Yoshihiro Nishimura Movies
Twenty-six horror directors collaborate on an anthology film where each filmmaker directs a segment focusing on a death based on a letter in the alphabet. Among the directors involved are A Serbian Film's Srdjan Spasojevic, The House of the Devil's Ti West, and Black Death's Christopher Smith. Drafthouse Films and Timpson Films produce. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- 2011
In this live action sci-fi thriller from Japan, a secret agent named Yatuka Daimon inherits a powerful robotic soldier named Zaborgar from his father, a prominent scientist. Utilizing his new partner - who is packed with advanced weapons and can turn into a motorcycle - Yatuka goes head to head with the seedy crime organization that killed his father. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- 2010
A meek man is forced into the schemes of a murderer in this dark fusion of horror and comedy from director Sion Sono. Shamoto (Mitsuru Kukikoshi) is the nerdy proprietor of a store dealing in tropical fish. Shamoto's home life isn't especially happy -- his second wife, Taeko (Megumi Kagurazaka), has a sharp tongue and an eye for other men, while his teenage daughter, Mitsuko (Hikari Kajiwara), has little use for either of them. One night, Mitsuko is picked up for shoplifting at a supermarket, but another customer, Murata (Denden), unexpectedly steps in to help. Murata, who owns a much larger fish store, offers to give Mitsuko a job, and Shamoto is grateful for his help. However, before long Mitsuko is literally living in Murata's store, and Shamoto suspects his new friend is not as benevolent as he first thought -- a notion confirmed when Murata and his wife, Aiko (Asuka Kurosawa), trick Shamoto into cleaning up the scene of a murder they've just committed. Loosely inspired by a true story, Tsumetai Nettaigyo (aka Cold Fish) received its North American premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2010
Her beloved mother murdered by a vicious gang of assassins, young Yuki (2007 Best Buttocks Award-winner Akiyama) transforms herself into a gothic lolita killing machine, wielding a lethal umbrella that can blast, slice, and chop her enemies into oblivion. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rina Akiyama
When a toxic cloud turns the entire population of Northern Japan into hideous flesh eaters, a courageous schoolgirl ventures into forbidden territory on a mission to take down the dreaded Zombie Queen in this gruesome horror adventure from director Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police). In order to prevent the zombie plague from spreading into the southern region, the government has built a massive wall across the middle of the country. Meanwhile, the debate rages over whether the undead should be destroyed on sight, or safeguarded until a cure can be found. But if the Zombie Queen can be destroyed, the curse of the living dead will finally be broken. With an artificial heart that keeps on pumping and a chainsaw sword that never gets dull, heroic high school warrior Kika (Yumiko Hara) receives government orders to defeat the Zombie Queen and restore order to the island country. It won't be easy, but thanks to a small squadron of fearless outlaws by her side, Kika might just have what it takes to save humanity from a terrible fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yumiko Hara, Eihi Shiina, (more)
A teenage girl takes on the powers that be who have plans for her and her friends in this over-the-top sci-fi action yarn from the filmmaking team of Noboru Iguchi, Yoshihiro Nishimura and Tak Sakaguchi. Rin (Yumi Sugimoto) has always felt like an outcast among her classmates and peers, and as she's about to turn sixteen, she finds out why -- while her mother (Maiko Ito) is human, her dad (Kanji Tsuda) is a Hiruko, a race of mutant creatures whose bodies transform themselves in strange ways and can sprout weapons at will. Defense Minister Koshimizu (Naoto Takenaka) has launched a crusade to eliminate the Hirukos in the name of public safety, but Rin's father tells her of an underground Hiruko alliance who are fighting for their right to survive, and after the death of her parents, Rin makes her way to a training camp for young Hirukos. Rin, who now has long blades where her fingers used to be, teams up with fellow teenage warriors Rei (Yuko Takayama), Yoshie (Suzuka Morita), Sachie (Cay Izumi) and Chiako (Naoi Nagano), all of whom have unique bodily weapons of their own, as they set out to take down Koshimizu. Sento Shojo: Chi No Tekkamen Densetsu) (aka Mutant Girls Squad) received its North American premiere at the 2010 New York Asian Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
A beautiful woman is actually an instrument of violent revenge in this blood-spattered action story from Japan. In ancient Japan, people live side-by-side with mechanical human replicas, created by rogue inventors, which have suddenly and dangerously gone mad, leaving a remarkable trail of carnage in their wake. Desperate to avenge the killings and restore order, one of the inventors creates an especially powerful robot from the remains of a beautiful princess, who was murdered along with her friends by one of the androids. The mechanically enhanced princess (Aino Kishi) is equipped with eleven deadly weapons, and she's sent out to do battle alongside a human warrior who has a musical instrument so loud it can be used to destroy his enemies. Samurai Purinsesu: Gedo-hime (aka Samurai Princess) was the first theatrical feature for director and screenwriter Kengo Kaji; the cast includes two leading stars of the Japanese adult video industry, Aino Kishi and Mihiro Taniguchi. The film received its North American premiere at the 2009 New York Asian Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2009
Japanese horror auteur Takashi Shimizu (best known for his international success Ju-On: The Grudge) leads viewers through a puzzle of fear and suspense in this thriller. Ken (Yuya Yagira) and Motoko (Ryo Katsuji) are a pair of old friends who haven't seen each other in over a decade, and when they run into one another, Motoko suggests they pay a visit to Rin (Ai Maeda), his girlfriend who knew Ken back in the day. When they arrive at Rin's place, everyone is surprised that their pal Yuki (Misako Renbutsu) has stopped by -- particularly because Yuki has been dead for nearly ten years, having perished in an accident at an amusement park. When Yuki suddenly falls ill, the three friends insist on taking her to the hospital. However, when they arrive, they discover the hospital is abandoned, and it soon transforms itself into an enormous haunted maze, where Yuki is determined to take revenge against her former friends. Senritsu Meikyu (aka Shock Labyrinth) was the first Japanese film to be shot in High Definition 3D. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2009
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Two teenage girls are in love with the same boy, but the results are a long, long way from Betty and Veronica in this over-the-top horror comedy based on a manga by Shungiku Uchida. Monami (Yukie Kawamura) is a pretty new girl at school who quickly develops a furious crush on Mizushima (Takumi Saito), a handsome boy with charisma as impressive as his hair. Mizushima already has a steady girl, Kieko (Eri Otoguro), much to Monami's chagrin, but that doesn't stop her from giving the boy of her dreams a box of special chocolates for Valentine's Day. What Mizushima doesn't know is just how special those candies are -- Monami is a vampire, and the chocolates are filled with blood, which sends him into a psychedelic state and turns him into a fellow creature of the night. Monami asks the newly-undead Mizushima to be her soul mate, but this doesn't sit well with Kieko, and when a fight between the two rivals leaves Kieko dead, that's not enough to stop her. Kieko's father is a scientist doing bizarre experiments in reanimation, and he resurrects his daughter using some spare body parts, turning her into a powerful warrior who goes toe to toe against the vampire who stole her man. Kyuketsu Shojo tai Shojo Furanken (aka Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl) was directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura (the special effects artist behind the cult favorite Tokyo Gore Police) in collaboration with Naoyuki Tomomatsu. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yukie Kawamura, Takumi Saitoh, (more)
A mad scientist known as Key Man has created a rampaging virus that mutates unsuspecting humans into nightmarish abominations of nature, and in order to dispose of these repulsive monstrosities, the Tokyo police have created a special squad of fearless freak fighters. Chief among these brave officers is Ruka, a sword-swinging dealer of death who has a special knack for dispatching with Key Man's hideous creations. Despite the fact that they operate on opposite sides of the law, Key Man and Ruka have both dedicated their lives to one common goal: seeking vengeance against the crooked cops who killed both of their fathers many years ago. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eihi Shiina, Itsuji Itao, (more)
- 2007
A teenage girl shows the mob who's boss in this over-the-top blend of action, horror, and comedy. Ami (Minase Yashiro) is a seemingly ordinary Japanese schoolgirl who refuses to turn a blind eye when thugs at her school subject her little brother to needless cruelty. Ami retaliates against the vicious kids and their folks, which turns out to be a dangerous decision when she discovers some of them are connected to local gangsters. Ami is kidnapped by strong-arm men whose intimidation tactics include cutting off one of her arms, but Ami refuses to let the criminals go unpunished. With the help of a mechanic sympathetic to her cause, Ami's arm is replaced with a high-caliber machine gun, and she is transformed into a single-minded killing machine in a school uniform. Kataude mashin garu (aka The Machine Girl) also stars Asami Kentaro Shimazu and Taro Suwa. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Minase Yashiro, Asami Sugiura, (more)
A race of alien parasites that has discovered the secret of transforming human flesh into biomechanical weaponry stages a grotesque invasion of planet Earth, only to discover just how mighty the power of love truly is in directors Yudai Yamaguchi and Junichi Yamamoto's unhinged, experimental sci-fi horror hybrid. They possess the ability to transform their hosts into mechanical death dealers who will stop at nothing to see their enemies torn to pieces, and now it appears that mankind is facing certain annihilation. When a pair of young romantics begins to find their bodies riddled with oozing, tumorous globules, the heart is pitted against the mind as the couple's killer instincts gradually begin to overpower their undying love. In the tradition of Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Meatball Machine takes viewers into a horrific and darkly comic world where the flesh turns on the body to horrific effect. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Issei Takahashi, Aoba Kawai, (more)
This dark horror film begins with the grisly spectacle of 54 Japanese schoolgirls jumping in unison into the path of an oncoming train. This is only the first in a wave of mass suicides that sweeps across Japan, baffling the police and panicking the populace. The two police officers assigned to the case have to piece together such mystifying clues as a website seems to be predicting each wave of deaths, a coughing child who periodically calls them with enigmatic tips, and a coiled rope stitched out of human flesh. All of it may or may not have to do with a prepubescent all-girl pop group whose latest hit single seems to have hypnotized the nation. ~ Tom Vick, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryo Ishibashi, Masatoshi Nagase, (more)
In the years before he struck big as the writer of the action/horror hit Versus and the director of Battlefield Baseball, Japanese filmmaker Yudai Yamaguchi teamed with charismatic then-unknown Tak Sakaguchi for this series of outrageous and outlandish experimental vignettes. The laughs come fast and furious in a collectionj of surreal comedy clips featuring energetic rock and roll music, slapstick mayhem, and an abundance of juvenile humor. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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