While the overt conflict of Castle of Owls may be the wolf-vs-sheepdog of Juzo and Gohei, there is a deeper interior conflict in both men played out by their relationships to women, all of whom are deadly female ninja themselves. … Continued
The Japanese DVD of Castle of Owls has a modest gallery of B&W set-shot publicity stills: CASTLE OF OWLS WEEK continues with an in depth look at the ninja women of the film, and a side-by-side comparison of the photography of … Continued
Here’s the original Toei trailer: And a related promotional short hosted by the film’s young kunoichi Chiyoko Honma featuring Masaaki Hatsumi:
Hey, that’s the rest of the image from the home-page header! Yep, yer right. It’s also perhaps the most striking image of Ryutaro Otomo from Toho’s publicity shoots. Those spike shuriken are just awesome. Otomo’s stern, strong eyes lend a … Continued
Inspired by Gobi’s awesome sketch from this post, I’ve declared this CASTLE OF OWLS WEEK at Vintage Ninja! I’m not saying the 1963 Ryutaro Otomo action-drama is the best ninja movie ever made, but damn if it isn’t my absolute … Continued
Thanks to the great Asian Drill Pop photo blog of things good, quirky and naughty for this nifty mag centerfold of Reiko Oshida, whom I’m sure you all fell in love with in this post. Damn she’s cute! Another recent … Continued
…there was The Last Ninja. Michael Beck, perhaps known best as Swan from The Warriors, was hot on the heels of action masterpieces Warlords of the 21st Century and Megaforce when he made the ahead-of-its-time TV pilot about a lone … Continued
New Kamui “live action” trailer released today! I put live action in quotes because it’s going to take A LOT of CGI to pull-off the “Island of Sugaru” shark hunter stoyline they’ve adapted… Concerned but optimistic. Big digital-heavy ninja property … Continued
Good write up of Animeigo’s Sleepy Eyes of Death box set here. It’s important for us all to support the folks still putting out genre DVD, and these are phenomenal films, so whip out the plastic Vintage-Ninjateers! There’s a nifty … Continued
Right here, right now, I’m going to declare Reiko Oshida‘s uber-plucky Rui, from the amazing Quick-Draw Okatsu, THE CUTEST SWORD GIRL EVER! Rui is a free-spirited wandering fighter looking for a scrap. Luckily, she crosses paths with the often blood-spattered … Continued