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on Hope (2026) ReviewIt’s about time there is a strong Asian female lead in a male dominated indus…
on Simon Lui, Hong Kong actor, writer and filmmaker known for ‘Troublesome Night’ and ‘Vulgaria’, passes away at 62Sounds like you're thinking of Simu Liu.
on Simon Lui, Hong Kong actor, writer and filmmaker known for ‘Troublesome Night’ and ‘Vulgaria’, passes away at 62Not to be confused with the guy who plays Shang-Chi.
on Hope (2026) ReviewLOL! What did you think of Yellow Sea and Chaser?
on Hope (2026) ReviewI hated this movie with a vengeance. I thought Supergirl was the worst movie…
on GODZ-DAMN! Takashi Yamazaki’s ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ unleashes an absolutely MONSTROUS New TrailerNo. This first trailer ain't as exciting as the first teaser. Not a good sign…
on Looking for love? New Featurette for Ke Huy Quan’s actioner ‘Love Hurts’ from ‘John Wick’ producer David LeitchI love Short round as much as anyone else. I think I was the same as him when…
on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arriving on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-rayShaloin Soccer was already with uncut version years ago, so was SPL and Ong B…
on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arriving on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-rayI've been waiting for this one a long time! YES!
on This collection is FAT! Details and Trailers for Shout’s ‘Chow Yun-fat Collection’ on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-rayI'm impressed you can tell the difference - unfortunately like most Americans…
on Back-to-back action! Watch the Trailers for the microbudget martial arts thrillers ‘Five By Five’ and ‘Echo 8 Beyond’Watched the OG Echo 8 and yoooo this is lit.
on Chen Kuan-tai, martial artist and Shaw Brothers star of ‘Boxer from Shantung’ and ‘Flying Guillotine’, passes away at 80Bruce Lee wasn’t ignored in HK because he wasn’t perusing a film career there…
on THE PERFECT WEAPON IS BACK! Martial arts star Jeff Speakman talks about his comeback film ‘Lost Echoes’Time for these old men to go to retirement homes and make room for the new fe…
Author Archives: Z Ravas
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
Death Note (2017) Review
Director: Adam Wingard Cast: Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, Margaret Qualley, Shea Whigham, Paul Nakauchi, Jason Liles, Willem Dafoe, Jack Ettlinger, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Chris Britton Running Time: 100 min. By Z Ravas The Hollywood remake of Death Note is a project that’s been passed like a hot potato from filmmaker to filmmaker for the better part of a decade. Back in 2011, it looked like Lethal Weapon scribe and Iron Man 3 director Shane Black … Continue reading
Enter the Warrior’s Gate (2016) Review
AKA: Warrior’s Gate Director: Matthias Hoene Cast: Mark Chao, Ni Ni, Uriah Shelton, Dave Bautista, Francis Ng, Sienna Guillory, Ron Smoorenburg, Dakota Daulby, Kara Hui, Dakota Daulby, Zha Ka Running Time: 108 min. By Z Ravas Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a meek and bullied young Anglo kid finds himself transported to a distant world of Chinese mysticism and martial arts, where he teams with a band of powerful … Continue reading
Posted in Asian Related, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Dave Bautista, Francis Ng, Kara Hui, Mark Chao, Ni Ni, Ron Smoorenburg
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