Slate (2021) - A Review

A really good martial arts fantasy.

 Slate is a fantasy/action/swordplay movie released in South Korea in 2021, and stars Ahn Ji Hye, Lee Min Ji, Jong Ho, Jo Sun Ki, Jung Jin Woo, Lee Se Ho, and Park Tae San. Slate was directed by Bareun Jo.

Cha Yeon Hee, played by Ahn Ji Hye, just wants to be a heroine.

 In Slate, Ahn Ji Hye plays Cha Yeon Hee, a woman who has wanted to be a heroine since being orphaned as a child. To do this, she has studied martial arts, stunt work, and acting to become an actress in the Korean film industry. She gets called in for an audition for the lead role in an action movie, but she finds out it's not exactly the role she wants. Despite being told that she will never be cast as a heroine, she takes the job anyway. Yeon Hee arrives at the set with her friend early, and as they explore, the friend finds a wooden slate (or clapper/clapboard). As the friend claps the slate, Yeon Hee wishes she was a heroine...

 Next thing Yeon Hee knows, it's evening and she's on a random street. A gang, led by Dong Ja Roo (played by Jong Ho), are demanding money from some townspeople. Seeing the prop sword Yeon Hee is carrying, Kim Ji Na (played by Lee Min Ji) assumes she is the Soul Slayer, the only person who can help her town fight against Taepyeongso (leader of the villainous Dragon Clan). Ghoster, a missing Youtuber (played by Jung Jin Woo), informs Yeon Hee that they are in a parallel world where things are not exactly the same (Korea is in warring states period, there's no internet/wi-fi, and people openly carry swords). After fighting off thugs with her prop sword, Yeon Hee realizes why she is there: to be a heroine! Yeon Hee is up to the challenge, but Taepyeongso is dying and his two top men, Priest (played by Lee Se Ho) and Mr. Phillip (played by Park Tae San) are vying for control. Also, the real Soul Slayer (played by Jo Sun Ki) arrives to deal with Taepyeongso, but is baffled when the townspeople pay him no mind. Everything comes to a head, with betrayals, unlikely allies, and sword fights aplenty.

The Priest, and Mr. Phillip behind him, are not good people.

 Slate is a nice action fantasy movie. The characters and situations are believable (even though this is a fantasy with mystical elements), and even the action is realistic (for the most part). There is some comedy in this, both of the subtle and laugh out loud variety. Jong Ho as Dong Ja Roo provides the comic relief; he is fiercely passionate, emotional, and loyal. Jo Sun Ki as the real Soul Slayer is also funny in his somewhat arrogant, yet humbled role. Even though Cha Yeon Hee is ready and capable of being a heroine, she is not perfect. In fact, she comes out of some fights gravely injured. She is determined to do the right thing and stop the injustice and protect the people at all costs. Ahn Ji Hye does a great job playing Cha Yeon Hee. You can tell she is a strong person in real life. Lee Min Ji, as Kim Ji Na, plays a strong town leader that is beloved by the people. She is great in this. Another thing I liked about this movie was that there was no romance or love interests. Yeon Hee was focused on upholding justice throughout.

Slate has some nice sword fighting scenes. Ahn Ji Hye does awesome in her scenes.

 The action in Slate is all sword-based. There is some nice choreography on display, and Ahn Ji Hye shows that she has some serious skills as a sword fighter. She even throws in some nice kicks as well. Though there is a lot of sword fighting, it doesn't get too over the top with the blood and gore. I would say it is pretty realistic with its depiction of blood loss in this movie. The most graphic scene is a surprise death, and even then the movie doesn't dwell on it.The action is fast and razor sharp, but the choreography is more on the realistic side. There's nothing wrong with that, as the fights are exciting.

 So, should you watch Slate? I would say it's not a must see movie, but if you like action movies, sword fighting, comedy, cool and interesting characters, movies with a nice visual style, and a rocking soundtrack, give it a chance. The plot is easy to follow and understand, the action is good, and the actors all give believable performances. The film references Alice In Wonderland throughout, but there is a bit of The Wizard Of Oz in it as well. I watched it two times for this review, and I actually liked it even better the second time. Check it out, it's pretty good!

 

 

 SALUTE!!!

 

 

 

Reviewed by David Williams

Death Trance (2005) - A Review

 

This movie doesn't get talked about much anymore in regards to great fight scenes.

Death Trance is a fantasy action movie released in Japan in 2005 starring Tak Sakaguchi, Takamasa Suga, Kentaro Seagal, Yuhki Takeuchi, Honoka Asada, and Yoko Fujita. Yuji Shimomura directed this movie, with Tak Sakaguchi in charge of fight choreography. Death Trance is based on the manga by Kana Takeuchi.

Tak Sakaguchi as Grave. This guy has the moves, and is a great choreographer as well!

In Death Trance, Tak Sakaguchi plays Grave, a master swordsman who has stolen a coffin from a temple. This coffin, legend says, grants any wish to the person who is able to open it. As you can guess, there are many other people who want that coffin. Ryuen (played by Takamasa Suga), an apprentice monk, is sent to get the coffin back and prevent the end of the world. The head monk at the temple tells Ryuen that opening the coffin will free the Goddess of Destruction, causing the end of the world as we know it. He is given a special sword that can only be unsheathed from its saya (scabbard) by the chosen one in order to stop the Goddess of Destruction.

Takamasa Suga as Ryuen. We find out the backstory through him.

Ryuen feels he is not ready for this task, but he goes on anyways. He meets Sid (played by Kentaro Seagal), a stylish loner who is also searching for the coffin. Uneasy allies, they search for the man who stole the coffin, together. A lot of fights occur, between which we find out the backstories of our heroes. What is Grave's ultimate wish? What does Sid wish for? Will Ryuen stop the end of the world from happening? Will the Goddess of Destruction be unleashed?

Kentaro Seagal as Sid. Yes, he is Steven Seagal's son.

Death Trance is a movie that had always been on my radar since my days on Asian cinema message boards back in the day. Everybody said how great it was, and when I finally bought it and watched it...I was underwhelmed. I only watched the DVD once or twice and never again...until recently. On this viewing, I was blown away by it! This movie rocks! I don't know why I didn't like it back then. This movie has some cool fight scenes! The story is very...manga/anime. Everything gets explained along the way, for the most part. I'm sure if you read the manga, you will know who all these characters are and what their deeper backstories and motivations are. Otherwise, some characters are quite mysterious.

I like the look of this movie. It's very otherworldly. A very cool setting, for sure. The characters look appropriately cool as well. There is a little girl in this movie that looks like a manga character come to life! Sid has such stylish hair as well! A lot of the music in Death Trance is done by Dir en grey, if you're into that. The movie is serious for the most part, but there is some crazy stuff that happens as well!

Tak Sakaguchi as Grave is quite mysterious in this movie. He doesn't talk much, but he kicks some major butt throughout! Takama Suga as Ryuen kind of represents the viewer as he encounters all of these crazy characters. Kentaro Seagal plays the tough yet stylish guy. He reminds me of an 80s European New Wave musician in this, in a good way! The actors all do a good job in this.

Death Trance has some awesome fight scenes!

If the story isn't enough to keep your interest, stay for the fight scenes! Tak Sakaguchi is a monster in Death Trance! He kicks butt big time in this! All of the fight scenes are fast and hard-hitting! Sakaguchi throws some great-looking punches in this movie. Maybe because they actually seem to be connecting (especially the ones to the face). His introductory fight is awesome (and the mysterious little girl in the scene seems to love it), as is his fight against some zombie-type creatures. He mows them down, but they just get back up. Fun stuff throughout! The end fight is very anime-ish, though. It fits with the tone of the movie, but it is a bit of a letdown.

So, should you watch Death Trance? If you like manga/anime, awesome fight scenes, Japanese rock music, and cool locations/costumes, then yes. If not, the 'sparse' story may not keep your interest. This movie, and especially its fight scenes, rock!

The Ultimate Edition Steel Book cover of the DVD I watched for this review. I need this movie on Blu-Ray!

Back Cover. Since the steel book is shiny, it was tough taking good pictures of it!

Death Trance Ultimate Edition is a double disc set. One disc has the movie, the other has the special features.

Reviewed by David Williams

Skeleton General (2022) - Movie Trailer

 Here is the trailer for Skeleton General, released today (January 17, 2022) in China! I can't find much information on this movie, but I know it stars He Gang. It is a period/fantasy/mystery/action film, and I think it looks pretty interesting. Hopefully this comes out in other countries (the U.S. for me) in time for Halloween. I'd like to watch this during my scary movie marathon this year!