Otakus In Love (2004)

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Posted on November 25, 2005 by Alison

Many might think the presence of Japanese heart-throb Matsuda Ryuhei would be sufficient justification for any film, and the addition of fripperies such as story and character development would merely waste money. For myself, I’d probably watch Matsuda reading the phone book, but I admit that wouldn’t necessarily be compelling viewing for others. Luckily for us all, Otakus In Love has many other things going for it.

For starters, it’s funny. The characters are funny, and the situations are funny. … (read more)

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Not One Less (1999)

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Posted on November 25, 2005 by James

Not One Less caused controversy when it was demoted from official competition at Cannes, apparently for containing elements of propaganda. Zhang Yimou was unhappy with this suggestion and had the film withdrawn entirely, stating that the West (or at least the West as represented by the Cannes purveyors of ‘quality’ cinema) had an undesirable tendency to treat all Chinese films as statements either for or against the Chinese government. Every now and then it is surely constructive for someone to … (read more)

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New Legend of Shaolin (1994)

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Posted on November 25, 2005 by Angus

This is a pretty enjoyable Jet Li action vehicle as handled by Wong “I’ll do anything to entertain you” Jing. Because of the Wong factor, Li’s usual heroics are placed alongside various lowbrow comic set pieces (it’s just not a Wong Jing film without a fart gag), left field craziness (the villain drives a Chinese batmobile) and borrowed ideas: it steals liberally from Lone Wolf and Cub and other Li films like Fong Sai Yuk and Once Upon A Time … (read more)

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My Tutor Friend (2003)

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Posted on November 25, 2005 by James

A slick fusion of now staple Korean genres (cute-but-wacky boy/girl romantic comedy, return to high school beatdown, goofy enemy-turned-buddy slapstick’er, teen fantasy), My Tutor Friend has some shaky moments but is held together by a suitably energetic plot (and out-of-the-ordinary subplots), charismatic performances and a warming, feel-good vibe that stays within its tolerable limits.

Kwon’s (Volcano High) Ji-hoon is an engaging rebel, supplying only a few doses of the overly violent behaviour that might alter our perceptions of … (read more)

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Moon Child (2003)

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Posted on November 25, 2005 by Deni

This one is for the girls. Now, if while reading this you find that you’re not a girl, you can take my word for it or you can go ahead and watch it, but you’d better not say I didn’t warn you. I don’t want this to be the case of course, not because I’m personally not a girl (because I am) but because I suspect that if I could call this film something else, this review would be a … (read more)

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Missing Gun (2002)

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Posted on November 25, 2005 by Jonathan

Missing Gun is a film about a gun, but it is less about the gun itself than what it represents — power and (after it goes missing) the loss of power. For most of the film the weapon has power only in potentia and is used on just two occasions, so any puns about execution are really unjustifiable cheap shots (bam!), but it is undoubtedly director Lu Chuan’s work on this picture that sees it rise above a fairly slight … (read more)

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The Missing (2004)

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Posted on November 25, 2005 by Ben Jennings

Lee Kang-sheng’s The Missing is a sad and haunting film which builds very slowly to an obscure symbolic ending, making you want to watch it again right away in order to view it in a different light. While not quite living up to the standard of the best work of Lee’s esteemed mentor Tsai Ming-liang, The Missing is an admirable debut.

In 2003, Tsai and his lead actor and on-screen alter-ego Lee set out to make two companion-piece short films, … (read more)

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Monkey (1978)

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Posted on November 25, 2005 by Mark Morrison

MONKEY! was a Japanese television series made from 1978 to 1980, based on the Chinese classic Journey to the West by Wu Ch’eng-en. When it hit here in Oz it was a pretty big deal. It blew Doctor Who clean outta the water; hell, it was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of my childhood (except without the endless pizza product placement or the oversized terrapins). You’d race home from school, dump the bag on the cat, leave off fighting with … (read more)

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