Hana (aka: Hana yori no maho) movie dvd review

Director: Koreeda Hirokazu
Starring: Junichi Okada, Rie Miyazawa, Susumu Terajima, Tadanobu Asano
Genre: Japan, Samurai, Drama
Koreeda Hirokazu is the master of the saccharine. The man has managed to tackle such subjects ranging from dealing with the suicide of a spouse (Maborosi) to the prospect of life after death (After Life), and in each instance, rather than depressing [...]

Funky Forest: The First Contact movie review

Directors: Katsuhito Ishii, Hajime Ishimine (aka: Aniki),and Shunichiro Miki
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Susumu Terajima, Kazue Fukiishi, Rinko Kikuchi
Genre: Japan, Comedy
I’ve come to dig the works of Katsuhito Ishii over the course of his three previous theatrical releases. Sharkskin and Peach Hip Girl was endlessly hilarious. Party 7 was a bit of a nosedive, but [...]

The Wow-Choten Hotel (aka: Suite Dreams) movie review

New Years Eve is a big deal in the states, but even more so in Japan. Think of our Christmas preparations times two. At the Avanti, a plush Five Star Tokyo hotel, the New Years Eve excitement is ramped up even further than the norm, as the night sees not only preparations for New Year’s [...]

Funky Forest: The First Contact Trailer

Kris and I first discovered Katsuhito Ishii with Sharkskin Man and Peach Hip Girl and Party 7 a few years back. Most of you probably know him from the Anime segment in Kill Bill Vol. 1. But, however you may know him, it’s obvious the guy has a wealth of talent, and is surely one [...]

Takeshis’ movie review

I must admit, Takeshi Kitano’s films are an acquired taste. For example, my first viewing of Sonatine I found to be quite tedious. However, upon my second viewing, a couple years and a few Kitano films later, I began to recognize the subtle nuances of Kitano’s performance and the dichotomy of the violent Yakuza city [...]

Underworld: Evolution, Shogun’s Ninja, Monday movie review capsulefest!

So things have been quite busy lately, so reviews have been few and far between. But, we do have capsules!

Underworld:Evolution
Kate Beckinsale, Hollywood’s current monument to manufactured good looks, once again dons her melt-in-the-sun vinyl cat-suit on her quest for killer vampire vs. werewolf action. Betrayed by the vampires she once thought family, Selene, with hybrid [...]

Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha movie review

THE NAKED CHICK’S CORPSE HIT THE PAVEMENT LIKE A COLOSTOMY BAG FILLED WITH CHEESE Like Lynch, Miike’s films demand to be watched at least twice. Once for the purely visceral impact, and once to pick up on the symbolism and subtle nuances of the story. But if Lynch is Jazz, Miike is pure rock [...]

Ichi the Killer (aka Koroshiya 1) he-said-she-said movie review

WHAT’S A HOMICIDAL PSYCHOPATH TO DO?
SHE SAID:
Yakuza boss Anjo has been eviscerated. Entrails are scattered across the floor, ceiling, even the fish tank. A clean-up crew of rejected Yakuza erases every trace, including 300 million yen. But they have seen this all before; they are the ones who orchestrated it +have tidied up previous [...]

Sharkskin Man and Peach Hip Girl (aka Samehada Otoko to Momojiri Onna) he-said-she-said movie review

A WHACKED OUT ANIME COME TO LIFE!
HE-SAID: SSM&PHG is an unabashedly cool, high-energy action/comedy filled with extremely colorful characters, subtle, yet hilarious humour, and a wonderfully engaging story adapted from the Japanese Manga of the same name. Samehada (Tadanobu Asano of Ichi the Killer fame) is a gangster who has double-crossed his own gang and [...]