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on Feeling triggered? Future pressings of the ‘Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1’ have you covered!This is the one that gets me today, this?! 😭
on STOP… Hammer time! 4K Ultra HD Limited Edition for the Hammer Film/Shaw Brothers classic ‘Shatter’ arriving in MayWhy? Giving Shatter this kind of 4K special treatment makes about as much sen…
on Karate and Kung Fu collide in the New Trailer for Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio’s upcoming ‘Karate Kid’ movieAm I the only one who thinks it's more of the same that you saw in the first…
on ‘Passenger 57’, move over! Andy Lau’s hijack thriller ‘High Forces’ is getting a U.S. release from China LionHigh Forces has been released on Blu-ray in the US - 25 March 2025 - by Bayvi…
on Richard Norton, ‘Gymkata’ and ‘City Hunter’ actor, martial artist, trainer and stunt performer, dies at 75My favorites with him are Twinkle Twinkle, and Magic Crystal. It’s interestin…
on Looking for some spear-slicing action? Donnie Yen’s ‘The Lost Bladesman’ arrives on Blu-ray from ImprintVery underrated Donnie Yen gem. The movie, along with Sakra, has arguably the…
on Wild, The (2023) ReviewThis review does a great job of breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of…
on Don’t fight what you can’t see! Arrow announces Blu-ray for Yoshiyuki Kuroda’s 1970 actioner ‘The Invisible Swordsman’Dear Arrow... Let "old" Asian cinema to 88 Films, Eureka, BFI n' Co.
on Leopard Fist Ninja (1982) ReviewYeah, the little girl turning into the hero certainly threw me too.
on Kung Fu Rookie (2023) Review& just like that, Z Ravas reappeared after 5 years in the wilderness, the sam…
on Hong Kong’s Heaven’s Gate? Juno Mak’s anticipated thriller ‘Sons of the Neon Night’ to finally shine this yearThere was apparently a 15 minute preview screening at Hong Kong's FILMART con…
on The Kosugi ninja empire lives on! Watch the Trailer for Shane Kosugi’s ‘Seek’ starring Kansuke Asano and Kane KosugiHaters gonna hate, I suppose. 🥱 Oh well.
Author Archives: Paul Bramhall
Crazy Samurai Musashi | aka Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 (2020) Review
Director: Yuji Shimomura Cast: Tak Sakaguchi, Kento Yamazaki, Yousuke Saito, Ben Hiura, Arata Yamanaka, Fuka Hara, Kosei Kimura, Nobu Morimoto, Akihiko Sai, Masaaki Takarai Running Time: 92 min. By Paul Bramhall Crazy Samurai Musashi is one of those movies that’s journey to the screen is just as interesting as the movie itself, spanning over 10 years before it eventually arrived in 2020. Initially announced as a collaboration between Japanese action … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Tak Sakaguchi, Yuji Shimomura
Deliver Us from Evil: Final Cut (2020) Review
Director: Hong Won-Chan Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, Lee Jung-Jae, Park Jung-Min, Park So-Yi, Choi Hee-Seo, Park Myoung-Hoon, Oh Dae-Hwan, Shim Young-Eun, Kim Sung-Gon Running Time: 108 min. By Paul Bramhall Seven years have passed since Korean thespians Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Jung-min starred together in 2013’s New World in which they played sworn brothers, with one a no-nonsense cop deep undercover, and the other a live wire unpredictable gangster. In 2020 … Continue reading
Keys to the Heart (2018) Review
Director: Choi Sung-Hyun Cast: Lee Byung-Hun, Park Jung-Min, Youn Yuh-Jung, Han Ji-Min, Choi Ri, Kim Sung-Ryoung, Moon Sook, Hwang Suk-Jung, Lee Joo-Young, Baek Hyun-Jin Running Time: 120 min. By Paul Bramhall Stories about washed up boxers have been around for almost as long as cinema itself, and the Korean movie industry is no exception. From Choi Min-sik in Crying Fist, to So Ji-sub in Always, and more recently Um Tae-goo … Continue reading
Tai Chi Boxer | aka Tai Chi II (1996) Review
Director: Yuen Woo Ping Co-director: Cheung Sing Yim Cast: Wu Jing, Christy Chung Lai Tai, Yu Hai, Mark Cheng Ho Nam, Billy Chow Bei Lei, Sibelle Hu Hui Zhong, Darren Shahlavi, Ji Chun Hua, Jin De-Mao Running Time: 96 min. By Paul Bramhall Most discussions that see Tai Chi Boxer mentioned tend to involve the wire-fu craze that dominated the Hong Kong martial arts genre in the first half of the … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Billy Chow, Cheung Sing Yim, Christy Chung, Darren Shahlavi, Mark Cheng Ho Nam, Sibelle Hu, Wu Jing (Jacky Wu), Yu Hai
Nobody (2021) Review
Director: Ilya Naishuller Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Aleksei Serebryakov, RZA, Michael Ironside, Colin Salmon, Christopher Lloyd, Gage Munroe, Billy MacLellan, J. P. Manoux Running Time: 92 min. By Paul Bramhall Any movie which advertises itself as “From the writer of John Wick” provides some inclination as to what to expect, however even the most casual movie fan may be surprised at just how many tropes are recycled in 2021’s … Continue reading
Posted in All, Asian Related, Other Movies, Reviews
Tagged Bob Odenkirk, Ilya Naishuller, RZA
King Swindler (1993) Review
Director: Chu Yen Ping Cast: Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Sandra Ng Kwun-Yu, Tuo Tsung-Hua, Liu Chun, Hiu Hiu, Billy Gilman, Lau Kei, Tu Fu-Ping, Chien Te-Men, Tsai Chia-Hung, Lin Hsieh-Wen Running Time: 96 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s common knowledge that back in the 1980’s Jimmy Wang Yu stepped in to straighten up some trouble Jackie Chan was having with the Triads, and to repay the One Armed Boxer for his … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Chu Yen Ping, Sammo Hung, Sandra Ng Kwan Yue
Paper Tigers, The (2020) Review
Director: Bao Tran Cast: Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Jae Suh Park, Matthew Page, Joziah Lagonoy, Ken Quitugua, Phillip Dang, Andy Le, Brian Le, Yoshi Sudarso, Peter Sudarso, Gui DaSilva-Greene, Mark Poletti, Yuji Okumoto, Raymond Ma, Roger Yuan Running Time: 108 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s been a long journey for writer and director Quoc Bao Tran’s first full length feature, The Paper Tigers, to come to fruition. … Continue reading
Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Reviews
Tagged Alain Uy, Bao Tran, Brian Le, Matthew Page, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Roger Yuan, Ron Yuan, Yuji Okumoto
Night in Paradise (2020) Review
Director: Park Hoon-Jung Cast: Um Tae-Goo, Jeon Yeo-Bin, Cha Seung-Won, Park Ho-San, Cho Dong-in, Lee Ki-young Running Time: 130 min. By Paul Bramhall The Korean gangster movie that was such a consistently entertaining part of the countries output during the 00’s and early 10’s has largely dropped off in recent years, with genre efforts these days more likely to be low budget productions lacking the creative spark of those that … Continue reading
Lover of the Last Empress (1995) Review
Director: Andrew Lau Cast: Tony Leung Ka Fai, Chingmy Yau, Chan Kwok Bong, Valerie Chow, Ku Feng, Yu Rong Guang, Kingdom Yuen King Tan, Yvonne Yung Hung, Bao Fang, Lo Hung Running Time: 99 min. By Paul Bramhall Before John Wick went on the rampage triggered by the murder of his puppy, there was Chingmy Yau in Lover of the Last Empress, whose ascent to the position of Empress Dowager is … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, Chingmy Yau, Ku Feng, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Valerie Chow, Yu Rong-Guang
Kung Fu from Beyond the Grave (1982) Review
Director: Li Chao Cast: Billy Chong Chun Lai, Lo Lieh, Dai Sai Aan, Alan Chui Chung San, Lai Kim Hung, Fang Mien, Ou-Yang Sha Fei, Goo Gwan, So Kwok Leung Running Time: 88 min. By Paul Bramhall Following the success of Sammo Hung’s Close Encounter of the Spooky Kind in 1980, soon a slew of titles mixing kung fu and the supernatural filled Hong Kong cinema, with the likes of … Continue reading
Steven Seagal to reboot ‘The Patriot’
While we continue to wait on the long gesticulating Under Siege 3, hitting screens first will be what Steven Seagal himself has described as a “reimagining” of his 1998 feature The Patriot. In most territories The Patriot was the first Seagal movie to go direct-to-video, and focuses on a deadly virus that he has to stop before it becomes a pandemic. Of course the subject matter is timely considering current … Continue reading
Legend of the Drunken Tiger (1991) Review
Director: Robert Tai Cast: Kara Hui, Chui Kei-Wai, Alexander Lo Rei, Cheung Kwok Keung, Ku Feng, Ho Pak Kwong, Man Siu, Wong Hap, Lee Lung Yam, Chan Yue-Ching Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall The early 90’s was the peak era for the whole ”Legend of the….” title structure in Hong Kong cinema. Legend of the Dragon gave us Stephen Chow vs Jimmy White, Legend of the Liquid Sword … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Alexander Lo Rei, Kara Hui, Ku Feng, Robert Tai
Ninja in Ancient China (1993) Review
AKA: The Prowess Director: Chang Cheh Cast: Tung Chi-Wa, Mu Li-Xin, Lin Ying-Jun, Chen Die-Yi, Chan Yee-Gong, Cheng Ya-Lin, Du Yu-Ming Guo Jun, Wan Man-Ying, Chu Ka-Lung, Wu Tian-Yun Running Time: 92 min. By Paul Bramhall After spending almost 20 years working exclusively for the Shaw Brothers studio, director Chang Cheh had rightfully earned his moniker of the Godfather of the Kung Fu Film. In 1983 he made his final … Continue reading
Attack of the Joyful Goddess (1983) Review
AKA: Attack of the Venoms Director: Chang Cheh Co-director: Chiang Sheng Co-director: Lu Feng Cast: Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi, Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng, Chui Chung-Fei, Lee Chung-Yat Running Time: 92 min. By Paul Bramhall By 1983 the Shaw Brothers studio as a movie making powerhouse was on its last legs, and within a couple of years would completely close up shop to focus purely on TV production. Compared to the cinema … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Chang Cheh, Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng (Centipede), Ricky Cheng Tien Chi
Eagle vs. Silver Fox | aka Flying Martial Arts (1980) Review
Director: Park Yun-Gyo Co-director: Godfrey Ho Cast: Hwang Jang-Lee, Gwak Mu-Seong, Sarah Sit Chi-Lin, Nam Chung-Il, Chiu Chun, Kim Yu-Haeng, Pok Chung-Sit, Choe Mu-Ung, Kim Gi-Jong Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall If there’s one aspect of the kung fu world that’s more deadly than any secret technique, it’s the IFD Films distributed kung fu movie. Virtually every readily available Korean kung fu movie from the 70’s and 80’s … Continue reading
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