Catnip Reviews: BUSTER KEATON, SMURFS & ULTRAMAN ARC

Snack-sized opinions from the frisky felines at Free Kittens…

THE BUSTER KEATON SHOW (Blu-ray) - Until this 2-disc set arrived, I wasn’t aware Buster Keaton even had a TV show. Perhaps some of you were unaware, too, since it wasn’t particularly successful and many episodes have since been lost. However, this set has dug up and restored nine of them, which is kind of a bittersweet viewing experience. On one hand, here’s a silent movie legend decades removed from his glory days, and it shows. He never took to talkies too well, and some of these episodes see him sadly trying to erase the passage of time. On the other hand, some of his greatness still shines through on occasion…a reminder that, at one time, nobody was funnier. Also included are a couple of episodes not previously available, as well as Buster’s appearances in other shows, but the best bonus kibbles are two of his silent shorts from the early twenties. Far from Buster’s greatest work, but from a historical perspective, it’s well worth checking out. (1949-50/332 min/Liberation Hall). 

KITTY CONSENSUS: 😼😼😼

SMURFS (Blu-ray) - “Isn’t Rihanna in that?” asked my 21-year-old daughter, Lucy, as she passed through the room while I was watching this. “Yeah,” I ruefully replied before tapping the blurb on the box, “Rihanna is Smurfette.” That was the extent of Lucy’s interest, but she used to watch this stuff as a kid. A reboot I didn’t know anyone was asking for, Smurfs is yet-another cynically assembled, pop song-laden product with Rihanna and a huge cast of well-known actors lending their voices (and marquee value). Since the average five-year-old probably doesn’t give a damn who these people are, I’m not sure why they went to all the trouble. While there are a few interesting animated bits, this is one of those movies that you pop into your machine to keep the wee ones amused while you do something else.  (2025/90 min/Paramount). 

KITTY CONSENSUS: 😺

ULTRAMAN ARC (Blu-ray) - And you thought Disney knew how to milk a franchise…Ultraman has been kicking around since 1966, when the first series aired in Japan. Since then, there have been dozens and dozens of TV shows, miniseries, movies, games, comics, manga and trading cards. And yours truly has never seen a single frame until now, with this 2024 series, Ultraman Arc. Since this type of science-fiction is not my bag, I’m kinda going-by-feel here when it comes to any recommendation. From the characters to the lore to the action itself, most of this was lost on me, like attending a party where you know none of the guests. But since it appears to be aesthetically identical to other recent series, I suspect it’ll please fans of the franchise. If you count yourself among them, dig in. This 4-disc set features 25 episodes, as well as a full length Ultraman Arc movie, The Clash of Light and Evil. Additionally, it comes with a card that can apparently be played with an Ultraman card game. (2024/700 min/Mill Creek). 

KITTY CONSENSUS: 😼😼

ULTRAMAN DECKER: More Monsters & Mayhem

ULTRAMAN DECKER - THE COMPLETE SERIES (Blu-ray)

2022 / 700 min (25 episodes, 1 movie)

Mill Creek Entertainment

Review by Nick Lyons, from DVDCorner.net

2022’s Ultraman Decker (which is part of the Reiwa era) is simultaneously a sequel to Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga and is also based on Ultraman Dyna. The 25 episode series begins at a time of peace in which there have been no monsters for 7 years. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a series if there were no monsters, so as you might expect, all hell breaks loose when alien Spheres attack Earth and Mars. Moreover, a barrier covers Earth which prevents ships and communications from coming or going from the Planet. Luckily, Earth has hope. A brave and optimistic grocer named Kanata Asumi winds up becoming Ultraman Decker (who can transform into various types). Kanata himself also joins Earth’s TPU training school (and later becomes a part of the GUTS-Select team) alongside cadets Ichika Kirino and Soma Ryumon. Together this team (also comprised of robots HANE2 and Terraphaser) combat the evil Sphere forces (including the big bad Mother Spheresaurus) as well as Kaiju such as Deathdrago and Pagos. 

Along the way, some familiar faces pop up, such as Ultraman Trigger, Cameara, Grace, Marluru, and a Kanata descendant. Elsewhere in the plot is a key storyline involving the alien Agams who may or may not be connected to the Sphere invasion. Last, but not least is a movie finale titled Ultraman Decker Finale: Journey To Beyond, where Ultraman Decker, GUTS-Select and Ultraman Dinas team up to fight against Earth invader Professor Gibellus.

A great find from the Ultra Yard Sale.

Much like Super Sentai (AKA Power Rangers), the Ultra franchise has been running for decades. The Japanese Tokusatsu franchise has had many incarnations including Ultraman Decker. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Ultraman Decker is far from being one of the more beloved series in the franchise. Ultra Q and the original Ultraman, it certainly is not. The series is filled with cheeseball dialogue, an over-the-top Kanata (played by Hiroki Matsumoto), overly dramatic speeches, war cries, bad CGI, and an episodic formula involving new Ultraman types and a new Kaiju or monster. There’s nothing here that you haven’t seen before in previous Ultra series. 

On the plus side, the show delivers plenty of explosive action, which tends to be the selling point for the Ultra series. Yes, the CGI is pretty rough, but it’s nice to see that suits/costumes are still being used. Sure, you can do more with CGI, but nothing beats people in costumes duking it out. On top of that, it’s nice to see some cameos from past series. Anytime there’s more than one Ultraman on screen, it’s a treat to be sure.

Ultraman Decker is unlikely to be a fan favorite, but it’s still an entertaining tokusatsu series that will undoubtedly appeal to super fans or completists.

THE BEAST TO DIE and a "Date" with Madness

THE BEAST TO DIE (Blu-ray)

1980 / 119 min

Radiance Films

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😾

Kunihiko Date (Yusaku Matsuda) is one maladjusted mofo. Japan's The Beast to Die opens with him beating a cop and stealing his gun. Then he robs a casino, killing a bunch of mobsters in the process. But Date isn’t a gangster or hitman himself. In fact, the film initially reveals little about him beyond a love for classical music and his penchant for watching hookers masturbate. Around others, he appears shy, even a bit introverted.

Still, he catches the eye of Reiko (Asami Kobayashi), an aspiring pianist who works as a bank teller. Having seen her in concert, Date appears equally infatuated, though he shuns her efforts to get to know him. Meanwhile, he engages in a lot of violent fuckery, eventually recruiting hot-headed waiter Endo (Kei Sato). After convincing Endo to kill his own girlfriend, Date plans a robbery of the very bank where Reiko works. 

It’s eventually revealed that Date's psychotic behavior is the result of his time as a combat photographer. So yeah, The Beast to Die serves-up yet-another variation of the unstable Vietnam vet, which more-or-less became an overused plot device shortly after Taxi Driver. But here’s the thing…despite his violent tendencies and disturbing worldview, at least Travis Bickle has something resembling a moral code (twisted as it might be). 

"This is decaf?"

Conversely, Date’s character is strictly defined by his actions, which is abject cruelty and killing without remorse while spouting nihilistic gobbledegook. Whereas Bickle’s internal conflict ultimately inspires a bit of empathy, The Beast to Die simply revels in its protagonist’s depraved behavior. The film certainly ventures to some dark places, but despite being wrapped in arty pretentions, it’s still just lurid exploitation, particularly during the rapey, blood-soaked final act.

The Beast to Die does have its admirers, and I can sort-of see why. The film is well directed and features a dedicated performance by Matsuda, probably best known to American audiences for his villainous role in Ridley Scott’s Black Rain (sadly, he passed away shortly after). But narratively, there’s no character arc or engaging examination of Date’s descent into madness. We’re just watching the actions of a unrepentant sociopath for two hours. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

INTERVIEWS - Individual interviews with director Toru Murakawa and co-screenwriter Shoichi Maruyama.

CRITICAL APPRECIATION - By author Jordan Harper

THE RAPACIOUS JAILBREAKER And The Irredeemable Bastard

THE RAPACIOUS JAILBREAKER (Blu-ray)

1974 / 97 min

From Radiance Films

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😼

Low-level criminal Ueda (Hiroki Matsukata) is an irredeemable bastard. He’s an irredeemable bastard as the film opens; he’s an irredeemable bastard as the end credits roll. In between, he spends a lot of time in prison for murdering other irredeemable bastards. He spends just as much time repeatedly breaking out of that same prison, none the wiser from the experience. In addition to being an irredeemable bastard, Ueda doesn't seem all that bright.

As the title suggests, The Rapacious Jailbreaker chronicles Ueda’s adventures in and out of prison. Whether doing solitary for shanking fellow inmates or illegally slaughtering cows after breaking out, he doesn’t change one iota…no character growth, no remorse, no epiphanies. Self-absorbed, unrepentant, angry, apathetic and violent, he’s kind of like a Japanese Tony Montana. 

This is an unapologetically brutal and sleazy exploitation film that revels in bad behavior. But hey…sometimes it’s fun to watch bad behavior. As Ueda, Matsukata convincingly exudes toughness and resolve (but I do wonder why he’s often hunched over like he’s got a crick in his neck). The prison scenes are gritty and harrowing, while Ueda’s repeated escapes carry tension (though by the third one, it’s almost like a running gag).

"Up for a swordfight?"

Less interesting are the scenes outside of the prison walls (even with bonus female nudity and gratuitous sex). However, the climactic police pursuit after Ueda becomes a fugitive for the third time is suspenseful and exciting. By now, we’re kind of invested in him, because even though Ueda is an irredeemable bastard, the cops and prison guards are even worse.

The film ends rather abruptly, but at least director Sadao Nakajima seems to sense when the audience has probably had enough. The Rapacious Jailbreaker runs a lean, mean 97 minutes, just long enough for us to find guilty pleasure in the antics of an irredeemable bastard without him wearing out his welcome. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTE - Rule Breaker is a 17-minute video essay summarizing director Sadao Nakajima’s career.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Nathan Stuart.

A CERTAIN KILLER / A KILLER’S KEY: Smooth Criminal

A CERTAIN KILLER / A KILLER’S KEY (Blu-ray)

1967 / 161 min (2 movies)

From Arrow Video

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Yakuza😽

There’s something about hitmen in movies that’s inherently appealing, especially when they are the protagonist. One of my favorites is 1972’s The Mechanic, with Charles Bronson as Arthur Bishop, a cool, calculating contract killer who frequently does jobs for the mafia.

Watching both of the films on this disc, I couldn’t help but think its main character could have partially inspired Bishop. As played by Ichokawa Raizō, this killer is also a man of few words, emotionally unflappable and exacting in his methods (though he appears to prefer piercing the sweet spots with small daggers). He’s generally hired by the yakuza to dispatch their enemies, though he doesn’t have any particular allegiance to one clan over another.

I guess the biggest difference between these films and The Mechanic is Raizō’s character has small businesses as a cover for his real job. In A Certain Killer, he’s Shiozawa, a bar owner who takes in ditzy tart Keiko (Yumiko Nogawa) to work as a hostess. The film gets off to a dire start by dedicating way too much screen time to her...a supremely obnoxious character. But things pick up when he’s hired by yakuza boss Kimura to get rid of a competitor.

Somewhat hampered by jarring flashbacks, the story is fairly light on action, but Shiozawa is an interesting character who always seems one step ahead of his enemies. This eventually includes Keiko, who conspires with Kimura’s right hand man to betray him during a drug theft, leading to an exciting climax.

A wrong turn at Albuquerque.

Released the same year, Raizō and director Kazuo Mori return for A Killer’s Key. This time, he goes by the name of Nitta and poses as a dance instructor (!) whose “student,” Hideko (Tomomi Sato), tends to side with whoever gives her a financial advantage (sort of making her a femme fatale). Nitta's services are called upon by a mysterious yakuza boss to kill a man who can expose him during an upcoming trial. But once he finishes the job, the same clan tries to eliminate him…which is easier said than done.

With a more straightforward narrative and better supporting characters (Hideko is the pleasant polar opposite of Keiko), A Killer’s Key is an improvement over the first film. It’s far more action oriented and boasts a more intriguing plot, with a tragically amusing final scene. 

Fairly obscure on this side of the pond, neither movie is a lost classic. But their main character is an interesting example of the elite assassin as protagonist, so fans of this sort of thing should certainly check them out. Both films have really good Blu-ray transfers, though the disc is pretty light on bonus features (for an Arrow release, anyway)

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

THE DEFINITE MURDERER - This is a 30-minute appreciation by Japanese film scholar Mark Roberts.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Tony Rayns, who provides commentary for both films.

TRAILERS

IMAGE GALLERY

RAMPO NOIR: A Strange Anthology

RAMPO NOIR (Blu-ray)

2005 / 134 min

From Arrow Video

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Edogawa Ranpo was an author apparently considered to be Japan’s answer to Edgar Allan Poe. I'm not familiar with any of his work and have no idea if Rampo Noir is an accurate representation of it, but as horror films go, this one is certainly “out there.” Though sometimes intriguingly (and grotesquely) bizarre, it’s just as often ponderous and pretentious.

Rampo Noir is an anthology film based on four of the author’s stories, each helmed by a different director. The only connecting thread is actor Tadanobu Asano, who appears in all of them. The first story is “Mars Canal,” which consists of a naked man beating a naked woman, then he stumbles to a remote pond and collapses. With no dialogue or sound effects - just an increasingly grating synth drone - good luck trying to decipher what the hell any of it is supposed to mean. Fortunately, this segment is less than 10 minutes long.

“Mirror Hell” is at least more comprehensible, telling the story of a dreamy-but-psychotic mirror maker who uses his craft to kill women that are attracted to him. Though it features one of Ranpo’s most popular recurring characters, private detective Kogoro Akechi (Asano), there’s more emphasis on the unhinged antagonist and his sadomasochistic proclivities. Additionally, the story is pretty poky and comes to an abrupt, unsatisfying conclusion.

The new Captain Underpants.

If you can imagine Johnny Got His Gun being directed by David Cronenberg, you’ll have good idea of what to expect with “Caterpillar,” about a helpless, monstrously disfigured ex-soldier who’s subjected to physical, psychological and sexual abuse by his wife. Attempts at elevated, artistic horror are often offset by overall cruelty and nastiness, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t weirdly interesting.

The final story, “Crawling Bugs,” is arguably the most twisted, but also more disjointed and meandering than the others. The basic story centers on a loony, germophobic limo driver’s obsession with a popular stage actress. Creative, colorful production design enhances an overall surrealistic tone and the main character’s descent into madness. There are also surprising moments of black humor, including a final scene that will either illicit gasps or giggles. 

Like most anthology films, Rampo Noir has issues with consistency and all four stories are longer than they need to be, leaving one with the impression that these directors would have been better off focusing more on pure horror and leaving artier aspirations at the door. Half the time we’re morbidly fascinated, other half we’re certain we can grab a snack from the kitchen without bothering to hit the pause button.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

CROSS THE LENS - This is a 75-minute making-of documentary, shot during the film’s production. I actually enjoyed it more than the movie itself.

INTERVIEWS - Individual interviews with director Suguru Yakeuchi, director Hisayasu Sato, director Atsushi Kaneko, cinematography advisor Masso Nakabori, cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa, actress Yumi Yoshiyuki.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - by Jasper Sharp and Alexander Zahlten.

STAGE GREETING - Cast & directors Q&A footage at Rampo Noir’s Japanese premiere.

IMAGE GALLERIES

PRISON WALLS: ABASHIRI PRISON I-III: The Biggest Franchise You Probably Never Heard Of

PRISON WALLS: ABASHIRI PRISON I-III (Blu-ray)

1965 / 270 min (3 movies)

FROM EUREKA ENTERTAINMENT

Review by Mr. Paws😺

The next time someone gripes about the number of Fast & Furious movies Hollywood cranks out, lay this little tidbit on them: There are 18 movies in Japan’s Abashi Prison franchise. Not only that, they were all produced within a seven year timespan. This new Blu-ray set collects the first three, all released in 1965.

For the record, Abashiri prison is real, built in the 1800s. While this franchise may have indeed been inspired by it, only one of these three films actually takes place there. In Abashiri Prison, Shinichi Tachibana (the great Ken Takakura) is a yakuza serving a three year sentence. He’s a model prisoner, which prompts the sympathetic warden (Tersurô Tanba) to support his parole. However, during a prison break instigated by a group of tough gangsters, Tachibana is shackled to one of the escapees and is forced to flee along with them. After a slow start - and numerous flashbacks of Tachibana’s troubled youth - the narrative turns into an exciting chase, culminating in an emotionally affecting climax and resolution.

In Abashiri Prison Continues, Tachibana has been recently released from prison with plans to go straight, which proves difficult when a cache of stolen diamonds comes into his possession. Teaming up with flirty pickpocket (Michiko Saga), he’s pursued by the gang who committed the robbery in the first place, led by the yakuza boss he did time with (Tôru Abe). This one lacks the emotional intensity of the first film. It’s much lighter in tone, with comedic elements that feel kind of intrusive, but the story is pretty good and Tachibana’s growing empathy for others is engaging.

Never bring a chair to a swordfight.

The last film, Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness, has Tachibana returning to his hometown, where he once worked for the Asahi yakuza gang. Times have changed, though. His former boss has turned the Asahi into a legitimate family business. But after a rival yakuza gang comes in and tries to take over, Tachibana feels obligated to step in and set things right. An overall better film than the last sequel, this one depicts Tachibana as a true defender of the downtrodden, - not just his old boss - becoming increasingly likable in the process. 

Ken Takakura would go on to do four more sequels after this. I don’t know if any of them ever actually return to the prison of their namesake, or if the law of diminishing returns resulted in significant drops in quality. But for the most part, the three films in this collection are pretty entertaining and Takakura is excellent in all of them. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

TONY RAYNS ON ABASHIRI PRISON - Interview with critic Tony Rayns, who talks extensively about the franchise.

VIDEO APPRECIATION - By Jasper Sharp & Mark Schilling.

AUDIO COMMENTARIES FOR EACH FILM - By Tom Mes, Chris Poggliali, Mike Leeder & Arne Venema.

TRAILERS

SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKLET (not reviewed)