Category Archives: Other Movies

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012) Review

"Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning" Japanese DVD Cover

Director: John Hyams Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins, Dolph Lundgren, Kristopher Van Varenberg, Andrei Arlovski, Roy Jones, Jr., Mariah Bonner Running Time: 114 min. By HKFanatic Free will is overrated. Just ask the Universal Soldiers – they’re a group of reanimated corpses brainwashed into becoming government killers. After being released from their programming by revolutionary leader Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), these muscle-bound warriors can finally act of their own violation. … Continue reading

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Wake of Death (2004) Review

"Wake of Death" Japanese DVD Cover

Director: Philippe Martinez Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Simon Yam, Valerie Tan, Philip Tan, Tony Schiena, Claude Hernandez Running Time: 91 min. By Mighty Peking Man Archer (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is an ex-mobster who has discovered that his wife has been brutally murdered by a psychotic triad leader named Sun Quan (played by Hong Kong star Simon Yam). With the help of his old school gangster connections, Archer sets out for … Continue reading

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Rolling Thunder (1977) Review

Director: John Flynn Cast: William Devane, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Haynes, James Best, Dabney Coleman, Luke Askew Running Time: 95 min. By Jeff Bona Being the film nut that I am, I feel like I should have seen this movie years ago. Even its title explodes with coolness. When I think of Rolling Thunder, two things come to mind: The first is an unrelated 1986 video game called Rolling Thunder, a … Continue reading

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Drive (2011) Review

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn Writer: Hossein Amini, James Sallis Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks, Kaden Leos, Jeff Wolfe, James Biberi Running Time: 100 min. By HKFanatic When a director has good taste in music, or at least makes the right selections on the soundtrack, it can change the viewer’s entire perception of a film. Nicolas Winding Refn added an unexpected … Continue reading

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Redbelt (2008) Review

"Redbelt" American Theatrical Poster

Director: David Mamet Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tim Allen, Alice Braga, Rodrigo Santoro, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Randy Couture, Caroline de Souza Correa, Mike Goldberg, Damon Herriman, Dan Inosanto, Enson Inoue, Ricky Jay, John Machado, Ray Mancini, Joe Mantegna, Max Martini, Emily Mortimer, David Paymer Running Time: 100 min. By JJ Hatfield Red Belt is truly an exceptional martial arts movie. It achieves this distinction by focusing on one quiet unassuming man … Continue reading

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Last Man Standing (1996) Review

Director: Walter Hill Writer: Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa, Walter Hill Producer: Walter Hill, Arthur M. Sarkissian Cast: Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, Alexandra Powers, David Patrick Kelly, Karina Lombard, Bruce Dern Running Time: 101 min. By HKFanatic With a $67 million price tag, the box office failure of “Last Man Standing” in 1996 put a momentary end to Bruce Willis’ Hollywood clout and effectively derailed director Walter Hill’s career. It’s not … Continue reading

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Mission: Impossible II | aka M:I-2 (2000) Review

Director: John Woo Cast: Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Ving Rhames, William R. Mapother, Brendan Gleeson, Anthony Hopkins, John Polson, Dominic Purcell Running Time: 123 min. By HKFanatic “Mission: Impossible II” is one of those films that debuted to big money at the box office (it’s still the most successful film in the franchise, although “Ghost Protocol” is getting there), only to later be regarded with great critical and … Continue reading

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Expendables, The: Extended Director’s Cut (2010) Review

"The Expendables: Extended Director's Cut" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Sylvester Stallone Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Eric Roberts, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gary Daniels, David Zayas Running Time: 113 min. By HKFanatic “Double dipping” is a fairly common practice for studios these days. If a film you love comes out on blu-ray and has a weak visual transfer, you can pretty much hold your breath until … Continue reading

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Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | aka M:I-4 (2011) Review

Director: Brad Bird Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Samuli Edelmann, Anil Kapoor, Josh Holloway, Léa Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson, Ving Rhames, Ivan Shvedoff, Pavel Kríz Running Time: 132 min. By HKFanatic Defying age and box office results, Tom Cruise is back with another entry in his venerable “Mission: Impossible” series. Although the second installment threatened to turn the franchise into a Cruise vanity … Continue reading

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Lost World, The: Jurassic Park (1997) Review

Director: Steven Spielberg Writer: David Koepp Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Gerald R. Molen, Colin Wilson Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vanessa Lee Chester, Pete Postlethwaite, Arliss Howard Running Time: 129 min. By HKFanatic When we’re first introduced to Jeff Goldblum’s character in “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” he’s yawning in front of a fake painted backdrop. Clearly something is amiss: if the acclaimed thespian can’t even muster any excitement for this … Continue reading

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Human Centipede 2, The: Full Sequence (2011) Review

Director: Tom Six Writer: Tom Six Producer: Tom Six, Ilona Six Cast: Laurence R. Harvey, Ashlynn Yennie, Dominic Borrelli, Vivien Bridson, Lee Harris, Peter Blankenstein, Bill Hutchens, Dan Burman, Daniel Jude Gennis, Kandace Caine, Maddi Black, Lucas Hansen, Georgia Goodrick, Emma Lock, Hugo Sampson, Tom Six Running Time: 84/87 min. By Laser Beahm I’m not a huge fan of the horror genre, but I have respect for the art. Films … Continue reading

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Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) Review

Director: Guillermo del Toro Writer: Guillermo del Toro, Mike Mignola Cast: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, John Hurt, Seth MacFarlane Running Time: 120 min. By JJ Hatfield In some ways Hellboy II: The Golden Army surpasses the first movie especially when it comes to creatures of all sizes and personalities. Director Guillermo del Toro deserves much of the credit for making the movie … Continue reading

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Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane (2007) Review

Director: Scott Thomas Writer: Sidney Iwanter, Mark Onspaugh, Scott Thomas Producer: David Shoshan Cast: David Chisum, Kristen Kerr, Kevin J. O’Connor, Derek Webster, Dale Midkiff, Erick Avari, Richard Tyson Running Time: 94 min. By JJ Hatfield In the mood for a scary flick instead of watching some of my perennial favorites I decided to catch up on some films I have purposely passed by. Flight Of The Living Dead happened … Continue reading

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Blue Velvet (1986) Review

Director: David Lynch Writer: David Lynch Producer: Fred Caruso Cast: Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Hope Lange, George Dickerson, Dean Stockwell Runing Time: 120 min. By HKFanatic People who aren’t video or audiophiles will tell you that blu-ray isn’t much of an upgrade in quality and that they’re perfectly happy with their DVD collections. True AV geeks know the truth: that when enough care is put into … Continue reading

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Who Saw Her Die? | aka The Child (1972) Review

"Who Saw Her Die?" Italian Theatrical Poster

AKA: Chi l’ha vista morire? Director: Aldo Lado Cast: George Lazenby, Anita Strindberg, Adolfo Celi, Dominique Boschero, Peter Chatel, Piero Vida, José Quaglio, Alessandro Haber, Nicoletta Elmi Running Time: 90 min. By HKFanatic “Who Saw Her Die?” is a 1972 giallo from director Alan Aldo that stars George Lazenby in a rare post-James Bond leading role. Unfortunately, Lazenby looks quite unflattering here, with a thick handlebar mustache and a gaunt, … Continue reading

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