"Actor: Makoto Ashikawa"

• Hana-Bi | DVD | (19/02/2001) from £13.59   |  Saving you £6.40 (47.09%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The ideal starter movie for those who wish to familiarise themselves with the work of the paradoxical Japanese auteur, Hana-Bi (the word means "fireworks" in Japanese) is an echt example of "Beat"'s Takeshi Kitano's distinctive brand of existential crime thrillers. Like Violent Cop, Boiling Point, Sonatine or his LA-set Brother, Hana-Bi juxtaposes shocking bursts of violence with reflective moments of lyricism, setting up a slap-caress-slap rhythm that's as disquieting as it is addictive. Kitano himself plays weary Tokyo cop Nishi, an impassive-faced detective in hock to yakuza mobsters, toughened by a career in violence (at one point he takes out an attacker's eye with a chopstick, an assault so swiftly edited one barely has time to register it). Nishi's Achilles-heel is his love for his wife Miyuki (Kayoko Kishimoto) who is dying of cancer, following their late daughter to the grave. When Nishi leaves a stakeout to attend to her in hospital, a colleague, Horibe (Ren Osugi) is paralysed in the ensuing shootout. Nishi, guilt-stricken, goes on the run with Miyuki, taking her to beauty spots to enjoy simple pleasures like kite-flying and picnics before she dies, although the yakuza are never far behind. Meanwhile, Horibe takes up painting, and discovers in the process a calming new vocation (the na&239;ve, disturbing and strangely beautiful images are by Kitano himself, painted after he had his own near-fatal experience in a motorcycle accident). The cumulative effect is a profoundly moving and enigmatic movie, one that discreetly withholds many of the narrative crutches--backstory, motivation--you would expect from a conventional Hollywood movie with the same story. It's not surprising Kitano is so drawn to characters teeming with contradictions, given that his own career seems so bi-polar on paper: he started out a television presenting clown, and his move into glowering policiers represented an image volte-face as surprising to Japanese audiences as it would be if Dale Winton had started making Scorsese-style gangster movies. His comic sensibility shines through in spots in Hana-Bi, even more so in the broad comedy Kikujiro. Considered by many critics Kitano's best film, Hana-Bi^'s power is augmented by Hideo Yamamoto's lapidary cinematography, and Jo Hisaishi's lush, string-laden score. --Leslie Felperin

• Violent Cop | DVD | (27/12/2001) from £9.94   |  Saving you £0.05 (0.50%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Violent Cop ("Sono otoko kyobo ni tsuki") is the first film directed by Takeshi "Beat" Kitano, the Japanese star who began as a stand-up comedian on television. It's a Dirty Harry-type tale of a cop whose overly muscular methods are disapproved of by his superiors. When his partner is killed by the local Mr Big, Azuma (Kitano) goes into action, along with a new sidekick he initiates into the ways of the world. Dismissed from the force, Azuma carries on his one-man campaign, despite his sister's being forcibly drugged and raped by the gang. The violence is graphic, but what's most engaging about the film is Kitano's acting. He's an unlikely hero with his bow-legged walk and the face of a punch-drunk boxer, but his low-key style, a counterpart to the explosive violence, is always cool and it's easy to see why he's such a cult figure.--Ed Buscombe

• Ju-on: The Grudge Collection | Blu Ray | (12/12/2022) from £115.26   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Ju-On: the name given to a deadly curse spawned when someone dies in the grip of a violent rage. All who come into contact with it are doomed... Collected together for the first time, writer-director Takashi Shimizu's Ju-On: The Grudge series represents the flesh-crawling pinnacle of Japanese chillers that swept the globe at the turn of the millennium. The films introduce the anonymous family house in the suburbs of Tokyo where an unspeakable evil lingers alongside its residents, the ghastly mother-son pairing of Kayoko and Toshio Saeki. Shimizu's disconcerting approach to plotting, unnerving eye for the uncanny details in the dark corners of the frame and an innate talent for effective jump scares so impressed Evil Dead director Sam Raimi that he invited the director to helm two Hollywood remakes. The quintessential J-horror series make its Blu-ray debut with a brand new 4K restoration of Ju-On: The Grudge and a wealth of new and archival extras, including Shimizu's two The Curse straight-to-video precursors (previously unreleased outside Japan) and the White Ghost/Black Ghost diptych of tales unfolding within the same terrifying universe. Product Features Brand new 4K restoration of Ju-On: The Grudge from the original camera negative by Arrow Films 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation of Ju-On: The Grudge in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all films Home video premiere outside Japan of Ju-On: The Curse and Ju-On: The Curse 2 Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (except The Curse and The Curse 2) and 2.0 stereo audio Optional English subtitles Exclusive 60-page collector's booklet featuring writing by Grady Hendrix, James Marsh, Tom Mes, William Carroll and Lindsay Nelson [Limited Edition Exclusive] Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Oink Creative Twenty-four double-sided, postcard-sized artcards [Limited Edition Exclusive] Reversible poster with new and original artwork [Limited Edition Exclusive] DISC 1 JU-ON: THE CURSE AND JU-ON: THE CURSE 2 (BLU-RAY) Introduction to both films by writer-director Takashi Shimizu Introduction to Ju-On: The Curse by actor Takako Fuji DISC 2 & 3 JU-ON: THE GRUDGE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY / BLU-RAY) Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films Introduction by writer-director Takashi Shimizu New audio commentary by film historian David Kalat Audio commentary by Sam Raimi and Scott Spiegel Alternate English dub track in 5.1 Surround Haunting in Monochrome, a new interview with Takashi Shimizu on the Ju-On films Being Kayako, a new interview with Takako Fuji on her role as Kayako The Evolution of Ju-On, a brand new featurette with authors and Japan specialists Tom Mes and Zack Davisson discussing the cultural forces that shaped the series Through a Glass Darkly, an archive interview with Takashi Shimizu Whispers in the Dark, an archive interview with actor Megumi Okina on her role as Rika Fade to Black, an archive interview with actress Kayoko Shibata, who plays Mariko On-set interviews with Takashi Shimizu, Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Misa Uehara and Yui Ichikawa Deleted scenes with commentary by Takashi Shimizu Almost an hour of behind-the-scenes footage Ju-On True Stories, two ghostly true-life tales that inspired the films, narrated by Hiroyoshi Kihara Original trailers Image gallery DISC 4 JU-ON: THE GRUDGE 2 (BLU-RAY) Introduction by writer-director Takashi Shimizu New audio commentary with scholar Raechel Dumas and critic Jasper Sharp Alternate English dub track in 5.1 Surround Interview with Takashi Shimizu from the time of making Ju-On: The Grudge 2 On-set interviews with Noriko Sakai, Chiharu Niiyama, Kei Horie, Yui Ichikawa, Emi Yamamoto and Shingo Katsurayama Deleted scenes 55 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage On-set reports by cast members Noriko Sakai, Yui Ichikawa and Erika Kuroishi Premieres and stage greetings footage from Japan, Taiwan and Korea Trailers and TV spots Image gallery DISC 5 JU-ON: WHITE GHOST AND JU-ON: BLACK GHOST (BLU-RAY) Introduction to Ju-On: Black Ghost by writer-director Mari Asato New interview with Mari Asato Original trailer Image galleries

• Takeshi Kitano Collection: Violent Cop, Boilingpoint, A Scene At The Sea, Sonatine, Getting Any?, Kids Return | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £68.83   |  Saving you £-18.84 (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Violent Cop: Japanese superstar Beat Takeshi Kitano makes his directorial debut in this critically acclaimed action film in which he also stars as Azuma an urban cop at the end of his rope. Not above using violent tactics in order to punish the lawless Azuma's daily routine involves a new partner and a mentally challenged sister. When his violent ways cause the death of a friend his short fuse comes dangerously close to reaching its' end... Boiling Point: When Masaki a gas station attendant and local baseball player incurs the wrath of the local yakuza the notorious Japanese criminal organization he heads to Okinawa to buy a gun so he can stand up for himself. While there he is joined in his quest for revenge by a former gangster (Kitano) who seemingly has his own reasons for revenge. Violence escalates until the mild-mannered Masaki takes an oil truck from his gas station and drives it straight into yakuza headquaters... A Scene At The Sea: Kitano relates a touching story about a deaf-mute garbage collector who takes a passion in surfing. His mute girlfriend accompanies him and even though he is hindered at every point he never lets this dampen his passion. The couple does not exchange a single word throughout the entire film Kitano embracing the power of silence and love that transcends words. Sonatine: Takeshi is Murakawa an established and ruthless Yakuza sent outside his usual turf to intervene in a gang war on the tropical island of Okinawa. Things go badly wrong and he and his gang get caught in the crossfire. Forced to retreat to a seaside hideaway they kill time and fool around on the beach but then their enemies start picking them off one by one. Murakawa decides to go on the offensive for a final and breathtaking showdown... Getting Any?: Middle-aged Asao's sole goal in life is to have sex but in order to achieve his dream he is thrown from one wacky situation to the next. From robbing banks to becoming invisible to transforming into a super-sized fly monster Asao will do anything to get any! Kids Return: Two old friends revisit their old schoolyard to remember the times they shared together at school before they left and found their own ways in life one as a boxer and one as part of a local gang. They have done well but revisiting their memories reminds them of their undisciplined ways.