All posts by James Mudge »
Run and Kill (1993) Movie Review
“Run and Kill” is another Category III film from the prolific master of the genre, Billy Tang (“Red to Kill”, “Dr. Lamb”). Given the trashy DVD cover and the rating, prospective viewers would be...
Read More »There is a Secret in my Soup (2001) Movie Review
The U.S. box office has borne witness to a number of head to head battles between films about giant meteors, Robin Hood, and even crime solving dogs. However, Hollywood has never seen a contest...
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Dead Man’s Shoes (2004) Movie Review
“Dead Man’s Shoes” has been playing at various international festivals, and has been described as revitalizing the slasher film in much the same way that “28 Days Later” recently did to the zombie genre....
Read More »Naked Poison (2000) Movie Review
If you ignore the lurid pictures of naked women covered with snakes and spiders on the box, “Naked Poison” may initially seem to be a Hong Kong variant on the Hollywood bad taste sex...
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Chaos (1999) Movie Review
Hideo Nakata, best known for the genre defining Japanese horror “Ringu”, has finally given in to the persuasive lure of Hollywood, signing up for the sequel to the remake of his original film. Time...
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Cannibal Holocaust (1980) Movie Review
With all the recent hype and furor surrounding Asian gore films such as “Ichi the Killer” and more extreme fare like the “Guinea Pig” series, it’s sometimes easy to forget the wave of splatter...
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Kakashi (2001) Movie Review
Like “Uzumaki”, “Kakashi” is based upon a manga by Japanese artist Ito Junji. There are actually a number of similarities between the two films, as both are set in small rural towns in the...
Read More »Red to Kill (1997) Movie Review
“Red to Kill” is possibly the most infamous Hong Kong Category III film of all, and is a journey to the darkest, sleaziest recesses of exploitation cinema. Even compared to its deranged peers, it...
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Tomie (1999) Movie Review
“Tomie” is based on a Japanese manga by popular artist Ito Junji, who was also responsible for the material that inspired the films “Kakashi” and “Uzumaki”. For those unfamiliar with Junji’s work, the film...
Read More »Chinese Torture Chamber (1995) Movie Review
“Chinese Torture Chamber” is a Category III film that stands out, not only as one of the genre’s most popular, but also as a genuine mainstream box office hit in its native Hong Kong....
Read More »Save the Green Planet! (2003) Movie Review
Despite being a box office flop in its native Korea, “Save the Green Planet” has been enjoying a great deal of success at international film festivals. Apparently the reason behind the film’s initial commercial...
Read More »Nightmare Beach (aka Welcome to Spring Break, 1988) Movie Review
Although “Nightmare Beach” is credited to director Harry Kirkpatrick, a quick bit of investigation soon reveals that it is in fact the work of our old Italian friend Umberto Lenzi. For the uninitiated, this...
Read More »Suburb Murder (1992) Movie Review
Category III films are often dismissed by mainstream movie lovers as being mindless, tacky and distasteful, existing solely for dubious titillation. Although there is a fair bit of truth to this statement, the genre...
Read More »The Eternal Evil of Asia (1995) Movie Review
It’s kind of hard not to love a film with a title as lurid as this, or which starts off with an unconnected prologue detailing a series of black magic practices that are apparently...
Read More »The Nest (1988) Movie Review
The very fact that “The Nest” is about cockroaches is probably enough to put off some viewers. If you are at all phobic about the thought of shiny, clicking insects swarming around your feet,...
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The Bird People in China (1998) Movie Review
Takashi Miike is best known for chaotic films of extreme violence and hyper kinetic camera work such as “Ichi the Killer” and “Dead or Alive”. However, given that he regularly churns out several films...
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Lady Snowblood (1973) Movie Review
“Lady Snowblood” was, until the recent “Kill Bill” by Tarantino, a relatively obscure 1973 female samurai revenge film. However, since the inclusion of the songs “Flower of Carnage” and “Urami-Bushi” (both sung by lead...
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Naked Blood (1995) Movie Review
Nobody does existential sadism quite like the Japanese. This sounds like quite an odd and probably unflattering cultural generalization, but the list of films mixing extreme gore and transgressive philosophy that come from the...
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A Snake of June (2004) Movie Review
Shinya Tsukamoto is one of the most interesting and challenging director/writer/actor working in world cinema today. Best known for his cyberpunk “Tetsuo” films, he is a man truly dedicated to his vision, and is...
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