DVD

Blast of Silence

An intriguing little oddity from the Criterion Collection that rarely seems to get talked about much. Shot low budget on the streets of New York at Christmas, it’s the story… Read More
The Lady Assassin

I can probably count the number of Vietnamese films I’ve seen on one hand, but this 3D martial arts romance had proved a huge success at the domestic box office… Read More
Pusher

In preparation for an interview with Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn I decided to go back over his entire back catalogue, as it pained me to admit that I’d never… Read More
Taste of Cherry

Pretty much epitomises what Abbas Kiarostami does so well – taking the mundane and making it profound. Homayoun Ershadi stars as a seemingly ordinary man driving around the hillsides on… Read More
Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist

I’ve had a copy of this film sitting in a boxset entitled The Exorcist Complete Anthology for many years now, and never felt especially compelled to give it a watch… Read More
KanZeOn

Strange yet intoxicating musical documentary that explores a variety of traditional and alternative forms of Japanese music. A turntable-spinning priest and eccentric lady who attempts to harness all the sounds… Read More
Abductee

A welcome change of pace for Japanese writer-director Yamaguchi Yudai sees the Sushi Typhoon alumnus eschew the splatter effects and goofball humour in favour of a stripped down chamber piece,… Read More
Sansho the Bailiff

I really struggled with this film. I am familiar with Mizoguchi Kenji’s work, and have enjoyed the films of his I have seen, but nothing could prepare me for the… Read More
3-iron

Kim’s output reaches a stunning climax here in a film that marries strong characterization with glossy production values in a story that could only come from this singular filmmaker. A… Read More
Bad Guy

In Kim’s most extreme portrayal of “tough love”, a low-level pimp (Jo Jae-hyeon) targets a respectable college student (Seo Won), forcing her into a life of prostitution, only to become… Read More
The Isle

At a remote fishing resort, the beautiful yet mute Hee-jin (Suh Jung) services her guests with tackle, alcohol and even sex, for the right price. When she intervenes to stop… Read More
The Transporter

Every now and then I like to treat my girlfriend to a bit of no-nonsense onscreen action, and these days “The Stathe” is often a good bet – especially when… Read More
Jackie Brown

I recently discovered that my girlfriend hadn’t seen any Quentin Tarantino films (with the exception of Pulp Fiction, which I’m pretty sure everyone of our generation has seen) and so… Read More
The Incredibles

It’s not just the superhero angle that makes Brad Bird’s Oscar-winning Pixar hit of 2004 so eminently re-watchable, it’s just a damn well written and animated film. From the character… Read More
I’m A Cyborg, But That’s OK

Following the international success of his “Vengeance Trilogy”, Park Chan-wook shifts gears completely with this good natured, day-glo coloured romantic comedy set in a mental institute. Lim Su-jeong plays a… Read More
Sympathy For Lady Vengeance

Lee Young-ae stars as a convicted child murderer, released from prison after 13 years, who heads out on a trail of revenge against the man she believes really committed the… Read More
REVIEW: Sympathy For Lady Vengeance

Re-watching this film for the first time since it played at the HK Asian Film Festival in 2005, I was finally able to check out the “Fade to Black &… Read More
Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance

As part of a future (as-yet undisclosed) project, I’m currently re-visiting the films of Korean director Park Chan-wook. I was planning to begin with JSA: Joint Security Area, but neither… Read More