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

Dolan’s Cadillac (2009) Movie Review

As an adaptation of Stephen King’s short story of the same name, Jeff Beesley’s “Dolan’s Cadillac” is probably too straightforward and unambitious for its own good, which may be ironic to hear, as most of King’s stories that have gone off the rails as movies have been because of their lack...

July 7th, 2009 | Read More

Hand Phone (2009) Movie Review

Mobile phone related films have been pretty popular of late in both Hollywood and Asia, with the likes of “Connected” and “Cellular” manipulating the modern over-reliance on technology for tense thrills. Thankfully, Korean director Kim Han Min, previously responsible for the offbeat mystery “Paradise...

July 7th, 2009 | Read More

More Than Blue (2009) Movie Review

Although many films rely upon misleading advertising or false hyperbole, viewers can be assured that “More Than Blue” (a.k.a. “A Story Sadder Than Sadness”) delivers exactly as its title suggests. Directed by former poet Won Tae Yeon, the film is an unashamed tearjerker, offering a tale of true...

July 7th, 2009 | Read More

The Forbidden Legend: Sex and Chopsticks 2 (2009) Movie Review

The category III sexploitation revival continues with “The Forbidden Legend: Sex and Chopsticks 2”, the next instalment of director Chin Man Kei’s adaptation of the Chinese text ‘Jin Pin Mei’, a.k.a. ‘The Plum in the Golden Vase’. Chin is certainly more than qualified to reintroduce viewers...

July 5th, 2009 | Read More

Oh! My God 2 (2009) Movie Review

With the original “Oh! My God” having been a surprise box office smash, a sequel was always going to be a distinct possibility. Now, viewers can get another comic dose of lovable rogue Im Jung Hwan as the follow up arrives, with director Kim Jung Woo having handed the reigns to newcomer Hwang Seung...

July 5th, 2009 | Read More

Coming Soon (2008) Movie Review

New Thai horror “Coming Soon” certainly has an impressive pedigree, with debut director Sophon Sakdaphisit having written two of the country’s best recent genre hits in the form of “Shutter” and “Alone”, and with producer Yongyoot Thongkongtoon having worked on the recent “4bia” as...

July 3rd, 2009 | Read More

The Hurt Locker (2008) Movie Review

Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” is probably the most pro-military movie that has come out of Hollywood in the last few years. And truth be told, it’s not even that pro-military. It’s just that compared to the most recent dozen or so entrants, “The Hurt Locker” does not seem to share...

July 2nd, 2009 | Read More

The Rebel (2006) Movie Review

I had always intended to watch Charlie Nguyen’s “The Rebel”, but never got around to it. Call it procrastination, call it laziness, call it laundries on Sundays. Whatever the excuse, the result is the same: I’m kicking myself for not having watched the film sooner. Released in 2007, “The Rebel”...

June 30th, 2009 | Read More

Embodiment of Evil (2008) Movie Review

“The Embodiment of Evil” is a real cause for celebration, marking as it does the long awaited return of the legendary Brazilian bogeyman Coffin Joe. For those who don’t know, Coffin Joe is the alter ego of writer director and star Jose Mojica Marins, whose earlier “At Midnight I’ll Take...

June 26th, 2009 | Read More

Kick the Moon (2001) Movie Review

“Kick the Moon” was originally released back in 2001 and was directed by Kim Sang Jin, an eclectic director known for his cult hit “Attack the Gas Station”, as well as offbeat comedies such as “Ghost House” and “Mission Possible: Kidnapping Granny K”. The film is another in the very Korean...

June 25th, 2009 | Read More

Parasomnia (2008) Movie Review

PARASOMNIA is one of this year’s most exciting horror films. It’s directed by William Malone, whose previous credits have not fully prepared us for this fine and original little horror. His THE CREATURE (aka THE TITAN FIND) was a watchable, but derivative rip-off of ALIEN starring two exciting...

June 24th, 2009 | Read More

Kill Theory (2009) Movie Review

As slasher movies go, Chris Moore’s “Kill Theory” doesn’t exactly break from the mold. From all outward appearances, it’s pretty run-of-the-mill, with the usual crop of pretty 20-somethings trapped in an isolated location (the ever popular “dad’s cabin in the woods”) being stalked by...

June 23rd, 2009 | Read More

The Good, the Bad, and the Weird (2008) Movie Review

“The Good, the Bad, the Weird”, the latest film from Korean master director Kim Ji Woon sees him delving into yet another genre, having tried his hand at horror with “A Tale of Two Sisters” and gangster melodrama with “A Bittersweet Life”. As can probably be gleamed from the title, the film...

June 21st, 2009 | Read More