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 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 »

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 Posted by Bennie Woodell at 4:13 PM  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Film Review: Yuen Wo-Ping Introduces the Action World to Donnie Yen in Kung-Fumedy ‘Drunken Tai Chi’ (Siu taai gik – 1984)

 Action, Asian Cinema, B. Woodell, Comedy, Hong Kong, Martial Arts  No Responses »
Jan 282012
 

drunken-tai-chi Drunken Tai Chi is an absolute Yuen Woo-Ping gem from 1984, and is the very first film by the great Donnie Yen. Like many kung fu films made in the late 70’s and early 80’s by the Yuen clan, Jackie Chan, and Sammo Hung, Drunken Tai Chi is filled to the brim with mind bending feats of physical abilities, amazing kung fu sequences, revenge and comedy galore.

Being a revenge film, it follows the formula we’ve all come to know and love. Chan Chuen Chung’s (Yen) brother embarrasses Ta Sha, a rich schoolmate, and a rivalry ensues. It escalates to the boy having his father pay Iron Steel to kill Chan and his family. Chan is not home, but instead is fighting in a gambling hall Continue reading »

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 Posted by Bennie Woodell at 4:09 PM  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Film Review: Benny Chan’s ‘Shaolin’ (Xin shao lin si – 2011) is a Strong Return to HK Cinema’s Glorious Heyday

 Action, Adventure, Asian Cinema, B. Harris, Drama, Hong Kong, Jackie Chan, Martial Arts  No Responses »
Nov 172011
 

shaolin A darkness falls upon China when warlords and their armies clash in bloody combat and the noble Shaolin temple’s warrior monks find themselves caught in the middle. Intent on remaining separate from the violence of the outside world, yet willing to offer a helping hand to all those in need, their way of life is put to the test when a fallen general seeks medical help, and eventually enlightenment, from the very same monks he offended.

To those who doubt the Hong Kong film industry’s ability to continue Continue reading »

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 Posted by Brian Harris at 3:13 AM  Tagged with: , , ,

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 »

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 Posted by Bennie Woodell at 4:36 PM  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Film Review: It Takes More Than a Punch to be a True ‘Warrior’ (2011)

 Action, B. Woodell, Drama, Martial Arts  No Responses »
Sep 252011
 

Theatrical Poster

Two fighters. Two brothers. One estranged ex-alcoholic father. One brother is an ex-Marine and war hero, the other is an ex fighter turned physics teacher. One brother wants to support his fallen Marine comrade’s wife, the other wants to save his house from foreclosure. In comes Spartica, the “Super Bowl” of MMA. Both men join. Both men fight through brackets, and I’m sure after reading through the fourth sentence you knew where the film was headed. It was blatantly obvious 15 minutes into the film.

This is the stripped down plot of Warrior, the new underdog sports film with one main problem…there was no underdog and no character really worth the weight of the script. Paddy Conlon (Nick Nolte) essentially abandoned his family twenty odd years ago due to alcoholism. He finds God and quits drinking, trying Continue reading »

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 Posted by Bennie Woodell at 8:12 PM  Tagged with: , , , ,

Film Review: Woodell’s ‘The Sad Cafe’ (2011) – Death and Romance Collide in a Hail of Bullets

 Action, Crime, Drama, J. Kayy, Martial Arts, Revenge, Thriller  3 Responses »
Jun 142011
 

Theatrical Poster

The Sad Cafe is a dynamic action thriller from visionary young director Bennie Woodell and it follows the story of Jack, a hitman in a gritty world where life and death, love and hatred carry a high price. As Jack begins falling in love with a young waitress named Rose at a small cafe he dines at daily, he tells himself a woman like her can’t possibly love a man like himself.

Full of amazing acting from its small cast, the film looks great with colorful scenes and wonderful cinematography by Macario Cortes III and a nice score also helps the set the dramatic mood. In my opinion the sound did seem to be a bit off, mostly during James Jeske’s dialogue, and I had to guess a few Continue reading »

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Film Review: HK Legend Hung Goes Toe-to-Toe with Action Superstar Yen in ‘Ip Man 2′ (2010)

 Action, Asian Cinema, Drama, Hong Kong, J. Felton, Martial Arts  No Responses »
May 152011
 

DVD Artwork

My introduction to the force that is Donnie Yen was through the quite excellent Kill Zone from 2005. That movie also starred the deceptively agile Sammo Hung as well as Simon Yam, both of whom feature to varying degrees in this sequel to the 2008 flick Ip Man. With these three stellar actors together you could well expect fireworks, at least in the action department. Well rest assured my good friends they, along with director Wilson Yip (who also directed the aforementioned Kill Zone), do deliver big time.

Ip Man, who is played with wonderful subtlety by Yen, has set up home in British ruled Hong Kong and is looking to start up a school teaching his own style of Kung-Fu. The style he teaches Continue reading »

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 Posted by Jude Felton at 8:50 PM  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

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 »

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 Posted by Jude Felton at 8:50 PM  Tagged with: , , , , ,

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 »

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 Posted by Brian Harris at 3:14 PM  Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Film Review: Ling Pan’s ‘Brutal Sorcery’ (1983) Casts a Spell on Taste

 Asian Cinema, B. Harris, Exploitation, Hong Kong, Horror, Martial Arts, Revenge  No Responses »
Mar 292011
 

Poster Artwork

Born in a bad year and month, on a bad day and time, Alan Chang finds himself plagued by disturbing ghostly encounters. Local medium Lady Luck informs his family that he must dig up the bodies of two spirits in particular and bring them to Thailand where they can be reunited in death in order to end the nasty mojo afflicting him. During his trip abroad, Alan hooks up with the sister of one of the deceased and a short love affair ensues. Agreeing to return to his lover in three months time, he heads back to his family in Hong Kong and gets on with his life. When three months come and go without a trip back to Thailand, Alan once again begins experiencing strange occurrences but this time it’s no mere haunting, it’s the blackest of black magic… Continue reading »

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 Posted by Brian Harris at 11:32 PM  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Film Review: ‘Ghost Shout’ (2004) Offers Love, Ghosts and Everything In-Between

 Action, Asian Cinema, B. Woodell, Comedy, Japan, Martial Arts  No Responses »
Mar 132011
 

DVD Artwork

Ghost Shout, aka Ghost Negotiator according to the opening credits of the film, is a fun little Japanese slapstick comedy dealing with the supernatural and love.

A singing spirit who has the power to turn all who listen to her songs to stone, returns to haunt the rehearsal of a ceremony for a school’s principal. The Ghost Negotiators are called in to determine why the spirit is there, and to help her move on to the next world. Yoko, the girl who is sent to help out, is the best negotiator on the team, but she desperately wants to quit. She now has a fiancé and has a dream of opening up a tofu shop. Her boss convinces her to do one last negotiation with the promise of his friend’s tofu Continue reading »

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Film Review: ‘Wasteland Tales’ (2010) Resurrects the Post-Nuke Sub-Genre in Style

 Action, Adventure, Anthology, B. Harris, Exploitation, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Sci-Fi, Zombies  No Responses »
Dec 172010
 

DVD Artwork

“The Last Warrior” – A deadly virus ravages the globe, killing all males on the planet. Now a desert wasteland, the world is filled with violent barbarian women all searching for one thing, The Last Warrior! One woman must defeat an entire tribe in order to free a mysterious prisoner, a prisoner that could very well be the last man on Earth! (Writer/Director: Shaky González)

“Eastern Army” – The world is in ruins after the apocalypse and there are only two kinds of survivors, the hunters and their prey. A loner wanders into a camp full of people filled with hope that he’s a member of the fabled Eastern Army, a new government Continue reading »

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 Posted by Brian Harris at 11:02 PM  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,
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