Blog Archives

Lunar Legend Tsukihime (2003)

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Posted on March 12, 2006 by Deni

It’s hard these days to find an original take when it comes to vampires. Something like Blood + relies on the cold contrast of a split personality, while something like Trinity Blood takes more of an alternate reality, science fiction approach. Vampire Hunter D had obviously gothic origins, while Vampire Princess Miyu was girl’s romance through and through. Lunar Legend Tsukihime finds a slightly different niche, but it’s a little more along the lines of Paranoia Agent or Boogiepop Phantom… (read more)

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Lone Wolf and Cub Vol 6: White Heaven in Hell (1974)

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Posted on March 12, 2006 by Alison

This film is billed as “the biggest snow massacre ever filmed!” So for those of you looking for a big snow massacre, look no further. For those of you who aren’t looking for a big snow massacre, there’s still plenty to look at.

When I reviewed the fifth film in the Lone Wolf And Cub series, I said that it was my favourite so far. Now I think I’ll have to override that, because this one’s even better. It’s a … (read more)

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Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2003)

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Posted on March 12, 2006 by Alison

First up, I’ve got to say that I had a considerable advantage in my exposure to Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. After all, I saw it at the Mercury, as the first night of the Heroic Cinema season, and the full-to- pussy’s-bow cinema (plus the extra session afterwards) made it extra special.

But that said, I must say that I really enjoyed this film. In technical terms, the animation was somewhat atypical, with characters all sharply distinguishable at first glance: this … (read more)

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Yoshiwara: The Pleasure Quarter (1960)

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Posted on March 11, 2006 by Ben Jennings

In making its belated Australian debut at the Melbourne International Film Festival last year, Tomu Uchida’s 45-years-old Yoshiwara: The Pleasure Quarter veritably brought the house down. It is a gorgeous, sumptuously colourful widescreen melodrama in a similar vein to Uchida’s Chikamatsu’s ‘Love in Osaka’, but with an even more astonishing shift in tone in the final act.

Uchida’s standby actor Chiezo Kataoka stars as the disfigured Jirozaemon, a wealthy but naïve and lonely textile manufacturer. When his friends drag … (read more)

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Chikamatsu’s ‘Love in Osaka’ (1959)

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Posted on March 11, 2006 by Ben Jennings

Tomu Uchida’s Chikamatsu’s ‘Love in Osaka’. Strange way to name a movie, right? Well, it is named that way for a much better reason than Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, I promise.

What we have here is essentially a standard romantic melodrama (see synopsis), but with a delightfully twisted streak of narrative artifice. To put it simply, the movie is dominated by a supporting character, Chikamatsu, named after the writer of the play upon which the movie … (read more)

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An Autumn Afternoon (1962)

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Posted on March 5, 2006 by Ben Jennings

If you’ve never seen an Ozu film then, ironically, the final one he ever made is probably a good place to start. An Autumn Afternoon will never be recognised among Ozu’s absolute masterpieces, yet it has an agreeable accessibility and humour that make it a very fine initiation into his world. And for Ozu’s many fans, the movie represents a perfect crystallisation of his famous thematic obsessions and legendary film style. Telling (surprise surprise!) a story of familial tribulation in … (read more)

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Kwaidan (1964)

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Posted on February 26, 2006 by Justin

Kwaidan came out of left-field for me. I’ve not studied film academically, and although I’m a fan of Japanese film, I’ve not seen anywhere near as much as some of my compatriots here. Nonetheless, I’ve heard about Kwaidan — usually mentioned on places like the Mobius forums in the textual equivalent of reverential tones. So, I stuck my hand up for it when a copy arrived for review, and I’m glad I did.

Kwaidan is a collection of four short … (read more)

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Zatoichi at Large (1972)

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Posted on February 26, 2006 by Mat

After the rather pitiful Zatoichi in Desperation I was worried that the Zatoichi franchise could be lost forever. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy writing a scathing review – in fact they’re easier to write, it’s just that you have to watch the film in the first place. Thus I had fairly low expectations when I began watching Zatoichi at Large. Thankfully it isn’t as bad as Zatoichi in Desperation. What am I saying?! It completely annihilates … (read more)

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