Release Year: 2011

Those less critical may get more out of ‘Flying Swords’ as there is still a lot of high flying action on offer, despite it being stuffed with CGI, and the film certainly has a rich visual style.

A movie should be able to stand on its own merits, but despite the situation intriguing me and the action exciting me, I couldn’t help feeling unsatisfied in the end.

This version of ‘Hara-Kiri’ just simply pales in comparison to Kobayashi’s version and while it’s certainly good for a majority of its run time, you still may be wondering what’s the point of it.

Not as enjoyable or as accomplished as some of the director’s other efforts but worthy of a look if you’re a fan of Sono’s work and “non-conventional” cinema.

‘I Love Hong Kong’ doesn’t steer too far away from the usual New Year hi-jinks – it is an entertaining 2011 release, but will probably not be remembered come 2012.

If there should be any lingering breath in the viewer when watching this, the ubiquitous humorous mahjong scene about forty minutes in should be like a suffocating pillow held over their face.

‘It’s A Great, Great World’ starts out small and unassuming and before you know it has evolved into something more colourful, vibrant and involving than you could have ever expected.

For all its minor shortcomings though, ‘Jump Ashin’ is an affecting production that has enough of a hardened edge to make the eventual redemption welcome.

While there is an abundance of neatly choreographed action, there is a vast black hole where a proper plot and believable characters should be.

Aside from a few glimpses of the impressive skills of Rina Takeda, ‘Kunoichi’ doesn’t really have anything else to offer.

As a pure piece of pulp entertainment, ‘Legendary Amazons’ is a hoot. Nevertheless, there is always the feeling at the back of your mind that a story as famous as this deserves much better handling.

This is the kind of stripped down thriller that Hong Kong can still do so well and proof that, while output has become a mere trickle, the quality is still there.