Ninja vs. Shark (2023) - Movie Trailer

 Here is the trailer for Koichi Sakamoto's latest movie, Ninja vs. Shark! Here is the synopsis:

Set in the Edo period, the story of Ninja vs. Shark takes place in the remote village of Okitsu. Koushirou (played by Yuichi Nakamura), an evil cult leader, uses ninjutsu to ensorcell sharks and forces them to attack local pearl divers so the cult can steal the pearls from their mangled corpses. Desperate for help, the village chief hires Kotaro Shiozaki (played by Kohshu Hirano), a guard at a nearby temple, but Kotaro soon finds his path blocked by Kikuma (Kanon Miyahara), a lady ninja, and a gigantic shark that doesn't seem like something from this world...

Knowing this is a Koichi Sakamoto film, I am very excited to see it! He has done fight scenes/action scenes for Power Rangers, Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and the Mark Dacascos classic Drive (1997), among many others. Juria Nagano also stars in this movie! Juria wrestles for Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, and uses her martial arts skills in her matches.  I like what I've seen of her so far in TJPW, so I can't wait to see her in action on the big screen. 

Ninja vs. Shark comes out April 14, 2023 in Japan. Hopefully it gets an international release because I need to see this!

 

Ichi The Killer (2001) - A Review

Ichi The Killer lives up to its infamously gory and perverse reputation.

Ichi The Killer is a crime drama/horror movie released in Japan in 2001 and stars  Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ōmori, Paulyn Sun, Shinya Tsukamoto, Shun Sugata, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Jun Kunimura, Suzuki Matsuo, and Hiroshi Kobayashi. It was directed by Takashi Miike, and is based on the Ichi The Killer manga series by  Hideo Yamamoto.

Kakihara is one cruel bastard.

 In Ichi The Killer, Tadanobu Asano plays Kakihara, a cruel sadomasochistic enforcer in the Yakuza who is looking for his boss, named Anjo. Kakihara thinks Anjo may have left town with a prostitute and 3 million yen of the gang's money. Desperate to find his boss, Kakihara eventually finds out that Anjo may have been kidnapped by a rival gang. He viciously tortures rival Yakuza gang members to find out where Anjo is. He finds out that Anjo was killed by a man named Ichi, and that he (Kakihara) is a target as well. Kakihara is intrigued by this development.

 Ichi (played by Nao Ōmori) is a very psychologically disturbed man. He is meek and withdrawn, usually. He plays video games all day at the house of Jiji (played by Shinya Tsukamoto), his mysterious caretaker. The thing is, when Ichi becomes sexually aroused, he becomes a killing machine! Ichi thinks of the Yakuza members that he's brutally murdering as the kids who bullied him when he was in school. Things get kind of complicated when Ichi helps a kid, Takeshi (played by Hiroshi Kobayashi), who is being bullied at the apartment complex they live in. Takeshi is the son of Kaneko (played by Hiroyuki Tanaka), a former police officer who now works under Kakihara in the Yakuza. Kakihara has very selfish reasons for finding Anjo, and eventually meeting up with Ichi. Will it be all Kakihara hopes for?

Ichi is seemingly a nice guy. Just don't turn him on.

 Ichi The Killer's reputation preceded itself when I first heard of it in the early 2000s. I heard it was gory, it was violent, and it was perverted. Finally seeing it in 2023... it more than lives up to its reputation! I had a chance of buying the special edition DVD back in the day (it came packaged with a bag of blood), but I just couldn't buy it. I was too worried about what the people in Best Buy (an electronics store) would think of me if I bought that DVD. I have regretted not buying it ever since then, but after watching it, I realize I would not have been ready for it back then! This movie is brutal. There are gallons of blood throughout. There are some disturbing torture scenes (which made me cringe, and cringe in the original use of the word, not the current internet version). I was digging my nails into my arms during some scenes; it was just too brutal. There are rape scenes in this as well, so fair warning!

 Takeshi is the only purely good person in this movie. It is very hard to root for Ichi, as you find out who he is and what drives him. You can kind of root for him when he is in his more docile mode, and he is killing Yakuza members, but Ichi is just too messed up of a person to fully support. Kakihara, on the other hand, is one evil and sadistic gangster. Let's just say, his motives are sexually based as well. He is not above hurting or mutilating a person to get what he wants, including himself! Great performances from both Nao Ōmori and Tadanobu Asano.

Ichi The Killer is brutal. That is not water being poured on his back, by the way.

 There are a lot of violent acts in Ichi The Killer. Ichi is a skilled martial artist, but he does not take very long to kill his victims. He has a hidden blade in the heel of his boot, and when that connects, it's over! The special effects, both practical and CGI, are well done. Apparently one special effect (let's call it "man nectar") was actually the real thing, so... keep that in mind. If you love brutal, bloody, gory violence, this is the movie for you!

 So, should you watch Ichi The Killer? Despite the extreme violence, the perversity, and the hard to root for characters, I would say yes! This movie deals with some very interesting subjects, the acting is excellent, the plot is compelling, and it is never boring. I left a lot out of the movie synopsis, because there are a lot of surprise revelations that will help you understand where everyone is coming from. Once again, this movie is not for children, and viewer discretion is strongly advised. If you're willing to take the plunge, you're in for quite the wild ride! Takashi Miike made another modern classic with this one.

 

The special collector's edition of Ichi The Killer that I passed on buying. Really wish I bought it back then! I'll get the blu-ray, regardless.

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by David Williams 

Howling Village (2019) - A Quick Review

 

Howling Village is directed by Takashi Shimizu, so you know it'll be an experience!

Howling Village (also known as Inunaki Village) is a Japanese horror movie released in 2019 that stars Ayaka Miyoshi, Ryota Bando, Hinata Kaizu, Masanobu Takashima, Reiko Takashima, and Rinka Otani. It was directed by Takashi Shimizu (director of Ju-On: The Curse, Marebito, and Tomie:Rebirth among many other movies) and is a part of his Village Trilogy.

Ayaka Miyoshi as Kanade Morita. She has special abilities...

In Howling Village, Ayaka Miyoshi plays Kanade Morita, a clinical psychologist who can see supernatural things that others cannot (and she has other abilities). She gets a new patient, a little boy, who is having bad dreams. He does not want to talk to her about his bad dreams, because his "other Mama" will get mad... Before all this happened, though, Kanade's brother Yuma (played by Ryota Bando) and his wife Akina (played by Rinka Otani) went exploring a mysterious village and after coming back, Akina's behavior has drastically changed. Yuma wants Kanade's help with dealing with her. Of course, something tragic occurs, and Yuma decides to go back to the village to find out what is happening.

Kanade and Yuma's little brother, Kota (played by Hinata Kaizu) is interested in an urban legend about a mysterious village, so he sneaks into Yuma's car when he goes back there. When Yuma and Kota don't come back after a while, Kanade has to find out what is going on, and find a way to get to that village. She soon finds out everything is connected, and is determined to get her brothers back.

The truth hurts.

Howling Village is a very interesting horror mystery film. Throughout the movie, you wonder what exactly is going on. There is a lot of spooky, supernatural events going on along with some family drama within the Morita family. I must say, the child actors in this movie are really good, especially Hinata Kaizu as Kota. Ayaka Miyoshi as Kanade is great as well. You really empathize with what she's going through in the movie. The ghost effects are cool (reminds me of how the ghosts disappear/fade away in Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water), and the makeup effects are good, too. The story is really engaging, and everything makes sense (for the most part, I mean it is a horror movie). Once again, you just have to pay attention, as the clues and information are given to you in the movie.  I would say the movie is more spooky than scary, though.

You see ghosts, you run!

Howling Village is a well made horror movie that is good, but it does not quite live up to the classic Japanese horror movies of the past. Still, it's an enjoyable movie that never gets boring. I do recommend it, or at least giving it a chance.

Reviewed by David Williams

Sadako DX - Movie Trailer

 Check out the trailer for Sadako DX, the latest movie in the Ring/Ringu saga. Here is the synopsis:

People who watch a cursed video suddenly die. These deaths take place all over Japan. Ayaka Ichijo is an extremely smart graduate student with an IQ of 200. Her younger sister happens to watch the cursed video for fun. Ayaka Ichijo tries to reveal the mystery of the cursed video.

Sadako DX comes out October 28, 2022 in Japan. We shall see if it gets an international release, though. I hope this movie is good, as I quite liked the 1998 Ring/Ringu movie.

 

Tokyo Gore Police (2008) - A Review

 

Not what I was expecting going into it. One of the bloodiest movies I've ever seen!

Tokyo Gore Police is an action/horror splatter movie released in Japan in 2008. The film stars Eihi Shiina, Itsuji Itao, Shun Sugata, Yukihide Benny, Ikuko Sawada, and Tak Sakaguchi. Tokyo Gore Police was co-written (along with Kengo Kaji and Sayako Nakoshi), edited and directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura, with Tak Sakaguchi directing fight choreography.

Eihi Shiina as Ruka. Even though I love this actress, she scares the heck out of me after seeing her in Audition!

In Tokyo Gore Police, Eihi Shiina plays Ruka, a highly skilled member of the Engineer Hunters, a section of the Tokyo police force tasked with hunting and killing 'Engineers'. Engineers are humans stricken with a virus that causes them to turn into monsters when they receive injuries. Weapons grow from these injuries, causing the Engineers to go on uncontrollable rampages. Ruka is an expert at killing the Engineers, but is more concerned with finding the assassin who murdered her father right in front of her. She also cuts herself. Her quest for revenge puts her on the trail of the Key Man (played by Itsuji Itao), a rather sick and sadistic Engineer. Things go terribly in their confrontation, leading Ruka to find out she and the Key Man are after the same person. Ruka levels up and destroys everyone and everything in her path to find the person who killed her father...

The first Engineer encountered in Tokyo Gore Police. They get weirder and more grotesque as the movie goes on...

First of all, Tokyo Gore Police is one of the most violent, bloody, gory movies I've ever seen. It totally lives up to the name! I think Yoshihiro Nishimura, the writer and director, had the goal of making one of the grossest, bloodiest movies ever. He definitely succeeded! I must say, this movie reminds me of Robocop in a way. Not only is it disturbingly violent, but it has satirical elements as well. The police force in Japan has become privatized, and they run horribly violent commercials promoting their services in protecting the people. The police force, and the Engineer Hunters do whatever they have to do to capture criminals and Engineers. The movie also has fake commercials for others products, like specialized knives to slit your wrists with. This movie is pretty messed up. Ruka is just a cog in the police force at first, but ends up fighting against it (in hyper violent fashion).

To me, Tokyo Gore Police is like a live action anime/manga. Everything is a bit heightened: the violence, the acting, and the visuals. The villains are very over the top. It is a very dark, yet colorful movie. As you can imagine, red is a major color throughout. Ruka, the main character, is the only one who acts naturally and a bit understated. Then again, the way she gets up a building at the start of the movie gives you an idea of what kind of movie this is.

You do NOT want to know where that blood is spewing from!

 Back to the violence. Blood squirts, spurts, spills, splashes, and splatters throughout Tokyo Gore Police. Blood often splats on the screen during violent dismemberments. Limbs go flying, heads explode, bullets go through bodies, and copious amounts of blood accompany all of it. It's crazy how much blood and gore is in this. There is one scene where an appendage is separated from a person's body, and blood just sprays out non-stop for like five minutes while the person screams in horror/pain. Frankly, I had no idea that part of the body has that much blood flowing through it! There is also a rather horrifying 'cannon' displayed in this movie. There are so many disturbing visuals in this. So many grotesque looking characters as well. The practical special effects and makeup are pretty good, for the most part.

I could describe every gross thing in this movie, but you just have to see it for yourself. Do I recommend watching Tokyo Gore Police? Not really. It is not a bad movie, but it is extreme to the max. People that love horror/gory movies absolutely need to see this one, for sure. For the rest of the population, watch it if you dare. It is not for the faint-hearted, or for those that are sensitive to blood, guts, self-harming, or extreme violence. This movie is wild, extreme, crazy, and amazing. Watch the movie and bathe in the bloody madness.

Reviewed by David Williams