Bang-ho Cho
After seeing her husband off to work, the young author identified only as Yoshiko sets off to read the large collection of letters she received from other young authors. These are often letters containing samples of their work for critique. One large envelope contains a letter. The letter-writer does not provide his name. The letter is a confession of crimes. The letter-writer has no family or friends, and claims to be "ugly beyond description". He is a chair maker and loves his work and all the chairs he creates, even going so far as to claim some sort of intangible connection to his work.
An odd journey starts as Mitsuru, a private detective, and a boy, whom a dying mobster entrusts to him, decide to go to northern Japan in search of the boy’s mother, and the detective’s buddy Hisashi joins them later.
Former hitman Ginya Yabuki (Riki Takeuchi) left the mafia and split somewhat contentiously with his longtime former partner. Years later, that same ex-partner has emerged as the head of a very dangerous crime syndicate and Yabuki is forced to confront his former partner, which may start an all-out war within the Tokyo Mafia.
Three brothers, their father missing and tensions boiling, gather at their rural summer house; soon enough, they're unexpectedly joined by a female cousin.
A school was built on one of the Gates of Hell, behind which hordes of demons await the moment they will be free to roam the Earth. Hiruko is a goblin sent to Earth on a reconnaissance mission. He beheads students in order to assemble their heads on the demons' spider-like bodies. Hieda, an archaeology professor, and Masao, a haunted student, investigate the gory deaths and eventually battle Hiruko
Skinless Night (which borrows its title from a best-selling brand of condoms) centers on the 33-year-old Kayama Mutsuro, who supports his wife, child and a small team of employees by making porn videos. Profit margins are very low, the financier has his own troublesome ideas about the kind of tape he wants produced, the company office isn't an ideal environment for child-minding, and the job constantly throws up new challenges - like shopping for bondage gear or devising the special visual effects for a 'golden shower' scene. On top of everything else, Kayama is heading for a mid-life crisis. The rediscovery of his unfinished student film crystallizes his general sense of dissatisfaction, and leads him to rethink his life and work, to the chagrin of many of his friends, colleagues, and family members. Mochizuki's quasi-autobiographical début feature observes both the workings of the porn sub-culture and the spiritual problems of its central character.
The film begins with some Polaroids of a young boy and a young girl. A female voice over tells us who these people are...they are brother and sister, she is seven and he is eight. She goes on to say that when she was seven and he was eight, she told her brother that she would marry him.
A detective breaks all rules of ethical conduct while investigating a colleague’s involvement in drug pushing and Yakuza activities.
Yuki, the wife of a leading member of the Domoto family, must assume her husband’s role as a yakuza boss while he serves out a prison sentence. As she grows into her new role, she manages to assert control and increase the influence of her organization. But when her husband is released from prison, she finds him a changed man, lacking the character necessary to be a powerful yakuza leader. Conflict ensues and their marriage is challenged by a desire for power.
Stuck doing show-biz schlock, an investigative reporter stumbles on a scheme to swindle pensions through an attractive gold futures scam, a potential news-story.
A lower-middle-class policeman lives decadently, chasing cheap beer and girls at the same time he's running from loan sharks and his personal expectations.
Banned: Woman’s Secret Pictures (発禁・秘画のおんな – Hakkin: Higa no onna) films were a series within Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno series.
An ardent culture-vulture youth, previously charged for the murder of a woman when he was young, plans to hold hostage a local bank.
Two young men are hungry, so they decide to rob a bakery. Adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami.
A college student has an affair with a married, middle-aged teacher.
Following a stint in reform school, Ryu (Shinsuke Shimada) returns to his home, the Minami area of Osaka, accompanied by his new friend Ko (Takeshi Masu). He's greeted by his friends, Chabo (Ryusuke Matsumoto) and Ken (Bang-ho Cho). They seek to forge their own path through a multitude of rival gangs in Kita and Minami, including the Hokushin Alliance, backed by the yakuza, the Hope Association, and various other minor factions, including Zainichi Korean groups. What follows is a wild, fast-paced story of violence, revenge, betrayal, and discrimination, that never loses its sense of humor.
