Struggling to write his new screenplay, movie director Jang (Jang Hyun-sang) arrives on a remote island and books into a deserted motel run by the young and unfailingly cheerful Lee (Lee So-yeon). But what’s really prompted Jang’s arrival is that 10 years earlier he and his musician girlfriend stayed on the same island together and agreed to reunite there a … Read the rest
Author: rob
Yakuza Graveyard (Kinji Fukasaku, Japan, 1976)
Tough cop Kuroiwa (Tetsuya Watari) finds his investigations into a Yakuza group complicated by corrupt superiors and his own attraction toward gangster’s wife Keiko (Meiko Kaji). But after he befriends Iwata (Tatsuo Umemiya) – the man lined up to take control of Keiko’s gang – Iwata is murdered while Kuroiwa finds himself suspended, the result of the Chief of Police … Read the rest
One Cut of the Dead (Yuya Nakaizumi, Shinichiro Ueda, Japan, 2017)
A film crew shooting a low-budget zombie pic in an abandoned WW2 facility suddenly come under attack from real zombies.
Cleverly conceived movie-within-a-movie which kicks off with the zombie movie proper before flashing back to show how the crew and project came together and then reruns the whole movie again. This time showing us all the behind-the-scenes shenanigans as the … Read the rest
Devotion to Railway (Minoru Yamada, Japan, 1960)
After four years of work youthful train attendant Yajima (Katsuo Nakamura) sees no value in his job and wants to quit so he can marry girlfriend Kimie (Yoshiko Sakuma). She, however, thinks that job security is more important than a hasty marriage. So Kimie boards the Sakura – the Nagasaki bound express Yajima’s been assigned to – in order to … Read the rest
Cold Eyes (Jo Ui-seok, Kim Byung-seo, South Korea, 2015)
Gifted with exceptional powers of memory and observation, new recruit Ha (Han Hyo-joo) joins a hi-tech surveillance unit known as The Zoo whose agents are all named after animals. Codenamed Piglet and plunged into the hunt for a gang of bank robbers Ha immediately runs afoul of her tough boss Chief Hwang (Sol Kyung-gu) after taking direct action in contravention … Read the rest
The Devil’s Temple, Kenji Misumi, Japan, 1969)
In the middle ages nobleman turned bandit Taro (Shintaro Katsu) and his nymphet companion Aizen (Michiyo Aratama) seek refuge in an abandoned Buddhist temple in the mountains. When Taro’s ex-wife Kaede (Hideko Takamine) also arrives and tries unsuccessfully to win Taro back a bitter six month stand off ensues until a Buddhist priest (Kei Sato) turns up seeking shelter. Taro … Read the rest
When The Tenth Month Comes (Dang Nhat Minh, Vietnam, 1984)
In a small village housewife Duyen (Le Van) receives a letter informing her that her husband has died in battle. Unable to accept the truth Duyen persuades local poet Khang to write a letter in her husband’s name reassuring her infant son and ailing father-in-law that all is well. But after Khang reluctantly agrees to write further letters a personal … Read the rest
Fangs Of The Cobra (Sun Chung, Hong Kong, 1977)
Tang (Hua Tsung) returns home to take over his father’s farm and falls in love with the pretty Ah Fen (Yao Hsia). When the villainous Brother Hu (Hung Wei) attempts to ensnare Tang in the clutches of his glamourous but devious girlfriend Cousin Man-ling (Danna) he only succeeds in drawing Tang and Ah Fen even closer together. With marriage in … Read the rest
A Mongolia Tale (Fei Xie, China, 1995)
Bayinbulag (Ganghulag) and Somiya (Bayirtcya), two children from different families, grow up together under their adoptive Grandmother (Dalarsurong) in a Yurt on the Mongolian grasslands. At his Grandmother’s urging Bayinbulag agrees to marry Somiya but his education keeps him away from home for three years and when he returns it’s to discover that Somiya has become pregnant by the local … Read the rest
Execution In Autumn (Lee Hsing, Taiwan, 1972)
In an era when executions are only carried out in autumn by royal decree Gang Pei (Ou Wei), a spoiled and only son, is sentenced to death for murder. With autumn a year away and horrified at the realisation that Pei’s death means her family will have no male heir his doting grandmother Liao (Bi Hui Fu) arranges to have … Read the rest
