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on The Roundup: Punishment (2024) ReviewWell, I was hoping they’d up the ante, but I guess they want to keep playing…
on Ready to kill some Nazis? New poster for Guy Ritchie’s ‘Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ starring Henry CavillThis is the third time in a row that Cary Elwes has been sidelined in a spy t…
on ‘Enter the Fat Dragon’ helmer rounds up Xie Miao, Joe Taslim, Jeeja Yanin and Yayan Ruhian for ‘The Furious’Yeah, with that cast and with Kenji in the director’s chair…this should rock.
on Virtual Recall (2010) ReviewOkay, this movie sounds abysmal, but makes for a witty review. Thanks, Paul.…
on Acclaimed ‘Versus’ filmmaker Ryuhei Kitamura is getting into the amusement park business with ‘Thrill Ride’One good movie: Midnight meat train. The rest: crap.
on Lama Avenger, The | aka The Three Avengers (1979) ReviewWell, hopefully they can squeeze this one on the next Volume with "The Man, T…
on Lethal Combat: Techno Warriors 2 | aka Digital Warriors (2000) ReviewCheers Scott. To assist with some total recall, you commented on my review of…
on Bruce Lee protege Dan Inosanto is getting a Hollywood BiopicThey got Dan Inosanto's name wrong in the films credits: calling him DAM INOS…
on John Travolta and Nicolas Cage to return for a sequel to John Woo’s ‘Face/Off’?The original film is currently free on YouTube.
on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?as was released in 2 parts... yes. But as part of the 4hr cut he screened to…
on Shadow Fist Hunter | aka The Shadow Chaser (1973) ReviewCan you please upload this film?!
Category Archives: Japanese
Ley Lines (1999) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Writer: Ichiro Ryu Cast: Show Aikawa, Samuel Pop Aning, Takeshi Caesar, Yukie Itou, Michisuke Kashiwaya,Kazuki Kitamura, Dan Li, Ryuushi Mizukami, Ren Osugi, Tomorowo Taguchi, Naoto Takenaka, Koji Tsukamoto, Hua Rong Weng Running Time: 105 min. By Kyle Warner Takashi Miike’s Black Society Trilogy kicked off with a lurid and offensive bang in 1995 with Shinjuku Triad Society. He followed that up with Rainy Dog in 1997, a quieter, more reserved crime drama. (That’s … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Kazuki Kitamura, Naoto Takenaka, Ren Osugi, Sho Aikawa, Takashi Miike, Tomorowo Taguchi
Tokyo Fist (1995) Review
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto Cast: Kahori Fujii, Shinya Tsukamoto, Koji Tsukamoto, Naomasa Musaka, Naoto Takenaka, Koichi Wajima, Tomorowo Taguchi, Nobu Kanaoka Running Time: 87 min. By Kyle Warner Shinya Tsukamoto, throughout his career, has brought his particular vision to a variety of genres. Due to the legendary status of the Tetsuo trilogy, Tsukamoto is often thought of as a director of cyberpunk. This is wrong. Shinya Tsukamoto is, at his core, … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Naoto Takenaka, Shinya Tsukamoto, Tomorowo Taguchi
Shinjuku Triad Society (1995) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Writer: Ichiro Fujita Cast: Takeshi Caesar, Kyosuke Izutsu, Ren Osugi, Kippei Shiina, Tomorowo Taguchi, Airi Yanagi, Sabu, Yukie Itou, Kazuhiro Mashiko, Yoji Tanaka Running Time: 100 min. By Kyle Warner Takashi Miike began his prolific career as a director in ‘V-Cinema,’ Japan’s direct-to-video film productions. His first film that was meant as a theatrical release from the very start was his 1995 dark crime picture, Shinjuku Triad Society: Chinese Mafia … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Kippei Shiina, Ren Osugi, Sabu (Hiroyuki Tanaka), Takashi Miike, Tomorowo Taguchi
Assassination Classroom (2015) Review
Director: Eiichiro Hasumi Writer: Yusei Matsui, Tatsuya Kanazawa Cast: Ryosuke Yamada, Masaki Suda, Maika Yamamoto, Seika Taketomi, Mio Yuki, Miku Uehara Kanna Hashimoto, Seishiro Kato, Kang Ji-Young, Masanobu Takashima, Kippei Shiina, Kazunari Ninomiya, Wakana Aoi, Mirei Kiritani Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall There’s a painfully transparent trend being followed by the studios when it comes to mainstream Japanese cinema that’s emerged in recent years, and it’s one that … Continue reading
Terra Formars (2016) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Hideaki Ito, Takayuki Yamada, Kane Kosugi, Emi Takei, Shun Oguri, Masaya Kato, Rinko Kikuchi, Tomohisa Yamashita, Eiko Koike, Mariko Shinoda, Rila Fukushima, Kenichi Takito, Rina Ohta, Ken Aoki, Kiyohiko Shibukawa Running time: 108 min. By Matija Makotoichi Tomic Fans and those familiar with the work of Takashi Miike might be missing the “old” Miike; whoever enjoyed films such as Dead or Alive, Deadly Outlaw: Rekka, Ichi … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Hideaki Ito, Kane Kosugi, Takashi Miike
Kwaidan | aka Ghost Stories (1965) Review
AKA: Weird Tales Director: Masaki Kobayashi Writer: Yoko Mizuki, Lafcadio Hearn Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentaro Mikuni, Tetsuro Tamba, Takashi Shimura, Michiyo Aratama, Kunie Tanaka Running Time: 182 min. By Kyle Warner It’s long been my opinion that every great filmmaker should try their hand at horror at least once over the course of their career. Horror directors sometimes repeat some of the same themes, the same scares, the same monsters, and it takes … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Kunie Tanaka, Masaki Kobayashi, Michiyo Aratama, Rentaro Mikuni, Takashi Shimura, Tatsuya Nakadai, Tetsuro Tamba
Shin Godzilla | aka Godzilla: Resurgence (2016) Review
AKA: Godzilla: Resurgence Director: Hideaki Anno Co-director: Shinji Higuchi Cast: Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara, Kengo Kora, Ren Osugi, Akira Emoto Running Time: 120 min. By Kelly Warner In the 90’s, the Japanese Godzilla was killed off by his own nuclear heart going into meltdown, and the American Godzilla was killed off by the world’s general disinterest in ever seeing Roland Emmerich’s monster iguana on screen again. Toho’s ‘Millennium’ … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Akira Emoto, Godzilla, Hideaki Anno, Hiroki Hasegawa, Jun Kunimura, Kimiko Yo, Mikako Ichikawa, Ren Osugi, Satomi Ishihara, Shinji Higuchi, Shinya Tsukamoto
Return of Godzilla, The | aka Godzilla 1985 (1984) Review
AKA: Godzilla 1985 Director: Koji Hashimoto Cast: Keiju Kobayashi, Ken Tankaka, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Shin Takuma, Yosuke Natsuki, Eitaro Ozawa, Hiroshi Koizumi, Mizuho Suzuki, Taketoshi Naito Running Time: 103 min. By Kyle Warner Godzilla’s back. Warner Bros. is crafting a kaiju shared-universe along the lines of what superheroes are doing and will be soon be pitting the Godzilla of 2014 against King Kong. Back in Japan, Toho has jumpstarted their own Godzilla … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Godzilla, Hiroshi Koizumi, Keiju Kobayashi, Nobuo Kaneko
Golgo 13 (1973) Review
Director: Junya Sato Cast: Ken Takakura, Mohsen Sohrabi, Jaleh Sam, Yadolla Shirandami, Jalal Pishvaian, Arezu, Siamak Atlassi, Arash Taj, Dariush Asadzade, Ezatallah Ramezanifar Running Time: 104 min. By Martin Sandison A couple of nights after the screening of Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance, a real rarity was presented at the 70th Edinburgh International Film Festival: The 1973 version of Golgo 13, starring the legendary Ken Takakura (The Yakuza). Never … Continue reading
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972) Review
Director: Kenji Misumi Producer: Shintaro Katsu Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa, Tomoko Mayama, Fumio Watanabe, Keiko Fujita, Reiko Kasahara, Yunosuke Ito, Shun’ya Wazaki Running Time: 83 min. By Martin Sandison In February of this year, I attended a drinks function for the Edinburgh Film Festival, which takes place in June. I bumped into an acquaintance I’d known for many years, an actor and senior programmer called Niall Fulton, who the previous … Continue reading
Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song (1973) Review
Director: Yasuharu Hasebe Cast: Meiko Kaji, Masakazu Tamura, Yumi Kanei, Hiroshi Tsukata, Yayoi Watanabe, Sanae Nakahara, Akemi Negishi, Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Junko Ando Running Time: 89 min. By Kyle Warner After apparently feeling that his job was done, director Shunya Ito left the Scorpion series after the third film, Beast Stable. Stepping into his place would be Yasuharu Hasebe, a director with no shortage of experience working in the exploitation genre, including three Stray Cat … Continue reading
Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable (1973) Review
Director: Shunya Ito Cast: Meiko Kaji, Mikio Narita, Reisen Lee, Yayoi Watanabe, Koji Nanbara, Takashi Fujiki Running Time: 87 min. By Kelly Warner Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable is a very different movie from the two that came before it. Meiko Kaji’s Matsu the Scorpion is on the lam after having narrowly survived her prison escape in Jailhouse 41. Wanted posters with her face are all over the city streets, warning that … Continue reading
Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972) Review
Director: Shunya Ito Story: Toru Shinohara Cast: Meiko Kaji, Fumio Watanabe, Kayoko Shiraishi, Yukie Kagawa, Yuki Arasa, Hideo Murota Running Time: 94 min. By Kyle Warner In the opening moments of Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41, we find our antihero Matsu the Scorpion (Meiko Kaji) chained up in solitary confinement. She’s been locked away for a year after the bloodshed she caused in the previous film. The series’ familiar theme song … Continue reading
Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972) Review
Director: Shunya Ito Cast: Meiko Kaji, Rie Yokoyama, Yayoi Watanabe, Yōko Mihara, Akemi Negishi, Keiko Kuni, Yumiko Katayama, Emi Jo, Isao Natsuyagi, Fumio Watanabe Running Time: 87 min. By Kelly Warner Almost every ambitious leading man or lady is on the lookout for that iconic role that will shoot them to superstardom, netting them a legion of fans and hopefully a mountain of cash. Roles that earn awards can prove … Continue reading
Sadako vs Kayako | aka The Ring vs The Grudge (2016) Review
AKA: Ring vs Ju-On Director: Koji Shiraishi Cast: Mizuki Yamamoto, Tina Tamashiro, Aimi Satsukawa, Masahiro Komoto, Masanobu Ando Running Time: 99 min. By Paul Bramhall Starting any review of Sadako vs Kayako might as well begin with a recap of the two titular horror movie franchises that they’re a part of. As the cursed spirit of the Ringu series, this installment notches up Sadako’s twelfth onscreen appearance (soon to be … Continue reading
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