Jump (Tiu Cheut Heui) (2009)

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Posted on December 2, 2009 by Elizabeth Kerr

Before continuing, I’ll admit bias here: I’m a sucker for dancing movies. Yes, they’re schmaltzy and formulaic, but they’re also fun. When Antonio Banderas finally shook his booty in Take the Lead … aah. It was one of those moments of fleeting euphoria that only comes at the movies. Cheesy? Hell, yeah! Bring it.

So it was with an open mind I sat down for the long-delayed Jump, the latest by budding schlockmeister Stephen Fung (Enter the Phoenix… (read more)

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Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (2008)

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Posted on November 21, 2009 by Deni

I’m yet to work out whether this is a good thing – on one hand, there’s a long, respected convention in art reflecting life; but on the other, if life is made superficial in order to be represented through art, is it really a good thing? Watching the opening episodes of Gundam 00, it’s not like you can miss the commentary on the state of the world after all, so it’s not like the show is shying away from … (read more)

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The Founding of a Republic (Jain Guo da Ye) (2009)

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Posted on October 18, 2009 by Deni

There’s always a level of alienation involved with being a non-Asian watching Asian cinema. I don’t mean to say being Asian automatically endows one with an in-depth knowledge of several thousand years of one’s own history any more than being a White European means you can, say, speak in detail about the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain in the migration period of 500AD. It’s just a fact; there are always going to be things that a person from one culture has … (read more)

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Tokyo Gore Police (2008)

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Posted on October 12, 2009 by Samson

Tokyo Gore Police was created by Yoshihiro Nishimura, the make up and special effects supervisor of The Machine Girl, which I reviewed for you very recently. But unlike The Machine Girl (which was directed by Noboru Iguchi), Nishimura was totally in charge for Tokyo Gore Police. Besides being the director, he was also responsible for the film’s special effects, gore effects, screenplay, creature design and editing, and the movie was based on his own independently produced short film … (read more)

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The Machine Girl (2008)

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Posted on October 12, 2009 by Samson

The creative duo Noboru Iguchi (writer and director) and Yoshihiro Nishimura (make up and special effects supervisor) came to fame in a big way with The Machine Girl in 2008. Since then, they have teamed up again for Robogeisha, and effects expert Yoshihiro Nishimura has gone on to direct Tokyo Gore Police and Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl. All of these films have one thing in common: over-the-top low-budget gore. So obviously there is a market for this … (read more)

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Bodyguard: A New Beginning (2008)

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Posted on October 11, 2009 by John Snadden

At first sight this new British production has some real talent behind it. Bodyguard: A New Beginning also looks the goods with a screen bursting with saturated primary colours. It’s obvious the film-makers are more than familiar with the Hong Kong crime-action genre. And that’s the picture’s problem: it’s a movie knock-off – Bodyguard is slick and ultimately very empty.

It doesn’t break any new ground with its well worn tale of triad gangs fighting for control of Hong Kong’s … (read more)

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Accident (2009)

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Posted on October 11, 2009 by John Snadden

Milkyway Image Films latest Hong Kong release is the classiest and most intelligent film to come from Hong Kong so far this year. Lead actor Louis Koo (Overheard) gives a brilliant performance in Accident and is quickly becoming one of the best screen actors in Asia.

In his debut feature for Milkyway Films, director Soi Cheang (Dog Bite Dog) has tempered his usually dark, violent cinema visions and created a wholly satisfying cerebral crime drama, very … (read more)

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Underground (2006)

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Posted on October 6, 2009 by Justin

Like Bodyguard: A New Beginning, Underground is a recent British-made action film which wears its influences on its sleeve. An independent actioner made on a shoestring budget in the UK before Bodyguard, it’s a straight tournament film: twelve fighters backed by sneering plutocrats, high stakes, one winner, light on sporting conduct, all photographed in gritty low-budget, reality-TV style.

Our host, Fidel (Fidel Nanton) has gathered together six high-flyers with money to burn: each is offered the chance to … (read more)

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