1. “Wicked Little Things (2006)” movie review.

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    When a character touches a door and it ominously opens, what do they do? They trespass onto private property to investigate. Then when the home owner returns, he presumably decided to sneak up on the person as quietly as possible so when they turn around, they will walk right into a jump scare. What's funny is that the movie DOES THIS CLICHE TWICE! TWICE!
  2. “Legendary Assassin (2008)” movie review.

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    When a fight scene happens, it's less about the choreography and more about how sexy he (Jacky Wu) is when he throws a punch. It's totally an ego trip, albeit a harmless one. The truth is, Jacky Wu is really cool in this movie. It's just too bad the film nearly fails at everything else.
  3. “Dark Shadows (2012)” movie review.

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    Tim Burton was another great filmmaker who has lost sight of what made him good in the first place. Oh sure, his trademarks are still present, but they don't seem to mean anything anymore. His earlier- and best- efforts were noted for their high octane Gothic imagery, their quirky, morbid sense of humor and their ability to have heart amidst its visual style. The movies were about people who felt (or were) isolated from the rest of the world. They had substance, damn it! But eventually Burton's efforts started being less eccentric and more mainstream. While the visual style was still there, the humor became stale and the loner protagonist was reduced to a cog in a big machine. "Dark Shadows" is pretty much the embodiment of a true Tim Burton film these days. His touches are here, but they're underutilized.
  4. “Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)” movie review

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    I saw “Curse of the Golden Flower” when it was first released throughout the U.S in 2006. Like all big boned dramas that maybe had one or two big fight scenes, it was marketed as an epic martial arts feature. I left the theater acknowledging it as a good movie, but I wish it had more fist fights and sword battles. Now that I've gotten over the bad advertising, I can watch “Curse of the Golden Flower” without any petty hangups. I can watch it as a tragedy, filled with color, intrigue, drama and even some epic combat. As such, I thought it was SUPERB!
  5. “Bodyguards and Assassins (2009)” movie review.

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    Sometimes the wrong kind of marketing can really sink your movie. I'm not just talking about something like "The Grey" either, where it promises an awesome scene that we never get to see. Sometimes we expect a completely different kind of movie than what we get. Sometimes a romance markets itself as a comedy, sometimes an actioner markets itself as horror and sometimes a melodrama markets itself as a martial arts film. I don't know how "Bodyguards and Assassins" was advertised in Hong Kong, but in the west it presented itself as a martial arts vehicle for Donnie Yen. IT IS MOST CERTAINLY NOT THAT KIND OF MOVIE.
  6. Bunraku – finally a film that lives up to the quotes on the box

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    Wow, just... Wow. I don't mean that sarcastically either, which is quite the departure for me. When I see things like "BY FAR THE BEST FILM I'VE SEEN ALL YEAR", "A FEAST FOR THE EYES" and "BEYOND BRILLIANT" in bold capitals it's normally a sign that the DVD will be spending a lot of time sitting on the shelf before it's watched again. This wasn't the case here...
  7. Angus, thongs and perfect snogging… Yay?

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    To be honest I have no idea why I decided to pick this up, well other than to round up the total at check out. The endorsement by Bliss should've been enough to warn me off, but alas I now own it & it's getting watched.