Reviews by Hyomil

English and Cantonese (and Mandarin) audio, but no subtitles. The Amazon.com page incorrectly says it has them; I own this and can verify that it doesn't. I know of no version that does have subtitles, not even the one at flkcinema.com

R1 release is a condensation of an entire TV series into a movie (not made into a movie--editied down through simply cutting out parts), so obviously its not going to make much sense. It was originally called "Treasure Venture" for anyone who wants to seek it out. After watching this, though, I wasn't motivated to do that. It seems like generic low-budget melodrama and I didn't care for the actors other than Zhao Wei.

JDrama that's heavy on comedy. Takes place in a department store with many female salespeople packed into a small area selling purses. The literal title is "Mountain woman, wall woman," referring to the chest region. Kyoko Fukada, somewhat distant/flat in [Link removed - login to see], comes alive here, and has to be seen to be believed as the super cute/perky/innocent "mountain woman" who's the desire of all the men, the envy of all the women, and a subject of lead Misaki Ito's character's nightmares and fantasies. Eiko Koike is also a standout, but the whole cast is good. As it goes on, the series drifts back into more standard drama territory that's less successful, but its at its best in the earlier episodes with the sharp interactions between the women and crazy antics.

Trailer:



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Note that a 1280x720 RAW version of this exists that can be paired with fansubs. Its not as big of an improvement as you might expect, but here's a comparison with the 704x396 version scaled up to 1280x720--both JPEGs saved at maximum quality.

I have the R1 DVD of this and it has English and Cantonese audio but no subtitles! They took the trouble to translate it but not to subtitle it. If anyone knows of a version that does, please post. Even the version at flkcinema.com doesn't have subtitles.

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AKA: "Sailor Suit & Machine Gun"
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Some good acting and not a bad series, but it ultimately gets bogged down in hand-wringing and guilt, with everyone trying to put on their 'super-serious' face and squeeze every drop of drama they can out of things. A schoolgirl becomes the leader of a yakuza gang. Sound implausible? It is, and its not played much for laughs either. The series just becomes uncomfortable trying to make the characters' motivations and interactions seem believable. Of course, these yakuza gangsters actually have hearts of gold; in fact, the series goes to such lengths to play this up that issues you're expecting to be raised never are. There's also little action or narrative momentum. By the end, I was getting bored. Don't be misled by the cover.

Another "Girls with Guns" actioner--also called 'Yes Madam '92: A Serious Shock' or 'Death Triangle' and only available on VCD (but with Cantonese audio and English hardsubs) as far as I know. In a change of type, Moon Lee becomes deranged in this one and does it very well. Highly recommended.

Mostly uninteresting. Though the lead, Gillian Chung doesn't stand out as she has in prior movies, and Charlene Choi is only in this for a brief moment at the end.