Here’s my quick recap of what I saw starting Sunday, August 16th…

The Warlords – Directed by Peter Ho-Su Chan

Starring: Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Jet Li

If you’ve seen Jet Li in other films, then you know he’s a talented action star. If you’ve seen House of Flying Daggers, then you know Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau, as they starred in that film together. All three leads are well-known actors in Asia and have a great fan following. Why am I telling you about this? Well, this film is interesting and entertaining for the reason that all three actors complement each other on-screen quite well. The film is about a tale of war and “brotherhood” in time of Imperial China. The brothers struggle as they war takes years and forces them to make sacrifices that will put their bond to the test.

The battle scenes in this film are of epic proportion; well executed and visually really stunning. There are scenes that in some ways reminded me of Sergei M. Einsenstein‘s work (Ivan the Terrible, for example). Parts of the film I found dragged a bit and honestly, some of us would’ve like one more battle scene before the end. Nonetheless, there is plenty to see. The action is not like those of other films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but is more up-close and personal — which makes it more realistic and believable. The choreography in the fight scenes is impressive on the big screen.

Strigoi – Directed by Faye Jackson

Starring: Constantin Barbulescu, Catalin Paraschiv and Co.

A zombie comedy… what a hoot! A small group of people in a very small town in Romania think killing the main “bad guy” Constantin Tirescu (Barbulescu) was a way getting justice served. Vlad (Paraschiv) returns home from Italy and believes a murder has been committed. Somehow, Constantin Tirescu refuses to stay in his grave and is willing to help Vlad solve the murder mystery.

I really enjoyed this film for its great sense of humour. I think some people either really liked or really didn’t… The pace of the film worked well as we get to know all the characters and their oddities. The story just really works in that is based on Romanian folklore and is a nice addition to the Dracula set of films. I hope you get to see this film and will save the details… except one of my favourite lines: “You’re a good boy, Vlad… cut out his heart!”

The Children – Directed by Tom Shankland

Starring: Eva Birthistle, Jeremy Sheffield and Co.

A Christmas vacation turns deadly as something makes all the little ones turn against their parents and all adults in sight… Yes, the kids are violent and have no mercy in this great genre film from the UK. I wasn’t sure how this one was going to unfold but it gave me a few surprises. My friends and I enjoyed watching the kids turn pure evil and seeing a few impaling as the adults try to fight for their lives. Were we terrified? Not entirely but it will make you cringe…

Rought Cut – Directed by Jang Hoon

Starring: So Ji-Seob & Kang Ji-Hwan

An action film from South Korea… An out of control actor (So Ji-sub) gets heat from the press for his unruly behaviour… much like the gangster he plays in his film. Then, we have the “real” gangster (Kang Ji-hwan) who wants to act. In a turn of events, these two end up working together in a film in which they fight till the bitter end. What’s the catch? All fight scenes have to be “real”. Yet there’s more to the story; comedy, drama, romance and fights.

I’m really liking Korean films these days. I enjoyed watching Rough Cut because it has an actual storyline, good fight scenes and believable characters. The cast worked really well but I must admit I was smitten by So Ji-Seob. His gangster role really worked well and yes, he’s easy on the eyes too… We get a good balance of all things funny, sad, corny and of course, painful. The story just works and it invites you to just go for the ride. The final fight scene is just crazy… mud beach, punch after punch, after punch… excellent!