Sword of the Beast (1965) Review

"Sword of the Beast" Theatrical Poster

“Sword of the Beast” Theatrical Poster

AKA Samurai Gold Seekers
Director: Hideo Gosha 
Cast: Mikijiro Hira, Go Kato, Toshie Kimura, Kantaro Suga, Takeshi Kato, Shima Iwashita, Yoko Mihara, Shobun Inoue, Kunie Tanaka, Eijiro Tono
Running Time: 85 min. 

By Henry McKeand

“I want to become a beast like you. I can’t stand living for a mission anymore.”

While Hideo Gosha has never come close to reaching the same level of Western acclaim as Akira Kurosawa, his 1960s chambara (“sword-fighting”) films positioned him as one of the most influential Japanese directors of his time. As opposed to Kurosawa, who saw feudal Japan as an epic tapestry, Gosha created pared-down films about morally ambiguous swordsmen. This trend was established in his first feature, Three Outlaw Samurai, and it continued into his sophomore effort, the blistering Sword of the Beast. While much of samurai cinema focuses on the flaws of feudalism, Sword of the Beast is a particularly scathing portrayal of samurai hypocrisy. Clocking in at less than 90 minutes, it’s also an example of early action filmmaking at its most thrilling and economical.

The film centers on the disgraced Gennosuke, played by the exceptional Mikijiri Hiro, who is on the run after assassinating a counselor from his clan. After escaping from a group of his clan’s swordsmen, he teams up with a scheming farmer named Gundayu and embarks on a quest to steal the shogun’s gold. This causes him to cross paths with an idealistic samurai named Yamane and his wife Taka, who are working together to steal the gold for their own Continue reading

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New Trailer for Wai Ka Fai’s ‘Detectives vs. Sleuths’ starring Lau Ching-Wan, Carman Lee and Raymond Lam

"Detectives vs. Sleuths" Theatrical Poster

“Detectives vs. Sleuths” Theatrical Poster

Frequent Johnnie To collaborator Wai Ka Fai (Too Many Ways to be Number One, The Longest Nite) is back to directing Hong Kong star Lau Ching-Wan (Integrity, Shock Wave 2, Call of Heroes) in Detectives vs. Sleuths (formerly titled Cold Detective).

The upcoming film also stars Charlene Choi (Kung Fu Dunk, New Police Story), Raymond Lam (P Storm) and Carman Lee (Burning Paradise, Loving You), via AFS.

When Hong Kong is rocked by multiple gruesome murders, the police forms a task force to investigate. Jun (Lau Ching-Wan), once a brilliant detective who suffered a mental breakdown, begins his own investigation. Eventually, the police learn that the murder victims are all suspects of cold cases being rubbed out by a figure known as “The Sleuth”. Now, Jun and a detective from the task force Continue reading

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Don’t miss the Trailer for Luong Dinh Dung’s Vietnamese martial arts actioner ‘578 Magnum’

"578 Magnum" Teaser Poster

“578 Magnum” Teaser Poster

If you’re looking for a fresh dose of slicin’, dicin’ and other forms of martial arts action, then brace yourself for 578 Magnum, an upcoming Vietnamese actioner from writer, director and producer, Luong Dinh Dung (Drowsy City).

The film stars French actor Alexandre Nguyen (End of a Gun) with action from Korean stunt veteran Oh Sea Young, whose work includes The Yellow Sea, Snowpiercer and Parasite. The film also features director of photography by Morgan Schmidt, who has worked on Veronica Ngo Thanh Van’s Furie (via SA).

Official Plot: A container truck driver, Hùng, lives an idyllic life with his little daughter, An. The father and the daughter become the closest companions in every journey with their orange container truck. Life goes on like that until An has to leave her father to go to school. One day, Hùng is informed Continue reading

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Preparing For Your Upcoming Movie Night

You likely work through the week and want to enjoy yourself on the weekend. There are numerous ways to do this, but some methods are better than others. If you’re looking for a quiet, comfortable way to enjoy yourself, you should grab a book. However, some are looking for a more exciting hobby. If you fit into the latter category, you should think about planning a movie night. Doing so will prove to be well worth it. However, you must plan extensively to ensure that your movie night is going to be well worth it. Within this guide, readers will learn how to plan an upcoming movie night.

Home Or Away?

First and foremost, you need to find out where you want to hold your movie night. Typically, you’ll have several options. For starters, you can watch a movie at home with your friends and family members. Alternatively, you can watch a movie at your friend’s place. Finally, you have the option of going to a theater with your buddies. Which method is going to be best for you? Ultimately, there are perks associated with each option. Watching a movie at home allows you to spend money on other things including snacks and drinks.

However, movies are often more enjoyable at the theater. It is a good idea to talk to your friends. Discuss your options until you find out which is going to work best for you and your group.

Pick Movies

One of the biggest obstacles you’ll face is finding out which movie you want to watch. Unfortunately, this is going to be the hardest decision. After all, there are thousands of movies. It will be difficult to decide which movie is going to satisfy you and your friends. With that being said, it is a good idea to ensure that you have several options. If you’re going to rent movies from a rental store, pick several movies. However, you can also use a streaming service like Netflix or Hulu.

Doing so will allow you to pick a wide assortment of movies. When your friends arrive, hold a vote to decide which movie you should watch. If you don’t like the movie, you can always enjoy yourself playing สล็อต นอก.

Coordinate

You shouldn’t be responsible for paying for everything. Instead, you should try to split the responsibilities among your friends and family members. Who is coming to the movie night? Are you inviting numerous friends? These individuals are going to enjoy themselves too. Therefore, you should ask them to cooperate and help. They should be happy to bring snacks or drinks. Find out what they’re willing to do and go from there.

Getting help from your friends will minimize the cost and help ensure that everyone is happy.

Snacks & Drinks

You’re going to be watching several movies with your friends and family members. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure that you’re going to be comfortable all the while. You’ll also want to get everything you need before the first movie begins. To achieve this goal, you should work with your friends to get snacks and drinks. You don’t want to have to stop midway through the film to run to the store for snacks. Instead, you should have these things ahead of time.

Be sure to buy a wide variety of drinks and snacks. Doing so will help ensure that each member of your party is going to be satisfied in the long run.

Choose Wisely

At the end of the day, you’ll want to enjoy yourself to the fullest. You likely only get to watch the latest movies on the weekend. Therefore, you don’t want to do anything that could ruin the experience for you or your friends. With this in mind, you have to choose wisely. There is a good chance that you have a few friends who like to cause trouble. They might get tipsy and begin trash-talking others. You don’t want this to happen because it’ll ruin the experience for everyone. To avoid potential problems, you should choose wisely.

If you’re going to invite friends to your place for a movie, be sure to pick compatible individuals. Don’t pick people who are going to argue and fight with one another.

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What You Need to Know Before Your Next Casino Trip

Are you planning a casino trip?

These establishments offer endless fun and excitement! But, they also carry a few tricks that can cost you a lot of money.

To maximize your enjoyment, arm yourself with information. Keep reading to learn tips for your trip!

Join the Loyalty Program

When you enter the casino, head to a service center. Here they will sign you up for the casino loyalty program.

You will most likely receive free plays or some other type of reward. This allows you to test the waters before spending your own money.

You get a card that slips into the machines or goes to the dealer upon arrival. This card will hold credits for machine gambling. They also keep track of your spending and give high rollers gifts.

Wear a Watch

When you visit a casino, you will not see a window on the gaming floors. They purposely block your view of the outside world and light up the inside with bright, flashing lights.

This makes it easy to lose track of time since you cannot see whether it is light or dark outside. You will not find a clock on the wall either.

At the tables, you cannot keep your phone out. So wearing a watch can help you keep your bearings. Set alarms for reminders to pull out of the games and into other activities.

Budget Yourself

On a gambling trip, you can mindlessly spend your money without setting a budget. Set strict budgets to help keep you out of sticky situations.

Bring cash for gaming. Do not allow yourself to draw from an ATM to increase your spending limit.

Never spend money meant for important bills thinking you can make more. This leads to financial issues and serious gambling addiction.

When you win, setting aside some of it into a special envelope can help you avoid putting it back into the game. This may help you bring money home.

Limit Your Drinks

When you visit a casino, they want to keep you at the tables. For this reason, they will offer complimentary cocktails.

Pay attention to how many you order. Alcohol impairs decision-making and lowers inhibitions. This can lead to making poor gambling choices that cause you to lose money.

Learn the Games

If you hope to make money, do not embark on your gambling trip without learning the casino games! Learning the rules will make your trip more enjoyable and potentially profitable.

If you do not learn the rules and the, you can lose money fast. People at the tables may also get frustrated if it affects their play.

Check out an online casino to learn hands-on. Practice playing online roulette and other popular casino games!

Make Your Casino Trip a Win

You can never guarantee winning money on a casino trip. But, by following these tips, you can make it an overall win no matter what!

We value entertainment of all sorts, but films take the cake! Find new and upcoming releases on our website to keep the excitement going after your trip!

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88 Films’ ‘Black Cat’ Deluxe Collector’s Edition now shipping from U.S. seller Goodie Emporium

Black Cat | Blu-ray (88 Films) 

Black Cat | Blu-ray (88 Films)

U.S. seller Goodie Emporium is now shipping 88 Films’ Blu-ray (Region B) for Stephen Shin’s Black Cat, a 1991 Hong Kong film starring Jade Leung (Satin Steel) and Simon Yam (Final Run).

Not to be confused with the various retellings of Poe’s famous tale, Black Cat is a high-octane Hong Kong action thriller that provides a hugely entertaining pre-curser to the likes of Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol 1 (2003) and south Korean cult classic, The Villainess (2017).

When Catherine (Jade Leung), a mentally disturbed young woman, is detained by the police after accidentally killing a truck driver, she finds Continue reading

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How to Design An Onsite Movie Theater 

Do you enjoy movie time with your family? Many families utilize movie time to discuss the latest happenings in their lives. This is the ideal time to open up about issues you encounter on a daily basis. There is no doubt, some public schools and workplaces have some of the most stressful environments. Movie time can help you and your children cope better at school and work. You can also utilize movie time to strategize summer vacations, neighborhood get-togethers, and church garage sales. There is no end to the possibilities when your home features an onsite movie theater. Get started by reading the content provided in the article below.

Choose A Location

Location is key to achieving a successful onsite movie theater. When it comes to choosing a location for your onsite theater, discreteness and quietness are everything. Without these two qualities, your new movie theater will become an internal interference for your family. Watching movies will not be possible because the external noise will overpower the sound while bright sunlight will render the screen unintelligible. 

Most home theaters are located in the basement while others are in a wing off the family room or den. Whatever the case may be, location is key to achieving a quiet, isolated, and peaceful environment for your onsite movie theater.

Creating A Quiet Environment

With the location out of the way, it is time to start framing in the area. This is basically a process that entails building a shell for the onsite movie theater. Experts recommend 2x4s spaced at least 16 inches apart. Once the shell is completed, it will be time to start focusing on the insulation. Why is insulation so important for an onsite theater? Insulation plays a major role in keeping external noises out and internal noises in. Basically, the insulation partially seals the movie sounds inside the theater. In addition to sealing in movie sounds, insulation also keeps external sounds out of the theater.

In addition to R30 insulation, you must utilize a sound barrier. Before the sound barrier insulation, you must complete the electrical wiring. For homeowners with little to no electrical wiring experience, hiring a licensed electrician is highly recommended. 

While the electrician is installing the wiring, you can focus on the sound barrier. You can also utilize this time to สมัครสล็อตเว็บตรง. Who knows, you may win some extra cash to apply your onsite movie theater project. 

The primary purpose of the sound barrier is to absorb the movie sounds to keep them retained inside the theater. Experts recommend a combination of zero-sound drywall and sound barrier wall panels. Sound barriers are available in wood, plastic, masonry, steel, and vinyl. You can also add carpet and drapes to absorb the movie sounds as well.

Sound Creation

A theater would not be a theater without a high-quality surround sound system. There is a broad selection of surround sound systems on the market. So, consumers do not need to be concerned about breaking the bank. 

A surround sound system will distribute the sounds of the movie evenly throughout the movie theater. The home entertainment package includes seven separate channel speakers and a subwoofer. The channel speakers need to be installed evenly across the theater. Measure out the interior area and divide by seven to find the right placement for each channel speaker. If the speakers are not installed appropriately, the movie sounds will be distributed unevenly across the room. In other words, the movie sounds will be louder or quieter in some areas of the movie theater than others.

The surround sound system comes with a step-by-step installation guide. If you encounter any issues during the installation process, you can contact the manufacturer. If any electrical issues are noted, do not hesitate to contact the electrician responsible for the initial electrical wiring installation. 

To prevent the hub from becoming an eyesore for your movie theater, it is recommended to install inside of a cabinet or closet. Just make sure it is not visible to visitors. 

Bring Your Movies To Life

Now, you need to focus on the movie projector and screen. These components must be premium-quality to deliver maximum visibility across the theater. Only consider brands that will allow you to replicate the real movie experience.

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Pink Force Commando (1982) Review

"Pink Force Commando" Theatrical Poster

“Pink Force Commando” Theatrical Poster

Director: Chu Yen Ping 
Cast: Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia, Elsa Yang Hui-Shan, Sally Yeh Chian-Wen, Hilda Liu Hao-Yi, Blacky Ko Shou-Liang, Alan Liu Te-Kai, Hsu Pu-Liao, Sylvia Peng Hsueh-Fen, Teresa Tsui Jun-Jun, Wang Kuan-Hsiung, Yu Kam-Po
Running Time: 87 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

I may well have swindled myself by watching Pink Force Commando. At the time of writing I’m in the latter stages of a 12-month detox from madcap Taiwanese director Chu Yen-Ping, having had what we’ll call a ‘bad experience’ with King Swindler last year. So when the opportunity to check out a couple of Taiwan’s all-star female ensemble pieces from 1982 – Golden Queen’s Commandos and Pink Force Commando – upon seeing Yen-Ping’s name at the helm of the former, Pink Force Commando it was. According to the Hong Kong Movie Database, Pink Force Commando was the directorial debut by one of Golden Queen’s Commandos writers – Fu Li – however upon digging a little deeper, other sources such as hkcinemagic (and IMDB, but when it comes to Asian cinema, they hardly have a reputation for being reliable) list Yen-Ping as the director. Did I just unintentionally finish my detox early? It’s possible I’ll never know.

Either way, Pink Force Commando brought the 7 leading ladies of their earlier jaunt back together, some of them playing the same role as they did in Golden Queen’s Commandos, others playing different characters. What they do have in common is that the ladies are once more playing a group of bandidas – we get the legendary Brigitte Lin (Handsome Siblings, Deadful Melody), here still very much known as a dramatic actress in Taiwan, and a full 10 years away from her late career roles in various Hong Kong new wave wuxias. She plays the leader of the group, and is joined by Cantopop star Sally Yeh (I Love Maria, The Killer) clocking in only her 3rd screen appearance, returning as the Continue reading

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Ways to Watch Movies Online With Friends

Can’t watch movies together because everyone has their place or no time? The movie streaming service Netflix has solved this problem for us. Now you can stream movies from your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, PC, Android device, and smart TVs. The following is a list of the ways to watch films online with friends.

Netflix

The most popular option that we listed above, you will need an active subscription to use their service. If you are new to Netflix, there is also a free trial version available. You just have to go to www.netflix.com/en_US/free-trial to get started. Once logged into the service, click “Watch Instantly” to start watching movies instantly or “Try It Free” to try it out for 7 days without any fees.

Hulu 

Hulu provides more than 20 million hours of online pokies australia  content over its website and mobile apps. With Hulu for movies, users can enjoy a wide range of movies via various devices such as iPhones, iPads, Macs, PCs, Roku Players, Amazon Fire TVs etc. Some of the best films like Avengers: Endgame, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Jurassic World, Thor Ragnarok, Toy Story 4, and many more are all up for streaming on this site.

Amazon Prime Video

If you love binge-watching classic movies like Mad Max, Blade Runner, Alien, Star Wars, Terminator, The Matrix, Predator, and many more, then Amazon Prime video is worth adding to your favorites. This one is perfect if you love documentaries too. There are plenty of them here so that you don’t feel cheated when you choose to spend quality time with your favorite people by watching these things.Did you know you can now see sports betting results on amazon prime too.

Conclusion

Whether your family members live far away or you simply want to share some special moments with someone who doesn’t live near you anymore but remains close to your heart, streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Youtube, and others let you do exactly that. However, the key thing you should remember is to be sure to choose the right ones based on your needs, price point, preferences, and much more.

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What does one need to become the best movie producer

Can you name the latest blockbuster movies? If you guessed Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars, then congratulations, you got it right! Both these franchises have earned billions at the box office. And their success has inspired filmmakers around the world to create similar stories. Today, Hollywood churns out blockbusters almost every week. In order to produce such huge hits, some serious creativity is needed. Let’s see in the article what one needs to become the best movie producer.

 A creative mind:

 The first and most important requirement for a good movie producer is that they should be creative top casino games online players. An artist can never do justice to his creation if he does not have an artistic sense of aesthetics. Similarly, a film director cannot bring any magic into the story without having the ability to think creatively so as to make the viewer feel emotionally attached to the characters in the movie. This is where an individual with a flair for art falls short. Therefore, a person who wants to become a successful moviemaker must undergo training from experts in various fields like art and design. They will help them understand the nuances of designing something aesthetically beautiful as well as help them explore new things in the field of filmmaking.

 Self-motivation:

 Even after all this preparation, the maker still faces problems related to motivation. It doesn’t matter how talented he might be; without motivation, nothing can happen. If someone really wants to become a great moviemaker, he must learn to persevere through failures and setbacks because failure brings success faster than anything else. Being discouraged by constant failures only makes him lose his enthusiasm and energy for filmmaking. It takes tons of guts to start up a business venture but even more courage to face difficulties head-on. With time and experience comes patience which gives way to persistence which eventually leads to success. Everyone starts off as a beginner but those who are willing to try again and again till they succeed inspire others and win over audiences.

 Passion:

 If you want your dream to come true, you need to work hard and keep trying. However, there is no point in working blindly towards your goals. You also need to be passionate about your chosen path otherwise it becomes difficult for you to push yourself further. Moreover, when you’re involved in cinema production, passion plays a key role. If you’re passionate about something, then everything seems simple to you. But if you don’t possess any degree of passion, then it would surely seem like an uphill task for you. Without passion, you won’t find much joy on the sets and eventually, you’ll quit. So, before you get ahead in your career, you need to develop a strong bond with your work.

In conclusion, acquiring these qualities isn’t easy and becoming a renowned filmmaker is definitely not a cakewalk. It may take years of hard work, dedication and patience but only a handful of people achieve stardom. We hope our video will give you some inspiration or at least encourage you to follow your dreams. Also, do not forget to research more on how to become the real money casino gambler.

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Andy Lau to play a fading Hong Kong movie star in Ning Hao’s upcoming comedy ‘Something About Us’

"Something About Us" Teaser Poster

“Something About Us” Teaser Poster

Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau (Shock Wave 2, Walk on Fire) is taking a page out of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 2008 critically-acclaimed oddity JCVD, where Van Damme – sorta as himself – plays a fallen action star whose career is headed nowhere, only to find himself in the middle of a post office heist.

Andy Lau’s upcoming film, titled Something About Us, is directed by Ning Hao (My People, My Homeland). Contrary to the aforementioned JCVD, this one appears to be a little more light-hearted, as it centers on Andy Lau portraying a fading Hong Kong movie star, who decides to shoot a rural comedy in the deep Mainland countryside (via AFS).

Of course, in real life, Andy Lau’s star power is far from fading, as he has a list of upcoming, high-profile projects in the works, including the Jackie Continue reading

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The Worst Movie Fails Ever

Is there anything worse than watching a bad movie? We’ve compiled a list of some of the worst movies ever created and believe you’ll agree that these are truly awful. Some will make you laugh, some might give you nightmares, but they all have one thing in common: they failed spectacularly at what they were trying to do! We’ve listed them below by their running time. This is just our opinion and we’re sure there’s plenty more out there so let us know in the comments section if you think we missed something.

The Worst Movie Fails Ever

1. The Princess Diaries

Why it was terrible:- In this romantic comedy, Mia (Anne Hathaway) lives with her aunt Vanessa (Helen Hunt). When she gets engaged to Prince Stefan (Jason Segel), he’s shocked when his new fiancee turns out to be a woman. After learning about this shocking truth, Mia decides to take matters into her own hands… which leads to lots of problems.

2. Super Troopers 2

Why it was terrible:- The sequel to the 2001 cult hit “Super Troopers”. Our favorite cops must save the world from aliens after UFO land on top of a highway, the President is abducted and the first alien seen has to wear glasses online mobile casinos! A fun comedy from start to finish, but did it deserve such an atrocious rating?

3. Alien Autopsy

Why it was terrible:- It was almost as if Ridley Scott had lost interest in making Alien films after Prometheus disappointed meilleur jeux casino plays, because he came back with Alien: autopsy. Fans didn’t want him telling any more stories about Ripley or Newt, they wanted another movie like Prometheus! Unfortunately for them, this wasn’t it. The director tries to explain away the plot holes of the previous film, by saying it was just a dream, but you don’t need to watch the original to work that out. 

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What are the elements of horror

Can you imagine a place where you are going to be scared or nervous? This is quite possible because we live in a scary world today. From the moment we wake up in the morning, something terrible might happen. There is no escape from this kind of situation. Even at night, we cannot sleep well without worrying about the next day. When you hear these words – Horror movies scare me, just like some online gambling games – I wonder how would you react? Would you get excited about such things or become scared? Of course, we want to enjoy watching horror movies. However, we also have to understand that there are some elements of horror that we should never forget. Let’s see in the article below some of the elements of horror.

 Scary 

We all know what fear means and what it can do to us. You may not be scared when you watch a horror movie but you will still feel anxious. Horror movies make people feel like they are in danger. The main idea behind this element is to show your audience emotions and feelings with images.

 Unpleasant 

 Horror movies contain scenes where the characters were tortured with sharp objects or burned alive. They often feel very unpleasant for their audiences. As an example, you can think about movies such as Saw, Hostel, Maniac or Friday the 13th.

 Disturbing 

 In addition to the previous two elements, many horror movies also try to create some feeling of disturbance. For instance, a film can use gore effects by showing blood and other forms of violence such as killing. It is considered as one of the main aspects that makes horror films so disturbing. Many people love watching this type of movie because they feel more aroused and interested in this genre.

 Shocking

This term describes any type of event that gives the impression of being shocking. Although horror movies usually rely on some form of shock, they might differ significantly. Some movies try to shock us with unusual stories while others prefer to take us into unknown places.

In conclusion, although horror movies have all these elements, they are still imaged as the best and most entertaining movies. Have you ever tried online pokies Australia games? There is the best set of games that brings a joyful and relaxed mind to individuals.

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What to consider when making a Christmas movie

The holiday season is upon us, and that means everyone wants to spend time celebrating the spirit of giving. Whether you want to make a classic comedy or a heartwarming Christmas drama, Hollywood has plenty of ideas to inspire you. This article is here to give you a list of things you should consider when a Christmas movie.

Make it funny 

A Christmas movie can be serious, but if it doesn’t have some humour in there somewhere, then what is the point? You must use your imagination to come up with something original and fresh. There are so many ways a Christmas film can be made fun (and not just by putting Santa Claus in it), so don’t think about this as hard as you would a typical story.

Use real people

 It seems like everything we see these days is either an animated cartoon or a movie about superheroes. But sometimes it helps to take a step back from all the high-tech special effects and watch something more simple, and that may be what draws kids into a holiday movie. So why not include a few of the characters from TV shows or music videos who were popular during the end of year holidays? Think “Hey, Hey, It’s Ashlee Simpson!” instead of Spiderman. Did you know that online casino games Australia have real live dealers.

 Include the right amount of songs 

If you need more than one song for each character especial for online casino games, they probably aren’t going to be memorable enough. Some movies are too cheesy and forgettable because the songs are overplayed. Instead, try to choose three different songs for each character and only play them once throughout the entire movie. They will help put you in the mood at the beginning and keep you interested until the ending.

In conclusion, Christmas movies can be very entertaining whether they are based on a real-life story or created out of the mind of someone sitting around watching reruns of ‘The Brady Bunch’. When creating a new movie idea, you should always consider how it will affect other people and make sure that their expectations will be fulfilled.

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No Mercy (2019) Review

"No Mercy" Korean Theatrical Poster

“No Mercy” Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Im Kyung-Taek
Cast: Lee Si-Young, Park Se-Wan, Lee Joon-Hyuk, Choi Jin-Ho, Lee Hyeong-Cheol, Kim Won-Hae, Kwak Min-Suk, Kim Ki-Moo, Yoon Song-A, An Se-Ha
Running Time: 92 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

Not to be confused with the 2010 movie of the same name starring Sol Kyung-gu and Ryoo Seong-bum, the 2019 No Mercy is a DTV action vehicle for amateur boxer turned actress Lee Si-young. The list of boxers who have turned to acting is a short one (and no, Mike Tyson doesn’t count), and female boxers even shorter, so Si-young’s talents have always offered up a unique proposition for any director willing to utilise them. The Korean film industry doesn’t have a particularly big market for action actresses though, and even when they do crank out an action-centric production with a female lead, it’s usually with an established star (Kim Ok-vin in The Villainess and Kim Hye-soo in A Special Lady for example). As a result Si-young has mostly found herself in comparatively conventional roles in flicks like The Divine Move and Descendants of Hong Gil-dong.

Thankfully after her scene stealing turn as a firefighter in the 2020 Netflix series Sweet Home, Si-young found herself in the spotlight, and audiences only had to look a year earlier to find a production that places her action talents front and centre. The world of Korean DTV action flicks is a decidedly low budget one, and ones starring a female lead are a rarity, with 2012’s Lady Furious being the only other that springs to mind, which was a vehicle for stuntwoman Jo Joo-hyun. However No Mercy feels most comparable to another entry in the Korean DTV action genre, in the form of 2011’s The Beast. While the plot involved the rather ridiculous scenario of Jung Suk-won’s characters sister being kidnapped to star in an online porno movie, No Mercy features a similar riff Continue reading

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