Rule Number One (2008) Movie Review

“Rule#1” is the latest offering from young Singaporean director and former critic Kelvin Tong, who has quickly established himself as one of the more interesting and quirky film makers working in Asian cinema today thanks to the likes of “Love Story” and “The Maid”. Although he has dabbled...

January 15th, 2009 | Read More

Phobia (aka 4Bia, 2008) Movie Review

Horror anthologies can be rather hit and miss affairs, ranging in quality from the excellent “Three” to the rather shabby “Black Night”. The awkwardly titled “4 Bia” (apparently playing on the word ‘phobia’, though causing no end of problems with pronunciation and search engines in the...

January 12th, 2009 | Read More

Death Bell (2008) Movie Review

Although summer has long been the traditional time for horror films in Korea, the 2008 season only saw one major release in the form of debut director Chang’s “Death Bell”. As such, the fact that the film proved to be a massive success, attracting over a million viewers and ranking as one of...

January 5th, 2009 | Read More

Ip Man (2008) Movie Review

Who is Ip Man? For you contemporary types, he’s most famous for teaching some scrawny Chinese kid name Bruce Lee the secrets of whupping ass. But that’s the old guy. According to Wilson Yip’s movie, the younger Ip Man made his bones during the days of Japanese-occupied China, where he suffered...

January 1st, 2009 | Read More

Deadly Delicious (2008) Movie Review

Although “Deadly Delicious” opens with the same quote from Confucius that provided Ang Lee’s “Eat Man Drink Woman” with its title, the two films present very different depictions of modern relationships and of the battle between the sexes. Certainly, the film from first time writer director...

December 20th, 2008 | Read More

Painted Skin (2008) Director’s Cut Movie Review

One of the biggest Asian cinema events of 2008, “Painted Skin” is the latest film to draw inspiration from Pu Songling’s classic of Chinese literature “Strange Tales of Liaozhai”. Although the legendary King Hu actually directed a film back in 1993 with the same name and based upon the same...

December 20th, 2008 | Read More

What Happened Last Night (2008) Movie Review

“What Happened Last Night?” represents quite a radical change of direction for Korean director Kim Jeong Min, who made his debut with “Dark Forest” from the horror collection “One Day Suddenly”. Here, he turns his hand to romantic comedy, though with somewhat of an amoral and adult twist....

December 20th, 2008 | Read More

Dark Night (1986) Movie Review

Originally released back in 1986, Taiwanese drama “Dark Night” was based upon a novel by noted feminist writer Li Ang and was directed and scripted by Fred Tan, who previously worked as an assistant director for the legendary King Hu on the likes of “Raining in the Mountain” and “Legend of...

December 20th, 2008 | Read More

Loner (2008) Movie Review

Korean horror has always strived to capture the zeitgeist, with films from the original teen issue chiller “Whispering Corridors” through to the recent plastic surgery themed “Cinderella” trying to make creepy use of current issues. Adding to this trend is “Loner”, whose alternate title “Hikikomori”...

December 17th, 2008 | Read More

Brain Wave (2005) Movie Review

Originally released back in 2005 and now finally arriving on DVD, “Brain Wave” was the debut feature from Korean director Shin Tae Ra, whose grim psychological thriller “Black House” was one of the horror highlights of 2007 and was a popular hit at the domestic box office. Since screening at...

December 17th, 2008 | Read More

Mismatched Couples (1985) Movie Review

“Mismatched Couples” is an unusual proposition in that despite starring current genre favourite Donnie Yen and being directed by the legendary Yuen Woo Ping, it is not actually a martial arts film, focusing instead on some very 1980s style break dancing. This having been said, the film certainly...

November 21st, 2008 | Read More

The Unmatchable Match (1989) Movie Review

Although its title sounds more like a romantic comedy, “The Unmatchable Match” is actually a tough Hong Kong cop thriller that was originally released back in 1989 when the genre was undergoing something of a golden age. Directed by Parkman Wong and produced by the legendary Danny Lee, the film also...

November 16th, 2008 | Read More

The Loot (aka The Bloody Tattoo, 1980) Movie Review

Originally released back in 1980, “The Loot” (known in the West as “Bloody Tattoo”) was the sophomore directorial outing for Eric Tsang, who would go on to become one of the most prolific figures in the Hong Kong film industry, best known to modern audiences for his comic and Triad boss roles,...

November 16th, 2008 | Read More

Taoism Drunkard (1983) Movie Review

Originally released in 1983, “Taoism Drunkard” (released previously in the West under the moniker “Drunken Wutang”) is another insane martial arts comedy from the Yuen Clan, who were also responsible for such nonsensical delights as “Miracle Fighters” and “Shaolin Drunkard”. Produced...

November 5th, 2008 | Read More

I Love Maria (1988) Movie Review

Despite its title, “I Love Maria” is not a romantic comedy at all, but is in fact a wacky Hong Kong comic book style variation on “Robocop” – the film’s alternate moniker “Robot Force” being far more suitable and indeed more representative of its content. Seemingly inspired by Fritz Lang’s...

November 4th, 2008 | Read More

Carry on Pickpocket (1982) Movie Review

Probably named to cash in on the seemingly never ending series of British comedy films and originally released back in 1982, “Carry on Pickpocket” was Sammo Hung’s directorial follow up to his classic “Spooky Encounters”. The film is very much typical of the Hong Kong style of the period, being...

November 4th, 2008 | Read More

The Legend of the Owl (1981) Movie Review

“The Legend of the Owl” was directed in 1981 by Shaw Brothers star David Chiang, famed for his roles in the likes of “Blood Brothers” and “Vengeance”. The film was somewhat of a family affair, also featuring Chiang’s brother Paul Chun, and being scripted by his half-brother Derek Yee (who...

October 26th, 2008 | Read More

Painted Skin (2008) Movie Review

Gordon Chan’s “Painted Skin” is based on a story in the book “Strange Tales of Liaozhai” by writer Pu Songling, and has been adapted for the big screen twice before – once in 1966 and again in 1993 by the legendary Hong Kong director King Hu. Chan’s movie is what you would call a genre-buster,...

October 23rd, 2008 | Read More

The Challenger (1980) Movie Review

Originally released back in 1980, “The Challenger” marked the directorial debut of Eric Tsang. Although now better known for his motor-mouth personality and for playing triad bosses, the prolific actor is actually also an accomplished director, having started his career as a stuntman in kung fu fare...

October 21st, 2008 | Read More

A Shark (2005) Movie Review

The independent filmmaking scene in Korea has been thriving in recent years, producing a healthy number of interesting alternatives to the usual blockbusters and giving first time directors the chance to do something a little different. This is certainly the case with Kim Dong Hyun, who followed the...

October 20th, 2008 | Read More