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on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s kung fu classic ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arrives newly restored on Blu-rayI hope they would do Blood of the dragon 1971 .
on Arrow gains some street cred! ‘Street Gangs of Hong Kong’ Shaw Brothers set arrives on Blu-ray in NovemberIt's always great to see Chan Koon Tai, Wong Chung and Danny Lee in contempor…
on THE PERFECT WEAPON IS BACK! Martial arts star Jeff Speakman returns to action with ‘Lost Echoes’Great to be soon be seeing Jeff Speakman back in films,as the connection with…
on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s kung fu classic ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arrives newly restored on Blu-raymike leeder doesn't do commentaries anymore, so thats a win win! I do not min…
on ‘Lone Wolf and Cub’ star shines bright! Watch the Trailers for the ‘Wicked Priest’ collection arriving on Blu-ray in SeptemberMissing the spin off film, Whipmaster: Ballad of Murder? I could have sworn I…
on THE FURIOUS PART II? A sequel to ‘The Furious’ already in the works as producer promises a bigger follow upIn the mainland chinese cut, the villain who killed his wife in the lionsgate…
on Jackie Chan and Tony Leung Ka Fai return for Round 2! ‘The Shadow’s Edge II’ to begin filming in OctoberI liked the first movie until I hated it for being too overstuffed and that t…
on The Bodyguard (2024) ReviewGreat review, as ever, and really glad you're shining a light on these underr…
on James Lew, martial artist, actor and stuntman in films such as ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ and ‘Timecop’, passes away at 73He will be missed. It was awesome to watch almost any action film, and he’d a…
on WTF? Watch the blood-soaked U.S. Trailer for Joko Anwar’s Indonesian martial arts-horror-comedy ‘Ghost in the Cell’fun flick, tho.
on Heaven and Hell | aka Shaolin Hell Gate (1978) ReviewJust saw Heaven and Hell on youtube, and while it's pretty damn strange in so…
on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s kung fu classic ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arrives newly restored on Blu-rayAbout freakin time!
on James Lew, martial artist, actor and stuntman in films such as ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ and ‘Timecop’, passes away at 73The Luke Cage guy paid tribute to him. https://www.instagram.com/p/DcbK2ZExau…
on James Lew, martial artist, actor and stuntman in films such as ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ and ‘Timecop’, passes away at 73James Lew was a very influential person in my life. I first discovered him wh…
on THE FURIOUS PART II? A sequel to ‘The Furious’ already in the works as producer promises a bigger follow upWell almost 4 decades ago, there was this little movie about a cop who fights…
on Anybody seen Richie? Okay, wrong movie. But Steven Seagal’s ‘Above the Law’ is coming to 4K Ultra HD this NovemberNoice. Happy Arrow/Toy Robot are releasing Warner Bros action classics. I'm c…
on THE FURIOUS PART II? A sequel to ‘The Furious’ already in the works as producer promises a bigger follow upWhat would even a part 2 be about, literally every bad guy in the first film…
on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s kung fu classic ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arrives newly restored on Blu-rayFrank Djeng talks too fast, and with his accent I find him very hard to liste…
on The Fall of Ako Castle | Blu-ray (Eureka)Is this blu-ray available to purchase anywhere in the U.S. in Region A, Regio…
on FURIOUS director Kenji Tanigaki returns to work on Soi Cheang Pou Soi’s ‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’ sequelRaymond Lam said that filming for the sequel has been officially completed (c…
Category Archives: Japanese
Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea (2007) Review
Director: Shinichiro Sawai Cast: Takashi Sorimachi, Rei Kikukawa, Mayumi Wakamura, Ken’ichi Matsuyama, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Eugene Nomura, Go Ara, Takahiro Araki, Kachiwo Endo, Yusuke Hirayama, Naoki Hosaka, Sosuke Ikematsu Running Time: 136 min. By Kelly Warner Thirty minutes into Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea I came to realize that I was not watching a historical epic. Instead, this movie is a biopic about a man who … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Takashi Sorimachi
Killers (2014) Review
Director: The Mo Brothers Cast: Kazuki Kitamura, Oka Antara, Rin Takanashi, Luna Maya, Ray Sahetapy, Ersya Aurelia, Epy Kusnandar, Mei Kurokawa, Denden, Motoki Fukami Running Time: 137 min. By HKFanatic Killers generated a great deal of buzz as soon as it was announced. Not only does the movie represent the first time the Indonesian and Japanese film industries have collaborated on a thriller, but movie also boasts a co-production credit from Gareth … Continue reading
Posted in Indonesian, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Kazuki Kitamura, Kimo Stamboel, Oka Antara, The Mo Brothers, Timo Tjahjanto
Tokyo Drifter (1966) Review
Director: Seijun Suzuki Cast: Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Hideaki Nitani, Tamio Kawaji, Tsuyoshi Yoshida, Ryuji Kita Running Time: 83 min. By Kelly Warner Most film buffs probably know the story of how director Seijun Suzuki was fired by Nikkatsu after producing his 1967 film Branded to Kill, and was then effectively blacklisted from filmmaking after suing his former employers. But the story is more complicated than that. Branded to Kill … Continue reading
Beyond Outrage (2012) Review
Director: Takeshi Kitano Writer: Takeshi Kitano Cast: Beat Takeshi, Tomokazu Miura, Ryo Kase, Akira Nakao, Shigeru Koyama, Toshiyuki Nishida, Sansei Shiomi, Katsunori Takahashi, Fumiyo Kohinata, Yutaka Matsushige, Hideo Nakano, Kenta Kiritani, Hirofumi Arai, Tetsushi Tanaka Running Time: 112 min. By HKFanatic After delivering a modern update on the popular Zatoichi character in 2003, writer/director/actor Takeshi Kitano spent the rest of that decade on a detour into the world of avant … Continue reading
Lupin the Third (2014) Review
AKA: Lupin III Director: Ryuhei Kitamura Writer: Mataichiro Yamamoto, Monkey Punch Cast: Shun Oguri, Meisa Kuroki, Gou Ayano, Tadanobu Asano, Tetsuji Tamayama, Vithaya Pansringarm, Rhatha Phongam, Thanayong Wongtrakul, Kim Jun, Jerry Yan, Nirut Sirichanya, Nick Tate, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, Yuka Nakayama Running Time: 133 min. By Paul Bramhall When director Ryuhei Kitamura hit the scene in 2000 with his low budget zombie kung fu hybrid, Versus, critics were quick to announce … Continue reading
Why Don’t You Play in Hell? (2013) Review
Director: Sion Sono Writer: Sion Sono Cast: Jun Kunimura, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Fumi Nikaido, Hiroki Hasegawa, Gen Hoshino, Tomochika, Tak Sakaguchi, Itsuji Itao, Hiroyuki Onoue, Tetsu Watanabe, Tasuku Nagaoka, Akihiro Kitamura, Motoki Fukami Running Time: 129 min. By Kelly Warner Sion Sono is my kind of madman. In recent years Sono has made some of the zaniest, most singularly inventive films in the world. Love Exposure was a strangely lovable four … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Jun Kunimura, Sion Sono, Tak Sakaguchi
Prison Girl (2008) Review
Director: Naoyuki Tomomatsu Writer: Chisato Okawara Producer: Masaru Ikeda Cast: Asami, Yoko Satomi, Hiroaki Yanagi, Mari Yamaguchi, Yukiharu Inoue, Fumiaki Kato Running Time: 60 min. By Paul Bramhall Out of all the Japanese sub-genres, the Pink Eiga movie is perhaps the most confusing to try and explain. Literally translated to English as Pink Movie, the genre is different to that of AV, standing for Adult Video, which is most easily … Continue reading
Fudoh: The New Generation (1996) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Shosuke Tanihara, Kenji Takano, Marie Jinno, Tamaki Kenmochi, Toru Minegishi, Miho Nomoto, Riki Takeuchi, Takeshi Caesar, Yuichi Minato, Mickey Curtis Running Time: 100 min. By Woody Pussy fart darts. Pre-teen assassins. Riki Takeuchi putting out a cigarette on Mickey Curtis’ severed head. A giant member of Riki’s gang kicking a severed head, splattering it into pieces, no doubt angering the young children using it for a game of soccer. … Continue reading
Gonin (1995) Review
AKA: The Five Director: Takashi Ishii Cast: Koichi Sato, Masahiro Motoki, Jinpachi Nezu, Kippei Shiina, Naoto Takenaka Running Time: 109 min. By Equinox21 In 1995, stylish director, Takashi Ishii, brought us a great crime/yakuza piece called Gonin (The Five). It revolved around a disco owner convincing 4 other guys to go along with him in a planned heist of the local Yakuza thugs for over 100 million yen (something like … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Takashi Ishii, Takeshi Kitano (Beat Takeshi)
Hard Romanticker (2011) Review
Director: Su-Yeon Gu Writer: Mitsunori Gu, Su-Yeon Gu Cast: Shota Matsuda, Kento Nagayama, Atsuro Watabe, Shido Nakamura, Tokio Emotom, Kaname Endo, Sei Ashina, Yoko Maki, Dai Watanabe, Claude Makik, Keiko Awaji Running Time: 109 min. By HKfanatic If there’s a ‘problem’ with the Yakuza genre these days, it’s that there are so many towering masterpieces in the genre it’s easy for some of the smaller films to go overlooked. One … Continue reading
Kunoichi: Lady Ninja (1998) Review
Director: Hitoshi Ozawa Cast: Hitoshi Ozawa, Yuko Moriyama, Tomomi Kuribayashi, Kazuki Takeda, Yoshio Shima, Tomoroo Taguchi, Takekazu Shigehisa, Hidehiko Ishikura Running Time: 105 min. By Numskull ‘Ninja Magic: Energy Ball!’ A blazing, luminous sphere is conjured out of thin air by one of the Seven Beasts of Katoh, and with a murderous glint in his eyes, he directs it towards the imperiled Hori girls with deadly speed and accuracy! “But … Continue reading
Dead or Alive 3: Final (2002) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Sho Aikawa, Riki Takeuchi, Richard Chen, Terence Yin, Josie Ho, Maria Chen, Hiroyoshi Komuro Running Time: 86 Min. By SlaXor Well, the first thing I’d like to get out of the way is that people may wonder why someone would start with a review for the third and final installment in this excellent trilogy. The reason is that parts one and two of the Dead or … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Josie Ho Chiu Yee, Riki Takeuchi, Sho Aikawa, Takashi Miike, Terence Yin
Dead or Alive (1999) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Riki Takeuchi, Sho Aikawa, Renji Ishibashi, Hitoshi Ozawa, Shingo Tsurumi, Kaoru Sugita, Hirotaro Honda, Minoru Iizuka, Michisuke Kashiwaya, Mizuho Koga, Ren Oosugi, Tomoro Taguchi Running Time: 105 min. By Mairosu And so finally, I rent a Miike Takashi film. After hearing countless stories about him, seeing numerous trailers for his shock-fests such as Ichi the Killer, Audition or Fudoh, I finally took a chance on one … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Hitoshi Ozawa, Riki Takeuchi, Sho Aikawa, Takashi Miike
Guilty of Romance (2011) Review
Director: Sion Sono Cast: Miki Mizuno, Makoto Togashi, Megumi Kagurazaka, Kazuya Kojima, Satoshi Nikaido, Ryuju Kobayashi, Shingo Gotsuji, Motoki Fukami Running Time: 113 min. By HKFanatic Sion Sono, the acclaimed director of “Suicide Club,” returns with the final installment of his so-called Hate Trilogy. Following up two modern classics like “Love Exposure” and “Cold Fish” couldn’t have been an easy task, and while “Guilty of Romance” is arguably the weakest … Continue reading
Time Traveller: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2010) Review
Director: Masaaki Taniguchi Writer: Tomoe Kanno, Yasutaka Tsutsui Cast: Riisa Naka, Akiyoshi Nakao, Narumi Yasuda, Masanobu Katsumura, Kanji Ishimaru, Munetaka Aoki, Anna Ishibashi, Shota Chiyo, Tokio Emoto, Mayu Kitaki, Yuya Matsushita, Toshiya Toyama, Maya Okano Running Time: 122 min. By Ningen Akari is former high school student about to head off into college, when her mother gets into a semi-coma after being in the path of a car. Akari’s mom … Continue reading
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