Category Archives: Reviews

Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017) Review

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Tsui Hark Cast: Kris Wu, Kenny Lin, Yao Chen, Lin Yun, Mengke Bateer, Wang Likun, Yang Yiwei, Wang Duo, Bao Bei-Er, Cheng Si-Han, Da Peng, Yeung Lun, Shu Qi, Zhang Mei-E, Xu Cai-Xiang, Lai Kai-Keung, Anthony Wong, Zuo Jing-Bo Running Time: 108 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s only been 4 years since Stephen Chow helmed 2013’s Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, the first movie in which he … Continue reading →

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

Extraordinary Mission (2017) Review

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Paul Bramhall
"Extraordinary Mission" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Fletcher Poon Co-director: Alan Mak Cast: Huang Xuan, Duan Yi-Hong, Zu Feng, Lang Yue-Ting, David Wang Yao-Qing, Xing Jia-Dong, Wang Yan-Hui, Ding Yongdai, Xiao Cong, Li Xiaochuan Running Time: 122 min. By Paul Bramhall Extraordinary Mission suffered extraordinarily bad timing in terms of when it was released. Hitting screens within months of popular director Dante Lam’s big budget spectacular Operation Mekong, many (including myself) glanced over the awkwardly titled production, in part … Continue reading →

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

Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance (2015) Review

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Gregory Hatanaka Cast: Mathew Karedas, Mark Frazer, Bai Ling, Kayden Kross, Tommy Wiseau, Janis Farley, Cranston Komuro, Laurene Landon, Mel Novak, Gerald Okamura, Kristine DeBell, Melissa Moore, Joe Estevez, Lexi Belle, Melissa Moore, Nicole Bailey, Mindy Robinson, Thomas J. Churchill Running Time: 93 min. By Paul Bramhall The expression “so bad it’s good” gets thrown around a lot more than it deserves when it comes to cinema. In truth, … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , |

Chasing the Dragon (2017) Review

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Martin Sandison
"Chasing the Dragon" Theatrical Poster

Director: Wong Jing Co-director: Jason Kwan Cast: Donnie Yen Ji-Dan, Andy Lau Tak-Wah, Kent Cheng, Phillip Keung, Wilfred Lau, Yu Kang, Kent Tong, Michelle Hu, Xu Dong-Dong, Felix Wong, Bryan Larkin, Philip Ng, Jonathan Lee, Lawrence Chou, Wang Qian-Yu, Kenneth Tsang, Chan Wai-Man, Terence Yin Chi Wai, Chun Wong Running Time: 112 min. By Martin Sandison By the age of 14 my appetite for martial arts movies was voracious, so every … Continue reading →

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

God of War (2017) Review

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Kelly Warner
"God of War" Theatrical Poster

Director: Gordon Chan Cast: Vincent Chiu, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Yasuaki Kurata, Regina Wan, Keisuke Koide, Wang Ban, Wu Yue, Jiang Luxia, Liu Junxiao, Micheal Tong Running Time: 90 min. By Kelly Warner Ming soldiers advance on a fortified gate. Blood from a previous battle runs like a stream over the mud. Thousands of Japanese pirates wait on the other side of the gate, their latest attempt at a land grab to … Continue reading →

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

Foreigner, The (2017) Review

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Martin Campbell Cast: Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan, Michael McElhatton, Charlie Murphy, Liu Tao, Orla Brady, Katie Leung, Manolo Cardona, Simon Kunz, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Roberta Taylor, Dermot Crowley, Niall McNamee Running Time: 113 min. By Paul Bramhall The last time we saw Jackie Chan in London was 14 years ago, hanging from the clock face of Big Ben with Owen Wilson in Shanghai Knights. In 2017, he’s back in the … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Asian Related, Chinese, News, Other Movies, Reviews | Tagged , |

Metro Manila (2013) Review

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Paul Bramhall
"Metro Manila" Theatrical Poster

Director: Sean Ellis Cast: Jake Macapagal, Althea Vega, John Arcilla, Erin Panlilio, Iasha Aceio, Moises Mag Isa, Angelina Kanapi, JM Rodriguez, Ana Abad Santos, Reuben Uy Running Time: 114 min. By Paul Bramhall The well-worn tale of naïve country folk heading to the big city for brighter prospects is one that’s been used in cinema for almost as long as the medium has been around. It’s particularly prevalent in Asian … Continue reading →

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

Fists, the Kicks and the Evil, The (1978) Review

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Matthew Le-feuvre
"The Fists, the Kicks and the Evil" DVD Cover

AKA: Fists, Kicks and the Evils Director: To Lo Po Cast: Bruce Leung Siu Lung, Philip Ko Fei, Bolo Yeung Tze, Chiang Cheng, Ku Feng, Lau Hok Nin, Ma Chao, Chan Lau, Lin Ke Ming, Kei Ho Chiu, Ricky Wong Running Time: 84 min. By Matthew Le-feuvre In that rare and exclusive echelon of celebrated kicking tactic­ians, Leung Siu Liang – otherwise known in international circles as Bruce Leung – seemed to … Continue reading →

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

New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Last Days of the Boss (1976) Review

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Kelly Warner
"New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Last Days of the Boss" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Kinji Fukasaku Cast: Bunta Sugawara, Isao Bito, Takeo Chii, Takuya Fujioka, Seizo Fukumoto, Eiji Go, Ryuji Katagiri, Takuzo Kawatani, Chieko Matsubara, Kan Mikami, Michiro Minami, Sanae Nakahara, Kōji Nanjo Running Time: 91 min. By Kyle Warner 1976 just happened to be a leap year. And on February 29th, a woman with a drug problem is murdered. The first suspect is the yakuza Imamura, her known supplier. But then Imamura … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Japanese, Reviews | Tagged , |

Acts of Vengeance | aka Stoic (2017) Review

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Paul Bramhall
Acts of Vengeance | Blu-ray (Lionsgate)

Director: Isaac Florentine Writer: Matt Venne Cast: Antonio Banderas, Cristina Serafini, Atanas Srebrev, Karl Urban, David Sakurai, Paz Vega, Robert Forster, Mark Rhino Smith, Isaac Florentine Running Time: 85 min. By Paul Bramhall Ever since Liam Neeson took that fateful phone call in Taken, now almost a decade ago, the no nonsense over-50 action star has become something of a sub-genre in Hollywood. While Neeson himself has cranked out plenty … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Other Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , |

Bluebeard (2017) Review

Posted on October 4, 2017 by Kelly Warner

Director: Lee So-Youn Producer: Choi Jae-Won Cast: Cho Jin-Woong, Shin Goo Kim, Dae-Myung, Lee Chung-Ah, Song Young-Chang, Yoon Se-Ah Running Time: 117 min. By Kyle Warner In recent years, serial killer thrillers have fallen out of favor in Hollywood. The reason, I think, is that movies like The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en gave filmmakers a solid blueprint to follow, and many screenwriters followed it too closely. There’s a reason why fictionalized wannabe … Continue reading →

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

Ultimate Justice (2017) Review

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Martin Christopher Bode Cast: Mark Dacascos, Brandon Rhea, Matthias Hues, Mike Möller, Mike Leeder, Wolfgang Riehm, Martin Baden, Henry Muller, Verena Konietschke, Bartholomäus Kowalski Running Time: 93 min. By Paul Bramhall After a tumultuous couple of years of post-production, in 2017 the sophomore feature from production company Silent Partners (made up of Hong Kong film industry veteran Mike Leeder, and German producer Ruediger Kuemmerle) finally hit DVD in the … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , |

Game Changer, The (2017) Review

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Paul Bramhall
"The Game Changer" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Gao Xixi Cast: Peter Ho, Huang Zitao, Guli Nazha, Wang Xueqi, Choo Ja-hyun, Jack Kao, Long Meizi Running Time: 133 min. By Paul Bramhall The 1980 TVB gangster series The Bund has had a long lasting influence on Hong Kong cinema. As well as giving Chow Yun Fat one of his earliest memorable screen roles, it’s been remade both on TV and for the big screen in the years since, perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews |

Villainess, The (2017) Review

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Martin Sandison
"The Villainess" Theatrical Poster

Director: Jeong Byeong-gil Cast: Kim Ok-bin, Shin Ha-kyun, Sung Joon, Kim Seo-hyung, Jo Eun-ji, Lee Seung-joo, Son Min-ji Running Time: 129 min. By Martin Sandison Some action movies come along that define a generation, or represent the cream of the crop when it comes to their respective Nation’s output at the time. Titles such as John Woo’s indescribable adrenalin rush of a movie Hard Boiled and Tony Jaa’s era-defining Ong … Continue reading →

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

New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Boss’s Head (1975) Review

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Kelly Warner
"New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Boss's Head" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Kinji Fukasaku Cast: Seizo Fukumoto, Yuriko Hishimi, Meiko Kaji, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Ryuji Katagiri, Nenji Kobayashi, Hideo Murota, Mikio Narita, Ko Nishimura, Bunta Sugawara, Asao Uchida Running Time: 94 min. By Kelly Warner Now this is more like it. I was a bit disappointed with the first New Battles film, and if writer Koji Takada’s account of things is correct, so was director Kinji Fukasaku. The first film of the trilogy is … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , |
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. ...
  5. 37
  6. 38
  7. 39
  8. 40
  9. 41
  10. 42
  11. 43
  12. 44
  13. 45
  14. 46
  15. 47
  16. ...
  17. 123