Fantasy | Wildside Cinema

Film Review: Cash Chin Man-Kei’s CAT III Classic ‘The Eternal Evil of Asia’ (Nan yang shi da xie shu – 1995) Still Delights with Sleaze & Frights

Asian Cinema, B. Woodell, CAT III, Demons, Erotic, Exploitation, Fantasy, Horror, Martial Arts, Revenge No Responses »

Jan 282012

The Eternal Evil of Asia is another wonderfully produced category III horror/voodoo/sex/comedy romp produced by legendary Wong Jing. Being one of the most prolific filmmakers in Hong Kong, anyone who knows what Wong is capable of, will have an inkling as to what they should expect in this hilarious tale.

Four friends travel to Thailand on a bachelor party excursion, but the trip goes awry when they befriend a local wizard and accidentally kill his sister. They return to Hong Kong, but the wizard follows and begins picking them off one by one. The wife to be has to decide to make a personal sacrifice to save the man she loves and her brother Continue reading »

Film Review: Lieh Lo’s ‘Black Magic with Buddha’ (Nao mo – 1983) Combines Outlandish Gore & Stunning Amounts of CAT III Sleaze

Asian Cinema, CAT III, Exploitation, Extreme, Fantasy, Hong Kong, Horror, J. Andersson, Revenge No Responses »

Nov 282011

I’ve learned something today. Evil Thai mummy brains aren’t something you should mess about with; it’s as simple as that. And if you do feel like keeping them for your own personal gain, make sure you feed them regularly. They tend to get rather mad if they are hungry. Like any other pet really. That’s something the protagonist of low budget Hong Kong sleaze Black Magic with Buddha learns when he goes to Thailand, takes home a brain with magic powers to use for his own personal gain. You see, our hero is somewhat of a looser. Only somewhat though, for a CAT III hero he is actually fairly likeable. He means well I suppose, he just doesn’t seem to think of the consequences of what he is doing, and the fact that it kills his sister and his wife’s family, well, he never seems to care that much about it. He comes off as Continue reading »

Film Review: Singh’s ‘Immortals’ (2011) Blows Viewers from Theater Seats with Intense Action & Stunning Visuals

Action, Adventure, B. Woodell, Drama, Fantasy, War No Responses »

Nov 192011

After a five-year hiatus, Tarsem Singh (The Cell) is back in the director’s chair to deliver us yet another visually stimulating journey in his third feature film. Immortals. Singh takes the wonderfully crafted script from the up and coming writing team of the Parlapanides brothers, Charley and Vlas, and takes us back to Ancient Greece, to a time of Western mythology when the Gods were in charge.

King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) is scouring Greece to find the Epirus Bow, a weapon that could be used to unleash the Titans back onto the Earth from their prison deep within Mount Tartaros. After overtaking a Monastery and capturing Phaedra (Freida Pinto), an oracle who sees visions and can aid in finding the bow Continue reading »

Film Review: Tsui Hark Returns to Form with Action-Packed Whodunit, ‘Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame’ (Di Renjie – 2010)

Action, Adventure, Asian Cinema, B. Woodell, Drama, Fantasy, Hong Kong, Martial Arts No Responses »

Sep 272011

Theatrical Poster

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame brings something to Hong Kong cinema that really has been missing for as long as I can remember; a mystery crime solver film. Yes, there are instances where hidden identities need to be discovered in previous films, but Detective Dee is one hundred percent a mystery crime solver set in the Tang Dynasty.

A monument is being built in honor of Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau), and one day two of the supervisors burst into flames for no reason. No one is sure exactly what the cause is, so the Empress free Detective Dee from prison to solve the mystery. Empress Wu sends her right hand swordswoman, Jing’er (Bingbing Li) to not only watch Dee, but to help him in his quest to find not only what Continue reading »

Film Review: Shinsuke Sato’s ‘Gantz’ (2010) Delivers Gory, Fast-Paced Sci-Fi Entertainment

Action, Adventure, Anime, Asian Cinema, B. Harris, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi 1 Response »

Aug 062011

Theatrical Poster

During the harrowing rescue of a bystander on subway tracks, two young men are hit by an incoming train before they’re able to escape to safety. Instead of perishing though, the two find themselves transported to an empty apartment filled with a few confused people and an ominous black sphere. They’ve been given a second chance to serve a higher purpose and protect the planet by hunting down dangerous alien lifeforms and terminating them for points. The “game” is stay alive long enough to reach one hundred points and decide whether to bring back fallen comrades or go back to leading a normal life.

Not being familiar with the Gantz manga or anime series I wasn’t at all sure what to expect from the concept outside of the synopsis I’d read. The premise Continue reading »

Film Review: Deep within the Woods, ‘The Wild Hunt’ (2009) Brings Warriors to their Knees

Action, Adventure, B. Harris, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller 2 Responses »

May 292011

Theatrical Poster

When Erik (Ricky Mabe), once again, finds himself dumped by his emotionally fickle girlfriend Lyn (Kaniehtiio Horn), he decides to enter into the wacky world of LARP (Live Action Role-Playing) to fight for her. Upon arriving at the secluded LARP camp though he quickly discovers that outsiders and their modern ways aren’t welcome. Forced to don a peasants outfit and join forces with his borderline delirious brother Bjorn (Mark Antony Krupa) and his Viking army, Erik goes forth on his quest to rescue Lyn (Princess Evlynia) from the evil clutches of the wicked Celt, Shaman Murtagh (Trevor Hayes), and convince her to take him back.

What seems like a fairly simple task soon takes a dark turn Continue reading »

Film Review: ‘We Are The Night’ (Wir sind die Nacht – 2010) Gives Vampires a New Lease on Vicious

Drama, Fantasy, Germany, Horror, J. Felton, Thriller 2 Responses »

May 262011

Theatrical Poster

Vampires, it would seem, are no longer what they used to be. Actually that’s not true at all. Thanks to a certain franchise they have been dragged kicking and screaming into the mainstream, and devoured by a bloodthirsty public that are seemingly happy with whiny vampires. Fair play to them, they are what they are.

For me though vampires have always been a charming yet vicious breed. Growing up with Christopher Lee’s Dracula and Salem’s Lot and then later on Fright Night’s Jerry Dandridge (soon to be Farrellized in the remake), The Lost Boys and Near Dark. These were killers whichever way you sliced them Continue reading »

Film Review: When a Cult Leaves You No Other Choice, It’s Time to ‘Drive Angry’ (2011)

Action, Adventure, B. Harris, Demons, Exploitation, Fantasy, Horror, Revenge No Responses »

May 172011

DVD Artwork

Roaring up from the depths of hell, a damned soul named Milton (an allusion to John Milton?) returns to the world of mortal man with an unquenchable thirst for vengeance. Forced to spend his afterlife bearing witness to the suffering of his loved ones, Milton steals a legendary weapon and hits the road in search of a cult responsible for the murder of his daughter and the kidnapping of his granddaughter.

With law enforcement breathing down his neck and a mysterious denizen of the underworld named The Accountant dogging his every step, Milton and his road trip partner Piper must stay alive Continue reading »

Film Review: Nishimura’s ‘Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl’ (Revisited – 2009) Offers Gore Galore & More

Action, Asian Cinema, Exploitation, Extreme, Fantasy, Horror, J. Felton, Japan, Martial Arts, Sci-Fi, Zombies No Responses »

May 082011

DVD Artwork

Within seconds of this movie starting a freakish looking girl gets her head peeled by a disembodied skull. If that doesn’t make you want to see more of this then you are probably already dead. Either that or warped over the top Japanese splatter isn’t your cup of tea. This opening scene sets the tone for the entire movie which gets more and more outrageous the further it goes. But really, what do you expect from a movie from a movie with this title?

To break the plot down would take far too long to go into detail, something I try to avoid anyway, as there is so much going on at any one time. However, the general jist of it is that Japanese Continue reading »

Film Review: Richard Kelly’s Ambitious ‘Southland Tales’ (2006) Brings Sci-Fi to its Knees

Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller No Responses »

Apr 262011

Theatrical Poster

A friend and I were discussing the current trends of cinema this past summer and how few studios and filmmakers themselves were willing to take chances anymore and try to deliver something unique to audiences. Aside from Christopher Nolan’s Inception, it seemed that nearly every film that was being released suffered from a lack of ambition to not only entertain, but to engage the audience. At some point during this discourse, I had mentioned my admiration for Richard Kelly’s sophomore effort, Southland Tales. My friend described it as too much ambition. Although I saw my friend’s point, I view Southland Tales as a more coherent and effective cinematic experience than most give it credit for Continue reading »

Film Review: Hardwicke’s Modern Retelling of ‘Red Riding Hood’ (2011) Delights Fantasy Viewers

B. Woodell, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller No Responses »

Apr 152011

Poster Artwork

Red Riding Hood, the new film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, is an updated version of not only the Red Riding Hood fairy tale, but pretty much a hybrid of every child story dealing with the big bad wolf.

The film takes place in a medieval village that for years has sacrificed an animal on every full moon so the towns people would be safe from the werewolf that has haunted the city for years. One day the wolf kills a girl, who is Valerie’s (Amanda Seyfried) sister. It sets the town into a frenzy and they call in Father Solomon (Gary Oldman) to come to the town to rid them of the cursed wolf. He comes in and will stop at nothing to kill the wolf, and in Continue reading »

Film Review: The Legendary Yuen Woo-ping’s ‘True Legend’ (2010) Not-So-Legendary Wuxia

Action, Adventure, Asian Cinema, B. Harris, Drama, Fantasy, Hong Kong, Martial Arts, Revenge, Yuen Woo-ping No Responses »

Apr 042011

Theatrical Poster

After leading an army into an enemy stronghold and rescuing his prince from execution, the great warrior General Su passes on a promotion to Governor of Hu Bei, instead graciously insisting the prince grant his adopted brother Yuan the honor. No longer interested in the thrill of battle, Su hopes to return home, start a family and open a school in which to teach Wushu.

Five years later, Governor Yuan pays an official visit to Su’s home on the day of his adopted father’s birthday intending to take his revenge on the old man for the execution of his biological father. Now a corrupt monster and Master of Five Venom Fists, Yuan unceremoniously dispatches the old man and takes his Continue reading »

Older Entries

Wildside Cinema

Film Review: Cash Chin Man-Kei’s CAT III Classic ‘The Eternal Evil of Asia’ (Nan yang shi da xie shu – 1995) Still Delights with Sleaze & Frights

Film Review: Lieh Lo’s ‘Black Magic with Buddha’ (Nao mo – 1983) Combines Outlandish Gore & Stunning Amounts of CAT III Sleaze

Film Review: Singh’s ‘Immortals’ (2011) Blows Viewers from Theater Seats with Intense Action & Stunning Visuals

Film Review: Tsui Hark Returns to Form with Action-Packed Whodunit, ‘Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame’ (Di Renjie – 2010)

Film Review: Shinsuke Sato’s ‘Gantz’ (2010) Delivers Gory, Fast-Paced Sci-Fi Entertainment

Film Review: Deep within the Woods, ‘The Wild Hunt’ (2009) Brings Warriors to their Knees

Film Review: ‘We Are The Night’ (Wir sind die Nacht – 2010) Gives Vampires a New Lease on Vicious

Film Review: When a Cult Leaves You No Other Choice, It’s Time to ‘Drive Angry’ (2011)

Film Review: Nishimura’s ‘Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl’ (Revisited – 2009) Offers Gore Galore & More

Film Review: Richard Kelly’s Ambitious ‘Southland Tales’ (2006) Brings Sci-Fi to its Knees

Film Review: Hardwicke’s Modern Retelling of ‘Red Riding Hood’ (2011) Delights Fantasy Viewers

Film Review: The Legendary Yuen Woo-ping’s ‘True Legend’ (2010) Not-So-Legendary Wuxia

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