Shotaro Ikenami was a prolific writer of samurai novels, a number of which were adapted for TV and film in Japan. One of his most iconic characters is Baian Fujieda, an acupuncturist who also doubles as a hired killer, who has been the source of a TV series and at least four movies, with Ken Ogata and Ken Watanabe playing the character, among others. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Ikenami’s birth on 1923, a consortium of media companies has produced two films based on the series.
Baian the Assassin, M.D. (Part 1) is screening at Camera Japan
Baian may be known to the world as an acupuncturist, including his maid Oseki, who treats him as a combination of nagging wife, mother, and mother-in-law, but he also doubles as a killer for hire, although he picks his targets among people whom he thinks deserve to die. The beginning of the...
Baian the Assassin, M.D. (Part 1) is screening at Camera Japan
Baian may be known to the world as an acupuncturist, including his maid Oseki, who treats him as a combination of nagging wife, mother, and mother-in-law, but he also doubles as a killer for hire, although he picks his targets among people whom he thinks deserve to die. The beginning of the...
- 9/23/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
If there’s one thing we hope that this year’s ‘80s Week package better illuminates, it’s the incredible depth and range on display in the films of the decade. While the iconic movies and stars of the totally radical ‘80s tend to most easily remembered for neon-tinted, big-haired, Tangerine Dream-set turns, consider this: the decade included all-time work from major performers like Meryl Streep, Ossie Davis, Jessica Lange, Robert De Niro, Gena Rowlands, Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Newman, Jackie Chan, and Whoopi Goldberg.
These are the kind of stars who show up and show out no matter the year, but it’s in the ‘80s in which they all captured the incredible essence of what makes them greats.
But they’re hardly alone on this list, which also includes indelible work from stars like David Byrne, Sandrine Bonaire, Babak Ahmadpour, Seret Scott, Mieko Harada, Ken Ogata, and even Divine...
These are the kind of stars who show up and show out no matter the year, but it’s in the ‘80s in which they all captured the incredible essence of what makes them greats.
But they’re hardly alone on this list, which also includes indelible work from stars like David Byrne, Sandrine Bonaire, Babak Ahmadpour, Seret Scott, Mieko Harada, Ken Ogata, and even Divine...
- 8/16/2023
- by David Ehrlich, Kate Erbland, Ryan Lattanzio and Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
The Film
When Battle Royale came out in 2000, I was 19 and just really getting into foreign language films. Like many of my generation of cinephiles, it was an early part of my DVD collection. While I enjoyed it though, I have to confess that I’ve not been back to it for over 15 years, and I never used it as a jumping off point to discover more of its director Kinji Fukasaku’s work. On this evidence, that was an error.
After a failed rebellion in which 37,000 Christians are massacred, their leader Amakusa Shiro (Kenji Sawada) returns from the dead, pledges his soul to the Devil and becomes a demon who can resurrect others to join him in his quest for vengeance. This is an interesting jumping off point for the film, because for much of the opening half hour, as Shiro gathers his band of demons (including swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi...
When Battle Royale came out in 2000, I was 19 and just really getting into foreign language films. Like many of my generation of cinephiles, it was an early part of my DVD collection. While I enjoyed it though, I have to confess that I’ve not been back to it for over 15 years, and I never used it as a jumping off point to discover more of its director Kinji Fukasaku’s work. On this evidence, that was an error.
After a failed rebellion in which 37,000 Christians are massacred, their leader Amakusa Shiro (Kenji Sawada) returns from the dead, pledges his soul to the Devil and becomes a demon who can resurrect others to join him in his quest for vengeance. This is an interesting jumping off point for the film, because for much of the opening half hour, as Shiro gathers his band of demons (including swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi...
- 6/21/2023
- by Sam Inglis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Samurai Reincarnation [Makai TENSHŌ] (Masters of Cinema) Special Edition Blu-ray is available to Pre-order now from the Eureka Store http://bit.ly/42x5ua2
In the aftermath of a failed rebellion, Amakusa Shiro (Kenji Sawada) is crucified, but returns as a vengeance-filled demon with the power to resurrect the dead. Shiro uses his power to assemble a team of undead warriors—including legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (Ken Ogata)—and the only one who can stop them is the wandering samurai, Yagyu Jubei (Sonny Chiba).
A spectacular chanbara fantasy epic from Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale), Samurai Reincarnation makes its UK debut from a stunning 2K restoration as part of the Masters of Cinema series.
Special Edition Blu-ray Features:*
Limited Edition Slipcase (First print run of 2000 copies) featuring artwork by Takato Yamamato | 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K restoration of the original film elements | Uncompressed original Japanese mono audio | Alternate English dubbed audio...
In the aftermath of a failed rebellion, Amakusa Shiro (Kenji Sawada) is crucified, but returns as a vengeance-filled demon with the power to resurrect the dead. Shiro uses his power to assemble a team of undead warriors—including legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (Ken Ogata)—and the only one who can stop them is the wandering samurai, Yagyu Jubei (Sonny Chiba).
A spectacular chanbara fantasy epic from Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale), Samurai Reincarnation makes its UK debut from a stunning 2K restoration as part of the Masters of Cinema series.
Special Edition Blu-ray Features:*
Limited Edition Slipcase (First print run of 2000 copies) featuring artwork by Takato Yamamato | 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K restoration of the original film elements | Uncompressed original Japanese mono audio | Alternate English dubbed audio...
- 3/31/2023
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
Although a favorite of American fans, the road movie is actually a genre that has many fans all over the world, and particularly in Asia, where the occasionally vast spaces provide a great source for such movies. At the same time the category has been used as a metaphor for various psychological, political, social, philosophical etc comments, a plethora of times, highlighting the richness of the particular cinematic approach. Here is a list of 30 of the greatest Asian road movies, in no particular order. Since we already have a list about taxi drivers, we decided to leave these movies out
1. Happy Together
As with many films by Wong, plot isn’t the defining factor. Metaphor is what drives “Happy Together”. The relationship between Lai and Ho and its complicated nature represents the uncertain times ahead for Hong Kong, with high anxiety among the populace. Lai, a homosexual man, represents the...
1. Happy Together
As with many films by Wong, plot isn’t the defining factor. Metaphor is what drives “Happy Together”. The relationship between Lai and Ho and its complicated nature represents the uncertain times ahead for Hong Kong, with high anxiety among the populace. Lai, a homosexual man, represents the...
- 3/22/2022
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
If you’re after real nonconformist filmmaking with a political bent, Shohei Imamura’s daring and often sexually candid pictures fit the bill. Arrow gathers three of his best from the 1980s, the international success The Ballad of Narayama, the stunning Hiroshima aftermath drama Black Rain and the largely unseen, often wickedly funny Zegen. Each is disturbing, politically pointed and relentlessly honest. Arrow appoints this three- title set with new expert audio commentaries and Tony Rayns featurettes, plus a fat essay booklet. Zegen, we are told, has never before been available subtitled in English.
Survivor Ballads: Three Films by Shohei Imamura
The Ballad of Narayama, Zegen, Black Rain
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1983-1989 / Color, B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 130, 125, 123 min. / Street Date December 8, 2020 / 99.95
Directed by Shohei Imamura
Films by the Japanese director Shohei Imamura have one thing in common — they’re as provocative as a slap in the face. Our introduction to...
Survivor Ballads: Three Films by Shohei Imamura
The Ballad of Narayama, Zegen, Black Rain
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1983-1989 / Color, B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 130, 125, 123 min. / Street Date December 8, 2020 / 99.95
Directed by Shohei Imamura
Films by the Japanese director Shohei Imamura have one thing in common — they’re as provocative as a slap in the face. Our introduction to...
- 12/29/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
After the success of “The Ballad of Narayama” production company Toei, satisfied with the result of their first collaboration, wanted to continue working with acclaimed director Shohei Imamura, but it would take quite a while before he was able to take over directing duties once again. As film scholar Tony Rayns mentions in his introduction to “The Ballad of Narayama”, Imamura defined a period piece, if it should have any merit for the present, to have something to say about the present state of affairs. In the light of that concept “Ballad” can be read as a parable on the state of Japan at the time of production in the 1980s, whereas Imamura’s next film, “Zegen”, has been largely regarded as a comment on Japan’s aggressive imperialism at the beginning of the 20th century. However, there is so much more to say about a black comedy such as...
- 12/24/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
When asked by film scholar Tony Rayns about his take on the period drama, Japanese auteur Shohei Imamura said in an interview taking place during a retrospective of his work, that the story should present a certain kind of relevance to today’s world. You can see such a connection to a universal, but rather sad truth in Imamura’s original opening for his 1983 Palme d’Or winning “The Ballad of Narayama”, which was supposed to feature a sequence in which a family brings an elderly woman to a retirement where she, after her family is gone again, another woman of the same tells her she will never see them again, despite their promises of doing so. Even though Imamura would eventually change the opening of his script to an aerial shot of the mountain area where the story takes place, the theme stayed with the story, making “The Ballad of Narayama...
- 12/19/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
By Raktim Nandi
Shohei Imamura is the only Japanese director to see his films win the prestigious Palme D’Or twice. The first of the wins came in 1983, with “The Ballad Of Narayama.” An adaptation of Shoichiro Fukazawa’s debut novel of the same name, the film is a winner of several more awards and much acclaim, including three wins at the Japanese Academy Awards.
The story takes place in an isolated village in the 19th century. The senicidal practice of Obasute, the procedure of which involves carrying an infirm aged relative to a mountain to die, is an important part of the village traditions. In this particular village, one needs to turn 70 before being carried to a sacred mountain. Orin, played by Sumiko Sakamoto, is 69, and spends her time readying herself for the one-way trip. She is not afraid to die; tradition condemns refusal of the trip.
Shohei Imamura is the only Japanese director to see his films win the prestigious Palme D’Or twice. The first of the wins came in 1983, with “The Ballad Of Narayama.” An adaptation of Shoichiro Fukazawa’s debut novel of the same name, the film is a winner of several more awards and much acclaim, including three wins at the Japanese Academy Awards.
The story takes place in an isolated village in the 19th century. The senicidal practice of Obasute, the procedure of which involves carrying an infirm aged relative to a mountain to die, is an important part of the village traditions. In this particular village, one needs to turn 70 before being carried to a sacred mountain. Orin, played by Sumiko Sakamoto, is 69, and spends her time readying herself for the one-way trip. She is not afraid to die; tradition condemns refusal of the trip.
- 11/8/2020
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Within the discipline of deciphering or analyzing, we have to become fluent in speaking art’s language. Especially those willing to critically or creatively engage in a certain field of art, there is no denying that your knowledge in the specific language can often decide on the quality of your work, even though it may be a different matter with regards to its commercial success. However, the close connection of image and film is what defines the language of film specifically, an alliance which may be quite fruitful while also dangerous if we think of the misuse of the medium for ideological purposes. In an essay in the British newspaper, The Guardian filmmaker Peter Greenaway stated there is an “uneasy partnership of image and text in cinema” since “most images are slaves to text.
While many of his works have explored the link between image and text...
While many of his works have explored the link between image and text...
- 2/25/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Inspired by Sei Shōnagon’s first-century diary, Peter Greenaway’s The Pillow Book is an audio-visual tour de force, and a showcase for one of British cinema’s most singular talents.
Starring Vivian Wu (8½ Women), Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting) and Ken Ogata (Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters), the film is among Greenaway’s most daring and adventurous works.
Indicator Limited Edition Blu-ray Special Features:
High Definition remaster
Original stereo audio
Selected scenes commentary with Peter Greenaway (2015)
The Book of the Editor (2020): new interview with editor Chris Wyatt
Rosa (1992): performance film by Anne Teresa De Keersmaker’s Rosas dance company, directed by Peter Greenaway and shot by Sacha Vierny, presented in a new restoration from the original negative
Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
Theatrical trailer
Original theatrical calligraphic subtitle presentation
New English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Adam Scovell,...
Starring Vivian Wu (8½ Women), Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting) and Ken Ogata (Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters), the film is among Greenaway’s most daring and adventurous works.
Indicator Limited Edition Blu-ray Special Features:
High Definition remaster
Original stereo audio
Selected scenes commentary with Peter Greenaway (2015)
The Book of the Editor (2020): new interview with editor Chris Wyatt
Rosa (1992): performance film by Anne Teresa De Keersmaker’s Rosas dance company, directed by Peter Greenaway and shot by Sacha Vierny, presented in a new restoration from the original negative
Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
Theatrical trailer
Original theatrical calligraphic subtitle presentation
New English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Adam Scovell,...
- 12/7/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
To some it may seem ironical to see American filmmaker Paul Schrader’s “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” experience a similar notoriety as the man Yukio Mishima himself during his lifetime. Despite the fact it was shot in Japan and Schrader’s careful recognition of the country’s culture as well as its difficult relationship with the author, to this day the film has not been released in Mishima’s home country. Even though the reasons for that may be quite nebulous to many – an essay titled “Banned in Japan”, included in the Criterion release of the film might shed some light into that affair –, the significance of the film as a portrayal of a controversial artist fits perfectly into Paul Schrader’s predilection as a filmmaker and writer for the anti-hero, the protagonist who cannot be categorized and will challenge its viewer, even after the end credits.
“Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters...
“Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters...
- 9/19/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Tickets are now on sale for Jaeff 2019: Nation!
This year’s festival will be held at the Barbican Centre, Close-Up Film Centre and MetFilm School from Friday 20 September through Sunday 22 September. Jaeff 2019: Nation will see five feature-length films screened alongside seven short-form films. We will again be hosting a panel discussion at the Barbican, and are very excited to announce a free filmmakers’ workshop at the MetFilm School.
Friday 20 September 201 – Barbican Cinema 3 – 6pm
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
USA 1985, Dir Paul Schrader, 120 mins, Digital presentation
+ Patriotism (Yūkoku)
Japan 1966, Dir Yukio Mishima and Domoto Masaki, 28 mins, Digital presentation
Reimagined in vibrant, expressionist colour, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters marries an author to his fiction—a vivid middle where man and myth collide. Yukio Mishima (Ken Ogata) is considered to be one of Japan’s most important novelists, and via Paul and Leonard Schrader’s unique framing, is...
This year’s festival will be held at the Barbican Centre, Close-Up Film Centre and MetFilm School from Friday 20 September through Sunday 22 September. Jaeff 2019: Nation will see five feature-length films screened alongside seven short-form films. We will again be hosting a panel discussion at the Barbican, and are very excited to announce a free filmmakers’ workshop at the MetFilm School.
Friday 20 September 201 – Barbican Cinema 3 – 6pm
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
USA 1985, Dir Paul Schrader, 120 mins, Digital presentation
+ Patriotism (Yūkoku)
Japan 1966, Dir Yukio Mishima and Domoto Masaki, 28 mins, Digital presentation
Reimagined in vibrant, expressionist colour, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters marries an author to his fiction—a vivid middle where man and myth collide. Yukio Mishima (Ken Ogata) is considered to be one of Japan’s most important novelists, and via Paul and Leonard Schrader’s unique framing, is...
- 7/19/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Tomoyasu Murata: Stop Motion Master. Japan Society Presents North American Premiere of 8 Short Films
Saturday, February 23, 2019 at Japan Society
One of Japan’s most prolific independent animation artists, Tomoyasu Murata has steadily created breathtaking, boundary-breaking stop motion animated films over the last two decades. Inspired by the expressive power of traditional Japanese bunraku puppet theater, Murata’s films—at once tender, whimsical and mysterious—deal with themes of memory, absence and mujo (the Buddhist concept of impermanence) through the cinematic manipulation of his meticulously handcrafted puppets and fantastical miniature sets.
Japan Society is proud to introduce Murata’s work to New York City for the first time through the career-spanning program Tomoyasu Murata: Stop Motion Master, featuring the North American premiere of eight short films that range from the artist’s award-winning student work to recent projects that respond to the 3/11 Great East Japan Earthquake.
“An artist of great introspection and sensitivity, Murata makes the most of silence in his stop motion animation films,...
One of Japan’s most prolific independent animation artists, Tomoyasu Murata has steadily created breathtaking, boundary-breaking stop motion animated films over the last two decades. Inspired by the expressive power of traditional Japanese bunraku puppet theater, Murata’s films—at once tender, whimsical and mysterious—deal with themes of memory, absence and mujo (the Buddhist concept of impermanence) through the cinematic manipulation of his meticulously handcrafted puppets and fantastical miniature sets.
Japan Society is proud to introduce Murata’s work to New York City for the first time through the career-spanning program Tomoyasu Murata: Stop Motion Master, featuring the North American premiere of eight short films that range from the artist’s award-winning student work to recent projects that respond to the 3/11 Great East Japan Earthquake.
“An artist of great introspection and sensitivity, Murata makes the most of silence in his stop motion animation films,...
- 2/6/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
“Death As Art”
By Raymond Benson
Note: I reviewed the Criterion Collection’s 2008 DVD release of this film here at Cinema Retro. The product has now been upgraded to Blu-ray by the company. Much of the following is excerpted and/or revised from the original review, while also addressing the new Blu-ray.
Paul Schrader has always opined that Mishima—A Life in Four Chapters is his best film as a director, and I must agree. Originally released in 1985 (and executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas), the film is a fascinating bio-pic about controversial Japanese author/actor Yukio Mishima. Schrader, a successful screenwriter who has also had an interesting hit-and-miss career as a director, co-wrote the film with his brother Leonard and filmed it in Japan with a Japanese cast and crew. Ironically, the film was banned in Japan upon its release due to the controversial nature of...
By Raymond Benson
Note: I reviewed the Criterion Collection’s 2008 DVD release of this film here at Cinema Retro. The product has now been upgraded to Blu-ray by the company. Much of the following is excerpted and/or revised from the original review, while also addressing the new Blu-ray.
Paul Schrader has always opined that Mishima—A Life in Four Chapters is his best film as a director, and I must agree. Originally released in 1985 (and executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas), the film is a fascinating bio-pic about controversial Japanese author/actor Yukio Mishima. Schrader, a successful screenwriter who has also had an interesting hit-and-miss career as a director, co-wrote the film with his brother Leonard and filmed it in Japan with a Japanese cast and crew. Ironically, the film was banned in Japan upon its release due to the controversial nature of...
- 6/16/2018
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
More than a few foreign filmmaker have tried relocating to Hollywood, but it’s less often the case that an acclaimed Hollywood artist takes their talents overseas. Paul Schrader, at the height of his post-Taxi Driver, post-Raging Bull success, proved a notable example. In the mid-1980s, he took an opportunity to capitalize on his longstanding fascination with Japan by directing an entire film with an all-Japanese cast and script, his sister-in-law Chieko Schrader serving as linguistic and artistic interpreter. Its subject: Yukio Mishima, a controversial figure whose death so deeply shocked Japan that the film, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, remains banned there. Now — in the U.S. at least — the Criterion Collection is giving the film Schrader considers his finest directorial achievement a new 4K transfer and Blu-ray release.
Mishima, portrayed by Ken Ogata, was one of Japan’s most internationally acclaimed authors, and likely the country’s most infamous suicide.
Mishima, portrayed by Ken Ogata, was one of Japan’s most internationally acclaimed authors, and likely the country’s most infamous suicide.
- 6/11/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Stars: Ken Ogata, Masayuki Shionoya, Junkichi Orimoto, Naoko Ôtani, Masato Aizawa, Gô Rijû | Written by Paul Schrader, Leonard Schrader, Chieko Schrader | Directed by Paul Schrader
Lucasfilm isn’t just about lightsabers, high fantasy and hunky archaeologists, you know. Occasionally it has produced films like this one: Paul Schrader’s truly original biopic about the Japanese author Yukio Mishima (real name Kimitake Hiraoka), a right-wing artist who spearheaded the infamous “Mishima Incident” in 1970. Despite winning awards for production design, cinematography and music (Philip Glass’s theme is instantly recognisable) at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, the film has never been released in Japan.
“Words are insufficient,” Mishima (Ken Ogata) laments early on. He’s seeking a new form of expression. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is a portrait of a frustrated artist, so it’s easy to see why Schrader – the man who wrote Taxi Driver over a fevered fortnight – would be attracted to the story.
Lucasfilm isn’t just about lightsabers, high fantasy and hunky archaeologists, you know. Occasionally it has produced films like this one: Paul Schrader’s truly original biopic about the Japanese author Yukio Mishima (real name Kimitake Hiraoka), a right-wing artist who spearheaded the infamous “Mishima Incident” in 1970. Despite winning awards for production design, cinematography and music (Philip Glass’s theme is instantly recognisable) at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, the film has never been released in Japan.
“Words are insufficient,” Mishima (Ken Ogata) laments early on. He’s seeking a new form of expression. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is a portrait of a frustrated artist, so it’s easy to see why Schrader – the man who wrote Taxi Driver over a fevered fortnight – would be attracted to the story.
- 6/11/2018
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
May is going to be a good month for fans of the Romanian New Wave, as Cristian Mungiu’s two most recent films are both joining the Criterion Collection. “Graduation” and “Beyond the Hills” will be released alongside new additions “Midnight Cowboy,” “The Other Side of Hope,” and “Moonrise”; “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” and “Au hasard Balthazar,” which have already been released on DVD, are getting Blu-ray upgrades.
“Au hasard Balthazar”
“A profound masterpiece from one of the most revered filmmakers in the history of cinema, director Robert Bresson’s ‘Au hasard Balthazar’ follows the donkey Balthazar as he is passed from owner to owner, some kind and some cruel but all with motivations outside of his understanding. Balthazar, whose life parallels that of his first keeper, Marie, is truly a beast of burden, suffering the sins of humankind. But despite his powerlessness, he accepts his fate nobly.
“Au hasard Balthazar”
“A profound masterpiece from one of the most revered filmmakers in the history of cinema, director Robert Bresson’s ‘Au hasard Balthazar’ follows the donkey Balthazar as he is passed from owner to owner, some kind and some cruel but all with motivations outside of his understanding. Balthazar, whose life parallels that of his first keeper, Marie, is truly a beast of burden, suffering the sins of humankind. But despite his powerlessness, he accepts his fate nobly.
- 2/16/2018
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
1985 was the year of Back To The Future, Rocky IV and Rambo II. But what about these 20 movies, that also deserve a fair share of love?
Thirty years ago, Marty McFly was riding high with the smash hit Back To The Future, while Sylvester Stallone enjoyed his most successful year yet with the one-two punch of Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV. It was an era of family sci-fi and teen comedies and bullet-spraying action, where The Breakfast Club and Teen Wolf rubbed shoulders with Death Wish 3 and Commando. Then there were low-key dramas like Out Of Africa and The Color Purple, which were both awards magnets at the Oscars.
Away from all those big hits, 1985 saw the release of a wealth of less successful movies, some of which found a second life on the then-huge home video circuit. Here's our pick of 20 underappreciated films from the year of Rambo,...
Thirty years ago, Marty McFly was riding high with the smash hit Back To The Future, while Sylvester Stallone enjoyed his most successful year yet with the one-two punch of Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV. It was an era of family sci-fi and teen comedies and bullet-spraying action, where The Breakfast Club and Teen Wolf rubbed shoulders with Death Wish 3 and Commando. Then there were low-key dramas like Out Of Africa and The Color Purple, which were both awards magnets at the Oscars.
Away from all those big hits, 1985 saw the release of a wealth of less successful movies, some of which found a second life on the then-huge home video circuit. Here's our pick of 20 underappreciated films from the year of Rambo,...
- 9/2/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
All That Jazz (Criterion Collection) I've only seen Bob Fosse's All That Jazz once and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot for its excellent photography, but I'm not sure I feel any need to purchase it. I didn't even ask for a review copy, but I will say were it to come on television I'm pretty sure it would be an easy movie to sink back into. One thing I will add, however, is Roy Scheider crushes this performance; a stand out, dripping with intensity performance that's certainly worth seeing. This new Criterion release comes loaded to the gills, here are the features: New 4K digital restoration, with 3.0 surround DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray Audio commentary featuring editor Alan Heim Selected-scene audio commentary by actor Roy Scheider New interviews with Heim and Fosse biographer Sam Wasson New conversation between actors Ann Reinking and Erzsebet Foldi...
- 8/26/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
This must be how people escape the pull of the earth, the gravitational leaf-flutter that brings us hourly closer to dying. Simply stop obeying. Steal instead of buy, shoot instead of talk.
–Don Delillo, White Noise
Sometimes while looking through my old notebooks and blogs, I wonder what kind of picture the media would paint of me if I ever committed an overly violent act. I’ve spent many years gushing over horror films, playing violent video games, indulging in various mind-altering substances, and writing about the ways in which I’m frustrated by society. So in other words, I’d be up shit creek – destined to go down as one of society’s crazies. Never mind that I am cognitively sound and have never displayed any tendencies of antisocial behaviour; yet I’d be made into a monster simply for the benefit of keeping up appearances. I mean, ‘normal...
–Don Delillo, White Noise
Sometimes while looking through my old notebooks and blogs, I wonder what kind of picture the media would paint of me if I ever committed an overly violent act. I’ve spent many years gushing over horror films, playing violent video games, indulging in various mind-altering substances, and writing about the ways in which I’m frustrated by society. So in other words, I’d be up shit creek – destined to go down as one of society’s crazies. Never mind that I am cognitively sound and have never displayed any tendencies of antisocial behaviour; yet I’d be made into a monster simply for the benefit of keeping up appearances. I mean, ‘normal...
- 6/16/2014
- by Griffin Bell
- SoundOnSight
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Aug. 26, 2014
Price: Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Serial killer Ken Ogata gets down to business in Vengeance Is Mine.
Director Shohei Imamura’s (The Pornographers) 1979 crime thriller Vengeance Is Mine is one of the greatest Japanese imports of the Seventies.
The film revolves around Iwao Enokizu (Mishima’s Ken Ogata), a thief, a murderer, and a charming lady-killer who is on the run from the police.
Shohei turns the fact-based story about a seventy-eight-day killing spree of a remorseless man from a devoutly Catholic family into a cold, perverse, and at times diabolically funny examination of the primitive coexisting with the modern.
Critically lauded around the world, Vengeance is more than just a true-crime tale—it’s a work that bares humanity’s snarling id.
Criterion’s Blu-ray edition of the movie includes the following features:
• Restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• Audio commentary from 2005 featuring...
Price: Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Serial killer Ken Ogata gets down to business in Vengeance Is Mine.
Director Shohei Imamura’s (The Pornographers) 1979 crime thriller Vengeance Is Mine is one of the greatest Japanese imports of the Seventies.
The film revolves around Iwao Enokizu (Mishima’s Ken Ogata), a thief, a murderer, and a charming lady-killer who is on the run from the police.
Shohei turns the fact-based story about a seventy-eight-day killing spree of a remorseless man from a devoutly Catholic family into a cold, perverse, and at times diabolically funny examination of the primitive coexisting with the modern.
Critically lauded around the world, Vengeance is more than just a true-crime tale—it’s a work that bares humanity’s snarling id.
Criterion’s Blu-ray edition of the movie includes the following features:
• Restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• Audio commentary from 2005 featuring...
- 5/23/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Yoshitaro Nomura's realist 1978 child-abuse drama is as shocking as ever, and makes us rethink the limits of what can be shown on screen
The little boy is lying back in a woman's arms. "Eat, you brat!" His screams are stifled because she is palming clods of rice into his mouth. "I said eat!" There's rice smeared about his face, in his eyelashes, his hair. She glares at her husband, who is standing impotently back. "You spoil him. I'm teaching him a lesson."
That's the first of several highly distressing scenes from Yoshitaro Nomura's 1978 melodrama The Demon, which stars Ken Ogata as a pathetic, philandering printer whose wife is outraged when his mistress dumps three illegitimate children on them. The wife initially vents her anger, then bullies him into abandoning his offspring, and worse. Scenes like the above are an utter shock to the modern cultural palate. With extreme violence ubiquitous,...
The little boy is lying back in a woman's arms. "Eat, you brat!" His screams are stifled because she is palming clods of rice into his mouth. "I said eat!" There's rice smeared about his face, in his eyelashes, his hair. She glares at her husband, who is standing impotently back. "You spoil him. I'm teaching him a lesson."
That's the first of several highly distressing scenes from Yoshitaro Nomura's 1978 melodrama The Demon, which stars Ken Ogata as a pathetic, philandering printer whose wife is outraged when his mistress dumps three illegitimate children on them. The wife initially vents her anger, then bullies him into abandoning his offspring, and worse. Scenes like the above are an utter shock to the modern cultural palate. With extreme violence ubiquitous,...
- 4/18/2014
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
This year's Edinburgh International Film Festival bounces back with a varied and dynamic program courtesy of artistic director Chris Fujiwara, more than making up for last year's lack of a retrospective with two extensive appreciations of neglected filmmakers, Gregory La Cava from the Us and Shinji Sômai from Japan. Sômai, who died young after a career span of just twenty years, is much-appreciated in his native land but little know outside it; thanks to this show, a progressively growing band of followers are discovering his amazing oeuvre. One nice moment came when Tilda Swinton, sitting in the seat in front of me to watch The Catch (Gyoei no mure, 1983), watched Ken Ogata piloting his fishing boat out of the harbor, with his blazing red sweater and jutting cigarette, and she reached up with both hands as if to seize the image and carry it home with her to Nairn.
- 6/28/2012
- MUBI
Masters of Cinema:Based on the true story of Iwao Enokizu (Ken Ogata) and his murderous rampage which sparked a 78-day nationwide manhunt, Shohei Imamura's disturbing gem Vengeance is Mine won every major award in Japan on the year of its release. Both seducing and repelling with its unusual story and grisly humour, Imamura uncovers a seedy underbelly of civilised Japanese society. Unfolding through multiple flashbacks, Ogata delivers a career-defining performance as a day-labourer and smalltime con-artist who, after killing two of his co-workers, embarks on a psychopathic spree of rape and murder. Eluding the police and public, Japan's infamous "King of Criminals" passes himself off as a Kyoto University professor, only to become entangled with an innkeeper and her perverted mother. Five years in the...
- 6/21/2011
- Screen Anarchy
“Salmon are lucky,” muses Ken Ogata’s aging sake maker, Nobuo in Masahiro Kobayashi’s Man Walking on Snow. “They spend half their lives in the open seas, completely free. I have always been tied down somewhere, always clinging on, always.” Kobayashi’s 2001 follow up to Bootleg Film (1999) is a mature, nuanced study of a man and his sons who have rigidly defined themselves in opposition to each other. All of them long to break free from the routines they have fallen into, yet sheer stubbornness may prevent them from reconciling with each other or ever attaining the sort of freedom that Nobuo describes.
- 1/19/2011
- by Dave Wilson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Academy Award winning costume designer and production designer Eiko Ishioka will be honored by the Art Directors Guild (Adg) Film Society and the American Cinematheque with a screening of Paul Schrader‘s minimalist 1985 biopic Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters on Sunday, September 26, at 5:30 pm at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Written by Paul and Leonard Schrader, the beautifully shot (cinematography by John Bailey), highly stylized Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters stars Ken Ogata, who delivers a tour de force as the troubled, (apparently) gay Japanese writer Yukio Mishima. Roy Scheider provides the English-language narration in this Us/Japanese co-production made under the aegis of Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. Mishima earned Eiko Ishioka the Best Artistic Contribution award the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. Additionally, Ishioka won an Academy Award for Coppola’s Dracula (1992) and is also known for her design in films such as The Cell...
- 9/8/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Mishima—A Life in Four Chapters (The Criterion Collection, 2008)
Paul Schrader has always opined that Mishima—A Life in Four Chapters was his best film as a director, and I have to agree. Originally released in 1985 (and executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas), the film is a fascinating bio-pic about controversial Japanese author/actor Yukio Mishima. Schrader, a successful screenwriter who has also had an interesting hit-and-miss career as a director, co-wrote the film with his brother Leonard and filmed it in Japan with a Japanese cast and crew. Ironically, the film was banned in Japan upon its release due to the controversial nature of Mishima’s infamously public display of seppuku (suicide) in 1970. But despite Mishima’s questionable act, there is no doubt that he was a formidable novelist, poet, and artist—certainly one of his country’s greatest. Schrader’s film attempts to visualize Mishima’s life and work,...
Paul Schrader has always opined that Mishima—A Life in Four Chapters was his best film as a director, and I have to agree. Originally released in 1985 (and executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas), the film is a fascinating bio-pic about controversial Japanese author/actor Yukio Mishima. Schrader, a successful screenwriter who has also had an interesting hit-and-miss career as a director, co-wrote the film with his brother Leonard and filmed it in Japan with a Japanese cast and crew. Ironically, the film was banned in Japan upon its release due to the controversial nature of Mishima’s infamously public display of seppuku (suicide) in 1970. But despite Mishima’s questionable act, there is no doubt that he was a formidable novelist, poet, and artist—certainly one of his country’s greatest. Schrader’s film attempts to visualize Mishima’s life and work,...
- 6/27/2008
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Panorama
BERLIN -- In a movie involving samurai and a tale of betrayal and revenge, the expectation is of clashing swords and carnage, but Yoji Yamada's "Love and Honor" (Bushi No Ichibun) turns out to be a tender love story.
Unlikely to satisfy an audience with bloodlust, the picture should do well on the festival circuit and in international art houses for its pensive examination of loyalty.
In an unspecified period in history where the local shogun rules and is served by tremulous servants and guarded by ferocious warriors, a young samurai named Shinnojo (Takuya Kimura) has a noble but unheralded job as one of the ruler's food tasters.
With four other handsomely uniformed and disciplined men, he participates in the ritual of taking one bite and one swallow of everything his lordship is about to eat.
Unhappy with his lot despite the privileges his minor rank affords him and the devotion of his loving wife, Kayo (Rei Dan), Shinnojo dreams of quitting to teach children to become swordsmen.
The likable but serious young man sees the ritual of tasting for poison as foolish tradition until one day he swallows a piece of sashimi from a fish as potentially lethal as the fugu pufferfish. He becomes ill immediately, so the shogun is saved. But after emerging from a coma, the loyal samurai discovers he is blind.
He descends into depression, though Kayo nurses and feeds him devotedly. She not only keeps him from suicide, but when his disability means he can no longer function as a samurai and their income is threatened, she goes to see the head of the castle guard for help.
He is willing to help but only at a price -- and when Shinnojo discovers what price Kayo has been willing to pay, he not only sends her away but also decides that honor must be served by challenging the leader to a duel.
Yamada takes his time with the story, showing husband and wife in their loving relationship and detailing the niceties of the shogun's dining rituals. The pace of the proceedings is never dull, however, thanks to expert performances -- especially by leads Kimura and Dan -- Matuso Naganuma's fine cinematography and the suitably graceful editing of Iwao Ishii.
When the final clash occurs, it has elements of a classic Western gunfight, full of stealth and steel, but Yamada has much more on his mind than simple bloodletting.
LOVE AND HONOR (BUSHI NO ICHIBUN)
Shochiku Co. Ltd.
Credits:
Director: Yoji Yamada
Screenwriters: Yoji Yamada, Emiko Hiramatsu, Ichiro Yamamoto
Based on "Moumokuken Kodamagaeshi" by: Shuhei Fujisawa
Producer: Takeo Hisamatsu
Cinematographer: Matuso Naganuma
Art director: Naomi Koike
Music: Isao Tomita
Costume designer: Kazuko Korosawa
Editor: Iwao Ishii
Cast:
Shinnojo: Takuya Kimura
Kayo: Rei Dan
Also: Takashi Sasano, Nenji Kobayashi, Makoto Akatsuka, Toshiki Ayata, Koen Kondo, Nobuto Okamoto, Tokie Hidari, Yasuo Daichi, Ken Ogata, Kaori Momoi, Mitsugoro Bando
Running time -- 121 minutes
No MPAA rating...
BERLIN -- In a movie involving samurai and a tale of betrayal and revenge, the expectation is of clashing swords and carnage, but Yoji Yamada's "Love and Honor" (Bushi No Ichibun) turns out to be a tender love story.
Unlikely to satisfy an audience with bloodlust, the picture should do well on the festival circuit and in international art houses for its pensive examination of loyalty.
In an unspecified period in history where the local shogun rules and is served by tremulous servants and guarded by ferocious warriors, a young samurai named Shinnojo (Takuya Kimura) has a noble but unheralded job as one of the ruler's food tasters.
With four other handsomely uniformed and disciplined men, he participates in the ritual of taking one bite and one swallow of everything his lordship is about to eat.
Unhappy with his lot despite the privileges his minor rank affords him and the devotion of his loving wife, Kayo (Rei Dan), Shinnojo dreams of quitting to teach children to become swordsmen.
The likable but serious young man sees the ritual of tasting for poison as foolish tradition until one day he swallows a piece of sashimi from a fish as potentially lethal as the fugu pufferfish. He becomes ill immediately, so the shogun is saved. But after emerging from a coma, the loyal samurai discovers he is blind.
He descends into depression, though Kayo nurses and feeds him devotedly. She not only keeps him from suicide, but when his disability means he can no longer function as a samurai and their income is threatened, she goes to see the head of the castle guard for help.
He is willing to help but only at a price -- and when Shinnojo discovers what price Kayo has been willing to pay, he not only sends her away but also decides that honor must be served by challenging the leader to a duel.
Yamada takes his time with the story, showing husband and wife in their loving relationship and detailing the niceties of the shogun's dining rituals. The pace of the proceedings is never dull, however, thanks to expert performances -- especially by leads Kimura and Dan -- Matuso Naganuma's fine cinematography and the suitably graceful editing of Iwao Ishii.
When the final clash occurs, it has elements of a classic Western gunfight, full of stealth and steel, but Yamada has much more on his mind than simple bloodletting.
LOVE AND HONOR (BUSHI NO ICHIBUN)
Shochiku Co. Ltd.
Credits:
Director: Yoji Yamada
Screenwriters: Yoji Yamada, Emiko Hiramatsu, Ichiro Yamamoto
Based on "Moumokuken Kodamagaeshi" by: Shuhei Fujisawa
Producer: Takeo Hisamatsu
Cinematographer: Matuso Naganuma
Art director: Naomi Koike
Music: Isao Tomita
Costume designer: Kazuko Korosawa
Editor: Iwao Ishii
Cast:
Shinnojo: Takuya Kimura
Kayo: Rei Dan
Also: Takashi Sasano, Nenji Kobayashi, Makoto Akatsuka, Toshiki Ayata, Koen Kondo, Nobuto Okamoto, Tokie Hidari, Yasuo Daichi, Ken Ogata, Kaori Momoi, Mitsugoro Bando
Running time -- 121 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Panorama
BERLIN -- In a movie involving samurai and a tale of betrayal and revenge, the expectation is of clashing swords and carnage, but Yoji Yamada's "Love and Honor" (Bushi No Ichibun) turns out to be a tender love story.
Unlikely to satisfy an audience with bloodlust, the picture should do well on the festival circuit and in international art houses for its pensive examination of loyalty.
In an unspecified period in history where the local shogun rules and is served by tremulous servants and guarded by ferocious warriors, a young samurai named Shinnojo (Takuya Kimura) has a noble but unheralded job as one of the ruler's food tasters.
With four other handsomely uniformed and disciplined men, he participates in the ritual of taking one bite and one swallow of everything his lordship is about to eat.
Unhappy with his lot despite the privileges his minor rank affords him and the devotion of his loving wife, Kayo (Rei Dan), Shinnojo dreams of quitting to teach children to become swordsmen.
The likable but serious young man sees the ritual of tasting for poison as foolish tradition until one day he swallows a piece of sashimi from a fish as potentially lethal as the fugu pufferfish. He becomes ill immediately, so the shogun is saved. But after emerging from a coma, the loyal samurai discovers he is blind.
He descends into depression, though Kayo nurses and feeds him devotedly. She not only keeps him from suicide, but when his disability means he can no longer function as a samurai and their income is threatened, she goes to see the head of the castle guard for help.
He is willing to help but only at a price -- and when Shinnojo discovers what price Kayo has been willing to pay, he not only sends her away but also decides that honor must be served by challenging the leader to a duel.
Yamada takes his time with the story, showing husband and wife in their loving relationship and detailing the niceties of the shogun's dining rituals. The pace of the proceedings is never dull, however, thanks to expert performances -- especially by leads Kimura and Dan -- Matuso Naganuma's fine cinematography and the suitably graceful editing of Iwao Ishii.
When the final clash occurs, it has elements of a classic Western gunfight, full of stealth and steel, but Yamada has much more on his mind than simple bloodletting.
LOVE AND HONOR (BUSHI NO ICHIBUN)
Shochiku Co. Ltd.
Credits:
Director: Yoji Yamada
Screenwriters: Yoji Yamada, Emiko Hiramatsu, Ichiro Yamamoto
Based on "Moumokuken Kodamagaeshi" by: Shuhei Fujisawa
Producer: Takeo Hisamatsu
Cinematographer: Matuso Naganuma
Art director: Naomi Koike
Music: Isao Tomita
Costume designer: Kazuko Korosawa
Editor: Iwao Ishii
Cast:
Shinnojo: Takuya Kimura
Kayo: Rei Dan
Also: Takashi Sasano, Nenji Kobayashi, Makoto Akatsuka, Toshiki Ayata, Koen Kondo, Nobuto Okamoto, Tokie Hidari, Yasuo Daichi, Ken Ogata, Kaori Momoi, Mitsugoro Bando
Running time -- 121 minutes
No MPAA rating...
BERLIN -- In a movie involving samurai and a tale of betrayal and revenge, the expectation is of clashing swords and carnage, but Yoji Yamada's "Love and Honor" (Bushi No Ichibun) turns out to be a tender love story.
Unlikely to satisfy an audience with bloodlust, the picture should do well on the festival circuit and in international art houses for its pensive examination of loyalty.
In an unspecified period in history where the local shogun rules and is served by tremulous servants and guarded by ferocious warriors, a young samurai named Shinnojo (Takuya Kimura) has a noble but unheralded job as one of the ruler's food tasters.
With four other handsomely uniformed and disciplined men, he participates in the ritual of taking one bite and one swallow of everything his lordship is about to eat.
Unhappy with his lot despite the privileges his minor rank affords him and the devotion of his loving wife, Kayo (Rei Dan), Shinnojo dreams of quitting to teach children to become swordsmen.
The likable but serious young man sees the ritual of tasting for poison as foolish tradition until one day he swallows a piece of sashimi from a fish as potentially lethal as the fugu pufferfish. He becomes ill immediately, so the shogun is saved. But after emerging from a coma, the loyal samurai discovers he is blind.
He descends into depression, though Kayo nurses and feeds him devotedly. She not only keeps him from suicide, but when his disability means he can no longer function as a samurai and their income is threatened, she goes to see the head of the castle guard for help.
He is willing to help but only at a price -- and when Shinnojo discovers what price Kayo has been willing to pay, he not only sends her away but also decides that honor must be served by challenging the leader to a duel.
Yamada takes his time with the story, showing husband and wife in their loving relationship and detailing the niceties of the shogun's dining rituals. The pace of the proceedings is never dull, however, thanks to expert performances -- especially by leads Kimura and Dan -- Matuso Naganuma's fine cinematography and the suitably graceful editing of Iwao Ishii.
When the final clash occurs, it has elements of a classic Western gunfight, full of stealth and steel, but Yamada has much more on his mind than simple bloodletting.
LOVE AND HONOR (BUSHI NO ICHIBUN)
Shochiku Co. Ltd.
Credits:
Director: Yoji Yamada
Screenwriters: Yoji Yamada, Emiko Hiramatsu, Ichiro Yamamoto
Based on "Moumokuken Kodamagaeshi" by: Shuhei Fujisawa
Producer: Takeo Hisamatsu
Cinematographer: Matuso Naganuma
Art director: Naomi Koike
Music: Isao Tomita
Costume designer: Kazuko Korosawa
Editor: Iwao Ishii
Cast:
Shinnojo: Takuya Kimura
Kayo: Rei Dan
Also: Takashi Sasano, Nenji Kobayashi, Makoto Akatsuka, Toshiki Ayata, Koen Kondo, Nobuto Okamoto, Tokie Hidari, Yasuo Daichi, Ken Ogata, Kaori Momoi, Mitsugoro Bando
Running time -- 121 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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