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on If you ❤️ ‘Street Fighter’ watch a New BTS Promotional for Kitao Sakura’s live-action ‘Street Fighter’ adaptationi'd say Enter the Dragon actually set the trend. besides, the tournament form…
on THESE GIRLS GOT BALLS! Watch the New Trailer for Stephen Chow’s ‘Kung Fu Soccer’Absolute crapfest of a movie. CG in movies have hit a new low. Looks worse th…
on From HOPE to HOLE! Hoyeon joins Theo James and Christian Slater for ‘I Saw the Devil’ helmer Kim Jee-woon’s next filmExcept Jung Ho-yeon =)
on The Scavenger (2026) ReviewThank you for sharing that quote. That hits the nail on the head for how I fe…
on Hope (2026) Review🤣 Thanks for the recommendation! Mason suggested we do Hope and Hi-Five as a…
on Hope (2026) ReviewThanks for sharing your views Sai, can certainly see that side of the coin as…
on The Scavenger (2026) ReviewI saw someone on Letterboxd who put it more eloquently than I did, basically…
on COF Presents: John Wick & the Dawn of the Joyless Bloodshed GenreActually, Rothrock was and is a legit martial artist who impressed H.K. filmm…
on 88 Films is FEARLESS! Jackie Chan’s directorial debut ‘Fearless Hyena’ arrives on 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray in DecemberOn 88 Films site, they say this edition is only available on their site (1000…
on COF Presents: John Wick & the Dawn of the Joyless Bloodshed GenreAny joy that face takes away, that amazing "whisky and cigar" baritone gives…
on 88 Films likes ’em young! John Woo’s directorial feature debut ‘Young Dragons’ hits Blu-ray in Decemberthis is cool, but I almost got real excited thinking it was the movie that in…
Author Archives: Z Ravas
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
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Lee Won-Tae, Ma Dong-seok
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
Special Lady, A (2017) Review
Director: Lee An-Gyu Cast: Kim Hye-Soo, Lee Sun-Kyun, Lee Hee-Joon, Choi Moo-Sung, Kim Min-Suk, Oh Ha-Nee, Ahn So-Young, Kwon Yool, Cha Soon-Bae, Sun Wook-Hyun Running Time: 90 min. By Z Ravas Any way you slice it, 2017 was a great year for women in action cinema. Guided by one-half of John Wick’s directing duo, Atomic Blonde saw Charlize Theron once again in full-contact combat mode; even if the film’s poe-faced attitude and unnecessarily confusing espionage plot kept … Continue reading
Danny the Dog | aka Unleashed (2005) Review
Director: Louis Leterrier Cast: Jet Li, Morgan Freeman, Bob Hoskins, Kerry Condon, Andy Beckwith, Scott Adkins, Silvio Simac, Christian Gazio, Michael Ian Lambert, Kazu Patrick Tang Running Time: 133 min. By Z Ravas Supposedly after shooting the particularly bloody Kiss of the Dragon, Jet Li wanted to reteam with French writer/producer Luc Besson for a film that would actually depict the consequences of violence. If that was the case, then they … Continue reading
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