Author: Andrew Skeates

An incredible samurai film and a classic piece of Japanese filmmaking this is old school filmmaking and storytelling at its best.

This version of ‘Hara-Kiri’ just simply pales in comparison to Kobayashi’s version and while it’s certainly good for a majority of its run time, you still may be wondering what’s the point of it.

A simple storyline that is backed up by an ample supply of martial arts sequences; this is a film that makes no bones about being a showcase for the impressive fighting skills of its lead actors.

Strange, gross, manic and bonkers are all good terms to help describe ‘GYO’ but the film is also curiously gripping.

While certainly mounted on a sometimes epic scale and beautifully shot, Lau’s film disappoints due to rushed character motivations, unconvincing drama and an excessive use of slow motion.

‘The Guard Post’ is a much more successful film than ‘R-Point’, in style, pacing, tension and acting, and a very satisfying and creepy slice of Korean ghostly horror.

There is some pontificating about evil and society and love but ‘Grotesque’ is essentially one long torture set piece.

The excellent acting, especially from star Han Suk-kyu, and the easy going approach give ‘Green Fish’ a style all of its own and it’s certainly worth seeking out as it is a lesser known Korean drama.

‘The Good, The Bad, The Weird’ is a great achievement and another success for Kim Jee-woon and is most importantly big, bright and ballistic entertainment that should be seen on a screen as big as possible.

In the Kaiju genre, ‘Godzilla’ is a stone cold classic. The original monster movie is still a dark delight and essential viewing for anyone into Kaiju movies or Japanese cinema.

Chen Singsing’s film is a gentle and often realistic portrayal of humans dealing with grief and loneliness.

Not the best Hong Kong exploitation flick out there and far too lethargic and serious to recommend as over-the-top fun.