What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

[saltysam]

Cheers,i've seen the Crash version of Bullet Train years ago as well,may have to revisit that one as well.

[Shingster]

That wasn't it?

Nah, Chiba was too much of a pro to go full cumface on camera, he could always reign it in a little!

[HungFist]

Roman Porno teasure hunt part 26 + two films I've seen before.

Modern Prostitution: Lust Under Uniform (Japan, 1974) [35mm] - 3.5/5
This is a stylish slice of life drama with plentiful exploitation antics in use. It's a story of two prostitutes connected by a childhood trauma. Director Chusei Sone makes sure there's no lack of hot gals with amazing boobs, but that's not all: the film also sports a pretty functional storyline and some superb cinematography that captures bits and pieces of the 1970's Japanese land/mindscape. It's a good example of arthouse and grindhouse co-existing within one movie. Despite the title, there are no uniforms in the film, however. Although slightly inferior of the two, the film resembles Noboru Tanaka's Secret Chronicle: She-Beast Market (1974), which came out only weeks later.

Angel Guts: Red Classroom (Japan, 1978) [35mm] - 4/5
This is one of Chusei Sone's best films, a strong psychological drama about a porn magazine photographer (Keizo Kanie) who becomes obsessed tracking down a girl he saw in an underground rape video and finding out if the video was genuine or not. He seems to think he could somehow save her from the evil world and lead her to a better life. There are moments of absolutely stunning beauty and sadness, especially the ending. The script is by Takashi Ishii, based on his manga.

Zoom In: Rape Apartments (aka Zoom In: Sex Apartments) (Japan, 1980) [DVD] - 4/5
Here's one of the most exciting directorial debuts in the Roman Porno series: Naosuke Kurosawa's pink giallo. I was a loose follow up to Zoom Up: Rape Site which revitalized ultra violence in the violent pink genre. Unlike that of his Japanese predecessors, Kurosawa framed every murder and stalking sequence like a sadistic artwork. He makes a terrific use of both of claustrophobia and the fear of open space with bleak apartment complexes and slightly post-apocalyptic wastelands that surround them. The sound design is also absolutely brilliant. The storyline, on the other hand, is dumb beyond belief. It doesn't take the viewer long to guess who is the killer: there is only one option, and the man is constantly dropping potential murder weapons from his tool bag by accident in front of everyone. Thankfully it's all done without a hint of destructive "self-irony".

[Killer Meteor]

Tiger Over Wall (1980: Lu Chin-ku: Hong Kong)

I am quite behind many in watching independent Hong Kong martial art films that I thought it was time to watch one that I have seen mentioned many times on KFC.

Overall this is not a good film. You can tell it was rushed with some characters appearing than never appearing again (dyed gwailo appearing with I think mother and father.) It starts off with a “Warning Chinese and Dogs Not Allowed” sign (reference to Fist of Fury aka The Chinese Connection, yet apparently Chinese and dogs are allowed since the main resident (Glen Thomson) has a Chinese wife who has a dog. Plus there are plenty of Chinese playing behind that sign. Actually it is best not to think logically about this one because some of the character’s behaviors, horrible English dubbing, and plot thread disappearances will drive you a little batty. I think most people who rewatch this ignore the exposition and just go to the two main fight scenes which are the high points of the film. Or they judge the film solely based on the finale -- “It's the most important part of the story, the ending.” I have no issue with the main plot though with the disappearance of a dog being the impetus to start all the action (see John Wick or Seven Psychopaths for other good films dealing with a dog being the cause of it all.) But I can see viewers with the problems I mentioned above wanting to turn it off at the halfway point. That would be a mistake for martial art fans.

The Chiang Tao/Phillip Ko fight scene is underrated, but that is because the best scene in the movie is the final fight and this one is a bit too short. I liked the use of the umbrellas.

The last fight is awesome and understandably well liked among the martial art film fan illuminati. I do agree that it picks up (in Spinal Tap talk it goes to 11) once the weapons have been dropped, but still Phillip Ko with the staff and Hwang Jang-lee with the guan dao. I may be in the minority, but after watching this several times I think Hwang outperforms Ko with the weapon as well as mix in kicks while wielding the guan dao. He does more of a variety of movement while Ko seems too typical (while still being good) with his staff. But the fight scene shines most when they get down to hand-to-foot fighting. Hwang is awesome and one of my favorite on screen fights as his kicks are fluid, he can use punches to good effect and he works combinations (the key for great fight scenes) effortlessly with multiple spinning heel kicks (or spinning heel kick to roundhouse to spinning heel kick to roundhouse and repeat) and works well against the hybrid mantis form of Ko.

Random thoughts: Chan Lau as the village idiot makes me miss Dean Shek. Do you ever think about combinations of actors like what would Dean Shek (in his prime) have been like with Pauly Shore? Imagine a road movie starring those two. The biting scene reminded me of a similar scene in Beach of the War Gods. As mentioned by others: what the hell was with Hwang Jang-lee’s dubbing voice. I felt bad for Hwang as it undercuts his character by sounding like a smoking castrato who is accidently taking estrogen therapy instead of testosterone.

Is there a Cantonese version of this available for this Hong Kong film?

Random annoyance (which I will repeat): I hate the amount of ads at HKMDB now. It has been driving me crazy being interrupted so many times for commercials and ads.

Having watched the Vengeance edition, my thoughts...

1) Hwang Jang Lee not sounding like a castrated Charles Hawtrey is a bonus.

2) Vengeance being too cheap to do some subs probably sums up why the cluttering up of HMV with cheapo kung fu releases was a bad thing. The subs on the disc are cropped away and/or hard to read, especially when white-clad Hwang is talking. Good job he's so transparently evil.

3. Considering the cropping destroys the subs AND the title card (GER OVER WA), the action is quite easy to follow

4) Considering Vengeance used old UK tape masters before, it's weird they used the cropped Chinese source. Though the BBFC snipped neck break is a doozy!

5) Chan Lau is even more freaky then usual, but much to my surprise it actually works. You really can believe he only has three brain cells.

6) Cheung Nick barely appears, but is handsome and a decent fighter. I wonder if he was a more bankable star then Phillip Ko - in fact, I do wonder who out of the many old school indie stars were the most popular with audiences.

7) There's a totally weird intro to the leading lady - singing away about her life as though this were a Disney movie. Sadly (or perhaps not), no-one else sings, so we don't get to see Hwang Jang-Lee having a power ballard about being evil.

8) The initial Westerner we see isn't too bad...but later there's an "old" man who looks suspiciously like a young guy in a bad make-up job, much like Andre Morgan in When Taekwondo Strikes

9) This is one angry movie, more so because it was released against so many comedies.

10) Hwang Jang-Lee vs. Phillip Ko is indeed one of the best fights ever. It's a wonder no-one was killed!

8/10

[HungFist]

Cherry Blossom Fire Gang (Japan, 1972) [DVD] - 2.5/5
Junko Fuji's farewell movie brings together just about every Toei yakuza film star: Ken Takakura, Bin Amatsu, Koji Tsuruta, Kanjuro Arashi, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Shiezo Kataoka, Bunta Sugawara, and many others. That may be part of the film's problem. The beauty of the ninkyo genre always was its simplicity - one man or woman caught between obligation and humanity - and it needed a relatively tight focus to play right. Cherry Blossom Fire Gang features some good segments, but it also features so many characters that the storyline loses its focus. To make matters worse, it's hardly a memorable storyline to begin with. It's still an ok film, but genre queen Fuji would have deserved something better, or perhaps something smaller, for her last yakuza film.

That's It (Japan, 2015) [DCP] - 3/5
This is Sogo Ishii's long awaited return to punk cinema, only it is not as good as his genre defining classics. It is still mostly decent, though. The opening is the best part: an amazing street chase on foot set to the music and "3ch bazooka sound" by Bloodthirsty Butchers. The film does slow down after that, however, and it could frankly lose 20 minutes in the middle. It picks up again towards the end, until the stupid CGI blood and toy guns kick in and make it difficult to take the bloody mayhem seriously. The cast is good, though, and the film looks pretty nice for a low budget production.

[HungFist]

The Youth Killer (Japan, 1976) [35mm] – 2.5/5
This is the first one of the only two films ever directed by Kazuhiko Hasegawa, who would later do the all-time cult classic The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979). The ATG production is about a young man kills his parents and tries to run from the police with his girlfriend. It's certainly a film with something to say: Hasegawa goes for a mixture of gritty realism, social commentary, and highly theatrical acting. At the same time, however, it's a hard film to stomach with almost no entertainment value whatsoever except for Mieko Harada`s naked body, some very darkly humoristic moments, and a great soundtrack by Godiego. Very much an arthouse film for the arthouse crowd, and not a feel-good film in the least.

Wicked Kempo (Japan, 1974) [VoD] - 2.5/5
A somewhat entertaining martial arts film produced briefly after The Street Fighter has its moments. Yakuza film actor Tsunehiko Watase stars as a bodyguard for hire, a real asshole kind of guy with mean moves straight out of a Sonny Chiba flick. It's a fun flick whenever it lets its protagonist loose; unfortunately the film also sabotages the sound concept with two lame sidekicks and unnecessary comedy scenes. Regular karate film villain Masashi Ishibashi co-stars in a rare good guy role. Worth a look for karate film fans; however, there are several better Japanese martial arts movies out there.

[saltysam]

Fist Of Fury Pt 2 2/5 reasonable,certainly better than expected Bruce Li sequel.Having some of the original's cast returning adds some authenticity to the by and large predictable proceedings.

[HungFist]

Akamoru: The Dark, Wild Yearning (Japan, 1966) [35mm] – 2/5
A rather tame and dated youth-gone-bad tale by Koji Wakamatsu. The film follows a school boy who is dreaming of naked girls but living in a conservative family where he is punished for listening to rock music. He eventually joins a small-time gang at the end of the film. Some surreal dream sequences with naked women and blazing red blood filmed in color (unlike the rest of the film) are the movie’s most memorable parts. Surprisingly enough, the film was distributed in several foreign countries like West Germany and Finland back in the late 1960s.

Yakuza Apocalypse (Japan, 2015) [DCP] - 3/5
Here's a film that is difficult to summarize: yakuza vampires turning townspeople into bloodsuckers with bad attitude, a secret underground knitting club, a kappa in cellar, a deadly karate killer in frog suit, The Raid's mad dog Yayan Ruhian as foreign assassin, and a lot more. Takashi Miike's much hyped "return to roots" feasts in excess, but it also lacks the perversity of his early films, highlighted by the Japanese pg-12 rating which equals to BBFC 15 or medium R on the US. It does have its insanely catchy moments, and it's not a CGI fest either, but the film also runs at least 30 minutes too long with a too large character gallery while still leaving the most interesting scenarios underdeveloped. The problem is, Miike has done the same stuff better before, and so have many others. Nevertheless, it's a pretty entertaining two hours and worth a watch; it's just not as badass as it should've been.

[HungFist]

Dark Story of a Sex Crime: Phantom Killer (Japan, 1969) [35mm] – 3/5
A rarely seen Koji Wakamatsu film that predates the similarly themed 1970s Yasuharu Hasebe violent pink films. It’s a mixture of violent thriller, black comedy and social commentary. The film follows a miserable young man who dreams of raping women but is too shy to do it. He eventually gets over his shyness and becomes a full-fledged psycho. Interesting, though not quite classic, piece of late-1960s Wakamatsu cinema. The use of music is quite effective.

Abductee (Japan, 2013) [DVD] – 4/5
A middle aged man wakes up in a steel container, all alone, tied up, with no idea who has abducted him, why, and where he's being taken. This is a minimalist gem from director Yudai Yamaguchi, who normally helms trashy exploitation comedies. Despite literally taking place in one container from start to finish the 96 minute movie doesn`t let the viewer off the hook even for moment. On the contrary, it`s an incredibly intense thriller with an intriguing mystery, lively camerawork, stylish score and terrific leading performance by Yoichi Nukumizu, who is the only actor in the movie for over 90% of the time. The ending will divide audiences to those who love it and those who hate it – I was firmly in former camp. What a surprise from mediocre-at-best director Yamaguchi.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Mark, as I was looking through some of your posts on KFC on Enter the Game of Death, did you ever find more concrete information on the origin of this film. With the HKFA link (I really wish you could view this) it seems to state that definitely Hong Kong money was involved in the making of this making me think of this as a coproduction. But many state that it is a Philippines coproduction with Hong Kong because of PT Insantra. It was definitely shot in South Korea (though I'm not even sure all of it was), so many write that it is Steve James in it, though I'm pretty sure it is not (I have reasons in a review I am writing.) So is it a HK/South Korea or a HK/South Korea/Philippines co-production ?

The new KMDB link doesn't give much information so I am wondering if that date could possibly be wrong? Is this the copyright date and/or release date for South Korea?

[Markgway]

I think the South Korean release date is probably accurate. Those relevant Bruce Le films were all shot circa 1977-78 in South Korea. The staggered HK releasing reflects a more limited interest in the product. The Bruceploitation pics often played better in export territories with English dubs, which is partly why the dubbed versions are the easiest to get hold of.

Insan Film (P.T. Insantra) was officially based in Hong Kong (I have a lobby image that shows a HK fax number!). Insantra, however, was Indonesian (I think -- this is from memory) and setup productions in Jakara and Manila, some of them in cooperation with his HK talent.

The extent of Insantra and partner Robert Jeffrey's involvement in the South Korean films I don't know (no one ever talks about these forgotten works). It may just have been financial (i.e. Insan supplies the HK actors and budget in exchange for worldwide rights) or if they were onset or had onset production representation. It's very difficult to know.

I think at the moment we can safely classify them as South Korea-Hong Kong co-productions until contradictory evidence comes to light.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

... I think at the moment we can safely classify them as South Korea-Hong Kong co-productions until contradictory evidence comes to light.

Thank you. This is what I came up with. I seriously see the origin of this film written as so many different things. I have also read so many different aspects and writings about additional filming being done etc... I was surprised that this actually was released in HK in 81.

[Markgway]

I was surprised that this actually was released in HK in 81.

Yeah, but it wasn't a hit.

I have also read so many different aspects and writings about additional filming being done etc...

If there's anything interesting I'd like to read it.

The exteriors would be Korea, but the interior sequences could've been filmed anywhere - a warehouse in Taiwan for all we know?

Korean or Mandarin language versions are impossible to find, so we can only go by exports.

[HungFist]

Secret Report from Nagasaki Woman's Prison (Japan, 1971) - 2/5
This is the 6th and final film in Daiei's loosely linked series of women in prison movies set in the late 19th century. They were, of course, exploitation movies, but they were also surprisingly restrained compared to what Toei and Nikkatsu were putting out at the same time. There is little to no nudity in any of the films. The previous instalment, Decapitation Island, was nevertheless a very stylish entry with good acting, decent writing and an intriguing island setting. Nagasaki Woman's Prison unfortunately doesn't share those strengths. It's a mediocre-at-best genre effort with some girl fights, a little bit of blood, and no nudity at all. There are no interesting locations like in Decapitation Island either. The only memorable scene involves some inventive candle torture.

Cold Wind Monjiro (Japan, 1972) [VoD] - 3/5
Bunta Sugawara stars as the famous matatabi (wandering gambler / swordsman) character in this film by Sadao Nakajima. It's a more realistic film than many other matatabi movies, focusing on the life during the period and choreographing its action more for realism than entertainment. It also shows the protagonist trying to live an ordinary man's life before becoming a wanderer during the film's second half. It's not the most exciting film in the genre - Nakajima directs with professionalism but little innovation - but the scenery and score are quite beautiful and the film is certainly interesting enough to watch.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Enter the Game of Death (1978, 1981: Lin Huo-hsiang, Joseph Velasco) Hong Kong/South Korea

This was actually released in Hong Kong, unlike many of the cheaper Bruceploitation flicks, in 1981. It is somewhat of a canard to think of the Bruceploitation films as strictly a Hong Kong export when many are from Taiwan, The Philippines and/or South Korea (sometimes with Hong Kong money though.) But regardless of where they came from they are usually bad with some exceptions like Tower of Death. In cinema it is not an unknown trend to try to fill in the void of an actor (in this case because of Lee’s death) with the most notable example similar to the Lee situation was the Charlie Chaplin clones and knock-offs in the 1910s and 1920s. Chaplin was that popular that there was a plethora of imitators around the world, but as he went into full length movies from shorts he did not have enough for the massive demand of his films.

The episodic content makes me think it was filmed at various times. This “theory” would also help explain some of the issues with the movie. The overall plot is coherent enough. There is a MacGuffin document that is supposedly for sale to the highest bidder. Both the Germans (should have had the German in lederhosen) and the Japanese want this document as it will be a devastating blow against the Chinese (when you see how thin the document is you wander how important could it actually be; you also wonder do people actually write all the names of spies in one document.) Bruce Lee wannabe Bruce Le plays a somewhat loner type who is finally decides to hate the Japanese because his cousin was raped and who had killed herself by biting her tongue in a most awkward scene.

But the document is hidden in a small pagoda where he has to fight increasingly easier fighters as he gets to the top. Obviously like his suit (well only obvious for fans of martial art films, I’m sure some might think this suit was an influence for Kill Bill) this was taken, except for the easier part, from the earlier released Game of Death. He starts with Lee Hoi-san whom I was completely surprised to see in a decent match of the two. Though I was rooting for Lee over Le. I will not spoil the rest, though you are in for a few shocks, some more references to Bruce Lee and probably the highlight of the film though the budget of the interior scenes is about the same as Goodbye, Bruce Lee His Last Game of Death (aka that’s the same room just change the sets.) Now like the princess in a Mario Bros. video game, the document was snatched just before he could get there.

Will he get the document? Will Bolo show up again and win this time? Will you finish the movie?

I feel really bad for Bolo. He is a decent martial artist and weight lifter and because of his size you feel sometimes he is only hired (besides the Bruce Lee connection) to be beat up by smaller and weaker clones of Bruce Lee. He’s like the buff guy a small guy pays to pretend to be beat up to impress the girlfriend. Here he gets the ignominious assignment of not only getting beat up by Bruce Le, but getting beat up at least twice in three fight scenes together. You think he would learn his lesson. This adds to some serious faults with an otherwise faulty film. You do not build up an antagonist like with Bolo winning most of the tournament scene until he meets Le who had previously just beaten him up (though it is kind of cool to see someone lose by a choke). This also helps ruin the later showdown between the two – that and the fact that it happens way too early.

What the hell is with that slow motion music? Those slow motion scenes were as irritating as seeing Michael Snow’s Wavelength (movie academia brownie points to those who know what I’m referring to, even more points if you have seen it all the way through.) Combine that with some of the undercranking, the disappearing characters, Bruce Le’s overuse of his stinky tofu face, way too many jogging scenes, a plot put together with cinematic scotch tape and you have the makings of a decent Bruce Le film – as long as you watch this after Bruce, King of Kung Fu (1980: Daniel Lau Tan-ching, Bruce Le) which reportedly has been useful for hard core insomniacs. But if you want to read about more faults, take a look at the cityonfire link below.

It is mentioned in several reviews and books that Steve James is in it (including Reid’s review mentioned below), but it really does not look like him (look at him in The Exterminator which came around the same time as this film.) There is thread here on Samuel Walls who I believe is the actor in question. When you see him fight you get the feeling that neither Bolo nor Bruce Le would have been able to beat him. You will also read many different countries where this movie belongs to. I, with some help from former member Mark, can safely say it is at least a South Korean and Hong Kong collaboration (mentioned in both KMDB and HKFA.) Now if there is any Pilipino money involved because of P.T. Insantra. Trying to find good information like this feels like a detective assignment and sometimes reading my writing feels like a school assignment.

Sources/Notes:
Unfortunately there are not a lot of reviews on this film. There are none on HKMDB and two for IMDB. HKFA has the most reliable info on the credits, even more so than HKMDB which I trust more than IMDB (acronym overload.)
CityOnFire Reviews: Here are two good reviews that come with two different views of the film though both conclude this is not a good movie.
Dr. Craig D. Reid has a worthy entry in his book The Ultimate Guide to Martial Arts Movies of the 1970s (though one might argue that this is not a 70s film.) He has a more positive review than the two at cityonfire.
ClonesofBruceLee Review
Mark talks about the origin question of the film here. Here is the current KMDB link.

[Markgway]

What is it with kung fu movies where people commit suicide by biting their tongue off? You can't die from biting your tongue off. Even if you could stand the pain to do it in one go, it wouldn't kill you. I remember when I was a kid someone in my class accidentally bit their tongue off - they didn't die.

[saltysam]

i'm a glutton for punishment,i wouldn't mind seeing Enter The Game Of Death again.what's the best version,the Vengeance Video one?

The Victim 3/5 entertaining old school kung fu movie starring Beardy as the ace kung fu expert who's followed everywhere by Sammo Hung begging him to teach him.After a first third or so of comedic action things take a darker turn when Beardy has to return to his adopted brother's home to see his father before he dies.unfortunately the evil brother played by Chang Yi lusts after Beardy's wife.some very good,well choregraphed fights here.

[Markgway]

The Victim... arguably the best indie kung fu movie ever.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

i'm a glutton for punishment,i wouldn't mind seeing Enter The Game Of Death again.what's the best version,the Vengeance Video one?
...

I just saw the Mill Creek release on the Great Impersonators set. It seems similar to most on youtube. I'm not familiar with a good release of this.

What is it with kung fu movies where people commit suicide by biting their tongue off? You can't die from biting your tongue off. Even if you could stand the pain to do it in one go, it wouldn't kill you. I remember when I was a kid someone in my class accidentally bit their tongue off - they didn't die.

It is particularly awkward in this film. I could not quite tell what she was doing at first. It looked like she was giving Bruce Le the raspberry. But it is not only in martial art films. I've seen a few Takashi Miike films where death by tongue biting has happened (also weird because in Ichi the Killer, the antagonist cuts off part of his tongue, but I digress). But yeah unless you are a bleeder then you are not going to die by losing part of your tongue. Kind of funny that so many films will also talk about someone having their tongue cut off as punishment with cut to scene of person mumbling.

Another death annoyance I find is either the arrow or knife to the back which results in instant death or the shot to the stomach which results in instant death (which stomach wounds would often take weeks to kill someone.) Yes I know it is expedient, but sometimes hilarious when someone dies from a wound that might barely injure most.

[Markgway]

But yeah unless you are a bleeder then you are not going to die by losing part of your tongue.

It would take AGES to lose that much blood. You'd probably pass out first.

I think it was Arhats in Fury (which I prefer to call Asshats in Fury since it's rubbish) where the dude (a monk maybe?) bites into his tongue and keels over dead within two seconds. Naturally I LOL'd.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

But yeah unless you are a bleeder then you are not going to die by losing part of your tongue.

It would take AGES to lose that much blood. You'd probably pass out first.

I think it was Arhats in Fury (which I prefer to call Asshats in Fury since it's rubbish) where the dude (a monk maybe?) bites into his tongue and keels over dead within two seconds. Naturally I LOL'd.

You're not the only one to call Arhats in Fury -- Asshats. I have a copy of that. For some bizarre reason it is on this list: https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/100+ ... rts+films/ It is no classic to me.

Yeah you normally pass out and then it takes a while to bleed out for many wounds. But for expedience sake the movies make you dead quite quickly. The same goes for choke holds and strangulations (though sometimes the person wakes up, but that can through you off when someone who should not be dead has a 5 second choke hold causing death.)

[HungFist]

Roman Porno teasure hunt part 27

Sensual Classroom: Techniques in Love (Japan, 1972) [DVD] - 1.5/5
Despite the title, this early Noboru Tanaka film is very much an arthouse affair; only not a very good one at all. Tanaka actually manages quite a few stylish visuals and good musical choices throughout the film. Unfortunately none of this helps when he completely misjudges what passes as serious art and what is just plain ridiculous. Half of the film comes out unintentionally funny. For a far more successful effort see Tanaka's Midnight Fairy (1973), which had the same artistry but none of the clumsiness that sinks this movie.

Spectacle of Buds (Japan, 1986) [DVD] - 1/5
If the ever so unreliable Thomas Weisser is anything to go by, singer Yoko Kon stayed in the headlines not only because of her musical performances but also for rumours about her inverted nipples. Nikkatsu's former star director Noboru Tanaka came out of Roman Porno retirement to reveal the mystery in this slice-of-life film starring Kon. Yes, she had strange boobs. But whose idea was it to build a 100 minute movie around those boobs?! Director Tanaka could make a technically competent film with his eyes closed, but this one just doesn't have anything going for it, except for one truly bizarre scene where Kon is looking at a photo of a naked baby and then starts touching herself.

It's probably necessary to emphasize that Tanaka was indeed a very good director. Somehow I just managed to see two of his worst films back to back...

[Shingster]

It would take AGES to lose that much blood. You'd probably pass out first.

I don't think they're supposed to be dying from blood loss, but rather choking on the flow of blood. Still complete BS either way.

[HungFist]

Tonda Couple (Japan, 1980) [Original Version] [35mm] – 3.5/5
Two high school kids – a girl and a boy – end up sharing an apartment due to an error. An amusing love-hate relationship ensues. This was Shinji Somai`s first movie, a manga adaptation that resembles 1970s youth comedies but also showed the director`s eye for upbeat youth films. It's funny, energetic and contains many imaginative visual details while still being a very mainstream crowd pleaser. It was also the film that made half of the nation fall in love with the 16 year old Hiroko Yakushimaru, who appears here in her first starring role. The film was re-released the following year as an extended 120 minute “original version” which is now the standard version of the film. “Hiroko Lovecore” (love + encore) was written in big letters in the poster.

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (Japan, 1981) [Complete Version] [35mm] – 4/5
Shinji Somai's second film instantly became the all-time idol film classic. Hiroko Yakushimaru stars as a high school girl who ends up inheriting a miserable four man yakuza gang from his dead father. It's a mixture of gangster satire and youth pic, with the former usually being a burden for the latter. The film tends to be at its best in small quiet scenes, where seemingly nothing happens, such Hiroko wandering around in her apartment or stopping in front of a store mascot at dawn. These are the scenes that show Somai's skill with characterization, as well as creating atmospheric moments. Hiroko is at her best in the film, giving a natural performance that is as fresh as the air in the early morning. Of course, her theme song is also a huge classic. The film also features Somai's first long tracking shot, a nice, if occasionally shaky 4 minute shot that follows characters from a park to the streets and to the other side of the town as they jump on motorcycles and the camera is loaded on a truck. Like Tonda Couple, the film was re-released as extended version in 1982, but the original version is maybe a little bit better.

[HungFist]

Love & Peace (Japan, 2015) [DCP] - 3.5/5
Most people probably didn't expect Sion Sono to direct a family friendly kaiju movie, but here it is. A small turtle flushed down the toilet finds a new home in the Batman Returns esque sewers where a good hearted old drunk is living with talking dolls, amusing retro-robots and all kinds of small animals. Meanwhile his original owner, a bullied owner office, worker becomes an arrogant rock star. Then the turtle begins to grow - a lot. There's an abundance of lovely handicraft on display: puppets, miniatures, and men in rubber suits, with CGI kept to the minimum. It's a nice moral story and a sweet fantasy film; should be just as entertaining for children and adults alike, and very much a Sion Sono film with all its manic overacting. However, it's still missing the final touch - whether it was overflowing anarchy, energy, or depth - that Sono's best movies - Love Exposure, Noriko's Dinner Table, Hazard, and Suicide Club - had.

P.P. Rider (Japan, 1983) [DCP] – 4.5/5
Yakuza gangsters kidnap a local kid, a fat bastard called Debu, whose father is involved in drug trafficking. His friends, two boys and one girl pretending to be a boy, then set out on a strange odyssey to find and save him. This is an utterly bizarre, and equally brilliant, film scripted by Leonard Scharder (The Man who Stole the Sun, 1979) and directed by the eccentric genius Shinji Somai. Like many of Somai`s films it runs a bit too long at 118 minutes, but it's so original, so thrilling and so full of Somai`s trademark camerawork that one does not care. The visual style sometimes resembles of Nobuhiko Obayashi's wild images (House), but with Somai`s brand of intimate, low key youth cinema which remains credible no matter how outlandish it got.