Bluebeard, obviously inspired the French folk tale of the same name, is a psychological thriller with many ups and downs that left me somewhat confused. Some parts of the movie were brilliant, others were underwhelming and even the resolution is partially satisfying and partially disappointing.

The story revolves around a young doctor who has recently been starting to work in a clinic in a suburb of Seoul that is infamous for its numerous serial killer cases. The young doctor doesn't seem to have the best relationship with his divorced wife, fails to bond with his progressively estranged son, has socially awkward behavior, is constantly overworked and lives in a very small apartment due to serious financial problems. One day, he overhears his anesthetized patient and landlord mumbling about decapitating a human being. When the torso of a woman is found in a river a few days later, the doctor immediately suspects his aged landlord and his awkward son to be partners in crime and a duo of dangerous serial killers. The young doctor starts investigating independently, thus putting himself in great danger. 

On the positive side, the movie oozes with a mysterious and almost surreal atmosphere from start to finish. The settings are sinister and at times claustrophobic. Lead actor Cho Jin-woong does an incredibly convincing performance as shy doctor who is gradually losing control of everything around him. The movie includes a few nightmarish dream sequences that are visually stunning and flirt with the horror genre. The simple but creepy soundtrack blends in perfectly. The story is intriguing enough to keep you watching until the lengthy resolution unfolds.

On the negative side, the film has a slow and sluggish pace. One expects the film to shift into faster gear at a certain point but this just never happens. Some of the minor twists are somewhat predictable, as most of them simply turn out to be nightmares which isn't too creative. The resolution overstays its welcome and tries to surprise with a double twist. This only works when a movie is thoroughly thought through like the brilliant A Tale of Two Sisters but Bluebeard is filled with incongruities and leaves you scratching your head rather than being amazed by a clever plot.

In the end, Bluebeard is worth your attention if you like slow-paced atmospheric psychological thrillers that challenge you to think along. However, the movie overuses its plot twists which end up being confusing or even nonsensical. Genre fans can give it a try but if you aren't too familiar with Korean thrillers yet you should watch A Tale of Two Sisters, Memories of Murder and I Saw the Devil before giving this one a try.

Golden Job is a fast-paced Hong Kong action movie reminding of the genre's golden era between the late eighties and mid-nineties. The film is similar to other contemporary genre flicks like The Adventurers and Europe Raiders. 

The movie convinces with a steady pace from start to finish. The action sequences are fluid and spectacular. The car chases towards the movie's climax and the infiltration of the fortress during the falling action and resolution are particularly memorable. The settings are also interesting as the film takes places in an African refugee camp, in the beautiful city of Budapest, in a traditional Japanese village, in the flashy city of Fukuoka and on the stunning coast of Montenegro.

On the negative side, the plot is predictable and almost shallow as one has seen similar movies on numerous occasions. A group of five orphans are adopted by a caring father and become mercenaries for a good cause. One of them gets corrupted by greed and turns against them. The remaining four brothers try to save him but things soon get too far. The fact that an intense action movie tries to be moralizing and attempts to teach lessons about family values is somehow misplaced and even cheesy. The film also features uninteresting side stories such as the eldest orphan and his love interest from a refugee camp or the adoptive father and his immersive experience in a Japanese village. The special effects look somewhat artificial at times, contrasting the almost philosphical content oddly.

If you like Hong Kong action cinema, you can't go wrong with the intense Golden Job. If you expect anything creative, profound or unique being added to the traditional genre, you will end up being disappointed. Golden Job is a good average genre movie that will grab your attention for one hour and a half but quickly be forgotten soon after. At the end of the day, I would only recommend this movie to genre fans.

Miss Zombie is a short Japanese social drama and horror movie shot in black and white. It convinces with great acting performances, gloomy atmosphere, calm camera techniques, artistic creativity and a solid plot. 

It tells the story of a bourgeois family consisting of an adventurous son, an emotional mother and a self-centered father. They purchase a female zombie maid who became what she is under dramatic circumstances. She is the type of zombie that isn't dangerous as long as she isn't fed any meat. Her presence still isn't welcome as neighbours are afraid of her, children throw rocks at her and homeless people attempt to stab her on multiple occasions. This abuse soon continues at the family's home as the zombie maid is sexually abused by several men. Things get tense when her presence leads to conflicts between family members. The story reaches its climax when an unspeakable tragedy happens with unforeseeable consequences.

Miss Zombie is an intellectual movie that makes you wonder whether the zombie maid is the monster or the abusive women, men and children around her. The film starts as slow-paced but atmospherically gripping social drama and becomes a horrifying tale of tragedy, survival and murder. The movie also deals with complex topics such as family values, moral courage and the fate of minorities. Some critics even draw similarities between the fate of the fictional main character and refugees that are mistreated by foreigners. You can enjoy this movie as entertaining art house experiment but also as sociocritical work. In both cases, Miss Zombie is refreshingly different from any other movie involving zombies and could even appeal to audiences that usually don't care about fantasy or horror films thanks to this movies dramatic and realistic touch.

If you are open to think outside the box and accept a slow-paced movie in black and white in Japanese with English subtitles, you will discover a unique gem that mixes survival horror and family drama in a most poignant way. Miss Zombie is a movie you won't forget anytime soon as it offers food for thought, different interpretations and even elements to debate long after the film has concluded.

Tampopo is certainly one of the most creative and imaginative movies I have ever seen. The film is humorously categorized as ramen western which is obviously a pun on the spaghetti western genre but it fits surprisingly well. One could also describe it as an anthology film because the main plot is interrupted by numeros anecdotic side stories about the relation between humans and food. The main story follows a truck driver who helps a restaurant owner and single mother transform her pitiful ramen shop into one of the city's greatest restaurants. The movie has a positive message as it shows what human beings can accomplish when they support one another.

The main story is already quite quirky as the cool truck driver with a cowboy hat who seems to come straight out of an American western of the fifties finds numerous people who help him improving Tampopo's ramen shop. We meet a homeless ramen connoisseur with excellent manners, a quirky limousine driver who secretely is a hobby cook as well as a rough contractor who always looks for a fight but turns out having a heart of gold. These characters observe other ramen shop owners, try to find the perfect recipe for ramen broth and successively transform the decrepit shop into a clean restaurant.

The side stories are also refreshing and show how people ignore conventions in order to appreciate food to the fullest. We see a lowly worker who displays his vast culinary knowledge in a French restaurant while his bossy superiors always order the same thing without thinking about it or even understanding the menu. We observe a mother on her deathbed who rises for one last time to cook a final dinner for her saddened family. We follow a woman obsessed with squeezing food in a supermarket who is tracked down by a clerk who then observes a twisted investment scam. One side story that has recurring elements is the love story of an elegant gangster and his girlfriend who use food to sexually arouse one another. It's strange to realize that some scenes that initially seem disgusting are actually exciting such as the scene when the elegant gangster hurts his lips while eating an oyster he purchased from a poor female fisher which makes their social discrepancy disappear as they start sharing an intimate kiss.

Tampopo is an unusual experience as it always comes around with more surprising anecdotic elements that request multiple viewings. I have rarely felt like watching a movie again just after it had come to its conclusion but this was exactly the case here. If you like creative filmmaking, food and Japanese culture, Tampopo is what you have always been looking for but didn't know existed. After having watched this movie, I felt like going to a restaurant and have an excellent meal and this is precisely the film's entire purpose.

I hesitated checking out the Japanese epic samurai drama Seven Samurai because I made the mistake to watch Kurosawa Akira's Ran a few years ago which turned out to be stiff, predictable and overlong and didn't live up to its excellent reputation. I'm relieved to realize that Seven Samurai indeed deserves the praise it gets. Ironically, it's not the best movie of the year, not even the best Japanese film of that year which was Honda Ishiro's groundbreaking Godzilla which shows how great movies were back in those days. Still, Seven Samurai is a timeless classic whose plot, duels and characters have been copied in numerous films such as The Magnificent Seven.

The first thing I liked about the movie is its atmosphere. It has a quite gloomy touch as the fearful peasants and seven brave samurai have to be constantly prepared for the raids of an elevated number of ruthless bandits. As opposed to Hollywood movies, one never knows who is going to survive the next attack which builds up quite a lot of despair and tension until the very end. This atmosphere is perfectly supported by the sinister black and white cinematography and the simplistic yet fitting soundtrack.

The settings are also carefully chosen. The village has a raw and simple charm but can turn from a little piece of paradise into a muddy hell rather quickly. It's definitely a very difficult battlefield. The romantic scenes in the fields of flowers in the middle section are contrasted by the torrential rain during the epic final battle that ends the movie on a high note.

The characters are fascinating and fleshed out. Each of the seven samurai has different character traits. The most impressive ones are the aged leader Kambei with his strong moral compass, the hopeless young romantic Katsushiro and the savage outsider Kikuchiyo. Even the villagers are quite unique. The elder miller and village patriarch Gisaku who refuses to evacuate, the hotheaded Rikichi who hides a sad secret and the emotional farmer's daughter Shino are only some of these fascinating characters.

The acting performances make the characters even better. Shimura Takashi's performance as intellectual leader is absolutely believable and one can understand why the other characters follow his commands despite risking their lives. Mifune Toshiro is brilliant as tough guy with a soft core who constantly tries to improve his reputation which leads to some brutal, desperate but also humorous scenes not unlike Eli Wallach's performance as Tuco in the iconic The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. On the other side, Miyaguchi Seiji contrasts the young and emotional characters with his performance as calm, disciplined and serious swordsman. The actors and actresses aren't only convincing on their own but complement one another perfectly. Their diversity is a strength in this film.

The directing has to be pointed out as well. Despite its colossal length, the movie never felt boring because it found the right balance between the main plot and numerous efficient side stories that add depth to the different characters. The camera work is calm and precise and on a much higher level than contemporary action movies with shaky cameras. On the other side, the use of wipes to change between scenes gives the movie a more fluid pace at times. The mixture of calm cinematographic techniques and a few more dynamic elements is perfectly balanced.

In the end, I have only positive things to say about this movie. If you like action films, this groundbreaking film is an iconic milestone. If you prefer dramas, you will find plenty of it in the complex relationships between the different characters. If you like period films, this movie brings the life in sixteenth century Japan to life in a brilliant way. Seven Samurai is a movie that anybody who truly likes cinema should watch at least once in his lifetime.