#ninja iii the domination

[astralbondpro]

Ninja III: The Domination (1984) // Dir. Sam Firstenberg

[titleknown]

I saw this movie at Mondo Mondays, and I felt I have to show you one of the great scenes of ninja-based violence in all of western cinema.

The funny part is, this doesn't even get into the most insane part of this movie's premise...

[schlock-luster-video]

Wishing a happy birthday to cult cinema icon Sho Kosugi! Here's some art inspired by the Cannon Films Ninja trilogy to celebrate!

[splatteronmywalls]

[omercifulheaves]

No, not the Charles Band / Tim Thomerson joint but the Italian poster for Ninja III: The Domination. (1984)

[thefugitivesaint]

Sho Kosugi, ''Shadowland Magazine'', Vol. 1, #5, 2012 Source

If you weren't a child of the 80s, you probably don't remember how ninja crazy the 80s were. There were dozens of (mostly cheaply produced) ninja films and Sho Kosugi was involved in many of them (he starred in, I believe, 20 films and a few TV shows, primarily 'The Master'). He's skilled in multiple different forms of martial arts and became a source of inspiration for people interested in ninjitsu, aikido, and karate. As a young lad, I loved his Cannon ninja films, 'Enter the Ninja', 'Revenge of the Ninja' and 'Ninja III: The Domination'. Kosugi is probably why I took karate lessons and read Black Belt magazine and thought the ninja aesthetic was cool (I was 8 when 'Enter the Ninja' came out in 1981 so what the hell did I know?) I was inspired, having come across this piece on Kosugi, to revisit some of those ninja films from the 80s. Do they hold up? They do not. Did I have fun watching any of them? Some. It also depends on what you mean by "fun?" In hindsight, many of the films that were part of the "ninjamania" of the 80s were textbook examples of Orientalism. Most offered superficial understandings of "eastern" ideas and of the martial arts involved even when helmed by skilled martial artists. The acting was usually laughable. The plots were thin at best. It was all about the action scenes but, unfortunately, most of the films could barely deliver. At least Kosugi's films were relatively decent on the action front (for the time). I came across a piece discussing the making of the film 'Ninja III: The Domination' that you might want to watch if you've ever felt the inclination to see that film (or rewatch it). (I actually never caught how much 'Ninja III' lifted from 'Flashdance' for instance.) Not much else to add to this barely thought out entry.

[brokehorrorfan]

4K UHD Review: The Guyver

Following in the wildly successful footsteps of Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Guyver takes a (relatively) grounded approach to its outlandish source material — in this case, a Japanese manga series — without divorcing itself from its comic book roots. Produced by Brian Yuzna (Re-Animator, Society), the 1991 film is directed by special effects wizards Screaming Mad George (Society, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) and Steve Wang (Predator, The Monster Squad).

As the Star Wars-esque expository opening crawl explains, mankind was created by aliens as an organic weapon. The evil Chronos corporation is further developing a technology that allows humans to change into "super monster soldiers" known as Zoanoids for world domination. The only viable defense against them is The Unit, a piece of bio-booster alien armor that increases a human's natural powers a hundredfold, turning them into The Guyver.

Mark Hamill's top billing may lead you to believe that he's the titular hero, but he instead plays a supporting role as a CIA agent investigating Chronos. The real lead is Jack Armstrong (Student Bodies) as Sean Barker, an amateur martial artist who's the only person that can activate The Unit. When his girlfriend (Vivian Wu, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III) is endangered, Sean utilizes his newfound powers to take down Chronos and the Zoanoids.

Armstrong is a bland lead, but it's not entirely his fault. In addition to a mustachioed Hamill channeling Colombo, he has to compete with several scene-stealing character actors. Re-Animator's David Gale chews the scenery as the malevolent head of Chronos, briefly reuniting with Jeffrey Combs as the company's scientist, Dr. East (get it?). Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes) plays Gale's right-hand Zoanoid with Jimmie Walker (Good Times) as his rapping goon. Linnea Quigley (The Return of the Living Dead) cameos as a scream queen.

But the real stars of the show are the creatures, the designs of which showcase boundless creativity. The Guyver looks like Ultraman by way of Clive Barker, and each Zoanoid adopts a different animal's traits. While a number of other artists were employed to pull off the myriad of monsters, George and Wang's fingerprints are all over the effects, imbuing the alien superhero movie with some disturbing body-horror.

Jon Purdy's script deviates significantly from source material not only in terms of story but also tone. While some of the manga's dark atmosphere and violence remain intact, it's undercut by goofy humor in an attempt to appeal to a younger demographic. Fans of Yoshiki Takaya's original creation were no doubt disappointed (Wang attempted a bit of a course correction with his 1994 sequel, Guyver: Dark Hero), but the tonal confusion is actually charming.

Originally cut down to a PG-13 rating in the US, The Guyver has been newly restored in 4K from the original, R-rated 35mm camera negative with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 options for Unearthed Films' 4K UHD + Blu-ray release. Far removed from the days of Jaws and Alien in which the monster was largely hidden in shadows, George and Wang put their creations on full display — and even with a crystal-clear restoration, the in-camera effects shine.

Two new audio commentaries are included. The first is a lively one with George and Wang, moderated by Budget Biomorphs: The Making of The Guyver Films author Dom O’Brien. It's not the most informative track — the filmmakers admit to not having seen the film in over two decades — but they're enjoying themselves so much that it hardly matters. The second commentary features creature crew members "Evil" Ted Smith and Wyatt Weed, who delve into the nitty-gritty of the effects.

Yuzna and George each sit down for thorough new interviews. Yuzna reveals that he's been approached about a remake, but the rights are complicated, while George's infectious energy lasts the entire 56 (!) minutes. Creature suit camera test footage is included with commentary options from George and Wang or Smith and Weed, while outtakes and a gag reel feature George and Wang commentary.

Other extras include: alternate title sequences in English, German and Spanish; English, German, Spanish, and French trailers (all carrying the alternate title Mutronics); and extensive promotional and production galleries. The collector's edition also comes with the soundtrack CD composed by Matthew Morse (Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker) and a booklet featuring liner notes by O’Brien and Morse.

The Guyver is available now on 4K UHD via Unearthed Films.

[metalhealth-willdriveyoumad]

Hottest Drummer Tournament Round 1

Frank Ferrer

Band(s): Guns N’ Roses // The Psychedelic Furs // Love Spit Love // The Dead Daisies // The Beautiful // The Compulsions // Pssr // Beatrazr // Gordon Gano & The Ryans 

Albums/EPs as drummer:

Appetite For Democracy 3D (Guns N’ Roses)

Love Spit Love (Love Spit Love) Trysome Eatone (Love Spit Love)

Face I Love (The Dead Daisies)

The Beautiful (The Beautiful) Highway (The Beautiful)

21 Powers Street (The Compulsions) Laughter From Below (The Compulsions) Ferocious (The Compulsions) Beat The Devil (The Compulsions) Dirty Fun (The Compulsions & Rob Carlyle) Demon Love / The Cocaine EP (The Compulsions) Been through Hell (The Compulsions)

Hitting The Ground (Gordon Gano) Under The Sun (Gordon Gano & The Ryans)

Havve Hogan

Band(s): TWRP

Albums/EPs as drummer:

Sex Is a Machine That Likes to Dance (TWRP) Poised to Dominate (TWRP) The Device (TWRP) 2nite (TWRP) Believe in Your Dreams (TWRP) Guardians of the Zone (TWRP) Ladyworld (TWRP) Together Through Time (TWRP) Return to Wherever (TWRP) Over the Top (TWRP) New & Improved (TWRP) Friends of the Blues (TWRP) Digital Nightmare (TWRP)

Under the Covers (Ninja Sex Party) Under the Covers, Vol. II (Ninja Sex Party) Cool Patrol (Ninja Sex Party) Under the Covers, Vol. III (Ninja Sex Party) The Prophecy (Ninja Sex Party) Level Up (Ninja Sex Party) These Nuts (Ninja Sex Party)

The TryForce (Starbomb)

Propaganda:

Best and hottest drumming robot this side of the solar system.

[theactioneer]

Ninja III: The Domination (Sam Firstenberg, 1984)

[racefortheironthrone]

The Bond move set in a fictional Central American country has more ninjas than the Bond actually set in Japan. Has American pop culture obsession in the late 1980s for any and all things ninja ever been explained?

I mean, samurai movies and Hong Kong martial arts movies had already become cult classics and low-budget commercial successes by the early 1970s, so the ninja fad was following a well-trodden path by the time that it hit big in the 1980s.

I would argue that the explosion of ninja-sploitation films in the 1980s were very much part of America's complex mix of fascination with and fear of Japan at the heyday of its economic golden years. Hence why a lot of ninja-sploitation movies featured an (often unmemorable) white protagonist and a Japanese antagonist who usually became a lot more famous because they were usually better martial artists.

Although some of the more interesting ones inverted the formula by having a female protagonist (such as in Ninja III: the Domination) or a racially mixed group of protagonists, as in the camp classic Miami Connection.

[videoclubleo]

1984 - NINJA III, THE DOMINATION de Sam Firstenberg Una muchacha es poseída por el espíritu maligno de un ninja que reside en una antigua katana. Cuando toma posesión de su cuerpo comete terribles asesinatos. Tan solo otro ninja podrá evitar que el derramamiento de sangre continúe. (FILMAFFINITY)

[cumaeansibyl]

@mackensen is this Ninja III: The Domination

Cannon Studios advertising and promotional materials shown at film festivals to get investors. 

[thevaultboombap]

#Repost @80s_dopehouse

...

The film Breakin' (1984) is 39 today! Ayo, you people that be trying to shit on Breakin' these days, you know you saw it a bunch of times back then! 😂😂😂 Who remembers when shorty got possessed and became a ninja only a few months later in Ninja III: The Domination with Sho Kosugi? That shit was dope! RIP Shabba Doo 🙏🇵🇷🙏🇵🇷🙏🇵🇷

[schlock-luster-video]

On September 27, 1984, Ninja III: The Domination debuted in Australia.

[omercifulheaves]

Ninja III: The Domination (1984)

[thefugitivesaint]

A woman who lives in deer-hunting country in rural Wisconsin is possessed by the spirit of a Japanese samurai warrior. A supernatural slasher by a French director set at Christmas. The possibility that 1984's 'Ninja III: The Domination' might have been plagiarized from this film astounds me. (I should note that 'Ninja III', which is a terrible movie, is far more watchable than 'Blood Beat' but I would still recommend hunting 'Blood Beat' down given that it remains one of the more obscure Christmas horror/slasher films out there. It's worth one viewing and probably only one viewing. I don't know why anyone would want to watch this movie more than once.)