Author Archives: Paul Bramhall

Exhuma (2024) Review

Director: Jang Jae-Hyon Cast: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Hae-jin, Kim Go-eun, Lee Do-hyun, Jeon Jin-Ki, Kim Jae-cheol, Hong Seo-jun Running Time: 134 min. By Paul Bramhall While many directors in the Korean film industry tend to gravitate between different genres, there’s something admirable about how director and writer Jang Jae-hyeon has carved out a niche for himself helming supernatural horror mysteries. After making his feature length debut with The Priests in … Continue reading

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews, Top 4 Featured | Tagged , |

Polar Rescue (2022) Review

AKA: Come Back Home Director: Lo Chi-Leung Cast: Donnie Yen, Cecilia Han, Jia Bing, Yuan Jinhui, Hou Tianlai, Xu Guangyu, Lin Chenhan Running Time: 102 min. By Paul Bramhall Despite 2022 only being a couple of years ago, it feels like Donnie Yen’s first legitimate foray into headlining a production that relied purely on his acting chops has already been forgotten about. Having returned to the contemporary action thriller with … Continue reading

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged |

Driven to Kill (2009) Review

Director: Jeff King Cast: Steven Seagal, Mike Dopud, Igor Zhizhikin, Robert Wisden, Inna Korobkina, Zak Santiago, Andrew Rasputin, Evgeniy Lazarev, Laura Mennell Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall Before Steven Seagal was awarded the Order of Friendship from Vladimir Putin in 2023. Before he became the Special Representative for Russia & U.S. cultural links in 2018. Even before he attained Russian citizenship in 2016. Before all of that, there … Continue reading

Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Other Movies, Reviews | Tagged |

To Sir, With Love | aka Bloody Reunion (2006) Review

Director: Im Dae-woong Cast: Oh Mi-Hee, Seo Young-Hee, Yeo Hyeon-Soo, Lee Ji-Hyun, Yoo Sul-Ah, Lee Dong-Kyu, Kim Eung-soo, Jang Sung-Won, Park Hyo-Joon, Lee Tae-Rim Running Time: 93 min. By Paul Bramhall Pick any Asian horror from the early to mid-2000’s, and there’s a high chance you’ll encounter a long black-haired ghost, inevitably showing up to terrorise the cast and seek revenge for a past wrong. A trend that was started … Continue reading

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews |

Monstrous Corpse, A (1981) Review

Director: Kang Beomgu Cast: Chiang Ming, Yu Gwang-ok, Hong Yun-jeong, Kim Wang-guk, Baek Song, Pauline Wong Running Time: 85 min. By Paul Bramhall  As far as baffling remake choices go, the obscure Korean horror oddity A Monstrous Corpse from 1981 must surely be up there as one of the top contenders. A reimagining of the 1974 Italian and Spanish co-production Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, director Jorge Grau’s Lake District set … Continue reading

Posted in All, Chinese, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged |

One-Percent Warrior | aka One Percenter (2023) Review

AKA: 1%er Director: Yudai Yamaguchi Cast: Tak Sakaguchi, Kohei Fukuyama, Harumi Kanon, Taro Suruga, Togo Ishii, Sho Aoyagi, Itsuji Itao, Kenjiro Ishimaru, Keisuke Horibe, Ohji Hiroi Running Time: 85 min. By Paul Bramhall One-Percent Warrior offers up a welcome reunion of 3 of Japan’s most prominent names in action cinema, director Yudai Yamaguchi, star Tak Sakaguchi, and choreographer Kensuke Sonomura. The last time the trio crossed paths in the same … Continue reading

Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Sleep (2023) Review

Director: Jason Yu Cast: Jung Yu-mi, Lee Sun-kyun, Kim Keum-Soon, Kim Guk-Hee, Lee Kyung-Jin, Yoon Kyung-Ho, Lee Dong-Chan, Park Hyun-Jeong, Hong Ha-Naim Running Time: 94 min. By Paul Bramhall The best horror movies plug into the kind of primeval fear that everyone can relate to, and in that regard its hard to think of a more commonly binding part of being human than the need to sleep. For most of … Continue reading

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged |

Lights Out (2024) Review

Director: Christian Sesma Cast: Frank Grillo, Scott Adkins, Dermot Mulroney, Jaime King, Mekhi Phifer, Kevin Gage, Amaury Nolasco, JuJu Chan, Erica Peeples, Jessica Medina Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall An opening scene that sees a soldier under heavy fire in Afghanistan, trying to survive against seemingly insurmountable odds. Nondescript enemies popping up everywhere as cannon fodder. A harrowing conclusion before we cut forward to present day, where we … Continue reading

Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Other Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , |

Foggy Mountain | aka The Foggy Mountain-Dinh Mu Suong (2020) Review

Director: Phan Anh Cast: Peter Pham, Kim Long Thach, Simon Kook, Cong Ninh, Pham Huy Thuc, Truc May Running Time: 86 min. By Paul Bramhall In the world of martial arts cinema Vietnam has been in somewhat of a unique position in the 21st century, in that its most popular star is female, with Veronica Ngo leading the charge with the likes of Furie and its sequel, Furies, which she … Continue reading

Posted in All, News, Reviews, Vietnamese | Tagged |

Returned a Single-Legged Man 2 (1974) Review

Director: Lee Doo-yong Cast: Han Yong-cheol, Bae Su-chun, Kim Mun-ju, Im Eun-joo, Elton Chong, Park Dong-ryong, Cho Chun, Kim Wang-guk, Hwang Jang Lee, Han Tae-Il Running Time: 88 min. By Paul Bramhall The taekwon-action genre is one that’s largely faded into obscurity both in the west and in its native Korea, a combination of lack of availability, and the titles which are available usually being heavily bastardized from their original versions. … Continue reading

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , |

Badland Hunters (2024) Review

Director: Heo Myung-haeng Cast: Ma Dong-seok, Lee Hee-Jun, Lee Jun-Young, Roh Jeong-Eui, Ahn Ji-Hye, Park Ji-Hoon, Jang Young-Namm, Park Sang-Hoon , Ahn Seong-Bong Running Time: 107 min. By Paul Bramhall Badland Hunters marks the latest entry in Korea’s burgeoning fascination with post-apocalyptic settings, a spin-off from director Eom Tae-hwa’s Concrete Utopia, which saw a group of survivors living in the last standing apartment block after an earthquake razed Seoul to … Continue reading

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged , |

Rescue, The (2020) Review

Director: Dante Lam Cast: Eddie Peng, Xin Zhilei, Wang Yanlin, Lan Yingying, Wang Yutian, Xu Yang, Li Mincheng, Carlos Chan, Zhang Guoqiang, Guo Xiaodong, Wei Daxun Running Time: 139 min. By Paul Bramhall It would be Wu Jing’s 2015 production Wolf Warrior that kickstarted the latest era of ’Main melody’ movies, fully embodying President Xi’s speech from the previous year that filmmakers should make “patriotism the main theme of literary and … Continue reading

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , |

Fists, Kicks, & Kimchi: A History of the Korean Taekwon-Action Genre in the 1970’s – 1980’s

After going through a golden age in the 1960’s, Korean cinema went through one of its most challenging decades in the 70’s. Economic growth saw television sets make their way into most households and become the medium of choice, while the ushering in of the Yushin era saw president Park Chung-hee tighten his dictatorial grip on the country, imposing strict censorship on any creative work. After a decade that produced … Continue reading

Posted in Features, News |

Alienoid: Return to the Future (2024) Review

Director: Choi Dong-hun Cast: Ryoo Joon-Yeol, Kim Woo-Bin, Kim Tae-Ri, Lee Ha-Nee, Yum Jung-Ah, Jo Woo-Jin, Kim Eui-Sung, Jin Sun-Kyu, Wi Ji-woong, Lee Si-hoon Running Time: 123 min. By Paul Bramhall Korea’s premier blockbuster director Choi Dong-hoon returned with a bang in 2022 with Alienoid, a time travelling sci-fi genre mash-up that threw in everything from Shaw Brothers references to a John Woo homage. Shot as a 2-parter, the second … Continue reading

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged |

Blind War (2022) Review

Director: Suiqiang Huo Cast: Andy On Chi Kit, Waise Lee, Yang Xing, Hank Qi, Jane Wu, Vincent Matile, Cheng Si Han, Zhang Ya Qi, Dao Dao, Li Fa Guang, Alexandre Robillard Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Is there any production looked down upon more in Asia than the Chinese web movie? Arguably no. Maybe even more so than Filipino romantic comedies. Rapidly made and rarely clocking in longer … Continue reading

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , |