Blog Archives

Assassination (2015)

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Posted on August 13, 2017 by Andrew

Some movies opt for a mysterious title to incite audience interest, while some movies are more up front. Assassination is pretty up front. Yet there’s so much more to it than that one noun bluntly seems to state.

Director Choi Dong-hoon returns with another big-budget rollercoaster of a film, sharing many faces with his last feature The Thieves. Also similar to his previous hit is the basic structure of Assassination, with a large cast maneuvering their way to … (read more)

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New World (2013)

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Posted on July 20, 2014 by Samson

Without a doubt, South Korea’s crime thrillers rank amongst the best in world cinema. And New World is the latest proof supporting that claim. This box office hit from 2013 boasts a rock solid cast that includes some of the hottest male stars from South Korea today: Lee Jung Jae (The Thieves), Choi Min Sik (Oldboy) and Hwang Jung Min (The Unjust).

New World tells the story of the struggles amongst and between the … (read more)

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The Thieves (2012)

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Posted on March 31, 2013 by John Snadden

One of the most enjoyable times I spent in the cinema last year was watching the big-budget, star-studded, South Korean caper flick, The Thieves — where the energy, humour and all-round film-making smarts were a joy to experience.

Sold nearly everywhere as an Asian version of Hollywood’s Oceans franchise – well, that’s called marketing. As I saw it, The Thieves was a surprisingly effective counterpoint to the lethargic, middle-aged preening of director Soderbergh and his precious stars.

A nifty theft … (read more)

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Over the Rainbow (2002)

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Posted on November 25, 2005 by Ching Yee

Do not be fooled by the poster! That perky and colourful poster screams “Sanitised romantic comedy!” Over the Rainbow is nothing of the sort. For one thing — there is nothing perky about it – in fact none of the characters raises above a subdued chuckle during the whole movie. Being labelled as a romantic comedy is probably misleading because I’m sure sappy Hollywood romantic comedies spring to mind.

That is not to say that Over the Rainbow isn’t enjoyable, … (read more)

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