Stars: Vic Morrow, Sonny Chiba, Etsuko Shihomi, Philip Casnoff, Peggy Lee Brennan, Tetsurô Tanba, Mikio Narita, Makoto Satô, Seizô Fukumoto, Hiroyuki Sanada | Written by Kinji Fukasaku, Shotaro Ishinomori, Hirô Matsuda | Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
Message from Space, directed by Kinji Fukasaku, is a Japanese science fiction film that blends traditional space opera tropes with unique cultural elements, delivering a visually captivating yet narratively uneven experience. Released in the wake of the monumental success of Star Wars, this film ambitiously seeks to carve out its own niche within the genre.
One of the standout features of Message from Space is its visual presentation. The film showcases an impressive array of special effects for its time, with meticulously designed spacecraft and vibrant alien landscapes that reflect a distinctively Japanese aesthetic. The miniature models and practical effects, though not as polished as those in Hollywood blockbusters, possess a charming quality that adds to the film’s retro-futuristic appeal.
Message from Space, directed by Kinji Fukasaku, is a Japanese science fiction film that blends traditional space opera tropes with unique cultural elements, delivering a visually captivating yet narratively uneven experience. Released in the wake of the monumental success of Star Wars, this film ambitiously seeks to carve out its own niche within the genre.
One of the standout features of Message from Space is its visual presentation. The film showcases an impressive array of special effects for its time, with meticulously designed spacecraft and vibrant alien landscapes that reflect a distinctively Japanese aesthetic. The miniature models and practical effects, though not as polished as those in Hollywood blockbusters, possess a charming quality that adds to the film’s retro-futuristic appeal.
- 7/24/2024
- by George P Thomas
- Nerdly
“Goyokin,” which translates to “Official God,” is perhaps Hideo Gosha's finest film. Written by Gosha and Kei Tasaka, many of the director's regular players, including Tatsuya Nakadai and Tetsuro Tamba, star here. Toshiro Mifune was initially cast as the character Samon Fujimaki. However, production difficulties resulted in him being replaced by Kinnosuke Nakamura. “Goyokin” was a critical and financial hit upon release and remains a highly regarded piece of Japanese cinema.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
In snowy feudal Japan, Sado Island is home to gold mines that provide riches offered to the Tokugawa clan via ship delivery, which can be jeopardized due to poor weather on the waters. Meanwhile, a reclusive samurai named Magobei Wakizaka wanders, clearly troubled by something. The ronin finds himself the target of an assassination attempt, which he survives. He learns this attack was orchestrated by his former clan master,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
In snowy feudal Japan, Sado Island is home to gold mines that provide riches offered to the Tokugawa clan via ship delivery, which can be jeopardized due to poor weather on the waters. Meanwhile, a reclusive samurai named Magobei Wakizaka wanders, clearly troubled by something. The ronin finds himself the target of an assassination attempt, which he survives. He learns this attack was orchestrated by his former clan master,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
(Welcome to The Movies That Made "Star Wars," a series where we explore the films and television properties that inspired George Lucas' iconic universe. In this edition: The classic jidaigeki film "Three Outlaw Samurai.")
As the first feature film from the legendary Japanese filmmaker Hideo Gosha, "Three Outlaw Samurai," holds a special place in the pantheon of Japanese films. It tells the story of three samurai who battle corruption and balance their honor and obedience to the system that produced them with doing what's actually right — something that feels almost radical in this style of filmmaking. The movie's stars — Tetsurô Tanba, Isamu Nagato, and Mikijirô Hira as the titular samurai — were reprising their roles from a television show with the same name that had started the year before. According to the essay by Bilge Eberi that accompanies the Criterion Collection's excellent Blu-ray transfer of the film, the original show seems lost to time.
As the first feature film from the legendary Japanese filmmaker Hideo Gosha, "Three Outlaw Samurai," holds a special place in the pantheon of Japanese films. It tells the story of three samurai who battle corruption and balance their honor and obedience to the system that produced them with doing what's actually right — something that feels almost radical in this style of filmmaking. The movie's stars — Tetsurô Tanba, Isamu Nagato, and Mikijirô Hira as the titular samurai — were reprising their roles from a television show with the same name that had started the year before. According to the essay by Bilge Eberi that accompanies the Criterion Collection's excellent Blu-ray transfer of the film, the original show seems lost to time.
- 12/20/2023
- by Bryan Young
- Slash Film
Sadao Nakajima passed away from pneumonia on 11th June, 2023. He was 88 years old. Active as a director until just four years before his passing, Nakajima left behind legacy of work that most directors would dream of. Alongside Kinji Fukasaku and Junya Sato, he is credited as being one of the main names to define the Yakuza genre, with some of his greatest works coming within that genre, showcasing a range of styles and narrative complexities while at it. Having joined Toei Studio in 1959, he worked primarily at Toei's Kyoto studio, despite running his contract out and going independent in 1967. In fact, the majority of the titles we list here are productions from after he left Toei as a contracted director and yet continued to work for the Studio as a freelancer, likely because of the freedom it provided him and his relationship with their existing roster of actors and crew,...
- 6/21/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Graduating as Ozu’s assistant with his debut feature-length at Shochiku in 1960, Masahiro Shinoda (b. 1931) saw the dawn of the Japanese New Wave and rose to prominence alongside the likes of Nagisa Oshima, Yasuzo Masumura, Koreyoshi Kurahara, and Shohei Imamura among a whole host of others. Though he would spend most of his career reinterpreting and reimagining whole genres including the yakuza film and jidaigeki, the films across his four-decade-long career would predominantly be united by a re-examination of Japanese historical, societal, and national identity, complete with a focus on alienation, mythologies, and religious and moral turmoil. Frequently coupled with composer Toru Takemitsu, cinematographers Masao Kosugi and Tatsuo Suzuki, and actress Shima Iwashita (whom he would go on to marry), Shinoda’s films grapple with man’s perturbing darkness and its effect on the personal and national conscience. Like most of his Nūberu Bāgu compatriots, Shinoda frequently negated cinematic and narrative traditions,...
- 2/22/2023
- by JC Cansdale-Cook
- AsianMoviePulse
The Japanese entertainment industry has lost a truly marvelous talent. On January 15th, 2023, versatile character actor Noboru Mitani passed away at the age of 90. On the website Yahoo! Japan, Kyodo News reports the cause of death being “due to acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure”( Kyodo News 1). Mitani worked with an array of filmmakers, frequently appearing in the works of Kinji Fukasaku and Juzo Itami. He was also quite active in television and theatre. Tokusatsu fans may recognize him for his appearances in “Return of Ultraman,” “Ultraman Taro,” and “Space Sheriff Gavan,” while anime enthusiasts may remember him for voice acting in the series “Princess Tutu.” His wide range, colorful personality, and how real he could make his characters feel made him stand out as an actor. He also was often able to convey so much through his facial expressions alone, even in moments without dialogue.
Noboru Mitani and Hiroyuki Kawase...
Noboru Mitani and Hiroyuki Kawase...
- 2/3/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Many international viewers probably know filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku for his terrific dystopian action-thriller “Battle Royale,” a movie that blends dark comedy with tragedy and kickstarted a narrative concept that would continue to be frequently utilized in other fictional works. Some may associate him with his campy sci-fi features like “The Green Slime.” Yet, early on, the director gave Japanese audiences viscerally outspoken and bold features. Look no further than his yakuza film series “Battles Without Honor and Humanity,” which tears apart Japan’s most operative crime organizations. The director was never afraid to speak his mind on a matter, even if he were to receive criticism as a result. Fukasaku’s mindset is openly expressed in his haunting anti-war masterpiece “Under the Flag of the Rising Sun.”
on Amazon
The film is based on a collection of war short stories by Shoji Yuki. Beyond the source of adaptation,...
on Amazon
The film is based on a collection of war short stories by Shoji Yuki. Beyond the source of adaptation,...
- 8/12/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Filmmaker Kihachi Okamoto, throughout his career, made it abundantly clear he hated war. He experienced the horrors on the battlefield firsthand during World War II and forever was disgusted by the atrocities committed by the Empire of Japan. Okamoto’s war movies boast an anti-war mindset while blending tragedy with dark comedy. His early projects, such as “Desperado Outpost,” primarily showed the director’s sense of humor, with western inspired elements thrown into the mix. Over time, these projects became more grounded and progressively darker. “Fort Graveyard” tells the tragic story of musician youths forced into combat, and “Japan’s Longest Day” recounts the terrifying final hours before the country’s surrender during the Second World War. With his ambitious and brutal epic “Battle of Okinawa,” audiences are reminded war spares no one.
Even with the budgetary issues the Japanese film industry was plagued with at the time, Okamoto would not be stopped.
Even with the budgetary issues the Japanese film industry was plagued with at the time, Okamoto would not be stopped.
- 8/5/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Over the next two months, Scream Factory’s releases include five Blu-rays limited to 1,000 units apiece. Each release will highlight an obscure and underseen sci-fi, horror, or fantasy film from the ’70s and ’80s, and the cover artwork and details on each Blu-ray have been revealed.
Deathstalker Double Feature (August 30th): “Deathstalker (1983)
Deathstalker (Richard Hill) is a mighty warrior chosen to battle the evil forces of a medieval kingdom who sets off on a journey to the most challenging tournament in the land. To the winner will go the throne of the evil wizard, the ultimate mystical power and the love of the beautiful Princess Codille (Barbi Benton). But first Deathstalker must prove himself worthy of his legacy . . . and treachery lurks at every turn.
Deathstalker II (1987)
Deathstalker II (John Terlesky) has a mission: to save the kingdom from the wicked grip of the immoral wizard Jerak and his queen Sultana,...
Deathstalker Double Feature (August 30th): “Deathstalker (1983)
Deathstalker (Richard Hill) is a mighty warrior chosen to battle the evil forces of a medieval kingdom who sets off on a journey to the most challenging tournament in the land. To the winner will go the throne of the evil wizard, the ultimate mystical power and the love of the beautiful Princess Codille (Barbi Benton). But first Deathstalker must prove himself worthy of his legacy . . . and treachery lurks at every turn.
Deathstalker II (1987)
Deathstalker II (John Terlesky) has a mission: to save the kingdom from the wicked grip of the immoral wizard Jerak and his queen Sultana,...
- 8/11/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Bloody havoc reigns! Kinji Fukasaku's no-holds-barred vision of ugly violence and uglier politics on the streets of Hiroshima is a five-film Yakuza epic that spans generations. The film amounts to an alternate history of postwar Japan, that puts an end to the glorification of the Yakuza code. The enormous cast includes Bunta Sugawara, Tetsuro Tanba, Sonny Chiba and Jo Shishido. Battles without Honor and Humanity Blu-ray + DVD Arrow Video 1973-74 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 760 min. / Limited Edition Boxed Set Street Date December 8, 2015 / 149.95 Starring Bunta Sugawara, Hiroki Matsukata, Tetsuro Tanba, Kunie Tanaka, Eiko Nakamura, Sonny Chiba, Meiko Kaji, Akira Kobayashi, Tsunehiko Watase, Reiko Ike, Jo Shishido Cinematography Sadaji Yoshida Production Designer Takatoshi Suzuki Original Music Toshiaki Tsushima Written by Koichi Iiboshi, Kazuo Kasahara Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In the 1990s the American Cinematheque was headquartered in various places, but settled for a few years in a large...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In the 1990s the American Cinematheque was headquartered in various places, but settled for a few years in a large...
- 12/22/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
What makes a Ghost Story scary? This classic was almost too artistic for the Japanese. Masaki Kobayashi's four stories of terror work their spells through intensely beautiful images -- weirdly painted skies, strange mists -- and a Toru Takemitsu audio track that incorporates strange sounds as spooky musical punctuation. Viewers never forget the Woman of the Snow, or the faithful Hoichi the Earless. Finally restored to its full three-hour length. Kwaidan Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 90 1964 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 183 161, 125 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date October 20, 2015 / 39.95 Starring Michiyo Aratama, Rentaro Mikuni; Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiko Kishi; Katsuo Nakamura, Tetsurao Tanba, Takashi Shimura; Osamu Takizawa. Cinematography Yoshio Miyajima Film Editor Hisashi Sagara Art Direction Shigemasa Toda Set Decoration Dai Arakawa Costumes Masahiro Kato Original Music Toru Takemitsu Written by Yoko Mizuki from stories collected by Kiozumi Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn) Produced by Shigeru Wakatsuki Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
- 10/20/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Takashi Miike‘s The Happiness of the Katakuris begins with a woman probing a freshly delivered bowl of soup only to fish out a miniature angel/gargoyle/teletubby? whose presence seems to instigate the onscreen conversion of the world into claymation before tearing out the poor woman’s uvula and tossing it into the air to float away like a heart-shaped balloon. This is a film that, even in an oeuvre that includes works as disparate as gross out shocker Visitor Q and the kid friendly The Great Yokai War, is pure unpredictable insanity that baffles as much as it entertains. Essentially a horror comedy musical, Miike’s genre mashing farce is loosely based on Kim Jee-woon’s The Quiet Family, in which a family owns a remotely located bed and breakfast whose customers always happen to die during their stay, yet takes that simple premise to its outermost extremes in the silliest of ways.
- 6/30/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Stars: Kenji Sawada, Keiko Matsuzaka, Shinji Takeda, Naomi Nishida, Kiyoshirô Imawano, Tetsurô Tanba, Naoto Takenaka, Tamaki Miyazaki, Takashi Matsuzaki | Written by Ai Kennedy, Kikumi Yamagishi | Directed by Takashi Miike
Being a Takashi Miike fan takes you down some strange roads. Whether it is the extreme Ichi the Killer and Visitor Q, or the fun Crow Zero movies there is always something a little off about all of his movies. One of the strangest to come from him has to be The Happiness of the Katakuris, a musical about happiness, family and death which is out now from Arrow Video…
When the Katakuri family build a bed and breakfast in the country, they do so on the promise of a new road being built close to it to provide them with plenty of customers. When the road doesn’t appear though they start to wonder if they are cursed to fail.
Being a Takashi Miike fan takes you down some strange roads. Whether it is the extreme Ichi the Killer and Visitor Q, or the fun Crow Zero movies there is always something a little off about all of his movies. One of the strangest to come from him has to be The Happiness of the Katakuris, a musical about happiness, family and death which is out now from Arrow Video…
When the Katakuri family build a bed and breakfast in the country, they do so on the promise of a new road being built close to it to provide them with plenty of customers. When the road doesn’t appear though they start to wonder if they are cursed to fail.
- 6/22/2015
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
What did you miss in costume design this week? Well…
Doctor Who
John Hurt’s character identity revealed by costume designer Howard Burden? Oh dear.
The Sound of Music
Bid on the second most famous pinafore in Hollywood history.
A Field in England
Get the big buckle, big boots, big everything look by Emma Fryer.
Pacific Rim
Kate Hawley on tackling ‘hard sci-fi’.
Bonhams
Lot 1793, Tetsuro Tanba’s traditional Japanese costume for You Only Live Twice (1967) and others went under the hammer this week at Bonhams.
The Lone Ranger
Unsurprisingly, Johnny Depp was very involved with his costume.
…and there are Lone Ranger ‘leather goods’ if you fancy them, too.
Star Wars
Early costume tests for Boba Fett. Try to keep a straight face.
Colleen Atwood
Luddite.
© 2013, Chris Laverty.
Doctor Who
John Hurt’s character identity revealed by costume designer Howard Burden? Oh dear.
The Sound of Music
Bid on the second most famous pinafore in Hollywood history.
A Field in England
Get the big buckle, big boots, big everything look by Emma Fryer.
Pacific Rim
Kate Hawley on tackling ‘hard sci-fi’.
Bonhams
Lot 1793, Tetsuro Tanba’s traditional Japanese costume for You Only Live Twice (1967) and others went under the hammer this week at Bonhams.
The Lone Ranger
Unsurprisingly, Johnny Depp was very involved with his costume.
…and there are Lone Ranger ‘leather goods’ if you fancy them, too.
Star Wars
Early costume tests for Boba Fett. Try to keep a straight face.
Colleen Atwood
Luddite.
© 2013, Chris Laverty.
- 7/6/2013
- by Chris Laverty
- Clothes on Film
James Bond 007 Declassified File #5: "You Only Live Twice" This series will trace the cinema history of James Bond, while also examining Ian Fleming's original novels as source material and examining how faithful (or not) the films have been to his work. Directed by Lewis Gilbert Screenplay by Roald Dahl Produced by Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli Characters / Cast James Bond / Sean Connery Ernst Stavro Blofeld / Donald Pleasance Aki / Akiko Wakabayashi Kissy Suzuki / Mie Hama Tiger Tanaka / Tetsuro Tanba Mr. Osato / Teru Shimada Helga Brandt / Karin Dor "M" / Bernard Lee "Q" /...
- 6/4/2012
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Hideo Gosha’s Three Outlaw Samurai started as a television serial before Gosha took his chance as a filmmaker and adapted his show into a prequel of sorts. The film features Tetsuro Tanba, Isamu Nagato, and Mikijiro Hira reprising their roles from the show as three samurai who band together. The film reveals their motives for doing so and casts them in varying degrees along the scale of traditional heroism. Tanba, as the story’s main character, is quick to identify the social issue that has led a group of desperate farmers to rebel against the local lord, whereas his two counterparts need a bit more persuading. All of this occurs on land controlled by a dishonest bureaucrat whom, without really thinking of whether what the farmers has done is right or wrong, does whatever he must to rid himself of the problem and revert the matter to the status quo.
- 3/12/2012
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
Chicago – Hideo Gosha’s spectacularly entertaining 1964 feature directorial debut, “Three Outlaw Samurai,” is a samurai film for moviegoers who aren’t necessarily fans of the samurai genre. At a running time of 93 minutes, the picture is briskly paced and packed with suspenseful set-pieces, while centering its narrative on a partnership between three men who could easily be dubbed, “Good,” “Bad” and “Ugly.”
Though the film essentially functions as a prequel to Gosha’s Japanese television show of the same name, moviegoers won’t need any familiarity with the material to get immediately caught up in the action. Tadashi Sakai’s in-your-face cinematography often slants to a diagonal angle while closing in on the agonized faces of foes as they fight to the death. When the sword meets flesh, Gosha doesn’t spare the audience of the blood that follows.
Blu-ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Tetsurô Tamba, a veteran actor memorably featured in Masaki Kobayashi’s classic,...
Though the film essentially functions as a prequel to Gosha’s Japanese television show of the same name, moviegoers won’t need any familiarity with the material to get immediately caught up in the action. Tadashi Sakai’s in-your-face cinematography often slants to a diagonal angle while closing in on the agonized faces of foes as they fight to the death. When the sword meets flesh, Gosha doesn’t spare the audience of the blood that follows.
Blu-ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Tetsurô Tamba, a veteran actor memorably featured in Masaki Kobayashi’s classic,...
- 2/28/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
DVD Playhouse—February 2012
By Allen Gardner
To Kill A Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Robert Mulligan’s film of Harper Lee’s landmark novel pits a liberal-minded lawyer (Gregory Peck) against a small Southern town’s racism when defending a black man (Brock Peters) on trumped-up rape charges. One of the 1960s’ first landmark films, a truly stirring human drama that hits all the right notes and isn’t dated a bit. Robert Duvall makes his screen debut (sans dialogue) as the enigmatic Boo Radley. DVD and Blu-ray double edition. Bonuses: Two feature-length documentaries: Fearful Symmetry and A Conversation with Gregory Peck; Featurettes; Excerpts and film clips from Gregory Peck’s Oscar acceptance speech and AFI Lifetime Achievement Award; Commentary by Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 2.0 mono.
Outrage: Way Of The Yakuza (Magnolia) After a brief hiatus from his signature oeuvre of Japanese gangster flicks,...
By Allen Gardner
To Kill A Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Robert Mulligan’s film of Harper Lee’s landmark novel pits a liberal-minded lawyer (Gregory Peck) against a small Southern town’s racism when defending a black man (Brock Peters) on trumped-up rape charges. One of the 1960s’ first landmark films, a truly stirring human drama that hits all the right notes and isn’t dated a bit. Robert Duvall makes his screen debut (sans dialogue) as the enigmatic Boo Radley. DVD and Blu-ray double edition. Bonuses: Two feature-length documentaries: Fearful Symmetry and A Conversation with Gregory Peck; Featurettes; Excerpts and film clips from Gregory Peck’s Oscar acceptance speech and AFI Lifetime Achievement Award; Commentary by Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 2.0 mono.
Outrage: Way Of The Yakuza (Magnolia) After a brief hiatus from his signature oeuvre of Japanese gangster flicks,...
- 2/26/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Three Outlaw Samurai Directed by Hideo Gosha Written by Kelichi Abe, Eizaburo Shiba, and Hideo Gosha Starring Tetsuro Tamba, Isamu Nagato, Mikijiro Hira, and Mikyuki Kuwano Hideo Gosha's 'Three Outlaw Samurai' is a competently told samurai story that never really reaches levels of brilliance, but manages to remain consistently intriguing and entertaining. Three samurais become caught up in a microscopic class-war uprising that plays out as part siege film and part revenge film. The film begins as a group of peasant men take the magistrate's daughter hostage in an attempt to force a change in the treatment of local farmers. One of the men has written A wandering Ronin named Sakon Shiba (Tetsuro Tamba) happens upon the disturbance and decides to bunk within the hut of the peasants, curious to see what transpires. The magistrate hires his own samurai to resolve the issue, only to find one of the two,...
- 2/12/2012
- by Jay C.
- FilmJunk
All Men Are Brothers
Directed by Chang Cheh
Written by Chang Cheh and Kuang Ni
Hong Kong, 1975
In 1972, The Water Margin exploded onto the Hong Kong cinema scene, courtesy of acclaimed director Chang Cheh, an eclectic cast and impressive production values that clearly upped the ante in comparison to most Shaw films which came before it in terms of scope. The movie was blessed with a sense of grandeur that took one’s breath away. Despite all the conceited efforts invested into producing a true epic, the film’s plot suffered terribly from a serious lack of momentum and stakes. 3 years later, the same director and screenwriters returned, as did much of Water’s cast, to conclude the tale of the Liang Shan outlaw gang in All Men Are Brothers, as they fight for the side of good in a tale of espionage and unabashedly gruesome combat.
All Men Are Brothers...
Directed by Chang Cheh
Written by Chang Cheh and Kuang Ni
Hong Kong, 1975
In 1972, The Water Margin exploded onto the Hong Kong cinema scene, courtesy of acclaimed director Chang Cheh, an eclectic cast and impressive production values that clearly upped the ante in comparison to most Shaw films which came before it in terms of scope. The movie was blessed with a sense of grandeur that took one’s breath away. Despite all the conceited efforts invested into producing a true epic, the film’s plot suffered terribly from a serious lack of momentum and stakes. 3 years later, the same director and screenwriters returned, as did much of Water’s cast, to conclude the tale of the Liang Shan outlaw gang in All Men Are Brothers, as they fight for the side of good in a tale of espionage and unabashedly gruesome combat.
All Men Are Brothers...
- 1/28/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
To mark the 50th Anniversary of one of the most successful movie franchises of all time and as James Bond prepares for his 23rd official outing in Skyfall later this year, I have been tasked with taking a retrospective look at the films that turned author Ian Fleming’s creation into one of the most recognised and iconic characters in film history.
After the phenomenal box-office success of Thunderball in 1965 the Bond series producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman were left looking for an out of this world adventure for Bond’s fifth outing, You Only Live Twice. When Richard Maibaum the screenwriter of all the previous films became unavailable the producers hired popular short story and children’s writer Roald Dahl to pen the screenplay. Dahl had been a close friend of Fleming but described the original novel as “Fleming’s worst book”. Taking only a handful of ideas from the story,...
After the phenomenal box-office success of Thunderball in 1965 the Bond series producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman were left looking for an out of this world adventure for Bond’s fifth outing, You Only Live Twice. When Richard Maibaum the screenwriter of all the previous films became unavailable the producers hired popular short story and children’s writer Roald Dahl to pen the screenplay. Dahl had been a close friend of Fleming but described the original novel as “Fleming’s worst book”. Taking only a handful of ideas from the story,...
- 1/15/2012
- by Chris Wright
- Obsessed with Film
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Feb. 14, 2012
Price: DVD $19.99, Blu-ray $29.99
Studio: Criterion
Swords slash in the Japanese action-drama Three Outlaw Samurai.
Three Outlaw Samurai, the first film by legendary Japanese filmmaker Hideo Gosha (Sword of the Beast) is among the most canonized chambara (sword-fighting) films.
An origin-story offshoot of a Japanese television series phenomenon of the same name, the 1964 action-drama movie tells of a wandering, seen-it-all ronin (Tetsuro Tamba) who becomes entangled in the dangerous business of two other samurai (Isamu Nagato and Mikijiro Hira) who’ve been hired to execute a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of a corrupt magistrate.
A tight story filled out with well-mounted action sequences, this classic revenge tale is presented in Japanese with English subtitles.
The Criterion Blu-ray and DVD doesn’t have a heap of special features like most of the supplier’s releases, but the movie did get a high-definition digital...
Price: DVD $19.99, Blu-ray $29.99
Studio: Criterion
Swords slash in the Japanese action-drama Three Outlaw Samurai.
Three Outlaw Samurai, the first film by legendary Japanese filmmaker Hideo Gosha (Sword of the Beast) is among the most canonized chambara (sword-fighting) films.
An origin-story offshoot of a Japanese television series phenomenon of the same name, the 1964 action-drama movie tells of a wandering, seen-it-all ronin (Tetsuro Tamba) who becomes entangled in the dangerous business of two other samurai (Isamu Nagato and Mikijiro Hira) who’ve been hired to execute a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of a corrupt magistrate.
A tight story filled out with well-mounted action sequences, this classic revenge tale is presented in Japanese with English subtitles.
The Criterion Blu-ray and DVD doesn’t have a heap of special features like most of the supplier’s releases, but the movie did get a high-definition digital...
- 11/29/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Netflix has revolutionized the home viewing market for movies with their instant streaming service. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about films of all genres worth holding a spot on your instant viewing queue. (Release dates are subject to change.)
007 Heaven…
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Streaming Available: 09/01/2011
Synopsis: When he discovers that his evil nemesis, Blofeld (Charles Gray), is stockpiling the world’s supply of diamonds to use in a deadly laser satellite, secret agent James Bond (Sean Connery) sets out to stop the madman, with the help of beautiful smuggler Tiffany Case (Jill St. John). Connery’s final turn as Bond (until 1983′s unofficial outing, Never Say Never Again) boasts the gadgets, gunplay and girls that symbolize the heyday of the 007 series.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.8
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Streaming Available: 09/01/2011
Synopsis: In the 12th film in the series based on Ian Fleming’s short stories, British...
007 Heaven…
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Streaming Available: 09/01/2011
Synopsis: When he discovers that his evil nemesis, Blofeld (Charles Gray), is stockpiling the world’s supply of diamonds to use in a deadly laser satellite, secret agent James Bond (Sean Connery) sets out to stop the madman, with the help of beautiful smuggler Tiffany Case (Jill St. John). Connery’s final turn as Bond (until 1983′s unofficial outing, Never Say Never Again) boasts the gadgets, gunplay and girls that symbolize the heyday of the 007 series.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.8
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Streaming Available: 09/01/2011
Synopsis: In the 12th film in the series based on Ian Fleming’s short stories, British...
- 9/1/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Japanese actor Tetsuro, 84, dies
TOKYO -- Tamba Tetsuro, veteran of more than 300 films but best known outside Japan for his portrayal of Tiger Tanaka in the 1967 James Bond picture You Only Live Twice, has died in Tokyo. He was 84. Tamba made his big screen debut in Murder Suspect in 1952 but is best known at home for 1974's The Castle of Sand and The Human Revolution, which debuted in 1973. An accomplished character actor, Tamba specialized in hard-nosed police detectives and similarly tough underworld bosses.
- 9/26/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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.