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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...
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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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Ley Lines (1999) Movie Review
(Movie Review by Bill Paterson) Sad to say, I enjoyed this film the least of the three in the set. I probably shouldn’t take points off just because “Ley Lines” is a little less...
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Yomigaeri: Resurrection (2003) Movie Review
“Yomigaeri” isn’t a movie that tries to scare you; in fact, it does everything it can not to scare you. Despite its premise — dead people are mysteriously resurrected and returns to their loved...
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Godzilla vs Destroyer (1995) Movie Review
Toho Pictures decided that the 22nd Godzilla film would be the great monster’s swan song, although his retirement eventually proved to be a short one. Clever enough to tie the film to events from...
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Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla (1994) Movie Review
Probably the best thing about “Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla” is its title. It promises a terrific new monster, and it has a nice ring to it. Too bad the actual movie is an inept...
Read More »Spy Girl (2004) Movie Review
Although it opens with the main character doing his “business” in a bathroom stall, Han-chun Park’s “Spy Girl” is actually not another “Sex is Zero”. Oh sure, the film indulges in bathroom humor about...
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Aragami (2003) Movie Review
I must confess to being a bit disappointed by writer/director Ryuhei Kitamura’s output since his breakthrough hit “Versus”. His films so far have proved less than spectacular, with “Alive” being unwatchable and “Azumi” coming...
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Ju-on: The Grudge (2003) Movie Review
Any adventurous moviegoer looking for a good scare will find exactly that in “Ju-on: The Grudge”. And those who say Japanese horror cinema is past its peak will find a harsh rebuke. Well-crafted, stylish,...
Read More »Slave Love (aka 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant, 2004) Movie Review
Actress Ji-won Ha played the straight man in the gross-out comedy “Sex is Zero” and an adult in the horror film “Phone”. And apparently she’s tired of playing it straight, which may explain why...
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Ju-on: The Curse (2000) Movie Review
Asian horror films are becoming all the rage in the West, especially with the popularity of “The Ring”, “The Eye”, and the “Battle Royale” series. So it goes without saying that “Ju-On” has an...
Read More »The Uninvited (2003) Movie Review
“The Uninvited”, the latest horror film out of South Korea, opens strong, with interior designer Jung-won (Shin-yang Park) being inexplicably haunted by two dead girls he saw in the subway. Forty minutes later, it’s...
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Paradise Villa (2000) Movie Review
A penny pincher who looks like a porn star, a man whose wife may be cheating on him with a fund manager, a woman hawking a water purifier, a nosy old man, a demure...
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Dragon Head (2003) Movie Review
George Iida’s “Dragon Head” opens with high school student Teru (Satoshi Tsumabuki) waking up inside a bullet train. Teru is the sole survivor of a terrible train accident, and all of his classmates are...
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Goodman Town (2002) Movie Review
“Goodman Town” rarely makes sense, and director Sakchai Sribonnam seems to know this. The film is basically a parody of the post-apocalyptic movies of the ’80s, where a Lone Laconic Warrior wanders the wasteland...
Read More »Legend of Evil Lake (2003) Movie Review
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: “The Legend of the Evil Lake” (aka “The Thousand Years Old Lake”) is a derivative product buoyed by a large budget and tons and tons of CGI,...
Read More »Memories of Murder (2003) Movie Review
“Memories of Murder” broke box office records in its native South Korea. The film, based on an actual police case that is still unsolved to this day, has achieved international acclaim and might just...
Read More »Acacia (2003) Movie Review
The most entertaining thing about “Acacia” isn’t the movie itself, which is mostly dull, plodding, and not very scary even though it’s billed as a horror film. It’s also not the movie’s Big Reveal,...
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