Category Archives: Reviews

Wild City (2015) Review

Wild City | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

AKA: Hustle Director: Ringo Lam Cast: Louis Koo, Shawn Yue Man-lok, Joseph Chang, Tong Liya, Jack Kao, Sam Lee, Philip Ng, Dave Wong, Simon Yam, Phillip Keung, Alex Lam, Ken Law Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Not taking into consideration the segment he directed for 2007’s Triangle, it’s been 12 long years since Ringo Lam directed a Hong Kong movie. Look to when he last directed one of … Continue reading

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Sifu vs. Vampire (2014) Review

Director: Daniel Chan Yee Hang Writer: Wong Jing Producer: Wong Jing Cast: Yuen Biao, Ronald Cheng, Michelle Hu Ran, Philip Ng, Kelvin Kwan Cho Yiu, Jiang Lu Xia, Tony Ho Wah Chiu, Winnie Leung, Ricky Yi Faan Wai, Patrick Keung Hiu Man Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s a sad reflection of audiences expectations from Hong Kong cinema when news of a new hopping vampire (or geung si … Continue reading

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Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (1970) Review

AKA: Alleycat Rock: Sex Hunter Director: Yasuharu Hasebe Producer: Masayuki Takagi Cast: Meiko Kaji, Rikiya Yasuoka, Tatsuya Fuji, Jiro Okazaki, Yuki Arikawa, Tomoko Aki, Yoko Takagi, Akemi Nara Running Time: 93 min. By Kyle Warner I first saw Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter almost a decade ago. At the time, I was totally unaware that it belonged to a series of films (Part 3 of 5, in fact). When I … Continue reading

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Eternal Fist | aka Fist of Steel (1992) Review

"Eternal Fist" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Death Zone Director: Teddy Chiu (aka Irvin Johnson) Producer: Andy Andico, Vivian Andico Cast: Dale ‘Apollo’ Cook, Don Nakaya Neilsen, Cynthia Khan, Alina Borkowski, Greg Douglas Running Time: 97 min By Paul Bramhall In 1989 a movie by the name of Cyborg unleashed a certain Belgian thespian upon the world in the form of Jean Claude Van Damme. The story, which took place in a dark post apocalyptic world … Continue reading

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Furious (1984) Review

"Furious" VHS Cover

Director: Tim Everitt Co-director: Tom Sartori Cast: Simon Rhee, Phillip Rhee, Arlene Montano, Howard Jackson, Loren Avedon, Mika Elkan Running Time: 73 min. By Jeff Bona In the 80s, walking into a video rental store’s martial arts section was like waiting in line for a rollercoaster: The anticipation was just as exciting as the ride itself. The movie that was finally decided on was always hit or miss, but it … Continue reading

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Stray Cat Rock: Wild Jumbo (1970) Review

AKA: Alleycat Rock: Wild Jumbo Director: Toshiya Fujita Producer: Toshiya Fujita, Shuichi Nagahara Cast: Meiko Kaji, Bunjaku Han, Takeo Chii, Tatsuya Fuji, Yusuke Natsu, Soichiro Maeno, Akiko Wada Running Time: 94 min. By Kyle Warner After the success of Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss, a follow-up film was rushed into production and released just three months later. Stray Cat Rock: Wild Jumbo is a messier, cheaper looking film than … Continue reading

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Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014) Review

"Black Coal, Thin Ice" International Theatrical Poster

Director: Diao Yinan Cast: Liao Fan, Gwei Lun-Mei, Wang Xuebing, Wang Jingchun, Yu Ailei, Ni Jingyang Running Time: 106 min. By Paul Bramhall While the last decade has seen China become an important market in the film industry, the countries own output has had less success reaching beyond its own shores. Unlike the Hong Kong movies of yesteryear, which gained a dedicated following in the West thanks to their raucous … Continue reading

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From Vegas to Macau II (2015) Review

"From Vegas to Macau II" Chinese Theatrical Poster

AKA: The Man from Macau II Director: Wong Jing Co-director: Aman Chang Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Nick Cheung, Carina Lau, Shawn Yue, Angela Wang, Michelle Hu, David Chiang, Kimmy Tong, Philip Keung, Wu Yue, Jin Qiaoqiao, Kenny Wong, Derek Tsang, Connie Man, Rebecca Zhu Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall The 2014 Lunar New Year movie From Vegas to Macau was far from perfect. It featured a droll performance by … Continue reading

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Monk Comes Down the Mountain (2015) Review

"Monk Comes Down the Mountain" Chinese Theatrical Poster

AKA: The Monk Director: Chen Kaige Cast: Wang Bao Qiang, Aaron Kwok, Chang Chen, Lin Chi-ling, Fan Wei, Yuen Wah, Vanness Wu, Wang Xueqi, Danny Chan, Lam Suet, Dong Qi, Tiger Hu Chen Running Time: 123 min. By Paul Bramhall Up until recently Shaolin trained actor Wang Bao Qiang’s choice of roles did little to show off his physical talents, from his debut in the 2003 drama Blind Shaft, to … Continue reading

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Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss (1970) Review

"Delinquent Girl Boss" Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Alleycat Rock: Female Boss Director: Yasuharu Hasebe Writer: Hideichi Nagahara Cast: Akiko Wada, Meiko Kaji, Koji Wada, Bunjaku Han, Yuka Kemari, Hanako Tokachi, Yūko Shimazu, Yuka Ohashi, Miki Yanagi, Toshimitsu Shima Running Time: 80 min. By Kelly Warner After Roger Corman’s 1966 outlaw biker film The Wild Angels (which starred Peter Fonda pre-Easy Rider) became a surprise hit in Japan, Japanese studios were quick to cash in and make … Continue reading

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World of Kanako, The (2014) Review

Director: Tetsuya Nakashima Cast: Koji Yakusho, Nana Komatsu, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Joe Odagiri, Fumi Nikaido, Hiroya Shimizu, Hiroki Nakajima, Ai Hashimoto, Asuka Kurosawa, Miki Nakatani, Hitoshi Hoshino, Mahiro Takasugi, Jun Kunimura Running Time: 118 min. By Paul Bramhall While Japanese mainstream filmmaking has arguably been in a creative slump for a long time, there remains a few directors out there who are worth watching. Sono Sion, Miike Takashi, and Takeshi ‘Beat’ … Continue reading

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100 Yen Love (2014) Review

Director: Masaharu Take Writer: Shin Adachi Cast: Sakura Ando, Hirofumi Arai, Miyoko Inagawa, Saori Koide, Shohei Uno, Tadashi Sakata, Yozaburo Ito, Osamu Shigematu, Toshie Negishi, Ruka Wakabayashi Running Time: 113 min. By Martin Sandison As well as being a beautiful and cultural place, my home city of Edinburgh, Scotland has one of the longest-running film festivals in the world, this year being the 69th. This time the festival has been … Continue reading

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For the Emperor (2014) Review

Director: Park Sang-Joon Cast: Lee Min-Ki, Park Sung-Woong, Lee Tae-Im, Kim Jong-Goo, Lee Jae-Won, Han Jae-Young, Lee Yoo-Joon, Jung Heung-Chae, Park Jin-Woo Running Time: 104 min. By Kyle Warner In his first years playing in the pros, pitcher Lee Hwan (Lee Min-ki) was a rising star. After an injury hurts his career, Hwan starts rigging his games and earning money on the side. When he’s arrested for illegal gambling, Hwan … Continue reading

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Return of the Valuables (1975) Review

Director: Chui Dai-Gwan Writer: Gam Kim Producer: Chen Ching-Te Cast: Chen Tao, Joan Lin Feng-Chiao, Gary List, Lee Seung, Lam Chi, Miao Tian, Lan Yun, Gam Kim, Chen Chiu, Chan San-Yat, Tsang Ming-Cheong, Yeung Hung, Keung Hon, Wong Goon-Hung, Chui Lap, Cho Kin, Siu Wong-Lung, Lui Wan-Biu Running Time: 82 min. By Paul Bramhall Toby Russell should be a name that anyone who counts themselves as a fan of kung … Continue reading

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Cross | aka Smile for Me (2012) Review

Cross | DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Daniel Chan Yee Hang Writer: Daniel Chan Yee Hang Cast: Simon Yam, Kenny Wong, Mimi Kung, Liu Kai-Chi, Evelyn Choi, Chen Ran, Nick Cheung, Pal Sinn, Zhu Guangxuan, Mo Tzu-Yi, September Zhang Running Time: 90 min. By Kelly Warner It took four directors over two years to complete Cross, a thriller that’s less than 80 minutes long with a good portion of that running time taken up by flashbacks. … Continue reading

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