My Top 10 Most Anticipated Asian Movies for 2019

The title above says it all. In view of the approaching end of unforgettable 2018, I decided to compose the list of films for which I'm impatiently waiting in 2019. This is a mix of Japanese, Korean, and Hong Kong productions enumerated in no particular order. So, let's start:

1. School-Live!

Japanese (Dir. Issei Shibata)

High school campus, four students, a virus, and zombies! I'm hoping for a decent survival horror story.

2.Dance with Me

Japanese (Dir. Shinobu Yaguchi)

A girl gets hypnotised and, as a result, she is forced to sign and dance to every tune she hears. Every new comedy from Shinobu Yaguchi is a must-see for me.

3. Kingdom

 

Japanese (Dir. Shinsuke Sato)

A historical movie about the war period in China, made by the Japanese. The trailer looks awesome and it promises lots of action.

4. No Longer Human

 

Japanese (Dir. Mika Ninagawa)

Shun Oguri plays the main protagonist in this adaptation of one of the best-selling Japanese novels.

5. Welcome Back Tora-san!

 

Japanese (Dir. Yoji Yamada)

Yoji Yamada keeps on trekking down the memory lane as he refreshes another national treasure of the Japanese movie industry. This time, he makes the 50th(!) instalment of the Tora-san series. However, the main lead, late Kiyoshi Atsumi, will not be re-cast. Click here for more info.

6. The Cyclist King

 

Korean (Dir. Kim Yoo-seong)

The Cyclist King appears to be a based-on-true-events mixture of historical drama and sports. Basically, Koreans vs. Japanese never-ending clash continues.

7. Hit-and-Run Squad

 

Korean (Dir. Han Jun-Hee)

Cops chasing criminals during high speed chases. Sounds great and I really hope that the film will be above the level of Fast and Furious entertainment.

8. Jurors

Korean (Dir. Hong Seung-Wan)

I'm always in the mood for a good courtroom drama.

9. Ip Man 4

 

Hong Kong (Dir. Wilson Yip)

Ip Man 4, the unexpected sequel will tell the story of Wing Chung master kicking some sorry butts in Seattle, Washington.

10. Godzilla: The Planet Eater

 

Japanese [Anime] (Dir. Kobun Shizuno & Hiroyuki Seshita)

I know this is just an anime and I know that Godzilla: King of the Monsters is due to come out in May, but a part of me is more looking forward to this showdown of the kings rather than the American one.

That's it for now. I wish you all a Happy New Year and if you do have your own anticipated movies, feel free to share them in the comments!

101 Reviews: Where I am and Where I am going (Blog Update)

Well, I never expected it to happen but it did. The blog has recently hit over 100 reviews! It may not be perceived as a great achievement by some more accomplished bloggers, but I never even assumed that Watching Asia Film Reviews blog will grow this big with me as the only author. I am even more astonished when I look at the whole thing from today’s perspective:

The beginnings of this blog, or the first year to be exact (2015-2016), were difficult, but not exhausting, as I was learning the ins and outs of blogging: HTML, gadgets, widgets, as well as developing my writing style. At the same time, my cramming for university exams kept growing, yet I remained passionate about reviewing Asian movies in my spare time. The second year, on the other hand (2016-2017), was disastrous. My whole life broke down in a single day and it took me a lot of time and hard work in order to get back on track. Many things happened since then, I almost virtually abandoned this blog while under depression, being convinced that it’s not worth it, since there’s little to none activity anyway. When I finally began sorting things out, other matters started picking up onwards the late 2017. Asian cinema gave me the enjoyment and escapism I very much needed after the darkest days. Here comes the third year (2018) when I got back to blogging, increasingly putting out more sophisticated content. All of a sudden, traffic spiked and comments began to appear too. In July, I also joined MyDramaList, which is a great community centred on Asian cinema. So far, I have written two article there (Movie Recommendations) and started sharing my blog reviews via Feeds feature.

101 reviews occasion also provides an opportunity for an update on my upcoming plans for this blog. First of all, I intend to discontinue the section on Indian movies. It is a difficult decision to make, all the more because these films sparked my interest in Asia, but these pictures are being released in such overwhelming quantities nowadays, that it is almost impossible for me to keep up with the new titles. Nevertheless, there still are some great classics from the 1960s/1970s, which I would like to discuss in the future. So, I’m not abandoning India for good. This section will just not be regularly updated. Secondly, I set up some accounts on social media over the years and for now… I will keep them: my MDL account is just as important as the blog itself, only recently I started developing my list on MAL (MyAnimeList), whereas Tumblr is still under a question mark because of numerous changes of that site’s policies.

What’s more to add? I will most certainly continue to review movies here as much as I possibly can. I want to develop some sections (China, South Korea) and create new ones (Taiwan), Asian dramas became my new pleasure, so reviews of these will appear as well (see my posts on Bayside Shakedown and Keizoku). I finally warmed up to anime, so reviews either of full features or particular TV shows will also crop up in all likelihood.

That’s it for the moment. Thank You for being here, reading my opinions, and most importantly, appreciating the grandeur of Eastern Cinema. I wish you all the best and Godspeed!

In the Line of Duty 3 (1988) [Film Review]

In the Line of Duty 3; or, The Force of Cynthia Khan

     I won't let that bitch go if I see her!

The 1980s were a great decade for action movies, especially Hong Kong action-oriented productions, as they offered not only martial arts, but also shootouts and lots of explosions. Surprisingly, the 1980s also saw the rise of Girls with Guns genre, a fact to which many social justice warriors are oblivious nowadays. In the Line of Duty 3 (technically, the first movie of this series) is the prominent example of this genre.

Release Info

Directed by: Arthur Wong, Brandy Yuen Starring: Cynthia Khan, Hiroshi Fujioka, Michiko Nishiwaki

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 皇家師姐III雌雄大盜 Runtime: 80 min

 

Synopsis

Tokyo, prestigious jewellery exhibition. Two ruthless terrorists, Nakamura (Stuart Ong) and Nishiwaki (Michiko Nishiwaki), stage a robbery in order to provide finances for the Japanese Red Army. During their bloody escape, the assassins kill a protégé of Inspector Fujioka (Hiroshi Fujioka). The policeman goes after them to Hong Kong where they intend to sell the jewels. In the meantime, a young officer, Madam Yeung (Cynthia Khan), is climbing up the ranks in the police force. Her protective uncle, Inspector Cameron (Paul Chun), does not want her to get hurt, so Yeung is assigned to menial tasks. Only when she is assigned to keep Fujioka out of trouble do the two cops join forces in hunting down the killers.

 

Maximum Impact

Firstly, I should explain that In the Line of Duty is a very loose and ambivalent series. The production company D&B Films Co., Ltd. initially released a string of unrelated action flicks with Michelle Yeoh (then known as Michelle Khan) in the leading role (ex. Yes, Madam! (1985), Royal Warriors (1986), Magnificent Warriors (1987)). When Yeoh married one of the producers, she retired from acting for a good period of 5 years. With the studio wanting to continue their action-oriented productions, they brought in a replacement in the form of… Yang Li-tsing (nicknamed as Cynthia Khan after Yeoh and Rothrock). As a result, with the release of In the Line of Duty 3, the previous Michelle’s films were retroactively incorporated into the series.

 

To be honest, Cynthia Khan’s reputation for being just a Michelle Yeoh’s replacement is quite unfair and harmful. Right from the opening scene, Cynthia proves that she is a very gifted martial artist who is not afraid of the camera. Whenever Yeoh drew a gun, I just saw (great) Yeoh with a gun, but the sight of Cynthia holding a gun, was to me, the image of the real policewoman in action. She is a true action heroine in her own right.

 

With regard to the movie itself, it is filled with typical 80s clichés (cop-on-the-edge on a mission to avenge his partner, violent sex scene which does not further the plot), shifts in tone (light comedy mixed with extreme deaths), city pop atmosphere (disco shootout), and relentlessly non-stop action which ultimately make this film a ridiculously entertaining 30-year-old classic. I would go as far as to say that this movie should be an obligatory screening for every politically-correct snowflake.

 

My only critique limits to the narrative of In the Line of Duty 3. In other words, the plot focuses more on the errands of Inspector Fujioka throughout two thirds of the runtime, and then Cynthia comes into the spotlight in the third act. It seems as if the producers were not sure about giving Cynthia more stuff to do and went with the more established actor instead. Nevertheless, the action sequences are more than rewarding. The three most memorable scenes are Fujioka vs. Nakamura’s fight for life and death at the harbour, Cynthia vs. a henchman in a car, and Cynthia vs. Nishiwaki’s final showdown which is sheer awesomeness incarnate. Two ladies at the top of their game, one trying to kill and the other trying to stay alive: no further comment required.

 

Recommendations

I recommend In the Line of Duty 3 to any fan of Hong Kong action movies. In addition, it is a good way to start your journey through Cynthia Khan’s filmography. Give it a go and you will certainly not regret it. This film is one of the best entries in the series, topped only by In the Line of Duty 4, starring Cynthia and young Donnie Yen, but that sequel deserves its own review.

Overall score: 7/10