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Here is some recent stuff that might be of interest: Better Days (2019) - directed by Derek Tsang, starring Dongyu Zhou Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014) - directed by Yi'nan Dao, starring Kwai Lunmei Wild Goose Lake (2019) - directed by Yi'nan Dao, starring Kwai Lunmei Long Day's Journey Into...

Highly Recommended 37 Seconds (2019) (Japanese Drama) – A 23-year-old girl with cerebral palsy feels stifled by her controlling mother and shady manga partner. There are a few unusually sensual moments early on, but this is a surprisingly delicate and endearing coming-of-age story. It’s also...

Ha ha! I'm glad Divemaster is enjoying Queen Seondeok so much.

Highly Recommended Mon Mon Mon Monsters (2017) (Taiwanese Horror) - Pretty big surprise. Lin Shu-wei is a meek, straight-A student with no friends who gets harassed by his classmates. He has recently been framed of stealing the class funds, and is further humiliated in front of the class by a...

Not Recommended Shazam! (2019) (American Comedy/Drama/Action) – A newly fostered young boy in search of his mother instead finds unexpected super powers and soon gains a powerful enemy. The story in this movie are very basic and generic. It feels like fan fiction. Dialogue is atrocious and...

Highly Recommended Bullet In the Head (1990) (Chinese Action/Thriller) (repeat viewing) – This intense movie by director John Woo is about three friends (Tony Leung, Jackie Cheung, Waise Lee) who attempt to make a profit in war-torn Vietnam through a contact (Simon Yam). In some ways, this...

Natsumi’s Firefly (2016) (Japanese Drama) – When Natsumi's father dies she return to the forest which she had visited with him with his motorcycle. She meets and decides to stay with a family who also own a store nearby. This has nicely shot natural environments, and the lead actress is hot...

Not Recommended Deja Vu (2018) (Korean Thriller/Horror) – After accidentally killing a woman while driving, and fleeing the scene, Ji-min goes to the cops. But the body is missing. This begins with some generic ghost girl horror imagery, and continues with inept horror tactics throughout...

Highly Recommended The Kirishima Thing (2012) (Japanese Drama) (repeat viewing) – High school students go about their business despite the absence of a popular classmate. This is a fairly unorthodox film because it shifts between a number of different characters. It’s seemingly more...

Not Recommended Collide (2016) (American Action) – An American backpacker gets involved with a ring of drug smugglers as their driver, though he winds up on the run from his employers across Cologne high-speed Autobahn. The opening half hour setup is ineffective and the girl is barely in the...

Highly Recommended Dial M for Murder (1954) (American Drama/Thriller) – A tennis player attempts to murder his unfaithful wife and get away with it. This has excellent dialogue. Much of this film takes place in one location, the apartment, so it requires a great script that makes you think...

PART 3 Not Recommended The Confidence Man JP: The Movie (2019) (Japanese Comedy/Drama) – A rich dude tries to find the people who stole a large sum of money from him. Meanwhile, the con artists themselves have a new target. The humor is too wacky at times and merely decent overall. The...

PART 2 Recommended Kingdom (2019) (Japanese Action) – This is set during the Warring States period of China and is about two orphan boys who grow up in a village and dream of becoming great generals. Quite odd that we have a Japanese movie about an alternate history of China, with Japanese...

Highly Recommended Parasite (2019) (Korean Drama/Thriller) – A lower class family takes peculiar interest in a wealthy and glamorous family for their livelihood. This film by Joon-ho Bong has fantastic acting and a very interesting script that flows naturally and in gripping ways. This is an...

Just got back from vacation in Japan. Will post some reviews this weekend.

Not Recommended Alien vs Predator (2004) (American Action/Horror) – During an archaeological expedition on Bouvetøya Island in Antarctica, a team of archaeologists and other scientists find themselves caught up in a battle between the two legends. The antarctic setting is actually very boring...

I'm watching a bunch of horror movies this month. Highly Recommended First Love (aka Hatsukoi) (2019) (Japanese Crime Thriller) – A young boxer decides to help a prostitute, but both are framed and hunted by the yakuza in this film by Takashi Miike. This is a crowd-pleaser with many good...

Not Recommended Last Knights (2015) (British Drama/Action) – A fallen warrior (Clive Owen) rises against a corrupt and sadistic ruler to avenge his dishonored master (Morgan Freeman). This English language film was directed by Kazuaki Kiriya (Casshern, Goemon) and the story is based on the 47...