
	Where results make sense

Topic: Kitamura Ryuhei

Related Topics

Koizumi Takashi

Nakano Hiroyuki

Film history of Japan

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Itami Juzo

Abe Yutaka

Suzuki Seijun

Mizoguchi Kenji

Harada Masato

Takeshi Kitano

Akira Kurosawa

List of Japanese Directors

In the News (Mon 4 Jun 12)

EXECUTIVE POWER

Iran

ANALYSIS

Pakistan

Family compact

	Asian Cinema Drifter - Azumi Review
		Kitamura outwardly embraces his quirky characters including three psychotic assassin partners or the sketchy white-clad adversary, Bijomaru who enjoys combining his two loves, flowers and swordplay.
		Kitamura’s lovable 360 phases are intact and even experimented on, despite the aim for a wider audience.
		Still, Kitamura illustrates his ability to handle action as the fights are all comprehensible on that brink of seizure-inducing pleasure.
	www.acdrifter.com /?page=Review&movie=Azumi (488 words)

	Ryuhei Kitamura biography .ms (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Ryuhei Kitamura (北村龍平 Kitamura Ryūhei, born May 30, 1969) is a Japanese film director growing in popularity in Japan and in the international Japanese film community.
		Kitamura's films are known for their extensive mythology, impressive sword fighting and martial arts, and over-the-top action sequences.
		Kitamura went on to direct several movies, including adaptations of the manga Azumi and the popular Japanese TV drama Sky High.
	ryuhei-kitamura.biography.ms (268 words)

	Kensforce Interview: Ryuhei Kitamura (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		As a Godzilla fan I was truely inspired by Kitamura's passion for making Final Wars a unique film that would stand alone as the greatest Godzilla film of all time.
		Of course the director Ryuhei Kitamura and the cast of the film will be on hand as well.
		Ryuhei Kitamura is considered by many to be the Japan's Quentin Tarantino, a young director with a flare for action and fast paced films.
	www.kensforce.com /Ryuhei_Kitamura.html (1083 words)

	Aragami
		Kitamura and another director agreed to a cinematic duel in which each would produce a film that would take place in a single room, with only three actors, on a shoestring budget.
		Kitamura does better when his hyperkinetic imagination is restricted by budget and cast members.
		Kitamura, who co-wrote the story and screenplay, uses all this externally imposed quiet time to ruminate on some interesting themes: the pleasures of being mortal, the deception of appearances, the acceptability of suicide, and the benefits of eating liver.
	www.jeremysilman.com /movies_tv_tt/aragami.html (466 words)

	Midnight Eye review: Azumi (Ryuhei KITAMURA - 2003)
		The movie also represented a debut of another sort for director Ryuhei Kitamura, who was still riding high on the international cult success of his low-budget genre masher Versus.
		Kitamura's regular D.O.P. Takumi Furuya provides crisp and vividly-lit photography far removed from the cold and grimy look of his other works, and fittingly for what is essentially an idol picture, it makes the most of Ueto's youthful luminescence.
		Kitamura went on to helm another major studio actioner with Sky High and has recently been entrusted with giving Godzilla a fitting send-off before the series takes a well-earned vacation, but you'd be well advised to remember that this is the same director who succeeded in making a boring movie about ninjas.
	www.midnighteye.com /reviews/azumi.shtml (1115 words)

	Aragami - Buffaluffasaurus
		The opening is mysterious and intriguing, but Kitamura drags it out much too long, so that the audience’s interest is sapped by being two steps ahead of the movie.
		The camera darts around the performers menacingly during these early scenes, as if Kitamura is either trying to force the pace through his direction, or is simply bored with the material.
		Kitamura has shown he has the skills and technical savvy to compete with the big boys of action cinema, it’s just a matter of time now until he gets the right budget and script to work with, and then he’ll show the world what he’s got.
	www.angelfire.com /movies/thehorrorfan/reviews/BUFF/aragami.html (705 words)

	Twitch - Ryuhei Kitamura + Shunji Iwai = Bandage?
		Kitamura has the brash confidence and acres of style to pull of a rock and roll film while Iwai has the chops to give it some solid depth and he's always had latent pop culture geekery lurking beneath the surface of his films.
		Ryuhei Kitamura is possibly the worst Japanese director alive today; all of his films are boring, with a lack of any geniune creativity.
		Kitamura has only edited two of his own films, so I'm not sure how much of a dead solid editor he is either.
	www.twitchfilm.net /archives/004038.html (996 words)

	Versus
		Versus made director Ryuhei Kitamura a name to watch for cult-film fans, and Media Blasters released three domestic versions through its Tokyo Shock line: a one-disc standard edition; a one-disc, unrated director’s cut; and this loaded two-disc special edition of the unrated version.
		Add a dash of samurai flavor in the form of flashbacks to an earlier chapter in the ancient conflict, and the end result is a veritable orgy of combat.
		Kitamura, aided by action director Yuji Shimomura, keeps the pace high and varies the battle scenes just enough to keep them fresh and viewers dazzled.
	www.horrortalk.com /reviews/Versus/Versus.htm (1809 words)

	Alive (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Kitamura diverts from his all-out action movie direction in Versus and takes a more sedated, serious approach.
		Kitamura fans should definitely watch this movie to see how he is branching out as a director.
		Directed by acclaimed director Ryuhei Kitamura of "Versus" and "Azumi," this sci-fi action thriller combines the claustrophobic tension of Vincenzo Natali's "Cube" with the over-the-top kinetics of Kitamura's own "Versus." Sentenced to death for brutally murdering his girlfriend's rapists, Tenshu is sentenced to die in the electric chair.
	www.kenation.com /moview/alive.html (357 words)

	2005 Philadelphia Film Festival (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		It wouldn’t be Danger After Dark without a new film from Japanese action auteur Ryuhei Kitamura, and this year, the cult favorite filmmaker delivers his first big-budget studio action spectacle.
		Fortunately, Kitamura’s advancement into more lavish filmmaking territory has changed little of his deliriously mercurial style: Azumi may have kicked Kitamura out of the independent arena and into the big leagues, but that’s just allowed him to spend more money on swords, giddily agile camerawork, and -- of course -- bloody mayhem.
		Updating the traditional Japanese samurai film to contemporary action blockbuster levels, Kitamura delivers the kinetic, blood-spattered goods his fans have come to expect, driven by his reliably fantastic bag of cinematic tricks (one shot -- a gravity-defying vertical pirouette encircling two suspended duelists -- must be seen to be believed).
	www.phillyfests.com /pff/templates/film_details.cfm?id=2938 (340 words)

	Asian Entertainment Forum! -> Down To Hell (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		DOWN TO HELL is generally known as the "Prequel" to Ryuhei Kitamura's classic film VERSUS, though since it was made 4 years earlier it's more proper to say that VERSUS is the sequel to down to hell.
		Ryuhei Kitamura is currently shooting scenes for VERSUS 1.5.
		Ryuhei Kitamura strikes me as a very interesting director, so I'm intrigued to see his experiments even if they ultimately failed.
	www.m-dream.co.uk /forums/index.php?showtopic=732 (1876 words)

	2005 Philadelphia Film Festival (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Versus director Ryuhei Kitamura returns to Danger After Dark in an action-packed supernatural samurai saga guaranteed to please.
		The outrageous Japanese splatterfest Versus was a highlight of last year's Danger After Dark, and this year, Versus director Ryuhei Kitamura is back with a new film, the samurai swordplay/horror-fantasy hybrid Aragami—which might be the filmmaker's most accomplished feature to date.
		While Aragami is a more mature work from Kitamura, action fans certainly won't be disappointed: when the swords of the samurai and the Aragami clash, Kitamura's position as Japan's current reigning action auteur is assured.
	www.phillyfests.com /pff/templates/film_details.cfm?c=77&id=1537 (323 words)

	Azumi (2003) (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Now in the new millennium, writer/director Ryuhei Kitamura has emerged as the leading force in a new trend towards reviving at least one-half of the chambara genre, the populist actioner.
		Aside from the action, Kitamura's comic touches are refreshing and keep the film grounded in fantasy, where it belongs.
		That's what Kitamura is striving for in his self-professed desire to bring back the cult chambara film and that is what he succeeds in doing perfectly.
	www.kungfucinema.com /reviews/azumi.htm (1578 words)

	Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		The Twin Snakes is interesting as a collaboration between Nintendo's then second-party developer Silicon Knights, Konami, and film director Ryuhei Kitamura.
		Cult director Ryuhei Kitamura was responsible for directing the new cut scenes for the game.
		Also, many were disappointed with the direction of the new cut-scenes, despite the fact that Ryuhei Kitamura was hand-picked by Hideo Kojima to direct the cinematics.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid:_The_Twin_Snakes (1562 words)

	Versus: Special Edition DVD Review
		Co-writer and Director Ryuhei Kitamura gets a lot of mileage from his cast with handsome young Tak Sakaguchi playing the angst ridden antihero of the film with a sense of style.
		The “Making Of Versus” documentary (24:41) features a lengthy interview with Co-Writer and Director Ryuhei Kitamura in English where he describes the origin of the project, which was originally envisioned as a sequel to his “Straight To Hell” feature film, but soon took on an identity of it’s own.
		Kitamura describes the challenge he was faced with when making a film that he felt would pay homage to all of the American genre films he loved in the 1980s in a Japanese film industry that he feels has become too apathetic in the shadow of big budget Hollywood productions.
	www.genreonline.net /Versus_SE_DVD.html (1080 words)

	[KFCC] Azumi Review
		Also, at certain times, Ryuhei's big-budget Hollywood-ish visions are marred by the painfully apparent lack of funds.
		Ryuhei's purpose here is to serve the same old generic formula we have all seen, but serve it in a way that can still manage to impress the pants right off of us.
		There's no doubt about it, Ryuhei is on his way to claim the spot of Japan's most renowned international director.
	www.kfccinema.com /reviews/swordplay/azumi/azumi.html (1124 words)

	Azumi
		Being a fan of Ryuhei Kitamura's 'Versus', I have to admit I feared the worst from his follow-up project 'Azumi'.
		Combined with this, Kitamura also has a keen eye for storytelling, keeping the pace fast moving and never overdoing his camera tricks but inserting them just at the right moment so as to keep a fresh slant on each particular scene.
		It may be a different genre but Kitamura proves he is not just a one trick pony and still knows how to successfully shoot the action and keep the characters interesting throughout.
	www.dragonsdenuk.com /reviews/azumi.htm (816 words)

	subway cinema \| new york asian film festival 2004 \| azumi
		Based on a popular manga that sold 8 million copies, AZUMI is the story of a bunch of frisky kids, sequestered in the mountains and taught to fight by greybeard, Jiji.
		The one exception is the sparky little samurai grrl, Azumi, wearing short shorts and miniskirts, sporting a lethal glare and trying to preserve the last scraps of her own humanity against tidal waves of sword-waving mercenaries.
		Kitamura addresses that criticism with a vengeance, fattening up AZUMI on bloody emotions, broken hearts, and shattered innocence, while still finding time for a gallery of grotesque villains and 200-against-1 samurai battles.
	www.subwaycinema.com /frames/nyaff04-azumi.htm (426 words)

	Amazon.ca: DVD: Versus (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Set in this wooded locale, Ryuhei Kitamura's "Versus" is a bizarre, yet strangely entertaining, two hours of camp that may well be destined for cult-classic status.
		Kitamura certainly can't be criticized for wasting any time getting to the meat of the story.
		Kitamura's tense, often frenetic directing style reminded me a lot of another, much better movie that I saw recently, namely John Woo's "The Killer." While "Versus" doesn't quite match up to that classic, the abundance of great action, combined with lots of blood and some stunning cinematography, still makes for an entertaining view.
	www.amazon.ca /exec/obidos/ASIN/B000095J2Z (1802 words)

	MTV.com - Movies - Ryuhei Kitamura
		In a time when inflated budgets are often used to indicate the amount of bang you'll get for your multiplex buck, Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura surfaced as something of an oddity.
		To say that expectation was high for Kitamura's follow up to Versus would likely be the biggest understatement of recent international genre cinema, and though general reaction to his subsequent futuristic prison film, Alive (2002), was notably mixed, fans were still curious what the high-energy visionary might cook up next.
		As rumors of a sequel to Versus continued to swirl through Internet chat rooms (no doubt spurned by Kitamura's admittance that he was preparing an "Ultimate Version" of the film containing new footage), fans rejoiced when it was announced that he would be helming Godzilla: Final Wars.
	www.mtv.com /movies/person/263559/bio.jhtml (552 words)

	[KFCC] Aragami Review
		ARAGAMI is an entertaining experiment from Ryuhei Kitamura (VERSUS, ALIVE) that succeeds in maintaining both action and humor.
		As expected, Kitamura used his usual crew for the production of the film, which is a good thing.
		The two main stars are not known for their martial arts skills, so naturally Kitamura would be forced to add some forced style in some way, I’m just glad that it wasn’t overdone or sloppy.
	www.kfccinema.com /reviews/swordplay/aragami/aragami.html (896 words)

	Yakuza Paradise Productions ::
		Ryuhei Kitamura the best filmmaker out in Japan.
		But Versus was not Ryuhei Kitamura's first film, he made two filmes b4 "Versus" Down To Hell his prequal to "Versus" and the one I'm currently reviewing "Heat After Dark" starring Atsuro Watabe, Kazuma Susuki and Shigeru Izumiya.
		This is one of thoes films where you should kick back with some soda, beer (if your of age, Im not), snacks and pump up the sound and get ready for some of the best 50 minuets of your life.
	www.freewebs.com /ypproductions/reviews.htm (364 words)

	High Impact Reviews: Versus (2000) (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Celebrated Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura comes up with an excellent film that crosses Evil Dead with John Woo films as well as Hong Kong martial arts films.
		Ryuhei Kitamura has come up with an awesome cross of zombie film, martial arts actioner, and heroic bloodshed.
		What is interesting here about Kitamura and Yudai Yamaguchi's script is that the names of the characters are never given, except for KSC2-303.
	www.megspace.com /entertainment/highimpact/reviews/uv/versus.html (629 words)

	BUZZSCOPE :: Godzilla:Final Wars (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		That would be the same Ryuhei Kitamura that directed the cult favorite movie "Versus".
		It's clearly obvious that Ryuhei Kitamura borrowed a lot of ideas from "The Matrix" as the fight scenes are full of similar stunts.
		Kazuki Kitamura is just as over the top in this film as he was in "Versus" and it pays off in spades.
	www.buzzscope.com /reviews.php?id=4860 (1189 words)

	Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Kitamura stated in an interview that I had with him recently that the film wouldn't draw from the
		It is however a triumph in my opinion and a fitting 50th birthday film for the King of the Monsters.
		Godzilla films of the 1970's which the film's director Ryuhei Kitamura is a big
	www.kensforce.com /Godzilla_Final_Wars_2004.html (1795 words)

	The DVD Maniacs - Forum - Ryuhei Kitamura's AZUMI
		Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura of "Versus" fame, this action-packed movie is based on a highly popular manga serial by Yu Koyama.
		Once again, Kitamura demonstrates his awesome skills into camera movements and fight choreography.
		The unlimited supply of stylistic action scenes and wild visual feast are enhanced by his leaping and pouncing camera, wirework and CGI specal fx.
	www.dvdmaniacs.net /forums/printthread.php?t=9152 (314 words)

	About Versus
		Kitamura wanted to shoot Versus the same way its predecessor was made; on video and with a little budget.
		Although short on budget, Kitamura took a risk and experimented with his ideas.
		To know more facts about Versus, see this exclusive interview of Ryuhei Kitamura courtesy of Midnight Eye.
	www.geocities.com /the444thportal/versus/about.htm (214 words)

	Heat After Dark directed by Ryuhei Kitamura reviewed by David Zuzelo
		Although a tad posey in spots, Kitamura does not sling his camera about wildly very often, and instead gives us off kilter characters doing violently off kilter things.
		The small cast is excellent-giving life to these people in a short running time of 50 minutes-and they do spend a lot of that time running.
		Double this with Kitamura's other short-ish film Down To Hell, and you have an exciting evening with an emerging superstar in your DVD player.
	www.tombofdvd.com /heatafterdark.htm (569 words)

	AnimeNation Anime Forums - Ryuhei Kitamura "Aragami" Question
		After reading your post on the thread "Japanese action/samurai releases: recent or old" i started to look for any edition of the Ryuhei Kitamura short movie that you mentioned named "Aragami" the latest release that i found searching for Ryuhei Kitamura at cdjapan.co.jp was a short movie named "Heat after Dark"!
		Ryuhei Kitamura produced Down to Hell in 1997 and Heat After Dark in 1999 before making Versus in 2000.
		After the smash success of Versus, Kitamura directed the sci-fi action film Alive, and the historical samurai fantasy swordplay film Aragami.
	www.animenation.net /forums/showthread.php?t=82476 (280 words)

Try your search on: Qwika (all wikis)