Reviews
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Along Comes A Tiger
Once again, Wu Ma has delivered an independent genre flick that is involving, utilising his excellent cast well and making a very predictable story about revenge something a little different.
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War
The problem with ‘War’ is that there just isn’t enough grit and oomph to make it a tough thriller and not enough action to make it a fun action movie.
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Mercenary For Justice
Despite a few hints of quality from the action/stunt team, the film is a shambolically constructed mess that is rarely fun to watch.
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Minari
‘Minari’ is beautifully shot – Terence Malik would be proud – and directed with such assuredness that you quickly realise that you are watching something special.
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Sakura Killers
While the whole story and most of the acting is goofy-as-hell there’s no doubting the fun ‘Sakura Killers’ delivers, along with all the great ninja busting.
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Danger Dolls
‘Danger Dolls’ seems to have been recorded on someone’s iPhone and there are a greater range of sets in an Andy Milligan film than this one.
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Russian Raid
The setup is basically a showcase for star Kotik and various real-life Russian MMA fighters to cut loose in a series of elaborate fight scenes and confrontations.
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My Name Is Nobody
‘My Name is Nobody’ (due to its budgetary constraints and modest scale) doesn’t hold a candle to the greats of the sub-genre, but it harbours one saving grace – and it’s a nasty one.
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Jiu Jitsu
Entertaining for the most part and certainly packed with fight action, the film unfortunately suffers from muddled execution of its own brilliantly bananas concept.
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Anima
A visually splendid hybrid of family drama, survival story and environmental clarion call, ‘Anima’ is a haunting feature that certainly leaves an impression.
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Space Sweepers
‘Space Sweepers’ may not be revolutionary in narrative terms but more than makes up for it with likeable characters, oodles of space-set adventure and lashings of superior CGI.
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I’m Livin’ It
Brilliant. Heart-breaking. Life-affirming. Devastating. These are the first words that came to my mind as the credits rolled.
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Seized
All nicely shot on location and featuring the crisp and crunchy fight action we expect from Adkins and Florentine, ‘Seized’ delivers the goods.
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Beyond The Law
It’s still a poor attempt at a revenge flick that is sorely lacking in action and regularly feels like a chore to sit through.
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The Revenger
It’s just disappointing that the obvious craft at work by the experienced crew on ‘The Revenger’ never quite translates into a solid, coherent whole.
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The Queen Of Black Magic
Fully embracing the dark side of black magic tinged retribution, Stamboel delivers a rollicking and shocking gore-soaked horror.
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Vanguard
‘Vanguard’ tries to be a slick, Chinese version of ‘Mission: Impossible’ but has no idea what made the Tom Cruise film popular with viewers and critics alike.
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Peace Hotel
A great set up is unfortunately wasted via odd creative choices, too much focus on comedy-romance and a reliance on grating theatrics.
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Rock Me To The Moon
It is a confident film that merely allows the people involved to tell their story without the need for the makers to chime in unnecessarily.
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General Commander
It’s hard to imagine anyone enjoying ‘General Commander’ as it’s such a sorry excuse for an action movie with no real positives to offer.
Best New Films
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Along Comes A Tiger
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Minari
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I’m Livin’ It
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The Queen Of Black Magic
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Rock Me To The Moon
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Debt Collectors
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Killing
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Time To Hunt
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Vortex
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Still Human
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Master Z: Ip Man Legacy
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Canola
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Dying To Survive
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Shoplifters
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Parasite
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The Way Home
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Survival Family
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Sweet Bean
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The Night Comes For Us
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Unlucky Stars
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Phobia 2
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Till The End Of The World
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The Debt Collector
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Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings
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Dersu Uzala
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Harmonium
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New Blood
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Mad World
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Cure
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Accident Man
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Love Education
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The Great Passage