Wednesday, July 1

Upcoming release: Thirst

Thirst is the new film from director Park Chan-wook (Old Boy). Starring The Host's Song Kang-Ho in a unique take on the vampire genre, the movie was honored with the Prix du Jury at the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival, and will be coming to select US theatres on July 31st. For more information, please visit the film's official site or its' Facebook page.

Movie review: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

The final film in the popular Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, At World's End thankfully brings back some of the whimsy and humor that made the first movie so fun to watch. Unfortunately, though, it retains a lot of the overbloated plot and characterization that made the second entry such a terrible mess. But, hey, you get to see Chow Yun-Fat as a swashbuckling pirate, which is pretty cool, right? Right?

Full review here

Saturday, June 27

Movie review: The Sniper

Oh, joyous day! It's the return of Edison Chen! Well, not really. The Sniper was scheduled to come out around a year ago, but was shelved and edited after the whole cell phone nudie pictures scandal. But it's probably a good thing that Edison's still hiding out in Canada, because his fans (if he has any left) would probably want their money back after checking this snoozer out.

Full review here

Movie review: Champions

Champions is a case of "good idea, bad execution". Starring several real-life martial arts champions in a story about Chinese athletes trying to make it to the Olympics, the film would seem to to have the ingredients for success, or at least a decent night's entertainment. Unfortunately, the hammy acting and heavy-handed nationalistic overtones throw up big stumbling blocks.

Full review here

Monday, June 22

Upcoming release: Gamer

300's Gerard Butler stars as Kable, a contestant on the futuristic game show Slayers, who is actually being controlled by a young gamer named Simon. Gamer will be coming to theatres September 4, but until then, you can check out a special remix of the trailer done by DJ Mike Relm.

View the trailer here

Movie preview: Blood: The Last Vampire

Based on a popular Japanese manga, Blood: The Last Vampire stars My Sassy Girl's Gianna Jun as Saya, a vampire hunter looking to deal the final blow to the species when the movie hits theatres on July 10. Head on over to our preview page to check out a new clip from the film.

Full preview here

Wednesday, June 17

Movie review: Her Fatal Ways 3

For western viewers of Hong Kong movies, there are certain elements of them that can perhaps never be fully understood, much less enjoyed. Her Fatal Ways 3 is a prime example of this. Even to someone like your friendly neighborhood reviewer that has watched hundreds of HK movies, the cultural references displayed here present a major stumbling block.

Full review here

Saturday, June 13

Movie review: A Fiery Family

Besides having Gordon Liu in a terrible-looking wig, A Fiery Family doesn't really offer anything unique. But it does do a decent enough job in what it sets out to do: delivering some chopper-wielding fisticuffs with a dose of melodrama. So, if you're in the mood for a good old-fashioned Triad potboiler, this should fit the bill.

Full review here

Thursday, June 11

Movie review: The Mar's Villa

Featuring the talents of Stephen Tung both in front of and behind the camera, The Mar's Villa isn't anything extraordinary, but it is a solid old-school kung fu movie. Sure, the story is your usual dopey revenge stuff featured in far too many movies of this genre, but the copious amounts of fisticuffs presented here should keep fans happy.

Full review here