Japan

  • Seijun Suzuki – Nikutai no mon AKA Gate of Flesh (1964)

    1961-1970DramaEroticaJapanSeijun Suzuki

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    Quote:
    In the shady black markets and bombed-out hovels of post–World War II Tokyo, a tough band of prostitutes eke out a dog-eat-dog existence, maintaining tenuous friendships and a semblance of order in a world of chaos. But when a renegade ex-soldier stumbles into their midst, lusts and loyalties clash, with tragic results. With Gate of Flesh (Nikutai no mon), visionary director Seijun Suzuki delivers a whirlwind of social critique and pulp drama, shot through with brilliant colors and raw emotions.Read More »

  • Takahisa Zeze – Hada no sukima AKA A Gap in the Skin (2005)

    2001-2010DramaJapanTakahisa Zeze

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    Synopsis:

    Two young people, Hidenori and Sunako, are on the run from the law following Hidenori’s killing of his mother. The two manage to hitch a ride in a passing ice-cream van, but Sunako is assaulted by its driver while bathing in a stream in a forest. They escape through the trees, eventually ending up in a secluded wooden cottage where they hide out, eking out a feral existence by raiding neighbouring gardens. With Hidenori still in a state of shock, Sunako eventually breaks the communication barrier using her body, seducing him in a bathtub full of floating ripe tomatoes. It is a turning point in their relationship, and Hidenori then becomes the sexually dominant partner in this strange relationship. One day, Hidenori plunges a knife into his stomach, forcing the pair to leave their makeshift haven and seek help in the big city.Read More »

  • Nobuhiko Obayashi – Hausu aka House [+Extras] (1977)

    1971-1980CultHorrorJapanNobuhiko Obayashi

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    Quote:
    How to describe Nobuhiko Obayashi’s indescribable 1977 movie House (Hausu)? As a psychedelic ghost tale? A stream-of-consciousness bedtime story? An episode of Scooby-Doo as directed by Mario Bava? Any of the above will do for this hallucinatory head trip about a schoolgirl who travels with six classmates to her ailing aunt’s creaky country home and comes face-to-face with evil spirits, a demonic house cat, a bloodthirsty piano, and other ghoulish visions, all realized by Obayashi via mattes, animation, and collage effects. Equally absurd and nightmarish, House might have been beamed to Earth from some other planet. Never before available on home video in the United States, it’s one of the most exciting cult discoveries in years.Read More »

  • Hisayasu Satô – Hitozuma korekutâ aka Wife Collector (1985)

    1981-1990AsianExploitationHisayasu SatôJapan

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    Cult “pink” director Hisayasu Sato’s films typically focus on unusual relationships among the alienated dregs of urban society, and this one is no exception, as a taxi driver who rapes women runs into a former victim and begins a decidedly peculiar affair. Minako Ogawa, Naoko Takeda, and the omnipresent Katsumi Ohtaki co-star in yet another of Sato’s downbeat dispatches from the urban underbelly, co-written with Shiro Yumeno under the title “Decaying Town,” which would be a good title for most of the director’s works. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie GuideRead More »

  • Noribumi Suzuki – Ôoku jûhakkei AKA Dolls of the Shogun’s Harem (1986)

    Drama1981-1990ExploitationJapanNoribumi Suzuki

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    Plot Summary
    A new shogun is appointed to the throne when his brother dies. He find out that the former Shogun one of the women from his brothers harem became pregnant, but she escaped. The new Shogun would loose the throne if the child is a boy. Genshiro is doctor who, among other things, performs abortions, and is sheltering his love, another women who escaped from the harem. The new Shogun threatens to arrest the girl unless Genshiro hunts down the woman and aborts her child. Genshiro learns that the woman releases a “musky scent from her special area” when in ecstasy. Both Genshiro and his friend set out to find all the women of the former harem and have sex with them, by force if necessary.Read More »

  • Shion Sono – Ai no mukidashi AKA Love Exposure (2008)

    2001-2010AsianDramaJapanQueer Cinema(s)Shion Sono

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    Plot:Yu is a high school boy who lives with his father who became a priest after Yu’s mother died. But one day, a woman, Kaori, falls for Yu’s father although she knows that he is a priest. Yu is completely against this because he does not like Kaori’s eccentric presence intruding into the father and son’s peaceful life, and even more because she brings with her Yoko, the girl he fell in love with at first sight. He does not want the girl of his dreams to become a step-sister! One day, religious cult member Koike finds this so-called family an interesting group and kidnaps three of its members, leaving Yu behind on purpose hoping he will join the cult soon. He will not fall for Koike’s tricks, but instead will do anything to save the love of his life, Yoko, from this cult.Read More »

  • Shion Sono – Himizu (2011)

    Drama2011-2020AsianJapanShion Sono

    Set after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, all 14-year-old Yuichi Sumida (Shota Sometani) wants to become is a regular boy and live a decent life. His environment though repeatedly drags him into the mud. He runs his parent’s rental boat business, which is located next to a nondescript lake. His mother frequently comes home with different men and soon she leaves him entirely. His father only comes around looking for money. Whenever Yuichi’s father is drunk he tells Yuichi “I wish you were dead.”Read More »

  • Shion Sono – Ore wa Sono Sion da! AKA I am Sion Sono! (1985)

    Arthouse1981-1990JapanShion Sono

    This is the highly experimental first film by the then 22-year-old Sono. The title means “I am Sono Sion!” Shot on 8mm, it is a free-wheeling, intimate, poetic cinematic journal in which the artist contemplates his life as he approaches his birthday. The film clearly reveals the experimental roots of a director whose subsequent work has made him a cult figure both inside and outside Japan.Read More »

  • Tôru Murakawa – Hakuchyu no shikaku AKA Dead Angle (1979)

    1971-1980ActionAsianJapanTôru Murakawa

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    Quote:
    An extraordinary group of action stars join up together as elite college graduates in the 1950’s who commit perfect financial crimes through legal loopholes. Starring the great Natsuyagi Isao and Chiba Shinichi, along with legendary samurai star Amachi Shigeru. As with all things in life, nothing is perfect. Will justice prevail or is there really a perfect crime? Edge of the seat suspense highlights this superb crime drama!Read More »

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