The Swordsman Blu-ray Review

 

• Director : Choi Jae-Hoon
• Actors : Jang Hyuk, Jeong Man-Sik, Kim Hyeon-soo
• Subtitles: : English
• Language : Korean (DTS 5.1)
• Studio : Well Go Usa
• Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
• MPAA rating :(Not Rated)
• Media Format : Dolby, Surround Sound, Widescreen
• Run time : 1 hour and 41 minutes
• Release date : February 16, 2021

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           Upon seeing the title and poster for The Swordsman, I automatically assumed it to be a Japanese film. Although it has all of the icons and narrative distinctions for it to belong in the samurai genre, this is actually a South Korean film. Here is what makes The Swordsman truly fascinating; it has all of the markers of trends in modern Korean cinema, including themes of revenge, making it a compelling hybrid of cultures. Revenger had a similar approach to combine Indonesian action with a South Korean production, proving fascinating case studies, as well as solid genre entertainment.

   

Sudden Fear DVD Review

 

• Director : David Miller
• Media Format : Anamorphic, Dolby, NTSC
• Run time : 1 hour and 50 minutes
• Release date : January 12, 2021
• Actors : Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame, Bruce Bennett, Virginia Huston
• Studio : Cohen Media Group

 

        Film noir narratives rarely relied on sympathetic female protagonists, typically resigning them to either an innocent supporting character or a devious femme fatale. While there is a femme fatale in the 1952 noir, Sudden Fear, the main character is unusual enough just being a woman, but also has the added distinction of ending in a place of moral superiority. Star Joan Crawford had previously bent this male-driven movement of post-war cinema by blending the woman’s picture (now referred to as melodrama) and the film noir with the 1945 classic, Mildred Pierce.

 

 

Jiang Ziya Blu-ray Review

 

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• Director : Teng Cheng, Wei Li
• Actors : Zheng Xi, Yang Ning, Tute Hameng
• Media Format : Dolby, Surround Sound, Widescreen
• Run time : 1 hour and 50 minutes
• Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
• MPAA rating : (Not Rated)
• Subtitles: : English, Mandarin Chinese
• Language : Mandarin Chinese (DTS 5.1), English (DTS 5.1)
• Studio : Well Go Usa
• Release date : February 9, 2021

         Prior to the release of Ne Zha, I had little experience with Chinese animation, more familiar with the more commonly distributed Japanese and French variety. Ne Zha was distinctly Chinese in the adaption of a classic folk legend, but it was also widely distributed with broad appeal. It also follows the recently popular trend of Hollywood, creating a shared cinematic universe for a series of animated films, with the second being Jiang Ziya.