1968 - BLACK LIZARD, a strange Japanese crime film

A very strange crime drama from Japan, this is a an odd ball film if ever there was one.  Black Lizard is one of those master criminals doing a battle of the wits thing with the police, in this case detective Akechi.  The film's plot involves a rich jeweler who's daughter has been kidnapped by Black Lizard who demands a ransom of a diamond worth about one million dollars (1968 money). Black Lizard also likes to take her victims and turn them into statues for or own private museum.

But probably the strangest thing about this film is the casting of the actor Akihiro Maruyama in the role of Black Lizard.  Maruyama was a famous female impersonator, a drag queen if you will.  Absolutely no mention is made of Maruyama as a female impersonator and in fact there is kind of a love duet played between detective Akechi and Black Lizard.  This is a strange film.

 

The film is based on a play by the writer Yukio Mishima who's life was dramatized in the film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters.  Mishima was quite a character himself.

The film was written by Masashige Narusawa and the director Kinji Fukasaku, the running time is 86 minutes.

1978 - MESSAGE FROM SPACE, Japanese Star Wars ripoff

Released a year after the very first Star Wars film, Message From Space rehashes a lot of the same situations and characters as that film while throwing in a few silly ideas of it's own.  The film is clearly no Star Wars and can't even hit the lunatic heights of Latitude Zero. 

The planet Jillucia has been attacked by the Gavanas Empire.  The Gavanas warriors all look like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz.  The Emerald Princess of the planet Jillucia sends eight Liabe Seeds into space to find eight warriors to save what's left of her people.  The Liabe Seeds look like walnuts and glow when they find the chosen warriors.  The seeds end up with a Space General played by Vic Morrow of all people and a couple of hot shot fighter pilots clearly standing in for Luke and Han.  The seeds also happen to find a guy to provide comedy relief and a feisty gal named Meia.  Sonny Chiba star of the Streetfighter series also shows up as a space guy with a sword.  This is essentially the plot of The Magnificent Seven (Seven Samurai).  If you've seen Star Wars you know where this is going and it doesn't disappoint.

The space ships literally look like ships and the special effects are miniatures hanging from wires while they are whisked across miniature landscapes.  The weapons used are ray guns and swords and the film is dubbed and daffy as they like to say.

Overall, Message From Space is probably a waste of time although I wasted my time watching it.  Kinji Fukasaku the director should have really known better.

105 minutes, written by Hiro Matusda.