Blog Archives

Zero Focus (2009)

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Posted on November 10, 2010 by Samson

If I were to make a film about my life right now, ‘Zero Focus’ would be a most appropriate title. But no, the Japanese film Zero Focus is not about some dude who is overworked, underpaid, struggling to juggle multiple commitments, while trying to watch as many good films as possible, all resulting in chronic sleep deprivation and therefore a pathologically shortened attention span. Instead, it is a suspense mystery drama.

The main character is Teiko (Ryoko Hirosue), a newly … (read more)

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Villon’s Wife (2009)

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Posted on November 5, 2010 by Samson

”Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Otani (Asano Tadanobu) does not know what love is, but his wife Sachi (Matsu Takako) certainly does. He is a talented writer, but … (read more)

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A Lone Scalpel (2010)

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Posted on October 25, 2010 by Samson

Imagine this: You are in a situation where you could save someone’s life, but in doing so you risk losing everything (and I mean everything) that you have. Would you do it? ‘Perhaps not’, I hear you say. How about if you are a doctor and that person you could save is your patient, would you be prepared to carry out your duty by performing that life-saving operation despite the possibility that you may lose your medical licence and … (read more)

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The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones (2009)

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Posted on October 25, 2010 by Samson

Movies about mountain climbing are usually epic tales of human survival, and The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones is another fine example of this genre. We live in an era when every peak of every mountain has been conquered, but it is not uncommon for even today’s mountain climbers to run into trouble during their expeditions, despite having available to them sophisticated equipment, greater understanding about the human body’s functioning at high altitudes, and knowledge passed on by previous generations … (read more)

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High School of the Dead (2010)

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Posted on October 24, 2010 by Tom

I Love Zombies. I’ve watched films I would never normally watch simply because the film has zombies in it. In my DVD collection I have all but one of the George Romero zombie films -– and I will get that one in time too -– Shaun of the Dead, Zombie Strippers, Undead and Dead & Breakfast; however my pride and joy is the comic book collections of The Walking Dead. I love it more than the … (read more)

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Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (1996)

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Posted on October 24, 2010 by Tom

I like giant robots. It was one of the things that got me started in this great big world of Anime and Manga. As much as I like the giant robot genre of anime I had never watched any of the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise before Manifest 2009. It was just so daunting of a task: Multiple series in multiple timelines. How a fan could wrap their head around it all and still not mutter and cry in a … (read more)

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Devil May Cry (2007)

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Posted on October 24, 2010 by Deni

I’ll freely admit it – I am vulnerable to franchising. Get me hooked on one thing, and I’ll seriously consider all the resulting variations and spin offs that get churned out. The cynical side of me knows it’s only a cash-in. All this trans-media marketing – games to books, books to series, series to comics, comics to movies, movies to games ad infinitum – is about one thing: how many dollars in how many markets the Powers That Be can … (read more)

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Dear Doctor (2009)

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Posted on October 11, 2010 by Samson

Dear Doctor,

It’s been 6 months since you left without saying goodbye. There have been a lot of rumours about you, but even if they are all true, we still want to tell you how grateful we are for all the things that you have done for our village over the past few years.

Yours sincerely,

Residents of your village

A country doctor has gone missing. The police is involved and soon discovers that while most of the village people … (read more)

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