RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2012 Directed by Hae-sung Song (2010’s “A Better Tomorrow” remake), Rikidozan: A Hero Extraordinaire is a biopic that recounts the story of Rikidozan, a sumo wrestler who can only achieve limited success in Japan because he’s half Korean. But when Rikidozan goes to the United States and discovers professional wrestling, he becomes a hero back home. Check out the trailer.

RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2012 A young judge is known for making tough and uncompromising decisions. But, his carefully ordered life is thrown into chaos after his wife is brutally murdered. Apparently, a former criminal has a grudge against him for a past ruling. It soon becomes apparent that the case is far from closed, as a reporter contacts Suk Hyun, informing him that his life appears to be following … Continue reading →

RELEASE DATE: February 21, 2012 Hiroshi, a disaffected teenage boy, is struggling at school and one day shuts himself away in his bedroom. For the next two years he refuses to come out or let anyone else in. Hiroshi’s parents are so ashamed by what has happened that they attempt to conceal his condition from friends and family. Inevitably, the household disintegrates. Brian Wilson, Howard Hughes… eat your heart out! … Continue reading →

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012 When a tycoon’s daughter is found dead of a cocaine overdose after being rescued from abduction, he will stop at nothing to avenge her death! Another quality Milkyway Image film from producer Johnnie To (Fulltime Killer). Punished stars Anthony Wong and Richie Ren. Check out the trailer. Also, be sure and check out DiP’s review.

RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2012 A masterpiece. — The Hollywood Reporter — Set during the time of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Caterpillar tells the story of a Japanese soldier who returns home horrifically mutilated. Liutenant Kurokawa is literally nothing but a human torso: he has lost both his arms and legs, and with burns covering half his face, he is also unable to speak. From acclaimed director Koji Wakamatsu (United … Continue reading →

RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2012 One of the best films of the decade! – Sight & Sound – Koji Wakamatsu’s (Caterpillar) epic docudrama United Red Army explores the political unrest of 1960’s Japan, when mass student uprisings coincided with the beginnings of the far-left United Red Army group, which tortured and murdered its ”deviant” members during a 1972 training session. An uncompromising piece of filmmaking from one of Japan’s most … Continue reading →

RELEASE DATE: December 27, 2011 Goro Kishitani’s Killer Bride’s Perfect Crime is a killer comedy about very bad things. Hiroko spent 25 years failing at everything, but for the first time, luck is on her side. She’s about to marry the man of her dreams: the rich, handsome and charming Kenichi. However, on the day before her wedding, she ends up accidentally killing her landlord. Determined to go through with her … Continue reading →

RELEASE DATE: January 10, 2012 Synapse Films is proud to present Yoichi Nishiyama’s Gurozuka! A fun getaway turns into a journey to Hell for some teenage girls visiting an isolated house to rehearse and perform a play for their private movie club. Taking the trip with an adult chaperone, the girls learn that a previous club member supposedly went missing in the house, and another went insane! Shortly after they … Continue reading →

RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2011 Zen is a biopic of Dogen Zenji, a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher and the founder of the Soto school of Zen in Japan after travelling to China. Directed by Banmei Takahashi and starring Kantarou Nakamura, Yuki Uchida, Ryushin Tei, Jun Murakami and Tatsuya Fujiwara. Check out the trailer here.

RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2011 Takashi Miike’s (“13 Assassins“) 2010 sequel to his 2004 flick about a superhero named “Zebraman” (Sho Aikawa). Also also stars Riisa Naka and Masahiro Inoue. This film was controversial due to the film’s theme of a religious war with the antagonists as analogies of the Happy Science movement in Japan. Check out the trailer here. Update: The FUNimation trailer can be found here.