posted "NIGHTFALL Keeps It ‘All In the Family'" about Nightfall.   May 07

NIGHTFALL Keeps It ‘All In the Family'
    Everyone appreciates a good cop story, and the Chinese are no different.  Those dedicated investigators who stick it out throu …

posted "BUNOHAN: An Exercise In Just 'What' Exactly?" about Bunohan: Return To Murder.   May 02

BUNOHAN: An Exercise In Just 'What' Exac …
   Here’s the thing about having ghosts and/or spirits serve as characters: unless the story goes to great lengths to humanize whateve …

posted "Smart Talk on Skin: SHE CAT Doubles-Down on Story To Reach A Wider Audience" about She Cat.   April 30

Smart Talk on Skin: SHE CAT Doubles-Down …
   The Pinky/Pinku films kinda/sorta underwent a bit of re-invention in the early-to-mid 1980’s due to the emergence of adult home vid …

posted "Smart Talk on Skin: The Gloriously Depraved But Decidedly Unconventional FEMALE TEACHER HUNTING" about Female Teacher Hunting.   April 29

Smart Talk on Skin: The Gloriously Depra …
    There’s much more afoot here than what get more commonly delivered in the average Pinky/Pinku film (which this is and is not) …

posted "Fantasy Version of ‘Romeo & Juliet' Proves There's Nothing So Depressing As True Love" about The Assassin's Blade.   April 25

Fantasy Version of ‘Romeo & Juliet' Prov …
    Love, love, love.  What life is worth living if you don’t have love?  All you need is love, for love is a many sple …

posted "Three Women, Three Lives, One Connection: Intimacy" about Tokyo Noir.   April 12

Three Women, Three Lives, One Connection …
   Compilations can be a rigorously mixed bag.  What happens more often than not, there’s usually a single strong piece in the bu …

posted "DEAD BALL: Not Quite Splatter, Not Quite Comedy, Not Quite DEAD" about Dead Ball.   April 09

DEAD BALL: Not Quite Splatter, Not Quite …
   Comedy is the most difficult film to cross international waters.  This isn’t because different folks require different laughs; …

commented on woopak_the_thrill's review of Rurouni Kenshin (Live Action film), ""Hitokiri Battousai" is Now a Sword That Protects! The Anime Series Comes Alive".   April 09

commented on A1CJonathanLane's review of Gunslinger Girl (Season 1), "They're Just Like Regular Children.".   April 08

commented on A1CJonathanLane's review of Anime, "The importance of anime, and why non fans should give it a shot.".   April 01

commented on woopak_the_thrill's QuickTip of Rurouni Kenshin (Live Action film), "Being a fan of the anime series and the anime film, I do hope that this live-action movie delivers. ...".   April 01

posted "Running Low On Scares, The Japanese Are Now Just Messing With Us" about Tormented.   March 27

Running Low On Scares, The Japanese Are …
      Look, I can appreciate a hallucinogenic fright-fest as well as the next person.  All one need do is take a look at some …

posted "Sex, Drugs, Rocking, And Getting Rolled All Have Their Costs To These GIRL$" about Girl$.   March 26

Sex, Drugs, Rocking, And Getting Rolled …
      Societies are crazy things.  Culturally, we’ve progressed so far that almost anything your heart desires is avail …

commented on woopak_the_thrill's review of Silenced (Korean film, aka. The Crucible), "The True Story That Sparked Public Outcry in South Korea That Led to Legislative Reform".   March 21

commented on woopak_the_thrill's review of Dragon Heat (aka. Dragon Squad), "Over-Directed Overly Stylized Hong Kong Action Flick".   March 21

posted "Nothing Is Quite What It Seems With THE GREAT MAGICIAN" about The Great Magician.   March 20

Nothing Is Quite What It Seems With THE …
      I’ve always liked magic.  As a kid, I even gave it a go, but I was never the showman I hoped I’d be.  …

posted "Boys and Their Toys Clutter the MOTORWAY" about Motorway.   March 13

Boys and Their Toys Clutter the MOTORWAY
      Anthony Wong has been a part of so many clever and classy action films that it actually hurt watching him play a veteran cop …

posted "Coming-Of-Age Comedy Gets High Marks with this Quick PUNCH" about Punch.   March 13

Coming-Of-Age Comedy Gets High Marks wit …
Despite whatever culture each of us hails from, there are some universal experiences we all share; and one of those that bridges one group of people …

posted "Smart Talk On Skin: Well, OK, But She's Going To Ruin Her Tenure" about Female Teacher: In Front of the Students.   February 27

Smart Talk On Skin: Well, OK, But She's …
    The Nikkatsu Corporation is Japan’s oldest major motion picture studio.  As the dynamics of the entertainment industry f …

posted "When It Sticks To The Air, BLACK EAGLE Soars (Mostly)" about Black Eagle (aka. R2B: Back to Base, aka, Soar to the Sky).   February 23

When It Sticks To The Air, BLACK EAGLE S …
      In the middle of 1986, Tony Scott and Tom Cruise teamed up for one of the most successful (and formulaic) summer blockbuster …

commented on Trekscribbler's review of Sleepy Eyes of Death: Collector's Set Vol. 3, "Good Samurai vs. Bad Samurai In AnimEigo's Stellar SLEEPY EYES OF DEATH!".   February 19

posted "Good Samurai vs. Bad Samurai In AnimEigo's Stellar SLEEPY EYES OF DEATH!" about Sleepy Eyes of Death: Collector's Set Vol. 3.   February 18

Good Samurai vs. Bad Samurai In AnimEigo …
      I feel somewhat ashamed.  See, I’m coming to this fascination of mine with samurai films much later than most, an …

posted "There's A New DANGEROUS LIAISONS, Or "Nobody Puts Beibei In A Corner" (Pun Intended)" about Dangerous Liaisons.   February 12

There's A New DANGEROUS LIAISONS, Or "No …
      Classics never go out of style.  You can take any one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies and set it, say, in the Br …

posted "Honor Among THIEVES" about The Thieves (Korean film).   February 06

Honor Among THIEVES
      Caper flicks have been done before.  For the record, the French have had a few solid outings.  I’ve yet to s …

posted "South Korea Sees Plenty of 'Doom' In Our Future" about The Doomsday Book (Korean film).   January 24

South Korea Sees Plenty of 'Doom' In Our …
      By their very nature, anthology films are a mixed bag.  They’ll contain two or three or four smaller stories – es …

commented on woopak_the_thrill's review of BUSHIDO: The Cruel Code of the SAMURAI (1963), "4 ½ Stars: Honor and Tradition...Blindness To Injustice...Prepare To Be Shattered!!".   January 22

posted "Wasted Days and Wasted Knights" about Hard Romanticker.   January 20

Wasted Days and Wasted Knights
Wasted Days and Wasted Knights       Film has had a very long love affair with gangsters.  In Frank Capra’s LADY FOR …

posted "The Death (And Life) Of A Samurai" about Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei).   January 19

The Death (And Life) Of A Samurai
      “Are You Satisfied?”       Takashi Miike.  It’s only two words – a nam …

commented on woopak_the_thrill's review of The Doomsday Book (Korean film), "Two Directors. Three Tales of the Future. One Story of Humanity's Self-Destruction".   January 17

posted "Winning Combination of Fights & Comedy Make TAI CHI ZERO Much More Than A Zero!" about Tai Chi Zero.   January 04

Winning Combination of Fights & Comedy M …
       Those who’ve followed my reviews over the years (and, yes, there are a good many of you) know just how fond I am …