964 Pinocchio (1991)

Pinocchio 964 is a cyborg sex slave who’s thrown out into the streets by his owner when he malfunctions (can’t get an erection!!). He befriends an insane homeless woman called Himiko who feels sorry for him. When the company that created Pinocchio 964 find out that he’s been dumped they decide to hunt him down.

Cyberpunk madness. I try and watch something different from the norm but this was just a load of garbage. Hardly any plot. Japanese cyberpunk movies usually don’t make any sense at all. If you’re perfectly happy with that perhaps you’ll like this one. It looks like something that David Lynch would make. There’s one disgusting 5 minute gross out sequence of a character vomiting and then writhing around and eating it and then 10 whole minutes of Pinocchio 964 in a straight jacket running around the streets of Tokyo screaming his head off. Looking at the startled general public is amusing. I’m sorry but this is just crap. Steer well clear of it.

Sadako’s Rating: 0.5 out of 5

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Out Of The Dark (1995)

A highrise apartment block is haunted by a ghost. A man teaches the security guys of the building how to fight them.

Stephen Chow’s darkest comedy yet finds him as a mental patient/ghostbuster who dresses up like the assassin Leon and talks to his plant. Even Karen Mok who plays his love interest dresses like Natalie Portman’s character in the movie. It’s got all the usual ingredients that makes a good slapstick Stephen Chow comedy (movie parodies and general silliness) apart from the copious amount of blood on show. Apparently this is Stephen’s least popular movie in Hong Kong during the 90’s, the audiences there hated it. I can’t see why as it’s totally hilarious. The guy is so funny and I never failed to be entertained by him.

Sadako’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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Rinne (Reincarnation) – 2005

An old hotel long since closed because of a massacre which left 11 people dead is the setting for a producer’s new film based on the actual killings. As the cast comes down to shoot the movie, one of the actresses involved begins to get flashbacks of how the victims died and she starts seeing dead people around the hotel such as a little girl with a creepy looking doll. Is she the reincarnation of the last victim – a 6 year old girl stabbed to death by her father?

A very spooky movie which gives you the chills watching it. It’s an engaging, slow-burning, thought-provoking piece of supernatural horror and there are numerous shots and scenes in this film that are hard to forget. Those hoping that this is an orgy of blood and guts are going to be left disappointed. The ending is even more interesting and open to interpretation. I’d recommend this to anybody that’s maybe a little bored and tired from the usual cliche ridden Asian horror movies and wants to experience something different.

Sadako’s Rating: 4 out of 5

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Diary Of June (2005)

Two boys from the same class are dead – one is stabbed to death and the other seemingly committing suicide but both linked together when a capsule containing a note is found inside their bodies. The note is an extract from a diary with the person that wrote it saying he killed both of them. Two detectives are on the case and deduce that the killer must be somebody from the same class as the 2 dead boys but what they find is even more shocking.

Diary Of June is a sad and disturbing movie. It deals with social issues that students face at school and how one boy suffers terribly at the hands of bullies with nobody to turn to. It’ll make you sympathise with him when you see what he goes through. There’s a surprising twist at the end as well. Overall an interesting original thriller which delivers a powerful message.

Sadako’s Rating: 4 out of 5.

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Noroi (2005)

A male documentary filmmaker Kobayashi uncovers something strange and evil that is leaving dead bodies in it’s wake. It’s all starts when a woman claims to be hearing a baby’s cry in the neighbour’s house next door even though there’s no baby there. A bedraggled woman opens the door to the house but refuses to answer his questions only to slam the door in his face. Things get even more mysterious when the woman that first reported the baby’s cries and her daughter are both killed in a car accident. The woman next door and her son vanish from the house leaving a pile of dead pidgeons on the back porch. Kobayashi is determined to solve the mystery but has he bitten off more than he can chew? The trail leads to a small village and tales of an ancient demon known as Kagutaba.

This scared the shit out of me. A brilliant movie shot like a documentary and played out like a true story. High on atmosphere with a mood of dark foreboding seeping through the movie, Noroi manages to get under your skin and as the story pans out you’re left on the edge of your seat and biting your nails such is the tension that builds up to a very disturbing finale. It doesn’t have to rely on cheap scares to make you frightened. I’ve never been this scared watching a movie for a while so kudos to the filmmakers. I highly recommend this movie.

Sadako’s Rating: 5 stars out of 5.

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The Blind Woman’s Curse (1970)

Akemi Tachibana (Meiko Kaji) is trying to keep the wishes of her dead father alive by not allowing her yakuza clan to continue to spill bloodshed. However a traitor within her clan is secretly dabbling with a rival in order to take control. Adding to her worries is a female swordswoman who Akemi accidentally blinded years ago and wants revenge for her brother who was killed.

Meiko Kaji in another classic movie from the 70’s. She is just totally mesmerising on screen. No wonder she’s a Japanese movie icon. I could watch her movies all day. This bizarre tale is part yakuza part horror that features a manic hunchback and a cat that likes to drink blood. If you’re a fan of Kaji’s work then you’ll definitely want to give this a go.

Sadako’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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Omohide poro poro (Only Yesterday) 1991

A young woman in her 20’s called Taeko can’t seem to move on with her life, something inside is holding her back and she’s questioning what to do with herself. She decides to take a trip to the Japanese countryside to pick some berries with some distant relatives where she starts reminiscing about her childhood days when she was 10 years old and how events back in those days have shaped her life so far. She meets a man and they look like the ideal couple together but they’re both too shy to make the first move. He’s far too polite and she has insecurities that prevent her from falling in love. Will she finally break free from her past to make a go of it in the present?

I don’t know why this isn’t one of the most popular Ghibli movies as it’s just fantastic. Such a beautiful movie to make you think of your own childhood. I was thinking back to mine whilst watching this movie. What would the 10 year old me have made of what I am today? We’ve come to expect some kind of fantasy element with Ghibli’s output but this hasn’t got any. It’s the most realistic movie they’ve ever done. Very uplifting, touching and moving. Don’t forget to stick with the end credits for a truly wonderful ending. I was tearing up!! We might become adults and leave our childhood behind but the memories are always kept within our hearts. Highly recommended. A masterpiece if ever I saw one.

Sadako’s Rating: 5 out of 5.

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Raging Phoenix (2009)

Incredible movie starring the Thai female sensation Jeeja Yanin. In this, her 2nd movie she’s a part of a team with 4 men who are out to smash an organisation that have kidnapped ‘special’ women. The purpose being that tears from these women have health benefits and people will pay a lot of money for it.

The fight choreography is outstanding and at times it’s like watching poetry in motion. For those that loved the Drunken Master movies then you’ll enjoy the martial arts here which combines breakdancing and drunken muay thai. In case your wondering although Jeeja is the main star in this movie she does have to share her screentime with 4 people who get to show off their martial arts skills too.

I’ve got to hand it to the Thais, they’re certainly innovative with their fight sequences and action movies. Raging Phoenix comes highly recommended and Jeeja Yanin raises the bar once more after her brilliant debut in Chocolate. Jeeja is one tough young lady and she must have been hurt quite a lot during the filming. Can’t wait to see her next movie.

Sadako’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Trick:The Movie (2002)

The popular Japanese dorama Trick debuted on the big screen after the 2nd season of the TV series. Reuniting the female magician Naoko Yamada and Professor Ueda, they travel to a remote village in the countryside where it is said a catastrophe will befall the whole place and Yamada has been summoned there to ease the people’s feelings. But that isn’t all. 3 men posing as fake gods have assembled there and one by one they are murdered. Can Yamada and Ueda solve the case?

This carries on the complex but interesting plotlines that took place in the dorama series. The fake gods pulling off a scam trick with Yamada being able to crack how they did it. It’s actually very clever the way you see the tricks exposed by Yamada.

Trick of course has plenty of laughs along the way. There’s great chemistry as always by Yukie Nakama and Abe Hiroshi. The two bumbling cops who were constantly accusing Yamada of a crime in the series – one of which is the bald man Yabe who wears a wig also make an appearance in this movie. If you loved the dorama then of course you should watch this otherwise I fear those that have not followed the series will find the style of the movie a little bit hard to follow.

I can’t find a trailer for this movie unfortunately.

Sadako’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Ong-Bak (2003)

Thieves steal a buddha’s head statue from a remote Thai village. The villagers fear that bad luck will bestow upon them so one young man vows to restore the balance by going after them and retreiving it.

The movie that introduced the Thai sensation Tony Jaa to the world and put him on the map as one of the hottest martial artists around. Those that have longed for the type of action movie that Hong Kong was famed for in the 80’s when health and safety regulations were thrown out of the window just for the sake of creating a stunt and no holds barred fighting will no doubt be salivating at watching Ong Bak. The stunt people did get injured filming this movie. Words cannot describe my reaction when I saw Ong Bak on first viewing, my jaw hit the floor at the bone crunching fights I witnessed. It’s just awesome. The storyline is basically weak and just an excuse to showcase Tony Jaa’s incredible acrobatic Muay Thai fighting skills. One of the best modern martial arts movies in recent years.

Sadako’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Whispering Corridors 5:A Blood Pledge (2009)

5 schoolgirl friends make a blood pledge to die together in a suicide pact but only 1 fulfills the promise by jumping off the roof of their school. Now the dead girl’s vengeful spirit starts haunting the other 4 determined that they should honor their pledge in full.

Another great entry in the Whispering Corridors series. The spirit of the girl is really creepy with her blood soaked look. There’s not that great deal of scares to be had but there’s a couple of moments that are quite gruesome. Definitely worth taking a look especially if you’ve watched the rest of the series.

Sadako’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Hard Revenge Milly (2008)

A women called Milly who has seen her husband and baby murdered and which saw herself being badly wounded by the nefarious Jack Brothers and their associates is out for revenge in Yokohama which is deserted and in ruins. It’s obvious that she’s part cyborg now but it doesn’t explain who turned her into one. She plans a showdown which is set in an abandoned warehouse and Milly is not going to stop until all of the gang which destroyed her life has been killed.

Some can say this is similar to Tarantino’s Kill Bill only shorter. It’s a very entertaining revenge movie and Miki Mizuno makes a superb anti-heroine with her ice cold stares and the way she goes about methodically slaughtering her enemies. I like now that she’s been transformed into a cyborg she has some nice handy weapons such as the knee cap shotgun! Not as gore soaked as I would have liked it to be – certainly not on the level of The Machine Girl or Tokyo Gore Police but it’s still good fun. There’s also a sequel out called Hard Revenge Milly:Bloody Battle which I plan to see very soon.

Sadako’s Rating: 3 out of 5.

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Island On Fire (1990)

Inspector Wang of the Hong Kong Police goes deep undercover inside a prison after the murder of his teacher occurs on the outside by a criminal who is supposed to have died by the death penalty. Once inside as a prisoner, he finds that life is very harsh but soon makes allies. As he digs deeper into the prison system, he finds the truth about the shady deals the head warden does with prisoners. But will Inspector Wang be able to expose everything?

A little darker than Jackie Chan’s usual movies, he’s publicly disowned this one and you can see why especially near the climax. It’s nothing like his comedy action movies, in fact it’s all serious. Nevertheless, it’s still a fantastic story. The director was able to acquire the services of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Andy Lau as a favour in return for something he did for them. This movie has got some great martial arts fights and a brilliant shootout an an airport near the end. Sammo’s character provides the emotion of the story as he constantly escapes in order to fulfill a promise to his young son whilst Andy Lau’s character is a Triad boss who’s after Jackie Chan for murdering his brother. Whatever sense you made of the plot goes out of the window in the last 15 mins as it changes into something completely different! If you want to see JC in a different kind of role though he isn’t the main star in this movie then it’s worth taking a look at this one.

Sadako’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Taiyo no Kizu (Scars Of The Sun) 2006

A gripping tense thriller about a family man Katayama who intervenes when he sees several teens beating up a person. He duffs them all up but gets arrested. The teens all escape punishment as they’re too young to be prosecuted. Soon after, the head of the teen gang Kamiki stalks Katayama’s family which ends in tragedy when his young daughter is murdered by him. His wife unable to cope also ends her life by commiting suicide. Kamiki is sent down to a juvenile center for 3 years and Katayama starts a new life in Yokohama. 2 years later and Kamiki is out on parole and no longer deemed to be a threat and a seemingly changed person. When Katayama hears of this he’s all set to confront him and get his revenge but the police are on his case. What the police doesn’t know is that Kamiki is influencing a new gang of young teenagers to murder by buying weapons for them. Katayama will not stop until justice has been served.

What a great thriller this was by maverick director Takashi Miike. A regular actor in his movies – Sho Aikawa is the leading man here, tortured by the deaths of his wife and daughter and determined one way or another to bring his own brand of justice to the young man responsible for their demise. The young killer Kamiki is a nasty piece of work with seemingly no remorse for anything he’s done even after being inside. Miike touches on the trend of youth violence and the lax attitude of the police but also on grief and anger.

It’s a powerful and thought provoking movie and is the closest thing to reality that Miike has ever done considering he likes to make weird movies. Definitely a worthwhile movie to watch.

Sadako’s Rating: 4 out of 5

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Electric Dragon 80000 V (2001)

A young boy climbing up a tall electric pylon gets more than he bargained for when he’s zapped by a big jolt of electricity. As he grows older, Electric Buddha creates a mask to shield one side of his face in which to conduct electricity that’s been stored in his body. Dragon Eye Morrison was a violent kid who had shock treatment in order to curb his aggresive tendencies. When he became an adult, he changed his ways and now captures insects for a living. To discharge the electricity inside his body he violently plays his electric guitar. When Electric Buddha learns of Dragon Eye Morrison’s existense he seeks him out in a high voltage showdown. Tokyo isn’t big enough for both of them so who will come out on top?

Bizarre but hugely entertaining Cyberpunk madness. If you don’t mind watching weird stuff then you’ll have a blast watching this fun movie. Generally I don’t like Cyberpunk movies at all but this one I must admit to taking a shine to it. Shot entirely in black and white and running at a brisk 55 mins this is certainly worth checking out if you’re an Asian movie fan.

Sadako’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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