Emergency Declaration 비상선언 (2022) - Movie Trailer

 Check out the trailer for Emergency Declaration, starring Lee Byung-hun, Kim Nam-gil, Jeon Do-yeon, and Song Kang-ho. It was directed by Han Jae-rim and is based on a true story. Here is the synopsis:

The movie’s plot centers around a commercial airplane that faces a never-before-experienced crisis situation while in flight — an onboard virus outbreak — which forces the pilot to pursue unconventional emergency measures.

I personally can't wait to see this movie! Emergency Declaration may hit a little too close to home, considering what's going on in the world today. Still, this movie looks like it could be amazing! Emergency Declaration comes out globally in August!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] NGHĨA KHÍ ANH HÙNG | ACTION C | Shot on Xperia PRO-I

 This week's Fight Scene Friday™ is a short film from a Vietnamese stunt group! It was shot using a Sony Xperia Pro cell phone, too! This has some nice action, though the dialogue is not translated. Still, you can get what is going on, and the fights rock! This scene helps prove that you don't need a fancy camera to make a movie (though the phone they used is expensive). Go out there and film!

 

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

Alienoid 외계+인 1부 (2022) - Movie Trailer

 Here is the trailer for Alienoid, a South Korean sci-fi action movie starring Ryoo Joon-Yeol, Kim Tae-Ri, and Kim Woo-Bin. This movie was written and directed by  Choi Dong-Hoon. Here is a synopsis:

During the Goryeo dynasty, Taoists try to take a legendary divine sword. In the present day, aliens appear on Earth. A time door soon appears between the late Goryeo dynasty period and the present day. Due to this, a chaotic situations occur.

I don't know about you, but I think this looks awesome! I cannot wait to watch this one! Alienoid comes out July 20, 2022 in South Korea. Hopefully it gets an international release!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] SIDE A and B: SHORT FILM | JUDO | GRAPPLING | MIXTAPE | SYNTHWAVE | POWER GLOVE

 This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene is a 2-part mixtape of judo and grappling! Emmanuel Manzanares directed, shot, edited, designed the action, choreographed, and coordinated the fights in these scenes, so you know it's good! Check it out, and vibe with it!

Side A:

 

 Side B:

 

THE KILLER Teaser Trailer

 Here is the teaser trailer for The Killer, from director Choi Jae-Hoon and starring Jang Hyuk and Anne. This is not a remake of the John Woo classic, by the way. Here is the synopsis:

Tells a story about a retired killer named Bang Ui Gang who gets swept up in a case while using violence to protect an adolescent girl he suddenly becomes in charge of. Kim Yun Ji is an ordinary high school student, but she has a lot of hidden scars because she has no one she can depend on. After her unexpected meeting with Bang Ui Gang, she will heal some of her inner pain. 

This movie looks dark and action packed! It comes out in the United States on July 13, 2022. I cannot wait to see this one!

 

 

Office (2015) - A Review

 

Office is not the movie I was expecting!

Office (also known as Opiseu) is a mystery/thriller/horror movie released in South Korea in 2015 and stars  Go Ah-sung, Park Sung-woong, Bae Seong-woo, Ryu Hyun-kyung, Lee Chae-eun, Park Jeong-min, Kim Eui-sung, and Son Soo-hyun. The movie was directed by Hong Won-Chan.

Go Ah-sung as Lee Mi-rae. Great performance from her!

In Office, Go Ah-sung plays Lee Mi-Rae, a young intern who works at an office for a large company. Mi-Rae is very introverted and a bit meek. She is a focused, diligent worker who just hopes to eventually get hired full-time by the company. Her co-workers treat her very badly, not inviting her to company events, talking behind her back, and ridiculing her work ethic. The only person who treated her with kindness and respect was Kim Byeong-Gook (played by Bae Sung-woo), the section chief of her office.

Unfortunately, as we find out at the beginning of the movie, Mr. Kim brutally murdered his family and has gone missing. The police are searching for him and trying to get background information on him from his co-workers. Detective Jong-Hoon (played by Park Sung-woong) is in charge of the case, and he can tell everyone at the office is hiding something from him...

Bae Seong-woo as Mr. Kim. What, if anything, made him snap?

 The police find out Mr. Kim returned to the office right after the murder, but that he never left. Detective Jong-Hoon focuses on the office, and even shows kindness towards Mi-rae. Unfortunately for Mi-rae, the stress at her job is building up, her co-workers are being even more harsh towards her, and her raging jerk of a boss has hired a new, beautiful intern. Will Detective Jong-Hoon find Mr. Kim, and can Mi-rae survive her toxic workplace environment?

Office is a movie where there are several things going on with the story. On the surface, it is a mystery/thriller/horror movie, where you wonder if the killer will get caught before he kills again. Then there is the underlying story of working in an office (or any other job) and dealing with the politics and trying to get ahead. It is kind of a story about life itself. There is another element, but saying what it is would spoil the movie, so just know that this element is what people who dislike the movie don't understand about it. I think the way the movie handles all these elements is pretty clever.

Lee Mi-rae is treated as an outsider by her co-workers.

The actors do a great job in portraying their characters. Go Ah-sung is incredibly sympathetic as Lee Mi-rae. You see her struggle to be accepted at her job and how her co-workers are so hard on her; you just want to see her succeed. You really hope she doesn't succumb to the toxic workplace environment... Bae Seong-woo plays Mr. Kim as a nice, kind, and sympathetic man until he murders his family. After that, he is completely creepy! There are some good scares involving his character! Kim Eui-sung plays Director Kim Sang-Gyu, Lee Mi-rae's boss. He is such a raging jerk, you can't help but hate him (though this character isn't as much of a bastard as the one he plays in Train To Busan). Lee Mi-rae's co-workers, especially Hong Ji-Sun (played by Ryu Hyun-kyung) are such jerks to her, you can't stand them. I've worked with people like them, so I'm a bit biased towards Lee Mi-rae for the most part.

In conclusion, Office is a pretty good thriller. I say give it a chance. The acting is great, the story is layered, and there are some pretty shocking twists and turns. Everything that happens to certain characters is explained in the movie, you just have to make a certain leap in logic to understand it. Go Ah-sung is so good in this; you should watch this movie for her performance alone. This is the kind of movie that'll have you thinking about it long after you've watched it.

Reviewed by David Williams