JohnnyRobinson
Springfield, MO
A Masterpiece from Japan!
This movie is available in several languages, including English...First of all, the cinematography is GREAT in this film! They found geography to make it seem you are back in the days when the movie took place and their wardrobe dept effectively captured the era's common people's attire..
Azumi is an orphan who is found by the master training assassins, who goal is to kill the main warlords who continue killing, raping and plundering the innocent people of the time period. Azumi joins the tough training regime and excels in it.
The only reason I only gave it a 9.5 was when he 'reduced' his assassin team in half and also, their reaction to what was happening in the first village they came upon. Neither were necessary.
The team 's goal is to complete the mission no matter what, and to kill or be killed in its completion.
Tragedy takes two of its members, but the rest continue their mission. Later, two more members and the Master die, leaving Azumi and Nagara (Ishigaki Yuma).
It is pure action from end to end, with tidbits of emotional touches in between.
The choreographer for this movie's swordplay must have worked overtime and deserves his own award for his or her work, as well as the cast, who must have spent hundreds of hours perfecting the fight scenes! A special note of appreciation to the psychotic white-clad assassin, who was released from jail to deal with the assassin squad team formed which was trained to kill the warlords.
I have never seen a movie with Ueto Aya in it before, who played Azumi, but I will definitely look for more of her movies; likewise all of the support staff effectively played their parts and backed Ueto Aya's performance here.
RE-WATCH - you bet!
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Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal
1 people found this review helpful
A great show for kids...of all ages!
Many of the online reviews kick this movie for the CGI not being "up to par" for 2015...Most people watching a show like this are not critiqing the CGI, but simply want to see CGI that works for this particular movie. I liked the CGI here because it seeemd to 'work' for this movie!
Another critic critcized the movie for putting a handsome man playing the part of Zhong Kui...
Do you really want to scare off all the women watching the movie?
I often crticize movies for not being historically accurate, but this is a fable/myth/fairy tale/whatever, not history.
If you read the works of the (late) great mythologist Joseph Campbell, myths change with time and need of the audience, and more likely change over thousands of years of time.
Even if you know the original myth, does it hurt Zhong Kui beng less ugly than a couple of thousand s of years ago?
I found the movie refreshing, entertaining, and only a couple of places did it really show any gore (blood), so most audiences should be entertained by this movie without too much complaint.
Forget if the CGI may not be up to Hollywood standards, this CGI made you believe that the actions were actually taking place!
The main and support cast all seemed to work well together to bring about a good movie and only in one scene did I not think that the main leads may not be sincere, but that was just before the action hit its apogee and I forgot about it.
The cinematography was good, and I liked the angle changes on some scenes.
All in all, I think it is a movie that kids of all ages can watch and re-watch again, and enjoy themselves doing it!
Let the critics watch some ugly guy in another movie....
RE-WATCH VALUE: Yes!
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This review may contain spoilers
Only the last segment is worth watching!
Prologue "Tell Me Your Name"- Seo-Hee (Choi Hye Kyung), Nam-Hee (Kim Kkot Bi) and Kim Lan (Han Ye Ri) hold tarot cards and told to chant their names as a magical spell. Once their names are spoken, special events unfold.NOTE: Whoever wrote the profile on AsianWiki got the order and names of the segments wrong! I am using what is used by the majority of sites for this movie...
Only a prayer and good writing could have saved this movie!
Tarot 1 [6:00] "The Hand that Calls"- Lan (Han Ye-Ri) and two of her best friends are ordered by their seniors to get into an abandoned school building. Lan steps into a classroom in the abandoned building where a kid died without anyone knowing. The dead may not want to be alone and she can't leave the basement.
First, almost nothing in this segment is scary: the students go into the old school during the day; there is electricity in the old school building; th girls seem to die from falling a whole 3-4 feet (fortunately, none of the girls belong to any school sports teams, or they weould be off with injuries always!); no one seems to be worried when any girl disappears; and the shyest girl turns out to be the ghost!
Tarot 2 [37:05] " Stay With Me"- So-Young (Shin Ji-Su) is popular among her peers and the teachers. When So-Young learns that her best friend Nam-Hee (Kim Kkobbi) is pregnant, So-Young tells Nam-Hee that she should keep the baby and they will raise the child together. However, a tragic accident happens and So-Young loses touch with Nam-Hee, for a while.
Tarot 3 [1:11:10]"Haunted Boy""- Park Chul-Min (Lee Tae-Ri) is a high school student. He can also see ghosts, but tries to pretend he doesn't see them. Chul-Min then sees a cute girl ghost named Seo-Hee (Choi Hye-Kyung). Seo-Hee can't forget her first love and asks Chul-Min for his help.
The cast, main and support all did an amazing job with this movie; however, without good (scary) music, a good script from good writers and good cinematogarphy, nothing can save the first two stories of this movie...only "haunted Boy" is worht re-watching.....Sorrhy!
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A TIMELESS treat for the whole family!
This is one of the best movies I have watched for a long time...Although I believe that this movie is geared toward 10-20 year olds, it is still a great little; movie; my major problem is that there is no reference on the Internet for any of the cast except a few; and not all movie sites list the ladies, or men, who starred here. With an imagination, this is a great kids movie as well!
However, the person adding this movie only gave you ONE main female lead; there are FIVE females and FIVE males who act this movie
I hate to brag, but I told the group that watched this movie together what the four ladies actually were BEFORE we got to the part where they explained themselves to Su Su (Liu Qian Yu), and I also successfully predicted who she would choose as her boyfriend at the end, both less than halfway through the movie!
The cinematography was excellent, and the support actors did an excellent job, especially the one who was beaten up!
The main actress
What many people don't understand that that EVERY woman is the same as You Menghan, the lead female character here:
Every female is a 'daughter', and if their parents live, they become a daughter when they visit them;
Many women, especially today, is a 'coworker' and can accompany her coworkers, let her hair down and make sure everyone gets home safely;
(Almost) every female is a 'sibling', who becomes a sibling again when interacting with sister(s)/brother(s)
Every female is a 'warrior' - just watch a female have their children threatened, they become Liu Rusi, the warrior in this film;
Every female becomes Chen Zilian, the 'wine bibber in this movie, when fortunate to be in her situation;
Every female, if she chooses, can be a Li Mengying, our 'startling geisha' in this movie, and can entertain people, her family or even her loved one;
and lastly, every woman during her lifetime (especially if she has child(ren), becomes a Susu - giving and wanting to see others with a smile on their faces!
This should be a 'must-see' for anyone who majors in psychology/sociology...
RE-WATCH VALUE: Of course!
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This review may contain spoilers
Mismatched couple who mature...too late!
I personally would like to see kids in Junior/Senior High to watch this in class and talk about it...The cinematography and support actors/actresses did a good job filling in the spaces but not taking focus off of the couple in question.
The movie shows two immature teenagers (Zhou Xiao Qi aka Greg Hsu and You Yong Ci
aka Zhang Ruo Nan)), the male reckless and the female insecure, cross-matched and continually losing each other.
Her requesting him not to fight anymore shows she wanted him to be around for her; and not in and out of her life. He was awestruck with puppy love grew a little more mature when he agreed not to fight anymore (but at the time, he didn't know this!)...
A drunken father finding his wife and her his daughter, forced her and her mother on another move, something that the young girl grew tired of, but I thought it was caring of her to tell him to leave while the crowd watched her clean up the broken glass; she knew in her heart that her stability with another move was threatened. I felt that she was thinking of him at this time.
He gained the impetus to go to college, seeing her photograph on pictures of university life; but alas, she is already dating someone else and another separation ensues when he forces the soccer star to reveal his two-timing promise that he made to two separate women!
Again, as a swimming star, they meet again, and an injury forces him to give up his main goal in life....what is funny, nothing would have happened had he swam the race!
Fast forward to two lovebirds finally living together, with a reality check when his injuries prevent his stardom and large endorsements. I personally think had he not been so worried about his athletic injuries and taken a stable low-paying job, the ending would have been totally different. You Yong Ci unfortunately hears his lamenting about meeting her in a conversation with his friend, which brings back all her insecurities and seeing him as her father who was never there for her. Last separation...
The loss of You Yong Ci and the fact that he had to get a stable job to pay the rent taught him many lessons about his past and gave him the the ability to mature...but too late for reuniting with his former over.
The meeting with You Yong Ci on her wedding day shows how much more mature BOTH parties were.
You Yong Ci laughs when he says he is a master thief, and thanks him for coming to her wedding; both appear to be at ease, even though they broke up a few years ago...she is smiling while they talk.
His statements he made to her shows the maturity he gained having a low-paying but steady job as he had to deal with other kids like him in high school:
"You look wonderful in your wedding dress"
"I used to be a fool...worrying over the future...while wasting the present."
"You're more mature" (what he is saying to me, is that HE is more mature)"
"But today, I want no more regrets"
"But when you called me by my name...then in a fleeting moment...then I was back when I was seventeen."
All these statements - to me - show that he will be ready to have another lasting relationship in the future, but not with You Yong Ci ...I believe that the character of You Yong Ci realizes he finally gained the maturity to have a meaningful relationship..., but not with her.
The supporting actors did a fantastic job as well, and I would recommend this movie, especially to youthful couples...what wasn't said in the movie was that the individual must die as any couple matures.
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This review may contain spoilers
Perfect Introductory work to Ran Masak or Masahito Segawa....
"Roman Porno from 1985. A young teacher heads off to teach fencing in a school in the countryside."This is a Japanese Cat III movie which contains lots of frontal nudity but it is not vulgar as other Cat III movies are...
The fencing teacher Noriko Saotome (Ran Masak), is invited to teach fencing at a remote mountain school, not realizing that her so-called friend, Saeko Okazaki (Izumi Shima) has a personal reason and ulterior motive in recommending her for the open position...
It turns out from even before the two ladies reach the school, that the male students in the school (young students (and later, the faculty alike) are misogynist. Also, an incident shows that the female students are very tolerant of this mindset.
First, mistreatment by students leads the main female lead into a world of sex, submission and perversion by all men, including the school's principal.
Although many reviewers believe this is not worth watching, I totally disagree. This is a great film featuring nudity but no raunchy sex scenes!
The cinematography is as good as any other regular film for its time, both the inside and outside settings. The music which assists in setting mood and segues in the movie is excellent and the actors/actresses play their roles convincingly and add to the overall atmosphere of this under-rated movie.
From my readings on the Internet, the actress Ran Masak maintained a special working relationship with director Masahito Segawa during their professional career years; I would recommend trying all the movies in which they collaborated.
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Great chemistry, but drawn out too long!
WARNING:Spoilers aheadGreat series, especially the flirting and teasing between Kao Er (Cecilia Liu) and Mo Chi (Geng Mo Chi)...they actually pull off appearing to be an actual couple in love!
On the negative, the series would have been better a little shorter, since around every corner something happened where Kao Er, Moshi or Shu Li (Bao Jian Feng) exaggerated some sort of event to the point Kao Er and Mo Chi were thrown away from each other's arms, and marriage...
The series bounced back and forth from flirting and teasing to drama because of the two lovers never seem to make it to the altar, at least together; the writers did an excellent job on the series abeit they should have cut if down a few episodes (more of the director's fault than theirs, however).
Continuously laughing at some of the scenes (example: Kao Er and Mo Chi both sparring at the 100th day anniversary of their spouses' death at the adjoining graves), I kept saying to myself that the actors/esses had to had fun doing many of the scenes and (at least) one of them probably cracked up laughing as they were trying to keep a straight face acting out the funnier scenes!
I also laughed when Shu Li told Kao Er that he knew of a perfect match for Mo Chi's heart transplant; something told me that HE was the perfect heart donor...I also immediately saw Jin Yi as Shu Li's long-lost sister.
Ying Zhi (Qi Xiang) played the perfect and steadfast friend of Kao Er, while Mi Lan (Yang Yi Tong) played an excellent friend-turned-villianess...I hope China's movie industry gives her a chance to star as a main character/villianess in another, future, movie or series!
[She and Second Sister from General's Lady (2020) both deserve a chance to play a main role as a "bad woman" in the future]
Anyway, quite a good series, with the minor detail of too many "coincidences" keeping them apart for so long!
I likes it also when Shu Li made the comment of when Kao Er told him of Mo Chi being destitute, but apparently still able to rent a fancy boat apartment in an expensive city like Seattle...the humor was not wasted on anyone knowing how expensive it is to live anywhere in Seattle, WA...especially on the waterfront!
Equally funny was Kao Er renting the same waterfront boat apt as Mo Chi did with all the money she had, then expecting to just "go" and get a job so that she could eat...can you imagine her applying for ANY job with her lack of experience in the food business!
The support Zach Ireland Splittgerber, Sun Zhi Hong, et al, deserve praise for their roles also; in particular Kao Er's parents: Ru Ping and Xie Yuan (mother and father, respectively).
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This review may contain spoilers
Great spinoff using cast from the orginal Love Lost In Time (2017)
First of all, if you watched the original 'Love Lost In Time', the last scene by Yin Cai Qian (Xu Mu Chan) was her growing up some and going in search of General/Prince Yuan Che (Simon Gong) , who was critically hurt in the defense of the Achai Tribe city that Black Armored Army was defending (original series LLIT).Since I thought we should also find out how these two ended up after LLIT ended, it fit perfectly with the expectations of the fans of the original.
This story picks up as Cai Qian is redirected to the Meandering Skies, where the body of General Che is recuperating and still in danger of losing his life. Che is attended by Ming Yan, Mage disciple (Mary Ma) and Yuan Li, 12th Prince and Keeper of the Sacred Pebbles of Nine Transformation (Jovi Xu), who is sent in a bracelet to assist Cai Qian in the three dream states where she must assist General Che in solving his 'nightmare' of three dreams in order for him to be fully recovered and able to marry Cai Qian; if either one of them dies in a dream state, she cannot return to the real world.
What follows is Cia Qian, dressed all except a few times as a man, discovering that General Che is more complicated than she anticipated. and her quest is hampered by both the head assassin of the Dark Mages and in the last dream a female chief Black Mage...
The chemistry between Cia Qian and General Che is as good as their relationship and interaction in the original LLIT; unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the interaction this time between Ming Yan and Yuan Li, who seem to be reading a script but not interacting for the most part in this series. An utter disappointment, as their chemistry in the original LLIT was part of the reason it was so good and I continued watching!
One additional point: Yuan Li, 12th Prince, finds a long-lost friend, who helps the main couple along the way!
The cinematography is excellent in this series as well as the original. The musical interludes also add to the reason to watch, and re-watch, this series! The use of the original sets and a majority of the original support cast made this a "must see" for anyone who likes Love Lost In Time's original series.
All in all, I am glad that i found this short jewel of a series!
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This review may contain spoilers
Award-winning performances all around....
This was excellently written and directed, superb cast performed by the main and support characters.A lone female and her wolf clan run free in the Gobi Desert...earlier the female has been captured by a human and exposed to human ways and lived briefly with the Tartars, until her "Papa" is killed by a greedy warrior who wants to become king of the desert Tartars, and she returns to her wolf pack.
A chance meeting with Ninth Lord and his caravan while stealing from them, our lone beautiful lady, Jin Yu, and the wolf that follows her, are let go. The Lord gives her a dress and salt, and bids Jin Yu goodbye. The lady changes into the dress and the next day she runs into a group of men, whom she later observes as being trained in martial arts, being attacked by desert pirates...after calling on her wolf pack, the pirates decide to abandon their attack on the foreigners.
The foreigners thank Jin Yu for her help and ask her for guidance through the desert; since her dead "Papa" has planned on taking her back to his home, the city of Jain-an, before being killed she guides them safely through the desert and remains in the city. Amongst the foreigners is the dashing General Wei Wu Ji.
What follows is a rapid advancement, after being drugged at first, of Jin Yu into being the House Manager at a dance theater/house; her wit, intelligence and {sometimes} unseen support from Ninth Lord's Shi Shipping business, lands her into profit and some prestige, yet also unneeded attention from the Palace hierarchy.
The second male lead, General Wei Wu Ji of the Nan Dynasty, saved by the wolf pack and our heroine, tries to find the wolf lady; however, while Wei Wu Ji is looking through the city for Yin Ju, , Ninth Lord has already found the wolf girl and is supporting her as much as possible (even staying with him part-time). Still Wei Wu Ji attempts to woo her, only to find her already in love with Ninth Lord.
A one-sided romance develops between our heroine Jin Yu and Ninth Lord, but as Ninth Lord continues to ignore her advances, Jin Yu is heartbroken, trying to be a 'tree' as Ninth Lord is, and also support him instead.
Jin Yu finally works up the nerve to directly tell Ninth Lord her feelings, but Ninth Lord still rebukes her and her love advances...this causes Jin Yu to abruptly leave Jain-an, leaving letters for her able house assistant, Ms. Hong, and Wei Wu Ji.
General Wei Wu Ji finds Jin Yu at a travel station along her route back to the desert, and abducts her to his military camp. After returning home with Wei Wu Ji, Jin Yu moves back to the dancing house, but later goes to live with Wei Wu Ji...Her emotions are set on a roller-coaster ride as she finds out the trouble that Ninth Lord went to trying to find her but he still rejects her Significant Other advances...and also troubling is the fact that Wei Wu Ji lied to Ninth Lord about knowing her whereabouts earlier...
Political intrigue enters the scene upon the two returning as 1) Wei Wu Ji becomes a pawn in the Court power struggles, especially with his adopted family, the Wan faction, and 2) the concubine, Qin Xiang, that Jin Yu trained so that she would be accepted into the Palace harem, rapidly gains power in the harem but turns on Jin Yu, causing her misadventure in the later episodes.
Although Jin Yu promised not to reveal the real reason for Madame Xiang's presence in the harem (vengeance, although others figured it out by themselves), she becomes the target of the Madame, partly for her being free and able to travel outside the palace and live her own life, a life that Madame Xiang begins to covet!
What started out as to men fighting over Jin Yu becomes a loose partnership between Ninth Lord and
General Wei Wu Ji , both supporting Jin Yu as she is attacked and placed into captivity by forces of the Wan faction, and both Yin Ju and Wei Wu Ji being poisoned. Both Yin Ju and Wei Wu Ji feel trapped by the political warfare in Jain-an City, and seek to stay apart from political intrigue; however, the Wang faction first tricks Wei Wu Ji in killing the head of the Li power faction, General Li ji, who happens to be the only supporter of Madame Xiang in the palace (besides the Emporer) while the Wan family plans a more morbid future for the General.
Thus, a plan is hatched to free them from Jain-an and service to the powerful Emporer; unfortunately, one of them does not know about it.
Al the actors and actresses, both main and support, performed their roles brilliantly...
Main Roles:
Shi Shi Lui, as Ying Ju, portrayed a cornucopia of emotions as she portrayed the female lead...going from chlld-like innocence in one scene to intelligently fending off attackers in the next. Especially dramatic was the two episodes of her childbirth and the following one: even though I know these are scripted series, I momentarily forgot this during the birthing scene and the two episodes after that....fantastic acting from a great actress!
I also especially loved Jin Yu's dance in the palace as the Tartar girls are performing and one is about to steal her man!
Hugh Hu, as Ninth Lord, portrayed a Stoic benefactor to the female lead, time and time sacrificing his money, and later his health, in supporting both Yin Ju and General Li Ji; many comments on the CN Drama (YouTube) site wish that a spinoff movie would be made in the future to have Ninth Lord finally find his love!
Eddie Peng, as General Wei Wu Ji, perfectly portrayed a platonic supporter of Yin Ju until he saw her response after Ninth Lord's last rejection of Yin Ju's love, then he easily portrayed Yin Ju's lover and supporter as well afterward.
Supporting Roles:
Han Dong, as General Li JI, was superb as a cohort of General Wei Wu Ji, and also as someone who tried to talk sense into Madame Xiang and save her from herself and the Palace harem she foolishly sought entry into...performing as well as he did in his roies in 'Love Lost In Time' and 'Scarlet Hearts'.
Fala Chen, as Madame Xiang, went from a level-headed sister to her episode brothers Qin Yong (Qin Yuan Chao) and
Zhang Xiang (Qin Yuan Qi) to a vindicitve but suffering madame in the harem of the Emperor...I personally saw her ending way before the final episode.
I think that she would be more than able to play a lead villianess in a major movie or series if given a chance!
Deng Li Min (Uncle Shi) and Han Zhen Hua (Uncle Chen), among the many other support actors/actresses that I do not have the time to mention here, put on superb roles as supporters of their respective houses in the series.
Superb writing, superb directing, superb acting....the ingredients to a great series!
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Only A Psychopath Would Watch This Movie!
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND DEPICTIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIMENTATION! ^BI had to force myself to finish this movie; I do not understand why 'anyone' would even want to watch this crap!
Movies like this do nothing but keep teh hate that has smoldered ince WW II going.
If you really know me, I just love an 'oddball' movie once in a while...or more often...
This does not count as an oddball movie; the only person who should watch this movie is a person who denies the atrocities of WW II!
I wouldn't even consider it an "exploiation" movie since the leadership not only kills those who were prisoners, but also their own (Japanese) men!
I remember seeubg the original film under a different name, and it actually, in my opinion, somewhat worse than this one.
I like macabre and psychedelic movies, but frankly I wou;d not include this film in either category.
The only good genre listing is "HORROR": that it is, from start to finish!
MORE LATER!
As he is forced to kill the Chinese, his mental state begins to deteriorate.
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"The Power Of Love Seems Limitless" - Guanyin Bodhisattva, in Madam White Snake (1960)
This is the best version of Lady White Snake I have seen yet!
Also, I have already read about the 1978 abduction of a South Korean actress and her husband director (screenwriter for this movie) Shin Sang-ok, by Kim Jong-il of North Korea but i didn't realize she was the main female lead in this movie until I did a search for her and her other movies!
The main and suport cast were great together; their timing was really good and the entire film flowed easily. Of the support cast, Guanyin Bodhisattva (Han Eun Jin) reminded me of some of my old Buddhist classes in college!
I learned that this character, although starting out male, is usually portrayed as female in China. However, this version portrays the deity as truly caring for others.
Korean horror has a long history; there is always an audience for it. many would consider this a horror film, but this isn't a horror film. It is a classical story about a demi-god and her mortal love.
You can actually see the flying wire for madam Whie Snake if you are very observant, but that is a minor detail for this time period of moviemaking; otherwise the cinematography is great! The music is also fitting for this movie.
I especially liked the portrayal of Madam White Snake in what most would call "Heaven" where Master Beop Hae (Ji Bang Yeol) and Guanyin Bodhisattva reside.
While searching for the female lead in other movies here, I realized that many of the support cast also appear in the same movies as her during her career.
I am looking forward to seeing the casts' other movies as well!
My only complaintabout this movie is the "self-righteous attitude of Madam White Snake's detractors. I know they had to take this stance in order to be the 'villians' but this is not something that should be tolerated in any religion in real life.
Surprisingly, I have already read the book on the kidnapping and enslavement of Choi Eun Hee (Madam White Snake) and her husband, Screenwriter Choi Kyung Ok before seeing this movie.
The movie about their abduction and forced servitude in North Korea is available online for anyone interested.
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/kim-jong-il-kidnapping-south-korean-film-star-lovers-article-1.2099084
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lovers_and_the_Despot
RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!
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18 Year Old Muscle Queen Seong-hye's Sex Scandal
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64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
64 Minutes Of Erotic Excitement!
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"They're Happy. We Were Right. They're Not Angry Anymore." NOT DONE PEOPLE!
This was such a cute little movie!Kids should love this is Mommy or Daddy explain to them that the Gappa's family is just as important as the kid's family. It portrayed a strong 'family values' message during the entire movie.
Contary to popular belief, most kids and many adults enjoyed being entertained in the past, and even today, by movies like this, which didn't/don't cost an arm and a leg to get into at a movie theater.
I was 10 or 11 years old when this movie came out, and I would have probably pooped my pants had I seen this movie then...
however, I didn't watch it until yesterday.
Its plot virtually duplicates that of the 1961 British film 'Gorgo'.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgo_(film)
This is a great film for pre-teens, plus it had a love story, and a lesson about the importance of 'family' as well.
...A time when model buidlings, toy tanks and the likes were used by the studios, and were destroyed without a major outlay of finances; but kids really didn't care, as long as the little girls screamed loudly at every sight of the 'monster'!
It also had a historical significance as well; I used to have models of the type aircraft used in this movie hanging from my bedroom ceiling during the time period covered here. The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was a single-engine, supersonic interceptor aircraft which was extensively deployed in the late 50s and early 60s as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War with Russia. The models used look exactly like that fighter that I had hanging from my bedroom ceiling!
The main cast Hiroshi Kurosaki (Tamio Kawachi ) and expedition photographer Itoko Koyanagi (lovely Yoko Yamamoto) act as if they were really a couple and both played the melodrama excellently, adding humor to the story line as they went.
The support cast also fulfill their roles very well, and assist the main ccast in the primary story as well.
Magazine owner Mr. Funazu provided a great villian, refusing to lete teh babby Gappa go even when he knew that the baby's parents were indestructable and unstoppable by the Japanese and American military.
Mashida (Kōji Wada) provides much comic relief throughout the movie, and wins my vote for best support cast member!
Special kudos to Hiroshita Atami and Takashi Konagaias as Gappa (male and bigger) gappa parent, and Ken Misugi and Shiro Tonami as Gappa (female) gappa parent.
ThIs movie, especially sent me into the past memories of my mind, when directors and actors could tell a story witout it costing an arm and a leg. That alone was worth watching this movie!
However, I stil canot find the name of the youg actress who played Mr.Funazu's daughter; after th eGappas her and the young native boy stole the movie!
More about the Gappa!
The Gappas (ガッパ Gappa) are a species of ancient monsters. Two adult Gappas, male (雄ガッパ Osu Gappa) and female (雌ガッパ Mesu Gappa), and their baby son first appear in the 1967 Nikkatsu kaiju film, Gappa.
Contents
Design
Origins
History
Showa era
Gappa
Abilities
Flight
Amphibiousness
Physical abilities
Radiant Heat Beam
Bioluminescence
Pearl-like substance
Electricity
Filmography
Gallery
Trivia
References
Comments
Design
All three of the Gappas share the same characteristics, as they are based on various reptiles and birds, such as eagles and hawks. Overall, they resemble enormous bipedal griffins. As exhibited in the two adults seen in the film, the species is sexually dimorphic. The female has a smaller head crest and has a flatter face compared to her mate. Their scales are triangle-shaped, and their eyelids are the reverse to that of humans. The Gappas' wings are unlike those of birds; they are actually evolved ribs.[1]
Origins
In ancient times, the Gappas would fight other monsters for survival. They were already present when Earth was still an interstellar cloud, suggesting that the Gappas originated in outer space.[1]
History
Showa era
Gappa
An expedition to Obelisk Island by Mr. Funazu uncovers a baby monster, who hatches from an egg near a sacred temple. The natives plead with the skeptical scientists not to take the baby away, lest it anger the baby's parents. Sure enough, they take the baby away, and soon, inside the caverns, its two parents rise from the underground waters beneath the volcano, destroying everything in their path. Saki, the only survivor, is rescued by an American navy fleet and brought back to Japan.
The parents storm across Japan, destroying all in their wake, but their assault ceases once they recover their baby. Mercifully, they relent and depart to return to Obelisk Island.
Abilities
Flight
The Gappas can fly at a maximum speed of Mach 6.[2]
Amphibiousness
The Gappas have a maximum underwater speed of 150 knots.[2]
Physical abilities
The Gappas have a destructive force of 2 million horsepower. The Gappas' wings can emit hurricane-force winds; they can also cause tsunamis or storm surges using this ability.[1][2]
Radiant Heat Beam
The adult Gappas can fire a 4,000-degree Celsius Radiant Heat Beam (放射熱光線 Hōshanetsu Kōsen)[2] from their mouths. This is described as being "comparable to a death ray" in the film, it can also burn or melt anything it makes contact with. This ability is also speculated in the film to make the Gappas immune to poisons.
Bioluminescence
The Gappas emit bioluminescence from their eyes, which appears blue-white underwater and yellow on land.
Pearl-like substance
The female Gappa possesses a pearl-like substance within her body, likely stored in her legs. This substance can cause humans to go blind.[1]
Electricity
The baby Gappa's body is electrified and causes electric arcs/sparks whenever metals are attached to its body. This may suggest that adult Gappas are also able to emit electricity.
Filmography
Gappa (1967)
Yuzo the Biggest Battle in Tokyo (2022) [toys]
Trivia
Stock footage of the adult Gappas appears in an episode of the British sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf, "Meltdown", where they are enormous wax-droids roaming the Prehistoric World section of an abandoned theme park. Though intimidated, the mechanoid Kryten quips "I can't believe how feeble and improbable those creatures were, sir. I've seen more convincing dinosaurs given away free with a packet of Wheaty-Flakes."
An anatomical illustration noted that Gappa could emit "heat wave beams" from their eyes.[3
Spookykiryu Gigan before he was gigan
Shadowthewolf432 When Rodan Finds the weed
Shadow gojira fan Godzilla + Kappa + Griffin + Rodan = Gappa
Just A GoJi FaN Why didn't they get a sequel :( they're really underrated.
Godzilla .Junior1000 This is my little brother's favourite kaiju
Shin evangelion When Gamera and other kaiju mated and then boom , Gappa was born
SKuLL cRaWLer The Gappas look like if iguanadons had wings
SkullIslandExplorer Are they inspired by the Kappa? They look pretty similar. (FYI: Kappa are water monsters of Japanese
folklore
Godzilla .Junior1000 they are
KING GHIDORAH 19 their heads look like turtles
MosuFan2005 They are very cool, but they are really really really underrated. :(
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Better movie than I anticipated!
"In Japan, during the reign of Shogun Yoshimune, it is the era of the samurai and the ninja. Many villages are outwardly peaceful, but a twisted sexual underbelly exists that affects more than just the criminals. Kaede and her sister are unfortunately victims of this when the elder is raped and commits suicide shortly thereafter. Kaede seeks vengeance, and a lady ninja nun who hears of the events aids her in the search. There is more to the story behind the rape, however, and the lies and secrets are slowly revealed behind a trail of clothing, sweat, and blood"I don't know who wrote this main detaisl, but they never watched the movie!
This is the true outline for the movie:
"In Japan, during the reign of Shogun Yoshimune, it is the era of the samurai and the ninja.
Many villages are outwardly peaceful, but a twisted sexual underbelly exists that affects more than just the criminals. Kaede and her sister are unfortunately victims of this when the eldest sister is raped and commits suicide shortly thereafter.
Kaede seeks vengeance, and a lady ninja nun who hears of the events aids her in the search. There is more to the story behind the rape, however, and the lies and secrets are slowly revealed behind a trail of clothing, sweat, and blood"
This was a neat little movie, with just enough swordplay, suspence and action for the person who wants this out of a movie, while it also has some titillating parts for those who crave more!
There are also several twists in the movie as it progresses, with the actual rapost being taken out in a most 'unique' way!
There is comedy, satire, action, drama and plot twists here!
Luna Akatsuki aka Runa Akatsuki
as Lady Kaede
Kôji Fujiyoshi
Kazu Itsuki
Hideo Kato
Mankichi Maeda
Yuka Sakagami
Masato Takaoka
Shin Takayuki
Kagawa Tateo
Hideki Yokohori
Wakabayashi Yoshio
Director
Takayuki Kagawa
No one besides Runa appears in the MDL list of cast; and I don't have the time to try and find each and every other cast members as well.
There is a second movie, which I will add and rate as I have the time.
There was little music, but the cinematography was great, and main and support cast were well-matched and kept the story going well.
My only complaint was the death of the elder sister's boyfriend, who was assisting his beau's sister until his demise.
RE-WATCH VALUE: Yes!
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"As Time Passes We Miss People Less, But The Loneliness Stays Forever...""
I always try to put a quote from the movies I review, which I feel could stand the test of time, but this one had too many!"Many People Leaving Means That There Are More People To Miss..."
"As Time Passes We Miss People Less, But The Loneliness Stays Forever...There Are Many People Here To Miss."
...and many more!
First of all, the colors were so VIVID in this movie! It s the first thing that I remembered on the recent re-watch of it.
The cinematography was very good and I loved the relaxed feeling of the small-town atmosphere on this movie set.
I would actually change the primary details and write, " the story of a young girl who finds out that 'life' is what you make it." The story just didn't come together the way it should have, and the ending was terrible, in my opinion.
The young girl, Jeong Min (Jun Ji Hyun) starts to write letters to servicemen (but it never tells you WHY she is writing them!)
She writes a letter to many service men, including one Hyun Jun (Park Shin Yang), who actually makes an attempt to stop in Jeong Min's town and meet her. Even without meeting her, Hyun Jun can tell from her level and style of writing that she is not a teacher with five years of teaching under her belt; but Jeong Min misses her chance to tell the truth to him by being very late for the scheduled meeting!
Jeong Min lives with her grandfather (Jeon Moo Song) who openly criticizes her daily; it is later revealed WHY he is so critical of her, but he never talks to her about this reason at all. No good communication between the two of them.
She finally opens up to him and asks him about her parents and why he was so critical of her father, who seemed to have died in conflict with his father/Jeong Min's grandfather; however, this 'conversation' with her only living family member results in grandfather being admitted to the hospital.
Jeong Min was upset with her grandfather; her grandfather was upset at her;
The only person not upset wIth anyone was the flower shop grandmother (Kim Young Ok) who kinda wanted to 'take care' of grandfather, in his old age! However, she was given only two scenes in the movie.
Han Suk (Yang Dong Geun) was never mentioned by name in the movie, but since the other (younger) support actor was in the military for the most of the movie, and his character name was mentioned once in the movie, Han Suk was Hyun Jun's buddy, the way that Ji-seok (Kim Se-joon) was Jeong Min's friend, especially at the end of the movie.
Jeong Min took longer to develop emotionally as time passed in this movie; but Jun Ji Hyun's performance here is really great, especially in the second half of it!
The support cast and main cast were all amazing; their actions in this movie were good and they supported each other throughout. The movie just didn't have any direction to it.
This was Jun Ji Hyun's first movie and I do not hold her performance to the same standard as her character in Windstruck or other movies: it just seems she was 'wandering' in this movie with no apparent goals in life, besides one.
RE-WATCH VALUE: Not much!
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