Highly Recommended
Clear and Present Danger (1994) (American Drama/Action) (repeat viewing) – CIA Analyst Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) is drawn into an illegal war fought by the US government against a Colombian drug cartel. Ford owns this movie, but this has a solid supporting cast that make strong contributions (Willem Dafoe, Joaquim de Almeida, etc.) and an interesting script that adds tension and suspense. The street ambush is an awesome sequence.
Extreme Job (2019) (Korean Crime Comedy/Drama/Action) – A police undercover operation takes a delicious, unexpected turn when they open a fried chicken restaurant as their cover. This has a lot of funny moments. There’s a lot of situational humor and one-liners. Most of the laughs result from the cops caring more about their chicken restaurant than doing their actual cop jobs, which is definitely amusing. There’s a funny footchase sequence to begin the film, but there’s only a bit of action during the middle before the big battle royale at the end. Fun stuff overall.
It Comes (aka Kuru) (2018) (Japanese Horror) – A married couple (Satoshi Tsumabuki, Haru Kuroki) is terrorized by a sinister spirit. They ask for help from a journalist (Junichi Okada) and his psychic girlfriend (Nana Komatsu). First of all, the cinematography, editing and sound design are all fantastic – which is no surprise for a Tetsuya Nakashima film. The horror sequences showcase bloody attacks that are perpetrated by a supernatural entity that enjoys slicing human flesh, which makes for a surprisingly bloody ghost film. The story shifts to the perspective of different protagonists as events progress, which is pretty interesting since multiple actors get the chance to lead the film. Solid stuff. (Viewed without subtitles.)
Recommended
Yellow Fangs (aka Remains) (1990) (Japanese Drama/Thriller) – In 1915, a mountain village in Japan was attacked by a giant bear that murders men and eats women. Hiroyuki Sanada and Bunta Sugawara star. Set mostly in the snowy winter months, this has very good production values, with some nice forest and mountain environments to enjoy. The bear does disappear for stretches of time, but the drama between the characters is good enough. Practical bear effects are not entirely convincing, but the final fight is pretty fantastic and exciting! Sonny Chiba directed and financed his first directorial effort here, but the movie bombed at the box office and he lost most of his assets!
Last Letter (2018) (Chinese Drama/Romance) – Shunji Iwai directs this film about a woman (Zhou Xun) who writes letters to the former love interest of her recently deceased sisters. The story shifts back and forth in time, with use of flashbacks. This is an ensemble film, so Zhou does not carry it on her back the whole time. You get a feel for the dead sister, even though we never see her in her adult form. This does feel a bit on the long side, but it’s good. Iwai is apparently also making a Japanese version with Japanese actors.
Cock and Bull (2016) (Chinese Mystery Thriller/Drama) – When a murder occurs in a small town in Southeast China, a local mechanic, known for his honesty (and bad temper), comes under suspicion. The rural areas and barren wastelands of China are captured well, especially the old architecture of the houses. Acting is good all-around. There is a change in perspective at certain points, where the focus shifts to a different character who is involved – this helps to unravel the mystery for the viewer. The storytelling is fluid. The thriller sequences are scrappy, clumsy and moderately violent.
Zombiepura (2018) (Singaporean Horror/Comedy) – When a mysterious virus breaks out in an isolated army camp, a lazy reservist soldier and his tough commander must work together to survive, and learn what it means to be real soldiers. The zombie mayhem begins early on and the infection spreads quickly after being bitten. Zombie attacks are intentionally clumsy, but there are a few good tactics and there’s a bit of thought and creativity here. The comedy mostly works too. This is limited by its lack of stand-out action or horror. But overall, this is a solid flick.
Alita: Battle Angel (2019) (American Sci Fi Action) – A deactivated cyborg is revived, but cannot remember anything of her past life and goes on a quest to find out who she is. The premise is generic and the villains are thinly drawn, but the protagonist is likeable and the action is good enough. Conflicts are engaging. The design of the cyborgs are rather awkward, however, since most of them have practically no human body parts outside of their heads. Regardless, this is pretty entertaining stuff that sets up a sequel that may or may not get made.
Two Evil Eyes (1990) (Italian/American Horror) – These are two horror tales based on short stories by Edgar Allan Poe, directed by George A. Romero and Dario Argento. “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” (directed by Romero) – After her rich, evil husband lies on his death bed, a woman enlists the help of a swindler to hypnotize her husband to sign over his assets before he passes away. Unfortunately, he passes away too early, but that’s only the beginning of the horror. This is definitely on the slow side and it’s rather uneventful for stretches, but it has a creepy finale and enough psychological content to be enjoyable. “The Black Cat” (directed by Argento). A sleazy photographer (of murdered bodies) adopts a strange black cat. This is slow-paced stuff, but it has some interesting events and it does get rather bloody. Decent enough.
Glass Garden (2017) (Korean Drama) – After things go bad in the city, a researcher moves to a desolate forest to conduct bizarre research involving trees. After the 35-minute setup, the forest atmosphere kicks into high gear with ominous winds and swaying trees. It is also at this point where the film goes into all-out “art-house” territory, with more emphasis on imagery and weird stuff. But even in that sense, it’s only moderately successful. This movie is weird enough to be worth a watch (there are a few surprises and memorable moments), but it does not fire on all cylindars and I found myself caring less about what was happening during the second half. Geun-young Moon is a bit flat and one-note in her performance. From the director of “Pluto” and “Madonna.”
Eerie (2018) (Filipino Horror) – The unexpected and gruesome death of a student threatens the existence of an old Catholic school for girls. This must be considered a disappointment from the director of “Birdshot.” I can understand why this movie gets lower ratings. There’s not much of a story and characters are thin, meaning that things do get a bit tedious during the latter half. Also, there’s nothing new here that we haven’t seen before and the ending is an anticlimax. However, the direction, sound design and acting are all solid. There are only a few jump scares; and even when jump scares are used, the sound never gets too loud. That’s a big positive for me. Also, it seems to set up jump scares that never happen, which I really liked. I actually enjoyed “Aurora” more than this, however.
Not Recommended
Red Family (2013) (Korean Drama) – In this spy drama, a North Korean family of spies infiltrates the South to launch a surveillance plot. However, allegiances blur when they come to befriend their kind neighbors. This is a blunt film that rushes thru certain scenes too quickly. It’s not bad or anything, just mediocre all-around.
Shocking Dark (1989) (Italian Action/Horror) – This is a blatant rip-off of “Alien 2.” Unfortunately, it’s so similar to “Alien 2” that it fails to justify its own existence. One could simply watch “Alien 2” again instead. The filmmakers should have put their own stamp on things, instead of simply making a garbage “Alien 2” duplicate. Acting is atrocious from start to finish, and it’s not unintentionally funny enough to be watchable.
Stand By Me (2018) (Korean Drama) – Duk-gu is 70 years old and living with a young grandson. This is a cringe-worthy melodrama that relies on low-hanging fruit and simplistic, boring characters. The kids are also really annoying.
Aeon Flux (2005) (American Sci Fi Action) – Aeon Flux is a mysterious assassin working for the Monicans, a group of rebels trying to overthrow the government. When she is sent on a mission to kill the Chairman, a whole new mystery is found. Line delivery is flat from practically everyone, and the story is incredibly boring. This movie takes itself so seriously, but the script sucks and cannot support that tone. The action is average at best (with subpar editing), and not nearly good enough to compensate.
It creeped me out. But movie trailers usually do. Let me check the poster ... mkay, the one with the girl on it is not too bad, the eyeball one, I dunno. 
