Hm. Kurosawa? Check. Toshiro Mifune? Check. Samurai action? Check. Humor? Check. Hm. Must be the sequel to Yojimbo, Sanjuro.
Yeah, but I didn’t get a lot out of this one. Once again Mifune returns as the nameless ronin, this time taking the name of “Tsubaki Sanjuro”…. And pretty much does the same thing here that he [...]
Versus (2000)
What can I say about 2000’s Versus…? Let’s see. Just to put it shortly and succinctly…
I fell asleep watching this movie. It made no sense, was ultimately dull, it made no sense, wasn’t funny, and made no sense. I haven’t fallen asleep watching a movie in a long long time, especially one I’m planning [...]
Ichi the Killer | 殺し屋 1 (2001)
Ichi the Killer, the Japanese title translates to “murder dealer Ichi” is a seriously messed up bit of movie from a seriously messed up individual, Takashi Miike. I mean, I know I’ve said it before, but damn, what is the deal?! A psychologist’s dream, this guy.
Look, I’m not even [...]
Ichi
Wow! What a movie! TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) brings a welcome update to the classic “Blind Swordsman Zatoichi” franchise with the aptly titled “Ichi.” And the bottom line?
I loved this movie. I loved nearly everything about it. It’s the perfect blend of samurai action, drama, comedy, story, soundtrack… you name it.
Rated 4/5 on Jan 20 [...]
Seven Samurai | 七人の侍 (1954)
There are epic movies. And then there are epics. The ones that the other so-called epic films look up to and say “someday I want to be just like you.”
Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is one of the few in that latter category. It’s also one of the few films I’ve seen [...]
Death Trance (2005)
Death this, death that, no its not intentionally becoming a theme around here, lol. Just seems that the export market from Japan seems to be centered around horror movies or manga/anime adaptations. Sigh.
Anyway. Death Trance is, to put it bluntly, just awesome. Part swordplay/kungfu action flick, part Road Warrior, part fantasy-medieval quest, with [...]
Death Note L: Change the World (2008)
Sigh, OK, so I didn’t do my homework on this one when I put it at the top of the old Netflix Queue…. I’ve never seen any of the other pieces of the Death Note franchise, no Anime, not the TV series, not the other movies… neither have I [...]
US Title: Big Man Japan
Japanese Title: 大日本人 (lit. “Big Japanese Person”)
If I have to pick one word to describe Big Man Japan, its “weird.” Another would be “funny”. Yet another would be “AWESOME!”
I guess you could say this is kinda-sorta the Japanese version of “Hancock.” Although without the crappy attitude and Wil Smith (or Charlize!) [...]
US Title: The Machine Girl
Japanese Title: 片腕マシンガール (One armed Mashin Gaaru)
Continuing on with the Halloween/J-Horror theme, I bring you… well, I’m not quite sure what to make of this. The Machine Girl is a twisted film spanning a few genre’s really, typical Tokyo “splatter” horror, comedy, and action.
Although it really doesn’t pull off any of [...]
Ah, the Samurai, the cowboys of ancient Japan. Well, maybe not quite so ancient in this film, Yojinbo, aka “The Bodyguard.” I’m not sure that “bodyguard” is an apt translation, but its all I can find!
This is it, the classic Akira Kurosawa film which as you might know, inspired the Clint Eastwood film “A Fistful [...]
