Shiryôha

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467684/
a.k.a. Dead waves
Nothing remains after death. It´s like clicking of a tv set.
Hiroshi Usui (Toshihiro Wada) works on a tv show called Spirit sightings, he or the rest of the crew doesn´t believe in the uncult or spirits, for them it is just a job.

Mr Usui and his team are about to shoot a new program on this girl Runa ( Shihori Kanjiya) who are told to be possessed.
Hiroshi is tormented by the death of his girlfriend a year ago, we´ll find out a bit into the movie - the entire movie is only in 77 minutes - that the death of his girlfriend have something to do with the ever raising numbers of suicides. Suicides that are linked to his show.

If you are gonna watch this in hope to see something like the masterpiece Ringu, then you are wrong. Shiryôha is as much a sad drama with ghosts/spirits as it is an horror/ghost movie.

I have personally mixed feelings about this one. First I liked the idea on the take on possessed/obsessed people and how the natural obsession - the obsession of a tv show in this case - can bring you down.
Sometimes the editing of Shiryôha is not good, but it gives me the feeling it is intentional, since they might have wanted to create an realistic ”tv show feeling” to the entire movie. Unfortunatly on the dvd there are no extras or behind the scenes that explain some of the thoughts of Yôichirô Hayama the directors intentions he co wrote the script with Kayo Kanô.

A scene shows clearly how little the team believes in the spirit world, it is a funny scene actually. The art director Taniguchi says he has something interresting to show Hiroshi on their website. What we all suspect is that the phenoms has spread, but, instead he joyfully shows when a girl has written “ The direktor Hiroshi is cute” and a girl has answered “So´s the AD, Taniguchi” he with a smile on his face says; They think I´m cute.

Hiroshi and Taniguchi














Shiryôha and White Noise http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375210/
Are basicly on the same theme, they both came out in 2005

Shiryôha isn´t a must watch, not an avoid either, take note that this is lowbudget and you have to think while watching.
So if you feel like a japanese ghost horror movie is something that may sounds like your deal, wait untill you have seen more well known - better - movies and then come back to Shiryôha. It is after all an interesting take on the ghost phenomena since it actually questions if it is real or if it´s a mental thing.

However, the ending is something I really really liked.

The ending is near













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I told you not to go upstairs!!!
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- Please don´t show me on tv.
- I regret showing your face.
- it´s not that. “The´re” angry.
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Trailer
http://www.nipponcinema.com/trailers/dead-waves-trailer/

The Hajirai mashin gâru

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1319567/
a.k.a. The Hajirai Machine Girl
a.k.a. Shyness machine girlite

The cover of the double disc

















Oh No! She´s back!
Who´s back???
Yoshie is back! YEA YEA YEA YEA YEA!!!!
Once again Noriko Kijima is Yoshie in this spin off to Kataude mashin gâru . You know the ultra violent and yet so funny revenge movie with chicks.

Yoshie also kicks ass














Anyway. In this 22 minutes cult classic spin off from a cult classic, I promise you, I´ve never laughed so much in whole my life as for watching The Hajirai mashin gâru.
Yoshie is shy and gets in trouble at once.

The ultra shy Yoshie, well we all know she was supposed killed in Kataude mashin gâru , but guess what, someone else also did survived. Sugura, and now he´s gonna train the shy and clumpsy Yoshie to take revenge on those who killed them…or, emh.. Tried to kill them…and a lot of others also… but how is she gonna do that with a small tower stuck up her ass?

Sugura watches Yoshie training, but something is missing alltough she is in trouble she remain her calm, so he got a genius plan. It is so genius that it Outragiously funny.

Yoshie´s embarresment













Iguchi Noboru once again writes and directs Yoshie and alltough she still is clumpsy she manage to kick some seriously yakuza ass.
There is not so much to say about The Hajirai mashin guru, since it is such a short movie, it was realised as a bonus feature. I will also spare you from boring attempts of describing how funny this is, Buy This One -Now… and stop reading this review.

Still here? Go get the 2 disc set I tell you!!!!

Yoshie will kick your ass if you don´t buy this.













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- Sorry, I was never good at physichal education.
But I try my best not to be killed.
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- It hurts! Tokyo tower is stuck in my ass!
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- We never met, but I´m gonna assault you!
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Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiLFWXNY1nI

Please Mister Iguchu Noboru, give us more on Yoshie. Give us that Tex Avery comic book feeling.

Kataude mashin gâru

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1050160/
a.k.a. One armed machine girl
Noboru Iguchi writer and director has made a outstanding actionpacked, funny movie that surely will become a classic - if it´s not allready is one.
Violence has never been this fun before. Or maby it has? More on that in another review.

Ami Hyuga (Minase Yashiro) and her little brother Yu (Ryôsuke Kawamura) are orphans. Her brother looks up to her, but there is nothing on what the little funnny and the totally charming Yoshie (Noriko Kijima) does, she even tells Ami; If you where I boy, I might have fallen for you.

Ami and Yoshie













Yu got mobbed by a young boy whos family are the Yakuuza, after a tragic event Yu dies. Ami early in the movie has said - I don´t believe in violence. Now that is about to change, Big Time.

Without saying to much there is a Lot of blood, A Lot. The blood ”fly” out of the wonds like when you use a highpresser machine and cleaning some furniture or something. Ami gets tortured and beaten, but just before she is about to be killed, she manage to escape with only one arm. Now it is time for Ami to get her revenge.

Ami kicks ass













It is Always uplifting to see girls kicking ass like Ami and Mika (Asami) does in this high octane blood splat feast. Sure they got beaten pretty bad themself, but they are the tough ones in this movie. Men weting their pants, and shakes like leafs as soon as a group of ninjas approaches. We got drill bras, buckets of blood, ingenious weapons, crazy kills and lots and lots of fun.

Kataude mashin gâru has the perfect comic book feeling to it and if you like that kind of violence, spiced with japanese humor, you just can´t do anything else but love this movie.

Ami gets beaten













Minase Yashiro is fantastic as Ami, the whole cast is infact great. Noriko Kijima as Yoshie became so popular that she got a 22 minute sequal - an spin off - and that one might be even more crazy and fun then Kataude mashin gâru - don´t ask me how it is possible.

Iguchi Noboru writer and director have so much fantasy and imagination and I´m really looking forward to more movies from him. I may go to far here, but he is a genius. Find out why if you allready haven´t.


To sum this movie up, I have to quote Minase Yashiro; Messy but fun.
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I´ll blast you to pieces
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O great Hanzo Hattori. Provide this girl with great pain and suffering.
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Trailers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c9Sbyn0kmg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFLdaC-xrLM

Official site
http://www.spopro.net/machinegirl/

Iguchi Noborus blog
http://blog.livedoor.jp/iguchinoboru/

Various posters

Kiseichuu: kiraa pusshii

Japanese poster

American poster


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434125/
a.k.a. Sexual parasite: killer pussy

Sayoko Jujo ( Yumi Yoshiyuki )

Sayoko Jujo ( Yumi Yoshiyuki ) has with her partner traveled across the great amazonas to collect an example of Aparache no Mogeto. An legendary creature that says have ”the powers to split the earth. ”
An witch doctor warns them that the fish is pure evil, when will the scientists ever listen?
- He says “ a demon resides within”.

Now this Aparache no Mogeto or Namazu as it is later on called enters the vagina of a woman by force and it stays there untill a new host can be found.
Sounds interresting?
Sounds disturbing?

Mari (Natsumi Mitsu) with the red bandana and her friends

are out on a field trip in the woods while their van brakes down. They find this cave wich they are dumb enough to enter, you know how teens in horror movies are, they just do as the rest of us would - in this case beside entering the cave, they get naked, drunk and has sex.







In this cave it is hot, so hot that all the girls take their clothes of and walks around in their lingerie.
Director screenwriter Takao Nakano doesn´t exactly hold back when it comes to nudity or showing big boobs getting foundled. He has after all done movies before with titles such as Whore angels - Pin-saro byôin 3: Nô-pan shinsatsushitsu
Sumo vixens - Hana no onna sumô
His newest movie is in 3D, as many movies now adays are, the title?
Kyonyû doragon: Onsen zonbi vs sutorippâ 5 or the english title The Big Tits Dragon: Hot Spring Zombies vs Strippers 5
More info on that here
http://twitchfilm.net/news/2010/04/an-exclusive-first-look-at-the-trailer-for-takao-nakanos-big-tits-zombie-3d-with-sora-aoi.php

But back to Kiseichuu: kiraa pusshii now shall we?


As much as this is as typical japanese monster sex movie it also flirts with the american 80s slashers; teens getting drunk (or high), party and ends up having sex and later on killed.


Kiseichuu: kiraa pusshii is despite that, original in more then one way, but mostly since it reverses the sexual stereotypes. It is fairly known and comon in horror movies that men rapes a woman, here the woman are the actuall rapist - with a little help from the creature Namazu that is.









Namazu has an host


Alltough the females are victims, they are atleast stronger and superior to the males.
Even Saki ( Sachika Uchiyama) spells it out for us when Akira (Tomohiro Okada) hides scared shitless under a blancet - You call yourself a man? Pathetic.

It doesn´t exactly have the best CGI effects, not the best editing.. But it is slimey and fun short little monster flick - it is only 60 minutes.

Oh, even men can bleed after sex.













If you by some strange reason hasn´t seen this allready, Buy it and Buy it NOW!

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-Its scientific name is “Vagina Dentata”, and in Japan, it is known as “Namazu”
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- Ryoko, I love you. I wanna eat you.
You can eat me to, I´m tasty
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Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsgDN2AjN8w

Trivia

Namazu in japanese means Catfish.

The riffs that starts the rock song when the teenagers are dancing can also be found in Rotara Rotara (translated directly to Lotta love - or lot´s of love) by Buono wich ironichly is a young girlband/group.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK1ie8gVtXM


Kiseichuu: kiraa pusshii is clearly a tribute to the old tentacle anime and even live action movies from late 80s/early 90 monster movies. That includes a lot of naked women and perverted monsters.

Voodoo dollz

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334569/

Warning for Nudity and a Hot Christina Nguyen.

Christina (Christina Nguyen) has been exspelled from her school after a lesbian affair with Meg (Kitty Katzu).

Meg and Christina

























She is therefor sent away to Dunwich School for Girls … most horror fans surely knows that name, Dunwich.
At Christinas new school her new room mate is Maria (Charlie Lane) and she practises voodoo, wich might come in handy since both witches and other dark forces are near.

But Maria mostly uses her voodoo skills to get the girls horny by licking the clit on the dolls. So in old fashion Fred Olen Ray style (alltough he used his alias Nicholas Medina as writer/director) Voodoo dollz has a lot of lesbian sex in it, infact it is so much that it almoust gets boring….

Miss Dambahla Miss Santana and Pakumba (Pakumba is the the one to the left)



Miss Dambahla (Monique Parent) is the headmistress at Dunwich and she worship an entity, an evil entity named Pakumba. And Pakumba wants a virgin for his sacrifize and guess who it´s gonna be?



Voodoo dollz uses most of its time to show lesbian acts with actually is not so bad, but i wouldn´t have mind if they would have used more on the background on Pakumba. But once again Christine Nguyen, Charlie Lane, Syren, Nicole Sheridan gets a lot of screentime showing of their naked bodies.

The house that Dunwich is set in is actually the same house that Ghost in a teeny bikini was shot in. Atleast the outside of it.

To add some to the story Jeff (Voodoo a.k.a. Alexandre Boisvert) has been forced to once in a while share the other girls if he ever wanna see Maria - the voodoo girl - anymore, becouse in Dunwich school for girls, they all share.

I feel like I need to adress this once again, the whole movie is more or less about sexscenes and it gets boring after half the movie.
I understand that this is a satire/spoof of the old b movies about witches and witchcraft, but this one you can afford to skip. Alltough Christina takes a long long shower, while Miss Santana (Syren) sneaks trough a hole in a wall and getting herself wet. Christina also has 2 lesbian sex scenes.

Christina showers









































Voodoo dollz lack in the humor that made Tarzeena and Ghost in a teeny bikini funny. But, once again, the sexscenes are far more in this.
Also, the first scene between Meg and Christina kind of caught me of guard. You see, I highly suspects that Kitty is actually a dude who have done a sexchange.. Be aware of that scene.

But Christina is being cloroformed and tied up, so I guess it is an enjoyable movie after all.


























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- It is not for me to approve. It is for Pakumba, we ar only his servants.
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While Christina being tied up to the cross Maria steps in.
- Maria? What are you all doing here?
- We have been waiting for someone like you. Someone virginal.
- Virginal? I can´t even spell virginal.
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Spoilers
http://tarstarkas.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=534&Itemid=46

Marock

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0415147/
Laïla Marrakchi, an Morrocan film maker made big controversy in Cannes 2005 when her fourth film was screened. The big controversy was that she had made a love story about a young muslim girl falling in love with a jewish boy. Laïla let her cousin play the part of Rita, an unknown female in her first role, but this is only the start on one of this decades most talanted, biggest and brightest stars.

Rita (Morjana Alaoui)

a 17 year muslim girl living in Casablanca, Morroco in 1997 and her parents are wealthy and own an textile industry.
At a party she sees a boy, Youri (Matthieu Boujenah), their eyes meet for a second and a few days later after her chauffeur drives Rita home from school, they meet Youri again and offers him a lift to his home.



The nervous feeling and happiness that Rita feels during that scene bubbles out from the screen.Topclass acting and this is the best part from the movie, the innocent, the joy and excitement in being in love with all the emotions it brings.



They both seems to live a rich life, but atleast Rita wants something more. Might be that her age and everything that comes along in that age makes her rebellious against her parents and her brother, maby this is how life was - or is - when you´re young.

Marock borrow some parts from the Romeo and Juliet story; the battle between two families - or in this case two opposite way of life - in the religions way of seeing things anyway.



Rita eats hamburgers from McDonald’s, she smokes, she likes to dance and party and enjoys the companies of her friends. She is just like the most teenagers from all over the world are, or atleast should be able to live; free and under no preassure, free to explore themself.


Marock may not be the best movie ever made, but a groundbreaking experience put in a world of today that are overflood by negative stories about muslims and how they are so different from us (us as in the non muslims and or christians or “christians“ if you want.) Therefor is Laïlas script such an uplifting and important piece in history. It is after all an love story and love stories is something the world of today need more of.



Rita and Youri meets and drives away in Youris car, the forbidden love, the unaccpted love is about to happen. His friends meet up in a car race, this scene is not only for the boys to show of for their girlfriends, it is also an key scene for the unstoppable love between Rita and Youri.
As I see it, this is where Rita falls in love with Youri as she sees him as a tough guy, like most girl are attracted to a guy who are more wild and rough, you know, the girls sometimes needs to rebel against their everyday life and standards.

As much as the controverse was on a muslim girl and a jewish boy falls in love with eachother, Marock also got spoken about due to how Rita kisses. More on that in the highly recomended interview that can be found under the trivia section.

The use of music is fantastic. Not such a big fan of Army of lovers nor David Bowie, but this scene speaks for itself more or less. The way her eyes are about to burts into tears and no words are saying from no one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1kxjWO5AmU&translated=1

If you feel like living, watch Marock. Maby you can learn something - after all, we are all human.

Youri and Rita

















- You are not alone -














The quotes are first in french and then translated to english. Take note that they where originally spoken in arabic in the movie.
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Arrête.. Merci. Merci, merci! Ill me traîp trop, le mec.
- Wait.. Thank you, thank you, thank you! That was so sweet what you did for me back there.
- Mais, Lalla Rita. Il est juif.
- But Rita, he is a jew.
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- Pauvre Lalla Rita
- Poor Rita.
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Trailers for Marock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqIwpEp8RHQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUisD2yUqqs

Trivia
Marock: interview Morjana Alaoui and Matthew Boujenah
http://www.bladi.net/forum/63245-marock-interview-morjana-alaoui-matthieu-boujenah/

Lalla can be translated to Darling or seeker.

Alexandre Aja (the director of Haute tension, The hills have eyes 2, Pirahna 3D) was consulting for the artistic technique during the shooting of Marock.

Ju-rei: Gekijô-ban - Kuro-ju-rei

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445483/
Ju rei starts with chapter 10 and moves down to chapter 1. It is clearly made as a manga comic, you know they are being read “backwards“. As in, you start on the last page, reading from right to left on each and every individual page.
Miho (Azusa Ônishi) is with her friends practising an dancerutine in a poor lighted alley when she hear this squeaky sound, basicly the same sound from Ju-on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364385/
In the reflecting windows one of her friends sees a dark figure, what does the dark figure want? That is what we will find out, or do we really find out?

Can you spot the dark figure?













The ghosts appears in some scenes for a brief moment (Specially in one scene where it appears for ½ second), in other scenes they are dark blured and seemingly out of focus. This may sound like a misstake in some way, but it is highly intentional and add to the creepy feeling.










































Won´t go into detail on all 10 chapters but my favourite most be the third. Grandma Maeda is in her bed at the hospital, she is old and as old people does, she ain´t seeing so well and the director Kôji Shiraishi uses that in a special way.
Mayuko (Hiromi Senno) is there to visit her and when she is about to leave, grandma opens her eyes and with blur eyes she see someone else in the room.
She asks who it is and Mayuko think she isn´t recognising her so she presents herself.
Poor grandma sees blury


This might sound like a not scary scene, but it is. The woman who play grandma is fantastic - won´t say how long that scene goes on, more like an observant watch from one spot only after Mayuko has left, but Kôji doesn´t overdo it. You can say it ends perfectly in 2 ways.





It´s not only the squeaky sound that reminds me off ju-on. Also the house where Maeda lives is in some scenes spot on to Tokunaga residents from Ju-On.

In some scenes it looks like it is shot in a regular video camera. The greyish light brown smoke inviroment around adds to the story. Not as great as Ringu, pretty close to Ju-on. A movie worth to check out if you are into japanese ghost movies.

Some chapters are short, short as in 1-2 minutes and the make perfect sense in the long run.

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- You … try to …. take me?
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Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_eWLwYZvJ0

Trivia
Ju-rei translated to english is “Go in cold” or “the spirit walks in”
Ju-rei also can mean ghost, but the formal word for ghost in japanese is konpaku. Other words to describe ghost are these; rei, bourei, yuurei, youma, go-suto

Jurei however is translated to Long life. Wich is explainable by ghosts having a longer life then a human.