Category Archives: Reviews

Dragon, the Young Master | aka Deadly Silver Ninja (1981) Review

March 13, 2017 Paul Bramhall
"Dragon, the Young Master" Korean Theatrical Poster

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 →

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Age of Shadows, The (2016) Review

March 8, 2017 Martin Sandison
"The Age of Shadows" Korean Theatrical Poster

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 →

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Cold War II (2016) Review

March 6, 2017 Kelly Warner
"Cold War II" Theatrical Poster

Director: Longman Leung Co-director: Sunny Luk Cast: Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Chow Yun-Fat, Charlie Young, Janice Man Wing-San, Eddie Peng, Aarif Rahman, Tony Yang, Chang Kuo-chu, Wu Yue Running Time: 110 min.  By Kelly Warner The 2012 Hong Kong crime film Cold War created a lot of buzz before its release and, at least in the West, did not seem to maintain that buzz once it reached audiences. It’s a good looking film, headlined by some of Hong … Continue reading →

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Logan (2017) Review

March 3, 2017 Zach Nix
"Logan" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Logan: The Wolverine Director: James Mangold Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Merchant, Boyd Holbrook, Dafne Keen, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Eriq La Salle, Elise Nea, Daniel Bernhardt Running Time: 137 min. By Zach Nix James Mangold’s Logan is such an eventful film to someone as myself that I struggle to come up with an opening statement about it, as it marks the end of an unforgettable era in blockbuster … Continue reading →

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Master (2016) Review

March 2, 2017 Paul Bramhall
"Master" Theatrical Poster

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 →

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Headshot (2016) Review

March 1, 2017 Martin Sandison
"Headshot" Theatrical Poster

Director: The Mo Brothers Writer: Timo Tjahjanto Cast: Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Chelsea Islan, David Hendrawan, Epy Kusnandar, Zack Lee, Sunny Pang, Very Tri Yulisman, Ario Bayu, Ganindra Bimo, Udeh Nans Running Time: 118 min. By Martin Sandison While the world waits with bated breath for the next installment of Gareth Evans’ phenomenally popular Raid franchise, we now have a film that more than whets the appetite from Indonesia: Headshot. Starring Iko … Continue reading →

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Hole, The | aka Trap (1997) Review

February 27, 2017 Paul Bramhall

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 →

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews |

Great Wall, The (2016) Review

February 23, 2017 Kelly Warner
The Great Wall | Blu-ray & DVD (Universal)

Director: Zhang Yimou Cast: Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau, Zhang Hanyu, Eddie Peng, Lu Han, Kenny Lin, Cheney Chen, Huang Xuan, Karry Wang, Ryan Zheng Running Time: 104 min.  By Kelly Warner In 2008, Zhang Yimou amazed the world with the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. It was a spectacle for the eyes, ears, heart, and mind. As a fan of his movies and as a stunned observer of the … Continue reading →

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Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) Review

February 20, 2017 Martin Sandison

Director: Sam Peckinpah Producer: Martin Baum Cast: Warren Oates, Isela Vega, Robert Webber, Gig Young, Helmut Dantine, Emilio Fernández, Kris Kristofferson Running Time: 112 min. By Martin Sandison Sam Peckinpah’s influence as a filmmaker is undoubted, and his run from The Wild Bunch to Cross of Iron is near-untouchable. Misunderstood at the time, his elegiac, revisionist Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid nearly destroyed his reputation in Hollywood, and was … Continue reading →

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Dance of the Drunk Mantis (1979) Review

February 17, 2017 Chris Hatcher
"Dance of the Drunk Mantis" Chinese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Drunken Master 2 Director: Yuen Woo-ping Producer: See Yuen Ng Cast: Siu Tien “Simon” Yuen, Shun Yee “Sunny” Yuen, Hwang Jang Lee, Linda Lin, Corey Yuen, Yen Shi Kwan, Dean Shek, David Wu, Lee Fat-Yuen Running Time: 121 min. By Chris Hatcher When Siu Tien “Simon” Yuen first stepped onto the Asian cinema scene in 1947 at age 35, one of his earliest roles was as a thug in … Continue reading →

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Handmaiden, The (2016) Review

February 15, 2017 Kelly Warner
"The Handmaiden" Theatrical Poster

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 , |

Violent Prosecutor, A (2016) Review

February 14, 2017 Paul Bramhall
"A Violent Prosecutor" Korean Theatrical Poster

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 →

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Ley Lines (1999) Review

February 13, 2017 Kelly Warner
Black Society Trilogy | Blu-ray & DVD (Arrow Video)

Director: Takashi Miike Writer: Ichiro Ryu Cast: Show Aikawa, Samuel Pop Aning, Takeshi Caesar, Yukie Itou, Michisuke Kashiwaya,Kazuki Kitamura, Dan Li, Ryuushi Mizukami, Ren Osugi, Tomorowo Taguchi, Naoto Takenaka, Koji Tsukamoto, Hua Rong Weng Running Time: 105 min. By Kelly Warner Takashi Miike’s Black Society Trilogy kicked off with a lurid and offensive bang in 1995 with Shinjuku Triad Society. He followed that up with Rainy Dog in 1997, a quieter, more reserved crime drama. (That’s … Continue reading →

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John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) Review

February 9, 2017 Paul Bramhall
"John Wick: Chapter 2" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Chad Stahelski Writer: Derek Kolstad Cast: Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Bridget Moynahan, Lance Reddick, Thomas Sadoski, David Patrick Kelly, Peter Stormare, Franco Nero Running Time: 122 min. By Paul Bramhall As a stuntman, it’s not every day the opportunity comes along to direct the actor who you’ve been doubling for the last 20 years, but that’s exactly what happened to … Continue reading →

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Beast with a Gun | aka Mad Dog Killer (1977) Review

February 7, 2017 Z Ravas
"Mad Dog Killer" DVD Cover

AKA: Ferocious Director: Sergio Grieco Cast: Helmut Berger, Richard Harrison, Marisa Mell, Marina Giordana, Luigi Bonos, Ezio Marano, Vittorio Duse, Alberto Squillante, Nello Pazzafini Running Time: 95 min. By HKFanatic Beast with a Gun could loosely be associated with the Poliziotteschi genre (Italian police films) since the hero is a cop, but most of the film’s screentime is devoted to actor Helmut Berger’s crazed bad guy and his violent antics. … Continue reading →

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