Category Archives: Asian Related

Medallion, The | aka Highbinders (2003) Review

"The Medallion" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Gordon Chan Cast: Jackie Chan, Claire Forlani, Lee Evans, Julian Sands, Alexander Bao, Anthony Wong, Christy Chung, Johann Myers, John Rhys-Davies, Scott Adkins, Paul Andreovski, Nicola Berwick, Anthony Carpio Running Time: 88 min. By Reefer Jackie Chan’s The Medallion is rare film. Rare, because its Jackie’s most CGI-enhanced film to date. Rare, because he actually has a make-out scene with his lovely co-star. And finally rare, because it suffers … Continue reading

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Kick-Ass (2010) Review

"Kick-Ass" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Matthew Vaughn Cast: Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicolas Cage Running Time: 117 min. By Mighty Peking Man Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a not-so-average comic book dork, has had enough of watching innocent people – including himself – be victimized by the scum of society; he orders a cool wetsuit-like costume from amazon.com, arms himself with a pair of batons and begins training (which mostly … Continue reading

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Kiss of the Dragon (2001) Review

"Kiss of the Dragon" American Theatrical Poster

Director: Chris Nahon Cast: Jet Li, Bridget Fonda, Tcheky Karyo, Laurence Ashley, Burt Kwouk, John Forgeham, Colin Prince, Max Ryan, Cyril Raffaelli, Didier Azoulay, Vincent Glo, Ric Young, Vincent Wong Running Time: 98 min. By Mairosu Liu Jian (Jet Li) is a top drawer Chinese cop, and also a master acupuncturist (yes, sounds silly, I know). He is summoned from China to help the local DEA bust a Chinese drug … Continue reading

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Maximum Risk | aka Bloodstone (1996) Review

"Maximum Risk" Japanese DVD Cover

AKA: The Exchange Director: Ringo Lam Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Natasha Henstridge, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Zach Grenier, Paul Ben-Victor, Frank Senger, Stefanos Miltsakakis, Frank Van Keeken, David Hemblen, Stéphane Audran Running Time: 100 min. By James H. I swear, Van Damme must have a curse on him. This curse gives bad luck to all involved with his movies. This curse has struck acclaimed Hong Kong film director Ringo Lam. It happened … Continue reading

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One, The (2001) Review

"The One" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: James Wong Cast: Jet Li, Delroy Lindo, Carla Gugino, Jason Statham, James Morrison, Dylan Bruno, Richard Steinmetz, Dean Norris, Harriet Sansom Harris, Archie Kao Running Time: 96 min. By Joe909 Basically this movie is nothing more than “The Highlander” meets your basic comic book/parallel universe plot. The acting’s stiff at times and there’s no character development to speak of, but still, I had a good time watching it. The … Continue reading

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Romeo Must Die (2000) Review

"Romeo Must Die" American Theatrical Poster

Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak Cast: Jet Li, Aaliyah, Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong, DMX, Delroy Lindo, Henry O, D.B. Woodside, Jon Kit Lee, Anthony Anderson, Francoise Yip Running Time: 115 min. By Numskull Once upon a time (though presumably not in China), someone said, “Let’s take someone who has sold a lot of records but has never starred in a movie and team her up with the bad guy from Lethal Weapon … Continue reading

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Cradle 2 the Grave (2003) Review

"Cradle 2 the Grave" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak Producer: Joel Silver Cast: Jet Li, DMX, Gabrielle Union, Tom Arnold, Anthony Anderson, Mark Dacascos, Kelly Hu, Drag-On, Paige Hurd, Johnny Tri Nguyen, Ron Yuan, Michael Jace, Daniel Dae Kim, Arnold Chon Running Time: 100 By Numskull I’m one of those people who stays in the theater after the closing credits start rolling. I want to see if they put in some little scene at the end. Usually, … Continue reading

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Paycheck (2003) Review

"Paycheck" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: John Woo Cast: Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman, Aaron Eckhart, Paul Giamatti, Colm Feore, Michael C. Hall, Peter Friedman, Kathryn Morris, Ivana Milicevic, John Cassini Running Time: 110 Min. By Numskull Paycheck. It’s so bad, the bank won’t cash it. John Woo, apparently still desperate to show the world that he can direct stuff other than straightforward action films (Windtalkers didn’t get it out of his system), does a sucky … Continue reading

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Yakuza, The | aka Brotherhood of the Yakuza (1975) Review

Director: Sydney Pollack Producer: Sydney Pollack Writer: Paul Schrader, Robert Towne, Leonard Schrader Cast: Robert Mitchum, Richard Jordan, Ken Takakura, Brian Keith, Herb Edelman Running Time: 112 min. By Woody When you rent a film with high expectations and get even more than you bargained for, you know you’ve got a great film on your hands. In “The Yakuza”, Robert Mitchum is Harry Kilmer, a man who returns to Japan … Continue reading

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Midnight Meat Train, The (2008) Review

"The Midnight Meat Train" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Ryuhei Kitamura Cast: Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, Brooke Shields, Roger Bart, Ted Raimi, Peter Jacobson, Barbara Eve Harris, Tony Curran, Vinnie Jones, Quinton Jackson Running Time: 100 min. By Ningen Ryuhei Kitamura’s American debut didn’t exactly go off with a bang. Due to some in-fighting at Lion’s Gate, this action/horror adaptation of a Clive Barker short story ended up on the company’s straight-to-video list, while classic horror fans had … Continue reading

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Ninja III: The Domination (1984) Review

"Ninja III: The Domination" Blu-ray Cover

AKA: Ninja 3 Director: Sam Firstenberg Writer: James R. Silke Cast: Sho Kosugi, Lucinda Dickey, Jordan Bennett, David Chung, Dale Ishimoto, James Hong, Ron Foster, Bob Craig, Charly Harroway, Lem Cook Running Time: 92 min By Owlman Ninja III: The Domination was released in 1984 and directed by Sam Firstenberg (Revenge of the Ninja, American Ninja). The film stars Lucinda Dickey (Breakin’) as Christie, a telephone maintenance technician and part-time … Continue reading

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Knock-Off (1998) Review

"Knock-Off" American Theatrical Poster

AKA: Knock Off Director: Tsui Hark Writer: Steven E. De Souza Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rob Schneider, Lela Rochon, Paul Sorvino, Carman Lee Yeuk-tung, Wyman Wong, Glen Chin, Michael Wong, Moses Chan Running Time: 90 min. By Alexander Usually when I answer the phone in the other room I quickly press pause on the remote fearful I’ll miss a vital piece of dialogue or important plot twist in whatever movie … Continue reading

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In Hell | aka The Savage (2003) Review

"In Hell" Japanese DVD Cover

AKA: The Shu Director: Ringo Lam Cast: Michael Bailey Smith, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Marnie Alton, Assen Blatechki Running Time: 96 min. By Reefer Holding a copy of Ringo Lam/Jean-claude Van Damme’s straight to video In Hell in my hand at the video store, I had the same thought that most action movie fans had who wasted money, time, and brain cells on their previous collaborations. Why has Ringo Lam subjected … Continue reading

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Brother (2000) Review

"Brother" International Theatrical Poster

Director: Takeshi Kitano Cast: Takeshi Kitano, Omar Epps, Kuroudo Maki, Masaya Kato, Susumu Terajima, Royale Watkins, Lombardo Boyar, Ren Osugi, Ryo Ishibashi, James Shigeta Running Time: 114 min. By Woody Ignore the critics, this is a great flick. One of Kitano’s best? That’s hard to say. Almost any film pales in comparison to classics like “Hana-bi” and “Sonatine”. Maybe it was my lowered expectations, but I really loved this one. … Continue reading

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Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) Review

AKA: Le Pacte des Loups Director: Christophe Gans Cast: Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Emilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci, Jérémie Rénier, Mark Dacascos, Jean Yanne, Jean-François Stévenin Running Time: 143 min. By Numskull Gregoire du Fronsac, royal naturalist, is sent to the rural county of Gevaudan to investigate a series of murders blamed on a rampaging, wolf-like beast. His assistants are Mani, his Iroquois blood brother, and Thomas d’Apcher, the grandson … Continue reading

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