Recent reviews

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  Gonza the Spearman 1986

  ★★★★ Watched 17 Sep 2016

  A time-worn tale of love and sacrifice. You've seen this before but Shinoda still makes it oddly compelling.

  His well-composed visuals are truly a highlight here. And they are supported by the art direction and the costumes. Shinoda's once again proves that he was great no matter what kind of film he was making.

  Shima Iwashita is great as usual in a Shinoda movie.

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  The Petrified Forest 1973

  ★★★★ Added

  A visual, emotional and psychological journey that reminded me of De Palma. That's not entirely a good thing but there it is. Shinoda certainly made all kinds of movies.

Popular reviews

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  The Sun's Burial 1960

  ★★★★ Watched 23 May 2016

  A gleeful dance on the rotting corpse that was postwar Japan. Blood transfusions, garbage, incest, hookers, it's all here. Come enjoy the party.

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  Ballad of Orin 1977

  ★★ Watched 27 May 2016

  I've now seen about half dozen Shinodas and I must say this is among the worst. Or maybe I've gotten tired of Japanese films about abused women. Anyway, this is beautiful to look at thanks to Shinoda's typically painterly compositions but doesn't offer much in terms of compelling drama or characters. Shima Iwashita does what she can with her role.

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