News

A trailer has been released for Mitsuhiro Mihara‘s new horror film, Murasaki Kagami (The Purple Mirror). Actually, it was released about a week ago via the film’s official website, but the promotional materials and production stills didn’t come out until over the weekend.

Mihara is best known for coming-of-age youth films, comedies, and his 2008 cooking drama Flavor of Happiness, so it’s a bit out of character for him to take the time to write and direct yet another entry to the relatively played-out urban legend sub-genre of J-horror. On top of that, the trailer makes it seem particularly cheap and uneventful. However, the trend of filling these movies with models and gravure idols has a tendency to take the edge off most flaws.

“The purple mirror” is one of Japan’s lesser-known urban legends. It varies wildly by region, with some versions involving an actual purple...

Takanori Tsujimoto's Hard Revenge Milly (2008) and its follow-up Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle (2009) are part of the growing trend of low-budget Japanese splatter action flicks. This trend, which was arguably kicked into high gear by Tokyo Gore Police, has lead to plenty of indistinguishable films, but the Hard Revenge Milly series rise above the pack due to Tsujimoto's skills in staging action and Yoshihiro Nishimura's typically berserk effects. Well Go USA has released both titles on a single Region 1 DVD that should satisfy those seeking a taste of two of the better films in this style.

In Hard Revenge Milly, fictional post-apocalyptic Yokohama City is overrun with violence with the Jack Brothers being the worst of numerous criminal gangs. Milly (Miki Mizuno) is one of the many victims of the Jack Brothers (Mitsuki Koga and Tetsuya Nakamura). The brothers kill her husband and baby for no reason, which...

Crazy, over-the-top Japanese action movies seem scientifically designed to appeal to someone with my warped cinematic sensibilities. “Tokyo Gore Police,” “Meatball Machine,” and “The Machine Girl” are all responsible for my current obsession with this sort of picture, though I’m sure “Robo-Geisha” and “Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl” will certainly do nothing to slow my endless salivation for extreme gore, outrageous martial arts, and, yes, Japanese girls beating the crap out of heavily-armed adversaries. “Hard Revenge, Milly: Bloody Battle” promises even more low-budget insanity, a fact which makes yours truly extremely happy. Am I sick in the head? A demented madman masquerading as a news aggregator? All of the above, my friend, and then some. Here’s the film’s all about: After Milly eliminates the Jack Brothers to avenge her family, a beautiful girl named Haru (Nao Nagasawa) approaches her for help avenging her own boyfriend. Milly initially brushes her off,...

I’m days behind on this news but with the arrival of the trailer for Fist from the same outfit Ace Deuce I was also made aware of the sequel to Takanori Tsujimoto‘s martial arts gore-fest, Hard Revenge, Milly, starring established martial artist Miki Mizuno. The sequel will come out this summer and will be aptly titled Hard Revenge, Milly - Bloody Battle.

After Milly eliminates the Jack Brothers to avenge her family, a beautiful girl named Haru (Nao Nagasawa) approaches her for help avenging her own boyfriend. Milly initially brushes her off, but eventually recognizes her passion for vengeance and agrees to train her.

Soon, Ikki (Kazuki Tsujimoto) and his brother Huma (Rei Fujita), two of Jack’s former associates, arrive to take them on. Milly makes short work of their minions and knocks Huma out cold, but the steel-armed Ikki manages to injure her severely. Will she...

A while back we reported on a mid-length film called Hard Revenge, Milly which I unfortunately haven't been able to see yet, but now it's getting it's own sequel and if you watch the trailer you'll notice it looks kind of dystopic/post-apocalyptic at the beginning.

After Milly eliminates the Jack Brothers to avenge her family, a beautiful girl named Haru (Nao Nagasawa) approaches her for help avenging her own boyfriend. Milly initially brushes her off, but eventually recognizes her passion for vengeance and agrees to train her.

Soon, Ikki (Kazuki Tsujimoto) and his brother Huma (Rei Fujita), two of Jack’s former associates, arrive to take them on. Milly makes short work of their minions and knocks Huma out cold, but the steel-armed Ikki manages to injure her severely. Will she be able to survive and help Haru exact vengeance?

Trailer after the break. via nipponcinema...