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Jakarta (2000) Movie Review
Cho Sin Jung’s “Jakarta” is a good way to spend 90 minutes — that is, if one has 90 minutes to waste. It’s the kind of movie that requires an audience to, as the...
Read More »H (2002) Movie Review
The secret to a successful thriller is simple: an involving storyline for the audience to be sucked in by and involving characters to take the audience through that story. Mood and atmosphere will only...
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Godzilla, Uncut Version (1954) Movie Review
Before this year, few American viewers had ever seen the original, undiluted version of “Godzilla”. Thankfully, Rialto Pictures has taken it upon themselves to change that with their release of the Japanese cut of...
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Crazy Marriage (2002) Movie Review
Apparently being a part-time college professor in South Korea is not nearly as prestigious as you would think. The main character in Ha Yu’s “Crazy Marriage” (aka “Marriage is a Crazy Thing”) is Joon-young...
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Sky High (2003) Movie Review
Don’t you just hate it when you’re about to get married and a serial killer and his evil assistant crashes the party and literally rips out your heart? That’s what happens to our heroine...
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Sabu (2002) Movie Review
Apparently Takashi Miike is capable of more than just throwing gobs and gobs of blood, bodyparts, S&M, and the senseless brutalizing of women at the screen. Go figure. “Sabu” is absolutely nothing one would...
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The Bodyguard (2004) Movie Review
Apparently writer/director/star Mum Jokmok thought the only way to follow up on the success of “Ong Bak” was to make a film completely unlike it. The result: an unrestrained action/comedy embolden by a big...
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Jan Dara (2001) Movie Review
As the Thailand movie Jan Dara opens, a note from director Nonzee Nimibutr cautions the viewer that the movie they are about to see is not to be taken seriously, that it’s not meant...
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Full Metal Yakuza (1997) Movie Review
Takashi Miike is a name I go out of my way to avoid. He joins Chris Tucker, Martin Lawrence, Kate Hudson, and Drew Barrymore as people whose movies I do not care for. After...
Read More »Ring Virus (1999) Movie Review
Fans of the Naomi Watts horror film “The Ring” may be surprise to learn that the US remake wasn’t the first attempt at redoing the story. It was remade in South Korea in 1999,...
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Mr. Handy (aka Mr. Hong, 2004) Movie Review
If you’ve seen your share of South Korean comedies in the last few years, you might be wondering if the industry has stopped making adult comedies altogether. With the likes of “Sex is Zero”...
Read More »Bloody Beach (2000) Movie Review
If you were wondering if director In Soo Kim and his five writers (count’em, five) patterned their Teen Slasher “Bloody Beach” after their American counterparts, all you need to do is watch what happens...
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Mezzo Forte (2001) Movie Review
Except for two explicit sex scenes that have no real relevance with the narrative, Yasuomi Umetsu’s “Mezzo Forte” might just be the best action-comedy anime I’ve seen in a while. It’s certainly better than...
Read More »The Record (2000) Movie Review
It’s been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s the case, then the makers of “The Record” must adore “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. But while the South...
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Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2003) Movie Review
The Japanese “Juon” series seems to function under the motto: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. From what I’ve read of the franchise (there are four so far), there seems to be no...
Read More »Spirit of Jeet Keun Do (aka Once Upon a Time in High School, 2004) Movie Review
I must confess that in middle school I got into too many fights and in high school I spent most of my time sleeping in class or reading the history of Jesse James and...
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Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999) Movie Review
While the second part of the Gamera trilogy was a rather disappointing effort, the series bounces back with a spectacular finale. In the three years that passed between movies, the filmmakers have corrected the...
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Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996) Movie Review
When “Gamera: Guardian of the Universe”, Gamera’s 1995 comeback, proved to be a critical and commercial hit, the Daiei Company wasted no time in bringing back director Shusuke Kaneko and writer Kazunori Ito for...
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Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) Movie Review
Before “Gamera: Guardian of the Universe”, Gamera was a pathetic Godzilla knockoff, starring in several films during the 60′s and 70′s. His movies were cheaply made and primarily aimed at young children with very...
Read More »Live or Die (2003) Movie Review
Anyone looking for an excellent reason to die young should immediately rush out and buy this waste of a DVD. Although billed as an action/comedy, is has little action and the only laughs are...
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