Category Archives: All

Grudge, The (2004) Review

"The Grudge" Theatrical Poster

Director: Takashi Shimizu Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, William Mapother, Clea DuVall, KaDee Strickland, Grace Zabriskie, Bill Pullman, Rosa Blasi, Ted Raimi, Ryo Ishibashi Running Time: 92 min. By Ningen So stop me if you’ve heard this before. Sarah Michelle Gellar walks into a Japanese haunted house, and almost gets attacked by demons. She’s a nurse who happens to be working abroad and living with a whacky family. Unlike … Continue reading

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Ju-On 2 (2003) Review

"Ju-On 2" Promotional Poster

Director: Takashi Shimizu Cast: Shin’ya Egawa, Takashige Ichise, Kunio Kawakami, Yoshinori Kumazawa, Hiroki Numata Running Time: 95 min. By Mighty Peking Man They should have called this movie Ju-On II: Overkill – not only would this title sound cool, but it’s one hell of a double-pun. Like most people, I never expect sequels to be as good as their originals, but Ju-On 2 is too much of the same sh*t, … Continue reading

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Ju-On (2002) Review

"Ju-On" Japanese DVD Cover

AKA: Ju-On: The Grudge Director: Takashi Shimizu Cast: Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa, Tomomi Kobayashi, Takashi Matsuyama Running Time: 92 min. By Mighty Peking Man Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and the first thing you see standing over your bed is Linda Blair’s character from The Exorcist staring right at you and coming closer and closer – that’s how creepy this damn film … Continue reading

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Ring 2 | aka Ringu 2 (1998) Review

AKA: Ringu 2 Director: Hideo Nakata Writer: Hiroshi Takahashi, Koji Suzuki Cast: Daisuke Ban, Kyoko Fukada, Kenjiro Ishimaru, Nanako Matsushima, Katsumi Muramatsu, Miki Nakatani Running Time: 95 min. By Numskull STOP!!! Read this review ONLY if you have already seen Ring 2, if you have seen Ring and want to know more about the sequel before you see it (or decide whether or not to see it), OR if you … Continue reading

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Ring 0 | aka Ringu 0 (2000) Review

AKA: Ringu 0: Happy Birthday Director: Norio Tsuruta Writer: Koji Suzuki Cast: Yuki Nakama, Kumiko Aso, Daisuke Ban, Chinami Furuya, Masami Hashimoto, Kazue Kadokae Running Time: 99 min. By Numskull Here we have both the last and the first installment of the highly successful Ring sequence, rewritten for the screen by creator/novelist Koji Suzuki and directed by Norio Tsuruta, a newcomer to the series. Taking place three decades before the … Continue reading

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Ring | aka Ringu (1998) Review

"The Ring" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Hideo Nakata Cast: Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rikiya Otaka, Miki Nakatani, Yuko Takeuchi, Hitomi Sato, Rie Ino, Masako, Yoichi Numata, Yutaka Matsushige Running Time: 91 min. By Numskull “Frolic in brine, goblins be thine.” Doesn’t make much sense sitting up there all by itself, does it? Well, it may not make much sense after watching the movie, either, but it’s still kinda catchy, I think. Certainly not the only … Continue reading

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Ring, The (2002) Review

Director: Gore Verbinski Cast: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, David Dorfman, Brian Cox, Jane Alexander, Lindsay Frost, Amber Tamblyn, Rachael Bella, Daveigh Chase, Shannon Cochran Running Time: 115 min. By Numskull This is a remake. Hence, the source material should be taken into consideration before it is discussed. Go read my review for Ring in the Japanese section if you haven’t done so already. I’ll wait. Hmm hm hm hm hmmm… … Continue reading

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Dark Water (2002) Review

Director: Hideo Nakata Writer: Koji Suzuki (novel) Cast: Hitomi Kuroki, Mirei Oguchi, Rio Kanno, Shigemitsu Ogi, Fumiyo Kohinata, Yu Tokui, Isao Yatsu, Asami Mizukawa Running Time: 102 min. By Numskull Director Hideo Nakata and novelist Koji Suzuki follow their success on Ring and Spiral with this collaboration about a mother and daughter living in an apartment building with a dark mystery, a leaky ceiling, a lazy janitor, and a very … Continue reading

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L.A. Streetfighters | aka Ninja Turf (1985) Review

"L.A. Streetfighters" Theatrical Poster

AKA: China Town Director: Park Woo-sang Cast: Jun Chong, Phillip Rhee, James Lew, Rosanna King, Bill Wallace, Ken Nagayama, Frank Marmolejo, Dorin Mukama, Mark Hicks, Loren Avedon Running Time: 85 min. By Barey Gusey As a child of the 80s, I was a victim of the ninja craze. It was all about buying martial arts magazines and flipping to the mail order pages to check out the latest ninja gear. … Continue reading

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Hobo with a Shotgun (2011) Review

"Hobo with a Shotgun" International Theatrical Poster

Director: Jason Eisener Writer: John Davies Cast: Rutger Hauer, Gregory Smith, Molly Dunsworth, Brian Downey, Robb Wells, Nick Bateman, Peter Simas, Jeremy Akerman Running Time: 86 min. By HKFanatic One thing you can’t accuse “Hobo With a Shotgun” of is false advertising. No matter what happens during its unrated, 86-minute runtime, you will witness a shotgun-wielding hobo. The film’s content may shock and appall the religious right or anyone with … Continue reading

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Tragic Hero | aka Rich and Famous II (1987) Review

Director: Taylor Wong, David Lai Cast: Chow Yun Fat, Andy Lau, Alex Man Chi Leung, Carina Lau, Shing Fui On, Pauline Wong Siu Fung, Lam Chung, Peter Yang, Elvis Tsui Kam Kong, O Chun Hung, Danny Lee, Ng Hoi Tin, Ng Hong Ning, Wong Chi Keung Running Time: 97 min. By Joseph Kuby Succeedingly Surprising! This is the sequel to Rich and Famous, even though it apparently was filmed simultaneously; … Continue reading

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Rich and Famous | aka Black Vengeance (1987) Review

"Rich and Famous" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Taylor Wong Tai Loy Cast: Chow Yun Fat, Andy Lau Tak Wah, Alex Man Chi Leung, O Chun Hung, Alan Tam Wing Lun, Lam Chung, Shing Fui On, Carina Lau Kar Ling, Wong Chi Keung, Pauline Wong Siu Fung, Fan Mei Sheng, Danny Lee Sau Yin Running Time: 104 min. By Joseph Kuby Hollywood inspired crime thriller! Rich and Famous, according to author Stephen Teo (of Hong Kong Cinema: … Continue reading

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Yojimbo (1961) Review

Director: Akira Kurosawa Writer: Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Kat, Seizabur Kawazu, Takashi Shimura, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Yosuke Natsuki Running Time: 110 min. By Mairosu One day I’ll stop frenetically rewatching Kurosawa, but I’ve got to make the most of it right now. After Ikiru, Stray Dog and Throne of Blood (which I’ll review somewhere later), I got to this little story … Continue reading

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Rashomon (1950) Review

AKA: In the Wood Director: Akira Kurosawa Producer: Jingo Minoura Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijiro Ueda, Fumiko Honma Running Time: 88 min. By Alexander The Good: I’ve never been as captivated by the cinematography of a black and white film as I was with this one. There are only three locales in the entire movie, yet each (particularly the rain-ravaged temple ruins) are … Continue reading

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In the Mood For Love (2000) Review

"In the Mood for Love" Theatrical Poster

Director: Wong Kar-wai Cast: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Lai Chen, Lai Chin, Rebecca Pan, Joe Cheung Running Time: 127 min. By Alexander Exquisite. From the lush hues of the set design, to Maggie Cheung’s seemingly infinite supply of cheongsams, to Shigeru Umegayashi’s haunting music, to Tony Leung’s performance, to Wong Kar Wai’s direction–everything about “In the Mood For Love” is exquisite. And while I’ve praised the beauty of a … Continue reading

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