This week in cinemas: ‘Badges of Fury’ (China/HK)

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Justin

According to the Facebook page for distributor Dream Movie, this Thursday 27 June sees the Australian cinema release for Chinese action film Badges of Fury starring Jet Li and Wen Zhang, who previously teamed up in drama Ocean Heaven and demon-hunting actioner The Sorcerer and the White Snake.… (read more)

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Some reviews go around the world

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Justin

Our own Rhys was surprised to find something interesting in the shops, on this slipcase of a bootleg copy of Stephen Chow’s most recent film: the first paragraph of his own review of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons!… (read more)

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Monsoon Shootout (2013)

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Posted on June 17, 2013 by Justin

Monsoon Shootout, which screened in competition at this year’s Sydney Film Festival, is the first feature film from Indian director Amit Kumar. A dark, introspective crime thriller, it takes as its subject the moral dilemma faced by a young policeman working in Mumbai’s slums, where gangland thugs face off against cops who don’t like doing paperwork.… (read more)

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Outrage Beyond (2012)

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Posted on June 10, 2013 by Justin

My first film at this year’s Sydney Film Festival was Outrage Beyond, the great Japanese director Takeshi Kitano’s follow-up to 2010’s yakuza film Outrage. Set in the same universe of gangsters in pinstripes, black sedans and sudden violence, it picks up the story some years after the events of the first film.… (read more)

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The Front Line (2011)

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Posted on June 3, 2013 by Justin

South Korean director Jang Hoon followed up his 2010 hit Secret Reunion (a fun spy-vs-spy thriller that sold 5.5 million tickets, coming in second for that year’s box office) with this, his third feature: a gigantic war film set during the 1953 ceasefire at the end of the Korean War.

Kang Eun-pyo (Shin Ha-kyun, who’s donned warpaint before in JSA and Welcome to Dongmakgol) and Kim Soo-hyeok (Go Soo) were soldiers together early in the war. Outgunned, they found … (read more)

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Ace Attorney (2012)

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Posted on May 25, 2013 by Samson

Regular visitors to our website would know that we just love Takashi Miike. And why wouldn’t you? From his early crazy films like Ichi the Killer and Gozu, to commercial films like Crows Zero and Ninja Kids!!!, to the more recent critically acclaimed films like 13 Assassins and Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai, he has just proven himself to be one of the most prolific, imaginative and skillful directors working in the world today. Just how many … (read more)

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Asian Cinema at the Sydney Film Festival 2013

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Justin

Festival season is upon us again, and this year’s Sydney Film Festival released their full programme a couple of weeks ago. SFF always includes a pretty serious cohort of Asian films, and this year is no different! I’ve put together a quick roundup of the feature films from the East on show this year.

You’ll find schedule info, trailers and more information on the SFF’s official site — don’t forget to book your tickets early, as the popular films always… (read more)

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Drug War (2012)

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Posted on May 10, 2013 by John Snadden

In just under twelve months, I’ve had the good fortune to have watched three superb new release Asian crime movies. In my opinion, they mark a turning point in their respective film cultures. The films are: from India, Gangs of Wasseypur, a very un-Bollywood-like crime saga which chronicles a century long blood feud; the Chinese feature Lethal Hostage from wannabe auteur Cheng Er; and Johnnie To’s first mainland produced and financed cop drama, Drug War. More on the … (read more)

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