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on Is Tom the only megastar who does his own stunts? Watch the New Trailer for ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’Lets hope MI8 is a step up from 7. MI 5 and 6 are near almost top-tier (De Pa…
on You guys ready to Jet? Full details for Shout Studios’ 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray set for ‘The Jet Li Collection’Part of me wants to see High Risk on 4k with that Meltdown 'Van Damme dub' th…
on John Woo’s action classic goes hard! Restored ‘Hard Boiled’ is coming to Cannes, Digital and Physical from Shout!Great news! I would like to see it here in the UK as well, maybe 88 Films or…
on Striking Rescue (2024) ReviewI rented this, and it was worth a watch. The action is nice and the showdown…
on Can Spike Lee take an Akira Kurosawa flick higher? Watch the Trailer for ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ starring Denzel WashingtonNick, cheers. Fixed =)
on Can Spike Lee take an Akira Kurosawa flick higher? Watch the Trailer for ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ starring Denzel WashingtonCorrection: Old Boy was remade in 2013, not 2023.
on Billy Zane, Zach Roerig and Scott Adkins’ ‘Day of Reckoning’ NOW on Digital! Watch a New Extended PreviewHow much screen time does confederate white supremacist supporter Trace Adkin…
on Get your kicks on Route 666! Scott Adkins attacks Marko Zaror in the New Trailer for Ernesto Díaz Espinoza’s ‘Diablo’the movie looks good, the trailer is awful. had to stop it midway to avoid be…
on Havoc (2025) ReviewThanks for continuing to visit COF Will! I felt the same way, the action kick…
on Get your kicks on Route 666! Scott Adkins attacks Marko Zaror in the New Trailer for Ernesto Díaz Espinoza’s ‘Diablo’This trailer has me pumped. Can't wait
on Havoc (2025) ReviewI've been reading this site for years. Really appreciate the reviews. I'd say…
on COF Presents: The Legend of the The Seven Little Fortunes[…] COF Presents: The Legend of the The Seven Little Fortunes | cityonf…
on Heroes of the East | aka Shaolin Challenges Ninja (1978) ReviewLiterally just finished watching this for the first time - catching up with m…
on Havoc (2025) ReviewThat anonymous guy is an idiot
on Someone call the 🔥 department! Ringo Lam’s seminal Hong Kong actioner ‘City on Fire’ arriving on 4K Ultra HD in JuneThis is absolutely beautiful. I use to dawg on shout factory artwork but damm…
Category Archives: Japanese
Karate Kill (2016) Review
Director: Kurando Mitsutake Writer: Kurando Mitsutake Cast: Hayate, David Sakurai, Asami, Katarina Leigh Waters, Mana Sakura, Kirk Geiger, Noriaki Kamata, Kirk Geiger, Tomm Voss, Jeffrey James Lippold Running Time: 85 min By Paul Bramhall Japanese action cinema has a history of making movies that act as a showcase for the karate skills of the stars that headline them, from Ken Kazama in Karate from Shaolin Temple back in 1976, to Rina … Continue reading
I Am a Hero (2015) Review
Director: Shinsuke Sato Cast: Yo Oizumi, Kasumi Arimura, Masami Nagasawa, Hisashi Yoshizawa, Yoshinori Okada, Nana Katase, Jin Katagiri, Makita Sports, Muga Tsukaji, Yu Tokui Running Time: 126 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s rare for Asian movies to break out into the mainstream, and when they do, they’re normally of the martial arts variety. So in 2016, when the Korean zombie movie Train to Busan started getting global attention, thanks largely … Continue reading
Wolf Guy: Enraged Lycanthrope (1975) Review
Director: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi Cast: Sonny Chiba, Rikiya Yasuoka, Saburo Date, Koji Fujiyama, Tooru Hanada, Ryuji Hayami, Jiro Ibuki, Harukui Jo, Kenji Kawai, Hiroshi Kondo, Koji Miemachi, Etsuko Nami, Yoshio Neshima Running Time: 86 min. By Kelly Warner There are two types of film fans in the world; those who learn of Sonny Chiba’s 1975 werewolf action movie Wolf Guy with a “Huh?” and those who almost immediately plunk down $20 so that … Continue reading
Ley Lines (1999) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Writer: Ichiro Ryu Cast: Show Aikawa, Samuel Pop Aning, Takeshi Caesar, Yukie Itou, Michisuke Kashiwaya,Kazuki Kitamura, Dan Li, Ryuushi Mizukami, Ren Osugi, Tomorowo Taguchi, Naoto Takenaka, Koji Tsukamoto, Hua Rong Weng Running Time: 105 min. By Kelly Warner Takashi Miike’s Black Society Trilogy kicked off with a lurid and offensive bang in 1995 with Shinjuku Triad Society. He followed that up with Rainy Dog in 1997, a quieter, more reserved crime drama. (That’s … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Kazuki Kitamura, Naoto Takenaka, Ren Osugi, Sho Aikawa, Takashi Miike, Tomorowo Taguchi
Tokyo Fist (1995) Review
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto Cast: Kahori Fujii, Shinya Tsukamoto, Koji Tsukamoto, Naomasa Musaka, Naoto Takenaka, Koichi Wajima, Tomorowo Taguchi, Nobu Kanaoka Running Time: 87 min. By Kyle Warner Shinya Tsukamoto, throughout his career, has brought his particular vision to a variety of genres. Due to the legendary status of the Tetsuo trilogy, Tsukamoto is often thought of as a director of cyberpunk. This is wrong. Shinya Tsukamoto is, at his core, … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Naoto Takenaka, Shinya Tsukamoto, Tomorowo Taguchi
Shinjuku Triad Society (1995) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Writer: Ichiro Fujita Cast: Takeshi Caesar, Kyosuke Izutsu, Ren Osugi, Kippei Shiina, Tomorowo Taguchi, Airi Yanagi, Sabu, Yukie Itou, Kazuhiro Mashiko, Yoji Tanaka Running Time: 100 min. By Kyle Warner Takashi Miike began his prolific career as a director in ‘V-Cinema,’ Japan’s direct-to-video film productions. His first film that was meant as a theatrical release from the very start was his 1995 dark crime picture, Shinjuku Triad Society: Chinese Mafia … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Kippei Shiina, Ren Osugi, Sabu (Hiroyuki Tanaka), Takashi Miike, Tomorowo Taguchi
Assassination Classroom (2015) Review
Director: Eiichiro Hasumi Writer: Yusei Matsui, Tatsuya Kanazawa Cast: Ryosuke Yamada, Masaki Suda, Maika Yamamoto, Seika Taketomi, Mio Yuki, Miku Uehara Kanna Hashimoto, Seishiro Kato, Kang Ji-Young, Masanobu Takashima, Kippei Shiina, Kazunari Ninomiya, Wakana Aoi, Mirei Kiritani Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall There’s a painfully transparent trend being followed by the studios when it comes to mainstream Japanese cinema that’s emerged in recent years, and it’s one that … Continue reading
Terra Formars (2016) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Hideaki Ito, Takayuki Yamada, Kane Kosugi, Emi Takei, Shun Oguri, Masaya Kato, Rinko Kikuchi, Tomohisa Yamashita, Eiko Koike, Mariko Shinoda, Rila Fukushima, Kenichi Takito, Rina Ohta, Ken Aoki, Kiyohiko Shibukawa Running time: 108 min. By Matija Makotoichi Tomic Fans and those familiar with the work of Takashi Miike might be missing the “old” Miike; whoever enjoyed films such as Dead or Alive, Deadly Outlaw: Rekka, Ichi … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Hideaki Ito, Kane Kosugi, Takashi Miike
Kwaidan | aka Ghost Stories (1965) Review
AKA: Weird Tales Director: Masaki Kobayashi Writer: Yoko Mizuki, Lafcadio Hearn Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentaro Mikuni, Tetsuro Tamba, Takashi Shimura, Michiyo Aratama, Kunie Tanaka Running Time: 182 min. By Kyle Warner It’s long been my opinion that every great filmmaker should try their hand at horror at least once over the course of their career. Horror directors sometimes repeat some of the same themes, the same scares, the same monsters, and it takes … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Kunie Tanaka, Masaki Kobayashi, Michiyo Aratama, Rentaro Mikuni, Takashi Shimura, Tatsuya Nakadai, Tetsuro Tamba
Shin Godzilla | aka Godzilla: Resurgence (2016) Review
AKA: Godzilla: Resurgence Director: Hideaki Anno Co-director: Shinji Higuchi Cast: Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara, Kengo Kora, Ren Osugi, Akira Emoto Running Time: 120 min. By Kelly Warner In the 90’s, the Japanese Godzilla was killed off by his own nuclear heart going into meltdown, and the American Godzilla was killed off by the world’s general disinterest in ever seeing Roland Emmerich’s monster iguana on screen again. Toho’s ‘Millennium’ … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Akira Emoto, Godzilla, Hideaki Anno, Hiroki Hasegawa, Jun Kunimura, Kimiko Yo, Mikako Ichikawa, Ren Osugi, Satomi Ishihara, Shinji Higuchi, Shinya Tsukamoto
Return of Godzilla, The | aka Godzilla 1985 (1984) Review
AKA: Godzilla 1985 Director: Koji Hashimoto Cast: Keiju Kobayashi, Ken Tankaka, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Shin Takuma, Yosuke Natsuki, Eitaro Ozawa, Hiroshi Koizumi, Mizuho Suzuki, Taketoshi Naito Running Time: 103 min. By Kyle Warner Godzilla’s back. Warner Bros. is crafting a kaiju shared-universe along the lines of what superheroes are doing and will be soon be pitting the Godzilla of 2014 against King Kong. Back in Japan, Toho has jumpstarted their own Godzilla … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Godzilla, Hiroshi Koizumi, Keiju Kobayashi, Nobuo Kaneko
Golgo 13 (1973) Review
Director: Junya Sato Cast: Ken Takakura, Mohsen Sohrabi, Jaleh Sam, Yadolla Shirandami, Jalal Pishvaian, Arezu, Siamak Atlassi, Arash Taj, Dariush Asadzade, Ezatallah Ramezanifar Running Time: 104 min. By Martin Sandison A couple of nights after the screening of Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance, a real rarity was presented at the 70th Edinburgh International Film Festival: The 1973 version of Golgo 13, starring the legendary Ken Takakura (The Yakuza). Never … Continue reading
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972) Review
Director: Kenji Misumi Producer: Shintaro Katsu Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa, Tomoko Mayama, Fumio Watanabe, Keiko Fujita, Reiko Kasahara, Yunosuke Ito, Shun’ya Wazaki Running Time: 83 min. By Martin Sandison In February of this year, I attended a drinks function for the Edinburgh Film Festival, which takes place in June. I bumped into an acquaintance I’d known for many years, an actor and senior programmer called Niall Fulton, who the previous … Continue reading
Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song (1973) Review
Director: Yasuharu Hasebe Cast: Meiko Kaji, Masakazu Tamura, Yumi Kanei, Hiroshi Tsukata, Yayoi Watanabe, Sanae Nakahara, Akemi Negishi, Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Junko Ando Running Time: 89 min. By Kyle Warner After apparently feeling that his job was done, director Shunya Ito left the Scorpion series after the third film, Beast Stable. Stepping into his place would be Yasuharu Hasebe, a director with no shortage of experience working in the exploitation genre, including three Stray Cat … Continue reading
Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable (1973) Review
Director: Shunya Ito Cast: Meiko Kaji, Mikio Narita, Reisen Lee, Yayoi Watanabe, Koji Nanbara, Takashi Fujiki Running Time: 87 min. By Kelly Warner Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable is a very different movie from the two that came before it. Meiko Kaji’s Matsu the Scorpion is on the lam after having narrowly survived her prison escape in Jailhouse 41. Wanted posters with her face are all over the city streets, warning that … Continue reading
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