YESASIA: YumCha! - Professional Reviews -

: Bronze Medalist (AKA: Lifting King Kong) (DVD) (2-Disc) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version) Jo An (Actor) | Lee Bum Soo (Actor)
Its inspirational sports time again with Bronze Medallist (a.k.a. Lifting King Kong) from Korea, marking the directorial debut of Park Geon Yong, who had previously worked on the blockbuster Typhoon. Although its themes are common enough, the film earns extra points both for having been inspired by a true story, and for the fact that it focuses on a rather obscure sport in women's weightlifting. With popular actor Lee Bum Soo (recently in More Than Blue and the teen horror Death Bell) in the lead role, the film also features a number of up and coming young actresses as his charges, including Jo An (Muoi: The Legend of a Portrait), Lee Yoon Hoi (Perfect Couple), Choi Moon Kyung, Jeon Bo Mi,... [read more]

: Empire Of Silver (DVD) (English Subtitled) (China Version) Aaron Kwok (Actor) | Zhang Tie Lin (Actor) | Jennifer Tilly (Actor) | Hao Lei (Actor)
Given the current world financial crisis and banking dilemmas, the release of Empire of Silver certainly comes at an opportune time, charting as it does the rise of the Shanxi merchants towards the end of the Qing Dynasty of China, whose wealth and influence all over the world saw them being referred to as the "Wall Street of China". The film was a prestige production, being based upon the historical novel "The Silver Valley" by Shanxi merchant descendent Cheng Yi, and boasting a US$10 million investment by top Taiwanese tycoon Gou Tai Ming. It was helmed by regular theatre director Christina Yao, produced by noted critic Peggy Chiao, and perhaps more importantly features a truly impressive... [read more]

: Prince Of Tears (2DVD+CD) (Hong Kong Version) Yon Fan (Director) | Fan Chih Wei (Actor) | Terri Kwan (Actor) | Joseph Chang (Actor)
Hong Kong's entry into this year's Academy Awards is The Prince of Tears, a lush melodrama about, uh, Taiwan. Director Yon Fan a.k.a. Yeung Fan directed this drama set during the early days of Taiwan's White Terror era, the period from the late forties to late eighties when tens of thousands of Taiwanese were imprisoned or worse for suspected ties to Communism. True to Yon Fan form, Prince of Tears is absolutely gorgeous to behold, with beautiful, tormented people emoting through contemplative gazes directed at nothing in particular. Usually, there's not much movement, and when the people move, they move slowly, usually to take a drag of their cigarette. Also, someone plays an accordion.... [read more]

: Love Paranoia (ALBUM+DVD)(First Press Limited Edition)(Japan Version) Shibasaki Kou
After getting her first compilation album as a singer, actress Kou Shibasaki is back with her 4th full-length album Love Paranoia. While most Japanese pop albums have the luxury of compiling two years' worth of work to get a balanced mix of slow and fast songs, Shibasaki's team surprisingly decided to lean heavily towards giving the album a faster pace, even though ballads make up some of Shibasaki's biggest hits. Thanks to a mix of old and new collaborators (with Shibasaki on lyrics duty, as always, with the exception of one track) willing to take the risk, Love Paranoia is a consistently engaging pop album whose hour-long run time passes by in a flash. And there are even some good ballads... [read more]

: Boat (AKA: No Boys, No Cry) (DVD) (Korea Version) Ha Jung Woo (Actor) | Tsumabuki Satoshi (Actor) | Cha Soo Yeon (Actor) | Kim Young Nam (Director)
Boat is a Korean Japanese co-production charting the experiences and cross cultural friendship of a couple of smugglers, and was directed by Kim Young Nam, whose indie feature Don't Look Back won awards back in 2006. The film is certainly a pan-Asian affair, with a script by Japanese writer Watanabe Aya (previously responsible for La Maison de Himiko and Tennen Kokekko) and a multinational cast including Ha Jung Woo (The Chaser) and Tsumabuki Satoshi (Pandemic). It was released in Japan under the title No Boys, No Cry which is arguably more meaningful than its Korean moniker, as the boat and the profession of the characters only really play a part during the early stages. The film initially... [read more]

: A Million (DVD) (Korea Version) Park Hae Il (Actor) | Park Hee Soon (Actor) | Shin Min Ah (Actor) | Jung Yoo Mi (Actor)
Taking its inspiration from the reality television survival shows that continue to be popular across the world, A Million notches things up by putting its characters in real danger as they compete for the titular sum - though there seems to be some number confusion, as the DVD box art refers to 1,000,000,000. The film was written and directed by Jo Min Ho, previously responsible for the underrated hardboiled thriller Les Formidables and sees him mining the premise not only for tension and excitement, but to explore in surprising depth some of the darker aspects of human nature. With Park Hee Son (The Scam) as the director of the show, the film's contestants are made up of a number of famous... [read more]

: The Accidental Gangster and the Mistaken Courtesan (DVD) (Korea Version) Lee Jung Jae (Actor) | Kim Ok Bin (Actor) | Kim Suk Hoon (Actor) | Lee Won Jong (Actor)
Riot in a Gibang in 1724 also known by the longer, though no less awkward moniker of The Accidental Gangster and the Mistaken Courtesan sees director Yeo Gyoon Dong trying something very different to his low budget road movie Silk Shoes. Despite its period setting, the film is a kinetic affair, fast paced and frantic, working street fights, comedy and romance together into a wildly entertaining mixture that manages to pull off the impressive feat of offering a fresh take on the usual historic gangster shenanigans. Set in Korea in 1724, the film begins as lowly street brawler Chun Doong (actor Lee Jung Jae, making his first appearance since the 2005 hit Typhoon spots gorgeous courtesan Seol... [read more]

: My Friend & His Wife (DVD) (Korea Version) Park Hee Soon (Actor) | Hong So Hee (Actor) | Jang Hyun Sung (Actor) | Shin Dong Il (Director)
Sin Dong-Il may be one of Korea's unluckiest working filmmakers; his darkly funny debut film Host & Guest took two years to reach DVD after its initial release in 2006. His second film, My Friend and His Wife, also took two years to see release in Korean cinemas after traveling the worldwide film festival circuit to critical acclaim. Then again, it's even easy to see why My Friend and His Wife received similar treatment. Despite having more well-known actors than Host & Guest, Sin's second film is more of the same detached life observations that can alienate and possibly bore audiences. Also, My Friend and His Wife lacks the dark humor and exaggerated characters of Sin's first film, making... [read more]

: My Dear Enemy (DVD) (Korea Version) Jeon Do Yeon (Actor) | Ha Jung Woo (Actor) | Lee Yoon Ki (Director)
My Dear Enemy marks a turning point of sorts for its three central figures: Jeon Do-Yeon takes on her first role since her award-winning performance in the emotionally devastating Secret Sunshine; Ha Jeong-Woo appears fresh from his own star-making role as the fearsome serial killer in the surprise blockbuster The Chaser; and director Lee Yoon-ki is tackling his most ambitious production yet after the low key made-for-TV film Ad-Lib Night. With its breezy tone and relatively light story, My Dear Enemy may not seem like an ideal follow-up to the previous successes from Lee's actors. However, it's these three central figures coming together that make the film a textbook example of how to do... [read more]

: Crush and Blush (DVD) (Korea Version) Kong Hyo Jin (Actor) | Lee Jong Hyuk (Actor) | Park Chan Wook (Producer)
Crush and Blush is exactly the kind of film that the Korean film industry needs more of. A black, harsh though surprisingly moving anti-romantic comedy, it stands head and shoulders above the hordes of cutesy pieces of soulless candy which crowd cinema screens. The film marks the debut of Lee Kyung Mi who deservedly won Best New Director and Best Screenplay at the 29th Blue Dragon Awards, and was produced by none other than Oldboy director Park Chan Wook, who also makes a cameo appearance, along with The Host helmer Bong Joon Ho. However, the real star of the show is lead actress Kong Hyo Jin, who completely transformed herself from her recent and very different roles in Dachimawa Lee and... [read more]

: Sophie's Revenge (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Peter Ho (Actor) | Zhang Ziyi (Actor, Producer) | Fan Bing Bing (Actor) | Ruby Lin (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]

: No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Taiwan Version) Leon Dai (Director) | Chen Wen Pin (Actor, Producer) | Chao Yo Hsuan (Actor) | Lin Zhi Ru (Actor)
Actor-director Leon Dai takes a 180-degree turn from Twenty Something Taipei for the unassuming black-and-white drama No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti. Meaning "cannot live without you", No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti tells the based-on-a-true-story tale of an uneducated man in Kaohsiung who finds himself victim to an impersonal bureaucracy. However, despite that description, this is not really a social drama. The film opens with a television broadcast of the man threatening to jump off a bridge along with a young girl, with the media reporting, the police trying to intervene, and numerous onlookers watching and sometimes commenting cynically. His beef: that life and society have treated him unfairly. Flash... [read more]

: The Message (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Li Bing Bing (Actor) | Zhou Xun (Actor) | Huang Xiao Ming (Actor) | Zhang Han Yu (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]

: Murderer (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) Aaron Kwok (Actor) | Ning Chang (Actor) | Eddie Cheung (Actor) | Josie Ho
One of the eternal cinematic debates is to whether or not a film can truly be so bad that it actually becomes good. For most connoisseurs of trash film, or of high camp excess, the question is largely irrelevant, with "good" and "bad" being wholly interchangeable labels, and with entertainment factor being all important. This is certainly the case with Murderer which in these terms is a great, great film, showing the kind of unfettered lunatic genius rarely seen in these days of playing things safe. Starring the award winning actor Aaron Kwok in the lead role, the film was directed by Roy Chow, here making his debut after working on Lust, Caution with Ang Lee. Hilariously overwrought and... [read more]

: Chaw (DVD) (2-Disc) (Korea Version) Uhm Tae Woong (Actor) | Jung Yoo Mi (Actor) | Shin Jung Won (Director)
The monster movie returns to Korean screens in the unlikely form of a giant killer pig with Chaw? directed by Shin Jung Won. Perhaps unsurprisingly, rather than taking itself seriously the film aims for a mixture of laughs and scares, something which Shin had dabbled with previously to some success with the wacky Sisily 2km. A big budget blockbuster thriller with a cast of familiar faces, the film certainly proved a hit at the domestic box office, racking up an impressive 1.25 million admissions during the first three weeks of its release, suggesting that audiences certainly do have an appetite for murderous pork. The film is set in the rural village of Sameri, which has long been peaceful... [read more]

: 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]

: 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]

: 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]

: 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]

: 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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