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- Paul Bramhall on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?I guess that the James Rolf version should be called 'Kill Bill: Redux' if re…
- Andrew Hernandez on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?James Rolf of Angry Video Game Nerd fame actually edited both volumes into a…
- JJ Bona on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?That makes a lot of sense. I'm not all about "cutting", but it seems like one…
- Andrew Hernandez on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?I don’t want to say “weaker.” I do wish the House of Blue Leaves sequence was…
- JJ Bona on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?I'll have to check it out. The 2nd vol was always the weaker of the two.
- Andrew Hernandez on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?I hoped that a single Blu Ray would be able to hold a four hour movie with no…
- Ska Martes on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?There's more chance of seeing an official release of the whole bloody affair.…
- Ulric on The Lama Avenger | aka The Three Avengers (1979) ReviewYeah I feel they could've put some better ones
- Andrew Hernandez on Lionsgate teams up with Park Chan-wook for an English-language series remake of his 2003 masterpiece ‘Old Boy’Many years ago, I bought the Region 1 steel collector’s edition which came wi…
- Andrew Hernandez on Veteran HK director Billy Chung is back in action in the Trailer for ‘Operation Black-Ops’ starring Shawn Yue and Celina JadeIt’s funny how he was branded as being “The new Nic Tse” despite only being a…
- Paul Bramhall on Veteran HK director Billy Chung is back in action in the Trailer for ‘Operation Black-Ops’ starring Shawn Yue and Celina JadeI’ll probably check this out just for the presence of Shawn Yue, he’s been mi…
- Mike on The Lama Avenger | aka The Three Avengers (1979) ReviewOne of my favorite Bruce Li Flicks! Seriously wanted this in the Clones of Br…
- Andrew Hernandez on Have you ever been handcuffed? Ryoo Seung-wan’s sequel to his 2015 hit film ‘Veteran’ gets a New Poster (and a new title)You don’t owe an explanation, but it would be interesting to know what makes…
- Typo on Have you ever been handcuffed? Ryoo Seung-wan’s sequel to his 2015 hit film ‘Veteran’ gets a New Poster (and a new title)Loved the first one, far superior to "The roundup" 2, 3 and probably 4.
- Danish on Watch Tak Sakaguchi and Hideo Sakaki return for what’s essentially a sequel to Ryuhei Kitamura’s ‘Versus’Kitamura denounced this movie and said he'll never work with those that worke…
- Andrew Hernandez on It’s ON! Hong Kong stars Andy On and Waise Lee collide in ‘Blind War’ arriving on Blu-ray in June from Well Go USASpeaking of movies that everyone but me enjoys! Maybe this is what it feels l…
- Phil Chan on Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon, The (2023) ReviewIt's been rumored since 2019 that China threatened to blacklist most of its b…
- Andrew Hernandez on Have you ever been handcuffed? Ryoo Seung-wan’s sequel to his 2015 hit film ‘Veteran’ gets a New Poster (and a new title)I wonder if Ryoo Seung-Wan has something different in mind with the sequel. I…
- Paul Bramhall on Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon, The (2023) ReviewHa ha, good point! Although considering it's now been 10 years since Chinese…
- Paul Bramhall on Have you ever been handcuffed? Ryoo Seung-wan’s sequel to his 2015 hit film ‘Veteran’ gets a New Poster (and a new title)It seems like audience tastes are also aligned with your thinking Andrew, sin…
- Andrew Hernandez on Have you ever been handcuffed? Ryoo Seung-wan’s sequel to his 2015 hit film ‘Veteran’ gets a New Poster (and a new title)I feel like I’m not one of the cool kids since Veteran didn’t light a fire un…
- Andrew Hernandez on Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon, The (2023) ReviewOh, I figured it wouldn’t be the content of the movie. Considering that Taiwa…
- Paul Bramhall on Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon, The (2023) ReviewIt's difficult to find exact details of what/if anything was removed, but the…
- Paul Bramhall on Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon, The (2023) ReviewGood question, I'm not sure. I don't think there's anything in 'The Pig, the…
- Eric Heng on The search for the extremely rare ‘The Big Boss Part II’ starring Lo Lieh, Bruce Le and Chan Wai Man is finally over!did you not read the article... it's literally about it getting a blu ray rel…
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Category Archives: Japanese
King Kong Escapes (1967) Review
Director: Honda Ishiro Cast: Rhodes Reason, Linda Miller, Mie Hama, Akira Takarada, Hideyo Amamoto, Yoshifumi Tajima, Yoshifumi Tajima, Andrew Hughes, Shoichi Hirose, Ryuji Kita Running Time: 96/104 min. By Ian Whittle Following the colossal success of King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), Toho did not rush to bring back the giant ape in a hurry – the cost of licensing the character from RKO was high, and Toho had been left holding … Continue reading
Baby Assassins 2 (2023) Review
AKA: Baby Assassins: 2 Babies Director: Yugo Sakamoto Cast: Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa, Joey Iwanaga, Tatsuomi Hamada, Atomu Mizuishi Running Time: 101 min. By Paul Bramhall I confess I wasn’t the biggest fan of Yugo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins, concluding that the 2021 production “will likely only appeal to those action fans who are willing to wait (or perhaps skip forward) to see Masanori Mimoto unleash under the choreography of Kensuke … Continue reading
One-Percent Warrior | aka One Percenter (2023) Review
AKA: 1%er Director: Yudai Yamaguchi Cast: Tak Sakaguchi, Kohei Fukuyama, Harumi Kanon, Taro Suruga, Togo Ishii, Sho Aoyagi, Itsuji Itao, Kenjiro Ishimaru, Keisuke Horibe, Ohji Hiroi Running Time: 85 min. By Paul Bramhall One-Percent Warrior offers up a welcome reunion of 3 of Japan’s most prominent names in action cinema, director Yudai Yamaguchi, star Tak Sakaguchi, and choreographer Kensuke Sonomura. The last time the trio crossed paths in the same … Continue reading
Pistol Opera (2001) Review
Director: Seijun Suzuki Cast: Makiko Esumi, Sayoko Yamaguchi, Kirin Kiki, Mikijiro Hira, Masatoshi Nagase, Kenji Sawada, Hanae Kan, Jan Woudstra, Haruko Kato, Kensaku Watanabe Running Time: 112 min. By Martin Sandison Seijun Suzuki’s 1967 art-yakuza classic Branded to Kill has a hallowed place in movie history. It was deemed too experimental by Nikkatsu, who produced the picture and for whom Suzuki had made many low budget formulaic efforts previously, and … Continue reading
Haunted Samurai (1970) Review
Director: Keiichi Ozawa Cast: Hideki Takahashi, Masako Izumi, Isao Natsuyagi, Seiichiro Kameishi, Shoki Fukae, Yûji Odaka, Eiji Go, Masaya Oka, Utako Shibusawa, Maya Kitajima Running Time: 83 min. By Will McGuire Haunted Samurai is the perfect companion to a Lone Wolf and Cub movie marathon. This 1970 saga of evil Yagyu ninjas and noble samurai straining between the rigors of their code and the needs of their conscience feels like … Continue reading
Lion Girl (2023) Review
Director: Kurando Mitsutake Cast: Tori Griffiths, David Sakurai, Katarina Leigh Waters, Derek Mears, Stefanie Estes, Julie Burrise, Erin Marie Hogan, Shelby Lee Parks, Hidetoshi Imura, Kirk Geiger, Akihiro Kitamura, Wes Armstrong, Taishi Tamaki Running Time: 121 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s fair to say that for most of the 2020’s audiences have grown fatigued to the endless superhero fodder that’s dominated cinema screens for the past 15 years, with reboots, … Continue reading
Maniac Driver (2020) Review
Director: Kurando Mitsutake Cast: Tomoki Kimura, Iori Kogawa, Yohta Kawase, Ayumi Kimito, Keisaku Kimura, Ai Sayama Running Time: 75 min. By Paul Bramhall As a director Kurando Mitsutake has proven to be a talent whose work consistently defies expectations. Not entirely dissimilar to Quentin Tarantino, his movies feel steeped in the influence of 70’s cinema, littered with homages and narratives that feel new yet familiar at the same time. The … Continue reading
Bad City (2022) Review
Director: Kensuke Sonomura Cast: Hitoshi Ozawa, Tak Sakaguchi, Masanori Mimoto, Rino Katase, Lily Franky, Katsuya, Akane Sakanoue, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, Yasukaze Motomiya Running Time: 118 min. By Paul Bramhall On paper Bad City is one of those movies that has all the right ingredients to cook up the perfect yakuza action flick. The sophomore feature from stuntman and action choreographer turned director Kensuke Sonomura following 2019’s Hydra, just like with his debut … Continue reading
Sound of Summer, The (2022) Review
Director: Guy Cast: Kaori Hoshino, Shinya Hankawa, Keita Kusaka, Kiyomi Kametani, Kuromi Kirishima Running Time: 75 min. By Henry McKeand The Sound of Summer, the first full length effort from the Japan-based, British-born director known as “Guy,” opens with a transformation. A cicada sheds its skin in unsettling close-up; it’s akin to seeing an alien parasite burst forth from a suffering host. Against a black background, it looks uncanny, almost … Continue reading
Hell Dogs (2022) Review
Director: Masato Harada Cast: Junichi Okada, Kentaro Sakaguchi, Mayu Matsuoka, Miyavi, Kazuki Kitamura, Shinobu Otake, Satoshi Kanada, Mai Kiryu, Arisa Nakajima, Kyoko Running Time: 138 min. By Henry McKeand What happened to the good old-fashioned Yakuza flick? Japanese underworld tales were a dime a dozen pre-Y2K, but they’ve started to fade into the background along with gangster films the world over. Maybe meat-and-potatoes crime stories just don’t stand a chance … Continue reading
A Family (2020) Review
AKA: Yakuza and the Family Director: Michihito Fujii Cast: Go Ayano, Hiroshi Tachi, Machiko Ono, Yukiya Kitamura, Hayato Ichihara, Hayato Isomura, Shun Sugata, Suon Kan, Ryutaro Ninomiya, Taro Suruga Running Time: 135 min. By Henry McKeand “Lately, I’m getting the feeling that I came in at the end. The best is over.” It’s been nearly twenty-five years since Tony Soprano, perhaps America’s last real mafia icon, said these words in … Continue reading
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
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