Rob's (mostly) Asian movie blog.
Last Updated on January 20, 2021 by rob
Schoolteacher Shinzaburo (Kojiro Hongo) meets a beautiful courtesan named Otsuyu (Miyoko Akaza) and her maid Oyone (Michiko Otsuka), during the summer Obon festival. Obon is the one week in the year when the spirits from the netherworld are allowed into this one and sure enough Otsuyu and Oyone turn out to be … Read the rest
Last Updated on October 6, 2020 by rob
A miner (Hisashi Igawa) is murdered by a man in a white suit (Kunie Tanaka) but returns as an understandably upset ghost determined to find out why. His search leads him to his identical double, Otsuka (also played by Igawa), who’s the union chief of a local mine embroiled in a row … Read the rest
Last Updated on October 1, 2020 by rob
After Professor Hyodo makes claims about UFO’s and aliens he disappears and TV reporter Minami (Tatsuya Nakadai) is assigned to investigate. Minami’s search turns up rumours of people whose blood has turned blue after exposure to UFO’s and their forcible incarceration and vivisection in secret US detention camps. But Minami’s attempts to … Read the rest
Last Updated on January 23, 2021 by rob
In 17th century Japan two Jesuit priests from Portugal Rodrigo and Garrpe (David Lampson and Don Kenny) attempt to spread the gospel but the country has turned against Christianity and both they and their Japanese converts face torture and death at the hands of Magistrate Inoue (Tetsuro Tanba) and his men, even … Read the rest
Last Updated on September 28, 2020 by rob
Middle-aged Sook-young (Kim Ji-mee) takes a train journey and recalls her abuse at the hands of men whose brutal treatment provoked her into killing in self-defence. A spell in prison leaves her suicidal but a temporary release under the watchful eye of a female warden leads to an encounter with Hoon (Lee … Read the rest
Last Updated on January 20, 2021 by rob
Jilted teen Kinya (Tetsuya Takeda) embarks on a road trip across Hokkaido, picking up shy, nervous Akemi (Kaori Momoi) and middle-aged loner Yusaku (Ken Takakura) as travelling companions. But as Kinya struggles too woo Akemi a routine police stop unexpectedly reveals that the taciturn Yusaku is actually a former convict just released … Read the rest
Last Updated on November 14, 2020 by rob
On a tiny remote island off the Korean coast a schoolteacher named Mr. Kim takes a class of young children on their first ever trip to the country’s capital, Seoul.
A lovely account of simple island kids exploring a big city and winningly told through the eyes of children whose wonderment at … Read the rest
Last Updated on January 23, 2021 by rob
Dying businessman Senzo (So Yamamura) announces his vast fortune is to be split among his three illegitimate children provided they can be located. To this end he orders loyal and innocent secretary Yasuko (Keiko Kishi) to locate his eldest whilst a bent lawyer (Jun Hamamura) is instructed to find the other two. … Read the rest
Last Updated on January 24, 2021 by rob
A bright teenager named Shuichi (Kazunari Ninomiya) lives with his mother and sister. But although outwardly happy the return of Shuichi’s estranged stepfather – whom he believes to have sexually abused his sister – stirs violent impulses in the boy. So Shuichi hatches an ingenious death-by-electrocution plan to murder his stepfather. But … Read the rest
Last Updated on January 23, 2021 by rob
The story of how young and gifted singer Frankie Valli (John Lloyd Young), and close friends Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza) and Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda), three close friends from New Jersey with dubious criminal connections – along with brilliant singer-songwriter Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen) – became the smash hit pop group The … Read the rest
