Cyber City Oedo 808 (1990)

“Adios, bozo – this time I’m downloading you straight to hell!” Powering through 1990s cyberpunk cinema, particularly direct-to-video terrain, and the glistening vistas of anime await. Cyber City Oedo 808 (1990) is some cyberpunk anime that I’d never heard of before, but on the title alone was compelled to check out; fundamentally three 45-minute episodes […]

Lone Wolf And Cub: White Heaven In Hell (1974)

The final entry of the series, Lone Wolf And Cub: White Heaven In Hell (1974) has a great opening sequence of samurai assassin Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) and his son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikaway) using the baby cart as a sled through a snowy landscape, backed by musician Kunihiko Murai turning in a very funky instrumental […]

Round About Midnight (1999)

Hiroyuki Sanada is a recognisable Japanese actor from Hollywood productions like The Last Samurai and John Wick 4, always giving a sense of dignity and substance to even mainstream action cinema clearly beneath his talents (Bullet Train, Mortal Kombat remake). In previous decades, there were leading roles in Japanese cinemas throughout the 1980s onwards. Round […]

Lone Wolf And Cub: Baby Cart In The Land Of Demons (1973)

When wandering assassin-for-hire Ogami Itto (Tomisabura Wakayam) is asked if he would assassinate a child and their parents, he replies, “My son and I are on the Demon Path To Hell” i.e. sure thing. Ogami Itto is no joke! He and his son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa) continue to travel along the roads of feudal Japan […]

School In The Crosshairs (1981)

I remember seeing Hausu a long time ago (presented by Kenta McGrath at the UWA Film Society) and my memory of it has always been an all-encompassing, wild, super-visual horror dream. Keen to see further films from Hausu’s director Nobuhiko Obayashi, particularly since a few of them are available in HD on the Rarefilmm website. […]