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

[grim_tales]

The Shinjuku Incident (2009): 3.5/5

Hard hitting, quite dark thriller with Jackie Chan, his performance is very good.

Some trailers on the Blu Ray -
Machine Girl - WTF? Looks bonkers.
Robo-Geisha - WTF? Claims to be "One of the most popular films on Youtube" though I doubt it would be on there now given how Youtube is these days.

[grim_tales]

Iron Fisted Monk (1977): 4/5

The image quality on the Eureka Blu Ray is excellent, and big thanks to Markgway for his work on the subtitles/translation
Sometimes it's hard to watch There are some excellent brutal fights though.
The movie looked cut to me one of the assault/rape scenes, right at the end it's all zoomed in

[Markgway]

Yes, the rape scene is cut.

Some shots were zoomed in and/or optically censored.

Alas, no one involved in the QC noticed until its was too late.

My subs were done to an uncut DVD, so I had no knowledge of the changes.

[grim_tales]

No worries Mark, not your fault
I remember the discussion on Blu Ray.com about some censoring but the very last shot looked different from that to me, as well (zoomed in rather than having a blob over it or whatever). Weird. It was so fast.

[grim_tales]

Sister Street Fighter: Hanging By a Thread (Japan, 1974): 3.5/5

I was very entertained by Sonny Chiba's Street Fighter films and enjoyed this one too. The choreography/fighting didn't seem as polished/precise as HK films of that era. Is it a Japanese or karate thing? There was more emphasis on breathing noises and the kind of "Wooo-ooo" screams Bruce Lee would do, and the moves were very quick.
There's a great bit where the lead exacts revenge on the villain by giving him the same treatment he gave her sister - stabbing his eyes out
At the beginning there were Japanese 'side-titles' on the screen as well as English subtitles for some reason.

[HungFist]

The choreography/fighting didn't seem as polished/precise as HK films of that era. Is it a Japanese or karate thing?

I'd say a bit of both. The entire Japanese karate film movement was largely lead by Sonny Chiba (whose protege Shihomi was) and Chiba was a real life Kyokushin karate disciple. Kyokushin is a pretty badass form of full contact karate where they basically train to kill the opponent with one strike. It's brutal. But I also think there was influence (in karate films) from samurai sword fighting, where likewise the aim is to kill the opponent with one strike. It's very different from the opera-like Chinese wuxia or kung fu cinema where they do extremely long and stylized fight scenes instead of trying to kill each other in 5 seconds

I sometimes joke that the difference between Japanese and Chinese evil ninjas is that the Japanese ones die much faster

It's also true, however, that Japanese cinema never had the luxury of time and endless martial arts performer talent that Hong Kong had. These film were shot quick (in two or three weeks, I'd say) and without an abundance of experienced martial arts performers. Chiba even joked that he formed Japan Action Club (in 1970) so that he'd have better opponents to beat in films. And even then the studio often cast mainstream actors, like Hideo Murota in Hanging By a Thread, as the main villain. Murota was a great yakuza film and villain actor, but not a martial artist. His henchman Masashi Ishibashi on the other hand was the real deal when it came to karate. He even served as quest instructor at Kyokushin karate founder Masashi Ishibashi's dojo.

At the beginning there were Japanese 'side-titles' on the screen as well as English subtitles for some reason.

Of course, since they are speaking in Chinese And the side-titles were burned into the prints so there's no removing them.

[HungFist]

Brutal Tales of Chivalry: I Sincerely Want to Kill You (昭和残侠伝 死んで貰います) (Japan, 1970) [TV] – 2.5/5
Part 7. Geisha girl Fuji consoles Takakura under a big tree after losing his money to crooked card dealer Rin’ichi Yamamoto. Opening credits pass in the rain. Then Takakura walks back into the gambling den and shovels his sword through Yamamoto's hand. Years pass in prison. When finally released, Takakura tries honest living with brother Ikebe and of course goes to meet Fuji again. A beautiful opening in this one, one that carries the entire first half. Unfortunately much potential is left unutilized. Yamamoto returns, but only does one scene as disgraced, tragic villain before resorting to one-dimensional evil antics. Geisha Fuji is so naive one wonders if the character has brain damage. And Makino helms in his usual slow-paced fashion - even the compulsory "final walk" is so slow one starts wondering if the film is playing in slow-motion. The violent climax is good and Takakura delivers the titular phrase “Shinde moraimasu!” Not a bad film, but the opening promised more.

Kaibyo Saga sodo (怪猫佐賀騒動) (Japan, 1981) [TV] – 2.5/5
Reiko Ike faces feline vengeance in a minor late career highlight, a jidai geki horror movie made for TV. It may have been her last starring role, following career decay after the mid-70s (her drug and gambling arrests didn't help) and a minor comeback in the late 70s, mainly on TV. This film was loosely based on Nabeshima sodo, one of the many kaibyou (monster cat or cursed cat) tales, which are a subgenre of their own in Japanese horror. Ike is the jealous lover of Saga lord Sawashima (Kimiyuki Araya) who's laid his eye on a new girl (Sanae Takada), the recently engaged sister of a local daimyo. The lord's power-hungry retainer (Akira Nakao) sees his opportynity to plot the lord's downfall, and together with partner-in-crime Sawanoi (Moeko Ezawa) feeds Ike with lies about the girl until jealousy takes the murderous better of her. But then a black cat licks the victim's blood and absorbs the vengeful spirit. This is a little tamer than some the wilder Japanese TV entertainments of the time (e.g. Nihon meisaku kaidan gekijo, 1979), drawing the line to butt, side boob and a few severed limbs in brief action sequences. It's nice to see Ike in a lead role, even if she's now assigned to the jealous, murderous lover part, and overacts the hell out of it. Japanese ghosts aren't a genre of my experience or enthusiasm, for which reason I cannot give a fair assessment, but the film should not be too bad among its kind.

[grim_tales]

Of course, since they are speaking in Chinese And the side-titles were burned into the prints so there's no removing them.

Oh I didn't realise they were speaking Chinese - my bad
Thanks for your insight on Japanese movie fighting, interesting I didn't mean to say it wasn't good, it's just different and something I'm not as used to

[HungFist]

Police Department Story 11 (警視庁物語　遺留品なし) (Japan, 1959) [TV] – 2.5/5
Another good, but unexeptional entry. This a rather talkative film, but not without some valuable location work on real streets. The most interesting and still timely aspect of the film, however, is the plot premise featuring a murderous ladykiller who is taking advantage of women desperate to get married. Even today there's a saying in Japan that "the world is cruel at unmarried around-30 women", suggesting women are expected to marry before they turn 30. Should they fail to do that, they risk being seen as misfits or there being "something wrong with them", being unable to land a husband by that age.

Brutal Tales of Chivalry: Torn Parasol (昭和残侠伝 破れ傘) (USA, 1972) [TV] – 3/5
Part 9, the last film in the series and an end of an era. This arrived in theatres on Dec. 30, 1972, after all other Toei ninkyo series had already come to their end earlier in 1972 (Red Peony Gambler, Gambling Den, Abashiri Prison) or 1971 (Tales of Japanese Yakuza, Tales of Japan's Chivalrous Women). Only a few standalone films would be produced after this (Battles without Honor and Humanity would premiere 2 weeks later on Jan. 13. 1973, starting a new era). Not surprisingly, Toei crammed most of their major stars into this one, with Takakura, Ikebe, Tsuruta and Ando leading the pack. Only if they had invested as much into the plot. There are several good scenes (e.g. Takakura buying a girl's freedom by letting boss Tsurura strike a knife through his palm) somewhat loosely tied to each other. A point of interest is veteran composter (over 400 film credits since the 1940s) Chuji Kinoshita's cool score, with its riffs and rock music influences that weren't typically heard in ninkyo films. Perhaps it was a fitting end to the series, and in line with the times (the same day this film premiered Toho released Hanzo the Razor with its groovy blaxploitation esque score).

[Guro Taku]

Cyclops (Japan, 1987) - 3/5
A group of men are seeking a new carrier for a parasite-like creature in this 52 minute horror film that comes with an amazing pay-off. There is no splatter prior to the climax, but once it gets there the film turns into a jaw dropping monster special effects extravaganza full of flesh, blood and slime. Those who remember the last few monster bosses from the Resident Evil 2 (video game) will feel instantly at home. Not too much happens in the film prior to that, and it's directed and edited in a truly odd fashion. For example, when someone rolls in her sleep, we see her rolling about 30 times, from 6 different angles. It's jarring, yet somehow interesting at the same time and makes the film more watchable.

Since you gave the film a decent score, it might interest you that it recently got released on BD (!) in Germany. It was shot on 16mm so while it'll never look like a million bucks, it's still a nice improvement over the HK LD and the VHS, obviously. They even put a short English language interview with Iida on there and the whole release is English friendly.



If you're surprised Germany gave this a release like that, it's all thanks to some crazy protect-the-kids-from-dehumanizing-violence activists 30 years ago who got a judge to ban the film nationwide in Germany, despite it never having been available in any form except extremely hard to find imports and nth generation VHS bootlegs. This obviously got splatter/horror fans curious and made the film much better known. This BD release is the direct result of the censor's 30-year-long marketing campaign!

[HungFist]

Since you gave the film a decent score, it might interest you that it recently got released on BD (!) in Germany. It was shot on 16mm so while it'll never look like a million bucks, it's still a nice improvement over the HK LD and the VHS, obviously. They even put a short English language interview with Iida on there and the whole release is English friendly.



If you're surprised Germany gave this a release like that, it's all thanks to some crazy protect-the-kids-from-dehumanizing-violence activists 30 years ago who got a judge to ban the film nationwide in Germany, despite it never having been available in any form except extremely hard to find imports and nth generation VHS bootlegs. This obviously got splatter/horror fans curious and made the film much better known. This BD release is the direct result of the censor's 30-year-long marketing campaign!

Awesome news! Thanks. Any other places to order it than D&T?

[Guro Taku]

https://www.pretz-media.at/de/mediabook ... blu-raydvd

https://www.medienversand.at/Cyclops--- ... lu-ray.htm

[grim_tales]

Crippled Avengers (HK, 1978) - rewatch: 4/5

I felt sorry for Chen Kuan Tai's son in the beginning, I know he becomes evil/the villain as well with CKT, but he gets maimed for no reason and has his arms chopped off, he didn't do anything wrong. CKT becomes a crazy bastard maiming anyone who even mildly annoys him.
Interesting to see how mental disability/madness (as it's sometimes called here) is viewed in comparison to physical disability. The old master guy says you can work on physical things so they get better but you can't do anything about mental conditions, this is probably what people thought/understood at the time the movie was set (and made). The trailer unkindly calls one character "an idiot".
He saves the other Venoms from the villains in the first act, still a kung fu master even after he's been hurt

[HungFist]

Nostalgic Lullaby (望郷子守唄) (Japan, 1972) [TV] – 1.5/5
There are few badly made films in Toei's ninkyo line-up. They were all studio productions helmed by seasoned professionals. But this one is exceptionally weak and far-fetched, borderline laughable. Takakura is a tattooeed yakuza and a mama's boy sent to military service, where he spends the film's first 30 min getting beaten by Rinichi Yamamoto. Then he's back on the streets, and to his old habits, much the dismay of his frequently, hysterically crying mother. Of course he later runs into Yamamoto again, now employed by evil yakuza, in a half-arsed attempt to justify the film's first 30 minuted and pretend it wasn't just a desparate attempt to bring something, anything, remotely fresh to a genre that had ran its course. Of course, even the yakuza + military hybrids had been done before and more devotedly by Daiei's Katsu (Hoodlum Soldier), Toei's Wakayama (Outlaw Corps) and even Takakura himself (Tattoeed Ambush), though not quite as a pure ninkyo film like this.

Boryoku muso: Subliminal War (暴力無双 －サブリミナル・ウォー－) (Japan, 2021) [TV] – 1/5
A new Versus follow-up by director Hideo Sakaki, who played the villain in the original. Few people know this exists, and it would probably be best if it remained that way. Good news first: Sakaki has brought back the original cast, himself and Sakaguchi included. They're playing former assassins suddenly summoned by a mysterious melody, to fight! And fight they do, with plenty of martial arts skill on display. Sakaki has also done the entire film with practical effects, explosions included. Then the bad: everything else. This is one of those many postmodern “lol lol, we're being self-conscious silly, lol lol" movies that make you want to pull your own head off and throw it out of the window. Two of the most annoying examples are a guy in green riddler costume and a dude doing Hamlet (badly) throughout the film. It's the cinematic definition of self-ironic schmuck, and constantly gets on the way of the action. A far cry from the honest wackiness, energy and style of the original, especially disappointing considering Sakaki actually has talent as a director (see his 2017 indie drama / neo-noir Alley Cat). Oh and btw, this runs only 47 minutes.

[HungFist]

Farewell to the Land (さらば愛しき大地) (Japan, 1982) [TV] – 2.5/5
Mitsuo Yanagimachi's gritty exploration of shitty life strips Japanese countryside of its romanticism. Jinpachi Nezu is the film's hero, a wife-beating, drug addicted truck driver who loses his two sons in an accident. He proceeds to blame it on his wife (Miyako Yamaguchi), whom he dumps and then hooks up with a new girl (Kumiko Akiyoshi) who will likewise get to taste his fist. The film is uniformly well acted (including Sonny Chiba's brother Jiro as the main character's brother) and quite powerful in the few scenes that show its characters' more humane side. But can be quite wearing with its focus on misery and awful people, though somehow it doesn't outstay its welcome even at 2h 14m.

The Drifting Avenger (荒野の渡世人) (Japan, 1968) [TV] – 3/5
A Japanese western shot in Australia with a local supporting cast. Takakura is an immigrant gone lone avenger seeking justice for his dead parents. Not a highly rated movie, but it really isn't as bas as sometimes suggested. It's fun to see Takakura as a gunslinger alonside a cast made of Australians (plus one Turk), even if everyone is dubbed in Japanese, and at the very least the film should strike as quite exotic to casual viewers. It was not the only one of its kind, however, with the genre's output ranging from Fukasaku's localized Drifting Detective: Tragedy in Red Valley (1961) to Okamoto's shot-in-abroad East Meets West (1995), with many cowboy episodes in Key Hunter (1968-1973) in between. These were mostly drawing from old American westerns rather than the spaghetti westerns that influenced late 60s new wave directors like Hideo Gosha and Kazuo Ikehiro, and can appear quite rather dated nowadays. That is the case here too, but much of the silliness of the cowboy shenanigans is offset by the dead-serious revenge tale where every kill, even the justified ones committed by the hero, leave a mourning wife or an orphaned kid behind.

[grim_tales]

Shaolin (HK/China, 2011) first time viewing: 4.25/5

Occasionally felt a bit long for me at 2+ hours but the acting is very good and theres some good action and fights as well, theres even a scene of classic "Jackie" slapstick/comic kung fu just like the old days

[Guro Taku]

Rental Love (若奥様　太股びらき) (Japan, 1994) [VOD] - 2.5/5
There are very few films directed by Hisayasu Sato where you can't immediately tell, both from the content and from the visual style of his direction, that they are by him. This utterly silly sex comedy is one of those few outliers. Nao Kikuchi stars as a young women who married her much older sociology professor and is a total klutz when it comes to housekeeping. When she sees an ad for a company that specializes in renting out "wives" she thinks this would be a great opportunity to acquire some useful skills. Obviously all her clients expect her to fuck them and much hilarity ensues. It's not a bad film but very atyptical in Sato's body of work.

Farewell, Friend (さらば友よ) (Japan, 1986) (VHS) - 3/5
One of Shuji Kataoka's gay-themed films, this one's about a boy-band duo who get separated when one of the members gets kidnapped on the way from a concert and is subsequently kept in some kind of storage facility where his captors mostly grope his dick through his tighty-whiteys. Meanwhile, the female manager brings in her leather-daddy friend Ren Osugi (!) who proceeds to train the remaining boy-band member for a rescue mission. Said rescue mission is the film's highlight, with Kataoka clearly relishing the chance to direct an action scene, but seeing Ren Osugi make love to a transgender bartender is also something memorable.

[HungFist]

Just out of curiosity, how many Sato films have you seen?

[Guro Taku]

Just out of curiosity, how many Sato films have you seen?

48, meaning there's still 13 I need to somehow track down before I die.

Actually, here's 3 more reviews of some of his films:

Housewife Punishment: Triple Torture (人間拷問　三段責め ) (Japan, 1992) [VOD] 3/5
A highly unprofessional psychologist marries one of his schizophrenic patients, thinking he can cure her somehow, but increasingly losing out to the most perverted and twisted personality living in his wife's head. An interesting film by Sato that even comes with a twist ending that would make M. Night Shyamalan proud! After his wife's worst personality takes total control, she calls out her husband on having a hidden personality as well and being secretly transgender! The film ends with her leading her husband, now wearing a dress, away.

Naked City (制服盗聴魔　激射・なぶる!) (Japan, 1990) [VOD] 4/5
A high school girl (another wonderful example of the various manic pixie psycho girls that populate the best of Sato's films) films a woman getting raped in a pile of garbage and ends up blackmailing the rapist so she can film his further exploits and interview his victims while they are violated. "How is it? What is "rape" like?" I just love Sato's psycho chicks, even if I'd probably shit myself if I ever met one of them in real life.

Real Action: Vibrator Punishment (本番バイブ　折檻) (Japan, 1992) [VOD] 3.5/5
A repressed businesswoman undergoes experimental therapy for stress relief but the administered "brain massage" has some highly questionable side effects! As one of the researchers tries to explain: "The same cannabis that gets one person high, causes psychosis in someone else." And that's exactly what happens here. Instead of finding peace of mind, our heroine becomes a psychotic madwoman who, with the help of a gimp-suited sidekick, attacks anybody who pisses her off with her trusty vibrator.

[HungFist]

I think I'm about 40 films behind you, but reading those reviews its obvious I need to start catching up!

[grim_tales]

The Magnificent Butcher (HK, 1979): 4.5/5

Great movie, there's some surprisingly darker moments (sexually motivated smothering/rape) mixed with comedy here but the fights are brilliant - especially the caligraphy/paintbrush fight with Kwan Tak Hing, Sammo v Crazy Cat, and of course the climax end fight.
Fung Hark On must have played a lot of villains, what a bastard
Many thanks to Mark for his subtitle translation , the picture looks stunning and I'd never heard the original mono track before.
Only minor niggle I have is the subs seem to appear/disappear too fast for me.
The last shot in the movie (with the sign) and the translation appearing the same way is really clever!

[Markgway]

Can't lay claim to The Magnificent Butcher. That one wasn't me. I only did The Iron-Fisted Monk and Eastern Condors.

[grim_tales]

Ah, my mistake sorry Well, whoever did the translation did a great job IMO

[grim_tales]

Youth of the Beast (Japan, 1963) - Rewatch: 3.5/5

Very stylish and cool looking snapshot of 60's Japan, or some version of it, with gangsters and guns. A product of it's time.

[HungFist]

Lone Wolf and Cub: The Final Conflict ( (Japan, 1993) [TV] – 1.5/5
A watered down remake starring the annoying but popular television actor Masakazu Tamura. He was selected by Kazuo Koike himself, who stated he wanted to focus on drama instead of action this time. All controversy and provocative content has been cleaned out and replaced with sobbing and a few bloodless fights. Tamura plays a softer, cry-baby Igami Itto who must encounter a less evil, almost fatherly Retsudo (Tatsuya Nakadai). It is surprising this was a theatrical release, since it's clearly aimed at housewives watching afternoon dramas while cooking or cleaning. The only good thing about the film is some pretty scenery.

Sunset, Sunrise (陽は沈み陽は昇る) (Japan, 1973) [35mm] – 3.5/5
Koreyoshi Kurahara's road movie / hippie epic, with a (good, not amazing) score by Nino Rota! A stripper (Rosemary Dexter), a race driver (Takeshi Kobayashi) and an American (Glenn H. Neighbour) meet by chance as each of them try to escape the suffocating modern society, heading from Paris towards Nepal in search of a better world, through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and India on car and two bikes.. An evident follow-up project to Kurahara's earlier, grand Safari 5000 (though by different studio, Nikkatsu this time), this one isn't quite as good a film, with plentiful dated ideological hippie silliness and not always stellar acting. It is nevertheless a fascinating documentation of time and place, full of incredible footage shot in authentic locations. Spoken in English, Italian, French, Japanese and a few other languages, roughly 75% of the dialogue is in English, however. Sadly the film has never been released on home video or streaming.