Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space (2002)

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Posted on December 4, 2005 by Alison

Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat In Space is a nonsensical romp through Cat-space with an adolescent furry guide. There’s not much point in me trying to explain the story, because there really isn’t one. Perhaps it could best be summed up by “young cat upset with corp-rat takeover tours the Universe”. Or perhaps not.

The best attempts to describe Tamala will founder basically because the film makes sense only from a cat’s point of view. Those familiar with moggies will … (read more)

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RING versus Spanish Horror Films

Posted on December 4, 2005 by Ching Yee
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Now I know Heroic-Cinema covers Asian films but I hope you will grant me the liberty to digress a little about two bone-chilling Spanish films: The Devil’s Backbone (“El Espinaza Del Diablo”) and Thesis (“Tesis”)

Endless similarities could be drawn between these two and Hideo Nakata’s Ring – it did make me wonder if the directors have been secretly talking. I shudder to think if they ever got together! (but the sadistic part of me is saying “yes, … (read more)

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Fred Ladd: From Astro Boy to a Sailor Moon

Posted on December 4, 2005 by Andy

Forty Years Ago Today
November 10, 1965; it is almost exactly forty years since the pilot to the first colour anime, Kimba the White Lion, was completed. To celebrate his anniversary, Madman has released a deluxe box set featuring fully restored versions of the first fifty-two episodes. The journey of this white lion cub to the West is a intriguing one. At ground zero was Fred Ladd who was the US producer on Kimba as well as his boy … (read more)

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Readers’ tributes to Leslie Cheung

Posted on December 4, 2005 by Mark Morrison

From 30 October to 9 November 2003, ACMI in Melbourne will pay tribute to Leslie Cheung with Rouge and more – many for only a single screening, and possibly your only chance to see them screened in Australia. As part of the program, a special commemorative book is being published, with articles by Philippa Hawker, Clare Stewart and Audrey Yue, as well as tributes from Tsui Hark, Chen Kaige, Adrian Martin, Mike Walsh and others. It will be on sale … (read more)

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Talking to Muay Thai Stars and Not Losing

Posted on December 4, 2005 by Eugene


Well, Prachya Pinkaew and Tony Jaa, the director and star of Ong Bak (the best Muay Thai film out of Thailand, well ever really) were in Sydney to shoot scenes for their next film Tom Yum Goong and guess who managed to score an interview? Well, OK, yes THAT person, oh and yes THAT person as well… look for the sake of relevancy, it was me OK? That’s right, I get to interview the guy who made you wince with … (read more)

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Hong Kong International Film Festival 03

Posted on December 4, 2005 by Alison

Episode 1 – Good Cops, Bad Cops

Once again, I’m going to break my festival report into sections, because I saw 26-odd films (and some were very odd indeed), and I’d dissolve into a wee melty thing if I tried to talk about all of them in one go. Consider it a cunning ploy to keep your attention on me, some sort of Scheherezade’s Game, if you wish.

So this week is all about cops, and I’ll start by bravely … (read more)

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Heroic Cinema’s Best of 2003

Posted on December 4, 2005 by Mark Morrison

Best film: Infernal Affairs
Runner-up: Sympathy For Mr Vengeance
Honourable mentions: PTU, Running on Karma, Save the Green Planet

Read on for the complete mini-reviews, as each teamster looks back on their cinematic highlights for 2003…

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Alison:

Golden Chicken
Just way too much fun to resist. Sandra Ng is impossibly endearing, the large collection of cameos are amusing, and this was probably my only chance to see Andy having a good moan. In fact, I think I need to … (read more)

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One Take Only (2001)

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Posted on December 4, 2005 by Jason

Once again the Pang Brothers have provided us a film that is more like a music video or flashy commercial than a feature film. However, unlike their other filmic ventures, One Take Only falls far short of excellence.

Directed by Oxide Pang, One Take Only is somewhat comparable to the gamut of generic gangster/hit-man genre films coming from Asia over the last fifteen years. What sets this film apart from the rest is the Pang Brothers’ usage of film style, … (read more)

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