Blood: The Last Vampire [2009] (product link) Horror / Action/Adventure First of all, I'm glad this story took place in the early 1970's--no cell phone calls to disrupt the terrific action. Vampires here don't fizzle away after being killed, there are a bunch of "Council" guys who got to clean up the mess and bodies that Saya leaves behind. Just don't watch the "making of" feature on the US DVD, it spoils the movie.
10 Promises To My Dog (product link) Drama A nice story that may be embellished with overacting and sad situations, but I welcomed it. Some of the true dog stories coming out of Japan can be drabby because the film crew just don't know how to get the dogs to act or the characters just aren't interesting. The animated young lady here helps to make this one of the best dog movies.
Home From The Sea (product link) Drama / Art From the makers of the "Tora-San" series comes this movie with the familiar actors playing different roles.
A married couple who work together hauling rocks with a small boat must yield to the changing times when bigger and newer boats take over their work. Chieko Baisho is as wonderful as ever in her role as a mother and deck hand.
Paradise [2008] (product link) Drama / Erotica This movie seems to take on the reality/survival shows that we see so much of these days on TV. A man and a woman of opposing personalities become stranded on a little island, and it results in a battle for basic needs between the two. They don't come to love each other at all. He resorts to rape and she hits back with verbal assaults on his manhood. Paradise? No.
Hotaru No Hikari (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Romance I haven't finished the first disc yet, but from what I've watched, I'm neutral on this series. When a stranger just walks into Ms. Hotaru's rental home, she doesn't get alarmed at all by it. It's just a casual "who are you and why are you here?" sort of talk. It turns out later that he is one of her bosses at work. Convenient coincidence for a lovey dovey story. And her home is not really messy at all. See Alice's home in "Hana And Alice", now that is upsettingly messy.
The Empress Of Night (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Drama I suppose that Japan's upscale nightclubs must be very much like the ones shown in this series. Throw in a young woman who wants to reach for the top in this world and we have a good drama. Yakuza bosses are liked as customers as are the patron politicians and the girls become mixed into the murky soup.
Chanbara Beauty: The Movie (product link) Horror / Action/Adventure I suppose you have to be primed by the manga stories to figure why some things happen in this movie. There are scenes that remind you of "Kill Bill" (schoolgirl ball and chain), and Andy Lau's "The Duel" (god-like sword battle between Aya and Saki). Then there are zombies of "28 Days" variety. Actually a fun movie to watch.
Sukeban Boy (product link) Erotica / Action/Adventure I watched this because it has Asami, who was the tough car mechanic in "Machine Girl", in it. Don't expect anything serious from this movie. The actors are deliberately hamming themselves up in one silly scene after another. And you do get to see Asami get more nekkid than the Full Frontal Woman on the box cover.
Four Days Of Snow And Blood (product link) Drama / Historical This movie dramatizes an almost forgotten incident in Japan prior to WW2. There were a group of educated young army officers who made a bold move to turn Japan into a military state in order to prepare it for an eventual war with Russia. To do so would involve the killing of the Prime minister and several other pacifist figures and a hope that a martial law and a supportive army generals would exonerate them. While this movie dwells on the insurrection it leaves the reasoning with the viewers. These officers believed in meeting the threat to their country on the asian continent and not to fight any battles on their own soil. It was the only sound strategy for them. I suppose they never realized that other events would lead to a greater war in the Pacific.
Black Belt (product link) Martial Arts / Drama I am biased in liking this movie because I used to be in Goju ryu and before Mr. Yagi was born. But regardless of what style karate you are in, this movie is a fine tribute to the practitioners of the period.
Kawashima Yoshiko (product link) Drama / War I haven't read any stories on Kawashima Yoshiko to judge for myself the truth about her. Branding her a traitor to her country may be just a popular view taken by the postwar media to satisfy the masses who never knew her true intent. This movie only hints at the corruption of the Chinese government during the war which may be the reason for her collaboration with the Japanese. Whatever the case may be, she seemed to have lived an interesting but short life.
Harakiri [1990] (product link) Horror / Erotica This set contains several episodes of female harakiri scenes and all are done in real time, which explains why each episode lasts so long, over 40 minutes. Some are done by the same actress who puts on a very credible show. This actress explains why this series was made in the extra features and maybe it helps to view the interview first to prepare you for what you are about to see. To some this may be a geek show, to others an insight to the commitment of a cultural act deemed to be glorious for the defeated. Just to warn you, the acts are done in a very bloody manner, some with guts spilling out or being pulled out.
The Unforunate Life Of Matsuko (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Mystery I found this series to be fairly well made. The lead character, Kawajiri Matsuko, is presented as a indomitably cheerful woman despite all the bad things that happen to her. It will leave you guessing who killed her all the way to the final minutes of the last episode. After viewing the entire series, you'll be glad to have friends who can be of help when neeeded.
Tennen Kokekko (product link) Drama / Romance This movie has that "a slice of life" approach to a young girl's normal existence in a remote village. There are no really dramatic crises involved, but the cinematography is nicely done so as to engulf you in the story.
Wakeful Nights (product link) Comedy / Drama Three characters are remembered by friends and family members at their funeral wakes. There are some very funny incidents told in flashbacks involving toilet jokes and sex. The real comedy is how everyone deals with the raunch in a straight-faced manner.
Stop The Bitch (product link) Erotica / Dark Comedy I had high hopes for this movie. I guess others who bought it are embarrassed to mention it here. With a star like the ornery Kenichi Endo, this could have been done better. The flaws are in the cinematography (video cam?) and lousy directing. The villain, played by Endo, is a weird dude who likes to overstuff girls with vegetables, like in multiple daikons with additional carrots and a banana. Sora Aoi couldn't save this disaster either.
Raw Summer (product link) Dark Comedy / Thriller This movie was a 2006 Yubari Film Festival winner? Let's think about this one. There's an ugly guy infatuated with a lovely high school girl that he sees on the train every day. His perverted actions are probably true for an otaku and we also see the consequences done to the girl who is played by Sora Aoi. If you haven't heard of Sora's previous adult idol films, watch the "making of" feature on [the US DVD by Pathfinder], she's got a lot of potential as an actress. Oh, and this movie is actually a PG one so don't expect to see any skin here.
Man, Woman And The Wall (product link) Erotica / Thriller This is the second mainstream movie with Sora Aoi I've seen. The story is somewhat mediocre in dramatics, but we get to see Sora's acting ability very well here. I think she rates up there with Reiko Ike and Yuki Kazamatsuri, who are my favorite sexy vixens of the past.
Inugami (product link) Ghost / Drama This is more a psycho drama than a supernatural curse-in-the-family story from earlier versions with the same title. The mountain setting becomes the attraction just as much as the quirky villagers. It is Miki's character that we start to empathize with as she starts looking younger to socialize with a visiting school teacher. The relationship results in a lot of strange incidental happenings to the village.
Flower And Snake 5 (product link) Horror / Thriller Compared to the previous four movies in this series, this has got to be the kinkiest in the pleasure-torture scenes. The yakuza boss in this one is no stranger to sex devices and how to use them on the women. Notable is the scene where Shizuko and her daughter are strung up with large bells hanging out of them and it's whip and jingle time. When they escape, they have a special treat for the husband.
Female Demon Ohyaku (product link) Crime / Erotica It always impresses me to see a film made in the 60's or earlier to have such good production values. "Ohyaku" is played out sensually--that was ahead of it's time, well at least before the emergence of the 'pink' cinema with its cheaper skin shows.
Ditto (product link) Drama The concept of talking to another person in another time through an unplugged radio may be preposterous but it works out okay here.The mysterious radio links a lonely girl with her soul mate and we become captivated by their long distance relationship. It's like we want to see ourselves in their situation and what we wish it to become.
I Am An S&M Writer (product link) Drama / Comedy I read elsewhere that this was a biography of Dan Oniroku, whose novels were turned into the "Flower And Snake" movies. If that is so, we do get to understand a little bit about him here. His wife Shizuko becomes fed up with his dirty novels and decides to sleep in separate rooms. Their relationship starts to get increasingly worse and she starts to take interest in a caucasian guy. What's the husband to do but keep writing with his imaginations about her affairs as his inspiration for more dirty novels?
Shoujyo: An Adolescent (product link) Drama A good movie with a great cast of characters. There is an unscrupulous policeman who becomes involved with an underaged girl with a secret agenda. Taboos are broken and secrets revealed, they continue their sexual realtionship. Matching tattoos on their backs bind their love for each other.
Unfair [3-Disc Set] (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Mystery Detective Yukihra is a female 'Dirty Harry' when it comes to a hostage situation and must live with that reputation, even if it gives her a bad name. She becomes involved in a serial killer's game which sends police on wrong leads and wrong suspects. It is a very difficult case. The killer has a special liking to have Yukihara solve it. Although she is shown to be an amorous person who sleeps naked and has fellow cops waking up in her bed without any memories of what happened, this is only a PG show.
Life [2007] (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Drama An interesting look into a high school girl's interactive life with her classmates. Seemingly nice girls are shown to be horrible bullies who impose themselves on others. Trivial remarks lead to major altercations on and off campus. The vulnerable girls become marked for tragedy unless they become as bad as their antagonists. Yep, what a life it is.
The Secret Garden (product link) Comedy / Crime It took a second viewing to catch the humor in this initially goofy story. The director Yaguchi is known for subtle and subliminal humor in daily life and the ability to project it on film. He uses actors with quirky dispositions to play characters to convey that different kind of normal.
The Bow (product link) Drama / Romance Intriguing story that's also beautifully filmed. It's not until the end that we see that there are mystical powers involved here. The silence of the girl and the old man really does enhance their relationship which goes from father and daughter to man and wife. People may interpret this story in many ways and to their own liking.
Beautiful Hunter (product link) Girls With Guns / Action/Adventure There's a girl brought up insulated from the world and taught to kill for the purpose of advancement of a certain church group. When she fails to kill all targets and witnesses of a hit, the last witness manages to turn this cold blooded thing into a normal loving person. She's captured and given the electric prod which turns her ballistic against her former benefactors. Doomo arigato Miss Roboto doomo.
Quill [2003] (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Drama The movie version of this story is better than this drawn out TV version. Unless you watched this series, you would wonder, how can they botch a story of a cute dog? Well, somehow the human drama part just wasn't convincing enough. In fact it was boring through most of it.
The Machine Girl (product link) Action/Adventure / Girls With Guns Here is a full force vengeance movie directed at high school punks and bullies and even their parents. You'll be rooting for the heroine as she becomes a relentless killing machine against her brother's killers. There's manga-type blood and gore and plenty of it.
Carved (product link) Horror / Thriller This is the version of the "Slit Mouth Woman" that is like a Hans Christian Anderson tale. Lots of children in it. And they get killed by the evil woman who carries a very big scissors.
The Slit-Mouthed Woman (product link) Horror / Erotica There are two movies about the slit mouth woman, and this one is an adult version, so don't let the kids in on this. The blood and gore is minimal and you are left to guess what happens to the victims.
Attack No. 1 (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Drama This is a very good series. It starts out with squirmy silly high school girls preparing for the interschool vollyball games and turns into a gut serious interpersonal drama. Kozue, played by Aya Ueto, is accepted into a national team along with many others, but the coach throws out the excess players for little reasons. Girls are dragged of the court by their hair and tossed out the door. Those left are under a lot of pressure to win and they sure sweat.
Lust, Caution (product link) Drama / Romance This is a good movie but not really anything special. The director manages to film it like a western style movie that we all are already accustumed to. Tang Wei does carry the story well as the center point of the movie's characters.
Hotelier [2007] (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Romance A good reason to see this series is Aya Ueto playing a very believable character in the hustle and bustle world of a hotelier. The rules of the hotel staff in Japan are so much different than in the US because of keeping a good reputation for all.
Aijou Ippon (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Drama Somehow this program just doesn't seem to be right. The lead girl, Aya Matsuura has that quacky voice that's distracting to her role. And for a judo school, everyone looks like beginners including the teacher.
American Yakuza (product link) Crime / Action/Adventure I like Viggo Mortensen and he does a good job in his role here. I don't know why this movie is rated 18yrs and over since it is a PG movie to me. There is almost no sex scenes involving the pretty girl on the cover.
Saigo No Nightingale (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Drama This movie was a surprise to me. It is hard to find. The story of the young girls becoming nurses during the Okinawa battle is a stirring one because they existed. Many if not all were killed in the battle. There had to be a head nurse to teach these girls and the actress who plays her is good.
The Inner Palace: Episode One (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Drama A fantastic costume drama with good acting and a great cast. The feudal wars are over and the country enjoys a peaceful period but in the inner parts of the shogun's castle, two women, one the nanny and the other the shogun's wife have a battle of wits in raising the successor ruler.
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