DVD News: Deep Contact & Ninja Pussy Cat

Out on June 1st from Pink Eiga comes Deep Contact and Ninja Pussy Cat! This great Californian DVD outfit just keep delivering, cast your eyes over the details:

DEEP CONTACT

The years is 1999, and a comet is on a collision course with Earth! WATARU is kidnapped and taken to a secret hospital where the chief scientist tells him that he has a unique sexual psychokinetic ability that can save humankind. Together with the sexy scientist, IKUKO, who also has sexual psycho-kinetic abilities, they screw to save the planet from ARMAGEDDON!

Directed by Yukio Kitazawa, Deep Contact is a sexy and hilarious, sci-fi romance!

Extras:

• Japanese Language with English Subtitles
• Widescreen Presentation
• Still Image Slideshow
• “Deep Contact” Original Artwork
• “Deep Contact” International Trailers
• Cast and Crew Biographies and Filmographies
• Interview with Director Yukio Kitazawa
• Video Commentary with Cast and Crew
• Sneak Peeks: More PINK EIGA Trailers

NINJA PUSSY CAT

In 16th century Japan, Kotaro the Ninja is murdered after discovering that the Shogun and his son - the heir apparent - are not related. Now it is up to Kotaro's ninja daughter, KAEDE, to avenge her father's death using sexy and deadly ninja fighting techniques that she invents herself!

Hiroyuki Kawasaki's NINJA PUSSY CAT was a huge hit in Japan and made the sexy MASHIRO a star while also spawning the popular LADY NINJA KASUMI & KAEDE series! The film had its North American premier at the popular 2009 San Francisco Another Hole in the Head Film Festival.

Extras:

• Japanese Language with English Subtitles
• 5.1 Surround Sound
• Widescreen Presentation
• Still Image Slideshow
• “Ninja Pussy Cat” Original Artwork
• “Ninja Pussy Cat” International Trailers
• Cast and Crew Biographies and Filmographies
• Introduction by Director Hiroyuki Kawasaki & Actress Yoko Satomi
• Featurette: Interview With Director Hiroyuki Kawasaki
• Featurette: Interview With Actress Yoko Satomi
• Sneak Peeks: More PINK EIGA Trailers

DVD News: City of the Living Dead

You may remember I worked on most of the extras of the forthcoming DVD and Blu-Ray of Lucio Fulci's "City of the Living Dead" so I'm delighted to say that early reviews and comments have been very encouraging - long may they continue.
Here is a selection so far of reviews that have appeared online:

DVD Beaver

Film School Rejects

MyReviewer

Geek Planet Online

SGM

DVD News and Contest: Electra Elf and Fluffer

Perhaps one for our US friends, but I have a copy of Electra Elf and Fluffer from MVD Visual up for grabs today! Described as "...simply the best TV show that has ever been produced on any budget. Last night's episode had me laughing my ass off!" this local cable show from Nick Zedd seems to have a big cult following.

This 4-disc DVD set contains all 20 episodes and loads of extras so if you want a copy all I need is you to send an email with your name and mailing address to dvdtrash@another.com. 1st email I receive wins the DVD!

NOW CLOSED - WELL DONE TO THE WINNER!

DVD Review: Blind Love

Blind Love

Japan 2005
Dir: Daisuke Goto
Starring: Konatsu, Shota Kotagi, Yota Kawase, Horyu Nakamura, Yutaka Ikejima.
DVD Released: 23rd Nov 2009
Cert: NR
Running Time: 65 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Non-Anamorphic NTSC
Audio: Japanese DD2.0
Subtitles: English
Distributor: Pink Eiga
Region: 0 NTSC

The Film

Blind Love tells the tale of hard-up, middle-aged, short-arse ventriloquist Daisuke (Shota Kotaki) who performs his old-fashioned routine to almost empty theatres on a nightly basis. He does have one fan though, Hikari (Konatsu), a blind girl who loves the sound of Daisuke's voice. When she finally plucks up the courage to go backstage and meet him she stumbles and falls into the arms of his tall, good looking, young apprentice Yoichi (Yota Kawase) and mistakes him for Daisuke, who plays along in the moment thinking that she might be a nutter of some kind.

Before you know it the guys are taking Hikari out on the town, with Daisuke using Yoichi like a human ventriloquist's dummy. And for a while it's all fun, games and hard drinking until Hikari wants to have sex. Cue the world's most awkward threesome as Daisuke has to make like the invisible man in the corner of the bedroom. Of course Daisuke has actually started to fall in love with Hikari and begins to resent his assistant, not difficult really seeing as Yoichi's pretty much a thoughtless slimebag that'll shag anything in a kimono (and I mean anything, there's a terrifying scene involving a fat chick and copious underarm hair). Yoichi causes further damage when he speaks to Hikari on the phone and teases her about her sexual activities implying that Daisuke has been crudely bragging about bedding a blind girl. Thus armed with a pair of massive platform shoes Daisuke sets out to prove his love and win over Hikari......

My only experiences of Pink Eiga before this feature were two instalments of the Groper Train series; weird, wacky,very sleazy and occasionally quite funny. So finding this one to be a well thought out, funny, almost sweet, low budget indie rom-dramedy dressed up as a Japanese softcore sleaze flick is quite a pleasant surprise. It still contains the requisite sex scenes but they are very much incidental to the overall plot, if a tad lengthy. It is essentially a re-imagining of Cyrano de Bergerac trampling on Chaplin's Limelight dragged kicking and screaming through a Von Trier/Dogme flick (via it's bittersweet ending) unbelievably enough! Not without it's flaws, mainly due to it's low budget and rushed production I'm sure but I'd be very curious indeed to discover what director Daisuke Goto could do with a proper budget and a shot at the mainstream.

The Disc

Another soft 1.85:1 non-anamorphic transfer with hard-matted English subtitles from Pink Eiga. Standard 2.0 Japanese language audio mix.

Extras - Based around the film's screening at the New York Asian Film Festival this disc contains a surprising and very informative package of special features.

Audio commentary with director Daisuke Goto and cinematographer Masahide Iioka recorded the day after the NYAFF screening, it's a breezy, very enjoyable discussion about all aspects of the production and even a few quite amusing anecdotes, worth noting there are no English subs for this track, however a spoken English translation track is included.

Interview with director Daisuke Goto, running at 18 minutes this is a very frank chat with Daisuke ranging from his early career to the Japanese film industry to his Pink movies and finally to his memories of making Blind Love.

Interview with cinematographer Masahide Iioka, clocking in at 10 minutes, discussions mainly centers on Masahide's experience of working with Daisuke and technical info on making Blind Love.

Introduction to Blind Love, is a brief intro with Daisuke and Masahide filmed just before the NYAFF screening in front of the audience.

Q&A with Daisuke Goto, was filmed right after the screening. Here the NYAFF audience get to ask the director and his cinematographer a few questions. Runs for 13 mins.

Plus there are also a few text based bios about the actors and director, an original theatrical trailer, photo gallery.

A fun little film about people obsessed with self-loathing finding love!

Review by Giuseppe Rijitano

DVD Review: Groper Train: Wedding Capriccio

Groper Train: Wedding Capriccio

Japan 1984
Dir: Yojiro Takita
Starring: Yukijiro Hotaru, Yuka Takemura, Yutaka Ikejima, Yoshimi Kai, Rei Matsubara, Tatsuya Nagatomo, Yonosuke Tatekawa, Shuji Kataoka, Shinji Kubo, Katsuo Sakai.
DVD Released: 23rd Nov 2009
Cert: NR
Running Time: 67 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Non-Anamorphic NTSC
Audio: Japanese DD2.0
Subtitles: English
Distributor: Pink Eiga
Region: 0 NTSC

The Film

There's discord at the Kuroda Private Eye office as Ippei Kuroda's (Yukijiro Hotaru) assistant Hamako (Yuka Takemura) is about to get a visit from her fiance. An arranged marriage, Hamako's having none of it so she heads out and grabs herself the first guy that touches her up on the express train. Despite appearing to be mentally retarded, her new man Gin, sporting a Napoleon hat and conducting imaginary symphonies wherever he goes, appears to be rich so Hamako's happy to be his sextoy for a couple of days until her arranged fiance gets the idea and leaves her alone.

Meanwhile Kuroda's got himself a case; a dying billionaire wants his missing daughter, Hiromi, found before he shuffles off. Distinguishing features of said missing girl; diamond filling in a back tooth. Of course Kuroda's going to head back to the express train (well this is Groper Train) dressed as a dentist he makes the women say aaahhhh via some panties-based action in the hopes of finding Hiromi, but to no avail.

Things get more complicated as people start getting bumped off; beginning with Hiromi, then her billionaire father, then her brother (who it turns out is aforementioned nutbag Gin) plus the arrival of Hamako's fiance, Kuma, a gaptoothed Japanese redneck riding a tractor and carrying a shotgun. Once again it's a race against time as Kuroda and Hamako try to find the killer and get in as much kinky sex as they can before they too fall victim to the mystery assassin.

Another schizophrenic Pink Eiga production then. Again directed by Oscar winner Yojiro Takita. A pedestrian murder/mystery plotline spiced up with some very dodgy sex scenes and topped off by a delightfully absurd homage to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind via a musical Casio calculator and a light-saber penis that has to be seen to be believed.

The Disc

Better looking presentation than Groper Train: Black Pearl, but still a soft 1.85:1 non-anamorphic transfer with hard-matted English subtitles.

Standard 2.0 Japanese language audio mix.

Extras include a 5 minute featurette entitled Riding the Groper Train: Part 2 The Rise and Fall of Groper Train, in which actor/director Yutaka Ikejima (about to start production on his 109th! pink film) explains how the Groper Train series came to an end and the possible beginning of a new series Groper Hot Spring!
There are also a few text based bios about the actors and director.

Review by Giuseppe Rijitano

DVD Review: Groper Train: Search for the Black Pearl

Japan 1984
Dir: Yojiro Takita
Starring: Yukijiro Hotaru, Yuka Takemura, Naoto Takenaka, Tomoyasu Shu, Kaoru Kaze, Kazumi Kimura, Serina Miyabi, Mitsuo Nakayama
DVD Released: 23rd Nov 2009
Cert: NR
Running Time: 64 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Non-Anamorphic NTSC
Audio: Japanese DD2.0
Subtitles: English
Distributor: Pink Eiga
Region: 0 NTSC

The Film

Groper Train: Search For The Black Pearl

The action kicks off in Manchuria, 1928; a shell shocked Japanese soldier, Gohei Yamamori, making his way wearily through the desert stumbles across a severed hand sporting a black pearl ring. As the credits roll we cut to 1984; a crowded Japanese commuter train, it's Gohei again (much older), fingerbanging a woman (much younger) in the back carriage (snigger). Unfortunately for him he has a stroke mid-stroke and next thing you know he's on his deathbed begging his nurse/wife Matsuko for one last quickie before he'll give up the location of his priceless black pearl. With his last gasping breath he utters; 'pussy print'. Yup, an inked vagina pressed on paper and framed on the wall, unfortunately damaged in a fire.

With no idea how this odd piece of art relates to where the black pearl might be hidden Matsuko (in between shagging her son-in-law) seeks professional assistance and who better to help find a wayward pussy but a private dick; Groper Train series veterans Ippei Kuroda (Yukijiro Hotaru) and his assistant Hamako (Yuka Takemura) are soon on the case. The vagina in question belongs to Gohei's missing niece Yoko so in the hopes of finding her and thus making a new undamaged print Kuroda decides to go pussy hunting...on the train....during rush hour. After multiple gropings and a couple of nasty surprises (bloody tampon, fresh turd) Kuroda strikes gold and finds horny Yoko!

At this point the Great Mystery Writer Seicho Matsuki (Naoto Takenaka) is also called in to assist in the case. First he's going to need a good long look at the original vagina that made the print! Better be fast though because as the investigation progresses Gohei's niece and son are both murdered, but by whom? 

Will Kuroda and Hamako figure it out before they become the killer's next victims? And more importantly will there be a final act homage to Flashdance in which Hamako trains to make her pussy tighter? Yes. Yes there will.

This was my first experience of Pink Eiga and it's some truly weird and wacky stuff. According to the Pink genre 'rules' these films must be low budget, around an hour in length, filmed quickly and most importantly contain a good number of sex scenes. It may seem nuts basing an entire series of films around the uniquely Japanese phenomenon of groping women on crowded trains but what's crazier is that at the peak of their popularity 20 of these were being released per year! It seems that these films provided an outlet for new and experimental filmmakers as evidenced by the off-beat and often genuinely funny and surprising technical elements found in this episode - look out for the view from the inside of a vagina. Oh and the director of this particular entry in the series, Yojiro Takita, won Japan's first, and thus far only, Oscar for best foreign language film in 2009 for the excellent Departures.

The Disc

Distinctly average looking presentation, soft 1.85:1 non-anamorphic transfer with hard-matted English subtitles. Standard 2.0 Japanese language audio mix.

Extras include a 7 minute featurette entitled Riding the Groper Train: An Interview With Mr. Pink, in which actor/director Yutaka Ikejima (about to start production on his 109th! pink film) explains how the Groper Train series came about. There are also a few text based bios about the actors and director.

The Japanese prove yet again that they are the perviest nation on the planet!

Review by Giuseppe Rijitano