Japanese Films

1-Ichi
Masato Tanno
Nao Omori reprises his role for the action-packed prequel to Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer. A voyeur with a lust for bloodshed, Ichi feeds on the mayhem caused by his friend and fellow high school student Dai (Teah). But when Dai falls victim to the sadistic Onizame (Koji Chihara), Ichi must convert his inner rage into a flurry of fists in order to defeat the evil bully. Though less explicitly graphic, Masato Tanno's film is a thrilling set-up to Miike's brutally intense vision of yakuza violence. In Japanese with English subtitles. The DVD is letterboxed and includes interview with Takashi Miike and Masato Tanno, trailers, and more. Japan, 2003, 83 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

2LDK
Yukihiko Tsutsumi
Two struggling actresses become locked in a dual to the death within the claustrophobic confines of their apartment in this original blend of black comedy and Japanese-style ultra-violence. Helmed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi as a part of the "Dual Project" with Ryuhei Kitamura, where each director challenged the other to make a "dual to the death" film, 2LDK (the Japanese abbreviation for a two-bedroom apartment with a living room, dining room, and kitchen) hits absurdist levels as it charts the escalating competitions and petty roommate squabbles that eventually erupt into sadistic, break-neck violence. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2002, 70 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

9 Souls
Toshiaki Toyoda
Toshiaki Toyoda's existential jaibreak film has a comic elegance woven into its action and mayhem. A bomber, a patricide, a biker, a pornographer, and five other misfits spring themselves from jail and begin roaming the land with a vague sense of despair. In search of an existential purpose that an absent tenth convict told them about, they encounter strange manifestations of comedy and violence. Includes interview with Toshiaki Toyoda, commentary by writer Tom Mes, trailer, biographies and filmographies, and promotional materials. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2003, 120 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Adrenaline Drive
Shinobu Yaguchi
"Equal parts Takeshi Kitano-inspired gangster comedy, lovers-on-the-lam road movie, and fairy-tale romance, Adrenaline Drive is a triumph of low-key whimsy" (Scott Tobias, The Onion A.V. Club). After accidentally hitting a yakuza member's vehicle, a meek rental car clerk is taken to the criminal's lair for payback. An unexpected explosion kills the thug's entire gang but leaves the clerk unharmed. He finds a trunk full of cash and hits the road with an equally timid young nurse who stopped to help. The contrast of this convincingly shy couple and the movie-made gangsters pursuing them gives the film a charming absurdity. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1999, 111 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Afraid to Die
Yasuzo Masumura
In a rare film appearance, the gifted and tragic Japanese writer Yukio Mishima stars in this fantastic yakuza film from Yasuzo Masumura (Giants & Toys, Blind Beast). Mishima plays a young gangster who is released from prison only to find that he is a marked man, forced to fight for his survival. "Masumura's film fits squarely into the New Wave phenomenon with a fast-moving but nearly incomprehensible plot and talent from outside the established movie world, such as novelist Mishima. A satirical look at the yakuza world before the genre of gangster films became formula..." (Audie Bock, Pacific Film Archive). DVD includes theatrical trailer, Masumura biography and filmography, a photo and stills gallery, and a bonus essay. Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1960, 94 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

After Life
Kore-eda Hirokazu
This profound and moving feature uses a novel premise to explore what memories truly mean to us. The recently departed find themselves at something like a spiritual processing office, where the main function is to find the single memory that the dead will take with them into the afterlife. Writer-director Kore-eda Hirokazu incorporated the recorded memories of real-life interview subjects into this fictional investigation of what our time in this world really means. "Beautifully shot in crisp, dark, wintry tones with snowy backdrops, and filled with soft humor and deeply moving moments..." (Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1998, 118 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

All About Lily Chou-Chou
Shunji Iwai
A delicate and startling look at teenage alienation, violence and pop music from Shunji Iwai (April Story). Yuichi, a lonely boy with a rough home life who suffers daily at the hands of a school bully, finds solace in the music of Lily Chou-Chou, a melancholy pop singer. Through a website devoted to the singer, Yuichi escapes from his life with other obsessive fans, where he meets another lonely soul like himself. "One of the most haunting, viciously honest coming-of-age films in recent memory" (Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly). The DVD is letterboxed, and includes "making-of" documentary, director biography and filmography, trailers, essay by director Shunji Iwai, and Salyu music video ("Wings That Can't Fly"). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2001, 140 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Another Lonely Hitman
Rokuro Mochizuki
A moody, mysterious assassin attempts to go straight after his release from prison, but he's drawn back into the criminal fray after being introduced to a young prostitute who's been abused by pimps and drug pushers. Rokuro Mochizuki's moody neo-noir maintains a strong focus on its complex characters, though it also boasts plenty of kinetic action sequences and stylish visuals. Includes star and director biographies and filmographies, interview with director Rokuro Mochizuki, feature length commentary with film scholar Tom Mes, and more. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1995, 125 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron
Hideo Gosha
A former samurai warrior has abandoned his class to become the leader of a gang of bandits. He leads his outlaws in a planned attack on the castle of his former clan, as revenge for the destruction of his family by the very official whom he served so loyally. But can a group of thieves stand up to the might of a clan of well-trained samurai? With Tatsuya Nakadai, Shima Iwashita, and Shogoro Ichikawa. Japanese with English and Chinese subtitles. Japanese, 1978, 163 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Bastoni: Stick Handlers
Kazuhiko Nakamura
Director Kazuhiko Nakamura's debut is one of the few films to depict the porn industry with humanity and tenderness. Nakamura, who worked as an assistant director in Japan's adult video industry for over a decade, brings a keen eye to this erotic comedy about a porn actor, Yamaguchi (Shunsuke Matsuoka), who is married to another porn star, Natsuki (Yuka Kokima). Natsuki is soon to retire to bear the couple's child, but Yamaguchi stills pines for his ex-love Miyuki, who left him over his choice of profession. Things change when Miyuki joins the adult entertainment industry to prove a point to her ex. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2002, 95 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Battle of Okinawa
Kihachi Okamoto
Action director Kihachi Okamoto (Samurai Assassin, The Sword of Doom) responds to American war films like The Longest Day with this brutal retelling of the Battle of Okinawa in 1944. The suicides of ordinary Japanese citizens play out against the deaths of thousands of Japanese soldiers, sacrificing themselves to defend a woefully underprotected island outpost that would act as a stepping stone for Allied forces into mainland Japan. Keiju Kobayashi plays Gen. Ushijima. Shot in anamorphic by Hiroshi Murai. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1971, 149 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Blackmail Is My Life
Kinji Fukasaku
Japanese auteur Kinji Fukasaku offers a glimpse into the life of yakuza youth in this exciting slice of pulp cinema. A group of small-time punks, led by a rags-to-riches upstart (Hiroki Matsukata), take on Japan's corrupt establishment using blackmail as their main weapon. "A pop-art-influenced exercise in manic storytelling" (Chicago Reader). The DVD is letterboxed, and includes an interview with Fukasaku, a filmography, liner notes by Patrick Macias, author of Tokyo Scope, and more. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1968, 89 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Blind Beast
Yasuzo Masumura
It is certainly a lack of availability (on video), not lack of impact, that has led so many to overlook the films of iconoclastic director Yasuzo Masumura. In this, one of his most sensational and provocative productions, a blind sculptor kidnaps a model and keeps her prisoner in a shadowland of monuments to the female form. "...makes David Lynch look like Pat Boone...A wildly fetishistic, claustrophobic Japanese production...You've never seen anything like it" (Adam Groves, The Cutting Edge). The DVD is letterboxed, and includes Masumura biography and filmography, theatrical trailer, and photo gallery. Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1969, 86 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Blind Woman's Curse
Teruo Ishii
An historical yakuza gangster story and horror film atmospherics combine in this cult favorite, starring 1970s action siren Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood). Blind Woman's Curse follows the chain of mysterious events that unfolds when a female yakuza boss accidentally blinds a woman from a rival clan. Soon violence threatens to engulf everyone in sight. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1970, 85 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Blood
Kosuke Suzuki
Riki Takeuchi, the ferocious star of Takashi Miike's Dead or Alive films and Fudoh, tops the cast of this gripping gangster film. Two former friends, divided by their love for the same woman, take different paths in life: one becoming a hired mob killer, the other a gifted doctor. Their paths cross again when the hit-man's boss becomes the doctor's patient, throwing both men into a tangled web of violence and betrayal. The videotape is letterboxed, and dubbed in English. The DVD is letterboxed, with original Japanese with English subtitles and English dubbed options. Japan, 1998, 90 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Bloody Territories
Yasuharu Hasebe
A stylish yakuza thriller from one of the great talents to emerge from Japan's Nikkatsu Studios, Yasuharu Hasebe (Female Convict Scorpion). A law-enforcement crackdown in Tokyo leads a large yakuza gang to disband, but one small group refuses to bow to police pressure. As they attempt to reestablish their control over the "bloody territories," they face opposition from an unknown force. In Japanese with English subtitles. The DVD is letterboxed and includes a director's biography and filmography, the original Japanese trailer, and liner notes by Chris D. from American Cinematheque. Japan, 1969, 88 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Bounce Ko Gals
Masato Harada
Masato Harada explores the phenomenon of enjo kosai, a form of prostitution which entails Japanese schoolgirls (kogyaru) going on paid dates with middle-aged men, by following three girls through the course of one rough night. Set in Tokyo's fashionable Shibuya neighborhood, Bounce Ko Gals details the risks and hardships the three kogyaru endure - laissez-faire abortions, drugs, run-ins with the Yakuza, and dealings with tough pimps. Terrific performances by the three leads. "Queasily convincing" (Michael Atkinson, The Village Voice). Japan, 1998, 110 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Boy's Choir
Akira Ogata
This debut film from Japanese director Akira Ogata centers on the friendship between two young boys who are obsessed with singing. Young Michio, a chronic stutterer, is sent to a remote Japanese boarding school after the death of his father. While there, he bonds with Yasuo, the star soprano in the boy's choir. This coming-of-age drama was the winner of the Alfred Bauer Award at the 2000 Berlinale Film Festival. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1999, 130 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Bullet Ballet
Shinya Tsukamoto
Renegade Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto continues his inquiry into modern man's relationship to post-industrial technology with this disturbing cyber-punk feature. Tsukamoto stars as Goda, a successful commercial director whose life takes a disturbing turn when his girlfriend commits suicide with a borrowed gun. Goda's obsession with his girlfriend's death morphs into a fixation on the weaponry of death, plunging him into a world of terror and darkness. In Japanese with English subtitles. The DVD is letterboxed and includes director interview, commentary with critic Tom Mes, trailers, exclusive biographies and filmpgraphies, and promotional materials. Japan, 1998, 98 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Burst City
Sogo Ishii
Set in a violent, futuristic Tokyo, Sogo Ishii's anarchic thriller tells of a mob of punks who converge to protest the erection of a nuclear power plant on their home turf. When riot police and yakuza toughs arrive to crack down on the activists, they're met by a mysterious band of metal-clad bikers who are all too ready to rumble. This charged, hard-rocking cyberpunk thriller is a career-topper for the cult veteran Ishii. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1982, 116 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Chaos
Hideo Nakata
Japanese director Hideo Nakata (Ringu) directs this psychological thriller based on the book by Shogo Utano. When Takayuki's wife is kidnapped, he must come up with a large sum of money for her release. Unbeknownst to him though, his wife has staged the entire kidnapping. A series of double and triple crosses occur as Takayuki, his wife and the kidnapper become entwined in a rather confusing, yet suspenseful, game of deceit and murder. "Mesmerizing" (John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune). Japan, 1999, 104 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

A Dedicated Life
Kazuo Hara
Kazuo Hara, who rattled the Japanese establishment with The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On and Goodbye CP, turns his camera on controversial writer Mitsuharu Inoue in this powerful documentary. Originally intending to spend years on the project, Hara was forced to change his plan when he discovered Inoue was dying of cancer. The result is a moving work that captures the essence of this contentious writer's life and the significance of his death. Not only a tribute to a courageous man, A Dedicated Life also reveals Hara's dedication to outsiders, mavericks, and nonconformists. "Riveting viewing...extremely moving" (Variety). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1994, 157 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Demon
Yoshitaro Nomura
Director Yoshitaro Nomura (Castle of Sand, The Incident) combines forces with novelist Seichi Matsumoto to create a chilling tale of murder and betrayal. A complex relationship develops between a man, his wife and his mistress and, as the passions and intrigue grow to tragic proportions, a young boy becomes caught in the middle. The DVD is letterboxed and includes select director and actor filmographies, the original theatrical trailer and liner notes by Japanese film expert Patrick Macias. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1978, 110 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Evil Dead Trap
Toshiharu Ikeda
This terrifying Japanese horror film became an international cult favorite thanks to its stylish cinematography and graphic, imaginative violence. A late night talk show host asks her audience to send in their home videos. She receives one that shows a brutal torture and murder committed by an unseen killer. Naturally, the TV host takes a crew to the house shown on the tape, where the killer awaits them. While some of the camera work (and of course the title) shows the influence of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead films, the dominant inspiration here is Italy's Dario Argento, although the film has its own, and distinctly Japanese, flavor. Not for the squeamish. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1988, 105 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Face
Junji Sakamoto
In Junji Sakamoto's subversive and irresistible drama, an antisocial woman is coaxed from a life of repression and unhappiness by a shocking and unexpected event. Following her mother's funeral, Masako (Naomi Fujiyama) has a violent run-in with her bullying sister, and ends up strangling her to death. This action becomes the catalyst for a dramatic reinvention, in which a liberated Masako strikes out for bold, often dangerous, new adventures. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2000, 123 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Fall Guy
Kinji Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasaku's 1982 comedy is a far cry from his better-known Yakuza films. Fall Guy stars Morio Kazama as Ginshiro, a hammy film actor who cooks up an elaborate scheme to knock rival star Tachibana (Daijiro Harada) down a few pegs. Soon Tachibana is forced to compete with a member of Ginshiro's entourage in a series of increasingly dangerous stunts. The action culminates in a death-defying trick that will either make or (literally) break Ginshiro. A wonderfully self-reflexive peek behind the scenes of samurai movie making, Fall Guy was the winner of five awards from the Japanese Academy, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress. With Keiko Matsuzaka and Keizo Kanie. The DVD is letterboxed and includes trailers, Fukasaku filmography, and interview with Yamane Sadao (Fukasaku's biographer). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1982, 108 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Firefly Dreams
John Williams
A rebellious teen from the city (Maho Ukai) is sent to the Japanese countyside to work at a relative's inn after her mother decides to abruptly leave their family with a lover. Unable to adapt to the service life, the girl is left to attend to her grandmother who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. They soon develop a close bond as they share stories from their lives. The videocassette is dubbed in English. The DVD includes a director's interview, Japanese audio with optional English subtitles, the trailer and more. Japan, 2001, 105 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Flower and Snake
Takashi Ishii
Shizuko is a tango dancer who performs throughout the world. At night, Shizuko entertains a litany of sexual fantasies. A 95-year-old man becomes infatuated by her beauty, intellect, and worldliness. He arranges for his gang leader to kidnap her, and proceeds to hold her captive as a pleasure slave in his home. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2004, 115 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Freeze Me
Takashi Ishii
Freeze Me is a memorable contribution to the wave of Japanese shockers that includes the films of Takashi Miike (Audition, Visitor Q). Here, the writer of the cult horror hit Evil Dead Trap and the writer-director of the wild gangster film Gonin, presents a rape-revenge story with an icy edge. The victim of a gang rape exacts final justice on her attackers, then stores their bodies in her freezer. "Ishii's rough-hewn film may be the nastiest entry in its dubious but resonant subgenre since I Spit on Your Grave. It's a black pearl for anyone who likes a little existential psychosis with their semi-softcore exploitation" (Michael Atkinson, The Village Voice). The DVD Includes original Japanese dialogue with English subtitles and English dubbed version; the VHS version is dubbed in English. Japan, 2000, 101 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Gemini
Shinya Tsukamoto
The long-lost twin brother of a wealthy doctor reemerges to take the doc's place in this dark horror feature from the director of Tetsuo: The Iron Man. "...Tsukamoto runs a simple plot through a blender to get a William Burroughs-style cut-up that only starts to make sense after you've spent a good hour cursing its infuriating impenetrability; it's not just the stuff of nightmares, it's also has the same style and illogic" (Trash City). The DVD is letterboxed and includes optional Japanese and Korean subtitles, production notes, photo gallery, "making of" segment, trailers, and more. Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1999, 83 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Giants and Toys
Yasuzo Masumura
Combining the acid wit of a Billy Wilder with the visual extravagance of a Frank Tashlin, this early film from Yasuzo Masumura is a biting and eye-catching satire of cutthroat corporate society, even more relevant today than when it was first released. Three candy companies battle for market supremacy and an unlikely spokesmodel proves to be a relentless economic warrior. Also known as The Build-Up. The DVD is letterboxed, and includes trailer and Masumura biography and filmography. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1958, 95 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Gonin 1 and 2
Takashi Ishii
In Gonin (1995, 109 mins.) a nightclub owner, deeply in debt to the mob, hatches a plan to rob the very men he owes the money to and pay them back with their own tainted cash. He recruits a colorful band of misfits to help him out, but they don't cover their tracks very well. Soon, they are targeted for payback by a vicious band of Yakuza and assassins, including Takeshi "Beat" Kitano in a charismatic performance. In Gonin 2 (1996, 107 mins.), a husband with a bad gambling habit sees his debt collected in a most horrible way, as mobsters beat him and rape his wife, driving her to suicide. Setting out for revenge, the husband crosses paths with a band of five female thieves, also unafraid of the mob. At first the thieves and the bereaved husband seem to have a mutual purpose, but when they steal the ring he intended for his dead wife, solidarity seems out of the question. In Japanese with English subtitles.
DVD | $44.95  

Graveyard of Honor
Kinji Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasaku presents one of his most bleak and violent depictions of Japan's yakuza underworld in this highly stylized character study, based on a true story. In one brutal scene after another, Fukasaku charts the downward spiral of a sociopathic loser, played by Tetsuya Watari, who desperately tries to succeed as a yakuza gangster. With each destructive action, he not only subverts the norms of traditional society, but also trangresses the codes of the yakuza with a nihilistic zeal. The DVD is letterboxed and includes a 20-minute video essay, the original theatrical trailers, an interview with assistant director Kenichi Oguri, a Fukasaku filmography, and liner notes by Tom Mes of Midnighteye.com. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1975, 93 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Hana and Alice
Shunji Iwai
From the director of All About Lily Chou-Chou comes this tender story of two best friends (Yu Aoi and Anne Suzuki) who fall for the same boy. Playfully stalking him one day, they see him run into a wall and pass out. When he awakens, Hana convinces him that he has amnesia and that she's really his girlfriend. Confused and intrigued, he goes alone with the silly plan but soon develops a crush on Alice instead. Will their friendship survive this absurd life lesson? With Tomohiro Kaku. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2004, 135 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Hanzo the Razor: The Longest Arm of the Law (Box Set)
Kenji Misumi/Yasuzo Masumura/Inyoue Yoshio
Shintaro Katsu (Zatoichi) stars as the incorruptible and unswayable samurai cop Hanzo "The Razor" Itami in three Japanese exploitation classics from the 1970's. Based on Kazuo Koike's classic mangas, Hanzo is a notorious samurai anti-hero whose duty is "to protect the good and apprehend the bad" -- there's nothing he won't do in the name of justice. Includes Sword of Justice (Kenji Misumi, 1972), The Snare (Yasuzo Masumura, 1973, 89 mins.), and Who's Got the Gold? (Yoshio Inoue, 1974, 84 mins.). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1972-1974.
DVD | $79.95  

The Hidden Blade
Yamada Yoji
Nominated for 12 Academy Awards in its native Japan, Yoji Yamada's celebrated epic is a brilliant historical drama rendered on a grand scale. Masatoshi Nagase stars as a displaced swordsmen trying to hew to a traditional way of life in a rapidly modernizing Japan. As political pressure mounts, the samurai finds himself torn between an assignment to kill a former ally and his budding devotion to a lovely farmer's daughter (Takako Matsu). "Beautifully shot with watercolour gentleness" (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian). Includes 5.1 sound and English and Spanish subtitle options. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2004, 132 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Hunter in the Dark
Hideo Gosha
An elegant, erotic and violent samurai movie set in 18th-century Japan. Upon its 1980 release, the L.A. Times wrote that Hunter in the Dark is "beautifully mounted and enhanced by exquisite subterranean photography that evokes a midnight world of evil." Tatsuya Nakadai, Tetsuro Tamba and Sonny Chiba star in this digitally remastered and letterboxed version. Optional English or Chinese subtitles. Includes production notes booklet, director's biography and filmography, chapter selection. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1980, 138 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Hush
Ryosuke Hashiguchi
Filmmaker Ryosuke Hashiguchi provides a surprisingly unconventional look at the changing definition of the Japanese family with this human comedy about a gay couple and a young woman who decide to come together to create a family. Hashiguchi tells the story with a great deal of wit and originality, sympathetically capturing both the relative conservatism of Japanese society and the often futile lifestyle of the country's youth. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2001, 135 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

I Am an S+M Writer
Ryuichi Hiroki
Based on an autobiographical story by erotic novelist Oniroku Dan, "Hiroki's excellent film starts out as sex farce but turns into a strange and quite provocative vision of what sexual empowerment might really mean" (Time Out). Ren Osugi plays Kurosaki, a failed author who resorts to writing porn. Since he lacks the requisite experience for such a dicey profession, he goes about hiring young models to perform illicit acts on one another in order to inspire him. Though this certainly helps his writing, his marriage receives no such benefit from having nubile girls bound in the living room. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2000, 88 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

If You Were Young: Rage
Kinji Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasaku (The Yakuza Papers) examines teenage life in post-WWII Japan in this riveting story of five kids who leave their small provincial towns to work in Tokyo. With his trademark kinetic energy, he follows the trails of broken dreams that form as the idealistic youths succumb to the chaos of their ever-expanding culture and lives. "One of Fukasaku's grittiest and most hard-hitting" (American Cinematheque). In Japanese with English subtitles. The DVD is letterboxed, and includes an interview with Fukasaku, a filmography, liner notes by Tom Mes, founder of Midnighteye.com, removable English subtitles, and more. Japan, 1970, 89 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Japan's Longest Day
Kihachi Okamoto
Kihachi Okamoto's powerful docudrama chronicles the harrowing hours following the detonation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With millions of citizens dead or seriously injured, the government is deadlocked over how to proceed, with some ministers arguing for surrender and others vowing to press on. In a single 24-hour period--Japan's "Longest Day"--the fate of 100 million people would be decided. Broadcast in Japan every August 15th, the film stars Toshiro Mifune, Chisu Ryu, and So Yamamura. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1967, 157 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Kamikaze Girls
Tetsuya Nakashima
A headfirst, kinetic plunge into Japan's underground "Lolita" subculture, whose adolescent devotees parade around Tokyo costumed like Victorian dolls with bonnets, frocks, and frilly lace parasols. A young Lolita's chance encounter with head-butting biker chick begins an explosive, pachinko-studded quest for a mysterious embroiderer. Careening madly around the tropes of Japanese pop culture, Kamikaze Girls uses a funhouse of devices, rapid-fire bursts of anime, female motorcycle melees, French historical recreations and a fashion parade from the local version of K-Mart to tell its whacked-out story. It's all tremendous, nihilistic fun. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2004, 103 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Kamikaze Taxi
Masato Harada
A slick, ultra-violent gangster movie by Masato Harada, Kamikaze Taxi pits Tatsuo (Kazuya Takahashi) against a corrupt politician responsible for his girlfriend's death. On his quest he is aided by an impoverished taxi driver, recently transplanted from South America, and Harada uses their pairing to explore themes of Japanese xenophobia and cultural bias. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1995, 134 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Kill!
Kihachi Okamoto
The title of Kihachi Okamoto's (The Sword of Doom) blacker-than-black samurai comedy is as punchy and effective as the film itself. Tatsuya Nakadai (High and Low) and Etsushi Takahishi (Red Lion) find themselves embroiled in a clan dispute after arriving in a rural, windblown town. When they learn of the clan leader's wrongdoing, the fighters side with a band of rebels plotting revenge on the organization. Okamoto juggles a variety of genre elements in this irreverent retelling of Sanjuro, and the end result is action-packed and viciously comic. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1968, 114 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Lady Snowblood
Toshiya Fujita
In turn-of-the-century Japan, a young girl is born into tragedy and grows up as an instrument of revenge. Her father and older brother are murdered and her mother is raped and imprisoned before Yuki is born. After her mother dies during childbirth, a fellow prisoner and a priest raise Yuki and train her in the arts of death so she can fulfill her mother's dying wish for vengeance. A violent, riveting feature that spawned a sequel. Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1973, 97 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance
Toshiya Fujita
Imprisoned and sentenced to hang for the murders she committed to avenge her family, Yuki is given a reprieve by the mysterious Kikui, a secret government agent. In return for her life, Yuki must infiltrate the household of Ransui, an anarchist activist, assassinate him, and recover an important document. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1974, 89 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Maborosi
Kore-eda Hirokazu
Acclaimed as one of the finest Japanese films of the decade, Kore-eda Hirokazu's Maborosi is a story of great love, inexplicable loss and, at last, hope and regeneration, in which a beautiful young mother struggles to come to terms with the sudden loss of her husband in a remote village on the wild, untamed sea of Japan. Winner, Best Film, Chicago International Film Festival. Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1995, 110 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Makai Tensho: Samurai Reincarnation
Kinji Fukasaku
Samurai action and black magic mix in this fantasy from Japanese legend Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale). Shiro Amakusa (Ken Sawada), a 17th century warrior executed for his role in a revolt where 18,000 Christians were slaughtered, denounces God and is reborn a demon during a thunderstorm. Joined by his executed mistress (Akiko Kana), he recruits an indestructible army of the damned for another bloody uprising. To stop the killings, Jubei Yagu (Sonny Chiba), the son of one of Shiro's resurrected soldiers, must find a sword that can kill the undead. Includes an English language track. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1981, 122 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Maiku Hama: Private Eye Trilogy Box Set
Kaizo Hayashi
Maiku "Mike" Hama (Masatoshi Nagase) channels Kiss Me Deadly's Mike Hammer in this hard-boiled crime trilogy from director Kazio Hayashi. Packing his frames with humorous flourishes, stylish visuals, and postmodern film references, Hayashi leads his protagonist through a series of adventures in the city of Yokohama. With a cast of quirky secondary characters (including Hama's mute girlfriend, ex-stripper mother, and odd clientele), Hayashi's trilogy is a lovingly tweaked throwback to 1940's film noir. Includes The Most Terrible Time in My Life (1993, 92 mins.), Stairway to the Distant Past (1994, 101 mins.), and The Trap (1997, 106 mins.). 3-DVD set. Letterboxed. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1993-1997, 299 mins.
DVD | $79  

Manji
Yasuzo Masumura
In this over-the-top tale of erotic obsession, a lawyer's wife has a forbidden lesbian affair, which leads to further deception, blackmail, and suicide pacts. Maverick director Yasuzo Masumura presents this lurid narrative with visual panache and a strange romanticizing of the death urge of its characters. Some will embrace its odd tone, others will dismiss it, but the film isn't quite like anything else you've seen. The DVD is letterboxed and includes theatrical trailer and Masumura biography and filmography and a photo and stills gallery. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1964, 90 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Mobster Confessions
Rokuro Mochizuki
Based on a manga by Kono Takeshi, this hard-boiled Japanese action film follows a small-time con man (Matsuoka Shunsuke) who crosses paths with a yakuza boss interested in joining forces. Proceeding through a series of scams, betrayals, and double-crosses, the pair set out to fleece a large corporation without sticking their necks out perilously far. From The Fire Within (Onibi) director Rokuro Mochizuki. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1998, 123 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Most Terrible Time in My Life
Kaizo Hayashi
With its crisp black-and-white cinematography and retro production design, The Most Terrible Time in My Life recalls the best of American film noir and Japanese gangster thrillers, but injected with adrenaline and humor to great effect. Detective Maiku "Mike" Hama navigates Yokohama's criminal underworld with a style and panache equal to that of the film in which he stars. But while he may look the epitome of detective cool, his natural clumsiness trumps him when he agrees to help a young Taiwanese waiter find his brother. In Japanese with English subtitles. The DVD is letterboxed and includes the theatrical trailer, trailer and stills galleries, and optional English subtitles. Japan, 1993, 92 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

The Mystery of Rampo
Kazuyoshi Okuyama
A famous mystery writer continually pushes the bounds of taste with his fiction in this atmospheric thriller from Japan which is filled with eroticism and suspense. As one of the writer's characters suddenly comes to life, he is pushed into ever more surreal and dangerous situations. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1994, 101 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Naked Pursuit
Toshio Okuwaki
Set in Japan during the tumultuous late-1960s, this underground classic of Japanese erotica tells of a protester whose actions lead to the unexpected death of a policeman. While being transported to prison, the young man breaks free of his shackles and goes on the run. When he comes across a suicidal woman on a beach, the pair feed off of their mutual desperation by embarking on a passionate love affair. With Masayoshi Nogami and Maki Oaki. Includes commentary by critics Luke Y. Thompson and Jesse Hlubik, and English subtitle and language options. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1968, 73 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Nobody
Shundo Ohkawa
Three well-dressed business executives find themselves in what seems like a typical bar fight. The macho posturing gets out of hand, however, and soon one of their adversaries is left for dead. Things take an even more harrowing turn for the worse as they begin to wonder about the identity of the deceased...and who might seek revenge for his death. "An expertly crafted thriller...a paranoid street crime freakout" (Village Voice). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1999, 100 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Nobody Knows
Kore-eda Hirokazu
For his performance in this luminous film by Hirokazu Kore-eda (After Life), 14-year-old Yuya Yagira earned the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Yagira plays one of four siblings living with his mother in a tiny Tokyo flat. When the children discover that their mother has abandoned them, leaving only a note and an envelope full of money, they are left to their own devices. Hiding from their landlord, they try to maintain a sense of normalcy while awaiting their mother's increasingly uncertain return. "Kore-eda's work is brilliant, humorous, transcendental, breathtaking and exquisitely beautiful" (The New York Times). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2004, 140 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Onibaba
Kaneto Shindo
A stylish Japanese ghost tale, set in medieval Japan. A peasant woman and her daughter manage an existence by impersonating demons--sexually luring soldiers away from their comrades and murdering them. A warrior manages to save his life by seducing the daughter, but the mother's sorcery conjures up a hideous revenge. Mixing graphic violence with sex, Onibaba is an exotic, terrifying, supernatural fantasy. The DVD is a Criterion Collection Edition, and ncludes an interview with Kaneto Shindo; super-8 behind-the-scenes footage taken by actor Kei Sato; the original trailer; stills gallery with production sketches and promotional art; an English translation of the Buddhist short fable that inspired the film; a filmmaker's statement; and more. Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1964, 103 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Onibi: The Fire Within
Rokuro Mochizuki
After spending more than a quarter-century in prison, ex-hitman Noriyasu Kunihiro (Yoshio Harada) is forced to begin again from the ground-up by taking a job as a chauffeur to a yakuza don (Eiji Okuda). The boss refuses to let Kunihiro escape his blood-soaked past, however, and hires him as the muscle for his underworld syndicate. Will Kunihiro escape being put behind bars again--or worse? Rokuro Mochizuki directs a hard-boiled crime drama that explores timeworn themes of sin and redemption. The DVD is letterboxed and includes director interview, commentary by critic Tom Mes, filmographies and biographies, and 5.1 sound. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1996, 130 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Onmyoji
Yojiro Takita
Adapted from a popular Japanese serial novel, this supernatural fantasy set in medieval Japan follows the Shakespearean struggle between two houses over control of an empire. The Order of the Onmyoji, priests in contact with the spirit world, protect the emperor and the kingdom from demons and ghosts. As the birth of the emperor's heir approaches, jealousy and betrayal rear their ugly heads and action-packed battles ensue. "It has the sense of gritty, practical politics of a Japanese samurai epic combined with the high-flying stunt work and magical special effects of a Hong Kong romp" (Dave Kehr, New York Times). The DVD is letterboxed, and includes a both a Japanese and English language track; behind-the-scenes footage; interviews; a special textless ending; trailers; TV spots; a 12 page collectible booklet; and more. Japan, 2001, 116 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Phone
Byeong-ki Ahn
A chilling Asian horror film in the same vein as The Ring and Dark Water, Phone stars Ji-won Ha as an investigative reporter whose recent expose of sex scandals provokes menacing phone calls. After changing her number, the calls keep coming - and her daughter's friend, who answers one of the calls, begins exhibiting bizarre behavior in reaction. Ji-won begins digging and quickly realizes that a dark and powerful force is targeting her. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2002, 100 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Portrait of Hell
Shiro Toyoda
Based on a short story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (author of Rashomon), this epic historical drama follows an artist's futile attempt to complete a wrenching assignment. When Yoshihide's (Tatsuya Nakadai) daughter is kidnapped by a local despot, the painter is told that he can get her back if he creates a convincing depiction of paradise. Plagued by sorrow and despair, the artist finds that he is only capable of depicting the evils that surround him. Shiro Toyoda (Snow Country) directs a moving meditation on passion, torment, and the creative process. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1969, 91 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Rebel Samurai: Sixties Swordplay Classics
Masahiro Shinoda/Kihachi Okamoto/Masaki Kobayashi/Hideo Gosha
Four late-1960's entries in the Japanese samurai genre, in which traditional chanbara elements have been subverted in favor of anti-hero protagonists, double crossing plot lines, and pitch-black humor. Includes Samurai Rebellion (Masaki Kobayashi, 1967, 121 mins.), starring Toshiro Mifune as a peaceful man who decides to take a stand against injustice. Sword of the Beast (Hideo Gosha, 1965, 85 mins.) follows a clan defector as he teams up with a motley band of fighters to bring about reform. Samurai Spy (Masahiro Shinoda, 1965, 100 mins.) stars Tetsuro Tamba in a violent epic marked by deceit, ninja spies, and back-stabbing double crosses. Finally, Kill! (Kihachi Okamoto, 1968, 114 mins.) plays samurai film conventions for kicks in a darkly comic maelstrom of swordplay based on the same source novel as Kurosawa's Sanjuro. 4-DVD set. Criterion Collection Edition. Letterboxed. Includes essays, director interviews, trailer, and more. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1965-1968, 420 mins.
DVD | $119  

Red Lion
Kihachi Okamoto
The legend returns: Toshiro Mifune is the Red Lion, who, together with his scarlet mane, returns to his village in grand style only to discover that he is the "great one" who will liberate his followers from an oppressive government. With Shima Iwashita. Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1969, 115 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Remembering the Cosmos Flower
Junichi Suzuki
A poignant drama of childhood, mortality and understanding. After seven years in South America, a high school girl and her mother return home to a small town in Japan. When it is learned that the girl contracted the AIDS virus through a blood transfusion, the community initially shuns her. The girl's best friend manages to overcome her fear and she confronts her neighbors at a school festival, forcing them to examine their reactions to a girl in need. "Exquisite...the camerawork is among the most beautiful I've ever seen" (John Patterson, L.A. Weekly). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1998, 103 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Ring (Ringu)
Hideo Nakata
Although it was little known in the U.S. until word broke of a big budget American remake, Ring is one of the most popular and influential horror films of recent years, spawning several sequels, a TV series, a Korean remake, and a whole new wave of Asian horror. The story concerns the investigation of a young girl's death, which leads to a videotape with a deadly curse. "...it manages to coax powerful sensations of dread out of pure atmosphere" (Alvin Lu, Film Comment). Letterboxed, Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1998, 95 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Ronin Gai
Kazuko Kuroki
Kazuo Kuroki's chambara was produced to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the death of Shozo Makino, a pioneer of early Nipponese cinema and the Japanese period film. Set in the waning days of the samurai era, Kuroki's film takes place in the outskirts of Edo, where masterless samurai gather for bouts of drinking and debauchery. When a renegade samurai arrives to murder the prostitutes at a local brothel, the disgraced warriors get another chance to prove their mettle. Winner of a Japanese Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Renji Ishibashi). The DVD is letterboxed and includes essay by film critic Mark Pollard and trailer. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1990, 121 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Sada
Nobuhiko Obayashi
The unfortunate true story of Sada Abe, a geisha who strangled and castrated her lover in 1936, is detailed in this erotic thriller. Director Nobuhiko Obayashi probes Sada's past - from her rape at age 14 to the loss of her first true love to her eventual descent into prostitution - to reveal the events that turned her into a killer. Stars Hitomi Kuroki. Winner of the International Critics Prize at the 1998 Berlin International Film Festival. DVD includes director and cast filmographies, the original theatrical trailer, liner notes from Wired film critic Richard Kadrey, and more. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1998, 132 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Samurai Assassin
Okamoto Kihachi
Acclaimed by many critics to be the greatest Samurai film of them all, Samurai Assassin stars the incomparable Toshiro Mifune as Shino Tsuruchiyo, a samurai whose family stands to lose everything if the plans for the Meiji Restoration proceed. To save his family, he joins forces with the powerful Mito clan and plots to assassinate Lord Ii, one of the Emperor's most trusted advisers. Only too late does he learn that he is in fact Lord Ii's illegitimate son. Widescreen collector's edition. Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1965, 122 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Samurai Fiction
Hiroyuki Nakano
This affectionate parody of the classic Japanese samurai film follows the pursuit of a feudal lord's prized sword and the subsequent battles it triggers. "...a uniquely eccentric world of Shoguns, pop music, and gambling femmes fatales, all photographed in the most voluptuous black and white cinematography and studded with bursts of color. Naming his characters after famous Japanese directors like Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and Seijin Suzuki, the director consciously pays homage to his artistic sources while simultaneously sending them up" (AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1998, 111 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Score
Atsushi Muroga
When a criminal kingpin known as The Colonel bails him out of prison, Chance is forced to commit a string of bank robberies to pay off his debt. Given the opportunity to pull off a jewel heist in exchange for his freedom, Chance recruits some old buddies to help him out. Things go terribly wrong as double-crosses and violence set the stage for a ferocious finale. Hitoshi Ozawa (Boiling Point) stars in this extremely violent action film. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1995, 87 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Sea Is Watching
Kei Kumai
The last film written by the legendary Akira Kurosawa looks at the lives and loves of the denizens of a 19th century, Endo Period brothel, particularly a young geisha who falls in love with a samurai seeking refuge after a killing. Director Kei Kumai (Aisuru) was hand-chosen by Kurosawa's son to bring his father's striking love story to life. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2003, 119 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Sex and Fury
Norifumi Suzuki
Acknowledged as a masterpiece by Japanese exploitation buffs, this 1973 film by Norifumi Suzuki is an obvious influence on Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill saga. Reiko Ike stars as Ocho Inoshika, a beautiful vigilante hell-bent on destroying the gambling ring that claimed her brother's life. Wielding a longsword and very little clothing, Inoshika wreaks havoc on the mob while a sultry score of lounge jazz plays quietly beneath. With Christina Lindberg. In Japanese with English subtitles. Includes audio commentary with Chris D., director and star biographies, trailer, poster and still galleries, production notes, insert sticker, and more. Japan, 1973, 89 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Shadow Hunters
Masuda Toshio
A classic action thriller from the "Golden Age" of the Samurai Film, Masuda Toshio's ultra-violent epic follows a trio of assassins who hunt down ninjas for the corrupt Tokugawa government. Ishihara Yujiro stars in a furiously paced adventure stocked with double-agents, beautiful female spies, and more. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1972, 90 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Shall We Dance?
Masayuki Suo
Masayuki Suo's charming comedy about Shohei Sugiyama (Koji Yakusyo), a married, middle-aged, workaholic accountant who becomes obsessed with a sad and beautiful dance instructor (Tamiyo Kusakari) he spies through the window of a dance studio. His dull life takes a funny turn when he signs up for ballroom dancing lessons to try to meet the mysterious woman and instead is assigned a plump, middle-aged instructor. But is the mystery woman, as his instructor warns, "all the sweeter when viewed from afar"? In Japanese with English subtitles; Japan, 1996, 119 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl
Katsuhito Ishii
This flashy, fast and violent Japanese cat-and-mouse flick stars Tadanobu Asano (Ichii the Killer) as a Yakuza rebel who's on the run after stealing money from his former boss. After a strange twist of fate, he inadvertently pairs up with a schoolgirl who has escaped from an abusive uncle. Together, they embark on a break-neck journey to avoid the Yakuza and an assassin hired by the girl's uncle. With wildly vivid and comic characters and a deft visual style reminiscent of David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino, this film takes you on an outrageously entertaining ride. Japan, 1998, 108 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Shinobi No Mono
Satsuo Yamamoto
The first in a popular series of eight thrilling films released in the 1960s, each following the ninja Ishikawa Goemon through the dangerous world of warring Japanese states. This first film introduces us to the character and establishes the slippery road of enemies and allies that he must follow. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1963, 95 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Sleepy Heads
Yoshifumi Hosoya
Culture clash leads to big laughs in this slapstick comedy about three Japanese immigrants trying to navigate the madness of New York, made all the more crazy when they run afoul of the mob and one of their friends appears to die from a drug overdose. Wishing to avoid deportment, they try to dispose of the body, while one character still finds time for romance. In Japanese and English with English subtitles. Japan, 1997, 90 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

A Snake of June
Shinya Tsukamoto
In a nameless Japanese metropolis, a married couple watches their marriage turn dull and sexless after their careers begin consuming their lives. Everything changes, however, with the arrival of a mysterious envelope containing pictures of Rinko (Asuka Kurosawa) pleasuring herself. Before they know it, Rinko and her husband (Yuji Koutari) are involved in a dark, erotic game marked by burning desires and strange psychological tortures. Shinya Tsukamoto renders their physical and emotional journey in stylish, blue-tinted monochrome, turning their surroundings "into a terrifying cyberpunk urban sprawl where Rinko's worst fears, and deepest desires, may yet be realized" (BBC). DVD includes English and Spanish subtitles and trailer. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2003, 77 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Stairway to the Distant Past
Kaizo Hayashi
Ace private investigator Maiku "Mike" Hama (Masatoshi Nagase, Mystery Train) returns to the streets of Yokohama for the second installment in Kazio Hayashi's stylish Japanese noir trilogy. Emerging from his cramped office above a run-down cinema, Hama begins making inquiries into the dealings of a notorious crime boss. But Hama soon finds his style cramped by his mother, an ex-stripper named "Dynamite Sexy Lily". With Jo Shishido (Branded to Kill). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1994, 101 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Street Mobster
Kinji Fukasaku
An unstoppable killer fresh from prison stops at nothing to rise to the top of Japan's criminal underworld in this violent film from the master of the yakuza film, Kinji Fukasaku. Isamu Okita (Bunta Sugawara) and his amoral gang use beatings, stabbings, shootings, prostitution and murder to satisfy their own bloodlusts while fighting their way to the top. The DVD is letterboxed and includes interviews with former yakuza, the original theatrical trailers, a Fukasaku filmography and more. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1972, 87 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Sword of Doom
Kihachi Okamoto
The legendary Japanese actor and martial artist Toshiro Mifune stars as the instructor of a brash and revenge-bent young Samurai, played by Tatsuya Nakadai. The DVD is a Criterion Collection Edition, and includes essay by film critic Geoffrey O'Brien and new English subtitle translation. This action-adventure from Toho Films is presented in Japanese with English subtitles; Japan, 1967, 120 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Sword of the Beast
Hideo Gosha
Hideo Gosha's sophomore swordplay film stars Mikijiro Hira (Pistol Opera), Go Kato, and Kunie Tanaka (The Sword of Doom) in the epic story of a clan retainer who kills one of the group's ministers as part of a reform plot. Fleeing to the forest, Gennosuke (Hira) joins forces with a band of rebel warriors who aid him first in his quest for survival, and later in his quest for blood. "A lush samurai adventure" (Variety). Criterion Collection Edition, includes essay by Japanese film critic Patrick Macias. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1965, 85 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Sympathy for the Underdog
(Kinji Fukusaku) This 1971 film is one of Kinji Fukasaku's first forays into the Yakuza genre. Stylish and brutal, it stars Koji Tsuruta as Gunji, an aging Yakuza who follows a rigidly defined code of honor - one that creates friction with ruthless corporate gangs in control of modern Tokyo. When the gangs interfere with Gunji's whiskey trade on the island of Okinawa, the Yakuza must make a bloody stand to defend his way of life. The DVD is letterboxed and includes trailers, Fukusaku filmography, essay by Patrick Macias, and interview with Yamane Sadao (Fukusaku's biographer). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1971, 93 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Shinya Tsukamoto
A post-punk, Japanese film about a man attacked by a feral woman with a metal hand and his bizarre mutation into a perverse combination of man and machine. It's like Godard remaking Blue Velvet. With Tomoroh Taguchi, Nobu Kanaoka and Shinya Tsukamoto. Includes director's interview, 5.1 sound, previews, scenes from other Tsukamoto releases, and English and Spanish subtitle options. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1989, 67 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Tokyo Psycho
Ataru Oikawa
In this tautly executed thriller, a Japanese woman begins receiving bizarre messages in the mail that include hazy references to her past. Her concern turns to terror after learning that they're from a childhood admirer responsible for murdering his parents. Based on the actions of one of Japan's most notorious killers, Ataru Oikawa's film utilizes strong performances and a minimalist style to wring gnawing terror from true events. Includes behind-the-scenes featurettes, film premiere footage, essays, biographies, trailers, poster and still galleries, audio commentary, insert card and sticker, puzzle packaging, and more. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2004, 79 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Tokyo Rampage
Toshiaki Toyoda
Arano (Koji Chihara) is a short-tempered, angst-filled young chap. When provoked, he'll introduce a thug to the hilt of his knife in a heartbeat. Some local pimps try to harness his craziness and sick him on their Yakuza bosses. Much like a pitbull, however, it's hard to keep a psychopath in line. "A Taxi Driver for contemporary Japan," guarantees the press materials. Also known as Poruno Suta and Pornostar. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1998, 98 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Tokyo Trash Baby
Ryuichi Hiroki
Ryuichi Hiroki's entry in the Love Cinema series is simultaneously a sly critique of consumer culture and a breezy tale of hopeless urban romance. Miyuki, a shy, attractive cafe waitress, becomes obsessed with her grungy, amateur rock star neighbor. Instead of engaging him in conversation, she feverishly collects his garbage, builds a shrine of his trash in her tiny apartment, and begins to piece together a soul mate out of his waste. An Official Selection at the Hong Kong, Vancouver, and Locarno film festivals. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2000, 88 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Tomie Collection
Ataru Oikawa/Toshiro Inomata/Tomijiro Mitsuishi/Takashi Shimizu/Shun Nakahara
This chilling J-Horror boxed set collects five films in the notoriously frightening Tomie cycle. The original Tomie (Ataru Oikawa, 1999, 95 mins.), based on a manga by Junju Ito, tells of a young girl (Izumiasawa Tsukiko) who develops amnesia after an accident. In working with a hypnotherapist to reclaim her memories, the girl discovers that she's blocking her memory of her best friend Tomie's (Miho Kanno) murder. As a police detective (Tomorowo Taguchi) probes for clues, Tomie's dead spirit reemerges to destroy her friend's life. Also includes the sequels Tomie: Another Face (Toshiro Inomata, 1999, 72 mins.), Tomie Replay (Tomijiro Mitsuishi, 2000, 95 mins.), Tomie Rebirth (Takashi Shimizu, 2001, 101 mins.), and Tomie Forbidden Fruit (Shun Nakahara, 2002, 91 mins.). 5-DVD set. Letterboxed. Includes making-of featurettes, trailers, still galleries, cast and director interviews, storyboard to film comparisons, featurettes, 5.1 sound, and more. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1999-2002, 454 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Trap
Kaizo Hayashi
The third and final film in Kazio Hayashi's jazzy crime trilogy veers sharply into the thematic territory of shock purveyors like Takashi Miike. Like The Most Terrible Time in My Life and Stairway to the Distant Past, The Trap stars Masatoshi Nagase as Maiku "Mike" Hama, a private investigator dwelling above a run-down Yokohama movie house. Although business has picked up and a new love interest has entered the picture (Yui Natsukawa), Hama is in trouble--a sadistic killer is on the loose, and he's been planting the detective's fingerprints on his victims' corpses. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1997, 106 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Twenty-Four Eyes
Keisuke Kinoshita
The cost of war is counted in wrecked hopes and wasted human potential in Kinoshita's powerful denunciation of a system that stifles individual growth and transforms personal ambition into unflinching devotion to the state. The film begins in 1928, and follows Miss Oishi, a shockingly modern and progressive Japanese woman, who begins her tenure as an elementary school teacher. To her, the future seems to hold limitless possibilities for her 12 first-grade teachers. But when the story ends, in the late 1940's, this promise has been wrecked by war, poverty, and restrictive tradition. The DVD is letterboxed and includes Chinese subtitles and a director's bio & filmography. Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1954, 116 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Twilight Samurai
Yoji Yamada
Veteran Japanese filmmaker Yoji Yamada's 77th film is a period drama based on the best-selling novel by Shuhei Fujisawa. Seibei (Hiroyuki Sanada) is a widowed samurai during the Edo Period who barely makes enough money to feed his family. When he falls in love with the beautiful Tomoe (Rie Miyazawa), he is too ashamed of his poverty to tell her his true feelings and risks losing her to another man. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2002, 129 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Under the Flag of the Rising Sun
Kinji Fukasaku
Best known for his yakuza films and his ultraviolent parable Battle Royale, maverick Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku made this complex and deeply moving anti-war drama towards the beginning of his career. Sachiko Hidari stars as a war widow determined to clear the name of her husband, who was accused of desertion during WWII. Her search puts her in touch with four men, each of whom tells a dramatically different story about her husband. Like Rashomon, Fukasaku's film explores the subjective nature of "truth", even as it criticizes the brutal absurdity of war. The DVD is letterboxed and includes audio commentary by Fukasaku subtitler Linda Hoaglund, interview with Fukasaku scholar Vamane Sadao, trailer, and essay by Tom Mes (Midnight Eye). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1972, 96 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Versus
Ryuhei Kitamura
Two escaped prisoners rendezvous with their yakuza cohorts in an isolated forest, only to discover that they have inadvertently entered one of the portals to the other side, The Forest of Resurrection, where the dead don't stay dead for long. An absolute whirlwind combination of action, horror, gangster, zombie, and martial arts genres, Versus is a chaotic, non-stop ride reminiscent of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead in its pursuit of intense insanity. In Japanese and English with English subtitles. Japan, 2002, 119 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Village of Dreams
Yoichi Higashi
Director Yoichi Higashi masterfully evokes the moods of childhood in the story of identical twin brothers who recall the summer of 1948, when they were eight years old and their Japanese village was a place full of wonder and magic. A visually ravishing hymn to the joys and mysteries of childhood. "Magical! Beautiful! Captures the rhythm and moods of childhood with an intensity that transports you back in time" (New York Times). Japanese with English subtitles. Letterboxed. Japan, 1995, 112 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Vital
Shinya Tsukamoto
Tetsuo director Shinya Tsukamoto helms a disquieting drama that explores issues of vision, memory, and death. Tadabobu Asano stars as a car accident survivor who enrolls in medical school to pursue his strange fascination with the boundary between life and death. Though pursued by a brilliant upperclassmen, he pours himself into his bizarre studies, which involve the use of a cadaver to help him access memories from his pre-crash past. "A powerful, complex piece in which the hard reality of bone and gristle is a tool to study the relationship between body and soul and the nature of grief" (BBC). Includes making-of featurette, behind-the-scenes featurette, director interview, commentary with critic Tom Mes, special effects featurette, music video, trailers, and more. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2004, 86 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
Mikio Naruse
Hideko Takamine and Tatsuya Nakadai star in this beautiful, ornate drama about a Ginza bar hostess struggling for her independence on the eve of her 30th birthday. The films of Japanese master Mikio Naruse were virtually unknown in the United States until the writings of Donald Ritchie and Audie Bock heralded his contributions as the equal of Kurosawa, Ozu or Mizoguchi. Criterion Collection edition. Restored audio and high-definition digital transfer. Letterboxed. Includes audio commentary by Japanese-film scholar Donald Richie, a new video interview with Tatsuya Nakadai, theatrical trailer, new and improved English subtitles, and a booklet featuring essays by scholars Audie Bock, Catherine Russell, and Phillip Lopate. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1960, 111 mins.
DVD | $59  

When the Last Sword is Drawn
Yojiro Takita
Set during the twilight of feudal Japan, Yojiro Takita's Japanese box office hit is a beautifully crafted evocation of the lives of two bodyguards--Saito (Koichi Sato) and Kanichiro (Kiichi Nakai)--who form an uneasy bond as they're forced to choose between loyalty to the shoguns, competing clans, and the emperor. Winner of several Japanese Academy Awards, Takita's film is a complex and absorbing look at Japan's shaky, often violent transition into modernity. Japan, 2003, 137 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Wild Criminal
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Thrown together by chance, Tomoyo and Yuki are two women with ties to the Japanese Mafia who must work together or die at the hands of the syndicate. With Aya Nakamura, Miho Nomoto, Shun Sugata, and Riki Takeuchi. Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1999, 90 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Wild Life
Shinji Aoyama
Kosuke Toyohara stars as a former boxer who's thrust into a thorny maze of blackmail, deception, and yakuza violence when his boss, a game parlor owner, goes missing. Director Shinji Aoyama (Mike Yokohama: Forest With No Name) utilizes a complicated series of flashbacks to bring an exciting new flare to the yakuza thriller genre. "A grab bag of movie tricks and film allusions that is sure to thrill any true film buff" (The Daily Yomiuri). The DVD is letterboxed and includes director interview, commentary with film scholar Jasper Sharp, cast and director biographies and filmographies, and 5.1 sound. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1997, 121 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Yakuza in Love
Rokuro Mochizuki
A highlight in a long string of richly inventive genre films from Japanese auteur Rokuro Mochizuki, this poignant gangster romance stars Eiji Okuda as a yakuza enforcer who falls head over heels for a shy, pretty waitress-much to the detriment of his professional career. Based on a novel by Yukio Yamanouchi, Mochizuki's film offers a delicate interrogation of human nature against a backdrop of unspeakable violence. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1997, 130 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Zero Focus
Yoshitaro Nomura
The director of The Incident and Castle of Sand presents a moody, realistic mystery in which a young woman hides a dark secret from her past from those around her with devastating results. Based on the novel by Seicho Matsumoto. Stars Yoshiko Kuga, Hizuru Takachiho, Ineko Arima, Koji Nambara, and Ko Nishimura. The DVD is letterboxed and includes a selected filmography, the original theatrical trailer, and liner notes by The Village Voice critic Ed Halter. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1961, 95 mins.
DVD | $37.95