Reviews and Capsules
‘The Viral Factor’ Review
Dante Lam delivers above-average action, though it’s sabotaged to a degree by a script that might make Charles Dickens blush.
‘Painted Skin: The Resurrection’ Review
A sweeping romantic epic journeys deep into the realm of the fantastic.
‘Motorway’ Review
Superior driving sequences are a must for any vehicular action picture, and Soi Cheang delivers in spades.
‘Legendary Couple’ (1995)
I stumbled across this, past midnight, on a Hong Kong movie channel. Missing the first portion, it took me a little while to figure out what was happening, but it’s too long. Still, the image of Simon Yam strapping a baby to his body and starting a crime spree with Chingmy Yau by his side […]
‘Drug War’ Review
Johnnie To’s first Mainland picture is a very strong action exercise with a very bleak tone. To some extent it keeps hitting the same chord over and over. But what a chord!
‘Royal Warriors’ (1986)
Glorious! Michelle Yeoh, at the age of 23, stars along with Michael Wong and Henry Sanada as law enforcement officers fighting a nasty group of criminals. The action starts on the streets of Hong Kong, lifts into the sky as a hijacking is foiled through a mid-air gun battle / martial arts confrontation, continues through […]
‘Mad Detective’ Review
I’m glad to see that Johnny To has become a recognizable, marketable name on the international film festival circuit. His trio of excellent and stylish films in 2006 (ELECTION, ELECTION 2, EXILED) generated considerable enthusiasm beyond the niche of loyal, hardcore Hong Kong film fans. Even more exciting for me, though, was the prospect of […]
‘Dog Bite Dog’ Review
Grabs you by the back of the neck and body slams you into the mud. Before you can catch your breath, your face is scraped along a broken concrete highway, leaving a long, bloody trail. All that’s left is for a speeding truck to crush your head like a grape. Read my entire review at Twitch.
‘The Concrete Revolution’ Review
A friend of mine recently returned from a week-long business trip to Beijing. He talked about the tremendous size of the city, the ten traffic loops that surround it, the incredible cleanliness (people mopping the roads), and the complete absence of birds (as far as he could tell). He also noted that bulldozers were busy […]
‘Atragon’ Review
The Mu Empire ruled the Earth twelve centuries ago before sinking below the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Now it is ready to rise again and regain its rightful position, subjugating the nations of the world to slavery, but first it demands that Japan turn over the mighty submarine Atragon. Filled with a fair number […]
‘The Transporter 2’ Review
France/USA. 92 minutes. Directed by Louis Leterrier Screenplay by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen With Jason Statham, Alessandro Gassman, Amber Valletta, Kate Nauta, Matthew Modine If you don’t think THE TRANSPORTER 2 rocks, see A SOUND OF THUNDER just before it. That’s what I did this past Friday, and the snappy pace and refreshingly […]
‘Shoujyo: An Adolescent’ Review
Japan. 132 minutes. Screened at Facets, Chicago Directed by Eiji Okuda With Eiji Okuda, Mayu Ozawa, Shoji Akira, Mari Natsuki Shot through with pangs of loneliness and despair, SHOUJYO paints an intricately-detailed portrait of an emotionally hollow police officer and a family in turmoil. Middle-aged Tomokawa (Eiji Okuda) lazily patrols his police beat on a […]
‘Monrak Transistor’ Review
Thailand. 116 minutes. Megastar DVD. NTSC. Region 3. Directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaraug With Supakorn Kitsuwan, Siriyakorn Pukkavesh, Somlek Sakdikul By a plot description of its first 28 minutes, MONRAK TRANSISTOR (aka TRANSISTOR LOVE STORY) sounds like a thousand other romantic comedies, but from that point on it departs into more ambitious waters. Sadaw (Siriyakorn Pukkavesh) […]
‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ Review
Japan. 119 minutes. Released by Buena Vista International Screened at Landmark Magnolia, Dallas, TX Directed by Hayao Miyazaki With the voices of Emily Mortimer, Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Billy Crystal, Lauren Bacall Certain critics have suggested how ironic it is that director Hayao Miyazaki is finally receiving great acclaim in the United States — because […]
‘Face’ Review
South Korea. 84 minutes. Screened at the Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL. Directed by Yu Sang-gon With Shin Hyeon-jun, Song Yun-ah Life takes some funny turns. On short notice I found myself in Chicago last Saturday afternoon. Taking a walk to familiarize myself with the neighborhood, I stumbled across the Gene Siskel Film Center, […]
‘Zee Oui’ Review
2004. Thailand. 85 minutes. Mangpong DVD. Region 3. PAL. Directed by Nida Sudasna, Buranee Ratchaiboon With Duan Long, Premsinee Rattanasopar, Chatchai Plengpanich [Reviewer’s disclaimer: I am basically ignorant about Thai films and Thai culture. Please regard as a simple film review. Thanks.] Is it possible to go wrong with a true story about a cannibalistic […]
‘Chop Socky: Cinema Hong Kong’ Review
If you think the term “chop socky” is perjorative, don’t let that keep you from picking up this disk.
‘Koma’ Review
Imagine drunkenly stumbling into someone else’s hotel room and discovering a ghastly scene of bloody violence. That’s what happens to Ching (Angelica Lee) after a friend’s wedding, and soon she is set on a collision course with organ thieves.
‘Steamboy’ Review
2005. Japan. 106 minutes. English Dubbed Version. Screened at Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo With the voices of Anna Paquin, Alfred Molina, Patrick Stewart What if Germany had won World War II? What if the South had won the Civil War? What if steam power took over the world? In STEAMBOY, Katsuhiro Otomo […]
‘A Tale of Two Sisters’ Review
2003. South Korea. 115 minutes. Tartan Video USA. Region 1. NTSC. Directed by Kim Jee-Woon. With Yeom Jeong-A, Im Soo-Jung, Moon Geun-Young, Kim Kab-Su A car drives through a beautiful rural countryside and stops outside a peaceful house surrounded by blooming flowers near a lake. Two sisters emerge, and immediately it becomes clear that they […]
‘Bad Guy’ Review
2002. South Korea. 100 minutes Directed by Kim Ki-duk With Jo Jae-hyeon, Seo Won, Kim Yun-tae, Choi Duek-mun, Kim Jung-young It’s an incredibly alluring poster. Beware – it may draw you into its web and kill you. Korean director Kim Ki-duk is like that. He’s capable of composing beautiful landscapes: a floating fishing village lit […]
‘102 Bangkok Robbery’ Review
2004. Thailand; 91 minutes VCD; Region 0; NTSC Directed by Thanit Jitnukul With Ampol Lampoon, Chatchai Plengpanich A bloody gun battle erupts in a jungle. An equally bloody gun battle erupts in a city. What has happened? According to the helpful site Movies BoOm, “the Thai Government�s declaration to settle debts with the IMF inspires […]
‘The Big Heat’ Review
1998. Hong Kong. 91 minutes. Mega Star DVD. Region 0. NTSC. Directed by Johnnie To and Andrew Kam Yeung-Wah Written by Gordon Chan With Waise Lee, Philip Kwok, Paul Chu, Joey Wong A drill bit pierces a hand, and we�re off on a dark ride through the violent battleground of police and thieves in late […]
‘Full Metal Yakuza’ Review
1997. Japan. 103 minutes. ArtsMagic DVD. Region 1. NTSC. Directed by Takashi Miike. “I am a self-proclaimed mad genuis scientist. But many people call me the Nutty Professor.” Let’s take the easy route and pretend that the words above are a direct quote by director Takeshi Miike. They’re not, of course — they belong to […]
‘Police Story II’ Review
A sequel that is a notch below the original, yet still vastly entertaining.
A Better Tomorrow 