Release Year: 2002

If you think Japanese horror cinema is becoming mired in recently coined cliché, or you simply love being scared, the troubling, dreadful world of ‘Ju-on’ is required viewing.

Amusing (though never crude) and nostalgic (though never overly sentimental), Riley Yip’s gentle ‘coming-of-age’ comedy/drama earns a major recommendation.

If you get a giggle out of fart jokes and squeaky voices then it may well be the movie for you, but I imagine most will be better suited looking elsewhere.

‘Laundry’ is predominantly the story of two people who need a friend. While that may not sound much to hang a film on, this production has a great deal on offer.

Although it is a lightweight effort that doesn’t generate too many belly laughs, ‘Love Undercover’ succeeds with an immense charm that sweeps the viewer away.

Thanks to a trio of popular Korean actors, ‘Lovers’ Concerto’ manages to ease along a predictable route without feeling too manipulative.

‘Marry A Rich Man’ is a rom-com film that commits the cardinal crime of not being very romantic.

If nothing else, this film goes to show how a lack of good material can sometimes be covered over by an excellent cast.

It’s got a predictably fun storyline that does just enough to keep you entertained until the next hard-hitting action scene emerges.

The thought that Ekin Cheng would end up falling in love with her is so ludicrous that it renders the whole film frustrating to a critical extent.

Worth a look if you are a fan of the genre, as much of the action hints at the potential on offer when such talented choreographers are available.

‘New Blood’ is a smart, efficient and alarmingly effective genre piece that sits effortlessly alongside some of the finer horror entries of the period as an unremittingly morbid and blood-curdling exercise in unadulterated terror.