Yay! This is my kind of topic! lol. I've got a huge list of movies that I'd like to talk about. There's already some fantastic ones here (like A Tale of Two Sisters and Kung Fu Hustle). But I hear that Casshern is really nothing more than a visual feast. Cutie Honey looks fantastic, though; can't wait to see it. Well, here's my list (will we be slowly expanding lol).


Female Prisoner #701 Scorpion (Joshuu 701-gô: Sasori)
Country of Origin: Japan

Summary: Nami Matsushima (aka Matsu the Scorpion) is sent to a maximum security all-female prisoner after attempting to murder her boyfriend Sugimi, who is a police officer in the narcotics unit. The attempted murder comes about because Sugimi uses her as bait in a drug bust, and the drug dealers rape her, and Sugimi busts them, but doesn't care about the rape. The beginning of the film starts off with Matsu and her friend Yuki fleeing the facilty, but they are caught because Yuki has her period and it slows them down. Because of the attempted escape, the women's food supply is cut back, and so they all have contempt towards Matsu. What entails is a story full of violence and nudity.

Review: This film is part of the infamous "women in prison"/exploitation movies, but whereas most of these movies rely on cheap gore and nudity (and nothing else), Female Prisoner is much smarter and has deeper meaning than most films in the genre. The cast is great, but the one that really stands out is the actress playing Matsu, Meiko Kaji (of Lady Snowblood fame). The story is based on a manga, and the manga version of Matsu was an obscenity-spewing convict, but Meiko opted for a more silent approach to the role, which works even better for this enigmatic character. Meiko Kaji (who is one of the most gorgeous actresses I have ever seen) also provides the main theme with her beautiful voice. Five sequels followed this first film, but only three more star Meiko Kaji. All in all, if you can get around the violence and the nudity, it is a fantastic film (which also happens to be Shunya Ito's directorial debut). Meiko Kaji has now become one of my all-time favorite actresses.

Rating: 5/5