Year Of The Dragon (product link) Crime / Action/Adventure HKFlix rates this zero stars because of what the film does for Chinese people: gives them a bad image. I agree. However, is the film good? It's more than good, it's excellent! Very violent and Mickey Rourke is perfectly cast as the police detective trying to take down a crime boss.
I remember when it first came out there was a lot of protesting going around in front of the theaters. That peaked my interest. I mean c'mon, if you're gonna protest something, you're going to get people interested in what you're protesting about. The marketing of this film didn't sell me on seeing this film. It was the Chinese protesting in front of the theaters that did that.
Aside from the that, this film is a powerhouse crime drama. Anyone who wants to see Mickey Rourke's early work should start out here.
Welcome To The Jungle (product link) Horror / Thriller I will be the first to tell you I enjoyed this film. Reminds me of "Cannibal Holocaust" and "The Blair Witch Project". (Could it be because of the hand-held camera fad going around?) Still this film does deliver on scares and the hand-held camera concept works. I wish it would've worked for "Diary of the Dead" (that was horrible). I'm shocked it wasn't in the theaters, because it could have made money--or maybe not. Films like this always get a bad rap. The acting is solid and the direction was good. After watching this I wondered if a thing like this can actually happen. A film that makes me think certainly deserves a great rating. I recommend seeing this if you're a horror fan. The ending could be slightly better, but the rest of the film makes up for it.
My Bloody Valentine [1981] (product link) Horror / Thriller This one was long overdue. Part of the '80's slasher craze that started with "Halloween", "My Bloody Valentine" is what horror movies these days should aspire to. It has sex, violence, a crazed masked killer, and the acting is not cheesy. I saw this when I was 15 years old, and now being 40 it still ranks as one of the best slasher films out there. Now with deleted uncut scenes added in the film (more gore) [in the 2008 Lion's Gate DVD], the film just got better. I rate this very high because being a film from 1981 it is surely outdated but can still deliver the chills. I can watch this over again. A film that does that to me surely deserves a great rating.
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very inconsistent story and pacing... ah the beauty of slasher films.
Here is a movie that has underrated written all over it. What director other than Mario Bava can take a movie with little plot and no sense of developing its characters and make the best of it--in turn making it a great intro to the Giallo films.
The movie is wonderfully filmed and has great cinematography. All the trademark colors of Mario Bava are seen here and used at the right instances. The classy jazzy soundtrack is so good that it makes up for the plot.
I truly enjoyed this film, even though it could have been better. If the script would have looked out for the characters then it would have been a smash here in the States. Not something to bother Mario Bava, who takes the film and makes it his own. A must-have for Giallo fans, for this film is the one that started it all. If you love Bava's work and you haven't seen this, give it a shot. Truly appreciate what a director can do with so little. A masterpiece in the Giallo batch of Italian cinema.
Invincible Shaolin (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Another Venoms hit! This is my second favorite Venoms film, "The Return Of The Five Deadly Venoms" being my first.
The story is well put out. It keeps you interested in the plot, as many kung fu films rely on the martial arts more and the story second. So not only did it have great action, it had a very good story. It made me care about the characters. The training sequences are a highlight, as each training Venom is at his best. The Venoms really work well together and this film is proof. A must-have in the collection. Better than "The Five Deadly Venoms".
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Probably my second most favorite Venom film of all time! Great review!
Audition (product link) Horror / Art One of the best thrillers/horror movies ever made. Original story and well directed. The climax lives up to its legendary status as a disturbing piece of Asian cinema. Enjoyed it so much I bought it again because my first copy was bought years ago and it was letterboxed. I needed this movie in anamorphic widescreen. So I purchased it again. A must in the collection. So that right there should tell you that this film is a keeper--only if you're not the type that cringes at disturbing acts, that is.
Cannibal Holocaust (product link) Horror / Thriller A classic Cannibal film. This is what cannibal films are all about. Still disturbing after all these years. A must-have in the collection if you love gory horror. Be warned: real live animal killings (like that poor turtle) are gross. Every time I see that I cringe. Not for everyone though.
One Armed Swordsmen Double Fury Pack [2-Movie Set] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This box set is tough to rate. The only film in this box worth your time is "One Armed Swordsmen". So with that I tell you my 5-star rating is only for that film. The other film, "The One Armed Swordsmen Vs. 9 Killers" gets ZERO stars, for it is truly a terrible film and a waste of your time. So if you want to get this for 1 film, I guess it's worth it.
One Armed Swordsmen (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure One of the best "One Armed Swordsman" films. A great film with lots of action. Wang Yu at his best versus the New One Armed Swordsman. If you don't have this, you are surely missing out.
Good teamup between the two one armed swordsmen with lots of plot twists. Hopefully we will be able to get better copies, because video asia copies are crap!
Noriko's Dinner Table (product link) Horror / Thriller Better than the first in my book. More on the storytelling than gore, but really great performances, a great sequel.
In The Mood For Love (product link) Romance / Art Very good romantic movie. Not in the class as the classic "Shall We Dance", because that was indeed a fantastic romantic movie (not the Jennifer Lopez movie), but this film is in a class by itself. The mood, the music, the story is just classy. I enjoyed it. Not for everyone though. Action and kung fu buffs keep away.
Zombie 2 (product link) Horror / Thriller One of the best Italian zombie movies ever. Overshadowed by "Dawn of the Dead", but still a great film on its own.
Guinea Pig Box Set [6-Movie Set] (product link) Horror / Thriller It's a gorefest dream. "Mermaid in a Manhole", "The Devil's Experiment" and "Flowers" are the best out of the bunch. The others are lame. The gore is vividly realistic. Very creepy realistic effects. WOW!
Return Of The 5 Deadly Venoms (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure A classic. Wayyyy better than "The 5 Deadly Venoms". This one exceeds expectations on all bases. Can't recommend it enough. Just get this.
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The original title of this venom's masterpiece is The Crippled Avengers! This is not a sequel but some shabby marketing ploy re-titled this film. This is an awsome Venoms movie and my third all time favorite Venoms film!
Zatoichi: The Television Series Collection 2 [6-Disc Set] (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Martial Arts Zatoichi films are always solid and have great stories. This box is no exception. I've seen these films and they are great. The fact that this was shown on Japanese TV assures me the fact that the Japanese Televison was way ahead of its time.
The Prodigal Son (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This is without a doubt the best kung fu film I've seen. Ever. Great action sequences, great story, humor and a bad ass fighting climax to boot. Sammo Hung is director of this film. I can't speak for Sammo, but this has got to be his greatest film that he's ever made.
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oh yes this classic fu film is legendary and is without doubt in my top 5 fu films of all time.yuen biao is awesome in this.
The Man From Hong Kong (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts Great old school 70's action. One of the best modern-day flicks. Wang Yu is perfect for the role. I don't, however, buy that romance he has with the girl. No chemistry between the two. Aside from that, this rocks.
Koma (product link) Horror / Thriller I enjoyed this thriller. Very good. The ending was quite surprising. Sort of reminds me of "Fatal Attraction" in some ways and "Single White Female". However it's an original story. This is why I love Asian cinema. They always come up with very good thrillers. This is one of 'em.
Return Of The Dragon Pack [4-Movie Set] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This is a must for Bruceploitation fans. Sure these movies are bad, campy and have terrible acting, but I grew up watching these films in old 42nd Street Times Square. When Bruce wasn't around, these Bruce imitators tried to fit the bill. Sometimes they failed to impress me, however just because they tried to satisfy the hunger of Bruce Lee's public, I give them an A for effort. Some of the movies had great fight scenes but horrible plot and storylines. If you are a Bruceploitation fan like myself, this is a must for your collection--if you can find it.
The Magnificent Ruffians (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Not one of the best Venoms films, but it ranks better than other Shaw Bros. films. The Venoms take a lackluster storyline and turn it into a decent film. I like it.
They are not going to have classics all the time. Still, the hard work here is shown and it's just amazing to watch them. If you are a Venoms fan, then pick this up. All others who just discovered the Venoms, get "Return Of The Five Deadly Venoms", then come to this. You'll appreciate this film more.
A worthy addition to the "Bronzeman" series. However the story has nothing to do with the original. This is a different story put together with almost the same concept. Carter Wong is a bad guy here, unlike the good guy he was in the first part. The first film is much better. This one has its moments but would have been better if the story was a follow-up to the first. It isn't and that is sad.
What pissed me off was Carter Wong playing a bad guy who goes to the Shaolin Temple to become even more powerful, and more bad. I mean why would I want to see a kung fu movie of a bad guy becoming badder? There is no good-guy-against-bad-guy confrontation. I wanted Carter Wong to go down. Nothing happened.
The movie is not bad but is not that great either. It does an amazing job with the training sequences. You get to like Carter Wong during the hard training he goes through, and he even makes friends at the temple. I was starting to think he was going to turn into a good guy--sure seemed like it. Then the finale: all he wanted was to become a more powerful evil guy. I wanted to kick his ass! I was hoping someone would before the film's end.
There was another "Bronzemen" film made after this, and again it had nothing to do with the others. None of the films are related to each other other than by name. Like I said, it's not bad. It had its moments.
Just picture this: a fine piece of cake you're about to eat, and when you get to the last piece you are not satisfied, you crave for more. That's how I felt.
Snake Deadly Act (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Not a bad kung fu movie. The action was good but the story could have been better. The concept was good. The execution was bad. You can't really expect a lot from kungfu flix in terms of story. That is just secondary to the action.
The Suicide Manual (product link) Horror / Thriller Slow at times but very intresting. Filmed with a digital video camera not a movie camera. Sometimes it would feel like I'm watching a Japanese TV drama. It's not gory but weird. Feels like an episode of "Tales From The Crypt" or, better yet, a light version of those gory Guinea Pig films. It feels like that. It would've been better if it was made into a movie with a bigger budget. There is no replay value. However the story is so forgettable that you will forget it soon and then watch the movie all over again to refresh your memory.
Nine Demons (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Here's a film that disappointed me when it started out promising. The first 15 minutes is a great film. Then it turns to a supernatural mystic mess. Looks like the director didn't know what he wanted, a kung fu film or a supernatural film. I for one stopped it in mid viewing. couldn't understand why it went to another direction. It had great kung fu fights. Then it spiraled to mystic powers and supernatural wonders. WTF? The first 15 minutes is all you need to see. Those 15 minutes you get a storyline, a climax and an ending. Then it somehow wanders into a stupid mess. Kung fu films are cheesy, but this is beyond.
Picture this: "Enter The Dragon" starts out great, but when they get to the tournament, the film turns into "Krull The Destroyer" (that's an old adventure film). Get the idea now?
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I agree, very bad film that had a promise of goodness at the start!
Godzilla: Final Wars (product link) Science Fiction / Thriller This is one of the worst Godzilla films ever. What happened here? They try to make it an action flick with the martial arts and--ugh! The battles with Godzilla and his enemies were godawful. All his fights took one minute or less with each individual monster he fought in previous films. This film had no Godzilla feel like in all his previous films. This film was bombarded with many CG effects that just were so tasteless. My opinion is: stick with classics like "Godzilla vs. Mothra" or "Godzilla vs. Megalon" ("Megalon" was a campy bad Godzilla flick, but it was wayyy better than "Final Wars"). Any true Godzilla fan from Gfest will tell you this film is just an overated mess. The soundtrack is rock music? God, I long for the good old days. Well, I'm gonna watch another classic like "King Kong Escapes". I've got to try and forget this "Final Wars". "King Kong Escapes" will do fine.
Are you kidding me? This movie is Wang Yu's worst! And I'm a huge fan of Wang Yu. This is a poor version of the One-Armed Swordsman made by Wang Yu himself. It's not a Shaw Bros. film, it's a film made outside the Shaw Studios by another company. Don't get me wrong, I loved the other film made by Wang Yu, "The One Armed Swordsmen" (guest starring David Chang), that was a film made outside the Shaw studios as well. However that film surpasses this film in every level. This film is just a stupid revenge flick that doesn't make sense. The film has nothing to do with the One Armed Swordsman character. It's a character made by Wang Yu. The title is only to capitalize on the success of the Wang Yu Shaw Bros. films. The real name of the film? Heck I don't know, but it's not "One Armed Swordsman". I'm a kung fu buff, and if you see my other reviews of film you can tell I know a classic when I see one. Beleave me when I say I threw this right into the trash. A waste of money.
Get other Wang Yu classic instead, like "Zatoichi Meets The One Armed Swordsman", "The One Armed Swordsmen" (with David Chang), or the masterpiece, the original "One Armed Swordsman" (the Shaw Bros. classic).
10 Brothers Of Shaolin (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This is one of the worst kung fu films I've seen. It has one of my faves, Wong Tao, but this is a very bad film. The effects were horrible. Sounded like a rolled up newspaper smacking repeatedly against the wall for the fighting sounds. Ugh. The story is just terrible. My dad once told me if I have nothing good to say about someone or something, I shouldn't say anything at all. Well I'm not saying one word.
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I totally agree with you, my friend on this one. I actually bought this movie because of Crash Cinema's boxcover, and inside was this movie...
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