Category Archives: All

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025) Review

Considering the elegance and beauty of ballet, in the world of cinema being a ballerina can often be a sign of danger. From Jeong Hye-gyeong’s taekwondo infused ballerina routine in 1977’s Secret Agents II, to Jennifer Lawrence’s seductive moves in 2018’s Red Sparrow, tutu’s have never seemed so lethal as when they appear on the big screen. In 2025 Ana De Armas would join their ranks in Ballerina, who after … Continue reading

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Ip Man: Kung Fu Legend (2026) Review

If the phrase beating a dead horse refers to still trying to milk a concept long after its expiry or relevance has diminished, then 2026’s Ip Man: Kung Fu Legend must be the web movie equivalent of nuking a dead horse. Ip Man was all the rage back in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, and amongst the craze for wing chun chain punches and rain-soaked fight scenes, a new … Continue reading

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Wings of Dread (2026) Review

Back when I was first getting into HK action cinema I watched the 1986 classic Royal Warriors (and still own the Universe DVD to this day!), a highlight of which sees Michelle Yeoh and Hiroyuki Sanada take on Chan Wai-Man and a bunch of hijackers on a plane. A masterpiece of close quarters choreography, I’d always thought what a cool idea it would be to set a whole kung-fu movie … Continue reading

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Colony (2026) Review

While in recent years it’s 2019’s Parasite that most commonly gets referred to as Korean cinema’s international breakout hit, over the course of the 21st century there have of course been other examples along the way. In the early 2000’s it was 1999’s Shiri that made waves overseas and for many, including myself, acted as the first introduction to what Korean cinema had to offer. In 2003 I still remember … Continue reading

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Operation Hadal (2025) Review

Director Dante Lam must possess one of the most varied filmographies in all of moviedom; just glancing at his body of work reveals the shifting commercial film trends in Hong Kong and China over the last 30 years. The great tragedy of his career might be that he wasn’t born a decade or so earlier, because you sense the man could have reliably turned out one epic pistol opera after … Continue reading

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Broken Rhythm: Bruce Lee’s Game of Death (2026) Review

Some films end when the credits roll. Others continue long after the lights come up. Broken Rhythm belongs firmly in the latter category. Having attended both screenings at the New York City Independent Film Festival last week, it’s taken me some time to evaluate it—not because it’s obscure, but because it demands engagement from its audience. What makes Broken Rhythm so compelling is also what makes it challenging to write … Continue reading

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The Furious (2026) Review

It’s been a problem for at least a decade now that Hollywood doesn’t sincerely know how to market a stylish new action movie, particularly one out of Asia, without resorting to lazy comparisons like ‘It’s the next John Wick!’ or ‘It’s the next Raid!’ We’re seeing this same tactic play out now as Lionsgate tries to convince regular armchair Americans, the kind who don’t peruse websites like City on Fire … Continue reading

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Mortal Kombat II (2026) Review

You just know New Line was like, “we gotta get this out on VOD before The Furious hits theaters on Friday!” Which is my cheeky way of saying the fights in Mortal Kombat II are not very good, a truth that is made all the more glaring by the knowledge that choreographer Kensuke Sonomura and director Kenji Tanigaki are likely about to reshape the genre this weekend with their latest … Continue reading

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Battle Wizard (1977) Review

"Battle Wizard" Poster

Director: Pao Hsueh Lieh Cast: Danny Lee Sau-Yin, Tien Ni, Lin Chen-Chi, Shih Chung-Tien, Chiang Tao, Keung Hon, Wai Wang, Si Wai, San Shu-Wa, Gam Lau, Teresa Ha Ping Running Time: 77 min. By Z Ravas In which the bad guy’s master plan is to feed the hero to a captive gorilla…because the hero has already drank the blood of the mythical snake creature known as the Red Python, granting … Continue reading

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Boss X File (2002) Review

Director: Kim Sung-duk Cast: Jeong Woon-Taek, Kim Bo-Sung, Lee Ji-Hyun, Ahn Moon-Sook, Sung Hyun-Ah, Ki Joo-Bong, Jo Sang-Geon, Lee Yoon-Sung, Park Geun-Hyung, Kim Kuk-Jin Running Time: 108 min. By Paul Bramhall I confess that Boss X File would have been one of the many comedies that Korea churned out during the early to mid-2000’s that would never have landed on my radar, had it not been for an interview that … Continue reading

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Contour (2006) Review

Director: Eric Jacobus Cast: Eric Jacobus, Dennis Ruel, Ed Kahana, Andy Leung, Tyler Wang, Stephen Reedy, Donovan McKendrick, Vlad Rimburg, Tracy Butcher, Steven Yu Running Time: 100 min. By Z Ravas Contour is a 2006 independent martial arts comedy set in San Francisco, created by writer/director/producer/editor Eric Jacobus and his cohort of fellow martial artists and stunt performers who cheekily dub themselves The Stunt People. Prior to this recent rewatch, I … Continue reading

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Infiltrate (2026) Review

Director: James Mark Cast: Orphée Ladouceur-Nguyen, Alain Moussi, Tim Rozon, Mitra Suri, Lisa Berry, Jonathan Goad, Jeff Yung, Paul Braunstein, Jason Cavalier, Phi Huynh Running Time: 93 min.  By Z Ravas Canadian stuntman-turned-director James Mark has carved himself a reliable niche in the indie action space. He first made waves with 2017’s Kill Order, a compact Direct to Video effort that doubled as a 70-ish minute stunt demo reel for … Continue reading

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The Touch (2002) Review

Director: Peter Pau Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Ben Chaplin, Richard Roxburgh, Dane Cook, Kenneth Tsang, Brandon Chang, Margaret Wang, Winston Chao, Zhenhai Kou Running Time: 103 min.  By Paul Bramhall Imagine for a minute that the year is 2000 and you’re Michelle Yeoh. You’ve just gained an international level of fame thanks to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, garnering far more attention than when you were cast in a 007 movie, and … Continue reading

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Tiger on the Beat 2 (1990) Review

Director: Lau Kar Leung Cast: Danny Lee Sau Yin, Conan Lee Yuen-Ba, Ellen Chan, Roy Cheung, John Cheung, Chim Bing Hei, Norman Chu, Maria Cordero, Mark Houghton, Phillip Ko, Gordon Liu, Mai Te-Lo, James Wong, Xiong Xin Xin Running Time: 94 min. By Z Ravas Producer A: Hey, we’re doing a sequel to Tiger on the Beat, but Chow Yun-fat doesn’t want to come back. What should we do? Producer B: Just get … Continue reading

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Demon Dancer: Sua/Nara (2026) Review

Director: Attila Korosi Cast: Jiyeon Han, Anita Korosi, Won Hee Lee, Isabella Rose, Wondae Son, Shinyoung Moon, Eunhee Jeong, Joseph Kim, Jayden Moon-Dell, Hyonkuk Pak Running Time: 83 min.  By Paul Bramhall In 2025 audiences were hit with the double whammy of the John Wick spin-off Ballerina, and the massively popular Netflix movie KPop Demon Hunters, so it was perhaps only a matter of time before someone thought to combine … Continue reading

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