Category Archives: All

Lion Girl (2023) Review

Director: Kurando Mitsutake Cast: Tori Griffiths, David Sakurai, Katarina Leigh Waters, Derek Mears, Stefanie Estes, Julie Burrise, Erin Marie Hogan, Shelby Lee Parks, Hidetoshi Imura, Kirk Geiger, Akihiro Kitamura, Wes Armstrong, Taishi Tamaki Running Time: 121 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s fair to say that for most of the 2020’s audiences have grown fatigued to the endless superhero fodder that’s dominated cinema screens for the past 15 years, with reboots, … Continue reading

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Return of the 18 Bronzemen, The (1976) Review

Director: Joseph Kuo Cast: Carter Wong, Polly Shang-Kuan, Tien Peng, Ko Yu-Min, Yuen Sam, Wong Fei Lung, Lau Lap Cho, O Yau Man, Chiu Ting, Shaw Luo Hui, Chen Chiu Running Time: 96 min. By Paul Bramhall Following the success of the previous years 18 Bronzemen, director Joseph Kuo realised that he still had a few tubs of bronze paint leftover, so got the gang back together for a sequel, … Continue reading

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Beach of the War Gods (1973) Review

Director: Jimmy Wang Yu Cast: Jimmy Wang Yu, Lung Fei, Tin Yau, Sit Hon, Shan Mao, Choi Wang, Kwan Hung, Cheung Yee Kwai, Su Chen Ping, Hsieh Hsing, Cho Kin, Blacky Ko Sau Leung, Jack Long Sai Ga, Lui Jun, Man Man, O Yau Man Running Time: 97 min. By Will McGuire There’s a delightful contradiction between form and content at the heart of Beach of the War Gods: formally … Continue reading

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Jade Raksha, The (1968) Review

Director: Ho Meng-Hua Cast: Cheng Pei-pei, Tang Ching, Wong Ching Wan, Ku Feng, Yeung Chi Hing, Fan Mei Sheng Running Time: 91 min. By Will McGuire In the midst of the current avalanche of Shaw Brothers titles getting top-shelf physical releases in America, it’s only natural that fans will look for hidden gems in the enormous Shaw catalog. As publishers get deeper into the backlog, and more obscure films begin … Continue reading

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Boudica: Queen of War (2023) Review

Director: Jesse V. Johnson Cast: Olga Kurylenko, Clive Standen, Peter Franzén, Lucy Martin, Nick Moran, James Faulkner Running Time: 101 min. By Henry McKeand One thing you could never call Jesse Johnson is complacent. Just a few months ago, his 21st-century western, One Ranger, was released. Now, he’s delivering Boudica: Queen of War, a film that swaps out Johnson’s typical pulpy crime narratives for a blood-soaked take on the story … Continue reading

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Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2023) Review

Director: Wu Ershan Cast: Kris Phillips, Narana Eryeneeva, Huang Bo, Yafan Wu, Ci Sha, Yu Shi, Li Xuejian, Chen Muchi Running Time: 148 min. By Paul Bramhall  There was a time in the mid-2010’s when the Mainland Chinese film industry seemed to be obsessed with producing big budget CGI driven fantasy spectacles, with what felt like a new title being announced with alarming frequency. One such example was 2016’s League … Continue reading

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Ride On (2023) Review

Director: Larry Yang Cast: Jackie Chan, Xing Yu, Andy On, Yu Rongguang, Wu Jing, Stanley Tong, Aarif Rahman, Liu Haocun Running Time: 126 min. By Paul Bramhall For fans of Jackie Chan, on paper Ride On is the movie we’ve (yes, I count myself amongst them!) been waiting for him to make for at least the last 10 years. Since Mainland China became a box office juggernaut in the 2010’s … Continue reading

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Ballerina (2023) Review

Director: Lee Choong-Hyun Cast: Jeon Jong-seo, Park Yu-rim, Kim Ji-hoon, Kim Mu-yeol, Shin Se-Hwi, Park Hyoung-Soo, Kim Young-Ok, Joo Hyun, Jang Yoon-Ju, Park Geun-Jeong Running Time: 93 min. By Paul Bramhall At the end of my review for director and writer Lee Chung-hyun’s 2020 feature length debut The Call, I noted how its success “owes a lot to Jong-seo’s edgy performance, but also marks Chung-hyun as a director to keep … Continue reading

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Eye for an Eye: The Blind Swordsman (2022) Review

Director: Bingjia Yang Cast: Xie Miao, Gao Wei Wan, Hao Xiang, Zhang Di, Liu Ben, Zhang Haosen, Kang Xuan Running Time: 78 min.  By Paul Bramhall  The character of the blind swordsman is one that can be found in almost every countries output that’s dabbled in the martial arts genre. It’s arguably Shintaro Katsu’s portrayal of Zatoichi in Japanese cinema whose shadow is cast over all of them, a character who, … Continue reading

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Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman (2023) Review

Director: Kim Seong-sik Cast: Gang Dong-won, Huh Joon-ho, Esom, Lee Dong-hwi, Park Myung-hoon, Lee Jung-eun Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall  The latest family friendly blockbuster to arrive in Korean theaters, Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman offers up a big screen adaptation of the webtoon Possession, which revolves around the adventures of a fake exorcist. Sustaining both himself and his assistant through uploading their elaborately staged exorcisms to YouTube, … Continue reading

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Shaolin Kung Fu (1974) Review

Director: Joseph Kuo Cast: Chiang-Long, Yi Yuan, Liao Shou Yun, Liu Ping, Yee Hung, Tsang Chiu, Yu Chung Chiu, Yuen Sam, Choi Wang, Woo Chau Ping, Chan San Yat, Yim Chung Running Time: 92 min. By Paul Bramhall The early 70’s was a changing time for kung-fu cinema both in Hong Kong and Taiwan. While the 60’s had been dominated by the wuxia genre, the 70’s kicked off with Jimmy … Continue reading

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Old Master, The (1979) Review

Director: Joseph Kuo Cast: Yu Jim-Yuen, Bill Louie, David Pedernera, Wang Yung-Sheng, Starr Hester, Ng Siu-Nam, Pau Ga-Chung, Hui Man-Yui, Chi Fu-Chiang, Yuen Hung Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall  After the success of 1978’s double whammy of Snake in the Eagles Shadow and Drunken Master, filmmakers were falling over themselves to find the next Jackie Chan and replicate the kung-fu comedy formula. In 1979 the onslaught was already … Continue reading

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Gangnam Zombie (2023) Review

Director: Lee Soo-sung Cast: Ji Il-joo, Park Ji-yeon, Choi Sung-min, Jo Kyung-hoon, Jung Yi-joo, Tak Teu-In, Song Yeon Running Time: 80 min. By Paul Bramhall There’s a scene in Gangnam Zombie where the manager of a Youtuber agency pranks a staff member in an attempt to create content, and describes the video he’ll make from the footage as “What happens when a zombie attacks a backup for the national taekwondo … Continue reading

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36 Deadly Styles, The (1979) Review

Director: Joseph Kuo Cast: Nick Cheung Lik, Chan Lau, Mark Long, Jack Long, Max Lee Chiu-Chun, Fan Mei-Sheng, Jeanie Chang, Yeung Chak-Lam, Hwang Jang Lee, Bolo Yeung Running Time: 92 min.  By Paul Bramhall When it comes to the old-school kung-fu genre, the year 1979 almost comes with the equivalent of a “satisfaction guaranteed or your money back” kind of deal, as an almost unlimited deluge of quality releases graced the … Continue reading

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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

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