Bullets 'n' Babes

In March Toei will finally release Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs (1974) and the two New Female Prisoner Scorpion films (1976-&1977). Zero Woman is already available from Discotek and HK Video, both somewhat flawed releases, and the New Female Prisoners can be found in Pathe's Sasori box set, but those are NTSC to PAL conversions.

Both New Female Prisoners are good films, though, especially the first one which is kinda standard genre film (in a good way) until the amazing ending. It's a loose remake of the original Meiko Kaji movie but not to the extent that you'd feel like watching the same movie again. The second film features an entirely new storyline. Both films feature strong cast with the edge going for the second film in which the evil warden is played by none other than Toei's No. 1 karate villain Masashi Ishibashi. Sasori is portrayed in these films by Yumi Takigawa and Yoko Natsuki respectively.

Toei is typically strong when it comes to colors and contrast, but sharpness (or the lack of it) has been their problem in the recent years. If they get these discs right, they could all be worthy upgrades.

Zero Woman: Red Hadcuffs (０課の女　赤い手錠) (1974)
Director: Yukio Noda
Cast: Miki Sugimoto, Hideo Murota, Tetsuro Tamba, Yoko Mihara
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=767895

New Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701 (Shin joshuu sasori: 701-go) (新女囚さそり　７０１号) (1976)
Director: Yutaka Kohira
Cast: Yumi Takigawa, Rinichi Yamamoto, Bunjaku Han
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=767896

New Female Prisoner Scorpion: Tokushu-bo X (Shin joshuu sasori: Tokushu-bo X) (新・女囚さそり　特殊房Ｘ) (1977)
Director: Yutaka Kohira
Cast: Yoko Natsuki, Masashi Ishibashi, Hiroshi Tachi, Takeo Chii
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=767897

In April Toei will release three Junya Sato films

The Drifting Avenger (Koya no toseinin) (荒野の渡世人) (1968)
Director: Junya Sato
Cast: Ken Takakura, Ken Goodlet, Judith Roberts, Kevin Cooney
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0130639/
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=769046
- http://www.weirdwildrealm.com/f-driftingavenger.html
- http://www2u.biglobe.ne.jp/~kazu60/wwase1/toseigun.htm
- http://artoflife.cocolog-nifty.com/blog ... -b48d.html

Boryokudan sai buso (暴力団再武装) (1971)
Director: Junya Sato
Cast: Koji Tsuruta, Tomistaburo Wakayama, Tetsuro Tanba, Tsunehiko Watase
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0224676/
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=769047

Chounouryoku-sha - Michi eno tabibito (超能力者　未知への旅人) (1994)
Director: Junya Sato
Cast: Tomokazu Miura, Mieko Harada, Tetsuro Tanba, Renji Ishibashi
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=769048
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0225388/

The Drifting Avenger

Big news. Guess who is the star of Toei's June release batch? A little guy named Teruo motherfucking Ishii.

ならず者 (Narazu-mono) (An Outlaw) (1964)
Director: Teruo Ishii
Cast: Ken Takakura, Tetsuro Tanba, Tôru Abe, Yoko Mihara
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=779241
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058391/

緋ぢりめん博徒 (Hijirimen bakuto) (The Red Silk Gambler) (1972)
Director: Teruo Ishii
Cast: Hiroko Fuji, Eiko Nakamura, Reiko Ike, Bunta Sugawara
Based on the novel by Dan Oniroku
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=779242
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0142367/

現代任侠史 (Gendai ninkyô-shi ) (1973)
Director: Teruo Ishii
Cast: Ken Takakura, Eiji Go, Meiko Kaji, Isao Natsuyagi, Mikio Narita, Noboru Ando, Asao Koike
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=779243
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070100/

Toei July is a pinky violence month

やさぐれ姐御伝　総括リンチ (Yasagure anego den: sōkatsu rinchi) (Female Yakuza Tale) (1973)
Director: Teruo Ishii
Cast: Reiko Ike, Meika Seri, Emi Jo, Ryohei Uchida, Tooru Abe

前科おんな　殺し節 (Zenka onna: koroshi-bushi) (Criminal Woman: Killing Melody) (1973)
Director: Atsushi Mihori
Cast: Reiko Ike, Miki Sugimoto, Yumiko Katayama, Shinzo Hotta, Takeo Chii

番格ロック (Bankaku rokku) (1973)
Director: Makoto Naito
Cast: Emiko Yamauchi, Naoya Makoto, Hideo Murota, Takashi Shikauchi and Yumiko Katayama



Below is a bit more of Bankaku rock

番格ロック (Bankaku rokku) (1973)

http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1973/cw002930.htm
http://www.walkerplus.com/movie/kinejun ... h&id=19979
http://blog.livedoor.jp/n_tko/archives/50829156.html
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/langberg/e/60e24c ... 93b92cf478

Bankaku rokku looks very cool!

Gaijin84 wrote:Bankaku rokku looks very cool!

Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe9ga0BYyEQ

Toho is releasing more 1970's action films on dvd

March 18th

Yaju gari (野獣狩り) (1973)
Director: Eizo Sugawa
Cast: Junzaburou Ban, Hiroshi Fujioka, Yumi Nagasama
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=144554
- http://fab4.at.webry.info/200804/article_2.html

Ogon no paatonaa (黄金のパートナー) (1979)
Director: Kiyoshi Nishimura
Cast: Tomokaz Miura, Tatsuya Fuji, Misako Konno
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=146689
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196809/



Toho's official sub-sites for the releases:
http://www.toho-a-park.com/newaction/ya ... index.html
http://www.toho-a-park.com/newaction/ougon/index.html



Yaju gari was previously featured on one of Hotwax's soundtrack collections, 野獣死すべし-復讐のメカニック、野獣狩り.



April 22nd

Gokiburi deka (ゴキブリ刑事)　(1973)
Director: Tsugunobu Kotani
Cast: Tetsuya Watari, Takeo Chii, Eiji Go, Mariko Kaga
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0322432/
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=144385
- http://www.h3.dion.ne.jp/~viva_42/gokiburi.html

Za gokiburi (ザ・ゴキブリ) (1973)
Director: Tsugunobu Kotani
Cast: Tetsuya Watari, Tetsuro Tanba, Michiko Honda
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324645/
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=144573



Toho's official sub-sites for these releases:
http://www.toho-a-park.com/newaction/deka/index.html
http://www.toho-a-park.com/newaction/go ... index.html



Toho's New Action DVD series subsite:
http://www.toho-a-park.com/newaction/index.html

HungFist wrote:

Gaijin84 wrote:Bankaku rokku looks very cool!

Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe9ga0BYyEQ

Now it looks even cooler!

Thank you for all the great posters. A true feast for the eyes!

Toei has announced their June Low Priced Batch

The first 6 Abashiri Prison films (all directed by Teruo Ishii)
Abashiri Prison (Abashiri bangaichi) (網走番外地) (1965)
Abashiri Prison 2 (Zoku Abashiri bangaichi) (続網走番外地) (1965)
Abashiri Prison 3 (Abashiri bangaichi: Boukyu hen) (網走番外地　望郷篇) (1965)
Abashiri Prison 4 (Abashiri bangaichi: Hokkai hen) 網走番外地　北海篇)
Abashiri Prison 5 (Abashiri bangaichi: Arano no taiketsu) (網走番外地　荒野の対決9 (1966)
Abashiri Prison 6 (Abashiri bangaichi:Nangoku no taiketsu) 網走番外地　南国の対決 (1966)

The Kyoudai jingi series (note: not in chronological order)
兄弟仁義 (1966) (Kosaku Yamashita)
兄弟仁義　関東三兄弟 (1966) (Kosaku Yamashita)
兄弟仁義　関東命知らず (1967) (Kosaku Yamashita)
兄弟仁義　続・関東三兄弟 (1967) (Kosaku Yamashita)
兄弟仁義　関東兄貴分 (1967) (Sadao Nakajima)
兄弟仁義　逆縁の盃 (1968) (Norifumi Suzuki)
新兄弟仁義 (Kiyoshi Saeki) (1970)
関東兄弟仁義　任侠 (1971) (Buichi Saito)

Ghost stories
Kaidan Oiwa No Borei (怪談 お岩の亡霊) (1961) (Tai Kato)
Snake Woman's Curse (Kaidan hebi onna) 怪談 蛇女 (1968) (Nobuo Nakagawa)
Kaibyo noroi no numa (怪猫 呪いの沼) (1968) (Yoshihiro Ishikawa)
Inugami no tatari (犬神の悪霊) (1977) (Shunya Ito)

Teruo Ishii pinky violence & female punishment flicks
History of the Shogun's Harem (Tokugawa onna keizu) (徳川女系図) (1968)
Joy of Torture, The (Tokugawa onna keibatsu-shi) (徳川女刑罰史) (1968)
Inferno of Torture (Tokugawa irezumi-shi: Seme jigoku) (徳川いれずみ師　責め地獄) (1969)
Love & Crime (Menji, taisho, showa ryoki onna hanzaishi) (明治・大正・昭和　猟奇女犯罪史) (1969)
Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight (Porno Jidaigeki – Bohachi Bushido (ポルノ時代劇　忘八武士道) (1973)

Other pink and pinky violence films
Lustful Shogun and His 21 Mistresses (Ero shogun to 21 nin no aishin) (エロ将軍と二十一人の愛妾) (1972) (Norifumi Suzuki)
Tokugawa Sex Ban: Lustful Lord (Tokugawa sekkusu kinshi-rei: shikijô daimyô) (徳川セックス禁止令　色情大名) (1972) (Norifumi Suzuki)
Sex & Fury (Furyo anego den: Inoshika Ocho) (不良姐御伝　猪の鹿お蝶) (1973) (Norifumi Suzuki)
Story of a Nymphomaniac (Kôshoku: Genroku (maruhi) monogatari) (好色元禄（秘）物語) (1975) (Ikuo Sekimoto)
The General and His Decadent Society (Ooku ukiyoburo) (大奥浮世風呂) (1977) (Ikuo Sekimoto)
Dolls of the Shogun's Harem (Ooku jyuhakkei) (大奥十八景) (1986) (Norifumi Suzuki)

The Delinquent Girl Boss series (all directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi)
Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams (Zubeko bancho: yume wa yoru hiraku) (ずべ公番長　夢は夜ひらく) (1970)
Delinquent Girl Boss: Tokyo Drifters (Zubekô banchô: Tôkyô nagaremono) (ずべ公番長　東京流れ者) (1970)
Delinquent Girl Boss: Ballad of Yokohama Hoods (Zubekô banchô: Hamagure kazoe uta) (ずべ公番長　はまぐれ数え唄) (1971)
Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess (Zubeko bancho: zange no neuchi mo nai) (ずべ公番長　ざんげの値打ちもない) (1971)

GMen '75 Collections
ＧＭＥＮ’７５　BEST SELECT　Vol.1
ＧＭＥＮ’７５　BEST SELECT　Vol.2
ＧＭＥＮ’７５　BEST SELECT　Vol.3
ＧＭＥＮ’７５　BEST SELECT　Vol.4

+ a handful of 90's and 2000's titles that I didn't bother to list





I stole quite a few posters from this excellent site: http://www.videx.jp/

I'm glad Toei is low pricing only the first six Abashiri's this time. I have the first two, and will now try to pick up the next four. I couldn't possibly have afforded all of them at once. Also interested in Kyoudai jingi if I have any money left over. Thankfully I own a lot of the other titles already.

Speaking of pinky horror, did anyone ever release Kazuhiko Yamaguchi's 1975 were-cat prostitute movie MYSTERIOUS CAT & TURKISH BATH? (I've seen the Japanese title listed as KAIBYO TURKO BURO, but I'm not sure that's even possible phonetically in Japanese.)

Edit: I guess it is.

http://movie.douban.com/subject/4123865

Just taking a quick look, I don't think it's ever been released in home video format. Not on dvd for sure, but I don't think it ever came out on VHS either. It's a Toei film, so if it does come out on dvd some day, I won't miss it.

Red Army/PFLP: Declaration of World War (Sekigun-P.F.L.P: Sekai sensô sengen) (1971)

“This is a news film for the construction of the world Red Army.”

Koji Wakamatsu and Masao Adachi were among the most important political filmmakers in Japan in the 1960’s. The duo regularly “disguised” their works as pink cinema, but that didn’t keep the audiences from finding them, not to mention a whole generation of future filmmakers who were inspired by their film radicalism.

Wakamatsu (Go, Go, Second Time Virgin, 1969) was on his way back from the Cannes Film Festival when his screenwriter partner and director Masao Adachi (Gushing Prayer, 1971) suggested they would do something different. Wakamatsu, somewhat tired of working in the pink genre by then, agreed. The two men found themselves in Palestine, shooting a “news film” of PFLP (The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) for the Japanese extreme leftist group The Red Army. Wakamatsu himself was closely connected to some members, and also directed a film (United Red Army, 2007) of the movement almost three decades later.

Red Army/PFLP: Declaration of World War is not a documentary in the purest sense, but more of a propaganda film. Its message, directly encouraging the Japanese“comrades” to violence and taking up arms, would be quite disturbing if not seen from today’s point of view – that is, 40 years after the film was made. But then again, the world hasn’t changed all that much since then. The film got Wakamatsu on USA’s black list – up till today, he’s never been allowed to set his foot on American soil. While beyond ridiculous today, it was a very understandable decision at the time of the film’s release.

As a movie, Red Army/PFLP isn’t all that special. The majority of the film consists of propaganda speeches, typically accompanied by images of the Palestinian countryside. Wakamatsu and Adachi have, however, also captured interesting material of PFLP fighters. The value of this footage is not to be underestimated. The film was intended for native Japanese speakers, although subtitled versions were also created for foreign markets. In this case, however, dubbing would have been preferable. In subtitled form the heavy monologue floods easily distract from visual offering.

DVD

The R2J is out of print but can still be found for reasonable prices from second had stores. Barebones disc, but there is a thick booklet included. I'd take a photo but I forgot it home. I'll try to remember to edit a photo in here some day.

Interesting to see a Japanese filmmakers' interest in the topic of this part of the world.

Updated this year's Toei posts with cover arts. Here are bigger versions of some of the most beautiful.

Toei has created a website for their low priced batch:
http://www.toei-video.co.jp/priceoff10th/index.html

Notice that the price has been lowered from 3150 (3000 without taxes) to 2940 (2800 without takes)

Toei August is a Shunya Ito month

Hana ichimonme (花いちもんめ) (1985)
Cast: Yukiyo Toake, Minoru Chiaki, Teruhiko Saigo
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0202892/
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=784398

Hanazono no meikyu (花園の迷宮) (1988)
Cast: Youki Kudoh, Yûya Uchida, Yoko Shimada
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154756/
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=784399

Pride: Unmei no toki (プライド　運命の瞬間) (1998)
Cast: Masahiko Tsugawa, Scott Wilson, Eiji Okuda
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162563/
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=784400



Toei September is a Sadao Nakajima month

Bakamasa horamasa toppamasa (バカ政ホラ政トッパ政) (1976)
Cast: Bunta Sugawara, Mitsuko Baisho, Casey Takamine
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=790336
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144092/

Saraba, wagatomo: Jitsuroku ô-mono shikeishûtachi (さらば、わが友　実録大物死刑囚たち) (1980)
Cast: Kinya Aikawa, Tsutomu Isobe, Hideo Murota
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=790337
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360955/

Seburi monogatari (瀬降り物語) (1985)
Cast: Ken'ichi Hagiwara, Yumiko Fujita, Hideo Murota
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=790338
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124113/

For fans of late Teruo Ishii:


Release date: 2011/06/24

This is a documentary about Ishii and the making of his last film, Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf, which was made largely with the help of film students and devoted Ishii fans. The documentary was originally released in 2006.

More info (japanese): http://www.minipara.com/movies2006-3rd/ishi/
Review (english): http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ ... 818a3.html

Random awesome news part MK:
"Kaji Meiko just released a new album where she sings the Truck Yaro theme! http://bit.ly/iZQ5OJ"
- http://twitter.com/#!/ryuganji

She's also in Toei News, as in in October they will release the two Wandering Ginza Butterly films, already out on DVD in the US by Synapse. I wonder if their sales are hurt by imports by now. I've actually seen Synapse's (Toei film) dvds on sale in HMV in Japan. Horrors of Malformed Men was there at least, something else too but can't remember what...

HungFist wrote: 番格ロック (Bankaku rokku) (1973)
Director: Makoto Naito
Cast: Emiko Yamauchi, Naoya Makoto, Hideo Murota, Takashi Shikauchi and Yumiko Katayama

Crap. It looks like Toei has cancelled this release. Maybe soundtrack copyright issues???

That is a crushing disappointment. Hopefully it's not due to lack of decent elements.

Toei November is a Dirty Nakajima month. The first two are listed as documentary films!

Nippon '69 sekkusu ryoki chitai (にっぽん'６９　セックス猟奇地帯) (1969)
Director: Sadao Nakajima

Sex Document: sei tousaku no seikai (セックスドキュメント　性倒錯の世界)
Director: Sadao Nakajima

Kyoi no dokumento: Nippon yokujo monogatari (Pilgrimage to Japanese Baths) (驚異のドキュメント　日本浴場物語) (1971)
Director: Sadao Nakajima
Cast: Ichiro Araki

Found a poster of
Sex Document: sei tousaku no seikai (セックスドキュメント　性倒錯の世界)

HungFist wrote:Toei November is a Dirty Nakajima month. The first two are listed as documentary films!

Nippon '69 sekkusu ryoki chitai (にっぽん'６９　セックス猟奇地帯) (1969)
Director: Sadao Nakajima

Sex Document: sei tousaku no seikai (セックスドキュメント　性倒錯の世界)
Director: Sadao Nakajima

Kyoi no dokumento: Nippon yokujo monogatari (Pilgrimage to Japanese Baths) (驚異のドキュメント　日本浴場物語) (1971)
Director: Sadao Nakajima
Cast: Ichiro Araki

I take it these are the Japanese answer to Germany's SCHULMÄCHEN REPORTs? Or would they be "real" documentaries more along the lines of the "Mondo" flicks?

To celebrate Nikkatsu's 100th anniversary, there will be affordably priced (1,890 yen) HD Remastered editions of various Nikkatsu films. Some of them are re-releases, while other are making their DVD debut. Announced so far:

2011/10/04
Juvelile Jungle (狂った果実) (1956)
The Burmese Harp (ビルマの竪琴) (1956)
The Left Hand of Jiro (赤い波止場) (1958)
The Tokyo Night Guy (東京の暴れん坊) (1960)
Danger Paws (危いことなら銭になる) (1962)
Love Comes with Youth (伊豆の踊子) (1963)
Gazing at Love and Death (愛と死をみつめて) (1964)
Only on Mondays (月曜日のユカ) (1964)
The Black Gambler (黒い賭博師) (1965)
Branded to Kill (殺しの烙印) (1967)

2011/11/02
Season of the Sun (太陽の季節) (1956)
Suzaki Paradise Red Light (洲崎パラダイス　赤信号) (1956)
The Stormy Man (嵐を呼ぶ男) (1957)
The Rambling Guitarist (ギターを持った渡り鳥) (1959)
A Killer without a Grave (紅の拳銃) (1961)
I Hate but Love (憎いあンちくしょう) (1962)
Behind the Green Hills (青い山脈) (1963)
Youth of the Beast (野獣の青春) (1963)
Monument to the Girl's Corps (あゝひめゆりの塔) (1968)
Wet Sand in August (八月の濡れた砂) (1971)