KFCC Awards movie review listing page 6

Movie poster for The Legend of Suriyothai

(192 min)

2001 - Swordplay - Thailand

Suriyothai is an epic historical motion picture that portrays one of Thailand's foremost heroines, Phra Suriyothai. . Her actions would unite her people and win the war against an unstoppable enemy. She is the queen who fought and died to protect her husband and king's life while advancing into battle against the invading Burmese battalion in the 14th century. This is her story…

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Director : Chatrichalerm Yukol

Cast : Piyapas Bhirombhakdi, Sarunyu Wongkrachang, Chatchai Plengpanich, Sorapong Chatri, Mai Charoenpura, Johnny Enfone

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Three Seasons

(108 min)

1999 - Drama - Vietnam

In the early hours of the New Vietnam, four strangers in Saigon find themselves suddenly expatriates in their own country, passed over by "improvements" of Western progress. As the hauntingly beautiful old city of Saigon fades into the shadows of neon lights, Coca Cola signs, plastic lotus flowers and other symbols of Western invasion, these character's paths begin to cross. Stories merge to paint a portrait of a country in transition, the last moments of a culture which, through a second invasion by its former enemy, will never be the same again: Kien An (Ngoc Hiep Nguyen) is a living memory of the old ways living life seemingly unchanged by the passage of time; Lan (Diep Bui) has reinvented herself as someone who can survive in the cold-hearted capitalist world; Hai (Don Doung) bridges the two worlds on his cyclo; James Hager (Harvey Keitel) is a reminder of the country's ravaged past; and young Woody is a symbol of its future. (This is copied from the back of the DVD case because)

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Director : Tony Bui

Cast : Ngoc Hiep Nguyen, Ngoc Minh, Phat Trieu Hoang, Diem Kieu, Hanh Kieu, Don Doung

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Tricky Brains

(110 min)

1991 - - Hong Kong

Tricky Brains: Tricky Master Stephen Chow is hired by a man driven by jealousy. This man's object of affection (the daughter of the president of the company he works for), has been won over by Andy Lau's Chi Man-Kit. If that couldn't make his envy worse, Chi's also in good terms with the president and he embraces him like a son-in-law already. Well, who do you go to if you want to ruin reputations and face? Mr. Stephen Chow himself, the Tricky Master. As Jing Koo, he crashes into the Chi household, posing as a long lost brother (it's plausible because Yan-Chi, Chi Man-Kit's father, slept around a lot). So the pranks ensue. However, when worse comes to worse and the dirty job is finished, the Chi family still embraces Jing Koo like a brother. This act of kindness has touched Jing Koo in the heart, and he vows revenge on the dirty businessman that has forced him to ruin this loving family. The three combine forces to topple the businessman and retain Chi Man-Kit's girl back. To spice

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Director : Jing Wong

Cast : Stephen Chow, Pak-cheung Chan, John Ching, Charlie Cho, Rosamund Kwan, Andy Lau

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Ultraman Vol.1

(450 min)

1966 - Tokusatsu - Japan

As you may know, our planet Earth, and especially Japan, is often threatened by monstrous menaces from space and other creatures that probably belong in some lost prehistoric era. Lucky for us, we have the Science Patrol to police the skies, seas and land in an effort to protect us from a fiery fate. Unfortunately, their high-tech weaponry isn't always enough to push back the relentless kaiju invasions. These are the times when we look to the sky and pray for Ultraman! Due to a freak air collision with the titular being, Science Patrol member Hayata has been imbued with the power to transform into our hero Ultraman, and karate chop his way to victory!

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Director : Akio Jissoji, Hajime Tsuburaya

Cast : Akiji Kobayashi, Iyoshi Ishii, Masanara Nihei, Hiroko Sakurai, Akihide Tsuzawa, Susumu Kurobe

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Uzumaki

(90 min)

2000 - Horror, Supernatural - Japan

The inhabitants of Kurouzu-cho appear to all lead very normal lives. You’ve got the young couple Shuichi and Kirie, along with there respective families that all seem very functional. Things change though, when this peace is shattered by a sudden and mysterious obsession with spirals! It starts with Kirie’s dad, as he photographs snails and collects spiral pottery, but eventually the curse runs rampant and there’s no turning back! Death lies around every corner, and this movie takes paranoia and insanity to a whole new level.

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Director : Higuchinsky

Cast : Eriko Hatsune, Masami Horiuchi, Fhi Fan, Taro Suwa, Ren Osugi, Eun-Kyung Shin

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Versus - Ultimate Versus

(119 min)

2001 - 200 - Action, Horror - Japan

Prisoner KSG-301 along with his cell mate escape while being transferred which has been set up by a Yakuza influence. They meet up with their so called saviors only to receive orders which include keeping a girl hostage for the boss. KSG-301 does not agree with them and tells them to let the girl go. After a brief gun fight everyone realizes something is terribly wrong and the dead are coming back to life.

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Director : Ryuhei Kitamura

Cast : Tak Sakaguchi, Hideo Sakaki, Chieko Misaka, Kenji Matsuda, Yuichiro Arai, Kazuhito Ohba

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Vital

(86 min)

2004 - Drama - Japan

After a car accident, medical student Hiroshi Takagi is left with a jumbled memory of prior people and events. As it turns out, though, the cadaver he is assigned to dissect in his class is the body of his girlfriend that died with him in the wreck. A past relationship, a strong connection; as the memories fade back into his mind nothing seems so clear-cut anymore.

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Director : Shinya Tsukamoto

Cast : Tadanobu Asano, Nami Tsukamoto, Kazuyoshi Kushida, Kiki, Jyun Kunimura

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Whasango

(121 min)

2001 - Kung Fu, Fantasy - South Korea

When Kim Kyung-soo is thrown out from his eighth school for blasting a teacher with a super-energy filled piece of chalk, he promises his family to finally graduate and not get kicked out from school. However, the ninth school, Whasango (a.k.a. Volcano High) is his last and final resort. It's going to be a rough year for Kyung-soo because Whasango is a school that doesn't welcome newcomers. He will have to duck the leaders of the weightlifting team, kendo team, rugby team, and of course, the whole damn faculty.

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Director : Kim Tae Kyun

Cast : xChang Hyuk, Shin Min-Ah, Kim Soo-roh, Kwon Sang-woo, Gong Hyo-Jin

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Yojimbo

(110 min)

1961 - Chambara - Japan

Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the original wandering cinematic Ronin, comes across a little town where the silk merchant and his gang constantly clash with the sake merchant and his gang for control of the town. Sanjuro plays both sides to ensure the destruction of them by hiring himself out as a bodyguard or yojimbo.

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Director : Akira Kurosawa

Cast : Toshirô Mifune, Eijirô Tono, Kamatari Fujiwara, Takashi Shimura, Seizaburô Kawazu, Isuzu Yamada

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Young Thugs – Nostalgia

(93 min)

1998 - Drama, Comedy - Japan

Young Thugs – Nostalgia is a film well deserving of its title. 6th grade student Riichi lives a tough life. Between the endless battles with a gang of local punks, and his less than functional home life, it is safe to say the poor kid got a raw deal. Despite his hand in life though, Riichi manages to make the best of things with the help of some thick skin, a few good friends, and a true sense of resilience.

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Director : Takashi Miike

Cast : Setsuko Karasuma, Yuki Nagata, Toshikazu Nakaba, Akihiro Shimizu, Saki Takaoka, Naoto Takenaka

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Zatoichi

(111 min)

2003 - Chambara, Drama - Japan

A clan of thieves and scoundrels has put the inhabitants of a village in check. By enforcing a policy of intolerable cruelty and fear, the villagers are rendered poor and helpless against the cruel uprising of the Kuchinawa clan. A wandering blind masseuse stumbles upon the village. This blind man is none other than the legendary Zatoichi. With a deadly walking stick at his side, he serves swift justice to the Kuchinawa clan. Along the way, he meets a compulsive gambler, two geishas who are more than what meets the eye, and a deadly mercenary; all contributing to yet another stunning tale of the blind swordsman, Zatoichi.

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Director : Takashi Kitano

Cast : Takashi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ookusu, Gadarukanaru Taka, Yuuko Daike, Daigoro Tachibana

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