A.D. Police (1999)

(from , dir: )
Posted on December 16, 2008 by Deni

Before I even opened the case, I was wondering if an extensive – or even basic – knowledge of Bubblegum Crisis was an important prerequisite for this series. A good spin off, as any decent TV addict should know, is something that needs to carry all the elements of the show its referencing, without relying on pre-existing viewer knowledge.

As it turns out, I needn’t have worried. A.D. Police is driven enough by it’s drama and the interpersonal relationships between … (read more)

Comments Off on A.D. Police (1999)

Brave Story (2006)

(from , dir: )
Posted on December 16, 2008 by Samson

Based on a novel by writer Miyuki Miyabe, the Brave Story movie is produced by the animation house Studio Gonzo, a major force in the anime industry today. It is essentially a fantasy adventure. Giant monsters, wizards with magical powers, and young characters who become heroes all feature in the film.

The story begins when young Wataru, the main character of the movie, accidentally sees a mysterious young child disappearing through a floating door. It turns out that the mysterious … (read more)

Comments Off on Brave Story (2006)

Appleseed Ex Machina (2007)

(from , dir: )
Posted on November 23, 2008 by Samson

The original Appleseed was a fantastic movie that featured stunning visuals, good action and interesting concepts. I was therefore rather excited to be able to go on another adventure with Deunan and Briareos in Appleseed Ex Machina. So was it a worthwhile journey, and how does the sequel compare with the original? Here are my thoughts.

Besides Deunan and Briareos both returning for more action, this time the film also introduces us to a new and key character, Tereus, … (read more)

Comments Off on Appleseed Ex Machina (2007)

New Cutie Honey (1994)

(from , dir: )
Posted on November 17, 2008 by Tom

This is the second time I’ve reviewed a remake/re-imagining of Go Nagai’s work after New Getter Robo and I’m beginning to think that old Go is an anime industry equivalent of American horror director John Carpenter. Both their early works were influential and inspirational to the generations that would follow but attempts to remake these early works in the modern age often fall flat.

Cosplay City is besieged by violence crime and chaos with even low level street gangs sporting … (read more)

Comments Off on New Cutie Honey (1994)

Mongol (2007)

(from , dir: )
Posted on November 17, 2008 by Deni

Flawed but magnificent, Mongol, by Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov, is a film of truly epic proportions. From the sprawling canvas of scenery shot in some of the most remote parts of China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan, to the mythos of one of the most feared men in human history, this film paints both an elusive and visceral personal portrait.

There probably aren’t many people even today who have never heard the name Genghis Khan, and as a success story, this … (read more)

Comments Off on Mongol (2007)

Dirty Ho (1979)

(from , dir: )
Posted on November 3, 2008 by Justin

Dirty Ho‘s title may inspire sniggering from the back of the class, nowadays, but it’s a very different film than you’d think: the film does open inside a brothel (a floating one, no less!), but the Ho of the title is a male thief and kungfu practitioner (played by Wong Yue), and his dirtiness is conferred by a poisoned wound he receives early in the film. So, if you’re after something more like The Golden Lotus, I’d suggest … (read more)

Comments Off on Dirty Ho (1979)

Sukiyaki Western Django (2007)

(from , dir: )
Posted on October 20, 2008 by Deni

It’s no accident the cowboy and the masterless samurai are cinematic characters practically interchangeable in their native landscapes. The settling of the Americas and the breakdown of the Japanese feudal society were both frontiers, delineations into the brutal unknown where the individual ruled with right of might and lived by wits alone. The cowboy and the ronin both are forbidding, potentially dangerous and almost unreservedly tragic icons of independence in their respective worlds.

It is astride both these worlds that … (read more)

Comments Off on Sukiyaki Western Django (2007)

Maximum Choppage Round 2 (2008)

(from , dir: )
Posted on October 6, 2008 by Samson

I recently attended the launch of ‘Australia’s first urban martial arts action adventure’, Maximum Choppage Round 2, at the Fairfield School of Arts in Sydney. When introducing his film, producer, director, screenwriter and main actor, Timothy Ly, said that he was trying to make a Hollywood film, in Sydney’s West, with no money. Big ambition indeed, but looking at cinema’s history, it is not hard to find examples of films that were made with extremely limited budgets, which were … (read more)

Comments Off on Maximum Choppage Round 2 (2008)