Movie Going Madness in Japan

[Takuma]

Also, for anyone interested, National Film Centre in Tokyo will be running a Kenji Misumi retrospective from January 5 to March 13. Since NFC always screens two films per day, six days a week, and runs the program twice, that means there should be 66 movies included. Misumi directed 67 movies on his career (according to JMDB), so we can expect pretty much every film he directed to be included. The program has not been announced yet, though. NFC is slow at updating their site, so I wouldn't expect the program to appear before mid December.

The program is out. 51 movies (35mm) + episodes for 6 TV shows (16mm)
http://www.momat.go.jp/fc/exhibition...-1/#section1-2

Cinema Vera also released program for their Noboru Tanaka retrospective:
http://www.cinemavera.com/preview.php?no=167

Planning to visit both retrospectives.

[sukebanboy]

Yeah..had a good look at their tshirts...some good stuff in there....not cheap though!

[Takuma]

I too made the mistake of going to Disneyland when I was in Tokyo...My significant other would definitely NOT have been open to watching any of these movies though...at least u are training your girlfriend well Takuma!!:up:

For me it wasn't even the first time * And I certainly got the shorter end of the stick... I mean, Disneyland took 8½ bloody hours while Karate Warriors was just 90 minutes. She owes me attendance to 4 more Chiba flicks

* No, seriously, it wasn't so bad. Disney Sea is even kinda fun. Though not half as fun as a Chiba flick

Here's a few more cool T-shirts they've got

[sukebanboy]

I want some of those tshirts!!!

I will try to get the same one as u did coz ot is super cool.

Amazing the amount of effort these Japanese theates put into not only showing theatrical prints of these old movies...but also the amount of merchandise they have on show...

I too made the mistake of going to Disneyland when I was in Tokyo...My significant other would definitely NOT have been open to watching any of these movies though...at least u are training your girlfriend well Taukma!!:up:

[Takuma]

My first visit to the Kazuhiko Yamaguchi Retrospective in Laputa Asagaya.

Advertisement outside the theatre


Entrance to the theatre. The screening room is in the 2nd floor. The atmospheric lobby is on the right in the 1st floor


Thursday: Poster for A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse (Bakeneko Toruko furo) (1975)


A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse was a bit like a dress rehearsal for Wolfguy (1975), only different genre and a bit less outrageous. Nikkatsu actress Naomi Tani is the star of the first third, playing a poor wife tricked by evil husband Hideo Murota to work in a brothel. She's eventually killed by Murota and his lover, but her spirit returns to haunt them, first as a cat, and then as a white faced creature that looks like a runway cast member from a CATS musical. Boobs, violence, supernatural horror that isn't scary in the least, ultra-funky score, occasional apocalyptic sunsets, and bloody cat attacks (where the evidently bored and not-aggressive-at-all cat is being thrown through the air by the staff). It's a fun film and never boring, but the climax isn't quite as far-out as one would wish, especially when compared to the amazing Wolfguy. Consider it Yamaguchi's House-lite, Toei Porno style.

Saturday: The Neon City (Neon kurage: Shinjuku hanadensha) (1973)


The staff apparently put the wrong poster on display by accident (would not be the first time). Or perhaps they just couldn't obtain the correct poster. This week's film was Karate Warriors (Kozure Satsujin Ken).

Most people here are probably familiar with this solid karate actioner that is literally a mix of Lone Wolf and Cub (Kozure Okami) and The Street Fighter (Satsujin Ken) + Yojimbo of course. Chiba is a wandering karate warrior who arrives a town ruled by two competing gangs. Isao Natsuyagi co-stars as a samurai bodyguard with a cub. Passable story, some interesting ninkyo film like character relationships, and plenty of great action.

It was a near pristine print, but the slow motion action bits looked a bit strange, just like they do on the US DVD. Oh, and the Japanese print is a bit different from the US version. Some scenes are in different order (e.g. the JP version opens with the slow-mo fight and then plays the opening credits as Chiba arrived the violent town... in the US version the fight comes much later) and some of the music was probably different.

I was so happy that my gf also liked the film. A 70s karate film is about the last thing she'd normally end up seeing, by she genuinely thought it was alright. Though I'm sure she liked the previous day's visit to Disneyland better...

You probably noticed the T-shirts before. Laputa had a bunch of Sonny Chiba and Etsuko Shihomi T-shirts for sale!


These are by a company called Hard Core Chocolate, and they have quite a few nice shirts. You can also get them via their website. The site is in Japanese, but it seems they deliver worldwide and you can pay by Paypal.

I bought myself this one!


And finally, here's the program chirashi


+

Of course other retrospectives were also being held at the same time.

The morning show was dedicated to actress Hiromi Nozoe. Poster for 女のつり橋 (1961)


And the massive daytime slot was for family films

[Takuma]

Indeed it does - is this available on video, even without subs?

No Japanese DVD, and I believe no VHS either. Considering its international appeal it's possible it has had a theatrical or VHS release somewhere else, but I can't find any information.

Also that Shihomi retrospective looks awesome. I wish more of her stuff was around in English friendly versions.

It was a few years ago. I saw 13 Steps of Maki there. One of Shihomi's best movies. Such a shame there's no DVD release.

Completely unrelated, but I went to see The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in a local theatre today. They had a two day Halloween screening, and gave free posters to all customers. It played on the biggest screen (of 5) as well, so that was nice. There was quite a lot of audience, actually. Digital screening, but I went anyway since it had been a decade since the last time I saw it and I could bring two friends who had never seen it.

[Ian Jane]

Sharon Kelly being in it makes it a curio

Indeed it does - is this available on video, even without subs?

Also that Shihomi retrospective looks awesome. I wish more of her stuff was around in English friendly versions.

[Takuma]

More Laputa Asagaya Chirashi scans

Etsuko Shihomi Retrospective


NTV Tuesday 9 P.M. The Movie Special




Art Theatre Guild Era Retrospective






Ryo Ikebe Retrospective







Also, for anyone interested, National Film Centre in Tokyo will be running a Kenji Misumi retrospective from January 5 to March 13. Since NFC always screens two films per day, six days a week, and runs the program twice, that means there should be 66 movies included. Misumi directed 67 movies on his career (according to JMDB), so we can expect pretty much every film he directed to be included. The program has not been announced yet, though. NFC is slow at updating their site, so I wouldn't expect the program to appear before mid December.

[Scorpion]

I saw Secret Report from a Woman's Prison (1968) and Decapitation Island (1970) in that retrospective. Also, Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion later in Jimbocho as a part of a 'manga to live action' series.

Oh, and Laputa Asagaya updated their page for the Kazuhiko Yamaguchi Retrospective which started today. There's no adjectives to descibe the beauty of it! Planning to catch at least Karate Warriors and the two Turkish Bath films. I'd love to see Wolfguy again, too, but the timing is bad and I already saw it three times last year.

http://www.laputa-jp.com/laputa/prog...guchikazuhiko/



edit: for clarification, the first poster is Oh Wonderful Utamaro! (Shikojo toruko nikki) (1974) and the other two for A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse (Bakeneko toruko furo) (1975).

Sharon Kelly being in it makes it a curio

[AngelGuts]

Fantastic info, scans, and opinions, Takuma. Thank you!

[Marshall Crist]

Magnificent info. Thanks!

[Takuma]

The two turkish bath films are Oh Wonderful Utamaro! (Shikojo toruko nikki) (1974) and A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse (Bakeneko toruko furo) (1975). The former only says "toruko" (Turkish) in the title, so I assume it refers to "Turkish Bath".

The films included in the retrospective are:

Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess (1971) (R1 & R2J)
Wolfguy: Enraged Lycanthrope (1975) (no dvd)
Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread (1974) (R1 & R2J)
Which Is Stronger, Karate Or the Tiger? (1976) (R2J)
A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse (Bakeneko Toruko furo) (1975) (no dvd)
Karate Warriors (1976) (Dubbed R1)
The Neon City (Neon kurage: Shinjuku hanadensha) (1973) (no dvd)
The Tragedy in The Devil-Mask Village (Tarao Bannai: Kimen mura no sangeki) (1978) (R2J)
Oh Wonderful Utamaro! (Shikojo toruko nikki) (1974) (no dvd)
The Karate Professionals (Sekai Saikyo no Kakutogi - Satsujin Karate) (1976) (no dvd)
Big Magnum Kuroiwa Sensei (1985) (R2J)

[Marshall Crist]

There are TWO Turkish Bath movies?! This looks amazing. Do you know if any of these Yamaguchi films are on DVD?

Edit: Well, obviously the Delinquent Girl Boss film is.

[Takuma]

Female Prisoner Retrospective...amazing....would love to see that....

I saw Secret Report from a Woman's Prison (1968) and Decapitation Island (1970) in that retrospective. Also, Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion later in Jimbocho as a part of a 'manga to live action' series.

Oh, and Laputa Asagaya updated their page for the Kazuhiko Yamaguchi Retrospective which started today. There's no adjectives to descibe the beauty of it! Planning to catch at least Karate Warriors and the two Turkish Bath films. I'd love to see Wolfguy again, too, but the timing is bad and I already saw it three times last year.

http://www.laputa-jp.com/laputa/prog...guchikazuhiko/



edit: for clarification, the first poster is Oh Wonderful Utamaro! (Shikojo toruko nikki) (1974) and the other two for A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse (Bakeneko toruko furo) (1975).

[sukebanboy]

Female Prisoner Retrospective...amazing....would love to see that....