Reviews

  • Till Death Do Us Laugh

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    Jun 15

    ‘Till Death Do Us Laugh’ hits a nice balance of horror and comedy, with neither outweighing the other, whilst never taking itself so seriously as a collective that the audience can’t have a bit of fun with it.

  • The Villainess

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    Jun 11

    As much a twisty-turny drama as an all out action flick, ‘The Villainess’ overdoes both its noble attempts at gritty drama and action technical wizardry.

  • The Clones Of Bruce Lee

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    Jun 5

    The result is every bit as wonderful and awful as it sounds, a quite dizzying display of opportunism and ineptitude that has to be seen to be believed. Essential.

  • New Blood

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    May 29

    ‘New Blood’ is a smart, efficient and alarmingly effective genre piece that sits effortlessly alongside some of the finer horror entries of the period as an unremittingly morbid and blood-curdling exercise in unadulterated terror.

  • Mad World

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    May 25

    It tackles a complex subject with real skill and, while not pretending to be the definitive film on the matter – as if any one film could claim to be – it is a work of rare brilliance.

  • House Of The Damned

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    May 21

    ‘House of the Damned’ is just another of the numerous B-grade horror entries that emerged from the late-nineties, albeit sexed up with lashings of gratuitous nudity and as loud, crude and unruly as any of its peers.

  • Mission Milano

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    May 18

    ‘Mission Milano’ is exactly what you would expect from Jing; a paper thin plot, overdone action sequences and low-brow humour.

  • Haunted Mansion

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    May 14

    Whilst not without some near-peripheral flourishes of merit, To’s film is perhaps no more (or less) notable than many other similar productions of the era.

  • Concerto Of The Bully

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    May 11

    Recalling those doomed rom-drams of yesteryear where low-level gangster falls for someone from a totally different world, ‘Concerto Of The Bully’ is something of a nostalgia trip.

  • Don’t Look Up

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    May 7

    The film is not without its flaws, inclusive of a sometimes-confused narrative structure, but it’s worth a look against its widespread negative reaction for long-time fans of the director.

  • The Village Of No Return

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    May 4

    ‘The Village Of No Return’ is stuck between two stools – too disjointed to appeal to the mainstream, but too flat to be considered anything particularly out of the ordinary.

  • Cure

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    Apr 30

    It does share some style and themes with Kurosawa’s bigger genre hit ‘Pulse’, but ‘Cure’ is a tighter wound and better executed film that lingers long after the final frame.

  • Dial D For Demons

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    Apr 26

    ‘Dial D for Demons’ is a modest but effective Hong Kong ghost story and generates just enough suspense to keep one on edge until the finale.

  • Bloodfist 2050

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    Apr 26

    ‘Bloodfist 2050’ certainly recaptures the feeling of 90s American martial arts B-movies, so much so that it actually winds up feeling a little late to the party.

  • Bleeding Steel

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    Apr 20

    ‘Bleeding Steel’ starts with promise and then refuses to flesh out any of the plot details, leaving us bewildered shortly after our interest had piqued.

  • Accident Man

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    Apr 16

    Sticking to its sweary and sometimes seedy roots ‘Accident Man’ knuckle sandwiches the audience with a rowdy onslaught of despicable characters, fruity language and searing fight action.

  • The Young Rebel

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    Apr 9

    Though the overly moral message may deter some, there’s more than enough rough and tumble scraps to entertain fight fans and a host of strong performances from the leads as well as a thoroughly involving story to engage most everyone else.

  • Love Education

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    Apr 3

    A poignant family drama with dashes of dry humour, ‘Love Education’ is a film that director and star Sylvia Chang can be suitably proud of.

  • Valley Of The Fangs

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    Mar 26

    From opening credits that ape the Spaghetti Westerns of the period to its surprising epilogue wrap-up, ‘Valley of the Fangs’ is an equally surprising and unexpected hidden gem.

  • The Great Passage

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    Mar 19

    Only in Japan would a book like ‘The Great Passage’ catch the public imagination, only in Japan would someone then think that this might translate to the big screen and only in Japan would it be a rousing success.

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