Kung Fu Monkey (Free subscription) | 11/07/2009
Ahhh, Takashi Miike . For a long time one could just assume that if you were a horror fan or geek, you'd already seen this. But it's been ten years now. Newer and shinier Japanese horror has come, gone, and been mulched into tweener entertainment. Newer Japanese horror conforms to standard plot structure and pacing. Takashi Miike thinks standard plot structure and pacing are for little girls. The first...
Twitch (Free subscription) | 11/05/2009
Some have called it Japan's 'national legend'. The story of the 47 Ronin has been told in numerous mediums but the last time it was ever told on the big screen was back in Kon Ichikawa's 1994 film, Kon Ichikawa's 47 Ronin , but that is about to change and we will have a new Chushingura film by 2011 titled Saigo no Chushingura . . Kiyoshi Kurosawa staple Koji Yakusho, who coincidentally is starring...
Twitch (Free subscription) | 11/04/2009
Break out the rain slickers, kids, because there's a massive spray of blood on the horizon. Japan's Nikkatsu studios have just announced the creation of Sushi Typhoon, a goofily titled new sub-label that will exist to create the sort of "violent, popular works that only Japanese cinema has engendered", according to producer Yoshinori Chiba. And who will be leading this charge? Only the likes...
The Corner (Free subscription) | 11/01/2009
Following my plug of The Haunting , a reader points out that Martin Scorsese puts the movie at the top of his scariest-movies list . E-mailbag: What the top 100 list really tells us is that there are about 50 good horror movies total. Slim pickings. And: for my money, both Psycho and The Shining are contenders for #1, way ahead of the dated and rather silly Exorcist. my nomination? without question,...
Variety.com (Free subscription) | 10/30/2009
Film Reviews: Sequel essentially sticks to the required formula of yakuza codes being played out in an apocalyptic schoolyard
The DC Universe (Free subscription) | 10/29/2009
This year wraps up the first decade of the 21st century. And given that it's almost Halloween, and given how discussion of horror films has pretty much dominated the blog this month, and given my OCD-fueled love of making lists, I figured now would be as good a time as any to come up with my list of the ten best horror films of the past decade. A couple of caveats: As much as I would love to have seen...
Twitch (Free subscription) | 10/26/2009
Germany's Asia Filmfest arrives in Munich October 29th, bringing a program of fifty two features to big screens. Alongside a Park Chan-Wook retrospective and screenings of classics like Lady Snowblood , Enter The Dragon and The Flying Guillotine audiences will get the very best new features from all throughout Asia. Check the full list below! Asia Opening DEPARTURES (Japan 2008, Regie: Yôjirô...
Things Fall Apart (Free subscription) | 10/23/2009
The anthology movie. Something that seems to have gone out of fashion. It used to be far more commonplace, there are certainly a number of very worthy black and white British Horror movies that took this route. Usually tied together by a group of people travelling somewhere, all telling their story. Well “ Three…Extremes ” is not like that. It is a collection of three short films...
Twitch (Free subscription) | 10/23/2009
Miike returns with a sequel to one of his slickest films ever. The original Crows Zero was a huge box office hit in Japan, making a sequel almost inevitable. For Crows Zero II Miike takes control again, delivering what must be his first straight-forward sequel. There is a first time for everything, and it seems when you're talking about Takashi Miike you should take that "everything" quite...
Twitch (Free subscription) | 10/19/2009
Seldom has sequel news put a smile on my face the way this has. Director Takashi Miike, star Show Aikawa and writer Kankuro Kudo have announced an upcoming sequel to cult hit - and one of my absolute favorite Miike films - Zebraman . Aiming for a May release in Japan, the sequel will be set fifteen years in the future with Aikawa's character - now suffering from memory loss - once again called upon...
Blogcritics: Video (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009
Nightmare works as a film if you like puzzles. This puzzle unfortunately left me confused.
Miami Herald (Free subscription) | 10/09/2009
You never forget your first time watching Takashi Miike's Audition: For some people, it is the first and last Miike picture they ever see. The wildly prolific Miike's best-known (and arguably most disciplined) work, the movie scandalized film festival audiences when it was shown around the world in 1999, and the terrific new two-disc Audition: Collector's Edition (Shout Factory, $25 DVD, $30 Blu-ray)...
DVDVerdict (Free subscription) | 10/09/2009
Reviewed by Adam Arseneau Quote: "May be the most unsettling movie ever filmed."
PopCultureShock (Free subscription) | 10/08/2009
I know it’s a little early, but . . . today’s title comes shrink-wrapped with an explicit content parental advisory, so you know this one fits the bill to be featured during our Horror Month. MPD-Psycho is pretty much what dreams are made of. Well, dreams that psychotic killers have, anyway. MPD-Psycho, the most-requested [...]
Twitch (Free subscription) | 10/08/2009
Audition (1999) is the film that truly established Takashi Miike as a player in the international film world. In celebration of the film's10th anniversary, Shout! Factory has issued a newly remastered version of the film on Region 1 DVD and Blu-Ray. Many horror movies lose their impact over time, but Audition is as strong now as it was when it was originally released. In fact, it is still one of the...
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