Yu Shu, his father and the girl will then be sheltered by a restaurant owner. During the upcoming weeks, Yu Shu will learn the art of cooking from the owner, but what he doesn't know is that the special ability of his new master doesn't stop at just cooking. Meanwhile the evil gang, still doing the prostitution business, will again discover where Yu Shu and the girl hide, but this time they will succeed at kidnapping the girl. Now Yu Shu, having no other choice, will try to save the girl with the help of his master. But what they don't know is that they will have to fight again with the son of the gang leader, The Scorpion King, an amazing fighter that can kick and flip faster and higher that anybody else.

REVIEW
It has been a while since I saw an amazing kung fu movie such as "Operation Scorpio." Featuring an excellent cast of actors/fighters with some incredible kung fu fight sequences, driven by a decent story about the over abused concept of a wannabe kung fu fighters, all this together makes "Operation Scorpio" an instant kung fu classic from the 90`s. There's not that much originality in the movie and even the story was something of a deja vu, but there's still a lot of interesting ideas in the movie that make it worth watching, specially if you are a fan of kung fu movies.

The movie might not be filled with kung fu fights from start to finish and most of the fighting takes place at the end of the movie but still the basic story at least succeeds to support the movie without being too boring. Not very original in terms of storyline, the movie tries to exploit the concept of the reject guy who wants to become a great kung fu fighter and some day find a kung fu master to teach him, in fact two masters in this case. After the long and hard training, our hero is now ready and has to save his girl from the evil mad man. Even if this premise might not look interesting at first sight, yes it is very clichéd, but it was well developed enough to make the story just enough interesting for the viewer. It's just a kung fu movie after all, so don't except an incredible intellectual storyline full of sub plots and unexpected events and you will probably be satisfied with the general storyline.

One of the surprising aspects of the movie were the characters, most of them were well designed and acted which made them very likeable. Kar Lok Chin, who played the main character, gives an excellent performance. Maybe his martial art skills were not very impressive but he was supposed to be an apprentice anyway so we can excuse him this time. As for his two masters, one was played by Frankie Chin, who also played one of the boss prisoners in "Story of Ricky" during the same year. The second master was played by Lau Kar Leung which directed (kind of) and starred in "Drunken Master 2" in the role of General Fu Wen-Chi in company of Jackie Chan. Both characters were excellent and well played but I really think that the more interesting of the two was Lau Kar Leung, probably because he had more development but also because his character was more charismatic and likable, everyone likes old kung fu teacher, no? As for the girl, she appeared more like a secondary character but the developing relationship between her and Yu Shu appeared believable and not too over acted, which is a good point.

Of course the real shining element in all the characters of the movie is The Scorpion King: That incredible Korean fighter Kim Won-Jun, who excels in Wu-shu and Taekwondo. This is truly the best kicker the Hong Kong cinema has ever had, too bad that he didn't do too many movies. He played a recent role in "China Strike Force," the latest Stanley Tong production, so maybe we will see him again very soon, I really hope. This guy is amazing, his flipping and kicking abilitiees are almost flawless, of course he used some wires but only to help him enhance the impossible moves that no one can do. I have heard that when Kim Won-Jun was young, he was a big fan of Hong Kong kung fu movies. He really liked those amazing moves that the actors and stunts man were executing on screen. But what he didn't know was that some of these moves were enhanced with the help of wires. With the time and a lot of hard practice he achieved to be able to do some of these spectacular moves without the help of wires. So when he arrived in Hong Kong, it was a real piece of cake for him to do these flipping and kicking tricks. If you like kung fu movies that show fighter with great kicking ability, you really have to see "Operation Scorpio!" Ken Lo in Drunken Master 2 was excellent, but Kim Won-Jun is even more amazing!

With a good casting such as this, you are probably expecting some incredible over-the-top fighting choreographies and I can assure you that the movie really delivered the merchandise. The movie starts right away with a couple of short fighting sequences but after that, it drags a little as we only see the development of Yu Shu who start to train like a mad man. The training part of the movie doesn't have a lot of action and seems a little slow but don't worry, the action kicks back at the end with more than 25 minutes of non-stop fighting. The last fighting sequences itself is really worth the viewing of the whole movie as you will witness the fights between the two masters of Yu Shu against Scorpio, the son of the evil gang leader. Most of these fights are traditional kung fu but the character of "Operation Scorpio" uses a couple of wires here and there to enhance the already amazing moves and it really looks great on screen. In my opinion, if the movie would had one or two more fights in the middle to give it little more kick to the slow pace of the story, this movie would have become an instant classic such as "Iron monkey" and "Drunken Master 2" for sure.

Even if the movie is not perfect, it's still an excellent kung fu movie. Only for his great characters, especially Won-Jun Kim with his great kicking ability, and all of the amazing combat sequences, "Operation Scorpio" really should have it place in your kung fu movie collection.

DVD
The WA release has decent widescreen transfers, which suffer from minor scratch but which is fine in general. For the sound you have a decent Mandarin audio track in DD 5.1, which I'm sure is not the original language of the movie. The subtitles are not burned and are of excellent quality. The menus are all in Chinese but except the chapter and subtitles selection as there's no other section so you wont' be lost while browsing it. It might be not the ultimate dream version but it stills a good DVD and the movie is really worth the buy, but I just hate those plastic DVD cases from the WA release.

After hearing this strange story, Wisely decided that he needed to find the truth behind all this. He will find more than he was expecting when he will discover that the old man and the young girl are in fact aliens from other space and the small black cat is in fact the bodyguard of the girl. They are hiding on planet Earth from another evil Alien who wants to destroy them.

REVIEW:
Hong Kong movies are well known for their imaginative large scale idea but because of the lack of technology and money they usually make these interesting ideas look sometime cheesy and stupid, even if the whole movie is very entertaining. With my personal experience, I know that common people (Hollywood knowledge only) don't like HK movies because they find them too cheesy and unbelievable. On the other hand most of the people who enjoy HK movies love this innovative and unserious aspects and that's exactly what this movie is all about.

The Cat was directed by Lai-Choi Nam who also directed The Seventh Curse and the well known classic movie Story of Ricky. But unlike these two other movies, instead of trying to find a way to shock the audience with extreme gory scenes, The Cat centers more on the Sci-Fi aspect of the story, kind of a non serious HK X-Files if you want. But the movie still has that special touch that makes you wonder where they always find these crazy ideas.

The Cat doesn't have the most ingenious concept ever and the story even looks more like a dumb pretext to introduce you a very weird scene. Even if the story is easy to follow, the biggest flaw of the movie is the fact that there are a lot of unexplained elements in the movie, especially about the nature of the aliens. It's like the filmmaker didn't bother explain to the audience the multiple why, when and how of the story. I'm guessing that those who like their movie storyline flawless wont be able to stand this movie but if you don't mind the story that doesn't take things too seriously, you will probably have a good time. Just keep in mind that the story is rather a vehicle to bring together the most unusual ideas you will ever see in a Hong Kong Sci-fi movie. Like Peter likes to tell me in these kinds of situation: "Don't Ask!"

This is a B movie so don't expect the most incredible actor performance ever. Most of the acting was kind of cheesy and funny but I think that was a good thing, a movie like that with a serious tone would have probably ruined the whole thing. Out of all the characters, the most interesting one was the main character Wisely, he was a kind of modern action Sherlock Holmes. As for the rest of the cast, they were mostly forgettable characters unfortunately. The one who had some potential was the Alien girl with her cat, but since there's almost no info about her background or true nature, it was kind of hard to really understand all of her motivation and feeling.

Sci-fi, action, comedy and horror are elements that a lot of Hong Kong movies have tried to mix together and it seem that only a few directors have achieve a successful result. In my opinion The Cat doesn't belong in the successful category, of course it's not a bad movie but I don't think that any of these genres have been exploited to the max. Too many details are unanswered in the Sci-fi aspect to really understand it, the action is there but nothing that we have never seen before, ok except the cat and dog fight. As for the comedy and horror elements, both of them were present but none of them really impressed me.

The special effects were probably the most interesting thing, because of the very limited budget Im really wondering how they manage to get all these effects done. The most spectacular scene is of course that much talked about scene were a cat (the Alien) and a super dog fight each other. I wont say too many details, but as many people before me have said, just for this only scene makes a viewing of the movie worth it. There are also a couple of nice gory scenes, consisting of Alien eating human bodies and slimy unidentified thing attacking humans. Most of the effects were good for a low budget production, but don't expect to see something like in Story of Ricky.

Even if the movie is far from being perfect it still have some memorable moments and also contains enough interesting elements to keep the interest of any HK movie addict for a whole viewing. If you like Hong Kong movies for their crazy ideas and concept, The Cat is a movie you really have to see, but if you are annoyed by the cheesy factor in HK movies, then stay away from it at all cost.

THE DVD:
[Region Free] The weirdest aspect of this release is the cover; don't ask me why they used a picture of the American movie Bride of Chucky for the cover and Carrie II for the side label. The transfer is widescreen and is far from being what I call a good transfer. A lot of burns and scratches all along the movie, still very watchable but hard to believe it's a DVD. The sound is DD 5.1 only in mandarin, which Im pretty sure it was not the original audio track. The English subs are decent, generally a good timing but a couple of grammatical errors. Still better than a VCD, this WA release is to my knowledge the only available version of The Cat, but the DVD is really cheap anyway. A good thing is that the release comes in a regular plastic DVD case, unlike some other WA release which comes in a small cheap transparent and easily breakable plastic DVD case.

Green Dragon lays its story on the grounds of Camp Pendleton, circa 1975, as we experience intermingling stories of hope and desperation amongst its inhabitants. Tai Tran cares for his nephew and niece as he struggles around his new surroundings, fearing the outside world. Minh shares the yearnings of his mother, missing in the confusion of war, with a mess hall cook, Addie, who also reminisces of a mother lost. And Gunnery Sergeant Jim Lance watches over these lost souls in the faith of quelling their spirits while he finds new understanding within his own heart.

REVIEW: Green Dragon is the story of Vietnamese immigrants, a journey that is both tragic and beautiful, carrying the historical significance of an era forgotten. For most Americans, the Vietnam War was a war lost to North Vietnamese Communist, but for the South Vietnamese, their past was left behind and the ties of their motherland severed as they fled to the shores of North America.

Timothy Bui's film is one instance of this aftermath, of people attempting to find a home in another world. His characters are forlorn, on the verge of breaking, yet hopeful to the truth of an improved future within this free American world they have heard so much about. Though, at the same time, starting anew can be troublesome and hard on the mind. The stubborn ones cannot let go, the bitter do not care and the hopefuls fear for their future.

Unfolding through the eyes of actor, Don Duong as Tran, we have a sentimental view of everyday life in the campgrounds. He plays translator for Patrick Swayze's Sergeant Lance and becomes intermediary between his people and the American soldiers. A budding relationship is formed between the two as they learn about their respective situations and feelings about Vietnam, America, freedom, opportunity, and life. What makes this particularly interesting is that for the first time, we are presented cinematically the views of a refugee through Vietnamese eyes instead of what it may have been interpreted by Americans. Thus, it is more emotionally compelling and connecting for its genuine perspective.

Co-written with award winning director and brother, Tony Bui (THREE SEASONS), and inspired by stories from their mother, Timothy Bui makes his directorial debut through vignettes of bittersweet melancholy, painted in expressive cinematography and imaginative art direction. GREEN DRAGON is a sensitive film that will not only inspire, but provide a rich portrait an important era for Vietnamese Americans.

REVIEW: Even as I write this review, I still have mixed feelings about this film. Maybe because FREEZE ME is more like an erotic thriller than a psychological study on rape in Japan, yet it all feels like one abstract joke from director, Takashi Ishii, in creating one hell of a dark comedy.

What starts out as an atmospheric thriller filled with creeps and beeps and things-that-go-bump-in-the-night turns into an almost different film halfway through and all into the third act. When Chihiro, (Harumi Inoue) begins storing her victims in the titled themed freezers, she transforms from a stable woman living the life into a neurotic killer trapped in an apartment. Not only does she have to confront the demons of her past but she must escape it at the same time without anyone knowing, even her current boyfriend. This could be an interesting concept, considering the particulars of Japan and the way women are generally portrayed in these types of film. If this film was a little more serious on its subject, it could have been frightening and almost uneasy, but when Chihiro begins joking to herself on the phone about new models of refrigerators and talking to the dead bodies of her rapist, FREEZE ME develops into hilariously dark story.

Japanese nude model, Harumi Inoue, known for her curves and vibrant smile sets the tone for the picture by portraying Chihiro in a happy-go-lucky manner. It seems almost natural that a victim of rape would take a similar attitude in her attempts of shadowing the incident from her life. And though I may be unsure of how I feel about FREEZE ME, one thing is for sure, I found a new actress to fall in love with. This is probably the sole reason why I stopped taking the film so seriously after the half. In the beginning, Inoue takes a simple attitude towards her life; she has the job, the nice boyfriend and the cozy wonderful apartment with a Sony Playstation. Though, it's fairly easy to worry for her and to be sympathetic, her defensive attitude is so cute and comedic that you begin falling for her. There is one fascinating scene where she's eating ice cream and talking it out with one of the rapists as they lay dead in the freezer. The camera is on the inside, so the body is in the foreground while she's only seen through the bridge of the neck and it's almost romantic in that sick, unadulterated type of way. It is around this time when the film feels different; an odd transition of what you saw before and what you will see in the end as her form of hysteria radically changes into different shapes and approaches.

The supporting cast of FREEZE ME are all men, stereotypical characters that seem to have no life of their own other than their obsession with Chihiro. You have an unrestrained pervert to a tough talking yakuza that are so relentless in having their way with Chihiro, that it becomes too excessive and unbelievable. Even her boyfriend is extreme in his ways, a soft talking weak-willed fellow used as a metaphor for Chihiro's stability. But maybe that is the point, right? These men are devices of an overall society that objectifies women and Chihiro has to lay down her own justice, empowerment of the killing kind. She is what she is because of them after all.

While the story is simplistic in its structure and typical in plot, the driving force of the film is definitely Inoue and her character examination of Chihiro. She goes through many emotions paralleling the overall flow of the picture, from dreadful to dark humor and back again. The finale is one sinker for it comes from left field and out of the ballpark, but still satisfying enough to intrigue. Takashi Ishii has always been one of my favorite Japanese directors because of his films BLACK ANGEL and GONIN. Though the story is significantly different than those previously mentioned, FREEZE ME still carries his trademark direction and dark, moody cinematography and will definitely entertain, if not in content but in the actress, Harumi Inoue.

Review: I heard that "Evil Dead Trap" was one of a kind. I also heard that this film is the golden gem of the slasher-gore films (which are just about as common in Japan as the amount of crabs on a prostitute hustling outside a seafood restaurant) (ooh, got you there didn't I? I took you this direction and then BAM, it was really the other direction). So I sit down with what is known to be as a landmark in the slasher-gore films. And oh my, what an experience it was.

Really, there's not much to expect from a slasher-gore flick. The whole system on which the quality is valued is by how creative and gorey the deaths are, and not the intricate and detailed plot that we have all grown to love in slasher-gore films (nudge nudge, sarcasm). Maybe it was anticipation, I don't know, but for some reason I had this preconceived notion that this film was going to be spectacular in all areas including the plot. Sadly the plot is so ridiculously ludicrous that it's laughable. Each character's motives are just plain pointless. You got your horny couple that has their steamy sex scene. You got the one character who's got no real purpose in the film but to maybe be in a sex scene and then die. Strangely though, the acting is pretty stellar for a film like this. But stellar acting can't save a crappy story. Since when did reporters NOT submit videos of a woman getting tortured to death to the cops? Not only this, but the whole team decides to go "Oh hey, no worries, it's probably some prank! If we find the guy, it'll be fun. IN FACT, It'll be funny! Let's do it!" Then of course, they all scream and run around like crazy kids that forgot to take their Ritalin medicine. And instead of being chased around by their mommy's, they're chased around by a deranged psycho killer! OH NO!

Perhaps I'm too harsh on the story. I'm trying to compare this film to the likes of "Battle Royale", but both you and I know that's an intentional fallacy. So I'll take this movie for what it is, a slasher-gore film. Boy oh boy does it get the job done. I'll admit, even though the story was stupid, I was disturbed by the images in this film. There were just those moments in this film that made you cringe. The director gets a standing ovation for his unique camera work and shots, and for his brilliant usage of bullet-time sweeps before it was even know as bullet-time. Oh man, the images in this film just DISTURBED. For example, even though the first eye penetration looked ridiculously fake, I couldn't help but twitch. As for the deaths themselves, oohhh. If you're a gore-hound, then this is like ridiculously good cheesecake in your stomach. Each death is elaborate and creative as hell. I don't want to ruin anything because in between the redundant dialogue and pointless plot development, I was in 'awe'. The one death that will make a lasting impression in my mind is the photographer's death. It's beautiful. Each death is a beautifully orchestrated brutal murder! Basically what I'm saying here is, the evil dead traps in "Evil Dead Trap" make up for the ridiculously plot.

You'll be treated to gore goodness for the beginning of the film, but one problem....MOST OF THE CAST DIES IN THE BEGINNING! Then the "deep and interesting" plot kicks in. I don't know, but I personally lost interest during the un-killing haitus. Luckily, it grabbed my attention right away with the photographer's death! But then I lost it again when the SURPRISE TWSIT ending was revealed. Once again, the ridiculousl-ness of the story was just laughable. But I guess the ridiculous factor had one good effect, the last frame of the film is so terribly disgusting and bad that you can't help but love it. "Evil Dead Trap" ultimately delivers what it promises, but keep in mind, most slasher-gore films don't promise much. So kids, TAKE OUT YOUR SLASHER-GORE CHECKLIST KIDS!

• Hot Asian chicks with 80's hairstyles? CHECK!
• Crazy lunatic killer who's identity stays a mystery until the end? CHECK!
• Able to find the identity of the killer within first 20 minutes? CHECK!
• Deaths that are eligible to be described as "tiznight"? CHECK!
• Stupid victims that die in bloody disgusting ways? CHECK!
• Boobs? Lots of boobs? Maybe a little sex? CHECK!
• Disturbing images that make you afraid to walk down long dark hallways late at night? CHECK!
• A really retarded and pointless plot? CHECK!
• A killer fetus? CHECK!

Review: How in the world do I write a review for this film? Where do I begin....

There's always those directors in every era that has such an essence and greatness, that their personality is brought over to their films. An example being Martin Scorcese in the 80's with "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver", you always knew he had something amazing or deep coming. If you slapped his name on a film as a director, you were almost guaranteed something breathtaking. Well, what I'm trying to say is, if you saw Martin Scorcese's name as the director of a film, you wouldn't expect some teenage angst comedy or some whacky porno-esque film, just like you wouldn't expect Takeshi Kitano's name on a sex comedy, right? Right?!?!

A Takeshi Kitano film....about a guy trying to get some? Is this some typo? Did some horny director that happens to LOOK like our beloved Takeshi steal his name and slap it onto his movie full of breast? No. In fact, Takeshi Kitano is very well known for his comedy in Japan. He was part of one of Japan's most famous and beloved comedic duo's. His comedic bits were limited to the Japanese audience. The western audience never got to catch a glimpse of the softer side of Mr. Don't-talk-who-wears-sunglasses-badass. This film, a huge departure from such violent tour-de-forces as "Hana-bi" and "Sonatine", probably wouldn't have helped Takeshi's image much outside of Japan. That would explain why this Takeshi film didn't get passed around much in the international circuit.

Can Mr. Takeshi do comedy? He sure can. This is a fun goofy little film about a guy who's down on his luck and just can't get some. The film starts with one of his fantasies. A guy in a fancy car picks up a girl who's car broke down. With his fly ride and smooth mouth, he woos her into some car sex by basically saying, "You want some car sex?" After the very porno opening, we see our hero....wait wait, he's not a hero at all. In fact, he's downright horrendous. His room is covered with cut outs of naked girls. You'll never meet an protagonist quite like our man here. No sir. But I must say, you must give him a hand for pursuing so hard. You feel extreme pity for this guy, but you also loathe him because he's such a disgusting little pervert. One of the most interesting audience responses for a character portrayal is that you HOPE he doesn't get any.

Aside from being a very different Takeshi film, "Getting Any?" is a huge parody of Japanese pop culture (thus making it Asian-exclusive). If you're working knowledge of Japanese pop culture is at a minimum, then this movie will probably not appeal to you except for the few porno segments and the slapstick humor. Many Japanese movie genres like the yakuza films and samurai films are featured as comedic bits in this film. Now, are the comedic bits themselves knee-slapping funny? Eh, some. Most of the comedy in this film is slapstick. Some parts are genuinely funny, while others make you cringe (half-naked male flight attendant doing's a strip tease anyone?). The film starts off with a bang. Fresh dirty fun is thrown at us and it's pretty damn funny. The second half of the film however, drags on. At some points, the whole motivation seems to be gone! When our man becomes a hitman and an actor, the whole purpose of the film (which is getting some if you forgot) is missing. Instead, we're forced to watch a guy walk around doing odd jobs for no particular reason at all. I mean, that's not to say that those segments are humorless, I'm just saying the whole motivation of the film basically has been castrated, no pun intended. The second half of the film just drags and drags! In the final reel, such classics as "Gozilla" and "Mothra" gets poked fun of, but the segment itself just isn't that funny. That's the one flaw of this film. It starts off with a comedic bang, but runs dry by the time the credits roll. In the end, you're not sure if you want to embrace the movie or spit on it.

Is all hope lost that this has any essence of a Takeshi film?? Don't worry kids. Susumu Terajima makes a cameo as a dying yakuza man....more than once! Ren Osugi pops in as the hardcore killer who can shoot coins with deadly precision. The cameos, if you can spot them, put a little joy in your movie experience. So is this movie funny? I guess. Is it the best comedy ever made? Oh dear no. Is it a good investment? I'd say it is. Will you enjoy it? Ultimately yes, just get past the dragging second half and this could prove to be one of the silliest comedies you'll ever see.

Review: ‘Heroic Fight’ is like talking to a hyperactive nine-year old boy with attention deficit disorder while he is ripped to the tits on sugary drinks. Sporting an obvious Yuen Clan influence, this movie takes elements which made earlier Yuen movies ‘Miracle Fighters’ and ‘Shaolin Drunkard’ so great, and transposes them to 1980’s Hong Kong. Yuen Cheung Yan plays a wizard of a different kind, and becomes a technical wizard learned in the arts of movie making. Instead of magic, gadgets are used to dispose of evil henchmen, and instead of ghosts and demons, we have movie costumes used in battle.

In it’s own way, this is quite post-modern stuff. By playing a movie stunt team, the tricks and stunts are semi-factual versions of the real methods used in HK movie making, and the movie props used are neither realistic or convincing in any context but a movie set. This allows the set-pieces to transcend their ridiculous premise, giving a sly wink to the audience and suggesting that the film’s detractors sit down, shut up and enjoy it. It’s just a movie!

In amongst the HK style insanity, there are a lot of references to 80’s Americana. One key scene sees Duh’s Granddaughter Ting-Ting, (dressed as an 8 year old freaky whore-child version of Madonna) go to a McDonald’s restaurant with her friends. In comes Mickey Mouse, who uses balloons to float Ting-Ting up to the roof, where she is smuggled away by kidnappers. Lin Hsiao Long witnesses this happening, and uses her BMX skills to rescue Ting-Ting. Then we see Duh informed of this plan on his various telephones, shaped as a Coke Can and Garfield the cat. If this wasn’t barmy enough, this scene is only a quarter of the way into the film. Later on the American influence is seen at a wedding reception shoot-out. The good guys disguise themselves as a band, and sing ‘Power of Love’ by ‘80s power ballad crooner Jennifer Rush (‘I am your lady, and you are my man’).

Lin Hsiao Long is perfectly cast, even though it is unclear whether her character is supposed to be male or female. Whichever is the case, she is fantastic as a boyish have-a-go hero. Yuen Cheung Yan is also very good as the buck-toothed head of the stunt-team, and the lesser members of the cast all play along with a refreshing enthusiasm. Special mention has to go to the always watch able Dick Wei, who as lead bad guy, has one of the few serious roles in the movie, and somehow remains menacing even when fighting against papier-mache monsters.

The Yuen Clan have never been to everyone’s taste, and to some their movies may be too silly to absorb, but if you enjoy the more unusual oddities of Hong Kong cinema, then ‘Heroic Fight’ is a fix of pure ‘A’ grade hallucinogen. There is some genuinely satisfying Kung Fu on display, but depending on your idea of a good HK movie, other things get in the way, such as the squashy faced dog in a nappy, the rocket powered skates, the BMX stunts, and the giant ‘Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em Robot’. In retrospect, maybe including Jennifer Rush was just pushing things too far.

Review: Once again, Wong Jing spawns a little piece of madness. If you ever find yourself watching a Hong Kong film with smatterings of smut, jokes about homosexuality and ideas borrowed from other movies, look carefully at the credits and you can find Wong Jing’s name somewhere. At first glance, you might not realise he is involved, and then a little research reveals that he was lurking somewhere in the background. The fact that he produced and wrote ‘Flying Dagger’ is obvious after the first fart gag, but this is one of those movies that makes up for the many duffers in Wong Jing’s career.

Wong Jing attempts to emulate a Stephen Chow style spoof, and while it lacks the flare of the ‘Jim Carrey of HK’, it does pull off a lot of successful laughs. Basically sending up the Wuxia genre, there are enough interesting ideas in here to justify the moments that fall flat or get lost in the weak subtitles. Speaking of subtitles, look out for “I drink your human milk”.

The cast is excellent. All of them are major players from the late 80’s and early 90’s, and it is especially good to see Maggie Cheung and Jackie Cheung playing the kind of amiable characters that they so easily made their own before their careers sent Jackie to concentrate on his singing career, and Maggie to marry a Frenchman and make arthouse films. Jackie and Maggie definitely steal the film as lovable rogues. Jackie plays the usual amiable fool, and Maggie sends up the child-like, pouting doormat roles she so often plays, while still finding time to fall easily back into the tough girl role that she occasionally shines in. Even Ng Man Tat (last seen in Shaolin Soccer) joins in the fun.

The comedy is variable. Attempting Stephen Chow style comedy, it makes sly refernces to a number of HK classics, but sometimes the knowledge that this is a Wong Jing script raises the question of whether this is true spoof, or simply a comedy with the usual Jing plagiarism. Even an Addam’s Family style roaming hand plays part in things. It’s not a new idea, but it fits in well enough among the madness.

The action is handled by Ching Siu Tung, the man responsible for the better parts of Chinese Ghost Story and Duel to the Death, and his influence is not only obvious, but provides some of the high points of the film. Based in wire-work rather than true martial arts, the action is rapid fire, kinetic and exciting. People bounce around the screen like jumping beans, and one of the films early fights, combatants leap from tree to tree, throwing swords through a seemingly indestructible fighter, then a tree is uprooted, and flown through the air to crush an opponent. It isn’t so novel to the hardened HK movie fan, but it’s still entertaining. Wong Jing even works a reference to Ching Siu Tung’s earlier work ‘Swordman II’, with a crafty twist on Asia the Invincible’ in the form of ‘Erotomania Man’ and his ladyboy wife.

‘Flying Dagger’ is a typical Wong Jing film, but definitely one of his better efforts, possibly because somebody else directed it. It was evidently a lot of fun to make, and at a tidy 86 minutes, finds time to include flatulent men with fox tails, a cat woman, spiky bras, treetop battles, a gay kiss (!), and a lot more best discovered for yourself. Considering that this is an inferior imitation of Forbidden City Cop, it very nearly beats Stephen Chow at his own game.

REVIEW
"Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan" is an absolutely gorgeous movie in every aspect, from open to close. It is both a Kung Fu revenge flick and an intense drama, as both styles are melded together wonderfully by director Chu Yuan. The film opens with a shocking discovery that Master Liao, a frequent visitor to the local brothel, has been murdered. Just as the inspector realizes that the mysterious Ainu was the last person with him that night, the film's credits roll, and we are taken back to the beginning.

The lovely Ainu was brought to the brothel along with a large group of unsuspecting women. All were kidnapped, and all of them were treated horribly throughout the process. As she is introduced to Lady Chun, it is already apparent that a large interest is taken in this special girl, as Chun remarks what a great name she has. She stares off into the girl's eyes, absorbing everything.

After a group of four officials put out bids to be the first to have their way with Ainu, the Governor's father ends up being the winner, and proceeds to fulfill his own self-indulgent desires in private. One after one, each of the four are seen pouncing on Ainu, followed by a freeze frame and a loud shriek from the lady in question. These images are meant to stay in the viewers mind for the rest of the film, as they are the catalyst for Ainu's payback.

Brother Yan is a man who works in the brothel and pretends to be mute. He reveals his ability to speak only to Ainu, and vows to help her escape. During their first attempt, however, he is killed and Ainu finally succumbs to Lady Chun's lustful desires, promising never to escape again. Their romance begins, just as Ainu's plan of revenge begins to go into action.

The meat of the film is Ainu's violent revenge on each of the four officials. The way she attacks them mirrors the way they treated her along with the other girls they abused. Chu Yuan constantly plays flashback images of the initial sexual attacks, the ones that stay in your mind during the entire film. This reinforces the audience to stay on Ainu's side, even during the moments where she seems to become vicious and cruel, we are reminded of the catalyst behind it all.

This movie is absolutely a treat to watch, as it is filmed so gracefully and with such attention to detail. A beam of snow-filled light falls down upon Master Liao's murdered body, blood of the brightest crimson hits pure white with the most painting like fluidity. Pretty much every scene is alive with a vibrant light that the camera catches, even in the darkest instances. It's hard to keep describing how beautifully shot the movie is without sinking to the deepest depths of hyperbole.

Despite all the dramatic moments and murderous intrigue, through and through "Confessions" is indeed a Kung Fu film. It is unlike most you will see though. The action choreography, by Tsui Yi Ngo, is skillful and engaging. You have your classic Shaw backflips and sword fights riddled with blood, and it's so damn fun to watch. Lady Chun kills people with her fingertips. If that isn't cool, nothing is. The final battle, which is basically Ainu against everyone else, is tremendous, and serves as a precursor to a beautiful conclusion.

The drama in this film could have been throw away, typical fare were it not for the superb performances. Especially by Lily Ho, who completely steals the screen from almost anyone else. The intimate moments between Ainu and Lady Chun are damn intense, and give the ending a much greater emotional impact. Every fight scene is sandwiched in by a great story and acting that makes watching the battles worthwhile, as opposed to them being filler fluff.

Without saying too much about the movie, it is with an incredibly high recommendation that I tell everyone to pick this up now. The Celestial DVD is marvelous, and I absolutely love this film.

REVIEW
Godzilla X MechaGodzilla (Or Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, or GxMG or whatever else) is a pure Saturday morning slobberknocker. A Kaiju match that is both as intense and straightforward as it can be, and throughout the course of the film, GxMG tries its damndest not to be bogged down by a nature-centric storyline or any overt psychological overtones that tend to creep their way into more recent Kaiju fare. The good news is that it succeeds. It's a fun movie, and it really doesn't need to be much else.

The story is as simple as can be, and has all the pre-requisite stellar entrances by the G-man. This time he pops up behind a reporter covering the horrible typhoon weather hitting the shores, and then goes on to demolish whatever he sees fit, ultimately dipping back into the ocean after taking his fill of lives. This all happens in 1999, and as we flash forward to 2003, we see that he's still in hiding (which begs the question, how do you hide a 100 story beast?). Meanwhile the military recruits Japan's greatest minds for the construction of MechaGodzilla, the country's last chance at finally defeating Godzilla.

The only time the movie ever really slows down is during a few tiresome explanations of Kiryu's functions and a bit of unnecessary dialogue sprinkled here and there. Other than that, you're left with two rounds of complete destruction as the two beasts square off flesh to metal.

The special effects are pretty spot on for the most part. Though not quite nearly on par with the jaw-dropping enormity of the battles in Gamera 3, it all looks pretty damn clean save for some instances of out of place CGI. Present day Kaiju films have really grasped the larger than life, ground rumbling insanity of the situations well, and the fact that rubber suits are still employed favorably over CGI is admirable, and will always make for surreal viewing. Thousands of missiles are unloaded (they DON'T hurt him! Got it!?) Maser Gun Tanks flood the scene constantly, jets hurdle to their flaming demise, and general chaos ensues much to the audiences glee.

The acting and the characters in the film kind of put extra cheese on the hamburger. A single father's (also the man who helped extract the genes from Godzilla's bones) struggle with his daughter and her inability to let go of the loss of her Mother puts the blah in blah. The laughable "connection" that MechaGodzilla and its pilot share can also put a strain on your face with laughter. As dialogue from the pilot comes out as "Kiryu, let's go buddy!" you'll put your hand in your palm and hope it was the translator's error (or joke). But it's all the Miss Daisy of the movie, taking backseat to the knock 'em dead action. You won't care who's the father to what or how things occur once the first punches are thrown. To some that may seem like a bad thing, and perhaps a step back for the genre, but it's not.

The direction is as competent as one can expect. The camera shakes with fury as feet crush the ground below, and a great deal of the devastating imagery is quite memorable. Bits such as MechaGodzilla plowing straight through a skyscraper, and coming out the other side with a gaping dust spitting crater left in the center of the building are just classic.

So Godzilla X MechaGodzilla entertains on the most basic of levels, but provides enough goodness for even naysayers of the Kaiju genre to enjoy. If you want no-holds barred, "Wrasslin's on, go grab the Slim Jims!", "We're outta Slim Jims but we got bacon bits!", "That's cool, bacon bits ain't bad, bring me a beer too." action then it's worth your money. You know you want it. Come on.

Years ago, Flaming Cloud Devil's master was killed by opponents trying to learn the secret of the Buddha's Palm technique. Flaming Cloud took revenge on those opponents, and then hid away in the cave. He vows to teach JianFei the Buddha's Palm, but when his old opponents learn that he is still alive, all hell breaks loose.

REVIEW
There is a famous story that tells of a young George Lucas taking the treatment for a little film called 'Star Wars' to a studio exec. He was told it would be a good idea, were it not for the fact that he had handed over enough content to fill three films. Had Mr. Lucas not taken the advice, and instead thrown every idea into one movie, then he may have produced something as hollow and confusing as the 'Buddha's Palm'. There's even a light-sabre in it.

'Buddha's Palm' is an early 80's Shaw Brother's wuxia movie. It should be wonderful, but it's like watching every episode of 'Monkey' on fast-forward in one sitting. It's an obvious inspiration for 'Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain' and other wuxia films, but it makes a common mistake for the genre by throwing so many faceless characters and clans into allegiance, opposition and betrayal that apathy quickly sets in. Not a single character is given any casual dialogue with which to build a little background on their character. They just ally or oppose all over the place and we, the audience, are expected to follow who's who. To make things worse, a lot of these relations between clans are explained in numerous sudden flashbacks. If you blink and miss the subtitle that says '…and this is how it happened', then your grasp on the plot is doomed. Then to compound the confusion, a lot of the events are narrated or even mocked by anonymous voice-overs. Brain. Beginning. To. Hurt.

It's not all bad tidings. The film's mixture of hokey animated special effects, cheap but elaborate fantasy/period film sets, and wonderful costumes make this an aesthetic treat (especially on this Celestial remastered DVD). There are some nice ideas in there, even if some of them could really have benefited from elaboration. The 'Foot Monster' is a bad guy with a massively oversized foot, which sits on the end of a stretchy leg, and there is a demonic child who sprays blue acid from a growth on his face. Another nice touch is 'Dameng', a mixture between a Chinese Dragon dance costume, a robot, and that big orange dog from 'Sesame Street'.

It's not that Buddha's Palm is a bad film as such, but only the most hardcore and patient wuxia fans should go out of their way to see it, because it's fairly inaccessible to everyone else. It can be very hard work to keep up with events, and even harder work to care for the characters involved. It does at least deliver a feeling of erratic madness, but the odd structure, clumsy pacing and lack of a central narrative make it hard to enjoy the many interesting ideas and attractive visual that the movie boasts. Go see 'Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain' instead, it's a similar, yet far superior movie.

REVIEW: Though using one simple sentence to explain the general plot of "Vengeance" may seem like a shortcut for someone who hates to summarize (though that may be true, this is pure coincidence), the story of this Chang Cheh joint is as straight forward as the title would have you believe. Therein lies the instant gratification this movie provides. The audience immediately knows what to expect from the plot and is thus allowed to sit back and watch the gruesome, gritty revenge unfold.

The opening scene sets up the catalyst for revenge, the murder of Xiaolou's brother who is an esteemed actor in the Chinese Operas. Chang Cheh frequently cuts together scenes of his stage play performance with those of his actual murder, as one mimics the other. Played by Ti Lung, his murder is a result of his affront to Master Feng and his school, which itself was retribution for Feng coming on to his wife. He dies a horrible death, stabbed countless times, rolling down the stairs with an axe in his stomach and finally stops writhing shortly after both of his eyes are gouged out. It's a jarring scene and the lasting effect it has permeates throughout the rest of the movie as a constant reminder of why Xiaolou has come to kick ass and chew bubblegum, eschewing the gum altogether.

It's impossible not to notice that Chang Cheh absolutely loves slow motion. It is his crack. Well, he fills the pipe up a lot in "Vengeance", but he's not stingy. Seriously, if Cheh could show an entire film in slo-mo, he would have in a flash, and damn if it wouldn't have been the best movie ever. Whenever someone gets notably stabbed you'll see time stop, and that funky soft "ch-ch-ch-ch-cha" sound blasts as the victim gazes about in bewilderment.

Speaking of slow motion, it's amazing just how influential Chang Cheh films like this one have been throughout Asian filmmaking as a whole, but especially in Hong Kong productions. John Woo's films practically scream, "I love Chang Cheh!". Even the flow of the story, from the violent opening in the teahouse to the "vengeance with a white shirt on" finale, is mirrored in many films throughout the 80s and early 90s. Films such as Woo's best known, the Killer and Hard Boiled ooze of appreciation and just like how many current films are throwbacks to the explosive HK heyday, so were the HK classics reminiscent of their predecessors as well.

David Chiang's performance compliments Cheh's direction well, as he grimaces throughout, bound and determined to show us he has earned his reputation as an inconsolable badass. Sure, he may kill the wrong guy a couple times, but they probably had it comin' anyway! Viewers will marvel at his ability to sneak into a room full of guards and kill them off one by one, leaving them standing, dead and propped up against walls and columns.

Speaking of killing, this movie is brutal. Not in the way that squeamish viewers will want to avoid, but in it's unrelenting gritty style. Red paint-like blood splatters every which way, and no one is spared in Xiaolou's onslaught. The whole film runs dark, and though his vengeance should be celebrated, everything just seems so hopeless. In this manner, the atmosphere is fantastic. Fight scenes follow furious brooding contemplation, which is followed by more action. The pace may stagger a couple of times, but other than a few minutes here and there, your attention will blast full steam towards the inevitable climax.

As far as Kung Fu action goes, it's not exactly the type you would expect. This movie focuses more on knife fighting and other forms of brazen stabbery. It might even be safe to say that "Vengeance" has more knives per minute than most movies have during their entire duration. Small knives, long knives, bloody knives, vicious knives and everything in between. The action scenes become a visceral crimson shaded extravaganza, and this being such a deadly game, it is always intense.

Basically, "Vengeance" is a must see revenge flick. Its story is as basic as possible, and Chang Cheh's balls to the walls style of filming drives the movie into the realm of classic Chinese action films. This movie needs to be in everyone's Shaw Brothers collection.

REVIEW:
Blind Shaft is dark and gritty; a criticism on both China's industrialization program as well as the disregard for human life in the mining industry. The main characters, Tang Chai Yang and Song Jin Ming aren't your typical protagonists (if you can even call them that). They take advantage of the decidedly cold-hearted managers of the mines in which they labor in order to survive and move on. While what they do may usher along their own lives with just enough cash to get by, it doesn't change the fact that what they do is pretty damn vicious.

Before we're really even introduced to the characters, they off a young man they're working with in one of the mines. As he explains his longing to return home, they club him over the head and leave his cold body on the rocky ground. Once they surface, the act begins as they claim the boy was related to Tang. After some negotiations they end up packing their bags and leaving the mine with 30 grand in their pocket.

As they stand in town among the immense crowd waiting for work opportunities, they stumble into a young 16 year-old boy and immediately draw him into their next scheme. They have him memorize a new name and age: Song Feng Ming, 18. Young Song is impressionable and naive. His character makes the movie unbearably grim, knowing what they inevitably plan to use him for. With the notion of him as a nephew and a new mine to work at, the pins are all in place to kill him off in the darkness of the cold shaft.

Most of the film is spent somberly following their routine at the new mine, getting us acquainted with young Song and building up a palpable tension leading up to the murderous fruition of their plan. While you might initially think liking the duo of Song and Tang would be impossible, it's easier to feel the same indifference towards them that the mine management does towards the lives of their workers. The cold world of mining is so aptly illustrated without shoving it in your face. Tang and Song exploit the system in the same way that the system exploits the workers. It's reciprocated misuse and abuse that chases its tail until the origins are unrecognizable, as are the lines separating right from wrong.

Wang Shuangbao and Li Yixiang as Tang and Song respectively are wonderful in "Blind Shaft". Though their actions are despicable, their personalities aren't necessarily reflective of the murderous intent on the outside. It comes so casually, and they aren't sinister about it. Maybe it is horrible that this has become so routine, but there is change within at least one of them after spending time with their young future victim, formerly named Yuan and played by Wang Baoqiang. His portrayal of this innocent 16 year-old is what makes the film so gut-wrenching as the end approaches. He's pitiable and enviable for his untainted outlook at the same time.

The movie is far from beautiful. It's dirty, dusty and claustrophobic. Also contributing to the atmosphere is the complete lack of music, even during the ending credits. It's only noticeable if you're paying attention to the silence that engulfs a few of the scenes, and it was a great choice on Li Yang's part. There aren't any false emotions brought about by the inevitably sorrowful music that may have played during the film if edited differently. When the final twist comes about and the credits roll up silently, you'll find yourself instantly reflecting on what happened throughout the duration of "Blind Shaft".

Though this movie isn't for everyone, as it's a bit of a slow-burner, most will find it an interesting and sad depiction of China's steam engine rush into socialist advancement as well as a window into the rough dog-eat-dog world of mine labor. Li Yang is definitely a director to keep your eye on, and "Blind Shaft" is an excellent introduction.

REVIEW:
Women in prison films have a celebrated history of masking the reality of how nasty most women in prison really are. In place of hairy, worn out she-males we have a virtual harem of gorgeous Chinese and American women, wearing the standard "night shirt and panties" prison uniform. In this fantasy world of film, you never know when some girls are going to randomly make out or have a communal shower party. Constant images of Gina Gershon come to mind for some reason. This is the world of "Bamboo House of Dolls", which follows a 70's stash of babes enveloped in the dark and vicious clutches of the Japanese.

In the film, six of the imprisoned women are aided in escaping by an insider posing as a cook for the soldiers. They are faced with the arduous tasks of escaping the prison and finding the hidden gold that will fund the Chinese in obtaining much needed weaponry, as well as dealing with an unknown spy within their group and the burden of outrunning the pursuing soldiers.

The Japanese are downright nasty in this film. Portrayed as sex crazed beasts at times, even the female leader gets in some action with one of the girls via ye olde strap-on. Most of the intense moments are pushed towards the first half of the film, which makes it seem somewhat unbalanced. During the initial entry into the 13th Women's Concentration Camp, the viewer is introduced to the ruthless methods of punishment and torture issued out in the prison. They make the women take turns beating a fellow prisoner to death, and when one tries to escape she gets completely fried on the electric barbed wires. The tension is much greater during these moments, and the situation always seems bleak.

But the film is dominated by faceless characters that serve their typical purpose, such as the blind girl whose heightened sense of sound aids them in a couple tough jams, and the rest of the main group of characters that are easily mixed up and for the most part too quickly forgotten. It's not necessarily a problem that lies solely with the generic performances, but is contributed to by the overall humdrum nature of the plot. The most exciting part of the movie should be the escape sequences. While at first interesting, it ends up turning into a continuous and patience-trying volley between freedom and captivity.

"Dolls" does have it's moments, though, some exciting and some unintentionally hilarious. There are a couple decent action sequences, and a battle between the Japanese soldiers and a group of guerillas ends up with some amusing bloodshed, bright crimson and in the classic gushing Shaw style. Other than this and a few less memorable brawls, not to mention the films first quarter, there isn't as large an amount of violence as one would expect. However, a couple of the choice rivalries created in the movie seemed to beg for some more vindictive action.

A couple moments in the film managed to be funny in a more awkward sense. One image that will forever be burned into my mind is when the prisoners take a public shower with each other. Cue the party music as they rub a dub like they were miles away from any sort of horrible and violent situation. This scene is classic mostly because it's sandwiched so tightly between such serious moments.

As the film nears its climax, it begins to drag like it's running out of steam. Add in an unnecessary romance and a conspicuously clumsy Japanese army and you've got the formula for the last half of "Dolls". It's not an entirely bad movie, it's just got the right amount of cheese to land it in the realm of mildly successful B-movies. Fans of women in prison films should check it out, as it contains a truly astonishing boobs per minute ratio. Those looking for a classic Shaw Studios film may be disappointed by this average outing by director Kuei Chih-hung, and with so many Celestial releases currently hitting the DVD market, you may want to try it before you buy it.

REVIEW: 'Heaven and Hell' certainly sets itself up with an exciting premise, and director Chang Cheh approaches it with the flamboyance it deserves, yet the result never quite achieves true greatness, despite some inventive and often surreal production design.

Episodic in nature, a range of visual styles are employed, but the pacing is awkward, and even some of the ethical ideas which drive it don't always seem to sit quite comfortably with the Buddhist ideology that it is based on.

Starting off in Heaven, the story first seems to be one of forbidden love, and when a young girl drops a peach, the punishment seems quite harsh, especially considering how nice Heaven is rumoured to be. Not wanting her 300 lashes of the whip, she escapes to Earth with her lover, followed by Xin Ling, banished from Heaven for protecting them.

Heaven is all dry ice, blue sky, and white marble, but Earth is presented with a minimalist surreal style. An exterior scene, for example, is shown as a black stage, with nothing but a gate, a window frame, and two men on screen. It's an interesting idea, and to make things stranger, the film turns into a cantopop musical for the first twenty minutes. Listen out for the intro to one song which borrows part of the 'Shaft' theme. When a bunch of Beret and cravat wearing gangsters attack, they mix up their kung fu with some funky dance moves. It's kitsche, camp, retro, and quite frankly, a little bit gay.

Sadly, this style is dropped for some scenes, which are just ordinary exterior locations, and then when the story leads us down to Hell for the bulk of the film, the visual style changes yet again. Hell is a labyrinth of caves lit in blue, red and purple, and occupied by sinners, monsters, and all manner of torture devices.

Hell apparently has different departments for dealing with a number of sins, and many of them are shown as truly terrible special effects. Gamblers are forced to gamble mindlessly for eternity, while alcoholics have to drink forever, and a fighter is forced to fight with himself. 'Plough Hell' is where people are mowed down with ploughs, though it's never made clear what they did wrong.

Late in the film, the plot screams off on another tangent, as a series of lengthy vignettes explain how various hell-dwellers found themselves trapped in the afterlife.

For those of you unfamiliar with Buddhist theology, here is a summary of what the movie teaches us on the subject:

1. Hippies go to hell. Especially suicidal hippies. 2. Heavy Metal album covers are way off the mark. 3. They get through a lot of coloured light bulbs in hell. 4. Illegitimate sons and the poor are damned from the outset. 5. If a ghost tells you he's 'the nice ghost', he's lying. 6. Reincarnation is, like, one far out trip, man. Groovy.

'Heaven and Hell' is an interesting film, especially for fans of the director. The disjointed pacing, awful special effects, wooden acting, and vague plot spoil what could have been a bizarre classic, but there is plenty to see, some decent fights, lots of unintentional laughs, and hell itself is an interesting place in the movie. This certainly won't be to everyone's taste, and newcomers to HK cinema will wonder what the hell is going on, but for the rest of us, it's an interesting but flawed slice of retro madness.

Review: Directed by director Hiroyuki Nakano who was the mastermind behind the classic “Samurai Fiction,” Nakano gives his camera lens another go and tries to bring us something new in the form of his second feature film “Red Shadow.” Going for something new in the ninja genre, we are treated to hip-hop ninjas. Yeah, that's right, hip-hop ninjas! Sounds crazy, and I'm not saying it's not, but I thought it worked out perfectly fine in the end. Red Shadow is basically a ninja movie revamped for the new millennia, and like most movies remade for a new audience, this is follows suit as well. Incorporating nifty new gadgets, CG enhanced scenes and a rockin' hip-hoppish/techno soundtrack, Nakano takes the age old Ninja movie to new heights.

Red Shadow follows the tale of three ninjas brought up from a young age to carry out missions in the name of the empire. The movie takes place in the year 1545 during the Warring States Period. The Kageichi clan who these three are brought up in are known for the Heavenly Steel that they found in a meteor now are under the rule of Lord Togo who give them orders to carry out. Ranging from smaller missions like stopping a general from sending out his troops to much grander missions, the Akakage, Aokage, and Asuka bravely take on formidable forces under the cover of the night. There place in life is to live and die in the shadows. However when Asuka is fatally injured in a mission, Aokage contemplates his life as a ninja and disbands the childhood group. Going on with their lives, they split and go their separate ways. However as the master of the Kyogoku clan passes away in a web of conspiracy, Akakage is caught up in the life of the heir to the throne, Princess Koto. Now working as Princess Koto's personal bodyguard, he is brought further into the web of lies and treachery of the Kyogoku and the puppet masters controlling it all. It is on one fateful night that Akakage and Aokage are destined to meet each other once again, and lead the fight to save Princess Koto and the kingdom of Kyogoku.

How does this new rendition of the ninja genre fare? On paper and storyboards, I think it probably looked and sounded much better than the final outcome we have here in Red Shadow. Typically, ninja films stick to the stigma of being dark and gritty with buckets of blood. With this movie, we're treated to colorful and bloodless fights. With all the visual panache, it really doesn't work out that great as Nakano had hoped. Maybe for him, but it didn't do much for me. Effects such as ninja stars, sparks, flips, and a couple of other things looked a little too noticeable and don't help in bringing all the content together for one cohesive visual experience. Had the effects team worked on this a little more, the movie could stand a chance of being much more than what we're given in the final product. Some nice camera angles here and there serve to give a look of originality, and that helps this one stay afloat a bit. Another gripe I had with is the overall flow of the movie. In the beginning, the film is very lighthearted and there's a bunch of jokes that made me laugh out loud. The characters were constantly engaged in silly situations, one after another. If, and only if this same feeling had been kept for the duration of the entire movie, the movie would have been stronger. However, Red Shadow changes the mood and feels at almost a blink of an eye's timespan. One minute it's a comedy flick, and the next it's a drama with some action scenes mixed in to break up the monotony and serves to push the story forward.

Overall, I suppose this was an entertaining flick. It's purely meant for entertainment purposes only and to just take everything as is with a grain of salt. It's a fun movie, and that's all there is to it. I only wished the movie could have been more solid effect-wise and made up its mind what kind of movie it wanted to be.

The most charming film I've seen all year comes in the form of Hiroyuki Nakano's "Stereo Future." This romantic comedy is a smoothie blend of adrenaline and sheer wit, foaming at the top, and spilling over in an almost Parker Posey like fashion. It's a unique ensemble driven comedy that plays off itself in interesting and creative ways and is motivated by a very Earthly, Pro-Environmental theme and message.

Review: In Nakano's last outing with the amazing and very underrated "Samurai Fiction," he gave us a hip mix of equal parts Akira Kurasawa and Doug Limon in a Tomoyasu Hotei infused rock and roll paced epic. While most people dismissed it as a samurai parody rather than a comedy within the backdrops of feudal Japan, it's only now that many are discovering this fresh new director whose prolific music video resume includes the infamous club video "Groove is in the Heart" by Dee-Lite and the rock hit from Glay, "Be with you."

The sequel to "Samurai Fiction" is an even more ambitious film as his sophomore installment to the "SF" series. Taglined as "Episode 2002," "Stereo Future" is probably one of the most fun you'll have watching a film of this caliber all year. I have to admit, I was smiling all throughout the film because it was simply so fresh and beautiful and carried itself on an aloha wave of enthusiasm and optimism.

The cast definitely does a lot to help out "Stereo Future," though. Even with its great story and humor, the cast played itself well beyond the needs of the film. There was a certain element of class with each character and their delivery that ranges from outrageousness to absolutely adorable and cute.

My favorite parts of the film were the two female characters of Eri Momosaki (Akiko Monou) and Mika (Kumiko Aso.) While Monou was credited among the cast of "Samurai Fiction," it was pretty difficult to notice her as the Ninja Akakage. But in "Stereo Future," Nakano gave her the role of the female lead and she absolutely shines in the brightest of ways. Her profile on the train to the delightful and endearing flashback of Keisuke taking pictures of her in his apartment can totally make you fall in love with her in more ways than many. This is probably why the cover of "Stereo Future" has her profile holding an orange.

Kumiko Aso's role of Mika is a double whammy of cuteness as the second love interest to Keisuke as the lead actress on the set of film he's in. In one particular scene, we have a slightly beaten up Keisuke sitting on the stairs trying to take care of a nosebleed and Mika walks on up and puts a piece of tissue to his nose to stop the bleeding. As opposed to having the characters nose bleed when he's horny around a attractive girl, Nakano sets up this scenario to make fun of it. It's this type of subtle humor and play on Japanese culture that gives "Stereo Future" its more engaging and sweet qualities.

But the true driving force of the film is Masatoshi Nagase's role of Keisuke Katsura. With his forlorn face and his stereotypically Japanese gesticulations, he becomes more than just his comic character, but a representation of the overall premise of the film; a character of seasons that is slowly dying inside when he's not cultivating himself in his acting or being true to himself in life. Eri represents the sun in his life that he's willing to do anything in order to make her smile and lay upon him the rays of her aura and beauty. And even through all of this, everything comes winding down in a beautiful state as he does his best impersonation of Bruce Lee!

Running simultaneously with the filming of the most craziest, funniest samurai film ever, "Stereo Future's" present day mischief and mayhem is a cast full of eccentrics and hopefuls, living life fast and downright delirious. Hiroyuki Nakano's "Stereo Future" is hilarious, beautiful and quite possibly going to be my favorite film of 2002 (released in 2001) and it's still just January!

"Rainbow is Love"

Review: Chinese Ghost Story is one film that has a special place in my heart, in fact this is the very first asian movie that I have ever seen. It was years and years ago, long before I knew anything of asian cinema or culture. I was surfing through the channels and came upon this weird movie where this samurai looking guy was shooting fireballs from his hands and slicing up undead and soon after followed by giant evil tongues and sexy Chinese ghost ladies. In a word I was in awe, I had never seen anything quite like it. This was a world apart from conventional north American cinema and perhaps that was the appeal, something completely different.

It would be only years later that I would have the chance to see this movie in its entirety and I enjoyed it as much as the very first time that I caught this movie in the middle. Being an older movie the special effects and the overall look of this film pretty much borders the cheesy factor and this may put off certain viewers who are more used to the modern day state of the art cinema but personally I believe it is that cheesy quality that gives this movie its charm. As I’ve long said it is not the overall visual aspect that will give a movie its soul but good characters, a good story and the resulting on screen chemistry is what give a movie soul.

Chinese Ghost Story manages to have a bit of everything in it, swordplay action with some horror-esque elements along with a love story and some Chinese humor that comes off a little strange; I still don’t get half the jokes. These story genres are well blended together and non really take the forefront, a mixture of a ghost story and love story that works well together. The development and the pace of the story is great, all elements simply fall into place and everything is easy to understand and enjoy.

The characters also play an important role in making this movie as good as it is. You have the young and naïve tax collector that gets involved in this crazy story by pure misfortune, he makes for an unusual central / hero character. Then you have the Taoist swordsmen which is by far the coolest character in this movie, his Taoist magic and swordplay steals the show, it’s a pleasure to watch him kick undead ass and get our lost hero out of trouble. Then there is the ghost, the love interest of our hero, she is the innocent girl stuck in a bad situation. She is not really evil but she is forced to commit terrible acts, unfortunately for her she falls for the hero and is unable to do what she must putting her in great danger. As for the villain it seems to be some sort of cross dressing monster, nothing exciting but it gets the job done for the bad guy role.

Another element of this movie that I really enjoyed was the stormy nighttime scenery; being a ghost story much of the film takes place at night of course. Many of those scenes have a stormy feel to it, leaves and stuff flying all about and trees shaking and what not. It may not look realistic but I find it really provides the proper ambience. I always liked the blue nighttime filming of these over fantasy swordplay movies of this time period, once again it’s the charm element or am I just being nostalgic.

Chinese Ghost Story should not put you off because it is an older film, it is very much of a classic. Be prepared to not see state of the art special effects and enjoy the movie for its good story elements but then you may just consider plastic stop motion undead and an evil giant tongue that attacks people as bonus. Seriously Chinese Ghost Story is worth a try and if your familiar with old HK fantasy swordplay movies like swordsman or bride with white hair I am sure Chinese Ghost Story will very much be your cup of tea.

Review: By 1995, Jet Li and Tsui Hark had gone their separate ways, and the ‘Once Upon a Time In China’ series had been handed over to a new star and director. Wong Fei Hung was a real person and not a copyrighted fictional character, so Jet Li produced this movie himself, employing the inconstant talents of Wong Jing as director. While very different in tone to Tsui Hark’s vision, ‘Last Hero In China’ can be considered an unofficial addition to the OUATIC series of movies which succeeds in being very entertaining, despite it’s dishonourable intentions.

In the OUATIC movies, Wong Fei Hung (as a metaphor for China itself) has to adapt to the strange, alien ways of foreigners. In ‘Last Hero In China’, Wong Fei Hung (as a metaphor for the director himself) has to adapt to the strange, alien ways of women. Wong Fei Hung is portrayed as quite misogynistic, spouting such classic quotes as ‘They dress so little and are look bitchy’. Even Aunt Yee is absent from this interpretation of the legend, leaving a largely male cast to slow the plot down and wallow in boob gags, anti-gay humour, cross dressing, and fart jokes. Despite it’s low brow, broad humour, it’s usually quite funny, and one fart gag in particular is so obvious that you wonder why you haven’t seen it before.

So far, you are probably wondering how this movie qualifies as a Wong Fei Hung film. Well, all the series staples are present and correct. The action revolves around Po Chi Lam, where our hero spends his time tutoring his students, including Buck Tooth So (but no Butcher Lam, for some reason). There are loads of kung fu fights, a few lion dances, suspicious Europeans plotting to exploit the locals, and the classic Wong Fei Hung theme. What really clenches it is the inclusion of Jet Li himself, and he is on top form, guided by action choreography of Yuen Wo Ping, as long as you don’t mind wirework and under-cranking. Li performs Fei Hung’s signature moves, including the ‘No Shadow Kick’, and for the finale, goes into a glorious bout of Drunken Boxing, just like Jackie Chan’s portrayal of the hero in ‘Drunken Master’ (same action choreographer, you see). Infamously, he also goes into battle dressed as a big red chicken. It makes sense in the film. Nearly.

Worth considerable note is the presence of former Shaw Brothers star Gordon Liu as the maniacal head of an evil cult. Oddly, he looks older and porkier than in this year’s ‘Kill Bill’, who has a decent fight or two, and spends a lot of time flying around in a lotus shaped lantern throwing an iron claw at people (a supernatural power never explained).

‘Last Hero In China’ shouldn’t work, but somehow this rapid fire fun gun of a film manages to hit the target.. It’s slightly reminiscent of Jackie Chan’s ‘City Hunter’ because, like Chan, Jet Li teamed up with Wong Jing to play an established character, and make an extremely sexist and silly film which splits opinion down the middle. You are either going to love or hate ‘Last Hero In China’, but this reviewer loved it, even with it’s chicken costume on.

Review: xForced into the ranks with the many successful contemporary Asian horror films, The Uninvited attempts to bring a different approach to a genre that has begun to grow soggy with the over-saturation of ghastly phone calls, cursed video tapes, and undying grudges. Where its peers have taken the route of the full-on scare, The Uninvited opts for a more psychological journey where the frights take the form of character revelations, making it more dramatic than horrific. When dealing with the supernatural, a film of this sort must rely on either abundant scares, or atmosphere and interesting characters. Fortunately, since its scares are more subtle and greatly spaced apart, the creators of The Uninvited acknowledge this necessity, by presenting the viewer with a plot that is fairly fascinating, despite some dragging through the middle, and central characters who are sufficiently played as to properly convey the haunting theme of the story.

The plot of this film is often at the mercy of scenes that both haunt and bewilder. Fortunately, the digressive pacing of the film is made more tolerable when viewed through the eyes of Jung-Won. We experience the same confusion, fear, and depression that he does, enabling us to better understand the man and the situation. While Shin-yang Park’s performance is in no way award winning, he does an adequate job of delivering when necessary. The cornerstone of his performance is undoubtedly found in his interaction with the characters around him, namely that of Yun. Fans the world over were undoubtedly aquiver with anticipation over the announcement of International superstar Jun Ji-Hyun’s next project. Perhaps fifty percent of that same crowd found their enthusiasm subsiding though, when it was revealed that the picture would be billed as a supernatural horror film. It is also probably safe to say that the remaining fifty percent, after seeing the film, lost their excitement as well when the realization set in that The Uninvited was neither a horror film, nor a predictable follow-up to its sassy predecessor. Now with that knowledge in mind, the viewer is more likely to free himself up for a far more rewarding experience. No, we unfortunately do not get to see our spunky leading lady smacking the love out of her clueless beau; and in all actuality, Jun Ji-Hyun’s performance in The Uninvited would probably be best described as “The Ultra Depressing Adventures of the Not-so-sassy-girl”, as her delivery is dark and lifeless at times. Fortunately though, a film of this variety calls for just such a portrayal, and our South Korean sweetheart delivers her spades by the melancholy truckload. Laden with despair, Jun Ji-Hyun’s role as the vulnerable enigma definitely brings to the picture a certain value, even if that value is based on star power.

Good intentions and sassy girls aside, the film does suffer from some horrible pacing at times, and could have really used a script revision or a more meticulous editor. If a film is going to be an excess of two hours, it should be continually engrossing throughout. Unfortunately, with The Uninvited we see multiple cases where a scene is long in the tooth for the sake of getting a point across or hammering home an idea. Sparingly, this method of story telling is acceptable if not welcome, but when the entire film is built upon a slow burn, you are likely to lose some viewers along the way.

As for the visual aspect, atmosphere is the name of this game. The cinematographer breathes life into his landscape using a palette of washed out hues and dismal textures that effortlessly conjure some of the bleakest emotions to come out of South Korean cinema to date. If you are the type of person who enjoys a rich sense of dark atmosphere in your drama, then you might be able stay afloat during the slower moments based solely on that.

All in all, this film will definitely find mixed emotions from all types of viewers. Some will be able to enjoy its lavishly grim atmosphere, deliberate pacing, and scattered sense of story telling, while others will not be able to get past the slow delivery, occasionally wooden performances, and depressing subject matter. Either way, it is a film that deserves to be seen before judged.

Review: "I'd been having diarrhea since this morning, so I took a shit on my teacher's desk."

One student's statement uttered around the mid-point of Toshiaki Toyoda's "Blue Spring" goes as far as it needs to sum up the attitudes and actions of the student body at Asa High. Ruled more by an intense gang scale of authority than it is by the faculty (of which there is little present save occasional moments of adult degradation), The halls of Asa High reek of blood as thick as the layers of dark black spray paint that marks territory next to typically banal high school tags.

As Kujo (Ryuhei Matsuda) claps for the eighth time while balancing on the highest ledge possible, his place as "boss" is solidified, whether or not everyone else agrees with it or chooses to recognize it. Cue fast, energetic chords that wrap themselves around the scene and "Blue Spring" has already established a latex-tight focus from the audience, due mostly in part to its insistence not to waver from the principal players, resulting in a refreshingly linear ride that doesn't get bogged down in side-stories.

Youth loses itself to whatever, fades away with fleeting sports dreams or hopes of academic success dashed and climbs in the back seat with ambivalence and survival in a hierarchy with death at both the top and the bottom. Kujo is a wholly accepting character. Accepting of his position as boss as well as of his possibly futureless life, as a student in a violent position of leadership he's humorously enough the most indifferent. In an empty, cutthroat world, the only things that are remotely frightening are dreams, ambitions, goals, and more specifically, those who have them. Kujo himself is as stone-faced as possible, yet unafraid to admit, "People who know what they want, scare me".

School is shown from a few perspectives in "Blue Spring", but never as a tool for education, a mold for college and ultimately a career, or even as an escape from whatever mundane family situations the characters may carry on their shoulders. It's a venue for growing up too fast, and a scouting grounds for hard nosed yakuza seeking the newest rising stars fit to go to the Koshien of the crime underworld. Like "Fudoh: The New Generation", Toyoda's work is somewhat of a yakuza jr. tale. The comparisons stop there as it's good enough to get a general idea of what we're working with. "Blue Spring" isn't as sensationally violent, but doesn't end up being as much of a reprieve from reality either.

Ryuhei Matsuda is perfect as Kujo, and the rest of the cast fills everything out pretty nicely. Maybe it's his porcelain, ready-to-shatter face that creates the character. Playing opposite Matsuda as Kujo's best friend turned rival, Aoki, is Hirofumi Arai. Subservient heel for one portion, and challenging upstart the next, Arai nicely shows his eventual disdain for the lowly position under Kujo. One of the greatest saviors of this movie was the decision (conscious or not) to make sure these kids don't come off as screaming, whiney, angsty "Battle Royale II" rejects (The fact that it was pre-BRII notwithstanding). They dish out punishment and face it on the receiving end. There may be a busted jaw across the school floor, but at least no one's calling their mommy or delivering a pouty-lipped soliloquy over the whole ordeal. Roll with fate and stay under someone's foot forever, or more ideally, make it to the top or die trying.

Topping everything off is the music, which starts and ends the film on an equally sombre yet paradoxically energetic note. Thee Michelle Gun Elephant does for "Blue Spring"s temperamental underage yakuza rage what The Pillows did for Gainax's wide-eyed frenetic anime "FLCL". It musically expresses a lot of the feelings and atmosphere that's projected by the movie itself, and in no uncertain terms does it rock the balls off the walls.

Without having read the Taiyo Matsumoto (of the equally spirited and dark manga Black and White, previously released in the states in PULP magazine) manga to compare the movie adaptation to, it's impossible to say how faithful Toyoda's work is. Either way, "Blue Spring" stands on its own as an entertaining and at times equally dark and beautiful piece of cinema, definitely worth watching.

On another day of cyber bike racing with Jazz, Nova fights and befriends Iron Surfer, a rock and jock, goggle wearing, red haired punk kid who ends up being a key figure in finding the man who killed Nova's father and becomes the love interest to Belle. Dark, an enigmatic figure and detective emerges and all it set loose on the table as an explosive special effects extravaganza hits the screen and becomes an all out martial arts fest driven by Corey Yuen's fight choreography and Andrew Lau's direction.

REVIEW
Sigh.

In many ways, I've avoided writing this review, avoided putting on the hate I have for this film. But at the same time, I wanted to avoid the praise I wanted to give to a film that sucks so bad and hurts so much that it's almost inexplicably cool.

Do you see my dilemma?

Could there be a movie that can be considered the worst film of all time, but also one of the most groundbreaking and interesting films to come out in a long while? I don't know. Maybe I'll be flamed for this, maybe not. Usually, I hate hating on a film as much as most people do. My general philosophy is that every film deserves to be seen, but as a critic, I have an obligation and job to save people's money, to save their hard earned cash and to preserve their waking hours from being wasted on films that could be considered a mockery to filmmaking. Not that "The Avenging Fist" is a mockery, but it's definitely a film that crashed and burned on hype, leaving an after rot of wreckage and despair. Though, much like Pandora's Box, there is a glimmer of hope, because of the high amount of invention and creativity that flows throughout this film.

I've always considered Andrew Lau as being the Jerry Bruckheimer of Hong Kong. He created the first event film with his smash hit "The Stormriders" and introduced Centro Digital and CGI to the world of Hong Kong Cinema. Since then, there have been a slew of films utilizing the new CGI craze, even Andrew Lau himself in his last few endeavors with "A Man Called Hero" and "The Duel." Even though his films have created a definite amount of income for one of Asia's most ambitious director, it seems that Lau continues to overflow his films with more of the same old thing. Though reinvention and ingenuity is a habitual fare for his films, he never learns nor attempts to fix the mistakes that flood his past films.

What ultimately fails "The Avenging Fist" as a film is that it lacks the humanity in its story, damaging the bind the audience may have on the main characters. The sense of tragedy is there by focusing on the development of Nova and his father, Thunder, but the other supporting characters lack any depth to truly be "supporting." The main evil force behind everything, Combat 21, is so excessive as a character, that it destroys every moment of coolness for its actor, Roy Cheung. Who, arguably, played the best villain in the "Young and Dangerous" series.

Lee-Hom Wang departs from being Aaron Kwok's sidekick from "China Strike Force" and jumps into the main lead of Nova. Being somewhat young and almost infantile for the counterpart role of Jin from "Tekken," he lacks the tragic aggression and fury that keeps him from being a true force on the screen. Wang doesn't do too terrible in the later parts of the film when he realizes the truth about his father, but it never surpasses the plateau of melodrama to be of any emotional worth. It's interesting to see though, that somewhere in the midst of all that hair and made up testosterone, lays an actor waiting to come out. For being a famous pop singer, the charisma and magnetism is there, but Wang is going to have to go through some bad roles before he can fully make the most of his favoring characteristics and attributes.

I may be bias with the inclusion of Kristy Yang (Belle) and Gigi Leung (Erika), since I'm in love with them and swear on my life that I will somehow be in bed with the both of them in the near, near, near future, but they played their roles remarkably. As in, being pretty and standing there smiling and looking ferociously hot. I hate to say it, but they were Lau's Barbie Dolls in the film. By dressing them up, and putting them in pretty poses, both Yang and Leung were just one dimensional love interests for both Stephen Fung's Iron Surfer and Wang's Nova respectively. I would have loved it to have Gigi Leung's character to have more insight and back story, since she didn't have any other connections to the storyline other than looking beautiful for Nova, but it's too bad she was wasted in this manner. Even Yang, who played the sister to Nova had some small moments of importance in the film, but ultimately was used as an instrument for unnecessary tragedy.

The main reason most people will want to watch this film will be the re-teaming of the dynamic duo, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. Sadly enough, both are used sparingly and almost ridiculously to satisfy the appetites of old school fans. In retrospect, Biao does some pretty impressive CGI fighting, but the silver mask on his face totally kills all expectations for his character. Why put a famous and very likeable star such as Biao in a pathetic role as Thunder when all you're going to do is cover up his face? Even Hung suffered from a terrible character design with the worst use of a trenchcoat matched with a silver, metal hat. The funniest part though, is the cameo role of Ekin Cheng who played Hung's slimmer self during the flashback scenes. It's almost too surreal.

The one saving grace for "The Avenging Fist," though, was the fact that it had Andrew Lau's signature direction all over it. With the sweeping camera movements and the stylish editing of the action and overall scope of the picture, Lau definitely does an amazing job at painting a portrait and creating new worlds of imagination and intensity. From the first shots of the film, you have a technopolis never before seen in any Asian film, filled with flying cars and skyscrapers that never seem to end, obviously paying homage's to Luc Besson's "The Fifth Element" and George Lucas's "The Phantom Menace." But what is most satisfying is the inventiveness and utilization of CGI special effects. For some, it may seem too much and in many ways, an overabundance of CGI can kill any form of real acting and drama from the picture, but can also become eye candy, filled with as much sugar to give cavities to your eyes for a long while.

For fans of "Tekken" out there, this is not a "Tekken" film. Due to the court battles, Lau and company had to remove all the references to the video game. Though some character designs may reflect players such as Jin and Hwoarrang, "The Avenging Fist" does not follow the storyline whatsoever. The film may seem more along the lines of "Star Wars" if anything from the obvious allusions that the film makes to the trilogy, but it ends up being a mess of everything that it never really contains an ounce of originality in its plot when it's attempting to separate itself from "Tekken."

In the end, the extremes of "The Avenging Fist" hurt it the most. The excess and surplus of special effects and CGI titivates the picture, but destroys almost all substance the film carries on its shoulders. It's almost as if the film was attempting to break through the flashy effects and gratuitous action and struggle as much as it can to show the world, that underneath the entire make up and gloss, lays some heart and emotion.

DVD
The DVD from Deltamac is a one-two punch of goodness because of its superior sound. I believe this one of the only handful of DVD's that has come out recently that has both Dolby Digital 6.1 EX and DTS 6.1 EX. If you have a great sound system attached to your television, turn it up, crank it up and you can definitely feel the awesome power that is "The Avenging Fist." The film comes widescreen with awesome clarity (dark in some cases), due to the fact that the film relies on a clear picture to deliver the visuals. The subtitles are a decent fare in English and Chinese along with the original Cantonese and added Mandarin track. Overall this edition is a pretty damn good one if you're interested in seeing this film.

Review: The hip and musical opening CG cutscene to JAM FILMS consists of cowboys, silver women and art deco shuttle rides to distant planets of vibrant designs. It is indeed an exciting way to prepare you for what is to come in this wonderful series of short films from Japan. Though, it is fitting at the same time as they all carry a rare and distinct voice, thus becoming a worthwhile expedition into the realm of contemporary cinema, ranging from genres of science fiction to obscure comedy to arthouse drama. This collection introduces us to some of Japan's most promising modern filmmakers.

THE MESSENGER Written and Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura
Ryuhei Kitamura starts us off with THE MESSENGER, a very stylish and stirring story about an underworld boss who is visited by a mysterious woman known as The Messenger. Her supposed myth is that she is a voodoo assassin that curses men to death, but not all is what it seems as she uncovers a fateful secret about the life this particular boss lives. THE MESSENGER concentrates on atmosphere and dialogue and delivers a fantastic climax which includes the most unusual and coolest gun battle ever.

KENDAMA Directed by Tetuso Shinohara
Fujikara receives a kendama as a present from his boss after winning the company sumo tournament. At first glance, the kendama means nothing to him and hands it off to fellow worker, Akagi, apathetically. But when Fujiwara asks for it back, Akagi runs off and begins an afternoon chase that sends the kendama in the hands of another.... KENDAMA is very whacky indeed, a cute switcheroo adventure that has a very sweet message about relationship and love.

COLD SLEEP Written and Directed by George Ida
"Time to wake up" is heard in unison with the beating of a heart. The cold sleep machine opens and a confused man wakes up in a children's school house. As he stumbles his way through, blanket wrapped around him, he discovers that he is not alone, but with full grown adults dressed in childish costumes shooting at him with toy ray guns! COLD SLEEP, while silly at first, comes into rational fruition as the story unfolds flamboyantly and strangely in this humorous science fiction short.

PANDRA--HONG KONG LEG Written and directed by Rokuro Mochizuki
A woman scratches her toes relentlessly in the hot shower, feeling shame at the same time. It is this shame that leads her to a strange man that claims he will cure her of her secret itch. When the treatment comes in the form of a silent man in a box licking her toes, she becomes obsessed with who he is. Perhaps the strangest of the JAM FILMS shorts, Mochizuki does a fascinating job providing mood and tone for this almost Lynchian-like tale.

HIJIKI Written and directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi
Hijiki is a type of dried, black seaweed that is used in soups and other dishes. But what does it have to do with a criminal holding up a family of three? As HIJIKI begins, a disclaimer from the director appears to warn people of its unhappy ending. Yet, the films attitude is very surreal and almost comes off as a dark comedy at times. Though, it is very abundant in character development as they each preach about their lost dreams and ambitions and hope for a new life.

JUSTICE Written and directed by Isao Yukisada
An English speaking teacher is instructing his Japanese class about the Potsdam Declaration. As he paces around the classroom reciting the text off of his book, a few of the students are preoccupied by other things. One in particular stares out of the window and begins counting the snapping of the girl's gym tights during a track practice. Entertainingly edited and paced, Yukisada's use of a boy's appreciation for jiggling thighs and colorful tights as the main metaphor in his story is quite interesting indeed.

ARITA Written and directed by Shunji Iwai
ARITA is a short film told in pictures and in small moments. It is about a girl whose first friend is a small drawing named Arita, a cute nosed endearment she found everywhere. From her notebooks to her illustrations and school supplies, Arita appeared silently and still. Growing up with such a friend would raise questions and as she became older, she attempted to answer them. Iwai, one of Japan's most exciting directors, tells a beautiful and dream-like story through the precious eyes of Ryoko Hirosue. The heavenly tint of the picture and the serene piano playing makes ARITA easily an audience favorite.

Review: 'The Ghost Snatchers' is a mid 80's comedy ghost story that recalls events from so many similar films ('Haunted Cop Shop', 'Beauty of the Haunted House') that throw slapstick scares into the most ordinary of situations. Televisions come to life to ensnare couch potatoes, pot noodles turn into worms, and those with certain gifts can see the sinister demons lurking amongst the living. Without giving too much away, the devices used to frighten us have been seen before, especially for those of us who have seen more than a couple of HK horrors. It's a mixed blessing. There's little new here, but that depends on how much you love HK horror (or not).

It's a real shame, because director Nam Nai Choi was responsible for the insane pleasures of 'The Seventh Curse', but 'Ghost Snatchers' is more akin to 'The Cat', in that the whole never manages to be the sum of its many crazy parts.

It's not all that bad, though. Wong Jing is unusually likeable in the lead role, and his self-penned script provides plenty of laughs for those who appreciate his off-kilter schoolboy humour. Jing, who usually casts women in passive, eye-candy roles, really surprises us by portraying the men as damsels in distress, while it's the women who are in control through most of the film.

Of special note is the Mah Jong scene (it's a game vaguely similar to dominoes). According to 'The Ghost Snatchers', a mischievous ghost turns up to Mah Jong games to unfairly sway the odds in favour of a player. So, a really shoddy puppet shows up to the game. He's furry, he has a nose like a trumpet, and a pair of shades on. The local textiles college must have spent a whole hour stitching it together. Our heroes use magic to reveal its presence, and proceed to win the game by kicking the fur out of the gambling gremlin. It's weird. Very weird.

Check out 'The Ghost Snatchers' if you can, but everyone involved in the production has produced better work. The pacing is initially slow, characters are never fully developed, and instead of being loveably cheesy, the special effects are just crap. This reviewer is starting to give more and more HK horror films bad reviews, and what's really disheartening is the thought that I may have already seen all the good ones. Go see 'The Seventh Curse' instead. It's fantastic, and has a much cooler fight with a skeleton.

Review: The original 'Once Upon A Time In China' trilogy are undeniable classics, but when it came to creating the fourth entry in the series, Jet Li and Tsui Hark had apparently sworn never to work together again after an argument. Not wanting to put the series to bed, director Yeun Bun helmed this film, and the legendary starring role was handed over to Chui Man Cheuk. OATIC4 isn't the worst film ever made, but the magic of the first three movies is absent.

The very first scene seems to try and calm our fears about the new leading actor. Wong Fei Hung stands in front of hundreds of martial arts students, and spends a couple of minutes going through a kata routine. It's almost as if they are proving that Chiu Man Cheuk is more than a match for Jet Li. The problem is, while the guy is an evidently an impressive martial artist, he lacks Li's star quality, charisma and authority. Li was always a little too young to play Wong Fei Hung, but Cheuk looks practically pubescent.

The action is more stylised than previously, relying heavily on wirework, elaborate death-traps (fighting atop a giant domino rally is a brief highlight) and Lion dancing. In fact, seeing as the Lion dance was the focus of OUATIC3, you have to wonder why this film simply revisits old ground. The foreign invaders bring huge 'lions' shaped like various giant creatures. Among the creatures are an Eagle, a Dragon, a caterpillar and strangest of all, Flamingos. Basically, the climax of the film entails a bunch of guys floating around on wires with giant paper-mache animal heads. It's just too silly to take seriously. If the foreigners want a war, why not just start a war instead of a costume party? At least then the audience might get to see Wong Fei Hung kick some ass, instead of feeling like this is some peculiar Chinese version of Disney's 'Lion King on Ice'.

'Once Upon A Time In China IV' is a weak entry to a classic series. It suffers from poor casting, a contrived plot which serves up weak excuses for more Lion dancing, too little regard for the themes of the series, and nowhere near enough Kung Fu. Hardcore devotees of Wong Fei Hung will probably still want to see this, but for anybody else, this is not so much 'Once Upon A Time In China IV' as 'Once Upon A Time In China Too Far'.

Review: When the sixth generation of filmmakers arose in China, Their motto was instantly coined simply as, "Not like the 5th generation". A conscious effort was employed to veer as far away as possible from the works of their seniors, more specifically directors in the class of Zhang Yimou etc. It was this outright rebellious nature that gave many of their films notoriety, and was also a catalyst for the governments disapproval.

Banned most definitely for the fact that it was an independent feature, and not necessarily due to its content, "Frozen" allows an interesting glimpse at the world of various artists living in Beijing. The director of "Frozen" hides behind the pseudonym Wu Ming, or "No Name". The story is told in retrospect, thus allowing the viewer more of a second hand insight into main character Qi Lei's disturbing mental outlook. It's hard to care too much for such a man initially, as he practices a cold point of view that eschews any form of compassion for anyone around him. It paints a common view of the suicidal in that they are driven by selfish thought. Whether or not this is true in every case isn't the point, but it makes it hard to concentrate on observing Qi Lei's life when his distance from it is so overwhelming.

Through the course of the film it becomes easier to stand and get a feel for his emotion and motivation for his art, or lack thereof. Half of those close to him plead to him not to go through with his impending ice burial, as he says plain and clear that he plans for it to be his final performance. Closest to him is his girlfriend Shao Yun. While she mostly begs him not to kill himself, at times she seems fairly indifferent to the whole idea. It becomes apparent that those close to him eventually take his suicide talk with a grain of salt.

Eventually he goes through with the ice burial, which seems to be carried out in more of a documentary fashion than the rest of the movie, dragging a bit, and perhaps not packing the ultimate punch that it needed to. But aside from that the film comes off as haunting to say the least. The original music by Roeland Dol is at times very atmospheric and at others more at home in a Lifetime movie. But when it accompanies the carefully filmed scenes that explore Qi Lei in his solitary state of confliction with life, it most certainly becomes very effective. These are the moments in "Frozen" that completely make the movie. Jia Hongshen, who played Qi Lei, is at his best in these silent brooding moments that ooze bleakness.

Most important in the end is how this film paints suicide so vividly, or at least the psyche of one contemplating it. The entire idea Qi Lei presents of escaping from everything and lifting the everyday burden of life from his shoulders. With the combination of the narration and Qi Lei's own explanations, we are offered a convincing slice of the suicidal mind, or at least the way writer Pang Ming and writer/director Wu Ming envision it.

While at times the films hopeless nature and dark outlook on life can be a bit much to sit through, not necessarily emotionally but more in a "who really wants to kill himself here? Qi Lei or Wu Ming" sort of way, the end wraps everything up completely unexpectedly. Without going into too many details, the end arguably changes the entire viewpoint of the film. "Frozen" survives more on its story than it does Wu Ming's manipulation and execution of it, and is a rare and interesting, albeit not classic, piece from China.

Review: It appears my hunch was right on this one, but since I’m such a fan of mystery and watching youngsters uncover a diabolical scheme, I went against myself and decided to view this film. Honestly speaking, I had a much better time watching late-night Scooby Doo cartoons on the Cartoon Channel than this less than after-school level movie. I remember taking Japanese class in my high school days and watching some uber-cool ghost and mystery shows on Fridays. The class would watch and actually be entertained at the sheer pleasure of being spooked. However, Shinjuku Boy Detectives fails in all departments.

Sosuke is the scooter-riding protagonist with a rebellious side. His best friend, Him Tae Ron, is a computer geek whose mother forbids him to hang around Sosuke. Mei Hang is a TV commercial model who is forever haunted by the press. She meets another girl, Honji, who quickly becomes her best friend. This motley crew of teenagers make up, please excuse what I’m about to say, the sorriest bunch of detectives ever known to mankind. All four characters have their background stories, which I didn’t care for much after even two viewings. You see, I gave the film two viewings just to give it another chance, but what a waste of time that was.

The movie’s plot I’m sure is the cause to my disinterest. The character development tried very hard to explain itself, but it just didn’t flow well enough for the viewers to become involved. It seemed like a short TV show elongated with some scenes that shouldn’t have been printed at all. I was left with this sort of clueless look on my face, something I don’t do normally unless pushed to the very limits of my tolerance for stupidity. Well, despite the mess this film had become and also jumping into my all-time worst movie list, there were a couple high points to the film. The Mei Hang character is very cute indeed and the other high point is of course we are treated to NO sequels.

If you’ve been with Kung Fu Cult Cinema for a while and have read some of my reviews then you would know I never give a bad recommendation nor do I not suggest a viewing of a film. I believe that viewers are given the opportunity to watch a film for themselves and have their own thoughts and opinions, but trust me on this; you may want to stay away from this movie as far as humanly possible. You can be doing something more useful with your time and money like buying the Region 1 DVD version of Versus.

Review: For such an ambitious thought of a dog falling for his master, I have to actually commend the writers and makers for trying to achieve such a bizarre storyline. The absurdity of the plot just got me so interested, but Dog Star falls short of its sight due to plot holes and the glaringly underdeveloped relationship between the characters. This is exactly what happens when you take on such a daunting task.

Shiro is a blind man’s dog who suddenly fall victim to a car accident. His master dies of the car accident and is given the opportunity to enter Heaven if he helps one soul on Earth. That one soul just so happens to be his dog Shiro. He grants Shiro a wish to become a man and with the new body that Shiro is given, he goes to find his first master which whom he’s always cared about. This becomes the conflict of the film that Shiro and his dead master must overcome.

Well, as enticing the plot may seem, the holes that were created throughout the film was surely a pain. I was unimpressed with the characters and the relationship that was supposedly brewing between this attractive woman and this dog turned male. Shiro was characterized as this stoic male whose emotions were hidden deep within his soul. What didn’t seem believable, however, was how quickly this young woman fell for this stranger. Most of the time, the director would display at least one scene that would glorify this blossoming of love and I was waiting for it all the way till the end. It never came of course. I’m being a bit too harsh, I know. However, when compared to a film like Fly Me to Polaris, where the characters fell in love within this short period of time, I can’t help but realize how unmoving the characters in Dog Star were.

If the creators’ of the film took the time to work in a decent romance and a few more scenes that would convince us of this, then this film would’ve been the magical story I know it could’ve become. This film fails in displaying the power of love overcoming all obstacles because it couldn’t overcome this one flaw; not enough heart.

Review:
"Have you got Burning Paradise?"
"No, it’s just my pants. They’re cutting right up my crack."

OK, bad jokes aside, considering that ‘Burning Paradise’ is produced by Tsui Hark, with Ringo Lam taking a break from his usual contemporary movies to direct this dark and sinister period kung fu flick, which despite being absolutely brilliant, remains unseen by many action fans.

Burning Paradise takes place in the Red Lotus Temple, a hellish prison in which people are tortured, killed, beheaded and skewered. There are booby traps, hidden chambers, an arena, and underneath lies a cave full of dead bodies (except for one guy who lives down there). It’s a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there.

The Temple itself reflects the film’s atmosphere, which is dark, sinister and drenched in blood. The stark hyperrealism of Burning Paradise means that it isn’t exactly a fun film, but rather a compelling one. The horrors that unfold provide a real sense of danger, and at times the movie can feel like more of a horror film than a martial arts movie.

Which brings us to the bad guy, Lord Kung. He is evil. Very evil. Eeeeeeevil, if you will. He is a truly warped character, and one of the best bad guys around. He’s particularly scary in one scene in which he shows his power over his concubines, and to say that out of two girls, the one who is raped gets off lightly doesn’t even begin to describe how dark the scene is.

Despite the fact that it didn’t do too well at the box office, Burning Paradise is an excellent film. Apart from some occasional (misplaced) comedy, this movie has an atmosphere you could cut with a very big sword, and a kick-ass hero in the shape of Willie Chi as Fong Sai Yuk. Just don’t expect the same cheeky chappy as portrayed by Jet Li. This Fong Sai Yuk has seen his mates cut into bite sized pieces, and he’s pretty annoyed about it.

After doing everything for their new master, Chia finally decide to take them as students. With the new techniques that Chia teaches them, Taipao and Yipao are becoming great kung fu fighters but their old bad habit kick back again and it doesn't take too much time before they are in trouble with the town people. But meanwhile two strangers have just arrived in town and both of them are looking for Chia. After some investigation the two suspicious strangers manage to locate Chia and a physical confrontation is unavoidable. Yipao, by pure chance, witnesses his master killing the two men with no remorse. His new master seems to hide a dark past, which Yipao would have preferred to never hear about, but now it too late and Taipao and Yipao now have to battle against their master.

REVIEW: I thought I saw the best from Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao with Millionaire's Express and Prodigal Son, but I was wrong. Knockabout is indeed one of the finest Sammo/Biao productions. I had heard a lot of good comments about this flic before watching it but I was not expecting the movie to be so good and spectacular. It's true that the story is not original and follow the usual Kung Fu movie path but the characters and the fighting, especially the fighting, make Knockabout an essential movie to watch if you are a fan of Yuen or Sammo.

As I said the story is very typical, nothing really unexpected happens and you can easily find the usual kung fu movie clichés. This of course doesn't really bother me but a good story never hurts a production. At least the story is always pleasant to follow and never fails to be interesting, but nothing more so don't expect too much from it. The movie doesn't really kick in before the first 45min, when the "Master against Students" twist start. But anyway, this is a kung fu movie after all, so there's always something more to get a hold on to...like fighting.

Nothing really spectacular on the character side either, except for the all star cast itself. Yipao, the brain of the main duo is played by no one else than the amazing Yuen Biao. His character is very typical but was always great to watch, especially when he was fighting or making fun of his partner in crime, Taipao. As for this second character it was played by another well-known figure in the martial art genre, Leung Kar Yan. Both actors created a very memorable duo on screen. Of course Sammo Hung himself, who also directed the movie, stars in the movie as a beggar with special kung fu ability, the Garbage Style. His role is very minor, don't expect to see him all along the movie, but his presence was there enough to please any Sammo Hung fans.

Now what about those crazy fighting scenes, because yes there's plenty of it of course. But nothing really extraordinary happened during the first 45 min, I mean there's a couple of nice fight sequences but nothing to make you say "wow". But when it finally starts, you will not be disappointed for having waited. There's also a lot of different fighting style used in the movie, such as drunken, and monkey performed by Sammo Hung and also that strange Garbage style. But my favorite part was the training sequence with Yuen Biao who blows away the intro sequence of Drunken Master with Jackie Chan, where by the way Yuen Biao doubled for Jackie Chan. In that sequence you will witness and wonder why Yuen Biao never had much more exposure than Jackie Chan, that I personally think didn't have as good abilities as Biao.

The kung fu is also very traditional and believable; you won't find any arial flying kick a la Jet Li here but only pure old school kung fu. The fighting choreographies, directed by Yuen Woo Ping, were also very impressive, as I said the movie starts really slowly but as the story progresses the fights get better and longer which of course make the ending fight the highlight of the movie.

Combining an outstanding martial artists cast with some spectacular kung fu fighting sequences, Knockabout is a must see for any kung fu movie fans. After seeing this movie, when you will talk about Yuen Biao, Knockabout will ring in your head for sure. If you are a fan of Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung and like movies such as Prodigal Son, Eastern Condors and one of my personal favorite Millionaire's express, be sure to not miss Knockabout, because you have seen nothing yet.

Review: How is it that a Japanese film colossus like Teruo Ishii has only a small trickle of exposure in North America? You'd think his sprawling filmography would have found a home on shelves next to the Suzukis and the Kurosawas (both of 'em even), but that's not the case. If you're looking for Ishii flicks on this side of the ocean, you're probably knee-deep in a Chinatown tent shop or learning Japanese on the quick surrounded by region 2 discs and an empty checking account.

This should be exciting though, not discouraging. From SUPER GIANT (1957) and its sequels to the legendary Edo-era torture flicks and his eventual sans-studio work, Ishii's catalog is ideally set to be the "next big thing." Hell, despite his open disdain for martial arts movies, he made two completely bonkers (read: incredible) EXECUTIONER films in 1974 with Sonny Chiba (which are set for a subbed region 1 release by Adness). Ishii spent so long taking studio orders like "Make Ken Utsui's (SUPER GIANT) package look bigger" and "Make more and more and more ABASHIRI PRISON films (a long running popular '60s series starring Ken Takakura) until your head explodes" that his turn to the independent side with movies like JIGOKU is no surprise at all.

1999's JAPANESE HELL (JIGOKU) is as good a place to start as any. Though Nobuo Nakagawa's 1960 film of the same name set the standard, there are only a few things that Ishii's version shares with the original. The spirit's still there in this remake though; it's the setting that has changed drastically. Multiple tales of the immoral share bookends that visualize Hell as a typically torturous and bleak pit, but these are real people. Somewhere in someone's head, "Back to life, back to reality" is droning in and out to the beat of this scenario.

The details don't fall on the sets themselves, which are really just darkly painted rooms with scattered rocks and smoke machines. The "meat" of Ishii's Hell is thick on the bones of the punished, who enjoy slow and vicious torture sequences. The blood runs bright red and, in contrast to the minimal set design, there's some really outstanding makeup work (especially on the demons). Different levels of Hell are explored, and the sound stage look of the film actually allows for a lot of freedom in other departments. Consequently, a rainbow of colors flow behind the Queen of Hell, rotting heads reflect neon green, and the blue hue of the river styx bounces boldly out of the television set. Hell has never been so sickeningly bright, like a red traffic light welcoming those who cross it to an early grave.

Because of the way this combines with the slower pace of the dramatic scenes, the moral of the story doesn't try for subtlety in any way. Rather, it pronounces its message on a massive, scrolling, electric-neon banner for everyone to see. In an interview in Asian Cult Cinema magazine (no. 28) shortly after the time of JIGOKU's release, Ishii admitted that he had never planned on making a "preachy" movie, or a movie with such an overt and unwavering message, but he made this one the way it is because he was just plain pissed off.

And there's plenty to be pissed off about. Miyazaki (not Hayao) molesters and cult leaders bust out dirty deeds on their inevitable paths to hades. It really helps to be at least somewhat familiar with the culprits in question here, especially the AUM Shinrikyo cult that was most notorious for the sarin gas attacks on Japan's subways. Founder Shoko Asahara is portrayed in the same scuzzy, unkempt way he always appeared. The majority of the movie is spent following his deceptive ways while leading the cult, planning gas attacks and luring women into his bedroom with the promise of enlightenment. It's a bit much at times, a little over the top (as if that's a bad thing), but it drives the point home with no room for argument. This guy is going straight to Hell.

The cast plods along admirably with some made-for-TV style performances that mix well with the barren backdrops/deadly serious atmosphere contrast. The transition between their solemn and slow upper-Earth scenes and the Gwar-esque underworld landscapes of despair is almost comedic. A self-referential nod rounds out the insanity of the film, as Tetsuro Tamba slides onto the screen reprising his role from Ishii's own PORNO JIDAI-GEKI. The short scene is like some savage time capsule explosion; the perfect exclamation point to punctuate the movie with.

If you're into JAPANESE HELL, you'll likely find yourself in a Teruo Ishii snowball right away, searching for import gems and bugging Media Blasters and other companies to hurry up and release more of his movies. That's not to say that this movie is representative of his oeuvre, but it's still a wild (and actually semi-informative) time in the hot, hot heat.

You can love it or you can laugh at it, but don't just sit there during the finale while everyone else dances.

Shortly after this review was written, Teruo Ishii passed away at the age of 81. He will be missed, but his films will keep him alive.

Review: Jimmy Wang Yu's ONE ARMED BOXER starts out just as any old-school martial arts movie should, inside a tea house. Enter Tien Lung, opposite a gang of bastards and brutes starting a fight with weaker men over some birds. Tien Lung's noble defense of these people sets off a chain of events, and the following fight sets the stage, but not the standard for this 1971 kung fu flick. The standard isn't set because the opening showcases so little of what this Wang Yu flick has in it, whimpering out of the gate with a dull little squabble right out of the bargain bin.

As the movie progresses, though, so does the quality of the fights. This is how a martial arts movie should be paced anyway; who wants to expend all the potential energy right at the beginning? There's not a whole lot of breathing room in here, as brief dialogues are book-ended by fights that are book-ended by even more fights. The range of martial arts styles is definitely the major pro in the 89 or so minutes of running time, with monks meeting Chinese boxing, which in turn gets pitted off against a bevy of other styles from across the surrounding eastern countries.

And thus, fans of the follow-up MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE will notice a lot of similarities between the two movies. Most notable is the aforementioned country-spanning collection of fighters that are set up to challenge Tien Lung's school, and eventually Wang Yu himself. There's a fighter from India that isn't too far off in the ridiculous category from the Dhalsim-like brawler in FLYING GUILLOTINE. The scenes with these fights are the most enjoyable sheerly for the sake of variety. The wicked, long-haired arm-breaker from Okinawa has some stand out moments, not least of which includes the titular cause of Tien Lung's crippling injury. Then there are the obligatory lame duck fighters like the Tibetan monks, with "body pillow" pressure point protection on deck to bring the guffaws in droves.

First and foremost, Wang Yu's presence in the film is a reminder of why he was such a powerhouse star during his work with the Shaw Brothers. Though his independent productions would hit a steeply angled slope, movies like this and its sequel are great showcases of a charismatic kung fu star. He helps brighten the screen among a collection of wax museum villainy as the archetypal revenge hero, even if mid-moments of ONE ARMED BOXER (like the still frames montage sequence) are arguably laughable.

With the help of action director Chen Shih Wei, though, Wang Yu keeps the contents afloat and creates a martial arts flick that pretty much anyone can enjoy. The blaxploitation-esque pure '70s "wakka wakka" theme music seals the deal on the whole package. The action in the latter fourth of ONE ARMED BOXER is reason enough to pop this movie in more than once on an all-night action bender, with the one-armed Tien Lung poppin' up left and right like a speed-junky Nosferatu. Though there are Jimmy Wang Yu flicks of higher priority on the purchasing scale, keep this one firmly on the list at all times.

Review: Surely many of us have had the pleasure of viewing a Toshiaki Toyoda film, most likely BLUE SPRING (Aoi Haru), and after reading many different thoughts and opinions, I think it’s safe to say that the majority of us have been more than happy with his work. Sure Toyoda is still young, but that’s just it. He has that special ability to connect with much of the younger generation -- whether you are Japanese or not. There is definitely an overall sense of growth and maturity since his last effort, so imagine how much this will increase in the upcoming years.

In 9 SOULS, we follow a group of nine escapees who try to re-claim there own sense of freedom. Each of the men have been jailed for a different crime, whether it be murder, drugs, underage sex or general misdeeds. But these guys are simply not meant for the outside world, and once they are out, they end up getting into all kinds of bad situations that sometimes have even worse repercussions. After viewing the film, I get the feeling that Toyoda is an existentialist. In his films he tends to give off that notion, so if he is, then that would surely explain a lot because the overall theme of the film is similar to that of BLUE SPRING and PORNOSTAR -- one being full of the individual’s plight towards ownership of actions in a world in which the threshold between good and bad is blurred.

While initially, 9 SOULS feels lighter, it is only in the first half of the film that we are treated to a more comedic approach. This was somewhat of a new twist on things for our young director, but it worked out quite well because of how much it aided the difficult, yet vital, character development. We come to understand the intricacies of each individual’s psychology through the scenes of comedy. (Obviously one can’t go too in-depth seeing as there are nine central characters and the film is less than two hours long.) Once you reach the second half though, things change. Sunny skies transition into sudden storms, ominously foreshadowing things to come. The comedic approach is gone, and all we are left with is pure and powerful, raw emotion. It isn’t until then that we realize how much we have been affected by each of the characters as we see these terrible things begin to unfold. Because of this it is important to note that this film gets better with repeat viewings.

The cast is a phenomenal team whose chemistry simply cannot be matched. Everyone from the great seasoned Yoshio Harada (ONIBI, HUNTER IN THE DARK) and Akaji Maro (THE MOST TERRIBLE TIME IN MY LIFE, KIKUJIRO and father of ICHI THE KILLER’s Nao Omori) to the younger, but equally amazing, Koji Chihara (PORNOSTAR, YOUNG THUGS: INNOCENT BLOOD) and Ryuhei Matsuda (BLUE SPRING, GOHATTO) offered excellent and memorable performances. Each of the other actors offered so much to the overall feel of the story, so it is difficult to imagine this film being made any better with different actors thanks to Toyoda’s talented direction. Even the not so well known stars were successfully molded into their respected characters with the utmost believability. A prime example of that would have to be Mame Yamada (who is actually a magician) and the large amount of heart he displayed with his character, Shiratori, the master escapist -- definitely the most memorable of the film.

9 SOULS was Toyoda’s chance to work with many of his actors for a second time. He had used Koji Chihara, Kee and Akaji Maro in PORNOSTAR and Ryuhei Matsuda and Mame Yamada in BLUE SPRING. The only actor who has worked in more than one film with him previously is Onimaru.

As with Toyoda’s previous work, the music was part of what made the whole film so memorable. And no, we do not have Thee Michelle Gun Elephant this time, but I assure you that you will be just as pleased. On the more technical side, Junichi Fujisawa’s cinematography was beautifully proportioned and thought out, and Mototaka Kusakabe’s editing was as fluid as it gets. Everything was right on the money and it’s because of all these contributions that 9 SOULS worked out as well as it did.

Inspiring to say the least, it is a movie like this that retains the ability to rekindle and accentuate one’s love for cinema. Rarely do we get the chance to truly bask in a somber film and all of its existentialities. Thank god somebody has the balls to make one like this.

Review: Easily one of the most prolific directors of our time, Takashi Miike has proven again and again that he is a powerful force to be reckoned with. He has the ability to turn a low budget, and potentially worthless picture, into a gem. Whether by the use of excessive sex and violence, or through mature and competent storytelling, Miike turns heads. That’s a fact, like it or not.

Fans of Takashi Miike seem to know him more from his extreme efforts and sometimes they can be unsure how to react to a movie like THE BIRD PEOPLE IN CHINA. The Miike fan base has grown significantly over the last couple years, largely because of films like the DEAD OR ALIVE trilogy, ICHI THE KILLER, and the infamous FUDOH. Because of this, expectations develop and can easily cloud your viewing experience if his film isn’t totally excessive.

Spawned from a novel by Makoto Shiina and adapted for the screen by Masa Nakamura, THE BIRD PEOPLE IN CHINA sums up much of Miikes' talent to create one of his most compelling works to date. The rate at which he matured since the original V-cinema days is more than obvious if it had not been previously with films such as KENKA NO HANIMACHI and RAINY DOG (only to be surpassed later on by YOUNG THUGS: NOSTALGIA, AUDITION, AGITATOR, and GRAVEYARD OF HONOR).

Gone are the bloody limbs, gratuitous sex and black humor. All that remains is pure, untainted content with a new approach (at the time) by an outstanding crew in a far off place. This is the real thing folks, a real quality film with a new depiction of a traveling theme between many Miike movies – a man in a foreign land forced to contemplate his surroundings, and to seek the very depths of his soul in finding of himself.

As we adventure with Wada, Ujiie, and Shen through China in search for another place to desecrate and industrialize, we are able to sympathize with the characters’ emotions easily. Initially we understand the greed for this potential jade mine, then we see the village near the mine and its inhabitants and feel compelled to put a stop to the evil. The people of the village are above us and are at peace with themselves, which is ultimately the reason they can “fly.” Ujiie finds himself helplessly drawn to the simplicity of things and Wada secretly begins to question his own plans to invade the village.

Masahiro Motoki‘s (GONIN, GEMINI) portrayal of Wada was almost too convincing. As we follow his character through the mountains of China we can clearly see the deterioration of his sense of supposed normalcy. The materialistic needs begin to shatter and his desire for the contrived, polluted world begins to dissipate. Although for Wada this happened at a much slower rate than that of Ujiie, who was excellently played by Renji Ishibashi (DORA-HEITA, 47 RONIN). Ujiee’s need to escape the yakuza life must have been in the back of his mind all along, which eventually becomes more than obvious after he violently tries to put a stop to the discovery and standardization of his new found, secluded love. With these two strong actors, the story unfolds with a copious amount of believability. It should also be noted that the choice to cast Mako (best known for his roles in the CONAN films) was a wise one. Without him, this would have been a whole different movie.

Surely, making the film was an arduous journey full of many difficulties to both the cast and crew. Luckily, the great Koji Endo and Hideo Yamamoto give their signature contributions once again to a Miike film. Endo’s score is beautiful and suiting; Yamamoto’s photography is able to capture the beautiful landscapes of China with ease.

Hailed as an adult fairytale, THE BIRD PEOPLE IN CHINA helps us to momentarily live out each of our own fantasies of a simple life. Rarely does one get something out of a film, and because of this I am thankful. A sentimental, emotional stroll through our hearts’ desire sounds appealing, doesn’t it?

Everything seems to be going to be going well until a group of heavily armed guerillas arrives, with a nuclear missile in tow, taking the sleepy village hostage. The ransom they demand is the release of nefarious drug lord General Yang. The clock is ticking. Can Deaw and the athletes rescue the village from the mercenaries? Can they save Bangkok from nuclear disaster?

Review: The filmmakers who made ONG BAK follow up with BORN TO FIGHT, another action flick that will make you sit up and take notice for the outrageous stunts, which could only be pulled off by a stunt team seemingly bent on self-destruction or a self-fulfilling death wish. ONG BAK set the martial arts world on its ear when it introduced the phenomenal talents of Tony Jaa (Panom Yeerum). This time around, the fight choreographer (Panna Rittikrai) directs and the director (Prachya Pinkaew) produces. BORN TO FIGHT moves to an ensemble cast of athletes to execute the stunts, with tributes to John Woo, GYMKATA and Jackie Chan's POLICE STORY.

BORN TO FIGHT's premise is amazingly simple and the film is, at times, very bloody and violent, as it introduces machine guns, mercenaries and drug lords to a remote Thai village. The screenplay is really just an idea stretched wide and barely fleshed out and only adequate enough as a framework on which to hang the stunts. Director Panna Rittikrai, who provided the hard-hitting choreography for ONG BAK, goes with total out-and-out chaos. There is no subtlety in BORN TO FIGHT.

While there are martial arts in this flick, they take a back seat to the stunt work. Though the athletes do perform martial arts moves based on their specialty, such as the uneven parallel bars or gymnastics (think back to 1985 and Kurt Thomas in GYMKATA). BORN TO FIGHT contains some of the most amazing motorcycle, and other moving vehicles, stunts to be filmed since THE ROAD WARRIOR. I don’t know if anyone died making this film, but there were plenty hurt on the set (see outtakes and rehearsals during the closing credits). The filmmakers understand that some of the best thrills exploit the ordinary everyday occurrences, and that excitement can be generated without relying on CGI (CGI is used with the nuclear missiles), wires, or nets in the execution of the stunts (e.g., a flaming 2” x 4” to the head). Director Panna Rittikrai takes advantage by removing all thresholds to common sense and amping up the action to 11. “Reckless” and “crazy” would be accurate ways to describe the stuntmen. The universal language of pain is used to tell the story, and like its predecessor, ONG BAK, no subtitles or dubbing necessary, just a lot of wincing in acknowledgment: “oh, that must have hurt.”

The two sides are sharply defined: the bad guys are really evil and the villagers and athletes are noble and heroic. The major problem is the script, which doesn't provide enough back-story for the athletes, while treating the villains as blood-lusting sadists. When the village is invaded, each member of the cast is left to fend for his or her self. The crucial scene missing is the one in which the athletes come together to formulate a plan of action. This would have provided some sympathetic link between the cast and the audience. When the villagers and the athletes try to overtake their captors, the melee that ensues is unfocused. The movie slinks into a symbolic venue as the villagers sing the Thai national anthem before storming the guerillas. One villager literally waves the Thai flag for the last 15 minutes of screen time, which may set you off laughing, groaning, or possibly even celebrating along with nationalistic spirit, depending on your particular mood while watching BORN TO FIGHT.

While waiting for the next Tony Jaa flick, TOM YUM GOONG, BORN TO FIGHT is a nice distraction, and at 97 minutes, the film does breeze along at a good clip. Your fingers will get a major workout as you hit the return button on your remote control, going back time and again to view the jaw-dropping action set pieces, like a semi-truck plowing through a shanty town (ala POLICE STORY); a bad guy getting knocked from atop a moving semi, bouncing off a van onto the hard-dirt ground; a motorcycle hits a stationary object at high speed, throwing the driver into the air through a burning wooden structure, from which he crash exits. The list goes on. BORN TO FIGHT isn't great drama; just a series of viscerally painful stunts that will leave you shaking your head in disbelief long after the movie is over.

Review: Juzo Itami paints a fantastic picture with "Tampopo", one that is equal parts sprawling city love story and an homage to Westerns. Many other parodies lie within the story, which is one of the high points of the film. The plot is simple, allowing the exploration and introduction of a much wider variety of characters, including many random side stories that are inexplicably included.

A comedy through and through, "Tampopo" presents characters that are both believable, compassionate and hilarious at the same time. Goro, played by Tsutomo Yamazaki is the quintessential Western saloon style bad ass, cowboy hat and all. He's a lover and a fighter, so ladies watch out! Seriously though, Yamazaki steals the show. His partner Gun doesn't really have too much presence in the film, at least nothing comparable, though he acts out the laid back sidekick part well. Rounding out the main cast is the beautiful Nobuki Miiyamoto as the title character Tampopo. She simply glows on the screen as the owner of a not so popular noodle shop.

The rest of the secondary characters are equally memorable, and they all band together with their respective talents to help rise Tampopo's noodle shop to the top. One of the best characters is Piskin, who's instant rivalry with Goro transforms into a great partnership, as he helps Tampopo out by remodeling her shop. There's also an old wise master to assist in the crafting of perfect noodles, among a few others.

The aforementioned side stories in the film were a real treat. They all seemed to echo a different role that food played in Japanese society, ranging from objects of lust and sexual desire to the importance of food in the Japanese economy. It seemed that anytime the film would get too wrapped up in the main story, it would quickly cut to the side stories, reminding the viewer that in the end, it's all about the food. Their inclusion could come off as initially confusing to some viewers, as they have no immediate connection to the films main cast, but in the end they are the extra spices added that round out "Tampopo"s unique flavor and style.

To some it may be worth mentioning the smidgen of animal cruelty in the film, which claims one turtle. But such is the price of fine cooking. The scene is in fact simply displaying a real process they use to cook this animal, but some may find it offensive in the end, if not simply because it flies in from left field without much warning.

That said, the pacing never comes off as slow or unbalanced, and readily bounces from scene to scene with enthusiasm. It is an absolute celebration of food and its inexhaustible role in the world, but specifically Japanese society. Itami shows outright fascination with the culinary arts, and it really shines through the lens with his inventive, funny and intelligent filmmaking.

An absolutely concrete recommendation for this film simply must be made. "Tampopo" should be watched by everyone at least once, if not for its fascinating concept then for the brilliant execution. Fire up the DVD player and a hot pot full of Ramen for maximum enjoyment.

Review: People are limited by their environment but also by their own inner being. And yet they try to reach out into the world, into someone else's existence and make a meaningful contact in their own very peculiar way. In Kim Ki-Duk's films this contact is never verbal; never could the debased words establish a real communion between souls. The method can be violence (BAD GUY); it can be eroticism (SAMARIA); it can be sado-masochism (THE ISLE); it can be even silence (THE BOW) – but never, never words. This director distrusts words more than any other I can think of; and whatever they do, his characters almost never talk to one another. It is not because they have nothing to say. On the contrary, it is precisely that they have too much on their minds, things too important to convey for them to be dragged down in words. In a world in which every soap opera or 'Reality TV' person is ''madly in love'', in which feelings are all too easily labeled, Kim Ki-Duk's protagonists cherish their private world too much to even try to verbalize it. Words like ''love'', ''hate'', ''passion'', ''revenge'', and the like do not even BEGIN to describe the essence standing behind their motivations (often mysterious to themselves as well).

Such is the case with 3-IRON, Kim Ki-Duk's best work so far. It is best because here he manages to capture the elusive essence of complex emotions in such a pure, unadulterated manner that by the end of the film his characters become more ethereal, more mysterious than they were in the beginning. The two outcasts, outsiders in a world governed by money, power and violence, ''live'' their solitary lives of Kafkean detachment verging on non-existence: Sun-Hwa broods, silently rejecting her husband's brutishness (undiminished – or, one could argue, even augmented by his wealth and social status), while Tae-Suk leads a vicarious existence assuming, at least temporarely, other people's lives. Both of them are trying to diminish themselves – to hide from the outside world, to be too small to be noticeable – to become no one, to be nothing. These are the same sentiments that made Gregor Samsa metamorphose into a bug. But in contrast with Kafka's universe, in Kim Ki-Duk's there is also love. Often strange, unspeakable, indescribable, beyond the grasp of external observers – but none the less powerful or life-changing for that.

So, the two outcasts meet, and immediately form a microcosm of two. It is through silences that they speak, it is through looks that they touch, it is through music (the stunning, elegiac Oriental mood piece by Slvain repeated several times in the film) that they make love. Never has Kim Ki-Duk been so adept in using silence, or music, or sparse sounds from the outside world. Never has he been so lucky with actors as in this film: Hyun-kyoon Lee practically carries the film through his body language and his looks, making Tae-Suk an astonishing character – one of the most likable (while, at the same time mysterious) in recent cinema. He's immensely helped by Seung-yeon Lee's portrayal of an abused but undefeated wife who is brought to life through the contact with her own silent partner. Together they are alone against the others, and with the newly-found power of love they dissolve from this world.

3-IRON is pure poetry in film: a visual, aural and atmospheric treat unlike anything you've ever seen, a great existential love affair painted with subtlety (and occasional burst of violence) by one of the greatest masters of world cinema working today. Absolutely recommended for all those who do not mind their entertainment heady, sentimental, ambiguous and a bit slow-paced. If, however, your idea of entertainment is mostly fast-paced action, suspense/gore-filled horror or laugh-riot comedy, be warned that the 'entertainment' score for this film would probably be 3,5 or 4. But I guess that no one comes to a Kim Ki-Duk expecting the usual fun. For the lovers of the unusual, the score is certainly 5.

1. The Elevator: late at night a young woman comes home: in the elevator of her building, there is a whole family of weird looking people, 'going down'. Belatedly, she realizes that they were... a) Zombies; b) Werewolves; c) Poor relatives; d) Ghosts; (you circle the most likely option).

2. School Excursion: In a hotel where her class is staying, a girl sees an apparition in the toilet... No, nothing is wrong with her digestive tract: the apparition is of the familiar, grudgey kind...

3. Kengo Nishioka : a lone wife hears someone in the next room: a certain Mr Nishioka, existentially challenged, claims that her husband is responsible for his demise, but for unknown reasons keeps tormenting the housewife instead. In the end, she duly informs us that her husband innocent. Yeah, right...

4. The Visitor: someone's knocking on the apartment door; a little girl refuses to open, but her elder sister does. The little one hides in the bathroom, but the ghostly hand with bright red nail polish opens the door and... teaches her the ways of manicure? It's anyone's guess after the abrupt cut, but -- someone must've been left alive to tell this 'true' tale to the objective producers of this series, right? Right?

5. Covering the 100 Tales: A reporter at a temple hears the stories of ghosts who narrate rather uninteresting tales of how they died. Then, they ask her what's she doing among them. Really, that's an answer I'd like to hear.

6. Cassette Tape: A member of an amateur rock band hears the last message from another (recent suicide) member on a cassette tape... Or is it just the result of poor tape-playback quality? Naah! It must've been ghosts!

7. Spilt Water: Mother and daughter, walking in the park, realize that their deceased husband/father is still 'watching over' them... How sweet. Nothing extraordinary happens. They just 'become aware' of his presence. The case immediately entered all annals of world's greatest unsolved mysteries!

8. The Backward Suit: A girl mocks her often drunk father and his explanation of how he ended up dressed backward -- until one evening she takes the same detour and comes home -- with her clothes backward... Did she go to the same 'haunted street', or the same liquor store as her dad -- I guess we'll never know. A true mystery!

Review: One thing needs to be clarified immediately: this is NOT an omnibus. This is NOT a collection of FILMS. Even a short film has to have a story. It has to have some twist, some climax, some kind of point. The short pieces presented here (averaging at 5 minutes) have none of that. Their 'structure' is as simple as they get, and can be reduced to a formula: person X meets/sees/is confronted by a ghostly manifestation and -- then nothing. It just happens, with no lasting consequence, other than turning the 'witness' into a lifelong reader of National Enquirer (although most of them must have already been regular readers of similar material!)

One might expect that the reduced running time, coupled with the let's-get-to-the-business approach, would produce the all-meat-and-no-bones result, something like a show-reel of the best of Japanese scares without the 'boring' interludes of character development and/or ambiguous, slow build-up of thick atmosphere. Not so. The stories lack suspense, precisely because there is no build-up. One moment you see a person, the very next 'a ghost' is banging on her door; after some unoriginal fumbling with the door and crawling on the floor -- the story ends. And that's it. Move to the next. The stories also lack the morality that is inseparable from the omnibus format: there is no punishment of the wicked, there is no revenge motif, there is no subtext whatsoever to what you're presented with.

This collection perfectly corresponds to Homer Simpson's legendary retelling a story as 'a bunch of stuff that happened': but the problem is not so much in the fact that 'it's full of sound and fury, signifying nothing' (to borrow a quote from a slightly more academic source than Homer). The problem is that 'the sound and the fury' are so lame. The apparitions here are pathetic, unmotivated, ephemeral in the most literal sense. They just don't matter. There are some minor creeps in the School Excursion segment, but even there the horror is spoilt not only by the ridiculous environment, but also by the ridiculously 'twisted' ghost itself (her head appears, horizontally, where her belly should be). And that's the closest to horror you're likely to get in this anthology of the nonsensical and shallow 'true encounters'.

You'll have to be twice as shallow to go for this DVD: first of all, you're supposed to buy the whole 'true' angle; second of all, you're supposed to pay some real money for measly 40 minutes of uninteresting short 'films' plus 11 minutes of even more pointless talk from Ichirô Nakayama, who collected these (and then some) stories. For unknown reasons (compassion towards viewers?), this selection is made up of only 8 tales. There is at least another edition, also available at HKFlix, titled Tales Of Terror From Tokyo And All Over Japan Vol. 1 . In that one, you're treated to no less than 15 of these! And if that does not satisfy your craving for 'true' tales of quasi-terror, there's more where these came from... However, if your mortal life's minutes are dear to you, and if you have any love for your hard-earned dollars, keep them for stuff that's worthier than... this cheat!

REVIEW
'The Buddhist Fist' is an old-school martial arts revenge flick with a smattering of comedy. With Yuen Wo Ping directing, and his brothers helping to choreograph the action, this is yet another Yuen Clan classic, despite the fact that many fans of the genre have probably passed this one by.

It's flawed, so let's get the negativity out of the way. It's the plot that lets Buddhist Fist down. There is reference to a valuable Jade Buddha statue that everybody in China wants to get their hands on, and some superfluous search for a missing man, but any excuse for a story is picked up and dropped faster than an ugly baby. There is a period of about 45 minutes early on in the film where the plot seems to be confusing, until you realise that it's not you that lost the plot, but the writers themselves. As you would expect, the plot is only there to provide excuses to start fights, but we'll come back to that later.

As for the cast, everybody does a sterling job, and the characters are all beautifully cartoonish, just as you would expect from the Yuen Clan. It's easy to tell even the cameo players apart, because in the Yuen universe, everyone has a huge hairy mole, a humpback, buck teeth, or a lazy eye. It's a good job, too, because characters (especially bad guys) often come out of nowhere to provide a fight or set-piece, and then vanish without a trace before briefly popping up later to provide some minor exposition.

Yuen Cheung Yan, for example, pops up for ten minutes as a gangster, hams it up gloriously, has a fight, and then spends the rest of the movie behind the camera. Simon Yuen Senior does the same thing, and its even possible to spot Simon Yuen Jr as long as you don't blink, or have transparent eyelids like some kind of man-fish.

This is Sunny Yuen's (Yuen Shun Yi) movie, though. Usually seen playing maniacal bad guys, he is bizarrely given the role of leading man. His physical abilities are impressive, but apart from the fact that he now seems retrospectively typecast, he just doesn't have the right face to play the wide-eyed and smiling good guy. With his big round head and intense stare, he walks around looking like some kind of evil boiled egg. It's like seeing Vinny Jones singing along with Barney the Dinosaur.

Obviously, there is Kung Fu in the film. Lots and lots of Kung Fu. The fighting rarely stops, and it's dazzling from start to finish. There are no special effects here, and only a little wirework, yet the fighters punch, kick, grapple and contort with breathtaking results, punctuated with moments of humour. Dull choreography can be the death of a martial arts film, but 'The Buddhist Fist' is alive and kicking, unpredictable and inventive. Most impressive is the agility of the older cast members, and Simon Yuen Senior's 'Sleepy Kung Fu' is great. This isn't a movie you would see because of its story, but fans should put this high on their list of essential viewing.

Review: For most Kung Fu fans, there is something special about the few films in which Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao share the screen. However, in the case of ‘My Lucky Stars’, there is some false advertising in effect, because for the most part this movie belongs to the ‘Lucky Stars’, a gang of comedians who fail to amuse.

The film kicks off with some promising action. Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao chase Lam Ching Ying through Hong Kong and into a theme park. There is a quick burst of fighting, and it’s easy to fool yourself into thinking that we are in for a treat. We then hand over to Sammo Hung, and just as things seem to be heading in the right direction, the Lucky Stars turn up and the plot grinds to a halt, wallowing in a sticky mess of forced and desperate comedy. Sammo himself is usually on screen, but seems to hide at the back worrying about how to rescue his movie from the hands the Lucky Stars and their farcical cack. They lust after Sibelle Hu, they order food in sign language, and they make the average Westerner reach for the fast forward button. One ‘joke’ involves Eric Tsang losing some money outdoors, but he is searching the floor for it indoors. When asked why, he explains that it’s too dark to look for it outside. Sorry to spoil the joke, but please try and read the rest of this review through your tears of laughter. The box office profits in HK for this film were huge, but maybe that was more to do with the famous names attached to the project. Most of them are cameo roles, but just look at that cast list!

Finally, after an eternity, there is some decent action. Jackie finally resurfaces, and chases the bad guys through a spooky funhouse. It’s reminiscent of Sammo’s comedy horror output, but with a modern day setting. The climax of the film is a nice chunk of kung fu action, with Dick Wei showing up for a rumble, and Sibelle facing off against Michiko Nishiwaki, but the fight against Lam Ching Ying that we have waited for lasts seconds.

My Lucky stars certainly isn’t as good as it’s sequel, ‘Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars’, which was average at best, and is nothing more than a plotless ‘comedy’ book-ended by some half decent Kung Fu action. The action scenes in ‘My Lucky Stars’ are worth checking out, but to claim that this is a Chan/Biao/Hung movie is simply a lie. For the 20 minutes the trio are on screen, it’s fun, but the antics of the Lucky Stars are irritating rather than funny, and the movie is well below the high standards that Sammo Hung usually sets.