There’s been some nifty stuff on other sites I’ve been remiss in plugging. New stuff at Kurotokagigumi this month, including the climax of Kage no Gundan Bakumatsu Hen (Shadow Warriors 5). Way out there vintage Polish poster for Yojimbo, spotted by Wildgrounds. … Continued
Marked with neither manufacturer name nor date, these 5-6″ ceramic statues are likely from the 80’s (I remember these or a line very similar in gift shops back in the day). “Made in Japan” stickers are affixed to the bottoms, … Continued
Alright, who’s familiar with FuurinKazan? I’ve read from more than one source that the 2007 TV drama was superb, and Sonny Chiba‘s “last role” was arguably his best, but what I really want to see is his daughter in a … Continued
Pre-pubescent axe-weilding hero Watari goes through standard shinobi like shit through a goose, but things get a lot dicier when he encounters a bizarre rogues gallery of super-powered villains. Further Reading: I wrote a short plug for this film on … Continued
Scored some 4×6″ B&W press stills from Toei’s 1966 mess of a masterpiece Watari the Ninja Boy (Daininjutsu eiga Watari). Depending on one’s previous knowledge of the Shirato Sanpei manga and where you stand on magical superhero ninjutsu vs. grim … Continued
Via Patrick Macias’ An Eternal Though in the Mind of Godzilla, another night of exceptional film and expert panels. Patrick’s blog is also an excellent source of images like these!
Via the ever superb Wrong Side of the Art: I find this English language market distro poster for Five Element Ninjas perplexing. The art makes this look like a team-up film, like a shinobified version of Force Five or something. … Continued
Dear David, They’ll call you the lesser American Ninja. They’ll say you weren’t even a replacement as much as you were a placeholder, a mask-filler brought in while Michael Dudikoff was auditioning for soap opera guest spots. They’ll say you … Continued
As a footnote to our American Ninja celebratory gripe-fest, here’s a mystifying trade ad from what has to be the early part of 1985, wherein Cannon heralded an upcoming project: Right studio, right producers, right creative team, right title, right … Continued
25 years ago this weekend, Tim March, my brother Seth and I were dropped off at a theater in Worcester, Massachusetts for an afternoon matinee of American Ninja. The ‘craze’ was actually in the process of ‘jumping the shark,’ Tim … Continued