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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 5, 2019 2:07:16 GMT
Hi all,after the last two epics,I decided to change and move to finishing a box set. For anyone who might be tempted for a kick-ass double feature,this flick surprisingly reminded me of Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture (1973),due to a major plot element they both share (the commentary for FYT notes it may have inspired the Giallo What Have They Done to Your Daughters? (1974)) Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread (1974) 8 Keeping the swords shiny, Arrow present another winning transfer, with the picture being crisp, (and not blurring during any of the active camera moves) and the clang from the swords on the soundtrack being kept clean. Stepping forward for a second round,Etsuko Shihomi gives a spellbinding turn as Koryu, whose fighting moves Shihomi again performs with a graceful passion,this time welded by Shihomi to Koryu’s raw emotions to get revenge. Proving that diamonds are forever, Hideo Murota steals the movie as boo-hiss baddie Osone, thanks to Murota bringing out a gleefully sadistic, cackling harshness in Osone. Made just a few months after the first SST, returning writer Masahiro Kakefuda is joined by Norifumi Suzuki in taking the outline of SST 1,and twisting it in a new off the wall direction. Returning to smugglers being the villains,the writers joyfully present them in a dastardly, pulp manner, slicing into the world of Grindhouse when the smugglers surgically implant their diamonds into the buttocks of Hong Kong prostitutes who are then sent to Hong Kong. Jumping back into another round, the writers drive Koryu’s force in taking down the gang with a wicked personal touch of her sister being involved with them. Joining Kakefuda and Shihomi in this reunion, director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi & cinematographer Yoshio Nakajima take their frantic karate chops of SS1,and dice them with a blazing atmosphere that crosses over into the Pinky Violence genre. Backed by Shunsuke Kikuchi’s terrific twang score, Yamaguchi twirls a gloriously excessive sleazy atmosphere, springing from naked fitties, slick whip-pans on every bloody finishing move, a dip into tasty Lucio fulci-style eye gouging,all loaded in bubbling brash vibrant colours oozing 70's Grindhouse fumes, ultra-stylised zoom-ins and wah-wah freeze frames catching Sister Street Fighter hanging by a thread.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 6, 2019 2:29:06 GMT
Hi all,before going to see IT:Chapter 2 with a friend today (talk about a let down!) I caught the third in this series: Return of the Sister Street Fighter (1975) 6 High-kicking the trilogy, Arrow present a terrific transfer,with the picture having a fitting level of grain, and the chops in the soundtrack played clearly. After crossing into Pinky Violence for the second film in the series, (also reviewed) returning director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi disappointingly pulls back for a back to basics karate final. Appearing to have a lower budget,Yamaguchi & cinematographer Masahiko Iimura make the most of smaller locations with stylish up-close camera moves giving the setting a tight, confined appearance, clotheslined in smooth panning shots fully displaying each fighting move. Joined by new co-writer Takeo Kaneko, returning Masahiro Kakefuda takes the recurring choruses of the first two flicks, and hits them with a heightened Melodrama cut, as gold smuggler's melt the stealing of a mother/daughter as a carrot to get Koryu into their den. Even when gripping material not performing roundhouse kicks, Etsuko Shihomi shines in her final turn as Koryu,bringing out a excitement in her attempt to protect the mum/daughter, and in performing deadly knock out attacks for the returning street fighter.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Sept 6, 2019 22:01:48 GMT
Nihon ânkokugai , aka J apan's Underworld or Rub Out the Past (1966) another entertaining treat from the fabulous year of Classic cinema 1966, a little seen film which had no image, vote or review at the IMDb... Nihon ânkokugai is an exciting action packed Yakuza crime film, produced among a series of mid 60s contemporary crime/underworld films from Toei . Director Masaharu Segawa known for his entertaining comedy and musical films was a versatile cinematic craftsman here he creates a solid, bloody and brutal stylish wide screen drama. Nihon ânkokugai is a fast paced complex underworld tale involving hard drug trafficking set behind the scenes among Osaka's glitzy strip-joints. Kageyama ( Kôji Tsuruta) had thought his criminal past was long behind him he is. now the owner of a high class restaurant. Turning his comfortable world upside down is a haunting tune requested to his beautiful resident piano player Yuriko Mishima from a patron one evening ... Kôji Tsuruta gives a tremendous cool headed performance and is supported with an exceptional cast of characters. A highlight throughout is the breezy background jazz/bluesy soundtrack, laced with a melancholic fatalistic tone it creates a marvellous evocative atmosphere. As the entertaining tale plays out loyalties are tested, friendships are strained and love is compromised. Rubbing out the past comes at a great personal cost to, Kageyama , redemption possibly, now the only way forward ?... Highly Recommended Classic Yakuza drama.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Sept 6, 2019 23:34:18 GMT
Many thanks to you MDF for the inspiration. Wow Howls Moving Castle my first anime really is something special !! Now looking forward to being Spirited Away and entering the enchanted forest realm of Princess Mononoke
To end at the Castle,before seeing it again on the screen,I had forgotten how cute that flame is! ( what was your favourite sequence?) Hi there MDF … favourite sequence ? that really is a tough ask for this first timer. I was just so spellbound throughout with the whole film, the intricate detail, vivid colour, constant movement and incredible imagination. I do not think for now I could possibly single out one particular scene . I loved the multi layers of interwoven themes, the fabulous script is definitely a highlight with so much to say, and it startles with such great lines as "only idiots believe what they read in the news" from the Witch of the Waste . I am already looking forward to watching again soon and can fully appreciate how inspirational and uplifting this must have been for you, at a down moment in life... Tonight we will sit down to Princess Mononoke … I will get back with my thoughts Happy Classic Viewing to you... I have enjoyed your latest additions to the collection here.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 7, 2019 0:35:09 GMT
HI all,after the third SSF I was expecting a continued drop for the final,but things actually improved! Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist (1976) 7 Concluding the run on a solid note,Arrow present a fine transfer,with the picture quality remaining crisp, and the switch from English language, to subtitled Japanese being smoothly performed. Creating a bookend after having made the first in the franchise, (also reviewed) director Shigehiro Ozawa returns for this sequel in name only,and whilst the violence and sleaze of past SSF has been toned down,Ozawa unveils new flourishes, such as a lively touch for mad-cap 4th wall breaking sequences whip-panning around a corrupt film studio. Stylishly zooming in on the baddies, Ozawa strikes a graceful note for the final film he directed, via gliding along the Action set-pieces to allow each move to be crispy viewed,only to all be crunched down on a icy ambiguous freeze frame final image. Appearing to be made with a more international audience in mind, the screenplay by returning SSF1 writer Motohiro Torii,and new to the series Isao Matsumoto hit a terrific one-two punch of keeping Nakagawa to the SSF standard of being a expert street fighter, while leaning towards inspiration from American cinema, such as a Blaxploitation boyfriend, a mix of English & Japanese for the dialogue, and the edging of Film Noir in the seediness of the baddies. The one constant in the SSF series,Etsuko Shihomi gives a excellent performance as Nakagawa,who Shihomi has discover not only a need to win at street fighting,but also against a studio system.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 8, 2019 3:42:25 GMT
Hi all,this is a series of films that have been on the top of my "wish list" for a few years (the out of print Arrow set fetches silly money.) A few weeks ago I won on eBay a auction for a Blu of the Giallo flick StageFright (1987). Checking sellers other listings,I found they had the set on auction,which I won for £25 (or £5 per film.) If anyone knows of similar movies,recs are welcomed. Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss (1970) 10. Kicking off with a bang,Arrow present a great transfer, with each note on the soundtrack roaring, and whist the picture has some moments when it is dark, (likely due to the makers using cheap film stock) Arrow keep the colours on the picture clean and vibrant. Circling in on biker Ako driving into the camera, director Yasuharu Hasebe & cinematographer Muneo Ueda charge up with a blazing unique multi- genre criss-cross of a “Happening” hanging out 60’s/70’s flick, a rebellious teen group,a Musical (!), and all wrapped up in Film Noir double crossing. Facing all those different genres, Hasbe and Ueda astonishingly make them all fit together, thanks to splashing the streets in a Punk Rock atmosphere of blazing primary colours shimmering on the catchy songs performed at concerts and the animated tough chicks Ako and the Stray Cat gang. Appearing to have sequences filmed guerilla -style as a motorbike drives down the stairs of a subway station,Hasbe takes the Power-Pop appearance of the Stray Cats and punches the gritty underworld with Pop-Art ultra-stylisation,landing killer hits in a first-person filmed boxing match, Comic-Book panels placed round the characters, riding into the fights to eye-catching freeze-frames on the attacks,pulled across via whip-fast tracking shots following the gang fights. For the first in the series, the screenplay by Hideichi Nagahara offers up a fantastic, velvety pulpy creation, springing from Ako’s head-on confrontation with a all-male gang in the opening, leaping to the Film Noir thrill of Ako and Stray Cat leader Mei encouraging a boxer called Kelly to not follow demands from underworld gang Seiyu Group to lose the match,but instead win it, leading to Seiyu being down for the count,with an eye for revenge. Entering as a outsider, Akiko Wada gives a wicked turn as Ako,whose clipped lines of dialogue Wada delivers with a self-confidence of Ako being the toughest in town, whilst sexy Meiko Kaji brings a a fighter instinct out of Mei, who turns out to be far from the only stray cat.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 9, 2019 2:39:16 GMT
Hi all,not knowing what to expect from the SCR series,I was thrilled to find a Japanese beach party flick! Stray Cat Rock: Wild Jumbo (1970) 8 Placing the criminal activities at the beginning and ending of the flick, co-writer/(with Hideichi Nagahara) director Toshiya Fujita enters the franchise with cinematographer Shohei Ando and surfs on a utterly delightful Beach Party adventure (backed by Yoshio Saito’s awesome psychedelic jazz fusion.) Walking on the beach with the gang in rough hand-held camera moves, Fujita rolls out a utterly groovy atmosphere, heightening the Pop-Art of SCR 1 in sliding the camera along deep sea diving, party on the beach, and the lads (but sadly not the ladies) mooning onlookers as they casually plan their heist in between partying. Getting into a laid-back mood, Fujita cuts the partying down to size with a pure Psychotronic shoot-out between the gang and cops, ending the hippy hangout on ultra-stylised freeze frames/zoom-ins on the thieves rocking their last moments of life. Given less than three months by the studio to write a sequel, Fujita & returning Stray Cat writer Nagahara get into a nifty spin by wisely placing the focus on the hangout aspect, whilst picking up in clipped side-plots the learning from a heiress they kidnap that a religious organisation called Shinkyo Gakkai has a stash of cash coming in,leading to a wonderfully downer ending. Teaming up with regular collaborator Fujita again, cute Meiko Kaji hits giddy, joyful notes as gang member C-ko, while fittie Bunjaku Han brings a calculating toughness in planning the robbery as Asako,in the middle of this wild jumbo party.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 10, 2019 3:11:24 GMT
Hi all,continuing to surpass all expectations,this has got to be one of the most chic 70's flicks I've seen! Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (1970)10. Greeting the audience wearing her iconic hat,alluring Meiko Kaji gives an incredibly expressive performance as Mako, whose tough as nails leadership in taking on the racist men of The Eagles street gang,is threaded by Kaji with a thoughtful femininity of supporting each member of her gang facing any challenge,plus not only using actions, but words in standing up against the racists for Mari dating Ichiro. Targeting the Stray Cats and Ichiro every time they are in his sights, Tatsuya Fuji gives a delicious, snarling performance as merciless The Eagles leader Baron. Filmed at the same time as the (also reviewed) second SCR, (they did not wait around!) returning co-writer/(with Ai Kennedy and Atsushi Yamatoya)director Toshiya Fujita & cinematographer Muneo Ueda strikingly make the atmosphere of both flicks completely different. Taking inspiration from the US Drive-In/Grindhouse scene, Hasebe alters the Pop-Art stylisation of the franchise with a rougher edge, slashing the aspect ratio in a experimental manner between wide-screen for the Stray Cats, and 4:3 to close in on the seedy happenings of The Eagles, and taking the flower power off-beat mood of the past SCR into lightning fast gun-shot edits and Coca-Cola bottle Molotov cocktails. Successfully dancing to a more serious tone, the screenplay by Hasebe/ Kennedy and Yamatoya deliver their message against racism with a chirpy sincerity, holding firm even against The Eagles attempted sexual assault of the Stray Cats, and the brutal treatment they hand out to Ichiro in their attempt to keep the Japanese race “pure.”. Along with the heavier themes, the writers joyfully don’t miss a beat in keeping time spent hanging out with the partying Stray Cats a joy to mingle with,whilst they take down The Eagles.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Sept 10, 2019 6:03:34 GMT
Hi all,this is a series of films that have been on the top of my "wish list" for a few years (the out of print Arrow set fetches silly money.) A few weeks ago I won on eBay a auction for a Blu of the Giallo flick StageFright (1987). Checking sellers other listings,I found they had the set on auction,which I won for £25 (or £5 per film.) If anyone knows of similar movies,recs are welcomed. Hi there MDF Taking in some Wonderfully unique Classic Japanese, these singled out films from some notable 70s films series are sure to be of interest to you. petrolino had a great list which seems to have disappeared , I know it was there because I offered up Black Tight Killers (1966) from Yasuharu Hasebe on page 2 in reply ?... Joshuu sasori: Kemono-beya , Female Beast Stable (1973) Shun'ya Itô Prisoner Scorpion Series, excellent pictured below and also from Yasuharu Hasebe, Joshû sasori: 701-gô urami-bushi , #701s Grudge Song.(1973) Sukeban burûsu: Mesubachi no gyakushû , Queen Bee Strikes Again (1971) Norifumi Suzuki, … Girl Boss series Zubekô banchô: Yume wa yoru hiraku , Blossoming Night Dreams (1970) Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, Delinquent Girl Boss series Kyôfu joshikôkô: Bôkô rinchi kyôshitsu , Women's Violent Classroom (1972) Norifumi Suzuki , Terrifying Girls High School series
ENJOY !!!
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Post by manfromplanetx on Sept 10, 2019 6:22:31 GMT
Credited with working for six of the major Japanese film studios, and for his work in Hong Kong writer director Umetsugu Inoue had an extraordinarily productive and highly creative career in cinema art . Making well over 100 films and composing just as many screenplays, noted for his musicals and crime dramas he directed in a variety of genres, his films are highly entertaining classic Japanese cinema. Washi to taka , Eagle and Hawk (1957) ... An entertaining crime thriller/melodrama from writer director Umetsugu Inoue, set aboard an old cargo ship sailing out from Osaka bound for Hong Kong. Certainly not a musical as some summaries suggest, however there are a few light toned moments of musical distraction. Opening the tale before the ship sails is a haunting whistle from a mysterious stalker, a back lane murder of one of the ships crew re-opens a secret hidden past. Suspected are two new crew members, young and headstrong they seem at odds with the close knit crewmates. As the ship pulls out of port two separate female stowaways are discovered , too late to turn back the journey is also bound for some melodramatic romantic intrigue. Sailing out to open waters the stylish director paints a vivid pictorial of nautical life with his fabulously expressive shipboard action and a wonderful portrayal of sea-scape imagery. Terrific performances from an outstanding cast enhance this exciting twisting tale, which has surprises in store as motives and the past begin to reveal . An excellent classic film from the inspired creative hand of Umetsugu Inoue Highly Recommended !!
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 10, 2019 16:14:33 GMT
Hi all,this is a series of films that have been on the top of my "wish list" for a few years (the out of print Arrow set fetches silly money.) A few weeks ago I won on eBay a auction for a Blu of the Giallo flick StageFright (1987). Checking sellers other listings,I found they had the set on auction,which I won for £25 (or £5 per film.) If anyone knows of similar movies,recs are welcomed. Hi there MDF Taking in some Wonderfully unique Classic Japanese, these singled out films from some notable 70s films series are sure to be of interest to you. petrolino had a great list which seems to have disappeared , I know it was there because I offered up Black Tight Killers (1966) from Yasuharu Hasebe on page 2 in reply ?... Joshuu sasori: Kemono-beya , Female Beast Stable (1973) Shun'ya Itô Prisoner Scorpion Series, excellent pictured below and also from Yasuharu Hasebe, Joshû sasori: 701-gô urami-bushi , #701s Grudge Song.(1973) Sukeban burûsu: Mesubachi no gyakushû , Queen Bee Strikes Again (1971) Norifumi Suzuki, … Girl Boss series Zubekô banchô: Yume wa yoru hiraku , Blossoming Night Dreams (1970) Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, Delinquent Girl Boss series Kyôfu joshikôkô: Bôkô rinchi kyôshitsu , Women's Violent Classroom (1972) Norifumi Suzuki , Terrifying Girls High School series
ENJOY !!!
Thank you for the awesome recs Planet X (I've not heard of Terrifying Girls High School series before) and on picking up the Scorpion,I'll tell you something stupid soon about me missing chances to catch the series (at least I'll finally watch 'em very soon-better late then never!) Speaking of doing something a bit dumb,thanks for the remind about Black Tights (which I have.) I through I had watched it,but it turns out I mixed Killers on Parade for Black Tight Killers (oops!)
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 11, 2019 2:18:45 GMT
I'm starting to cross my fingers that this series will be a royal flush,where the worst film in the run is excellent! Stray Cat Rock: Machine Animal (1970) 9 Up to now the best Print in the set, Arrow present a shiny clean picture,and a smooth soundtrack. For a flick involving the selling of LSD, returning director Yasuharu Hasebe & cinematographer Yoshihiro Yamazaki fittingly make this the trippiest entry in the series, via increased experimentation with editor Mutsuo Tanji of hip screen wipes, ultra-stylised spilt-screens catching multiple perspectives, and jump-cut dissolves on the Stray Cat Rock gang tripping out. Dipping into the psychedelic, Hasebe splashes the screen with lush primary colours,which dazzle in the thrill-ride motorbike chase final set-piece,along with heightening the far-out atmosphere. Playing a different character but returning in her iconic hat, (the producers making sure to get every Yen out of that costume budget!)Meiko Kaji (who also sings the lovely theme song) gives an enticing turn as gang leader Maya, who in this entry is given a brittle edge by Kaji in putting a firm stamp on her fellow gang members of who the boss is. The lone SCR that he wrote, the screenplay by Ryuzo Nakanishi takes a fabulous turn into a more unusual path for the series via giving the SCR gang an anti-hero bite via their slicing into the drug trade, whilst also being the most overtly political,in the gang helping the drug dealers who are after safe passage due to being deserters of the Vietnam War,who now have to fight off the machine animal.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Sept 12, 2019 6:45:27 GMT
Yet another great film from an amazing year of International film 1966, one of three remarkable films the Japanese director made that year , my eighteenth exciting addition from the director to the collection.... Rikugun Nakano gakko , Nakano Spy School....(1966) The fabulous films of maverick director Yasuzo Masumura are highly creative works laced with multi themes. Penetrating deep into our human psyche his art is composed with an underlying tone of sharp sociological perceptions critical of elements within Japanese society. Opening this excellent drama a stream of newspaper headlines featuring detail of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the relentless advance of Japanese imperialist policy marches on. The film setting takes place on the eve of yet another broader conflict the Pacific War. At this turbulent time underdeveloped was Japan's military intelligence. A small group of soldiers have been singled out from the ranks, elite soldiers they are both physically and mentally superior the essential attributes for the testing task ahead. The rigorous training comes at a great personal cost, it is a huge sacrifice to leave former lives and families who must be completely left to the distant past. Devoting themselves body and soul, the close knit group endure a year of training in the art of espionage at the Nakano Spy School. An outstanding cast feature giving great depth of character, the foundation of this absorbing, dynamic drama. Ultimately with seamless craftsmanship, many layers merge for a wonderfully entertaining, thought provoking cinematic story,. archetypal of the master filmmaker Yasuzo Masumura:... Highly Recommended !!
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 14, 2019 2:46:59 GMT
Hi all,after a delay thanks to two rather unique cinema viewings (I'll post about them in weekly thread) I at last finished the SCR run, which just missed out from a full quality run. Stray Cat Rock: Beat '71 (1971) 6 Although a softer image than the other flicks, Arrow still present a good transfer of a clean soundtrack and well-paced subtitles. Rocking the stray cat for the final time, returning co- writer Hideichi Nagahara is here joined by Tatsuya Asai in finishing the franchise by taking the biggest departure from the recurring themes of the others. Making all-women gangs be the main link each SCR shared, the writers oddly decide here to move the men to the front, leaving to a loss of the urgent atmosphere which gripped the others,as it is here replaced by the would- be girl gang now being part of a hippie community lead by Yoshitaro, who gets entangled with the son (who did a murder) of a politician, after hippie Furiko (a cute Meiko Kaji) is arrested for the crime. Concluding the theme of protesting against the Vietnam war with a wonderfully strange, unsettling image of kids playing at war, returning director Toshiya Fujita, & cinematographer Kenji Hagiwara bring out flourishes of the past in bright zoom-ins on the hippies commune, but appearing to be on a lower budget, are sadly able to bring back the distinctive stylisation for the flat attempt by the gang to rescue the rocking stray cat.
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Post by Aj_June on Sept 15, 2019 0:38:58 GMT
Hi all, I just finished Fires on the Plain (1959) and I am short of words. It is the darkest movie I have ever seen. And I have seen many dark movies in my lifetime. I liked Kon Ichikawa from the day I saw The Burmese Harp but seeing Fires on the Plain makes me think Ichikawa is definitely in my top 20 directors ever. The movie depicts the horrors of war through the human quest for survival. It touches on topic human depravity in bad times. Some of the scenes of this movie can seriously disturb you. "The film was shot entirely in Japan in Gotenba, Izu and Hakone. The actors were fed little and were not allowed to brush their teeth or cut their nails to make it look more realistic, but doctors were on set constantly. It was delayed for two months when Eiji Funakoshi fainted on the set.[6] When Ichikawa asked Funakoshi's wife what had happened, she responded that he had barely eaten in the two months that he was given to prepare." Although I wholeheartedly recommend this film to all the cinephiles, I would warn that the experience of watching this movie could be strenuous. Watching Come and see (1985) would be a pleasant experience if you watch this one. The director has done a brilliant job, the camera work is as good as it gets and the acting leaves you thinking you are physically present in 1945. 9/10 from me.
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Post by wmcclain on Sept 15, 2019 1:30:45 GMT
It is all that you say. Fires on the Plain (1959), directed by Kon Ichikawa. Horrific tale of Japanese soldiers in hell during the final months of the war in the Philippines. Many beautifully shot but painful to watch scenes. In an excess of Method, the actors really starved themselves and didn't bathe for weeks. The director's The Burmese Harp (1956) was also about soldiers as victims of the war, but the earlier film was more of a fable. This is much darker, a realistic depiction of the collapse of an army starving and dying of disease. Pvt Tamura has TB and neither the hospital nor his own unit want him. He wanders, weaker and weaker, with a handful of yams for rations and a grenade for suicide. Often he is alone but sometimes he falls in with other strays looking for a way off the island. He would like to surrender to the Americans, but is afraid they or the Filipinos will shoot him. His grip on reality is weak at times, but he can't stop and die. He hides and scouts. He wantonly kills a civilian woman, then discards his rifle. In the final segment he encounters two comrades who are killing and eating other soldiers. Debased as he is, Tamura cannot bring himself to eat "monkey meat". That's a hopeful bit, as are the earlier intermittent acts of kindness between the soldiers. Unbelievably, there are also comic aspects, as when a line of ragged, staggering soldiers discard and put on rotten boots on a muddy road. It sticks in the mind because it is really not a "message" film, and we keep turning it over, looking at it in different ways. Anti-war? Sure, war is hell, but a proper anti-war story would be about choices, and whatever happened before, none of the soldiers have many choices now. They are not shown as more noble or base than they probably were. Tamura has both good and bad in him. Does he achieve a stressed glimpse of transcendence at the end, or is he just tired and wanting to finish it? Criterion DVD.
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Post by Aj_June on Sept 15, 2019 6:56:11 GMT
Thanks for putting your review, wmcclain. I need to see some of the other Ichikawa movies.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 15, 2019 17:41:15 GMT
Hi all,about five or so years ago I got Eureka's DVD box set of the first 3 FPS at a good price (think it was £18) on eBay. Whilst waiting for it to arrive,I had a short run of 3 early 2000's Japanese shot on lo-res digital video, (I've still yet to find a excellent film which has been shot in this format) which were so bad that they actually out me off looking at more genre offerings from Japan for a good while. Happy about wrapping up the SSF and SCR sets, I finally took this set off the shelf. Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972) 10 Placed in a cell a few years before Blu-Rays appeared, Eureka’s DVD transfer still stands up,with the aesthetic of the image being kept,but the colour tone being presented nice and clean,along with the soundtrack remaining crisp. For his first ever directing credit, director Shun'ya Ito makes a thunderous entrance, in closely working with cinematographer Hanjiro Nakazawa to build a wall of grime atmosphere,via the thick,muted brown and blue colours giving the cells a grubby appearance, which become splattered in fire and dry red blood. Along with offering a welcomed WIP sleazy eyeful of naked fitties in long panning shots down the showers of the prison and rather steamy sex scenes, Shun'ya locks it in with gloriously vibrant, ultra-stylised surrealism. Turning Matsu’s run from a glass-knife welding fellow prisoner into a Giallo set-piece (complete with first-person shot) and a stark, Pop-Art change of colour to the walls as the violence builds,plus imposing Dutch angles close-ups on the guards, to slow-motion freeze-frames on Matsu finding moments to hand out revenge seeping into the delicate overlapping images building up the cracking tension to Matsu’s walk towards revenge. Unlocking the pages of Tooru Shinohara’s Manga, the screenplay by Fumio Konami & Hiro Matsuda superbly knifes the WIP sub-genre with Rape-Revenge,by threading the prison activity with splintered flashbacks reflecting the chilling betrayal that put Matsu wrongly behind bars.Receiving punishment from the guards and her fellow inmates, the writers make this adaptation be one where revenge is kept simmer before explosively it gets served, as a level of care is unveiled in keeping Matsu’s dialogue measured,with it being pinned as Matsu looks to the ground and whimpers from each beating, only to open up and clinically take all down when they least expect to hear her scream of vengeance. On the outside of jail wearing her iconic Stray Cat hat, Meiko Kaji (who for one of the few times in her credits, appears naked) gives a magnetic turn as Matsu, thanks to Kaji bringing out a subtle quality in her down-cast body language to Matsu’s vulnerable state, which Kaji slowly transforms into a tough, deadly avenger with a vicious scorpion sting.
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Post by Aj_June on Sept 15, 2019 18:49:33 GMT
Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972) 10 Placed in a cell a few years before Blu-Rays appeared, Eureka’s DVD transfer still stands up,with the aesthetic of the image being kept,but the colour tone being presented nice and clean,along with the soundtrack remaining crisp. I liked Meiko Kaji a lot in Lady Snowblood. Would really love to see this film too. Thanks for your rec, Dylan!
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 16, 2019 0:03:41 GMT
Hi all,after the first FPS today I felt like viewing one of the other Japanese flicks sitting in the watch list pile. Breaking my 70's run thanks to it having a short run time,I went in expecting a quick trashy flick,but was surprised to find it had some real ambition. Female Teacher: Dirty Afternoon (1981) 8 Bringing the flick to the West with English subtitles, Impulse present a good transfer,with the soundtrack being kept clean,and a overall solid picture that keeps the background details clear. Whilst the flick does strip to the sleazy sexual assault which is a set- piece within the Pinku genre, director Kichitaro Negishi impressively rises above it, taking Kurata onto the real streets of Japan where she attempts to track a bond with Nomoto, whilst cheeky side shots offers glimpses to the faces of those in the midst of a steamy encounter. Sadly left without a credit, the screenplay surprisingly slides the Pinku sex to the sidelines, to instead wear a touchingly low-key Melodrama of Kurata unbuttoning from suppressed memories of having by mistake said that Nomoto had assaulted her, (it turned out to be someone else) leading to his life being left in ruins. Desiring to fix what she damaged, sexy Yuki Kazamatsuri gives a touching turn as Kurata,whose regret Kazamatsuri captures in the waves of lust final,whilst Noboru Mitani blissfully bounces off Kurata with his dry,down-trodden humour as Nomoto over a dirty afternoon.
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