BINGE REVIEWS: Annabelle Comes Home (USA, 2019) and Shanghai Fortress (China, 2019)

More Binge Reviews! These are short (less than 90 seconds) reviews on smaller, older, weirder or mainstream titles that don't warrant a long review video. Designed to watch one after another - that's why I call them Binge Reviews! Enjoy

Annabelle Comes Home - USA | 2019 | D: Gary Dauberman

Shanghai Fortress - China | 2019 | D: Hua-Tao Teng

 

Crawl (USA, 2019)

The gators are coming! And so is a Cat 5 hurricane! And so is... well thats about it, but gators and hurricanes are scary enough! So who will kill our main characters first: Gator or Hurricane? Place your bets, watch this review, comment below... do it all!!

BINGE REVIEWS | Neverlost (Canada, 2010) and Assault on Wall Street (USA, 2013)

Something new to The Arty Dans video review library - Binge Reviews. These are short (less than 90 seconds) reviews on smaller, older, weirder or mainstream titles that don't warrant a long review video. Designed to watch one after another - that's why I call them Binge Reviews! Enjoy

Neverlost - Canada | 2010 | D: Chad Archibald

Assault on Wall Street - USA | 2010 | D: Uwe Boll

Feature: Interview with Megumi Kagurazaka from Guilty Of Romance

A candid and informative interview with Megumi Kagurazaku,  the star of the Japanese drama thriller Guilty of Romance.

First Love (Japan, 2019)

Japan | 2019 | D: Takashi Miike

Special thanks for Bryan at Asian Film Fans and Well Go USA for the preview video this review is based on.

Miike is a like a god in Japanese cinema. Some of his titles are the most influential of this generation – from Audition, Dead Or Alive Trilogy and Ichi the Killer. His yakuza movies are some of the best in the genre – Ichi the Killer, Gozu and even a film of the Playstation game Yakuza called Like A Dragon.

His thriller Lesson of the Evil is one of my favourite films, but since that film I haven’t seen anything from him until this – First Love. Another yakuza inspired black comedy action film where style takes a front seat over substance.

Read on to find out what I thought of First Love.

Feature: The Shaw Brothers - The Studio that Conquered a Continent

British-born martial arts enthusiast Bey Logan takes us behind the curtain at what made The Shaw Brothers such a power house of Asian cinema from 1951, to their golden years in the 70's, to their last film in the late 1980s.

The Climbers (China, 2019)

China | 2019 | D: Daniel Lee

Special big thanks to Brian at Asian Film Fans and to Well Go USA for the preview video used for this review.

With China now well and truly established on the world stage as a cinema powerhouse, this is the type of movie we knew was coming – an over-dramatized action thriller based extremely loosely on the source material – that being the successful Chinese expeditions of Mount Everest in 1960 and 1975.

Gelling it all together is the current darling of Chinese cinema – Wu Jing, alongside a Chinese cinema veteran in Zhang Ziyi. There’s even a cameo from Jackie Chan to top it all off.

But can all this star power, alongside the might of the new generation of Chinese cinema, translate to a movie worth your time? Well read on to find out

Gothic and Lolita Psycho (Japan, 2010)

A girl in a gothic lolita costume kicking 5 shades of ass against the deadly assassins who killed her mum - does that sound like your kind of movie? It very well could be - this is a stylish new wave Japanese action movie from 2010, and it is pretty awesome.

This movie stars 2007 Best Buttocks Award Winner (that's a thing?!) Rina Akiyama in the title roll, and fans of Gun Woman and Rape Zombie also get a cameo from ex-JAV star Asami. It's non stop action, intricately choreographed and stylishly shot and edited. If silly movies like Zombie Ass and Attack Girls Swim Team appealed to you - then check out my review below

Buy this movie on DVD | Buy on Blu-ray | Stream on Amazon | Buy the movie poster 

Integrity (Hong Kong, 2019) + Ending explained!

Integrity is the latest ICAC thriller from one of the masters behind the Infernal Affairs trilogy. Hong Kong loves their movies about the ICAC - but they tend to be confusing and complex.

In this review, not only do I discuss the movie, but I take a deep dive into the ending and try and explain what I thought was going on. Enjoy.

Buy this thriller on Bluray or DVD

Crawl (USA, 2019)

Crawl

USA | 2019 | D: Alexandre Aja

I don’t often talk about Hollywood blockbuster movies on this channel – and its debatable if this film is a blockbuster – but its definitely Hollywood. Classic Hollywood.

Crawl is a medium budget creature horror film that’s more Bait than Jaws – but with the added back drop of a massive hurricane. As if our characters weren’t already in enough danger.

Is Crawl a “so bad its good” movie, or a “so bad you should avoid it” movie? Watch on to find out.

The Gangster The Cop The Devil (Korea, 2019)

The Gangster The Cop The Devil

Korea | 2019 | D: Won-Tae Lee

I like to think of Asian cinema as having a few very distinct markets. There’s the Japanese – known for their horror, monster and obscure movies. South East Asia gives us very distinct gory horrors and action films, while China, Hong Kong and Taiwan give us a mish-mash of genres – good action films, good horror films, but bland comedies and movies with mostly incoherent storylines.

But Korea gives us something more unique – essentially the Asian version of Hollywood. Remarkable horror films like The Host and Train to Busan, popular romantic comedy movies like My Sassy Girl, interesting awards films like Parasite – and of course the outstanding Sympathy trilogy in Old boy and Sympathy for Mr and Lady Vengeance.

But Korean thrillers are something else entirely. And if you enjoyed the spectacular I Saw The Devil – then I am confident you will love every second of The Gangster The Cop The Devil.

The Wandering Earth (China, 2019)

Big thank you to Netflix for the permission to use the footage from the movie in this review.

China has entered the sci-fi film-making territory with a bang with this awesome sci-fi action thriller - and the special effects will rival anything from Hollywood. Watch on to see how good this film is!

Buy some The Wandering Earth related merchandise to support our page!

Paperback novel by Liu Cixin (English) | Streaming/MP3 Soundtrack | Chinese Region DVD

Buy this cute The Wandering Earth: Earth Rescuer figurine from Play-Asia

Savaged (USA, 2013)

Aka Avenged - Zoe is brutally raped and murdered by a group of men looking for a thrill - but left for dead, she is found by a witch doctor who is able to save her life, but at the cost of resurrecting an ancient Native American chief out for vengeance. Watch on to see what we thought of Savaged.

Buy this movie from Amazon today

Stream on Amazon Prime

Amazon sale

Among Friends (USA, 2012)

Bernadette throws killer murder mystery dinner parties - as a close groups of friends is about to find out! Directed by Horror Scream Queen Danielle Harris, this indie torture gore horror movie could be just what the doctor ordered to cure you of your torture gore blues! Enjoy

Buy Among Friends from Amazon

Macabre (Indonesia, 2009)

Indonesia's answer to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? This could very well be it! A demented family who stay young by eating flesh torture a group of friends whose only crime was to be generous. Enjoy this blood soaked cult horror thriller!

Buy Macabre on bluray from Amazon! It's a fun movie

This is the official making of documentary for Macabre

These are some extra/deleted scenes for you to enjoy

Wolf Warrior 2 (China, 2017)

Have you ever wondered what a Chinese version of Rambo would be like? Well you don't need to wonder anymore, because Jing Wu is the Wolf Warrior - China's ass kicking answer to Rambo!

Sorry USA and Canada - this video is currently blocked in your territory.

Buy Wolf Warrior 2 on bluray or DVD from Amazon 

Buy Wolf Warrior 2 on UHD from PlayAsia (Cheaper than Amazon!)