By Henry McKeand
Kiyoshi Kurosawa's “Pulse” had an inescapable impact on the Japanese horror scene when it hit theatres in 1997. Countless filmmakers were inspired by its pervasive unease and refusal to settle for simple scares. Along with the release of Hideo Nakata's “Ringu” a year later, it set the standard for the J-Horror renaissance that forever altered the cinematic landscape in the 2000s. But even with the hordes of imitators and worshippers, perhaps no film owes more to “Pulse” than “Saimin” by Masayuki Ochiai. Released later as “The Hypnotist” in the U.S., “Saimin” shares themes of hypnosis and the inherent darkness of human nature with “Pulse”, but it is ultimately a more commercial take on the same material, trading in Kurosawa's ambient dread for gonzo thrills.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The film kicks off in bravura fashion, with Ochiai cross-cutting...
Kiyoshi Kurosawa's “Pulse” had an inescapable impact on the Japanese horror scene when it hit theatres in 1997. Countless filmmakers were inspired by its pervasive unease and refusal to settle for simple scares. Along with the release of Hideo Nakata's “Ringu” a year later, it set the standard for the J-Horror renaissance that forever altered the cinematic landscape in the 2000s. But even with the hordes of imitators and worshippers, perhaps no film owes more to “Pulse” than “Saimin” by Masayuki Ochiai. Released later as “The Hypnotist” in the U.S., “Saimin” shares themes of hypnosis and the inherent darkness of human nature with “Pulse”, but it is ultimately a more commercial take on the same material, trading in Kurosawa's ambient dread for gonzo thrills.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The film kicks off in bravura fashion, with Ochiai cross-cutting...
- 4/8/2023
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
For vintage Japanese classics Arrow is the place to be this summer. Yasuzô Masumura’s complicated tale of industrial espionage is an attack on the free enterprise system — even good people will do terrible things to get ahead, to prevail over the competition. It’s Tiger Car Company against the Yamato Car Company, winner take all. Plus, the extra feature The Black Report is not filler, but a terrific murder prosecution story, with Masumura’s patented dose of acid cynicism and murky misanthropy.
Black Test Car
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1962 /95 min. / Kuro no tesuto kaa
Starring: Jirô Tamiya, Junko Kanô, Eiji Funakoshi, Hideo Takamatsu, Ichirô Sugai, Kichijiro Ueda.
Written by Kazuro Funabashi, Yoshihiro Ishimatsu from a novel by Sueyuki Kajiyama
Produced by Gentaro Nakajima
The Black Report
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1963 / 94 min. / Kuro no hôkokusho
Starring: Ken Utsui, Junko Kanô, Hideo Takamatsu, Shigeru Kôyama, Eitarô Ozawa, Bontarô Miake, Mieko Kondô.
Written by Yoshihiro Ishimatsu,...
Black Test Car
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1962 /95 min. / Kuro no tesuto kaa
Starring: Jirô Tamiya, Junko Kanô, Eiji Funakoshi, Hideo Takamatsu, Ichirô Sugai, Kichijiro Ueda.
Written by Kazuro Funabashi, Yoshihiro Ishimatsu from a novel by Sueyuki Kajiyama
Produced by Gentaro Nakajima
The Black Report
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1963 / 94 min. / Kuro no hôkokusho
Starring: Ken Utsui, Junko Kanô, Hideo Takamatsu, Shigeru Kôyama, Eitarô Ozawa, Bontarô Miake, Mieko Kondô.
Written by Yoshihiro Ishimatsu,...
- 8/29/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“The Black Report” is a detective thriller with heavy noir overtones, but not in the expected way. No Hard-boiled cops or American spectacle here, instead a truthful look at the reality of proving someone guilty. This is not as provocative as “Blind Beast” or as shocking as “Red Angel”, but it is a smart, slick, and rather interesting deconstruction of the detective genre.
The story centres around Akira Kido, played by Ken Utsui, who’s next case determines if he is to receive a promotion or not. The only problem is the very court system he works to serve. Hollywood would focus on the who-done-it aspect as the detective discovers clue after clue, whereas Masumura chooses to focus mainly on the trial here. The discovery of the murderer is not the hard part, instead, the true challenge lies in the prosecution of the culprit.
The movie is...
The story centres around Akira Kido, played by Ken Utsui, who’s next case determines if he is to receive a promotion or not. The only problem is the very court system he works to serve. Hollywood would focus on the who-done-it aspect as the detective discovers clue after clue, whereas Masumura chooses to focus mainly on the trial here. The discovery of the murderer is not the hard part, instead, the true challenge lies in the prosecution of the culprit.
The movie is...
- 8/25/2020
- by Robert Edwards
- AsianMoviePulse
Eiga.com is reporting that a new spin-off movie of the popular Aibou (Partners) series titled Aibou Series: X Day is in the works.
In 2009, Partners supporting character Mamoru Yonezawa (Seiji Rokkaku) got his own spin-off movie titled Partners: CSI Files. X Day will feature Metropolitan Police Department criminal investigator Kenichi Itami (Kazuhisa Kawahara) and cyber crime specialist Akira Iwatsuki (Kei Tanaka) in a brand new partnership.
In 2008, the first Partners movie, starring Yutaka Mizutani and Yasufumi Terawaki, built on the success of TV Asahi’s long-running TV drama by earning 4.44 billion yen at the box office.
In 2010, Mitsuhiro Oikawa teamed up with Mizutani for Partners: The Movie II which earned 3.17 billion yen.
Series 10 of the drama ended in March, and marked the end of Oikawa’s run.
The new movie will be directed by Hajime Hashimoto with a screenplay by Takeharu Sakurai, both of whom work on the TV drama.
In 2009, Partners supporting character Mamoru Yonezawa (Seiji Rokkaku) got his own spin-off movie titled Partners: CSI Files. X Day will feature Metropolitan Police Department criminal investigator Kenichi Itami (Kazuhisa Kawahara) and cyber crime specialist Akira Iwatsuki (Kei Tanaka) in a brand new partnership.
In 2008, the first Partners movie, starring Yutaka Mizutani and Yasufumi Terawaki, built on the success of TV Asahi’s long-running TV drama by earning 4.44 billion yen at the box office.
In 2010, Mitsuhiro Oikawa teamed up with Mizutani for Partners: The Movie II which earned 3.17 billion yen.
Series 10 of the drama ended in March, and marked the end of Oikawa’s run.
The new movie will be directed by Hajime Hashimoto with a screenplay by Takeharu Sakurai, both of whom work on the TV drama.
- 6/22/2012
- Nippon Cinema
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.