American Werewolf in London-like with a little Shaun Of The Dead comedy? Not THAT much, mind you, but still.

The running blood effect in the beginning freaked me out a bit, but how they manage that is one of the good things about this. Props on that. On the props. It's nice to see those intermeshed so well with special effects.

The villain's unfortunately a bit of a disappointment in the end, but I can't say I wasn't expecting him to not be either.

You still appreciate the showdown. It ends in a good way, though maybe not the ideal one. Like... the girl and all? A little ambiguity is a good thing though, even if a Hollywood end would've been nice here. I don't think I'd have rated this lower for it...

Overall this was a creative scary movie in a refreshingly natural; grounded; small-town milieu, with a solid cast, characters with character, and unconventional but highly relevant focus on construction. And economy. And family and all.

You might like this in particular if you too have grown a little tired of the mainstream stuff and big city thrillers; look for something that scales things down in a more personal way.

Nine Mile Hill seems like both the perfect little utopia and a pretty scary place to live...

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

A married college professor decides to seduce her student, whom she hired as a handyman for her yacht. The hesitant student succumbs to his buxom professor, but their romance is interrupted by her corrupt husband and a masked murderer.

Sounds alright right? It's a softcore thriller starring mainly a student (that'd be Eric Brown) and a teacher (Sybil Danning), and another teacher (Andrew Prine), and a fortune, and a psycho... you'll see.

Eric Brown does seem like a dimwit occasionally, but when it's all over I think I'm glad he did. It just made the ending all the more enjoyable. Plot twist. I'm surprised. I'm impressed, too. And I'm a little curious how they handled it all with the cops - an element most 'real' thrillers seem to make sure to bring in at the end but... it's not bad like this either. It doesn't feel like the wrong kind of loose end.

I'm surprised they didn't delve all too deep into the action either. Neither kind. It felt wholesome that way. With not too much of any one thing or other, not violence nor sex appeal, though Sybil really is the star of this show. Wouldn't be as much without her.

Refreshingly classy. Refreshingly unpredictable. Refreshingly dreamy too.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

A sensual, softcore action thriller directed and produced by a real-life male/female couple? This oughta be special, I thought...

And it was! The line delivery may seem a little artificial and off, as do the encounters, but the ladies look good... and so does everything else. The guys too I guess. This one's for everyone.

The choreography's not the best, nor the acting, nor anything at all really but... the visuals! The sceneries. It's a movie that puts living lavishly into perspective, and it does have a few explosions, a fancy helicopter and one highly entertaining showdown with a hovercraft by the beach. Flipping that table into the water can't have been intentional either can it?

I'd love to give this a higher score, but unfortunately it just really wasn't that good. Yet it felt so wholesome anyway, so appealing; so full of sunshine, sensuality and fun time. And refreshingly dreamy.

It's like a glimpse into another world, How this one would be if it was paradise maybe... though they apparently do have bad guys there too.

It adds some spicy though. To life; to the adventure.

Fun/appealing/very pleasant watch.

 rated 3.5/5: not bad at all

Marking the 75th anniversary of his birth, Shotaro Ishinomori's classic spy heroine manga "009-1" has been adapted into a live-action motion picture for the first time ever.

That doesn't really explain the plot at all though, does it?

It's about vengeance, and truth, and a search for self starring one particular spectacularly beautiful female cyborg spy (Mayuko Iwasa), who during a routine mission runs into a family member she thought she didn't have, only to lose him again, for the whole world to turn against her, and all things she took for granted in the world to suddenly become obscure and untrue. Who is she really. Who's she working for. Why's she here...

It's sensual, savage, beautiful. A little like Alita Battle Angel but darker. GITS-like too, somewhat? Not as sci-fi though. It's future-city dystopian but not as far. Cyberpunk definitely. Cyborg's in the title. The HQ a little like the 'I, Robot' one too. I, Cyborg? Inspirations?

If only the special effects were better this could've been one hell of a movie, but as soon as the helicopter appears you know you'd better prepare for some shitty specials.

The fight choreography's great though. The three-on-one fight especially was brilliant. Even if the main characters clearly aren't the most versatile fighters for real they direct it in a way where they seem to be, and every single encounter feels ferocious... except for maybe the pool one.

The characters too. The cast. The twists and all. Blood and gore. Just a little polish; a little slowed down pace and time to get to know people, to build things up, and this would've gone way higher.

I wonder if they made an anime for this too, maybe that one goes deeper...

 rated 3.5/5: not bad at all

Deep in the woods, in an unexplored peak and valley landscape hidden in mist, surrounded by graveyards, Count Dracula has raised his daughter, and is now preparing for her 118th Birthday Party and the fated day when she's finally allowed to go out and see the world.

Though he has other plans, hoping to keep her locked away forever. From the humans.

But then of course a young and charismatic sample of said human race stumbles in and wrecks havoc upon his world.

Or more like: starts the party for real.

And falls in love with his daughter.

And vice versa.

It's such a feelgood movie.

Not only does it have Adam Sandler doing the voicing (same as in Despicable Me - wouldn't mind another actor though) but Andy Samberg, and Kevin James, and Selena Gomez! And a bunch of others you might recognize the voices of.

The animation's fun, the castle atmospheric, the script takes you places, and maybe most importantly it's got that ZING. And a lot of it too.

It's a simple concept but they really take it places.

I don't remember what other animated movies came out in 2012 but this just might've been the best one that year, and a lot of years for that matter. It's thoroughly enjoyable, wholesome, never dull, but not too fast-paced or ferocious either. Just right. You feel for the characters too.

Hope to visit this hotel again soon, though doubt subsequent visits will fully match up to the first, which was...

 rated 5/5: friggin awesome

AKA SPL. Saat Po Long.

Cops and robbers. Surveillance. A ruthless gang boss and dirty cops. It's that kind of movie. A little glimpse into the grimy underbelly of HK crime, savage and serious all the way, with a few stray moments of bonding that have you sympathizing with both friends and foes as they clash and settle their grievances, oftentimes with lethal consequence.

It's also another Donnie Yen classic - I've seen it at least a couple times before, and another tragic one too. Even more so than the last.

This is the Sammo Hung one. And the Jing Wu one. And once again there's a wife and daughter involved, but this time they just so happen to be on the wrong side of justice...

It's a bit more brutal than Flash Point, a bit more movie-like with the criminal element - or maybe just with a different style.

Jing Wu has a tragic role as usual too... hope it's not like that for him in real life too. Hope it's only the movies he does so well.

Overall this movies just a must-see if you like HK action. The story's on point , but the action choreography's really what you watch these for. Donnie Yen in his prime. There's no time like it.

 rated 5/5: friggin awesome