Author Archives: Paul Bramhall

Shaolin: The Blood Mission | aka The Fourth Largest Shaolin Temple (1984) Review

"Shaolin: The Blood Mission" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Park Woo-sang Writer: Hong Chi-Yun Cast: Hwang Jang Lee, Ho Kei Cheong, Suen Kwok Ming, Poon Cheung, Luo Hua-Sheng, Olivia Hung, Park Dong-yeol, Lee Jin-Yeong, Kim Ki-Bum Running Time: 85 min. By Paul Bramhall The name of Korean director Park Woo-sang may not be immediately familiar to many, and understandably so. However once the filmmaker immigrated to America, he continued to direct under a different name – Richard Park – … Continue reading

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) Review

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Chinese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Star Wars: Episode VII Director: J. J. Abrams Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Max von Sydow, Joonas Suotamo, Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian Running Time: 135 min. By Paul Bramhall As the latest installment of the much loved Star Wars franchise hits cinemas in December 2015, the first under the … Continue reading

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Enter the Invincible Hero | aka Secret Bandit of Black Leopard (1981) Review

"Enter the Invincible Hero" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Si-hyun Cast: Dragon Lee (Mun Kyong-sok), Casanova Wong, Chui Man Fooi, Lee Ye Min, Cheung Ching Kwok, Gam Hei Wang, Seo Jeong Ah, Chen Shao Lung Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Deciphering who directed what and when in the old school Korean kung fu genre is a head scratching exercise at the best of times. It’s common knowledge that many of the countries’ contributions to the … Continue reading

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Wild Panther | aka The Pursuit (1984) Review

"Wild Panther" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Tso Nam Writer: Cheung San Yee Producer: Lim Kee Chye Cast: Chen Shan, Don Wong Tao, Eagle Han Ying, Ching Kuo Chung, Peng Kang, Ho Hing Nam Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall Taiwanese director Lee Tso Nam should be a name recognizable to anyone who considers themselves a fan of kung fu cinema. Active in the industry since the early 70’s, and still active today, he’s … Continue reading

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Seoul (2002) Review

"Seoul" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Masahiko Nagasawa Cast: Tomoya Nagase, Choi Min-Soo, Hoon Jang, Sung Choi, Jin-myung Go, Shim-young Hahm, Hun-suk Jung, Ki-won Kang, Dong-wook Kim, Ji-youn Kim, Chan-young Lee, Do-hyung Lee, Kyung-hwan Park Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall Seoul is an interesting curiosity of a movie. It looks, feels, and sounds like an early 2000’s Korean action flick, however it is in fact a Japanese production. Distributed by the legendary Toho … Continue reading

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Drive Hard (2014) Review

"Drive Hard" Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Hard Drive Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith Cast: John Cusack, Thomas Jane, Zoe Ventoura, Christopher Morris, Yesse Spence, Damien Garvey Running Time: 96 min. By Paul Bramhall The name Brian Trenchard-Smith should be familiar to anyone who’s a fan of Hong Kong movies, as the British born director was the man behind the 1975 Jimmy Wang Yu vehicle The Man from Hong Kong. A resident of Australia since his late teens, … Continue reading

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Attack on Titan: Part 1 (2015) Review

Director: Shinji Higuchi Writer: Yusuke Watanabe, Tomohiro Machiyama Based on Manga by Hajime Isayama Cast: Haruma Miura, Hiroki Hasegawa, Kiko Mizuhara, Kanata Hongo, Takahiro Miura, Nanami Sakuraba, Satoru Matsuo, Satomi Ishihara, Pierre Taki, Jun Kunimura, Rina Takeda, Shu Watanabe, Ayame Misaki Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall Attack on Titan was a production which had the odds stacked against it from the start. Putting aside the fact that it’s … Continue reading

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Hunted Hunter, The (1997) Review

Director: Ricky Lau Writer: Foh Ging-Yiu Producer: Shum Wai Chung Wai-Shing Cast: Yuen Biao, Zhang Feng-Yi, Roi Vinzon, Jessica Hester, Jerry Lamb Hiu-Fung, Karen Timbol, Michael Lam Wai-Leung, Wu Ma, Chung Fat, Levy Ignacio, Ricky Lau, Shum Wai Running Time: N/A By Paul Bramhall During the 90’s, it was considered an unspoken rule that the Philippines was the place were the careers of Hong Kong action stars go to die. … Continue reading

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Kill Line (1991) Review

"Kill Line" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Richard H. Kim Producer: Bobby Kim Cast: Bobby Kim, Michael Parker, H. Wayne Lowry, Marlena Shapiro, Michael Ford, Clif Willis, George W. Byers, Sheila Ivy Traister, Tony Carpenter Running Time: 93 min. By Paul Bramhall In the 1980’s there was a sort of mini-wave of Korean directors who immigrated to the States. Park Woo-sang, the man behind such old school flicks like Shaolin: The Blood Mission, made the move … Continue reading

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Exclusive: Interview with Won Jin – The Scorpion King

Back in 2002 I could still be considered a relative newcomer to the world of kung fu cinema, having gotten into the genre only a few years earlier. Living in the UK, most of my kung fu movie watching came in the form of picking up the latest release from the Hong Kong Legends label, which at the time was going through its own golden era. This particular year saw … Continue reading

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Say Yes (2001) Review

Director: Kim Sung-hong Writer: Yeo Hye-yeong Producer: Hwang Gi-Seong Cast: Park Joong-hoon, Chu Sang-Mi, Kim Ju-Hyeok, Gi Ju-Bong, Lee Chang-Yeong Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall Think of Asian horror during the late 90’s and early 2000’s, and the image that comes to mind will most likely be one of a long black haired female ghost. The 1998 Japanese movie Ring triggered a whole host of Asian horror movies, … Continue reading

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Full Strike (2015) Review

"Full Strike" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Derek Kwok Co-director: Henry Wong Cast: Ronald Cheng Chung-kei, Josie Ho Chiu Yee, Ekin Cheng, Tse Kwan Ho, Edmond Leung, Shaw Yum Yum, Wilfred Lau, Andrew Lam, Grace Yip Pui Man Running Time: 108 min. By Paul Bramhall Movies about racquet sports hardly have the most successful track record, either at the box office or critically. Even thinking of one seems liken an unnecessarily difficult struggle. It took me … Continue reading

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Advocate: A Missing Body, The (2015) Review

Director: Huh Jong-Ho Cast: Lee Sun-Kyun, Kim Go-Eun, Lim Won-Hee, Jang Hyun-Sung, Hong Sung-Duk, Kim Yoon-hye, Kwak In-joon, Choi Jae-woong, Park Ji-yeong Running Time: 117 min. By Paul Bramhall Korean cinema has a habit of churning out inferior copycats to the movies that make an impact both on home soil and overseas. That’s why for every The Man from Nowhere we have a Man of Vendetta, and for every Masquerade … Continue reading

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Bruce Strikes Back | aka The Ninja Strikes Back (1982) Review

"Bruce Strikes Back" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Eye of the Dragon Director: Joseph Kong, Bruce Le Co-director: Jean-Marie Pallardy Cast: Bruce Le (aka Huang Kin Long, Wong Kin Lung), Hwang Jang Lee, Casanova Wong, Harold Sakata, Bolo Yeung, Chick Norris, Fabienne Beze, Andre Koob, Monica Lam, Jean-Marie Pallardy, Dick Randall Running Time: 111 min. By Paul Bramhall American producer Dick Randall’s name is synonymous with the exploitation genre, having a career which spanned 3 decades, from … Continue reading

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COF Presents: Top 10 Worst Hong Kong Movie DVD Covers

Warning: This Article May Cause Discomfort for the Eyes Marketing Hong Kong movies to a western audience has always been a tricky business, especially when it comes to DVD releases. Amongst the countless latest Hollywood titles fighting for your attention and shelf space, arguably the most important asset a DVD can have is an attention grabbing cover. Hong Kong movies in particular have been subjected to some ‘interesting’ design choices … Continue reading

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