Should You Watch... RE/MEMBER? Netflix's Latest J-Horror aka Karada Sagashi (Japan 2022)

Six classmates at a high school find themselves in the school chapel at exactly midnight. A young girl clutching a soft toy and soaked in blood brutally murders them all.

But they awake the following morning in a loop. They are repeating the same day.

With the help of one of the classmates, the work out they are stuck in the Body Search game, where their task is to find all the body parts of a murdered girl and assemble them in a coffin located in the chapel.

But if the little girl catches them and they all die before the task is complete, they need to do it all again.

Working together, and developing a sense of friendship, they devise strategies on how to assemble the body and how to defeat the mutated red monster chasing them every night.

MY THOUGHTS

This was the top Japanese horror movie of 2022, and the third highest grossing Asian horror film of 2022. Based on a web novel, this movie has cool concept.

It’s a shame that it will be remembered (groan) by it’s Netflix title rather than its Japanese one, but at least we get to see it.

The plot sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it? It’s Happy Death Day, or depending on how old you are, its Groundhog day, but I’ve never read the web novel this is based on, so I can’t comment on how close it sticks to the source material. This review will be based on the movie only.

The biggest thing is I am glad to finally watch it. This was the movie that trounced Sadako DX at the box office, so there is a lot of interest behind this

First let’s see the movie did right:

Watch the video for my full review

DETAILS

Genre Horror Thriller
Director Eiichiro Hasumi
Starring Kanna Hashimoto, Gordon Maeda
Original Title カラダ探し
Alternative Title Karada Sagashi, Find My Body, Body Search
Country of Origin Japan
Release Date October 14 2022

Should You Watch... KUMANTHONG 2 JACKPOT ISLAND? A ridiculously unnecessary sequel (Vietnam)

Just to prove it has tenuous links to the previous film, this movie picks up after the conclusion of the first movie. Ffresh after killing her murderous husband, A now pregnant Soi and her dad board a boat to an island to start a new life.

But desperate for her children to see the face of their father, she starts to practice black magic howver is stopped by her father. But not soon enough, as it unleashes a new, terrible curse on the island.

Fast forward around 30 years later, and a group of friends lead by a woman with a severe leg injury, her adopted sister, her boyfriend, a magician and two travel guides/Instagram streamer idiots head to the island for her birthday.

Lo and behold, things start to happen on this cursed island. Visions are experienced, death occurs, the truth is revealed and more weak links to the first movie are shoehorned in to remind you that there is a better movie out there you should be watching

MY THOUGHTS

Where do you start with this disaster?

Firstly the first movie didn’t need a sequel, since it was based on a real event. So making it a sequel is shoehorning characters into an original story

That’s what this is – this is a modern style horror movie about annoying people who film everything they do. Luckily its not found footage

Watch the video for my full review

DETAILS

Genre Horror Thriller
Director Lê Bình Giang
Starring Tran Nghia, Sam
Original Title Đảo Độc Đắc - Tử Mẫu Thiên Linh Cái
Alternative Title Jackpot Island: Kumanthong Returns
Country of Origin Vietnam
Release Date December 12 2022

Should You Watch... SAKRA? Donnie Yen's First Movie of 2023 - Is It Any Good? (Hong Kong) 天龍八部之喬峰傳

A series of high profile murders occur where clan leader Kiu Feng seems to be the main culprit. Desperate to clear his name and prove he is innocent, he leaves his clan – well more like is he forced out of the position – and comes across a face-changing thief called Zhu.

She gets critically injured while Kiu Feng is fighting, and he vows to take her to a medical practitioner. At the same time he makes a promise to her to reunite her with her family.

But the clans and masters keep hunting down Kiu Feng as they discover his blood family are actual their mortal enemies, which leads to a showdown with both the people who killed Kiu Feng’s parents and the people who set him up.

MY THOUGHTS

To be honest I don’t know if I have captured the story correctly as I’ve never seen the original movies or series, nor have I read the book, so I went into this one completely fresh in the story department

But one thing I am is a fan of Donnie Yen movies – especially more of his mid naughties content as that’s when I really got into his movies with the first Ip Man movies.

I’ve missed a lot of his pre-Ip Man movies, which means I’ve missed a lot of his more fantasy and wuxia style flicks.

However, I know a bad movie when I see it, and quite frankly this one is terrible.

If I was to try and put my finger on what was bad, unfortunately it all comes back to one thing – Donnie Yen. 

Watch the video for my full review

DETAILS

Genre Wuxia Action
Director Wai-Man Cheng, Donnie Yen
Starring Donnie Yen, Cya Liu, Kara Hui
Original Title 天龙八部之乔峰传
Alternative Title Demi Gods and Semi Devils
Country of Origin Hong Kong
Release Date January 19 2023 (Hong Kong), January 16 2023 (Malaysia)