Category Archives: Asian Related

Final Score | aka Elegy of a Massacre (1986) Review

"Final Score" Theatrical Poster

Director: Arizal Writer: Deddy Armand Cast: Chris Mitchum, Mike Abbott, Ida Iasha, Dicky Zulkarnaen, Zainal Abidin, Siska Widowati, Nizar Zulmi, Ivonne Elisabeth, Andre Mathias, Gino Makasutji, Syarief Friant Running Time: 88 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s an age old dilemma – how does one carve out a successful career for one’s self in Hollywood, when one of your family members is an A-list star? It’s a question no doubt such … Continue reading

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Shepherd, The: Border Patrol (2008) Review‏

The Shepherd: Border Patrol | DVD (Image Entertainment)

Director: Isaac Florentine Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Stephen Lord, Natalie J. Robb, Gary McDonald, Daniel Perrone, Scott Adkins, Andrée Bernard, Miles Anderson Running Time: 95 min. By Kelly Warner Who needs a giant wall that costs upwards of $18 billion when you could just hire JCVD to man the border between the US and Mexico? Hey folks, that was me trying to make an eight year old film seem topical … Continue reading

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Shanghai (2010) Review

"Shanghai" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Mikael Håfström Writer: Hossein Amini Cast: John Cusack, Chow Yun-fat, Gong Li, Ken Watanabe, Rinko Kikuchi, David Morse, Franka Potente, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Hugh Bonneville, Benedict Wong Running Time: 105 min. By Kyle Warner Once upon a time, Shanghai had a considerable amount of buzz surrounding it, with some dreaming up award talk considering its stellar cast of international talent, and others more realistically just hoping for a cool … Continue reading

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Code of Silence (1985) Review

"Code of Silence" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Andrew Davis Cast: Chuck Norris, Henry Silva, Bert Remsen, Mike Genovese, Nathan Davis, Ralph Foody, Allen Hamilton, Ron Henriquez, Joe Gualdo, Molly Hagan, Ron Dean, Wilbert Bradley, Dennis Farina, Gene Barge, Mario Nieves Running Time: 101 min. By Zach Nix Code of Silence is widely regarded by critics and fans as Chuck Norris’ strongest film in his lengthy and varied filmography of martial arts actioners. Produced by Orion Pictures … Continue reading

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Hard Corps, The (2006) Review

"The Hard Corps" Japanese DVD Cover

AKA: The Defender Director: Sheldon Lettich Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Razaaq Adoti, Vivica A. Fox, Peter Bryant, Ron Bottitta, Viv Leacock, Adrian Holmes, Mark Griffin, Aaron Au, Dexter Bell Running Time: 110 min. By Kelly Warner When a movie is a direct-to-DVD release, it comes with certain (usually lowered) expectations. We typically expect something low budget, often with subpar acting, and just enough of the right genre ingredients to appease … Continue reading

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Second in Command (2006) Review

"Second in Command" Japanese DVD Cover

Director: Simon Fellows Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Julie Cox, Alan McKenna, William Tapley, Razaaq Adoti, Velibor Topic, Warren Derosa, Ian Virgo, Raffaello Degruttola Raffaello Degruttola, Serban Celea, Vlad Ivanov, Vlad Ivanov, Razvan Oprea, Mihai Bisericanu, Colin Stinton Running Time: 92 min. By Kyle Warner After reading the post by Jeff Bona on the influential career in action movies that Jean-Claude Van Damme has had (“The Most ‘Remade’ Action Star”), I … Continue reading

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Rage of Honor (1987) Review

"Rage of Honor" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Way of the Ninja Director: Gordon Hessler Cast: Sho Kosugi, Lewis Van Bergen, Robin Evans, Richard Wiley, Ulises Dumont, Gerry Gibson Running Time: 98 min. By Zach Nix After tearing up the streets of Los Angeles in Pray for Death, director Gordon Hessler and martial arts star Sho Kosugi reunited to crack down on drugs and destroy South America in the process with Rage of Honor, the lesser of … Continue reading

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9 Deaths of the Ninja (1985) Review

"9 Deaths of the Ninja" Theatrical Poster

Director: Emmett Alston Cast: Sho Kosugi, Brent Huff, Emilia Crow, Blackie Dammett, Regina Richardson, Vijay Amritraj, Lisa Friedman, Kane Kosugi, Shane Kosugi, Ken Watanabe Running Time: 94 min. By Jeff Bona After a string of successful martial arts films for The Cannon Film Group (Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja and Ninja III: The Domination), Sho Kosugi, the main face of the 80s phenomenon known as the “ninja craze,” hooked … Continue reading

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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016) Review

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Yuen Woo-ping Cast: Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh, Harry Shum, Jr., Jason Scott Lee, Roger Yuan, Woon Young Park, Eugenia Yuan, Ju Ju Chan, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Veronica Ngo Running Time: 103 min. By Kelly Warner Considering the popularity and critical acclaim of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a sequel probably seemed like a no-brainer. Well, it took 15 years and the evolution of a streaming service into a production company … Continue reading

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Unlucky Stars (2015) Review

"Unlucky Stars" Theatrical Poster

Director: Dennis Ruel Writer: Dennis Ruel Cast: Dennis Ruel, Ken Quitugua, Sari Sabella, Vlad Rimburg, Jose Montesinos, Steven Yu, Giovannie Espiritu, Sam Hargrave, Emmanuel Manzanares, Roy Chen, Shawn Bernal, George Crayton, Ed Kahana, Troy Carbonel Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall The journey of Unlucky Stars, from when it began filming in 2010, to its eventual release on VOD in 2016, is indicative of just how much effort it … Continue reading

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One Million K(l)icks (2014) Review

"One Million Klicks" Theatrical Poster

AKA: One Million Klicks Director: Alex “The Z” Padrutt Cast: Mike Moeller, Martin Baden, Bartholomaeus Kowalski, Volkram Zschiesche, Sabine Steinbach, Li Yan-Long, Michael Bornhütter, Phong Giang Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall I have a confession, and it’s likely one that won’t be very popular. I’m not a fan of the many indie martial arts movies and shorts that crop up with an increasing frequency. Yes, I get it, … Continue reading

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Pray for Death (1985) Review

"Pray for Death" Theatrical Poster

Director: Gordon Hessler Writer: James Booth Cast: Sho Kosugi, Norman Burton, James Booth, Kane Kosugi, Shane Kosugi, Donna Kei Benz, Michael Constantine, Matthew Faison, Parley Baer, Robert Ito Running Time: 92 min. By Zach Nix Japanese martial arts actor Sho Kosugi is well known for starring and appearing in several action films of the 1980s that popularized the notion of the ‘ninja’ in American cinema and culture. After taking part in … Continue reading

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) Review

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Chinese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Star Wars: Episode VII Director: J. J. Abrams Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Max von Sydow, Joonas Suotamo, Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian Running Time: 135 min. By Paul Bramhall As the latest installment of the much loved Star Wars franchise hits cinemas in December 2015, the first under the … Continue reading

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Drive Hard (2014) Review

"Drive Hard" Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Hard Drive Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith Cast: John Cusack, Thomas Jane, Zoe Ventoura, Christopher Morris, Yesse Spence, Damien Garvey Running Time: 96 min. By Paul Bramhall The name Brian Trenchard-Smith should be familiar to anyone who’s a fan of Hong Kong movies, as the British born director was the man behind the 1975 Jimmy Wang Yu vehicle The Man from Hong Kong. A resident of Australia since his late teens, … Continue reading

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Double Team (1997) Review

"Double Team" Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: The Colony Director: Tsui Hark Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Rodman, Paul Freeman, Mickey Rourke, Hung Yan Yan, Natacha Lindinger, Valéria Cavalli, Jay Benedict, Asher Tzarfati Running Time: 93 min. By Zach Nix International action star Jean-Claude Van Damme (Pound of Flesh) was on a cinematic roll through the late 80s and into the mid 90s. Although few of his films were ever as good or as successful as … Continue reading

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