Tomie (1999)

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Posted on April 29, 2007 by Alison

Thought Japanese schoolgirls were cute? Think again. This one leaves a trail of corpses in her wake, although strictly speaking, it’s not her fault: boys get so enamoured of her that they fight over her. And die, of course. Thinning the competition, that’s the ticket.

This was a surprisingly enjoyable flick, given that it was made on a fairly low budget with bugger-all special effects. This is mainly due to the actress playing Tomie: the talented Miho Kanno, star of … (read more)

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Tetsuo (The Iron Man) (1989)

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Posted on April 29, 2007 by Alison

I have an absolute argument-winner: the next time someone tries to dispute that Japanese filmmakers are weird, I can show them Tetsuo. Then, after I’ve revived them and stopped them gibbering, they’ll have to admit that yes, I’m right, and yes, Japanese filmmakers come from another planet. The film damn near sucked out my brain like a whelk.

If you make it as far as the salaryman being pursued through the train station by a secretary who’s unnacountably turning … (read more)

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Dolls (2002)

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Posted on April 29, 2007 by Alison

It seems that every time I mentioned that I’d seen Kitano Takeshi’s latest effort and liked it, someone said “You must be the only one!” I’d then have to point out that no, I wasn’t the only one, and if they’d seen it themselves they’d be able to offer an informed opinion. ‘Twas an education for me in how rumours get started.

So let’s deal with my impression of Dolls. Tearing into the bad stuff first, it did drag … (read more)

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Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)

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Posted on April 22, 2007 by John Snadden

The new Chinese drama Curse of the Golden Flower is a welcome return to form by director Zhang Yimou, and further proof that major Chinese stars Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat do their best work on home ground.

In the past fifteen years Zhang has gone from being the bad boy of Chinese cinema (Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern) to the acceptable face of a cultured China with international hits like Hero and House of Flying … (read more)

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Shaolin Prince (1982)

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Posted on April 21, 2007 by Justin

Most fans of Shaw Brothers’ martial-arts and swordplay films know the names of director Chang Cheh and action director Lau Kar-leung, also a fine director in his own right. The Shaws studio had several other top action directors, though, chief among them Tong Gaai, who worked in partnership with Lau sifu on many of Chang Cheh’s films. While Lau is most associated with empty-handed martial arts, Tong Gaai was a weapons specialist, responsible for many of the Shaws films featuring … (read more)

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Burning Paradise (1994)

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Posted on April 15, 2007 by John Snadden

Burning Paradise is a collaboration between two of the greats of contemporary Cantonese cinema: director Ringo Lam (Prison on Fire, Full Contact) and producer Tsui Hark (Once Upon a Time in China series).

The opening action sequences of this martial arts feature quickly establishes the cinema landscape via a series of human and animal decapitations. The prologue describing the persecution of Shaolin monks by the Manchu government during the Qing dynasty, has been used in Shaw … (read more)

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Darna Zaroori Hai (2006)

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Posted on April 15, 2007 by Ching Yee

I begin this review with a small confession — I’ve recently turned into a Bollywood fan girl. Yes, I genuinely like Bollywood movies. I don’t watch them to laugh at them (well, only when they deserve it) and, no, I have absolutely no problem when the actors break out in song and dance. I had seen Bollywood films before (Lagaan, Kaante, Talaash, Dil Chata Hai) but the bug really bit with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai… (read more)

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20:30:40 (2004)

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Posted on April 15, 2007 by James

Thankfully, 20:30:40 is not – as some marketing material has suggested to the contrary – a Sex in the City replicate with a Taipei backdrop. Unless you are the type of person that gets really upset when films about women are not also films that deconstruct feminism, try to ignore this kneejerk promotional tactic. I certainly wouldn’t climb over mountains to chase down a movie so advertised, but I might be inclined to set up a base camp, fire up … (read more)

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