Tell Me Something (1999)

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Posted on April 6, 2008 by Mark Morrison

This Korean serial killer flick slides scalpel through flesh in the opening credits. It’s basically a popcorn movie, assuming you like your popcorn with extra gristle, further proof that “subtitles” does not mean “arthouse”. It’s highly commercial, and if it wasn’t in Korean it might star Brad Pitt and be now playing in a multiplex near you (actually, if it did star Brad Pitt, he’d be a candidate for a perfect 6-part amputation – this is for Legends of the … (read more)

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Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – The Laughing Man (2005)

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Posted on April 6, 2008 by Samson

The Laughing Man tells the story of the entire first season of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, regarded by many people to be one of the best anime series ever, as a 2 and a half hour movie. It is a compilation of only the material from the 26 episodes of the series that is related to the ‘Laughing Man’.

It is AD 2030. Six years have passed since a super-class-A hacker known as the Laughing Man … (read more)

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Space Adventure Cobra (1982)

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Posted on April 6, 2008 by Tom

Nostalgia can be a bad thing. It makes you remember things, being better than they really were, after a period of time has passed. I remember watching a cartoon, as a young lad, called M.A.S.K. about a bunch of guys that drove around in cars that could transform and they had to wear these masks to make the cars work. Watching it again recently was just downright painful. I thought the cheesiness of it all would kill me. Sometimes old … (read more)

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The Fencing Master (1962)

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Posted on April 5, 2008 by Greg

Knowing that The Fencing Master was written by the great Akira Kurosawa probably does the film few favours in the mind of the viewer. The mere mention of the Kurosawa name immediately raises expectations, but how many films can even come close to the standard set by his many masterpieces? As such, it is probably best to forget about Kurosawa’s involvement when viewing The Fencing Master, and just enjoy the film for what it is – a solid period … (read more)

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Devilman (2004)

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Posted on April 1, 2008 by Samson

Based on the long running and popular manga series from the 1970s by Go Nagai, whom some of you will recognise as the creator of Cutie Honey, this live action adaptation of Devilman carries with it a certain level of expectation. Unfortunately, the film isn’t quite as great as it should have been. While it does have some good parts, the film on the whole doesn’t quite live up to the expectation.

The story begins when a mysterious force … (read more)

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Jodhaa Akbar (2008)

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Posted on March 23, 2008 by Ching Yee

If you dialled 1300-FILM EPICS in India, I’m sure you’ll get a direct line to Ashutosh Gowariker. The man seems to have a penchant for making big epics. Note his body of work – Lagaan, Swades, Mangal Pandey. His most famous work outside of his home country is the nearly 4 hour long Foreign Film Oscar Nominated Lagaan. So what is he offering this time with Jodhaa Akbar, a historical epic set in the 16th Mughal empire?

I’m … (read more)

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Innocent Venus (2006)

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Posted on March 23, 2008 by Tom

I really don’t want to be the reviewer for this series. Not because it’s terrible, but because it’s just average. If it was bad I could tell you to turn away as fast you could, or drop the disc into an acid bath so no one else will ever have to witness the misery of it. If it was a great watch then that would be an easier sell of: just go watch it. But when the material is just … (read more)

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Sakuran (2007)

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Posted on March 23, 2008 by Deni

If Sakuran was a person, it would be the kind of person other people write songs about; quirky and vital and brave, marching to the beat of a drum no one else hears; charming and impossible to dislike, drawing everyone in like moths to a flame which is in the end gone far too soon.

Which sounds like a cliché (or a 70’s rock star) and in fact is. At first, Sakuran seems to be all about style and nothing … (read more)

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