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The Shonen Merikensack (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Taiwan Version)
Miyazaki Aoi (Actor)
| Sato Koichi (Actor)
| Aikawa Sho
| Tanabe Seiichi
As the writer of Takashi Miike's Zebraman, cult hit Maiko Haaan and his own directorial debut Yaji and Kita, The Midnight Ramblers, multi-talented writer-director-actor-musician Kankuro Kudo has become one of the most visible faces for the sort of manic, extreme Japanese comedy that cult film fnas lap up on the festival circuit around the world. But what often gets forgotten is that Kudo is also a hugely acclaimed - and award winning - dramatist as well, his theatrical productions having won some of Japan's most prestigious literary prizes, while the scripts he wrote for Ping Pong and Go early in his career also show a sensitivity to character and dramatic tension seemingly at odds with his... [read more]
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Samurai Princess (2009) (DVD) (English Subtitled) (UK Version)
Shiina Mao
| Mihiro
| Shimazu Kentarou
| Kaji Kengo (Director)
More Japanese gore madness arrives from 4Digital Asia in the shapely form of Samurai Princess, the cover art not coincidently bearing a striking resemblance to that of its recent sister in slaughter, Chanbara Beauty. The film's pedigree should certainly give fans of the form reason to be excited, with it having been directed by Kengo Kaji, the co-writer of Tokyo Gore Police and featuring effects by Yoshihiro Mishimura, the director of said genre highpoint. Also likely to be of no small enticement is the presence of AV actress Aino Kishi in the lead role, with support from fellow AV star Mihiro (recently in the horror The Cruel Restaurant). The film's plot is essentially nonsense, with Aino... [read more]
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Secret Couple (AKA: My Girlfriend is an Agent) (DVD) (2-Disc) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Kim Ha Neul (Actor)
| Kang Ji Hwan (Actor)
| Shin Tae Ra (Director)
Secret Couple (a far better title than the rather familiar and misleading My Girlfriend is an Agent) is basically a Korean take on the recent Hollywood action couple comedy thriller Mr and Mrs Smith. Strangely enough, the film was directed by Shin Tae Ra, whose previous efforts were the intense, grisly serial killer horror Black House and the offbeat Brain Wave. Here, he turns his talents to an entirely different form, backed by an appealing pair of leads in the form of genre favourite Kim Ha Neul (also in the likes of Lovers of Six Years, My Tutor Friend, and Ice Rain and Kang Ji Hwan (recently excellent in Rough Cut), who last worked together on the television series (90 Days, Time for... [read more]
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Blood: The Last Vampire (2009) (DVD) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Jeon Ji Hyun
| Koyuki
| Allison Miller
| Corey Yuen (Action Director)
Blood: The Last Vampire is an interesting proposition, not only because it sees Jeon Ji Hyun (My Sassy Girl), one of Korea's most popular actresses, making her English language debut, but also since it represents one of the few Hollywood Japanese anime adaptations to make a real effort to build upon its source material. The film is based upon the 2000 anime from Production I.G of Ghost in the Shell fame, which was directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo (one of the key animators who worked on the classic Akira), and was helmed by Chris Nahon, who previously had cross-cultural cinematic experiences with the French-English outings Empire of the Wolves and Kiss of the Dragon, arguably one of Jet Li's... [read more]
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For Eternal Hearts (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Jung Jin Young (Actor)
| Seon-min Kim (Actor)
| Jung Kyung Ho (Actor)
| Cha Soo Yeon (Actor)
Writer/director Hwang Kyoo-Deok's For Eternal Hearts attempts to mix two seemingly disparate genres - romance and horror. On one hand, the film is a nostalgic journey back in time narrating one's man's experience of first love. On the other, it's a creepy ghost story, complete with all the visual trappings associated with the genre - a haunted mansion, creepy long-haired women, and plot twists galore. A successful melding of these two formulas isn't completely out of the question - Ghost (1990) might be a good example - but, all in all, For Eternal Hearts feels like a terrible patch job. It's not romantic enough to be a love story, but it's not spooky enough to be an effective ghost story... [read more]
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Turning Point (DVD) (US Version)
Anthony Wong (Actor)
| Francis Ng (Actor)
| Michael Tse (Actor)
| Herman Yau (Director)
Before the Hong Kong TV series E.U. premiered back in February 2009 on local TV station TVB, the buzz was all about it being the third drama in the Academy series (a.k.a. TVB's attempt at a contemporary version of the 80s Police Cadet series) and the glorious return of Kathy Chow Hoi-Mei to TVB after a ten-year absence. However, no one expected that a supporting character named Laughing Gor (played by Young and Dangerous veteran Michael Tse) would end up overshadowing stars Ron Ng, Sammul Chan and even Kathy Chow. When the wisecracking triad boss/undercover cop Laughing Gor died, the "Laughing Gor" group on Facebook skyrocketed to 150,000-plus members, making him one of the most popular... [read more]
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Box Emotions (ALBUM+DVD)(First Press Limited Edition)(Japan Version)
Superfly
Think of Superfly as Love Psychedelico reformed for a modern pop audience. Unlike the latter, whose musical style sticks closely to its 70s rock roots, Superfly uses the 70s rock genre only as a starting point and an inspiration for its pop-oriented style. Combine that with talented vocalist Shiho Ochi, and you've got the perfect crossover formula that connects the two musical styles. Even though official second member Koichi Tabo left the duo shortly after their second single in 2007 to pursue a solo career as a composer/producer, he is heavily involved in carrying the established Superfly style to second album Box Emotions, which explains why the style remains the same on their second... [read more]
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McDull Kung Fu Ding Ding Dong (DVD+AVCD Edition) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Anthony Wong
| Sandra Ng
| the pancakes
| Brian Tse (Director, Producer)
That lovable little pig with the low IQ, McDull returns in the long-awaited McDull Kung Fu Ding Ding Dong. Formerly known as McDull Wudang among other names, this long-in-production sequel supplies the same stuff that the previous animated McDull movies did - a love of Hong Kong culture, abundant local satire, identifiable emotions, and simply the resigned feeling that it's okay to live an average life. That last message sounds like a total downer, and in some ways the previous McDull movies were. However, both My Life as McDull and McDull, Prince de la Bun gave that message a strange and affectionate nobility, making an average or below-average life seem sad, pathetic and yet worthy and... [read more]
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If You See Him
Tanya Chua (Singer)
When some pop musicians find an established style, they feel perfectly content to stick to it for the rest of their careers. Out of those musicians, only a lucky few can actually manage to maintain quality consistently along the way and not sound redundant. With her gentle, guitar-driven soft-rock style, Singaporean singer-songwriter Tanya Chua happens to be one of these musicians, and she maintains her usual standards here with her latest album If You See Him. While the album has the familiar soft-rock sound that has charmed Tanya fans for years, she also tweaks the formula ever-so-slightly, and the result is as relaxing and smooth as any other Tanya Chua album, even though it lacks any... [read more]
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Overheard (DVD) (2-Disc Edition) (Hong Kong Version)
Lau Ching Wan (Actor)
| Daniel Wu (Actor)
| Louis Koo (Actor)
| Michael Wong
Writer-director pair Alan Mak and Felix Chong have improved...at getting along with China. Their last film, Lady Cop and Papa Crook, was famously delayed for six months because it couldn't gain approval from Chinese censors, and the resulting film was bewildering, schizophrenic and an unqualified disappointment. The duo's new thriller, Overheard, could have had similar issues, as is it concerns a trio of cops (Lau Ching-Wan, Daniel Wu, Louis Koo) who embark on a deepening series of crimes. Despite being fundamentally decent men, the cops should be punished according to the usual "someone must pay" rules outlined by SARFT (State Administration of Radio, Film and Television). Not to give... [read more]
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Love Exposure (DVD) (Japan Version)
Watabe Atsuro
| Watanabe Makiko
| Sono Sion (Director)
| Mitsushima Hikari
Love Exposure defies description, and that's a compliment. Director Sion Sono's action-comedy-drama-satire-whatever is a loopy masterpiece of unexpected power, using modest production values to shock, surprise, amaze, delight and even disgust. The film touches on religion, family, sex, love, lust, guilt and more, while also cleverly dabbling in the unique otaku culture that makes Japanese entertainment so seductive to some and repulsive to others. The whole is outlandish, surprisingly touching, compulsively watchable and unbelievably entertaining, but what does Love Exposure ultimately mean? Maybe not a lot, but the film's ability to affect cannot be denied. Told through copious voiceover... [read more]
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Yatterman (Live-action Movie) (DVD) (Tenkomori DVD Edition) (Japan Version)
Sakurai Sho
| Fukada Kyoko
| Ikuse Katsuhisa
| Kendo Kobayashi
Based on the seventies Tatsunoko television anime, director Takashi Miike's Yatterman tells the completely ridiculous story of Yatterman No. 1 and Yatterman No. 2, a couple of teen superheroes who battle the same completely moronic bad guys on a weekly basis. Their tools: marketable toys/weapons and a large and sometimes horny mechanical dog. Called Yatterwoof, the big metal canine will save the day after he eats an energy bone and releases miniature mechas designed to attack the weak point of the bad guys' large mecha, which come in varieties ranging from a pile of Japanese cooking items to a big breasted iron maiden in a wedding dress. At one point, Yatterwoof's tiny mechas tease her metal... [read more]
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The Foreign Duck, The Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Otsuka Nene
| Hamada Gaku
| Nakamura Yoshihiro (Director)
| Matsuda Ryuhei
Yoshihiro Nakamura seems to relish a good narrative twist, recently employing a drawn-out but very satisfying reveal in his 2009 film Fish Story. Nakamura's 2007 effort The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker also possesses a sizable twist, but it's one in the service of a darker story than the witty optimism found in Fish Story. The reveal is a bit forced, and in retrospect is not as convincing as it should be. However, the emotions and characters work, making the whole package of Foreign Duck, Native Duck an entertaining and solid one. Gaku Hamada (also in Fish Story) stars as Shiina, a nebbish who arrives in Sendai to attend university. The locals seem unfriendly, but... [read more]
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Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers (DVD) (English Subtitled) (UK Version)
Aoi Yu (Actor)
| Fuse Eri
| Kaname Jun
| Matsuoka Shunsuke
While not a cure for insomnia, Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers is, like many Satoshi Miki works, relentlessly strange, surprisingly pleasant, and even quietly affecting. An odd and amusing look at suburban boredom, Turtles stars the genuinely funny Juri Ueno (Swing Girls, Nodame Cantabile) as young wife Suzume. Left alone by her always traveling husband, Suzume passes her days in suburbia dealing with her supremely uninspired daily life. Getting an incredibly unflattering perm, dealing with bad plumbing, taking care of her pet turtle - these are the days for Suzume, so a little excitement wouldn't be unwelcome. The promise - if not the actual reality - of excitement arrives when... [read more]
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Till Death Shall We Start (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Richard Ng
| Anthony Chan
| Jor Chung Sing
| Alfred Cheung
Originally released back in 1990 when the Hong Kong ghost comedy was enjoying somewhat of a resurgence, Till Death Shall we Start joined the ranks of films with suspiciously familiar sounding titles, including the likes of Till Death do we Scare and Till Death do us Laugh. The film was directed by none other than Ricky Lau, who had been responsible for one of the genre's very best and biggest hits in the form of the immortal Mr Vampire. Here, he teams with two of the period's top comic titles in Anthony Chan (Happy Bigamist) and Richard Ng (Winners and Sinners) in a manic, bawdy romp that now makes a very welcome return to DVD. The film gets off to a lively start, with Anthony Chan as David... [read more]
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Twentieth Century Boys Chapter 2 (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Tokiwa Takako (Actor)
| Fujiki Naohito
| Toyokawa Etsushi (Actor)
| Taira Airi
The epic Japanese 20th Century Boys trilogy, based upon the hugely popular manga by Urasawa Naoki, continues with its second instalment, The Last Hope. Director Tsutsumi Yukihiko (previously responsible for cult hits such as 5LDK and Forbidden Siren) returns to continue the sprawling tale, with the action again leaping around between different decades and generations, following the characters as they try to prevent the impending self prophesised apocalypse. With the original cast reprising their roles and with even more special effects and grand narrative adventure, the film was unsurprisingly another box office hit on its domestic release, leaving fans even more excited for the final... [read more]
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Breathless (DVD) (2-Disc) (Korea Version)
Kim Kkot Bi (Actor)
| Yang Ik Joon (Director, Actor)
Brutal Korean indie Breathless was obviously a personal project for Yang Ik June, who wrote, directed, produced and starred in the lead role. Certainly, the film is a very brave and raw one, being a partly autobiographical tale of an extremely aggressive and violent man, himself the product of a rough childhood. Dealing with issues of domestic violence, estranged families and self destruction, it quite obviously takes viewers into some pretty dark territory, though not without a glimmer of hope and a deeply felt sense of humanity. Deservedly, the film has enjoyed a successful run at international festivals, winning awards at the likes of Rotterdam, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Fantasia,... [read more]
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Goth: Love Of Death (DVD) (English Subtitled) (UK Version)
Matsuo Toshinobu
| Natsuo Yuna
| Torihada Minoru
| Yamanaka Satoshi
Goth is director Takahashi Gen's live-action adaptation of the award-winning novel by Japanese author Otsuichi, which had previously been adapted into a popular manga by artist Kendi Oiwa, and which has apparently been optioned for a Hollywood version. Thankfully, despite its title, the film is not concerned with depressed, makeup wearing vampire wannabes, but is a far more interesting affair, following a couple of outsider, death-obsessed teenagers who become entangled with a series of bizarre murders. Unsurprisingly given such potentially grim subject matter, the film is pretty bleak, though at the same time is engaging and even oddly moving. As such, it offers something very different to... [read more]
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Private Eye (DVD) (2-Disc) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Hwang Jung Min (Actor)
| Uhm Ji Won (Actor)
| Ryu Deok Hwan (Actor)
| Park Dae Min (Director)
Private Eye offers a twist on the recent trend of modern noir detective stories by adopting a period setting, making for a change from the usual tortured cops, car chases and neon alleyways. The film marks the debut outing for Korean director Park Dae Min, and was a high profile production, boasting an impressive cast including the award winning Hwang Jung Min (A Man Who Was Superman), young rising star Ryu Deok Hwan (who recently impressed as a murderer in Our Town) and popular actress Uhm Ji Won (also in the excellent horror opus Epitaph. The film is set in Seoul in 1910, and begins as a young medical student called Kwang Su (Ryu Deok Hwan) discovers a corpse in the woods, and decides to... [read more]
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Buttonman (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Francis Ng (Actor)
| Terri Kwan (Actor)
| Leon Dai (Actor)
| Hsieh Cheng Jun
Grim crime drama Buttonman is the latest offering from rising Taiwanese director Chien Ren Hao, previously responsible for The Underground Order. The film is the first from Taiwan to be produced by Hong Kong company Mei Ah, and boasts a suitably impressive cast which includes Francis Ng, Leon Dai, Huang Yue, Terri Kwan and Janet Lee. Although its premise, revolving around a body disposal man, may suggest the potential for a grisly suspense thriller, the film earns kudos for taking a very different and far less conventional route. Hong Kong veteran Francis Ng stars as Wei, the titular Buttonman, a man who works freelance for the gangs, cleaning up after murders, and who apparently earned his... [read more]
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