Reiko Kataoka

A yakuza hitman gets out of jail and decides to start a new life, but soon his old life catches up with him.Read More »

Synopsis
Assigned to kill a Japanese crime boss, Mayo miscalculates and kills an innocent man instead, and his widow pledges to avenge his death.Read More »

Quote:
An audacious teen movie from Japan, concentrating on a bored middle-class quartet: two hustlers, Tatsuro and Shin, and their two female best friends. Tatsuro is the better hustler. He spends his days skipping school or coolly entertaining clients; but when Shin declares his love for him, Tatsuro has to enter the real world . . . a raw, honest movie about the loves and loneliness of Tokyo late teens.Read More »

Quote:
Sakura shares a small house with her mother and brother, next to the US military base in Yamato, Japan. Her dream is to become a famous rapper like the American hip-hop stars she admires. One day, the daughter of her mother’s American boyfriend arrives to their home.Read More »

Quote:
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 »

Synopsis
A look a the lives of two sex workers in Tokyo: Rei, who works as an S&M dominatrix, and Ayumi, in the more straightforward profession of call girl. In addition to their working life, the film also looks at their private lives. Rei is acting in an amateur theatre company (along with the receptionist from Ayumi’s escort service), while Ayumi is living with her student-boyfriend as he struggles to finally get accepted to college.Read More »