Sky On Fire (2016) - A Review

 

This is not an accurate representation of the movie!

Sky On Fire is an action movie released in Hong Kong in 2016, and stars Daniel Wu, Joseph Chang Hsiau-Chuen, Amber Kuo Tsai-Chieh, Zhang Jing-Chu, Zhang Ruo-Yun, and Fan Kuang-Yao. The movie was written (along with Sam Chak-Foon and Shen Shi-Qi) and directed by Ringo Lam, with action choreography by Cheung Bing-Chuen. Sky On Fire is Ringo Lam's final film.

Daniel Wu plays a hero who has to make a tough choice.

In Sky On Fire, Daniel Wu plays Tin Bo, the chief security officer (and mourning the death of his wife) at Sky One, a top-secret medical facility in Hong Kong. The top scientists at Sky One, Tang (played by Fan Kuang-Yao) and Ko Yu (played by the incredible Zhang Jing-Chu), (who are also husband and wife) have found a way to use stem cells to cure cancer. Tang is driven by money, Ko Yu is driven by helping people. As you can imagine, their relationship is strained.

Brother and sister getting in over their heads. They really care about each other.

Jia (played by Joseph Chang Hsiau-Chuen) has only one person in his life that he cares about, his little sister Jane (played by Amber Kuo Tsai-Chieh). Unfortunately, Jane has a very rare cancer that is in the end stage. Jia is desperate for help, and the only way she can get treated is by going to a special medical facility. After being rejected from being seen by a doctor there, they stumble onto a robbery of a truck full of the stem cells being used to cure cancer! They somehow get into the truck being stolen, along with one of the robbers, Zi Wan (played by Zhang Ruo-Yun), with Tin Bo and his security troop in pursuit.

We later find out Zi Wan's father was in charge of the research done on those stem cells, and that his father died in a fire. Zi Wan wants revenge on Sky One for this. All Jia cares about is getting his sister the treatment she needs. They work together to get her the treatment, with Tin Bo having to make a choice on who to work for: Tang or Ko Yu. Let's just say, there is a final showdown at Sky One...

Sky On Fire is Ringo Lam's last movie before he passed away, and it is the last movie in his "On Fire" series. This movie is...just okay. The action is good, the movie looks slick and cool, but the story is lacking a bit. The whole story is given out slowly throughout the movie, during flashbacks and explanations. Which is fine, but there is still a lot that is not explained. Things just happen all of a sudden sometimes. It does make the movie kind of hard to follow. Despite that, it kept my interest throughout. You do care about Jane, and hope that she gets the treatment she needs. Daniel Wu is a stoic hero who has to choose between helping those in need or following his boss's orders. Joseph Chang Hsiau-Chuen as Jia is great as the selfless brother. Of course, Zhang Jing-Chu kills it as the heartbroken scientist who just wants to help people. Great actors in this movie, the story is just lacking in depth.

The action is very good in this one!

The action in this movie is pretty good. There is one major fight scene in this. Daniel Wu takes on Li Hai-Tao in a close-quarters fight. The choreography is good, but they can't really go all out in the small space they are fighting in. Still, it's an enjoyable fight. The rest of the action is car chases, gun battles, and explosions. The vehicle action is good, with some cool crashes. The gunplay is good, too. I will say, there is a lot of CGI/camera tricks in the action scenes. It's fine, because it is safer for the actors and stuntmen, but it is very noticeable.

So, should you watch Sky On Fire? If you are a Hong Kong movie purist, and want to see the legendary Ringo Lam's final movie, or you just want to watch a fun action movie, I say yes. Otherwise, it's just an above average action movie. If you're looking for something deeper, you may be disappointed. I liked it for what it was, but this is not one of Ringo Lam's best. The actors and action are great in this, but as I said before, the story is a bit lacking in detail. I do actually want to watch this again, though!

Reviewed by David Williams

Dead Or Alive (1999) - A Review

 

Dead Or Alive is one dark, violent, and perverted movie.

Dead Or Alive is an action/thriller yakuza movie released in Japan in 1999 (and has nothing to do with the video game). It stars Show Aikawa, Riki Takeuchi, Renji Ishibashi, Susumu Terajima, and Michisuke Kashiwaya. Dead Or Alive was directed by the legendary Takashi Miike.

Show Aikawa as Detective Jojima. He is a troubled cop who will stop at nothing to capture the suspect.

In Dead Or Alive, Show Aikawa plays Detective Jojima, a cop who has been hired by Aoki (played by Renji Ishibashi) a Yakuza boss, to find the crooks who boldly stole money from his business. Detective Jojima takes the job because his daughter needs a life saving surgery that is very expensive. Detective Jojima, along with his partner Detective Inoue (played by Susumu Terajima), go through the Japanese underworld searching for clues about the gang and their ringleader...

Riki Takeuchi as Ryūichi. He is basically a manga/anime character come to life!

Riki Takeuchi plays Ryūichi, a very ambitious gangster who leads his group in a robbery of Yakuza boss Aoki's money. Ryūichi's gang is small, but they have been friends since childhood so they trust each other with their lives. During this time, Ryūichi picks up his younger brother Toji (played by Michisuke Kashiwaya), who has been going to college in the United States. They suffer a falling out after a betrayal occurs within the gang. Things deteriorate for Ryūichi and the gang from there...

Through a series of unfortunate events, they ultimately must end it face to face.

Detective Jojima gets on Ryūichi's trail, and even brings him into the police station for questioning. This meeting does not go well. Things between Jojima and Ryūichi continually escalate, until they have no choice but to end it all face to face.

I originally watched Dead Or Alive in the early 2000s after reading on Asian cinema message boards about how great it is. I remember not liking it that much, until the ending. The ending made it all worth it. Watching it now in 2022, it seems like a totally different movie from what I watched back then! I must have watched the R-rated edited version back then. That version had all of the extreme violence, perverse sexuality, and basically most of the personality edited out. I must say, the stuff that was edited out...I can understand. There is some gross stuff in this! There is some close to pornographic stuff in this movie as well. So, watch out for that if you're wanting to watch this movie.

What's great about Dead Or Alive is the pace. The scenes go by quickly, kind of bombarding the viewer with sex and violence at the start, then slows down as we get to know the characters. As everything escalates, the emotions of Jojima and Ryūichi come to a boil. When they face each other at the end, all the tension is released...and then perhaps the greatest ending to a movie ever happens. The movie may seem slow and meandering, but this is done for a reason. The ending is a total shocker! The performances of the two leads are excellent as well.

In conclusion, Dead Or Alive is a grim, gritty, hyper violent and hyper sexual movie with an amazing ending. This movie isn't for everyone! It should be seen for the ending alone. It is able to keep the viewer's interest throughout with sudden bouts of violence or shocking situations. So, if you are going to watch it, watch the unedited version (you could watch the edited version, but it is a lot less impactful), and stick with it to the end. Trust me, it's worth it. You will never forget that finale!

Reviewed by David Williams

[Fight Scene Friday] Wake Up Juice - Messy martial arts mayhem (Eric Jacobus)

 It's Friday, and you know what that means! It's Fight Scene Friday™! This week's scene is a short film called Wake Up Juice! It was directed by Tylor Bohlman and produced by Blair Kelly. Stunt choreography was done by the extremely talented and underrated Eric Jacobus!

Eric Jacobus ran a message board back in the day called The Stuntpeople (named after his stunt group), and that is where amateur/indie stunt groups would share their latest fight scenes. I only lurked there, but I always hoped to one day share a film there. That's pretty hard to do when you have no one to work with. The Stuntpeople board is no more, but the fight scenes shared there live on on YouTube. Check this one out, it's wild!

 

Police Story III (Supercop) and Police Story Trilogy Box Set Trailers

 Eureka! Classics is releasing Jackie Chan's Police Story III: Supercop remastered on Blu-Ray and in 4k! It will be released on its own and as part of The Police Story Trilogy box set! This is great! This is a Region B only release (though, 4K releases are region-free, so...) It's coming out later this year, but you can pro-order now!

On a personal note, I have been looking for Police Story III unedited for decades now! Hopefully I can get this set (even though I don't have a 4K Blu-Ray player or even a 4K TV yet). If not, I hope something like this comes out in North America! In any event, I NEED this!

 

Here is The Police Story Trilogy Box Set trailer:

Fighter In The Wind (2004) - A Review

 

An underrated martial arts masterpiece.

Fighter In The Wind is a South Korean martial arts biopic/drama starring Yang Dong-geun, Jung Tae-woo, Aya Hirayama, Masaya Kato, and Jung Doo-hong. It was directed by Yang Yun-ho, with Jung Doo-hong in charge of fight choreography and stunts.

Fighter In The Wind is based on the real life martial artist Masutatsu Ōyama (known as Mas Oyama) and the manga that was written based on his life, Karate Baka Ichidai. Mas Oyama is the legendary martial arts master who founded Kyokushin karate, with many students, including Sonny Chiba and Etsuko Shihomi, who trained under him. The Street Fighter video game character of Ryu and the Art Of Fighting video game character of Mr. Karate are based on him. Mas Oyama was famous for being able to chop the horns off of bulls with his bare hands, among many other things.

Yang Dong-geun as Choi Bae-dal. Yang is amazing in this!

In Fighter In The Wind, Yang Dong-geun plays Choi Bae-dal, a young Korean man who wants to enlist in the Japanese air force to become a fighter pilot during World War II. On the way to sneaking into Japan he meets Chun-bae (played by Jung Tae-woo), a fellow Korean and con man. A few years later, Choi Bae-dal stands up to his commander, Kato (played by Masaya Kato), who has been abusing the Korean soldiers on his squad. Kato tells Bae-dal if he can defeat him with his 'inferior' martial arts style, he will release the Korean soldiers. Kato easily defeats Bae-dal, but the American air force attack the Japanese military base, which allows Bae-dal and the other Korean soldiers to escape.

Humiliated by the defeat, and never getting the chance to become a fighter pilot, Bae-dal ends up helping Chun-bae run a pachinko stall in a Japanese market. The Yakuza come looking for their protection money from Chun-bae, but Bae-dal stands up to them. The Yakuza end up humiliating Bae-dal as well, giving him an insulting nickname. Bum-soo (played by Jung Doo-hong) saves Bae-dal using some incredible martial arts! Bum-soo is a fellow Korean from Bae-dal's past. Bum-soo invites Bae-dal and Chun-bae to seek refuge at the circus, where many Koreans are working and saving up money to build something for their children. It is here that Bae-dal asks Bum-soo to teach him his style of martial arts. Bum-soo teaches him, and gives him a book by Miyamoto Musashi (the legendary Japanese swordsman, martial artist, writer, and artist), The Book Of Five Rings, which Bae-dal reads voraciously.

Choi Bae-dal goes through some harsh training to become the best fighter in Japan.

During this time, Bae-dal has become a rickshaw runner, and also saves Japanese women from being raped by American soldiers. He ends up saving a woman named Yoko (played by Aya Hirayama), who ends up becoming intrigued in him. Bae-dal also becomes awkwardly interested in Yoko...

Of course, the Yakuza kill someone important to Bae-dal, and when the Korean troop fight the Yakuza in revenge, Bae-dal is knocked out. After this, Bae-dal goes to the mountains to train in his martial art, and to train his body to take immense amounts of pain. He comes back to the city and challenges every top martial artist in Japan. Bae-dal, now known as Mas Oyama, becomes a media sensation. The Japanese Karate Association, in particular Kato (Bae-dal's former commander), is angry that a foreigner is beating the best Japanese martial artists. The Association send an assassin after Bae-dal, who is forced to defend himself. After this fight, Bae-dal vows to never fight again, and goes to the assassin's family to redeem himself. Eventually, Bae-dal returns to the city and finds out Kato has challenged him to a duel...

I remember first hearing about this movie on an Asian cinema message board I used to belong to in the early 2000s. A lot of people would say Fighter In The Wind was one of the best current (at the time) martial arts movies out there. For whatever reason, I didn't really look this movie up back then. I thought it was a remake of a 70s martial arts movie. I still did try to buy it back then, but it was always out of print or not available in my region. Close to twenty years later, I've finally watched it. It was worth the wait! This movie is so good. Even though it does follow the classic martial arts movie template, it goes a bit deeper into Bae-dal's motivations. He explains quite clearly why he needs to win. We see in his fights how he achieves his wins. Even though Bae-dal is a prodigious martial arts warrior, he is a human being as well. You feel for him, and root him on as he rises up from nothing to becoming a hero.

The fight scenes are powerful and hard-hitting.

The fight scenes in Fighter In The Wind are quick and hard-hitting. They show off the beauty and the power of traditional martial arts. The fight scenes are filmed really close up, so sometimes you literally don't get the full picture of what's going on. It is similar to Tsui Hark's The Blade or Wong Kar-wai's Ashes Of Time in that respect, but not to the extreme of those movies. There are some awesome kicks and throws Bae-dal does in his fights, for sure. The fight scenes show Bae-dal's mentality about martial arts and winning. Though the fight scenes are good, the best part of the movie is the story.

I highly recommend Fighter In The Wind. It is a very interesting and engaging martial arts biopic of a legendary martial artist. The story beats may seem familiar (it is very similar to Ip Man and Huo Yuanjia, also known as Jet Li's Fearless), but it is so well done and stands on its own. The acting is excellent, the fight scenes are exciting, and the movie is pretty inspiring. Check this movie out, it's amazing!

Reviewed by David Williams

[Fight Scene Friday] Osu 2

 It's Friday, which means it's Fight Scene Friday™! This week's scene is an ode to traditional karate, Osu 2. This is a follow up to the original Osu fight scene I shared previously. Vlad Rimburg is back directing, editing and filming this; with him and Brendon Huor in charge of fight choreography. Osu 2 stars Brendon Huor, Nate Hitpas, Tony Vittorioso, and Micah Karns. Check it out, this one rocks!

(This is also a hint of the movie review I'm working on right now...)

DECISION TO LEAVE Official International Teaser Trailer

 Here is the teaser trailer for Park Chan-wook's latest movie, Decision To Leave! Here is the synopsis, according to Deadline.com:

Decision to Leave charts the aftermath of a man falling from a mountain peak to his death. The detective in charge of the investigation, Hae-joon, comes to meet the dead man’s wife Seo-rae. When she becomes a suspect, Hae-joon finds himself slowly developing an interest in her.

 The movie stars Tang Wei and Park Hae-il, and is directed by Park Chan-wook. Decision To Leave will come out later this year (2022) and then stream exclusively on Mubi next year (2023). All I have to say is, Park Chan-wook is one of my all-time favorite directors, so I absolutely cannot wait to watch this one!

 

Shin Kamen Rider Teaser Trailer

 Three days late to the party, but here is the latest teaser trailer for Shin Kamen Rider, a reboot movie being released on the 50th anniversary of the original Kamen Rider TV show. Kamen Rider is a classic, long-running tokusatsu series (of TV shows, movies, and manga) about a masked insect-inspired superhero who rides a cool motorcycle and fights kaijin (monstrous super villains). Hideaki Anno is the writer and director of this movie, which means he's worked on Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman, and Shin Kamen Rider so far. He is really working on some classic franchises! This looks like it's going to rock, so I can't wait to see this one!

Shin Kamen Rider comes out on March 2023!

 

The Untold Story (1993) - A Review

One of the more infamous Category III films. You are not prepared for this one!

 The Untold Story is a crime thriller movie released in Hong Kong in 1993, and stars Anthony Wong, Danny Lee, Emily Kwan, Eric Kei, King Kong Lam, Parkman Wong, Julie Lee Wa-Yuet, and Shing Fui-On. This movie was directed by Herman Yau, and is one of the most infamous Category III  exploitation films ever made.

Anthony Wong plays a MONSTER in this movie.

 In The Untold Story, Anthony Wong plays Wong Chi-hang, an extremely disturbed and determined man who runs The Eight Immortals Restaurant in Macau. He wants to transfer ownership of the restaurant to himself, but his lawyers will not help him without the signature of the previous owner, Cheng Lam. One day, kids find severed limbs on the beach, and the police are called to investigate it. While the cops are goofing off at work, they receive a message from a man seeking help in finding his missing brother...Cheng Lam. They ignore it at first, but after the identity of one of the severed arms is discovered, they become interested in Wong Chi-hang and the restaurant.

 The cops question Wong Chi-hang and Pearl (played by Julie Lee Wa-Yuet), his cashier. Wong is cooperative, and gives the cops fresh pork buns. Pearl is cooperative as well, but a little too cooperative to Wong's liking. The cops voraciously eat the pork buns at the police station, and that night Wong makes Pearl pay for being truthful with the cops in horrific fashion...

The bumbling cops on the case. They provide the comedy in this dark and grim movie.

 The cops put Wong under surveillance, and they catch him getting rid of evidence. They arrest him, but Wong does everything he can to escape the cops and being charged with murder. Basically, the lead officer (played by Danny Lee) gets his team to torture Wong to get him to finally confess. What he confesses to is... absolutely appalling...

 The Untold Story is based on a true story. Knowing that makes this movie that much harder to watch. This movie is brutal. It is definitely a Category III film (Category III films in Hong Kong would be classified as Rated X or NC-17 in America). This is a warning: there is an absolutely brutal rape in this, and some brutal, ruthless killing. This is not a movie to watch when children are around...

 Despite that, there is comedy in this. The bumbling cops are always joking with each other, and they are especially rude to Bo (played by Emily Kwan), the only woman on their team. The jokes are sexual and sexist, so be prepared for that! Their lead officer, Lee is also constantly bringing his dates to work...which is pretty weird. Despite being a womanizer, he is a good detective. Which is a good thing, because Wong is quite the elusive suspect.

The violence is extreme, bordering on offensive.

 Anthony Wong. His performance in this. Incredible. He plays one of the creepiest, sickest, most disturbing bastards I've ever seen in movies. I actually hate him in this! What makes his performance great is that you kind of have a little sympathy for him when he's getting tortured by the police. That's just the sympathetic/empathetic side to me, I guess. Then I remember what he did to get tortured, and my sympathy goes out the window. Anthony Wong is a monster in The Untold Story, plain and simple. He actually won the Best Actor award for his performance in this movie, and I have to say, it is well deserved.

 Should you see The Untold Story? Even though it is a classic Hong Kong movie, I can't fully recommend it. If you like cult classics, exploitation films, horror movies, or just extreme cinema, then you'll love this one. For everyone else, give it a try if you are very curious, but don't say I didn't warn you. You need to see Anthony Wong's performance at the very least. He is amazingly disturbed in this. As for myself, I just had to watch this at least once, after reading about it in a book on Hong Kong cinema. Decades after reading about it, I finally watched it, and I was actually hesitant to see it. Curiosity overpowered me, and you know what they say about curiosity: it killed the cat.

(The cat being my innocent soul in this case.)

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by David Williams

[Fight Scene Friday] SHANG CHI X EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE MULTIVERSE PARODY

 It's Fight Scene Friday™, and this week we have a parody of Shang Chi and Everything Everywhere All At Once done by the Martial Club crew! This scene is in tribute to Michelle Yeoh as well, who they worked with on both movies. This scene is wild, it's wacky, it's Martial Club!

The Crow (1994) - A Review

 

The Crow lives up to the hype, but is also underrated nowadays.

The Crow is superhero action thriller movie released in America in 1994, and is based on the graphic novel/comic by James O'Barr. It stars Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, Rochelle Davis, Michael Wincott, Bai Ling, Tony Todd, Michael Massee, and Jon Polito. The Crow was directed by Alex Proyas, with fight choreography by Jeff Imada and Brandon Lee.

The avenging angel. Brandon Lee rules in this.

In The Crow, Brandon Lee plays Eric Draven, a musician who gets ruthlessly murdered on Devil's Night after walking in on his fiance Shelly getting raped and beaten by a gang. Police Sergeant Albrecht (played by Ernie Hudson) is on the scene of the crime when a little girl, Sarah (played by Rochelle Davis) tells him that Eric Draven and his fiance were her friends and took care of her. Albrecht has to tell her that Eric Draven is dead and Shelly is in really bad shape...

One year later Eric Draven rises from the grave, and goes back to his apartment (where his murder took place). He gets flashbacks of his murder and the torture of his fiance, and vows to seek revenge on the gang that did this to her. Guided by a crow, he discovers that any wounds he sustains heals immediately. He can also see what the crow that is guiding him sees, so he is able to find every gang member involved and kills them in the way that they hurt his fiance.

Sarah and Albrecht are the only ones who Eric Draven trusts. Ernie Hudson is awesome in this, by the way.

The police begin investigating the murders of these gang members, and Albrecht (who got demoted) gets the heat for not immediately finding the culprit. Eric Draven makes himself known to Sarah and later Albrecht, who he explains what's going on with him to. The gang leader, Top Dollar wants this year's Devil's Night to be the biggest one ever, but is also intrigued by the presence of Eric Draven. As things unfold, Eric Draven must finish his quest for revenge and face off with Top Dollar...

First off, The Crow is amazing! I had no expectations, really, about this movie but man, this movie rules. The story, mood, the music, the cinematography, the editing, the acting, and especially the performance of Brandon Lee make this movie a classic. The movie is dark and brooding, yet psychedelic in some scenes. The music is classic early 90s grunge rock (which I am a fan of) and fits the movie; it doesn't feel out of place or inappropriate. The look of the city in this movie, in particular, the architecture, is amazingly gothic. So many cool shots of the buildings in this city. It really is a visual treat. This is definitely a 90s movie, yet it is timeless at the same time.  

Top Dollar and Myca are one brother/sister duo you do not want to mess with.

Brandon Lee is just amazing in this. He plays Eric Draven as a poetic avenger; he shows no mercy to the criminals who killed his fiance, but shows he still cares about Sarah and certain others. He is dark and brooding, yet he has an angelic quality about him. Brandon Lee is charismatic as heck in this. Every time he is on screen, you cannot look away. He is graceful, whether he is walking the rainy, crime ridden streets or mowing down gangsters with powerful weaponry. Lee does get to show off some of his fighting skills, but it was shot in the 90s Hollywood way, so you don't get the full picture of what he can do. Brandon Lee is the man in The Crow, and is the main reason you should watch it. Excellent performance from him.

I first heard of The Crow when I saw the news reports of Brandon Lee's death on set. I was shocked and depressed that this could have happened to Bruce Lee's son. After that, I wanted to see the movie, but I was hesitant about it as well. Turns out, I never would be able to watch it back then. It never came on the TV channels I had, I never seemed to find it at the video rental stores or in retail stores. I couldn't see it in theaters because it was rated R. Finally, in May of 2022, I found it on a streaming site (Pluto TV), and I finally watched it. I loved it. I think I would have loved it back then, too. It is good to know that so many people love this movie, and love Brandon Lee's performance in it.

So yes, you should watch The Crow. It may not be the best movie ever made, but Brandon Lee's performance makes it a must see. The Crow may not be comic accurate, but it is still a good adaptation. It is also a very influential movie, with pro wrestler Sting and even The Punisher, and The Dark Knight Rises taking inspiration from it. Watch The Crow, you won't be disappointed. You will wonder why a rising star had to be taken so soon, though.

The man.

Reviewed by David Williams

THE DEER KING | Theatrical Announcement Trailer

 Check out the trailer for The Deer King, Masashi Ando's directorial debut. Here is the synopsis:

In the aftermath of a brutal war, former soldier Van toils in a mine controlled by the ruling empire. One day, his solitary existence is upended when a pack of wild dogs carrying a deadly and incurable disease attack, leaving only Van and a young girl named Yuna as survivors. Finally free, the pair seek out a simple existence in the countryside but are pursued by nefarious forces. Intent on protecting Yuna at all costs, Van must uncover the true cause of the plague ravaging the kingdom—and its possible cure.

GKIDS will show the film in a fan preview event in the U.S. on July 13, 2022 (in Japanese with English subtitles) and on the 14th with the English dub. Masashi Ando will give a special introduction at the fan preview events. The Deer King will get a limited release starting on July 15, 2022. If you want to see it, tickets go on sale June 10, 2022.

The Deer King looks really interesting to me! I will say, what the movie deals with hits a little too close to home with what's going on in the world right now. Still, I need to see this one!

 

Searching (2018) - A Review

 

Searching is a compelling, modern mystery.

Searching is an American mystery thriller movie released in 2018, and stars John Cho, Debra Messing,  Michelle La, and Joseph Lee. This movie was written (along with Sevak Ohanian) and directed by  Aneesh Chaganty in his directorial debut.

John Cho makes you feel for him in this movie, with just his face visible throughout most of it.

 In Searching, John Cho plays David Kim, the single father of  teenage daughter Margot Kim (played by Michelle La). They seem to have a pretty good relationship, with Margot being focused on school and playing piano while David also hangs out with his brother Peter Kim (played by Joseph Lee). One night, Margot goes to study with her friends; as David sleeps, Margot calls three times, but he doesn't answer. The next morning, David finds the call notifications and tries to call her back. Margot doesn't respond. Worried, he contacts Margot's piano teacher, who tells him some surprising news. After this, David calls the police for help in finding his missing daughter, and Detective Rosemary Vick is in charge of the case. David goes through all of Margot's social media profiles to find info to help Detective Vick with the case. He soon finds out that he doesn't really know his daughter at all...

Michelle La as Margot Kim. Margot is a typical teenager... or so it seems.

 Searching takes place all on a computer screen. Dave Kim goes through real web sites like Google and Facebook to find info about his daughter and her last known location. It is actually very similar to the movie, Unfriended in that way. Where that was an over the top horror movie, Searching is more of a tense thriller. You really feel for Dave Kim throughout this movie, and John Cho does a great job showing the frustration, desperation, and drive in finding his daughter. It's amazing, as most of his performance is focused on his face. Michelle La plays Margot as a normal teenage girl, who is going through some things... Debra Messing as Detective Vick is a tough, no nonsense cop who is dedicated to resolving the case. Since this is a mystery movie, I am keeping this review vague, but trust me there are some twists and turns in this one!

It was very cool to see Debra Messing in this kind of role.

So, should you see Searching? I would say yes. It's really good! It had me interested and involved throughout its runtime. I mean, it's pretty cool seeing a story unfold on a web browser. It has some good red herrings, but everything is hinted at throughout the film (I figured it out by the middle of the movie). I will say, to me, it seemed a little too easy to get into profiles, things are a bit too coincidental, and the ending can be considered a bit far-fetched (but it could still happen as it does in the movie), but this is to be expected in a Hollywood film. This movie will make you think about what you share online and in real life, and it will make you thankful and a bit fearful of the interconnected technological world we live in. Check out Searching, it's quite the ride!

Reviewed by David Williams

THE ASSISTANT OFFICIAL TRAILER (2022)

 Check out the official trailer for The Assistant, a Malaysian action film directed by Adrian Teh. I have found many different synopsis's for this movie, so I've tried to put them all together to make sense of what the movie is about. Hopefully this is correct!

The action-thriller tells the story of Zafik who was wrongfully imprisoned. After losing everything, he meets the unhinged Feroz, who seems to always show up at just the right time, who ends up assisting him in seeking revenge.  As time goes on, Zafik begins to wonder about Feroz`s true motives. Will the assistant make or break him?

The Assistant releases in Malaysia on May 19, 2022. This movie looks very interesting! I hope it gets a worldwide release, because I need to see this one!

 

A shorter trailer with more action scenes:

Song of the Assassins 青面修罗 (2022) Movie Trailer

 Check out the trailer for Song Of The Assassins, the latest movie from director Daniel Lee. Here is what I could find about the plot:

 The film is adapted from Yuan Taiji's novel of the same name. It mainly tells the thrilling story of how a young knight became the number one assassin in the world in the ancient Assassin organization Li Hate Valley.

All I know is, this movie looks awesome! Song Of The Assassins comes out later this year! I can't wait for this one!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] Twisting Tiger (Martial Arts Hood Drama) 2022

 It's Fight Scene Friday™, and this week I'm sharing a short film done by the Team Red Pro crew. Twisting Tiger is finally out, and man, this is really good! If you remember, I posted the first five minutes of this short film a few months ago, and the full thing is already out on YouTube. I think it came out great! Not only is Joseph Le the director and action director, but the Martial Club crew is involved as well! Tarell Kota Bullock plays the main character, and he really gets to show off his prodigious martial arts skill. Enough of my yammering, just check it out!

 

Tokyo Gore Police (2008) - A Review

 

Not what I was expecting going into it. One of the bloodiest movies I've ever seen!

Tokyo Gore Police is an action/horror splatter movie released in Japan in 2008. The film stars Eihi Shiina, Itsuji Itao, Shun Sugata, Yukihide Benny, Ikuko Sawada, and Tak Sakaguchi. Tokyo Gore Police was co-written (along with Kengo Kaji and Sayako Nakoshi), edited and directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura, with Tak Sakaguchi directing fight choreography.

Eihi Shiina as Ruka. Even though I love this actress, she scares the heck out of me after seeing her in Audition!

In Tokyo Gore Police, Eihi Shiina plays Ruka, a highly skilled member of the Engineer Hunters, a section of the Tokyo police force tasked with hunting and killing 'Engineers'. Engineers are humans stricken with a virus that causes them to turn into monsters when they receive injuries. Weapons grow from these injuries, causing the Engineers to go on uncontrollable rampages. Ruka is an expert at killing the Engineers, but is more concerned with finding the assassin who murdered her father right in front of her. She also cuts herself. Her quest for revenge puts her on the trail of the Key Man (played by Itsuji Itao), a rather sick and sadistic Engineer. Things go terribly in their confrontation, leading Ruka to find out she and the Key Man are after the same person. Ruka levels up and destroys everyone and everything in her path to find the person who killed her father...

The first Engineer encountered in Tokyo Gore Police. They get weirder and more grotesque as the movie goes on...

First of all, Tokyo Gore Police is one of the most violent, bloody, gory movies I've ever seen. It totally lives up to the name! I think Yoshihiro Nishimura, the writer and director, had the goal of making one of the grossest, bloodiest movies ever. He definitely succeeded! I must say, this movie reminds me of Robocop in a way. Not only is it disturbingly violent, but it has satirical elements as well. The police force in Japan has become privatized, and they run horribly violent commercials promoting their services in protecting the people. The police force, and the Engineer Hunters do whatever they have to do to capture criminals and Engineers. The movie also has fake commercials for others products, like specialized knives to slit your wrists with. This movie is pretty messed up. Ruka is just a cog in the police force at first, but ends up fighting against it (in hyper violent fashion).

To me, Tokyo Gore Police is like a live action anime/manga. Everything is a bit heightened: the violence, the acting, and the visuals. The villains are very over the top. It is a very dark, yet colorful movie. As you can imagine, red is a major color throughout. Ruka, the main character, is the only one who acts naturally and a bit understated. Then again, the way she gets up a building at the start of the movie gives you an idea of what kind of movie this is.

You do NOT want to know where that blood is spewing from!

 Back to the violence. Blood squirts, spurts, spills, splashes, and splatters throughout Tokyo Gore Police. Blood often splats on the screen during violent dismemberments. Limbs go flying, heads explode, bullets go through bodies, and copious amounts of blood accompany all of it. It's crazy how much blood and gore is in this. There is one scene where an appendage is separated from a person's body, and blood just sprays out non-stop for like five minutes while the person screams in horror/pain. Frankly, I had no idea that part of the body has that much blood flowing through it! There is also a rather horrifying 'cannon' displayed in this movie. There are so many disturbing visuals in this. So many grotesque looking characters as well. The practical special effects and makeup are pretty good, for the most part.

I could describe every gross thing in this movie, but you just have to see it for yourself. Do I recommend watching Tokyo Gore Police? Not really. It is not a bad movie, but it is extreme to the max. People that love horror/gory movies absolutely need to see this one, for sure. For the rest of the population, watch it if you dare. It is not for the faint-hearted, or for those that are sensitive to blood, guts, self-harming, or extreme violence. This movie is wild, extreme, crazy, and amazing. Watch the movie and bathe in the bloody madness.

Reviewed by David Williams