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on Feeling triggered? Future pressings of the ‘Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1’ have you covered!This is the one that gets me today, this?! 😭
on STOP… Hammer time! 4K Ultra HD Limited Edition for the Hammer Film/Shaw Brothers classic ‘Shatter’ arriving in MayWhy? Giving Shatter this kind of 4K special treatment makes about as much sen…
on Karate and Kung Fu collide in the New Trailer for Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio’s upcoming ‘Karate Kid’ movieAm I the only one who thinks it's more of the same that you saw in the first…
on ‘Passenger 57’, move over! Andy Lau’s hijack thriller ‘High Forces’ is getting a U.S. release from China LionHigh Forces has been released on Blu-ray in the US - 25 March 2025 - by Bayvi…
on Richard Norton, ‘Gymkata’ and ‘City Hunter’ actor, martial artist, trainer and stunt performer, dies at 75My favorites with him are Twinkle Twinkle, and Magic Crystal. It’s interestin…
on Looking for some spear-slicing action? Donnie Yen’s ‘The Lost Bladesman’ arrives on Blu-ray from ImprintVery underrated Donnie Yen gem. The movie, along with Sakra, has arguably the…
on Wild, The (2023) ReviewThis review does a great job of breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of…
on Don’t fight what you can’t see! Arrow announces Blu-ray for Yoshiyuki Kuroda’s 1970 actioner ‘The Invisible Swordsman’Dear Arrow... Let "old" Asian cinema to 88 Films, Eureka, BFI n' Co.
on Leopard Fist Ninja (1982) ReviewYeah, the little girl turning into the hero certainly threw me too.
on Kung Fu Rookie (2023) Review& just like that, Z Ravas reappeared after 5 years in the wilderness, the sam…
on Hong Kong’s Heaven’s Gate? Juno Mak’s anticipated thriller ‘Sons of the Neon Night’ to finally shine this yearThere was apparently a 15 minute preview screening at Hong Kong's FILMART con…
on The Kosugi ninja empire lives on! Watch the Trailer for Shane Kosugi’s ‘Seek’ starring Kansuke Asano and Kane KosugiHaters gonna hate, I suppose. 🥱 Oh well.
Category Archives: Japanese
War of the God Monsters | aka The Flying Monster (1985) Review
AKA: The Flying Monster Director: Kim Jung-yong Cast: Kim Ki-ju, Nam Hye-gyeong, Kim Da-hye, Moon Tae-Seon, Kim Uk, Jang Cheol Running Time: 85 min. By Paul Bramhall Korean cinema was in a strange place during the mid-80’s. After military strongman Chun Doo-hwan essentially elected himself as the country’s president in September 1980 following months of martial law and the infamous Gwangju Massacre in May, filmmakers needed to be extra cautious not … Continue reading
Sex and Fury (1973) Review
Director: Norifumi Suzuki Cast: Reiko Ike, Akemi Negishi, Ryoko Ema, Yoko Hori, Naomi Oka, Katsumasa Uchida, Rena Ichinose, Tatsuo Endō, Yōko Mihara, Christina Lindberg Running Time: 88 min. By Henry McKeand While action cinema has long been criticized as pornographic in its depictions of bloodshed and weaponry, the ‘pinky violence’ films released in Japan during the 60s and 70s are early examples of filmmakers pushing that pornographic label past the … Continue reading
Haze (2005) Review
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto Cast: Shinya Tsukamoto, Takahiro Murase, Takahiro Kandaka, Masato Tsujioka, Mao Saito Running Time: 49 min. By Henry McKeand Shinya Tsukamoto’s films have always presented a claustrophobic view of the world. Even in massive and open urban landscapes, Tsukamoto’s characters are trapped by the oppressive man-made structures that surround them. There’s the sense that concrete and steel are capable of closing in at any time, overwhelming and overpowering … Continue reading
Baby Assassins (2021) Review
Director: Yugo Sakamoto Cast: Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa, Mone Akitani, Yukina Fukushima, Masanori Mimoto, Atom Mizuishi, Yasukaze Motomiya, Takashi Nishina, Yosuke Ohmizu Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall We can blame the John Wick franchise for the action genres current infatuation with assassins for hire. Following a bombardment of assassin flicks in the 2010’s which came after the release of the original John Wick in 2014, now only a … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Kensuke Sonomura, Masanori Mimoto, Yugo Sakamoto
Special Actors (2019) Review
Director: Shinichiro Ueda Cast: Kazuto Osawa, Hiroki Kono, Miyu Ogawa, Hayate Masao, Nozomi de Lencquesaing Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall In 2017 Shinichiro Ueda’s micro-budget zombie movie One Cut of the Dead burst onto the scene fuelled almost purely by word of mouth, a production which cleverly subverted the type of movie audiences thought they were watching to entertaining and hilarious effect. His sophomore feature, following up such … Continue reading
Cruel Gun Story (1964) Review
Director: Takumi Furukawa Cast: Jo Shishido, Chieko Matsubara, Tamio Kawaji, Shobun Inoue, Yuji Odaka, Minako Kazuki, Hiroshi Nihonyanagi, Hiroshi Kondo, Saburo Hiromatsu Running Time: 87 min. By Henry McKeand In the 1960s, the Japanese studio Nikkatsu made a string of hard-edged crime thrillers that became known as “borderless action” films. They received this distinction because they borrowed from international influences, combining classic American noir and French New Wave gangster cool … Continue reading
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020) Review
Director: Junta Yamaguchi Cast: Kazunari Tosa, Riko Fujitani, Gôta Ishida, Masashi Suwa, Yoshifumi Sakai, Haruki Nakagawa, Munenori Nagano, Takashi Sumita, Chikara Honda, Aki Asakura Running Time: 70 min. By Paul Bramhall The concept of time travel is always an interesting one when it’s transferred to screen, and the Japanese film industry has flirted with it just as much as any other. From modern day military units transported to feudal Japan … Continue reading
Drive My Car (2021) Review
Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi Cast: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Reika Kirishima, Park Yu-rim, Jin Dae-yeon, Sonia Yuan, Ahn Hwitae, Perry Dizon, Satoko Abe, Masaki Okada Running Time: 179 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s perhaps a testament to how much inspiration Japanese author Haruki Murakami is capable of instilling in those who read his work, when you consider that Drive My Car is the second of his short stores in recent years to … Continue reading
Mechanical Violator Hakaider (1995) Review
Director: Keita Amemiya Cast: Yuji Kishimoto, Mai Hosho, Yasuaki Honda, Dai Matsumoto, Kazuhiko Inoue, Sumisu Andi Running Time: 51/71 min. By Henry McKeand There’s cerebral, lore driven science fiction, and then there’s something like Mechanical Violator Hakaider: a lizard-brained action fantasy with little patience for traditional world-building or character development. Directed by Keita Amemiya (Zeiram, Kamen Rider ZO) and based on the 1972 tokusatsu series Android Kikaider, the film is … Continue reading
Sword of the Beast (1965) Review
AKA Samurai Gold Seekers Director: Hideo Gosha Cast: Mikijiro Hira, Go Kato, Toshie Kimura, Kantaro Suga, Takeshi Kato, Shima Iwashita, Yoko Mihara, Shobun Inoue, Kunie Tanaka, Eijiro Tono Running Time: 85 min. By Henry McKeand “I want to become a beast like you. I can’t stand living for a mission anymore.” While Hideo Gosha has never come close to reaching the same level of Western acclaim as Akira Kurosawa, his … Continue reading
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) Review
Director: Kazuki Omori Cast: Kosuke Toyohara, Anna Nakagawa, Megumi Odaka, Katsuhiko Sasaki, Akiji Kobayashi, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Robert Scott Field, Richard Berger, Wataru Fukuda Running Time: 103 min. By Ian Whittle To paraphrase the great Professor Farnsworth: “Never take lessons in not-changing-history from a man who is his own grandpa!” Godzilla vs King Ghidorah is the third film in the Heisei series, following on from The Return of Godzilla (1984) and … Continue reading
Crazy Samurai Musashi | aka Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 (2020) Review
Director: Yuji Shimomura Cast: Tak Sakaguchi, Kento Yamazaki, Yousuke Saito, Ben Hiura, Arata Yamanaka, Fuka Hara, Kosei Kimura, Nobu Morimoto, Akihiko Sai, Masaaki Takarai Running Time: 92 min. By Paul Bramhall Crazy Samurai Musashi is one of those movies that’s journey to the screen is just as interesting as the movie itself, spanning over 10 years before it eventually arrived in 2020. Initially announced as a collaboration between Japanese action … Continue reading
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) Review
Director: Ishiro Honda Cast: Tadao Takashima, Kenji Sahara, Yu Fujiki, Ichiro Arishima, Mie Hama, Shoichi Hirose, Haruo Nakajima, Jun Tazaki, Akiko Wakabayashi, Akihiko Hirata Running Time: 97 min. By Ian Whittle The great animator Willis O’Brien remains immortal for his legendary creation King Kong, introduced in 1933 in RKO’s mega-hit film. But that didn’t translate into lots of steady work. O’Brien walked off the rushed “serio-comic phantasy” sequel The Son … Continue reading
Green Slime, The (1968) Review
Director: Kinji Fukasaku Cast: Robert Horton, Richard Jaeckel, Luciana Paluzzi, Bud Widom, Ted Gunther, Robert Dunham, David Yorston, William Ross, Gary Randolf, Eugene Vince Running Time: 90 min. By Ian Whittle The late Japanese New Wave director Fukasaku Kinji has a formidable reputation for his many Yakuza classics of the 1970s, his contributions to the Hollywood production Tora! Tora! Tora!, and his latter day masterpiece Battle Royale. He also directed … Continue reading
Flower and Snake: Zero (2014) Review
Director: Hajime Hashimoto Cast: Maiko Amano, Noriko Hamada, Rina Sakuragi, Kanji Tsuda, Naoki Kawano, Hideo Sakaki Running Time: 113 min. By Paul Bramhall Spend enough time in the world of Asian cinema, and somewhere along the line, you’re likely to stumble across the Japanese SM (sadomasochism) genre. At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself for as long as I can remember. Not that I’ve seen that many of them, … Continue reading
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