Hanzo The Razor (1972)

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Posted on March 19, 2006 by Alison

Katsu Shintaro must have fancied himself a great deal, I think. He is, after all, responsible for producing this epic of 70s swords ‘n’ sleaze, as well as starring in it. And he clearly thinks he’s a bit of all right, swaggering about in his loincloth and putting the hard word (ahem) on numerous female suspects.

Luckily, the film announces its intentions from the get-go. The terribly 70s music batters the ears, taking some of the stress from the eyes, … (read more)

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Bang Rajan (2000)

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Posted on March 18, 2006 by Ben Jennings

Bang Rajan is a terrifically entertaining, nice and gory old-timey battle epic, the sheer earnestly reverent seriousness of which almost, almost manages to overcome the innate silliness of its execution. I like this movie a lot, I’m just more excited by the idea of what, with its irresistibly populist story and giddy self-indulgence, it could have been.

My first problem is with its conflicted aesthetics. The movie’s wonderful verdant setting, finely (if anachronistically) chiselled warrior heroes and lovely maidens are … (read more)

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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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Perhaps Love (2005)

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Posted on March 12, 2006 by Eugene

I really wasn’t looking forward to this. There had been passing rumours about some Chinese musical but little more than the name had permeated the most superficial levels of my consciousness. Besides which, a musical presenting itself as ‘Perhaps Love‘ is the kind of thing one tends to avoid when maintaining a macho exterior. Receiving it with an expectation of a review made me regard it as somewhat of a chore (despite my history of reviewing Rom Coms … (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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