Asian Movie Reviews »
Vulgaria (2012) Movie Review
“Vulgaria,” a new comedy co-written, produced and directed by Pang Ho-Cheung and starring Chapman To as a B-movie producer, opens with a lot of promise. Immediately, a voice over disclaimer warns viewers to be prepared...
Read More »
The Thieves (2012) Movie Review
Dong-hoon Choi’s “The Thieves” successfully revisits the heist genre that first brought him to fame. This time around, the production uses an ensemble cast of established, young and veteran actors from Korea and Hong...
Read More »
New on Blu-ray: Tetsuo – The Iron Man/Body Hammer
Japanese and cult film fans were given real cause for excitement recently, with the announcement by Third Window that they would be releasing Shinya Tsukamoto’s seminal classics “Tetsuo: the Iron Man” and “Tetsuo II:...
Read More »
Kotoko (2011) Movie Review
Japanese auteur and cult favourite Shinya Tsukamoto returns with “Kotoko”, combining the apocalyptic style of his classic “Tetsuo” films with the monstrous and terrifyingly intimate tale of a young single mother losing her mind...
Read More »
The Egoists (2011) Movie Review
Japanese director Hiroki Ryuichi has had a pretty fascinating career, starting off in Pinku films, before being hailed in the mid-2000s as one of the country’s top New Wave indie helmers thanks to acclaimed...
Read More »
Hard Romanticker (2011) Movie Review
The excellently titled “Hard Romanticker” takes a (very) violent look at the Zainichi (Korean-Japanese) criminal underworld and youth gang battles, with popular actor Matsuda Shota, known for hit television shows like “Boys over Flowers”...
Read More »
A Muse (2012) Movie Review
“Lolita” goes Korean with “A Muse”, the story of a 70 year old poet falling in love with a young high school girl. Based upon the popular and controversial novel “Eun Gyo” by Park...
Read More »
The King of Pigs (2011) Movie Review
South Korea isn’t a country traditionally associated with animation, with only a few films like “Wonderful Days” or the recent kiddie flick “Leafie, a Hen into the Wild” having gained widespread releases. As such,...
Read More »
As One (2012) Movie Review
“As One” is a Korean drama mixing two of the country’s most popular cinematic themes, North-South reunification and sports. The true life story is based upon the fascinating events surrounding the 1991 World Table...
Read More »
Headshot (2011) Movie Review
Director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s (“Last Life in the Universe”) “Headshot” begins in a quiet moment, with a man seated at a desk, gently keying a letter on a typewriter. Nice, right? Only the man has...
Read More »
Unfair: The Answer (2011) Movie Review
The popular Japanese “Unfair” franchise continues with “Unfair: The Answer”, the latest big screen outing based upon the popular Fuji Television female police series, adapted from the novels by author Hata Takehiko. Following on...
Read More »
The Four (2012) Movie Review
Gordon Chan continues to cement his position as one of China’s top blockbuster directors, following up his hits “Painted Skin” and “Mural” with big budget martial arts fantasy “The Four”. Co-directed by Janet Chun...
Read More »
407 Dark Flight (2012) Movie Review
Thai horror takes to the skies and enters the third dimension with “Dark Flight” (aka “407 Dark Flight 3D”), an airborne shocker claiming to be the country’s first domestically produced 3D film – though...
Read More »
Double Trouble (2012) Movie Review #2
Jackie Chan’s son Jaycee Chan follows in his father’s footsteps with mismatched buddy comedy “Double Trouble”, very much in the traditional Hollywood style of “Rush Hour” and other such hits. The film marks the...
Read More »
Somi, The Taekwon-do Woman (1997) Movie Review
One of the best things about going to film festivals is having the chance to catch things unlikely to be screened anywhere else. This was certainly the case with the opening gala of this...
Read More »
Frightfest ’12: The Thompsons, Sleep Tight, and Dead Sushi
THE THOMPSONS (2012) Directorial duo The Butcher Brothers (aka Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores) follow up their 2006 family themed vampire flick “The Hamiltons” with “The Thompsons”, offering up more of the same as...
Read More »
Encapsulated Cinema: Motorway and Six Bullets
MOTORWAY (2012) Piss and vinegar, that’s what Shawn Yue’s character Cheung in Soi Cheang’s “Motorway” has plenty of. The young buck just wants to bust bad guys speeding on the motorways of Hong Kong,...
Read More »
Nix Goes Soft: Red Dog, Young Adult, and Inseparable
RED DOG (2011) Kriv Stenders’ “Red Dog” is supposedly based on a true story, but rather you believe it or not, I don’t suppose it matters. The film itself is good enough on its...
Read More »
Nameless Gangster (2012) Movie Review
Choi Min Sik, one of Korea’s most respected and popular actors, stars in “Nameless Gangster”, a crime biopic that charts the rise of a customs official to the heights of the criminal underworld. Written...
Read More »
Over My Dead Body (2012) Movie Review
Korean cinema loves a good caper, and with “Over My Dead Body”, audiences get just that, as a wacky cast of oddballs try to get their hands on the corpse of a cheating company...
Read More »
