Reviews

  • The Ghost

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    Jan 22

    Kim Tae-Kyung’s ‘The Ghost’ rises well above the attempts of its contemporaries to cut an individualistic path through legions of countless ‘Ring’ imitators.

  • Survival Family

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    Jan 15

    The humour is never forced and the drama never over-cooked, meaning that as a whole, the film hits its targets with remarkable accuracy.

  • A Blood Pledge

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    Jan 8

    Lee’s outing in the series really isn’t quite a bad as it might appear, and still contains enough spooky incidence and unexpected scares to make it a decent timewaster for most Asian horror fans.

  • Sweet Bean

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    Dec 24

    Once again, Japan has given us the cinematic equivalent of an antique porcelain swan – something so beautiful, delicate and sublimely crafted that it’s hard not to be impressed.

  • Arang

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    Dec 24

    The horror sequences are mandatory to the plot, but they have been stripped back and diffused of much of their sting, in favour of concentrating on the police procedural aspect and mystery behind the four friends’ criminal bond.

  • Guardians Of The Tomb

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    Dec 18

    The somewhat sluggish pace, the constant need to flashback to an incident from Li’s past, and a surfeit of cardboard characters rob the flick of any adventure fun.

  • Keep Calm And Be A Superstar

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    Dec 11

    There are some genuinely witty moments in there and they prove the perfect covering for the many more that end with a whimper.

  • A.f.r.i.k.a

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    Dec 5

    ‘A.f.r.i.k.a’ isn’t rocket science, but if you like a good laugh and are conversant in the basics of Korean pop-culture and society, it should prove an enjoyable treat, nonetheless.

  • The Night Comes For Us

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    Nov 28

    If one is not a fan of bloody carnage, one may want to stay clear but for fans of full throttle Indonesian action then ‘The Night Comes for Us’ should surely sate the most ardent fan.

  • Ring Of Fire III: Lion Strike

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    Nov 26

    All of the fun confrontations against wacky opponents are noticeably absent, and the film feels like a much more run-of-the-mill low budget actioner.

  • Wrath Of Silence

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    Nov 23

    ‘Wrath of Silence’ builds up well after a slow start and, while not quite bringing the viewer to the edge of their seat, evolves into a more than decent mixture of arthouse aesthetics and nuts-and-bolts action.

  • Unlucky Stars

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    Nov 13

    A glorious tribute to the Hong Kong action films of the 80s and 90s, ‘Unlucky Stars’ is a hoot and a cracking martial arts film to boot.

  • Special Female Force

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    Nov 9

    Hong Kong has always spliced genres together with aplomb, but this is an example of where things go wrong.

  • Operation Red Sea

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    Nov 2

    It’s big, it’s brash and in several sequences surprisingly gory but ‘Operation Red Sea’ is big screen, blockbusting action done well.

  • Detective Chinatown

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    Oct 22

    Stories of mismatched characters rely on the relationship between the two and ‘Detective Chinatown’ has a pair who play off each other’s quirks remarkably well.

  • Phobia 2

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    Oct 9

    ‘Phobia 2’ sees many of the previous entry’s directors, writers and producers return to now tell five new short tales of terror and is, surprisingly, a superior slice of portmanteau horror.

  • Till The End Of The World

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    Oct 2

    While ‘Till the End of the World’ allows sentiment to become a little too exaggerated as the film nears its end it is, nevertheless, a mixture of the alienating and the intimate that works.

  • Return Engagement

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    Sep 26

    ‘Return Engagement’ is cut from much the same cloth as many gangster films of the era but differentiates itself with a stronger core storyline.

  • The Debt Collector

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    Sep 18

    A refreshing reminder of how action films used to be made where brains, brawn and banter all play a part in shaping a satisfying story.

  • Family Of Winners

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    Sep 12

    Whether this is the beginning of the Esports film remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure – there’s definitely plenty of room for improvement.

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