Shogun Assassin: Lightning Swords of Death (1972) – DVD Review

Once again, Ogami and Daigoro are back on the road, and this time things are getting a bit more complicated. When we last left the father and son team they had defeated ‘The Masters of Death” and now a proposition has been made. What follows is another round of blood, swordfights, nudity and double-crossing that only a film in the Shogun Assassin series could bring. It rocks!

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Lady Snowblood: Love Song Of Vengeance (1974) – DVD Review

Love Song Of Vengeance, like most sequels, falls well short of it’s predecessor but unlike most is still a fairly entertaining movie. Dropping the vengeance theme for a political one and toning down a bit on the carnage (don’t worry, there is still plenty of blood spray and severed limbs) and adding historical political intrigue, Love Song tries to reach just a bit too far for it’s own good. The incredibly simple but effective story of the first works much better than the over reaching plot used here.

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Lady Snowblood (1973) – DVD Review

Lady Snowblood is one of those films people have heard about (simply due to its influence on Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill flicks), but many have not seen. It may be due to its foreign film stature (who wants to read subtitles anyway?) or the fact it’s just not very mainstream. Either way, you’d be missing out on one hell of a revenge flick that isn’t afraid to go into a darker place then most modern films dare.

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Vampire Princess Miyu: Volume 2 (1988) – DVD Review

Vampire Princess Miyu, or Kyûketsuki Miyu, is an interesting tale about well, a vampire. The movie broken up into four “episodes” over two DVDs, so we’ll be breaking up our review the same way. This interesting little anime has a nice twist on the vampire sub-genre and really plays more in drama than in horror (which is definitely not a bad thing). Director Toshihiro Hirano (Devil Lady) does an excellent job bringing a fresh look into the tired vampire genre. Note: This review is for the second two episodes in the series.

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Shogun Assassin (1980) – DVD Review

I’ve heard a lot about a little film called Shogun Assassin (and even some about the sequels in the series), but until now I hadn’t had a chance to give it a watch, and I’m kicking myself for not watching it sooner. If you want a straight-ahead samurai revenge flick with almost nonstop action, adventure and violence, then this may just be the flick you’ve been waiting for. Blood, sweat and a few boobs thrown in for good measure, Shogun Assassin may have been made way back in 1980, but it sure as hell looks great.

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Vampire Princess Miyu: Volume 1 (1988) – DVD Review

Vampire Princess Miyu, or Kyûketsuki Miyu, is an interesting tale about well, a vampire. The movie broken up into four “episodes” over two DVDs, so we’ll be breaking up our review the same way. This interesting little anime has a nice twist on the vampire sub-genre and really plays more in drama than in horror (which is definitely not a bad thing). Director Toshihiro Hirano (Devil Lady) does an excellent job bringing a fresh look into the tired vampire genre. Note: This review is for the first two episodes in the series.

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