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  • #31
    Yellow Line (黄線地帯) (Japan, 1960) [DVD] - 3.5/5
    A very enjoyable Shin Toho noir by Teruo Ishii. There's a terrific opening with hitman Shigeru Amachi accepting an assignment and then walking into the Tokyo night. During his getaway he kidnaps a lady (Yoko Mihara) whose boyfriend (Teruo Yoshida) then tails them to Kobe where they stay in a rundown hotel in a red light district. There's a great momentum through most of the film (minus the 2nd quarter), especially towards the ultra intense climax, as well as moody sets and fascinating location work capturing the atmosphere of small alleys populated by hookers, drunks and drug dealers. One sexy night club scene especially is pure Ishii. Amachi is terrific as the hitman, a crook living by his own code of honour and humanity. There is the kind of distinctly old fashioned, gritty yet relative (only as far as “cool” allows) realism to the character that reminds of Humphrey Bogart and what you don't really find in modern cinema. In contract, Mihara is written against typical gender roles as a woman who is neither a helpless victim nor a fighting Amazon. On the minus side we are served the worst black face job you'll ever see, on what appears to be a Caucasian blonde actress from her looks. This was Part 3 in the Line series, the only one in colour.

















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    • #32
      Arrow releasing Yakuza's Law, bbfc certification confirms it:

      https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...ostcount=46538
      I'm bitter, I'm twisted, James Joyce is fucking my sister.

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      • #33
        Excellent news, that's a good one.
        Rock! Shock! Pop!

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        • #34
          NEW UK/US/CA TITLE: Yakuza Law (Blu-ray)

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          A gruelling anthology of torture, spanning three district periods of Japanese history from the Godfather of J-sploitation Teruo Ishii.

          Pre-order in the UK via Arrow: http://bit.ly/2tvoFBB
          Pre-order in the US via DiabolikDVD: http://bit.ly/2tB2GJu
          Release dates: May 13/14

          Director Teruo Ishii (Blind Woman's Curse, Horrors of Malformed Men), the Godfather of J-sploitation, presents Yakuza Law (AKA Yakuza's Law: Lynching) - a gruelling anthology of torture, spanning three district periods of Japanese history and bringing to the screen some of the most brutal methods of torment ever devised.

          In this deep dive into the world of the Yakuza, meet the violent men who rule the Japanese underworld and the cruel punishments inflicted on those who transgress them. The carnage begins in the Edo Period with a violent tale of samurai vengeance starring Bunta Sugawara (Battles Without Honour and Humanity), before shifting to the Meiji Period as the exiled Ogata (Minoru Oki, Shogun Assassin) returns to face punishment for his past transgressions… and, ultimately, to take his revenge. Finally, the action is brought right up to date with a tale of gang warfare set in then-present-day 60s Japan and headlined by Teruo Yoshida (Ishii's Orgies of Edo), as a powerful crime syndicate seeks bloody vengeance for the theft of one hundred thousand yen.

          Brutal, bewildering and definitely not for the faint-hearted, Yakuza Law represents Japanese popular cinema at its most extreme… and most thrilling.

          SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

          • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
          • Original lossless mono Japanese soundtrack
          • Optional English subtitles
          • New audio commentary by author and critic Jasper Sharp
          • Erotic-Grotesque and Genre Hopping: Teruo Ishii Speaks, a rare vintage interview with the elusive director on his varied career, newly edited for this release
          • Image gallery
          • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jacob Phillips

          FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Tom Mes
          Rock! Shock! Pop!

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          • #35
            Psyched about Yakuza Law!

            Man, wonder if they're even considering Joys of Torture or Hell's Tattooers (title?) or Karate Inferno?!?
            Keeth
            Senior Member
            Last edited by Keeth; 02-22-2019, 08:25 PM.

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            • #36
              Originally posted by Keeth View Post
              Psyched about Yakuza Law!

              Man, wonder if they're even considering Joys of Torture or Hell's Tattooers (title?)
              I'm not sure those would pass BBFC. Especially since both feature Honey Lane, aged 16 and 17 respectively. I don't actually remember her role in Joy, but in Hell (Inferno of Torture) she's fully nude pretty much the entire last reel....

              But I'd love to be wrong. I think those two are Ishii's best films after Bohachi Bushido and Malformed Men.

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              • #37
                I really hope we see more Toei martial arts movies on BD. Put me down for The Bodyguard and Which is Stronger: Karate or Tiger?
                Killer Meteor
                Senior Member
                Last edited by Killer Meteor; 02-23-2019, 10:10 AM.

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                • #38
                  Life was good for a filmmaker in the 1960s...


                  (oops, this is Teruo Yoshida of course. Can't believe I mistook him for Ishii. Stupid me! How embarrassing.)


                  (this is Ishii alright)

                  I think can I understand what motivated Ishii to direct seven films a year...
                  Takuma
                  Senior Member
                  Last edited by Takuma; 04-15-2020, 09:54 AM.

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                  • #39
                    Added a few more mini-reviews to page 1:

                    Mist and Shadows (霧と影) (Japan, 1961) [VoD] - 2/5
                    A Tsutomu Minakami novel adaptation with a reporter investigating a mysterious death in small town. This was one of Teruo Ishii's first Toei pictures, and surprisingly low thrills at that. It's essentially 83 minutes of talking heads. The good news is that one of those talking heads belongs to the always watchable Tetsuro Tamba, the star of the film. Ishii had, however, already done more electrifying films at Shin Toho in the late 50s.

                    Tokyo Gang vs. Hong Kong Gang (東京ギャング対香港ギャング) (1964) [VoD] - 3.5/5
                    Entertaining Teruo Ishii film with fantastic location work that suffices for gritty documentation of Hong Kong 1964. In an interview Ishii revealed the crew used hidden cameras, pretended to be tourists and paid silent any policemen who didn't buy it - or just ran - a guerrilla approach the film's cinematographer found unethical. The film's 2nd half moves back to Japan, but still has a sleazy striptease cross-cut to Koji Tsuruta going crazy under withdrawal symptoms! Tsuruta stars (though he doesn't appear until 40 min into the film), with excellent support from Ken Takakura, Ryuhei Uchida and Tetsuro Tamba. The main flaws: the plentiful Chinese dialogue the all-Japanese cast struggles with (though kudos for attempted authenticity), and the somewhat lackluster gunplay climax - Ishii wasn't a particularly good action director although though there are many exceptions to this criticism (e.g. the 1st Abashiri Prison, Bohachi Bushido, the Executioner films). For an equally good companion piece by Ishii, see An Outlaw (1964), also filmed in Hong Kong and Macao.



                    Hobo General (Kinkin no lumpen taisho) (キンキンのルンペン大将) (Japan, 1976) [VoD] - 1/5
                    A forgotten Teruo Ishii comedy, by far one of his worst films. Kinya Aikawa (Sugawara's co-star in the Truck Yaro series) is a silly country bumpkin in Tokyo without home or friends. Extremely tame, childish, unfunny gags and some weeping follows. Imagine the comedy segments from the Abashiri Prison series extended into a feature length film minus all the yakuza stuff and you are... still not low enough. This is a far cry from the naughty comedy genius of The Executioner 2: Karate Inferno which looks like a Stanley Kubrick picture in comparison.

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                    • #40
                      History of the Shogun's Harem (徳川女系図) (Japan, 1968) [35mm] - 3/5
                      The first film in Toei's Abnormal Love series, an unapologetic harem fantasy with an endless array of cute girls devoting their lives to the shogun (Teruo Yoshida), dance, and topless wrestling. An almost plot free affair, what makes it work are the exceptional production values selling an image of an almost otherworldly place via beautiful sets, seductive camera work and atmospheric score. Director Ishii always excelled at world-building, and would create something similar with the far spicier Inferno of Torture. This one is extremely tame compared to the torture infernos that followed, but film-historically significant for starting a new route for Toei, the first major studio to launch a big budget sexploitation line. The audiences flocked to see the picture, women's organizations were enraged, and the series head, producer Kanji Amano, immediately ordered follow-ups (the first one would be Hot Springs Geisha). The only liability is that the film runs somewhat out of steam during the last 30 min. And that it really needs to be viewed theatrically: home viewing simply does not do justice for this kind of slow but lavish film full of atmosphere and film historical fascination.

                      The 35mm print at Laputa Asagaya's Ishii retro was absolutely fucking gorgeous. The Toei DVD caps below really pale in comparison.

                      Yoshida as Tokugawa Tsunayoshi










                      Yoko Mihara


                      Yukie Kagawa


                      Asao Koike


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                      • #41
                        "[Hobo General] is a far cry from the naughty comedy genius of The Executioner 2: Karate Inferno which looks like a Stanley Kubrick picture in comparison."

                        I saw Karate Inferno for the first time last night. (It was also my first Sonny Chiba film.) It was certainly not what I expected -- it barely qualifies as a martial arts film -- but the non-stop high idiocy kept me laughing. The DVD is quite good.

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                        • #42
                          Added a few reviews to page 1:

                          Japan's Zero Zone: Night Watch (日本ゼロ地帯 夜を狙え) (Japan, 1966) [35mm] - 2.5/5
                          The first of the three films Teruo Ishii made for Shochiku in 1966. This one feels like two different films stacked together. It opens as a hectic dive into the neon vice night of Tokyo í  la the Line series at Shintoho, then 15 minutes later the stream of energy comes to a halt when a blackmailed man (Muga Takewaki) meets an old acquaintance (Teruo Yoshida) who starts recalling his pre-war youth. These flashbacks take the next 60 minutes of the film! Finally the youth/ love / gang drama (featuring girlfriend Yoshiko Kayama and boss Kanjuro Arashi, who else?) finishes and we're back in present day with torture, gunplay and go-go dancers. Clearly a rushed production, but at least intermittently catchy. The film remains quite rare, never having come out on home video.

                          Rising Dragon's Iron Flesh (昇り竜鉄火肌) (Japan, 1969) [35mm] - 3/5
                          Teruo Ishii somehow found time initiate this ninkyo series at Nikkatsu in 1969, the year he helmed no less than 6 movies at Toei. A bit of a routine production, Ishii nevertheless elevates several scenes above the film's level with his personal injection of the perverse: there's an unexpected 30 min prison segment complete with a gratuitous bathing scene, a super violent fight where Hideki Takahashi's sword causes someone's face to explode, and a cool final massacre with the heroes repeatedly aligning their tattoos into one big dragon as they proceed in the midst of the action. Not a great movie, but features enough stand-out scenes to warrant a viewing. The series was a vehicle for singer gone actress Hiroko Ogi (best known in the West as the older prisoner who helped Meiko Kaji in the 1st Female Prisoner Scorpion film) who does alright in the lead. Ishii skipped the 1st sequel (he was busy, no shit) but was back on board for the 3rd and best known instalment, Blind Woman's Curse, which traded Ogi for Kaji.

                          + 1 review with screencaps here

                          Queen Bee's Anger (女王蜂の怒り) (Japan, 1958) [DVD] - 3/5
                          Fast paced, superior sequel to Queen Bee (1958) with Teruo Ishii taking the helm. The first thing one notices is the lavish widescreen colour cinematography that looks really good. One could even say this anticipates Seijun Suzuki's 60s colour films. Kubo is back, in a more active role than last time, getting her share of good scenes including a great yakuza ceremony scene. This is one of the several bits that pre-date almost identical images in the Red Peony Gambler series a decade later. There's also a young lone wolf yakuza entering the scene and falling for a wild girl Terumi Hoshi (resulting in some energetic dance floor scenes), a pretty functional sub-plot that adds the compulsory male co-lead Ken Utsui but doesn't feel like it's stealing the film from Kubo. Yoko Mihara and Bunta Sugawara are in the film, too. A bit more depth and the film would be even better.

                          Caps from the ancient R2J (Rental) DVD. Non-anamorpic, but actually looks pretty good for what it is. Curious note: two scenes, including the ending, play in black and white. I'm not 100% sure why. In the closing scene it could be an artistic or even censorship choice, but the other one is a 30 second dialogue scene in the middle of the film with no evident reason whatsoever for the b&w switch. Ishii ran out of money? Or just wanted some B&W in the film? Or could this even be a composite print utilizing a B&W source for missing footage?















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                          • #43
                            This thread is fucking AMAZING!!!

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                            • #44
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                              Rock! Shock! Pop!

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