Dread, destiny and a strong emotional undercurrent are the hallmarks of the trailer for Clint Eastwood’s new film The Mule. This looks a lot more commercial than something as radical as Clint’s last film, the superb yet woefully misunderstood and underrated 15:17 To Paris. Eastwood’s directing and starring (the latter no surprise since he’d never officially announced his … Read the rest
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Bohachi Bushido: Code Of The Forgotten Eight (Teruo Ishii, Japan, 1973)
Ronin Shino (Tetsuro Tanba) throws himself into a river to escape his enemies but is saved from death by the Bohachi’s, a once powerful clan of samurai who revel in depravity using rape and torture to turn women into sex slaves and assassins. After agreeing to a request by the Bohachi to clear the pimps from a local town Shino … Read the rest
Portrait of Hell (Shiro Toyoda, Japan, 1969)
In medieval Japan a rebellious Korean artist named Yoshihide (Tatsuya Nakadai) witnesses the death of a peasant at the hands of Lord Hosokawa (Kinnosuke Nakamura) and creates a painting of the dead man cursing Hosokowa that’s so vivid it panics the tyrant into visions of his ghost. So Hosokowa retaliates by ordering Yoshihide to paint a mural extolling his benevolence. … Read the rest
Youngja On The Loose (Kim Ho-sun, South Korea, 1975)
After three years military service Changsoo (Song Jae-ho) returns home and is shocked to discover that Youngja (Yeom Bok-soon) – the woman he wooed before he left – has gone from hard working maid to brassy prostitute. Not only that but somewhere along the way she’s lost one of her arms! Determined to get Youngja out of the squalor she’s … Read the rest
Tsugaru Folksong (Koichi Saito, Japan, 1973)
In the former fishing village she grew up in the beautiful Isako (Kyoko Enami) arrives from Shinjuku with her youthful lover, a fugitive Yakuza named Tetsuo (Akira Oda). He finds it hard to adjust in this desolate place until he strikes up a friendship with a young blind girl named Yuki (Mihoko Nakagawa). But Isako finds herself beset by a … Read the rest
0.5mm (Momoko Ando, Japan, 2014)
When home carer Sawa’s (Sakura Ando) employer requests her to sleep with her dying father she agrees but the result proves a disaster in more ways than one. Finding herself homeless Sawa accosts a series of lonely, elderly men ranging from karaoke bar resident Yasuo (Tatsuo Inoue), grumpy car mechanic Shigeru (Toshio Sakata) and retired academic Professor Makabe (Masahiko Tsugawa). … Read the rest
Orochi (Buntaro Futagara, Japan, 1925)
In 18th century Japan honourable samurai Heizaburo’s (Bando Tsumasaburo) attempts to do the right thing are persistently misunderstood and he ends up arrested. Losing the love of the two women in his life, Namie (Utako Tamaki) and waitress Ochio (Shizuko Mori) and shunned by the townspeople for an undeserved reputation as a criminal Heizaburo’s good nature is further exploited by … Read the rest
The Betrayal (Tokuzo Tanaka, Japan, 1966)
A samurai from the powerful Iwashiro clan is killed by Shinbei and Jurota, two members of the smaller Minazuki clan. But Shinbei is the only son of Minazuki clan leader, Katagiri. In an effort to save his son’s life Katagiri begs samurai Takuma (Raizo Ichikawa) to take the blame. Takuma reluctantly agrees to go into exile for a year with … Read the rest
Birth of Japan (Hiroshi Inagaki, Japan, 1959)
The Gods create Japan and their human offspring populate the country. But in the peaceful community of Ise, Prince Yamato’s (Toshiro Mifune) nephews led by Otomo (Eiijiro Tono) plot permanent exile for him so they can seize power. Ordered to fight a series of wars Yamato finds solace in the love of servant-girl-to-the-Gods Ototachibana (Yoko Tsukasa) and the legends of … Read the rest
Dream Lovers (Tony Au, Hong Kong, 1986)
Two Hong Kong residents, orchestra conductor Song (Chow Yun-Fat) and Cheung (Brigitte Lin) are haunted by visions of each other as lovers during the Chinese Qin dynasty 2,000 years earlier. After the two meet and spend the night together Song must face Cher (Wah Lei) his heartbroken fiancé of eight years and revelations from Cheung’s father and his business associate … Read the rest
