The slacker comedy comes in many shapes and varieties. You’ve got rom-com Mallrats (1995), straight comedy Friday (1995), dramedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), and comedic thriller The Big Lebowski (1998). Each one uses the slackers at their center to… Read More ›
2021 crime comedy Baby Assassins introduced audiences to assassin/slacker team Mahiro (Saori Izawa) and Chisato (Akari Takaishi) when they stumbled into a face-off with members of the yakuza. Now, they return with a brand-new adventure that finds them on the outs… Read More ›
**Disclaimer: The following home release review was written before additional allegations came out regarding a larger issue with lead actor Tak Sakaguchi, detailed in a March 3rd thread by Tom Mes. We feel it’s important to note that this is… Read More ›
One of the best action films of 2023 is headed to home video and you’ve got a shot to win a copy. Originally released as 1%er, writer/director Yūdai Yamaguchi’s One-Percent Warrior starring Tak Sakaguchi is a meta-martial arts action crime film… Read More ›
There’s a long history of the blind swordsman in storytelling, though the style of action-oriented martial arts films are often referred to as within the subgenre called “zatoichi,” itself a reference to the title character of a Kan Shimozawa story… Read More ›
Who doesn’t love a little meta-angle in their entertainment, something that’s willing to poke fun at itself all while telling its own version of the very thing it’s potentially satirizing? We’re talking movies like Hollywood Shuffle (1987), The Player (1992),… Read More ›
Black Mask (1996) and Dragon Blade (2015) director Daniel Lee Yan-Kong released wuxia action drama Code of the Assassins (青面修罗) in 2022, with it landing on streamer Hi-YAH! at the start of March and on home video via Well GO USA toward… Read More ›
Each country has their history and storytellers often find those histories ripe for the picking when trying to devise ways to entertain. In the U.S., for instance, audiences marveled at cinematic release The Patriot (2000) for its depiction of sacrifice… Read More ›
There are plenty of films which have explored the life of legendary martial artist Ip Man, but few that do the same for creator of the Chin Woo Athletic Association, Master Huo Yuan Jia. Starring Du Yuhang (Kung Fu League)… Read More ›
If someone were to mention Indonesian action cinema, films like The Night Came For Us (2018), The Raid: Redemption (2011) and it’s amazing follow-up The Raid 2: Berandal (2014), as well as Merantu (2009) and newly released Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash (2021)… Read More ›
Since its international premiere at Fantastic Fest 2021, writer/director Yûgo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins hasn’t been far from mind. I discussed it on two Cine-Men episodes, gave it a highlight mention in the 2021 Sticky List, and made sure to include… Read More ›
There have been several actors who’ve personified the Wing Chun master Ip Man on the big screen. Ip Chun, Man’s son, portrayed Man as Bruce Lee’s mentor in the 1976 film Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth. Wang Luoyong (Rollerball)… Read More ›
There can be just as much enjoyment in going on a journey you do know as in venturing on one marked by unfamiliar terrain. The predictability of something brings comfort, while something peculiar offers its own enticements. Writer/director Yoon Jae-keun… Read More ›
As much fun as it is streaming entertainment, there’s something about being able to hold the film in your hand. To know that it doesn’t matter if your Internet is on the fritz or if your streaming device can handle… Read More ›
Ideas are often one thing, whereas execution is entirely another. There are plenty of films which sound incredible, but the finished product seems entirely devoid of the potential. This is the best way to describe the frustration that comes from… Read More ›
When it comes to a certain kind of film, audiences almost always know what they’re in for based on who’s distributing it. Arthouse drama or fantasy? The mind goes to A24. Family-friendly in live-action or animation? First thought: Walt Disney… Read More ›
Though the highest grossing films in Malaysia mostly come from the international market, one shouldn’t discount the country for its own cinematic successes. There’s docudrama The Big Durian (2003), the first Malaysian film to screen at the Sundance Film Festival,… Read More ›
Tak Sakaguchi was a street fighter when writer/director Ryûhei Kitamura hired him to play Prisoner KSC2-303 in Versus (2000). Since then, Sakaguchi developed quite the resume as a live actor, voice actor, and stunt coordinator in films large and small. Now… Read More ›