Latest Posts
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Shinsengumi-Fest!
Lots going on this month. It’s my birthday month, for starters. July in Japan is very festive too. Folks have all sorts of seasonal festivals they can attend. There’s Tanabata on the 7th of July, marking the reunion of Orihime… Continue reading
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Koiya koi nasuna koi (The Mad Fox / Love, Thy Name Be Sorrow) (1962)
Directed by Tomu Uchida Summer is here, and many of you will be on holiday right now. Have you ever wanted to REALLY get away from it all? Let’s take a vacation from what is politely called consensus reality as… Continue reading
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Yoto monogatari: Hana no Yoshiwara hyakunin giri (The Tale of the Demonic Sword: The Hundred-Man Killing Spree in Yoshiwara / Hero of the Red-Light District / Killing in Yoshiwara) (1960)
Directed by Tomu Uchida I’m back! Let’s celebrate by reviewing a film I swore I wouldn’t watch again because it was too upsetting. Toei didn’t release it on DVD until this year. Why the heck did it take so long?… Continue reading
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Chūshingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki (Chūshingura: Story of Flower, Story of Snow) (1962)
Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki The end of the year approaches, and with it all the usual holiday stress. Escape with me now to 18th century Japan, a world of grace and beauty, honor and courage. This is the world of… Continue reading
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Happy Halloween!
Wishing you all a very spooky Halloween! xoxo Ann Continue reading
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Tokugawa Sekkusu Kinshi-rei: Ahikijō Daimyō (Tokugawa Sex Ban / The Erotomaniac Daimyō) (1972)
Directed by Norifumi Suzuki Look, I know. I KNOW. Hear me out. This is a good movie! I’m struggling to describe it. It’s… a soft-core dramedy? The title character is an absurd figure played with admirably straight-faced conviction by Hiroshi… Continue reading
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Yūrei-sen: Zenpen (Ghost Ship) (1957); Yūrei-sen: Kōhen (Ghost Ship Part 2) (1957)
Directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda A two-part action/adventure tale with fantasy overtones and faint echoes of the Disney classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: the eponymous ship attacks other vessels and vanishes, retreating to a secret island base which blows up… Continue reading
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Akahige (Red Beard) (1965); Yoi-dore Musoken (Drunken Sword) (1962)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa / Directed by Tadashi Sawashima Both of the films that are the subject of today’s review feature an unorthodox middle-aged doctor and his arrogant young disciple who clash when the younger man joins the older man’s… Continue reading
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Ugetsu (1953)
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi In contrast to last week’s film Ugetsu needs no introduction: this is Criterion Collection content. Unlike Gorotsuki-bune I found Ugetsu a slog. I wanted to like it far more than I did. Perhaps my expectations were… Continue reading
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Gorotsuki-bune (Ship of Outlaws) (1950)
Directed by Kazuo Mori I discovered this action-packed gem from Daiei hidden in the depths of YouTube. The YouTube copy has no English subtitles and is a low-resolution transfer of a poor quality print. You know it’s a good movie… Continue reading
Ukiyo-e Owl 