Jigoku (Dir. Nobuo Nakagawa, Japan, 1960) 4/5
Nobuo Nakagawa made around 97 films in his lifetime. It’d be safe to say that Jigoku is probably his most famous film. It’s considered to be the film responsible for the distinctly Japanese style of horror that has been seen since. The basic plot revolves around Shiro, a young man about to be wed to his professor’s daughter who is involved in a hit and run accident that results in a man’s death. He is overcome with guilt. After he recieves a letter from home telling him that his mother is getting sicker, he heads home. But death follows him wherever he goes. The film is lit with gels of all different colours and is a real joy to look at. But it gets the most exciting two-thirds of the way through when Shiro ends up in Hell. Nakagawa’s hell is jaw-dropping. Oni (demons) beat and cut men for the sins they have committed; the viewer is treated to images of fields of hands and feet, the river sanzu, an expanse of sharp spikes. It also features a fantastic performance by Yoichi Numata as the mysterious Tamura.
New Kids in Town (Hong-Kong, 1990)
“New Kids in Town” was, you guessed right, more HK-Action from the 90s, with Moon Lee only in a supporting role (which doesn’t held her back from kicking some Gangster Ass, though). I found her exceptionally pretty in this movie, no matter whether she’s been fighting or talking. Plot wasn’t a special one, though; once you’ve seen a movie like this, you’ll basically know them all: gritty, cheap visuals compensated by awesome explosions and hard-hitting Kung-Fu choreographies. A few shootouts as well, but overall it’s more of a Streetfighter flick with muggings and innocent people getting beat up. Since this movie involved Triads, there were shockingly violent measures of punishment to boot. During the showdown Ms. Lee was mostly out of the picture (what a waste!), but an extremely satisfying Kung-Fu performance by veteran-fighter Lau Kar Leung kinda made up for it. Well, he hasn’t got tits and all, but he sure got the moves; he could’ve easily taken on the whole fighting crew and would still be walking away without so much as a single scratch. I think it’s their simplicity, which make these kinds of movies so charming and addictive.
- UK-VHS
Eko Eko Azarak 3: The dark Angel (Japan, 1998)
Double the girls, double the fun? Unfortunately it’s not that easy. Actually they tried to do a lot with this movie, borrowing elements from “The Evil Dead”, “Ringu”, “The Craft”, any plot by H.P. Lovecraft and God Knows What Else, only to still turn up with empty hands. Since the budget was kinda limited, the director tried to pull this off with almost zero resort to special effects, wholly relying on story and athmosphere, but, you know, there was a limit to my patience with corny disco-lights, shadows moving about in ludicriously dark surroundings and an ever present, hugely annoying bluish filter. And when creatures from another dimension look more like crooked bums hopping around in furry Halloween costumes, while being filmed with a shaky handcam in order to obscure details, there’s indeed something rotten in the State of Japan. Last but not least they even dared to replace Misa Kuroi, the main character, with another actress by the name of Hinako Saeki. She just didn’t possess that morbid charisma Kimika Yoshino had. All in all “The dark Angel” feels like a Best-Of of the worst parts of “Ring: Spiral” and all the stuff Sam Raimi left out from “The evil Dead” because it just wasn’t cool enough. If only they would’ve stuck with the safe cult-formula of the first movie: Witchcraft, lesbian Schoolgirls, a bit of cliched Euro/Gothic Athmosphere and everyone, including me, would’ve been satisfied.
- German DVD
Uzumaki (Japan, 2000)
One of the most inventive and original Horror movies of all times (if not an actual masterpiece in Surrealism), with the ever agitated and imaginative camera-work playing more than just a simple tribute to the Manga template; it becomes a necessary device for the movie to express certain thematic elements of the story more vividly, about a remote village whose inhabitants one by one become obsessed, then literally infected by spiral patterns in nature, architecture and technology, ultimately resulting in grisly deaths, self-mutilation and uncanny transformations of human body-parts. “Uzumaki” is not the kind of Horror striking with fear or particularly plot-driven suspense, but instead will fully absorb you with constant fascination and disturbed wonder. I also found, that the notion of an individual drama inexorably evolving into an apocalyptic phenomena worked even better than in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “Kairo”. If you’re one to appreciate the more gloomy and visionary aspects of David Cronenbergs film-making, you found yourself fertile grounds to dwell on.
- German DVD
awesome avatar, Dice
Shaolin Prince (Hong Kong, 1982) – 2/5
Action choreographer Tang Chia’s debut film is a silly and unfortunately rather tiresome kung fu / swordplay comedy. The storyline and characters are uninteresting, and the main star (Ti Lung) feels a bit miscast. The action isn’t bad, but only a few scenes really stand out. The soundtrack, which might have been borrowed from some other movie, creates some good moments, though. Not a terrible movie, but mostly underwhelming.
- TV
Flying Guillotine 2 (Hong Kong, 1978) – 3,5/5
I have not see the original Flying Guillotine, but this sequel is impressive on its own. After the slightly messy opening the film finds a good balance between action, plot and good characters. The storyline about rebels fighting the government’s flying guillotine troops is surprisingly captivating. The action is well written into the story, and the final showdown offers some great choreography. Humour is kept close to zero.
- TV
The Prodigal Son (Hong Kong, 1982) – 4,5/5
The Prodigal Son may have a silly start, but what follows is among the best martial arts cinema ever made. The main performers (Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-ying and Frankie Chan) are all amazingly impressive, with the biggest admiration going to Yuen Biao, who occasionally had to use a stunt double because he himself was busy doubling his opponent! Director Sammo Hung appears in a brief supporting role and delivers the comic relief. Ultimately a far better movie than Hung’s earlier, over-rated wing chun festival Warriors Two.
- dvd / HKL
[quote=“Hung Fist”]
@Dice
Thanks. I finally decided to devote my avatar to the greatest movie ever made.
[/quote]
Funny, doesn’t look anything like Conan the Barbarian. 
Onibaba (Dir. Kaneto Shindo, Japan, 1964) 4/5
Based on an old Buddhist tale, Shindo’s tenth film isn’t about Buddhism at all. But about sex. The story concerns two women (the wife and the mother-in-law) who survive during a time of war by killing lost samurai and selling their possessions. Their relationship changes with the introduction of a third person (a neighbour and friend of the wife’s husband who was killed in battle) and a demon mask taken from a dead samurai. The performances are great (especially from Shindo’s muse and future wife, Nobuko Otawa), Hikaru Hayashi’s score is chilling and the black and white cinematography beautifully captures the swaying reeds around their hut.
Hula Girl (Japan, 2006)
Charming (and damn near perfection) zero-to-hero tale about a group of girls working hard to become experts in Hula-Dancing. Although the movie is set somewhere around the 60s/70s, in a rural village wholly depending on the prosperity of their mining industry, there are some contemporary themes being delt with, like unemployment due to discovery of new raw materials, oil, for instance. “Hula Girl” works on a similar level like the ever inspiring “Swing Girls”, but trying a rather serious and dramatic approach instead, and it works, because even the smallest side-character has been equipped with an interesting personality profile. Structured almost like a Hollywood Movie, “Hula Girl” nevertheless surprises with honest drama and realistic acting; there were moments of such intense emotion, that they brought tears to my eyes as well. And if you’ve seen Shunji Iwai’s “Hana and Alice”, you know, what a divinely gifted dancer Yu Aoi is, and here she’s got more than one occasion to show off her beautiful, ballet-inspired body language.
- Japanese DVD
Eko Eko Azarak 4: Awakening (Japan, 2001)
The fourth part in the series started off promising, with deliberate, unflustered camerawork and a distant, yet unsettling notion of something uncanny going on. Actually a really good example how to create athmosphere and urgency within tight limits of a humble budget. Can’t compare it with previous parts, though, since “Awakening” played more like a feature-length episode of “The X-Files”. Also Natsuki Kato, the new actress playing Misa Kuroi, was a surprisingly good choice, because she had something that her immediate predessor didn’t possess, and that’s personality. Throw in some over-the-top Media-Satire, with a group of officious reporters initiating a nation-wide Witch-Hunt like in the good old days of Catholic Inquisition, and you’d think you’ve landed yourself a pretty solid Teen-Audience Cash-in. Bleh, as if. It’s the final fifteen minutes, where everything goes to hell, with a pesky, verbose showdown, that makes the last part of “Death Note: The last Name” seem as tight like Fox-News coverage, just to conclude with a final prospect, which can only be described as the poor man’s David Lynch. The School-Uniforms were kinda cute, though, but I probably shouldn’t have said that.
- German DVD
Saigo no tokkotai (Japan, 1970) – 4,5/5
Toei Studios’s b/w war film about the Japanese kamikaze pilots in WWII is perhaps the most touching movie I have ever seen. There’s a slightest bit of sentimentialism, but director Junya Sato handles the tragic subject masterfully. The cast is filled with major stars such as Ken Takakura, Bunta Sugawara, Tatsuo Umemiya, Asao Koike and Junko Fuji but they all play their roles extremely well. Especially the lead actor Koji Tsuruta is amazing. Tomisaburo Wakayama and his humoristic character are the only ones that feel slightly out of place. His appearence takes place mostly during the film’s middle third, which is the weakest and least engaging part of the movie. However, the film being this heavy themed it may actually work to the benefit of the film in the end. The last third is even more gripping than the first. Simply one of the best war movies ever made.
- dvd / R2J
Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland (Japan, 1973) – 4/5
This problematic production turned into one of Nikkatsu’s best roman porno movies ever. And, ironically, it’s not really roman porno at all. Scripted by Yukihiro Sawada (The Man Who Stole The Sun) Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland is an uncompromising and extremely nihilistic crime thriller about two beats-like cops hunting their former colleague who could bring their crimes into daylight. The studio was so afraid the film would cause public scandal that they first tried to stop the production, and then demanded adding the word â€
Godzilla vs. Biollante (Japan, 1989)
True, this movie is flawed in many ways: there’s not a single human character around worth identifying with (look out for Megumi Odaka’s cute performance as a medium with psychic abilities, though), dialogues have a rather simplified, childish notion about them, and scientific talk rarely evolves to something more than nonsensical gibberish. Yet it’s one of the best Kaiju-Flicks ever done, so why’s that? Destruction, my dear, awesome scenes of Destruction with countless explosions, firework, large-scaled military involvement with a primary focus on action (Rockets, Helicopters, Experimental Weapons, Tanks, Heavy Artillery), and everything but the kitchen sink; special effects are all great and once more a sound demonstration, that you don’t need fake CGI in order to pull of a movie like this. Furthermore Biollante, a genetically engineered hybrid between rose and mutant lizard (equipped with enough tentacles to put an Elder God to shame), sure is one of the coolest monsters ever to be stomping upon Japanese grounds,
- German DVD
Intentions of Murder (Japan, 1964) – 2,5/5
Shohei Imamura’s intelligent and provocative drama tries to analyze the difference between love, obsession and abuse. The film is interesting but ultimately too long (150 min). Some of the flashbacks and symbolic images don’t convince either. The lead actress Masumi Harukawa gives a very good performance, though.
- TV
Like a Dragon (Japan, 2007) – 3,5/5
While not one of Takashi Miike’s very best movies, Ryu ga gotoku (aka Like a Dragon) is still better than all the previous video game adaptations put together. If you haven’t played the game, the film should work as an entertaining diet Miike. However, if you are familiar with the game, then it’s unlikely you’ll be disappointed. The film is a faithful adaptation, but also makes enough changes to prevent you from ever getting bored. The cast is throughly well chosen, and the visual look is superb. Soundtrack works nicely as well. The film was rated pg-12 in Japan, so this isn’t your old school Miike splatter, but it’s still surprisingly violent. There isn’t much blood, but the amount of baseball bat headshots is on world record level.
- dvd / R3K
The Blue Jean Monster (Hong Kong, 1991) – 2,5/5
I’m not sure whether madness or insanity describes Blue Jean Monster better. What we’ve got here is action, fantasy, z-grade humour and an undead police officer (Shing Fui-On) as the lead character. None of it makes any sense, and some of the jokes make you want to hang yourself, but you won’t get bored, only amazed. Amy Yip’s bunny girl fits the easter timing.
- dvd / Joy Sales
[quote=“Hung Fist”]
The Blue Jean Monster (Hong Kong, 1991) – 2,5/5
I’m not sure whether madness or insanity describes Blue Jean Monster better. What we’ve got here is action, fantasy, z-grade humour and an undead police officer (Shing Fui-On) as the lead character. None of it makes any sense, and some of the jokes make you want to hang yourself, but you won’t get bored, only amazed. Amy Yip’s bunny girl fits the easter timing.
- dvd / Joy Sales
[/quote]
sounds like one helluva movie
The Delinquent (Hong-Kong, 1973)
Starts off like a typical disquisition on delinquent youth culture, but turns into something significantly larger as soon as Triads are becoming involved. While the conflict is a rather generic one (watch a few Kung-Fu Flicks, and twenty minutes into the plot you’re already able to foresee at least one crucial twist), “The Delinquent” still delivers enough suspense and character-development to keep you glued to the screen. Kung-Fu mainly concentrates on violent Street-Fighting, instead of showing off neat and clean choreographies, and in the showdown prepare for your average violent Revenge Rampage Chang-Cheh-Style, which isn’t such a big surprise, since “The Delinquent” IS in fact a Chang Cheh movie. Tight, Tough and Tragic, it’s worth more than a passing look, although I think that they could’ve done a bit more with the main dude’s girlfriend, since right now her character doesn’t contribute all that much to the story.
- HK-VCD
The amorous Lotus Pan (Hong-Kong, 1994)
Surprisingly elegant Period Porno Parade from the late Shaw-Brothers Studios, haha, got you’re attention; actually I solely made that up for the sake of an alliteration; Soft-Porn should be an apt description, though. It’s a remake from the classic '64 “Amorous Lotus Pan” (scripted by Chang Cheh), and tells the sad story about a nymphomaniac maidservant (attention-whore the second), being forced into a marriage while still being very young, and ultimately ends up as prostitute in a bordello. Some mildly frivolous humour throughout, but never as gross-out as in “Sex and Zen”. Still got it’s CAT-III rating for a reason, because Sex is ample, noisy and abundant; fortunately camerawork succeeds in a rather aesthetical view on “things”, and various “situations” are just kinky enough to wholly entertain without becoming overly offensive. Definetely had it’s erotic moments. The ending does feature a strong (and bloody) twist, while suddenly turning into a Tale of Morality and Atonement. Did I like it? Haha, I’m not telling, but right now I’m feeling a strong urge to check out the original.
- HK-VCD
History of Postwar Japan as Told by a Bar Hostess (Japan, 1970) – 3/5
The title says it all (and what a great title it is). Imamura’s documentary depicts the postwar history of Japan through the experiences of a bar hostess. Those experieces don’t always come together with official history writing. The film is raw but endlessly interesting. News clips are used to great extent. The only distraction is the obvious question; how much of this is real? All? Most? Hard to say. Some of the footage is obviously staged but was that only to re-create the happenings that Imamura failed to capture on celluloid in the first place? To make the grainy 100 min interview piece slightly more cinematic? Or to intentionally distort the reality? Fascinating stuff, nevertheless.
- TV
Sword of the Beast (Japan, 1965) - 3,5/5
Mikijiro Hira plays the memorable lead role in Hideo Gosha’s second movie. Although the storyline is not the most original, the characters and cinematography are very good. The director keeps the film moving swiftly. An enjoyble and rather dark samurai film but not one of the best examples of the director’s exceptional talent. Gosha was one of the most important Japanese directors, however this and the stylish chambara adventure Tange Sazen: The Secret of the Urn are his weakest from the 60’s.
- dvd / Criterion
Seventeen (Japan, 2003)
TV-style Coming-of-Age Dorama, mostly pretty easy on the eyes, but also pretty pointless most of the time. And if you actually liked it, that means you’re either a teenage girl, or your registered residence is indeed located on Akihabara Street, Tokyo. The storyline had a kinda random, episodic feel to it; Sadness, Happiness, everything toned down to a mild level of adequate emotionality. No Big Family Uproar or Leukemia, sorry guys; not even romantic entanglement. Also acting wasn’t very convincing, but considering, that Miki Fujimoto and Rika Ishikawa (Bad Yo-Yo Bitch!) have both been casted straight out of J-Pop-Industry (“Morning Musume”, anyone?), it wasn’t too bad, although stuff they were talking about didn’t really sound like it came from 17-year old girls. In fact “Seventeen” succeeded in delivering that certain pure feeling of charming innocence, that I literally begged it to go on, and on, and on. Yeah, I hear 'ya: wasting time in such a way, I should be ashamed of myself. But I’m not; just been escaping reality for a solid sixty minutes of cliched chit-chat and low-life ponderings on the meaning of life (crying and hugging included). I suck.
- HK-DVD
Red Peony Gambler (Japan, 1968) – 3,5/5
Stylish ninkyo yakuza classic in which the legendary Junko Fuji plays a wandering female yakuza looking for her father’s murderer. On her journey she meets the film’s most interesting character, a mysterious man played by Ken Takakura, a yakuza legend even bigger than Fuji. The amount of gambling scenes is surprisingly small, but the encounters between the two leads feel bigger than life. I also suspect this film will only get better by time when I become more familiar with the genre.
- dvd / Toei
Red Peony Gambler 2: Gambler’s Obligation (Japan, 1968) – 3,5/5
Screenwriter Norifumi Suzuki takes over the directorial duties in this superior sequel. Although in 1968 Suzuki was not yet the exploitation maestro he would later be known as, his touch is easy to recognize; the mix of drama, action and occasional silly humour (courtesy of Tomisaburo Wakayama) isn’t too far from some of this 70’s mainsteam films. But of course Red Peony Gambler is a much more elegant production. Fuji is good in the lead role, and although Takakura is gone Koji Tsuruta makes up for it. The villain double Amatsu / Sugawara (looking really young) is excellent.
- dvd / Toei
Born to Fight (Thailand, 1986)
Classical fast-forwarding material, which, despite what people tell you, is NOT a remake of the 2004 movie by the same director. What do you get? Hmmm, an absolutely worthless storyline, solely carried along by ugly talking heads with zero acting-abilities (only Panna Rittikrai has been equipped with some kind of charismatic profile), and a few really not so funny jokes; cinematography actually makes the term “Low Budget” feel ashamed of itself. But the action totally rocks, wireless stunts imply a disturbing notion of world-weariness, and, besides Muay Thai, Rittikrai shows off astounding skills at Chinese Martial-Arts as well: Snake-Style, Drunken Boxing, Pole and Sword. That’s the bad and the good, now for the really, really bad and ugly: The US-DVD is major fun-killer, because the image comes in cropped full-frame only, meaning you’re gonna lose track of them fighters quite often, which I found more than just frustrating. There’s a Thai-VCD out there, too, but it doesn’t come with subs; on the other hand, you don’t need them. Trust me. If you don’t forward through these pretty tedious and amateurish filmed interludes called “plot”, you must be a regular masochist.
- US-DVD
Midnight Sun (Japan, 2006)
You know, it’s actually quite cruel, what young, innocent women all have to endure in Asian Drama: Alzheimer, Leukemia, now it’s Xeroderma Pigmentosum (allergy to sunlight). Still, “Midnight Sun” was a good one, and although a lot more manipulative and cliched than “Crying out Love in the Center of the World”, it doesn’t idle as much. Bright, sparkling colours, full-frontal emotional impact, an equally heartwarming/heartbreaking storyline that works for what it is, and last but not least a most beautiful actress (J-Popstar Yui) to take the lead. You could be a cynic and call “Midnight Sun” a mere excuse to promote Yui’s musical career, but if someone actually deserves attention, it’s Yui: she can play the guitar and actually writes songs by herself. Acting was very believable by everyone involved. So if you don’t mind a little sappiness and Kitsch, you might wanna give it a chance; in fact “Midnight Sun” has already become one of my this year’s favorites. Also loved the music, so I guess I’m gonna end up buying Yui’s CDs as well.
HK-DVD