Destroy All Monsters
by Ishirô Honda
from Adv Films
When a malevolent race of Moonwomen try to put the big hurt on Earth, it's up to (take a deep breath) Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Anguilas, Minya, Manda, Baragon, and Spigas to resist their evil mind control and make the world safe for monster (and human) kind! Long unavailable on video, Destroy All Monsters is the crowning achievement of the Japanese monster genre, with wall-to-wall action, cheesily magnificent special effects, and a final nine-to-one battle royale (against the awesome three-headed dragon known to fans as King Ghidorah) that's guaranteed to get even the most passive viewer noisily bopping around the room. A badly dubbed, logic-defying, supremely gonzo blast, presented in a widescreen format that allows the watcher to see every single rubber scale. The original title for this quintessential creature bash translates as Godzilla Electric Battle Masterpiece, which just about says it all. --Andrew Wright
The Hidden Fortress - Criterion Collection
by Akira Kurosawa
from Criterion
In one of the many classic collaborations between director Akira Kurosawa and his leading man ToshirĂ´ Mifune, this 1958 film tells the story of a warrior and a princess trying against all odds to return to their homeland with their fortune. Along the way, they are simultaneously assisted and thwarted by two itinerant and not too bright farmers with their own designs on the treasure, giving the story a subtle comic bent. The Hidden Fortress combines an epic tale of struggle and honor with modern comic sensibilities, creating a masterful addition to world cinema. --Robert Lane
A general and a princess must dodge enemy clans while smuggling the royal treasure out of hostile territory with two bumbling, conniving peasants at their sides; it's a spirited adventure that only Akira Kurosawa could create. Acknowledged as a primary influence on George Lucas' Star Wars, The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa's inimitably deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action and humanist compassion on an epic scale. The Criterion Collection is proud to present this landmark motion picture in a stunning, newly-restored Tohoscope edition.
Dragon Ball Z - Bojack Unbound (Uncut)
by Daisuke Nishio
from Funimation Prod
The infamous millionaire X.S. Cash is funding the most amazing martial arts tournament the Universe has ever seen! The four tournament finalists must do battle with warriors representing the four corners of the galaxy in a decisive battle to see who gains the right to challenge The Champ for the ultimate championship!But a ragged band of criminals have a scheme of their own: take over the tournament and conquer the Universe in the process! Their leader is the incredibly powerful Bojack an evil menace who has broken free of his stellar confines!With Goku incapable of helping eradicate the planet s latest threat and Earth s greatest heroes falling one by one the young Gohan must look deep within himself to find the power to destroy the wicked invaders. Can Gohan summon enough strength to deliver the finishing blowSystem Requirements: Running Time 62 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ANIMATION/ADULT SWIM Rating: NR Age: 13+ UPC: 704400038129 Manufacturer No: FN-03812
Shinobi - Heart Under Blade
by Ten Shimoyama
from Funimation Prod
Equal parts Romeo and Juliet and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Shinobi offers breathtaking cinematography, appealing actors, and ninjas. What more could a movie fan ask for? Released in 2005, Shinobi is set in 17th century Japan, which is dominated by two powerful clans. Oboro is a member of the Iga clan, while her lover Gennosuke is the son of the leader of the Koga clan. Both groups are comprised of expert ninjas who have developed skills unknown to most mortals. When Oboro and Gennosuke meet, they are unaware that by their birthrights, they are meant to hate--not love--each other. When the nefarious Shogun--eager to increase his own power by doing away with both clans--announces that each faction will send in five ninjas to fight to the death, Oboro and Gennosuke are sent in to battle against each other for the honor of their clans. Filled with action (including some computer-generated images to enhance the actors' warrior-like qualities) and romance, Shinobi has the makings of a sweeping epic. Though based on an anime series, the film succeeds as a stand-alone piece of work. Beautifully filmed and well-acted, the film is exciting and heartbreaking, and the viewer senses both hope and doom all the way through the finale. --Jae-Ha Kim
"Masterpiece" - Toronto After Dark Film Festival
The year is 1614, Japan has been united under the Tokugawa Shoguns and the land is beginning to feel at peace. Two remote ninja clans, the Koga and the Igo, are ancient enemies but have long been bound by a peace agreement forbidding them to fight. The heirs to the leadership of both clans have fallen in love, but a tragic fate awaits them. A cruel plot is set by the Shogun to wipe these two clans from existence by breaking the peace agreement and forcing the two clans to battle. Five Ninjas of each the Koga and the Iga clans will battle eagainst each other to the death. As a great war begins, it brings the two young heirs together again. But this time as enemies.
Bonus Disc includes:
"...Romeo and Juliet meets special effects, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon... soaring through the air.." "It's gorgeous, absolutely heart-breakingly beautiful." - Seattle International Film Festival
Moon Child
by Takahisa Zeze
from TLA Releasing
Japanese pop stars Gackt and HYDE star in this wild hybrid of futuristic science fiction, John Woo-style gunplay, and Gothic vampire horror. MOON CHILD follows a group of childhood friends as they advance in a futuristic criminal underworld. Sho (Gackt) feels he is doomed to walk in his idol Kei's (HYDE) footsteps as a vampire with the gift of eternal life and the curse of blood thirst. Over time, their tight friendship becomes corrupted because of their rivalry and love for the same woman. Filmmaker Takahisa Zeze brings a stylized sting to the blood draining and hyper violent proceedings. Japanese with English subtitles.
Five Deadly Venoms
by Cheh Chang
from ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMS INC.
One of the loopiest kung-fu movies ever made, a garish masterpiece of martial kitsch by the hard-boiled master of the genre, Chang Cheh. The five muscle-bound paragons of the title have fighting skills so hyperdeveloped that they border upon the occult, each modeled on the behavior of a different venomous beast: centipede, snake, lizard, toad, and scorpion. This "poison clan" is embroiled in a complex plot to lay claim to an ill-gotten fortune, but the story line feels like an afterthought. The nonstop wall-crawling action sequences, which match up the cast members in every conceivable combination, are the be all and end all here. This is late, decadent Chang Cheh, without the poise and sweep of earlier epics like Blood Brothers and Vengeance (the noble David Chiang-Ti Lung team ups that inspired John Woo), but it's great fun on its own terms. The painted masks worn by the Venoms, which make them look like berserk extras in a wrestling film, are based upon the belligerent warrior face paint of Chinese opera. --David Chute
The dying master of the powerful Poison Clan dispatches his last pupil on a crucial mission. Worried that the skills he has taught are being used to evil ends, he orders the Yan Tieh to trace a retired colleague and warn him that the fortune he amassed from the clan activities is under threat from five of his former pupils. Each an expert in his own lethal combat style, the five comprise a truly invincible force. Yan must discover the whereabouts and true identities of these deadly masked warriors and decide which, if any, can be trusted.
Metropolis
by Rintaro
from Sony Pictures
Adapted from Osamu Tezuka's 1949 manga, Metropolis (in Japanese with English subtitles) is an opulently beautiful film that fails to present a coherent story worthy of its extraordinary visuals. Evil Duke Red (voice by Taro Ishida) plans to rule the world from Ziggurat, his newly completed art deco tower. A new robot is being developed by his henchman Dr. Laughton (Junpei Takeguchi) to control all the machines in the world from Ziggurat. Japanese detective Shunsaku Ban (Kousei Tomita) and his nephew Kenichi (Kei Kobayashi) arrive in Metropolis in pursuit of Laughton and are plunged into Red's plot. When the duke's maniacal adopted son Rock (Kohki Okada) attacks Laughton's hidden lab, Kenichi and the waiflike android Tima (Yuka Imoto) flee into the city's subterranean slums and fall in love. Despite a protracted series of chases and violent shootouts, there's little excitement and less character development. Director Rintaro (Hayashi Shigeyuki) borrows heavily from Fritz Lang's 1926 Metropolis, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, and Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira, but his staging makes much of the action hard to follow. The film takes an unintentionally hilarious turn when Ziggurat crumbles to Ray Charles's "I Can't Stop Loving You." The computer-generated skyscrapers, machines, and airships offer dazzling vistas of an overscaled and sinister deco-dystopia. But Tezuka's flat little characters, with their big eyes, round noses, and bubble-shaped feet, don't fit into that realistic three-dimensional environment. MPAA rating: PG. Contains considerable violence and grotesque imagery. --Charles Solomon
The Sword of Doom - Criterion Collection
by Kihachi Okamoto
from Criterion
Boasting some of the most impressive swordplay in the history of samurai epics, Sword of Doom is a visceral masterpiece of violent style and powerful substance. Illustrating the timeless adage that "an evil soul wields an evil sword," this highly stylized classic is driven by the fierce and fearsome performance of Tatsuya Nakadai as Ryunosuke, a sociopathic samurai whose soul--and sword--are vicious instruments of evil. Having mastered a highly unconventional style of fencing, Ryunosuke welcomes an exhibition match at a fencing school run by master swordsman Shimada (ToshirĂ´ Mifune, in a small but pivotal role), where he kills his opponent after promising not to. Flagrantly violating all codes of honor, Ryunosuke eventually finds himself challenged from all sides; even his own henchmen rally against him, and director Kihachi Okamoto stages confrontations that are as beautiful as they are graphically violent. As Ryunosuke descends into pure, bloodthirsty insanity, Sword of Doom ends with a freeze-frame that's unforgettably intense. --Jeff Shannon
Wandering samurai Ryunosuke lives his life in a maelstrom of violence. A gifted swordsman—plying his trade during the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule—he kills without remorse, without mercy.
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