Hana (aka: Hana yori no maho) — dvd movie 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 [...]

Love & Pop, Princess Raccoon, Silver in-brief movie reviews

No, I haven’t been slacking on the film reviews. It’s just that we haven’t seen a lot worth talking about. This latest batch could be perceived as a nice drink after drought. Note that since Johnny To’s Exiled is playing at this year’s SFIAAFF I’ll try to have a review up this weekend. Read on [...]

Party 7 // Dragon Head // Running On Karma // movie reviews // In Brief

A bit more catchup. And, really, what better time than the holidays? Since my “capsules” are rather lenghty, this column now has a new title. Please enjoy these Reviews In Brief.
Party 7 . Initially I wasn’t going to review this, but seeing as Party 7 will be released by Synapse in 2007, I know some [...]

MOVIE REVIEWS [Capsules] . Vibrator, G@ME, Rampo Jigoku

Vibrator
I do my best to see good in films these days. I think I’ve come a long way from my cranky green critic self. But Vibrator has brought out the cranky in me. It is an absolutely terrible film. Plodding, shallow, and self important, it is an absolute chore to sit through.
Lauded as “Japan’s Answer [...]

A Taste of Tea (aka: Cha no Aji) movie review

Summer’s over and stress is back, so, I offer up a review of a relaxing flick.

A Taste of Tea, not to be confused with Wayne Wang’s Eat a Bowl of Tea, concerns a family of dreamers living in the Japanese countryside, and their efforts to realize their respective dreams. Really, that’s about the simplest plot [...]

Screwed (aka: Neji-Shiki) dvd review

If you’re a fan of Tadanobu Asano (and who isn’t?) you know he likes to pick some oddball projects. Likewise, if you’re a fan of Teruo Ishii, you know to expect anything, from the depraved to the profound, and potentially a mix of the two. But when the two team up to bring an influential [...]

BEST OF THE YEAR (so far)

A lot of critics seem to be putting out their Best of Year (so far) lists, so we’ve decided to do the same. But, rather than list films guaranteed to garner critical acclaim (and respect of our academic elitist peers), we’re choosing those we would honestly watch more than once.
Best films (Chris):
Shinobi: Heart Under Blade
So [...]

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 [...]

Survive Style 5+ movie review

Aman (Tadanobu Asano, Party 7, Ichi the Killer) is having a bit of trouble with his wife (Reika Hashimoto). Every time he kills her, even though he is careful to bury her body deep in the woods, he finds her well and healthy inside his house, ready to deliver him a night’s worth of frenzied [...]

Zatoichi (2003) movie review screener!

BEAT TAKESHI BEATDOWN To say that Zatoichi is one of cinema’s all time most iconic anti heroes would be an understatement. The tale of the blind, gambling masseur turned expert swordsman has spawned more sequels than Bond and generated countless imitators ranging from Marvel Comic’s cult hero, Daredevil, to Phillip Noyce’s Zatoichi remake, Blind Fury. [...]

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 [...]