Staunton Hill (2009) Movie Review

As his father continues to attempt to rejuvenate his seemingly never-ending “Dead” series, Cameron Romero follows up his debut “The Screening” with another slice of familiar horror in “Staunton Hill”. Although this may sound a little cynical, the film really is pretty basic stuff, being a...

October 24th, 2009 | Read More

Knife Edge (2008) Movie Review

“Knife Edge” sees the return to the horror genre of director Anthony Hickox, who back in the late 1980s and early 1990s turned out a string of popular, offbeat favourites including “Waxwork”, its sequel “Lost in Time”, and “Sundown: the Vampire in Retreat”, the latter two featuring the...

October 24th, 2009 | Read More

Like You Know It All (2009) Movie Review

The cinematic medium can make for a fascinating subject, especially in the hands of a director willing to explore it through personal insights. This is certainly the case with “Like You Know it All” from Hong Sang Soo, one of the current champions of the Korean independent film scene, whose previous...

October 24th, 2009 | Read More

Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells (2008) Movie Review

“Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells” is the latest effort from noted Korean independent director Jeon Soo Il, who previously won praise and prizes for his “With a Girl of Black Soil”. This time, he heads to the wilds of Nepal for a minimalist, yet grand tale featuring some truly breathtaking scenery...

October 24th, 2009 | Read More

The Tournament (2009) Movie Review

Scott Mann’s “The Tournament” looks and feels like an ‘90s action movie, the kind that relies on an overly simplified premise that is supposed to pass for a storyline, but is really just an excuse for a whole lot of wanton bloodshed. Mind you, not that that’s a bad thing. In this case, it just...

October 21st, 2009 | Read More

Landscape No. 2 (2008) Movie Review

There are very few instances in my life where I’ve felt overwhelmingly stupid while watching a motion picture. Not because I think of myself as some sort of worldly savant, mind you, but because most movies simply do not require much brain power on part of the audience. Slovenian director Vinko...

October 21st, 2009 | Read More

7eventy 5ive (aka Dead Tone, 2007) Movie Review

“Se7en”, “s1m0ne”, “Thr3e”, “Thir13n Ghosts”, and now “7eventy 5ive”. All movies bafflingly fond of placing needless numbers in place of letters in their titles. A moot point yes, but an important one, for apart from “Se7en” (also...

October 20th, 2009 | Read More

Law Abiding Citizen (2009) Movie Review

“Law Abiding Citizen” posits that age-old question: if the system failed you, and you had the wherewithal to make it happen, would you blow it all up and start over? Okay, so the question doesn’t quite go like that, but it’s close enough. In the case of Kurt Wimmer’s “Citizen”, the answer...

October 16th, 2009 | Read More

The Road (2009) Movie Review

“The Road” is an adaptation of the 2006 novel of the same name by author Cormac McCarthy, whose novel “No Country for Old Men” was adapted into last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner. “The Road” obviously has similar aspirations: It’s a haunting, beautifully crafted film with great performances,...

October 16th, 2009 | Read More

Dying Breed (2008) Movie Review

The ‘Afterdark Horrorfest’ doesn’t register on most of the minds of people in Britain, so the films that fall under this banner most often appear in the U.K with little fanfare. It’s certainly a shame though, for gems such as “Autopsy” and “Dark Ride” end up hitting the...

October 14th, 2009 | Read More

On His Majesty’s Secret Service (2009) Movie Review

Wong Jing goes back to the old school with “On his Majesty’s Secret Service” a truly madcap period set comedy in the classic early 1990s style. Although the master of the form himself, Stephen Chow, isn’t starring in such films anymore, there’s certainly no reason to stop making them, and in...

October 12th, 2009 | Read More

Tracing Shadow (2009) Movie Review

“Tracing Shadow” marks the fourth directorial outing for popular Hong Kong Star Francis Ng, and sees him again co-helming with Marco Mak, who he previously worked with on “Dancing Lion”. The film itself is somewhat of a throwback to the glory days of Hong Kong cinema, being a wacky martial arts...

October 12th, 2009 | Read More

World’s Greatest Dad (2009) Movie Review

Although it’s definitely not a popular opinion to express in certain circles these days, I am, for the most part, a Robin Williams fan. I appreciate the unbridled madcap energy of his stand-up act, as well as the nuanced, thought-provoking performances he’s given in such underappreciated...

October 9th, 2009 | Read More

Metallic Attraction: Kungfu Cyborg (2009) Movie Review

With so many Chinese films still being called ‘Kung Fu’ something or other, and with the continuing global success of Michael Bay’s blockbuster “Transformer” franchise, “Kung Fu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction” was pretty much inevitable. The Hong Kong director getting in on the act is none...

October 9th, 2009 | Read More

Secret Couple (aka My Girlfriend is an Agent, 2009) Movie Review

“Secret Couple” (a far better title than the rather familiar and misleading “My Girlfriend is an Agent”) is basically a Korean take on the recent Hollywood action couple comedy thriller “Mr and Mrs Smith”. Strangely enough, the film was directed by Shin Tae Ra, whose previous efforts were...

October 9th, 2009 | Read More

Blood: The Last Vampire (2009) Movie Review #2

“Blood: the last Vampire” is an interesting proposition, not only because it sees Jeon Ji Hyun (“My Sassy Girl”), one of Korea’s most popular actresses, making her English language debut, but also since it represents one of the few Hollywood Japanese anime adaptations to make a real effort...

October 9th, 2009 | Read More

The Piano Teacher (2001) Movie Review

Love and violence may seem axiomatically opposed, but in the movies they share a common bond – they’re both difficult to depict on screen without attaching any sense of thrill to their meanings. And yet The Piano Teacher, a French film from director Michael Haneke, based on a novel by Nobel Prize...

October 8th, 2009 | Read More

I Sell the Dead (2008) Movie Review

“I Sell the Dead” marks the debut outing for writer director Glenn McQuaid, and boasts a great offbeat cast, including Dominic Monaghan of “Lord of the Rings” fame, cult director Larry Fessenden (“Habit”, “The Last Winter”), Angus Schrimm (“Phantasm”) and “Hellboy” himself, Ron...

October 6th, 2009 | Read More

Automaton Transfusion (aka Zombie Transfusion, 2006) Movie Review

Originally released back in 2006 under the slightly more interesting, if nonsensical title “Automation Transfusion”, writer director Steven C. Miller’s debut feature now arrives on region 2 DVD via Momentum Pictures as “Zombie Transfusion”. The film is a low budget slice of independent horror,...

October 4th, 2009 | Read More

Zombieland (2009) Movie Review

To be clear, Ruben Fleischer’s “Zombieland” is less a zombie movie than it is a road movie/comedy. Just to get that out of the way first, because if you’re going into “Zombieland” demanding decent zombie action, I have to tell you, you’ll find the film to be lacking. But if you can put...

October 2nd, 2009 | Read More