'Red Shadow' brings sharp objects and ninja laughs

Red Shadow (2004)
Starring: Masanobu Ando, Megumi Okina, Jun Murakamim and Kumiko Aso
Director: Hiroyuki Nakano
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Three young Ninjas (Ando, Aso and Morakamim) of a clan devoted to keeping peace among the many warring nobles of 16th century Japan inadvertantly find themselves at odds with a completing Ninja cland and in the middle of a plot to overthrow Princess Koto (Okina) by powerhungry and bloodthirsty members of her court.

"Red Shadow" is a fast-moving action-comedy with cool and honorable (if occassionally clumsy) Ninjas, sinister and treacherous Samurai that presents just the right mix of action, humor, drama and over-the-top Ninja action to make it a fun viewing experience from beginning to end. Good acting and a neat pop-rock, guitar-driven soundtrack also adds greatly to the both the fun and the excitement.

With great looking sets and costumes, virtually no blood and no sex or nudity, this is a Ninja film that the entire family can enjoy together. The story is a bit disjointed at times, but the exceptional quality in all other departments make up for this.

moreless

Great election news!

Oklahoma passed a measure that restricts courts from considering foreign laws when ruling. Including the barbaric excesses of Sharia law.

Oklahoma voters ban shariah law - Hindustan Times

An article by the AP quoted anonymous "members of the Muslim community" as stating that this law is "an attack on Islam" and that "they are prepared to file a lawsuit challenging the measure."

Good for them. That is how the American system works.

Although one wonders why they are in the United States if they want to live under a system where rape victims get stoned to death for being raped, where thieves get their hands cut off, and anyone who speaks out against the prevailing majority or some crackpot cleric can be put to death.

And it's not "Islamophobia" to pass such laws. All one has to do is look at Great Britain, Denmark, and Michigan (okay... not just yet in that last place) to see what happens if Muslims aren't forced to live under the laws of the civilized nations they immigrate to.

In other news, "Isabellathecrusader" celebrated the passage of the Oklahoma measure with song:

O-O-OKLAHOMA, Where officials seem to have some brains,
Where Islamaphobes, Don't wear no robes,
And where girls don't die from being blamed!


Oklahoma, cancelled Sharia before it spread,
Where it's fine to talk, and people balk,
If you tell them do this or you're dead!


We know Muslims don't belong here,
Cuz we ain't gonna give up our beer!
And when we say
Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!
We're only sayin'
You're doin' fine, Oklahoma!
Oklahoma O.K.

moreless

The Ninja Rap

Too bad Godfrey Ho isn't making ninja movies anymore. He'd undoubtedly want to snatch this up and use it somehow.

moreless

It's November 2nd... get out and vote!

If you can vote in the current election in the United States and haven't, get going! It's important to vote. Just ask Lady Godiva. She's got a reason you should vote whether you favor Republicans or Democrats. Highlight the text to see what they are.

If you support the Democrats, please vote because the Republican prudes want to outlaw naked horseback riding.

If you support the Republicans, please vote because the Democrats will use your tax dollars to buy clothes for me so I don't cause global warming by making men hot and bothered while riding my horse naked.

moreless

'Cyber Ninja' has it all except the kitchen sink

Cyber Ninja (1988)
Starring: Hanbei Kawai, Hiroki Ida, Shôhei Yamamoto, Eri Morishita, Makoto Yokoyama, and Masaaki Emori
Director: Keita Amemiya
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

In the far future, the Suwabeh Clan is locked in a final desperate battle against a society of techno-demons who are turning human warriors into cybernetic ninjas while preparing for when the Stars Are Right to unleash their demon god upon the world. At the eleventh hour, they receive surprise assistance from one of the cyber ninjas, who is on a quest to reunite his soul with his body.

"Cyber Ninja" is probably some sort of mile stone in cross-genre craziness. The film covers the fantasy aspect with sorcery and echoes of ancient Japan feudal culture with its princesses, house retainers, ninja, ronin, and samurai, and it hits the sci-fi genre with giant battle-mechs--that mirror the fantasy aspect by looking like pagodas--and armies of robot ninja vs. cybernetically enhanced samurai, and it brings in horror with some fairly dastardly demons and the uber-demon they are about to summon to ravish the world.

Unfortunately, it's not an achievement in story-telling, and all those various elements just sort of swirl around and bump into each other in a chaotic mess that makes very little sense. However, I think this is one of those movies that 10 year old boys will get a huge kick out of. They will be so enamoured with the robot ninjas, waving swords and giant battle-mechs they won't notice the complete lack of logic to much of the activities by both the good guys and the bad guys, nor will they notice that the battle-mechs look more like a row of outhouses than the mechanized castles they're supposed to be. Kids might not even notice how absolutely rediculous some of the voice acting in the dubbed version is. (The Dark Bishop would have been laughed out of Evil College with a voice like that.)

Trivia: Director/co-writer Keita Amemiya created several genre-mixing movies and anime series during the 1980s and 1990s, the most famous of them being the "Zeram" movies and cartoons. He was also the main creative force behind the sci-fi/fantasy film hybrid "Moon Over Tao".

The deadliest of blogathons....

moreless

The Case of the Fake Sienna

For the past many weeks, the Saturday Scream Queens profile of "Resident Evil"-star Sienna Guillory has been sporting the picture immediately below. Although I think that looks like Sienna Guillory, I have been misleading literally tens of thousands of Googlers.

That is not, in fact, a picture of Sienna Guillory. It's underwear model Alessandra Ambrosio. She isn't even an actress, but is quite literally an underwear model. I think I must have mislabled the photo while searching for suitable subjects for the Tectonic Tuesdays series. (And they don't come much more suitable than Ms. Ambrosio. We'll be seeing more of her in 2011, I'm certain.)




The photo to the right is one of Sienna Guillory. The two ladies look somewhat similar, so I'm not as embarrassed by the mistake as I might otherwise have been. But I do feel bad for all those wrong Google hits. (On the other hand, it gave me another excuse to post photos of beautiful women, so it's not all bad. And maybe Guillory will also have to be the subject of a Tectonic Tuesday profile when they start up again.)

moreless

The Nine Days of the Ninja are Upon Us!

For the next nine days, Ninjas will be popping up all over my blogs--and perhaps elsewhere if someone has decided to take part in the Blogathon, and I hope that you'll email me your links to be posted here f you do--but they have been lurking in the shadows all along...

This post provides a listing of previous Ninja incursions at Cinema Steve. I will update post additional indexes as I think they are necessary, probably every two or three days if I don't get any outside links.

At any rate, I, and the Ninja, thank you for your attention! (They may try to pretend they're all secretive and mysterious, but Ninja are attention whores when it comes right down to it. That's why they dress in black masks and black footie pajamas everywhere they go.)

Reviews of the Ninja! (Movie and Graphic Novel Reviews)

Empowered, Vols. 1 & 2

Mask of the Ninja

The Ninja Death Trilogy

Yoma: Curse of the Undead

Picture Perfect Ninja!

Beautiful & Deadly: Like-kind

It's Funny Because It's True!

Ninjas: They're Everywhere!

Rushing Toward Nine Days of the Ninja!

When Ninja Vacation!

Only Ninja with valid Union Cards can take part in Nine Days of the Ninja
(Cinema Steve is proudly NAG [Ninja & Assassins Guild] compliant. )

moreless