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on Lethal Combat: Techno Warriors 2 (2000) ReviewI’ve heard of the Techno Warriors duology for years, but ignored them. It’s n…
on Acclaimed ‘Versus’ filmmaker Ryuhei Kitamura is getting into the amusement park business with ‘Thrill Ride’One good movie: Midnight meat train. The rest: crap.
on Lama Avenger, The | aka The Three Avengers (1979) ReviewWell, hopefully they can squeeze this one on the next Volume with "The Man, T…
on Lethal Combat: Techno Warriors 2 (2000) ReviewCheers Scott. To assist with some total recall, you commented on my review of…
on Lethal Combat: Techno Warriors 2 (2000) ReviewWow. I wish a dvd showcasing both movies were floating around somewhere. I've…
on Bruce Lee protege Dan Inosanto is getting a Hollywood BiopicThey got Dan Inosanto's name wrong in the films credits: calling him DAM INOS…
on John Travolta and Nicolas Cage to return for a sequel to John Woo’s ‘Face/Off’?The original film is currently free on YouTube.
on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?as was released in 2 parts... yes. But as part of the 4hr cut he screened to…
on Shadow Fist Hunter | aka The Shadow Chaser (1973) ReviewCan you please upload this film?!
on Quentin Tarantino has dropped his 10th and final project: does this mean a ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ is back on the table?That makes a lot of sense. I'm not all about "cutting", but it seems like one…
on Lama Avenger, The | aka The Three Avengers (1979) ReviewYeah I feel they could've put some better ones
Author Archives: Paul Bramhall
Bravest Revenge, The (1970) Review
Director: Chien Lung Cast: Polly Shang-Kuan, Tien Peng, Yi Yuan, Wan Chung Shan, Hsueh Han, Chen Bao-Liang Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall Many fans of kung-fu cinema regard the 70’s as the genres golden decade, and rightfully so, with the countless classics cranked out from the likes of the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest leaving a lasting legacy. In 1970 itself the genre was in an interesting place. Bruce … Continue reading
Summer Time (2001) Review
Director: Park Jae-Ho Cast: Kim Ji-Hyeon, Choi Cheol-Ho, Ryu Soo-Young, Song Ok-Suk, Jeong-yun Bae, Choi Seong-Min, Yoon Yeong-Geol, Jang Sung-Won, Kim Sun-Hwa Running Time: 103 min. By Paul Bramhall Holding the distinction of being the only time that Korea would remake a Filipino production, 2001’s Summer Time used Peque Gallaga’s erotic classic Scorpio Nights as its source material. Released in 1985, Gallaga’s production set itself against the backdrop of martial … Continue reading
Manhattan Chase (2000) Review
Director: Godfrey Ho Cast: Loren Avedon, Cynthia Rothrock, Brendan Kelly, Steve Tartalia, Nicol Zanzarella, Roberto Gutierrez, Robin Berry, Chris Grall, Robinlynn Sweeney Running Time: 97 min. By Paul Bramhall When it comes to Hong Kong cinema, there are a handful of directors whose reputation precedes them, and arguably Godfrey Ho is one of them. For better or worse, Ho pioneered a business model that involved cutting corners in increasingly imaginative ways … Continue reading
Posted in All, Asian Related, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Cynthia Rothrock, Godfrey Ho, Loren Avedon, Steve Tartalia
Point Men, The (2023) Review
Director: Yim Soonrye Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, Hyun-Bin, Kang Ki-Young, Park Hyoung-Soo, Ahn Chang-Hwan, Jeon Sung-Woo, Lee Seung-Chul, Jung Jae-Sung, Seo Sang-Won Running Time: 108 min. By Paul Bramhall In recent years the film industries in Korea and China have seemingly stumbled upon a new goldmine to extract source material for their cinematic output – true stories involving their citizens either being kidnapped and/or placed in danger in troubled faraway lands, … Continue reading
Heart of Stone (2023) Review
Director: Tom Harper Cast: Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan, Alia Bhatt, Jing Lusi, Sophie Okonedo, Matthias Schweighöfer, Paul Ready, Jon Kortajarena, Glenn Close, BD Wong, Mark Ivanir Running Time: 122 min. By Paul Bramhall During the 2010’s when Netflix began to directly produce movies, being associated with the platform was considered an exciting prospect. With the appeal of being able to match the budgets of the big studios, but not be … Continue reading
Posted in All, News, Other Movies, Reviews
Moon, The (2023) Review
Director: Kim Yong-Hwa Cast: Sol Kyung-Gu, Do Kyung-Soo, Lee Sung-min, Kim Hee-ae, Jo Han-chul, Jo Seung-yeon Running Time: 130 min. By Paul Bramhall The Korean film industry is having somewhat of a love affair with science fiction in the 2020’s, a genre which had remained largely ignored since the Korean Wave era of the early 2000’s. In the past 3 years we’ve had dystopian visions of the future presented in … Continue reading
Maniac Driver (2020) Review
Director: Kurando Mitsutake Cast: Tomoki Kimura, Iori Kogawa, Yohta Kawase, Ayumi Kimito, Keisaku Kimura, Ai Sayama Running Time: 75 min. By Paul Bramhall As a director Kurando Mitsutake has proven to be a talent whose work consistently defies expectations. Not entirely dissimilar to Quentin Tarantino, his movies feel steeped in the influence of 70’s cinema, littered with homages and narratives that feel new yet familiar at the same time. The … Continue reading
Ransomed | aka Unofficial Operation (2023) Review
Director: Kim Seong-Hun Cast: Ha Jung-Woo, Ju Ji-Hoon, Kim Eung-Soo, Park Hyuk-Kwon, Im Hyeong-gook, Burn Gorman, Marcin Dorocinski, Nisrine Adam, Faycal Zeglat, Walid Sam Running Time: 132 min. By Paul Bramhall There’s been a new kind of genre offering that’s emerged in Chinese cinema over the last 5 years, one which usually involves its military being sent overseas to rescue its citizens from troubled lands (translated: somewhere in Africa or … Continue reading
Wu Jing: From Hong Kong Hopeful to Mainland Hero
It’s been over 25 years since Wu Jing debuted on Hong Kong cinema screens in 1996’s Tai Chi Boxer, a production which saw him billed as the next Jet Li in part thanks to their shared history of being on the Beijing Wushu Team. While it’s debatable exactly what criteria would need to be ticked off in order to fulfil the prediction of being the next Jet Li, what can’t … Continue reading
Bad City (2022) Review
Director: Kensuke Sonomura Cast: Hitoshi Ozawa, Tak Sakaguchi, Masanori Mimoto, Rino Katase, Lily Franky, Katsuya, Akane Sakanoue, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, Yasukaze Motomiya Running Time: 118 min. By Paul Bramhall On paper Bad City is one of those movies that has all the right ingredients to cook up the perfect yakuza action flick. The sophomore feature from stuntman and action choreographer turned director Kensuke Sonomura following 2019’s Hydra, just like with his debut … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Hitoshi Ozawa, Kensuke Sonomura, Masanori Mimoto, Tak Sakaguchi
Hidden Strike (2023) Review
Director: Scott Waugh Cast: Jackie Chan, John Cena, Amadeus Serafini, Pilou Asbæk, Jiang Wenli, Rachael Holoway, Amadeus Serafini, Rima Zeidan, Max Huang, Tim Man, Tazito Garcia Running Time: 102 min. By Paul Bramhall It may be difficult to believe that a movie which started filming in 2018 featuring Jackie Chan as its star, was funded almost entirely by Chinese backers, and paired the action movie legend with WWE wrestler turned actor … Continue reading
Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Other Movies, Reviews
Tagged Jackie Chan, John Cena, Scott Waugh, Tim Man
Hidden Blade (2023) Review
Director: Cheng Er Cast: Tony Leung, Wang Yibo, Chengpeng Dong, Zhou Xun, Eric Wang, Huang Lei, Hiroyuki Mori Running Time: 130 min. By Paul Bramhall Spy thrillers set in the 30’s and 40’s have become something of a genre unto themselves in the Chinese film industry during the last decade or so, with titles likes Alan Mak and Felix Chong’s The Silent War, Ann Hui’s Our Time Will Come, and Chen … Continue reading
Night of the Assassin | aka The Assassin (2023) Review
Director: Kwak Jeong-deok Cast: Shin Hyun-joon, Kim Min-kyung, Lee Ro-woon, Lee Moon-sik, Hong Eunki, Kim Byung-chun Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall I remember back in 2003, the UK DVD label Hong Kong Legends created a sister label called Premier Asia, of which the intent was to highlight productions from other parts of Asia beyond Hong Kong shores. One of the first titles (possibly even the first?) was the 2000 Korean … Continue reading
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) Review
Director: Christopher McQuarrie Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Henry Czerny, Esai Morales, Shea Whigham, Rob Delaney Running Time: 163 min. By Paul Bramhall In the closing line for my review of 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout, I’d expressed a hope that if Tom Cruise was to return, then all he’d need was for “someone to hook him up with Gareth Evans for Mission: … Continue reading
Posted in All, Other Movies, Reviews
Tagged Christopher McQuarrie, Esai Morales, Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames
Fox with Nine Tails, The (1994) Review
Director: Park Heonsu Cast: Ko So-young, Jung Woo-sung, Dok-go Young-jae, Bang Eun-hee, Lee Ki-young Running Time: 115 min. By Paul Bramhall Korean cinema was in a transitionary period during the 1990’s, a decade which would culminate in its film industry achieving an international breakthrough thanks to Kang Je-gyu’s bombastic action movie Shiri. The start of the decade was a very different story, with Korea opening up to import foreign cinema, … Continue reading
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