Getting Any? / Minna yatteruka! / (1994)

Before he became known as Takeshi Kitano the movie director, Beat Takeshi was one of Japan's most popular comedians. Getting Any? is his only foray into screen comedy as a writer/director. As the title suggests,*  it is about sex, or more specifically the lengths to which a young man might go to get some. Asao …

Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis / Teito monogatari (1988)

An evil spirit called Kato appears and claims Tokyo has been built on sacred ground. He sets out to destroy it by waking the spirit of the 10th century warrior Masakado who can cause a great earthquake that will destroy the city. Kato is pitted first against the priest of the Tsuchimikado who have traditionally …

Blueprint for/of Murder / Ankokugai no dankon (1961)

Every studio tried to get in on the youth market of the late fifties/early sixties that was dominated by Nikkatsu's "borderless action" films. Blueprint for Murder is Toho's version, of more than casual interest because it was directed by Okamoto with an unusual number of visual jokes thrown in. Like so many others of the …