Category Archives: Asian Related

Mifune: The Last Samurai (2016) Review

"Mifune: The Last Samurai" Theatrical Poster

Director: Steven Okazaki Cast: Keanu Reeves, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Koji Yakusho, Sadao Nakajima, Kyoko Kagawa Running Time: 80 min. By Kelly Warner “The ordinary Japanese actor might need ten feet of film to get across an impression; Mifune needed only three.” – Akira Kurosawa Like many others, I have Godzilla to thank for first introducing me to Japanese movies. But when the day finally came for me … Continue reading

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Billy Jack (1971) Review

Director: Tom Laughlin Writer: Tom Laughlin, Delores Taylor Cast: Tom Laughlin, Delores Taylor, Clark Howat, Victor Izay, Julie Webb, Debbie Schock, Teresa Kelly, Lynn Baker, Stan Rice, David Roya, John McClure Running Time: 114 min. By Zach Nix Steven Seagal is one of the most interesting action stars to ever grace the screen and achieve a significant amount of success. He’s always been a personal obsession of mine, especially because … Continue reading

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Diamond Cartel (2017) Review

"Diamond Cartel" Theatrical Poster

AKA: The Whole World at Our Feet Director: Salamat Mukhammed-Ali Cast: Karlygash Mukhamedzhanova, Armand Assante, Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa, Bolo Yeung, Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson, Peter O’Toole, Michael Madsen, Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, Aleksey Frandetti, Nurlan Altaev, Serik Bimurzin Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall As a candidate for the cinematic oddity of 2017, Diamond Cartel is certainly a strong contender for the prize. The Kazakhstan production was originally titled The Whole … Continue reading

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On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) Review

"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Peter Hunt Writer: Richard Maibaum Cast: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Bernard Lee, Gabriele Ferzetti, Ilse Steppat, Lois Maxwell, George Baker, Yuri Borienko, Desmond Llewelyn Running Time: 140 min. By Paul Bramhall Ask any James Bond fan which entry in the series has the ‘Asian connection’, and many will likely say 1967’s You Only Live Twice, which has Sean Connery gallivanting around Japan while taking on ninjas and training in … Continue reading

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Logan (2017) Review

"Logan" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Logan: The Wolverine Director: James Mangold Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Merchant, Boyd Holbrook, Dafne Keen, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Eriq La Salle, Elise Nea, Daniel Bernhardt Running Time: 137 min. By Zach Nix James Mangold’s Logan is such an eventful film to someone as myself that I struggle to come up with an opening statement about it, as it marks the end of an unforgettable era in blockbuster … Continue reading

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Great Wall, The (2016) Review

The Great Wall | Blu-ray & DVD (Universal)

Director: Zhang Yimou Cast: Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau, Zhang Hanyu, Eddie Peng, Lu Han, Kenny Lin, Cheney Chen, Huang Xuan, Karry Wang, Ryan Zheng Running Time: 104 min.  By Kelly Warner In 2008, Zhang Yimou amazed the world with the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. It was a spectacle for the eyes, ears, heart, and mind. As a fan of his movies and as a stunned observer of the … Continue reading

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John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) Review

"John Wick: Chapter 2" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Chad Stahelski Writer: Derek Kolstad Cast: Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Bridget Moynahan, Lance Reddick, Thomas Sadoski, David Patrick Kelly, Peter Stormare, Franco Nero Running Time: 122 min. By Paul Bramhall As a stuntman, it’s not every day the opportunity comes along to direct the actor who you’ve been doubling for the last 20 years, but that’s exactly what happened to … Continue reading

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Beyond Redemption (2015) Review

Director: Bruce Fontaine Producer: Bruce Fontaine, Theo Kim Cast: Brian Ho, Don Lew, Paul Wu, Paul Wu, Anthony Towe, Nickolas Baric, Eddy Ko Hung, Raymond Chan, Peter Chao, Osric Chau, Josette Jorge, Valerie Tian Running Time: 89 min. By Kelly Warner Even as a kid, when I watched Jackie Chan movies I was always well aware that, as awesome as Jackie was, the performers he shared his fight scenes with … Continue reading

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xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017) Review

"xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: D. J. Caruso Cast: Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Kris Wu, Ruby Rose, Tony Jaa, Nina Dobrev, Toni Collette, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicky Jam, Hermione Corfield Running Time: 107 min. By Zach Nix The original xXx, released in 2002, was most definitely a product of its time. Directed by Rob Cohen, the blockbuster was a sports and adrenaline charged take on the espionage genre at a time when … Continue reading

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Search for Weng Weng, The (2013) Review

"The Search for Weng Weng" Promotional Poster

Director: Andrew Leavold Cast: Edgardo ‘Boy’ Vinarao, Don Gordon Bell, Rez Cortez, Imelda Marcos, Bobby A. Suarez, Marrie Lee, Imee Marco, Dolphy, Maria Isabel Lopez, Teddy Co Running Time: 92 min.  By Paul Bramhall I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me, my first exposure to the 007 styled Filipino midget action star, Weng Weng, was when home video label Mondo Macabro released his 1981 action movie For Your Height Only, packaged with the Bruce Le flick Challenge of the … Continue reading

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Contract to Kill (2016) Review

Contract to Kill | Blu-ray & DVD (Lionsgate)

Director: Keoni Waxman Cast: Steven Seagal, Russell Wong, Jemma Dallender, Mircea Drambareanu, Sergiu Costache, Ghassan Bouz, Toma Danila, Andrei Stanciu, Camillo Aviles Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall Steven Seagal. What can you say? In 1990 he was Hard to Kill, in 2003 he was Out for a Kill, in 2008 he flipped the Kill Switch, a year later he was Driven to Kill, he started off 2016 by Killing Salazar, … Continue reading

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Eliminators (2016) Review

"Eliminators" DVD Cover

Director: James Nunn Cast: Scott Adkins, Wade Barrett, Daniel Caltagirone, James Cosmo, Mem Ferda, Ty Glaser, Olivia Mace, Stephen Marcus, Bruce Johnson, Sean Cronin Running Time: 94 min. By Zach Nix British martial artist and actor Scott Adkins has had a busy year in 2016. He appeared in numerous supporting roles, whether it be within low budget direct to video efforts (i.e. Jarhead 3: The Siege, Home Invasion) or theatrical … Continue reading

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Rocky Handsome (2016) Review

Director: Nishikant Kamat Cast: John Abraham, Diya Chalwad, Nishikant Kamat, Sharad Kelkar, Nathalia Kaur, Yash Tonk, Nishikant Kamat, Sharad Kelkar, Shiv Kumar Subramaniam, Suhasini Mulay, Teddy Maurya, Kazu Patrick Tang Running Time: 119 min. By Paul Bramhall I’ll be straight up and confess – I’ve never seen a Bollywood movie from start to finish, not one. While I’m being frank, I’ll also confess that if someone had told me that … Continue reading

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Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016) Review

"Kickboxer: Vengeance" Japanese DVD Cover

Director: John Stockwell Cast: Alain Moussi, Georges St-Pierre, T.J. Storm, Matthew Ziff, Sam Medina, Dave Bautista, Sue-Lynn Ansari, Darren Shahlavi, Gina Carano, Hawn Tran, Sara Malakul Lane, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Tanzpol Chuksrida Running Time: 90 min. By Zach Nix Kickboxer: Vengeance is a remake/reboot of the original and classic Jean-Claude Van Damme martial arts film, Kickboxer, which was released in 1989. While there were a string of Van Damme-less Kickboxer … Continue reading

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Bruce Lee: Tracking the Dragon (2016) Review

"Tracking the Dragon" DVD Cover

Director: John Little Writer: John Little Cast: John Little, Malisa Longo, Jon T. Benn, Anders Nelsson, Riccardo Billi, Chaplin Chang Running Time: 100 minutes By Jeff Bona Back in 2013, I reviewed a documentary titled In Pursuit of the Dragon, by noted Bruce Lee historian, John Little (A Warrior’s Journey). Unlike the most of the endless, oversaturated list of Bruce Lee documentaries – many of which featured the same tired footage, usual interview clips and other useless … Continue reading

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