20th Century Boys: Chapter Two – The Last Hope (2009) Movie Review

The epic Japanese “20th Century Boys” trilogy, based upon the hugely popular manga by Urasawa Naoki, continues with its second instalment, “The Last Hope”. Director Tsutsumi Yukihiko (previously responsible for cult hits such as “2LDK” and “Forbidden Siren”) returns to continue the sprawling...

September 12th, 2009 | Read More

Private Eye (2009) Movie Review

“Private Eye” offers a twist on the recent trend of modern noir detective stories by adopting a period setting, making for a change from the usual tortured cops, car chases and neon alleyways. The film marks the debut outing for Korean director Park Dae Min, and was a high profile production, boasting...

September 12th, 2009 | Read More

Breathless (2008) Movie Review

Brutal Korean indie “Breathless” was obviously a personal project for Yang Ik June, who wrote, directed, produced and starred in the lead role. Certainly, the film is a very brave and raw one, being a partly autobiographical tale of an extremely aggressive and violent man, himself the product of...

September 12th, 2009 | Read More

Till Death Shall We Start (1990) Movie Review

Originally released back in 1990 when the Hong Kong ghost comedy was enjoying somewhat of a resurgence, “Till Death Shall we Start” joined the ranks of films with suspiciously familiar sounding titles, including the likes of “Till Death do we Scare” and “Till Death do us Laugh”. The film...

September 12th, 2009 | Read More

Buttonman (2008) Movie Review

Grim crime drama “Buttonman” is the latest offering from rising Taiwanese director Chien Ren Hao, previously responsible for “The Underground Order”. The film is the first from Taiwan to be produced by Hong Kong company Mei Ah, and boasts a suitably impressive cast which includes Francis Ng,...

September 6th, 2009 | Read More

Pretty Ghost (1991) Movie Review

It’s time again for that most uniquely Hong Kong of genres, the ghost comedy romance, with the re-release of the 1991 outing “Pretty Ghost”. The film, which apparently also went under the bizarrely inaccurate title of “Alien Wife” (the film features no aliens, and no wives), marked the directorial...

September 6th, 2009 | Read More

The Housemaid (1960) Movie Review

Fans of Korean cinema have a real reason to be excited with the long awaited release of the 1960 classic “The Housemaid” on DVD. The film was directed by Kim Ki Young, who was known for his controversial features, which often tackled head on themes of sexual obsession through horrific subjects. Although...

August 27th, 2009 | Read More

Team of Miracles: We Will Rock You (2009) Movie Review

Directed by Adrian Kwan, previously responsible for the likes of “The Miracle Box” and the Sam Lee horror “Scaremonger”, turns his attention to the age-old sports underdog story with “Team of Miracles – We Will Rock You”. The film is based on the true story of the Hong Kong homeless football...

August 25th, 2009 | Read More

Boy Director (2007) Movie Review

The Korean independent cinema scene continues to thrive with “Boy Director”, written and directed by documentary filmmaker Lee Woo Yeol. Here, he tries his hand at narrative form, whilst still keeping to his realist sensibilities, with a film about film making as seen through the eyes of a child....

August 23rd, 2009 | Read More

Love Connected (2009) Movie Review

“Love Connected” is the latest outing from Hong Kong director Patrick Kong, who previously enjoyed commercial success with the likes of “Nobody’s Perfect”, “Marriage with a Fool” and “Love is Not All Around”. Although 2008 did see him dabble in the horror genre with “Forgive and Forget”,...

August 23rd, 2009 | Read More

Kung Fu Girl (1973) Movie Review

“Kung Fu Girl”, also known as “None but the Brave”, was originally released back in 1973 as a vehicle for Cheng Pei Pei, the former Shaw Brothers martial arts queen, who had been lured back to Hong Kong by Golden Harvest after apparently giving up her career and moving to the US. Having starred...

August 13th, 2009 | Read More

Scarlet Letter (2004) Review

Originally released in 2004 and now being re-issued on DVD, “The Scarlet Letter” is sadly best known for having been the last film to feature actress Lee Eun Joo, who took her own life shortly after production had been completed. Bearing no relation to the famous novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne with...

August 10th, 2009 | Read More

Dororo (2007) Movie Review

Manga adaptations have been hitting Japanese screens en masse in recent years, though fantasy sword epic “Dororo” does at least have an impeccable pedigree to set it out from the crowd, being based upon a long running series from the 1960s by the masterful Osamu Tezuka (who also created the much...

August 8th, 2009 | Read More

Tokyo Gore Police (2008) Movie Review

In many ways, “Tokyo Gore Police” represents a culmination of the recent trend of Japanese ultra violent splatter sci-fi cinema. The film was directed by Nishimura Yoshihiro, whose pedigree in the field is impeccable, having worked on the special effects for other recent genre cult hits such as “The...

August 5th, 2009 | Read More

The Hypnotized (2004) Movie Review

Originally released back in 2004, “The Hypnotized” was the second outing from writer director Kim In Sik, who made his debut with the much praised “Road Movie”. Sadly, it also marks his last film to date, a real shame since it clearly showed him to be one of the more interesting and creative...

August 5th, 2009 | Read More

Grotesque (2009) Movie Review

In these post-’”Hostel” days, with the so called torture porn genre having largely taken over the horror field, viewers have consistently been let down by cheap rip-offs and anaemic pretenders which fail to deliver the gore goods. As such, it is no small relief to report that “Grotesque” not...

July 27th, 2009 | Read More

Ichi (2008) Movie Review

“Ichi” has an interesting premise, being a reimagining of the enduringly popular Japanese tale of Zatoichi, the blind masseur and master swordsman, who was previously the subject of a long-running film and television series from the 1960s to 80s, and the 2003 blockbuster from Kitano Takeshi. Here,...

July 27th, 2009 | Read More

Meatball Machine (2005) Movie Review

Originally released back in 2005, “Meatball Machine” was one of the films to kick-start the current trend of Japanese ultra violence and sci-fi gore which has resulted in the likes of “Machine Girl” and “Tokyo Gore Police”. The film was co-directed by Yudai Yamaguchi (also responsible for...

July 26th, 2009 | Read More

Goth: Love of Death (2008) Movie Review

“Goth: Love of Death” is director Takahashi Gen’s live-action adaptation of the award-winning novel by Japanese author Otsuichi, which had previously been adapted into a popular manga by artist Kendi Oiwa, and which has apparently been optioned for a Hollywood version. Thankfully, despite its title,...

July 26th, 2009 | Read More

God Man Dog (2007) Movie Review

Originally released back in 2007, “God Man Dog” was the second feature from Taiwanese writer director Singing Chen, following some years after his 2000 award winning debut “Bundled”. His sophomore effort was also a critical success, playing at festivals around the world, and claiming the Tagesspiegel...

July 26th, 2009 | Read More