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  • PROOF OF THE MAN - Dir. Junya Sato (1977)

    Been on a bit of Yusaku Matsuda kick of late too. Shame most western audiences will probably only recall him as the villain in that godawful Ridley Scott yakuza movie, BLACK RAIN or as the late father of Rhuyei & Shota. He was such a powerful actor & had such an indelible physical presence onscreen -- IMO, a large part of this was attributed to his haunting eyes especially when mated to his gaunt frame.

    This flick is a cross cultural affair involving an international cast, most notably George Kennedy as a WW2 veteran NYPD detective with ties to Japan. He's merely a sideshow as Matsuda steals the show as the detective assigned to the case of a murdered black American in Tokyo, who eventually unlocks a tragic secret about his own past.



    THE BEAST TO DIE - Dir. Toru Murakawa (1980)

    Just a crazy movie with Matsuda reprising a bit of his character from THE RESURRECTION OF THE GOLDEN WOLF as both roles featured him as a complete sociopath & serial killer.

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    • THE KILLER WHO NEVER KILLS - Dir. Lee Fung Bok aka @apple + Jimmy Wan Chi-man (2011)

      Based on a Giddens Ko novel which he turned into a screenplay, it's equal dark comedy & revenge actioner with quite a bit of black humor but it fails to come together to produce a cohesive film. It has a few memorable scenes but in the end it's not funny enough nor did the characters garner my interest to make me care about their outcome. The material could have been comedy gold or a suspenseful actioner if played straight but it misses the mark on both counts. Apparently the acting debut of Taiwanese pop star, Jam Hsiao & he's not terrible as the lead but something is amiss with his portrayal of an assassin who refuses to kill his assignments. The villain, Stern Buddha played by Jeff Huang of LA Boyz fame is nothing more than a caricature. The one character that stood out for me was actress Zaizai Lin, who initially rose to fame as a tomboy fashion model but she was quite good playing the sassy younger sister in TAIPEI EXCHANGES & she's pretty decent here as well playing Jam's eventual love interest.

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      • The Conqueror - John Wayne as Genghis Kahn. It's a winner in my book.

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        • HELL HAS NO BOUNDARY - Dir. Yang Chuan (1982)

          Director Yang Chuan made this one right before SEEDING OF A GHOST & as good as that movie was, I think I prefer this one overall. Starts off much like EVIL DEAD with Leanne Liu's (who looks absolutely gorgeous) character falling victim to demonic possession while on a camping trip with her fellow police officer boyfriend portrayed by Derek Yee. Things just get weirder & more bizarre from there especially when the story begins to explain the origins of the "evil" perpetrated by Liu are due to karma & reincarnation from back in Imperial Japanese occupied China! Chuan really plays up the exploitation elements as well including a lot of sleaze (full frontal nudity) & gore. Imagine THE OMEN, EVIL DEAD, DR. LAMB, MEN BEHIND THE SUN, & UNTOLD STORY all blended together! If you haven't seen this one yet, do yourself a favor & seek it out...guarantee you won't be disappointed. :up:

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          • Nice late night thriller from Kristine Peterson (Deadly Dreams, Body Chemistry, ect...). I actually like it better than Body Chemistry.
            LA PASIÓN ESPAÑOL: THE EROTIC MELODRAMAS OF VICENTE ARANDA (1991-1999)

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            • At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964). Finally got a region free Blu-ray/DVD player and picked up the Anchor Bay Coffin Joe Collection to celebrate. My first time watching these. The opening credits of the next one (This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse) lead me to believe it'll be even better than the first.

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              It's all in the reflexes.

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              • Originally posted by Rat's Eyes View Post


                Nice late night thriller from Kristine Peterson (Deadly Dreams, Body Chemistry, ect...). I actually like it better than Body Chemistry.
                I have a vague recollection of this one from a viewing in the 1990s. Not bad, as I recall.

                Last night, I watched THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2: GHOSTS OF GEORGIA which, stupid title aside, isn't too bad - and the climax seems indebted to the climax of Fulci's HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, along with some earlier allusions to CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD. Which is always a good thing

                Plus, I watched the new Shameless DVD release of FORMULA FOR A MURDER, which I've seen before. It's a decent example of the thrilling all'italiana.
                'You know, I'd almost forgotten what your eyes looked like. Still the same. Pissholes in the snow'

                http://www.paul-a-j-lewis.com (my photography website)
                'All explaining in movies can be thrown out, I think': Elmore Leonard

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                • EAST MEETS WEST - Dir. Kihachi Okamoto (1995)

                  Okamoto's penultimate film before his death in 2005. This is unfortunately a rather forgettable 'samurai western' which plays like a standard B-movie, which is in stark contrast to the immense talent on display in lead Hiroyuki Sanada and cameos by luminaries such as Tatsuya Nakadai & Ittoku Kishibe. The lone saving grace of this drivel is the comedic performance by Naoto Takenaka playing a buffoonish ninja with delusions of grandeur.

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                  • NINJA IN THE DRAGON'S DEN - Dir. Corey Yuen (1982)

                    Wanted to get the bad taste out of my mouth from having watched that tripe, EAST MEETS WEST...so decided to re-watch another Hiroyuki Sanada action flick in this cross cultural kung fu meets ninjitsu crossover classic. Love this movie with its mix of wild action, crazy fight scenes & cheesy comedy. One of the best lines in kung fu cinema lore with Ah Chee's "no weapons can beat a great set of tits" line at the end too.

                    Shame Conan Lee's career never took off due to various reasons because he certainly had the onscreen charisma and fighting ability to become a real household name in martial arts and action cinema.

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                    • Cooley High - Really damn good. I give it 11 stars out of 10.

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                      • July 32nd - Dir. Jin Seung Hyun (2010)

                        A very bleak & unremittingly grim indie flick which is reminiscent at times of early Kim Ki Duk. It's not Lee Sang Soo levels of disturbing in terms of its portrayal of dysfunctional family relations but the narrative is similar. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased the R3 DVD for my permanent collection. I believe this is the director's debut feature film and he hasn't put out another film in the interim but I'll definitely keep an eye out for any of his future works.

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                        • Night of the Comet BD
                          Demons 2 BD
                          Trailer War BD w/commentary
                          Bad Dreams BD w/commentary

                          Twas a good night of movie watching!

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                          • Prince of Darkness (1987) - Not one of Carpenter's greatest, but still a good movie. Loved the gross bug stuff for sure.
                            Devil Doll (1964) - Dummies are creepy. This is creepy late night viewing.
                            The Black Scorpion (1957) - Fun stop-motion effects by the legendary Willis H. O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen. Can't go wrong with that.
                            Dancer in the Dark (2000) - Uh... magical in a bizarre way.

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                            • THE GUNFIGHT AT DODGE CITY - Joel McCrea is always a reliable western star, playing newly minted lawman Bat Masterson here, but this one's pretty routine. The really interesting thing is the cast, which includes Julie (CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON) Adams, Richard (Oscar Goldman) Anderson, and a surprisingly sane Timothy Carey as a secondary gun tough.
                              I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.

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                              • Star Troopers aka The Baron Against the Demons (El barí³n contra los Demonios) (2006) - Directed by Ricardo Ribelles

                                Everyone who is a fan of Metal Hurlant, Alejandro Jodorowsky, GWAR and crazy-ass European science fiction needs to watch this.
                                It's all in the reflexes.

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