KFCC Awards movie review listing page 4

(102 min)

1982 - Comedy, Action - Hong Kong

In ancient China, a general is forced to kidnap the young prince he is sworn to protect, but accidentally kills him. Many years later, Kao is living anonymously as a drunken, bitter shadow of his former self. When the evil Bat Sorcerer discovers Kao’s whereabouts, he mistakes Kao’s student Simon Yeun for the kidnapped prince. With the ‘prince’ by his side, he believes he can rule the world, but the pretend prince doesn’t wish to co-operate. Two argumentative local conjurers take over the young man’s training, and use crazy magic to do battle with the bat sorcerer.

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Director : Yuen Wo Ping

Cast : Yuen Yat Choh, Leung Kar Yan, Yuen Cheung Yan, Eddy Ko Hung, Yuen Shun Yi

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Moon Warriors

(87 min)

1993 - Swordplay - Hong Kong

A fisherman is laying in the sun, playing his instrument in a moment of serenity. A group of swordsman protecting the king are frantically fighting off the enemy. When these two events cross paths, a big brawl ensues. So then the King-on-the-run and his band of warriors makes friends with the fisherman. Low and behold, the fisherman's simple fishing village is actually where one of the greatest Emperor's is buried, but kept in secret so no one would rob his grave. Plans are revealed that the king's brother is hellbent on his demise as well as his whole crew. The Emperor's daughter is in danger so the fisherman goes out to rescue her and bring her back to the village. Through the next hour or so, we are treated to one of the most spectacular kung-fu films ever made.

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Director : Sammo Hung

Cast : Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, Kenny Bee, Yi Chang, Kelvin Wong

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Mr. Vampire

(93 min)

1985 - Horror, Comedy - Hong Kong

When a Taoist priest is called on for advice on how to re-bury a rich man’s father, bad omens suggest that something is terribly wrong. The dead man has become a Vampire, and before long, he attacks his son, leaving the Taoist and his incompetent assistants to do battle with the two Vampires. One of the assistants is feeling less than helpful because he is possessed by a beautiful female ghost who is slowly sapping his life away.

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Director : Ricky Lau

Cast : Lam Ching Ying, Chin Siu Ho, Ricky Hui, Moon Lee, Anthony Chan, Pauline Wong

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Musa

(158 min)

2001 - Swordplay - South Korea

It is the year of 1375, a large group of diplomats sent from Korea are traveling to China in order to make peace with the new government in the times of the warring Ming and Yuan Dynasties. Because of misunderstandings and complications, they are charged as spies and exiled. On what seemed like a road to perdition, through and endless sea of sand, they are soon attacked by the Yuan. Smaller in numbers now and almost surviving their travels, they come upon a Ming Princess in the possession of the Yuan and attempt to flee her in order to be blessed and favored by the Ming for their heroic deeds, thus in turn, restoring the relationship between the Ming and Korea.

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Director : Kim Sung-su

Cast : Jung Woo-Sung, Ahn Sung-kee, Ju Jin-mo, Zhang Ziyi, Park Yong-woo, Park Jeong-Hak

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My Sassy Girl

(137 min)

2001 - Comedy, Romance - South Korea

Gyeon-woo is a single Korean college student, still not very sure of what he wants to become in the future. One night, on his way back home, he meets an extremely beautiful girl, but who is also completely drunk. Because the girl talked to Gyeon-woo before falling unconscious, the people surrounding them begin to think that the girl is Gyeon-woo`s girlfriend. Having no other choice than helping the girl, he decides to leave her in a motel, since he doesn't know were she lives. The next morning Gyeon-woo gets a call from this mysterious girl who is very angry about him and wants to know everything that happened the past night. She tells him to meet her right now at the exit of the metro. Gyeon-woo thinking about this, decides to go see the girl. From that night, Gyeon-woo and the girl will become good friends, in a strange sense. As the relation progresses, Gyeon-woo begins to discover how crazy the girls really is, with all her wacky behaviors, angry attitude and always wanting him to

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Director : Gwak Jae-Yong

Cast : Jeon Ji-Hyeon, Cha Tae-Hyeon, Yang Geum-Yong

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No Blood, No Tears

(117 min)

2002 - Action - South Korea

Sujin is an aspiring singer. Kyong-son was a hardcore female gangster turned Taxi driver. By fate, the two meet up in the most unlikely circumstance. With nothing in common and nothing to lose, the women devise a plan to steal a duffel bag stuffed with cold hard cash. However, despite their cunning tactics, it doesn't help when they're not the only ones after the bag.

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Director : Seung-wan Ryoo

Cast : Do-yeon Jeon, Hye-yeong Lee, Jae-yeong Jeong, Goo Shin, Do-hong Jeong

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Oasis

(132 min)

2002 - Drama - South Korea

After serving a prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter, Chong-du is greeted by his family and friends with a lukewarm reception. Finding it difficult to adjust back to common life, he makes an effort to contact the family of the man killed in the car accident; partially out of amusement and partially out of the desire to apologize. Upon arrival, he finds Kong-ju, the man’s cerebral palsy inflicted daughter who spends her days alone dreaming of a fantasy world. The two slowly form a bond that is at times both beautiful and disturbing.

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Director : Chang-dong Lee

Cast : Kyung-gu Sol, So-ri Moon, Nae-sang Ahn, Seung-wan Ryoo

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Old Boy

(120 min)

2003 - Drama - South Korea

Oh Dae-su is kidnapped and held in a private housing cell for fifteen years. Upon his release, he is given one task by his captor: to find out the reasons why. With a decade and a half of built up aggression and burning curiosity, Oh Dae-su searches for the answers that robbed him of his life.

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Director : Chan-wook Park

Cast : Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang, Dae-han Ji, Dal-su Oh, Byeong-ok Kim

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Once Upon a Time In China 2

(108 min)

1992 - Kung Fu - Hong Kong

Wong Fei Hung and friends travel to Canton, where China’s troubles are even worse than back home. The schemes of a corrupt Manchu official is disrupting peace, and the xenophobic ‘White Lotus’ cult is attacking foreign embassies, causing more tension than ever before.

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Director : Tsui Hark

Cast : Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Rosamund Kwan, Max Mok, David Chiang

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Ong Bak

(104 min)

2003 - Martial Arts - Thailand

The head of the Buddha statue, Ong Bak, is stolen from a poor, remote village in Thailand. The village is aggrieved and disconsolate with the theft. Local country boy Ting (Tony Jaa) volunteers to travel to the big city of Bangkok to retrieve the sacred object. The monks who raised Ting taught him the Thai martial art Muay Thai. In Bangkok, Ting meets up with Humlae (Petchtai Wongkamlao), a fellow villager who left the village for city life long ago. Ting tries to enlist Humlae’s help in tracking down the head of Ong Bak. The two team up, after awhile, and get sucked into the violent world of club fighting, ruled by a wheelchair-bound man, who speaks with the aid of a microphone positioned at his throat.

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Director : Prachya Pinkaew

Cast : Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Pumwaree Yodkamol, Suchao Pongwilai, Wannakit Sirioput

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Pacte Des Loups, Le

(145 min)

2001 - Horror, Drama, Asian Related - France

Along the French countryside province of Gevaudan, a beast stalks and kills the farming peasants. The few survivors are only conscious enough tell stories of a vicious, demon-like wolf. Even with the regions best hunters out on the prowl, the beast still continues to slaughter in an unmerciful fashion, adding to the ever growing stories and contributing to the escalating myth. Sent in to investigate these killings by the king, Gregoire de Fronsac along with his Iroquois friend, Mani, stumbles upon a conspiracy that goes deeper than a simple beast and its almost ritualistic slayings. Overflowing with Asian and Anime nuance, and an abundance of martial arts spectacle and vision, Christophe Gans adventure epic, "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is a feast for the eyes and mind that will leave all those that consume, addicted and obsessed.

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Director : Christophe Gans

Cast : Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Mark Dacascos, Emilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci, Jérémie Rénier

Ping Pong

(114 min)

2002 - Comedy, Action - Japan

Two best friends, Peco and Smile, have been playing ping pong since they were little kids. While Peco plays to win and completely loves the sport, Smile only plays because he looks up to Peco and does it to kill time with his friend (even though he obviously has the potential to being one of the best players around).

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Director : Fumihiko Masuri

Cast : Yosuke Kubozuka, Arata Iura, Sam Lee, Shido Nakamura, Koji Ogura, Naota Takenaka

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Police Story

(94 min)

1985 - Action - Hong Kong

Chan plays the super cop Ka-Kui in the first of the Police Story series. Ka-Kui along with his squad arrest Chee, one of Hong Kong's biggest drug dealers. He is assigned by his superiors to protect Chee's former employee now turned key witness. It just so happens that the key witness is the beautiful and cunning Salina, played by always and still a screen legend Brigitte Lin. Naturally Salina is able to elude Ka-Kui and leaves him with no evidence so Chee is set free, which results with Chee setting up Ka-Kui for murder and putting him on the run. A beaten Ka-Kui faces down Chee and his gang in a climatic fight in a mall.

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Director : Jackie Chan

Cast : Jackie Chan, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Chor Yuen, Bill Tung, Ken Tong

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Private Eyes, The

(94 min)

1976 - Comedy - Hong Kong

After being kicked out of work, Sam decides to try his skills in another field: private investigation. Sam convinces Michael, the head of a small detective agency, to give him a job. Along with his cynical boss, Michael, and his “looks not so clever” assistant, Ricky, Sam will need to resolve a series of small, but complicated crimes. These adventures will include catching shop lifters, retrieving a TV set, getting pictures of cheating couples and even take care of movie theatre robbers.

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Director : Michael Hui

Cast : Michael Hui, Ricky Hui, Sam Hui

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Project A

(100 min)

1983 - Kung Fu, Action, Comedy - Hong Kong

In 1930’s Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Marines are disbanded, and forced to become members of the royal HK police force, their former rivals. Dragon Ma (Jackie Chan) of the marines, Inspector Tzu (Yuen Biao) of the police, and petty criminal Fei (Sammo Hung) work together to defeat San-Po, a pirate who is terrorising the waters around Hong Kong

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Director : Jackie Chan

Cast : Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Dick Wei

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Public Enemy

(138 min)

2002 - Action - South Korea

A cop's job is to protect the public, but Chul-Jung is not an ordinary cop. His work involves maybe a little too much illegal activity that even his mother can't tell if he is a gangster or a cop. But after a raid at a local drug dealer, Chul-Jung and his partner receive the news that an internal investigation has been opened on their case, suspecting their illegal activities. Chul-Jung now has to give up his usual activities and try to be a good cop, something that is really new for him. Unfortunately for him, due to his lack of effort of trying to get any gangsters in prison, his superior seem to take pleasure of insulting and threatening him. One night, investigating on an old case, Chul-Jung crosses the path of a mysterious man, unaware that this man as just committed a terrible and vicious murder. That man is Gyu-Hwan, a very rich businessman with a very bad temper and a fragile state of mind that can turn him into a psycho with whoever annoys him. From that night, Chul-Jung an

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Director : Kang Wu-Seok

Cast : Seol Gyeong-Gu, Lee Seong-Jae, Gi Ju-Bong, Seo Tae-hwa, Yun Mun-Sik, Ahn Seok-Hwan

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Quiet Family, The

(90 min)

1998 - Black Comedy, Horror, Crime - South Korea

The parents along with their three children and the uncle, buys a lodge in the forest on a mountain, hoping to make a fortune running their own business. After a few weeks they received their first guest but misfortune strike the family as several of their guests are found dead. To avoid the bad publicity of the deaths in their lodge they decide to bury the bodies in the forest. As the body count increases the family seems to get used to their new way of running the business but unfortunately the police take notice that many people have disappeared in the area.

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Director : Kim Ji-wun

Cast : Park In-Hwan, Na Mun-Hee, Song Kang-ho, Choi Min-shik, Ko Ho-Kyeong, Lee Yun-Seong

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Ran

(160 min)

1985 - Swordplay - Japan

Based on Shakespeare’s King Lear, Akira Kurosawa beautifully retells the literature classic by adapting it to an ancient feudal Japan setting. The story begins with Lord Hidetora feeling that it is his time to step down from his throne and let his son take over. He divides his powers amongst his three sons, Taro, Jiro, and Saburo. The greatest position of their Ichimonji kingdom is given to the eldest son Taro. The remaining powers are distributed to the two younger brothers. Saburo, the youngest, speaks out against his fathers foolish and unwise decision, which is seen as disrespect and humility to Hidetora. Tango, a loyal servant and advisor, backs what Saburo says. The great lord banishes the two of them for sharing their thoughts. Another warlord that was present during the moment of Hidetora’s decree pursued Saburo and offered him his daughter’s hand in marriage. Saburo agrees, but Tango generously turns down the warlords offer and says he must stay loyal to Hidetora, banishment o

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Director : Akira Kurosawa

Cast : Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryu, Mieko Harada, Yoshiko Miyazaki

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Red Angel

(95 min)

1966 - Drama, War - Japan

Based on a novel by Yoshichika Arima, Red Angel is the story of a young nurse named Sakura Nishi, played by Ayako Wakao, sent to the front lines of Japan’s war against China. Nurse Nishi is not only a witness to the torn battlefields of army hospitals but also the sexually desperate soldiers who are fighting for their countries protection. She must work Shinsuke Ashida as morphine-addicted surgeon Dr. Okabe to bring hope back to those that have nearly lost all hope including themselves. Can Nishi juggle her passion for true happiness with the ugliness of war...

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Director : Yasuzo Masumura

Cast : Ayako Wakao, Shinsuke Ashida, and Tasuke Kawazu

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Rhapsody in August

(98 min)

1991 - Drama - Japan

Aging matriarch Kane finds herself reliving painful memories after receiving news from the death bed of her long lost brother. She sends her grown children off to Hawaii to determine the validity of this supposed relative while taking care of her grandchildren for the summer. Focus shifts to the grandchildren as Kurosawa uses them as tools for expressing his feelings on World War II and the damage it ravaged on Japan and the lives of its people.

[more]

Director : Akira Kurosawa

Cast : Sachiko Murase, Hisaski Igawa, Narumi Kayashima, Tomoko Otakara, Mitsunori Isaki, Toshie Negishi

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