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Well, here's some happy news! The good people at Palm Pictures have offered us a pair of free copies of each and every one of their upcoming DVD releases to give away to you, the fine readers of Twitch. Why? Because they love us, and we love you. And also because they see you as a viable target market. But, hey! Free stuff! Damn cool free stuff!

Read on for contest details and to enter the draw for free copies of Springtime in a Small Town and Time of the Wolf!

Continue reading "Palm Pictures DVD Giveaway! Time of the Wolf! Springtime in a Small Town!"

Just a reminder that you've got slightly more than a week left to throw your hat into the ring for one of these House of Flying Daggers posters we're giving away. Click here for contest rules and details.

In a related note I have been told that we absolutely WILL have some copies of the House of Flying Daggers soundtrack to give away as well, but as they have not come in yet we will be giving those away in a seperate contest ... keep checking back ...

My copy of Artsmagic's release of 9 Souls arrived this morning. I love this film ...

The American trailer for Ong Bak has just turned up on the Apple site here. It's far from the best trailer out there for the film, but it does mean that Magnolia is now fairly seriously committed to their current release date of February 2005 ... there's a fighting chance that I'll be seeing Tom Yum Goong - Tony Jaa's next film - on DVD before Ong Bak hits the big screen here in Toronto, but I'm still pretty excited for the chance to see this thing properly projected ...

Well, that didn't take long ... Fox Searchlight has announced that I Heart Huckabess will be coming to DVD on February 22nd, 2005. The film will be released as a two disc set, jammed with features. You can check out the complete DVD specs here and my review of the film - which I love, incidentally - here.

Reviews of the premiere screening of Godzilla: Final Wars have started to turn up over at AICN. Positive? Yeah, you could say that ... who knows, maybe this will be the film that finally restores my faith in Kitamura. Check it out here.

I need to declare right up front that I'm a big fan of Joaquin Phoenix ... as far as big, mainstream Hollywood actors go it doesn't get a whole lot better. I was mighty happy when I heard that Phoenix had been cast to play Johnny Cash in the upcoming biopic Walk the Line, and I got a whole lot happier when I saw this. Vanity Fair has just run a series of photos from the film shoot and they look incredible, an absolutely pitch perfect recreation of the era. Not only is Phoenix a perfect fit in his role, but all of the casting looks flawless ...

Via Greencine

Though it's not due to begin production for another year and a half or so, John Woo has already started dreaming aloud about a cast for his Battle of the Red Cliff ... How's this for a dream cast? Chow Yun Fat, Jet Li, Tony Leung, Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi. Earlier reports said he was also looking at young Korean star Kwon Sang Soo. There were also early rumors that Chow Yun Fat had taken himself out of the running, but if this is accurate he may have re-thought ... it's not like he's real busy with anything else these days.

Actually casting all of these people would cost Woo a fortune, but the film's financiers are already anticipating that this will be the most expensive Chinese production ever, so it just might happen ...

via Monkey Peaches.

The Hollywood Reporter is, er, reporting that Nick Cassavetes has gotten the nod to helm an adaptation of Marvel Comics' Iron Man for New Line. He will also be doing a final polish of David Hayter's script for the film.

Now, The Notebook notwithstanding, I like this decision. Cassavetes is an interesting, diverse, and very intelligent film maker ... just take a look at Blow, which he wrote, for proof of that. He's still establishing himself as a director but his pedigree is impeccable and he's already produced an impressive body of work as a writer and actor ... check out the full list here.

The Sundance Film Festival has announded their 2005 lineup ... the titles that jump out to me include Lonesome Jim, directed by Steve Buscemi; Thumbsucker, directed by Mike Mills who I'm assuming is the R.E.M. bassist; a new documentary from Werner Herzog; and the Anders Tomas Jensen penned Brothers. Read on for the full list.

Continue reading "Sundance Announces 2005 Lineup"

In an effort to boost revenues local theatres in your area may be adopting a more traditional philosophy of business. Selling your old crap to visiting weekenders and passing it off as antiques.

No. Not really. What you're seeing is the Chronicles of Narnia standee that will be showing up in theatres this Christmas. Hot on the heels of the release of some concept art yesterday morning Narnia Web got the first images of this promotional display.

Click here to view a wardrobe sized image of the Chronicles of Narnia promotional standee.

Ask and thou shalt receive, etc etc ... I dropped a note to the Canadian co-financer of Terry Gilliam's Tideland a week or so back asking if they could free up any pictures of the film and figured that was a string of data that would vanish without a trace into the ether. I was wrong. Today the film's publicist sent me these two photos of Gilliam at work directing the young Jodelle Ferland on set ... it's the first time I've seen any pictures of the young actress and, yeah, she looks like she belongs in a Gilliam film ...

Click here for a larger version of the first pic and here for a larger version of the second.

It's always fun when smart people make stupid films and this looks to be the case with Mr and Mrs Smith ... the married-assassin-action-comedy from Doug Liman, director of Swingers. He proved he could pull of action with The Bourne Identity and now it looks like he's trying to fuse his action chops with his trademark snappy dialog. And yeah, Vince Vaughan does make an appearance. As do Angelina Jolie's skimpy underthings. Check the trailer here ...

Dark Horizons has landed themselves a quartet of high res concept art still shots from the upcoming live action adaptation of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. I read these books over and over again as a child - I still have some of my original copies, others I wore out and had to replace - so I've been kind of nervous that they were going to do some of my favorite childhood memories some damage with this. Well, the original concept art I saw looked quite good and these look even better ... I think it's now safe to say that, at least as far as production value goes, they're doing one mighty fine job on these ...

Click here to check out all four shots ...

A six minute preview for the Extended Edition of Return of the King will launch online at the official website today ... there's already a two minute teaser up - including footage of the much talked about Mouth of Sauron - but no sign of the full six minute job yet ...

**** UPDATE ****

I take it back ... full six minute version is now live ... purty ...

Whee! A new Kung Fu Hustle trailer has turned up online, this one from Taiwan ... the dialog has all been left untouched, but the voice over is in English, which makes me think this may be an early version of what we're going to see in theaters here. Regardless, it's a good one with plenty of action and effects sequences included. Check it out here. Word is this'll hit US theaters in late March ...

Via City on Fire.

We've been tracking the progress of the Luc Besson-produced Banlieu 13 for a good while around here and for good reason: this thing stars a couple of Frenchmen who just may be able to challenge Ong-Bak's Tony Jaa for the 'next international action star' title ... these guys actually created their own martial art and, while I have no idea how useful it would be in an actual fight, it looks mighty fine on screen.

Well, things just got weird for this film ... the two largest theater complexes in Brussels have refused to screen it over security fears. It's rated for viewers under sixteen and has no political element at all: it's simply an adrenaline kicking action flick. But despite the gentle rating and the fact that the film sold over half a million tickets in France through its opening week it will not be screened in Brussels because "it could provoke spectators to behave violently".

Now I realize that Europeans have always viewed the North American casual attitude towards violence a little askance but this is well beyond anything I could have predicted and the producers of the film have now gone so far as to suggest what's actually happening here is anti-French racism. Check the full story here, and a previous story we ran with a stack of trailer links here.

Digital Spy reports that Godzilla Final Wars will premiere today in the US. Joy! If someone could just turn the big guy a bit to the north and send him up here that would be much appreciated. I don't want to go to work today and I need someone to step on the auto shop.

Final Wars "will compile the fruits of 50 years' work and put an end to the series", the BBC reports Yukihko Mochida of Todo studio as saying. However, Mochida added that the creature may make a return if a "new generation of directors emerge or a brand new film-making method is found to create a whole new world."

New generation of directors? Brand new film-making method? Gotta admit I'm not sure what Yukihko is reaching at here. Ryuhei Kitamura is pretty new to the film industry. Granted, he's losing favor with Todd and things haven't been the same since Versus but he's still relatively new. What we don't need is an McG type of Godzilla. And we can all agree that the Roland Emmerich Godzilla sucked nuts but perhaps with the advances in digital technology since '98 we can make a bigger and better Godzilla? But then you're messing with tradition, man. Fanboys and girls will go nuts if you don't go with the 'Man in Suit'.

The Godzilla Final Wars site is here.

::: UPDATE :::

According to an article on MercuryNews.com Godzilla was also honored on Hollywood's Walk of Fame with his own star before the movie premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles.

Quite bizzare news coming out of France this weekend. Variety reported that a Paris court had ruled that director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement is really a Hollywood movie. This ruling will deny the producers access to the Gallic subsidy system, CNC, The National Center for Cinematography. 2003 Productions, a French company acting as the delegated producer for Warner Bros. would have been eligible to claim a share of the box office for reinvestment in future French productions under this system.

But the court canceled the CNC approval, saying that 2003 Productions was created solely "to allow the company Warner Bros. France ... to benefit from financial help even though (the fund) is reserved for the European cinematographic industry."

The head of 2003, Francis Boespflug, denieds the allegation that his company is a cover for Warner. "This film, which tells a French story, adapted from a French novel, filmed entirely in France, in French, with the participation of more than 2,000 French people, over thirty French actors and actresses and about 500 French technicians for 18 months, is suddenly no longer considered a French film!"

And it just gets worse for Jeunet and his crew. With this ruling the movie cannot compete in the Cesar awards - Gaul's equivalent of the Oscars - except as a foreign film, and excludes its actors from being nominated.

Jeunet's movie cannot even become a candidate for the prestigious Cannes Film Festival awards because it will have been screened outside its country of origin, France. Movies shown at Cannes must not have been screened outside the country where they originate ahead of the festival.

"A Very Long Engagement" also faces legal action from Corsicans angered by what they consider to be the movie's demeaning treatment of the population from the French Mediterranean island.

Jeunet can still hope for honors in the United States but not the best foreign film Oscar, because the film did not open in France in time to qualify. It is, however, eligible for Oscar nominations for best picture, actress or director.

It's not much of a silver lining but we'll take what we can get.

via ComingSoon and Yahoo! Movies.

Of course, the date is "subject to change" but any exact date looks at least 99% firm. Momentum Asia, a new DVD label (it seems) from the people at Momentum Pictures, are set to release a whole load of titles during 2005. Oxide Pangs "The Tesseract", as I mentioned recently, plus all these :

The Heroic Ones, Heroes Two, The Spiritual Boxer, Death Duel, Human Lanterns, The Magnificent Trio, The Trail of the Broken Blade, The Master, The Water Margin, All Men Are Brothers, Two Champions of Shaolin, Invincible Shaolin, Born to Fight.

...a lot of these are from the 30 titles Momentum have licensed from the Shaw Brothers Collection, the rest are fairly recognizable too. See a press release at DVDDebate and a news piece at DVDTimes.

You can never get enough Nicole Kidman in my books and if you get over the whole Mrs. Cruise thing, she's been in some great films (Dogville, The Others, Moulin Rouge, Batman Forever - ok that last one was a lie). So if seeing her naked in bath tub with a 10 year old boy in "Birth" didn't really work for you, then your in luck, because she's got at least two more coming out next year.

"The Interpreter" co-stars Sean Penn, the under used Catherine Keener as well as the movies director Sydney Pollack and revolves around a UN interpreter who over hears members of the UN plotting an assassination attempt. The trailer looks pretty straight forward, let's just hope this one doesn't fall into the fold of Pollack's last directorial mission Random Hearts eh Dav-O!

"Bewitched" is the quite possibly a little too late big screen version of the television show that my brother, sister and I used to watch when we were home sick from school. Nicole Kidman plays the Samantha role but the one saving grace of this film may be that Will Ferrell is Darren. I don't really know why this movie had to be made but any use of Will Ferrell is a good thing, but I'm still unsure of how much "Will Ferrell" will be in his role.

I'm downloading this as I type, but there is now a full length English subtitled trailer for Wong Kar Wai's 2046 online, and in Quicktime format even ...

Ooh ... brief pause for viewing ... it's purty. Download it here. I need to go fill in the gaps in my Wong Kar Wai collection ...

via MonkeyPeaches

With Dario Argento in a marked decline Italian film maker Eros Puglielli has decided to pick up the horror-thriller torch on behalf of his country with Eyes of Crystal and if the trailer's any indication he's put together one fine looking film. Serial killers and taxidermy ... what's not to like? It may prove to be a disappointment on par with Matthieu Kassovitz's gorgeous but hollow Crimson Rivers but I could look at these pictures all day ...

Check out the film's website here, trailer (in Quicktime) here, and Screendaily's review here. You've gotta give that trailer a moment to get going ... the black screen at the beginning is intentional. And it's not particularly work safe ...

Yoichi Sai's Blood and Bones - currently winning rave reviews around the world - has been picked up for distribution in North America and the UK by Tartan Films.

How good is this film? Screen Daily's Mark Schilling - a man not prone to exaggeration - has labelled it by far the best film to come out Japan this year and a career best performance by 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano. It sounds like a fairly bleak, brutal and uncompromising film; a bit of a surprise considering Sai's last film was a massive box office success about a labrador retriever puppy.

You can check out Schilling's review here and the film's official website here.

Now that the Scorsese remake has undergone a complete makeover, even a name change, making it utterly unrecognizable by fans of the original saga, if there is any opportunity for you to see the original Infernal Affairs you must drop everything that you're doing - be it delivering a baby, saving the world from global domination one tear drop at a time, or baking a cake - and go! Go now! Now we tell you!

Now I do apologize to the rest of the world because Infernal Affairs is playing at one of Toronto's rep theatres The Royal this week. Click here for showtimes this week. If we got your hopes up and it's not playing in your area - we're sorry.

Here's the premise. The film follows the parallel lives of Ming, a cop who secretly reports to ruthless Triad crime boss, Sam; and Yan, an undercover police officer who poses as a Triad member in the gang. The only person who knows Yan's true identity is his mentor Superintendent Wong. When Wong's officers come face to face with Sam's gang, both leaders realize there are moles in their midst. Soon Yan and Ming must track each other down, leading to an inevitable confrontation.

The Infernal Affairs trilogy is one of the finest contributions to the crime genre in recent years. You really should give it a go.

And if you want your very own copy to cradle and love you can order it here. Don't let the cover scare you. We think it blows too.

A Charlize Theron fansite has posted the first image of the lanky lass in her Aeon Flux kit. It may be scanned from an unknown magazine but it loses none of it's... uh... effectiveness.

The link above goes straight to the fansite or click here to see the first pic of Charlize as Aeon Flux.

Your cold shower awaits you!

Haven't seen enough of the "Blade: Trinity" footage online yet? Well lucky you then because here's 9 new clips to run through your little brain until you can watch the movie completely on a screen somewhere. Sorry but, even though it's a French website, no Jessica Biel nudity is included.

Some of the clips have footage from the trailers and countless other clips released but with more footage included from the scene. The clips don't get away from showing just how crap Jessica Biel fights though (which I've said from the start) - I wonder if the director just thought to himself during filming - "Damn, is it too late to get Neve Campbell" (that's a joke). It reminds me of the time I beat up Jason Georgio when I was 11 with a bag of Oreo cookies on my lawn - a complete waste of violence.

So check 'em out for yourself and feed the need for vampires, industrial dance music, violence and silver. "Blade: Trinity" is sneaking it's way into theatres December 8, 2004.

Via Film Rotation.

The recent USA DVD of Oxide Pangs "The Tesseract" has only just popped onto the shelves in the USA, and so here's a chance to see the artwork for the UK DVD, due in a few months time.

By the way : Oxide Pang = "The Eye", which was quite good. I watched it quite happily, and although it has it faults, it wasn't in the direction. I think Todd knows more about this, so perhaps it's worht searching the archives if you want more info on the film itself.

OK, I know the pic to the left is tiny. For a much bigger pop-up version click here. From DVDtimes.

The Ultimate Edition : for those of you who want to buy the film twice, for the sake of a nice box.

Anyhow, opinions aside, I must admit that at least it is a very nice box... And now its evident you're going to get more than you initially imagined. It's clear though, that it's geared towards those who've already seen the film, once you see how that copper box comes packaged. Lovely purple carboard box for it to "sleep in" too.

The origin of these pics is a Korean DVD sellers site, and just incase the listing goes missing i've copied the pictures out and put small versions below (so click to view the extended entry), or you can look at the larger versions here. Warning though, they are large files at that site, and I don't know if they took them or are simply putting them up.

Continue reading "Oldboy. Ultimate Edition. 18 New Shots Of Packaging."

Looking to view something other than the last minute oscar film throw out on christmas day this year? Well your in luck because Dimension/Miramax are releasing (supposedly - we know how often Miramax changes release dates) spanish shot, english spoke "Darkness" on christmas day.

I didn't hear about this movie until I just watched the trailer, so after careful, scienctific research (ie, called my mom), she told me this is quite a creppy flick that's been sitting on the shelves for some time now. In 1964, 6 children vanish from a house never to be seen again, leaving the house empty until 40 years later when a new family moves into the house and they begin to experience why it's been empty for 40 years. Really? Who have thought?

The film stars Anna Paquin, Fele Martinez (who was great in the upcoming "Bad Education"), Lena Olin and a group of "hey, I've een you before in...." spanish actors. The trailer does seem promising - though, can anyone pick up the total rip off shot of "The Shinning" in it other than me? The bad thing is I heard it was re-edited so as not to get the MPAA "R" rating and go for the more family oriented, christmas heart warming "PG-13". I'm sure after christmas day though, every parent will be wishing someone will come and steal their children away.

Anyone else know anything more than me about this one? Let us know. Please, I have children to feed (well, if they don't vanish that is).

Seriously, I don't have kids. I'm enough of one for everyone around me. Jerks! Just watch the trailer here ok!

Came across this while checking out that Grudge DVD news. Again this comes via DVDFanatic via DavisDVD and so on and so on and so on. Spanish language site zonadvd.com has sweet images of that Ultimate Matrix Box Set that comes out on December 7th.

Go see the purdy pictures of the Ultimate Matrix Box Set here.

Then place your order for a box set of your very own here.

DVDFanatic.com looks to have early spec details on the release of Columbia Tristar's The Grudge via DavisDVD.com. And they told two friends. And they told two friends. You get the idea. And while DavisDVD is saying there are more spec details to come on Monday take a gander at what they know so far. Niiice!

Audio Commentary by Executive Producer Sam Raimi and Actors Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ted Raimi

"Under the Skin" Featurette

55-minute Documentary split into these sections:
"The Birth of The Grudge"
"Myth of Ju-on"
"Culture Shock: The American Cast in Japan"
"Designing The Grudge House"
"A New Direction"
"Understanding Takashi Shimizu"

Whether or not I buy this edition remains to be seen. It still scares the bajiggers out of me and I am quite content with my Japanese originals.

Eyes in the security camera!!! Dear lord the eyes in the security camera!!!

Okay ... I'm majorly short on time (going to see the Pixies tonight and I need to leave pretty soon) but I wanted to get this posted before I left ... Sony has just posted the full length North American trailer for House of Flying Daggers and it is sweet. They've managed to include a good number of money shots in there without spoiling the film at all ... check it out in all its Quicktime-y goodness here. And don't forget to enter our House of Flying Daggers giveaway contest while you're at it.

Hi Twitchers.

Dave Canfield with Imagine 'Dat! here. before I head out with the fam for our out of town turkey day celebrations I thought I'd share the turkey with you. Or more aptly Phil Forsyth's review of a turkey named Alexander. Should this movie gobble up yourpost dinner dinero? It was all Greek to Phil.

Thanks to Todd for sharing the content and thanks to you for giving "Alexander" Stone the box office spanking he deserves. Go see The Incredibles again and leave this one alone.

Continue reading "ALEXANDER REVIEW: HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!"

There are so many pieces basically reporting that "Howls Moving Castle" had a great and record-breaking opening weekend in Japan, and the briefest of snippets of reviews from sites like AICN.

I prefer the professional journalist to have his or her say, in English preferably. So, thankfully, Mark Shilling at JapanTimes has written this.

Thankfully, although comments I have read have hinted at the possibility that it's the rarest of all things when thinking of Ghibli films, a dud, he does infact rate it highly. Now, if only I could have the DVD to watch without having to wait the usual 9 months for the Japanese release.

Aw nuts. Are any of us surprised? Really now. Firefly writer/creator Joss Whedon got on the forums of WHEDONesque yesterday and broke the news that his big screen version SERENITY would be pushed back to September 30th from it's original April 22nd date. Read on for Whedon's take ...

Continue reading "Hostility felt - Serenity is pushed back."

Look at that lovely poster to the left. You want one of those? Of course you do! Conveniently enough the good folks at Sony have offered us some to give away ...

We're trivial people so it's going to be another trivia contest. Answer the question below by midnight Friday, December 10th and the winners - yes, that's plural on purpose - will be drawn at random from those who answer correctly. Send your answers here.

Without further ado, the question:

Though Zhang Ziyi is best known for her work in martial arts films she did not originally train as a martial artist. What was her original training?

Whoops ... a bit of a retraction here ... I posted a day or so ago that the listing for 2046 had disappeared from YesAsia and concluded from this that they'd been hit with a cease and desist order from the North American rights holders. Well, before you go cursing Fox Searchlight for going all Miramax I should tell you that I was a mite premature. The listing's back, they're accepting orders now, and they're cheaper than Layoyo. English subtitles are looking increasingly unlikely, though, as both the Layoyo listing and this one state that the film will only include Chinese subs ... if someone has heard otherwise from someone close to the source I'd appreciate hearing it ...

Anyway, the YesAsia 2046 Page is here. And, while you're at it, they're also taking preorders for Yesterday Once More - the latest from Johnny To - here.

**** UPDATE ****

A kind soul has just written in to say that Sensasian has just added the Hong Kong 2046 disc to their site and they say yes, there are english subs. Thanks Aaron!

The Palm Pictures DVD for Springtime in a Small Town released in North America today and it's another good one ... it's a tight little romantic drama / social allegory, well acted and sumptuously shot by acclaimed cinematographer Mark Lee Ping Bing. Check out the film's official website here, the trailer (in Quicktime) here, and read on for a more detailed review.

Continue reading "Springtime In a Small Town DVD Review"

Thanks to everybody who entered out Alexander Giveaway Contest! The polls have now closed and we have a winner, Mr. Miles Kinnee who was well aware that all three questions were true. Take a bow Miles.

Thanks to Film Rotation I'm now a little weak at the knees and can't concentrate at work anymore. Amazon.com is exclusively offering The 2004 Criterion Collection Holiday Gift Set that includes 241 titles (such as - "Battle of Algiers", "Rushmore", "George Washington", "Hiroshima Mon Amour" and "Fat Girl") and I want, want, want it.

One of the only disapointing things about this collection is that there are around 21 titles out of print that are not included in the set ("Straw Dogs" being the one I would would miss the most). Also, the fact that it cost $4,999 US to purchase caused me to shed tears. Tears I say! I guess this is one of those times I regret not marrying for money.

So for the film geek/snob/dweeb on your christmast list, or for that oh so charming and handsome online film blog writer out there (ahem!) this seems like one of the best film collection gifts to gain yourself a life time of love and admiration.

Check out the complete list of films and specs of the 2004 Criterion Collection Holiday Gift Set here.

I don't know why I'm pretending to be surprised to hear that Lions Gate Film's will begin shooting the sequel to "House of the Dead" this week in California. Actually, nothing in this industry surprises me anymore considering Jennifer Lopez still has a career and people didn't like "Casshern".

The only information that's being circulated right now is that Uwe Boll will not have anything to do with this film. I guess he's too busy trying to justify the first "House of the Dead" film to people that it was better or just as good as Resident Evil (as Todd has said many times, this man is INSANE).

Mike Hurst is the new eye behind the camera - couldn't find any information about this guy but Mark Altman, the original writer is back, so I can't say the new director is going to make any difference in this giant crap pile of a movie being made.

How's that to ruin your Tuesday morning eh?

Via Creature Corner.

Here's the first firm details of the fruits of the new relationship between IVL of Hong Kong, who are releasing Toei (Japan) films on a regular basis : now starting November 25th 2004.

The first three titles i have spotted are, from left to right in the picture to the left, "Battles Without Honour or Humanity" (coming soon in the USA as part of the "Yakuza Papers" boxset), "House on Fire" and "Rage of Life". All three are ofcourse Kinji Fukasaku films, the latter two dating from the 1980s.

All have english subtitles, and are being listed on HK DVD sites at $90HK each (roughly $12 US Dollars, or just over £6 each plus postage).

Spotted this over at animatednews.com: a link to a trailer for the CGI movie "Through The Mobius Strip", which is, of course, a Mobius film. You should all hopefully be familiar with the famous French illustrator: if not, Google away.

The film apparently began animation in March 2001, so these 150+ animators have been going at it for 3 years. It's pretty much like "Kaena" in its' "Saturday Morning Kids Cartoon" look; there must be Mobius fans out there. Worth a download I think. Right click and save this. AnimatedNews.com is here.

No word on the specs yet but the date is starting to float around in such a way as to confirm it's solid. No official statement yet, so the news wont be put up on various specific DVD sites.

This also seems to be the date for the long-delayed "Orgazmo" DVD too. If you haven't seen that I do highly recommend it: it does have some of the dodgy logic of Stone / Parker, but is also very funny for some reason. Uncomfortable viewing to some extent too...

More news on Team America: World Police as soon as the specs are announced.

Starved to contribute to this site once again, I stumbled across somethng while looking for leads for possible posts. Considered by us here at Twitch to be one of the greatest film debuts, Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko is a cult film fan's delight. And now with a Director's Cut floating around we have that much more to enjoy.

But check this out. The guys over at Lego Artworks have put together what is arguably one of the best tributes to this film. That, and something called the 'sex chair'. Yeah. I don't know either.

Click here for an amazing Lego tribute to Donnie Darko.

Thank you FilmRot.

Spotted this being talked about over the weekend in one of the many forums I visit regularly. It's a website for Toyota, containing advertisements featuring some of the great young Japanese actors of the moment.

Thankfully the page doesnt contain links to streaming nonsense, or huge quicktime movies: they're all embedded and easily viewable if you have broadband. Witness Tadanobu Asano, Masanobu Ando, and Ryuhei Matsuda and some cars here.

A stack of set pics from Tony Jaa's upcoming Tom Yum Goong have turned up online here. For those not in the know this is the latest flick from the director and star of Ong Bak ... word is Tom Yum Goong will release simultaneously in Hong Kong, Thailand, Korea and Japan in February, 2005. And yes, western rights have already been purchased (by Besson's Europa Corp, I believe) so the film will be coming to American screens soon ... a trailer please? Anyone?

Via the KFC forums.

This just may be the worst decision a film studio has made all year. Tom Stoppard, you know the genius who's won just about every writing award known to man because he is - as mentioned above - a flat out genius, has reportedly been replaced as the screen writer for His Dark Materials by Chris Weitz. You know. The guy who directed American Pie.

You dumped an Oscar winner for American Pie boy? On an adaptation that most people thought couldn't be done thanks to the level of complexity? Slap yourselves. Hard.

The full story is here.

I still have some mighty serious doubts about the wisdom of making a Crusades based Christans vs Muslims battle epic with the world in its current state but Ridley Scott's doing it anyway - my detailed thoughts on the issue are here - and Monsters and Critics has gotten their hands on the very first high res still shot from the film. It's Orlando Bloom in full medieval gear doing his very best Johnny Depp impression ... click here for the high res version.

Terry Gilliam is such an insanely snake-bitten director that I've adopted a 'don't believe it until there's something tangible' approach to all the rumors around his work. Well, Tideland's got something tangible, namely a teaser poster. There's absolutely no way that will be the final mass market shot - can you imagine seeing that on bus shelters around the city? - but it's pretty sweet in a twisted, Terry Gilliam sort of way ... you can see a larger, higher res version here.

Now if only Bob Weinstein would remove his head from his rectum and put the completed Brothers Grimm into theaters ...

Okay ... this had already propgated so widely by the time I first spotted it that I was going to let it slide, but the more I think about it the more I think it bears comment ...

James Cameron's adapting Battle Angel Alita. Not exactly news as it's been rumored for ages and a lot of people look at Dark Angel as being an early attempt to do just that, but where things get interesting is on the tech side ...

First, he's shotting the film in 3D, using the camera system he developed for his Titanic documentary. This could be interesting, but it seems pretty gimmicky ... the only other major film maker using 3D right now is Robert Rodriguez and his pair of 3D flicks - his upcoming Lava Boy will use the same techniques used for the Spy Kids flick - are both intended for children, something that will definitely not be the case with this one. Are adults gonna bite on technology they remember from shoddy b-flicks in their youth being used in serious sci-fi? Only if it's damn impressive.

Second, it's a live action film but the lead character will be all CGI. Err, James ... you did see the Hulk, right? Read the press? People aren't so big on CG characters taking over the screen. The only one to gain any wide acceptance so far has been Gollum, who was firmly in a secondary role ...

Now whatever else people may think about Canada's resident filmic megalomaniac you can't deny that he's got some serious technical skills. If anybody can pull this off it's most likely James Cameron, but still ... the man doesn't make cheap films and this could prove to be one seriously high priced flop.

Monkey Peaches has a flurry of still shots from Steven Chow's Kung Fu Hustle and the upcoming live action adaptation of Initial D, as well as set shots from the new Zhang Yimou drama posted here. Go check out the goodness.

Whee! Just got home from an insanely frustrating shopping trip - I loathe shopping - to find a batch of screener DVDs from Palm Pictures awaiting my return. At the top of the stack was Last Life in the Universe - one of my very favorite films - with a complete spec sheet. Here's what we'll be getting:

Anamorphic Widescreen
5.1 Surround Sound
Cast and Crew Interviews
Behind the Scenes Footage
A Collection of Artwork From Cinematographer Christopher Doyle

AND

A Christopher Doyle Commentary Track!

Now, not only is Doyle one of the very best cinematographers in the world, he's also one mighty fine interview and I can't wait to hear what he's got to say about this ... he's a funny, sarcastic, bitingly intelligent man and I'm betting he's got a story or two to tell about Tadanobu Asano, Takashi Miike and Riki Takeuchi ...

Thanks to a reader in Greece for sending this along ...

"Hello

I’m from Greece, you can call me sethdove, and I’m attending the 45th Thessaloniki Film Festival ( Festival site here) where Kiyoshi Kurosawa is present because there is a tribute to his work ( Kurosawa page here)

I just came back from a press conference in which I asked a couple (let’s say I asked more than a couple…) questions about his past and future films!

Ghost Cop: it’s a 3 minute film and he said that it’s nothing special. He and some friends gathered in his house and had a party. He filmed it, then cut it down to 3 minutes, that’s all! He doesn’t consider it as a film.

New Film: not resulted in a final name yet (Shi No Otome is under consideration), just entered post production and it’s his first love story with just a touch of horror (in one scene there is a ghost). Koji Yakusho doesn’t star in it (why???), neither major actors. Mostly newcomers.

He also said he doesn’t have a clue about why the Kairo remake is “frozen” and if it’s still on the line for future production but stated that he finds American remakes a very positive thing for they awake Japanese producers in throwing more money in Japanese films.

Finally, I asked a question about the suicide scene in Kairo (thanx Elias) and he said that it wasn’t a monoplane, it was made in three parts with the actor bungee-jumping from different heights then edited in one scene. It was the first time someone in his team engaged in bungee and while shooting everybody had their eyes closed! (hehe)

Eventually, I shook his hand, thanked him for his time and patience and left the conference holding my signed DVD copy of Kairo! Wheeee!!! I’m a happy man!"

A new Kurosawa film in post!?! Sweet! That makes Todd a happy boy ... And I've always wondered how they did that jump scene. That's one of the most realistic and disturbing things I've ever seen in my life ...

Nausicaa.net have managed to get early info on the opening days takings for Hayao Miyazakis' "Howls Moving Castle", which opened this past weekend in Japan.

So : it earned roughly 1400 million yen ($13.5m) in the first two days (effectively its' opening weekend). The is the new record for highest opening weekend takings in Japan. An estimated 1.1 million people saw the film, helping it to take 40% more than "Spirited Away" managed in the same time.

Nausicaa.net have now posted two trailers (each in several formats) which aired on TV in Japan a month prior to release and the day before release. Head over there to take a look.

As much as I will miss the dashing styles of Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, it's now being reported by the Superman V website that Kevin Spacey has freed up his schedule from performing at the Old Vic theatre to film the new Superman film in Sydney next year.

Now we just have to wait and see if this holds up as complete and utter truth but I must say the inclusion of Kevin Spacey in Bryan Singer's new "Superman" film seems like a great fit. With the shave of the head I think "Mr. American Beauty" will make a great Luthor and would strengthen the worries of many on the recent casting notes (ie, Brandon Routh). No worries on this man's brain though, I think the Routh, "unkown" choice is for the better.

Via Film Rotation.

Don Brown sent out an email over the weekend to various subscribers to the KineJapan mailing list. It reads :

"TOKYO Nov. 21 Kyodo - A fire broke out in the Kadokawa-Daiei movie studio in Chofu in western Tokyo early Sunday morning, burning down one of the studios, according to the Tokyo Fire Department and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

The blaze that started at around 12:45 a.m. at the No. 3 studio of the Kadokawa-Daiei Studio completely destroyed its one-story, 720-square-meter building but no one was injured, the departments said, adding that styrene foam and paint stored in the studio were burned."

...so. This is the studio where Takashi Miike is or was filming "Big Spook War" apparently. Wether the production has been effected or not, i am sure it will at least suffer a slight delay. Anyone find out any more on this?

So, the film was pretty good. Heavy-handed product placement, and typical "Will Smith-isms" aside, it was surprisingly deep for a Hollywood Blockbuster. And, as you might be aware, i really hate it when people spend a fortune on special edition DVDs. Not only is it a waste of money, you could be buying other films...

Anyhow : the Japanese are good at doing some odd things for DVD releases. Witness now, in all its glory, Sonnys' head as a DVD case : limited to 5000 editions and priced at 15000 yen ($145 / £80 roughly). Click to pop this picture up here.

Nobbled from DVDTimes.co.uk.

OK, so we went through the whole "GD Face" issue again with the Chinese DVD for 2046, just like people did with "Hero" a few months earlier. Yes that disc was rubiish, everyone said so. Some still bought it, and others have been holding out for the HK disc.

So, the higher quality Hong Kong edition has finally been announced for December 10th 2004. Available in a Standard Edition, and 2-Disc Colelctors Edition. The Disc is issued by Mei Ah, and should have English Subtitles, though early listing might suggest otherwise.

**** UPDATE ****

Hey ... Todd with some more news on this ... I've just done a bit of digging around and saw that the advance listing for this at YesAsia has been removed. This says to me that they've been hit with a cease and desist order from the US owner of the film and are not being allowed to import the Hong Kong disc. If that's true for them you can bet it's true for all of the North American based importers ... Layoyo, however, is based in Hong Kong from whence they can sell as many as they want. They've got the two disc version listed here and the single disc here. No free shipping and the border monkeys might hit you with customs fees, but Layoyo's cheap and good ...

Here's a surprisingly timely post considering Logboy just brought the man up ... Digital Spy is reporting that Ricky Gervais will be producing an animated film based on his book, Flanimals. Not only has Gervais been given the green light on this, but he's been given a hefty budget of fifty million pounds.

Now, I'm sure Logboy will correct me if I'm wrong on this, but I flipped through a copy of the book a few weeks ago and I didn't really spot anything reminiscent of a plot ... it looked more like a catalog of imaginary animals so I have absolutely no idea what sort of story line this thing would follow ...

OK. So, i know people in the USA loved "Shaun of the Dead" and "Spaced". I also know there's a certian amount of positive response to "The Office" from more discerning comedy fans. Here in the UK, "The Office" is probably the most noteable comedy for years : sure we get pretty good stuff all the time, infact we're probably spoilt for substantial comedy compared to other countries. I just don't like wise-cracking american comedy much, you see. Personal Preference.

Anyhow. Ricky Gervais has recently done a childrens book (bought mostly by adults) called "Flanimals", a second live DVD called "Politics" (after the first, "Animals"). Also, "The Office Xmas Specials" is out now too. See an exclusive Interview here. See a review of "Politics" (with clips!) here. See a review of the Xmas specials here. A review of "The Office" season one, here.

Look!!! It's Nic Cage doing his best Lara Croft impression as he watches his action hero status fall into the abyss that is National Treasure.

Supposedly in development for awhile this under-cooked, over-budgeted action adventure is MORE boring than history class. How could Harvey Keitel, Christopher Plummer, Jon Voigt and Nic Cage be so wrong? Read on to find out.

Continue reading "NATIONAL TREASURE REVIEW: SOME TREASURE SHOULD STAY BURIED"

Whee! More Life Aquatic clips! These just came in and I'm actually so excited to share them that I'm posting the links before even watching them myself ... Following the 'them based' style the established with those 'jaguar shark' bits this is a two parter built around Ned Plimpton, Owen Wilson's character in the film. The clips are available in all three major video formats but I'm just giving them to you in the big Quicktime versions, because I'm a video format bigot. Voila:

Meet Ned Plimpton Part 1
Meet Ned Plimpton Part 2

Wow. Just wow. I'm fairly convinced that one day Vin Diesel will stumble across a perfect role or two and make himself a classic film but this aint it. The Pacifier is essentially a retread of Kindergarten Cop but it looks much, much worse. This is even more painful than that Son of the Mask trailer ... Click here to view the horror.

Hi, Dave Canfield from Imagine 'Dat! here to introduce a newbie. His name is Jim Tudor and he's been writing for Imagine 'Dat! for quite awhile. I'll be posting his reviews alongside my own. He's a good writer and a fast thinker and he'd love to get your feedback which you can send through me.

Look for Tudor Brand comic reviews, film reviews and DVD reviews in the very near future.

Til then enjoy his review of Sideways.

Continue reading "SIDEWAYS REVIEW"

I'm still pretty upset about Darren Aronofsky being turfed from the upcoming adaptation of The Watchmen, but you've got to give the studio some credit: they weren't kidding when they said they were serious about having this thing ready to go for the summer of 2006. They've already moved along and hired Paul Greengrass to take over the helm.

I have mixed feelings about this ... on the plus side his Bourne Supremacy was one of the better spy thrillers of recent years and demonstrated amply that he has no inclination towards dumbing his stuff down. That willingness to challenge his audience will be a key ingredient to making The Watchmen work ... if they try to simplify it or make the characters 'softer' they'll gut the story of all it's power. He also seems to be strong when it comes to drawing performances from his actors and he's got good working relationships with some interesting people. If he can pull off the American accent I'm thinking maybe Clive Owen as the Comedian? On the negative I didn't see a lot in Bourne that made me think he had the sense of style needed for this sort of film ... that's not to say it isn't there, I just haven't seen it yet.

This news is all over the place now, but I first spotted it here ...

Why? Because this guy's been on the set of The Hanging Tree, the just-wrapped new film from Toshiaki Toyoda. Follow that link. What the article lacks in firm detail it makes up in well-deserved enthusiasm. Toyoda is, beyond a doubt, a genius and he keeps getting better with every film. Must see this film ...

The trailers really don't do the films justice, but check 'em out anyway thanks to the lovely people at Artsmagic who have already brought one of Toyoda's previous films to our shores and have another one coming. Blue Spring is here, 9 Souls here. You can also check my review of Blue Spring here and Opus' review of 9 Souls here ... my own 9 Souls review will be turning up closer to the DVD release date ...

Via Greencine.

Screen Daily has just run a review of Yoji Yamada's Hidden Blade and it sounds like he's produced another good one. There are a lot of obvious similarities to The Twilight Samurai, Yamada's previous film, but considering that one garnered itself an Oscar nomination this can hardly be considered a bad thing ... Read the review here and check the film's trailer here.

Palm Pictures has aquired the rights to a stack of fantastic Asian films over the last year and, now that their theatrical runs are coming to an end, they've all got shiny new DVD release dates.

6ixtynin9: January 11th
Last Life in the Universe, Purple Butterfly: February 15th
Dolls, Bright Future: March 8th

The big guns on that list are Last Life in the Universe and Bright Future, both of which star Tadanobu Asano and both of which I adore. I was going to make some outrageous claim about words being unable to express just how much I love Pen-Ek Ratanarueng's Last Life until I realized that was patently untrue. The review I wrote for Opus is here. Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Bright Future is currently in a to-the-death wrestling match with Cure for the title of favorite Kurosawa film in my personal pantheon ...

Singling those two out is in no way intended to slight the others, though ... Ratanarueng's 6ixtynin9 is not quite as accomplished as his later work but it still stands as a compelling crime / mistaken identity caper; Purple Butterfly features stunning cinematography and some powerhouse performances (check Opus' review from the 2003 Toronto Film Festival here); and Dolls is a compelling - and very different - piece of work from Japanese auteur Takeshi Kitano. Just plan on buying them all.

You want trailers? We got trailers:

6ixtynin9
Last Life in the Universe
Purple Butterfly
Dolls
Bright Future

Now this is some unexpected news ... According to Variety Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert will be producing a remake of The Evil Dead through Raimi's Ghost House label. Raimi will not direct the film himself and is current leading a search team for a director to "reinvent the franchise before a script is written."

I'm more than a little surprised to see them revisiting this old material and I can only think of one really solid reason to do it: showing investors the series can turn a solid profit to generate funding for the long-rumored Evil Dead 4. Here's hoping ...

OK. Spotted the 3-Iron DVD coming up in Korea, visited a retailers site and decided to have a look around. Also spotted this one.

So, if you were one of the many that started watching anime in earnest when Akira made it over here in the late 80s / early 90s then you should at least have heard of Robot Carnival. It's a 1987 collection of 9 short films : two are by Akira mainman Katsuhiro Otomo, and one is by Yusuomi Umetsu of "Kite" and "Mezzo Forte" fame.

As far as i know, this is the only DVD with English Subtitles of this : or at least it's the first DVD i have spotted. Anyhow, it's a first for me, so I will be buying it. See the listing here. IMDB here.

So. 3-Iron is coming, December 17th 2004. And : It has English Subtitles! Woot! (as people seem keen on saying these days...).

Kim Ki Duks' latest film surprised everyone by not getting the nod to represent Korea at the Academy Awards (that honour goes to Taegukgi instead). Personally, I don't know much about this film, as living in the UK means either limited film festivals with long travelling distances : and although it's a small island, have you used the trains or driven the roads?!

Check out all the usual retailers. Specs in Korean here.

[A note from Todd] This was pretty easily my favorite film of this year's Toronto Film Festival ... truly amazing stuff ... check my review here. It's the last one on the page ...

Ever have one of those screening experiences that makes you tingle all over? No... not that kind. I'm talking 'bout the kind you have when you meet one of your cinematic heroes. I almost skipped this screening of A Very Long Engagement but I had business on that end of town anyway. When I got there I found out that none other than mon director Jean Pierre Jeunet himself would be doing a Q &A afterwards.

Continue reading "A Post-Screening Q&A With Jean-Pierre Jeunet! Delicatessen Finally Coming to DVD in the US! A Firm No To Harry Potter! And His New Film Aint Bad, Either ..."

OK, so we all know that Japanese films, or foreign films in general seem (at least) to get a raw deal when it comes to their artwork for release outside those tiny islands...

So what do you think about these? Here's a large picture for Porco Rosso, Nausicaa, and The Cat Returns.

I've not bothered to read over the specs in detail, but they seem to all offer botha dub and english subtitles. The second disc is given over to storyboards for each of the films (as they are in the Japanese issues).

If you want buying advice : Nausicaa is astonishing to say the least. Porco Rosso is quite light hearted, fun and very worth while, The Cat Returns is probably for completists only. See the DVDTimes piece with the specs here.

Okay kids, it’s that time of year again. You know, the time of year where we celebrate the coming of the Messiah by spending more than we can afford on consumer goods for ourselves and our loved ones. And then some more on ourselves. But what to buy for the special geek on your list? Never fear! Us Twitch-ers are here to guide the way with our massive list of quality geek-pleasing items. Read on!

Continue reading "Twitch Goes Christmas Shopping ..."

Those who know Japanese cult director Takashi Miike only through his shock and gore films – Ichi the Killer and Audition are both absolute classics of the genre – will be in for a surprise with The Bird People of China. Bird People stands as absolute proof that, although Miike will likely always be best known for his more extreme films, the man has a surprising degree of depth to him and is more than capable of turning out world class serious film.

Continue reading "Bird People In China DVD Review - DVD Releases Today!"

Whee! DouglasAdams.se has gotten their hands on a trio of concept art drawings for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie. These three images are over and above the batch that Yahoo posted last week. Go look. Now. The DoglasAdams.se site also has the most complete cast list that I've seen so far (granted, I haven't really been looking for info beyond the key players) and how happy am I to see the League of Gentlemen's Steve Pemberton in a significant role? Very. You bet.

February is going to be a good month to be an Asian film fan in the UK ... Tartan UK has just announced their February releases and it's a mighty impressive lineup ...

Topping the list is a two disc edition of Chan Wook Park's Old Boy, complete with a new English translation, audio commentaries, an interview with the director and more. They will also be releasing a new remastered collector's edition of Park's previous film, Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance. No word yet on what features that will include. Also on the way are the Korean genre hopper Save the Green Planet, and Ringu helmer Hideo Nakata's psychological thriller Chaos packaged in a set with Nakata's previously unavailable television series Curse Death and Spirit.

No word yet if the eventual US DVD release of Old Boy will mirror this UK edition, but there's no reason to think it won't with Tartan handling the release in both regions. The strong feature set makes this the release to have for non Korean speakers ... the collector-geek in me is still hoping that someone, somewhere releases a set that includes a wood handled claw hammer with the Old Boy logo burned into the handle ...

Via the DVD Times and our very own Logboy.

Okay, given how much money the company's worth it's more like he's suing them for a sock - and a frayed one at that - but still, that wacky Roger Avary is one busy boy. Though he's still hard at work prepping the film adaptation of Silent Hill with Christophe (Brotherhood of the Wolf) Gans the Pulp Fiction screenwriter has just filed a thrity million dollar lawsuit against tech behemoth Microsoft claiming that their Yourself! Fitness! XBox title is a knock off of a yoga based game he pitched to them.

Avary has set up a blog to chronicle the suit's progress here and you can download the legal complaint here.

OK so one of the numerous Star Wars forums had a picture posted that's clearly a frame from "Revenge of The Sith". It is Yoda, in a room.

See this scene in the film here.

Check out the concept art for the scene here.

Only view if you're not too bothered about the potential for it to spoil one or more moments of the film. You have been warned. By the way, the pic of the concept art looks like its from one of the posts from behind the scenes or the recent DVDs.

Wow ... I wouldn't have called this one, but Variety is reporting that Keanu Reeves has been cast as the lead in Spike Lee's The Night Watchman. Apparently production will launch as soon as Reeves is finished doing promo work for Constantine ...

I'm not one of those who bashes Reeves as a matter of principal but he's only shown himself to be good within a fairly narrow range. Go outside that range and it's a horror show ... anybody else remember his shot at Shakespeare? Shudder. Were Lee to retitle this The Dazed and Slightly Disoriented Because It's Night and He's Tired Watchman I'd feel slightly better about it. As it is I sincerely doubt that this will be the film to pull Lee out of his current slump ...

Now that the film is releasing throughout Canada and the US it seems like a good time to link back to some of our Machinist reviews ... we're fairly split on the film around here. Having seen it a second time I hold with my original, fairly middling, opinion from the Toronto Film Festival. Canfield, however, has already seen the thing at least six times and adores it. Check out my review here, Canfield's here, and Canfield's interview with director Brad Anderson here.

Will Pixar go back to Disney and renew their distribution deal? Time will tell. According to an article in The New York Times renewing with Disney is just one of the options chief executive Steven Jobs is considering when their current deal with Disney expires after Cars is released this time next year.

"We are not going to make a decision until the last possible moment," Jobs said. Jobs says a major reason why are the changes in executive positions at the studios in upcoming months. Sherry Lansing, Paramount's chairwoman, recently said she would leave when her contract ends in 2005, and Disney chief executive Michael Eisner will retire when his contract ends in September, 2006. :::Mack swears he hears cheering when he typed that:::

Given the proven and almost guaranteed success that each Pixar film has in the market you would think that studios would be clamoring to get in line to offer Pixar a deal. According to an article over at ComingSoon Jobs has admitted that two other studios, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, could provide the type of distribution deal they're looking for.

Personally? I think it's time for Pixar to move to greener pastures and try a deal with another studio. I would think that they would get more attention to themselves instead of sharing the limelight with Disney. That's how it's always been. Pixar and DISNEY! They needed the name before to get people to come see their movies. They've proven now they know what they're doing and they rule like lords at what they do.

That and I loathe Disney.

So much anger.

via ComingSoon.

Okay, kids. Got a crush on Colin Farrell? Long to have Angelina Jolie looking over you as you sleep? Never fear, we have the answer. Warner Brothers, being the giving sorts that they are, are giving away copies of the official one-sheet poster and official soundtrack for Oliver Stone's Alexander and we've got one of each for you. That's right, boys and girls. When we originally put this up they'd only offered us a poster, but we're now giving away both a poster and a copy of the soundtrack.

Here's the deal. We're going historical. Answer three, relatively simple true or false questions correctly and your name goes into the pot. When the contest closes we'll draw a name at random from all of those who got all three questions correct. That person will win both the poster and the soundtrack. Simple, yes? The contest will run for two weeks, which means your entry must be received by midnight of November 22nd to qualify. The questions are below, send me your answers here. Got it? Good ... here we go:

1. True or false: Alexander the Great was not actually Greek.
2. True or false: Homosexuality was such a widely accepted practice throughout ancient Greece because they believed that women were incapable of higher emotion and, thus, true love could only be experienced between two men.
3. True or false: Alexander received private tutoring from the famed philospher Aristotle.

And since I'm in a generous mood, I'll give you a little hint ... the answers to all three questions are the same. All true or all false, you've got a fifty-fifty chance ...

Oh, sweet lord ... it isn't English subtitled, and it isn't cheap, but I may just have to get this anyway ... The limited edition release of Appleseed has been announced in Japan and it's freakin' gorgeous. What do you get? Well, besides the stunning box itself (click here to see a higher res shot of the exterior, and here for a high res shot of the interior) you get a second disc jammed with behind the scenes features; a 384 page book filled with storyboards, interviews and production shots; and a second book with artwork from the film. And you get a postcard. Can't forget the postcard. I'm sorely tempted to pick this up and just go hunting for a subtitle script online ... YesAsia's got it here. If you are one of the foolish few who have not yet seen the Appleseed trailer, you can correct that oversight here.

Anime fans are also going to want to check out this. That's the inexpensive Korean release of the Ghost in the Shell 2 animated soundtrack ... whatever problems GITS2 has, the animation and soundtrack are certainly not among them and I've already got myself one of these on order ...

Kim Ki-Duk's 3-Iron and Chan Wook-Park's Old Boy will be canidates in the 'Non-European Film' category at this year's European Film Awards on December 11th in Barcelona, Spain. Both films will be up against 9 other films such as Wong Kar Wai's 2046, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 and Walter Salles' The Motorcyle Diarys.

Frequent visitors to this site know that we can't stop raving about both these films. Both represent the finest in Korean cinema and have gained critical praise all over the world. Of the two 3-Iron may seem to the be the early favorite given the smack of awards that this film has won already this year [add to that list of awards the Golden Spike Award, the highest prize in the 49th Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain recently]. But Old Boy has already been shown in a number of markets outside of Korea and it is being received very well. Either way we would be very happy if any of them won the award.

Click here for Todd's review of 3-Iron from TIFF.

Click here for Andrew's review of 3-Iron from TIFF. Albeit a very brief one.

I first caught this trailer running in front of The Grudge, and it's a good one ... the trailer for The Ring 2 - Hideo Nakata's sequel to the Gore Verbinski remake of his own Ringu - has hit online here.

Nakata is an absolute master of manipulating atmosphere so I'm just itching to see this.

Movies Online has posted what they claim is the complete script for George Romero's Land of the Dead, from a draft dated August 24th 2004. I imagine this ranks fairly high up on the spoiler scale, but if you just cant resist you can download it here.

Neil Gaiman has just announced that Mirror Mask will play at this year's Sundance Film Festival and that both he and director Dave McKean will be in attendance.

If you've not checked out the trailer yet, well, you're just not very bright. It's right here. Get moving.

The UK trailer for House of Flying Daggers has turned up online and it's a good one - probably the best trailer for the film to date. Here are the medium and large sized versions, both in Quicktime format.

Via The Movie Box.

According to Monkey Peaches director Zhang Yimou will begin production on his latest film this coming Friday. Though there are rumblings that Yimou is prepping a third martial arts film to follow up the huge international success of both Hero and House of Flying Daggers this one appears to be more in line with his art film roots.

Monkey Peaches summarizes the film this way:

"Set in the 1920's, Qian Li Zou Dan Ji tells a story of a Japanese man (Takakura Ken), accompanies his dying son to learn the local opera in China's Yunnan, where they meets a local girl. The girl will be played by Jiang Wen, a graduate student from Beijing Film Academy."

This will apparently be Ken Takakura's final film before retirement ...

If you've read our bios on this site you know that I have been credited as some sort of anime freak! And while I would like to think that this isn't wholly accurate I realized that I do like to dab into it a bit now and then [current obsessions include Samurai Champloo, Samurai 7, Grenadier and Bleach].

So it seemed the obvious choice when we got the first Initial D box set from Tokyo Pop the other day that I would be the one to review it. My first ever exposure to this anime was with fan subs on VHS tapes lent to me every week, a couple tapes a time, by an old friend from church who belonged to an anime club here in the T-Dot. After the first couple of episodes I was hooked for life.

Continue reading "Review: Tokyo Pop's Intial D Box Set 1"

You may have noticed that the site design has changed a little bit around here in the last couple days ... I've been tweaking things down that right hand column to make things a little easier to navigate and to keep our major content from slipping off into the ether quite so quickly. Thus, if you cast your eyes to the right you'll see that we now have links to a permanent review archive; links to our most recent reviews, interviews and contests; and search boxes for our affiliated retailers. I've also pulled down the Google ads that were over there, made the formatting a little more uniform, and killed a couple redundant sections.

About our affiliate links: between those three retailers you should be able to find about 90% of the stuff we're talking about on here. I have a strong aversion - both philosophical and design-wise - to intrusive advertising on web sites and so you'll never see any banner ads, pop ups, or those irritating between-page ads that are turning up everywhere while you're here at Twitch. I hate them as a reader so I won't use them as a webmaster. However, we do have bills to pay around here ... it doesn't cost a ton to run the site but there are some significant expenses and I need to try and balance those out somehow. The affiliate links are my compromise way of doing that ... they provide some value to you in giving you easy access to quality goods from around the world while also helping us pay our bills. So, call me a corporate whore if you must but do so while using our links to buy your stuff.

Anyway, I'd love to have some feedback on the design changes and if you've got any suggestions on how to make Twitch easier to use I'd love to hear them ...

It may not sound like much, but it's interesting because both Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away were record breaking films: the biggest at the time in Japan's history.

Animenewsnetwork reports that this time around, Ghiblis' "Howls Moving Castle" will be opening on 450 screens (out of the 2700 available in the country). Mononoke had 348 screens, and Spirited Away 336 screens when they opened. So Howls should be a pretty big smash hit to say the least...

The film is released on the 21st November 2004. I will be interested to see the opening weekend figures in relation to the two previous Ghibli releases in the Cinema.

See the original news story here.

OK, this is nothing new (hopefully) to most of you. But, there has been one thing holding me back (personally) from buying this set. I haven't seen any of the films - shock! horror! - but I was caught by the inclusion of the 300 minute film which slaps all the trilogy together.

A lot of retailers, however, were listing this as not including English Subtitles. But Asiandvdguide.com have put up full specs and artwork. See the pretty pictures here and here.

You should have no problem getting your name engraved on the set if that also catches your eye, though I wouldn't hope for too much accuracy so i suggest you keep it simple.

Keep going below for a copy of the specs.

Continue reading "Infernal Affairs Limited 8 Disc Set. Full Specs. Pictures."

A flurry of trailers and assorted things here ...

First up, IGN Filmforce has posted the trailer for Assault on Precinct 13, the new remake of the John Carpenter flick, here. I confess to never having seen the original, but this has got a fun cast and looks like a good time in a things going boom sort of way ...

Next, Yahoo's got the official teaser and some production design art for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy here. This is basically the same teaser released at the San Diego comic-con, but it's the first time it's been available in any sort of official manner and they've also gone and put a firm release date on the thing. May can't come fast enough ...

Next, Moviefone's got the Scorsese helmed The Aviator trailer here. Again, great cast, compelling story and visually it looks to be some of Scorsese's best work ...

We move along to Be Cool, the sequel to Get Shorty. Though it doesn't have an official trailer yet, the official site just launched with a flash animated intro and it looks pretty sweet. Check out The Rock's bad afro ... if there's anything that can rescue John Travolta's career it's a good bit of Elmore Leonard dialogue ... I'm pretty excited to see what Vince Vaughan does in this, too ...

And finally, Kong is King has posted some behind the scenes footage charting the visual effects process for Peter Jackson's King Kong. The scary thing is that as good as the 'finished footage' looks it's just a quicky trial scene to see if these methods are going to work. This is going to be some mighty impressive stuff ...

Whee! Sony has just released the North American poster for The House of Flying Daggers. Now, I'm going to refrain from going on a rant about the piss-poor artwork a certain other company has been foisting upon their Asian releases other than to say this: the little things count. Sony obviously understands this, because that is one beautiful poster for one beautiful film.

Click here to check it out in a much larger, higher resolution format, and here to read my review of the film from the Toronto Film Festival screening. You've got to scroll down a bit to get to the HOFD bit ... you'll figure it out ...

Movie Web has posted a trio of links to set pictures and spy shots from the Tom Cruise / Steven Speilberg remake of The War of the Worlds. Not surprisingly most of the 'Isn't Tom Cruise dreamy?' variety, which means they're handy if you want to bat your eyelashes and daydream of a Cruise-filled life but considerably less useful if you actually want to see what the sets look like. Follow that link above to check 'em out ...

Something a lot of people don't know is that there is another War of the Worlds film in the works right now, and it's actually farther down the production road than is the Spielberg version. Being financed by a small independent the creators claim that their version is not only the most faithful adaptation of Wells' novel thus far, it is the most faithful film adaptation of any novel ever. A bit of hyperbole there, perhaps. Anyway ... they do have a teaser trailer online to verify that everything is, indeed, being shot in period get up. This looks to be completely untreated footage in need of some post production work - there's not even any music layered on yet - but you can check that trailer out here.

DVD Answers is reporting that Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow will hit DVD on February first. The full spec sheet isn't out yet, but it will be available in both full screen and widescreen editions and will include two commentaries, deleted scenes, a gag reel, Konran's original six minute short used to pitch the film, and behind the scenes features.

Now, somebody answer me this: in a film like Sky Captain - where the visuals are really the only reason to see it - what could possibly be the point of releasing a full screen edition? You're cutting out nearly half of the only thing that makes the film worthwhile! Surely we've gotten over the 'I hate the black bars' thing by now ...

Well done, Tom! Hurray!

In an interview with IGN Filmforce Tom Hanks was asked about the prospects of being involved with Toy Story 3, which Disney is starting up production on without the involvement of Pixar. He was, shall we say, less than enthusiastic.

Q. Will you be involved in the Toy Story sequels Disney is planning without Pixar?

HANKS: I don't know. The creative team that put together the original Toy Story movies was very specific and quite organic, I think, to the success of the process, not that there aren't other talented people that would be involved. But I don't know. That would be a bridge to cross when I come to it…

Another Toy Story film should not be made without the hands on involvement of John Lasseter, a fact that Disney seems oblivious to but that Hanks has obviously clued in on. Stick to your guns, Tom, and give this one a pass ...

The full interview - which mostly revolves around The Polar Express - is here.

Well, here's an unexpected spin off of the success of Mel Gibson's The Passion ... The FX Network, best known for edgy fare such as Nip/Tuck and The Shield, has just hired George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh's Section Eight production house to bring along a ten hour, ten installment miniseries based on the ten commandments. Each entry will be helmed by a different director, who will also pen the script, with Clooney and Soderbergh sitting in the director's chair for one each.

Though they never come right out and mention Kieslowski's Dacalogue they had to have had it in mind when doing this ... like Kieslowski's masterpiece this new project will be set in contemporary society with each installment exploring the implications of each of the ten commandments. Basically we're going to get ten short films, one each about lying, lust, murder, theft, etc. Done wrong this could be horribly dull and pedantic, done well it should make for some riveting stuff. Given FX's track record, not to mention the presence of Soderbergh and Clooney I'm betting on the latter ...

Check out the full story here.

Hurray! Another film designed to help you avoid actually having to read anything in English class! The trailer for the Pacino starring adaptation of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice has turned up online here and you can check out the website here.

Merchant is actually the first Shakespeare I ever read and despite absolutely hating my grade nine English teacher I've still got a soft spot for it ... word is this version is quite good ... you can read on for the Cliff Notes version aka the official press release synopsis ...

Continue reading "Merchant of Venice Trailer Online. Pacino as Shylock?"

It seems that I've become trailer viewing obsessed lately so I guess you all will benefit from this lack of wanting to go outside in the Canadian not quite winter but still ass cold weather. The latest trailer I've stumbled upon (thanks to Dark Horizons) is "The Woodsman".

Kein Bacon stars as a reformed pedophile who is let out of jail after serving a 12 year prison term (I'll skip over my comments of the justice system at this moment) and begins to find out starting over and his recovery aren't that simple. It seems like an interesting new film look at a disease used common in cinema today from the inside. It tries to unlock the psychological ramifications of a disease generally skipped over by film, preferring to just show the brutality of the crime committed by the unhealthy individual and it's consequences to others (which has been covered well).

Also starring Kyra Sedgewick, Benjamin Bratt and Mos Def (who looks to be handling his own and becoming a better actor with each role), from the reviews I've read the feedback is positive and supposedly it tackles the tough questions of this "hot button" issue. Take a look at the trailer for "The Woodsman" here.

The Hong Kong DVD for Jackie Chan's New Police Story is available now for pre-order, with a release date of November 25th. The two disc set is English subtitled, and includes a wack of special features.

For those not in the know, this is the first film Chan has produced since giving up on Hollywood and returning to his native Hong Kong. Expectations were huge with fans hoping for a return to form following a string of mediocre Hollywood releases and critical and commercial response were both very positive.

Check out the official website (complete with trailers) here and you can order from YesAsia here.

Being a full blooded male with an, oh what shall we call it? affection for the ladies, I, as do most heterosexual males, find Jennifer Garner a rather spicy meatball. So it only seems fitting that I share with you, my Maxim-reading-Red-Bull-chugging-Monday-Night-Football-watching brethren, the visual joys of Jennifer clad in red leather. Consider it my gift to you.

Watch the Elektra trailer in all it's red leather glory here.

Assassin-for-hire Elektra Natchios is revived by the Order of the Hand, a group of assassins who helped train her. Assigned by the Hand's current leader, Kirigi, to kill a man, Mark Miller, and his 13-year-old daughter, Abby, Elektra soon befriends them and decides to stand up to her ninja peers.

Having watched this many times now I will say this. Though the story may seem a little low ball the action sequences do come over well. But honestly fellas, who friggin cares? You and I all know we're going to be there opening day with a crisp $20 in our hand.

Pardon me. Jessica who?

Let's start out by stating that I seem to be a sucker for a comedic Will Smith. I guess it started with my formative years, watching Fresh Prince on Detroit tv everyday and knowing all the episodes. I didn't get outside much. My step-dad said going outside was for "pansies".

"Hitch - The Cure For The Commom Man" is Will Smith' new movie, co-starring "King of Queens" Kevin James and the ever movie present and oh so easy on the eyes Eva Mendes. Smith stars as Alex "Hitch" Hitchens, the not-so-urban myth "Date Dr." who helps men get dates and hold relationships (man, I didn't know i could make money doing this).

I have to admit that as pretty much cookie-cutter that you know the story will be, the trailer made me laugh out loud (which isn't a good thing in an internet cafe - thanks home "virus having" PC) so I don't know. I'm sure I'll get a bunch of people destroying any indie or artistic cred I had but you know what, Will Smith makes me laugh (as well Kevin James I've found out) and if you wanne be a hater - then hate away. But to the rest of you, I say play on playas! whuh?

Check out the trailer for "Hitch" here and tell me you didn't laugh. Or don't, I'll probably be somewhere else. Not likely though.

Continue reading "Trailer For Will Smith' New Vehicle "Hitch""

I might be alone (I'm leaning towards not) in thinking this maybe one of those really bad ideas, like Greedo shooting first, but "Son of the Mask"? Dang.

Keeping in line with such classics as Baby Geniuses 1 and 2, we have a talking, bouncing, flying, prank playing baby on our hands here. Jamie Kennedy, Alan Cumming (not you too!) and Ben Stein are in this one and I'd just like to say, for the record, I am skipping this movie no matter what. Like I skipped Shall We Dance, The Wedding Planner, Enough and Angel Eyes (yes, I know, they are all J. Lo movies), my ass will be planted firmly at home, or infront of this thing when others partake in this mutation.

Wanna see for yourself. Here's the trailer for "Son of the Mask", but don't say I didn't warn you.

I'm shocked that it has taken this long but Lion's Gate has finally got a trailer online for High Tension, the French slasher flick that's been making waves around the world ... of course the release date given in the trailer is now wrong so it may not be online for long ... check it out here.

Thanks to Tom for passing these along to us ... here's the full batch of pictures from the Tim Burton / Johnny Depp remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ... They're pretty heavily touched up, enough so that if I had to hazard a guess I'd say that these are being prepped for a series of one sheet posters for the film ... Click below to see all the pics ...

Continue reading "Wonka Pics O'Plenty ..."

Ok : big Hayao Miyazaki fan. There's a few TV shows out there he was involved in which i have never been able to see. Good news : Conan is coming out in Korean at the end of the week : March 15th according to Koreandvds.com. Haven't search in hope of a price better than the $60 (£35?) they want yet, but i will in a minute. Check their listing for now, it's here.

There was a previous release in Korea of this series in a boxset : but this time it's got English Subtitles! Fantastic... see the Nausicaa.net info on the series here.

Ok. So Michael Moore made a resonably good film which was pretty roaming in its' aims. There was one specific aim though : get rid of George Bush.

It didn't work, Michael. So, their only comeback was something like "he needs to loose some weight, have a shave and comb his hair". His comeback : make a sequel, of sorts. Should be ready in 2 to 3 years.

Comingsoon.net reports Variety as printing : ""We want to document and commercialize it," added Moore, "Fifty-one percent of the American people lacked information (in this election) and we want to educate and enlighten them. They weren't told the truth. We're communicators and it's up to us to start doing it now. The official mourning period is over today and there is a silver lining -- George W. Bush is prohibited by law from running again."

Moore also continues his work on the Health Service, "Sicko" at the same time.

Released January 28th 2005 in Japan, in both bog-standard and deluxe limited cardboard box edition. No English Subtitles though : so why the fuss? Well, there's still a debate going on as to wether the HK Edko disc was much cop (still haven't watched mine), plus you can guarantee the Japanese disc will be the best issue to come out anywhere.

So, it's a shame. I just though you might want to look : standard or deluxe.

Ofcourse, it's under it's Japanese title "Lovers".

Whee! We've posted a couple articles in the past about the Luc Besson produced martial arts action flick Banlieu 13 (check those posts out here and here) and for good reason ... this thing looks like a big bag chock full of stupid fun. Follow that first link up above and take a look at the demo reel to see just what sort of stuff these guys are capable of. It's madness, serious madness ...

Anyway ... I just received an email sending me here, a French site with enough Banlieu 13 trailers and footage that I could probably cut them up and reassemble the entire film out of their parts. Right at the top of the stack is the main trailer for the film in glorious high definition ... not only is it larger than anything on the official site, but it loads up way faster, too.

High art? Nope. But I really, really want to see this ...

Thanks to Gene for the heads up ...

Is Pee-wee Herman making a comeback? It might just be true. E! Online News reported that Pee-wee Herman creator, Paul Reubens, has revealed that he is working on two new screenplays for his character. The first movie will be a satirical look at stardom as it happens to Pee-wee. The second film will be a bigger, louder, and subsequently more annoying version of his old kid show Pee-wee's Playhouse.

As a Tim Burton fan I own Big Adventure. And I used to do a pretty good PWH impression when I was younger. And one summer at camp we made 'cabin' the secret word. The director couldn't quite figure out why we cheered during cabin clean-up announcements. It got old- quick!

Korean communities and fans of Korean cinema in Toronto and Vancouver rejoice. Korea’s highest grossing film ever [selling nearly 12 million tickets] is in theatres this Friday. Kan Je-gyu’s Korean War drama TaeGukGi is finally on this side of the 49th parallel.

Jin-Tae [Jang Dong-Gun] and Jin-Seok [Won Bin] are unwillingly conscripted in the South Korean army and sent to the front lines. Fearing for his brother’s safety, Jin-Tae volunteers for suicidal missions. His hope? To win the Medal of Honor so that he may have his younger brother sent home and away from the war. Jin-Seok misinterprets his brother’s actions as bravado and patriotism and does not see his brother’s true intentions until their fatal end. TaeGukGi is a savage, brutal and honest picture of war. Kan Je-gyu delivers, pardoning the pun, on all fronts.

Continue reading "Review: Kan Je-Gyu's Korean War epic, TaeGukGi, comes to Canada!"

I'm trying to get this confirmed, but I just stumbled across something on the official web site for Takashi Miike's IZO that seems to be saying that the Japanese DVD for the film will release on December 22nd. Unless Babelfish is steering me wrong we're looking at both single and double disc editions, but no word yet on subtitles.

If you've not heard of it yet, IZO is Japanese cult director Takashi Miike's time travelling samurai flick co-starring Japanese icon Takeshi Kitano and ultimate fighter (and brother to NFL'er Warren) Bob Sapp. This thing looks like utter madness, but don't take my word for it ... check out the trailer here and the Japan Times review here. If anyone out there can shed some additional light on the DVD situation, we'd appreciate it ...

And while I'm in a DVD news mood, here's something a little less happy. We posted a week or so back that Thai action flick Born to Fight was due to release in Thailand on November 7th ... well, that date has come and gone and there's no sign of it. I wrote the people at EthaiCD and they've confirmed that the release was delayed, though they couldn't say anything about the reason why or what the new date would be. They have promised to let us know when they have more info, though ...

Mahiro Maedas stunning "Last Exile" series concludes in its 7th and final volume in the USA on December 14th. Now you will also be able to buy a boxset with all volumes in, hopefully saving you a bit of cash. Maeda was responsible for "Vandread" and "Blue Submarine No.6" - another two top anime shows.

Why the fuss? well, so far i have only managed to focus on the first 3 volumes but it's the best looking anime series i've seen. There's some slightly dodgy moments of animation in there, but it's "to be expected" at the pace in which Gonzo or any other studio knocks out series. If you're not convinced by me simply saying "it's ace" - take at look at footage at the official site here. Or see animnfo.com website listing to see how its slotted into the top 10 of all series (in their poll) comfortably, here.

The production (forget his name) worked on Laputa, and has carried Ghiblis' meld of old and new technology into the detail of this remarkable series. Great CGI and cell animation blend, beautiful character designs and a captivating story. Higly Recommended.

According to Fangoria Lion's Gate has just set DVD release dates for Saw and Tobe Hooper's Toolbox Murders. Full specs aren't available yet but the Saw DVD will include commentary and some behind the scenes features ...

No, really. Dreamworks is making a Baywatch film. I have no idea why. I have no real interest in such a thing. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to post that Hasselhoff picture again ...

The Japan Times has just run reviews of Yoji Yamada's The Hidden Blade and Chan Wook Park's Old Boy.

The Hidden Blade is Yoji Yamada's follow up to his Oscar nominated Twilight Samurai and is one of the more anticipated films out of Japan this year. The review is here and you can check out the trailer here.

As for the Old Boy review, let's just say that around these parts we have a rather different opinion of the film than do the folks at The Japan Times. Their review does, however, make for one mighty entertaining read.

"Why? Well, that's not a question we're supposed to ask. In the emotionally retarded world of manga, women are always waiting to throw themselves at nutters; it's part of the fantasy being serviced."

Come on! Tell us how you really feel! Stop holding back! You can check out the full review here ...

Okay, I could've sworn I posted a link to this a couple weeks back, but apparently not ... must have too much aluminum in the diet ...

Anyway, the website for Asia Argento's The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things is now online here and it features all the good things you'd expect from a movie website ... trailer, image galleries, blah blah blah ... If you don't at least go look at it Nick will come to your house and gnaw your leg off. He likes it a bit.

Not sure where he dug it up, but Logboy just sent me this new shot of Johnny Depp in his Wonka get-up. Speaks for itself, really ...

Ladies and gentlemen, apparently genitalia are now mainstream news fodder. The New York Post has just run an article stating that Colin Farrell's naughty bits will be on full display - albeit briefly - in Oliver Stone's Alexander. I quote:

"It's nothing to be ashamed of but people weren't gasping at it, either."

So there you go. If you've been lusting after Mr. Farrell, you know what to do. Those hoping for a glimpse of Natalie Portman's nether regions are being left somewhat disappointed, though, as it is being widely reported that Mike Nichols has cut Portman's frontal nude scene from Closer. The breasts are still in, apparently, but nothing below the waist.

I expect to see the fan boys (and girls) getting worked up over this stuff, but I've got to say that it's a little odd to see mainstream papers picking it up ...

Seriously, I love animation: I can't say I am always looking for new stuff but I did happen to see a post on a forum linking to a guy's (seems to be a French guy called Trouillet) site and someone else had left some images from one clip which impressed me.

So, I went over to take a look. I can't believe this is one guy, using probably nothing more than his skill and a computer with some software. It's really the closest you could get to entirely professional work. He shows a strong understanding of film, great style, and a sense of dynamism. Go here.

So, they've announced that the Studio Ghibli USA DVDs are back on. One major change: they've replaced "Totoro" from that particular intial line-up with "The Cat Returns".

For those that haven't seen that particular Ghibli film, or don't know much about it: it's not very good. It's one of the "lower end" films with cheaper and rougher animation. Still, it's a Ghibli film many will not have seen so probably worth a peek if you're that interested you've read this piece.

Continue reading "USA Studio Ghibli DVDs. Back On For February 25th 2005. With One Change."

Nick posted a link to the trailer for Imaginary Heroes a couple days ago and I've only just gotten around to looking at it now. This is a film that caught my eye at the Toronto Film Festival but I just wasn't able to work it into my viewing schedule and I'm kicking myself for it now ... it drew great reviews and that trailer makes it pretty obvious why.

Anyway, on to the new content ... I've just received an email pointing out that the official website for the film is now live here and it's a good one. Well designed, with lots of background information on the film and the film makers, image galleries, another link to that trailer up above, and more.

One thing that caught my eye on the Imaginary Heroes site was the director's bio ... I've commented before on the current batch of young American film makers who are currently on the rise and challenging the typical studio mindset - Wes Anderson, PT Anderson, Darren Aronofsky and Richard Kelly all fit the mold - and it looks as though we may have another to add to that list in writer / director Dan Harris. Nick mentioned the work on X2 and Superman, but that's only scratching the surface ... work on Ender's Game, Logan's Run, work writing one of the X Men comic titles, work on early drafts of the Fantastic Four and multiple awards for his early shorts. The guy's got a resume to kill for and he's, oh, six or seven years younger than I am. This simultaneously makes me very jealous and gives me happy thoughts about the future of American film.

Anyway ... all that to say go check out the site.

So the BBFC made its decision on the 3rd of November to allow Team America to be released as a certificate 15 instead of the expected 18.

Remember, there were wrangles in America over the rating given or expected. So I am glad we get the film uncut and a give it a wider audience. Having said that, more and more people seem to be thinking the approach of the film is questionable in the way it portrays other nations (particularly languages and accents). Still, I want to see it : I think it's out January here.

Hi there. I'm gonna give everyone a small break from their whacked out, obscure movie agendas and clue you in on the most important event that has ever happened to anyone, anywhere. Ever.

Right off the top, if you aren't aware, or for that matter, have ever heard of Homestarrunner.com -you need to book a day off work and visit that site for at least 8 straight hours - while telling yourself you're an idiot for not doing it sooner.

The next bit is for the clued:
This week, you'll be able to order your very own Strong Bad Dvd -- with tons of trimmings. -- Well, as many trimmings as you can get without having a bizillion-dollar budget..

Let's see, what do we have here?..

-The first 100 emails on, get this: THREE discs. Does it really take that much? who cares. More is better.
-"Some new junk we've never seen" as the site proclaims..
-Over an hour of bonus stuff like:
-3 unreleased emails
-2 music videos
-4 karaoke videos
-behind the scenes stuff
-puppet stuff
- Over FORTY hidden character and creator commentaries
- And it's region free for those of you that don't live under socialist Canadian rule or the thumb of George Bush.

I'm considering this post my good deed for the week. Your good deed is buying it for me. Off you go. Shoo.

Melonfarmers reports a story from The Guardian about a complaint from Animal Aid over a certain scene in Oldboy.

André Menache from Animal Aid says the film's certification is "giving legitimacy to brutal and savage scenes designed to appeal to the audience's most base instincts". Of course animal cruelty is traditionally frowned upon by the BBFC, as are many subjects in general, but exceptions are always being made due to the relevance to the story and context.

Melonfarmers has a wonderful habit of refering to people complaining like this, ironically ofcourse, as Nutters. Nice.

More good things from the mind of Wes Anderson ... to the left you'll see the new poster for The Life Aquatic. This is the one they'll be using for all of their outdoor advertising. And if you click here you can see the new "Revenge" clip in glorious, large Quicktime-y goodness. The less robust among you can get the smaller version here. It's mostly footage we've seen in other trailers but there is some new stuff in there and I'm really liking how they're doing this 'theme trailer' thing, with every spot highlighting a different aspect of the film ...

Does Enki Bilal's Immortel feature the most misleading trailer in the history fo the planet? In terms of plot and story, no. In terms of presentation, oh yes. I'd been itching to see this for a good while, enough that I'd pre-ordered the pricey French DVD release just so that I could be at the front of the line. Luckily fellow Twitch-er Nick got a gander at the complete film a bit before that was due for release and gave me a heads up that I may want to cancel that order and go with a less expensive option. Good advice.

Immortel is the type of film that should be a cult classic. There are some truly dazzling visuals, brilliant retro-tech design, and a very well regarded trilogy of graphic novels to draw on for source material. Alas, director Enki Bilal makes some very strange production choices that reduce what should have been a more metaphysical spin on Bladerunner down to the level of pop-culture oddity.

Continue reading "Immortel Review"

With all eyes on the Superman casting drama the continuing fiasco around the James Bond franchise has been overlooked a wee bit ... here's what we got:

The hot rumor du jour says Colin Farrell. Farrell himself says no way. He's not been approached by anyone connected to the film and he's actually speculating that Brosnan throwing his name into the ring may have scuttled any chance he had.

Then there's Julian McMahon. The Nip/Tuck star's name surfaced in stories prior to his signing on as Dr. Doom in the Fantastic Four ... well, his mother has confirmed that he was indeed offered the part but that he turned it down due to his t.v. commitments. Turned down a major film role because of his role on Nip/Tuck? The short-season show that allowed ample time for his super-villain role? I don't see any way to read this other than McMahon giving the Bond producers a polite blow-off ...

Then there's P-Diddy. Stop laughing. I'm not making this up. The Puffy one says the world is ready for a black Bond and that it should be him. I said stop laughing! Sorry, Puff, but you're wrong. And even if hell froze over and they went for a black actor, the operative term would be 'actor'. They did learn a thing or two from the Lazenby experiment, after all.

So what's left? Well, Hugh Jackman continues to proclaim his lust for the part to whoever may happen to be in earshot, and the word is that the producers are now in early talks with Ewan McGregor. I kind of like the McGregor rumor, actually ... he's a great actor who can do pretty much anything he wants, he brings the right mix of style and physicality, and he would allow the producers to skew the part a little bit younger without going all pretty-boy pre-pubescent on us.

Davis DVD has got the scoop on the North American DVD release of the Donnie Darko Director's Cut. Due out on February 15th it appears that this release will duplicate the just released UK edition. New transfer, new commentary and a whack of behind the scenes features spread across two discs. I've got my copy of the UK release sitting on my viewing stack so I'll get my thoughts up once I whittle the pile down some ...

It appears, according to Variety, that New Line Cinema has bought the film rights to Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Love In The Time of Cholera". The only surprising thing to me here is why it took this long, seeing how the other mandatory "alternative love" college reading "Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera was made into a movie in 1988 (though Unbearable Lightness of Being was first published in 1969 where as Marquez's "Love" wasn't made and published until 1985).

Love In The Time of Cholera follows the story of Florentino Ariza and his comical and mystical second chance at the love he first new and lost 50 years ago.

No word yet on if anyone has shown interest to direct, who they're interested in casting or start dates for production but I'll be following this one with some interest.

Via Cinema Confidential.

Oh boy. Oh boy oh boy oh boy! No doubt you've all seen both versions of the Johnny Depp picture from the set of Tim Burton's upcoming adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Including the much clearer full color jobbo.

But now. Glory be. Those lucky guys at Dark Horizons have the first look at the teaser poster for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Beautiful. A little bit of mystery. A little bit of wonder. The signature Tim Burton swirls.

Want to see it? Click here for Tim Burton sized glory.

Okay. It's only been 3 days and I have already seen The Incredibles twice [yesterday I was working and couldn't find the time to go]. Yes. It is that good. And AnimatedNews is reporting that The Incredibles will contend, with 10 other animation feature films, for a nomination spot for the Best Animated Feature Oscar in March.

Here are all 11 features up for nomination:
The Incredibles
Shrek 2
Shark Tale
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
Home on the Range
Teacher's Pet
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Clifford's Really Big Movie
Sky Blue
The Legend of Buddha
The Polar Express

Some of these, Clifford or Home on the Range, I don't see having a high hope of getting nominated though it must be nice to be remembered. And there are others, GITS: Innocence and Sky Blue [Korea's awesome Wonderful Days], that I wish get the nod but they may be too deep and philosophical, thus not 'accessible', for the general viewing public. But best bets is that it will come down to Shark Tale and The Incredibles.

Brad would get my vote.

I take this with a grain of salt. A grain about the size of a Buick! But you never know. The folks at iesb.net have the crazy notion that Tom Hanks could be up for a role in the Transformers movie. Now, now. Before you all call out for your lynching rope give this a thought...

Tom Hanks' name was brought up for several reasons. One, he is a HUGE Transformers fan/collector. A few years ago on a late night talk show he did his rendition of the Transformers theme song for all to hear. Second, Hanks and Spielberg go way back with several different projects.

Steven is producing. All Tom has to do is give him a call. Could you imagine though? I'm not quite sure what to make of this.

Read the full article about Tom Hanks' possible role in the Transformers movie here.

At this stage of the game you've most likely either a) already seen The Incredibles or b) already read a stack of reviews that sum things up quite nicely. And so I'm not going to write a hugely detailed review myself - not because the film's not worth the effort but because it's late, I'm tired, and I really don't feel like devoting that much energy to redundancy.

The uber-brief review goes like this: it's really good. Go see it. For the slightly less-brief version, read on ...

Continue reading "A Brief Incredibles Review"

One thing is for certain these days and it's that lives, families and relationship can and do fall apart and films will be there for us to watch this happen over and over again. It either can be done well (We Don't Live Here Anymore, American Beauty, the Ice Storm) or like crap (Stepmom anyone?) so I'm always a little hesitant of these projects. Besides, why do I need to pay $13 for what I get when I go home to see my family for free.

"Imaginary Heroes" is the lastest in the "dysfunctional to a T" genre to come out and, after viewing the trailer, I must say it looks pretty solid. Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Daniels are both due for a strong performance and Imaginary Heroes seems to be it. The interesting thing here is that it's written and directed by Dan Harris who wrote X2 and is one of the current writers for Superman Returns. I guess he's throwing around his "artistic credibility" with this one.

Interested yet? Well check out the trailer for Imaginary Heroes here and let me know what you think. Also, any film using a song by the Postal Service is aces in my books.

So just for fun I thought I would drop this rumour because it makes me laugh each time I hear a new entry into the Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. ? drama (my personal hopes are Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Mary Kate and Ashley or Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Karl Rove).

So now that Ash is dead in the water for this crash grab (oh, thank you) it seems that Michael Myers is next to fill the void to combat the ever so unkillable duo with Jamie Lee Curtis' name even being mention. The Jamie Lee Curtis interest is purely wishful thinking on their part I assume, though she did do "Halloween Ressurection" with Busta Ryhmes so anything is possibly with her I guess.

Check out the interview here and hear how the Michael Myers story would unfold, and also learn more about Robert Englund's new "reality tv" series he has in the works. No, it doesn't involve him being a newlywed or putting a band together for world domination.

Via Creature Corner.

Personally caught out by the use of romanised Japanese and the fact that the others in the list were 1980s releases for the most part. It seems the two films announced as early licenses for release by IVL in HK from the Toei catalogue are infact much more recent release.

The Gomorrahizer has emailed me some links relating to the two films not showing up yet on IMDB. They are :

17 SAI by Shinichiro Sawai - official site / JMDB entry.

GUUZEN NIMO SAIAKU NA SHOUNEN by Gu Suyon - official site / JMDB entry.

Both theatrically released in Japan on September 13th 2003. Thanks to The Gomorrahizer.

I was gutted when this was announced as "delayed due to production issues", as I am sure it's the boxset of the year.

Then I was worried it would go into permanent limbo or at least not appear until 2005. Thankfully, HVE have managed to resolve the issues and have put out a statement to say it will make it this year : on December 14th to be precise, just a couple of days before the final Lord of The Rings 4-disc.

Unfortunately, the website hasn't been updated (as far as I can see) to reflect this new date. Nor have they removed that quote which i find odd :

"Fukasaku is perhaps the most revered of living directors [in Japan]." –Dennis Lim, Village Voice

Wow ... not sure how I missed this one for so long, but go check out this trailer for Romasanta right now.

Based on the true story of Manuel Blanco Romasanta, the film tells the story of a mid-1800's travelling vendor convicted of killing thirteen people and using their body fat to make soap. Disturbing enough already, yes? Well get this: Romasanta managed to avoid capital punishment by arguing that he was a werewolf and thus was not responsible for the killings, which he claimed happened while he was in wolf form and not in control of himself.

The film stars Julian Sands and The Machinist's John Sharia and if the trailer is any indicator it's a beautifully atmospheric piece of work. I've got to track this one down ...

Some new footage from Hayao Miyazaki's follow up to Spirited Away has turned up online. Not a formal trailer, this appears to be some footage recorded off of Japanese television ... you can check it out in MPG, AVI or Windows Media formats.

Via Animated News and Filmrot

Go figure ... announce a film, post a trailer, delay it, cancel it entirely, shelve it for years, announce that you're selling off rights to your Asian properties, and then? That's right! Set a new release date!

According to the Hollywood Stock Exchange Tsui Hark's martial arts fantasy Zu Warriors is now slated for an August 19th release. I've seen it, and it's not really all that, but it's worth commenting on just for the generally bizarre nature of Miramax's business practices. Seriously, do these guys have any plan at all or are they just making it up as they go along? The trailer is online here.

Thanks to Mary for the heads up.

I've got to hold off on posting a full review until the week the film releases, but I've just gotten home from an advance screening of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement and I've got to post a word or two ...

First of all, it's very different from anything the man has done in the past. Yes, his trademark sense of whimsy pops up from time to time and his regular stable of actors are all back in the fold, but as one of his long time collaborators comments in the press gear this is the first time Jeunet has made a film that wasn't a fairy tale.

There's a far more somber tone running through this, as befits a film that spends half of its running time in the trenches of World War One and spends the other half following the story of a polio-crippled girl hoping against hope that her fiance - condemned to death on the front lines for injuring himself in a vain attempt to be sent home three years prior - is somehow still alive. The visuals are fantastic and the acting is stellar across the board, particularly Gaspar Ulliel as Audrey Tautou's long missing fiance.

Part melodrama, part war film, part detective story ... it's good stuff ... watch for my full review when the film releases and check out the trailer here in the meantime.

With the upcoming releases of Elektra and The Fantastic Four casting a shadow of doubt on it viewers, "Sin City" remains the true page to screen adaptaion that excitment is not wasted on. Robert Rodriguez proved with "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" that Spy Kids didn't ruin his ability to make violence look so damn cool and the line up is something fierce (take a peek at it here).

Now, thanks to the lovely people at Ain't It Cool we've got a look at the new posters released for "Sin City" and I must say they're are quite appeasing to the eye. The one with Bruce Willis is making him look all "John McClane" kick ass again and, well what else is there to say - Rosario Dawson.

Take a look yourself here (click on the posters to see the full size images) -

And if you haven't seen the footage from "Sin City" we posted oh so many months ago then do so here.

Yeeeehaw. Thank you ComingSoon for linking us to trailer for the seventh and fingers-crossed-and-hope-to-die last colaboration between the amazing Pixar Studios and the dunderheads over at Disney.

Cars is not due for another year but when we all go see The Incredibles we'll get to see trailer for Pixar's next project Cars. Along with that other trailer that everyone seems to be talking about. Oh what was the name of that movie again? It's on the tip of my tongue. Nope. Lost it.

Or, if you can't wait to go to the cinema and you're geeking out right here why not go over this site right now and watch the first Cars trailer for yourself?

Now, if you'll excuse me, for some strange reason I now have to urge to watch some Blue Collar TV.

Dang'gum!

So, Jason Gray has let it be known some more of the Toei Studio films licensed for release in HK. I knew the moment i spotted Imamuras name amongst the directors there was a good chance it would include "Black Rain", an early project that Takashi Miike worked on, and i was right.

So, this elusive film finally gets a widely available DVD release - and it's made my day.

The other films coming early on are : KATAKU NO HITO by Kinji Fukasaku (aka "House on Fire" 1986), HANA NO RAN by Kinji Fukasaku (aka "Chaos of Flowers" 1988), JINGI NAKI TATAKAI by Kinji Fukasaku (aka "Graveyard of Honour" 1975), SOREKARA by Yoshimitsu Morita (aka "...And Then" 1987), NARAYAMA BUSHIKO by Shohei Imamura (aka "Ballad of Narayama" 1983), KUROI AME by Shohei Imamaura (aka "Black Rain" 1989), TENGOKU NO EKI by Masanobu Deme (aka "Heaven Station" 1984), 17 SAI by Shinichiro Sawai (couldn't find it on IMDB), and GUUZEN NIMO SAIAKU NA SHOUNEN by Gu Suyon (also, couldn't find it on IMDB).

So we all know what can happen with movie spin-offs, and seeing how just crap-tacular Daredevil was, it seems only right to approach "Elektra" with caution. Also, those still residing in their parents basement hope for a small, pausable shot of Jennifer Garner side boob.

To get the masses hyped for the upcoming release (January 14, 2005), two featurette trailers have been released and the website has also gone live. The two featurettes here and here are an inside look with Rob Bowman (director of "Elektra") in the editing room.

Visiting the website may make you think you've just down something horribly wrong to your computer (you'll know when you get there) but for those who may want to check out some clips, a synopsis and all other things "Elektra" do so here.

The thing here is too, from other clips I've seen, it seems to be a better made film then Daredevil (though, I'm not sure how hard they had to work for that) so it just might surprise.....possibly. Maybe.

Well, I'm not too sure what the "gray areas" are with it being released to only Hyperspace members... but regardless...

But some guy has snagged the Episode III Teaser Trailer. In quicktime no less.

If this borders on not-a-good-thing, I'm sure this link will only be active for a few minutes before our world gets destroyed. Go. Quickly.

Here's a rumor that I hope and pray turns out to be false ...

Aint it Cool is reporting that Darren Aronofsky is no longer at the helm of The Watchmen. According to their report the studio is in a rush to get this thing in production and isn't willing to wait until he wraps up work on The Fountain. What? You weren't aware that he was already in production on another film when you signed him? Bad planning on the studio's part now means that their scrambling around trying to find a replacement on short notice ...

The only other directors that leap to mind as good fits for this are Terry Gilliam - who was actually attached to an earlier Watchmen project - and Richard Kelly, but both of them are currently at work on other projects, which rules 'em both out for the same reasons as Aronofsky.

Putting themselves in a position where they have to make a snap decision like this means the studio isn't going to have a broad selection of talent to choose from - newsflash: the good people tend to be busy and you have to wait in line - and I'm more than a little nervous that they'll put some populist hack on it who won't understand the tone of the graphic novel at all and spoil the whole thing.

Hey! Paul WS Anderson is available! No, forget I said that ...

Hmmm ... disgraced soccer coach discovers group of youth with supernatural soccer-playing abilities and enters them into a major tournament. Sound familiar? I don't know if it's an official remake or not, but Sagai United certainly lifts it's major plot points direct from Shaolin Soccer and looks to have a mighty good time doing it ... A trailer is on the website here.

The trailer for Dark Water - the Jennifer Connelly starring remake of the atmospheric horror film from the writer and director of The Ring - has hit online. There were lots of rumors of problems on the set of this thing but the footage - and the cast - is looking mighty good to me. Check it out here.

Via the KFC Forums.

The rest of the grabs i could have done from the brief grab of the trailer are too blurred and don't show much more than CGI explosions and crafts etc.

Having said that, the grabs i have done don't show that much either. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if nothing at all is really given away when we finally get to see the trailer.

Oh well, click here.

So, in the past couple of days this picture to the left turned up online in a piece written over at USA Today : click here to read that small thingy.

And, over at the Pixar site they're talking about Paul Newmans appearance in the film. Click here.

Then again if you sneek around the internet a little you will see some footage from TV which i've grab a selection of pictures from here.

John Rogers.

Does that name send a chill up your spine? Perhaps it should. John has been chosen to fill out a full script for the Transformers movie from a treatment by X-MEN executive producer Tom DeSanto. John's previous works? Catwoman! The Core! American Outlaws! Not quite sure how to take this news. Steven Speilberg is executive producing the film though. I know that amounts to a hill of beans but it's a sliver of hope to me.

Just imagine what the big studios can do with your robots in disguise.

And if this guy can do this then by golly there might be hope yet. (Click on "VW Transformer" in the top right. - Movie file near the bottom.)

Related tales pretty much everywhere. How about Cinescape or Moviehole?

KitanoTakeshi.com : a website devoted to Takeshi Kitano, reports exclusively (it seems) that the man is indeed making a second Zatoichi film. The clue : he has dyed his hair blonde again. Don't worry, it's not just speculation, but true.

So, look forward to another superb film from Kitano next year sometime. By my calculations that will be the 28th film to feature the chacter, and having really enjoyed Kitanos first this year, I am looking forward to this already.

The date finally gets announced, so now we all know when we can get ou hands (finally) on an uncut French lanuguage, English Subtitled DVD of this film : one of the most noteable horrors, or indeed film of any genre in 2004.

I have been promised a review copy so keep your eyes peeled for it popping up here sometime between now and then; i shall repost it at the time of release if the gap between it is a long one.

For some reason, play.com are already listing it as "out now" but that's simply not the case. Thanks for letting me know Diana.

Here's a bit of a pet hate of mine, well many actually.

I've just seen a long list of films from various Asian countries that have been licensed for release in the UK / USA by Tartan. Apart from the fact that most Tartan releases are lack-lustre and over priced (comparing UK to other countries issues), they're not exactly stretching their imagination. Perhaps these companies should look at little harder : there's tonnes of stuff out in Japan, other Asian countries, and the rest of the globe, on DVD which aren't here, yet they license things most fans will have bought already or decided to avoid.

Continue reading "DVD Companies. Should They Try Harder To Find Licenses?"

Oh my ...

I've heard rumblings about this for a while, but somebody has just posted the spec sheet for the upcoming Mega Star eight disc, custom metal case limited edition of the complete Infernal Affairs trilogy here. Each film gets two DVDs - one for the feature and one for bonus material - with the final two discs filled with something a little different: a re-edit of the entire trilogy with the material arranged chronologically. How custom is that case? Each case will be custom engraved with the inscription of the buyer's choosing.

So, to sum up. Mega Star is offering something incredible. Miramax is offering this. Which shall I spend my money on? Hmmm ...

None of the major suppliers are stocking this yet, but I have written them all to confirm who will have it, when, and for how much.

Via Asian DVD Time

I have a Christmas tradition. It's not decorating the tree with the 'rents. It's not caroling around the neighbourhood. There is one thing that I set out to do each year during the holiday season. I must sit down and watch Die Hard. I know. That may seem a little off kilter but it takes place during Christmas so it's kind of a Christmas movie.

Die Hard was the first action movie my parents took me to see way back in 1988. It was the movie that had the perfect blend of action and humour and it taught us it was okay to laugh at violence. And it's been 10 years since we last saw John McClane put one to the baddies in 'With a Vengeance'. We're due!

Moviehole.net brings us glorious news that scripts for Die Hard 4 are being prepared for submission this December,

I've been told that, in December, a second draft of the "4.0" screenplay is to be handed in to the Twentieth Century Fox Execs and also Cheyenne Enterprise's Bruce Willis and Arnold Rifkin, who are producing the movie for Fox. Writing duties were provided by "Die Hard 2: Die Harder"'s Doug Richardson, who also penned the upcoming Willis starrer "Hostage" as well as "Money Train" and the original "Bad Boys".

Word has it John McClane is going to be finally retired in this fourth installment of the hugely successful franchise. Bruce will be back. John McTiernan won't. Just as long as they don't bring back Renny Harlin I will be optimistic about this one's chances.

Welcome to the party pal!

I must confess that I have rapidly lost patience with Ryuhei Kitamura. Versus is one wild ride of a film but, with the exception of his short film The Messenger, he has been on a steady decline ever since. I find his scripts sloppy and overlong, very rarely care even the slightest for any of his characters, and even the fight sequences have been eroding quickly as he keeps insisting on making fight films with models instead of fighters. I got so sick of this that I made myself a promise after being sorely disappointed by Azumi: I would give Kitamura the benefit of the doubt only for the films he had in production at that time. If none of that trio of films impressed me I'd never waste another penny tracking down one of his films.

The results? Aragami had only enough meat on its bones to carry a film half the length. Sky High was truly wretched on almost all levels, with only a few shots betraying the man's enormous visual skills. This leaves only Godzilla: Final Wars. You're down to your last strike Ryuhei, what are you gonna do?

Well, if these new clips are any indication, he's going to knock one out of the park. Check 'em out. Short one here, long one here. Ah ... mindless genre violence. It's what the man does best and it's here in spades ...

Clips via Tokyo Monsters, discovered thanks to Asian DVD Time.

Well, hey looky! You don't have to. Click here. It speaks for itself.

Film maker Theo van Gogh - the great grandnephew of famed painter Vincent Van Gogh - was shot and stabbed to death in an Amsterdam park on Tuesday. Though not well known outside of his country, he was quite controversial within it having recently received death threats following the airing of a film he made for television harshly criticizing the prevalence of violence against women in Islamic societies. Van Gogh's partner in that film has also received death threats and, though it has not been confirmed as such, it certainly appears that he was killed in response to the film.

The full Hollywood Reporter story is here.

With ten consecutive multi-platinum albums, a multi-million dollar record company, the first non-athlete sneaker from Rebook and an elite sports club named the 40/40, Jay-Z sums up his music career here with a documentary / concert film in "Fade to Black".

With the back drop of a sold-out Madison Square Garden concert, "Fade to Black" brings the audience live concert footage and back stage peeks as well as bringing studio and behind the scenes material from the creation of his last album ever - The Black Album - up on to the big screen.

Arguably one of the most important mainstream hip hop acts in the past eight years, Jay-Z is a former street hustler who came out of that scene to become just a self proclaimed "kid who went from Marcy to Madison Square”.

Continue reading ""Fade To Black" Film Review"

I'd read bits and pieces about G.O.R.A. - the sci-fi spoof that's done massive business throughout Europe - but I hadn't been able to see a frame of footage until just now when a reader sent in a link to this trailer. I was expecting it to be something low grade - it came out of Turkey and the 1970's Turkish takes on Star Wars and Superman are b-film cult classics - but this thing looks to be shockingly high quality and very, very funny. There are some pitch perfect knocks on both Star Wars and the Matrix films in there ... now I've just got to find out about a DVD ...

Oh joy! Just when I was left wondering what I was going to spend all my Christmas stocking money on in the new year the fine folks over at CinemaEye have made my mind up for me. It turns out that Columbia TriStar is releasing special editions of two my favorite Luc Besson movies.

Starting with the 1994 movie that solidified Gary Oldman's much chagrined role as a Hollywood baddie and put Natalie Portman in the spotlight Leon: The Professional.

And then we get the 1997 love it or hate it sci-fi bender The Fifth Element that introduced us to the idea that medical gauze, if placed in the right way, can be damn sexy.

I love both these movies and you can be sure I will add these to my wall of DVDs come January 11th.

Click here to see the cover to Leon: The Professional.

Click here to see the cover to The Fifth Element.

My body is convulsing to an ecstatic delight at this news. BBC NEWS is reporting that before Tarantino films his homage to 1967's Dirty Dozen, titled Inglorious Bastards, he is going to film a kung fu picture totally in Mandarin. And for his illiterate or lazy fans he will then dub that film in out-of-synch English. Huzzah!

"He just wants to make a genuine martial arts film with all the ideas he has spilling over from shooting Kill Bill," said Mr Dinning.

"His new kung-fu project has Tarantino written all over it - a mix of the barmy and the brilliant that film fans will be excited about seeing."
- Total Film magazine editor Mark Dinning

Tarantino has already proven himself to be not only a fan of the genre, but a learned student, with his Kill Bill series. He will treat this film with the utmost respect and care that it wholeheartedly deserves.

No word on cast or crew but you can bet that we'll see some very big and cool names in the future.

Personally, I think we need to see more Chiba.

Here's a rundown of my choices for the month. Let me know what you think : have i missed anything major, or plumped for the wrong things? Firstly, I am hoping (at least) the "Yakuza Papers" Fukasaku boxset delay will have been short, and that the HK IVL discs of his "House on Fire" and "Rage of Love" are top notch.

Then i am going to plump for a couple of nice Korean discs. 'Spider Forest' (cover to the left) looks nice and has had some great reviews and it's out on the 12th, and 'R-Point' looks great too (out on the 19th : top of the preorders already). I am impressed by how solid, beatifully shot and substantial Korean cinema has proved of late.

'Aragami Duel' comes mid-month (16th) and 'Alive' which was delayed from October comes at the end (30th), so more Ryuhei Kitamura there : I hope they're good, the response has been mixed. Then there's Unearthed Films 'Black Sun : The Nanking Massacre' which i've waited for all year : out on the 16th. Finally, Takashi Miikes' 'Gozu' gets a USA release in a better disc than the 'out now' UK one on the 23rd, a week after 'Bird People in China' on the 16th.

Nicely spotted by Sanjuro at KFCs forum. There's two nice figures of Oh Dae-soo (i can't remember if that spellings correct...) out in Korea. So, unless you speak Korean it's off to eBay with you, and your fingers firmly crossed.

Like the famously highly-detailed "Hot Toys" figures and various other vinyl collectables you will see (like Kakihara from Ichi The Killer), this is really nicely produced "Adult Toy". It doesn't take batteries or anything, as far as i can tell, but it's a great looking piece to slap on the old DVD shelves.

There are two version. Firsly "with hammer" here. And "kicked in" here. Anyone manages to find one or the other elsewhere, let us know.

So after the recent disappointing news that the Japanese DVD will not have english subtitles, we get to hear the cinema release in America comes at around the same time.

So, it is anyone's guess as to when the American DVD will come out, if the artwork will be any good, whether it will have DTS, or in fact a dub on it. Anyhow, I am glad that at least we now know how long to wait before a chance of seeing it on the big screen (if you live stateside). Personally, it's nothing more than a hint at the disc release in probably about a years time. Oh well.