REAL MOVIE NEWS

Hard Hit Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Kim Chang-ju
Actors ‏ : ‎ Ji Chang-Wook, Jo Woo-jin, Kim Ji-ho
Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
Studio ‏ : ‎ Mpi Home Video
Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Subtitled
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ South Korea
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 35 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ February 22, 2022

Hard Hit is a remake of Retribution, Dani de la Torre’s 2015 Spanish thriller, but the story transplants easily into South Korean culture. There have been a number of revenge-themed thrillers in Spanish cinema in recent years, though South Korea still seems to have the strongest hold on these themes. Along with being a remake, the premise shares similarities with a few American thrillers, like Speed, Vehicle 19, and Cellular. It should also come as no surprise that Hollywood also has plans to remake Retribution with Liam Neeson in the lead.

Deadly Games Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Scott Mansfield
Actors ‏ : ‎ Sam Groom, June Lockhart, Colleen Camp, Steve Railsback, Jo Ann Harris
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 32 minutes
Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Surround Sound, Widescreen, Anamorphic
Studio ‏ : ‎ Arrow Video
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
Release date ‏ : ‎ February 22, 2022

The 1982 slasher Deadly Games begins like many others of its type, with the murder of a nubile young woman at the hands of a masked killer. Unfortunately, it is pretty much downhill from there. After an intense opening sequence, the narrative becomes more preoccupied with the bed-hopping going on with the local married couples. When the sister of the initial victim shows up, her efforts to find the killer are put on hold while she becomes entangled in the romantic sub-plots that threaten to take over the film. With too few kills to be a satisfactory slasher, and too obvious of a mystery to work as a whodunnit, Deadly Games is mostly a deadly bore.

Legendary Weapons of China Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Chia-liang Liu
Actors ‏ : ‎ Chia-Yung Liu, Kara Wai, Sheng Fu
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 49 minutes
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Hong Kong
Distribution ‏ : ‎ 88 Films
Release date ‏ : ‎ February 8, 2022

What’s surprising about Legendary Weapons of China, at least in comparison to most Hollywood films, is the fact that the younger martial artist performers in this film don’t end up being the hero. Or the villain, for that matter. By the time the final fight comes around, the young threat played by Gordon Liu quietly excuses himself. And the original protagonist (however confused and misguided he is for much of the film), steps back from the final fight. It comes down to the oldest member of the cast, who also happened to be director Liu Chia-Liang.

The Flag of Iron Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Cheh Chang
Actors ‏ : ‎ Chung-Fung Kwok, Sheng Chiang, Li Wang, Feng Lu
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 53 minutes
Studio ‏ : ‎ 88 Films
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Hong Kong
Release date ‏ : ‎ February 8, 2022

For The Flag of Iron, director Chang Chen brought back Chiang Sheng, Philip Kwok, and Lu Feng from his previous film, The Five Venoms (1978). Many of the actors who would become known as the ‘Venom Mob’ were trained in the highly acrobatic Chinese opera and skilled in the use of martial arts weapons, creating a carefully choreographed spectacle within their kung fu films, especially when directed by Chang. Anyone who doubts the similarities between dance and martial arts needs look no further than The Flag of Iron for proof of the connection. Even when brutally violent, there is a graceful beauty to the action of Chang’s film.

Seobok: Project Clone Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Lee Yong Zoo
Actors ‏ : ‎ Gong Yoo, Park Bo Gum, Jo Woo Jin, Jang Young Nam, Park Byung Eun
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 54 minutes
Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ South Korea
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Release date ‏ : ‎ February 15, 2022

I’ve seen science fiction films with a similar premise, action films with similar set-ups, and South Korean films with similar themes. In other words, there is little original about Seobok: Project Clone, but with genre films that is not always a bad thing. Seobok delivers on the sci-fi premise, spectacle-filled action sequences, and a character-driven narrative balanced between themes of revenge and redemption. While it may resemble other movies I have seen before, that did not prevent me from enjoying Seobok.

Shawscope: Volume One Blu-ray Review

In 1925, three Shaw brothers named Runje, Runme, and Runde founded the Tianyi Film Company in Shanghai with a fortune the family had made in a textile factory, and in 1957, Runme and the youngest Shaw brother (Run Run Shaw) shifted focus to their sister studio in Hong Kong, establishing the “Shaw Brothers” company. With a 49-acre film studio named MovieTown which opened in 1960, they treated the studio like the textile factory, demanding much from performers who lived on the studio lot under constant supervision.

They made over 1,000 films until the studio suspended productions in 1987 and were best known for popularizing the martial arts film. This spectacular limited edition box set from Arrow Video includes twelve films released by the studio. Some of the films in this collection are kung fu masterpieces, while others are shoddy exploitation rip-offs of better movies, but collectively they represent the broad genre appeal of Shaw Brothers during this period.

Giallo Essentials Collection Vol. 2 Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Massimo Dallamano, Sergio Martino, Andrea Bianchi
Actors ‏ : ‎ Claudio Cassinelli, Giovanna Ralli, Suzy Kendall, Tina Aumont, Edwige Fenech
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 6 hours and 13 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ December 21, 2021
Studio ‏ : ‎ Arrow Video
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 3

Before slasher films exploded in popularity in the United States, Italy had a wave of horror-driven thrillers known as giallo films, named after the often-yellow covers of the popular crime novels the movies draw their inspiration from. The word ‘giallo’ itself means yellow in Italian, which is why the second volume of Arrow Video’s Giallo Essentials Collection is so fittingly colored as such. The first volume was in a red box, while the second is given a bright yellow box to contain the three films inside. Stunningly presented in high definition from a 2K restoration, these Italian crime thriller classics have been given the treatment they deserve, including a handful of extras for each. There is currently no better way to watch these films, and no better treatment of the exploitation classics.

Red Angel Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Yasuzo Masumura
Actors ‏ : ‎ Ayako Wakao, Shinsuke Ashida, Yusuke Kawazu
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 35 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ January 18, 2022
Studio ‏ : ‎ Arrow Video
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Japan

I wasn’t prepared for the intensity of Red Angel, a 1966 Japanese war film told from the perspective of a dedicated young military nurse. Directed by Yasuzo Masumura (Giants and Toys, Blind Beast), Red Angel may be artistically shot in black-and-white, but the film is grounded by the realism in its depiction of the effects of war. Although there are scenes of military warfare, the action at the center of the film is primarily concerned with the violence of medical operations carried out on the frontline. The other aspect of the film is much more psychologically driven, centering on the impact wartime has on the sexual drives of doomed soldiers.

Lies and Deceit: Five Films by Claude Chabrol Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Claude Chabrol
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 9 hours and 17 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ February 22, 2022
Actors ‏ : ‎ Isabelle Huppert, Emanuelle Beart, Lucas Belvaux, Francois Cluzet, Stephane Audran
Studio ‏ : ‎ Arrow Video
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09MSP9DRN
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 5

Claude Chabrol began as a film critic for the French film magazine/journal Cahiers du cinema before he got his start as a filmmaker, and his films have always been an intellectual playground because of this. While not as widely celebrated as some of his fellow critics-turned-filmmakers, Chabrol had the ability to blend arthouse sensibilities with genre narratives, often compared to Alfred Hitchcock in his approach and preoccupation with thrillers. The Arrow Video release of Lies and Deceit contains five classics from the French New Wave filmmaker, including Torment, Betty, Madame Bovary, Inspector Lavardin, and Cop Au Vin.

Shock Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Mario Bava
Actors ‏ : ‎ Daria Nicolodi, John Steiner, Ivan Rassimov
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 35 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ January 18, 2022
Studio ‏ : ‎ Arrow Video
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Italy

Mario Bava’s final film was only made with the encouragement of his son, Lamberto Bava, his filmmaker son who helped with the process of writing the screenplay for Shock (and may have had a hand in directing as well). While it isn’t the crowning achievement of his career, Shock was a worthy final film, a hybrid haunted house and possession film with a worthy mystery at the center.

Escape from Mogadishu Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Ryoo Seung-Wan
Actors ‏ : ‎ Kim Yoon-Seok, Zo In-Sung, Huh Joon-Ho, Koo Kyo-Hwan, Kim So-Jin
Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Widescreen
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 1 minute
Release date ‏ : ‎ January 18, 2022
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ South Korea
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Escape from Mogadishu is a historical thriller set during the Somali Civil War in the early 1990s, as both the North and South Korean embassies lobbying the Somali government for support to be admitted into the United Nations. Although based on a true story, Escape from Mogadishu also relies on tropes expected of genre films, which adds familiarity and excitement to a historical narrative many may not remember. It is also idealistic in nature, which is not necessarily a bad thing for a film traversing the complex relationship between North and South Koreans. In many ways it reminded me of similar South Korean films, such as Joint Security Area and Swing Kids.

See For Me Review

Directed by: Randall Okita

Written by: Adam Yorke and Tommy Gushue

Produced by: David Di Brina, Adam Yorke, Matt Code, and Kristy Neville

Cinematographer: Jackson Parrell and Jordan Oram

Edited by: James Vandewater

Starring: Skyler Davenport, Kim Coates, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Pascal Langdale, Joe Pingue, George Tchortov, and Laura Vandervoort

Runtime: 92 mins

Within the home invasion sub-genre, it has become something of a trope to use a victim with an impairment. This was established early on with the blind protagonists in Wait Until Dark (1967) and See No Evil (1971) and has continued with the recent wave of home invasion films including Mischief Night (2013) and Blind (2019). Mike Flanagan also provided a variation on the trope with the hearing-impaired victim of Hush (2016). Often these impairments are a new reality for the protagonist, and the efforts to evade and fight back against the intruders of the home invasion narrative provide opportunity for renewed confidence. Canadian home invasion thriller See For Me predictably follows this formula, though it does so with a few new twists.

Only the Animals Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Dominik Moll
Actors ‏ : ‎ Denis Ménochet, Laure Calamy, Danien Bonnard, Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Bastien Boullion
Studio ‏ : ‎ Cohen Media Group
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 57 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ January 4, 2022
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Based on Colin Niel’s novel of the same name, Only the Animals (Seules les bêtes) is a simple tale, despite taking place across several countries with various seemingly unrelated characters. Director Dominik Moll keeps the audience in the dark regarding the connection the various storylines have with each other, revealing them only after the tension has been built up. Each piece of the puzzle eventually falls into place in a way that feel inevitable, despite the initial disorienting introduction to each moving part of the narrative.

Hell Hath No Fury Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Jesse V. Johnson
Actors ‏ : ‎ Nina Bergman, Daniel Bernhardt, Louis Mandylor, Timothy V. Murphy, Dominiquie Vandenberg
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 49 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ December 21, 2021
Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

If your requirements for action entertainment go no further than the use of practical effects and stunt work, Hell Hath No Fury will satisfy that. If you demand interesting characters portrayed by capable actors delivering compelling dialogue, best look elsewhere. While there is a somewhat interesting set-up for this clear Quentin Tarantino rip-off, the execution is flawed. Beyond flawed, the narrative feels lazy, almost just as excuse for the mediocre action violence.

Copshop Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Joe Carnahan
Actors ‏ : ‎ Gerard Butler, Frank Grillo, Alexis Louder
Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 48 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ December 7, 2021
Studio ‏ : ‎ Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2

For years director Joe Carnahan has been attached to a remake of Indonesian action film, The Raid. In press, he has been insistent that it is a loose remake, because he has no intention of making another film with a raid on a building, having already tackled that premise for Smokin’ Aces. What is confusing to me is why instead of remaking The Raid, Carnahan has made another film about a raid on a building, with a set-up similar to Assault on Precinct 13.

Motherly Review

Director: Craig David Wallace

Starring: Lora Burke, Tessa Kozma, Kristen MacCulloch

Genres: Suspense, Horror

Language: English

Home invasion narratives have been increasingly popular in the horror genre over the past two decades, especially with lower budget releases like Motherly. This is likely because of the affordability of a film with essentially a single location, and aside from a few flashback sequences, Motherly takes place entirely in an isolated farmhouse. While cost-effective, setting a film in one location places a lot of pressure on the screenplay and performances. Although far from the worst home invasion film (there are a lot of bad ones), Motherly has a script with a predictable twist and too much faith in the child acting central to the narrative.

Never Back Down: Revolt Blu-ray Review

Director: Kellie Madison
Actors ‏ : ‎ Olivia Popica, Michael Bisping, Brooke Johnston, James Faulkner
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray, Digital_copy, Subtitled
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 29 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ November 16, 2021
Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ French, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, English, Korean
Studio ‏ : ‎ Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

The Never Back Down franchise loosely connected its first two sequels by bringing back supporting characters from the original 2008 film, but Never Back Down: Revolt is a sequel in name only. Aside from the film involving an underground fight ring, there is no connection to the other installments in the franchise. Although the latest sequel feels as though it has been updated to consider the current cultural climate, having a female fight club at the center of the storyline is not enough to prevent the formula from feeling stale and predictable.

The Emperor’s Sword Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Yingli Zhang, Haonan Chen
Actors ‏ : ‎ Fengbin Mu, Yilin Hao, Qihang Zhao, Qin Chu Ming, Ruoyao Pan
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ China
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 33 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ November 9, 2021
Distributed by ‏ : ‎ Well Go USA
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Widescreen
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

The wuxia genre has devolved in recent years. While CGI has made it possible to bring more fantastical depictions of classic narratives to screen, this is a double-edged sword that often makes the film feel lifeless. Add to that the new tendency to include sophomoric humor and cute creatures for the younger audience members, and Chinese wuxia begins to look a lot like the Marvel franchise.

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