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

[HungFist]

Kyohansha (Japan, 1999) [35mm] - 2.5/5
A mostly standard gangster actioner with the always likeable Naoto Takenaka as a Japanese-Brazilian gangster trying to get his money from the Japanese yakuza. An abused girl (Kyoko Koizumi) hooks up with him. What really electrifies (parts of) the film is rock 'n roll bad boy Yuya Uchida as a blond, sunglass wearing assassin sent after Takenaka. He speaks all his lines saying the first sentences in English. "Name?" "My name is Fucking Dead Man". Otherwise routine affair with some passable action and a bit surprisingly no sex or nudity whatsoever. Not great, but entirely watchable.

A Night in Nude (Japan, 1993) [35mm] - 4/5
A fine reminder of why Takashi Ishii once was one of the most exciting and underrated Japanese filmmakers. This one, written and directed by Ishii, has a magnificent beginning that is best not spoiled. A brief introduction shall do. Muraki (Naoto Takenaka) is simple, sympathetic man running a small proxy business where he does things in behalf of people. He attends funerals of clients' distant relatives, cleans gravestones, takes care of dogs, and so on for small compensation. One day a woman called Nami walks into her office, telling him she's a tourist in a need of Tokyo guide. None of that is actually true; she's from Tokyo and in an abusive relationship with a yakuza boss who won't let him go. Atmospheric, beautifully shot film with several magnificent scenes. However, it's also a bit rough around the edges, including Kippei Shiina's over the top supporting performance, and an ending that, while fascinating, would be even better if Ishii had cut out the last act. Still, this is a seminal 90s neo noir that still hasn't been properly discovered.



as is often the case with Ishii's films, the poster art (no doubt drawn by Ishii himself) is fantastic

[HungFist]

Story of Japanese Bad Men (Japan, 1971) [TV] - 2/5
The 1960s saw loads of chivalrous yakuza films with the word "den" (tale or story) in their title. There was the Tale of Japanese Chivalry series (11 films), Tale of Meiji Era Chivalry, Tale of Kawachi Chivalry, and many others. Here we finally have the tale of "Japanese Bad Men", which very much lives up to its title. This is like a Ken Takakura film if Takakura and his benevolent clan had never entered the scenario and we were left only with the villainous gang lead by someone like Bin Amatsu (who actually is in this film). It's a sort of mash up between the 60s ninkyo films and the 70s jitsuroku style that was just emerging. Tomisaburo Wakayma plays a no good hood who joins a villain gang. The rest of the film follows him running a prostitution business and becoming a boss himself. It is, unfortunately, a lot less fun than one would expect due to the lack of a plot, and a relatively low exploitation factor until the spectacularly bloody finale.

Crimson Bat, the Blind Swordswoman (Japan, 1969) - 4/5
Excellent female yakuza film oozing with 60s pop samurai cinema atmosphere, partly due to extensive use of studio sets. There are several things that raise this film above your average genre offering, including a terrific score, unexpectedly good action, and a simple story made more captivating using broken chronology. Lead actress Yoko Matsuyama, armed with a cane sword and two kilos of makeup, looks much like a kabuki doll. That comes with a certain appeal of its own, though a lively portrait is not to be found here. The film and its heroine often get compared to Zatoichi, and while the blind swordsman was an obvious influence, Daiei's female yakuza films with Michiyo Yasuda (Lady Sazen and the Drenched Swallow Sword, 1969; Girl with Bamboo Leaves, 1969) would make a better comparison point. Crimson Bat fairs favourably against them in almost every aspect from action to score and storytelling, except for the heroine's presence where the charming Yasuda easily takes the game.

[HungFist]

Story of Japanese Bad Men: Travelling Companions to Hell (Japan, 1972) [TV] - 1.5/5
Messy sequel is basically a repetition of the first film, but with even less coherence. A ninkyo film it is not, nor a jitsuroku movie despite excessive violence, and as exploitation it is not exploitative enough. The scrip and direction lack focus and style: this little more than a series of scenes featuring bad men doing bad things.

Trapped, Crimson Bat (Japan, 1969) - 3/5
The first sequel opens and closes really well, but gets bogged down during the middle third, which goes down the cliché "yakuza seeking normal life in the countryside" path, complete with a naive idiot of a farmer / love interest who gets everyone in trouble. It is also during those scenes that Yoko Matsuyama, for the first and last time in the series, quite resembles Junko Fuji's warm but lethal personality from her Red Peony Gambler films. Matsuyama, unusually old (32) for a role of this kind, was not a comparable actress but she was probably the most convincing female action performer in Japan at the time. Her sword handling is as good as many of her male colleagues, and she has several great action scenes in the film, including one against a Chinese swordsman. Had the middle third been better, the film would've been excellent.

[chazgower01]

First of all.... thanks for all of the reviews....man, I have a LOT of movies to watch....

BLIND WOMAN'S CURSE (1970) - Been on a Meiko Kaji kick lately and revisited this film..Meiko is the head of a gang, that faces the wrath of a woman she blinded years ago. Very cool visuals, memorable characters, symbolism...all kinds of interesting ideas thrown in ...for a movie with a slim plot, it's entertaining. Directed by Teruo Ishii (Female Yakuza Tale).
I say 7.5 out of 10, it is currently available to view for free with Amazon Prime.

[HungFist]

Welcome! Great to have a Meiko Kaji fan here!

It's been so long since someone else than a spam bot registered here that I almost banned you from old habit

[Markgway]

Ban him anyway.

[HungFist]

Hey, be nice or I'll ban you!

Or maybe not. Forum activity would drop by 45%

[Markgway]

Go ban yourself!

[HungFist]

Can't do that. There's no self-ban button!

[HungFist]

Watch Out, Crimson Bat (Japan, 1969) - 3/5
Entertaining third film features several likeable supporting characters, such as a good hearted swordsman played by Goro Ibuki. Yôko Matsuyama is getting better and better at portraying the heroine, who by now easily redeems her place in the pop culture history next to characters such as Zatoichi and the One Armed Swordsman. Although the storyline is a standard affair and the action scenes are not quite as thrilling as in the previous film, the film is generally more even than part 2.

Girl Boss Blues: Queen Bee's Counterattack (Japan, 1971) [DVD] - 3/5
The first film in the series. This was a bit of a turning point for girl gang films, which had started out light and breezy (Stray Cat Rock, and Delinquent Girl Boss). From here on they would get darker little by little as they'd go down the same path with male yakuza films. A new generation of meaner, sexier and dirtier girls lead by Reiko Ike (still underage here) and Miki Sugimoto would take over the screens from the previous generation (here represented by Yukie Kagawa, who gets her ass kicked by Ike). For these girls survival mattered more than honour. This film contains a whole bunch of iconic genre scenes like malfunctioning clothes in girl fights that would be later seen in countless other films, as well as some unique ideas like the "sex on motorcycle" competition . Yet, the film is uneven. It still includes large doses of silly comedy and a frustratingly strong focus on male supporting characters - both influences of the 60s yakuza films. It seems the filmmakers were not yet entirely confident with the girl gang formula - something that would change soon enough.

[HungFist]

Crimson Bat - Oichi: Wanted, Dead or Alive (Japan, 1970) - 3/5
The final film in the series is the weakest, but it's just a notch below the previous two entries. It feels much like part 3 with its decent but forgettable action and several good supporting characters, including Yuki Meguro as a noble bounty hunter, Tetsuro Tamba as a drunken samurai, and Reiko Oshida as a benevolent boss' daughter. The biggest problem is the return of the dumb peasants, who terrorized part 2 but were thankfully absent from part 3.

Girl Boss Blues: Queen Bee's Challenge (Japan, 1972) [DVD] - 3/5
The second film in the series, with (the still underage) Reiko Ike continuing in the lead. Although the film lacks memorable scenes, it’s well made, with good looking visuals, decent characters and a milieu that feels surprisingly real despite some outlandish elements. There are also some quite funny scenes with the girls cheating horny men out of their money. The tone is still relatively light despite the genre already reaching towards the nihilism that would begin to dominate many Pinky Violence films from mid-1972. There are, however, a couple of harsh torture scenes, of which evil sister Chiyoko Kazama sticking shaken Coca Cola bottles to Sugimoto’s you-know-where leaves a bit of a nasty aftertaste. Tatsuo Umemiya makes a cameo as the “Delinquent Boss”, a character he played in his own film series that ran 17 instalments. Miki Sugimoto has a small supporting role again: she was playing second fiddle to Ike in all her early roles until Onsen Suppon Geisha (1972).

[chazgower01]

Retaliation (Shima wa moratta) (1968) 4/5

Jiro (Akira Kobayashi) is a modern day gangster who gets out of jail for murder after 8 years, and is quickly attacked by the victims brother Hino (Joe Shishido), who has sworn revenge.

He escapes, but they end up working together, Hino vowing to take up his quest when their job is done. The job involves pitting two gangs against each other, so that Shiro's bosses can get the valuable farm land everyone is fighting for.

Meiko Kaji (as Masako Ota at the time) has a small role, as a farmer's daughter, who gets sexually assaulted by one of the gangs, as a message being sent; but eventually ends up as a sort of love interest to Jiro. It's a small part, but well done, but certainly different than what we'd come to expect from her.

Kobayashi is a pretty cool customer here and easy to like. It's a decent little movie, that moves along at a nice pace, with good direction, featuring gains and losses for Jiro, along the path to it's ultimate colorfully entertaining bloody violent finale.

Watched it for free on Amazon Prime, but I'm going to buy the Blu-Ray with all of the extra features.

[HungFist]

I'm a little ashamed to admit that I haven't seen that one - or the other Hasebe film Arrow released. They're not out on DVD in Japan. I guess should pick up the Arrow BDs at some point.

[HungFist]

Sleepy Eyes of Death 13: The Full Moon Swordsman (Japan, 1969) [35mm] - 2.5/5
Hiroki Matsukata starred in the final two Sleepy Eyes of Death films following Raizo Ichikawa's death in 1969. He does quite well in the role, although it must be said there is no comparison to the iconic Ichikawa. The film is a standard Daiei affair: well made, but feels a bit routine. As a nice surprise, the hero's famous full moon cut technique is a bit different compared to before.

Girl Boss Guerilla (Japan, 1972) [DVD] – 3.5/5
Reiko Ike announced her retirement from film biz in 1972, which lead to Miki Sugimoto being cast in leading roles in this film and Onsen Suppon Geisha a month before. Ike's decision didn’t last more than a month or two, and she was back in time to land a “quest star” role in this film. Some say Ike regretted her decision when she saw Sugimoto crowned as the new queen of Toei Porno (yep, that’s how they were known back then). In any case, this film started Ike and Sugimoto’s silver screen rivalry. From here on Toei would often cast one of them as the heroine and the other as (friendly) nemesis. The film is one of the better ones in the series, a breezy biker girl flick shot in and around the beautiful Kyoto. There’s quite a bit of comedy, most of it funny, as well as some sadistic beatings. A better plot would have improved the film, which, it its current state, barely has any. Worth mentioning is the film has the best topless scenes in the series: these girls walk around with their tattooed breasts out if they feel like it cause they just don’t give a damn.

[HungFist]

Sleepy Eyes of Death 14: Fylfot Swordplay (Japan, 1969) [35mm] - 3/5
This is the most violent film in the series with several big blood spurts and a few severed limbs. The film aided by rough but energetic director Kazuo Ikehiro who could be relied on to deliver grittier, more interesting films than routine workhorse Kazuo Mori who helmed part 13. At the same time, however, certain core flaws of the series are evident here. It's a series that flirted with exploitation for 14 instalments without ever really daring to get there. As usual, the film is full of nude scenes without any actual nudity. Similarly, Kyoshiro's dark past is something that was teased with since the beginning, but what never actually materialized into anything more that brief flashbacks.

+ Sonny Chiba Special: Part 55

The Visitor in the Eye (Japan, 1977) [DVD] - 2/5
Nobuhiko Obayashi's second feature film (following House, 1977) is a manga adaptation of Osamu Tezuka comics. There's a fair amount of movie magic to be found here, some with amazing visuals, a stunning 3 minute tracking shot, and an awesome turn by Joe Shishido as the medical genius Black Jack who is the manga's hero. So what gives? Well, Black Jack is not the main character here, in fact, he's a minor character. The relatively uninteresting main story follows a girl who receives an eye transplant - and odd visions of a mysterious man with it. Etsuko Shihomi appears as her best friend in a major supporting role; Sonny Chiba has a 60 second cameo as drunken man. Other cameos include director Toshiya Fujita (Lady Snowblood) and Obayashi himself. The film certainly has its moments, but those moments alone are not enough to keep it from sinking.

Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (Japan, 1977) [DVD] - 3/5
It took Toei 4 years to follow up their first Golgo 13 live action (with Ken Takakura) despite that film having been a major box office success. Director Junya Sato said the studio was not keen on the franchise because the films were too expensive to make due to their international nature. This one takes place almost entirely in Hong Kong, with Sonny Chiba in the lead. The film is generally considered underwhelming considering its potential, but with expectations kept in check the film is actually pretty cool. Chiba is pretty badass in the role, adding ultra violent karate moves to the smooth master sniper's repertoire. There's also a bit of Chiba's modern action influence with some cool stunt work. One assassination in the film greatly resembles a similar scene in The Killer (1989). Another highlight is Golgo's final kill, which may be very brief, and not have a hint of realism to it, but it looks cool as hell. The film's main liabilities are Yukio Noda's mediocre direction, a storyline that could've easily lost 10 minutes, and charisma free supporting actor Chia Lun in a major role as a Hong Kong cop. Etsuko Shihomi has a decent supporting role, and eye-patched Koji Tsuruta of all actors appears in two scenes.

[HungFist]

Girl Boss: Revenge (Japan, 1973) [DVD] – 2.5/5
The 4th and weakest entry in the series. Despite the usual genre charm, this one suffers from suffocating sexism that leaves a nasty aftertaste. Now, someone might point out that hasn't the genre always dwelled in gratuitous exploitation of the female beauty? Of course it has, that why they are called exploitation movies. What makes the difference, however, is how women are portrayed within that context: as weak, disposable pieces of meat, or as bare-breasted amazons kicking ass. This film too often falls to the former category, as best evidenced by the scene where Ike and Sugimoto’s brawl is brought to an end by the former’s boyfriend who slaps Sugimoto in the face and drags Ike into the car. So much about strong women. Throughout the film women are constantly slapped, beaten and raped by the wimpiest of yakuza because, apparently, the gender is at fault. This approach is not only unfortunate but also very anti-climatic. See the 7th film in the series for a prime example of exploitation, with just as much nudity and even all the rapes, done with a genuine sense of female empowerment and ass kicking.

Girl Boss: Escape from Reform School (Japan, 1973) [DVD] – 3.5/5
Sadao Nakajima took over the directorial duties here, which was probably for the best as Norifumi Suzuki seemed to be running out of steam with the series. This is one of the best films in the series; a fast moving entry with only cool girls and not much in terms of frustrating comic reliefs. It's also a stylish one with solid cinematography, some cool action and a badass score that is played on repeat. As the title suggests, Sugimoto and her pals escape from a reform school, which gives the film a slightly road movie kind of structure. Ike also hooks up with small time goon and relatively nice guy Tsunehiko Watase. The nasty sexism of the previous entry is thankfully absent here. However, there is something that keeps the film just short of excellence. It's well made and entertaining, but ultimately not quite as catchy, stylish and anarchic as the very best pinky violence films.

[HungFist]

A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse (Japan, 1975) [35mm] - 3/5
Kazuhiko Yamaguchi never enjoyed much critical acclaim, but he helmed some of the most outrageous Toei films of the 70s. Or how does a 1975 cursed cat erotic horror flick loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe sound like? Naomi Tani is an abused wife forced to work in a brothel. She's eventually whipped to death killed by Murota and his lover (terribly ironic considering she survived all her SM flicks). Her soul, however, comes back to haunt the evil doers in the form of a black cat. The film is quite a Frankenstein job, stealing elements from Poe, SM films, Turkish Bath films, animal terror etc. It eventually gets to the point where the vengeful cat is flying around slaughtering bad guys and finally turns into a runway cast member of the Cats musical. It's all positively insane and entertaining, but any real horror is long gone by this point, and the cat looks especially bored. It also doesn't reach the style of the director's better films. Consider it Yamaguchi's House-lite, Toei Porno style.

Girl Boss: Diamond Showdown (Japan, 1974) [DVD] - 3/5
Ikuo Sekimoto helmed the last two films in the series. This one, the 6th film in the series, plays it safe. Reiko Ike is a delinquent girl who once stabbed a gangster boss (Toru Abe) and is now being released from reform school. She’s soon back to her old habits. It’s an entertaining enough, but forgettable entry in the series. Occasional sadistic violence is mixed with comedy, and the soundtrack includes songs like “Funky Monkey Baby”. Bad girl Ryoko Ema, who gets a bit more characterization here than usual, seems to be wearing the same dress that Ike had in Lynch Law Classroom. Tsunehiko Watase plays a cool gangster always wearing sunglasses. This was the last film in the series with the original cast; neither Ike nor Sugimoto (absent here as well) returned for the final entry.

[HungFist]

Oh Wonderful Utamaro (Japan, 1974) [35mm] - 2.5/5
Director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi was best known for martial arts and Pinky Violence films but he also directed a couple of erotic films. This mildly amusing sex comedy is mainly remembered for starring Sharon Kelly. The American actress plays a nymphomaniac who falls from the sky with a parachute and is picked up by "porno broker" Tatsuo Umemiya who then makes her work in his Turkish bath, which she doesn't mind at all. Kelly is obviously the main attraction here, whether you mean it literally or as a cinematic curiosity. The film itself is a pretty mediocre affair with hippies, yakuza, lots of sex, silly comedy, and a bit of action. Kelly reads her lines in English with few sentences of (understandable) Japanese here and there, while the rest of the cast does the opposite. The best supporting character is an English speaking hippie dad taking care of a baby and having sex at the same time with Pinky Violence co-star Harumi Tajima.

Girl Boss: Crazy Ball Game (Japan, 1974) [DVD] – 3.5/5
The final film in the series, done without its original stars Ike and Sugimoto, is perhaps the best. Yuko Kano is the new sukeban and although she was not a star of Ike or Sugimoto's calibre, she still owns the film. She’s got enough looks and attitude to convince and charm. It’s also a well made film with an energetic supporting cast, a groovy score, and a fast-paced script largely void of silly comic reliefs. The film is also enjoyably pro-women within its exploitation context: girls kick ass, nudity is often cheerful (wait for the ridiculous and awesome topless beach scene) and rapes only happen when the girls are outnumbered by yakuza gorillas, rather than women being at the mercy of any male by default. Any wrong doings are of course brutally avenged in the over the top final massacre that might have felt out of place in a more realistic entry, but was a perfect way to retire this series.

[HungFist]

Third Generation Boss (Japan, 1974) [35mm] - 2/5
In the early/mid 70s there was a brief period when the old school chivalrous yakuza films and the new documentary style crime films co-existed. This film tries to be a bit of both - a ninkyo true story. Ken Takakura portrays the man who became the third generation Yamaguchi gang boss. The film offers such a polished image of the Yamaguchi gang that it hard to believe there has been any attempt to convey real facts of gang life. The film feels like an attempt to cash in with Takakura's popularity despite the evident fact that he was reluctant to appear in the kinds of ultra-violent and sometimes sleazy films that jitsuroku movies were. Third Generation Boss feels like a compromise and is underwhelming from both perspectives.

+ Sonny Chiba Special: Part 56

Soul of Chiba (Japan/Taiwan/Thailand/Hong Kong, 1977) [DVD] - 4/5
A strangle little trash classic filmed in Thailand, and produced by Chiba himself with no participation by Toei. Some sources claim he was frustrated with Toei execs and directors who didn't understand about martial arts movies. Tadashi Yamashita, Etsuko Shihomi and Bolo joined him for the relatively nonsensical but very entertaining and intoxicating flick. Chiba is a young man searching for the man who killed his white beard master. The killer's name is either Someone or Sam Wan, it's hard to say which. Despite the poor production values that make it look and sounds like a Taiwanese kung fu flick, the movie is packed with action and unforgettable insanity. For one, this must be the only movie where a hero tortures himself to near death with electricity to make his body stronger - and develops a severe drug addiction as a side effect. Also, there is a classic scene where Chiba fights possessed monkey fighters - complete with psychedelic editing and the same awesome slow-mo effects as in Karate Warriors. The ending is terrific as well.

Roaring Fire (Japan, 1981) [35mm] - 4.5/5
A mentally insane, turbo charged action comedy that is one of Norifumi Suzuki's most enjoyable films. Hiroyuki Sanada stars as a Japanese-American cowboy travelling back to Japan on family affairs only to discover a drug smuggling operation ran by a Japanese neo nazi. Except for the bloody violence and a monkey that steals a girls' bikini top, this is very much the kind of movie Jackie Chan would begin to make a few years later. There's a terrific mix of comedy, martial arts and amazing stunts. The highlights are too numerous to list, including Sanada running from ninjas in broad daylight in Kyoto, a double-decker fight scene shot in Hong Kong, and Sanada escaping on foot a helicopter that is dropping hand grenades on him. Quest star Sonny Chiba was responsible for the action design, and indeed, this is like a supercharged version of his own "Modern Action" era films from the 60s and 70s, with added Hong Kong influences to the fight choreography. Supporting cast includes Etsuko Shihomi, Abdullah the Butcher, and Masashi Ishibashi in perhaps the only good guy role of his career. Highly recommended!

[HungFist]

Sukeban kabushiki gaisha (Japan, 1984) [VoD] – 3/5
Koyu Ohara's uneven Roman Porno filmography contains just about anything from notorious rape thrillers to romantic comedies. Here he's making fun of the 70’s girl gang films as well as the 80’s idol action films and TV shows. Three bored high school girls start a gang of their own. They train in karate and learn to endure torture, only to find out that the local motorcycle gang doesn't want to fight them as the boys just wanna dance. It’s not Ohara’s best film, but is a fun, sweet comedy with sailor suits and a machine gun. The girls are much cuter than the typical Nikkatsu starlets, and the sex scenes are surprisingly sweet. On the minus side the storyline and characters aren't much to write home about and the script goes a bit overboard with movie references.

+ Sonny Chiba Special: Part 57

Minefield (Japan / Thailand, 1992) - 3/5
Sonny Chiba is an ex-mercenary and explosives disarm specialist vacationing in Thailand when his family is captured by his former foe who, with his men, is on the run. They are caught between a minefield and approaching army forces. A surprisingly effective straight-to-video action melodrama despite some shabby filmmaking and limited production values. Chiba is excellent as a tormented man forced to clear a path in the middle of a minefield - a painfully slow process that takes several days to complete. Meanwhile his wife and underage daughter live under a constant threat of sexual violence by the ridiculously evil villain and his troops. Manipulative but quite original and entertaining with some solid action, and comes with an unexpectedly strong emotional punch. Based on an original concept by Chiba.



Young and Dangerous 6: Born to be King (Hong Kong, 2000) [DVD] - 1/5
The last film in the series that started in 1996. Not having seen the earlier entries I'm unable to put this into a context, however, this TV-like triad melodrama is abysmal on its own right. It's a talkative wanna-be epic of a Hong Kong gangster (Jordan Chan) who marries a Japanese gangster boss' (Sonny Chiba) daughter, then becomes boss in Taiwan and gets in trouble with the local gangsters who don' trust him. The government seems to be involved as well. Director Andrew Lau, probably the most over-rated hack in Hong Kong, caters the film to young audiences by using nonsensical flashy editing, pretty boy Ekin Cheng and a truly horrible soundtrack. Leading man Jordan Chan has the charisma of a pubic hair. Not counting the ridiculous ending, the only funny thing about the film is the protagonist marrying a Japanese woman despite not speaking Japanese. Well, that is not funny, but the fact that the actress who plays his wife also can't pronounce a single Japanese word is funny in an awkward way. Sonny Chiba is the only good thing about the film. He has a handful of scenes, the first few of them rather worthless but his charisma is somewhat utilized during the film's second half.

[chazgower01]

Totally agree with your review of Girl Boss Guerilla - found it very entertaining. Picked it up as part of the Pinky Violence Collection, and really dig Miki Sugimoto - need to see more of her!

[chazgower01]

Stray Cat Rock: Machine Animal (1970) - 3.5/5 - Amazon Prime has a whole bunch of great oriental movies as a part of their free viewing ($60 a year or whatever for membership), so I've been rewatching and in this case seeing for the first time some really cool films.
As a Meiko Kaji fan, I can appreciate anything she's in, and Bunjaku Han is always cute, but at this point in the series, isn't it clear what a great character actor Tatsuya Fuji is?
I didn't even recognize him until he had the quiet moment away from the party and I thought "Who's this guy Meiko is kinda digging on?"
Here he plays a good guy, but it doesn't matter - other than his laugh, his villains from the first three movies all looked different and had their own personalities. He's amazing.
I can see why this is regarded as one of the better films in the series, as the characters seem the least delinquent and most human (minus, ya know, the acid trips) and the story is one of compassion, though no less tragic.
Anyway, it's better reviewed elsewhere, but three friends are trying to sell a bunch of LSD to finance their way out of Japan with an American Vietnam deserter who seems to have a some kind of weird neurosis. They get mixed up with the delightfully slimy Eiji Go's bike gang, but get help from Meiko's group of delinquents.
Worth having, I need to just buy the Stray Cat Box set to have for good.

[chazgower01]

Wandering Ginza Butterfly (1972) 4/5 - Did I give this a 4 out 5? Yep...As I watched this movie, taking in the pool shark angle, enjoying early 70's Japan and the 'hostess' profession, and the Yakuza bad guys and the side plots, and Meiko's past and thinking, this is a quality, engaging character movie with some really memorable... and then the ending! Wow!
An orgy of blood indeed.
Meiko Kaji is great of course, and director Kazuhinko Yamaguchi is on his game again. He also made the highly enjoyable Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess and, one of my long time faves, the Etsuko Shihomi feature Sister Street Fighter.
Don't be taken back by the drama and lack of action for 90% of the movie... enjoy it for what it is, and then let that finale knock you out.

[chazgower01]

13 Steps of Maki (Japan, 1975) ('Fan copy' dvd) 3.75/5

Just got my 'Fan Copy' DVD of this, and been wanting to see it for years, so I'm not sure why I'm not as stoked over it as I thought I would be....
Etsuko Shihomi is cute as hell and kicks ass all throughout, and as has already been reviewed here, there's lots of nudity, violence, torture, a wip segment... well, part of my disappointment is that the wip part was, I thought, a little disappointing. No obligatory shower scene, no torn clothing while fighting, just one little naked girl torture scene, somewhat underplayed strangely enough, and that was about it.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't like I was expecting Etsuko to get naked, or topless for that matter, even after she tells the warden, "I know what comes next... I'm supposed to get butt naked!" (Have to admit, that line did perk my interest a bit) I just thought for a movie that threw around the nudity, it seemed to get a bit coy at the part where I most expected it.
And the ending... after the ass kicking finale of it, just sort of... ended. Where does she go? What happened to the Boss' daughter? What happens to the other Stary Cats? What is this 13 thing all about anyway? Where can I get one of those cool shirts?
Still a high rating for Shihomi just plain kicking everyone's ass, and looking cute and fierce at the same time (no easy accomplishment), Shihomi with nunchaku busting up heads, 'Skinhead', Chiba's cameo, uh... the nudity....
Still very much worth seeing... just... not quite a 4 for me. Maybe I'll watch it again here in a few weeks and see if I like it better with out all of the pre-conceived expectations.

[chazgower01]

And... not sure where to put this, so moderation can move it if necessary, but... I'm looking for what I've heard is a subtitled blu-ray edition of Revenge of the Pearl Queen (Shintoho 1956)... any help would be much appreciated!