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on Mortal Kombat II (2026) ReviewIt’s good to see this being talked about here. The 6.5 is a fair rating, sinc…
on B-B-B-B-B-Benny the Jet! The Keanu Reeves-produced Benny “The Jet” Urquidez documentary currently filmingReally looking forward to this!
on Hop right to it! New Bruce Lee doc, ‘Mr. Vampire’ reboot and more arriving from veteran Hong Kong producer Bey LoganGreat commentaries on the old DVDs, Bey. Question, since you're working with…
on Most posters ever award goes to THE FURIOUS! The highly anticipated martial arts thriller hitting theaters FridaySo its a Iqiyi type effort but theatrical and "elevated"? Is it better than X…
on Most posters ever award goes to THE FURIOUS! The highly anticipated martial arts thriller hitting theaters FridayI caught this at a special screening* in my neck of the woods. So…I caveat th…
on City on Fire (1987) ReviewOverrated, far from Lam's best movies (School on fire, Prison on fire and "It…
on Blades of the Guardians (2026) ReviewHonestly thought the film was the wuxia equivalent of Marvel slop. Entertaini…
on The Japanese ‘Rocky’? Perhaps. But it’s every bit its equal! Shuji Terayama’s ‘The Boxer’ arrives on Blu-ray in JulyIf you like it, check out Ashita no Joe on Crunchyroll.
on Most posters ever award goes to THE FURIOUS! The highly anticipated martial arts thriller hitting theaters Fridayyou sound like Michael Jackson on that old South Park episode. "That's ignora…
on ⚠️ Tornado Warning! ⚠️ John Maclean’s samurai-Western actioner ‘Tornado’ hits 4K Ultra HD in JulyThanks for elaborating. Good to know. I'll give it a chance if it convenientl…
on Martial arts star Cynthia Rothrock teams up with Tim Scanlon for SRS Cinema’s Blu-ray for ‘Ryan Carson’You don't know the budget and/or the time constraints that came with this mov…
on Most posters ever award goes to THE FURIOUS! The highly anticipated martial arts thriller hitting theaters FridayEverything is inspired by things that came before. Hong Kong cinema itself wa…
Category Archives: Japanese
Dogora (1964) Review
Director: Ishiro Honda Cast: Yosuke Natsuki, Yoko Fujiyama, Hiroshi Koizumi, Nobuo Nakamura, Robert Dunham, Akiko Wakabayashi, Jun Tazaki, Seizaburo Kawazu Running Time: 83 min. By Z Ravas While watching those classic Godzilla movies where hundreds of civilians are fleeing the city due to an imminent kaiju attack, did you ever think about how there are detectives down on those streets who still have cases their bosses expect them to solve, … Continue reading
Blazing Fists | aka Blue Fight (2025) Review
Director: Miike Takashi Cast: Kinoshita Danhi, Yoshizawa Kamame, Mikuru Asakura, Gackt, Kuon Chikashi, Mariko Shinoda, Katsunori Takahashi, Susumu Terajima, Riki Sanada Running Time: 119 min. By Paul Bramhall Over the last year chances are that, if you spend enough time scrolling on social media, you’ll have come across clips of trash talking Japanese fighters yelling at each other and almost coming to blows, set in what appears to be some … Continue reading
Lone Samurai (2025) Review
Director: Josh C. Waller Cast: Shogen, Yayan Ruhian, Sumire Ashina, Rama Ramadhan, Faisal Rachman, Fatih Unru Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall The release of Lone Samurai marks the first significant production to see Iko Uwais at work behind the camera – it’s presented by his production company Uwais Team, he’s one of the executive producers, and the Uwais Stunt Team are there to deliver on the action. The … Continue reading
Posted in All, Asian Related, Indonesian, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Shogen, Yayan Ruhian
Living Skeleton, The (1968) Review
Director: Hiroshi Matsuno Cast: Kikko Matsuoka, Yasunori Irikawa, Masumi Okada, Nobuo Kaneko, Kō Nishimura Running Time: 80 min. By Ian Whittle In October 1995, I was a young Monster Kid of 9, mainly due to my love of King Kong (1933). That month, I was at a jumble sale at a local church when my eyes fell upon Dennis Gifford’s classic tome A Pictorial History of Horror Movies (1973), which … Continue reading
Dear Stranger (2025) Review
Director: Tetsuya Mariko Cast: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Gwei Lun-Mei, Christopher Mann, Everest Talde, Fiona Fu, Mia Reece, James Chu, Aitor Martin, Lanett Tachel, Matt Golden Running Time: 138 min. By Paul Bramhall The plot of a missing child is a staple of the thriller genre, however with 2025’s Dear Stranger director and writer Tetsuya Mariko eschews the thriller route, instead opting to use the scenario as a catalyst for framing the … Continue reading
Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965) Review
Director: Ishiro Honda Cast: Nick Adams, Kumi Mizuno, Tadao Takashima, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Yoshifumi Tajima, Takashi Shimura, Susumu Fujita, Peter Mann, Koji Furuhata Running Time: 89 min. By Ian Whittle “A nomination for me means that Twilight of Honor will bring in another million dollars and supply funds for more Hollywood pictures. Next, it means I, as a Hollywood star, can make more films in Hollywood and stop this runaway production … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Ishiro Honda, Kumi Mizuno, Nick Adams, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Tsuchiya
Baby Assassins: Nice Days (2024) Review
Director: Yugo Sakamoto Cast: Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa, Sosuke Ikematsu, Atsuko Maeda, Atomu Mizuishi Running Time: 112 min. By Paul Bramhall Whatever your opinion of director and writer Yugo Sakamoto, what can’t be denied is that few filmmakers are keeping grounded martial arts movies alive quite like he is. In the 4 years spanning 2021 to 2024 his Baby Assassins trilogy has cemented a modern-day iron triangle of action goodness … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa, Yugo Sakamoto
Ghost Killer (2024) Review
Director: Kensuke Sonomura Cast: Akari Takaishi, Mario Kuroba, Masanori Mimoto, Sora Inoue, Akaka Higashino, Naohiro Kawamoto, Hidenobu Abera, Naoto Kuratomi, Satoshi Kibe Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall A lone figure in the darkness of a deserted marketplace alley faces off against 3 masked attackers, fending them off set to the rustle of their clothes, the shuffle of their footwork, and a flurry of quick, precise strikes. Within seconds … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Akari Takaishi, Kensuke Sonomura, Masanori Mimoto
Demon City (2025) Review
Director: Seiji Tanaka Cast: Toma Ikuta, Masahiro Higashide, Miou Tanaka, Ami Touma, Taro Suruga, Mai Kiryu, Naoto Takenaka, Takuma Otoo, Masanobu Takashima, Matsuya Onoe Running Time: 107 min. By Paul Bramhall If I had to guess I’d say the audience for Demon City falls into 2 categories – the first being those who’ve been waiting for the sophomore feature from director Seiji Tanaka, and the second being fans of the … Continue reading
Village of Doom (1983) Review
Director: Noboru Tanaka Cast: Masato Furuoya, Misako Tanaka, Kumiko Oba, Isao Natsuyagi, Midori Satsuki Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall The Tsuyama massacre remains one of the most harrowing mass murders in Japan, taking place on the night of 21st May 1938 in the rural village of Kamocho Kurami. After cutting off the electricity to the village shortly before midnight, a 21-year-old man named Mutsuo Toi proceeded to arm … Continue reading
River (2023) Review
Director: Junta Yamaguchi Cast: Riko Fujitani, Yuki Torigoe, Yoshimasa Kondo, Haruki Nakagawa, Masahi Suwa Running Time: 86 min. By Paul Bramhall Making a follow-up to a debut that relied heavily on a gimmick is always a tricky proposition, as several directors have found out over the years. In Japan the most obvious example is Shinichiro Ueda, who after his almost flawless debut with 2017’s One Cut of the Dead has struggled to … Continue reading
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
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Akari Takaishi, Kensuke Sonomura, Saori Izawa, Yugo Sakamoto
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
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Kensuke Sonomura, Tak Sakaguchi, Yudai Yamaguchi
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
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