Author Archives: David

Review: In Search of My Wife’s Husband (Morocco 1993)

I just got back from a 9 day trip to Morocco last night, and holy shit, what an amazing time. Went all over, Fez, Marrakech, Casablanca, the edge of the Sahara, the Todhra Gorge, ate like a king, sfenj donuts, … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on Review: In Search of My Wife’s Husband (Morocco 1993)

Review: Shin Ultraman (Japan 2022)

New York Asian Film Festival 2022 A total throwback to the oldest iterations of the TV series, this latest Higuchi/Anno “Shin” reinterpretation captures the goofy magic of old school Ultraman perfectly. Episodic, tongue-in-cheek but always played straight, the plot moves so … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Shin Ultraman (Japan 2022)

Review: Thrilling Bloody Sword (Taiwan 1981)

More gobsmackingly insane phantasmagoria out of Taiwan in the vein of The Ginseng King, Thrilling Bloody Sword is a wild mash-up of Snow White, Aladdin, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, and other fairy tale material, filtered through a DIY wu xia … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Review: Thrilling Bloody Sword (Taiwan 1981)

CSB talks with Grady Hendrix about this week’s 9th Old School Kung Fu Festival in NYC, featuring the films of Joseph Kuo

Grady Hendrix has made a name for himself in the last decade as an author, with books like Paperbacks from Hell, Horrorstör, and My Best Friend’s Exorcism. But Asian film aficionados know him as part of the Subway Cinema team … Continue reading

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on CSB talks with Grady Hendrix about this week’s 9th Old School Kung Fu Festival in NYC, featuring the films of Joseph Kuo

Review: Benedetta (France 2021)

Paul Verhoeven’s new nuns gone wild true story is a fascinating study in wrong-footing an audience. Just when you think you have the movie, and the titular character figured out, Verhoeven shifts the narrative and point of view. Sometimes a … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Benedetta (France 2021)

Review: Sawdust and Tinsel (Sweden 1953)

“You smell of stables, cheap perfume and sweat. But I’ll lick you clean like a dog.” Maybe earlier Bergman is just more my style, I prefer this more wry, humanist material (and his delightful Smiles of a Summer Night) to … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Review: Sawdust and Tinsel (Sweden 1953)

Review: The Imp (Hong Kong 1981)

Security guard Keung (Charlie Chin) and his pregnant wife end up with a bit of a Devil Fetus situation after he gets a job in the absolute wrong building. The Imp has all the craziness I associate with HK horror … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Review: The Imp (Hong Kong 1981)

Review: Wife of a Spy (Japan 2020)

Watching Kiyoshi Kurosawa experiment with new genres over this past decade or so has been fascinating. The man knows how to make an incredibly spooky supernatural chiller – his Kairo/Pulse is probably the pinnacle of J-horror for me – but … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Wife of a Spy (Japan 2020)

Review: Yakuza Princess (Brazil 2021)

Brazil has a large Japanese population, and the social conflicts between returning Japanese ex-pats and more traditional Japanese citizens have been the subject of a lot of great Japanese cinema, like Takashi Miike’s wild City of Lost Souls and Masato … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Yakuza Princess (Brazil 2021)

Review: Behemoth (USA 2021)

Horror is traditionally one of those genres where you can do a lot on a wing and prayer, and where you can show off your chops despite a low budget. Here, director Peter Szewczyk (coming out of major shops like … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Review: Behemoth (USA 2021)