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Thirsty, Thirsty (DVD) (Korea Version)
Lee Doo Il (Actor)
| Ryu Hyun Kyung (Actor)
| Hong Hyun Ki (Director)
Thirsty, Thirsty is a Korean independent production which marks the directorial debut of Hong Hyun Ki, who had previously worked as an assistant to Lee Chang Dong on the superb Oasis and Peppermint Candy. Balancing humour, humanity and bittersweet realism, the film earns extra points for featuring an unusual and not immediately sympathetic protagonist in the form of a portly debt collector, played by television actor Lee Doo Il. The film has enjoyed success on the circuit following its premier at the Jeonju International Film Festival in 2008, with Hong being awarded Best Director in the New Asian Talent section of the recent 11th Shanghai International Film Festival. The plot revolves... [read more]
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4th Period Mystery (DVD) (Korea Version)
Yoo Seung Ho (Actor)
| Kang So Ra (Actor)
| Lee Sang Yong (Director)
Since the release of Whispering Corridors over a decade ago, high schools have been fertile ground for suspense in Korean cinema, as director Lee Sang Yong again shows with 4th Period Mystery. The film's alternate title, Detectives in 40 Minutes gives a pretty good indication of its premise, following a couple of students who have to solve a seemingly random murder within the time constraints of a single lesson period. Unsurprisingly, the film features a fresh faced cast, including popular teen actor Yoo Seung Ho, progressing from his breakthrough role in the acclaimed The Way Home and debut starlet Kang So Ra, with adult support from the likes of Park Chul Min and Jeong Seok Yong. The film... [read more]
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Split Second Murders (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Fama (Actor)
| Kay Tse (Actor)
| Andy Hui (Actor)
| Stephanie Cheng (Actor)
Herman Yau continues his solid filmmaking streak with the surprising low-budget thriller-comedy Split Second Murders. Novelist and screenwriter Erica Li (Stephen Chow's King of Comedy, among others) penned the story, a largely unremarkable tale about life changing decisions, unexpected consequences, and what happens when a bunch of people get way too angry. The film stumbles when trying to establish meaning, but it's Yau's expert, straight-faced direction that sells the jokes and situations, and helps to make the inexperienced idol cast into something resembling a practiced ensemble. Lives won't change, but Split Second Murders is far better than one would expect. 6 Wing, the taller member... [read more]
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Sophie's Revenge (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Korea Version)
Zhang Ziyi (Actor)
| Peter Ho (Actor)
| Fan Bing Bing (Actor)
| So Ji Sub (Actor)
It's derivative and exceptionally lightweight, but Sophie's Revenge manages a few feats. Number one, it's a China film production with a Hollywood-quality style and sheen that can probably play beyond just Asian territories. Number two, it makes Zhang Ziyi into a convincing comedienne, giving her the space and the material to cut loose in that crazy romcom heroine way. And three, it's actually pretty fun. As a commercial film, Sophie's Revenge is agreeable and enjoyable, if not original. And hey, it also features Peter Ho in a major motion picture role. The APB on his MIA movie career can now be cancelled. Directed by Chinese-American filmmaker Eva Jin, Sophie's Revenge stars Zhang as... [read more]
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Hansel And Gretel (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Chun Jeong Myung (Actor)
| Eun Won Jae (Actor)
| Shim Eun Kyung (Actor)
| Jin Ji Hee (Actor)
Hansel and Gretel is Korean director Im Pil Seong's follow up to his debut Antarctic Journal, a slow moving slice of ambiguous horror which although visually impressive managed to confound as much as it did chill. For his sophomore outing he has taken a similarly offbeat approach, drawing upon the traditional fairytale for a meditation on cruelty and lost innocence. The result is a film that defies expectation and which thankfully avoids pretty much all of the cliche of the modern Korean horror genre to offer something far more disturbing and interesting. The film starts as a young man called Eun Soo (actor Chun Jeong Myung, recently in The Aggressives) crashes his car in the middle of a... [read more]
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Yang Yang (DVD) (2-Disc Edition + Movie Book) (English Subtitled) (Taiwan Version)
Sandrine Pinna (Actor)
| Bryant Chang (Actor)
| Cheng Yu Chieh (Director)
| He Si Hui
Golden Horse Best Actress nominee Sandrine Pinna (Miao Miao) continues her Taiwanese Cinema ascent in director Cheng Yu-Chieh's Yang Yang. The French-Chinese actress plays budding track star Zhang Xin-Yang, or Yang Yang for short. Yang Yang's mother (Shelly Yu) marries her track coach (Chu Lu-Hao), who then becomes Yang Yang's stepfather, with his daughter Xiao-Ru (He Si-Hui) becoming Yang Yang's stepsister. The two girls seem close, but their relationship possesses a hidden and ultimately damaging jealousy. Xiao-Ru's boyfriend Shawn (Bryant Chang of Eternal Summer) has a desire for Yang Yang and she bears some attraction in return. Feeling ashamed of her private betrayal of Xiao-Ru, Yang... [read more]
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The Message (DVD) (China Version)
Zhou Xun (Actor)
| Zhang Han Yu (Actor)
| Wang Zhi Wen (Actor)
| Li Bing Bing (Actor)
All-star Chinese thriller The Message is a tad overblown, but it ultimately provides solid entertainment value to match likely audience expectations. Exec-produced by Feng Xiaogang and directed by Chen Kuo-Fu (Double Vision, The Personals) and Gao Qunshu (Tokyo Trial), The Message tells the story of a spy hunt set during the Second Sino-Japanese War, when Japanese Imperialists controlled a good portion of China. A mysterious individual called Magnum is masterminding the deaths of numerous Japanese officers and Chinese co-conspirators. Looking to quell the wave of terrorism, the Japanese army set a trap to flush Magnum and the Resistance out into the open. The authorities plant false... [read more]
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Highway Star (DVD) (Korea Version)
Cha Tae Hyun (Actor)
| Lee So Yeon (Actor)
| Kim Hyun Soo (Director)
| Kim Sang Chan (Director)
Highway Star, the debut film from directors Kim Hyun Soo and Kim Sang Chan, is based around the unlikely subject of trot singing, which for the uninitiated is a much mocked melodramatic Korean folk music tradition enjoyed mainly by the middle-aged. Although this might not seem like a good idea on paper, there has been of late a trend of musically themed films in Korean cinema, and so perhaps trot was one of the few remaining genres to be tackled. Furthermore, the practice itself has been enjoying a resurgence in Korean popular culture, and as such the film can be seen as a timely means of introducing the masses to its flamboyant charms. The plot follows Dal Ho (Cha Tae Hyun, best known as... [read more]
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My Son (DVD) (Single Disc) (Korea Version)
Cha Seung Won (Actor)
| Ryu Deok Hwan (Actor)
| Jang Jin (Director)
My Son sees the return of the ever versatile Korean director Jang Jin, previously noted for genre blending films such as Guns and Talks and Righteous Ties. This time he turns his attentions to family drama, a well-worn and overly familiar form desperately in need of a fresh take. The film follows Lee Gang Sik (Cha Seung Won, previously in the director's quirky Murder, Take One), a man sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, who after fifteen years of good behaviour is awarded the chance to be released for a day to see his son. The day comes, and along with a prison officer he makes the journey and finally comes face to face with the lad (played by actor Ryu Deok Hwan, recently lauded for... [read more]
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Hwang Jin Yi (2007) (DVD) (Single Disc) (Korea Version)
Song Hye Kyo (Actor)
| Yoo Ji Tae (Actor)
| Jang Yoon Hyun (Director)
For his 1986 film about legendary Korean woman Hwang Jin-Yi, director Bae Chang-Ho avoided the usual biopic trappings by employing frustrating, alienating long takes and subtlety (read: slow silence). The latest big-budget retelling of Hwang Jin-Yi from director Jang Yoon-Hyun (The Contact, Tell Me Something) also tries to avoid the same trappings, but he uses action and star-crossed lovers instead of self-indulgent artistic devices to do so. In other words, it's Hwang Jin-Yi for summer at the multiplex. Still, despite its dubious intentions, this latest version is actually mildly successful for what it is. For those not in the know, Hwang Jin-Yi was a legendary figure who lived in 1500s... [read more]
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24 City (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Joan Chen (Actor)
| Lu Li Ping (Actor)
| Zhao Tao (Actor)
| Jia Zhangke (Director)
24 City is the latest offering from sixth generation Mainland China director Jia Zhangke and sees him continuing to explore themes of the country's modern history and economic progress. Here, he does this through a semi-documentary that focuses on the story of a munitions factory, once moved across the country and now being demolished to make way for the titular residential development, named after a quote from a Tang Dynasty poem. Jia is easily one of China's most interesting and challenging directors, and so it should come as no surprise that the film is a complex affair which works on many levels, both metaphorical and intimate. He is also one of the country's most acclaimed and award... [read more]
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Running Turtle (DVD) (2-Disc) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Jung Kyung Ho (Actor)
| Kim Yoon Seok (Actor)
| Kyun Mi Ri (Actor)
The rather oddly titled Running Turtle sees Kim Yoon Seok following up his award winning role in The Chaser by playing another down and out cop working outside the law to track down a murderer. The film was written and directed by Lee Yeon Woo, who was previously responsible for 2424, and is a decidedly lighter affair than Na Hong Jin's grim crime thriller, adding in a little humour and family drama amidst all the usual fugitive chasing and cat and mouse games. The mix was certainly a successful one, and the film was a hit at the domestic box office, pulling in more than three million admissions. Kim Yoon Seok (who also impressed in the excellent Tazza: The High Rollers) takes on the role of... [read more]
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Oppai Volleyball (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Ayase Haruka (Actor)
| Nakamura Toru (Actor)
| Aoki Munetaka (Actor)
| Hasumi Eichiro (Director)
All that most male viewers probably need to know is that Oppai Volleyball translates as "Breast volleyball" and that it stars the gorgeous swimsuit model turned actress Haruka Ayase as a teacher who tries to inspire a young school boy volleyball team by promising she will show them her breasts if they manage to win. Adapted from a novel by Mizuno Munenori and supposedly based upon a true story, the film was directed by Hasumi Eiichiro, previously responsible for Umizaru and ski comedy Season of Snow. Surprisingly, despite its potentially sleazy premise, the film is actually a light hearted mixture of underdog sports story and coming of age journey - albeit with probably more mentions of the... [read more]
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A Blood Pledge (DVD) (2-Disc) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Oh Yeon Seo (Actor)
| Jang Kyeong Ah (Actor)
| Lee Jong Yong (Director)
The landmark Korean ghost series Whispering Corridors returns for its fifth instalment with A Blood Pledge marking the debut of director Lee Jong Yong, an interesting choice for the helm, given his previous work under Park Chan Wook on the likes of JSA and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. The film continues very much in the tradition of its predecessors, being set at an all-girls school, dealing with contemporary themes and concerns of friendship, and of course presenting a new set of up and coming young actresses no doubt hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Whispering alumni Kim Min Sun, Kim Ok Bin, Kim Kyu Ri, Seo Ji Hye, and Choi Kang Hee. Interestingly, the film not only performed... [read more]
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Sisters On The Road (DVD) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Kong Hyo Jin
| Shin Min Ah
Sisters on the Road marks the debut of female writer director Boo Ji Young, and as the title suggests, is a drama following two sisters on a voyage of discovery and an exploration of their shared pasts. The film has an impressive cast, with the two siblings in question being played by actresses Shin Min Ah (recently in The Naked Kitchen) and Kong Hyo Jin (superb in the award winning, Park Chan Wook produced Crush and Blush), and has enjoyed success at festivals, premiering at Pusan in 2008. The film starts with young Seoul businesswoman Myung Eun (Shin Min Ah) travelling to Jeju Island for the funeral of her mother, having not been home for some years. Although she had effectively cut... [read more]
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Thirst (DVD) (US Version)
Song Kang Ho
| Shin Ha Kyun
| Park Chan Wook (Director)
| Kim Ok Bin
After the critical and commercial misstep that was I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, Korean auteur Park Chan-Wook returns to a dark but very familiar place with Thirst. Filled with extreme violence, explicit sex, dark humor, and impressive camerawork (plus a bit of fantasy), Thirst is the return of the Park Chan-Wook that worldwide audiences know and love. Despite the current popularity of the vampire genre, this is a surprisingly risky choice for Hollywood studio Universal's first Korean co-production, as Thirst is too extreme to be considered a commercially viable film anywhere outside of its native land, where Park, star Song Kang-Ho, and the film's Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival... [read more]
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Honokaa Boy (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Japan Version)
Matsuzaka Keiko
| Baisho Chieko
| Fukatsu Eri
| Aoi Yu
Taking inspiration from Leo Noshida’s autobiographical novel, Honoka‘a Boy falls into that ever-enduring category of movies known as the coming-of-age-story. This 2009 iteration of the genre comes from Japanese filmmaker Atsushi Sanada, whose previous directorial effort was the 2005 omnibus film, All About My Dog. With a languorous and unassuming narrative, Honoka‘a Boy weaves an intriguing tale of friendship, love, and the power of things left unspoken. Honoka‘a Boy begins with the disintegration of a relationship and ends with a reaffirmation of another. The film's opening introduces us to a young Japanese couple on the verge of a breakup. In the midst of a Hawaiian vacation gone awry,... [read more]
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One Million Yen Girl (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Taiwan Version)
Aoi Yu (Actor)
| Moriyama Mirai (Actor)
| Takezai Terunosuke (Actor)
| Tanada Yuki (Director)
Director Yuki Tanada's One Million Yen Girl charms, in no small part due to its star, the wonderful Yu Aoi. As unlikely ex-con Suzuko, Aoi is reserved yet emotionally strong, and possesses a forthright determination - even if what she's determined to do is keep running away. Suzuko's stint in the big house comes after a series of bad circumstances lands her with an awful roommate, their dislike escalating to bad blood before she inadvertently does something that gets her arrested. The letter of the law dictates Suzuko's sentence, but is she really deserving of a criminal record? Not at all, but that's what she receives. Life is not known for being fair. Suzuko was also unlucky at the family... [read more]
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Accident (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Richie Jen (Actor)
| Louis Koo (Actor)
| Johnnie To (Producer)
| Soi Cheang (Director)
Slip in the shower recently? Well, it wasn't a random accident - someone was trying to murder you in the most circuitous way possible. At least, that's what Ho Kwok-Fai (Louis Koo) of the Milkyway-produced Accident (working title: Assassins) seems to be thinking 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A paranoid thriller about hitmen who kill in roundabout ways, Accident was brought to you by director Soi Cheang, whose last film Shamo was as guiltily entertaining as it was bizarre and ill conceived. Accident hews closer to Cheang's Dog Bite Dog, restoring the director's tense storytelling style while eschewing the brutal violence that characterized his last two films. With some contribution from the... [read more]
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Handphone (DVD) (Single Disc) (Korea Version)
Uhm Tae Woong (Actor)
| Park Yong Woo (Actor)
| Park Sol Mi (Actor)
| Kim Han Min (Director)
Mobile phone related films have been pretty popular of late in both Hollywood and Asia, with the likes of Connected and Cellular manipulating the modern over-reliance on technology for tense thrills. Thankfully, Korean director Kim Han Min, previously responsible for the offbeat mystery Paradise Murdered takes a different, somewhat more interesting route, exploring how the simple loss of a phone can lead to a series of wildly escalating events that push two very different men over the edge. The result is a thriller which is not only fast moving and gripping, but which has a fascinatingly amoral edge, with no clear cut heroes and villains. The film begins with sleazy talent manager Seung Min... [read more]
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