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on Carl Scott, ‘Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth’ and ‘Sun Dragon’ actor and martial artist, passes awayRIP brotha!🙏 he kicked ass in those Bruce spoliations movies
on Shadow (2018) Review[…] City on Fire Review […]
on A.Y.C.E. John Wick spin-offs! Watch the Final Trailer for Len Wiseman’s ‘Ballerina’ starring Ana de ArmasOfficial fanfic, I mean, music video. https://youtu.be/G5fFdIoS8p8?si=_RJsEvX…
on ‘Five Element Ninjas’ return? Watch the Trailer for ‘Kung Fu Games’ starring Mark Strange and Caitlin DechelleI caught this on Apple, and there is some good action here. Unfortunately, wa…
on Ready for Round 7? ‘Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume 7’ arriving on Blu-ray in August from Shout! FactoryHmmm - I think I recognize Chen Wo-Fu from 'The Shadow Boxer', Fu Sheng from…
on Peter Kwong, ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ and ‘The Golden Child’ actor and martial artist, dies at 73Well, that’s a bummer. I grew up watching Big Trouble, and I’m told that I re…
on New Trailer for ‘Mission 911’ explodes with ‘Raid’ influenceJust remembered this trailer and still no related news of this movie, directo…
on Shout, shout, let it all out… to ARROW! UK label to distribute ‘Hard Boiled’, ‘The Killer’ and more in the UK156 Hong Kong cinema classics. 156 movies, and ALL of them are "classics"? Ye…
on Prosecutor, The (2024) ReviewI agree. To me it was a loose remake of Righting Wrongs
on ‘The Raid’ star Iko Uwais is ready for war in XYZ Films’ ‘Skyline: Warpath’ also starring Scott AdkinsRespect where its due - these Skyline movies aren't very good but at the very…
on Arriving next year is 88 Films’ Blu-ray release for Jackie Chan’s kung fu oddity ‘Magnificent Bodyguards’So glad that I preordered this in June 2024, lol.
on Cynthia Rothrock is the BEST in the WEST in the New Trailer for the all-star martial arts thriller ‘Black Creek’Updated!
Author Archives: Z Ravas
Under the Gun (1995) Review
Director: Matthew George Cast: Richard Norton, Kathy Long, Jane Badler, Peter Lindsay, Robert Bruce, David Serafin, Ron Vreeken, Tino Ceberano, Adam Haddrick, Sam Greco Running Time: 93 min. By Z Ravas As action fans around the globe react with sadness at the untimely loss of actor Richard Norton at the age of 75, I realized it was high time I dug deeper into the actor’s body of work. Sure, like … Continue reading
Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Other Movies, Reviews
Tagged Kathy Long, Richard Norton
Kung Fu Rookie (2023) Review
Director: Aman Ergaziyev Cast: Timur Baktybayev, Irina Azhmukhamedova, Kuat Khamitov, Erkebulan Toktar, Riskul Konakbaev, Janelle Sergazina, Talgat Duisenov, Kuandyk Shakyrzhanov Running Time: 79 min. By Z Ravas 2023’s Kung Fu Rookie (AKA “Timuchin”) has a problem. No, it’s not the production values — the film looks sharp for a low-budget project out of Kazakhstan — nor is it the script necessarily, as this action/comedy has more than a few jokes … Continue reading
Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Other Movies, Reviews
Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, The (2019) Review
Director: Lee Won-Tae Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Kim Moo-Yul, Kim Sung-Kyu, Kim Yoon-Sung, Oh Hee-Joon, Choi Min-Chul, Ahn Sung-Bong, Yoo Seung-Mok, Heo Dong-Won Running Time: 110 min. By Z Ravas If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, chances are writer/director Park Hoon-jung is somewhere in Korea blushing a bright shade of crimson right about now. In fact, the biggest surprise about this year’s The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil is … Continue reading
Eastern Condors (1987) Review
AKA: Condors Commando Director: Sammo Hung Cast: Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Lam Ching-Ying, Dr. Haing S. Ngor, Joyce Godenzi, Yuen Wah, Yuen Wo-Ping, Yasuaki Kurata, Phillip Ko Fei, Billy Lau, James Tien, Ng Hon, Ha Chi-Chun, Billy Chow, Corey Yuen Running Time: 100 min. By Z Ravas If you only know Sammo from his usual happy-go-lucky characters in old-school kung fu flicks like Knockabout, Eastern Condors might serve as a … Continue reading
Angel Town (1990) Review
Director: Eric Karson Writer: S. Warren Cast: Olivier Gruner, Theresa Saldana, Frank Aragon, Tony Valentino, Peter Kwong, Mike Moroff, Mark Dacascos, Bruce Locke, Claudine Penedo Running Time: 102 min. By Z Ravas It’s a story as old as the Western: a stranger rides into a town plagued by violence and unrest. Boarding with a local, he soon finds that the town’s troubles become his own – and he’s forced to fight … Continue reading
Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Other Movies, Reviews
Tagged Eric Karson, Mark Dacascos, Olivier Gruner, Peter Kwong
Blast (1997) Review
Director: Albert Pyun Writer: Albert Pyun Cast: Linden Ashby, Rutger Hauer, Kimberly Warren, Tim Thomerson, Norbert Weisser, Andrew Divoff, Yuji Okumoto, Vincent Klyn, Tim Thomerson, Sonya Eddy, Shannon Elizabeth, Jill Pierce Running Time: 159 min. By Z Ravas When I was 10 years-old, I thought you couldn’t get any cooler than Linden Ashby. That probably sounds amusing now, but I still think the actor was able to combine the amiable charm … Continue reading
Posted in All, News, Other Movies, Reviews
Tagged Albert Pyun, Linden Ashby, Rutger Hauer, Vincent Klyn, Yuji Okumoto
Eastern Cherries – First Experiences of Asian Cinema: Korea Edition Part IV
It all comes back to Blockbuster Video. Sure, when you think of the former franchise’s early 2000’s heyday, you might resent them for ordering and taking up so much shelf space with 200 copies of Vin Diesel’s xXx that nobody wanted to rent. But in the midst of all the would-be Hollywood hits and Casper Van Dien Direct-to-DVD flicks, you would occasionally find a foreign film diamond in the rough. Such … Continue reading
Secret Reunion (2010) Review
Director: Jang Hun Cast: Song Kang-Ho, Gang Dong-Won, Jeon Kuk-Hwan, Park Hyuk-Kwon, Yoon Hee-Seok, Ko Chang-Seok, Lee So-Yun, Jung In-Gi, Bae Yong-Geun, Jo Suk-Hyun, Park Yong-Jin, Kwon Bum-Taek, Choi Jung-Woo Running Time: 116 min. By Z Ravas Secret Reunion opens at a fever pitch most action movies hope to achieve during their climax. Gang Don-won’s character has been living in South Korea as a sleeper agent for the North when … Continue reading
Psychokinesis (2018) Review
Director: Yeon Sang-Ho Writer: Yeon Sang-Ho Cast: Ryoo Seung-Ryong, Shim Eun-Kyung, Park Jung-Min, Kim Min-Jae, Jung Yu-Mi Running Time: 101 min. By Z Ravas Train to Busan must be the most popular Korean film in America since Oldboy. No, I don’t have any hard data to back that up (although the movie did gross close to $100 million worldwide). But anecdotally, here in the States – where Korean cinema is still … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Park Jung-Min, Ryoo Seung-Ryong, Yeon Sang-Ho
Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018) Review
Director: Kim Ji-woon Cast: Gang Dong-Won, Han Hyo-Joo, Jung Woo-Sung, Kim Moo-Yul, Han Ye-Ri, Heo Jun-Ho, Minho, Shin Eun-Soo, Kim Pub-Lae, Lee Dong-Ha, Choi Jin-Ho Running Time: 138 min. By Z Ravas A Tale of Two Sisters. A Bittersweet Life. The Good, the Bad, the Weird. I Saw the Devil. Age of Shadows. Over the last 15 years, the work of Kim Jee-woon has come to help define popular Korean … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Gang Dong-won, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Jee-Woon (Kim Ji-woon)
Eastern Cherries – First Experiences of Asian Cinema: Japan Edition Part IV
Despite their doors being shuttered over a decade ago, Tower Records is a place that continues to loom large in many consumers’ nostalgic hearts. Don’t believe me? Just watch 2015’s All Things Must Pass, which –– while not a great documentary –– is admirably devoted to preserving the memory of the once great entertainment franchise. For media fans all over the globe, Tower served as a one-stop shop for vinyl … Continue reading
Eastern Cherries – First Experiences of Asian Cinema: Hong Kong & China Edition Part III
By 2002, I’d seen a handful of Hong Kong action movies – mostly John Woo staples like A Better Tomorrow and Miramax’s dubbed Jackie Chan pictures – but it wasn’t until my hand reached for a lonely copy of Tsui Hark’s 2000 gonzo action masterpiece Time & Tide at Blockbuster Video that I truly became a devotee of the genre. To my teenage self, Hark’s surreal blend of audacious camerawork, … Continue reading
Outlaws, The (2017) Review
Director: Kang Yoon-Sung Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Yoon Kye-Sang, Jo Jae-Yun, Choi Gwi-Hwa, rk Ji-Hwan, Hong Ki-Joon Running Time: 121 min. By Z Ravas I walked away from 2016’s smash hit Train to Busan with a distinct impression that supporting actor Ma Dong-seok had stolen the movie – no small feat in a film about a train full of rabid zombies! Although I’d caught the actor in plenty of parts before, including Kundo: Age of … Continue reading
Battleship Island, The (2017) Review
Director: Ryoo Seung-wan Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, So Ji-Sub, Song Joong-Ki, Lee Jung-Hyun, Kim Soo-Ahn, Kim In-Woo, Kim Joong-Hee, Lee Kyoung-Young, Shin Seung-Hwan, Ahn Se-Ho Running Time: 132 min. By Z Ravas Although director Ryoo Seung-wan has engaged in big-budget spectacle in the recent past – 2013’s The Berlin File felt like the filmmaker’s attempt to top the Bourne trilogy, and long before that he’d dabbled in the superhero (Arahan) and spoof (Dachimawa … Continue reading
Beyond Skyline (2017) Review
Director: Liam O’Donnell Producer: Brothers Strause Cast: Frank Grillo, Bojana Novakovic, Callan Mulvey, Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Lindsey Morgan, Betty Gabriel, Antonio Fargas, Samantha Jean Running Time: 105 min. By Z Ravas The idea of producing a sequel to Skyline was initially met with a healthy amount of skepticism, and perhaps for good reason. Despite a drubbing from the critics, the original film proved a financial success way back in 2010 – but that box office … Continue reading
Posted in Asian Related, News, Other Movies, Reviews
Tagged Frank Grillo, Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian
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