Category Archives: Japanese

Ju-On (2002) Review

"Ju-On" Japanese DVD Cover

AKA: Ju-On: The Grudge Director: Takashi Shimizu Cast: Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa, Tomomi Kobayashi, Takashi Matsuyama Running Time: 92 min. By Mighty Peking Man Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and the first thing you see standing over your bed is Linda Blair’s character from The Exorcist staring right at you and coming closer and closer – that’s how creepy this damn film … Continue reading

Posted in All, Japanese, Reviews | Tagged |

Ring 2 | aka Ringu 2 (1998) Review

AKA: Ringu 2 Director: Hideo Nakata Writer: Hiroshi Takahashi, Koji Suzuki Cast: Daisuke Ban, Kyoko Fukada, Kenjiro Ishimaru, Nanako Matsushima, Katsumi Muramatsu, Miki Nakatani Running Time: 95 min. By Numskull STOP!!! Read this review ONLY if you have already seen Ring 2, if you have seen Ring and want to know more about the sequel before you see it (or decide whether or not to see it), OR if you … Continue reading

Posted in All, Japanese, Reviews | Tagged |

Ring 0 | aka Ringu 0 (2000) Review

AKA: Ringu 0: Happy Birthday Director: Norio Tsuruta Writer: Koji Suzuki Cast: Yuki Nakama, Kumiko Aso, Daisuke Ban, Chinami Furuya, Masami Hashimoto, Kazue Kadokae Running Time: 99 min. By Numskull Here we have both the last and the first installment of the highly successful Ring sequence, rewritten for the screen by creator/novelist Koji Suzuki and directed by Norio Tsuruta, a newcomer to the series. Taking place three decades before the … Continue reading

Posted in All, Japanese, Reviews |

Ring | aka Ringu (1998) Review

"The Ring" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Hideo Nakata Cast: Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rikiya Otaka, Miki Nakatani, Yuko Takeuchi, Hitomi Sato, Rie Ino, Masako, Yoichi Numata, Yutaka Matsushige Running Time: 91 min. By Numskull “Frolic in brine, goblins be thine.” Doesn’t make much sense sitting up there all by itself, does it? Well, it may not make much sense after watching the movie, either, but it’s still kinda catchy, I think. Certainly not the only … Continue reading

Posted in All, Japanese, Reviews | Tagged , |

Alien vs. Ninja | aka AVN (2010) Review

"Alien vs. Ninja" American Theatrical Poster

Director: Seiji Chiba Cast: Shuji Kashiwabara, Ben Hiura, Mika Hijii, Donpei Tsuchihira, Masanori Mimoto Running Time: 83 min. By HKFanatic “Alien vs. Ninja” arrived on Western shelves just in time to capitalize on the DVD/blu-ray release of 2010’s “Predators.” And glancing at the title and box art, you’d think this movie was a cheap knock-off of the “Aliens vs. Predator” franchise. I know that was my first impression. Turns out … Continue reading

Posted in Japanese, Ninja, Reviews | Tagged |

Dark Water (2002) Review

Director: Hideo Nakata Writer: Koji Suzuki (novel) Cast: Hitomi Kuroki, Mirei Oguchi, Rio Kanno, Shigemitsu Ogi, Fumiyo Kohinata, Yu Tokui, Isao Yatsu, Asami Mizukawa Running Time: 102 min. By Numskull Director Hideo Nakata and novelist Koji Suzuki follow their success on Ring and Spiral with this collaboration about a mother and daughter living in an apartment building with a dark mystery, a leaky ceiling, a lazy janitor, and a very … Continue reading

Posted in All, Japanese, Reviews | Tagged |

13 Assassins (2010) Review

"13 Assassins" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Goro Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura, Mikijiro Hira, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Hiroki Matsukata, Kazue Fukiishi Running Time: 114/126 min. By HKFanatic “13 Assassins” is one of those rare films that comes out of nowhere – at this point in his career, was anybody really expecting Takashi Miike to direct a traditional samurai flick with sky-high production values? – and immediately garners a critical … Continue reading

Posted in Japanese, Reviews | Tagged |

Tetsuo: The Bullet Man | aka The Bulletman (2009) Review

Tetsuo: The Bullet Man DVD (IFC)

Director: Shinya Tsukamoto Cast: Eric Bossick, Akiko Mono, Shinya Tsukamoto, Stephen Sarrazin, Yuko Nakamura Running Time: 79 min. By HKFanatic As a die-hard fan of Shinya Tsukamoto (I even wrote a term paper on the guy), I’m honest enough to admit that “Tetsuo: Bullet Man” is not very good. Sadly, I don’t think many fans were expecting it to be. Not only is it yet another sequel to Tsukamoto’s “Tetsuo: … Continue reading

Posted in Japanese, Reviews | Tagged |

Yojimbo (1961) Review

Director: Akira Kurosawa Writer: Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Kat, Seizabur Kawazu, Takashi Shimura, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Yosuke Natsuki Running Time: 110 min. By Mairosu One day I’ll stop frenetically rewatching Kurosawa, but I’ve got to make the most of it right now. After Ikiru, Stray Dog and Throne of Blood (which I’ll review somewhere later), I got to this little story … Continue reading

Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews | Tagged , |

Rashomon (1950) Review

AKA: In the Wood Director: Akira Kurosawa Producer: Jingo Minoura Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijiro Ueda, Fumiko Honma Running Time: 88 min. By Alexander The Good: I’ve never been as captivated by the cinematography of a black and white film as I was with this one. There are only three locales in the entire movie, yet each (particularly the rain-ravaged temple ruins) are … Continue reading

Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews | Tagged , |

Evil Dead Trap (1988) Review

"Evil Dead Trap" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Toshiharu Ikeda Cast: Miyuki Ono, Aya Katsuragi, Hitomi Kobayashi, Eriko Nakagawa, Masahiko Abe Running Time: 105 min. By Woody Ikeda’s “Evil Dead Trap” is a very entertaining mix of the giallo (slasher) films of Italy’s Dario Argento, that rushing camera trick from Raimi’s “Evil Dead” films, and the “body horror” of David Cronenberg. Stylistically, this is reminiscent of an Argento film…bright colors, creative murders, a never-still camera, the unseen … Continue reading

Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews |

Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) Review

"Godzilla vs. Megalon" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Jun Fukuda Producer: Tomoyuki Tanaka Cast: Katsuhiko Sasaki, Hiroyuki Kawase, Yutaka Hayashi, Robert Dunham, Kotaro Tomita Running Time: 81 min. By Woody My fondest memories of Palmdale, California are of visiting my Grandma Mary, eating TV dinners, and sitting in the guest room to watch the weekly Japanese monster movie on channel 5. It was the high point of my week. Living in Palmdale in the early nineties was … Continue reading

Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews | Tagged |

Peacock King, The | aka Legend of the Phoenix (1989) Review

Director: Nam Nai Choi Producer: Chua Lam Cast: Yuen Biao, Gloria Yip Wan Yi, Pauline Wong Siu Fung, Pauline Wong Siu Fung, Gordon Liu Chia Hui, Eddie Ko Hung, Philip Kwok Chung Fung, Ken Boyle, Siu Tak Foo, Yuen Bun, Kara Hui Ying Hung Running Time: 83 min. By JJ Hatfield All is dark except for an area forming a rough circle around an ongoing archaeological dig. Without warning a … Continue reading

Posted in Chinese, Golden Harvest, Japanese, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , |

Goemon | aka The Legend of Goemon (2009) Review

AKA: Goemon: The Robin Hood of Japan Director: Kazuaki Kiriya Writer: Kazuaki Kiriya, Tetsuro Takita Cast: Yosuke Eguchi, Takao Osawa, Ryoko Hirosue, Gori, Eiji Okuda, Eiji Okuda, Kazuaki Kiriya, Jun Kaname, Masato Ibu, Hashinosuke Nakamura, Susumu Terajima, Mikijiro Hira, Tetsuji Tamayama, Choi Hong-man Running Time: 128 min. By Ningen A revisionist take on the titular legendary Japanese thief, this Hero/300-esque follow-up from the director of the live-action Casshern emphasizes his … Continue reading

Posted in Japanese, Reviews | Tagged , |

Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) Review

"Godzilla: Final Wars" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Ryuhei Kitamura Cast: Masahiro Matsuoka, Rei Kikukawa, Akira Takarada, Kane Kosugi, Kazuki Kitamura, Maki Mizuno, Masami Nagasawa, Chihiro Otsuka, Don Frye Running Time: 125 min. By Ningen Note that the only previous film of Ryuhei Kitamura’s I’ve seen was Versus. I haven’t seen Azumi and didn’t even play that MGS remake for the GC in which he was involved. Anyway, while it was supposed to be a sequel to the … Continue reading

Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |