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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
Seven Samurai (1954) Review
AKA: 7 Samurai Director: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Daisuke Kato, Isao Kimura, Minoru Chiaki, Seiji Miyaguchi, Yoshio Inaba, Kamatari Fujiwara, Bokuzen Hidari Running Time: 207 min. By Numskull Akira Kurosawa is what I refer to as a “sacred cow” director (others include Ingmar Bergman and Wong Kar Wai). To suggest that any of his films is anything less than perfect in every way is to be labeled … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune
Cure (1997) Review
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa Cast: Kōji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa, Yoriko Dōguchi, Yukijirō Hotaru, Denden, Ren Osugi, Masahiro Toda, Misayo Haruki Running Time: 111 min. By Jesse “Who are you?” That is a question repeated throughout Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 1997 film Cure, but its true meaning does not become clear until the very end. Takabe (Kôji Yakusho) is a detective living in Japan, doing his best that he can … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Koji Yakusho, Ren Osugi
Freeze Me (2000) Review
AKA: Freezer Director: Takashi Ishii Producer: Takashi Ishii, Nobuaki Nagae, Taketo Niitsu Cast: Shingo Tsurumi, Shunsuke Matsuoka, Harumi Inoue, Kazuki Kitamura, Naoto Takenaka Running Time: 102 min. By Jesse Freeze Me tells the story of a woman who was gang raped by three thugs as a teenager and later starts a new life with a good job and a loving fiance. A few years later, one of the rapists shows … Continue reading
All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001) Review
Director: Shunji Iwai Writer: Shunji Iwai Producer: Koko Maeda Cast: Hayato Ichihara, Shugo Oshinari, Ayumi Ito, Takao Osawa, Miwako Ichikawa, Izumi Inamori Running Time: 140 min. By Alexander As I sit here typing this review I’m still trying to figure out whether I like “All About Lily Chou Chou” or not. On one hand, it’s a beautiful film, filled with gorgeous images of rural Japan. The shot of young Yuichi … Continue reading
Gantz II: Perfect Answer (2011) Review
Director: Shinsuke Sato Writer: Hiroya Oku, Yusuke Watanabe Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya, Ken’ichi Matsuyama, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Takayuki Yamada, Gou Ayano, Kanata Hongo, Ayumi Ito, Tomorowo Taguchi Running Time: 141 min. “Perfect Answer” picks up right where the first live-action “Gantz” movie left off and does exactly what you’d hope a sequel would do. The plot is denser, the stakes are raised for our heroes, and the action is even more violent … Continue reading
Throne of Blood | aka Spider’s Web Castle (1957) Review
Director: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Isuza Yamada, Takashi Shimura, Akira Kubo, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Minoru Chiaki, Takamaru Sasaki, Kokuten KodoUeda Kichijiro Running Time: 109 min. By Mairosu Guess what dear readers if there are any, it’s a fortification doubleheader! First, I saw Hidden Fortress today, the film which allegedly inspired George Lucas to make Star Wars (turns out it just inspired some moments of Star Wars rather than the whole … Continue reading
Gantz (2010) Review
Director: Shinsuke Sato Writer: Hiroya Oku, Yusuke Watanabe Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya, Ken’ichi Matsuyama, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Kanata Hongo, Natsuna Watanabe Running Time: 130 min. By HKFanatic Much like “Death Note,” 2010’s “Gantz” is a two-part live-action adaptation of a popular and long-running manga/anime. While “Death Note” sticks closely to the realm of the supernatural, “Gantz” is pure science-fiction. At times it feels like a cross between “The Matrix” and “Men in … Continue reading
Outrage (2010) Review
Director: Takeshi Kitano Writer: Takeshi Kitano Cast: Takeshi Kitano, Kippei Shiina, Ryo Kase, Tomokazu Miura, Jun Kunimura, Tetta Sugimoto, Takashi Tsukamoto, Hideo Nakano, Renji Ishibashi, Fumiyo Kohinata Running Time: 109 min. By HKFanatic “Outrage” is Takeshi ‘Beat’ Kitano’s first Yakuza film in ten years (since 2000’s “Brother“). Kitano himself admitted he designed the film from the ground up to be a commercial crowd-pleaser, a goal that seems well within his … Continue reading
Cutie Honey (2004) Review
Director: Hideaki Anno Cast: Eriko Sato, Mikako Ichikawa, Jun Murakami, Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Hairi Katagiri, Shie Kohinata, Mayumi Shintani, Eisuke Sasai, Toru Tezuka, Ryō Kase, Ryo Iwamatsu, Suzuki Matsuo, Kyusaku Shimada, Ryuhei Matsuda Running Time: 93 min. By Ningen This live-action film is based an anime series about a cyborg girl who changes outfits and weapons to fight crime, the appeal being that she briefly becomes naked when she changes. For … Continue reading
Love Exposure (2008) Review
Director: Sion Sono Writer: Sion Sono Producer: Haruo Umekawa Cast: Takahiro Nishijima, Hikari Mitsushima, Sakura Ando, Makiko Watanabe, Atsuro Watabe Running Time: 237 min. By HKFanatic This is a film whose reputation precedes it – that of being one long-ass movie. “Love Exposure” is “Suicide Club” director Sion Sono’s four hour ode to love, Christianity, upskirt photography, and awkward erections. To be honest, I put “Love Exposure” into my DVD … Continue reading
2LDK (2002) Review
Director: Yukihiko Tsutumi Cast: Maho Nonami, Koike Eiko Running Time: 70 min. By Alexander I think we’ve all had a Worst Roommate Ever, a roommate we secretly wished would plummet to their death from the bumper sticker-covered windows of our 4th floor college dorm rooms. A roommate whose laundry “hamper” was the floor, the backs of our chairs and the bottom of the shared closet. The roommate whose idea of … Continue reading
Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City (2010) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Writer: Kankuro Kudo Cast: Sho Aikawa, Riisa Naka, Tsuyoshi Abe, Masahiro Inoue, Naoki Tanaka, Guadalcanal Taka Running Time: 106 min. By HKFanatic No matter what, you can always count on Takashi Miike to do the last thing you expect of him. Just a few months before “13 Assassins” hit theaters in Japan, becoming yet another benchmark in the director’s storied career, Miike directed a sequel to his … Continue reading
Ichi the Killer (2001) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Nao Omori, Shinya Tsukamoto, Pauline Suen, Susumu Terajima, Toru Tezuka, Kee, Suzuki Matsuo, Jun Kunimura, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Yoshiki Arizono, Masataka Haji, Moro Morooka, Hideo Sako Running Time: 115 min. By Mighty Peking Man Up to this point, this is my third venture into the ultra-morbid world of director Takashi Miike (“Audition” and “Fudoh – The New Generation” being the other two films of his … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Jun Kunimura, Shinya Tsukamoto, Tadanobu Asano, Takashi Miike
Bullet Train (1975) Review
Director: Junya Sato Cast: Ken Takakura, Sonny Chiba, Kei Yamamoto, Eiji Go, Akira Oda, Raita Ryu, Masayo Utsunomiya, Yumi Takigawa, Etsuko Shihomi, Takashi Shimura, Fumio Watanabe, Mizuho Suzuki, Ken Utsui, Tetsuro Tamba Running Time: 115 min. By Sergio Martorelli It’s official: american action films sucks mammoth balls, even the ones directed by HK masters like John Woo and Tsui Hark. And do you wanna know why? I’ll tell ya. It’s … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Junya Sato, Ken Takakura, Sonny Chiba
Azumi (2003) Review
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura Cast: Aya Ueto, Shun Oguri, Hiroki Narimiya, Kenji Kohashi, Takatoshi Kaneko, Yuma Ishigaki, Tak Sakaguchi, Yoshio Harada, Kazuya Shimizu Running Time: 124 min. By Alexander Strip the Power Rangers of the space-age outfits and crappy-looking rubber-suited monsters and place them in say, feudal Japan, and what you’re left with is the swordplay epic-lite Azumi. Because like their weekday afternoon brethren, the kids in Azumi say things like … Continue reading
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