Category Archives: Reviews

Take Point | aka PMC: Private Military Company (2018) Review

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"Take Point" Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Byung-Woo Cast: Ha Jung-Woo, Lee Sun-Kyun, Jennifer Ehle, Kevin Durand, Malik Yoba, Spencer Daniels, Shin Hyun-Bin, Ahn Seong-Bong, Kim Sun-Hyuk Running Time: 124 min. By Paul Bramhall The Korean film industry has an interesting relationship with the action genre. A mainstay of the countries cinematic output for a long time, it was ultimately an action movie which brought Korean cinema to international attention with 1999’s Shiri. Skips forward 20 … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged , |

Tazza: One Eyed Jack (2019) Review

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
“Tazza: One Eyed Jack” Theatrical Poster

Director: Kwon Oh-Kwang Cast: Park Jung-Min, Ryoo Seung-Bum, Choi Yu-Hwa, Woo Hyeon, Yoon Je-Moon, Lee Kwang-Soo, Lim Ji-Yeon, Kwon Hae-Hyo, Choi Dong-Hoon, Kim Ye-Eun Running Time: 139 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s probably a stretch to say that anyone was clamouring for a third entry into Korea’s Tazza series. The original entry, 2006’s Tazza: The High Rollers, marked director Choi Dong-hoon’s sophomore feature, and its colourful energy combined with performances … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged , |

A*P*E (1976) Review

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"A*P*E" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Paul Leder Cast: Joanna Kerns, Rod Arrants, Alex Nicol, Lee Nak-hun, Yeon-jeong Woo, Jerry Harke, Larry Chandler, Walt Myers, J.J. Gould, Kwon Il-soo, Chiu Chun Running Time: 87 min. By Paul Bramhall When people think about Asian takes on King Kong, chances are the most likely answer they’re going to give you will be the 1977 Shaw Brothers flick The Mighty Peking Man, which came a year after Hollywood’s … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews |

Undercover Punch and Gun (2019) Review

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"Undercover Punch and Gun" Theatrical Poster

Director: Philip Lui Co-director: Frankie Tam Cast: Andy On, Philip Ng, Vanness Wu, Carrie Ng, Nicholas Tse, Carrie Ng, Lam Suet, Aka Zhao, Jiang Luxia, Aaron Aziz, Joyce Feng, Jessica Cambensy Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall Before you’ve gotten through the plethora of production company logos that kick off Undercover Punch and Gun (and there’s a lot of them!), the title alone is enough to give an indication as to … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , |

Parasite (2019) Review

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"Parasite" Theatrical Poster

Director: Bong Joon-Ho Cast: Song Kang-Ho, Jang Hye-Jin, Choi Woo-Sik, Park So-Dam, Lee Sun-Kyun, Cho Yeo-Jeong, Jung Ji-So, Jeong Hyun-Jun, Lee Jung-Eun, Park Seo-Joon Running Time: 131 min. By Paul Bramhall The following review for Parasite was originally posted on COF in July of 2019. Because the film took home four Academy Awards at the recent 2020 Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best International Film and Best Original Screenplay), we … Continue reading →

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Warriors of the Nation (2018) Review

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
Warriors of the Nation | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

AKA: Unity of Heroes 2 Director: Marco Mak Cast: Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo, Miya Muqi, Kenya Sawada, Na Wei, Lubing Li, Huanhuan Wei Running Time: 92 min. By Paul Bramhall To many kung fu fans in the west the genre may be regarded as dead and buried, but in China streaming channels like Youku and iQiyi have been providing a steady stream of original kung fu flicks for a number of … Continue reading →

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First Love (2020) Review

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Martin Sandison
"First Love" Theatrical Poster

Director: Takashi Miike Writer: Masaru Nakamura Cast: Masataka Kubota, Sakurako Konishi, Nao Omori, Shota Sometani, Seiyo Uchino, Becky, Jun Murakami, Sansei Shiomi, Takahiro Miura, Maimi Yajima Running Time: 115 min. By Martin Sandison It’s pretty difficult to be an Asian movie fan in the last 25 years, and not love at least one Takashi Miike film. An omnipresence in challenging, genre-shifting vital cinema, the director is irrepressible and much-loved. Even … Continue reading →

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Battle of Jangsari, The (2019) Review

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"The Battle of Jangsari" Theatrical Poster

Director: Kwak Kyung-Taek Co-director: Kim Tae-Hoon Cast: Kim Myung-Min, Minho, Kim Sung-Cheol, Kim In-Kwon, Kwak Si-Yang, Megan Fox, Jang Ji-Gun, Lee Ho-Jung, Lee Jae-Wook, Dong Bang-Woo, Kim Mi-Hwa  Running Time: 104 min. By Paul Bramhall With the thawing in relations between North and South Korea in recent years, movies about the Korean War have taken a back seat, and noticeably been replaced by more action-centric productions which partner agents from … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged |

Human, Space, Time and Human (2018) Review

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"Human, Space, Time and Human" Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Ki-Duk Cast: Jang Keun-Suk, Ryoo Seung-Bum, Ahn Sung-Ki, Mina Fujii, Lee Sung-Jae, Joe Odagiri, Tae Hang-Ho, Park Se-in, Sung Ki-Yoon, Kim Dong-chan Running Time: 122 min. By Paul Bramhall If ever there was an example of a movie destined to seal the fate of its creator, then it could very well be Human, Space, Time and Human, controversial Korean auteur Kim Ki-duk’s latest (and most likely last) movie. … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Three Swordsmen (1994) Review

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"Three Swordsmen" DVD Cover

Director: Taylor Wong Writer: Shut Mei Yee Cast: Andy Lau Tak Wah, Elvis Tsui, Brigitte Lin, Yu Li, Leung Si Ho, Siqin Gaowa, Zhao Jian Running Time: 86 min. By Paul Bramhall In 1994 the new wave wuxia genre was fizzling out almost as quickly as it had arrived just a couple of years prior, however the sheer volume of wuxia flicks released during this period prove it wasn’t willing … Continue reading →

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Eagle Shooting Heroes, The (1993) Review

Posted on January 13, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"The Eagle Shooting Heroes" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Jeff Lau Writer: Wong Kar-wai Cast: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing, Jacky Cheung Hok Yau, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia, Joey Wong Tsu Hsien, Carina Lau Kar Ling, Kenny Bee Chung Chun-to, Sze-Ma Wah-Lung Running Time: 114 min. By Paul Bramhall In case it’s never been said before, Hong Kong cinema owes a debt of thanks to Wong Kar Wai’s 1994 wuxia, … Continue reading →

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Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction (2009) Review

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction" Theatrical Poster

Director: Jeffrey Lau Cast: Hu Jun, Betty Sun, Alex Fong, Ronald Cheng, Wu Jing, Stephy Tang, Gan Wei, Law Kar-ying, Eric Tsang, Chin Kar Lok, Hong Jun-Jie Running Time: 102 min. By Paul Bramhall Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction opens with the onscreen text “If God created humans, and they created robots, should we not question our maker the way humans question theirs?” Deep stuff, and one may expect the next … Continue reading →

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Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019) Review

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Paul Bramhall
Ip Man 4: The Finale | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Wilson Yip Cast: Donnie Yen, Scott Adkins, Danny Chan, Vanness Wu, Chris Collins, Wu Yue, Lo Meng, Kent Cheng, Mark Strange, Jim Liu, Nicola Stuart-Hill, Linda Jean Barry Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall I once read somewhere that there’s nothing wrong with changing your mind, and while I forget exactly where it was, I have a feeling Donnie Yen may have read the same thing too. After 2010’s … Continue reading →

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Shaolin Avengers | aka Invincible Kung Fu Brothers (1976) Review

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Martin Sandison
"Shaolin Avengers" Chinese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Invincible Kung Fu Brothers Director: Chang Cheh Co-director: Wu Ma Cast: Alexander Fu Sheng, Chi Kuan Chun, Chan Wai Lau, Bruce Tong, Lung Fei, Choi Wang, Johnny Wang Lung Wei, Chiang Sheng, Leung Kar Yan Running Time: 93 min. By Martin Sandison As a kid I remember settling down to watch Chang Cheh’s Shaolin Temple – for me the crowning achievement of his monumental Shaolin-cycle. A depiction of the classic story … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , |

Dragon Chronicles, The: The Maidens of Heavenly Mountain (1994) Review

Posted on November 18, 2019 by Paul Bramhall
"The Dragon Chronicles" DVD Cover

Director: Andy Chin Producer: Jimmy Heung Cast: Brigitte Lin, Gong Li, Sharla Cheung, Frankie Lam, Norman Chu, Ku Tin-yi, Liu Kai-chi Running Time: 97 min. By Paul Bramhall Convoluted plots, a dizzying cast of characters, and breakneck pacing are all some of the defining characteristics of many a wuxia movie. From the Chor Yuen directed Gu Long adaptations during the 70’s Shaw Brothers heyday, through to the wire-filled extravaganzas of … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |
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