Sword in the Moon (2004)

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Posted on October 29, 2005 by Alison

Lots of flashing swordingness, some funky costumes, but overall this is fairly mundane. If you want historical fantasy action, you’d be better off going for something like Bichunmoo, which has the added advantage of the hawk-faced Shin Hyun-joon and a passel of other convincing characters.… (read more)

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The Spy Dad (2003)

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Posted on October 29, 2005 by Jonathan

I want to begin by pointing out that, were Project: Sex With Jordan Chan any higher on my personal agenda, I would probably enjoyed Spy Dad a whole lot more. But it’s not, so I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t because I’m a redblooded Australian male with a complete intolerance of any and all homosexual practice — it’s just that I don’t find Jordan Chan — or Jordan Chan’s naked backside, which also features in this film — … (read more)

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Lady Snowblood (1973)

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Posted on October 29, 2005 by Justin

Lady Snowblood will probably tickle the fancies of several groups of people, at least some of whom are Heroic Readers. Firstly, there’s the Kill Bill fans — this film provided Quentin Tarantino with a great deal of inspiration, both structurally and stylistically. Then there’s the SBS-watchers among us, who have a soft spot for the Lone Wolf and Cub series — this film shares a similar setting and style with those, too, minus the Baby Cart. And thirdly, there’s the … (read more)

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Say Yes (2001)

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Posted on October 29, 2005 by Alison

Say Yes is not so much a thriller as a tenser. How tense? Real tense. Tense with a capital tense. By the end of this film you’ll be clenching everything but your elbows.

Park Joong-Hoon, the grinning, shambling cop from Nowhere To Hide, gives a masterful portrayal of a man so far over the edge he’s up to the next edge. He’s so good, he can sit at a table, saying nothing, doing nothing, and still make you nervous. … (read more)

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The Scarlet Letter (2004)

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Posted on October 29, 2005 by Alison

French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre thought that Hell was being locked in a room for eternity with your friends, but as Lister from Red Dwarf pointed out, all his mates were French. Director Byun seems to believe that Hell consists of being brought face to face with the consequences of one’s actions, and for some that’s far more scary. We all have things that we don’t want to face, although we probably don’t expect the consequences to be as icky as … (read more)

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Samaritan Girl (2004)

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Posted on October 29, 2005 by James

Samaritan Girl is Kim’s best film since The Isle, and along with Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter … and Spring it signals an interesting new direction for the maverick filmmaker. Kim has slightly softened his approach and turned his focus to broader spiritual, rather than specific social, issues. Gone are moments such as the frozen swordfish turned lethal weapon scene in Wild Animals. Violence in Kim’s films has now got a lot less to do with men slapping, molesting … (read more)

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The Road Home (1999)

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Posted on October 29, 2005 by Mark Morrison

Zhang Yimou followed his schoolroom drama Not One Less with this charming rural romance. The plot for this film could be neatly inscribed on a postage stamp – and by that, I mean to praise its elegance and simplicity.

The film begins in the present, and this section is shot in black-and-white. Luo rolls up in an incongruous four-wheel drive to his family property, somewhere in the boondocks, to help his mother make preparations for his father’s funeral. She insists … (read more)

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From Riches to Rags (1977)

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Posted on October 29, 2005 by Angus

Mr. ‘Heroic Bloodshed’ doing comedy?! Yeah, this was Woo’s bread and butter in the early days before he really hit his straps with A Better Tomorrow. This may not feel particularly Wooian (yes I made it up, but it may catch on) but it’s not a bad little film. For about the first two thirds it’s quite a nice (but pretty pointless) comedy about two guys trying to get rich; it hints at a deeper meaning (a satire on … (read more)

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