Having grown up thinking that John Hughes films were the best possible outcome for high school, and seeing the current high school experience captured as a Disney musical or stupid, forgettable, comedies, "Crows Zero" gives a new perspective on the "coolest possible" high school experience.

"Crows Zero" is about the new guy in town trying to get to the top of his high school class. But instead of getting good grades or being the quarterback with the cheerleader girlfriend, it's all about who can mobilize the best student army and pound the snot out of everyone else. But, being a Takashi Miike film ("Sukiyaki Western Django", "Ichi", "Izo", "DOA"), it's gonna' be more than a fistfight.

"Crows" is based on a multi-million selling manga. It basically takes all the conflicts and angst that you find in high school and externalizes them. Instead of stupid pranks or getting stuffed in a garbage can or trying to make the best grades or trying to get a varsity letter, it all comes down to how well you can brawl. The "School of Crows" is known for being the toughest school in Japan, and if you can survive--better yet, rise to the top--you can be whatever you want.

It's a cool premise. One that could quickly degenerate into an adolescent orgy of senseless violence or could just come off very cheesy. But Miike brings depth to the characters. Despite everyone dressing in black, they all have their own distinctive styles (and it looks cool as hell). And everyone broods really well. I mean, it's an old-school James Dean, Brando kind of brood. Nowadays our emo generation in the US tries to brood, but it's just pouting and whining. In Miike's hands it's stylistic and effective and makes you want to adopt a perma-scowl next time you leave the house.

Although the main character's run at the top is the primary story, there are a few side-stories involving peripheral characters that keep the movie from being two-dimensional and shallow. You get a sense of the kind of world where this story could take place, and the types of people that inhabit it (hint: it's a pretty cool world).

Character, story, depth, and the action is great. No showy choreography here, everything is a straight-up brawl. Think "Fight Club" turned up to 11, fueled by out-of-control teenage testosterone. Every time a fist connects with a face, you feel it. The sound and camerawork make every punch and kick feel epic. Every hit counts. And everything is captured in the very-stylistic Miike way.

So who's gonna like this movie? The anime and manga crowd should dig it. It definitely keeps its feel as a manga-made-real. Those who were into "Battle Royale" and the contemporary, Japanese, teenage, ultraviolence. I don't think this film is mature enough to appeal to the drama audience, despite having some fantastic characters and story elements. Die-hard martial arts fans should probably pass. If you like that cool Asian style with some hardcore brawling action, all done by a top-notch production team and cast, equalling a movie that oozes nonchalant cool without forgetting to be fun, you'll be a "Crows" fan, guaranteed.

I acknowledge that this film was made with a western audience in mind. That means that as a typical wuxia film it is watered-down by comparison. It was also apparent that they tried to do a lot with the script, probably too much, so as to please the arthouse crowd.

Because of those things I can't review it as a traditional HK film. Also, this movie was the final part in a three-part process that was absolutely critical to American cinema.

Part 1: The introduction of Jet, Jackie, Michelle, John, Chow, Tsui and Ringo to American audiences. It got them used to seeing the kung fu, the wires, and stylistic, kinetic bullet ballet.

Part 2: "The Matrix". "The Matrix" took HK choreography, wires and all, and made it mainstream acceptable. Sure, a lot of our directors tried it and failed, but at least the audience was ready for it (and even now anticipating it).

Part 3: "Crouching Tiger". A full Asian film, starring Asian actors, loaded with HK choreography and stylish wirework. A film that 5 years prior would have been an arthouse flick, at best, was now a mainstream, widely accepted, critically acclaimed, award winning film. This film finally made it acceptable to import more and more of HK to our shores.

Look at what has happened since this film came out. Look how many more Asian action films find their way to our theaters...and not just the little theaters. We've been given Dragon Dynasty so we can get great picture quality, no editing to our movies, subtitles that actually mean something, and extras that have translation to them. Asian re-makes are all the rage in the US. And on and on. . .

As an up and coming filmmaker who grew up watching all the great classic asian action films, it is now acceptable for me to incorporate a true HK style into my work. When I tell the studio I want to hang 2 of my actors from wires and have them fly around fighting one another, there's no fights or strange looks. Hellboy 2 was loaded with wire work. And we owe it all to CTHD.

Besides that I do enjoy the film immensely. I got a little choked-up during the first fight between Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi when people in the theater were cheering, watching something I'd known existed for decades. Better late than never.

Wo Ping is a true artist, and CTHD gave him the talent and the leeway to create- talent and leeway that the Matrix was lacking. The visuals are spectacular. The performances are incredible. I always liken Chow to Morgan Freeman. No matter what role they play, they always bring a certain degree of respect and sophistication, with just a hint of the regal, to it.

It is a fantastic movie. And more than that, it is an important movie. No, it is not pure HK. It is watered-down and it does have its flaws. But I love it and I will always be grateful to it for the doors it opened.

This is a great role for the man. Finally he gets to play against type and do a cocky, fun-loving, anti-hero. His character kinda' makes me feel like this is what it would be like to hang with the guy in real life.

Tsui Hark brings a new visual dynamic to a VD movie that wasn't there in previous VD films. Hark is so good that he makes me cool with Rob Schneider, whom I have never been able to stand with the exception of some SNL skits. That right there makes it solid.

Hark also pushed Van Damme to expand into some more physical action, not just punching and kicking. You really only see him do this in "Hard Target" and "Double Team" (of course, a Woo film and another Hark film). HK directors know how to make the stars get physical outside the realm of just taking swings at other guys.

VD is cool and confident in this role. He pushes his action in a much more physical and stylized direction. The story is a fun little journey with a few twists and turns to keep it interesting. It's a good movie.

If you think VD is just cheesy and you've never liked him, this probably won't change your mind. If you're on the fence or are a fan, this is one of his best (my personal favorite). But it's VD with a HK sensibility and style here. My guess is that this will appeal more to VD fans than to HK action buffs. Some HK fanboys will call this film sacrilege. It really is the kind of movie that only a small handful of people will really enjoy. Despite being filmed in Asia and having an all-Asian crew, VD keeps it from being a true HK film. He is still an American actor with a Tae Kwon Do background. So not much wire work or gymnastic kung fu. But it's the best you'll see him and that's more than enough for me.

It's got more life and charisma than some of his stale US projects where his characters were more or less the same guy (except "Street Fighter", but we don't talk about that). This is far more unique and fresh. The real question is: are you sophisticated enough to truly appreciate the genius that is this film? That is the true challenge.

What "Hero" represents is martial arts filmmaking as an art form. While watching the movie the thought that kept popping into my head was "visual poetry". The amount of nuance and subtlety that "Hero" contains is hard to even begin to explain. But the more you watch, the more you see the little details that add so much to the film, mostly on a subconcious level.

See the colors change. Notice when all the sound is pulled out in favor of silence, or of just the musical score. The power of a scream where there is no sound is overwhelming. The interplay between regular and slow-motion is used, not just for visual style, but to jar one's senses or to convey an emotion that words cannot evoke. See the focus change as the director leads your eye around the screen. Notice the arrangement of people and objects in the frame. Nothing is an accident. Nothing is left to chance. It is obvious that Yimou has control over even the slightest detail, a gift reserved for a handful of only the most talented like Hitchcock or Scorsese or Wong Kar-Wai.

The fight scenes in "Hero" are amazing because they have a life of their own. They weren't designed to "one-up" every other fight scene ever committed to film. The much touted Jet vs. Donnie fight is extraordinary--not because it is the most technically complicated or the most mind-blowing, but because it is designed for these two legends to be in perfect sync with one another. It is flawless. Even more so, it tells a story.

In the fight we see the essence of these two characters. And the fight scenes just get better from there. The scene over the lake still gives me chills when I watch it. That may well be the most poetic choreography I've ever seen.

What else excited me about this film is that Tan Dun returned from doing his excellent "Crouching Tiger" score to do this one--except this time, he traded in master cellist Yo-Yo Ma for legend violinst Itzhak Perlman. This score is more accessible than the CTHD one was. And the music is like its own character in this film, sometimes being the only thing one hears. It complements the picture and the story brilliantly and lends much to the viewing experience.

I was disheartened to see negative reviews on the Internet where people felt it was a film that was a propaganda piece for China and its rule. I understand that the real Huang Di was not as beneficent as he was portrayed in this film, and that his rule was violent and short. But what I saw wasn't propaganda for a communist/socialist government. What I saw was the beauty of a culture that evolved over hundreds of years of bloodshed and hardship. And regardless of the official party line, I was moved by "All under heaven". At no point was I ready to throw a Che or Chairman Mao poster on my wall.

This film was not meant to be any type of historical record (that's why we have history books and why movies aren't valid sources to cite in research papers). What this movie represents is filmmaking at its greatest height. The film as a true art form, combining on-screen and off-screen talent with visuals and audio that can stand alone, yet when combined, equal more than the sum of their parts. Asian film fans, martial arts fans, the average Joe, and film snobs alike should be able to appreciate this on many, many different levels.

SS is from the same director that gave us "Bichunmoo", another fantastic film. It has a great cast from films like "Guns and Talks" and "Arahan". SS is a swordplay epic. For the laymen, it would be in the same vein of a "Crouching Tiger" or a "Hero" or "House of Flying Daggers". Period piece, acrobatic wire-fu, lots of swordplay. And while it may not have the budget, star power, and exposure of the previously mentioned films, it can absolutely hold its own against them.

The acting is spot on. The story, while not anything new, is still very engaging. And the action is certainly well worth the watch. Although not quite as graceful as some of its HK counterparts, the wire work is creative and integrated well into the sequences. The visual approach is stylish without being over-the-top. And it does have a great score, too.

Fans of Asian swordplay movies would be wise to give this one a look. It doesn't have the depth of story and character that those looking for something more in the drama category are looking for. And while the action is great, it's not wild and insane like a Kitamura movie or a Hark film, and certainly not as blood-filled. The action sequences would be considered reserved compared to how those guys work. I personally don't think that this film would be attractive to the hardcore Asian film fans. So if you're looking for a good, solid swordplay epic that is subtle and understated while being quite entertaining and action-oriented, this would be a fine choice.

A former prisoner tries to escape from an enchanted forest teeming with zombies and demons, all the while protecting a girl while kicking, punching, shooting, stabbing, and slicing everything that gets in his way.

For those who are looking at the different versions, the Ultimate is the only version to get. The new music is a big improvement over the old stuff. The extended action scenes are fantastic. And the new color correction and visual processing definitely add to the overall film. Plus, all the extras are great. Ironically, this is actually more of a director's cut than the original director's cut. The original DC was just the best the director could do with what he had. Ultimate Versus actually had Kitamura going back out and shooting new scenes and extended fight sequences to cut into the original DC. Now that we've cleared that up...

This is not a film for everyone. In fact, this isn't even a film for most. This is definitely a niche film for those that love movies that are just fun, cheesy, completely unrealistic, and straight-up awesome. To most, this film is just a bunch of people running through a forest for 2 hours with some cheesy acting, lots of senseless violence, and more blood than your local Red Cross has on hand. Yes, they do run through the forest the whole movie, but it's so epic. The characters all have their "cool" turned way up, more than you would in any 'regular' film, but this is not a regular film.

The action is super mind-numbing. The gore is super-violent in a very over-the-top way. The dialogue is oddly paced and sparse and way more dramatic than is necessary. Blood flows freely as zombie limbs fly through the air time and again. But it all works. This is not a movie to critique for film class or to be studied for its deeper subtleties and symbolism. It is, in fact, unapologetically campy and violent. If you're into "gore fests" or "action bonanzas" all done with that Asian cool, then you absolutely must see this film.

Yes, Jet Li's character struggles with a Hong Kong overrun with British imperialists and the woman who loves him and all the drama that follows and, honestly, no one really cares. The story is an odd mix. When there aren't action sequences, much of the story plays out like a routine period piece. The story is decent and worth a look, but subsequent viewings will have you simply skipping ahead to the action sequences because...

...these are simply the best collection of HK/kung fu/wire fu fight sequences you will ever find. You have an actor at the top of his kung fu game with choreographers who are given a lot of freedom and creativity to use the actors' talents, all captured by a director at the peak of his powers. These fight sequences are the stuff of legend, the yardstick that all kung fu fights are measured against. Not to take anything away from other flicks of Jet's like "Fist Of Legend" or "Fong Sai Yuk", but these are the best. And to get them all in one package for such a cheap price is nothing short of criminal. I paid a small fortune to get these three films from HK before this version was released.

You'll see some of the most innovative and intense wirework, skill, and choreography you've ever witnessed, stuff that makes "The Matrix" look tame by comparison, despite coming out years before the Wachowskis ever put word one to paper. Every scenario you can imagine is captured, Jet vs. one, Jet vs. some, Jet vs. many, Jet with weapons, Jet with bare hands, Jet with props like an ubrella, Jet vs. flaming arrows, Jet vs. boss characters in the most insane environments you can imagine. I can't stress it enough, this is as good as it gets. Even skipping over the story, the fight scenes will entertain you and your next several generations long after you're gone. Simple as that. If you're into kung fu flicks and somehow have slept on this one, just buy it.

The all Japanese cast speaks in almost entirely English throughout the entire film. Once you get used to it you can make out what they're saying. But some will struggle at first. Since most are not native speakers, it sounds as if they learned their lines phonetically, without any knowledge of English. It makes for some odd cadences and pauses. To be honest, I kind of enjoyed it. It seemed like a fun and interesting idea. It just adds to the genre-bending of the whole film.

While the film is a western, it successfully balances the fine line between serious western and stylish action/comedy. Some may feel uneasy because it never settles into one or the other. Some very serious and heavy moments can be immediately followed by one of the over-the-top characters doing some schtick. Personally, I thought it flowed well and maintained the balance. Some reviewers have called it confused. In my opinion, I enjoy movies that refuse to be defined and just be what they should.

As well as being a western on its face, Django also has many elements of the old Kurosawa samurai flicks (one is even referred to in the film). The original film series "Django" is also homaged numerous times.

The action is slick and well paced--very stylish and creative in some areas, comedic in others, and once in a while just downright rough and tumble. Those looking for an all-out Asian action flick may be a little disappointed by the film's pace. It is paced like a spaghetti western: deliberate and dramatic. When the action comes, it is explosive and will not disappoint. But the scenes in-between aren't just vehicles to take us to the next gunfight. There is a narrative, there is character development, there are backstories and conflicts that are born and resolved.

"Django" is a very complete and entertaining film. The spoken language and genre-bending will challenge some viewers while alienating others altogether. But for those interested in the genre who don't mind something a little different, "Django" is a solid pick.

The 'mano a mano' fight sequences are few and far between, and when they do pop up they aren't mind-blowing, wire-fu fests a la "The Matrix". They are actually slowly paced and play out more like something you'd see at a stage play. Most of the action is of the CGI variety, and the final battle is truly epic. But much of the film revolves around the morality tale on the nature of existence and other such philosophical tenets. The main characters struggle to find their place in the world and strive to make their relationships with those around them work.

The story takes place after a great war in a Japan that resembles a kind of neo-fascist, "Final Fantasy"-esque, overly industrialized society. Science is God, but politics stand in the way of progress. As is the tendency with Asian films, plot details aren't spoon-fed to the audience. Character relationships and motivations often-times have to be ascertained by observing, even if it does tend to get a little frustrating at times.

While the story can get a bit stretched at times, it is enjoyable--and ultimately beautiful. The visuals are quite a treat. My biggest complaint is that it feels as if the director may have bitten off more than he could chew. Sometimes it feels like the movie got away from him or that he tried to go a little bigger than budgets or technical constraints would allow.

That aside, this is definitely sci-fi art, not sci-fi action. Those looking for some live-action anime that is more story- and character-driven should enjoy this flick. Same goes for those that like their sci-fi not wrapped in fast-food tie-ins or toy sales. But if it's the next "Matrix" you're looking for (even if some reviewer says it's better than both "Matrix" sequels combined), you'd be better off skipping this one.