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on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?That makes a lot of sense. I'm not all about "cutting", but it seems like one…
on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?I don’t want to say “weaker.” I do wish the House of Blue Leaves sequence was…
on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?There's more chance of seeing an official release of the whole bloody affair.…
on The Lama Avenger | aka The Three Avengers (1979) ReviewYeah I feel they could've put some better ones
on Veteran HK director Billy Chung is back in action in the Trailer for ‘Operation Black-Ops’ starring Shawn Yue and Celina JadeI’ll probably check this out just for the presence of Shawn Yue, he’s been mi…
on The Lama Avenger | aka The Three Avengers (1979) ReviewOne of my favorite Bruce Li Flicks! Seriously wanted this in the Clones of Br…
on Have you ever been handcuffed? Ryoo Seung-wan’s sequel to his 2015 hit film ‘Veteran’ gets a New Poster (and a new title)Loved the first one, far superior to "The roundup" 2, 3 and probably 4.
on Watch Tak Sakaguchi and Hideo Sakaki return for what’s essentially a sequel to Ryuhei Kitamura’s ‘Versus’Kitamura denounced this movie and said he'll never work with those that worke…
on Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon, The (2023) ReviewIt's been rumored since 2019 that China threatened to blacklist most of its b…
on The search for the extremely rare ‘The Big Boss Part II’ starring Lo Lieh, Bruce Le and Chan Wai Man is finally over!did you not read the article... it's literally about it getting a blu ray rel…
on Mandingo (1975) ReviewThe Movie Mandingo is Good have some Boxing in the Movie one my Favorite spor…
Category Archives: Japanese
Ring | aka Ringu (1998) Review
Director: Hideo Nakata Cast: Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rikiya Otaka, Miki Nakatani, Yuko Takeuchi, Hitomi Sato, Rie Ino, Masako, Yoichi Numata, Yutaka Matsushige Running Time: 91 min. By Numskull “Frolic in brine, goblins be thine.” Doesn’t make much sense sitting up there all by itself, does it? Well, it may not make much sense after watching the movie, either, but it’s still kinda catchy, I think. Certainly not the only … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, Reviews
Tagged Hideo Nakata, Hiroyuki Sanada (Henry Sanada)
Alien vs. Ninja | aka AVN (2010) Review
Director: Seiji Chiba Cast: Shuji Kashiwabara, Ben Hiura, Mika Hijii, Donpei Tsuchihira, Masanori Mimoto Running Time: 83 min. By HKFanatic “Alien vs. Ninja” arrived on Western shelves just in time to capitalize on the DVD/blu-ray release of 2010’s “Predators.” And glancing at the title and box art, you’d think this movie was a cheap knock-off of the “Aliens vs. Predator” franchise. I know that was my first impression. Turns out … Continue reading
Dark Water (2002) Review
Director: Hideo Nakata Writer: Koji Suzuki (novel) Cast: Hitomi Kuroki, Mirei Oguchi, Rio Kanno, Shigemitsu Ogi, Fumiyo Kohinata, Yu Tokui, Isao Yatsu, Asami Mizukawa Running Time: 102 min. By Numskull Director Hideo Nakata and novelist Koji Suzuki follow their success on Ring and Spiral with this collaboration about a mother and daughter living in an apartment building with a dark mystery, a leaky ceiling, a lazy janitor, and a very … Continue reading
13 Assassins (2010) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Goro Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura, Mikijiro Hira, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Hiroki Matsukata, Kazue Fukiishi Running Time: 114/126 min. By HKFanatic “13 Assassins” is one of those rare films that comes out of nowhere – at this point in his career, was anybody really expecting Takashi Miike to direct a traditional samurai flick with sky-high production values? – and immediately garners a critical … Continue reading
Tetsuo: The Bullet Man | aka The Bulletman (2009) Review
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto Cast: Eric Bossick, Akiko Mono, Shinya Tsukamoto, Stephen Sarrazin, Yuko Nakamura Running Time: 79 min. By HKFanatic As a die-hard fan of Shinya Tsukamoto (I even wrote a term paper on the guy), I’m honest enough to admit that “Tetsuo: Bullet Man” is not very good. Sadly, I don’t think many fans were expecting it to be. Not only is it yet another sequel to Tsukamoto’s “Tetsuo: … Continue reading
Yojimbo (1961) Review
Director: Akira Kurosawa Writer: Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Kat, Seizabur Kawazu, Takashi Shimura, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Yosuke Natsuki Running Time: 110 min. By Mairosu One day I’ll stop frenetically rewatching Kurosawa, but I’ve got to make the most of it right now. After Ikiru, Stray Dog and Throne of Blood (which I’ll review somewhere later), I got to this little story … Continue reading
Rashomon (1950) Review
AKA: In the Wood Director: Akira Kurosawa Producer: Jingo Minoura Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijiro Ueda, Fumiko Honma Running Time: 88 min. By Alexander The Good: I’ve never been as captivated by the cinematography of a black and white film as I was with this one. There are only three locales in the entire movie, yet each (particularly the rain-ravaged temple ruins) are … Continue reading
Evil Dead Trap (1988) Review
Director: Toshiharu Ikeda Cast: Miyuki Ono, Aya Katsuragi, Hitomi Kobayashi, Eriko Nakagawa, Masahiko Abe Running Time: 105 min. By Woody Ikeda’s “Evil Dead Trap” is a very entertaining mix of the giallo (slasher) films of Italy’s Dario Argento, that rushing camera trick from Raimi’s “Evil Dead” films, and the “body horror” of David Cronenberg. Stylistically, this is reminiscent of an Argento film…bright colors, creative murders, a never-still camera, the unseen … Continue reading
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) Review
Director: Jun Fukuda Producer: Tomoyuki Tanaka Cast: Katsuhiko Sasaki, Hiroyuki Kawase, Yutaka Hayashi, Robert Dunham, Kotaro Tomita Running Time: 81 min. By Woody My fondest memories of Palmdale, California are of visiting my Grandma Mary, eating TV dinners, and sitting in the guest room to watch the weekly Japanese monster movie on channel 5. It was the high point of my week. Living in Palmdale in the early nineties was … Continue reading
Peacock King, The | aka Legend of the Phoenix (1989) Review
Director: Nam Nai Choi Producer: Chua Lam Cast: Yuen Biao, Gloria Yip Wan Yi, Pauline Wong Siu Fung, Pauline Wong Siu Fung, Gordon Liu Chia Hui, Eddie Ko Hung, Philip Kwok Chung Fung, Ken Boyle, Siu Tak Foo, Yuen Bun, Kara Hui Ying Hung Running Time: 83 min. By JJ Hatfield All is dark except for an area forming a rough circle around an ongoing archaeological dig. Without warning a … Continue reading
Goemon | aka The Legend of Goemon (2009) Review
AKA: Goemon: The Robin Hood of Japan Director: Kazuaki Kiriya Writer: Kazuaki Kiriya, Tetsuro Takita Cast: Yosuke Eguchi, Takao Osawa, Ryoko Hirosue, Gori, Eiji Okuda, Eiji Okuda, Kazuaki Kiriya, Jun Kaname, Masato Ibu, Hashinosuke Nakamura, Susumu Terajima, Mikijiro Hira, Tetsuji Tamayama, Choi Hong-man Running Time: 128 min. By Ningen A revisionist take on the titular legendary Japanese thief, this Hero/300-esque follow-up from the director of the live-action Casshern emphasizes his … Continue reading
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) Review
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura Cast: Masahiro Matsuoka, Rei Kikukawa, Akira Takarada, Kane Kosugi, Kazuki Kitamura, Maki Mizuno, Masami Nagasawa, Chihiro Otsuka, Don Frye Running Time: 125 min. By Ningen Note that the only previous film of Ryuhei Kitamura’s I’ve seen was Versus. I haven’t seen Azumi and didn’t even play that MGS remake for the GC in which he was involved. Anyway, while it was supposed to be a sequel to the … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Godzilla, Kane Kosugi, Ryuhei Kitamura
Battle Royale (2000) Review
Director: Kinji Fukasaku Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto, Masanobu Ando, Takeshi Kitano, Kou Shibasaki, Chiaki Kuriyama, Yuko Miyamura, Yuuki Masuda, Sousuke Takaoka Running Time: 114 min. By JJ Hatfield “Battle Royale” is very interesting – interesting beyond the usual curiosity and opinions about books and films. What is most interesting is that those who have not read the book nor viewed the movies are the same ones who … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Reviews
Tagged Aki Maeda, Chiaki Kuriyama, Kinji Fukasaku, Masanobu Ando, Takeshi Kitano (Beat Takeshi), Tatsuya Fujiwara
Asako in Ruby Shoes | aka Sunaebo (2000) Review
Director: E J-Yong Producer: Koo Bon-Han, Tsuchida Masaki, Iwata Hitoshi Cast: Lee Jeong-Jae, Misato Dachibana, Kim Gumija, Kim Min-Hee, Ren Osugi Running Time: 115 min. By Mlindber Asako in Ruby Shoes is another one of those great films from Korea in a genre you’d normally hate. You know the type. The movie is about a guy named U-in (Lee Jung-jae) from Korea, how much of a loser he is, and … Continue reading
Snake of June, A (2002) Review
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto Cast: Asuka Kurosawa, Yuji Kohtari, Shinya Tsukamoto, Masato Tsujioka, Susumu Terajima Running Time: 77 min. By Raging Gaijin It’s no secret that the Japanese people are repressed. And we all know that when a society represses its deepest, darkest urges, they don’t actually go away. No, they remain just below the surface and ready to break through at any moment. Or at the very least they’re filtered … Continue reading
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