Category Archives: All

Devils (2023) Review

Director: Kim Jae-Hoon Cast: Jang Dong-Yoon, Oh Dae-Hwan, Choi Gwi-Hwa, Jang Jae-Ho, Son Jong-Hak, Shin Seung-Hwan, Yoon Byung-Hee, Ji Nam-Hyuk, Lee Sang-Won Running Time: 106 min. By Paul Bramhall  The body swap trope certainly isn’t a new one, and in Korean cinema there have already been plenty of examples. From Shin Ha-kyun and Byun Hee-bong in 2007’s brain swapping thriller The Devil’s Game, to Jin Young and Park Sung-woong as … Continue reading

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My Daughter Is a Zombie (2025) Review

Director: Pil Kam-sung Cast: Cho Jung-Seok, Lee Jung-Eun, Choi Yoo-Ri, Cho Yeo-Jeong, Yoon Kyung-Ho Running Time: 113 min. By Paul Bramhall While surrounded by hordes of the undead in the middle of their Seoul neighbourhood, a father and his teenage daughter attempt to make their escape, the father telling the daughter to stay put while he makes a break for their car parked nearby. Successfully getting behind the wheel, its … Continue reading

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Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965) Review

Director: Ishiro Honda Cast: Nick Adams, Kumi Mizuno, Tadao Takashima, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Yoshifumi Tajima, Takashi Shimura, Susumu Fujita, Peter Mann, Koji Furuhata Running Time: 89 min.  By Ian Whittle “A nomination for me means that Twilight of Honor will bring in another million dollars and supply funds for more Hollywood pictures. Next, it means I, as a Hollywood star, can make more films in Hollywood and stop this runaway production … Continue reading

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Baby Assassins: Nice Days (2024) Review

Director: Yugo Sakamoto Cast: Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa, Sosuke Ikematsu, Atsuko Maeda, Atomu Mizuishi  Running Time: 112 min.  By Paul Bramhall Whatever your opinion of director and writer Yugo Sakamoto, what can’t be denied is that few filmmakers are keeping grounded martial arts movies alive quite like he is. In the 4 years spanning 2021 to 2024 his Baby Assassins trilogy has cemented a modern-day iron triangle of action goodness … Continue reading

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Invincible Swordsman (2025) Review

Director: Luo Yi Wei Cast: Kitty Zhang Yuqi, Tim Huang Xiyan, Xuan Lu, Terence Yin, Sammo Hung, Yun Qianqian Running Time: 118 min. By Paul Bramhall When Brigitte Lin was cast as the character Invincible Asia in 1992’s Swordsman 2, few could have predicted the role would become so iconic, leading Lin to spend the last 3 years of her acting career as a mainstay of the new wave wuxia … Continue reading

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Wall to Wall (2025) Review

"Wall to Wall" Netflix Poster

Director: Kim Tae-joon Cast: Kang Ha-neul, Seo Hyun-woo, Yeom Hye-ran, Kim Hyun-Jung, Jeon Jin-Oh, Park Sung-Il, Yoon Jung-Il, Kim Yoon-Jin, Lee Jong-Goo, Na Ho-Sook Running Time: 118 min. By Paul Bramhall Wall to Wall, or 84 Square Metres as its Korean title directly translates to, fits into that distinctly 21st century genre of homeowner anxiety. In Korea such productions usually find themselves set in one of the myriad of towering … Continue reading

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Nocturnal (2025) Review

Director: Kim Jin-Hwang Cast: Ha Jung-Woo, Kim Nam-Gil, Yoo Da-In, Jeong Man-Sik, Im Sung-Jae, Lee Hye-Soo Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Nocturnal dares to ask the question, what if Ha Jung-woo hadn’t become a mainstay of Hallmark channel style ‘based on a true story’ movies in the 2020’s, and instead went back to the kind of gritty roles he frequented in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s with … Continue reading

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Ziam (2025) Review

Director: Kulp Kaljareuk Cast: Prin Suparat, Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich, Vayla Wanvayla, Johnny Anfone Running Time: 95 min.  By Paul Bramhall While 2003’s Ong Bak launched a Muay Thai movie boom out of Thailand that lasted for much of the 2000’s, towards the end of the decade filmmakers had turned to increasingly creative ways to portray the powerful martial art onscreen. Fireball gave us Muay Thai blended with basketball, Raging Phoenix introduced … Continue reading

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Ghost Killer (2024) Review

Director: Kensuke Sonomura Cast: Akari Takaishi, Mario Kuroba, Masanori Mimoto, Sora Inoue, Akaka Higashino, Naohiro Kawamoto, Hidenobu Abera, Naoto Kuratomi, Satoshi Kibe Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall A lone figure in the darkness of a deserted marketplace alley faces off against 3 masked attackers, fending them off set to the rustle of their clothes, the shuffle of their footwork, and a flurry of quick, precise strikes. Within seconds … Continue reading

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Revelations (2025) Review

"Revelations" Netflix Poster

Director: Yeon Sang-ho Cast: Ryu Jun-yeol, Shin Min-jae, Shin Hyun-been, Han Ji-hyun, Kim Bo-Min, Kim Do-Young, Moon Ju-Yeon, Bae Youn-Kyu, Oh Chi-Woon, Woo Kang-Min Running Time: 122 min. By Paul Bramhall The journey of Yeon Sang-ho as a filmmaker has been an interesting one. Gaining attention amongst cineastes in the early 2010’s for his gritty feature length animations like King of Pigs and The Fake, it was his transition to … Continue reading

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World of Desire (1992) Review

Director: Chao Chen-Kuo Cast: Robert Mak, William Ho, Blackie Ko, Shou-Liang, Norman Tsui Siu-Keung, Chiang Ta-Chuan, Suen Man, Chen Kuan-Tai, Ng Naam-Yiu, Xie Jian-Wen Running Time: 74 min. By Paul Taggart In these days of boutique labels releasing Asian cinema hits and relative obscurities, there are still those who swim in murky waters where even Godfrey Ho fans wouldn’t swim. It’s a strange place, full of bottomless pits of crappiness, … Continue reading

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Angel 3 | aka Iron Angels 3 (1989) Review

Director: Teresa Woo San Cast: Moon Lee Choi-Fung, Alex Fong Chung-Sun, Kharina, Ralph Chan Shing-Gwai, Mark Steinborn, Katy Hickman, Marco Lo Chi-Fung, Bill Rockloff Running Time: 91 min.  By Z Ravas 1989’s Iron Angels 3 was the third Iron Angels film in as many years, which makes one wonder whether these movies were a smashing success in the local Hong Kong market or else Teresa Woo’s production company Molesworth simply … Continue reading

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Angel | aka Iron Angels (1987) Review

Director: Teresa Woo San Cast: Saijo Hideki, Elaine Lui, Yukari Oshima, Alex Fong Chung Sun, David Chiang, Hwang Jang Lee, Peter Yang Kwan, Wang Hsieh, Lam Chung, Chiang Tao Running Time: 93 min.  By Z Ravas I can’t say this period of history has many consolations for those of us living through it, but getting to experience obscure Hong Kong action films via terrific looking and sounding boutique Blu-ray releases … Continue reading

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Hi-Five (2025) Review

Director: Kang Hyeong-Cheol Cast: Lee Jae-in, Ra Mi-ran, Oh Jung-se, Park Jin-young, Ahn Jae-hong, Kim Hee-won, Shin Gu, Yoo Ah-in, Choi Eun-kyeong, Na Jin-su, Jin Hee-kyung Running Time: 119 min.  By Paul Bramhall Where audiences suffering more from superhero fatigue in 2025 than they were in 2022? It’s a question worth pondering, since the 3 years in-between is how long the Korean superhero comedy Hi-Five has sat on the shelf. … Continue reading

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Escape from the 21st Century (2024) Review

Director: Yang Li Cast: Ruoyun Zhang, Chuxi Zhong, Yang Song, Xiaoliang Wu, Yanmanzi Zhu, Zhengrong Wen Running Time: 98 min.  By Paul Bramhall Keeping up with what is and isn’t allowed in Chinese cinema is always somewhat of a daunting task, with everything from ghosts to cleavage falling victim to strict censorship laws in recent years. While these days the National Radio and Television Administration sits directly under the Central … Continue reading

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