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on Jet Li goes MICRO! Here’s a look at the martial arts star’s upcoming action web series ‘Yan Yu Jiang Hu’Jet Li and Shang Chi. https://www.instagram.com/p/DYNBVKDD-gP/?utm_source=ig_…
on Ready for ultimate kung fu bliss? George Lazenby and Angela Mao’s ‘Stoner’ arriving on Blu-ray from 88 FilmsI remember all these Mao Ying films only available on VCD, still have a bunch…
on Time for a break! Watch the Trailer Reel for Arrow’s 4K Ultra HD ‘Jackie Chan’s Breakout Hits!’ collection arriving in JuneI don't have this anymore but if I remember correctly theres 2 women on the c…
on GET OVER HERE! Watch a fight clip from ‘Mortal Kombat II’ starring Karl Urban, Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki SanadaI caught the new Mortal Kombat II and I have extremely mixed feelings about i…
on Wanna see heads roll? Visual Vengeance announces Blu-ray for ‘Fatal Flying Guillotine’ starring Carter Wong and Chen SingI'm good with that. There's something charming about a kung fu movie that has…
on Wanna see heads roll? Visual Vengeance announces Blu-ray for ‘Fatal Flying Guillotine’ starring Carter Wong and Chen SingGood film but has one of the most strange and abrupt endings of all time.
on Bruce Lee is not the only Lee in town! Lee Byung-hun returns to action for the martial arts thriller ‘Nambeol’The promo artwork makes me want to see the upcoming movie already!
on Forbidden City, The (2025) Reviewi agree, but it's not the 80s anymore.
on Scott Adkins vs Lewis Tan? Martial arts star Scott Adkins stars in and makes his directorial debut with ‘Brawler’DTV Adkins trash😂
on 🦂 88 Films announces Blu-ray for ‘Operation Scorpio’ starring Chin Kar Lok, Lau Kar Leung and Won JinThis movie looks like a good time overall. 88 films keep them coming
Author Archives: Paul Bramhall
Drive Hard (2014) Review
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
Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Reviews
Tagged Brian Trenchard-Smith, John Cusack, Thomas Jane
Attack on Titan: Part 1 (2015) Review
Director: Shinji Higuchi 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 a Japanese mainstream blockbuster, which in itself is normally an indication … Continue reading
Hunted Hunter, The (1997) Review
Director: Ricky Lau 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. Philip Ko Fei, Cynthia Khan, and Yukari Oshima … Continue reading
Kill Line (1991) Review
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
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
Posted in Interviews, News
Say Yes (2001) Review
Director: Kim Sung-hong Writer: Yeo Hye-yeong 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, all of which … Continue reading
Full Strike (2015) Review
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
Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Derek Kwok, Ekin Cheng, Grace Yip Pui Man, Josie Ho Chiu Yee, Shaw Yum Yum, Vincent Kok
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
Bruce Strikes Back | aka The Ninja Strikes Back (1982) Review
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
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
The Kung Fu Fandom Forum is bigger, better and back online!
Many visitors to City on Fire will also no doubt be aware of kungfucinema.com, and are most likely asking the question of why the site has been offline since Sunday 11th July. Unfortunately it was confirmed by site owner Mark Pollard a couple of days ago that kungfucinema.com has been laid to rest, after 12 years online, due to personal reasons. For myself, as I’m sure for many others, the … Continue reading
Posted in News
Undeclared War (1990) Review
Director: Ringo Lam Cast: Danny Lee Sau Yin, Tommy Wong Kwong Leung, Peter Liapis, Vernon Wells, Olivia Hussey, Rosamund Kwan, Louis Roth, Dean Harrington, Victor Hon Kwan, Mars, Jonathan Isgar, Brad Kerner, Mark King, Jameson Lam Running Time: 103 min. By Paul Bramhall In 1990 it seemed Ringo Lam could do no wrong. Having established himself as a director of realistic and gritty action thrillers with his …on Fire series … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Brad Kerner, Danny Lee Sau Yin, Dean Harrington, Jonathan Isgar, Mars (Cheung Wing Fat), Olivia Hussey, Ringo Lam, Rosamund Kwan, Stuart Smith, Vernon Wells
Kickboxer | aka Once Upon a Chinese Hero (1993) Review
Director: Wu Ma Cast: Yuen Biao, Shirley Lui Sau Ling, Yuen Wah, Yen Shi Kwan, Sheila Chan Suk Lan, Wu Ma, Gam Sap Yee, Chen Shan, Tai Bo, Anthony Carpio, Chu Tau, Louis Roth, Yuen Mao, Corey Yuen, Max Kasimsky, Leung Kwan-Keung Running Time: 92 min. By Paul Bramhall There aren’t many people out there who would disagree that Jet Li being cast as Wong Fei Hung was an inspired choice. … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Chen Shan, Corey Yuen, Louis Roth, Wu Ma, Yen Shi Kwan, Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah
Memories of the Sword (2015) Review
Director: Park Heung-Sik Cast: Lee Byung-Hun, Jeon Do-Yeon, Kim Go-Eun, Lee Joon-Ho, Lee Kyoung-Young, Kim Tae-Woo, Bae Soo-Bin, Kim Soo-Ahn, Moon Sung-Geun Running Time: 121 min. By Paul Bramhall Korean cinema continues to create some of the most original and innovative movies for audiences to enjoy, however just like many other countries, it also has a film industry that likes to follow trends. If a movie makes it big, a … Continue reading
Assassination (2015) Review
Director: Choi Dong-hun Cast: Jeon Ji-hyeon, Lee Jung-Jae, Ha Jung-Woo, Cho Jin-Woong, Choi Duk-Moon, Oh Dal-Su, Heo Ji-Won, Lee Kyoung-Young, Kim Eui-Sung, Park Byung-Eun Running Time: 139 min. By Paul Bramhall Director Choi Dong-hoon has built up an impressive resume since he burst onto the scene with the heist thriller The Big Swindle in 2003. With each successive movie, both the budget and the stakes have increased, with his last … Continue reading
Posted in Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Choi Dong-hun, Ha Jung-Woo, Jun Ji-Hyun (Gianna Jun), Lee Jung-jae
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