Message from Space 1978  PG, 105 min.
Genre: Foreign / Sci-Fi
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Cast: Vic Morrow, Sonny Chiba, Philip Casnoff, Peggy Lee Brennan, Etsuko Shihomi, Tetsuro Tamba, Hiroyuki Sanada, Mikio Narita, Makoto Sato, Noboru Mitani
The Gavanas take over the planet Jillucia in this film featuring many of the ideas previously introduced in "Star Wars."
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Onmyoji 2001  R, 116 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action / Drama / Fantasy / Horror
aka: The Yin-Yang Master
Director: Yojiro Takita
Cast: Mansai Nomura, Hideaki Ito, Eriko Imai, Yui Natsukawa, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kyoko Koizumi, Mai Hosho, Kenichi Yajima, Kenichi Ishii, Kenjiro Ishimaru, Houka Kinoshita, Sachiko Kokubu, Ittoku Kishibe
In this story–set in the 10th-century court of the emperor, the Mikado (Ittoku Kishibe)–the infant son of the Mikado falls under a dreadful curse. The Mikado calls on his onmyoji for help. Onmyoji are advisors who, in this case, pit their powers of illusion and sorcery against each other in an extraordinary adventure of love and redemption. A popular dungeons and dragons film.
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 The Promise 2005 PG-13, 102 min.
Genre: Foreign / Fantasy / Action
Director: Chen Kaige
Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Jang Dong-Kun, Cecilia Cheung, Nicholas Tse, Liu Ye, Chen Hong, Qian Cheng, Qian Bo, Yu Xiaowei, Anthony Wong
An orphaned young girl makes a bargain with an enchantress to give up on true love and, instead, become a beautiful princess. Now Qingcheng (Cecilia Cheung) is a princess, and, as befits her promise, any man she has loved has died. She is in love again–this time with General Guangming (Hiroyuki Sanada) who she believes has saved her life, but the real hero who rescued her is the general's slave, Kunlun (Jang Dong-Kun), who suffers in silence. Will the truth be told, and will Princess Qingcheng finally live happily ever after?
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Ringu 1998 N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Foreign / Horror / Thriller / Fantasy / Mystery
aka: Ring
Director: Hideo Nakata
Cast: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Hiroyuki Sanada, Yuko Takeuchi, Hitomi Sato, Yoichi Numata, Yutaka Matsushige, Katsumi Muramatsu, Rikiya Otaka, Masako, Daisuke Ban, Kiyoshi Risho, Yurei Yanagi, Yoko Oshima, Kiriko Shimizu
Director Hideo Nakata sets the mood for an eerie experience in this tale of fright. A video is cursed; anyone who watches it will receive a phone call within an hour, and no one will be on the line. Then, a week later, the viewer will die. After Reiko (Nanako Matsushima) views the video and finds out that people have really died, she sets out to solve the mystery before her week is up.
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Ringu 2 1998  N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Foreign / Thriller
aka: Ring 2
Director: Hideo Nakata
Cast: Miki Nakatani, Hitomi Sato, Kyoko Fukada, Fumiyo Kohinata, Kenjiro Ishimaru, Yurei Yanagi, Rikiya Otaka, Yoichi Numata, Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Masako, Katsumi Muramatsu
This is a sequel to the popular "Ringu," and the viewer must depend on what went on in the original in order to follow this film. Mai (Miki Nakatani) investigates the death of her boyfriend who, as predicted, died one week after seeing a particular video. A vengeful spirit inhabits the video, and Mai is determined to stop the killing.
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Royal Warriors 1986 N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action
Director: David Chung
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Wong, Pak Ying, Chan Wai-Man, Lin Wei, Kam Hing Ying
Action prevails as Hiroyuki Sanada and that "Bond" girl, Michelle Yeoh, cavort in hand-to-hand combat amidst exploding coffins, a fight inside an airplane passenger cabin, and a nightclub shootout. The quality of the stunts earned this film a nomination for Best Choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
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Rush Hour 3 2007 PG-13, 90 min.
Genre: Action / Comedy
Director: Brett Ratner
Cast: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Max von Sydow, Hiroyuki Sanada, Noemie Lenoir, Yvan Attal, Dana Ivey, Youki Kudoh, Tzi Ma, Roman Polanski, Zhang Jingchu, Julie Depardieu, Simon Rhee, Roselyn Sanchez, Henry O
Hong Kong's Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) and LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) are back and thrown into action after a sniper, Lee's adopted brother Kenji (Hiroyuki Sanada), wounds Chinese Ambassador Han (Tzi Ma), and Lee chases him across Los Angeles during rush hour. When Lee and Carter learn that the Chinese Triads are behind the shooting and have gained a huge influence in Paris, they fly to Paris where their East vs. West culture clash enters a new phase of French vs. American as they vow to protect Han and his daughter Soo Yung (Zhang Jingchu). Genevieve (Noemie Lenoir), on whose head are tattooed details of the Triad, holds the key to solving the case. And the action continues!
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Sunshine 2007 R, 108 min.
Genre: Adventure / Sci-Fi
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rose Byrne, Benedict Wong, Troy Garity, Mark Strong, Chipo Chung, Paloma Baeza, Archie Macdonald, Sylvia Macdonald
In the year 2057 Earth is freezing, and eight astronauts board the Icarus II spaceship and set off on a dangerous mission. They are carrying a bomb that they plan to shoot off into the dying Sun in order to reignite it and save the Earth. Sixteen months after they left Earth, they receive a distress beacon from the first spaceship, Icarus I, and must decide whether or not to change course and check on Icarus I or to continue with their appointed course. Will a change of course benefit Earth, or will there be dire consequences?
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 The Twilight Samurai 2002  N/R, 129 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action
Director: Yoji Yamada
Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, Nenji Kobayashi, Min Tanaka, Ren Osugi, Mitsuro Fukikoshi, Miki Ito, Erina Hashiguchi, Hiroshi Kanbe, Kanako Fukaura, Reiko Kusamura, Keishi Arashi
Samurai Seibei (Hiroyuki Sanada) suffers when his wife dies–not only is he left with two daughters and an aging mother to protect, but he was forced to sell his sword to pay funeral expenses. Now, instead of joining fellow samurais for evening activities, Seibei spends his evenings making bird houses. Seibei secretly loves his childhood friend, Tomoe (Rie Miyazawa), who now comes to his home to care for his family. Under pressure to remarry, Tomoe proposes to Seibei but is turned down because he believes she will not find happiness in his less affluent surroundings. Tomoe stops coming to the house–until Seibei is assigned to a duel with a samurai in the opposite camp. Tomoe returns, prepares Seibei for a battle from which he may never return, and awaits the outcome. Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
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The White Countess 2005 PG-13, 135 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: James Ivory
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave, John Wood, Madeleine Potter, Madeleine Cooper, Allan Corduner, Hiroyuki Sanada, Luoyong Wang, Ying Da
In 1930s' Shanghai, exiled Russian Countess Sofia Belinsky (Natasha Richardson) takes a job as a nightclub dancer, and occasional prostitute, to support her deceased husband's family. While on the job, Sofia forms a relationship with blind, American expatriate Todd Jackson (Ralph Fiennes) who asks her to be the hostess at his new bar. As their friendship deepens, Todd's cynicism melts away–but only for awhile.
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| 1. Message from Space (1978)
2. Onmyoji (2001)
aka: The Yin-Yang Master
3. The Promise (2005)
4. Ringu (1998)
aka: Ring
5. Ringu 2 (1998)
aka: Ring 2
6. Royal Warriors (1986)
7. Rush Hour 3 (2007)
8. Sunshine (2007)
9. The Twilight Samurai (2002)
10. The White Countess (2005)
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