Reviews

In the Line of Duty 4 kept the action rolling from beginning to end. Cynthia Khan returned for the fourth installment of the franchise made popular by Michelle Yeoh. Khan was joined by Donnie Yen, Yuen Yat Choh, and Michael Wong.

Luk Wan Ting is a dock worker in Seattle. A mortally wounded police officer hands him a roll of film before he dies. Now Luk is being hunted by the bad guys and considered a cop killer by the good guys. Inspector Rachel Yeung doesn’t think he’s guilty though Capt. Donnie Yan is less flexible. CIA officer Michael Wong is determined to have Luk extradited to Hong Kong. The attacks on Luk are non-stop for a nice guy who just wants to see his mom and be done with all of the cloak and dagger danger and trickery. Rachel has to figure out how to keep him alive and who is the mole betraying them at every turn.

This entry in the franchise is one of my favorites. Khan and Yen had an appealing chemistry in their push-pull professional relationship that thankfully didn’t veer off into romance. For the most part there was no idiotic comic relief character which was a huge relief for me as well. Yuen Yat Choh, in what became his final movie, was a sympathetic character who was dedicated to his mother. Michael Wong’s performance as the duplicitous CIA agent wasn’t particularly strong.

What made this movie entertaining for me, aside from the acting rapport, were the numerous well-choreographed fights. Yuen Woo Ping and his brother Shun Yee resisted the wire-fu for the most part and relied on their actors’ athletic abilities and flexibility. Cynthia moved believably against the various foes she faced and delivered some punishing kicks. A young Donnie Yen had no problem reaching kicking heights all by himself. And Yat Choh was another of the Yuen clan who knew how to sell a fight. No wires didn’t mean characters weren’t left dangling on several occasions or even falling to their deaths. Gravity is a harsh mistress. Cynthia had an exhilarating ordeal on top of, on the sides of, and on the grill of an ambulance. Donnie faced real life martial artist Michael Woods in a brutal fight on a rooftop and jousting on motorcycles with ax and shovel.

The story had some narrative gaps and not all of the acting was strong, but for the most part the story held together by the relationships of the characters. The fights were fast, exciting and creative, all that any martial arts movie enthusiast could want.

14 March 2024

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Never Play With Spirit Boards in a Classroom!!!

I keep telling you, Japan, nothing good will ever come from playing around with a homemade spirit board in an empty classroom, but you never listen.

The plot centers around a young woman who is spiritually connected to her deceased mother, and her attempts to fulfill her mother's request to appease the ghosts at her old school... I don't know what else to say without spoiling the plot but just another warning- if you HAVE to play, then at least don't be condescending jerks in an obviously haunted building.

So yeah, in conclusion, there's ghost kids in the school. Incredibly mild scares happen. Much sadness for ghost kids. The end.

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Love

I am not going to review the whole film. It is impactful, it is emotional, it is gritty... great acting. I want to comment on the love reltionship part. There seems to be so much discussion about romance part of the movie and how it was not needed at all and even SJK has refused the script 7 uears prior as he didn't see the point of it. My take on this (as a refugee myself) is that often we seek home. Be it a new country and a new community but often it ends up being a person. The connection. Place to belong to. That is why I am completely ok and feel it is important part of the refugee process to have it in this movie as well.

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"You're disgusting, you make me sick!" Preach on sister!

The Street Fighter was violent, exploitive, and had almost no redeeming qualities. Takuma Tsurugi was the manliest man to ever man which means he got a pass for sexual assault and selling a woman into sex slavery. This was a violent film just to be violent, with little story to go with it.

Takuma breaks a death row convict out at the last minute. When the convict’s brother and sister can’t pay the last installment he begins to rape the sister. The brother tries to intervene, so Takuma kills him, and sells the sister to be a sex slave. Big man. A group attempts to hire him to kidnap an heiress but he turns down their lowball number. Because Takuma knows of their plan they attempt to eliminate him which drives him to the heiress’ protector. After forcibly kissing and groping her, he gets hired on to protect her. When the convict discovers what happened to his family he joins the other bad guys for the chance to free his sister and kill Takuma. Yeah, at this point I’m rooting for anyone who would kill this b@stard.

The fight scenes weren’t well choreographed and I hated Sonny’s fight style and acting. The editing was even worse. At one point Takuma asked his sidekick, “How did you get here?” I was expecting Ratnose to say, “Heck if I know!” It was as if they edited out anything that would have caused the story to make sense. The story jumped around and so did the people as if they had a transporter to drop them into a completely unrelated scene. The acting was bad even for a 1970’s martial arts film.

The Street Fighter failed on every account for me. Only for Sonny Chiba fans and those who enjoy the main lead behaving reprehensibly toward women. This movie put the mindless into mindless violence. At the end of the film, in big letters it declared “Return of the Street Fighter coming soon!” Thanks for the warning.

14 March 2024

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Exquisitely directed

This is a hidden gem. I am two years late watching this short film. It’s a shame that this wasn’t promoted well because everything about this film is exceptionally great. Newcomer actors portrayed their role really well you can’t tell that they are still new actors.

It has a dark and mysterious theme but done jn an exquisite way. The director is known for dark themed work that leaves a viewer enthralled.

The entire production did well with wardrobe, scene sets and props. It will not disappoint.
You need to focus on every detail to truly grasp the story and watch til the very end to explain few things.

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If you are considering to watch...

it is not a spoiler to say that this has zombies/undead in it.
I like Liu Yi Tong and he did a different character here that he portrayed well. Yuan Zhao didn't disappoint either although there's some scenes that her facial expression were a bit exaggerated. If a good artist role portrayal, wardrobe and sets are enough for you, this can be a possible watch.
The story and how it was relayed or directed got me bored. This is where it failed drastically. Those undead could have been directed better. The fight choreographies are borderline good. The comical scenes weren't funny at all.
The costumes were great as well as the sets for all scenes.
I don't recommend this movie personally but if you are out of selection, it may work to get you through.

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what kind of plot is that?

i get it, ig they trynna tell the reality of loan sharks or whatever but the plot was soo lacking im dumbfounded, for example the FL’s friend, why were they not friends anymore? she really was stalking her going wherever she went but i get that she was trying to help her but still? also i dont get how the bully/villian made the students not pay back, he just said trust me and then everyone went to the police what the hell was that? then the ending so so cofunsed, they showed some short clips that didn’t even make sense except that epilogue, the loan shark is gonna do his filthy work nevertheless… the only thing i actually liked was the acting and the actors i love them all they are the only reason i watched it lol

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the movie broke me

the ending was something I was really not prepared for… after watching I kept crying for the whole day seriously???

what broke me the most was that when he went to live abroad ( i forgot the place ) she kept waiting for him but he never returned because he died especially the exhibition scene and the video tape that he made for her to watch?I could not stop crying at all ??

i got really mad at Bora’s friend when the twist came I was like why just whyyyyyyyyyy did this had to happen?

I must say it is a really heartbreaking movie especially for someone like me who is really sensitive?

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FUN!

I'll begin by saying that I rented this on YouTube. It's no longer playing on any of the sites mentioned.

I loved the balance between comedy and thrills. That's the way life is sometimes. Basically, a terrorist attack grips the city, and this is the story of people trying to survive. Action, action, action. I think there are fingernail marks in my couch from holding onto it so tightly. I will admit to being a big ole scaredy cat, so others might not have the same response.

Jo Jung Suk - I love him. He is such a versatile actor. Here he played the unlucky, loser ML and you couldn't help but like him. Yoona - I don't love her as an actress, but she did an okay job here, mostly because she was running a lot. Her crying scenes - just no.
Since this is an older movie, I loved seeing so many familiar faces from other dramas I've seen.

If you've got a couple of hours and you want something fun and fast-paced, give this a try.

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"A friend's weapon is the most fatal"

“Killers are like meteors. They appear in brilliance and vanish in no time. And they don’t have names.” Based on Gu Long’s book “Meteor, Butterfly, Sword”, Killer Clans tells the story of love and treachery between competing clans and even friends.

Meng Sheng Wen and his blood brother, Yeh Hsiang, were cared for by the brothel owner Sister Ko. Ko receives assassination assignments after intimacy with a mysterious stranger, which she passes on to Meng as Yeh has lost his confidence and become a drunkard. Meng’s assignment is to kill Sun Yu the leader of the prosperous Longmen Clan. On one of his trips, he meets the beautiful Hsiao Tieh in the Butterfly Forest. She has a formidable father who does not tolerate swordsmen coveting his daughter. As Meng moves in closer on his target, it soon becomes apparent that he is not the only one with the wise and crafty Sun Yu in his sights, both enemies and friends alike will stop at nothing to bring the leader down and gain what is his.

Killer Clans is a Shaw Brothers classic. The sets and costumes were luxurious and there were numerous outdoor shots in picturesque scenery. The cast was stacked with SB actors, most of which did not last long as the body count was incredibly high. Double crosses, even triple crosses abounded. You know times were tough when the only man Sun Yu was able to trust was the man sent to kill him! My only quibble with the story is one that I often have with these older martial arts movies-their need to have bare breasted women and sexual assault.

Ku Feng was the highlight of this film as the Longmen Clan leader---caring, ruthless, adept, and shrewd, his backup plans had backup plans. Tsung Hua isn’t one of my favorites, but as the story often focused more on Sun Yu, not much was asked of him but to look grim. Yueh Hua played against type which was fine with me as it pushed him harder. One of my favorites, Lo Lieh, had a small role as Sun Yu’s supreme protector with a serrated round blade hiding in his hat.

The sword fights were actually choreographed well and not super slow as most were during this time, not nearly as fast as in the modern era, but still entertaining. The first time I watched this I wasn’t impressed with the swordplay but after watching, let’s just say, several martial arts movies since then, I’ve gained an appreciation for this film’s fight choreography. It also helped that I watched a restored copy this time and not a grainier version. Most of the well-known stuntmen actors from the 1970's could be seen jumping, flipping, diving, falling, and taking a beating as the story progressed.

Killer Clans was an action-packed tale of deceit, greed, and love. For anyone who enjoys old martial arts movies, it’s a must.

14 March 2024

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Sloth motion picture

There are films and dramas that are slow paced and then there is this film that is not so much a film but a slow paced piece of art, as there where moments in this where I wondered is this a photgraph oe a motion picture? as our lead the walker moves slowly in what one is supposed to believe is walking and is filmed doing just that throughout the day a combination of human and sloth or maybe a snail... which is great contrast towards the fast pace of the world there to tell you that yes this is a motion picture and yes the person really did move that slowly....

It may bore you to death but once you made yourself out of it you will feel a great feeling of acomplishment or at least I felt it... However If you are in to mindfulness this may actually give you that daylie dose of just that. ¨

Also it is really pretty!

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Slow paced, depressing and slighlty messy

If you are looking for something cheerful and happy, you may think that a tittle named city of sadness should give you a clue to look away and find something else and well you would be right. AS this movie is true to its name and will offer you a bunch of sadness and cries as well as symbolism as far as the aye can se. As I do not think it is a coincidence that the movie starts of with a boy named light making his way out from the darkness of the war/womb and in to the light as Taiwan was libirated from the Japanese.


This is a movie that shows human being living in a time where when one war ends another takes over. Day to day life meets a guy running towards you with a knife. Babies cry as they are taken out to a court yard to be shot with a bunch of other people.. The enamy changes and the wrong answer to the question are you japaneese, Mandarin or Taiwanese can get you killed by, showing an added dificulty to those who can not hear. a mob... but than again even the right answers can get one killed at this time...

But rest assure!

"I want to assure those who love peace that this decree is for your protection,, take no notice of roumers about spies. because suspicuion leads to fear, I assure all citizens that obay the law that nothing will happen to them. Meanwhile I announce the reintroduction of martial law Our objective is merely to punish rebels and traitors, for each day they are at large peace loving people will have to put up with another day of disorder" -

This movie is highly acclaimed so while I did not really find it entertaining I am sure it has a lot of qualities for those who are more well educated than I am as I found it kind of boring and hard to follow

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