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Hong Kong Movie Distributor CN Entertainment Ltd released Daisuke Goto’s directed film Shin Kankin Toubo today. Daisuke Goto also directed movie such as A Lonely Cow Weeps at Dawn (Yoake no Ushi, 2003)

This Pink movie stars Sakurano, a girl who wakes up chained up in a dark boiler room, unsure of how she got there. Soon approached by a strange large man wearing a mask and using a creepy voice changer. The girl is the daughter of Daisuke (Kenji Ezure), the shrewd president of a general contracting company. Daisuke was too occupied with an ongoing sexual fling with his secretary (Asami) to notice that his daughter was missing at first, and his relationship with her was already strained due to a certain incident in the past, but when he receives a threatening phone call he eventually recognizes the gravity of the situation. Eventually his daughter begins to calm down as her fear slowly turns into a perverse attraction to this strange person holding her captive. What is the kidnapper’s motive? And what is his true form? In the basement of a certain building, insanity merges with obscenity as the plot unfolds.
This NTSC Format Region 3 coded DVD contains the original Japanese language with English and Chinese selectable subtitles with Dolby Digital Surround Sound.

What if a really big tidal wave attacks an urban city with skyscrapers and civilians? Sounds like a Hollywood movie?

On the contrary, this movie is a Korean film entitled Haeundae, directed by Yoo Je-gyun. Slated for release this July, this movie will surely give its audience that thrilling and chilling experience of an action film. After all, it is the most expensive Korean film in the making—with a budget of about $11 million. It is also the first film in the action-disaster genre.

The film centers on the most popular beach in the East Sea coast of South Korea: Haeundae. Along the beach is a native who goes by the name of Man-sik (Sol Kyung-Gu). Four years ago, he went fishing with a co-worker, when a tsunami struck and swept his co-worker away. Now, he is living a simple life of selling sushi and is about to propose to his fiancé, Yeon-Hee (Ha Ji-won).

Meanwhile, a geologist named Kim (Park Joong-hon)  finds suspicious activity in the East Sea—right in Haeundae. Apparently, the place is showing similar signs to that of the 2004 tsunami. He tries to alert the authorities, to no avail. Eventually, the tidal wave builds up and is about to hit the beach—in ten minutes! This shakes the quiet vacation many are experiencing in the beach, and signals the start of an exciting and action-filled movie!

People have been talking about this movie as early as last year. The production of a DVD import is already in the works, and is about to be released in countries such as the US, Philippines, Thailand, United Kingdom and Turkey.

This movie will surely be a hit, not only because of the top-billed actors and actresses, but also because of these mouth-gaping trailers Make sure you watch it!

I have been an obsessed collector of Asian horror films since I saw Suicide Club in 2004, I cant say much anything about Western remakes (look what they did to one of my favorite Ju-On or The Grudge). When Japanese author Suzuki Koji wrote the creepy Ringu (The Ring) in 1991 it was an instant box-office hit in Japan in late 1990’s Nakata Hideo made it into a film. America then made a remake of The Ring in 2002 which was surprisingly as scary as the original film.

As Suzuki churned more horror novels, Director Nakata respectfully turns them into films. The genius obscure writer inspired two sequels and a whole new genre of “Psycho-Horror” movies.

Koji’s supernatural and melancholy drama Honogurai mizu no soko kara, was made into film by Nakata Hideo in 2002. After “The Ring” made a success breakthrough in the U.S. Western movie distributor tried it’s luck on Honogurai mizu no soko kara and made a remake on it’s English title and called it Dark Water, , directed by Walter Salles and starring Jennifer Connelly.

The Japanese version is Directed by Nakata Hideo starring Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Asami Mizukawa, Fumiyo Kohinata, Mirei Oguchi, Shigemitsu Ogi, Yuu Tokui, and Isao Yatsu. It was release in 2002
Dark Water’s story is about a young mother, Matsubara Yoshimi (played by Kuroki), who is going through a very turbulent divorce from a manipulating husband. Yoshimi is battling for permanent custody of their five-year old daughter Ikuko (cute Rio Kanno). Having a History of mental condition and therapy, She tried to make her life more stable , and currently jobless and homeless.
Yoshimi rents a new flat in a dilapidated building that screams haunted the minute you step on the elevator, puts Ikuko in kindergarten school and gets a new job. However, she discovered that her building has a grim history—a little girl (Oguchi) who used to lived in the flat upstairs went missing years ago and her ghost was now haunting the place. The little ghost seems to take a liking to Ikuko, which scares Yoshimi. In the meantime, water seems to be appearing and dripping all over the ceiling i of her apartment. Strange things begin to happen with an ugly threat.

Water serves a very considerable point in the story, It gives viewers hints and images to what is going to happen, like some precursor of doom. The dark set design and music that give me goosebumps, plus glimpses of characters and spirits are enough to make me jump on my seat. Dark water is a stunningly beautiful horror film. It describe a story of a struggling mother’s defying all odds and set everything right. Nakata goes creepy and subtle on this, that is probably why It may not scare you out of your wits as much as Ringu. Although I personally do not like it’s very sad ending, , it still take my breath away

With the US remake going in different direction, Both versions provides the same twists of plot: one gives you a culminating silent of terror that mentally gets into you while other is purely branded with enough CGI effects that shakes your senses with its blasting and graphic visual scares.

From the acclaim director of Yo-Yo Girl Cop and the writer of Death Notes comes another movie with a taste of cult. X-Cross released by Japan Toei Company Ltd. In 2007 starring J-Pop singers Nao Matsushita and Ami Suzuki.

In the Movie Shiyori (Nao Matsushita) recently broke up with her boyfriend, in need of some thing to take the stress away shwe was invited by her friend Aiko (Ami Suzuki) on an island getaway. The two soon figure out that the locals are not what they seem to be, the village is a place of cult where the people perform rituals and sacrifice humans. They must split up and with only their cellphone as their mean of contact they must find a way to get out of there.

The Region 1 NTSC DVD is packed with more features than the R3 version with Japanese audio and English subtitles and in anamorphic widescreen.

Chaw has never been better while eating pork salad on your couch, This Korean horror film Starring Uhm Tae Woong (Hand Phone), Je-mun Yun, and Hyeok-kwon Park.

The plot started in a remote village of Mt. Jiri where a man eating wild boar is suspected of eating the flesh of townspeople, an event that have not happened for almost a decade.
Cheon (Hang-Seon Jang) suspicion grew after his grandaughter disappeared. The former hunter gathers all the best people he could find including Sun-kyeong Kim (Tae-woong Eom) to find the beast and stop it once and for all. But it was not an easy task and their worst fear about the monster is about to unleash.
Judging from the trailer, this could be a show not to be missed. The CGI effect for the monster is quite good.

I have seen man eating boars in Ridley Scott’s “Hannibal” movie, and Russell Mulcahy’s “Razorback” (1984) I’ll have to see how this Asian flick pan out. “Chaw” is slated for July release in Korea

Not so long after we wrote a review of this much anticipated film, “Coming Soon” is finally here, the wait is over for those who missed this chilling horror movie in theaters. Kam and Ronson a Hong Kong based DVD distributor has released the DTS version of “Shutter” and “Alone” Screenplay writer Sopon Sukdapisit movie “Coming Soon” A movie within a movie horror film Starring Ter -Chantavit Dhanasevi and Vorakarn Rojjanavatchra

Synopsis
What kind of scenes in a horror film scares you the most? When a ghost appears totally unexpectedly? When the main character does not see the ghost sneaking up behind him? When at the very end you find out that the main character was actually a ghost all along? But none of this compares to the feeling of arriving home alone and suddenly being stuck by a feeling of deja vu that you are reenacting the very same scenes in the horror movie you just saw! This movie will scare you from the second you step inside the movie theater. It will get you thinking if Something or Someone might be waiting for you to let your guard down. The horror movie that you just saw is about to happen to you in real life!

The DVD comes in NTSC Region 3 Coded DVD with Anamorphic Wide screen. This Dolby Digital ES 5.1 DTS movie is also in both Thai and Cantonese language with Selectable English subtitles

Asian Movie Distributor Planis has finally released a DTS First Pressed version of the Korean Movie “Hand Phone”. Kim Han Min’s yet another exceptional directed film since “Paradise Murdered 1986″
This psychological thriller stars Uhm Tae Woong as a struggling talent agent who found himself in a more deeper hole after his phone which contain a sex video of Jin one of the actress he represent falls into the hands of a blackmailer (Park Yong Woo)

Synopsis (Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr)
Talent manager Seung-min sees YOON Jin-ah, a rising actress, as his one last hope to turn his life around. Just as Jin-ah is on the path to stardom, he receives a threat from her former lover and gets her sex clip on his phone. Seung-min tracks down the culprit and retrieves the tape but ends up losing his phone. He realizes there is one last evidence of the sex tape on his phone and anxiously looks for it. Lee-gyu, who found Seung-min’s phone, calls Seung-min’s wife and asks her to come pick it up. On the night the phone was suppose to be returned, Lee-gyu doesn’t show up. Now Lee-gyu is the one holding the leverage. Seung-min tries to do everything possible to get back his phone but Lee-gyu’s demands are escalating to the point of no return.

This Region 3 coded DVD is in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1, in Korean Language with a selectable English Subtitles This edition contains special making of feature. Director commentary, interviews, trailer and more

Art of the Devil 3, Directed by Kongkiat Khomsiri and 6 others six directors who are known as The Ronin Team. The movie stars Namo Tongkumnerd, Suppakorn Kitsuwan, and Napakprapa “Mamee” Nakprasit who also starred on the 2nd installment. The movie was released by Five Star production in Thailand and was one of the top grossing film during the summer of 2008.

The movie is actually a prequel to Art of the Devil 2 but not tied to the first installment.

The story starts with Panor being confined in a mental hospital, she used to be a rural teacher who somehow believed to have been possessed by a ghost. Meanwhile, a high school boy named Ta has been boggled as to why his mother passed away during his early years, His aunt Pen brought him back to his old village home to stay with his grandparents. Ta found that his Grandpa has preserve his mom’s body.
Ta’s Grandpa informed him that they had ask the help of a witch doctor named Dit (Suppakorn Kitsuwan) to do a ritual. The doctor is to summon the soul of Ta’s mother and transfer it to a human, and that human is Panor who also has been connected to the death of P’ Deuan. After the successful transfer, things did not go out the way it is supposed to be . Panor has been possessed by the Three-Eyed Devil god and Ta’s family must find a way to stop the disturbing events from happening.

Phenomenally Gruesome…
This is what I would describe Art of the Devil 3, It started out slow, build a tension in the middle and then provided gory fest to sum it all. The return of the main actors and directors makes the chemistry of the characters great. It make you sick, twisted and excellent all in one.
Napakprapa “Mamee” Nakprasit plays the teacher Panor who was assigned to help tutor P’pravate’s sister Pen (Supalak “Cal” Neemyothin). Panor seduced P’pravate and decided to kill his wife. On the other hand Namo Tongkumnerd plays as Ta who has not got over yet with the death of his mom, along with his family must do any means to bring back his love one.

The movie provides a great tale of superstition when mixed with black magic creates a devastating effects. It provides viewers with unforgettable fear and shocking moments that made it on the par with both Art of the Devil 1 and 2. I give two thumbs up to the Special effect artist for creating such realistic scenes. The flaws with Art of the Devil 3 lies on the ending part, It did not provide something make sense and instead the creator settled with a melodramatic quick exit flashback as to how Panor became who she is

I do not recommend this to the faint hearted, (Take note of the starting of the ritual all the way to the torture scene)I have also noticed that it tone down on the goriness compared to the 2nd movie but overall It still gives a spine chilling moments that entertains me in the end.

Famous Hong Kong Actor Aaron Kwok stars in a thriller action Movie called “Murderer”.

The two time Golden Horse Award winner played as a Chief LING Kwong a 40 year old detective who has solve numerous cases on his own, After coming face to face with a killer . He was beaten badly and his colleague friend is among the dead.
The detective suffers amnesia and can not remember anything, even his family and the people close to him. He is now faced with a challenge to solve the puzzle of his friends death . To make matter worse he has become the prime suspect for the crime that he has been investigating.

Notable Hong Kong Actors and Actresses Chun-Ning Chang, Siu-Fai Cheung, Josie Ho plays alongside Mr. Kwok in this mystery action thriller release by Focus feature International.

Murderer (殺人犯) is slated for release July 9, 2009 in Hong Kong

Last Weekend after tiredly browsing through my collection of Jhorror, Khorror as well as Thai and Chinese DVDs, a friend of mine recommended this movie called “Feng Shui” a horror movie from Philippines. Although I had a second though I took the DVD out of his hand and head to my room to pleasure to my eyes.

I have never realized how “Feng Shui” exceeded my expectation, the movie break away from the typical “PinoyHorror” (What People have called Phillipine made Horror films) that are just begging to be watched and asked viewers to ignore the terrible story, actors, and cinematography.

The plot starts out with Joy Ramirez (Kris Aquino) works at a company called triple M network . Joy and her family just moved in with her family in a new suburban home . Hoping for a new start, Joy found herself in an unfortunate situation. One bad day, Joy tried to return a “Bagua” a form of Feng Shui which was left by a stranger inside the bus. She decided to keep the mirror and brought it home, her friend told her a story that the Chinese claim this special mirror brings good luck to anyone who possessed it. Joy Soon realized that it is indeed true after closing deals after deals for the company as well as her husband Inton Ramirez(Jay Manalo). Overwhelm with this unexplained luck, everything appears to be heading the right direction until some disturbance starts appearing. People close to Joy now starts dying one by one. Threaten by the mysterious events, Joy uncover a secrets that only her could stop.

Honestly I have seen a few Philippine horror film that are just so horrendous. What I mean by that is the acting, soundtracks, cinematography are so bad I stop buying them. “Feng Shui” changes all that. It did starts out very well and Some reason that this movie was so good is because of improved acting from Kris Aquino (I did watch several of her movie before this)and the work of the man behind the scene Director Chito Rono who’s latest directed movie Tenement 2 just racked up more the P18 million in the Philippine theaters last May 2009

Besides the actor, the sets is also very good .The colorful house which the Ramirez family moved in played a very important role in the film. It is also the place where most of the dreadful events took place. Although the movie is entertaining. The movie is not totally unique on its own but it create a punch in a certain way. I guess Director Chito Rono got influenced by the Japanese film “Ringu” and twist the film to a more spices of a creepier Filipino superstitious belief movie

Overall “Feng Shui” (It was called “Phong Shoy” once by Joy in the fim) is not your perfect horror movie. There are still some amateurish acting, some bits of rather unpolished scripts and the silly idea of people getting killed by their Chinese birth year zodiac is just laughable (A man born in the year of the rabbit was just killed by a Philippine Rabbit which is by the way a bus company). These flaws were overcome by a simple shock-creep-and ohhh now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t which to me is good enough to tell you to give it a try.