Mickey Curtis
The story centers on a group of young people who travel back in time when they are in a movie theater just before closing time. They witness deaths during the closing days of Japan’s feudal times and on the battlefront in China before they are sent to Hiroshima just before the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing of the city.
A crime family becomes entangled in a vicious gang war while a serial killer cuts a swath through Tokyo.
Shiori has just moved to a new apartment. One evening, she hears a mysterious voice that claims to be "from the future" asking her to trail Susumu Hirano, who lives next door. Shiori in an attempt to solver the mystery began to investigating more and more about Hirano until she gets attracted to him.
A world wide electrical outage occurs. Everything that requires electricity comes to a stop. Tokyo is nearly ruined. Yoshiyuki Suzuki (Fumiyo Kohinata) decides to escape from Tokyo with his family.
Ryota is an unpopular writer although he won a literary award 15 years ago. Now, Ryota works as a private detective. He is divorced from his ex-wife Kyoko and he has an 11-year-old son Shingo. His mother Yoshiko lives alone at her apartment. One day, Ryota, his ex-wife Kyoko, and son Shingo gather at Yoshiko's apartment. A typhoon passes and the family must stay there all night long.
Natsume Mochizuki works as a teen model in Tokyo, but she learns that she has to move to her father's hometown of Ukigumo. She is in a desperate situation because she can't do the things she wants to do in Ukigumo. One day, she meets Koichiro Hasegawa. He is the successor of the Hasegawa family. His family is wealthy and is respected in the area. Natsume Mochizuki and Koichiro Hasegawa become attracted to each other, but something changes their fate.
Bikuu is a Dark Slasher that receives an order from the Senate to take out a rogue priest that has fallen to the darkness, claiming souls using the Soul Insertion technique.
Takashi Hayama (Nijiro Murakami) is a third year high school student. He falls in love with Azusa Oribe (Akari Hayami) at first sight and they begin to date. One day, Azusa tells Takashi "people who meet me, forget about me several hours later." Takashi doesn't believe Azusa, but by chance he realizes that he forgot about Azusa. So he won't forget Azusa, Takashi begins to leave a note for himself and Azusa.
Iwata Koichi and Kagawa Midori are second-year students at Tozaiyama High School. One day, while coming home from school, they discover a shooting star rising up in the sky. The next day, Midori sees a shining figure in school and everyone on the school grounds starts talking about a ghost. At that point, a mysterious transfer student called Yamazawa Norio suddenly arrives at the school and moves in to live next door to Koichi. Strange things begin to happen frequently around Koichi whenever Norio appears. The reason and objective of Norio’s arrival in this world is gradually revealed.
In Japan, gonzo filmmakers hatch a three-pronged plan to save an actress's career, end a yakuza war and make a hit movie.
16-year-old Haruka lost the people she loved the most in a fire. Haruka is also physically and emotionally wounded from the fire, but she still dreams of becoming a pianist. She takes part in an upcoming competition. Inauspicious incidents then occur around her. Musical student Yosuke, who teaches piano to Haruka, tries to solve the case.
Hitori Gekidan gets off a crew bus, assuming he will participate in a travel program. He overhears people in the monitoring room announce the beginning of the "24 Hour Kiss Pressure Game." He is then assaulted by attractive actresses pleading for a kiss as well as deadly mercenaries and zombies attempting to kidnap him. Soon he grasps his character and situation. He is Shogo Kawashima aka The Desert Reaper and he is on the run with Aoi Tsukasa (Aoi Tsukasa). For unknown reasons, the Red Shadow, who raised him, wants him back.
25-year-old Nanami is managing an amateur band. She is broke, cannot pay her rent, and the singer has run off. Yoshinori is 65. His wife dies the day before his retirement. Having suddenly lost everything, he becomes desperate. After the two accidentally meet, Nanami moves into Yoshinori's place and invites a few other people to become their flatmates – the beginning of an extraordinary life together.
Hiroki, Koji, and Shinya are engineers working at an air conditioning manufacturer ordered to develop a robot to boost the company's reputation. Just before they are due to present their invention, the robot is destroyed in a freak accident. With little time left, the three are forced to go for the last resort: Build a hollow robot suit and put a human being in it. After an audition, the only qualified man for the job is Suzuki, a cranky and lonely retiree who needs the job to kill time. After a public display that puts the robot on the headlines, the three engineers are forced to drag Suzuki on a publicity tour in order to keep up their façade. However, their plans are complicated when passionate robotics student Yoko is thrown into the mix.
Baseball prodigy Jubeh Yakyu is the most feared and dangerous juvenile delinquent in all of Japan. After accidentally causing the death of his father with a super-powered, deadly fireball pitch, Jubeh swore off baseball and became a criminal and now, at 17, has been sent to the Pterodactyl Juvenile Reformatory for hardened criminals. Headmistress Ishihara, the granddaughter of a World War II Nazi collaborator, runs the institution with an iron fist and the enthusiastic help of her sadistic assistant, Ilsa. After arriving at the hellhole, Jubeh soon learns from governor Mifune that his long-lost, younger brother Musashi had also done time there after a murder spree, but had since died mysteriously…
Mari lives a comfortable life as a single woman. She has a nice job at a company and resides in an apartment in the suburbs of Tokyo. A couple lives next to door to her. Mari can hear them argue or making happy conversations everyday. One night, when Mari comes back home, she sees her next door neighbor sitting in front of his door and shivering from the cold. He locked himself out.
Seeking an escape from his mundane life, high-schooler Keita Amishima stumbles into the secret life of an agent of UNDER ANCHOR - a covert organisation combating cyber terrorism. Keita isn't alone, as he is partnered with an A.I. - the Phone Braver "Seven". Together, Keita and Seven work to counter cyber crimes, all the while dealing with the machinations of a rogue Phone Braver, "Zero One".
Sakiko is a typical teenager in many ways. She hates her divorced father, who chases after every skirt he sees. She does not know, if she will ever be loved by the other sex. When her dad suddenly inherits a lot of money and becomes really lazy, she hates him even more. He finally decides to start his own cafe, where Sakiko, of course has to help. From this moment, strange customers and good-looking waitresses form the center of tension between father and daughter.
Set in World War II, the film depicts the story of the real-life Japanese battleship, the Yamato, which is confronted in the Pacific Ocean by giant monsters, including the most fearsome of them all, Reigo.
In the bleak, disturbing and suspenseful universe of H.P. Lovecraft, endless horrors await. From ravaging cannibals to ancient rituals come to life, there's no escape for these hapless souls, whether they come across the Danwich outskirts or even the gruesome cover of the Necronomicon.
Nagi Springfield is a mage in training from England. After graduation at age ten, he was sent to Japan as an apprentice teacher in an all girls school. On his first day, he meets Asuna, who has a crush on one of her teacher. Totally hilarity ensues as the class begins to bond with the help of their cute little magical teacher.
The second feature from female director Shindo Kaze (Love/Juice), Princess in an Iron Helmet (a.k.a. Korogare! Tamako) is a bright and colorful youth film about a quirky young woman's reluctant coming-of-age journey. Tamako (Yamada Maiko) is 20 years old, lives at home with her mother (Kishimoto Kayoko) and teenaged brother, and simply refuses to grow up. Ever since her father (Naoto Takenaka) left the family, she's stopped trusting people, and now lounges around in her own small, claustrophobic world. Wearing an iron helmet whenever she steps outside, she ventures only to her mom's beauty salon, the mechanic shop, and the bakery - the source of her greatest joy in life, sweet buns. Her world is static, insular, and safe, and there's no need to change - that is until her cat runs away, the bakery closes, and her mom falls in love with another man.
Sisters "Manamo" and "Minamo" live separately in Hiroshima and London since the divorce of their parents. The elder sister Manamo lives in Hiroshima with her mother, she is a high school student, but moonlights at a Japanese cabaret-club. After her mother remarries and moves to Yamaguchi Prefecture, Manamo lives by herself in Hiroshima. One day, her younger sister Minamo returns from London to visit Manamo. It is ten years since they have lived together, and they argue every day.
Izo is an assassin in the service of a Tosa lord and Imperial supporter. After killing dozens of the Shogun's men, Izo is captured and crucified. Instead of being extinguished, his rage propels him through the space-time continuum to present-day Tokyo. Here Izo transforms himself into a new, improved killing machine.
Seiji and Yoshifumi are the only members of the Muto branch of the Date Family. The two respect and love their leader, Mr. Muto, like a father and the three share a firm bond. But their fate is sealed when the Family is involved in a conflict. Muto is unable to pay his share of funds for the oncoming battle but tells executives of the Family that he would fight at the front line instead. In the wish to protect Muto, Seiji has him arrested by the police. Ignoring the Family executives' mocks of "Muto escaped to prison", Seiji prepares for the battle and attacks like a demon on behalf of his boss...
A newly unemployed salaryman meets a particularly sexual woman.
Sachi Hamano's Yurisai (Lily Festival) is about a man (Mickey Curtis) in his seventies who comes to live in an apartment building that also houses seven elderly women. The film examines the ladies' sexual desires as the man proceeds to woo each of them. Kazuko Yoshiyuki portrays one of the female residents. The film was adapted from a novel by Houko Momotani and was screened at the Montreal World Film Festival.
When a young Yakuza torments the customers in a rival crime family's nightclub, it is not long before his dead body is found. Soon, inter-family retaliation follows, resulting in the death for a prominent crime boss. Devastated by this turn of events, the temperamental Kenzaki vows to avenge his boss's death and, as bloody violence ensues, the body count reaches excessive proportions.
The year is 2071. Following a terrorist bombing, a deadly virus is released on the populace of Mars and the government has issued the largest bounty in history, for the capture of whoever is behind it. The bounty hunter crew of the spaceship Bebop; Spike, Faye, Jet and Ed, take the case with hopes of cashing in the bounty. However, the mystery surrounding the man responsible, Vincent, goes deeper than they ever imagined, and they aren't the only ones hunting him.
Ambitious yakuza Kenji befriends harmonica-playing bartender Chuji, who moonlights as a part-time drug-dealer for the opposing gang. Their friendship is threatened by Kenji's plans for advancement, as well as by his bodyguards growing jealousy of Chuji.
When I was young, Takato Kuroda took a hand at seeing "Qi" at my grandfather Shigaru who was a great feng shui, but since I closed my eyes with fear, I could not see myself ever since. From the complex with respect to the deceased grandfather, Dragon has developed a software to look at attention with computers, and has an office of management consultant. This summer, Tokyo was suffering from extreme weather which rain continues for over 20 days, and urban function was deprived. One day, a who visited an old shop owner and Suzuki with an introduction of an owner and Yazaki ...
An erotic bizarre action in which the three sisters of the Ijuin family, descendants of Kunoichi, fight against the hostile Mao Noichi clan.
An ex-boxer working for a game parlor owner gets caught up in a complex blackmail operation he doesn't understand. Before long he's caught between two yakuza bosses and a mysterious thief who motivation is unknown. Add in the boss' daughter who has a crush on him and watch him struggle to make sense of it all and come out alive.
Swallowtail Butterfly takes place in an alternate Japan, in a ghetto where immigrants from all over the world have come to live and make their fortune. The city is called Yentown, and it is much like Tokyo. Sixteen-year-old Ageha (Ito), a young girl whose mother has just died, is passed on from person to person until a prostitute named Glico (Chara) finally takes pity on her. Under Glico's care, Ageha has many experiences with the other poverty-stricken immigrants in Yentown. Eventually, due to a sudden twist in fate, the immigrants are given a chance to realize their dreams. But in doing so, they destroy their solidarity, and have to face their problems separately.
A young foot soldier in the yakuza seeks revenge when his prostitute girlfriend dies after a session with a high-ranking Japanese politician with a taste for torture. He sets out on a 'kamikaze' mission to kill his bosses and the politician; along the way, he acquires the aid of a taxi driver who has recently returned to Japan after living in South America for several decades and is struggling to cope with poverty and the prejudices of native-born Japanese.
This odd three-parter purports to map the metaphysics of the interpersonal universe, dividing its trio of tales into three, different-toned “planets.”
Joe and his delivery company friends are back. This time they become embroiled in the evil plot of a corrupt politician.
High-concept Sci-Fi adventure about an island that actually is a computer called Kyron 5, itself created to design and manufacture super-advanced robots to be used as slaves for the rest of the world. One day Kyron decides that human beings are unnecessary, so it declares war on the world. But Kyron cannot be tamed, and after many lives are lost in the attempt, mankind decides to leave Kyron to its own devices.
Shipwrecked African-American slaves arrive in the midst of Bakumatsu-era Japan; they soon carve out a niche in the market with their musical talents.
Welcome to Hope Hill High, a Japanese school – please disregard the tacky and typically American name – were the desperate student counsel struggles with a recurring problem. The aggressive and relentless members of the Yagyu biker gang stop by the school each semester to beat up the kids, steal their lunch money and vandalize their belongings. The kids want to fight back but realize they're too weak and undermanned against the bikers, and so they hire a handful of tough gals to train and defend them "Seven Samurai" style.
A seamstress seeks the love of her life while helping a troubled couple.
Osaka in the early 1600s, aftermath of the historical Battle of Sekigahara; a group of orphan children are wandering through the battlefield scavenging for armour when they encounter a young boy named Sasuke with magical powers he says came from a meteor that crashed onto the Earth…
In 1919, a group of Japanese immigrants arrives in Hawaii. Among them Yoshio Inoue and his wife Kishimo and Sumi, a young woman ready to get married soon. With the soil that is hard to work and the subtroipical climate, the immigrants have to cope with a hard life. But after years of hard work, Yoshio finds work as a teacher while his wife manages to open a small grocery store. But with the war around the corner, life becomes more and more complicated for the Japanese immigrants in a foreign country.
Yuzo Kayama plays the protagonist, a whale-hunting cannon manufactuing supervisor, whose brother is an automobile tester for Komatsu Motors which has a fatal accident. As his brother investigates the "Accident" with his old college friend (makoto Sato), now a reporter... They stumble across murder, espionage and cover-ups. High-class night club, femme fatale, and a "Blueprint of Murder" all adds up to a bigger plot then first expected.
An early Okamoto yakuza film, though it's not in the Underworld series (along with The Last Gunfight and The Big Boss) despite being alternatively known as "Death of the Boss." While Okamoto did not write this film and took on the project because he was assigned and "just doing [his] job" according to an interview with Chris Desjardins in Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film, he did express a general excitement about working in action cinema (which shows through in this film's energy.) I have no plot to share, unfortunately, so I'll just add a few more screencaps than usual to make up for it.
Japanese police detective Saburo Fujioka is suspected of corruption, demoted, and sent to the city of Kojin. Kojin is the scene of fierce fighting between rival gangs. Fujioka is assigned to investigate the death of the wife of gangster Tetsuo Maruyama of the Kozuka gang, probably at the hands of one of the Oka gang. During a gang gunfight, Maruyama is rescued by Detective Fujioka and the two become friends. But Maruyama insists on avenging his wife's murder, even if it means conflict with his new friend.
In the closing days of WWII remnants of the Japanese army in Leyte are abandoned by their command and face certain starvation.
Ryuta and Mineo Komatsu are brothers, both yakuza (gangsters). Mineo, although complicit in crime, even murder, wants out of the gangster life, hoping to become a successful singer instead. Ryuta loves his brother, but Mineo's possible defection presents problems for the gang, and Ryuta realizes he must kill his brother if he wants to survive.
When Sergeant Okubo's brother is murdered at a Japanese outpost in Northern China during the Second World War, Okubo poses as a war correspondent and seeks out his brother's killer.
