Member daisho2004 Posted May 21, 2009 Member Share Posted May 21, 2009 This Movie has just been released this week: Editorial Reviews Product Description Gang leader Nami (cult film legend Meiko Kaji) kills a member of a yakuza group and goes away to prison. Upon her release three years later, she s a shamed woman confined to living in the shadowy world of sex clubs and street gangs. She returns to the city to live with her uncle, a billiard-hall owner, and after befriending pimp and ne er-do-well Ryuji (Tsunehiko Watase), she gets a job working at a hostess club in the chic Ginza neighborhood, where the expensive shops and neon lights conceal a dark world of crime and sexual slavery. But when a rival gang attempts to muscle in on the club, Nami becomes enmeshed in a violent struggle that forces her to wield a skilled pool cue to defend her uncle s business, and eventually a short sword to wreak bloody vengeance upon her enemies. SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE: New, fully restored, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) transfer mastered in high-definition from Toei s original vault elements Japanese language with newly-translated, removable English subtitles Audio commentary by Japanese film expert Chris D. New, exclusive video interview with director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi Original Japanese theatrical trailers for both films Reversible cover with original Japanese poster artwork Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WuxiaFan Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 FINALLY watched this movie over the weekend and LOVED IT! IT WAS JUST AWESOME! The stunningly gorgeous Meiko Kaji was SUPERB!! WINDERING GINZA BUTTERFLY is a yakuza crime drama beautifully directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi. It is a present day (1970's) story about Nami (Kaji) was a yakuza gang leader jailed for 3 years. When she gets out, she goes to Ginza to stay with her uncle. We learn that Nami, among other things, is a master at billiards (not American pool). The story also centers around Nami's search for a lady that petitioned for her early release from jail. The first hour of the movie is spent building Kaji's character and the story. The second half of the movie is where the suspense and action is. This includes a billiards match with Kaji that is just phenominal! I was on the edge of my seat! Then the finale comes with Kaji in her kimono with her classic glare yielding her sword. I was rooting for Kaji during the finale! It was classic Kaji revenge! The Synapse Film DVD is incredible. You get a reversable DVD cover that has a reproduction of the original Japanese movie poster. VERY COOL! I've never seen this before in a DVD release. The transfer has been restored and is nearly perfect. The special features contain an interview with director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, boring but informational. It also contains a filmography for Kaji and the two original trailers for WGB 1 and 2 -Very cool. Overall, Synapse Films did a great job with these films! GET them now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted June 16, 2009 Author Member Share Posted June 16, 2009 WuxiaFan: Looks like I'll be adding this to my wish list very soon! Thanks for the Good review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ToothbrushFu Posted June 17, 2009 Member Share Posted June 17, 2009 The Synapse Film DVD is incredible. You get a reversable DVD cover that has a reproduction of the original Japanese movie poster. VERY COOL! I've never seen this before in a DVD release. Synapse do the reversible sleeve thing on a lot of their Japanese releases, e.g. the Okatsu films (also well worth picking up). I thought the interview with Yamaguchi was quite interesting. Nice to know he was a Sergio Leone fan! I found the film very enjoyable, and Kaji is wonderful as always. They kind of make her character a little more traditional in the sequel, I suppose to play her up as a rival to Junko Fuji as Yamaguchi suggests in the interview, but you gotta love a film that has a typical Toei yakuza bloodbath finale with Meiko Kaji and Sonny Chiba painting the screen red. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted June 20, 2009 Administrator Share Posted June 20, 2009 Synapse is a us distributor? I hope they release these at best buy or something. They look interesting. Unfortunately I rarely see Synapse releases in Best Buy. Which is a shame, because they release some very eccentric films in impressive editions. I usually pick them up online- mostly from hkflix.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maskedavenger Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 It's one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. I regret wasting time downloading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted June 20, 2009 Administrator Share Posted June 20, 2009 It's one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. I regret wasting time downloading it. I haven't watched it yet mysyelf. Without spoilers, can you tell us just what you didn't like about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KyFi Posted June 20, 2009 Member Share Posted June 20, 2009 These two look right up my alley. I believe Deep Discount's 20% off sale is in mid-July this year---I think these will be on my list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kaleyboy Posted June 20, 2009 Member Share Posted June 20, 2009 It's one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. I regret wasting time downloading it. Maybe the guilt felt from downloading spoiled it for you;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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