Japan

Takakura is a young gang boss tricked by the villainous Toru Abe. His underlings, lead by Chiezo Kataoka, start planning for revenge after Takakura dies in jail.Read More »

As powerful and energetic as ever, 78-year old director Seijun Suzuki creates a stunningly lurid, extreme tale of a woman assassin’s (new sensation Makiko Esumi) surreal rise in the criminal underworld. Thirty-three years later, this master of the pulp thriller reworks his own Branded To Kill into a totally new, jaw-dropping experience! The original Branded To Kill (1976, Koroshi No Rakun starring Jo Shishido. Mariko Ogawa, Anne Mari) is the stylish action movie that has been the subject of homage from world-class directors such as John Woo, Quentin Tarantino, and Jim Jarmusch. Its eccentric, eye-popping images and extreme action is fast earning Pistol Opera a worldwide cult following.Read More »

The film tells the story of Aiko, a 35-year-old mute woman who works in a bowling alley, and her brief romance with Yoshioka, a younger man who works as a postal carrier. The two meet when Aiko accidentally knocks Yoshioka off his bicycle, and they have a sexual encounter soon after. Aiko begins preparing lunch boxes and giving them to Yoshioka at his workplace as a way of expressing affection, which she cannot do verbally. However, things take a tragic turn.Read More »

A watery world called Aquarius that is destined to destroy all of the planet Earth. Can the great Yamato stop this devastation?Read More »

As the international title implies, the film’s plot revolves around a man’s personal journey. Jôhatsu tabinikki is intended to be an adaptation of an essay of the same title by the acclaimed underground manga artist, Yoshiharu Tsuge. The influence of Shuji Terayama is also discernible and it is no surprise that the director, Isao Yamada, worked with Terayama early on in his creative life.Read More »

During the 1930s, a teenager yearns for a Catholic girl, whose only desire is to reform his sinful tendencies. Hormones raging, the young man channels his unsatisfied lust into the only outlet available: savage, crazed violence.Read More »

Psycho-mystery in which two men confront each other over the murder of a woman in Shibuya.Read More »

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Takashi Ishii’s Black Angel 2 follows a beautiful hit-woman on her descent into alcoholism and self-loathing. The first act is an unsurprising retread of numerous assassin/gangster flicks. When Ishii changes gears some will find themselves engaged; others will find it a deeply uncomfortable watch. The depiction of rape is potentially troubling but Ishii’s women are ultimately shown to be more powerful than their aggressors. It’s an uneven film but occasionally it borders on truly bravura film-making, with a handful of masterful scenes. Challenging, little seen and sharing only it’s title with the inferior original.Read More »

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A Disturbing Catalogue of Rape Fantasies
RED FLASH referred to as the apotheosis of Angel Guts, it’s a brilliant film, a truly beautiful dreamlike (or perhaps nightmare-like would be more appropriate) thriller with touches of Lynch/Cronenberg weirdness.
Everything in this film is spot-on brilliant. The eye candy cinematography, watery imagery and stunning long takes are all there, the rape scene (followed by an obvious nod to Psycho), superb and very memorable score by Yasukawa, great use of songs, great characters (from IMDB)Read More »