A Story from Echigo (Tadashi Imai, Japan, 1964)

In 1937 the success of sake brewery employee Ryukichi (Shoichi Ozawa) leads to jealousy and resentment from workmate and fellow Echigo villager Gonsuke (Rentaro Mikuni). When Gonsuke encounters Ryukichi’s wife Oshin (Yoshiko Sakuma) on the path home he rapes her and then torments the good-natured Ryukichi with rumours of Oshin having an affair. As these rumours gnaw at Ryukichi a … Read the rest

The Black Tavern (Teddy Yip Wing-Cho, Hong Kong, 1972)

Thieves and brigands converge on a remote inn to ambush a government official due to arrive with a treasure chest he’s transporting. The most lethal of the bad guys, the Whip Devil (Ku Feng), cuts down all his competitors except for a fellow thief named Kang (Li Tung) with whom he’s forced into an uneasy alliance. But when the official … Read the rest

The Shadow Whip (Wei Lo, Hong Kong, 1971)

When pretty Kaiyun Yang (Cheng Pei-pei) uses a whip to break up a fight in the village guesthouse she works at her exceptional prowess attracts the interest of swordsman Wang Jianxin (Hua Yueh), formidable Kung Fu master Hong Dapeng (Ku Feng), some thugs known as The Serial Trio and a gang called the 16 Bandits of Yanyun. All four come … Read the rest

The Long Darkness (Kei Kumai, Japan, 1972)

University student Tetsuro (Go Kato) falls in love with waitress Shino (Komaki Kurahara) but as the pair fall in love each is burdened with family tragedies that threaten to tear them apart.

This deeply moving film from director Kei Kumai is a contemporary social issue drama about that distinctively Japanese sense of personal shame which leads individuals to believe they … Read the rest

Snowpiercer (Bong Joon Ho, South Korea, 2013)

In the near future the world has frozen and the remnants of humanity survive inside a train endlessly circumnavigating the globe. The richest live in luxury at the front, the poorest exist in squalor at the back. But one day those in the rear carriages decide to seize control.

A fascinating, stylishly executed and exciting tale with good performances across … Read the rest