Brothers (2007)

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Posted on November 17, 2007 by John Snadden

The past twelve months have seen the release of three excellent crime films from Cantonese film-makers: Johnnie To’s Leone flavoured, Macau-based flick Exiled; Derek Yee’s drug trade expose Protege; and Brothers, which opened this week at Melbourne’s Chinatown cinema. Directed by Derek Chiu who is more known for his work with Peter Chan’s UFO company, helming quality dramas such as Ah Fai The Dumb. With Brothers, Chiu has created a very canny crime movie: a … (read more)

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Highlander: The Search For Vengeance (2007)

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Posted on November 4, 2007 by Tom

The Highlander franchise has been around since the mid eighties. It is famous for the catchphrase: “There can only be one”, referring of course to the centuries old battle of the Immortals that die only by having their heads removed form their shoulders. They really should have had that catchphrase in mind when they decided to make four more live action films, three Television series (one animated) and various novels and comic books, and that includes this anime entry directed … (read more)

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Tales from Earthsea (2006)

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Posted on November 4, 2007 by Andy

Tales from Earthsea is the latest offering from Studio Ghibli and first from Goro Miyazaki. Yep, that’s right. That surname makes him son to pop Hayao and heir apparent to the visionary and iconoclastic Studio Ghibli.

Light shining through the celluloid of a new Ghibli film is usually grounds for anticipation to pass way beyond safe operating levels with the needle pushing dangerously into the red. Breath is so baited that oxygen deprivation becomes a real risk. It’s strange then … (read more)

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The Bad Sleep Well (1960)

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Posted on November 4, 2007 by Greg

Few would argue that Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors the world has ever seen. The number of masterpieces he produced is simply staggering. If you look back at the catalogue of his works, you notice that at the heart of many of these great films are partnerships with other extremely talented individuals. His long collaboration with Toshiro Mifune, for example, is usually regarded as one of the greatest director/actor partnerships in the history of cinema. Kurosawa’s work … (read more)

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May 18 (2007)

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Posted on November 2, 2007 by Justin

May 18 is a film that many pinned their hopes on, in Korea’s flagging film industry, which has been producing far fewer profitable films in the last year or two. And with good reason: it’s a historical epic (flavour of the month, for successful Korean films), it’s based on real events, it’s got a relatively large budget (about US$10M) and it’s got a good cast, led by Kim Sang-Kyung (Tale of Cinema, Memories of Murder).

The film … (read more)

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Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid (2006)

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Posted on October 21, 2007 by Tom

Full Metal Panic! is fast becoming a popular franchise, with numerous mangas, novels and two other anime series already released., You would be hard pressed to able to guess where it will all end. This entry in the franchise is a continuation of the first anime series, and picks up the story about five months after the events of Full Metal Panic!

We rejoin Sousuke Sagara and the rest of his unit as they prepare to “drop in” on some … (read more)

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Rang De Basanti (2006)

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Posted on October 21, 2007 by Ching Yee

It would be a rare film indeed to be inspirational, to transport the audience into its world, to be carried away by its idealistic fervour and winds of patriotism AND be a great film. So Rang De Basanti didn’t turn out to be this awe-inspiring film I expected. Boohoo. Serves me right for having high expectations and buying into the hype. Unfortunately RDB just didn’t have the complete package. Plus I forgot to take into account that I am a … (read more)

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Confession of Pain (2006)

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Posted on October 21, 2007 by Deni

The word ‘confession’ carries a great deal of weight in Western culture; in religion, it goes hand in hand with the concept of sin; in the secular world, it’s generally accompanied by legal action. It comes in as many shapes and forms as there are people to make it – from Okay, yeah I ate the last piece of cake to I’m having an affair with your boss and worse. It can ruin lives and relationships, damage trust, hurt others … (read more)

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