Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance (2002)

Something about Song Kang-ho’s face – as a presence he emits an innate likeability and charm. The guy has range, of course, and it’s always compelling when a likeable film presence plays someone whose actions are considerably unlikeable. Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance (2002) is the first of the unofficial “Vengeance” trilogy from South Korean director […]

Freaky Farley (2007)

I was finally motivated to watch Freaky Farley (2007), my first Motern Media movie thanks to an interview in The Important Cinema Club Journal with actor/writer/producer Matt Farley (he and director Charles Roxburgh are the people behind the production company, Motern Media). Farley mentions Silent Night Deadly Night Part 2 in this interview as one […]

House Of Wax (2005)

House Of Wax (2005) is a remake in name only, from what I gather of the Vincent Price original (which I have not seen), and seems more inspired by another horror film (that I have seen), Tourist Trap, with a similar plot about a group of teenagers finding themselves in a deserted town off the […]

Frownland (2007)

I’d always been curious about Frownland (2007) ever since reading Roger Ebert’s review upon its release – it sounded uncompromising and aggravating, a punishing American indie “comedy”, the type of thing that would never get a cinema release (well, in Australia) and you would have to wait until an import DVD might be available at […]

Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003)

In Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003), there’s an obvious contrast between the 1960s wuxia film being screened, Dragon Inn, and the dilapidated cinema where its being shown; the faded film stock of adventure and action compared to the mundane stillness of empty cinema seats and rain dripping from the ceiling. Within Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang’s slow […]