Tag Archives: Ryo Ishibashi

Grudge, The (2004) Review

"The Grudge" Theatrical Poster

Director: Takashi Shimizu Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, William Mapother, Clea DuVall, KaDee Strickland, Grace Zabriskie, Bill Pullman, Rosa Blasi, Ted Raimi, Ryo Ishibashi Running Time: 92 min. By Ningen So stop me if you’ve heard this before. Sarah Michelle Gellar walks into a Japanese haunted house, and almost gets attacked by demons. She’s a nurse who happens to be working abroad and living with a whacky family. Unlike … Continue reading

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American Yakuza (1993) Review

"American Yakuza" American Promotion Poster

Director: Frank Cappello Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Ryo Ishibashi, Michael Nouri, Franklyn Ajaye, Yuji Okumoto, Anzu Lawson, Robert Forster, John Fujioka, Nicky Katt, James Taenaka, Saiko Isshiki, Fritz Mashimo, Jeff Bankert Running TIme: 95 min. By JJ Hatfield After a prisoner finishes a one year term in solitaire he is released and on his own. He had heard of a couple of places that would hire former convicts and he heads … Continue reading

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War | aka Rogue Assassin (2007) Review

"War" Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Rogue Director: Philip Atwell Writer: Lee Anthony Smith, Gregory J. Bradley Cast: Jet Li, Jason Statham, Terry Chen, John Lone, Devon Aoki, Sung Kang, Ryo Ishibashi Running Time: 103 min. By JJ Hatfield War, uhhh yeah, what is it good for absolutely nothin’… sorry. The song is good. This movie is not. What comes across is rather two dimensional. I felt at times the characters were made of cardboard. … Continue reading

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Kids Return (1996) Review

Director: Takeshi Kitano Writer: Takeshi Kitano Producers: Masayuki Mori, Yasushi Tsuge, Takio Yoshida Cast: Masanobu Ando, Ken Kaneko, Leo Morimoto, Hatsuo Yamaya, Mitsuko Oka, Ryo Ishibashi, Susumu Terajima, Koichi Shigehisa, Michisuke Kashiwaya, Yuko Daike, Atsuki Ueda, Ren Osugi, Masami Shimojoe Running Time: 108 min. By Equinox21 Kids Return was not even close to being my favorite Takeshi Kitano movie, but it wasn’t bad in the least. It didn’t really even … Continue reading

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Audition (1999) Review

"Audition" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Miyuki Matsuda, Renji Ishibashi, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura, Toshie Negishi, Ken Mitsuishi, Ren Ohsugi Running Time: 115 min. By Alexander Takashi Miike’s Audition scared the hell out of me. Even though I figured out the “twist” early in the film, and I knew exactly where the story was headed, I was still unprepared for a handful of its shocking scenes and revelations. … Continue reading

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Brother (2000) Review

"Brother" International Theatrical Poster

Director: Takeshi Kitano Cast: Takeshi Kitano, Omar Epps, Kuroudo Maki, Masaya Kato, Susumu Terajima, Royale Watkins, Lombardo Boyar, Ren Osugi, Ryo Ishibashi, James Shigeta Running Time: 114 min. By Woody Ignore the critics, this is a great flick. One of Kitano’s best? That’s hard to say. Almost any film pales in comparison to classics like “Hana-bi” and “Sonatine”. Maybe it was my lowered expectations, but I really loved this one. … Continue reading

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