Blog Archives

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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Departures (Okuribito) (2008)

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Posted on October 3, 2009 by Deni

Every human culture has its own death ritual, and if most of us thought about it much, we probably never considered how something common to every human on the planet can be regarded so differently. Because death, as equalising as it is, is a very personal thing. It’s difficult to understand someone else’s grief, difficult to face it in others and difficult to deal with it within one’s self. So, for a film to treat the topic of death, grief … (read more)

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Love Collage aka Collage of Our Lives (2003)

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Posted on September 29, 2009 by Deni

Love Collage, otherwise known as Collage of Our Lives, is a surprising film in a lot of ways. Maybe it’s the title. One would expect something exceedingly sappy and romantic from a movie called Love Collage, where attractive, full-of-potential boy meets attractive, out-of reach girl, moons over her for a while until she finally realises how wonderful he really is, and they live happily ever after.

But actually, that’s what Love Collage isn’t; a love story. Rather … (read more)

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Push (2009)

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Posted on September 20, 2009 by Deni

You might think you’re seeing things, clicked on the wrong link, become a victim of the internet’s mysterious powers of redirection, but before you check your bookmarks and call your ISP, just let me say this: Push is possibly the most Cantonese film America has ever made. Surprised? I certainly was. I honestly wasn’t sure “it’s set in Hong Kong” was enough of a reason for me to go but I went, and actually, this is one film not so … (read more)

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