-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Newest Comments
on Enter the Dragon: The Most Overrated Kung Fu Movie Ever?It pains me to agree, i'll watch Golden Harvest Bruce Lee before ETD any day…
on BADDER Lieutenant! Watch the New U.S. Trailer for Takashi Miike’s ‘Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo’ arriving soon from NeonAn Asian guy as the only star? Come on! Add a white blonde!
on Hope (2026) ReviewOne of the best films of the year for me.Hwang Jung-min on the big screen I n…
on Simon Lui, Hong Kong actor, writer and filmmaker known for ‘Troublesome Night’ and ‘Vulgaria’, passes away at 62Not to be confused with Simon, the electronic game of short-term memory skill…
on Simon Lui, Hong Kong actor, writer and filmmaker known for ‘Troublesome Night’ and ‘Vulgaria’, passes away at 62And not to be confused with Duran Duran lead singer Simon Lui Bon
on Hope (2026) ReviewIt’s about time there is a strong Asian female lead in a male dominated indus…
on Simon Lui, Hong Kong actor, writer and filmmaker known for ‘Troublesome Night’ and ‘Vulgaria’, passes away at 62Sounds like you're thinking of Simu Liu.
on Simon Lui, Hong Kong actor, writer and filmmaker known for ‘Troublesome Night’ and ‘Vulgaria’, passes away at 62Not to be confused with the guy who plays Shang-Chi.
on Hope (2026) ReviewI hated this movie with a vengeance. I thought Supergirl was the worst movie…
on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arriving on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-rayShaloin Soccer was already with uncut version years ago, so was SPL and Ong B…
on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arriving on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-rayI've been waiting for this one a long time! YES!
on This collection is FAT! Details and Trailers for Shout’s ‘Chow Yun-fat Collection’ on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-rayI'm impressed you can tell the difference - unfortunately like most Americans…
Category Archives: Korean
South Shaolin vs. North Shaolin (1983) Review
Director: Wu Chia Chun Co-director: Casanova Wong Cast: Casanova Wong, Eagle Han Ying, Ma Chin Ku, Wang Kuan Hsiung, Chiang Cheng Running Time: 87 min. By Paul Bramhall In 1982, a year prior to the release of South Shaolin vs. North Shaolin, the movie that launched Jet Li into stardom, and triggered a wave of wushu influenced Shaolin movies, captured the imagination of Asian audiences in the form of Shaolin Temple. Made … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, Korean, News, Ninja, Reviews
Tagged Casanova Wong (Ka Sa Fa), Eagle Han Ying, Wu Chia Chun
Missing You (2016) Review
Director: Mo Hong-jin Producer: Kim Dae-Geun Cast: Shim Eun-Kyung, Yoon Je-Moon, Kim Sung-Oh, Ahn Jae-Hong, Kim Won-Hae, Kim Hong-Fa Running Time: 108 min. By Paul Bramhall There can be no doubt that 2016 was a big year for Korean cinema, with several of the industry’s most prominent talents returning to the screen. After their ventures into Hollywood, directors Park Chan-wook and Kim Ji-woon returned to home soil, releasing The Handmaiden and Age … Continue reading
Suddenly in the Dark (1981) Review
AKA: Suddenly in Dark Night Director: Go Yeong-nam Producer: Suh Byung-gi Cast: Kim Young-ae, Yoon Il-bong, Lee Gi-seon Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall While just like Shiri put Korean action movies on the map in 1999, a year prior the high school ghost tale Whispering Corridors did the same for the Korean horror movie. However both genres had been around for long before the titles that gained them international recognition, with horror … Continue reading
Prison, The (2017) Review
Director: Nah Hyeon Cast: Kim Rae-won, Han Seok-kyu, Han Suk-Kyu, Kim Rae-Won, Jung Woong-In, Kim Sung-Kyun, Shin Sung-Rok, Han Sung-Yong, Lee Geung-young, Cha Yup Running Time: 125 min. By Paul Bramhall In years to come, when people look back on the 2015 – 2016 era of the Korean film industry, it may well look like all it took for a movie to get green lit is for it be about figures in authority … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Han Seok-Kyu, Kim Rae-won, Nah Hyeon
Tunnel (2016) Review
Director: Kim Seong-Hun Cast: Ha Jung-Woo, Bae Doo-Na, Oh Dal-Su, Shin Jung-Keun, Nam Ji-Hyun, Cho Hyun-Chul, Kim Hae-Sook, Yoo Seung-Mok, Park Hyuk-Kwon Running Time: 126 min. By Paul Bramhall Not to be confused with the 2014 South Korean horror movie, Tunnel 3D, director Kim Seong-hoon’s latest effort is a decidedly 2D disaster movie, which, in the grand tradition of many a disaster movie, puts its ill-fated location as the title. … Continue reading
Quick Man (2002) Review
Director: Lee Hyeok-su Writer: Yun Jin-a Producer: Seo Gil-seong Cast: Jeon Hye-yun, Yun Se-ung, Song Geum-sig, Ricky Jun, Park Jeong-gwon, Lee Moo-jung, Kim Youn-soo, Lee Jae-yeong, Min Seong-joo Running Time: 89 min. By Paul Bramhall The start of the millennium saw many new directorial talents emerge in Korean cinema, with 2002 in particular seeing the likes of Park Chan-wook unleash Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Ryoo Seung-wan deliver his hard … Continue reading
Sea Fog | aka Haemoo (2014) Review
Director: Shim Sung-Bo Cast: Kim Yun-Seok, Park Yoo-Chun, Han Ye-Ri, Lee Hee-Joon, Moon Sung-Geun, Kim Sang-Ho Running Time: 111 min. By Kyle Warner I think Memories of Murder deserves to be in the conversation of the finest films ever made. Dark, thrilling, funny, and almost poetic, it’s the movie that made me a fan of director/co-writer Bong Joon-ho, who did not disappoint when he followed up that masterwork with other great titles like The … Continue reading
Dragon, the Young Master | aka Deadly Silver Ninja (1981) Review
AKA: Eighteen Martial Arts Director: Kim Si-hyun Writer: Kim Kyeong-il Cast: Dragon Lee (Mun Kyong-sok), Yuen Qiu, Choi Min-kyu, Baek Hwang-ki, Kim Ki-ju Running Time: 83 min. Paul Bramhall Back when I was first getting into the kung fu genre many years ago, upon witnessing a handful of Korea’s contributions, I confess to being quick to write them off as low budget imitations of Hong Kong’s far superior output. Looking back, I now feel like I … Continue reading
Posted in All, Bruceploitation, Chinese, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Dragon Lee (Mun Kyong-sok), Yuen Qiu
Age of Shadows, The (2016) Review
AKA: Secret Agent Director: Kim Ji-woon Cast: Goo Uoo, Song Kang-Ho, Han Ji-Min, Um Tae-Goo, Shin Sung-Rok, Seo Young-Joo, Lee Byung-Hun, Shingo Tsurumi, Kim Dong-Young, Park Hee-Soon Running Time: 140 min. By Martin Sandison I remember going to see Kim Ji-woon’s A Bittersweet Life back when it came out, and thinking: This is something special. An artistic aesthetic, but with populist entertainment at its heart. I then saw The Good, the Bad and the Weird, … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Gong Yoo, Kim Jee-Woon (Kim Ji-woon), Lee Byung-Hun, Song Kang-Ho
Master (2016) Review
Director: Jo Eui-seok Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Gang Dong-won, Kim Woo-bin, Uhm Ji-won, Oh Dal-su, Jin Kyung, Monsour Del Rosario, Jung Won-jung, Yoo Yeon-soo, Jo Hyun-chul Running Time: 143 min. By Paul Bramhall The Korean film industry rounded out 2016 with yet another thriller concerning those in positions of authority abusing their power. This time based on the true story of a CEO who defrauded his sales staff in order to line his own pockets, it’s … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Gang Dong-won, Lee Byung-Hun, Monsour del Rosario
Hole, The | aka Trap (1997) Review
Director: Kim Sung-hong Writer: Yeo Hye-yeong Cast: Yoon So-jeong, Park Yong-woo, Choi Ji-woo, Mun Su-jin, Lee Seung-woo, Jeon Hong-ryeol, Koo Hey-ryoung, Youn Sung-hun, Tae Yu-rim, Kim Gye-pae, Seo Eun-sun Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Director Kim Sung-hong may not be a name that’s immediately familiar to many fans of Korean cinema, however he was behind one of the first wave of Korean movies to get distributed in the west, with 2001’s mean … Continue reading
Handmaiden, The (2016) Review
Director: Park Chan-wook Novel By: Sarah Waters Cast: Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, Kim Tae-ri, Lee Yong-Nyeo, Yoo Min-Chae Running Time: 144 min. By Kyle Warner After making his English language debut in 2013 with Stoker, Park Chan-wook returned to South Korea for his next feature film, The Handmaiden. And while obviously a Park Chan-wook film, I feel that The Handmaiden has more of a western-style than Stoker did. Stoker was Park bringing his Korean dark revenge … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Ha Jung-Woo, Park Chan-wook (Park Chan-uk)
Violent Prosecutor, A (2016) Review
Director: Lee Il-hyeong Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, Gang Dong-Won, Lee Sung-Min, Park Sung-Woong, Kim Eung-Soo, Joo Jin-Mo, Kim Won-Hae, Jeon Bae-Su, Shin So-Yul, Park Jong-Hwan, Kim Hong-Fa, Lee Suk-Joon, Kim Byung-Ok Running Time: 126 min. By Paul Bramhall More than any other film industry in the world, it’s the Korean one that arguably reflects its countries current tumultuous state. 2016 delivered a president that’s pending impeachment, shady religious figures exerting their … Continue reading
Tiger of Northland (1976) Review
Director: Peng Chang-Kuei Cast: Park Jong-kuk, Maria Yi Yi, Lau Wing, Lydia Shum Tin Ha, Ko Keung, Chang Il-sik, Yeung Wai, Wu Jiaxiang, Bruce Lai, Tony Leung Siu-Hung, Sammo Hung Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall After Bruce Lee’s untimely death in 1973, the production company that Lee was signed to, Golden Harvest, scrambled around for a number of years afterwards, attempting to find a bankable replacement that could fill the … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, Golden Harvest, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Bruce Lai (Chang Il-do), Ko Keung, Lydia Shum Tin Ha, Maria Yi, Park Jong-kuk, Sammo Hung, Tony Liu (Anthony Lau Wing)
Operation Chromite (2016) Review
Director: John H. Lee Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Lee Beom-soo, Liam Neeson, Jin Se-yeon, Jung Joon-ho, Park Chul-min, Kim Byeong-ok, Jon Gries, Choo Sung-hoon, Kim Sun-a Running Time: 111 min. By Kelly Warner I’m sort of fascinated by the Liam Neeson career shift post-Taken. Though he played action heroes pre-2008 (Star Wars and Darkman, for example), after Taken Neeson became Hollywood’s go-to actor for action movies requiring a middle-aged lead. Maybe it’s because Neeson doesn’t … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged John H. Lee, Lee Beom-su, Lee Jung-jae, Liam Neeson
1 Comment