Kate (2021) Review

"Kate" Netflix Poster

“Kate” Netflix Poster

Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Miku Martineau, Woody Harrelson, Jun Kunimura, Tadanobu Asano, Michiel Huisman, Miyavi, Gemma Brooke Allen
Running Time: 106 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The Netflix action flick template is a fairly predictable one at this point – take one adult character with the ability to cause plentiful grievous bodily harm. Make them a tortured soul due to some generic trauma that happened in the past, have them reluctantly team up with a much younger character, and insert a straightforward plot that allows for an action scene to never be too far away. We’ve had Chris Hemsworth play a tortured mercenary reluctantly teamed up with the son of a drug lord he’s been paid to protect in Extraction. Boxes ticked. We’ve also had Jason Momoa play a grieving father reluctantly teamed up with his daughter to take out the big pharma CEO he holds responsible for his wife’s death in Sweet Girl. All boxes ticked accordingly. Next out of the ranks is Kate, which sees Mary Elizabeth Winstead play a world-weary assassin reluctantly teamed up with the daughter of one of her hits. Once more, all boxes ticked!

Needless to say that for those who clock into movies hoping for a shred of originality, Kate isn’t going to be the movie for you. The sophomore feature length production of director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, who primarily worked as a visual effects artist before debuting with the sequel The Huntsman: Winter’s War in 2016 (notably he was the visual effects supervisor on the first one with 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman), Kate takes place in a hyper stylised version of Japan. Opening in Osaka, we meet Winstead as the titular Kate is about to take out a yakuza boss. When it’s revealed his daughter is also with him though, it breaches the assassins code to never go through Continue reading

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The Emperor’s Sword | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

The Emperor's Sword | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

The Emperor’s Sword | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: November 9, 2021

On November 9, 2021, Well Go USA is releasing the Blu-ray & DVD for The Emperor’s Sword. This period swordplay actioner is directed by Zhang Yingli (Thunder Chase) and stars Yilin Hao (Long quan xiao zi), Feng-bin Mou (Young Ip Man: Crisis Time) and Qiyu Yang (God of War).

During a time of peace, a deadly sword that bestows great power upon its wielder was divided and hidden. After the emperor dies, a deranged rebel seizes power and stages a massacre during his search for the blade, leaving only one survivor. Now, the young daughter of a great general is all that stands between a tyrant and his quest for domination.

If you can’t wait for the Blu-ray release, Hi-YAH!, Well Go USA’s very own Asian/martial arts streaming channel, currently has the film Continue reading

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Face Behind the Mask, The (1977) Review

"The Face Behind the Mask" Promotional

“The Face Behind the Mask” Promotional

Director: Chan Chi Hwa
Cast: Hsu Feng, Yueh Hua, Lo Lieh, Woo Kei, Go Ming, Jade Hsu Git, Miu Tin, Sit Hon, Lee Man Tai, Au Lap Bo, Chan Sam Lam, Cheung Chung Kwai
Running Time: 90 min. 

By Martin Sandison

During the mid-noughties the DVD market in Europe was still pretty strong, and at this time the irrepressible number one old school kung fu movie expert Toby Russell set up his Rarescope label. I bought a few at the time, and have bought others as the years have gone on. Titles like Showdown at the Cotton Mill and Along Comes the Tiger were unreleased at the time on DVD, and Toby managed to track down 35mm prints of these rare, brilliant old movies. The releases also shed light on a genre which I’ve become enamoured with recently: Taiwanese wuxia. Not long ago a friend recommended Love and Sword, and soon after I purchased it 2nd hand. The picture immediately went into my Top 5 Wuxia of all time, and I was hungry for more. Fortunately the genre thrived in the late 70s and early 80s, with great offerings such as Jade Dagger Ninja and A Sword Named Revenge readily available. One that I picked up at the time, watched and quite liked, and did not pick up again until wanting to write this review, is The Face Behind the Mask. Made in ‘77, it provides a bridge between the old ways of wuxia choreography and the upcoming more flashy, stylised and fast-edited new ways, epitomised by Love and Sword.

The Face Behind the Mask opens with three martial disciples Hsiao Meng Fei (Yueh Hua, Come Drink with Me), Chi Mu Tan (Hsu Feng, Dragon Gate Inn) and Leng Yen Ching (Lo Lieh, King Boxer) eliminating feared fighters of the martial world, at the behest of their Master Chi Tien Wei (Hu Chi, Naval Commandos). They now rule under the name The First Family. Soon things go awry and it becomes apparent there is a spy in their midst who wishes to usurp Master Chi. Many fights later the masked villain must be revealed. Continue reading

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Prisoners of the Ghostland | 4K UHD Blu-ray & DVD (Image)

Prisoners of the Ghostland | 4K Blu-ray (Image)

Prisoners of the Ghostland SteelBook | 4K Blu-ray (Image)

RELEASE DATE: November 16, 2021

Director Sion Sono (TagWhy Don’t You Play in Hell?, Love Exposure), “the most subversive filmmaker working in Japanese cinema today,” unleashes the Blu-ray (also available on DVD, as well as a SteelBook version) for his English-language debut with Prisoners of the Ghostland, starring Nicolas Cage (Outcast, Rage, Face/Off).

Prisoners of the Ghostland (read our review), is set in the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town where a ruthless bank robber (Cage) is sprung from jail by wealthy warlord The Governor, whose adopted granddaughter Bernice has gone missing. The Governor offers the prisoner his freedom in exchange for retrieving the runaway. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within three days, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman—and his own path to redemption.

The film also stars Sofia Continue reading

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Interesting Films Worth a Watch 

A lot of people will agree that the worst part of any movie night is figuring out what film you’re going to watch. It can be a challenging decision, especially since, thanks to streaming platforms, there are more than plenty of choices for every category – romance, thriller, horror, and anything else. So, to put it in a nutshell, finding the right film can be a pian. Fortunately, we have done extensive research for you and reviewed four interesting films worthy of your time. 

Casablanca 

Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is an American that owns a popular nightclub and a casino that attracts interesting characters in Casablanca. One of them is his long-lost love Ilsa Lund played by Ingrid Bergman. She pleads with Rick to help her, as Ilsa and her current husband, Victor Laszlo, are running from the Nazis. This is a highly acclaimed classic that has only grown into popularity in the next decades, so make sure to add it to your list.  

Fortunately, today gambling is much easier as you can choose from an abundance of online gambling sites, including betting sites like NetBet. You can place your bet on sports like football, basketball, boxing and many other sports. Otherwise, there are many betting options as well as the sites that are fully optimised for mobile devices 

Parasite   

This is an award-winning film which is centred around the poor family The Kims that do various scams in order to survive but the best one yet is infiltrating the life of rich Park family. First, the son poses as an English tutor for the Park family, but soon, the entire family uses fake qualifications to work as part of the help. However, there is one secret in the basement that can ruin their scam.   

Catch Me If You Can  

This is one of the best films by Steven Spielberg, and it is based on a real story about a convicted con man that is constantly on the run from the law but manages to lead comfortable life things to his wits and forged checks. Frank Abagnale Jr, played by Leandro DiCaprio, runs away from home after his parent’s divorce and works as a lawyer, pilot, and even a doctor without any appropriate qualifications. 

His adventures eventually attracted the attention of the FBI inspector Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), which threatens to ruin his life and put him behind bars. This film is a masterpiece that was nominated for an academy award which is another reason why you should watch it. 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail 

Even though it was filmed in the 70s, Monty Python and the Holy Grail represents one of the classic British comedies that was even dubbed as the best comedy of our time. The film is centred around the quest for the Holy Grail, which is led by King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his knights. But, then they fall into a lot of trouble when king Arthur got framed for a murder. The absurd quest, memorable scenes, and jokes make this film is one of the reasons why Monty Python stands the test of time.  

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Watch the Trailer for Erik Matti’s ‘On the Job 2: The Missing 8’

"On the Job 2: The Missing 8" Theatrical Poster

“On the Job 2: The Missing 8” Theatrical Poster

Filipino action filmmaker Erik Matti (BuyBust) is back with On the Job 2: The Missing 8, the “by name-only” sequel to his hit 2013 thriller, On the Job.

The film stars John Arcilla (The Bourne Legacy), Dennis Trillo (Shake, Rattle and Roll 14: The Invasion), Dante Rivero (Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story), Lotlot de Leon (Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles) and Christopher de Leon (Smaller and Smaller Circles).

On the Job 2: The Missing 8 focuses on corruption and media censorship now that a new strongman, Duterte, is in power in the Philippines.

The 2013 film – starring Piolo Pascual (Don’t Give Up on Us), Gerald Anderson Continue reading

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Satin Steel (1994) Review

"Satin Steel" DVD Cover

“Satin Steel” DVD Cover

Director: Tony Leung Siu-Hung
Cast: Jade Leung Ching, Anita Lee Yuen Wah, Russell Wong, Kenneth Chan Kai Tai, Wong Kwan-Hong, Kong Miu-Deng, Wan Seung-Lam
Running Time: 85 min.

By Paul Bramhall

After debuting as a Hong Kong version of La Femme Nikita in 1991’s Black Cat and its sequel the following year, model turned action actress Jade Leung would next star in 1994’s Satin Steel. Made at a time when the short lived Girls with Guns genre was already beginning to fizzle out, Leung is notable for making an impression on the genre not only because she entered it during its dying days (compared to her contemporaries like Takajo Fujimi, who today is largely forgotten about), but also for lacking a martial arts background. The fact that she’s still fondly remembered is likely down to her model looks, but equally so the fact that she was always game for performing her own stunts, with the hair raising scenarios she was willing to throw herself into making up for her lack of fighting prowess.

It’s this fact that also allowed fans of the genre to turn a blind eye to the low budget of most movies she’d star in after her Black Cat double whammy, with Satin Steel already sporting decidedly lower production values (notably in 1998 she ended up in the Philippines, the home of low budget HK filmmaking, which saw her star alongside fellow Girls with Guns luminary Yukari Oshima in Leopard Hunting). Despite the low budget though, Satin Steel offered the opportunity to work with the legendary Tony Leung Siu-Hung. The younger brother of Bruce Liang, after acting in and choreographing over 40 movies since the early 70’s, Siu-Hung tired his hand at directing Continue reading

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3 Awesome Supernatural TV Shows

The streaming platforms have popularised many different TV shows and genres. In terms of supernatural TV shows that combine elements of fantasy or science fiction with our modern environment, they are definitely some of the most popular TV shows on streaming platforms. So, if you’re looking to watch a fantastic supernatural TV show, this article will provide an overview of three awesome supernatural TV shows that have a top-billed cast and unique stories.

House of Ghosts 

The cast of Horrible Histories has been relocated to this amazing TV Show – House of Ghosts. They are all from different time periods stuck together in the same estate, while they live happily without any human interference. But, when the mansion is inherited by a young couple that wants to turn the mansion into a hotel, the invisible inhabitants are forced to make a plan how to kill the owners or haunt the mansion until they leave.

However, they are not very skilled and at haunting, and their mission to kill the owners goes awry when the new owner Alison Cooper has an accident that enables her to see and hear the ghosts. Needless to say, this complicates their plans, and a lot of hilarious misadventures ensue.

Supernatural 

Dean and Sam follow the mission of his father to eliminate the earth from supernatural entities like ghosts, demons and other monsters. This is an award-winning TV show that has over five seasons, and it’s definitely worth your time. There is also an interesting episode when Dean and Sam are visiting Las Vegas and want to try their luck with table casino games, but unfortunately, a weird man is following Dean and one ancient Japanese coin threatens to ruin his luck.

If you also want to try your luck with great casino games, then you can register on a reliable casino site like NetBet casino and access a rich library with hundreds of top titles. So, not only you can play slots, but you can also play live casino games with a real dealer or also try your luck with poker, craps, blackjack, baccarat, and many other table casino games. Another advantage is that the games are mobile-friendly and well-designed for mobile gaming. Hence you can play on the move whenever you want.

What We Do in the Shadows  

This is a hilarious TV show that follows an original concept. The unique story follows the lives of four very different vampires – Laszlo, Nandor, Colin Robinson and Nadja that are living together and are really finding it difficult to adapt their daily lives to our modern society.

The mockumentary TV Show is even better because the characters confess their problems and sinister plans directly to the camera. But, the main conflict of the show comes from Guillermo, a familiar that is working basically as a slave in order to fulfil the desires of his master and become a vampire in the future.

However, he secretly becomes a vampire slayer and tries to keep his identity hidden from the rest of the group. The show is equally gruesome as the vampires keep killing humans for blood as it is funny because they are still flawed characters that have many common daily problems.

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Black Cat (1991) Review

"Black Cat" Theatrical Poster

“Black Cat” Theatrical Poster

Director: Stephen Shin
Cast: Jade Leung Ching, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Thomas Lam Cho Fai, Louis Roth, Gregory Charles Rivers, Lauro Chartrand, Lee Diy-Yue, Tam Kon-Chung
Running Time: 91 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

Luc Besson’s 1990 action thriller La Femme Nikita has remained one of the most enduringly influential movies throughout the years. The action thriller, which saw Anne Parillaud’s presumed dead felon become a trained assassin for a secret government agency, has spawned its fair share of remakes. In 1992 Hollywood got in on the action with Point of No Return, which cast Bridget Fonda in the lead. From 1997 to 2001 we got a small screen adaption, with Peta Wilson stepping into the role of the titular La Femme Nikita for a US series that maintained the originals title and lasted 5 seasons. Close to a decade later the concept would be revisited again on the small screen, this time simply titled Nikita, which saw Maggie Q take on the role from 2010 to 2013 in another US series that made it to a 4th season. Before any of those though, Hong Kong was first out of the gates to remake the material, with 1991’s Black Cat.

The debut of model turned actress Jade Leung, Black Cat would be the role that defined her career, and one that she’d frequently return to. 1992 gave us Black Cat II, 2000 offered up Black Cat in Jail, and in 2003 we delved into The Black Cat Agent Files. When we first meet Leung she’s a lazy waitress working in a New York truck stop diner, and as Hong Kong cinema has a tendency to do, it doesn’t take long before things go from 0 to 60. After being harassed by a customer she finds herself being viciously thrown around thanks to conning him with the promise of a sexual Continue reading

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Here’s the movies that are streaming on Hi-YAH! for September

Hi-YAH!, Well Go USA’s very own Asian/martial arts streaming channel has just announced their New Release line up for the month of September, which includes a New film added to Hi-YAH! every Friday. Read on for the full list!

September 3 | Fearless Kung Fu King (Hi-YAH! Original) In order to establish himself in Jinmen, Huo Yuanjia challenges seven Kung Fu schools. The film is directed by Hei Zi and stars Hu Guofang, Wang Yabin and Zheng Zhongyu. Continue reading

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The Eight Hundred | Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)

The Eight Hundred | Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)

The Eight Hundred | Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)

RELEASE DATE: November 23, 2021

On November 23, 2021, Shout! Factory is releasing the Blu-ray & DVD for Guan Hu’s critically acclaimed historical war actioner The Eight Hundred.

The film stars Huang Zhizhong (The Founding of an Army), Zhang Junyi, Oho Ou (Legend of the Demon Cat), Jiang Wu (Shock Wave), Zhang Yi (Operation Red Sea), and Wang Qianyuan (Brotherhood of Blades).

From the highly acclaimed director of Mr. Six, Guan Hu, and producer Edward Cheng (Terminator: Dark Fate), comes the incredible true story of the outnumbered and under-equipped Chinese soldiers heroically defending the Sihang Warehouse from 20,000 members of the formidable Continue reading

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‘No Time to Die’ gets a Final Trailer, also Trailer for New Documentary ‘Being James Bond’ to stream on Apple TV

“No Time to Die” Theatrical Poster

“No Time to Die” Theatrical Poster

In No Time to Die, Bond – Daniel Craig, returning as 007 for the 5th and reportedly the last time – has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Directing is acclaimed filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective, Sin Nombre) off a screenplay credited to Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag creator, writer and star), Neal Purvis (Casino Royale) and Robert Wade (Spectre). Singing the theme song for No Time to Die is award-winning Continue reading

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Tech Changing how we Engage with Entertainment

The traditional moviegoing experience is one where we sit in the theatre, eating our popcorn and enjoying the ambience. To many, this is considered the be the purest form of movie viewing, to which nothing else could compare. Outside of theatres, we obviously also can watch from home. This has historically been regarded as a step down from theatres, but public opinion on this option is slowly changing. Taking this concept a step further is the ability to watch on phones. Often derided as inauthentic, this option nonetheless presents the favored option for some.

These different options raise some interesting questions on where we should draw the line. Is there a set level where entertainment becomes authentic or is there room enough for everyone? Using movies and online digital entertainment in bingo as examples, we want to explain why this world isn’t as black and white as we might initially think.

Complicated Growth

Online bingo today is one of the most popular forms of digital gambling. Take, for example, when users play jackpot games on Paddy Power Bingo, a popular online casino service. Here, variations on the game like the Gold and Green rooms give players considerable choice in prizes and buy-ins, while also illustrating a level of convenience that simply isn’t possible offline. At first, these systems were derided by traditionalists but, over time, their popularity has brought them to much-loved parts of the greater casino industry. In a nutshell, bingo has shown that changing the experience to better cater to new technology can be a good thing, for the right audience.

In movies, the same battle over purity has been waged for generations. As reported by The Verge, major industry names like David Lynch have taken up the torch against watching on mobiles, to varying levels of public support. Just like what happened with bingo traditionalists, it could be that people like Lynch might be too close to the industry to be objective.

Component Parts

Though it might not be fully plausible to break something as subjective as entertainment appreciation down to objective parts, there are at least elements that can be considered when taking a broader view. Take, for example, when people aren’t comfortable in movie seats, or when they don’t like being around crowds. In this case, a traditional movie-going experience is never going to be the best way for these people to engage.

On their TV at home, viewers could get far more comfortable, they could set the audio/visual settings as they want, and the experience would only be better for it. Taking this a step further, as we did with bingo, we could also extend this concept further into the mobile space.

What if somebody is short-sighted, and is only physically comfortable watching a close mobile screen? What if they use high-quality headphones, exceeding the audio quality possible in local theatres? What if they don’t have access to a larger screen in the first place, or simply prefer to watch on their phone for reasons they don’t fully understand themselves?

Looking at the possibilities for entertainment like bingo and movies in this light, the idea of traditionalism looks less like purity, and more like elitism. The simple fact of entertainment is that it’s nobody else’s business how you engage, and what avenues you find the most enjoyable, as noted by the NYTimes. There are no wrong answers, and artificially limiting your options in an age of superior choice is only going to hamper your experience. In other words, enjoy entertainment how you like, and you’ll never be wrong.

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Jackie Chan & Stanley Tong: Giving the People What They Want – A Retrospective

Jackie Chan & Stanley Tong: Giving the People What They Want – A RetrospectiveIt may come as a surprise, but the only director who’s worked with Jackie Chan more than Stanley Tong is Lo Wei. Of course the relationship between star and director is quite different. Chan cranked out 7 movies with Lo Wei at the helm in the 4 years spanning 1976 to 1979, starting with the intolerable New Fist of Fury and concluding with Dragon Fist, one of Chan’s best old-schoolers. It’s well known that Chan wasn’t happy being under contract to the Lo Wei Motion Picture Co., which is the complete opposite to the star’s relationship with Stanley Tong.

Lo Wei, Nora Miao and Jackie Chan on the set of 1976's New Fist of Fury.

Lo Wei, Nora Miao and Jackie Chan on the set of 1976’s New Fist of Fury.

To date the pair have worked in the capacity of star and director 6 times, however unlike Chan’s 4-year stint with Lo Wei, his collaborations with Tong to date have spanned a whopping 28 years. Sometimes leaving gaps of more than a decade between collaborations, the question of what keeps drawing Chan and Tong back together no matter how much time passes is an interesting one. With this feature, we decided to delve into their shared filmography to explore the theory that, whenever Continue reading

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Deal on Fire! Ip Man 4: The Finale | Blu-ray | Only $9.96 – Expires soon!

Ip Man 4: The Finale | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Ip Man 4: The Finale | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Ip Man 4: The Finale (read our review). The film sees the return of Donnie Yen (Chasing the Dragon) as the legendary martial arts figure, Ip Man.

Following the death of his wife, Ip Man travels to San Francisco to ease tensions between the local kung fu masters and his star student, Bruce Lee, while searching for a better future for his son.

Joining Yen this time around is Chris Collins (Paradox), Vanness Wu (Dragon Squad), Scott Adkins (The Debt Collector) and of course, Danny Chan Kwok-kwan (Ip Man 3) returns as Bruce Lee. Acclaimed action director Yuen Woo-ping (Ip Man 3) will be handling the film’s fight choreography Continue reading

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