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on “Hydra of Our Times” A Look Back at Shiri – Korea’s International Breakthrough 26 Years OnI understood the historical aspect. I viewed the North Korean characters as t…
on ‘Die Hard’ meets ‘Stand and Deliver’? Now on Digital is ‘Hard Redemption’ starring Jino Kang and Lou FerrignoDavid is actually a preety nice and decent dude.And he is good in martial art…
on “Hydra of Our Times” A Look Back at Shiri – Korea’s International Breakthrough 26 Years OnThis movie is misunderstood by westerners, perhaps, mostly by Americans as be…
on No one man should have all that POWER! New Poster and Featurettes released for ‘Masters of the Universe’Spot on. lol
on No one man should have all that POWER! New Poster and Featurettes released for ‘Masters of the Universe’Faces of Skeletor.
on Marx for death? Martial arts powerhouse Bren Foster teams up with Mekhi Phifer for Louis Mandylor’s ‘Marx’don't you trust him to be able to wear a full beard? XD
on Has Brett Ratner’s ‘Rush Hour 4’ hit some speed bumps with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker holding things up?Good points! To be fair, if his legacy can survive Kung Fu Yoga, Vanguard, Bl…
on Has Brett Ratner’s ‘Rush Hour 4’ hit some speed bumps with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker holding things up?I get what you’re saying, but I think it’s a little too black and white. Sure…
on Has Brett Ratner’s ‘Rush Hour 4’ hit some speed bumps with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker holding things up?Jackie and Tucker need to stay away from VIP #1 (Brett Ratfuck) at Epsteins P…
on Has Brett Ratner’s ‘Rush Hour 4’ hit some speed bumps with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker holding things up?Comedy is also supposed to be funny, not just offensive. There's a difference…
on Has Brett Ratner’s ‘Rush Hour 4’ hit some speed bumps with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker holding things up?You do have to love how in every interview, even for the SHADOWS EDGE , Jacki…
on Has Brett Ratner’s ‘Rush Hour 4’ hit some speed bumps with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker holding things up?The Rush Hour series is hilarious. Even the third film is funnier than most c…
on Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao and more! Star-studded Hong Kong epic ‘1941’ in the works for a 2027 release?The fact he passed away in 2022 would also have had an impact on his involvem…
on Marx for death? Martial arts powerhouse Bren Foster teams up with Mekhi Phifer for Louis Mandylor’s ‘Marx’This Louis Mandylor is not good and he likes to star in many scott adkins fil…
on Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao and more! Star-studded Hong Kong epic ‘1941’ in the works for a 2027 release?Nah that’s definitely an error, Corey Yuen’s Chinese name is 元奎.
on Marx for death? Martial arts powerhouse Bren Foster teams up with Mekhi Phifer for Louis Mandylor’s ‘Marx’We have a new DTV trash star Bren Foster lol.
Category Archives: Reviews
Kill Boksoon (2023) Review
Director: Byun Sung-hyun Cast: Jeon Do-yeon, Sol Kyung-Gu, Kim Si-Ah, Esom, Koo Gyo-Hwan, Lee Yeon, Lee Jae-Wook, Park Se-Hyun, Ahn Seong-Bong, Kim Sung-Oh, Ki Joo-Bong Running Time: 137 min. By Paul Bramhall At this point there are very few active actors and directors left who haven’t worked with Netflix in some form or another, and in 2023 arguably the most highly regarded actress in Korean cinema, Jeon Do-yeon, made her … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Byun Sung-Hyun, Jeon Do-yeon
Fist of the Condor (2023) Review
Director: Ernesto Díaz Espinoza Cast: Marko Zaror, Eyal Meyer, Gina Aguad, Fernanda Urrejola, Man Soo Yoon, Jose Manuel, Cristian Garin, Francisco Castro, Andrés Cid, Joaquin Puig Running Time: 80 min. By Paul Bramhall Chile isn’t the country that first springs to mind when you think about martial arts cinema, however since their debut with 2006’s Kiltro, the director and leading man pair of Ernesto Díaz Espinoza and the ‘Latin Dragon’ … Continue reading
Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Other Movies, Reviews
Tagged Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, Marko Zaror
Furies | aka Thanh Soi (2023) Review
Director: Veronica Ngo Cast: Hoa Thanh, Veronica Ngo, Dong Anh Quynh, Toc Tien, Rima Thanh Vy, Thuan Nguyen Running Time: 112 min. By Paul Bramhall Multi-talented star Veronica Ngo has maintained an enduring presence since first coming to international audiences attention in The Rebel and Clash during the late 2000’s, both of which served to briefly put Vietnamese action cinema on the map. Naturally Hollywood came calling, however minor supporting … Continue reading
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) Review
Director: Chad Stahelski Cast: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, Ian McShane, George Georgiou, Marko Zaror, Aimée Kwan Running Time: 169 min. By Henry McKeand Midway through John Wick: Chapter 2, the titular boogeyman guns his way down a subway escalator and passes a blink-or-you-miss it poster that reads: “The Only Way Out Is To Go Through.” Like so … Continue reading
A Family (2020) Review
AKA: Yakuza and the Family Director: Michihito Fujii Cast: Go Ayano, Hiroshi Tachi, Machiko Ono, Yukiya Kitamura, Hayato Ichihara, Hayato Isomura, Shun Sugata, Suon Kan, Ryutaro Ninomiya, Taro Suruga Running Time: 135 min. By Henry McKeand “Lately, I’m getting the feeling that I came in at the end. The best is over.” It’s been nearly twenty-five years since Tony Soprano, perhaps America’s last real mafia icon, said these words in … Continue reading
Returned Single-Legged Man | aka The Korean Connection (1974) Review
AKA: The Korean Connection Director: Lee Doo-yong Cast: Han Yong-cheol, Kwan Yung-moon, Jeong Sonyeo, Lee So-yeong, Kim Mun-ju, Nam Chung-il, Bae Su-chun, Kwon Il-soo, Cho Chun, Elton Chong, Hwang Jang Lee, Nam Chung-il, Lim Hae-lim, Kim Ki-bum Running Time: 88 min. By Paul Bramhall Being a fan of Korea’s martial arts output, which spanned from the 1960’s through to the 1990’s, has never been a particularly rewarding endeavour. Want to … Continue reading
Invitation Only (2009) Review
Director: Kevin Ko Cast: Bryant Chang, Jerry Huang, Julianne Chu, Kristian Brodie, Maria Ozawa, Kao Ying-Hsuan, Lene Lai, Vivi Ho, Liz Ran Yang, Joseph Ma Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall Like every genre, horror is one that goes through phases. While in recent times we increasingly see horror being used as a theme to explore trauma, back in the 2000’s the genre was in a much more visceral … Continue reading
Code of the Assassins (2022) Review
AKA: Song of the Assassins Director: Daniel Lee Yan-Kong Cast: William Feng Shaofeng, Gina Jin Chen, Zhang Hao, Hu Jun, Summer Xu Qing, Wang Qing-Xiang, Kenneth Tsang, Ray Lui, Norman Tsui, Jack Kao Kuo-Hsin Running Time: 119 min. By Paul Bramhall After a long and arduous journey, in 2022 Code of the Assassins finally made it to the screen. Filming started way back in 2017 with grand plans to include … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Daniel Lee Yan Gong, Kenneth Tsang, Norman Chu, Ray Lui Leung Wai, William Feng
Manchurian Tiger, The (1974) Review
Director: Lee Doo-Yong Cast: Han Yong-cheol, Kim Mun-ju, Bae Su-chun, Woo Yeon-jeong, Chang Il-sik, Park Dong-ryong, Sim Sang Chun, Gang Dong-gyu, Choe Sung-kwan Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall Looking back on the evolution of martial arts cinema over the years, there’s little doubt that it was the 1970’s when the genre evolved at such a rate that, if you put a production from 1970 and 1979 side-by-side, it … Continue reading
Head Rush | aka Lôi Báo (2017) Review
AKA: Lôi Báo Director: Victor Vu Cast: Cuong Seven, Tran Thi Nha Phuong, Quach Ngoc Ngoan, Ngoc Anh Vu, Jason Ninh Cao Running Time: 107 min. By Paul Bramhall There was a time in the mid-late 2000’s when it seemed like Vietnam was going to be the next big thing when it came to action filmmaking in Asia. After briefly facing off against Tony Jaa in 2005’s Tom Yum Goong, … Continue reading
Unlocked (2023) Review
Director: Kim Tae-Joon Cast: Chun Woo-Hee, Im Si-Wan, Kim Hee-Won, Park Ho-San, Kim Ye-Won, Jeon Jin-Oh, Oh Hyun-Kyung, Ryoo Sung-Hyun, Jeon Ik-Ryung, Kim Joo-Ryung Running Time: 117 min. By Paul Bramhall Ever since the mobile phone became widely available in the late 90’s there’s been no shortage of cinematic offerings to have their plots revolve around the device that we can’t live without. Korea is no different, be it supernatural … Continue reading
War of the God Monsters | aka The Flying Monster (1985) Review
AKA: The Flying Monster Director: Kim Jung-yong Cast: Kim Ki-ju, Nam Hye-gyeong, Kim Da-hye, Moon Tae-Seon, Kim Uk, Jang Cheol Running Time: 85 min. By Paul Bramhall Korean cinema was in a strange place during the mid-80’s. After military strongman Chun Doo-hwan essentially elected himself as the country’s president in September 1980 following months of martial law and the infamous Gwangju Massacre in May, filmmakers needed to be extra cautious not … Continue reading
Slate (2021) Review
Director: Jo Bareun Cast: Ahn Ji-hye, Lee Min Ji, Park Tae San, Jung Jin-woo, Lee Se-ho, Nam I-seul, Jo Sun-ki Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall It could be argued that the swordplay movie has never really fallen out of fashion in Asian cinema, with each decade bringing about a reinvention of the genre in one way or another. Be it Patrick Tam’s The Sword in the 1980’s, Tsui … Continue reading
Deep Trap (2015) Review
Director: Kwon Hyung-Jin Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Jo Han-Sun, Kim Min-Kyung, Ji An, Yoon Joo, Kwon Bum-Taek, Kim Dong-Hyun, Min Kyung-Jin, Jeong Gi-Seop, Kang Seung-Wan Running Time: 96 min. By Paul Bramhall In the Korean film industry the mid-budget genre piece has become increasingly rare in recent years, with the international success of 2019’s Parasite and the 2021 Netflix series Squid Game seemingly widening the gap when it comes to production … Continue reading
Geochilmaru: The Showdown (2005) Review
Director: Kim Jin-sung Cast: Jang Tae-sik, Sung Hong-il, Kwon Min-gi, Yu Rang-rae, Hong Seung-hun, Mi-jeong Oh Running Time: 86 min. By Paul Bramhall My memory of Geochilmaru – The Showdown being released in 2005 is one of it being dragged over the coals in almost every review it received. Now, with the benefit of hindsight 18 years later, I would theorise there are a couple of contributing factors to the … Continue reading
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