January 30, 2015

Live (Noboru Iguchi, 2014)

What is most impressive with Live is its infectious energy.Every death, every plot point is sacrificed to the cinematic experience.
October 17, 2013

Shield of Straw (Takashi Miike, 2013) | Lesson of the Evil (Takashi Miike, 2012)

Shield of Straw My first film at Fantasia in 2013 was Takashi Miike’s Shield of Straw, one of the director’s contribution to the festival. Miike is a known workhorse, directing sometimes three films per year, in a myriad of genres and styles. Yet, there seems to be a connecting thread through his films, which feels harder to ascertain for me […]
March 11, 2013

Punch (Han Lee, 2011)

Punch, a Korean drama, will more likely be remembered for the way it adds to the Korean conversation on immigration than for its other story elements.
November 24, 2010

The Naked Kitchen (Ji-yeong Hong, 2009)

The Naked Kitchen is disappointing, even with the presence of Ji-hun Ju (Kim from last year’s Antique) and its appealing premise. It does everything wrong.
March 26, 2010

The City and the Dogs (Francisco J. Lombardi, 1985)

he City and the Dogs, based on the popular novel of the same name by Mario Vargas Llosa, is an allegory of power in South America.