Review by Mikko Koivisto

This movie is every bit as good as they say. Excellent soundtrack, beautiful images and of course Meiko Kaji who is one of the most important Japanese actresses of the 70's. The only thing this movie is lacking is the great action choreograpy. The action scenes are definitely not bad, but you can't really compare them to such films as Lone Wolf and Cub. This Toho dvd is easily the best release available for this classic film.

This is definitely not a film just for childred. For instance, I myself am 19 years old, and I loved this little film. It's funny, touching and very well made. I was especially impressed by the special effects. Usually I hate cgi, but in Hinokio all the special effects were done so well I couldn't tell whether it really was cgi or not. Also, the casting was great. Too many films have been ruined by irritating child actors, in Hinokio all the young actors were very good.

Shinobi looks and sounds absolutely great, but is lacking when it comes to story and action. The action scenes are entertaining, but I was hoping for more "real" fighting and less cgi assisted stuff. The cgi is actually the biggest problem, it simply doesn't look good. But if you can get past that, Shinobi turns into a very entertaining popcorn flick with great music, beautiful visuals and good actors.

Wow, this was quite a surprise. I had previously only seen some of Iwai's more romantic films like Love Letter and April Story, so I wasn't expecting anything quite like this. Picnic is a weird, twisted and a stunningly beautiful film about three mental patiens who believe the world will come to an end today, and set out for a final journey. This film is full of mindblowingly beautiful images, accompanied by terrific soundtrack. Definitely one of the most memorable movies I've seen for a long time.