Author Archives: Kelly Warner

Battles Without Honor and Humanity Vol. 3: Proxy War (1973) Review

December 16, 2015 Kelly Warner
"Battles Without Honor and Humanity Vol. 3" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Kinji Fukasaku Cast: Bunta Sugawara, Akira Kobayashi, Takeshi Kato, Mikio Narita, Kunie Tanaka, Nobuo Kaneko, Shingo Yamashiro, Nobuo Kaneko, Tsunehiko Watase, Hideo Murota, Tatsuo Umemiya, Asao Uchida, Tatsuo Endo Running Time: 102 min. By Kelly Warner Hiroshima Death Match is a strong film and a fine example of the yakuza film genre. However, it was little more than a side-story in the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series and … Continue reading →

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Battles Without Honor and Humanity Vol. 2: Hiroshima Death Match (1973) Review

December 10, 2015 Kelly Warner
"Battles Without Honor and Humanity Vol. 2" Blu-ray Cover

AKA: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima Director: Kinji Fukasaku Cast: Kinya Kitaoji, Sonny Chiba, Bunta Sugawara, Meiko Kaji, Mikio Narita, Hiroshi Nawa, Asao Koike, Shingo Yamashiro, Hideo Murota, Tatsuo Endo, Yoshi Kato, Kinji Nakamura, Gin Maeda, Nobuo Kaneko, Toshie Kimura Running Time: 100 min. By Kelly Warner After the huge financial success of Battles Without Honor and Humanity in January 1973, two sequels were fast-tracked and released that same year. Based … Continue reading →

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Battles Without Honor and Humanity Vol. 1 (1973) Review

December 9, 2015 Kelly Warner
"Battles Without Honor and Humanity Vol. 1" Blu-ray Cover

AKA: The Yakuza Papers Vol. 1 Director: Kinji Fukasaku Cast: Bunta Sugawara, Hiroki Matsukata, Kunie Tanaka, Eiko Nakamura, Tsunehiko Watase, Goro Ibuki, Nobuo Kaneko, Toshie Kimura, Tamio Kawaji, Mayumi Nagisa, Asao Uchida, Shinichiro Mikami, Hiroshi Nawa Running Time: 99 min. By Kelly Warner Throughout the 1960s, yakuza were typically depicted as honorable outlaws in Ninkyo eiga, or “chivalry films.” Often starring fan-favorites like Ken Takakura or Koji Tsuruta, these films … Continue reading →

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Yakuza Apocalypse (2015) Review

December 7, 2015 Kelly Warner
Yakuza Apocalypse | Blu-ray & DVD (Entertainment One)

Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Hayato Ichihara, Riko Narumi, Lily Franky, Reiko Takashima, Sho Aoyagi, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Yayan Ruhian, Mio Yuki, Masanori Mimoto Running Time: 125 min. By Kelly Warner Even in the wild and diverse filmography of director Takashi Miike, Yakuza Apocalypse is one weird movie. What’s interesting is how it keeps its lunacy hidden away like a dirty secret until you feel like you’re settled in for a crime/horror … Continue reading →

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Matango | aka Attack of the Mushroom People (1963) Review

October 30, 2015 Kelly Warner
"Matango" Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Fungus of Terror Director: Ishiro Honda Cast: Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno, Kenji Sahara, Hiroshi Koizumi, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kenji Sahara, Kenji Sahara, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Miki Yashiro, Hideyo Amamoto Running Time: 89 min. By Kelly Warner Before 1954, director Ishiro Honda worked in multiple genres, including romantic dramas, documentaries, and war pictures. After directing the original Godzilla in 1954, Honda became Toho’s go-to man for their kaiju films and special effects … Continue reading →

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Golden Cane Warrior, The (2014) Review

October 28, 2015 Kelly Warner
"The Golden Cane Warrior" Theatrical Poster

Director: Ifa Isfansyah Writer: Jujur Prananto Cast: Eva Celia, Nicholas Saputra, Reza Rahadian, Tara Basro, Christine Hakim, Slamet Rahardjo, Aria Kusumah, Darius Sinathrya, Prisia Nasution Running Time: 112 min. By Kyle Warner I have not seen many Indonesian films. And interestingly the only Indonesian films I’ve seen in recent years were actually filmed by Western directors. Welsh born director Gareth Evans is well-known for his action films The Raid and … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Indonesian, News, Reviews |

Maggie (2015) Review

October 25, 2015 Kelly Warner
"Maggie" Theatrical Poster

Director: Henry Hobson Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson, Douglas M. Griffin, J.D. Evermore, Rachel Whitman Groves, Jodie Moore, Bryce Romero Running Time: 95 min. By Kelly Warner I don’t get the zombie craze. However, I do like that it’s given storytellers the chance to experiment with genre and try new things. Maggie is one of the most interesting films to come out of the zombie boom, a sad … Continue reading →

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Raid, The (1990) Review

October 11, 2015 Kelly Warner
"The Raid" Theatrical Poster

Director: Ching Siu Tung Co-director: Tsui Hark Cast: Dean Shek, Fennie Yuen, Jacky Cheung, Tony Leung, Joyce Godenzi, Paul Chu Kong, Corey Yuen, Lau Siu Ming, Kei Gwong Hung, Chiu Man Yan, Liu Fan Running Time: 100 min. By Kelly Warner Beyond a title that may confuse less-informed film fans interested in Asian cinema, The Raid has absolutely nothing in common with the Gareth Evans films of the same name. … Continue reading →

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A Look Inside: Arrow Video’s ‘Stray Cat Rock Collection’

October 1, 2015 Kelly Warner

After Roger Corman’s 1966 outlaw biker film The Wild Angels became a surprise hit in Japan, Japanese studios were quick to cash in and make similar films. One such popular film was Toei’s Delinquent Boss from 1968. The Nikkatsu film studio saw Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss as their way to jump in and compete with Toei’s product. Unlike most films with copy-cat origins, Delinquent Girl Boss successfully started … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, News |

Stray Cat Rock: Beat ’71 (1971) Review‏

September 1, 2015 Kelly Warner

AKA: Alleycat Rock: Crazy Riders ’71 Director: Toshiya Fujita Writer: Tatsuya Asai, Hideichi Nagahara Cast: Meiko Kaji, Takeo Chii, Tatsuya Fuji, Yoshio Harada, Takeo Chii, Yoshio Inaba, Bunjaku Han, Michiko Tsukasa Running Time: 87 min. By Kyle Warner Director Toshiya Fujita returns to the Stray Cat Rock series for the fifth and final installment, Stray Cat Rock: Beat ’71 (aka Stray Cat Rock: Crazy Rider ’71). While I thought that the previous … Continue reading →

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Z Storm (2014) Review

August 21, 2015 Kelly Warner
"Z Storm" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: David Lam Cast: Louis Koo, Gordon Lam, Lo Hoi Pang, Liu Kai Chi, Michael Wong, Dada Chan Ching, Janelle Sing Kwan, Patrick Keung, Felix Lok Ying Kwan Running Time: 92 min. By Kelly Warner Slowly Hong Kong cinema seems to be making a comeback. Our favorite directors and stars keep giving us reasons to hope so, anyway. 2014’s Z Storm has the gloss and star power to inspire more confidence … Continue reading →

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Stray Cat Rock: Machine Animal (1970) Review

August 19, 2015 Kelly Warner

AKA: Alleycat Rock: Machine Animal Director: Yasuharu Hasebe Writer: Ryuzo Nakanishi Producer: Masami Kuzu Cast: Meiko Kaji, Tatsuya Fuji, Bunjaku Han, Jiro Okazaki, Toshiya Yamano, Eiji Go, Yasuhiro Kameyama By Kyle Warner The Stray Cat Rock series continues with the fourth entry, Machine Animal. Like the films that came before it, Machine Animal was a quick production, filmed over just two weeks and released a little over two months after … Continue reading →

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Police Story 2013 | aka Police Story: Lockdown (2013) Review

August 10, 2015 Kelly Warner
"Police Story: Lockdown" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Police Story 6 Director: Ding Sheng Cast: Jackie Chan, Lau Yip, Sally Jing Tian, Huang Bo, Yu Rong-Guang, Wang Zhi Fei, Wu Yue, Andy Long Nguyen, Zhang Xiaoning, Ding Sheng, Bruce Law Running Time: 108 min. By Kelly Warner Jackie Chan’s changed. Off-screen his fervent nationalism has had the effect of alienating and upsetting some fans both at home and abroad. On-screen, the actor has had to come to … Continue reading →

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Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal (2015) Review

August 6, 2015 Kelly Warner
Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Peter Pau Co-director: Zhao Tianyu Cast: Chen Kun, Li Bing Bing, Winston Chao, Bao Bei Er, Jike Junyi, Yang Zishan, Huan Huang, Wenbo Luo, Yidi Hou, Madina Memet, Zhiyi Ren, Peter Pau, Yam Giu Running Time: 118 min. By Kelly Warner There was a time, not long ago, when people would flock to the theatre to see a movie because of its special effects. CGI has forever changed our … Continue reading →

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Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (1970) Review

July 23, 2015 Kelly Warner

AKA: Alleycat Rock: Sex Hunter Director: Yasuharu Hasebe Producer: Masayuki Takagi Cast: Meiko Kaji, Rikiya Yasuoka, Tatsuya Fuji, Jiro Okazaki, Yuki Arikawa, Tomoko Aki, Yoko Takagi, Akemi Nara Running Time: 93 min. By Kyle Warner I first saw Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter almost a decade ago. At the time, I was totally unaware that it belonged to a series of films (Part 3 of 5, in fact). When I … Continue reading →

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