Japan

  • Kinji Fukasaku – Jingi no hakaba AKA Graveyard of Honor (+Extras) (1975)

    1971-1980AsianCrimeJapanKinji Fukasaku

    Quote:
    Set during the turbulent post-war years, Fukasaku’s original 1975 film charts the rise and fall of real-life gangster Rikio Ishikawa (Tetsuya Watari, Outlaw Gangster VIP). Shot through with the same stark realism and quasi-documentarian approach as Fukasaku’s earlier Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Fukasaku nonetheless breaks new ground through his portrayal of a gangster utterly without honor or ethics, surviving by any means necessary in a world of brutal criminality.Read More »

  • Kohei Igarashi & Damien Manivel – Takara – La nuit où j’ai nagé AKA The Night I Swam (2017)

    Drama2011-2020Damien ManivelJapanKohei Igarashi

    Synopsis
    Snow covered mountains in Japan. Every night, a fisherman makes his way to the market in town. His 6 year old son is awoken by his departure and finds it impossible to fall back to sleep. In the sleeping household, the young boy draws a picture he then slips into his satchel. On his way to school, still drowsy, he strays off the path and wanders into the snow…Read More »

  • Shimako Sato – Eko Eko Azaraku aka Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness (1995)

    1991-2000AsianHorrorJapanShimako Sato

    Quote:
    Misa Kuroi is an adorable high-school girl who arrives at her new school when it is falling under an evil supernatural force. Trying to figure out who’s behind the supernatural attack, Misa also has to deal with assumptions by her fellow classmates that believe she is the one behind it all. Misa and twelve other students are kept late after school hours one day to retake an exam. Then, after sunset, the entire school is deserted, and the students find themselves trapped inside and their teacher no where to be found. One by one, the thirteen students are picked up and disposed of in horrific and graphic fashion. It is up to Misa to try and gain the trust of her fellow students so that she can protect them and stop the evil before it’s too late.Read More »

  • Takashi Miike – Shin Jingi no Hakaba AKA Graveyard of Honor [+extras] (2002)

    2001-2010AsianCrimeJapanTakashi Miike

    Synopsis:
    In Japan’s underground yakuza society, some men define themselves by honor, others by vengeance… and some are beyond definition – cold-blooded merciless sociopaths. And in this remake of Kinji FUKASAKU’s cult classic, celebrated director Takashi MIIKE redefines the Yakuza movie genre. Based on the real life of an infamous gangster, Graveyard of Honor is the story of Rikuo ISHIMATSU, a lowly dishwasher who unknowingly saves the life of a Yakuza Oyabun and quickly rises to a position of power in his gang. Loyally supporting his Oyabun and his brother gangsters, Ishimatsu wreaks havoc on anyone who stands in their way, inevitably earning himself a trip to the slammer.Read More »

  • Nobuhiko Ôbayashi – Kare no ootobai, kanojo no shima AKA His Motorbike, Her Island (1986)

    1981-1990AsianDramaJapanNobuhiko Obayashi

    After being threatened by his girlfriend’s brother, Ko (Riki Takeuchi) goes on a trip on his Kawasaki to contemplate his options. He meets Miiyo (Kiwako Harada) by chance, and the two stay in touch. He later receives an invitation to her island, where he begins to teach her how to ride, and quickly falls for her. Miiyo is an extremely quick study, and the two are a well-matched pair. However, her obsession with motorbikes seems to be leading her down a dangerous path.Read More »

  • Kon Ichikawa – Yukinojô henge AKA An Actor’s Revenge [+Extras] (1963)

    1961-1970ArthouseAsianJapanKon Ichikawa

    Synopsis:
    Master Director Kon Ichikawa’s 1963 classic is considered by many to be one of the finest films ever made in Japan.Kasuo Hasegawa stars as Yukinojo, a talented kabuki actor who specializes in playing female roles (women were not allowed on the stage during the period of the film). But his success on the stage is but a means to an end; his true goal is to visit vengeance upon the three ruthless and powerful men who destroyed his family’s business and drove his parents to commit suicide.Yukinojo’s vengeance will be carefully scripted, and skillfully acted. But the price of admission will be high indeed.Read More »

  • Shôgorô Nishimura – Kôkô kyôshi: Seijuku AKA High School Teacher: Maturing (1985)

    1981-1990DramaExploitationJapanShogoro Nishimura

    A female highschool teacher (Rei Akasaka) must deal with sexual harrassment from her students and being trapped in a love triangle with two men, neither of whom has any interest in marrying her.Read More »

  • Takashi Tsuboshima – Oniwaban AKA Demon Spies (1974)

    1971-1980ActionHorrorJapanTakashi Tsuboshima

    SYNOPSIS
    In this period action-drama set in 15th century Japan, a band of youngsters have been taken from their families and brought to a secret village, where on the orders of the shogunate they are trained to become elite warriors sworn to protect their masters. As they learn the difficult and demanding ways of battle and espionage, they become the oniwaban, or “demon spies,” whose skills are almost supernatural in strength and power. When it is learned that one of the emperor’s vassals has broken his vows by establishing a private armory on his fiefdom, four of the young “demon spies” are sent in to destroy the weapons and bring the challenger to justice. Demon Spies marked a change of pace for director Tsuboshima Takashi, who was best known for his comedies. (Mark Deming on All Movie Guide)Read More »

  • Kôhei Oguri – Kayako no tameni AKA For Kayako (1985)

    1981-1990AsianDramaJapanKôhei Oguri

    Synopsis:
    Summer vacation is nearly over and Korean undergraduate SanjunIm (Japanese name: Hayashi) is returning to his school in Tokyo from his home in Hokkaido. On the way he stops in Morimachi, in Hakodate, to visit Sunchun Jong (Japanese name: Akio Matsumoto), his father’s best friend. It has been 10 years since Sanjun has seen Matsumoto, in Sakhalin. He is married to a Japanese named Toshi and has a stepdaughter named Kayako. Kayako is now a junior high school student. Sanjun was born in Japan, the son of Korean immigrants. After Japan lost the war, Sanjun, with his father and brothers, remained in Japan. As a nisei (second generation), Sanjun lacks the sense of his Korean roots that the first generation of Koreans who came to Japan possess.Read More »

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