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Yang Yang (DVD) (2-Disc Edition + Movie Book) (Taiwan Version)
Sandrine Pinna (Actor)
| Bryant Chang (Actor)
| Zheng You Jie (Director)
| Shelly Yu (Actor)
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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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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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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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 (Actor)
| Park Chan Wook (Director)
| Shin Ha Kyun (Actor)
| Kim Ok Bin (Actor)
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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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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Do-Re-Mi-Pa-Sol-Ra-Si-Do (DVD) (Single Disc) (Korea Version)
Jang Geun Suk (Actor)
| Cha Ye Ryun (Actor)
| Jung Eui Chul (Actor)
| Im Ju Hwan (Actor)
Teen angst raises its head once more with Korean drama Do-Re-Mi-Pa-Sol-Ra-Si-Do from helmer Kang Geon Hyang and online novelist Guiyeoni, who also gave the genre He Was Cool and Romance of Their Own. The film treads a similar path to these earlier efforts, again revolving around a love triangle and packing in plenty of melodrama, though this time with somewhat of a musical twist. More so than for its plot, the film is likely to be of interest thanks to its hip cast of young performers, with the hotly tipped actor Jang Geun Suk (recently in Crazy Waiting) and promising actress Cha Ae Rin (Bad Love) as the star-crossed leads, and with able support from Jung Euh Cheol. The film begins as the... [read more]
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Mother (2009) (DVD) (2-Disc) (Special Edition) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Kim Hye Ja (Actor)
| Won Bin (Actor)
| Bong Joon Ho (Director)
| Jin Gu (Actor)
After the the mega-blockbuster The Host (now Korea's highest-grossing film), director Bong Joon-Ho outdoes himself by trying not to outdo himself with Mother, a mystery-thriller that plays like a more intimate version of the director's 2003 classic Memories of Murder. While Mother doesn't achieve that level of masterful filmmaking, it still has the superb directorial touches and great performances to make this an easy pick for one of the best Korean films of 2009. However, the film's potentially melodrama-infested plot is not the reason for the acclaim. Mentally-handicapped Do-Joon (Won Bin, in his first role since completing his military service) lives with his sometimes-overbearing Mother... [read more]
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Portrait of a Beauty (DVD) (Single Disc) (Korea Version)
Kim Min Sun (Actor)
| Kim Nam Gil (Lee Han) (Actor)
| Choo Ja Hyun (Actor)
| Jeon Yun Soo (Director)
Portrait of a Beauty sees Le Grand Chef director Jeon Yun Soo offering a fascinating take on the life of Shin Yun Bok, one of the greatest ever Korean artists, based upon the supposition that the painter was actually a woman who disguised herself as a man in order to chase her dreams in the male dominated Confucian society of the Joseon Dynasty. Although the film draws its premise from the same best-selling novel by Lee Jung Myung that inspired the 2008 television drama series Painter in the Wind which featured Moon Geun Young in the lead role, here Jeon ups the stakes somewhat by adding an erotic charge to the proceedings. The film begins as a young girl called Shin Yun Jung from a family... [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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Cafe Seoul (DVD) (Special Box) (Japan Version)
Saitoh Takumi
| Kyono Kotomi
| Kim Dong Wook
| Take Masaharu (Director)
Korean star Kim Jung Hoon from Princess Hours and Japanese actor Saitoh Takumi from Boys Love team up for the delicious Korean-Japanese co-production Cafe Seoul. Directed by Take Masaharu (Cafe Daikanyama 2), Cafe Seoul complements its ikemen cast with a heartwarming story about pulling together and holding on to the warmth of the past amid the fast-changing trends of modern-day Seoul. Saitoh Takumi plays a Japanese journalist who travels to different countries to write about traditional desserts. In Korea, he comes across a traditional cafe run by three brothers of very different personalities - Kim Jung Hoon, Choi Sung Min (Bad Love), and Kim Dong Wook (Antique). Kim melts hearts as an... [read more]
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Heroes (Commemorate Edition) (CD+DVD)
Denise Ho (Singer)
Following the socially conscious Ten Days in the Madhouse, Denise Ho returns with Heroes, an even more ambitious album that elevates her message about people and society into an almost mythical level. Working again with Hanjin Chen and her older brother Harris Ho (both of whom co-composed almost the entire album), Heroes takes a major step towards fixing Ten Days in the Madhouse's main problem by giving heavier emphasis on more pop-friendly compositions and less on experimental arrangements. Part of the reason is the structure they're working with. Lyricist Wyman Wong, in charge of the entire album's lyrics, worked with HOCC (Ho's nickname) to create the structure for Heroes, using the idea... [read more]
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