A Story Of Yonosuke (2013)

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Posted on November 16, 2013 by Samson

If you have seen Chef Of The South Pole (JFF 2009’s Opening / Closing Film, in Melbourne / Sydney respectively) and thought it was nice, then you should definitely check out the latest from the film’s director Shuichi Okita – A Story Of Yonosuke. This nicely made film will give you that very nice feeling, and may even urge you to be nice to everybody around you. You see, I have crammed in as many ‘nice’ words as possible … (read more)

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The Brain Man (2013)

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Posted on November 12, 2013 by Samson

It’s been a while since I last saw a film coming out of Japan that I have found truly inventive, truly exciting and truly satisfying. Perhaps not since Love Exposure, the 4-hour masterpiece from Sion Sono, way back in 2008. So I can’t express how grateful I am to the Japanese Film Festival for the opportunity to see The Brain Man, the latest film from Tomoyuki Takimoto, director of JFF 2011’s crowd favourite Star Watching Dog.

Any … (read more)

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Shield of Straw (2013)

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Posted on November 12, 2013 by Samson

Shield of Straw is the closest thing to a Hollywood blockbuster that prolific director Takashi Miike has ever made. Working with a large budget, Miike has created something big, bold and at times beautiful. Unfortunately, like many Hollywood films, Shield of Straw also suffers from issues of implausibility and often it simply feels overblown.

When the granddaughter of a wealthy man is brutally assaulted and murdered, he offers one billion yen to anyone who kills the alleged perpetrator, a known … (read more)

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‘The Raid 2: Berandal’ (Indonesia) teaser released

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Justin

For those who enjoyed director Gareth Evans’ impressive debut with Indonesian action film The Raid (2011), Madman have posted a treat to their YouTube channel. Here’s the teaser for the sequel, The Raid 2: Berandal:

The sequel picks up right where the original left off, with martial artist Iko Uwais reprising the lead role — and I suspect from the looks of this they’ve scaled up the mayhem considerably. No official release date yet for Oz, but it’ll be … (read more)

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Cold War (2012)

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Posted on October 28, 2013 by Deni

From the outset, Cold War is an ambitious effort. Its big budget execution sets a bar that the narrative tries – and in some respects fails – to achieve with its high-scale intrigue and cast of dozens. For a non-Chinese speaking audience it’s not the easiest thriller to follow (I couldn’t even guess at what it’s like for the Chinese speaking one), which detracts a little from the overall enjoyment of the tense and tightly paced drama.

To set the … (read more)

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Full Contact (1992)

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Posted on October 26, 2013 by Deni

It might be safe to say that the late 80’s and the early 90’s was possibly the high point for Hong Kong crime cinema. Sure, there’s been a lot of brilliant flicks since then (Johnny To probably responsible for more than his fair share) but the hey day of John Woo and Ringo Lam just somehow stands out as some of the freshest, most electrifying cinema around. True, the fairly standard criminal betrayed revenge story Full Contact wasn’t the most … (read more)

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The Great Passage (2013)

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Posted on October 22, 2013 by Deni

You might think that a movie about compiling a dictionary – even the first ever “living dictionary” – is going to be about as compelling as watching paint dry. Under normal circumstances you’d probably be right, but normal circumstances don’t take The Great Passage’s sterling cast and sensitive filmmaker Yuya Ishii’s deft handling of everyday social interactions into account.

It’s 1995 (pre-computing technology, if you can believe that. Or, you know, check with Wiki) and Mitsuya Majime (Ryuhei Matsuda, Big … (read more)

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Long Arm of the Law (1984)

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Posted on October 21, 2013 by John Snadden

Johnny Mak’s powerful 1984 crime film Long Arm of The Law was a film for its time and a big box-office hit that year. Nearly thirty years later it stands the test of time extremely well and looks to be having a new lease on life, with recent incarnations on Blu-Ray, DVD and theatrically.

For Australian audiences, Long Arm of The Law is part of Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) Action, Hong Kong Style film programme which is, without … (read more)

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