Category: Directors

Another Abashiri Prison Story (1965)

An enjoyable thriller – a straight-forward yakuza flick with many pleasant moments, but not the sequel the first narrative deserved.

Abashiri Prison (1965) review

Teruo Ishii delivers an interesting exploration of the frailty of the social bond between criminals as well as the trauma that, in some cases, animates the criminal reflex.

Guard from Underground (1992)

Kurosawa’s early slasher is a successful stylistic experiment that anyone who calls himself a fan of Japanese horror should see.

Conflagration (1958) review

A narrative that serenely depicts the possible outcome of a subject’s failure to find, in a post-war landscape, someone to carry the Name-Of-The-Father.

Ox-Head Village (2022) review

A solid horror-movie that pleasantly utilizes a sense mystery to engage the spectator and fluidly integrated unsettling imagery to put the spectator ill at ease and even scare him/her.

XXXholic (2022) review

“An exquisite visual experience that is sadly held back by its unfitting manga-like moments.”

Onpaku (2022) review

While Fujii does not re-invent the J-horror genre with Onpaku, he does prove the horror-frame  can still be exploited to deliver satisfying horror narratives.

Lesson In Murder (2022) review

In Shiraishi’s talented hands the narrative transforms into a visual elegant and compelling examination of the desire that drives us all.  

The Island Closest To Heaven (1984) review

“This might be the purest idol-film Obayashi made and the clearest example of how Kadokawa wanted to exploit the audio-visual medium.”