Category Archives: All

Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2023) Review

October 16, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Wu Ershan Cast: Kris Phillips, Narana Eryeneeva, Huang Bo, Yafan Wu, Ci Sha, Yu Shi, Li Xuejian, Chen Muchi Running Time: 148 min. By Paul Bramhall  There was a time in the mid-2010’s when the Mainland Chinese film industry seemed to be obsessed with producing big budget CGI driven fantasy spectacles, with what felt like a new title being announced with alarming frequency. One such example was 2016’s League … Continue reading →

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Ride On (2023) Review

October 13, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Larry Yang Cast: Jackie Chan, Xing Yu, Andy On, Yu Rongguang, Wu Jing, Stanley Tong, Aarif Rahman, Liu Haocun Running Time: 126 min. By Paul Bramhall For fans of Jackie Chan, on paper Ride On is the movie we’ve (yes, I count myself amongst them!) been waiting for him to make for at least the last 10 years. Since Mainland China became a box office juggernaut in the 2010’s … Continue reading →

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Ballerina (2023) Review

October 9, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Lee Choong-Hyun Cast: Jeon Jong-seo, Park Yu-rim, Kim Ji-hoon, Kim Mu-yeol, Shin Se-Hwi, Park Hyoung-Soo, Kim Young-Ok, Joo Hyun, Jang Yoon-Ju, Park Geun-Jeong Running Time: 93 min. By Paul Bramhall At the end of my review for director and writer Lee Chung-hyun’s 2020 feature length debut The Call, I noted how its success “owes a lot to Jong-seo’s edgy performance, but also marks Chung-hyun as a director to keep … Continue reading →

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Eye for an Eye: The Blind Swordsman (2022) Review

October 6, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Bingjia Yang Cast: Xie Miao, Gao Wei Wan, Hao Xiang, Zhang Di, Liu Ben, Zhang Haosen, Kang Xuan Running Time: 78 min.  By Paul Bramhall  The character of the blind swordsman is one that can be found in almost every countries output that’s dabbled in the martial arts genre. It’s arguably Shintaro Katsu’s portrayal of Zatoichi in Japanese cinema whose shadow is cast over all of them, a character who, … Continue reading →

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Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman (2023) Review

October 5, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Kim Seong-sik Cast: Gang Dong-won, Huh Joon-ho, Esom, Lee Dong-hwi, Park Myung-hoon, Lee Jung-eun Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall  The latest family friendly blockbuster to arrive in Korean theaters, Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman offers up a big screen adaptation of the webtoon Possession, which revolves around the adventures of a fake exorcist. Sustaining both himself and his assistant through uploading their elaborately staged exorcisms to YouTube, … Continue reading →

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Shaolin Kung Fu (1974) Review

September 29, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Joseph Kuo Cast: Chiang-Long, Yi Yuan, Liao Shou Yun, Liu Ping, Yee Hung, Tsang Chiu, Yu Chung Chiu, Yuen Sam, Choi Wang, Woo Chau Ping, Chan San Yat, Yim Chung Running Time: 92 min. By Paul Bramhall The early 70’s was a changing time for kung-fu cinema both in Hong Kong and Taiwan. While the 60’s had been dominated by the wuxia genre, the 70’s kicked off with Jimmy … Continue reading →

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Old Master, The (1979) Review

September 25, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Joseph Kuo Cast: Yu Jim-Yuen, Bill Louie, David Pedernera, Wang Yung-Sheng, Starr Hester, Ng Siu-Nam, Pau Ga-Chung, Hui Man-Yui, Chi Fu-Chiang, Yuen Hung Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall  After the success of 1978’s double whammy of Snake in the Eagles Shadow and Drunken Master, filmmakers were falling over themselves to find the next Jackie Chan and replicate the kung-fu comedy formula. In 1979 the onslaught was already … Continue reading →

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Gangnam Zombie (2023) Review

September 19, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Lee Soo-sung Cast: Ji Il-joo, Park Ji-yeon, Choi Sung-min, Jo Kyung-hoon, Jung Yi-joo, Tak Teu-In, Song Yeon Running Time: 80 min. By Paul Bramhall There’s a scene in Gangnam Zombie where the manager of a Youtuber agency pranks a staff member in an attempt to create content, and describes the video he’ll make from the footage as “What happens when a zombie attacks a backup for the national taekwondo … Continue reading →

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36 Deadly Styles, The (1979) Review

September 15, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Joseph Kuo Cast: Nick Cheung Lik, Chan Lau, Mark Long, Jack Long, Max Lee Chiu-Chun, Fan Mei-Sheng, Jeanie Chang, Yeung Chak-Lam, Hwang Jang Lee, Bolo Yeung Running Time: 92 min.  By Paul Bramhall When it comes to the old-school kung-fu genre, the year 1979 almost comes with the equivalent of a “satisfaction guaranteed or your money back” kind of deal, as an almost unlimited deluge of quality releases graced the … Continue reading →

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Bravest Revenge, The (1970) Review

September 13, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Chien Lung Cast: Polly Shang-Kuan, Tien Peng, Yi Yuan, Wan Chung Shan, Hsueh Han, Chen Bao-Liang Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall Many fans of kung-fu cinema regard the 70’s as the genres golden decade, and rightfully so, with the countless classics cranked out from the likes of the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest leaving a lasting legacy. In 1970 itself the genre was in an interesting place. Bruce … Continue reading →

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Summer Time (2001) Review

September 10, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Park Jae-Ho Cast: Kim Ji-Hyeon, Choi Cheol-Ho, Ryu Soo-Young, Song Ok-Suk, Jeong-yun Bae, Choi Seong-Min, Yoon Yeong-Geol, Jang Sung-Won, Kim Sun-Hwa Running Time: 103 min. By Paul Bramhall Holding the distinction of being the only time that Korea would remake a Filipino production, 2001’s Summer Time used Peque Gallaga’s erotic classic Scorpio Nights as its source material. Released in 1985, Gallaga’s production set itself against the backdrop of martial … Continue reading →

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Manhattan Chase (2000) Review

August 27, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Godfrey Ho Cast: Loren Avedon, Cynthia Rothrock, Brendan Kelly, Steve Tartalia, Nicol Zanzarella, Roberto Gutierrez, Robin Berry, Chris Grall, Robinlynn Sweeney Running Time: 97 min. By Paul Bramhall When it comes to Hong Kong cinema, there are a handful of directors whose reputation precedes them, and arguably Godfrey Ho is one of them. For better or worse, Ho pioneered a business model that involved cutting corners in increasingly imaginative ways … Continue reading →

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Point Men, The (2023) Review

August 22, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Yim Soonrye Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, Hyun-Bin, Kang Ki-Young, Park Hyoung-Soo, Ahn Chang-Hwan, Jeon Sung-Woo, Lee Seung-Chul, Jung Jae-Sung, Seo Sang-Won Running Time: 108 min.  By Paul Bramhall In recent years the film industries in Korea and China have seemingly stumbled upon a new goldmine to extract source material for their cinematic output – true stories involving their citizens either being kidnapped and/or placed in danger in troubled faraway lands, … Continue reading →

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Heart of Stone (2023) Review

August 15, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Tom Harper Cast: Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan, Alia Bhatt, Jing Lusi, Sophie Okonedo, Matthias Schweighöfer, Paul Ready, Jon Kortajarena, Glenn Close, BD Wong, Mark Ivanir Running Time: 122 min. By Paul Bramhall During the 2010’s when Netflix began to directly produce movies, being associated with the platform was considered an exciting prospect. With the appeal of being able to match the budgets of the big studios, but not be … Continue reading →

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Moon, The (2023) Review

August 14, 2023 Paul Bramhall

Director: Kim Yong-Hwa Cast: Sol Kyung-Gu, Do Kyung-Soo, Lee Sung-min, Kim Hee-ae, Jo Han-chul, Jo Seung-yeon Running Time: 130 min.  By Paul Bramhall The Korean film industry is having somewhat of a love affair with science fiction in the 2020’s, a genre which had remained largely ignored since the Korean Wave era of the early 2000’s. In the past 3 years we’ve had dystopian visions of the future presented in … Continue reading →

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