Martial Arts | Wildside Cinema

Film Review: Yôjirô Takita’s ‘Sexy Timetrip Ninjas’ (Chikan densha: Gokuhi honban – 1984) Transports Viewers to a Deadlier, Sexier Time

Asian Cinema, Erotic, Exploitation, Fantasy, Japan, Martial Arts, Revenge No Responses »

Mar 082012

This Japanese film of the ‘pink’ variety delivers what it promises. There is a ‘timetrip’, some ninjas, and some sex. As a film reviewer I often get caught up in the details and forget to have fun. This film is fun. Sure the sets are terrible, the acting ‘hammy’, and the story is not going to win a Newberry Award any time soon, but this adds to the fun! If B-movies are your thing, Director Yojiro Takita film is definitely worth a look. It delivers what it promises – ninjas, sex, and a ‘timetrip’.

The movie opens as a period piece on the Osaka Castle in 1615. The obvious fact that it is a model cannot be overlooked. He we meet Lord Sanada as he summons Sasuke Sarutobi to his chambers for a meeting. It seems the castle Continue reading »

Film Review: Shuji Kataoka’s ‘S&M Hunter’ (Kinbaku – 1986) Ropes Viewers in with Outrageous Exploitation Action

Action, Adventure, Asian Cinema, B. Woodell, Erotic, Exploitation, Fantasy, Japan, Martial Arts, Rape/Revenge, Revenge No Responses »

Feb 282012

After having viewed a few of Japans Pink films recently, I started to get an understanding of how the films generally looked and were made. S&M Hunter thus far, has been the best all around Pink film I’ve seen to date from technical aspects to having a full, story.

A man’s partner is kidnapped by The Bombers, an all female gang looking to use men as their personal sex slaves. S&M Hunter takes the job of infiltrating the group, and finding the kidnapped guy, all the while using his rope skills to train the females to serve him. He saves the day, one of the women falls for him and he knows deep down their love can’t be because he has many women to train Continue reading »

Film Review: ‘Sexy Battle Girls’ (Nerawareta gakuen: seifuku o osou – 1986) Takes Softcore Porn to Exciting Heights with Anime-Style Action

Action, Adventure, Anime, Asian Cinema, B. Woodell, Comedy, Erotic, Exploitation, Fantasy, Japan, Martial Arts No Responses »

Feb 232012

In recent years, we’ve seen a lot of crazy films coming from Japan like Machine Girl and Tokyo Gore Police, that have upped the gore factor in cinema, but also make the audience anticipate the next “out there” idea they’re going to come up with. Surprisingly, 1986’s Sexy Battle Girls gave me some thrills in the same exact way, and gave me an insight into what was probably the inspiration for a lot of the Japanese trash cinema directors out there now.

Mirai, a young girl who has to forever wear a high tech chastity belt, is transferred to a new school by her father. While there, she uncovers an underground human trafficking ring set up by the head master and his head detective Continue reading »

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 2 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: 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 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 »

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

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 »

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: 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 »

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 »

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 »

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: 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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