Category Archives: Reviews

Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, The (2018) Review

The Witch: Subversion | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Park Hoon-Jung Cast: Kim Da-Mi, Jo Min-Soo, Choi Woo-Sik, Go Min-Si, Park Hee-Soon, Da-Eun, Choi Jung-Woo, Oh Mi-Hee, Kim Byung-Ok, Lee Joo-Won, Kim Ha-Na Running Time: 125 min. By Paul Bramhall As 2018 draws close to an end, the appetite for female driven action movies doesn’t seem to be waning in the West or the East. Warner Brothers appear to know this, so for their latest foray into the … Continue reading

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Negotiation, The (2018) Review

"The Negotiation" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Jong-Suk Writer: Choi Sung-Hyun Cast: Son Ye-Jin, Hyun-Bin, Kim Sang-Ho, Jang Young-Nam, Jang Gwang, Lee Moon-Sik Running Time: 114 min. By Paul Bramhall In the Korean film industry, Son Ye-jin is known as the Queen of Melodrama, and Hyun Bin the Rom-Com King. However the movie that’s brought them both together is (perhaps mercifully) neither a melodrama nor a romantic comedy, with The Negotiation instead being a thriller … Continue reading

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Rampant (2018) Review

Rampant | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Kim Sung-Hoon Writer: Won Shin-yun Cast: Hyun-Bin, Jang Dong-Gun, Jo Woo-Jin, Kim Eui-Sung, Jeong Man-Sik, Lee Sun-Bin Running Time: 129 min. By Paul Bramhall Less than 3 years ago Korea spawned one of its most unlikely breakout hits, with the zombie action thriller Train to Busan. While personally I didn’t find the concept of zombies on a train to be executed as entertainingly as it could have been, there’s no … Continue reading

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Prayer Before Dawn, A (2017) Review

"A Prayer Before Dawn" Theatrical Poster

Director: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire Cast: Joe Cole, Vithaya Pansringarm, Panya Yimmumphai, Somluck Kamsing, Billy Moore, Nicolas Shake, Sura Sirmalai, Sakda Niamhom, Komsan Polsan Running Time: 117 min. By Kelly Warner We first meet British boxer Billy Moore preparing for a small kickboxing match in Thailand. The fight doesn’t go well for Billy. After the bout, he surrenders to his drug of choice, yaba (known as the ‘madness drug’). We don’t get to … Continue reading

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Night Comes for Us, The (2018) Review

"The Night Comes For Us" Netflix Poster

Director: Timo Tjahjanto Writer: Timo Tjahjanto Cast: Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Sunny Pang, Zack Lee, Asha Kenyeri Bermudez, Hannah Al Rashid, Salvita Decorte, Abimana Aryastya, Salvita Decorte Running Time: 121 min. By Martin Sandison The Mo Brothers’ Headshot, while a very good action movie in its own right, with effectively bloody violence and some great choreography, fell short of greatness in my opinion. One half of the Mo Brothers, Timo Tjahjanto, announced … Continue reading

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Halloween (2018) Review

"Halloween" Theatrical Poster

Director: David Gordon Green Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Virginia Gardner, Nick Castle, Haluk Bilginer, Toby Huss, Jefferson Hall, Rhian Rees Running Time: 105 min. By Kyle Warner It’s strange – yet totally welcome, in my opinion – for a slasher movie to be an event film in 2018. And it seems only appropriate that it would be a new Halloween that summoned the crowds … Continue reading

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Resurrection of the Little Match Girl (2003) Review

"Resurrection of the Little Match Girl" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Jang Sun-Woo Cast: Lim Eun-Kyung, Kim Hyun-Sung, Kim Jin-Pyo, Myung Gye-Nam, Myung Gye-Nam, Jung Doo-Hong, Kang Ta, Lee Chung-Ah, Seo Jae-Kyung, Park Sung-Woong Running Time: 125 min. By Paul Bramhall There are some movies out there that seem destined to only be appreciated in retrospect, such could be the case for Resurrection of the Little Match Girl. It was a title that I avoided since its release, as I … Continue reading

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Apostle (2018) Review

"Apostle" Teaser Poster

Director: Gareth Evans Writer: Gareth Evans Cast: Dan Stevens, Lucy Boynton, Mark Lewis Jones, Bill Milner, Kristine Froseth, Michael Sheen, Blake Ridder, Owain Gwynn, Juke Hardy, Pino Maiello Running Time: 129 min. By Kelly Warner After The Raid 2, many of us assumed that the next Gareth Evans film we’d be watching would be The Raid 3. But Evans made it clear that he needed a break from The Raid … Continue reading

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Hold the Dark (2018) Review

"Hold the Dark" Poster

Director: Jeremy Saulnier Cast: Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgård, James Badge Dale, Riley Keough, Julian Black Antelope Running Time: 125 min. By Kyle Warner In days like these, when seemingly every other person in Alaska has their own reality TV show and the powers that be plan to put oil pipelines all across the land, the state of Alaska is losing some of its rugged, dangerous appeal. But in the deep … Continue reading

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Trap: Lethal Temptation (2015) Review

Director: Bong Man-Dae Writer: Lee Chang-Yeol, Bong Man-Dae Cast: Yu Ha-Jun, Jung Min-Gyul, Na Sang-Gyu, Kang Yong-Gyu, Jo Soo-Jung, Lee Sang-Hwa Running Time: 107 min. By Paul Bramhall In Korea director Bong Man-dae is something of an anomaly. Even today he remains the only director to successfully transition from the world of erotic B-movies to mainstream cinema. After cranking out 12 titles in the 3 years spanning 1999 – 2002, … Continue reading

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Oh Lucy! (2017) Review

"Oh Lucy!" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Atsuko Hirayanagi Cast: Shinobu Terajima, Josh Hartnett, Kaho Minami, Shiori Kutsuna, Koji Yakusho, Megan Mullally, Reiko Aylesworth, Suzuka Ohgo, Hajime Inoue, Leni Ito Running Time: 95 min.  By Kelly Warner Setsuko is a depressed, lonely middle-aged woman working in a joyless office job with nothing to come home to but a big mess of an apartment. Her family – a bitchy sister and a niece that was the result … Continue reading

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Maximum Impact (2018) Review

Maximum Impact | Blu-ray & DVD (Sony)

Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak Cast: Alexander Nevsky, Danny Trejo, Tom Arnold, Kelly Hu, Mark Dacascos, William Baldwin, Alphonso McAuley, Matthias Hues, Keith Powers, Bai Ling, Eric Roberts, Brian Kirchoff, Liliya May, Odin Lund Biron Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall Let me start by saying that I’m a guy who’s all for giving second chances. I mean if I wasn’t, then I’d never have bothered checking out a movie like … Continue reading

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Crippled Kung Fu Boxer | aka Ninja Supremo (1981) Review

"Crippled Kung Fu Boxer" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Kung Fu Boxer Director: Lee Chiu Cast: Cliff Lok, Tsai Hung, Yueh Hua, Sun Yueh, Goo Chang, Lee Chiu, Chu Siu-Wa, Ma Chin-Ku, Wynn Lau Chun-Fai, Danny Chow Yun-Kin, Chen Shu-Chu Running Time: 77 min. By Martin Sandison Those who know the name Cliff Lok usually worship at the alter of old school kung fu. It’s really a shame he was not a bigger star, as he has the … Continue reading

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Black Water (2018) Review

"Black Water" Japanese DVD Cover

Director: Pasha Patriki Writer: Chad Law Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Patrick Kilpatrick, Al Sapienza, Jasmine Waltz, Kristopher Van Varenberg, Courtney B Turk Running Time: 104 min. By Kelly Warner I like Jean-Claude Van Damme. I blame/thank the good people of this here site for convincing me to give the actor’s films another look after I had dismissed them as forgettable, low-rent action movies. And, to be sure, some … Continue reading

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Keep Calm and Be a Superstar (2018) Review

"Keep Calm and Be a Superstar" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Vincent Kok Cast: Eason Chan Yick-shun, Li Rong-Hao, Cui Zhi-Jia, Li Yi-Tong, Zheng Ji-Feng, Danny Chan Kwok-kwan, Wilfred Lau Ho-Lung, Hui Siu-Hung, Chris Collins, Vincent Kok Tak-chiu , Edward Ma, Lam Tze-Chung, Steven Fung Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall Most fans of Hong Kong cinema will be familiar with Jackie Chan and Wong Jing’s reported inability to get along while making City Hunter in 1993. As a … Continue reading

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