New Jim Jarmusch! Time to celebrate! Isaach De Bankole, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and a revenge plotline? I can’t wait. I’m feeling a bit tired tonight, so here’s the plot description from Quicktime.com:
The new movie from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch (”Broken Flowers,” “Down by Law”) is set in the striking and varied landscapes of contemporary Spain (both urban and otherwise). The location shoot there united the writer/director with acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle (”In the Mood for Love,” “Paranoid Park”). Isaach De Bankole stars in the lead role for Mr. Jarmusch; this …

We’ve seen a number of films this year, but I just haven’t had the time to write anything about them yet. So, in an effort to get some of these out the door, here are a few ultra-short reviews. And, speaking of ultra short, I’ve got myself a twitter account now. Follow me, and I’ll follow you back.
I’ll be back later in the week with a review of Shinobi no Mono 3. The rest of the month will hopefully see a return to Japanese film reviews as well. Enjoy.
Underworld: Rise …

Shogun Assassin 5-Film Collector’s Set. By far, the easiest review I’ve ever done. Chris has done all the dirty work already with his awesome reviews of the rogue ronin Ogami Itto and his impossibly adorable son Daigoro, so all that’s left for me to do is reveal the special features.
You’ll find program notes (brief description), an image gallery slideshow, DVD credits, audio commentary with film scholar Ric Meyers and martial arts expert Steve Watson.
An interview with dub director Scott Houle describes the tedious process of dubbing voice-overs, adding …

While I am still not in full support of the choice for a blonde Bond (I was hopeful for the rumors of Clive Owen or even Julian McMahon), Daniel Craig exemplifies the return of beefy, shirtless, action-oriented Bond, and fits the vengeful edge necessary for Quantum of Solace.

Director: Kon Ichikawa
Starring: Kazuo Hasegawa, Fujiko Yamamoto
Genre: Drama, Comedy
I’ve seen a number of stylish and outlandish revenge films in the past few years, but none quite like Kon Ichikawa’s Revenge of a Kabuki Actor. For with Revenge, Kon Ichikawa has created a surprisingly lighthearted tale of vengeance, a picture where style, fun, and wit is as integral to the telling of the tale as the act spurring the vengeance grudge.
As the title would suggest, Revenge of a Kabuki Actor sees, Yukinojo Nakamura (Kazuo Hasegawa) a celebrity thespian tasked with …

Director: Yoshiyuki Kuroda
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa, Junko Hitomi, Renji Ishibashi, Koichi Sato
Genre: Japan, Samurai, Action
So, after our reviews of the previous four Shogun Assassin DVDs, I’m pretty sure you know what to expect with Shogun Assassin 5: Cold Road to Hell: loads of awesome swordfights, tricked out machine gunning baby-carriage antics, and more arterial spray than you can shake a stick at. Only, there’s one small difference. This time around Ogami Itto and Daigoro take on a number of supernatural baddies, as well as finally taking on the dastardly …

Cloistered Nun: Runa’s Confession marks our third and final review from Kino’s Masaru Konuma/Nikkatsu collection. The previous two films prompted quite different reactions from me, but from what I’ve seen, it looks like this third film was the charm. Runa’s Confession is not only the most cinematic of the three, but also provides a decent and entertaining pulp tale, while operating on a higher level than either Erotic Diary of an Office Lady or Tattooed Flower Vase.
The basic plot of Cloistered Nun: Runa’s Confession concerns a young woman, Runa (Runa …

Slaughter in the Snow, the third and final installment in the Mikogami Trilogy, sees Jokichi (Yoshio Harada, Party 7, 9 Souls) on the last leg of his journey. Kyubei and Chogoro are dead, leaving only Chuji to take care of. But standing in the way of his final target is a knife wielding assassin, Kobunji (Isao Natsuyagi, Goyokin, Umizaru 2: Test of Trust), hired by Chuji to take Jokichi out. Being an honorable and ethical man, Kobunji feels somewhat reluctant to kill Jokichi, given that Chuji is directly responsible for …

One down and two to go. Having slain Kyubei at the end of The Trail of Blood, Jokichi now sets his sights on Chogoro and Chuji, the two remaining parties responsible for the deaths of his wife and son. As the film starts, Jokichi makes a reckless attempt towards killing Chogoro at wake for a Yakuza bigwig, with all the bosses in the land in attendance. This blatant disregard for rules and authority doesn’t go over too well with the higher ups, and Jokichi finds himself roughed up and tossed …

Wow, so that was an insanely busy week. Back to some film reviews. First up: The Mikogami Trilogy Box Set. As with all other Box Sets I’ve covered, I will review each film individually. A warning though: This review has been written in bits and pieces for the past week and a half. I apologize in advance for any inconsistencies.

While I’ve reviewed a fair share of Samurai and ninja films, I haven’t touched upon Yakuza Chivalry films too much. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the genre, Chivalry …

At just 80 minutes Death Proof is Quentin’s shortest film to date, and somehow his most interminable. Overly chatty and under-compelling, its tale of a stuntman/serial killer (a vehicular-homicidal maniac) lulls when it should wow and stalls when it should kick into high gear. The film is broken into two halves, the first concerning a band of shallow 20-something females on a bar-hopping night in Austin, Texas, and the second a group of Hollywood types killing time in-between set-calls while on location in Tennessee. Both involve over thirty minutes …

Way back in high-school, Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse 41 and Black Lizard served as my introduction to 1970’s Japanese exploitation cinema. I was a bit reluctant to review this film, lest my opinion be clouded by rosy glasses and nostalgia. But, having gone back to the film again, I believe I’m prepared, and my love for it justified.
Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse 41 starts pretty much where Female Prioner #701 Scorpion left off. Having been captured following committing “slashing vengeance” on her treacherous ex, the opening scene of Jailhouse 41 shows …

Being that I’ve already reviewed Shinobi: Heart Under Blade, and professed my deep love for it in our Best of 2006 list, I’m going to launch straight into the DVD review.
Funimation presents Shinobi: Heart Under Blade in an absolutely pristine 2.35:1 transfer (truly the best I’ve seen) representing its theatrical aspect ratio, with your choice of Japanese or English 5.1 language tracks. The transfer really is quite nice. The blacks are deep, the blues and reds are pure. The fine details of the forest fights, landscapes, clothing textures, and the …

If you read this site, you know I love Shinobi: Heart Under Blade. In fact, we placed it on our Best of Year list for 2006. Now, thanks to Funimation and Filter Magazine, you to can enjoy the awesomeness that is Shinobi (If you haven’t already, check out my review of the film, here.) We are giving away one Shinobi: Heart Under Blade prize pack. This pack includes:

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade 2-Disc Special Edition, with the following bonus features:

VFX Behind the Scenes
Director Storyboard Collection
Weapons Introduction
Shinobi Action – Sumpu Castle Fight
Shinobi …

Believe it or not, I’ve got capsule sized capsule reviews for once. Check check it out.
Sex is Zero – For the first half of its runtime this Korean hybrid of American Pie and Bring it On is the grossest, sexiest, funniest college comedy you’ve ever seen (Seriously, Kris and I were laughing so hard we had to keep rewinding). Then, at about the 1 hour and 5 minute mark it abruptly shifts gears and becomes an after school special about unwanted pregnancy and noncommittal playboys. What the hell? But on …

Based on the novel by Futaro Yamada, Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (aka: Shinobi 2005, nothing to do with the SEGA game) is a classic tale of star crossed lovers in Tokugawa era Japan. Oboro and Gennosuke, born to opposing ninja clans locked in a centuries long quiet war, have found a love that flies in the face of the hatred passed down through the generations. When Tokugawa lifts the ban on the war between the clans, issuing a challenge to both to determine the best fighter, the clans, blinded by …

The last Scorpion entry starring Meiko Kaji is certainly the least of the films. Moving forward sans director Shunya Ito, this installment finds Sasori on the run from yet another gung-ho police inspector, facing threat of execution, and falling in love. That’s right, Sasori in love. When the film starts the police are hot on her tail. Sasori manages to escape arrest, but not unscathed. Wounded, she makes her way to hiding, only to be found and nursed back to health by a young strip club owner named Teruo …

These days the term fierce has been so overused by hip-hop artists, Tyra Banks, and Inside Hollywood celebrity-trash mongers, it seems to have lost its meaning. But if one were forced to find a dictionary definition personification of the word fierce, that one person that would fit the bill would have to be Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion) in her role as Sasori, the Female Prisoner, Scorpion. Her savage ferocity is not conveyed in idle threats of physical harm, or boasts of physical prowess, but rather manifests …