Japanese Hell

Starring:Mutsumi Fujita, Chiho Yoshida, Ryuji Takasaki, Hisayoshi Hirayama, Masato Tsujioka, Kenpachiro Satsuma, Miki SatÃ´, Tetsuro Tamba, YÃ´ko Satomi
Director: Teruo Ishii
Studio: Tokyo Shock
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

Lone Japanese soldier Toshiro Mifune diligently scans the ocean from his island lookout as he must have thousands of times before, but this time he spies an abandoned life raft resting on a rocky bluff. Within minutes he's face to face with American sea-wreck survivor Lee Marvin and the two begin an elaborate game of cat and mouse. Director John Boorman presents this two-man war as a deadly game between a pair of overgrown children, who finally tire of it (as kids will) and settle into tolerated co-existence and then even something resembling a friendship. With impressionistic strokes, Boorman paints a lush tropical paradise in colors you can drink from the screen, capturing the texture of their experience as refracted through the cinema: the look of the island as seen through the haze of smoke, the sound of a sudden rainstorm as it hushes the island in a calming roar, the timelessness of life outside of civilization. The story seems almost secondary, an allegorical drama that comes alive in the excellent performances by Marvin and Mifune (who soon enough converse despite their complete inability to understand each other's language) and the visceral immediacy of Boorman's gorgeous widescreen images. Hell in the Pacific is not a tale told as much as a film experienced. --Sean Axmaker

Description

From the director of Excalibur and Deliverance comes this "gripping" (Leonard Maltin)adventure about two wartime enemies trapped alone on a desert island. Academy AwardÂ(r) winner* Lee Marvin (The Dirty Dozen) and Toshiro Mifune (The Seven Samurai) deliver "striking and well-etched performances" (LA Herald-Examiner) in this searing psychological drama that packs "plenty of action and excitement" (Motion Picture Herald)! From the instant they meet, a marooned American soldier (Marvin) and his Japanese counterpart (Mifune) have the same objective: killing each other. But it soon becomes apparent that the only way they will survive isby forging an uneasy truce and cooperating with each other. Can they rise above the hatred that divides them long enough to stay alive?

Customer Reviews:

Hell in The Pacifc.......2007-05-07

I'm one of the big fan of Mifune. He is the first and last big Japanese actor approved in the world, I think. And also, Lee Marvin is one of my favourite US actors. These two big in Japan and US in one film. I think we never miss it...

I didnt go through hell.......2007-03-25

The movie was great, and an absolute classic. The characters wre well established and thought out. I reccomend this film to everyone, with no exceptions......

A Different Kind of War Movie.......2006-07-15

Watch it English,then in Japanese with Subtitles. Well done acting and visuals. There is a lot here. Meaningful to all.

Hell of a good movie!.......2006-06-25

For a 1968 Hollywood-bankrolled war movie, HELL IN THE PACIFIC was almost right up there with the best of "foreign" films of the Sixties. Featuring only two characters throughout---a Japanese officer and an American office marooned together on a otherwise unpopulated Pacific island in 1944---the film puts us immediately into the difficulties facing the two men, who are enemies by their circumstances and literally cannot understand each other. The story of how they deal with their plight unfolds in ways that make perfect sense, and both Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune as the two exiles give performances that are both believable and affecting. In fact, the only thing that keeps this from being a five-star movie for me is the very end, which feels like it was grafted on at the behest of the studio heads; the alternate ending, included on this DVD release, makes much more sense and would have been better. But up until then you're watching one of the best war movies ever made.

Hell in the Pacific.......2006-03-18

This is a quirkey and unique little movie. Definitely not perfect, but different, rewarding, and thought prevoking on several levels. I am not a Lee Marvin fan but I thought he and Toshiro Mifune did an excellent out-of-the-box acting job in this movie. If you liked the "The Gods Must Be Crazy" movies you will probably like "Hell in the Pacific".

Average customer rating:

Deceiving Packaging for a poor film
Disappointment
So awesome that my teeth hurt.
the worst of the worst
This One Hurt

Lady Death - The Motion Picture
Starring: Christine M. Auten , Greg Ayres , Laura Butcher , Shelley Carlene-Black , and Dwight Clark
Director: Andy Orjuela
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002MFG0K
Release Date: 2004-10-05

Amazon.com

Based on the comic book series by Brian Pulido, Lady Death exemplifies the ongoing cross-pollination between anime and the American film industry. Produced by Houston-based ADV Films, Lady Death was animated overseas in a style that suggests a cross between Wicked City and a Boris Vallejo illustration. Hope, an innocent girl in medieval Sweden, discovers her father is Lucifer in disguise. She prays to him while being burned at the stake, then leads a revolt against him in the afterlife. Aided by Cremator, the former chief armorer of Hell, Hope takes the name Lady Death and crams her pneumatic figure into a miniscule bikini and thigh-high boots. The plot is a hopeless muddle and the dialogue unintentionally hilarious: "In all my days in Hell... I have never met a soul like you." A guilty pleasure for hormonal adolescent males, Lady Death will quickly alienate other viewers. (Rated age 17 and older: graphic violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery) --Charles Solomon

Description

Set in 15th Century Sweden, Hope, the beautiful daughter of Matthias-believed to be a skilled mercenary, but who in actuality is Lucifer, the Lord of Lies-is accused of being the devil's consort following a hellish incident witnessed by local villagers. Ultimately, Hope is sentenced by the town priest to be burned at the stake. Writhing in pain and unable to think clearly, she accepts Lucifer's offer of life in Hell-presented by the malevolent Pagan-over a hideously painful death. Lucifer's grand plan to corrupt a soul of pure innocence meets unanticipated resistance, as Hope rejects Lucifer's scheme and eventually, transformed into the powerful warrior LADY DEATH, challenges the Lord of Lies for control of Hell itself. A powerful story of innocence lost, savage betrayal and glorious rebirth.

Customer Reviews:

Deceiving Packaging for a poor film.......2007-06-25

I just finished watching this movie and I can honestly say I am truly dissapointed. I am not very fussy with animation as I am a big fan of the genre but I highly doubt this will remain in my collection. The cover art is soooooo good you just can't wait to get home and watch it but the animation is actually very poor (for a motion picture) and lacks that detail and shading you enjoy in most anime's. It is of the quality of your saturday morning cartoons (I have seen some with better). The story moves too fast and you feel no connection with any of the characters introduced. This is a real shame as I can see potential in these characters.

In regard to the dvd the sound and picture quality are fine and it has a couple of extra's.

In conclusion don't waste your money unless it's super cheap!! You will enjoy Vampire Hunter D or the short film Blood much much more than this.

Disappointment.......2007-06-12

When I first saw previews of this film, my expectations of it shot through the roof. I thought it was going to be the greatest thing since Jesus. It wasn't a huge disappointment, but they could have done so much more w/ the film.

So awesome that my teeth hurt........2007-06-01

I've noticed that a lot of viewers gave this film rather not so good reveiws. Well, I thought this movie was awesome. Did it have second maybe third rate animation? Yes. Were the voices like something out of a 80's saturday morning cartoon show? Yes. Was it a far fetched story line with totally unrealistic stuff going on? Yes. But it was all these things, as well as the little touches that made this film righteous. It was in many ways a lot like Army of Darkness mixed with World of War Craft, Legend, Spwan and Disgaea. To me, I enjoyed the details like Lucifur's little harem of demon women, the part where this Duke of Hell puts this beautiful women into an iron maiden, and of course the bloody decapitations. But demons, swords, crazy magic stuff, hell dogs, I mean it's all there. And who really cares if that stuff is unrealistic? It's cool as all... hell? Lucifur looks a lot like Tim Curry's character in that old movie no one remembers called, "Legend". The plot moved a long a little fast, but I think it all came together pretty well. I've never read the comics, I haven't even herd of Lday Death untill I saw the movie tonight, but it definately rates a spot up there with "Akira", "Casshern", and "Vampire Hunter D". Cheesiness mixed with blood is awesomeness here people. It's gold!

the worst of the worst.......2005-11-01

the box art is fantastic... but the film blows... my friend got this DVD for free at best buy.... gee i wonder why it was free.... it sucked.... it is disguised as an anime with frickin awesome box art but it is trash in disguise.... countless attacks to christianity and all things sacred in anime... like good graphics, voices, and a story line.

with names like cremator it totally blows.... lol..... not even worth getting as a free copy.... we caved half way through and put in something else.... full metal panic was a better thing to watch on halloween.

the company that put out the animation is like korean or something.... well any how it is definately not anime.... and it really sucked.... you will benefit better by cleaning your closet than watching this film.

This One Hurt.......2005-10-20

You might think I don't have a right to review this film, since I never finished watching it. But I spent nearly twenty dollars on this turd of a film, and I feel obligated to prevent others from wasting their valuable money.

To start, it's published by ADV Films, which will throw you off since it's an American style animation done by a Korean studio. Now, I've seen some animation produced in Korea, and I can say that none of them looked this bad. Lady Death reminded me a lot of Thundercats (sorry Thundercats) in style, only in today's world that's unacceptable. The story, at least as far as I got into it, is about a young girl banished to hell by Lucifer where she gains strength and returns as the Lady of Death. Controversial, sure, but in a way that has already been done (remember Spawn).

I'd recommend anything else over this. If you truly want something animated, buy the Spawn series that started on HBO, or get Thundercats, which are available now on DVD.

Average customer rating:

Hell in The Pacifc
I didnt go through hell
A Different Kind of War Movie
Hell of a good movie!
Hell in the Pacific

Hell in the Pacific
Starring: Lee Marvin , and Toshirô Mifune
Director: John Boorman
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305617554
Release Date: 1999-11-16

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Hell in The Pacifc.......2007-05-07

I didnt go through hell.......2007-03-25

The movie was great, and an absolute classic. The characters wre well established and thought out. I reccomend this film to everyone, with no exceptions......

A Different Kind of War Movie.......2006-07-15

Watch it English,then in Japanese with Subtitles. Well done acting and visuals. There is a lot here. Meaningful to all.

Hell of a good movie!.......2006-06-25

Hell in the Pacific.......2006-03-18

Average customer rating:

Macross, Vol. 7: Hell's Fury
Starring: Macross
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Macross, Vol. 6: Eve of Destruction
Macross Vol. 5: When Worlds Collide
Macross, Vol. 4: Fallen Angels
Macross, Vol. 3: Dangerous Divisions
Macross - Under Crimson Skies (Vol. 2)

ASIN: B000J3FBV6
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Description

As any Otaku will tell you, the anime epic that came to be known as Robotech was woven together from three separate sci-fi series. Macross is one of these series. Now for the first time anime fans can enjoy Macross as it was originally presented to Japanese TV audiences more than 20 years ago!

Lone Wolf and Cub - White Heaven in Hell

Average customer rating:

too much hollywood influence
White blah-blah in hell, the one Lone Wolf/Cub not to see
A bloodbath of carnage.
Works for me...
The sixth and final film in the "Lone Wolf and Cub" series

Lone Wolf and Cub - White Heaven in Hell
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama , Akihiro Tomikawa , Junko Hitomi , Goro Mutsumi , and Daigo Kusano
Director: Yoshiyuki Kuroda
Manufacturer: ANIMEIGO
ProductGroup: DVD
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Lone Wolf and Cub-Baby in the Land of Demons
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Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance

ASIN: B0001Z934S
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Customer Reviews:

too much hollywood influence.......2007-05-12

got some ideas from the '007' and 'shaft', even the sound track music scores were too modern 'shaft' alike. lost the original taste and blended into a too far-fetched dramatized stunt showmanship. cart carried the cute child got machine gun and mechanic blades also got a some ideas from the scenes of 'ben hurr'. now in this last segment, even black magic witchcraft resurrected the dead corpses crawling around in the water, dirt and the snow. walking dead still got fresh blood, ain't it a bit too ridiculous?
this 'lone wolf and cub' series suffered a lot to the bad influence from the hollywood. although the wolf was still a lone wolf, the cub still the cute little one, all the scenario and plot of the storyline became outlandish. a waste of the great actor who played the lone wolf with such rarity of pure force and swordsmanship. a final curtain call ended in a quite bad western taste.

White blah-blah in hell, the one Lone Wolf/Cub not to see.......2005-05-27

In this sixth (but not final) installment of the movie series, what we get is little story and too much senseless action (with a sprinkling of hot tub sex). This is a very disappointing film. Although it is the last such LWnC movie from this creative team, it does not end the storyline (with 28 volumes in the manga series, we probably would have needed another 3-7 films). So the patient, constant viewer gets instead a hack-and-slash film of mid-caliber.

The ending -- an over-extending action sequence set on a snowy slope -- is very unsatisfying; so are the characters: unlike other LWnC films, we do not get to meet any new incidental characters. As a result, the film is less about "Edo" soceity (which one cannot argue is the secondary if not primary goal of the manga team) and instead just a big showdown waiting to happen...waiting, waiting to happen. The film is way too long and its pacing is horrible.

I think the fault with the film lies in these two things:
1) the writers/filmmakers chose poor source material. The "five wheel" assassin team denies Itto and son the chance to mingle with regular Edo joes. As a result, you do not get as I argued the best part of the series: the rich detail of Edo life.
2) the filmmakers must have been overwhelmed with James Bond films like "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and whatnot with their decision to make this movie "samurai on skis". After the first few minutes of fighting on the snow, I was thinking "Enough already, I get it: samurai can be badass even on slippery surfaces!"

Watch the first five and forever skip this sixth installment.

A bloodbath of carnage........2005-05-24

There's a twenty-two page text introduction on the LONE WOLF AND CUB: WHITE HELL dvd. It explains a lot - what one in Japan calls their mother and father and respected elder. What one used to call their mother and father and respected elder. It also contains a capsule history of Japan, from the eighth century or so onward. In all, a fairly imposing prelude.
Fortunately, all my study went for nought. It turned out, after all, that I didn't need to know the proper and improper use of the term `sensei,' or the history of the city of Edo. Best yet, inadvertently starting this six-part series at part six didn't present many problems, either. WHITE HELL is a wonderfully uncomplicated and undemanding action movie. I enjoyed it very much without fussing over minute details.
Ogami Itto, the Lone Wolf of the title, travels about pushing a baby carriage containing his son, Cub. The time is winter, the carriage is on skis rather than wheels, and it's armed and plated in a manner that would do a James Bond movie proud. Itto's sworn enemy Retsudo enlists a series of champions to kill Lone Wolf, and presumably Cub, as well. These highly efficient killers include Retsudo's daughter, a knife-wielding cutie, and three young men who are buried underground for 42 days and emerge as burrowing, fast moving, earth worm-ish assassins. As Retsudo exclaims when he cracks the men out of their clay pots - `Innocent people will die. There will be a bloodbath of carnage and a tempest of death!' What more could an action movie fan ask for?
The largest ski attack ever filmed, I suppose. This fun, escapist movie has that, too. Strongly recommended.

Works for me..........2004-12-08

Great stuff. I have been looking for these films for years, now I can get them easily. Lucky for you too.

There is nothing like Lone Wolf and Cub, it has all the elements that I like in a martial srts flick. This is a no-holds-barred type of film, full of bloody slashing and hacking but always done with a sense of style.

Get the entire series.

The sixth and final film in the "Lone Wolf and Cub" series.......2004-11-17

"Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell" ("Kozure Ôkami: Jigoku e ikuzo! Daigoro") is the sixth and final film adapted from the "Lone Wolf and Cub" manga written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima. Koike wrote the screenplays for the first four films, but Tstuomu Nakamura did the script for the last two, which might explain why the climax of the finale seems to be more appropriate for a James Bond film rather than a samurai assassin film. There were several interesting issues of "Lone Wolf and Cub" that dealt with winter settings, but Nakamura does not really avail himself of them for this script. As always, it is interesting to see how familiar stories are brought together in the film, which was directed by Yoshiyuki Kuroda.

This time there are four distinct acts to the action. First, Retsudo Yagyu (Minoru Ohki) is sending his daughter and last child, Lady Kaori (Junko Hitomi), who has perfected the falling dagger technique, after Lone Wolf and Cub (#79 "Sayaka"). Meanwhile, Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) has brought Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa) for a final visit to the grave of his mother (#58 "A Poem for the Grave") before they make their way for Edo. On the road they will encounter Lady Kaori. Second, assassins who have buried alive are reborn as divine spirits (#77 "Incense for the Living") and sent after Lone Wolf and Cub. Their strategy is to kill everybody whom father and son have contact with on the road to Meifumado (#76 "Five Wheels of the Yagyu"), which means a lot of innocents are getting killed until Ogami Itto goes off into the wildnerness to force the Yagyu's hand. Third, Retsudo attempts to persuade his illegitimate son, Hyoei (Isao Kimura) to kill Ogami Itto. When he refuses, Retsudo tries to get Hyoei's sister, Lady Azusa (Mayumi Yamaguchi) to persuade him to act. Hyoei agrees, seeing it as an opportunity to take over the Yagyu clan. However, Ogami Itto must first deal with the cancellation of an assassination because of the threat of the Yagyu (#80 "Clouds of Silk"). Then he faces Hyoei and forces him to issue a challenge for a duel (#67 "The Hojiro Yaguy") and Retsudo is forced to deal with Hoyei's final effort to usurp his position.

The final act is where this film goes off the rails. Although the setting is similar to when father and son first made their way through the snow covered mountains (#64, "The Moon in the East, the Sun in the West") the story gets well beyond watch the baby cart being used as a sled. We are talking samurai on skis, ninjas on skis, and samurai on sleds. At least Ogami Itto does not get on skis, but he does some serious sledding. It is just that all of the shots of samurai swinging swords while jumping over the camera on skies get to be a bit much, and when a horde of them (including Retsudo), ski (or sled) right by their prey we were definitely into shark jumping territory. The bad news is that this is not a fitting end to the cinematic saga of Lone Wolf and Cub, but the good news is that are a dozen more volumes of the original manga as published by Dark Horse Comics that will get you to the true end of the story (although clearly they did not know this sixth film would be the final one in the series).

I know all of these movies were edited and dubbed into "Shogun Assassin" in 1980, but I must insist that you take the high road and avoid that butchery in favor of the original sextet of films. In order these are: (1) "Kozure Ôkami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru" ("Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance," 1972); (2) "Kozure Ôkami: Sanzu no kawa no ubaguruma" ("Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx," 1972); (3) "Kozure Ôkami: Shinikazeni mukau ubaguruma" ("Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades," 1972); (4) "Kozure Ôkami: Oya no kokoro ko no kokoro" ("Lone Wolf and Cub: In Peril," 1972); (5) "Kozure Ôkami: Meifumando" ("Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Land of Demons," 1973); and (6) "Kozure Ôkami: Jigoku e ikuzo! Daigoro" ("Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell," 1974). The above list does not include literal translations of each Japanese title but rather the name given their most recent U.S. releases (I believe the original U.S. releases in the 1970s just numbered these as "Swords of Vengeance" I-VI). The literal translation of this sixth film in the series would be "Lone Wolf and Cub: Go to Hell, Daigoro," so you can see why that leaves a bit to be desired.

Average customer rating:

GREAT MOVIE BUT TERRIBLE TRANSFER

A Town Called Hell
Starring: Charlie Bravo , Michael Craig , Tony Cyrus , Bruce M. Fischer , and Tito Garcia
Director: Robert Parrish
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6303173802
Release Date: 2005-11-22

Customer Reviews:

GREAT MOVIE BUT TERRIBLE TRANSFER.......2006-01-27

The acting and story are great but the transfer is just atrocious. It's pan and scan so there's the first bad news. Also this movie has been edited almost to death. In one scene two people are on the gallows. It then abruptly switches to an old woman running down the street srcreaming. I can only infer that they were hanged. This happens constantly throughout this transfer. We are left to guess at what has occured. The overall image and sound is below average.

Looking at the other releases on Amazon, it's hard to tell if there is a better quality DVD. Brentwood(ASIN: B0000CNY5C) has issued one but it's the same running time(95 min). There is another edition from Stonevision(?)(ASIN: B00004U0JG) it's listed as anamorphic. None of the reviewers mentions anything about the quality.

What did I like about this movie? Even with all the cuts the story is interesting and engrossing. Robert Shaw and Martin Landau give suprisingly good performances in roles other actors may have just mailed in. In one scene Martin Landau is eating a tortilla and compliments the cook. That small scene just seemed authentic. Robert Shaw at the end gives a speech to Stella Stevens that could have been but is not maudlin. Telly Savalas(forever underated) gives the Don Carlos character a laid-back evilness. Again it seems authentic. Then there is Stella Stevens(what a beauty). She does well with limited lines and understated role. You also get to hear Johnny Horton's "The Battle Of New Orleans"

My advice would be to get this. It's not that expensive, but after you watch it you'll wonder how great this movie could be with a descent transfer. This would seem like the perfect title for VCI or Anchor Bay to restore.Geneon [Pioneer]

Average customer rating:

Bad anime
manga is the home for classic adult anime
Very good anime...Not for people with A.D.D.
waste of money
Decent stroy..............need more.

Sword for Truth
Starring: Japanimation
Manufacturer: Manga Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Wrath of the Ninja
Black Jack
Ninja Resurrection
Blood Reign - Curse of the Yoma
Perfect Blue

ASIN: 6305951667
Release Date: 2000-07-25

Amazon.com

Set in the early years of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the samurai adventure Sword for Truth is a nonstop bloodbath: characters are beheaded, disemboweled, dismembered, stabbed, impaled, and otherwise dispatched amid fountains of blood. The violence is so repetitious, it soon loses its shock value. The icy Shuranosuke Sakaki wears the "Blades of Death" on his kimono--with good reason. Apparently a ronin (a masterless samurai), he's hired by the Nakura clan to rescue the kidnapped Princess Mayu from the Seki Ninja, who are demanding the antique Ginryu Sword as a ransom. Shuranosuke fights a succession of warriors, a kappa (a water demon in Japanese folklore) and the damned soul of a Seki Ninja, slaughtering them all effortlessly.

The story makes no sense. The viewer never learns why the Seki or the rival Himiko Ninja desire the Ginryu Sword. An extended sequence depicting lesbian sex and opium use never pays off; neither does the duel between noble Kazuma Utsuki and a paid assassin. But the minimal plot is only there to connect the sword fights. When Utsuki comments, "The scent of death is in the air," he's not kidding. For hard-core fans of anime swordplay and violence only.

Unrated, but graphic depictions of violence, violence against women, sexual encounters, drug use, and drinking are unsuitable for children. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

Bad anime.......2006-12-14

This is a weak and trashy anime. In places almost a hentai, but never erotic. There are hundreds of better anime on Amazon.

manga is the home for classic adult anime.......2006-03-20

Sakaki is a master swordsman who refuses to be own by the clans of Shoguns of ancient feudal Japan. He walks alone leaving behind the several limbs of those who dare oppose him. I love seeing him fight spirits from hell while he's trying to rescue the princess.

THIS ANIME MOVIE GIVES "NINJA SCROLL" A RUN FOR IT'S MONEY!

Very good anime...Not for people with A.D.D........2006-03-13

This is one of my favorite anime's, even though the series was never finished... Comparing this to Ninja Scroll is like comparing apples to oranges... You should not compare one movie to another.... It's like comparing Scarface to Godfather... How many times can you watch Ninja Scroll anyway? This movie is for true fans of anime. Yes, Sword for Truth does have a semi-complicated plot, but I was never bored. There is lots of bloody swordplay and nudity, so this movie is Not for kids...

Warning: If you could not follow Pulp Fiction, then you will probably not be able to follow this movie. Also, this movie was the first part of a series that was never finished...

Again, if you are a true fan of anime, get this movie.

waste of money.......2003-05-22

in case you haven't figured it out...Sword For Truth is absolute [garbage]. It has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. You want anime with swordplay? Get Ninja Scroll, or Rorouni Kenshin. You don't have to look far to find better. I wouldn't accept Sword for Truth if I got for free. It's that bad. I suggest that you spend your hard earned money elsewhere.

Decent stroy..............need more........2002-06-20

I am not really big on anime, let me say first of all. But watching this at a friend's I really did get into the story of it, and though it did leave a lot of unanswered questions, I was told it was a first in a series, but that the series was never finished, at least not that we see on US storeshelves.

Description

The Story of a radical Archeologist and a junior high teacher that believes the doorway to Ancient evil spirits dimension is located under his School.

Customer Reviews:

do you have any more skewers?.......2007-04-28

alright now, i think this film happens to be a little misunderstood. there's no way it aims to be artsy, amazing, or even a "great film" depending on your definition of such. it's meant to be a fun little slice of z-movie camp for the fans of that old school cheese. and i think it pulls this off successfully. if you're looking for a cheesy comedy/gore/horror flick complete with the classic stop motion animation technique, this film is a valentine to people such as yourself. you won't see any CG crap in this one. it's all low budget puppets and mechanics baby(old school). now that doesn't necessarily make anything automatically good, but it should give you an idea about what to expect.

the story itself is decent, but nothing to expect much out of. there's a loose goblin that goes by the name of hiruko, and it's running amok the school grounds taking people's heads. enter heida and masao to attempt to save the day. that's pretty much all you need to know. i think the film begins to slightly fall apart near the end, with the best of it being shown in the middle with some classic abandoned school scares. but even then i was captivated to the end by the strange charm of this japanese title.

i'm a pretty big fan of tsukamoto, and while i realize this is definitely not one of his best works out there, it still shouldn't be forgotten. i think a handful of the viewers that came out disappointed were expecting some sort of artsy film that they could pretend they understood and discuss their loose interpretations of it. hiruko is NOT that. this is just a classic cheesy horror romp meant for some popcorn viewing and that's it. go in with a grindhouse attitude, and you should leave entertained by this strange japanese title.

Not One Of Japan's Better Horror Films!.......2007-01-24

"Hiruko The Goblin," by director Shinya Tsukamoto is not a very good film. In fact, it's pretty bad. If strange and weird Japaneses films are your delight, however, this one will definitely sate your appetite. My wife usually puts up with many of my films, especially my Japanese films, but this one was the cake for her a few years back. She actually left the room. Now, I don't blame her. Afterall, she has put up with quite a few of my Foreign films. And as the reviewer below has written: "This film won't win any Oscars." The director of this particular film, Shinya Tsukamoto, is also the director of the TETSUO films.

Without giving away too much in the film, the main character, Hieda Reijirou (Kenji Sawada) is an archaeologist who likes inventing things from kitchen utensils. As the film begins, he has made an archaeological discovery [a mound over a school house]. The film then moves to the other characters named Takashi Yabe (Naoto Takenaka) and Tsukishima Reiko (Megumi Ueno) who are both exploring a cave when some unseen force chases after them. Apparently, a Goblin inhabits the cave, and Heida must attempt to seal off the mound before this Goblin makes people saw off their heads. It [the Goblin] has a head for a body and spider-like legs.

To make a long story, of a pretty bad film short, both Heida Reijouro and Masao Yabe [the son of Takashi Yabe from the earlier cave scene] get together to try and solve this mystery. There is plenty of gushing blood and gore in the film, if these are the types of films you like. However, if you are looking for complex characters or a good plot, you will find yourself at a loss. This is not a very good film, however, I have seen worse. Recommended only if like me you love Japanese films, and refuse to take advice from friends when it comes to viewing Japanese films, and therefore must watch it yourself. I must admit however, it is a very weird and strange film. [Just don't expect too much from the film, however].

probably won't win an Oscar.......2005-11-15

i found this to be an entertaining slice of Japanese horror/camp with an obvious nod to previous films,both horror and otherwise.A definite sense of humor is evident thru-out,so i think to fully appreciate this one must bear that in mind.This is no "art film",but an attempt at simple fun that doesn't tax the brain.
personally, i think it achieves that!

DON'T FORGET YOUR BUG SPRAY.......2005-07-19

How Shinya Tsukamoto could follow up his cult classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man with this pile of dung is beyond me. This movie is one of the worst I have ever seen. Severed heads seemingly sprout bug legs and terrorize a local high school which happens to be located on top of an ancient goblin tomb. Pulling references from Ghostbusters, The Thing and even Raiders of the Lost Ark Tsukamoto flops back and forth from semimetal drivel to horror scene and back. The special effects are laughable and give new meaning to low budget. If you want to throw your money away, find a better cause than supporting this kind of movie making.

Average customer rating:

Not the "Jigoku" you've heard about.
Watch It Only If You Are Desperate for a Horror Movie

Japanese Hell
Starring: Masato Tsujioka , Kenpachiro Satsuma , Miki Satô , Yôko Satomi , and Chiho Yoshida
Director: Teruo Ishii
Manufacturer: Tokyo Shock
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007CNY0E
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Description

From The King of the Japanese Cult Movie Teruo Ishii! A controversial film in which actual cases that roiled modern-day Japan, including the sarin gas attack by the Aum Shinrikyo Cult, are dramatized with gruesome detail, as the perpetrators of those crimes are forced to stand trial in Hell. An angst-ridden girl, Rika, is carried off to Hell by an old woman she meets in a neighborhood park. There she gets a first-hand look at the excruciating agony of those found guilty - by Lucifer himself - of committing heinous crimes during their time on earth…

Customer Reviews:

Not the "Jigoku" you've heard about........2005-07-05

That would be Nobuo Nakagawa's strange and arresting 1960 classic, which is available on region 2 Japanese DVD and very much worth tracking down. That was a somewhat low budget film (lavish by Shintoho standards of the day), but it has enough style and visual imagination to make it something of a landmark.

While I haven't seen the '79 remake, this most recent version is absolute garbage - cheap, poorly made, exploitative, but not in any way that you can either enjoy or be really shocked by. Director Ishii has some critical standing for his 'Joys of Torture' series, which I haven't seen. This is just a boring, technically inept mess that attempts to capitalize on the Aum cult's noteriety. I watch a lot of Japanese movies, and I have rarely seen anything as amateurish as this production.

AVOID!

Watch It Only If You Are Desperate for a Horror Movie.......2005-06-02

I am a fan of horror movies and I consider myself to be somewhat of a horror movie snob. That is, I tend to like horror movies that are actually good movies, not just because there is a lot of killing and/or mayhem.
I tend to turn up my nose at most of the current crop of today's American horror movies simply because they are bad movies. The real inspiration and genius in horror nowadays is in the realm of video games.
That being said, I have never seen a Japanese-made horror movie before, so perhaps I need to see more before I can sufficiently judge "Japanese Hell." Regardless, I will attempt to do so here.
On pure production values, this is most definitely "B movie" caliber. To put it another way, it is extremely cheap and cheesy, almost painful to watch.
Again, maybe I was expecting something that I shouldn't be. Maybe this is what all Japanese horror movie production values are like.
How about the story? "Japanese Hell" uses a well-worn plot, that of several vignettes, usually four, being played out for a viewer or viewers who discuss the person before and after watching the scene of his/her life.
Essentially, in each episode the main character, usually a bad person, is shown doing the misdeeds he does in life, then getting his comeuppance.
These movies are generally morality plays, and "Japanese Hell" is no different. A young girl is taken to Hell and shown the horrors that await her unless she changes her ways. I won't ruin it by going any further into her potential crimes.
The first episode is about a young man who lures little girls into his car, murders them, dismembers them and photographs the remains.
He is then shown in Hell on a table surrounded by assorted "demons" (guys either in really third-rate masks or makeup) and he is slowly dismembered himself.
After he is finally beheaded, ending his agony, the Queen of Hell resuscitates him. He thanks the Queen of Hell for her mercy, but, of course, his suffering is to continue in this fashion for all eternity.
So goes the rest of the movie. Hell looks like something from the original "Star Trek" series (a small soundstage with a red, shimmering background and some styrofoam rocks). The rest of the "special effects" are about the caliber of an episode of Dr. Who.
So, why do I give it a "2" rating? The story has been done many, many times before and usually much better. Generally, horror/sci-fi fans are willing to be forgiving about terrible special effects as long as the story is good (the aforementioned Dr. Who, the original Star Trek, any number of horror movies throughout the history of movie making, etc.).
Why not give it a "1"? Well, I suppose I have seen worse.
One last time, as this is the first and only time I have seen a Japanese horror movie, so maybe this is par for the course. Regardless, I wouldn't bother with this movie unless you are a fan of Japanese horror or just have to see every horror movie out there.

Living Hell: A Japanese Chainsaw Massacre

Average customer rating:

and you thought leatherface had a dysfunctional family
It was ok.......a little different than from what I though it would be
An Ultimately Unsatisfying J-Horror Flick
Even the most avid fans of Asian horror should pass on this.
Dissapointing

Living Hell: A Japanese Chainsaw Massacre
Starring: Sei Hiraizumi , Hirohito Honda , Noboru Mitani , Naoko Mori (II) , and Umitarou Nozaki
Manufacturer: Subversive Cinema
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002S64VE
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Description

Bound to a wheelchair, life has been difficult for poor Yasu (Hirohito Honda of Battle Royale). His mother has vanished, his father and brother think he's crazy, and his sister shelters him from the outside world. But Yasu has yet to experience the true meaning of torture until new relatives mysteriously move in. Labeled "The Japanese Chainsaw Massacre" (minus the chainsaws) by fans, director Shugo Fujii has fashioned a mysterious horror film with stylish sequences that pay homage to directors Brian De Palma and Alfred Hitchcock. Filled with moments of sheer terror, Living Hell joins ranks alongside Ringu (The Ring) and Ju-On (The Grudge) as a masterpiece of modern Asian horror.

Customer Reviews:

and you thought leatherface had a dysfunctional family.......2007-05-19

if you like dark asian horror then this is for you this starts out with and ends with the darkness of the asian filmakers
and the end is a shocker
think you know the woman who are putting the star in pain
you dont

It was ok.......a little different than from what I though it would be.......2007-04-02

i saw alot of people with disappointing reviews but I didn't think it was that bad considering some of the stinkers I have seen lately. although there are no chainsaws involved or any other power tools. i was thankful that there wasn't an angry ghost girl with long black hair hanging in her face. a family takes in distant relatives then things take a turn for the worse. the elderly mother (bad bad make up) ends up torturing the boy who is confined to the wheelchair on several occasions using a stun gun, some darts and a pair of pliers but no one seems to believe him. a newspaper writer does some research on the elderly lady and ends up in the middle of a family reunion. it isn't a bad movie is you are wanting something a bit different and don't expect much in the way of make up/gore effects.

An Ultimately Unsatisfying J-Horror Flick.......2007-01-20

When most people think of Japanese horror films, they tend to think of supernatural tales such as "Ring" and "Ju-on" rather than slasher fare. "Living Hell" may be an illustration of why. I received this movie as a Christmas gift after reading several (inexplicably) favorable reviews of it on various horror websites. The premise of the film, that a young man in a wheelchair is a prisoner in his own home and is subject to the cruel tortures of a mysterious old woman and her eerie young caregiver, is quite intriguing on paper.

Indeed, for an all-too-brief while the film looks as if it may live up to the hype as the opening moments transition smoothly from grisly gorehound fare to a somewhat more brooding atmosphere. That being said, this film is nothing if not unsubtle. The foreboding mood lasts only a few minutes before being cast aside. The potential for psychological terror is there, but seems to be ignored in favor of one (supposedly) shocking scene after the next. This all reaches a crescendo in the final 20 minutes or so of the film, with a couple of "twists" so obvious that I actually thought the film was building up for a "swerve" that would suddenly take it in another direction and leave me wowed. Alas, the obvious plot twists take place exactly as expected with nothing but a couple of gross-out scenes at the end to keep even a modicum of your attention.

For all I've said, "Living Hell" comes dangerously close to being a watchable movie (hence 2 stars instead of 1), but the howler of an ending will leave most viewers in the cold.

Even the most avid fans of Asian horror should pass on this........2006-10-10

It should be a crime to compare this with Tobe Hooper's classic Chainsaw Massacre. This is a terrible movie and a complete waste of your life.

If you want to see a strange and violemt Japanese horror film, pick up All Night Long instead. It is miles above this garbage.

Dissapointing.......2006-02-01

Either the people that praise the gore in this flick don't know what real gore is or I rented a cut version of this flick. I gave it two stars for originality and for atmosphere (Very spooky.) I was very dissatisfied with the make-shift ending and terribly dissapointed with the effects. Don't bother.

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