If there’s one complaint that American audiences are prone to have, it’s that there’s never anything original hitting theaters. It’s all superhero stories, remakes, reboots, or some kind of sequel. It’s incredibly risky for studios to make original stories, so… Read More ›
Korea
“Alienoid” Blu-ray Giveaway
There have been few first-part-of-a-series films released in 2022 that have made me want to dive straight into the follow-up as much as writer/director Choi Dong-hoon’s genre-hybrid Alienoid. This complex comedic fantasy actioner does a lot of wild things in Part… Read More ›
“Emergency Declaration” Blu-ray Giveaway
Released in theaters earlier this year, director Han Jae-rim’s Emergency Declaration, a story of terror in the air based on real events, now comes to home video. Thanks to the generosity of Well Go USA, EoM is giving away one (1)… Read More ›
Director Kim Han-Min’s second Yi Sun-shin film, “Hansan: Rising Dragon,” arrives on home video with bombast.
In 1592, Japan made its first attempt to invade Korea, leading to several skirmishes on land and at sea. As in other countries, the stories of military victories and failures have made for incredible cinematic opportunities. In 2014, director Kim… Read More ›
“Hansan: Rising Dragon” Blu-ray Giveaway
After a string of theatrical and festival screenings, writer/director Kim Han-min’s war epic Hansan: Rising Dragon is headed home this month. Graciously, Well Go USA has given EoM two (2) of the Blu-ray to giveaway. If you’d like a chance to… Read More ›
The world of “The Witch” explodes with the discovery of “The Other One.”
Writer/director Park Hoon-jung’s The Witch: Subversion is a remarkable sci-fi thriller, taking the coming-of-age tropes we know and blending them together with supernatural-like covert forces, culminating in an adventure that feels familiar and wholly unique. Just before the film ends,… Read More ›
“The Witch 2: The Other One” Blu-ray Giveaway
Ever since the April 2020 home release of Park Hoon-jung’s The Witch: Subversion, the anticipation for a continuing chapter has built-up month after month. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to check out The Witch 2: The Other One when it… Read More ›
“Unidentified” offers a unique perspective on the concept of ‘us’ and ‘them.’ [Fantastic Fest]
During Fantastic Fest 2022, there is a segment of films the festival placed under a section titled “Burnt Ends.” To paraphrase the section description, it includes a selection of films that may have been made on a shoe-string budget, they… Read More ›
Not for the squeamish, “Project Wolf Hunting” unloads literal blood, sweat, and tears. [Fantastic Fest]
With Project Wolf Hunting, writer and director Kim Hong-sun ensures that the audience is taken on a journey that will test the limits of their toleration for extreme violence and bloodshed. This film is not for the faint of heart,… Read More ›
Choi Dong-hoon’s “Alienoid” is a nearly seamless anarchistic sci-fi action comedy that’ll have you impatient for “Part Two.”
Whether it lands with the general public or not, there’s nothing like a big swing in art, something that extends itself perhaps farther than it should go, never quite breaking its own rules as it bites off more than it… Read More ›
Experimental action thriller “Carter” combines a myriad of technical techniques to diminishing effects.
One of the more unmentioned action thrillers by wider audiences is director/co-writer Jung Byung-gil’s The Villainess (2017). It’s a story about a female assassin, how she got to where she is, and how she attempts to extricate herself from the… Read More ›
“The Killer” slays. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
There’s a subgenre in film that features a very simple and comfortable setup: retired/reclusive individual meets a young individual, forms a bond (often reluctantly), young individual gets into trouble (usually kidnapped) causing the retired/reclusive individual to jump back into action…. Read More ›
Horror/thriller “Missing” lacks the suspense it needs to pack a punch. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
After a release in 2021, first-time feature director Shinzô Katayama’s (Mother, third assistant director) horror/thriller Missing (さがす) is having its North American premiere during Fantasia International Film Festival 2021. The concept of the film seeks to join the likes of… Read More ›
When the mystery remains, Korean action drama “Spiritwalker” crackles with energy and intrigue.
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 ›
Korean thriller “Midnight” weaponizes perception, creating a deceptively devious night of horror.
There are some films that come along and you think to yourself “I need to see this.” It’s how I felt with the announcement of Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022), but… Read More ›
“Spiritwalker” Blu-ray Giveaway
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 ›
“Escape from Mogadishu” Blu-ray Giveaway
Picked by South Korea to represent them at the 2022 Oscars, director Ryoo Seung-wan’s Escape from Mogadishu is an adaption of the real events in which rival diplomats had to work together to survive as civil war broke out around them…. Read More ›
Brutal entanglements and a thrilling narrative have what it takes to “Deliver Us From Evil.”
Returning to the director’s seat for the second time, Hong Won-chan trades murder most foul within the blue collar arena for the underbelly of Asia and Southeast Asia in Deliver Us From Evil (다만 악에서 구하소서). In a film that’s… Read More ›
Arrow Video’s HD restoration of director Park Chan-wook’s “JSA: Joint Security Area” is an opportunity to learn from the past.
One of the great things about boutique distributors like Criterion, Arrow, Vinegar Syndrome, and others is that whether a film is lost or beloved, they find new life via a new release. Even though the major studios are starting to… Read More ›
“The Swordsman” Blu-ray Giveaway
Ahead of The Swordsman‘s home release on February 16th, EoM has partnered with Well Go USA to offer up a Blu-ray copy of the film to two lucky winners! If you’ve enjoyed their prior releases like The Villainess (2017), Furie (2019), or Shadow (2019),… Read More ›