassin]

​@@llort7771it's true he has no original ideas

[@jackcox8854]

@@thecluckingassassinbut honestly doesn’t anybody? It generally comes from things people have watched. There are those who create things I’ve never seen before but it’s difficult.

[@no_problem8023]

​@@llort7771 @thecluckingassassin565 You're both delusional. Hideo can wake up in the morning, take a shit and the turd would have more originality than your weak opinion.

[@thomasvettikad]

@@llort7771 bro doesn't understand kojima

[@supershinyjune]

Alternative title: "Hideo Kojima tells us about his childhood trauma"

[@williamgregory1848]

For people who don’t know, Kojima has always been a lifelong cinephile and his original goal was to become a filmmaker, but saw Nintendo's Famicom and thought of joining the video game industry. Kojima's love of movies is noticeable in his games where he pays homage through his stories and characters, such as in Snatcher. He cited a contrast between films and games as while in his games he intends to portray violence like in a movie, in the game it is up to the player to decide. Anyone who’s played any of Kojima’s games will tell you that Kojima’s style breaks the barrier between cinema and games. In a way, he’s a film director but he uses video games to tell the story.

[@mister-monkeyman]

For me Kojima embodies the love for cinematic storytelling, the art of showing and not telling and using the language and history of the visual arts (predominantly movies) to create new stories with multiple layers of interconnectivity. In short, dude fucking rocks and is an awesome storyteller.

[@thegirlwholeftthefridgeopen]

Did I see this right? Criterion inviting Hideo Kojima for Closet Picks!!! This seriously made my day. His 'Metal Gear' series have very cinematic cutscenes and to have invited him, it was so cool to see what were his influences. I've never seen an interview with him just talking about film. Criterion you guys are killing it!!

[@mykstericeferg1258]

Yes- Mind blowing. 🤯 Someone in the game/film industry absolutely Must have him discuss his influences for each of his interactive masterpieces! ☝️🤓🎞️✨👾

[@kelley2098]

Film is definitely some of his biggest influence.

[@solomanneil]

You should really give Death Stranding a chance if you have not already. It's a masterpiece.

[@LadyAmerican]

What he said at 0:09-0:22 was so true!!! Very grateful for Criterion!!! Also Woman in the Dunes is a masterpiece!!!!

[@crushed_oreos]

Women in the Dunes is the real deal!!!!!

[@ryancampbell6780]

Yes! Very atmospheric. Same with the Face of another. Loved the cerebral horror of the book/film respectively.

[@pantatbuduk]

aggre I was jump for joy when he pick woman in dunes on the last :)

[@DukeSolaire]

This was awesome! That said, this does kind of show how limited the range of Japanese films the Criterion Collection has is. All classics, of course, and Kojima made some really good picks (especially Jigoku. That crazy surrealistic depiction of hell at the end is one of the most amazing things ever put on celluloid) but I would love it if a company like Arrow Films, who release a lot of the more contemporary Japanese classics, had their own criterion closet style series and brought him on. For instance, I just bought a Shinya Tsukamoto boxset from them, and I would love to hear Kojimas opinion on something like Tsukamotos Tetsuo the Iron Man or Battle Royale or Pulse or really any other of the tons of modern Japanese classics that I think probably inspired Kojima's work and, in some cases, were inspired themselves by Kojimas work.

[@NL0Gwenster]

I think the movies you used as example of what to include are still so very easy to get nowadays. Even when i was growing up in the 90s I could easily purchase Tetsuo and Battle Royale (as a matter of fact, i did haha) and nowadays those are still very easy to get. I think the Criterion Collection focuses on licensing and publishing movies that are hard to get mainstream.

[@pp0ppoable]

I love him for making detailed and delicate games, and his fashion too.

[@Glitchedx3D]

I clicked this so fast.

[@shanekimberlin]

This is amazing. I hope Kojima-san will one day write and direct a feature film. Thank you, Criterion.

[@jacksquatt6082]

He did. It's called "Death Stranding."

[@idglet9565]

Death Stranding's core emotional narrative doesn't work without the gameplay and social aspects - a pure film from Kojima would be something else entirely, although the cinematics in that game are obviously GOATED. @@jacksquatt6082

[@stevemuzak8526]

He won’t direct any movies. He’s too busy making cinematic games. He wants to stay independent and doesn’t want to deal with movie studios

[@angelurbina8158]

​@@stevemuzak8526 as if Sony wasn't an adult ass studio. Independent? my ass.

[@hellothisisplatypus]

@@stevemuzak8526oh who’s directing the new Death Stranding movie? Or has one not been attached to the project yet?

[@rockyelvis]

I wish he would've been more personal but he really saw this as an opportunity to educate which is admirable

[@NsABullitzZ]

tbf all the movies that scared him as a kid probably were big inspirations for his games

[@kodakkevin]

Oh my god he mentioned Harakirki! Hands down one of the best Japanese films. Every single shot is a painting. And the pacing is brilliant, not a second wasted

[@bigboss-yv2nr]

What’s it about? Are these old Japanese films worth watching now?

[@kodakkevin]

@@bigboss-yv2nr "When a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity." - from IMDB. It's an exploration of samurai culture/tradition with some cool sword fighting and fun twists

[@powerpickle]

​@@bigboss-yv2nr Just watched it last week, quite a good movie.

[@johnkamadeva4747]

@@bigboss-yv2nr if you’re into the kind of scary, artistic and weirdy stuff? Then yes, and no better than to be recommended by an old school Otaku like Hideo Kojima too lol

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

That period of Japanese film ranks with the greatest waves of films in world cinema history. All absolutely incredible... highly recommend every single one!

[@chinoloco51]

This was such a nice surprise. I think they should do this more often and get some other creators to do this. I would love to see Suda 51 or Shinji Mikami on here and see what kind of movies they consider amazing or a must watch.

[@xmaverickhunterkx]

Mikami for sure

[@metalizard27]

Fumito Ueda and Jenova Chen would be amazing as well, their games have such a strange vibe, so I would love to know what inspires them

[@Cartillax]

escially suda51 haha we can maybe draw some inspiration then as to how he made his craft

[@DeadWhiteButterflies]

Suda would be amazing.

[@videovagrancy8526]

You can't help but love the man's excitement. Kojima is one of the greatest video game creators there is. Playing his games you can see that he wanted to be a filmmaker. His games ended up becoming his films. The man essentially made cinematic story telling in video games the norm that we take advantage of today. Big fan of his work, always looking forward to what he will do next, as he is always taking chances that tend to move video games forward in creativity.

[@cartoonvideos5]

Every single game I played by him was garbage

[@johnkamadeva4747]

@@cartoonvideos5 attention seeking troll right here ladies & gents Also keep your shitty opinion to yourself kid, no one wants to hear about your skill issue problems in the game

[@videovagrancy8526]

@@cartoonvideos5 That's your opinion. The first Metal Gear Solid was a masterpiece.

[@user-li1vd4nq9z]

小島監督ありがとうございます！ 日本の名作を知らない自分にとって小島監督が作品名を上げて具体的におすすめして下さることがとても有難いです！

[@YorgosL1]

Japanese movies are the best form of media

[@robertdegiorno8690]

One of the finest creative minds of his generation and still as witty and charming as ever. This might be criterions biggest get for this series.

[@magicmajed5148]

Onibaba absolutley floored me the furst time I watched it! I went into it not really thinking much just assuming it was gonna be a little more “scary” than most Japanese films. But it wasn’t just scary it was absolutely terrifying! It scared me even though I’m 18 and more grown then when Kojima watched it. Some of the best and most carefully crafted scares I have ever seen! I contribute most of that to the absurdly good lighting used in the film. It’s probably the best use of lighting I have ever seen in a movie! With the lighting film is able to create these dark shadow areas and use them for scares. The scares are never super fast and jumpy most of them are just something slowly emerging and walking out of a shadow. Which made it all the more terrifying. All that isn’t including it’s brilliant themes and tellings of grief and indirect effects of war!. So well made and wish more people saw it! It’s absolutely brilliant!

[@CrimeFighterFrog]

For anyone who wishes to hear more of Kojima‘s favorites: There is an article he wrote in the mid 2000s (translated by none other than Marc Laidlaw) where he lists his 30 favorite films of all time - including the ones that were a heavy influence on the Metal Gear series - with many more on the side, ranging from Japanese to Western and even animated ones. It’s a fantastic read and shows a diverse array of films that he loves, with a little inside on each listing. I highly recommend it and would link it here but I think KZbin wouldn’t let me, but it’s not hard to find on your own!

[@UnityAgainstJewishEvil]

I’ve always loved this man’s energy. Less a fan of his eccentric writing, but I still respect it. He does what he thinks is cool.

[@Toarcade]

This man has excellent taste in movies, and his Japanese movie recommendations are spot on. Anyone new to Japanese classics can just take the directors introduced here as an excellent starting point... I was attracted to Japanese film by the likes of Koreeda and Beat Takeshi, but I only started truly loving and admiring it when I ventured into Ozu, Mizoguchi, Kurosawa. It is interesting that he points out High & Low, because that was also my first exposure to Kurosawa and it remains one of his most memorable films for me.

[@NyolateAMV]

Japan cinema is amazing! I recommend for you to check out Kobayashi's *Human Condition* Trilogy

[@samspencer582]

@@NyolateAMVHuman Condition is a masterpiece by Kobayashi. A great movie.

[@TAMITRO]

Do you like Sion Sono and Takashi Miike?

[@Toarcade]

@@NyolateAMV Thank you very much, I was not aware of these films yet and put them right on the shortlist!

[@Toarcade]

@@TAMITRO Oh yes, I watched my fair share of Takashi Miike and in my teenage years I surely scarred some friends with a Visitor Q movie night. :) Do you have any specific recommendations for Sion Sono? I only watched Love Exposure and Suicide Circle. LE blew my mind at the time.

[@tooruoikawa8985]

The collaboration we didn’t know we needed! THANK YOU!

[@Sylvaard]

Just watched Seven samurai, throne of blood, yojimbo, sanjuro and some others recently and mannnnnn japan was way ahead of their time. Those movies are masterpieces. The seven samurai and yojimbo soundtrack still hasnt left my head.

[@7ylerD]

This is the absolute most excited I’ve ever seen Kojima. It just goes to show that we all love him for MGS, but at heart he will always just be a movie guy.

[@itsmocklen3352]

He's so pure and wholesome 😊

[@jacksonwright5145]

So cool to see someone picking films from a specific time and place, and I love that he's especially encouraging young people to try older foreign films. Some of these are personal favorites of mine, so I would encourage everyone too!

[@fettfan91]

So smart of Criterion to bring Kojima in, his enthusiasm for art and film is just infectious!

[@donlad]

High and Low is one of my personal favourites. Super good story and interesting play on popular tropes

[@rockutron9000]

Those 50’s and 60’s Japanese films in the criterion collection continually surprise me, cause they are always awesome. Safest bet as far as blind buying is concerned.

[@unknownrebelfilms]

One of my biggest movie watchlists came when I was 16, playing Metal Gear Solid 3. As Snake, you could call a young lady on the radio at random times and talk about film recommendations with her. I watched some of my favorite American classics that way, and ironically got into Criterion through that. Awesome that Hideo Kojima is going into classic Japanese films, since I don't usually see him talk about them! Even happier I know and own most of them.

[@aidanoliver8209]

This is massive. Holy. What an incredible idea to include him.

[@clinteastwood14896]

Best closet visit ever! Hideo Kojima is 60 years old btw. I'd like to look as young as him when I'm 60.

[@isaacmartinez6904]

Kojima really loves movies, especially Japanese classics from the 1950s and 1960s.

[@Aokiyoa]

Golden Era of Japanese film.

[@mingyuhuang8944]

Bro the fact that my favorite video game creator also loves my favorite movie creator (Akira Kurosawa) is something which brings me so much shock and joy.

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

​@@mingyuhuang8944 Kurosawa is top 5 of all time, imo... _High & Low_ is an absolute masterpiece.

[@willd1655]

What gave it away?

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

There's a good argument to make that Japanese film is in the top 2 or 3 all time of any country's film output. Ugetsu, High & Low, Harakiri, Tokyo Story, Onibaba, Woman In The Dunes, Kwaidan & Jigoku are all perfect examples of Japanese mastery. All among the greatest films of all time!

[@drewmcgill5290]

“High and Low” is my favorite Kurosawa too! Good man :D

[@EricTheBroBean]

Kojima is like the gamer and movie enthusiast who made it bigtime. He never settles for anything less than perfection, never copypasting other games just for the sales. He's hands down my favorite developer, and one of my favorite people on the planet, he's basically the reason I'm still a gamer to this day.

[@kveldsanger6691]

I dont know a lot about Kojima, but still happy too see that i have all the films he picked, in my own collection. Late Spring is my favorite Ozu film.

[@waynestock300]

I saw him post a pic on his Instagram a while ago, and I was really hoping for this to happen. To see a man who is mostly made of movies in the Criterion closet brings me joy.

[@itsmocklen3352]

Kojima the GOAT

[@mingyuhuang8944]

Bro the fact that my favorite video game creator also loves my favorite movie creator (Akira Kurosawa) is something which brings me so much shock and joy.

[@SL4PSH0CK]

@@mingyuhuang8944 he post more on Instagram, mostly pop cultures

[@cannilony]

he works with Microsoft on a Xbox Exclusive 🎉

[@neonkaiju]

Over the years I've seen many people do this, but I love this man the most.

[@Strider-Ragnarok]

You can clearly see that he was happy being there looking and selecting his favorites. Physical media is so important and it should be preserved.

[@GodsWork-ss3gw]

He's a pedophile, that's why David Hayter left.

[@samuelgodwin6196]

The first strand type criterion closet video

[@TotallyRadicalShow]

So happy Criterion got Kojima on here. He is an inspiration to me and I love him hearing him talk about the art he enjoys. A truly wonderful video.

[@h20sports434]

i'm a young person and i ll watch all these japanese movies from the 50s and 60s u recommended, i got your back kojima, keep rocking it!

[@Ruylopez778]

As someone who only recently discovered the joy of Ozu movies having heard his name many times, I wholeheartedly agree with Kojima's point. There is a real charm to his movies that in many ways we miss today, and perhaps those sentiments from the 50s and 60s are exactly what young people need to hear.

[@kevinviklen3611]

A lot of great films in here. Surprised that he didn’t pick one by Seijun Suzuki. The cross up of style and insanity just works so well.

[@blind6144]

"70% of my body is made of movies."

[@taylorR909]

Hideo Kojima & Quentin Tarantino should meet each other. They are probably the biggest movie fanatics I can think of that would make an awesome collaboration on a game or a movie.

[@VariableGear]

I somehow knew about some of those, but I will check out the rest! And I want to re-watch the ones I have seen. Kojima-san is a living legend! I'm very much looking forward to what his studio is working on - game-related and otherwise!

[@prancey227]

I'm so glad he highlighted Woman in the Dunes and Harakiri

[@jon4715]

The best surprise was the Late Ozu Eclipse set. I miss Eclipse.

[@SeIain]

It’s surreal watching two worlds collide between video games and cinema. Kojima is the greatest video game auteur to ever live and I hope he can make his own film one day.

[@bobvillainy]

this is huge, one of my favorite closet videos now

[@FrankRonGerards]

His passion for Japanese movies put a couple tears into my eyes. Thank you Mr. Hideo Kojima.

[@pedrongreen]

Thank you for bringing Kojima! Love his work and his picks, such an unique voice in the world of video games!

[@Ahab3039]

Revolutionized story telling and video games by merging Film and videogames. He will be very highly spoken about in the future.

[@bertfechner417]

Nice pick getting Hideo Kojima. I love it. I havent seen many of these but it always feels like the person never picks/recommends too many films so I love seeing Hideo just go to town. Hes given me many new films to check out.

[@Qegixar]

I'm not hugely familiar with old Japanese films, so I was surprised by how many of these I had already seen, and I have to admit, Kojima-san has great taste. I especially recommend both High and Low and Kwaidan.

[@bw2273]

I love Setsuko Hara and Ozu as well. Late Spring is one of my favorite films of all time. Setsuko's presence in that film is astonishing. And yes, the bicycle scene is so great that it was mimicked in Millennium Actress which is an anime loosely based on Setsuko Hara's life. An absolute amazing film!!!

[@justicaar]

I've been wanting this to happen for years now. Kojima has such a keen eye & genuine love for cinema, you can feel it in each of his creations. I love reading his thoughts about film on Twitter. Such a perfect match, glad it finally happened!

[@AquilusDesign]

Last year I got to watch The Seven Samurai and Yojimbo from Akira Kurosawa, I'll certainly watch High and Low and a few other of the recommendations. Always amazing learning more about Mr. Kojima's story and his favorite picks from the expanding collection of japanese cinema.

[@samael22]

The fastest I ever clicked on one of these videos. I've been a huge fan of this man's work for 24 years and counting.

[@andrewmaldonado8214]

Man, myth, legend.

[@otterpoet]

Love this man. Truly inspiring. Currently reading his book on the creative spirit.

[@JayLarson]

Thank you for all the recommendations!

[@colinanthony2011]

Never been so excited for one of these. Kojima is a legend

[@hipsterelephant2660]

I can't wait for Metal Gear Solid 4 to hit the Criterion!

[@Drforrester31]

I just want it to hit PS5! I'm dying to play that game again

[@Hysteria98]

Of all the games of his you could have picked, you picked the worst?

[@swolemoth]

​@@Hysteria98that's the joke, because of all the cut scenes

[@TheRockinBR]

Perfect! Kojima-sensei always put on his creations the inspirations he took from movies, I still remember the very first time I played Metal Gear Solid on PS1 and I saw the intro cinematic and got blown away by how the submarine first appearance, I thought " wow, that's very cinematic style!".

[@Room_237]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this Criterion closet picks video to expose these amazing and very important Japanese films.

[@Timmycakes88]

No way... this WAY! Thank you for having him in your closet! What a treat and a treasure Hideo Kojima is

[@giustinacasale4914]

Thank you so much for having Hideo Kojima reveal some of his favourite films. He is so adorable, can he come back for more? Let's say once a month? I could listen to Hideo talk about his film choices for hours, he even succeeded in arousing my husband's interest in these movies, so thank you Hideo Kojima.

[@thetramp123]

All great stuff. You need to put some of the Naruse films you have the rights to on disc though. Floating Clouds, Yearning, Sound of the Mountain, and Scattered Clouds all definitely deserve to be in the collection. An upgrade of When the Woman Ascends the Stairs would be great too. Would also love to see a box set of Sadao Yamanaka's remaining existing films. All three I believe have had restorations recently.

[@Hereticked]

Good picks. Was really happy to see Ugetsu among his selections. IMO, the three Japanese classics that everyone should watch are Seven Samurai, Ugetsu and The Sword of Doom.

[@Aaron_French]

Late Spring by Ozu is a masterpiece.

[@bobbyboljaar7513]

True, Setsuko Hara always makes me tear up in that film

[@jimreplicant]

I’ve tried a few times to get into ozu, what am I missing it just seems so boring and dry😂 Haven’t seen tokyo story but I watched late spring and autumn afternoon.

[@Aaron_French]

The Cinema Cartography video was the one that got me into Ozu, so I'd highly recommend it. For me it's a few things, he creates these gorgeous worlds and gives them time to breathe. Every frame is so carefully constructed it's almost as if watching a series of moving paintings. You could call Ozu contemplative cinema or slow cinema but for me he finds beauty in the everyday and never vies for your attention, his movies just are. @@jimreplicant

[@Aaron_French]

Also his stories and dialogue are so deeply human. The way he frames his dialogue sequences. The camera, aside a few choice examples, almost never moves. It also feels like a contemplation on what it means to be Japanese. The period of history that was seen in Ozu's career oversaw huge changes both for Japan domestically as well as foreign influence beginning to come in.

[@il_solitario55]

@@jimreplicant I've struggled a bit with Ozu too. His film "Floating Weeds"(1960's version) is good though.

[@Cadinho93]

Metal Gear Solid (1998) is the greatest video game of all time, in my opinion. Thank you Hideo Kojima for making my childhood wonderful. Also, it's great to see everyone from all generations coming into the Criterion closet and seeing their tastes. The beauty of it all is knowing they're the ones who understand you when majority of people don't, especially when it comes to film history. Excellent picks!

[@ScruffyWarlord]

I agree Metal Gear Solid 1998 is the greatest video game of all time. Also the ending of Metal Gear Solid 2 when the AI is speaking to Raiden essentially describes our world today perfectly. Hideo Kojima is a genius.

[@thomasnielsen5580]

It's The Last of Us.

[@Largentina.]

​@@thomasnielsen5580lol

[@cannilony]

Im looking forward to the xbox exclusive game he is working on 🎉, I hope not a boring Walking simulator

[@cantsuggestareasonablename9101]

@@thomasnielsen5580It’s the dudes opinion.

[@mack4691]

High and Low just floored me when I realized how playfully the master Kurosawa was composing the scenes. Brilliant and innovative in a way that even some of the most creative film makers have not caught up to him to this day.

[@aortaplatinum]

This is one of the coolest things I've seen in a while, quite a treat of an upload. I'm gonna have to check out Onibaba now, I LOVE Death Stranding as well as Del Toro's work, so now I gotta see this movie both directors really like.

[@lewiscarter4630]

50s and 60s Japanese films are absolutely peak cinema for me. Thrilled Kojima agrees (although I shouldn't be surprised). Onibaba and Woman in the Dunes are two of my all time favorites.

[@nedd.8479]

The first Strand-type Criterion Closet video.

[@ProKoByDank]

thanks for the recommendations!

[@lashropa]

Such a treat. Thank you!

[@KERSTEN27]

His list shows a love of both fantastic cinema and social realism as well as the combination of the two genres (as in Ugetsu Monogatari)