Category Archives: All

Throne of Blood | aka Spider’s Web Castle (1957) Review

Director: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Isuza Yamada, Takashi Shimura, Akira Kubo, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Minoru Chiaki, Takamaru Sasaki, Kokuten KodoUeda Kichijiro Running Time: 109 min. By Mairosu Guess what dear readers if there are any, it’s a fortification doubleheader! First, I saw Hidden Fortress today, the film which allegedly inspired George Lucas to make Star Wars (turns out it just inspired some moments of Star Wars rather than the whole … Continue reading

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Ninja in the Deadly Trap | aka Hero Defeating Japs (1981) Review

"Ninja in the Deadly Trap" DVD Cover

AKA: Ninja Kung Fu Director: Philip Kwok Cast: Ti Lung, Lu Feng, Philip Kwok, Yasuaki Kurata, Chiang Sheng, Cheung Paang, Wong Yeuk Ping, July Chu Lai, Han Yu, Ma Chin Ku, Cheung Chung Kwai, Cho Boon Feng, Mau Ging Shun, Ma Chin-Ku, Han Yu Running Time: 92 min. By Numskull Philip Kwok (aka Guo Juei, aka Kuo Choi) pulls triple duty as director, actor, and martial arts choreographer in this … Continue reading

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Ninja: The Final Duel (1986) Review

"Ninja: The Final Duel" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Ninja’s Final Duel Director: Robert Tai Cast: Alexander Lo Rei, Alice Tseng, Lee I Min, Alan Lee Hoi Hing, Richard Tseng, Wong Chi Sang, William Yen, Wong Hap, Eugene Thomas, Ahmed Najja Running Time: 89 min. By Sergio Martorelli NAKED KUNG FU BABES! Got your attention? Good. Now let’s get down to business. Ninja: The Final Duel is a colorful, ultra-kinetic, gore-drenched and delightfully zany Taiwanese production that’s been … Continue reading

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Mad Detective (2007) Review

"Mad Detective" Theatrical Poster

Director: Johnnie To Co-director: Wai Ka-Fai Cast: Lau Ching-Wan, Andy On Chi-Kit, Gordon Lam Ka-Tung, Kelly Lin Hsi-Lei, Lee Kwok-Lun, Karen Lee, Flora Chan Wai-Shan, Eddy Ko Hung, Lam Suet Running Time: 91 min. By Mighty Peking Man Johnny To is usually a hit or miss with me, but I respect the guy. After all, he makes a shit load of movies (usually 2 a year, not counting ones he … Continue reading

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Fong Sai-yuk II | aka Legend of Fong Sai-yuk 2 (1993) Review

"Fong Sai-yuk II" DVD Cover

Director: Corey Yuen  Cast: Jet Li, Josephine Siao, Michelle Reis, Adam Cheng, Corey Yuen, Peter Chan Lung Running Time: 96 min.  By Numskull Not many wire fu movies deliver the goods as well as Fong Sai Yuk does, and not many sequels match up to the original as well as Fong Sai Yuk 2. Jet Li, Michelle Reis, and Josephine Siao all return as the title character, his puppy-dog eyed fiancee … Continue reading

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Fong Sai-yuk | The Legend of Fong Sai-yuk (1993) Review

"The Legend of Fong Sai-yuk" DVD Cover

Director: Corey Yuen  Cast: Jet Li, Josephine Siao, Michelle Reis, Sibelle Hu, Peter Chan Lung, Paul Chu Kong  Running Time: 100 min.  By Numskull Ah, the days when duels to the death (or at least to the severe bruising) were fought in public at the drop of a hat and ripe, buxom young women were offered as prizes to the most skilled combatants. Fling all the synonyms for “barbaric” you … Continue reading

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Cannonball Run, The (1981) Review

"The Cannonball Run" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Hal Needham Cast: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Elam, Adrienne Barbeau, Terry Bradshaw, Jackie Chan, Bert Convy, Jamie Farr, Peter Fonda, George Furth, Michael Hui, Johnny Yune, Molly Picon, Jimmy ‘The Greek’ Snyder Running Time: 95 min. By Numskull The infrared sureillance device in Jackie’s computerized race car may be “the cat’s ass”, but this movie certainly isn’t. It’s more … Continue reading

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Mission, The (1999) Review

"The Mission" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Johnnie To Writer: Nai-Hoi Yau Cast: Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Francis Ng Chun-Yu, Jackie Lui Chung-yin, Roy Cheung, Suet Lam, Simon Yam, Tin Lam Wong, Eddy Ko-Hung Running Time: 88 min. By Woody “The Mission” concerns a rich businessman hiring a diverse group of men, including Anthony Wong, Lam Suet, and Francis Ng, to protect him from killers trying to take him out. After they have successfully completed their mission, … Continue reading

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2LDK (2002) Review

Director: Yukihiko Tsutumi Cast: Maho Nonami, Koike Eiko Running Time: 70 min. By Alexander I think we’ve all had a Worst Roommate Ever, a roommate we secretly  wished would plummet to their death from the bumper sticker-covered windows of our 4th floor college dorm rooms. A roommate whose laundry “hamper” was the floor, the backs of our chairs and the bottom of the shared closet. The roommate whose idea of … Continue reading

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Farewell My Concubine (1993) Review

Director: Chen Kaige Writer: Lilian, Lee Lu Wei Cast: Leslie Cheung, Zhang Fengyi, Gong Li, Lu Qi, Ying Da, Yidi, Zhi Yitong, Lei Han, Li Chun Running Time: 156 min. By Ningen I don’t know what it is about Peking Opera that looks appealing in martial arts films, but which comes off dull in arthouse flicks. While it’s true that this is only the second film of this genre I’ve … Continue reading

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Bullet Train (1975) Review

"Bullet Train" Theatrical Poster

Director: Junya Sato Cast: Ken Takakura, Sonny Chiba, Kei Yamamoto, Eiji Go, Akira Oda, Raita Ryu, Masayo Utsunomiya, Yumi Takigawa, Etsuko Shihomi, Takashi Shimura, Fumio Watanabe, Mizuho Suzuki, Ken Utsui, Tetsuro Tamba Running Time: 115 min.  By Sergio Martorelli It’s official: american action films sucks mammoth balls, even the ones directed by HK masters like John Woo and Tsui Hark. And do you wanna know why? I’ll tell ya. It’s … Continue reading

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Azumi (2003) Review

"Azumi" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Ryuhei Kitamura Cast: Aya Ueto, Shun Oguri, Hiroki Narimiya, Kenji Kohashi, Takatoshi Kaneko, Yuma Ishigaki, Tak Sakaguchi, Yoshio Harada, Kazuya Shimizu Running Time: 124 min. By Alexander Strip the Power Rangers of the space-age outfits and crappy-looking rubber-suited monsters and place them in say, feudal Japan, and what you’re left with is the swordplay epic-lite Azumi. Because like their weekday afternoon brethren, the kids in Azumi say things like … Continue reading

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Azumi 2: Death or Love (2005) Review

"Azumi 2: Death or Love" Theatrical Poster

Director: Shusuke Kaneko Cast: Aya Ueto, Yuma Ishigaki, Chiaki Kuriyama, Shun Oguri, Kenichi Endo, Kai Shishido, Eugene Nomura, Tak Sakaguchi, Shoichiro Masumoto Running Time: 102 min. By Equinox21 While Azumi 2 wasn’t as good as its predecessor, it was still enjoyable. It certainly didn’t add anything new or interesting to the samurai-era film genre, and it almost seemed like a simple play off the original’s success. The strangest parts were … Continue reading

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Duel, The (2000) Review

"The Duel" Theatrical Poster

Director: Andrew Lau Cast: Ekin Cheng, Nick Cheung Ka Fai, Andy Lau, Norman Chu, Jerry Lamb, Kristy Yeung, Wu Tine Hsin, Zao Wei, Patrick Tam, Wong Yat Fei, Lau Wai Running Time: 105 min. By Alexander The Duel is a pleasant diversion featuring an interesting blend of swordplay, martial arts, humor, drama, mystery and a pairing of Hong Kong pop superstars Andy Lau and Ekin Cheng as master swordsmen. The … Continue reading

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Man Called Hero, A (1999) Review

"A Man Called Hero" Theatrical Poster

Director: Andrew Lau Cast: Ekin Cheng, Nic Tse, Kristy Yeung, Francis Ng, Shu Qi, Yuen Biao, Anthony Wong, Jerry Lamb, Elvis Tsui, Ken Lo, Jordan Chan, Mark Cheng, Cheng Pei Pei, Ronnie Cheung, Sam Lee, Frankie Ng, Jude Poyer, Grace Yip Running Time: 102 min. By Sergio Martorelli Here’s a classic case of “the title says it all”. This is a story about a man. Said man is called (ta-daaa!) … Continue reading

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