Local Movie Reviews

Once upon a time I used to review just about everything that came down the pike -- the good, the bad and the stupid. Now I've narrowed the focus a bit and try to review movies that reflect my interests a little more closely, with the occasional left-field item thrown in for fun.

You can browse an alphabetical or chronological archive of this category.

If you're curious about the order in which entries were added (for instance, to catch up with older articles only now being migrated in), you can browse by article order.

Total entries in this category: 413

Helldriver [2012/02/08]
United Red Army [2012/02/05]
Sucker Punch [2011/09/02]
Goemon [2011/07/04]
Tetsuo: The Bulletman [2011/07/01]
Technotise (Edit I Ja) [Edit and I] [2011/04/24]
Ong Bak 3 [2011/03/11]
Enter the Void [2011/02/06]
Burning Paradise [2011/01/15]
Smithereens [2011/01/12]
Absolute Beginners [2011/01/11]
A Woman Called Sada Abe [2011/01/13]
Sada [2011/01/10]
Sukeban Deka 2: Counter-Attack of the Kazama Sisters [2011/01/09]
Confucius [2010/11/27]
The Last Princess (The Hidden Fortress (2009)) [2010/11/24]
Centurion [2010/11/20]
Sakuran [2010/09/28]
Shutter Island [2010/09/21]
Suicide Manual [2010/09/09]
Yatterman [2010/09/01]
Pleasures of the Flesh [2010/08/29]
Space Is The Place [2010/08/28]
Dead End Run [2006/10/10]
Children of Men [2007/05/05]
MW [2010/08/26]
Barking Dogs Never Bite [2010/08/26]
Chihwaseon [2004/02/02]
Chaos (Kaosu) [2002/08/08]
Cat Soup [2005/06/06]
Burst City [2006/06/06]
Bullet Ballet [2003/03/03]
The Brotherhood of the Wolf [2002/10/10]
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia [2004/12/12]
Brimstone & Treacle [2003/09/09]
Breaking News [2006/02/02]
Russian Ark [2003/09/15]
Blues Harp [2005/03/03]
Blue Spring [2004/06/06]
Battlefield Baseball [2005/09/04]
Battle Royale II: Requiem [2004/05/04]
Battle Royale [2004/04/04]
Besos de Gato (Cat Kisses) [2010/08/21]
Better Luck Tomorrow [2004/08/03]
Birdy the Mighty [2006/05/05]
Immortal (ad vitam) [2005/06/06]
Initial D [2005/10/10]
Max Headroom [2010/08/11]
Ichi the Killer (Koroshiya ichi) [2002/10/10]
Mother [2010/07/24]
Tsubaki Sanjuro (2008) [2010/07/24]
Taro the Dragon Boy [2006/01/01]
Kantoku Banzai (Glory to the Filmmaker) [2010/06/28]
Freesia [2010/06/06]
Queen's Blade [2010/06/03]
Yakuza: Like A Dragon [2010/06/01]
K-20: Fiend With Twenty Faces [2010/05/29]
Mysterious Object at Noon [2003/02/16]
Heaven's Door [2010/05/22]
Ponyo [2010/05/12]
Long Dream [2010/05/10]
Cutey Honey (2004) [2006/01/01]
Samurai Chicks [2010/04/30]
Ninja Assassin [2010/04/28]
High Kick Girl! [2010/04/28]
Stormy Night (Arashi no yoru ni) [2010/04/26]
Battle Heater [2010/04/25]
Sorcerer (1977) [2010/04/12]
Tebana Sankichi: Snot Rocket and Super Detective [2010/04/12]
Big Man Japan [2010/04/08]
Battle Girl: Living Dead In Tokyo Bay [2010/04/08]
Thirst [2010/04/06]
Astro-Boy (2009) [2010/04/03]
The Hurt Locker [2010/03/31]
The Rebirth [2010/03/24]
Black Kiss [2010/03/21]
Moon Child [2010/03/14]
Black House (Korea) [2010/03/12]
Rebels of the Neon God [2003/04/01]
The Pornographers [2004/03/14]
Hundred Stories (Kousetsu Hyaku Monogatari: Kowai) [2010/02/24]
Black Dynamite [2010/02/22]
Vengeance Is Mine [2003/06/09]
The Face of Another [2010/02/18]
Doubles [2010/02/14]
Onimasa [2010/02/13]
if.... [2007/08/08]
A Snake of June [2004/08/28]
Dead Leaves [2004/10/04]
Gozu [2004/11/28]
Hiruko The Goblin [2004/12/12]
Dune (1984) [2004/01/01]
Ong Bak 2 [2010/02/04]
Pink Floyd The Wall [2003/09/12]
Divide [2010/01/31]
Departures [2010/01/30]
Cromartie High: The Movie [2006/08/08]
Cromartie High School [2006/07/07]
Lost By Dead [2010/01/22]
Cowboy Bebop [2006/09/09]
Ōoku (The Inner Chambers) [2010/01/15]
SPL (Sha Po Lang) (Kill Zone) [2006/07/07]
The Young Murderer (Seishun no satsujin sha) [2010/01/12]
District 9 [2010/01/01]
Giant Robo [2006/02/02]
Princess [2009/12/28]
Shall We Dance? [2005/02/05]
Seven Swords [2005/11/12]
Sengoku Jietai (G.I. Samurai / Time Slip) [2005/02/02]
Scrap Heaven [2007/10/12]
Sayonara Jupiter [2009/12/13]
Save the Green Planet! [2003/10/10]
Samaria [2005/05/05]
Sakuya Yokaidan [2002/07/07]
Running on Karma [2006/07/07]
Rubber's Lover [2005/01/03]
Rock & Rule [2005/06/06]
Resurrection of the Little Match Girl [2003/07/07]
Record of Lodoss War [2005/12/12]
Real Fiction [2005/06/06]
Ratcatcher [2006/03/03]
Geroppa! (Get Up!) [2004/11/11]
Paranoia Agent [2005/09/09]
Pan's Labyrinth [2007/07/07]
Another Lonely Hitman [2005/07/08]
Onibi: The Fire Within [2005/07/07]
On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate [2005/07/07]
Oasis [2005/04/04]
Ninja Wars (Iga ninpoucho) [2005/02/02]
Ninja Scroll: The Series [2004/07/07]
Ninja Resurrection [2006/12/12]
New Police Story [2005/02/02]
Neo-Tokyo [2005/10/10]
Neji-shiki (Screwed) [2006/10/10]
Neighbor #13 [2006/08/08]
Natural City [2004/04/04]
Morvern Callar [2006/01/01]
Mikadroid: Robokill Beneath Discoclub Layla [2006/11/11]
Moon over Tao [2007/04/04]
Memories of Murder [2006/02/02]
Memories [2009/12/12]
Manji [2006/12/12]
Zoo [2009/11/27]
The Astonishing Work of Tezuka Osamu [2009/11/27]
Crazy Lips [2009/11/25]
Samurai Princess [2009/11/12]
Harmagedon (Genma Taisen) [2007/02/02]
The Black House [2009/11/05]
Sword of the Stranger [2009/11/03]
X-Cross [2009/11/02]
Blood: The Last Vampire (2009) [2009/10/27]
Jungle Emperor Leo [2009/10/23]
Makai Tenshō (2003) (Samurai Resurrection) [2009/10/23]
The Most Terrible Time In My Life [2009/10/23]
At kende sandheden (Facing The Truth) [2004/08/08]
Blood: The Last Vampire (2001) [2006/09/09]
Le samouraï [2003/10/20]
The World Sinks Except Japan [2009/10/14]
Crows Zero [2009/10/09]
Monster X: Attack the G8 Summit [2009/10/07]
Toward the Terra (1980) [2009/10/02]
Blade of the Immortal [2009/10/02]
The Midnight Meat Train [2009/09/30]
The Rug Cop [2009/09/29]
Unlucky Monkey [2009/09/29]
Onéchambara: Bikini Samurai Squad [2009/09/24]
Samurai School: Be A Man! [2009/09/23]
Empire of Passion [2009/09/20]
Executive Koala [2009/09/20]
Space Travelers [2009/09/15]
Caché (Hidden) [2006/09/09]
Killing Machine [2009/09/14]
Onmyōji [2003/08/21]
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence [2009/09/12]
Yo-Yo Girl Cop (Sukeban Deka) [2009/09/12]
I Am an S&M Writer [2009/09/01]
Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea [2009/08/30]
Love Song For Rapper [2005/06/06]
Living Hell [2004/09/09]
Limbo [2007/04/04]
Ley Lines [2004/08/08]
Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis [2004/02/02]
Lethal Force [2006/11/11]
Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural [2004/10/10]
Legend [2002/05/05]
Le Portrait de Petite Cossette [2006/01/02]
Layer Cake [2005/09/09]
Last Quarter [2007/02/02]
Lady Vengeance (Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) [2006/01/01]
Kinamand (Chinaman) [2007/07/07]
Ki-Rei? Terror of Beauty [2006/08/08]
Kaze no Yojimbo [2006/03/03]
Karas: The Prophecy [2006/11/11]
Kamikaze Girls [2006/02/02]
Junkers Come Here [2004/09/09]
Junk [2004/09/09]
JSA (Joint Security Area) [2002/08/08]
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade [2002/04/04]
Jigoku (Hell) [2006/06/06]
Izo [2005/10/10]
Irreversible [2003/08/08]
Chameleon Street [2009/08/02]
Kikujiro [2001/12/02]
The Hunted [2001/12/29]
Away With Words (Kujaku) (San tiao ren) [2009/07/31]
Owls' Castle [2003/08/04]
Maborosi [2003/12/27]
Haibane Renmei [2004/07/07]
Brothers (Brødre) [2006/08/08]
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A [2009/07/13]
Tokyo Decadence [2009/07/13]
Party 7 [2004/08/08]
Performance [2007/05/05]
Pom Poko [2005/10/10]
Pretty Poison [2005/10/10]
Primer [2005/05/05]
Rainbow Kids [2007/02/02]
Rashōmon [2002/03/03]
Tenjho Tenge [2006/03/03]
Tetsujin 28 [2006/07/07]
The Accidental Tourist [2007/10/10]
The Adventures of Robin Hood [2003/10/10]
The Animatrix [2003/06/06]
The Apple [2004/08/08]
The Bad Sleep Well [2006/01/01]
The Big Lebowski [2003/11/11]
The Black Cauldron [2004/09/09]
The Bow [2006/05/05]
The Brother From Another Planet [2006/02/02]
The Cat Returns [2005/02/02]
The Constant Gardener [2006/04/04]
The Edukators [2007/04/04]
The Eye [2003/06/06]
The Punisher [2004/09/09]
The Coast Guard [2006/03/03]
The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On [2007/06/06]
The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai [2007/05/05]
The Last King of Scotland [2007/06/06]
The Last Unicorn [2006/06/06]
The President's Last Bang [2006/04/04]
The Woods [2007/10/10]
Time of the Wolf (Le Temps du Loup) [2006/06/06]
To-ri [2005/11/11]
Maiko haaaan!!! [2009/07/04]
Secret Garden (Himitsu no Hanazono) [2006/07/07]
Kaidan [2009/07/03]
Tokyo Godfathers [2004/04/04]
Tokyo Rampage [2009/06/29]
Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis [2005/02/02]
Tony Takitani [2006/02/02]
Train Man (Densha Otoko) [2007/05/05]
Trinity Blood [2006/11/11]
Twenty-Four Hour Party People [2005/05/05]
UltraViolet [2006/09/09]
The Eel [2002/11/11]
Uzumaki [2003/05/05]
Young Thugs: Nostalgia [2004/10/10]
Kao (Face) [2009/06/29]
Samurai Champloo [2006/04/04]
Kairo (Pulse) (Signal) [2009/06/21]
Bright Future [2009/06/21]
Charisma [2009/06/21]
Doppelganger [2009/06/21]
Retribution [2009/06/21]
Cure [2009/06/21]
Eraserhead [2009/06/19]
Azumi [2004/08/09]
Sway (Yureru) [2009/06/01]
SARS Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis [2006/08/16]
Tokyo Zombie [2009/05/30]
Late Bloomer (Osoi Hito) [2009/05/29]
Geisha Vs. Ninjas / Geisha Assassin [2009/05/28]
Portrait of Hell [2006/04/04]
In the Realm of the Senses [2009/05/17]
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GiG [2009/05/15]
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex [2009/05/15]
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence [2005/03/06]
Blind Beast Vs. Killer Dwarf [2007/01/29]
Shadowless Sword [2006/08/08]
Bashing [2009/03/27]
Ong-Bak [2004/02/22]
Eijanaika [2006/05/05]
Angel's Egg (Tenshi no Tamago) [2004/07/07]
Angel Dust (Enjeru Dasuto) [2003/01/01]
All About Lily Chou-Chou [2003/08/08]
Alive [2004/11/11]
Onmyōji II [2004/11/11]
Nobody Knows [2005/09/09]
Twilight Samurai [2003/12/12]
White Dog [2009/01/22]
Sukiyaki Western Django [2009/01/19]
Tokyo Gore Police [2009/01/14]
Carnival in the Night [2009/01/12]
Gegege no Kitaro [2009/01/04]
The Great Yokai War [2006/12/12]
The Isle [2003/05/05]
The Nest (Nid de guêpes) [2004/12/11]
The Red Spectacles [2007/02/02]
The Samurai Trilogy [2006/04/04]
Three-Iron (3-Iron) (Binjip) [2005/06/06]
Throw Away Your Books, Let's Go Out into the Streets [2004/04/04]
Time [2007/11/11]
Alien³ [2004/11/11]
Akira [2002/03/03]
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul [2003/07/07]
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams [2003/03/03]
Funeral Procession of Roses (Bara no Soretsu) [2004/03/03]
Nightmare Detective [2008/12/24]
Adrenaline Drive [2003/05/05]
Address Unknown [2006/05/05]
About Schmidt [2005/03/03]
A Tree of Palme [2005/08/07]
A Time to Live and A Time to Die [2006/01/01]
9 Souls [2005/01/01]
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children [2006/04/04]
Blade Runner [2008/12/13]
28 Days Later [2003/10/10]
Death Trance [2008/11/10]
Kaidohmaru [2007/03/03]
Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society [2007/09/11]
Grass Labyrinth [2007/04/16]
Dora-heita [2007/05/05]
DOA: Dead or Alive [2007/11/11]
Ashura [2007/06/06]
The Happiness of the Katakuris [2008/10/30]
Sukeban Boy [2008/10/11]
Horrors of Malformed Men [2008/10/04]
The Man Who Stole The Sun [2002/07/07]
Doomsday [2008/09/13]
Pyrokinesis (Cross Fire) [2008/09/13]
Karaoke Terror [2008/09/12]
Aimless Bullet (Stray Bullet) (Obaltan) [2006/03/03]
Rampo Noir (Rampo Jigoku) [2006/11/11]
Umberto D. [2006/03/03]
United 93 [2006/10/10]
Batman Begins [2005/10/10]
Salò: or the 120 Days of Sodom [2002/03/06]
V for Vendetta [2006/09/09]
Versus [2002/09/09]
Vibrator [2006/10/10]
Vidocq [2003/04/04]
Vital [2006/01/01]
War in Space [2006/05/05]
We're Going to Eat You [2004/09/09]
Whasango (Volcano High) [2002/08/08]
When the Last Sword is Drawn (Mibu Gishi Den) [2004/12/10]
Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? [2006/12/12]
Wild Zero [2003/10/10]
Witch Hunter Robin [2004/08/08]
Woman is the Future of Man [2005/08/08]
Mind Game [2005/07/07]
Wonder Boys [2005/10/10]
Wonderful Days [2003/09/09]
Yaji and Kita: The Midnight Pilgrims [2007/01/01]
Yamakasi [2006/02/02]
Yesterday [2004/04/04]
Yojimbo [2004/12/12]
Zatōichi [2004/03/03]
The Fountain [2007/10/10]
Machine Girl [2008/07/03]
Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters [2001/09/02]
The Host [2007/08/08]
Shinobi: Heart Under Blade [2006/11/11]
Violent Cop [2008/06/12]
Baian the Assassin [2007/03/03]
A Bittersweet Life [2005/12/21]
Sunshine [2008/01/19]
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance [2003/02/22]
Goyokin [2006/04/04]
Otogi-Zoshi [2006/11/11]
Spirited Away [2002/12/10]
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust [2007/01/01]
Dogura Magura [2004/04/02]
Oldboy [2004/05/05]
Naked [2005/04/04]
Satomi Hakkenden [2003/08/08]
Makai Tenshō (Samurai Reincarnation) (1981) [2004/07/07]
Gohatto (Taboo) [2000/12/12]
Take Care of My Cat [2003/09/09]
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs [2007/03/03]
Avalon [2002/11/27]
Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-hime) [2001/08/14]
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind [2005/03/16]
Alien [2004/01/20]
Castle in the Sky [2003/05/07]
Casshern [2004/11/14]
Casino Royale [2007/03/22]
Berserk [2005/12/03]
Koyaanisqatsi [2002/09/23]
Kiki's Delivery Service [2003/04/04]
Ran (Criterion Remaster) [2003/03/03]
Sword of Doom [2005/03/02]
The Mystery of Rampo [2007/09/09]
The Sea Is Watching [2004/12/12]
Kwaidan [2003/06/06]
Kill! [2005/10/10]
Kagemusha [2005/04/04]
Gemini [2000/11/11]
Red Lion [2005/09/09]
Rōnin-gai (Street of Samurai) [2005/07/07]
Samurai Assassin [2005/06/06]
Samurai Banners [2005/07/07]
Samurai Rebellion [2005/11/11]
Shogun's Samurai: The Yagyū Clan Conspiracy [2004/08/08]
Sword of the Beast [2005/11/11]
Swords of Vengeance [2005/08/08]
The Hidden Blade [2006/09/09]
Harakiri (Seppuku) [2006/01/01]
Sansho the Bailiff [2007/06/06]
Ugetsu [2005/11/11]
Gojoe (Gojoe reisen-ki / Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle) [2002/01/01]
Zipang [2002/02/02]

Previous entries in this category:
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