Asian

Tokogawa Ieyasu is the ruler of Japan. But one last loose thread must be tied up before his domination is complete — the destruction of the Toyotomi clan, now besieged in Osaka castle. Ieyasu’s ninjas are the only ones who can penetrate the fortress, but unfortunately for Ieyasu, Kirigakure Saizo (Raizo Ichikawa) and his fellow Toyotomi ninja can just as easily get out. As armies of samurai maneuver for battle, the fate of the nation will be decided by a desperate struggle in the dark.Read More »

Before and after WWII, the complex emotional tribulations of a woman and her husband.Read More »

Three childhood friends in Seoul grapple with mental illness, addiction, and infidelity as adults. Their secrets surface, escalating personal battles. The climax forces them to face adulthood’s trials after turbulent youths.Read More »

a 1983 Japanese film starring Peter Fonda as a superhero called Gonzy Traumerai. The film, written and directed by Ryu Murakami, based on his own novel, is a parody of such films as Superman, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.Read More »

Another early Masumura with Wakao Ayako, based on the novel by Blue Sky Maiden’s (青空娘) Genji Keita. This time we have Wakao as the third daughter of the Nonomiya family, whose two elder sisters have married the two elder sons of the Mihara family. While Kawaguchi Hiroshi plays the third, unmarried son… so you can imagine the ensuing events. Maybe not as much fun as Ichikawa Kon’s Goodbye, Hello (あなたと私の合言葉　さようなら、今日は), also made at Daiei around the same time with the same leads and a similar story, but Masumura can do no wrong either.Read More »

Mid 50s: the trials and tribulations of Shinsuke Ibuki, freshly arrived in Tokyo from Kyushu.Read More »

This film deals with polyandry in a small society called Brokpas, a society of “Yak Shephards” who live in the mountain slopes of the Himalayan range. It is a custom in the region where a wife can have more than one husband. The director deals directly with the unique labyrinthine situation when the husband offers to accept the lover of his wife as a co-husband. The presence of the new husband catapulted the first husband out and he becomes very lonely. And the film slowly reveals the firm bonding of the natural pair-bond that exist between the men and women. Sonam, the wife of the duo slowly and silently starts suffering due to the body and mind complex. Being a believer of Buddhism she indulges herself a total and ultimate atonement in her own death.Read More »

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Sabu and his pals hold a pauper’s funeral for Sabu’s mother. His brother Jiro arrives home, fresh out of jail, and Sabu pointedly states that Jiro is not invited. Jiro meanwhile is planning a big job – steal 40 million in cash and drugs, and he invites Sabu and gang to act as decoys, for 50,000 each. The sting is a success, but the double-crossing starts almost immediately. Sabu discovers how little of the take they were promised and hides the stash. Jiro and his slimy partner pressure the kids to fess up. Meanwhile, their respectable elder brother Ichiro is being leaned on by the town’s big boss, whose money it was.Read More »

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Set in the mountains of rural Nara prefecture, the film centers on the Tahara family who eke out a living from the local ancient cedar forests. The head of the family, Kyozo, becomes fixated by plans to build a tunnel to improve the accessibility of the area. Construction begins, but is halted halfway through. Fifteen years later building has still not restarted, and the family is destitute. Against this backdrop, some family affairs develop. Kyozo’s daughter, Michiru, starts to fall in love with Eisuke, her cousin. Eisuke, meanwhile, finds himself attracted to his aunt.Read More »