Throw Down (2004)

Director Johnnie To said in an interview that he “didn’t want any antagonists” in the Hong Kong film, Throw Down (2004). This is intriguing to hear – no antagonists in a neo-noir martial arts movie set in the backstreets, gambling dens and smoky bars of Hong Kong? And that is specifically about the fighting form […]

Bones (2001)

Bones (2001) is a horror movie about Snoop Dogg playing a 1970s-era pimp who comes back from the dead to take ghoulish revenge on those who crossed him. In the mix are a group of young promoters and musicians planning to open up a nightclub – unfortunately it’s in the building that Snoop Dogg’s character, […]

Another Year (2010)

Revisiting Mike Leigh’s film, Another Year (2010), there are images of the middle-aged couple Tom (Jim Broadbent), a geologist, and Gerri (Ruth Sheen), a counsellor, that are so appealing and heart-warming to me. Gerri cuddling Tom while he prepares dinner or both of them sitting underneath a tarp with a cup of tea while it […]

Time And Tide (2000)

After recently enjoying Hong Kong director Tsui Hark’s collaborations with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Double Team and Knock Off, for their visual kinetic energy and their “what the fuck” madcap action, it was a welcome surprise to discover his return to Hong Kong action cinema, Time and Tide (2000), was available on Netflix in Australia. Now […]

In Hell (2003)

If you liked Shawshank Redemption but wanted more bare knuckled fights with Russian dudes who look like Thanos, then welcome to the direct-to-DVD Jean-Claude Van Damme film, In Hell (2003), the last of his three movies with Hong Kong director Ringo Lam. This is more of a brutal drama than an action movie, set in […]