Revenge: A Love Story (2010) Review

Posted on November 26, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"Revenge: A Love Story" Theatrical Poster

“Revenge: A Love Story” Theatrical Poster

Director: Wong Ching-Po
Cast: Juno Mak Jun Lung, Sora Aoi, Chin Siu Ho, Anthony Lau Wing, Ken Lo Hui Kwong, Tony Ho
Running Time: 111 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Most Hong Kong cinema fans hold a special place in their heart for the territories Cat III output that populated the 90’s. A heady concoction usually consisting of graphic violence, ample nudity, and a manic energy which made it impossible to take any of the 2 factors just mentioned seriously, it’s difficult to imagine such movies being made anywhere other than Hong Kong. While many fans (myself included) mourn those glory days when we took the likes of The Untold Story, Sex and Zen, Naked Killer, and Run and Kill for granted, that’s not to say the Cat III genre died out completely by the turn of the new millennium.

Sure, the Cat III label started to feel more innocuous than it did in the past, with movies like Election (and its sequel) being slapped with the rating more for the fact they were about triads than any over the top violence and nudity. However in 2010 we were gifted with what I believe are the last 2 Cat III flicks that both lived up to the expectations the rating was once associated with, and were genuinely entertaining (Herman Yau fanatics may cite 2017’s The Sleep Curse, but personally I found it an inconsistent effort). The first of those came in the form of Pang Ho-Cheung’s Dream Home, a blood splattered satire Continue reading →

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Netflix to release Takeshi Kitano biopic ‘Asakusa Kid’ in 2021

Posted on November 24, 2020 by JJ Bona
"Fireworks" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Fireworks” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director/actor/comedian Gekidan Hitori (A Bolt from the Blue) is set to direct and write Asakusa Kid, an upcoming biopic that follows the early years of the legendary, multi-talented Japanese celebrity Takeshi Kitano (Outrage Coda, Battle Royale, Hana-Bi).

Asakusa Kid will star Yagira Yuya (Gintama) as Kitano. Also starring is Oizumi Yo (I Am a Hero), who will play Fukami Senzaburo, a comedian who is also known as Kitano’s mentor. The film will be based on the memoir of the same name written by Kitano.

Since his early days of stand-up, Kitano has evolved and diversified. In the 1980s he became one of Japan’s most popular comedians, first as part of a duo called “Two Beats” (thus his “Beat Takeshi” stage name) and then as a solo act with routines that ranged from slapstick to insult humor. His acting career took off, including an appearance in Oshima Nagisa’s Continue reading →

Posted in News |

Max Cloud | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Posted on November 24, 2020 by JJ Bona
Max Cloud | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Max Cloud | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: January 19, 2021

Martial arts star Scott Adkins (Ip Man 4, Seized, The Debt Collector, Incoming) is taking a second trip to space in Well Go USA’s Max Cloud (aka The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud) a sci-fi actioner that hits VOD on December 18, 2020, then arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on January 19, 2021.

Directed by Martin Owens (Let’s Be Evil) and written by Sally Collet (Twist), Max Cloud centers on Sarah, a gamer who finds an “easter egg” and accidentally opens a portal into her favorite side-scroller. She then becomes trapped in a notorious intergalactic prison, home to the galaxy’s most dangerous villains. To escape, she must finish the game with a little help from her not-so-savvy friend on the outside…or remain a 16-bit character forever.

Adkins stars along with Tommy Continue reading →

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Martial Arts Titles, News |

Wu Jing may yet again go balls deep into sci-fi territory with ‘Ball Lightning’ from ‘The Wandering Earth’ author

Posted on November 24, 2020 by JJ Bona
"Ball Lightning" Novel Cover

“Ball Lightning” Novel Cover

Another live-action adaptation of Liu Cixin’s (writer of The Wandering Earth) sci-fi novel, titled Ball Lightning, is currently in-the-works from actor/writer/director Chen Sicheng, who is perhaps best known for the Detective Chinatown franchise.

The novel follows the experiences of a first-person protagonist, Chen, whose family was killed by a ball lightning while he was in high school. Both traumatized and inspired by that experience, he makes the investigation of ball lightning his life’s work, first getting his PhD in the subject, then exploring the phenomena through both applied and theoretical research. During the research, a military technology researcher Lin Yuan who wants to turn his science into a weapon and brings him in to a weapons development research team (via Wikipedia).

Martial arts star Wu Jing Continue reading →

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Port of Call: Director’s Cut (2015) Review

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"Port of Call" Theatrical Poster

“Port of Call” Theatrical Poster

Director: Philip Yung
Cast: Aaron Kwok, Elaine Jin, Patrick Tam, Jessie Li, Michael Ning, Jackie Cai, Maggie Shiu, Eddie Chan, Hatou Yeung, Ellen Li, Don Li, Ronny Yuen, Tam Ping-man
Running Time: 120 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Port of Call is something of an anomaly for the year in which it was made, being a Category III Hong Kong production which received no financing from the Mainland. The end product is one that will remind audiences familiar with the territories output just how much that distinctive Hong Kong atmosphere has been missed. Invoking a feeling though isn’t enough to make a good movie, but thankfully director Philip Yung’s third feature also happens to be an enthralling piece of cinema, equal parts murder mystery and character study.

Yung is one of a handful of new voices in the Hong Kong film industry, and with his output so far it’s become a voice that reflects the disenchantment of the territories youth, and the depths that such disenchantment can lead to. Much like how Fruit Chan’s Made in Hong Kong captured a certain moment in time for the youth of Hong Kong in 1997, so Yung’s features echo the same for the current times we’re living in. Both his debut and sophomore features, 2009’s Glamorous Youth and 2013’s May We Chat (notably also both Cat III), take place in the world of prostitution and compensated dating, and Continue reading →

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The ‘Storm’ stops for director David Lam with ‘The Tipping Point’

Posted on November 22, 2020 by JJ Bona
"The Tipping Point" Teaser Poster

“The Tipping Point” Teaser Poster

Veteran Hong Kong filmmaker David Lam (Street Angels) is finally putting a cork on his ever-growing crime franchise (2014’s Z-Storm, 2016’s S-Storm, 2018’s L-Storm, 2019’s P-Storm and this year’s G-Storm – all of which were produced consecutively) with The Tipping Point.

As you probably would have guessed, its plot bracket is within the crime/thriller territory. The upcoming film will star Qin Hailu (Tale of Three Cities), Julian Cheung (Extreme Crisis), Eric Tsang (Golden Job), Ray Lui (To Be Number One), Ng Man Tat (Shaolin Soccer), Xiao Yang (Detective Chinatown) and Shao Bing (The Sword And the Chess of Death).

Thanks to AFS, we have a look at the film’s first Poster, as well as a few Continue reading →

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One-Armed Swordsmen, The (1976) Review

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Ian Whittle
"The One-Armed Swordsmen" Theatrical Poster

“The One-Armed Swordsmen” Theatrical Poster

Director: Jimmy Wang Yu
Co-director: David Chiang
Cast: Jimmy Wang Yu, David Chiang, Lo Lieh, Chang Yi, Liu Meng Yan, Han Ying Chieh, Lung Fei
Running Time: 109 min. 

By Ian Whittle

Given Jimmy Wang Yu’s legendary bad behaviour on sets, and David Chiang’s long feud with Ti Lung, I’d love to have been on the set of this Wang/Chiang team-up, which they produced, directed and starred in.

The plot, written by Ku Lung, is a wacky “mystery” involving a mysterious one-armed man killing a policeman (Chang Yi). Naturally, since legendary one-armed swordsmen Fong Ping (Wang Yu) and Lei Lee (David Chiang) both show up in town, both ordering ludicrously enormous meals at the taverns, they are suspect – not helping matters is the fact that the only witness to the crime is an especially dumb kid! Lo Lieh, as Hua The Fox, is gloating and manipulating from the side-lines and gets most of the film’s best Continue reading →

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#Alive (2020) Review

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"#Alive" Theatrical Poster

“#Alive” Theatrical Poster

Director: Cho Il-hyeong
Cast: Yoo Ah-In, Park Shin-Hye, Jeon Bae-Su, Lee Hyun-Wook, Jin So-Yeon, Oh Hye-Won, Lee Chae-Kyung, Jeon Woon-Jong, Lee Kyu-Ho, Son Kyoung-Won
Running Time: 98 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Since 2016’s Train to Busan the zombie genre has continued to attract filmmakers in South Korea, eager to catch up on a genre that for many countries has been a mainstay of horror filmmaking since the 70’s. Whether it be zombies on a train, in a post-apocalyptic future (Peninsula), or in the ancient past (Rampant), there still seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank, so in 2020 we get the ‘zombies in an apartment’ take on the genre with #Alive.

The debut of director Cho Il-hyeong, #Alive gives us the 2nd ‘zombies in an apartment’ movie in as many years, with the 2019 Indonesian production Zeta: When the Dead Awaken following the same setup. Unlike its predecessor though, #Alive comes with the star power of leading man Yoo Ah-in, hot off headlining Lee Chang-dong’s Burning. We never learn that much about the character Ah-in in playing, beyond the fact that he enjoys online gaming, which is exactly what he’s doing when we’re first introduced. Home alone with his family at work, the gaming is disturbed when the online friends he’s interacting with start discussing the crazy news that’s breaking on TV. It turns out members of the public in parts of Seoul Continue reading →

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The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone | Blu-ray (Paramount)

Posted on November 17, 2020 by JJ Bona
The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone | Blu-ray (Paramount)

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone | Blu-ray (Paramount)

RELEASE DATE: December 8, 2020

On December 8, 2020, Paramount Home Media will release the Blu-ray for Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. The film is described as a re-working of The Godfather III, that has been re-edited with new scenes and re-arranged music cues.

Read the official details below:

Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is an acknowledgement of Mario’s and my preferred title and our original intentions for what became The Godfather: Part III,” said Coppola. “For this version of the finale, I created a new beginning and ending, and rearranged some scenes, shots, and music cues. With these changes and the restored footage and sound, to me, it is a more appropriate conclusion to The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II and I’m thankful to Jim Gianopulos and Paramount Continue reading →

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, News, Other Notable Titles |

Jiu Jitsu (2020) Review

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Martin Sandison
"Jiu-Jitsu" Teaser Poster

“Jiu-Jitsu” Teaser Poster

Director: Dimitri Logothetis
Cast: Alain Moussi, Frank Grillo, JuJu Chan, Tony Jaa, Nicolas Cage, Marie Avgeropoulos, Rick Yune, Marrese Crump, Eddie Steeples, Tommy Walker, Ryan Tarran
Running Time: 102 min.

By Martin Sandison

From the soaring glories of the most fun David Lynch movie Wild at Heart and John Woo’s exceptionally exciting Face/Off, to the doldrums of the hilariously bad Wicker Man remake, Nicolas Cage just keeps on keepin’ on. One genre that the OTT thespian had still to try his hand at is the martial arts film. Now it’s here, with the fantasy science fiction actioner Jiu Jitsu. Will the movie be up there with silly action greats like Con Air, or down in the gutter with Ghost Rider? The answer is – sort of – somewhere in between.

Jake (Alain Moussi, Kickboxer: Retaliation) escapes an attack from unseen forces in the Burmese jungle, only to whack his head on a rock, have amnesia and be discovered by the American military. Jake is rescued by his friends, and the leader of them, Wylie (Cage). It turns out something more sinister is afoot than Army tactics, and the group must face off against Continue reading →

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Vanguard (2020) Review

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"Vanguard" Theatrical Poster

“Vanguard” Theatrical Poster

Director: Stanley Tong
Cast: Jackie Chan, Jackson Lau Hok-Yin, Ai Lun, Yang Yang, Miya Muqi, Zhu Zhengting, Fady Zaky, Xu Ruo Han, Eyad Hourani, Brahim Achabbakhe, Tomer Oz
Running Time: 108 min.

By Paul Bramhall

After reuniting for Kung Fu Yoga, the 2017 promotional video focusing on China-India relations, the ageing action star and director pairing of Jackie Chan and Stanley Tong are back in 2020 with Vanguard! Of course Kung Fu Yoga wasn’t really a promotional video, as much as I wish it was, because that would mean I don’t have to acknowledge the existence of the most infuriatingly inane movie of Chan’s career. However Vanguard has reminded me of a reality I need to come to terms with, so after the double-whammy flops of The Myth and Kung Fu Yoga, I confess I was hoping it’d be third times a charm for Chan and Tong to strike gold in the post-millennium era.

The Vanguard being referred to is an elite agency of former military and security experts based in London, mostly comprising of courageous, morally self-righteous young Chinese agents, overseen by Chan as the agency’s CEO. The plot focuses on 3 of them, played by Yang Yang (Beginning of the Great Revival), Ai Lun (Meow), and Miya Muqi (Warriors of the Nation). In a way you have to feel sorry for Jackie Chan – his fans have been saying he should give the spotlight to a younger cast for years now, and this is exactly what Vanguard does, but then you also have an equally vocal part Continue reading →

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

Tony Leung Chiu-wai and former James Bond girl Olga Kurylenko go on a ‘Fox Hunt’ in this New Trailer

Posted on November 13, 2020 by JJ Bona
"Fox Hunt" Theatrical Poster

“Fox Hunt” Theatrical Poster

Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Bullet in the Head, Europe Raiders) and French actress/model Olga Kurylenko (former Bond girl from Quantum of Solace) are teaming up for Fox Hunt (aka The Hunting), an upcoming spy-thriller from director Leo Zhang, who is perhaps best-known for helming the 2017 Jackie Chan flick, Bleeding Steel.

Fox Hunt takes place in Paris and follows a pair of cops going up against an international money trafficking cartel (via Variety).

The film also stars Duan Yihong (Extraordinary Mission), José Garcia (The Take), Erica Xia-Hou (Bleeding Steel) and Olivier Rabourdin (Taken).

Fox Hunt is due for release January 2021. For now, don’t miss the film’s latest Continue reading →

Posted in News |

Flowers of War, The (2011) Review

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Jacob Walker
"Flowers of War" Theatrical Poster

“Flowers of War” Theatrical Poster

Director: Zhang Yimou
Writer: Liu Heng, Geling Yan
Cast: Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Zhang Xinyi, Tong Dawei, Atsuro Watabe, Shigeo Kobayashi, Cao Kefan
Running Time: 146 min.

By Jacob Walker

Zhang Yimou’s underrated war film; 2011’s The Flowers of War, provides a timely reminder that even though we are living through uncertain times, as a species we have experienced and survived much worse. Through urban warfare, the 20th century represented cruelty and killing on a scale not documented before, which is represented here by the Japanese occupation of Nanjing.

The film, based on the novel 13 Flowers of Nanjing by Geling Yan, transports the audience to 1937 Nanjing, during the second Sino-Japanese War. The city is already in ruins, as Japanese soldiers are fighting the remnants of the Chinese resistance and targeting civilians. We are introduced to John Miller (Christian Bale) whose status of being a white man and an outsider, is typified by him falling in a pit of flour. He is an American mortician who has been tasked with burying the priest of a Catholic convent. When he discovers there is no body to bury or money to compensate him, he is forced to stay with the children at the convent, guzzling wine, before sheltering Continue reading →

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The Head Hunter (1982) Review

Posted on November 11, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"The Head Hunter" Theatrical Poster

“The Head Hunter” Theatrical Poster

Director: Lau Shing-hon
Cast: Chow Yun Fat, Rosamund Kwan, Philip Chan Yan Kin, Flora Cheung Tien Oy, O Chun Hung, Tang Ching, Wan Chi Keung, Melvin Wong Gam San, Lo Wai
Running Time: 98 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The early 80’s was an exciting time for Hong Kong cinema, as the collective new blood of directorial talent began to reshape the cinematic landscape, and would produce a number of movies that would come to be known as part of the HK New Wave. This new wave saw a move away from the more traditional kung fu movies and dramas that still dominated the HK box office, and move towards more gritty and realistic crime flicks that dealt with a disenchanted youth and those struggling on the bottom rungs of society. Titles like Alex Cheung’s Cops and Robbers from 1979 (an influence on Police Story) and Tsui Hark’s Dangerous Encounter – 1st Kind from 1980 showed a different, more grounded approach to genre filmmaking, while still being distinctly Hong Kong in their look and feel.

Another director was Lau Shing-hon, who after debuting with the 1980 adult drama House of the Lute, followed up with his sophomore feature The Head Hunter in 1982. Shing-hon is one of those directors with a mysteriously sporadic career. After The Head Hunter he’d go onto direct Heroes Three the following year, and then would disappear completely, with the exception of helming a segment in the little-seen 2002 released omnibus film The Final Night of the Royal Hong Kong Police. While obscure Continue reading →

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Can this be South Korea’s answer to Tak Sakaguchi’s Re:Born? Watch the Trailer for ‘Special Agent’ and find out…

Posted on November 11, 2020 by JJ Bona
"Special Agent" Theatrical Poster

“Special Agent” Theatrical Poster

Stuntman-turned-director Shin Jae-myung (who worked on the action for Gangnam 1970) is getting ready to unleash his first film, Special Agent. The trailer for this upcoming actioner has just been released and begs the question: Has South Korea found its take on Tak Sakaguchi’s Re:Born?

Special Agent tells the story of Won-cheol (Lee Jae-yoon), an agent of the National Intelligence Service of the Republic of Korea, who is in charge of removing VIPs who participated in the operation of developing weapons of mass destruction in North Korea.

The film also stars Gong Jung-hwan (The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos), Kim Kang-il (Unalterable) and Jung Chang-hyun (The Mayor).

Special Agent is releasing domestically later this month. Don’t miss its Trailer Continue reading →

Posted in News |
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