Street Fighter Alpha Generations (2005)

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Posted on April 3, 2006 by Andy

The young acolyte, Gouki is confronted by his Sensei over the use of the forbidden Hadou powers. Rain falls on the two as a girl and a young man run through the forest hoping to avert tragedy. This moody opening sets the stage for the exploration of the arrogance of youth, corruption of powers that can only be resolved one way: in a series of one-on-one, kick ass fights.

For those that came in late, Street Fighter is a Capcom … (read more)

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The Promise (2005)

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Posted on April 3, 2006 by Alison

This is an extremely silly film on which a startling amount of money was spent, and on which some very fine talents worked. Puzzling. One thing is for sure: just as the sheep is not a creature of the air, so Chen Kaige is not Tsui Hark. Hark is renowned for his ability to make superb fantasy, films that have a beauty and grace that transcend their often-humble special effects. No-one who’s ever seen A Chinese Ghost Story or its … (read more)

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Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)

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Posted on April 3, 2006 by Alison

It’s almost impossible to write about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon without using words like “grandeur”, “breathtaking”, and suchlike. The scenery positively demands it, without even starting on the film itself. Sweeping vistas over mountainous regions, wreathed in mist and clothed in vivid green, offer the sort of territory that is probably quite foreign to most of us. Ancient Chinese towns and cities, likewise, do a great job of transporting us into another time and another world. Clearly this film did … (read more)

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My Wife is a Gangster (2001)

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Posted on April 3, 2006 by Alison

I always like to see a girl give the men a good kicking, and this film opens with as fine a kickin’ scene as I’ve seen for a while. Shot in black and white, the swirl of bodies resolves into Big Brother being ruthlessly slaughtered by Villain. Second-In-Command, released from the clutches of Hench-Villains, falls to his knees over rapidly cooling Big Brother and screams his torment to the skies. Enter our Heroine, Mantis (Shin), blades and legs flashing.

Mantis … (read more)

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Gravitation (2000)

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Posted on March 26, 2006 by Deni

Gravitation, more affectionately known as Gravi to its fans, is a lot of things – crazy, kooky, funny, serious, touching, angsty, dark – but at its heart it’s also the simplest of love stories. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

Boy meets boy, boy loses boy, boy gets boy back again.

No, that’s not a typo.

For those people who haven’t yet heard about this series, Gravitation, based on a manga series by Maki Murakami (published … (read more)

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Trail of the Broken Blade (1967)

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Posted on March 25, 2006 by Justin

The Trail of the Broken Blade is a relatively early swordplay film for both its director, celebrated king of masculine action films Chang Cheh, and its leading man, Jimmy Wang Yu. Wang Yu went on to play his signature roles of the antihero in Golden Swallow and the one-armed swordsman in, er, The One-Armed Swordsman, and this movie foreshadows many of the elements in those later films.

Jimmy Wang Yu plays Li Yueh, the scion of a noble family … (read more)

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RahXephon (2001)

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Posted on March 23, 2006 by Deni

Any similarities RahXephon has to another character-driven, mecha-orientated anime are, I’m relieved to say, purely cursory. Of course, commonalities in both theme and execution are there if you look for them, but as I might have argued in other reviews, one of the greatest strengths present in genre is not the likenesses between series, but the key differences. In RahXephon, Ayato Kamina might, like Shinji Ikari, be victim to a mysterious and impersonal system, might find himself piloting what … (read more)

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Weatherwoman (1996)

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Posted on March 19, 2006 by Alison

Only the Japanese could make this film. Only the Japanese could turn an underwear fetish into bizarre grand opera, complete with gymnastic heroine, sing-along news presenters, and a grande finale battle worthy of Tsui Hark. And only the Japanese could get away with Keiko as heroine.

We first meet Keiko in the opening scene, set atop a school building. A bewildered schoolboy gazes upwards in adoration, at his idol, Keiko, who is clutching the flagpole and energetically masturbating. Very energetically. … (read more)

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