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THE MASTER shows that Shaws were now stuck behind. It's not much worse then many an assorted indie, but imitating an upstart like Seasonal (and failing to match them) must have been a kick in the teeth.
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Internal Sleuth (æ¡œã®ä»£ç´‹) (Japan, 1973) [TV] - 3/5
Detective Tomisaburo Wakayama sails in deep yakuza waters in Kenji Misumi's rare cop thriller. Impressively nihilist, but a bit underwhelming considering the talent involved. Misumi goes for a bleak tale of cops interacting with gangsters in a world that doesn't offer instant gratification, but the story could've been more memorable and characters deeper. The problem is, not very much happens in the film. The strongest part is the cold blooded ending.
Sex-Crime Coast: School of Piranha (肉体犯罪海岸 ピラニヤã®ç¾¤ã‚Œ) (Japan, 1973) [VoD] - 1.5/5
Male and female delinquents dubbed as “Piranhas†(no, not the Toei guys) have sex on beach, take captives in a house, then have sex the house. Hitomi Kozue is the main bad girl getting jealous when shag partner Ryuji Nakamura gets intimate with rich girl Masumi Jun. Dull home invasion Roman Porno with a Sun Tribe flavor and a bit of gang content. Director Shogoro Nishimura merely slaps the genre premises together and proceeds to do nothing with them. Last reel action aside, it's embarrassingly unambitious for an early Roman Porno.
Writhing Tongue (震ãˆã‚‹èˆŒ) (Japan, 1980) [Netflix] - 3.5/5
A married couple (Tsunehiko Watase and Yukiyo Toake) struggle to keep their faith and sanity when their 5 year old daughter is struck by a painful and potentially deadly disease. Extremely difficult to watch in places, it's also an emotional sledge hammer that is impossible to get through without tears. The leading performances by Watase and Toake are terrific. Towards the end of the film they really look like they haven't slept in weeks.
Fist of the North Star (北斗ã®æ‹³) (Japan, 1986) [VoD] - 3.5/5
Classic violence anime in post apocalypse setting, easily enjoyed even by a non-anime fanatic such as me. Kenshiro is basically an animated Bruce Lee gone into Sonny Chiba mode, delivering insane punch and kick combos that make enemies explode. The violence was famously toned down after the initial theatrical release and the uncut negatives apparently lost in fire soon after, but the film remains incredibly violent while still retaining a sense of fun, and a mainstream appeal unlike the similar Violence Jack films that upped the sadism (the 3rd one made me sick) and added sex which is absent here.
The Shinjuku Love Story (新宿純愛物語) (Japan, 1987) [TV] - 3/5
If you only saw the title, you wouldn't know about the giant machine gun! It's one of the many bits the film seems to lift from Aliens! But there is a better comparison piece than Aliens. In one scene the runaway teen lovers cross a Top Gun billboard. This film is the Japanese youth action equivalent of Top Gun, turbo charged celluloid 80s helmed by pop film specialist Hiroyuki Nasu (Be-bop High School, Lesbians in Uniforms). I initially dismissed Nasu as a hack, but his consistent overblown pop aesthetics and occasionally successful films support a re-evaluation. There are bikes, machine guns, flame throwers, cats, gangsters, high school girls, pop music and idol Toru Nakamura. Not quite as inventive as the first few Be-bop films, and held back by the evident restraint in the violence department (the hero rarely, if ever, aims to kill), but it's still an enjoyable a cinematic personification of the era, like much of Nasu's body of work.
Shishiotachi no natsu (ç…å王ãŸã¡ã®å¤) (Japan, 1991) [VoD] - 2.5/5
Slow-burn, very 90s yakuza tale of a young hood (Sho Aikawa) and a family man gangster (Koji Matoba) belonging to rival gangs. Their stories parallel and influence each other but the characters barely even meet. A theatrical production that could've been a DTV film, the film is extremely typical to the era in that it trades excitement for an everyday tale that we are supposed to find interesting for some reason. And yet, it works if you have the patience. Aikawa is good, the girl she falls for (Miyuki Kosaka) kind of interesting, and there is certain 90s ambience captured in a way that feels valuable from today's perspective. But the film is unbalanced (Aikawa getting much more attention than the other guy) and the storyline is no great shakes. Based on a script Shoji Kaneko (whose “Ryuji†I never liked despite its widespread acclaim) wrote before his death (1983).
Distant Justice (DISTANT JUSTICE 復è®ã¯ä¿ºãŒã‚„ã‚‹) (Japan/USA, 1992) [TV] - 3/5
Vacationing cop Bunta Sugawara goes to USA and within 24 hours his car has been hijacked, daughter kidnapped and wife killed. And those are two unrelated incidents! George Kennedy is the useless police chief buddy, David Carradine a rotten politician in green knickers. Relatively good Toei V-Cinema by Toru Murakawa, who also helmed the slightly slicker New York Cop (1993), another one of Toei's mid 90s America ventures. The build up is slow, but the film is fun in a B-way with old man Sugawara (aged 59 here) punching and shooting people, occasional boobs, wooden acting and a score cheaper than a cheese burger. Sugawara's role is almost entirely in English and he does alright. He's trying too hard and doesn't sound natural, but he remains quite understandable.
Mumon: The Land of Stealth (å¿ã³ã®å›½) (Japan, 2017) [DVD] - 2/5
Modern jidai geki drama/comedy/action with an irritating schmuck of a protagonist and fucking Denden (the world would be a better place is he hadn't overwhelmed everyone in Cold Fish). Still not unwatchable as the storyline kind of wins you over and there are some inspired bits - gotta love the wooden figure diversion and the ending - but this kind of "clever" / "trendy" /" funny" / "touching†/ GCI enhanced mainstream bullshit is really quite sad when compared to the 60s and 70s glory days.Comment
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I caught controversial HK director, Scud's latest film THIRTY YEARS OF ADONIS. I've seen some of his previous works such as AMPHETAMINE and his debut, CITY WITHOUT BASEBALL but never really got into them. I do appreciate Scud's directing vision and he's one of the few Asian directors who tackle such taboo subjects in such an unflinching manner but his past films just never worked for me. Unfortunately, this one is the same. I felt this flick was just too pretentious, too fragmented and feckless. Just imagine his usual themes of faggotry + self indulgent rumination on religious karmic retribution + a couple of very graphic scenes of sex/violence (there is actual penetration shown, uncensored shot of ejaculation and a bloody scene that would not be out of place in a torture porn/gore film). I read one of his influences was Pasolini but I also see some Catherine Breillat in Scud as well in terms on how he presents homosexuality and desires onscreen.
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oh shit! I remember seeing this flick on VHS at my rental store during their going out of business sale. It was going for $2 or something but I never picked it up because it looked cheesy af from the cover. I don't think this flick ever received a dvd release here in the States that I'm aware of anyway. Based on your review, I'm going to have to check it out on Amazon Prime Video. I did see NEW YORK COP but don't recall much of that flick. I just remember Toru Nakamura riding around on a Harley shooting a bunch of thugs and boning Mira Sorvino.Originally posted by Takuma View Post
Distant Justice (DISTANT JUSTICE 復è®ã¯ä¿ºãŒã‚„ã‚‹) (Japan/USA, 1992) [TV] - 3/5
Vacationing cop Bunta Sugawara goes to USA and within 24 hours his car has been hijacked, daughter kidnapped and wife killed. And those are two unrelated incidents! George Kennedy is the useless police chief buddy, David Carradine a rotten politician in green knickers. Relatively good Toei V-Cinema by Toru Murakawa, who also helmed the slightly slicker New York Cop (1993), another one of Toei's mid 90s America ventures. The build up is slow, but the film is fun in a B-way with old man Sugawara (aged 59 here) punching and shooting people, occasional boobs, wooden acting and a score cheaper than a cheese burger. Sugawara's role is almost entirely in English and he does alright. He's trying too hard and doesn't sound natural, but he remains quite understandable.
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I guess I should further emphasize it's not "great cinema" in the traditional sense... I posted this review on another board and the 1st comment was something like "that film is complete shit"Originally posted by 47lab View Post
But I think it's a pretty alright b-film / V-Cinema.Comment
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I was expecting V-Cinema levels of acting and budget, so I'm not going in thinking this is going to be a great movie or anything. I actually peeped a bit of the flick last night and it was pretty cool to see a 60 yr old Bunta Sugawara kicking ass and taking names. I thought he played the gruff, no nonsense character quite well all things considered. There was one scene where he finds one of the punks with his daughter's camera and he forces the punk to take him to their hideout in some abandoned warehouse and he walks in on them about to gang rape some poor girl. He stops them cold and then goes to comfort the girl who is hysterical and in tears and he discovers the girl is not his daughter. The sense of relief but at the same time a sense of dread that his daughter is still on the loose was written all over his face, so he can still muster the acting chops when called upon.Comment
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I've watched The Raid & Audition recently.
I have The Raid 2 waiting along with Orgies of Edo. I just put an order in for Yakuza Law so I'll wait for it before I check out O.O.E.Comment
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I was going to watch Orgies of Edo this weekend. Is there a reason why you want to watch Yakuza Law first?Originally posted by Keeth View PostComment
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I just want the option of watching both the same night or one the next night.Originally posted by Jason C View PostComment
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I decided to re-watch Toru Murakawa's NEW YORK COP and it wasn't as bad as I recall the first time I saw it years ago. Still pretty cheesy in parts & Toru Nakamura is a fish out of water considering his extremely limited English. It strains all credulity that Nakamura would be working undercover as an NYPD cop but once you can get past that, his on screen presence isn't too bad. He has some decent fight scenes and seems to handle himself ok doing his own stunt work. It's just cringe though when he starts to curse in English and do his "Terminator" routine at the end. The really bad acting in this flick came from Steve McQueen's son, Chad. He was just horrible! Imagine a California beach bum trying to be a hard ass New York Rican.
Overall not a bad gig for Nakamura. He was able to come Stateside and have a love making scene with a couple of beautiful actresses in Mira Sorvino and Virginia Madsen because right after this flick, he made a film starring Virginia Madsen where he played some tatted up Yakuza gangster and got to bed her as well. That flick was more entertaining especially Virginia doing the whole Ms. 45 thing to get vengeance.
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I caught Lee Jeong-beom's Netflix Korean thriller, JO PIL HO: THE DAWNING RAGE. I prefer the simpler BAD POLICE original title but I guess it didn't have the zing of the current one. Regardless of the name, it's a decent enough flick with a refreshing gritty vibe which is lacking the over stylized and glossy crime flicks that are coming out of Korea these days. Frankly, I was really hoping for a Korean BAD LIEUTENANT but I knew my hopes were dashed about 30 minutes in. It ended up being more of a mystery murder/crime thriller in the first act with the latter half turning into a revenge yarn mixed with the current trend of critiquing the rich & powerful chaebols and conglomerates that have a large influence on every aspect of Korean society and culture. The Sewol Ferry tragedy also figures prominently in the storyline. There is quite a bit of broad humor in the mix, so the material isn't too dark and dreary. To that end, it was still a bit disappointing that it ended up a more conventional film than I had initially imagined because Lee Sun-kyun would've made an excellent Korean Harvey Keitel if the screenplay would've let his inner sleaze come out & let him be this completely nihilistic character. He does play a corrupt detective on the take and only looking to line his own pockets at others' expense but he still ultimately possesses a moral compass. Nonetheless, Lee Sun-kyun continues to show that he is one of Korea's most versatile actors and I've enjoyed him in everything from rom-coms to black comedies to grittier dramas like this film. Overall, a decent watch but not must see.
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The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio (2016) 7.5/10
Reiji is back infiltrating the yakuza, here battling it out with the triad to save the boss's daughter while at the same time someone is trying to sniff him out (as the mole/informant he is).
To me this turns out the be one of few "return to classic Miike" that some of us crave. Since Sukiyaki Western Django Miike is overall not as exciting as before, with exceptions like this
the previous Mole Song, Lesson of Evil and some other titles to a lesser degree.
Perhaps the weak bits are the CGI loaded opening and the somewhat dragged out ending, but otherwise loaded with Miikes unique over-the-top unexpected traits that never fails to amuse me.
How about a shitstained plunger to the face?
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It's been a decade since I saw the film, but I wrote in my review that he's the film's best actor!Originally posted by 47lab View PostThe really bad acting in this flick came from Steve McQueen's son, Chad. He was just horrible! Imagine a California beach bum trying to be a hard ass New York Rican.
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I downloaded this a long time ago but it looked like total shit with the CGI tiger that I never watched it. I still kept the file though. Based on your review, I'll give it a go later.Originally posted by ropo1 View Post
Anyway, went to the movies over the Memorial Day holiday and checked out Jung Da-won's comedy action drama, MISS AND MRS. COPS. A stupid title with the literal romanization being GIRL COPS which is much better. According to kmdb this is the director's second film but really his first with any budget and backing. It was not bad at all. The first half was actually hilarious and the audience was roaring with laughter especially at the comedic hijinks between the two leads who are sisters in law with a weird family dynamic and backstory. There is a recurring joke about Mi-ran's moron husband but that was pretty stale after the first couple of attempts. The true laughs and entertaining scenes were between the aforementioned sisters in law and their computer hacker genius co-worker played by Sooyoung of SNSD Kpop fame. I felt she stole the show as she was just fantastic every time she was onscreen. Unfortunately, after the hilarious initial build up towards the confrontation with the baddies, it goes off the rails and veers into standard action territory with the usual cat and mouse games, car chases, explosions, etc. If you blink, you'll miss a cameo by Ha Jung-woo as a clerk at a seedy hotel. The ensuing scene between Lee Sung-kyung and a reformed druggie perp who is now into taking upskirt vids of unsuspecting women is one of the funniest scenes in the entire flick. Speaking of upskirt vids, this movie also has a rather heavy handed social message about 'molka' (spy cam) and revenge porn which has become part of larger social issue in South Korea of late. Certainly an important message the director wants to get across but I enjoyed the light hearted office antics and the gals trying to investigate a case on the sly while tricking their overbearing superior the most. That's what made me give this film an overall recommendation with a few caveats that I spelled out earlier.
Last edited by 47lab; 05-28-2019, 07:34 PM.Comment
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