Hana-Dama (Lolita Vibrator Torture director, 2014)

[HungFist]

A new film from Hisayasu Sato! His first since Love and Loathing and Lulu and Ayano in 2010. Looks a bit less impressive to be honest, but new Sato is always of interest.

Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK_QlHLKgNk

Site:
http://www.hanadama-movie.com/







Yeah, I'm trying to get more attention for the thread by putting Loli Vib in the title. It's a great film, though. Has the most feminist ending I have ever seen in my life, and I'm not kidding!! Feel free to discuss (and if you're a visitor, please register and join the conversation)

[kemushi]

I'm a big fan of Sato's work from the 80ies and early 90ies. The past 15 years or so haven't been kind to him, though. I suppose the work environment he was able to thrive in just doesn't exist anymore. His segement in RANPO JIGOKU was alright and it was good to see him working again with regular screenwriter Shiro Yumeno for SI-SEI but LOVE AND LOATHING was a mess of a film that never could decide if it wanted to be a serious examination of women drawn into the Japanese porn industry (Sono's GUILTY OF ROMANCE handled that so much better), a slasher/thriller or... well, whatever the yakuza subplot was supposed to amount to.

As for this new film, the trailer doesn't exactly fill me with hope for a triumphant comeback. The acting looks especially cringeworthy and amateurish. Screenplay is by UNDERWATER LOVE's Shinji Imaoka. It's Sato so I will definitely watch it as soon as I can but my expectations are very low.

Despite my disappointment with Sato's most recent output, I'd still love for some sort of rediscovery of his older work. Out of the 50+ films he has directed, only a handful has ever gotten a DVD release. At least 17 of his films have never had any kind of home video release at all - including Seifuku Lynch: Nejirikome! (制服私刑　ねじり込め！, 1991), apparently Sato's softcore porn version of CARRIE (http://www.blockbuster.com/browse/catal ... ils/186655), which I have been dying to see for years!

[HungFist]

I remember rather liking Lulu & Ayano, but yeah, the stalker subplot was ridiculous. Sono's film put me into sleep

Seifuku Lynch: Nejirikome! (制服私刑　ねじり込め！, 1991), apparently Sato's softcore porn version of CARRIE (http://www.blockbuster.com/browse/catal ... ils/186655), which I have been dying to see for years!

Probably the only chance of that becoming available in any format is VoD. I did a brief check and the usual suspects didn't have it.

I'm not sure who has the rights to the film. JMDb says it was produced by Shishi Productions and distributed by Excess Film, but it's also listed in Nikkatsu's database, suggesting Nikkatsu might have the rights now.
- http://www.nikkatsu.com/movie/26728.html

A lot of Nikkatsu's roman porno films have been made available on VoD - about 500 at the moment, including some that never even had a VHS release I think - but this being a 1991 production it doesn't fit the category (of potential roman porno VoD releases)

(note: I can't open the link you posted. Says "access denied".)

[kemushi]

(note: I can't open the link you posted. Says "access denied".)

Weird. Still works fine for me. It was just a link to a review/summary of the film by Robert Firsching. Here's the text:

Synopsis of Seifuku Lynch: Nejirikome!

After penning the routine Seifuku Nusumi-dori-ma: Gekisha Naburu the previous year, female pinku-eiga writer Kyoko Godai collaborated again with director Hisayasu Sato on this perversely entertaining jet-black satire blending elements of Heathers and Carrie. A high-school girl with paranormal abilities becomes the center of a bizarre cult which believes her to be a divine idol. In fact, she's a maniac, prowling the streets with a male slave to rape and murder innocent victims. Asuka Morimura and Koichi Imaizumi star in this dark but highly watchable softcore effort with Kiyomi Ito and Aya Midorikawa. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

[HungFist]

Which ones would you consider Sato's best? I've only seen a few. I'm a bit of an odd pinku viewer because I don't care for sex scenes, but watch these films because of everything else they contain. I quite like Lolita Vibrator Torture, the soundtrack and cinematography especially, and the badass attitude.

[kemushi]

Sato is one of my favorite directors and I have many favorites among his films. Off the top of my head:

Exciting Eros: Hot Skin エキサイティング・エロ　熱い肌 (familial apocalypse, the VHS is incredibly hard to find though)

Lolita Disgrace aka Radical Hysteria Tour aka Brainsex ロリータ恥辱 (serial killers and mass media, years and years before Natural Born Killers or Man Bites Dog, available from numerous VOD services)

Special Lesson: Perverted Sex Education aka The Gods Have a Nervous Breakdown スペシャルレッスン　変態性教育 (I love the soundtrack and the occult twist at the end)

Real Time Wiretap Report: Pillow Talk aka Kyrie Eleison 生 盗聴リポート痴話 (Sato sometimes gets compared to Cronenberg and this is arguably the film that most validates that comparison, available from numerous VOD services)

Night of the Anatomical Doll 人体模型の夜 (a young woman moves into an appartment complex full of weirdos in this Toei V-Cinema production, VHS is very cheap and easy to find)

[HungFist]

Thanks. Real Time Wiretap Report is available on DMM's pink channel, I should watch it the next time I subscribe. Night of the Anatomical Doll is also at DMM, though requires individual purchase. I'll keep the others in mind, too.

[HungFist]

Chirashi for Hana-Dama

[HungFist]

R2J 2014/05/09
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=914671

[kemushi]

That's a surprisingly quick (for Japan) DVD release. A definite pre-order for me.

Did the theatrical screenings garner any reviews?

[HungFist]

It was quite a limited release - only played in 6 cinemas nationwide. That doesn't surprise me, though - this kind of film has very limited audience. They usually play only in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and a couple of other major cities. The DVD release is no doubt much better business.

Haven't looked for reviews.

[HungFist]

R2J 2014/05/09
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=914671

Artwork

[HungFist]

Rented this a few days ago. Quick review + R2J caps

High school bullying turns expectedly grotesque in Hisayasu Sato’s (Lolita Vibrator Torture) new film. The horror drama was scripted by pink director Shinji Imaoka (Underwater Love) based on a concept by Sato. Unfortunately neither one of the gentlemen are quite at their best here. The film fests with its protagonists’ exaggerated misery and draws a vision of Japanese trash not entirely unlike the films of Rob Zombie; only Sato’s movie is shot much cheaper.

Acting and visual look aren’t up to much, despite many genre veterans in supporting parts (Kei Fujiwara, Daisuke Iijima etc.) and the film takes nearly 80 minutes before turning on its supernatural revenge gear. Once that happens, we’re treated an anarchic climax of bloodshed quite unlike anything ever staged in a classroom before. It comes a bit late, but for once the audience is left hungry for the (planned, not promised) sequels.

Uncensored full frontal included from both leading ladies (Rina Sakuragi, Maika Shimamura)

[Guro Taku]

North American premiere (with English subtitles) at this year's Fantasia Fest in Montreal.

Official English title is HANA-DAMA: THE ORIGINS, which hints at the plans by the makers to turn this into a franchise. Not the first time that has happened with a Sato film. SI-SEI (2006) also spawned three sequels, none of which were directed by Sato.

[HungFist]

The (first) sequel will premiere in Yubari next month. Directed by Sato and written by Imaoka again.
- http://yubarifanta.com/films/3350/?lang=en

[Guro Taku]

This is a pleasant surprise to be sure. For some reason, I didn't expect the announced sequel(s) to actually get made and even if they got made, I'd have expected somebody else to step in to direct, similar to what happened with SI-SEI (2006), which had sequels directed by Kei Horie, Takahisa Zeze and Yukiko Mishima. HANA-DAMA was hardly the best thing Sato has ever directed but I will never not look forward to a new film by him. One thing that speaks for the sequel is that the original film ended just as things were starting to get interesting!

[HungFist]

Those are my thoughts exactly Nothing to add

[Guro Taku]

At the bottom of the Yubari site for the film, there's a curious line in Sato's "Director's Profile":

"A Japanese-American-French film, “Dream of Eyeball,” is scheduled to be released in 2016."

Do you know anything about this?

[HungFist]

Nope

[Guro Taku]

HANA-DAMA: THE ORIGIN comes out on Blu-ray in the US from Olive Films on January 19th. Tomorrow.

[HungFist]

The (first) sequel will premiere in Yubari next month. Directed by Sato and written by Imaoka again.
- http://yubarifanta.com/films/3350/?lang=en

Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJF0yyus3E8

[Guro Taku]

That looks pretty interesting, actually. It also looks like a completely new story and not a continuation of the events in the first film.

[Guro Taku]

The interview with Sato on the American Blu-ray release has him stating that he originally wanted to make this film more than 10 years ago for an American company that demanded a splatter horror film from him but then the company went bankrupt and it didn't happen until now. I'm really itching to know which company that could have been. Somebody should ask Sato at a future festival Q&A or something.

[Guro Taku]

English subtitled trailer for HANA-DAMA: PHANTOM:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-c8pW8lSPg

So it's a bit of a riff on Lamberto Bava's DEMONS or even that Naoyuki Tomomatsu flick (Toraware no Injuu 囚われの淫獣, 2011) where five people are trapped inside a pinku theater by an evil muppet. I'm sure Sato will do his own thing with the concept.

The film has already come out in limited release in Japan on April 30th and is still playing in some theaters.

Chirashi:



I just checked and between this and DREAM OF EYEBALL, 2016 marks the first time since 1998 that Sato has more than one film coming out in the same year.

[Guro Taku]

HANA-DAMA: PHANTOM hits DVD on November 2nd.