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So Close, a review by Tom

So Close (2002/Hong Kong) IMDb | Wikipedia Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (United Kingdom) Director: Cory Yuen Writing: Jeff Lau (Writer) Length: 106 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85 Audio: Cantonese: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: Dutch, English, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish

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Stars:
Shu Qi as Lynn
Zhao Wei as Sue
Karen Mok as Kong Yat-hung
Song Seung Hun as Yen
Michael Wai as Ma Siu Ma

Plot:
GET READY FOR ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC, ACTION-PACKED FILMS OF THE YEAR!

Directed by famed action choreographer Cory Yuen (The Transporter, Jet Li's The Enforcer) SO CLOSE is a thrill-a-minute shootout, with lightning-quick action sequences and great performances by Qi Shu (The Transporter), Zhao Wei (Shaolin Soccer) and Karen Mok (Black Mask).

A crooked businessman brings in a pair of high-tech assassin sisters to murder his elder brother so he can take over the family's business empire. When a determined policewoman starts to put the pieces of the puzzle together, the businessman realizes that he must destroy all evidence... including the assassins and the cop! The three women are left to fight for their lives, while helping each other along the way.

With some of the best action scenes to appear on film this year, SO CLOSE is a high-octane blockbuster hit!

Awards:
Nominated:

Love Hong Kong Film Awards (2002)

Best Action

Extras:

• Bonus Trailers
• Scene Access
• Trailers

A fun movie. Great fight choreograpy and a story which is not as silly as I have expected. This movie also put much effort on cinematogrophy. The one thing which would have made it more enjoyable would have been, if they would have talked in the more pleasing (to my ears) Korean or Japanese instead of Cantonese .

Rating:

(From 2010 December Marathon - Discussion thread on December 5th, 2010)

Initial D, a review by Jon

INITIAL D (2005)
2 out of 5

Movie based on the Manga/Anime about the drifting sub-culture in Japan... why am I even including this? Look, just read the bloody book. And I bet the animated version is far better. This is bollocks. Some cool driving scenes and using an older car against the flashy modern machines was great, but not enough to get in a lather about. The film is hamstrung by terrible MTV style editing that continually distracts. The kid looks good lazy and laid back while driving, but doesn't change when he gets out the car. His mate is a stupid character who really annoys me and the nail in the coffin was a completely daft subplot about his girlfriend

Special mention for Anthony Wong who is a great actor. Here he plays the drunk dad who, in an unusually subtle part of the story, could be as good a driver as his son. He and the drifting kept me watching. As a pure car film, it's better than The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift, but that film was more enjoyable overall. It just scrapes in for two stars because of Wong and some of the drift scenes. The other drivers are decent mysterious characters too, but I repeat, try the book or the series first.

The Car's the star: Toyota Sprinter Trueno


Trailer

(From Car Movie Marathon on August 15th, 2008)

Charmed Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

"Witch Trial"
Original Airdate: September 30, 1999
When a demon steals the Book of Shadows, the Ha!liwell sisters have just one chance to recapture it or they will lose their powers forever.

My Thoughts:
A nice strong episode for the season premiere. We even get to see some of the demons they vanquished in the first season... as the demon undo the spells that The Charmed Ones casted in the first season. I also liked how they showed repercussions from the end of the first season... and showed Pru freezing up when she faced the first demon since what happen at the end of season 1.

"Morality Bites"
Original Airdate: October 7, 1999
Phoebe has a horrifying premonition of her own execution, so the sisters cast a one-time spell that catapults them into the future to try and change her fate.

My Thoughts:
Another really good episode... one that shows there can be serious repercussions even with minor acts of revenge and personal gain. And I liked how they showed the future if they were ever exposed. Makes you wonder if that is what it would be like if we never smartened up from the days of the Salem Witch Trials.

"The Painted World"
Original Airdate: October 14, 1999
The sisters are trapped in a painting by a warlock who plans to torch it and destroy them unless Phoebe can reverse their impending doom.

My Thoughts:
This is a basic filler episode... and nothing really all that special about it. But it was enjoyable.

"The Devil's Music"
Original Airdate: October 21, 1999
Leo returns to help the sisters save their young neighbor when the manager of a band scheduled to play Piper's nightclub makes a demonic deal.

My thoughts:
A music heavy episode... and you all know how I feel about music. But it was still enjoyable. In this one some band called Dishwalla comes to play at Piper's new club... that she finally gets open in this episode. As I said it was still an enjoyable episode... and I was able to basically tone out/ignore the music.   

(From Charmed Marathon on February 28th, 2008)