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

Banlieue 13: Ultimatum (2009) Movie Review

It’s been three years since the events of “Banlieue 13”, and the more things change, the more they stay the same. Or gotten worst, actually. The wall that separates the slums of District 13 and the more civilized (i.e. less tattooed) populace of Paris has not been torn down as promised, and the...

August 8th, 2009 | Read More

Green Lantern: First Flight (2009) Movie Review

(Guest Movie Review by Dedpool) So it’s finally here. DC Animated’s and Warner Premiere’s newest direct to video release, “Green Lantern: First Flight” has finally touched down and oh what a ride it was. Timed almost perfectly with DC Comic’s summer long Green Lantern centric,...

August 8th, 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

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) Movie Review

When Sienna Miller is the best actor in your movie, you’ve got issues, and Stephen Sommers’ “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” has issues. Based on the Hasbro toy line of the same name, the live-action “Joe” is about an international military commando unit led by General hawk (Dennis Quaid), whose...

August 7th, 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

S. Darko (2009) Movie Review

“S. Darko“ is the direct-to-DVD cash-in sequel to “Donnie Darko“, writer-director Richard Kelly’s mystifying 2001 tale of teenage angst and existentialism with a time travel twist. When news originally broke that a sequel was being made without the involvement of Kelly, “Donnie Darko“ fans...

August 1st, 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

TV Review: Human Target Pilot (Comic-Con ‘09)

Mark Valley is Christopher Chance, a freelance bodyguard at the center of FOX’s new action-adventure show Human Target. Unlike his comic book counterpart, from which the show is based, the TV version of Chance does not, in fact, assume the identity of his employees. Instead, Chance blends into...

July 25th, 2009 | Read More

Cradle Will Fall (aka Baby Blues, 2008) Movie Review

“Cradle Will Fall” marks the debut of co directors Lars Jacobson and Amardeep Kaleka, and is based upon the true story of Andrea Yates, a Texan mother who drowned her five young children in 2001 while suffering from depression. How closely the film follows the actual events is debatable, since Jacobson...

July 20th, 2009 | Read More

Blood: The Last Vampire (2009) Movie Review

Based on the 2000 Japanese anime of the same name, Chris Nahon’s “Blood: The Last Vampire” marks the English-language debut of actress Jeon Ji-hyun, who first rose to International fame in the 2001 South Korean romantic comedy “My Sassy Girl”. Here, Jeon has chosen to use the more International-friendly...

July 17th, 2009 | Read More

TV Review: Dark Blue Pilot

Despite the title, and the somewhat familiar premise, TNT’s new cop show Dark Blue is not, in fact, a TV version of the Kurt Russell cop movie of the same name from 2002. The show is yet another product of uber producer Jerry Bruckheimer (the CSI franchise), and stars Dylan McDermott (“The Messengers”)...

July 11th, 2009 | Read More

TV Review: Leverage Season 2 Premiere

The boys (and girls) are back, as Season 2 of TNT’s original series Leverage kicks off next week, July 15. The Season 2 premiere picks up with former insurance investigator turned Robin Hood criminal mastermind Nathan Ford (Timothy Hutton) and his merry band of (somewhat) reformed criminal posse having...

July 10th, 2009 | Read More

Direct Contact (2009) Movie Review

Dolph Lundgren might not be as famous as Stallone or Schwarzenegger, but he’s still got enough credibility and killed enough people on-screen to be considered one of the great action heroes. Unfortunately, like many of the great action heroes, he’s stuck with DVDs now and hasn’t been seen in cinema...

July 9th, 2009 | Read More

Marine Boy (2009) Movie Review

“Marine Boy” marks the debut of writer director Yoon Jong Seok, and has nothing to do with the famous Japanese anime of the same name. Instead, the film is a crime thriller set in the shady world of maritime drug smuggling, and is very much in the continuingly popular modern noir form. The title...

July 8th, 2009 | Read More