FOR TRAILER & JPEGS, SEE THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE
The official website for Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Orphanage (El orfanato) is now fully functional; among other things, 4 downloadable posters, 4 downloadable wallpapers, and a downloadable 16-JPEG image gallery for the movie have been added to it. (The downloadable 42-second teaser trailer for the movie is still on it.)
The Orphanage had its world première at the 46th International Critics’ Week (46e Semaine Internationale de la Critique - “SIC” for short) in Cannes on May 20th. Warner Bros. Entertainment España S.L. is scheduled to release it theatrically in Spain on October 11th. Wild Bunch (Exception Wild Bunch S.A.) is the international sales agent for it. U.S. distribution rights for it have been acquired by Picturehouse Inc..
The screenplay for The Orphanage was written by Sergio G. Sánchez. The movie stars (listed order corresponds to order on cast page of official website) Belén Rueda as Laura, Geraldine Chaplin as Aurora, Fernando Cayo as Carlos, Mabel Rivera as Pilar, Montserrat Carulla as Benigna, Andrés Gertrúdix as Enrique, Edgar Vivar as Balabán, and Roger Príncep as Simón.
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Posted by Jon Pais at 8:09pm.
My own personal favorite of 2006, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s outstanding The Lives of Others will at last be made available on an English-friendly DVD.
Pre-order DVD (Scheduled release date September 10, 2007)
FOR TRAILER, ‘MAKING OF’ VIDEOS, & STILLS, SEE THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE
Distribution rights for Robert A. Jansen’s Complexx are now being offered for sale by DC Medias. The movie had its world première at the Netherlands Film Festival (NFF) in Utrecht, the Netherlands on October 1st of last year.
The screenplay for Complexx was written by Jansen. The movie stars (listed order corresponds to order on cast page of official website) Sebastiaan Labrie as Simon, Sander Foppele as Mike, Kirsten Walraad as Myrna, Yolanthe van Kasbergen (a.k.a. Yolanthe Cabau van Kasbergen) as Lianne, Arno Hazebroek as Xander, Negativ (a.k.a. Maurits Delchot) as Max the burglar (inbreker), Mischa van der Klei as David Berinni, Filemon Wesselink as Lianne’s brother, Virginio Papa as Danny the gatekeeper (portier), Klarissa Patijn as Corinne, Zdenka Nieuwenhuizen as Bianca, Nicole Hermans as Xander’s mother, and Ron Coppus as Rick the vent-shaft boy (jongen in ventilatieschacht).
Continue Reading "Robert A. Jansen’s COMPLEXX"...
FOR TRAILERS & STILLS SEE THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE
Twitch, in association with GOMORRAHY.com, is now providing ten stills from Richard Friedman’s Born. American World Pictures (AWP) is the international sales agent for the movie.
The screenplay for Born was written by Alex D’Lerma. The movie stars Alison Brie as Mary Elizabeth, Kane Hodder as Asmodeus/the Cardinal, Denise Crosby as Catherine, James Callahan as Albert, Eddie Velez as Father Anthony, (Alex) D’Lerma as Father Nick, Vince Lozano as Ivan, Azalea Davila as Jennifer, Joan Severance as Dr. Sammael, Rick McCallum as the trucker, Jorg Sirtl as Lars, Julie Costello as twin #1, Shawnie Costello as twin #2, Roger Hewlett as the doorman, and Mike Muscat as the bum.
Continue Reading "10 stills from Richard Friedman’s BORN"...
On the official website for Kenta Fukasaku’s XX (XX (ekusu kurosu): makyô densetsu) - a.k.a. “X-Cross” - the link to the four-minute trailer (yokokuhen) for the movie has been removed (quite possibly because this year’s Marché du Film is now over); however, the trailer itself is currently still online, so… watch it now while you can!
As was previously reported here on Twitch, the screenplay for XX was written by Tetsuya Ôishi, based on the novel Sono kêtai wa XX (ekusu kurosu) de by Nobuyuki Jôkô. The movie stars (listed order corresponds to trailer order) Nao Matsushita, Ami Suzuki, Shôko Nakagawa, Maju Ozawa, and Hiroyuki Ikeuchi.
Toei Company Ltd. (Tôei K.K.) is scheduled to release XX theatrically in Japan on December 1st.
Those who are interested in XX may also wish to read the Twitch article on Keisaku Satô’s Ningen-isu and Mitsuhiro Mihara’s Yaneura no sanposha.
XX trailer (streaming Windows Media)
XX official website
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Ningen-isu and Yaneura no sanposha trailer (streaming Windows Media)
Posted by Mack at 6:07pm.
Holy jumpin’. The Thais are really upping the ante with some solid entries into the epic action film genre. First there was the impressive footage reel of Queens of Pattani and now we get our first look at a sales flyer for another Thai film, Yamada, from the studio Sahamongkolfilm Co. whom has brought us other great Thai films like Ong Bak and Tom yum goong.
So, without giving too much away, here is the premise of the film. Thai King, Naresuan, brought the best fighters from around the world to aid him in the fight against the Hongsawadee. Among them is a Japanese warrior named Yamada. A group of thieves dressed as the Hongsawadee army begin to pillage small defenseless villages. Unconvinced that it is the Hangsawadee that is doing this King Naresuan commands that a small troop be gathered to investigate these happenings. Yamada is chosen to lead this group of soldiers and uncover the true identity of this group. Soon they discover that these bands of thieves are Japanese and they have infiltrated high into Naresuan’s command. Yamada is betrayed, nearly killed, and rescued by a small group of Siamese. He is cared for by a monk, the village lord’s daughter Jamba and 7 year-old orphan Kratin. As Yamada heals and gathers his strength he is taught Muay Thai and traditional Siamese sword fighting which he adapts with his own Japanese fighting skills. The monk also tattoos Yamada with a pattern that is supposed to grant holy protection and strength. In time, King Naresuan comes to the village to enlist fighters as his personal guard. After a series of grueling tasks Yamada and his new friends become Naresuan’s personal bodyguards. Soon Yamada will meet with his betrayers and be able to exact out his revenge. So, without giving it all away I think that about does it. Follow the jump for a larger version of the poster, some conceptual art, and an exhaustive four-page synopsis of the film which does contain spoilers so I am warning you now. But, from what I read, Yamada sounds like it could be really, really good.
Khorb Koon [Thank you] Jiangtou.
Continue Reading "Yamada - Poster, conceptual art and synopsis of new Thai epic."...
Posted by Mack at 3:49pm.
We do love our To around here. And while we have all the R3 DVDs of Johnnie’s Election and Exiled films there is nothing that can take the place of seeing them on the big screen. And hallelujah, we are reminded by Mary of the Canadian release dates for both Election films and the U.S. release date for Exiled.
Election will release in theatres tomorrow, June 1st! Election 2 [a.k.a. Triad Election] will release two weeks later on June 15th. South of the 49th Parrallel Exiled will open on August 17th.
Start scraping together those pennies.
Posted by Todd Brown at 12:41pm.
And it features stars Jack Black and Mos Def wrapped in tin foil. Considering this is a Gondry film I’m not surprised in the least. Grinning like an idiot, yes. Surprised, no.
Jack Black stars in this new comedy from the wild imagination of Academy Award winner Michel Gondry about two best friends, one electromagnetic field, and every movie you’ve ever loved.
When Jerry becomes accidentally magnetized while trying to sabotage the power plant he believes is melting his brain, the magnetic field he gives off ends up erasing all of the tapes in the video store where his best friend Mike works. Now Mike may lose his job, and the only way the friends can think to save it is to keep the one regular customer they have - a little old lady with a tenuous grasp on reality - from recognizing what has happened. The way they do this? By recreating and refilming every movie that she decides to rent of course! From Driving Miss Daisy to Ghostbusters to Rush Hour, these two friends become the biggest stars in their neighbourhood by starring in the biggest movies in the world.
Click here for a large version of the picture.
Posted by Todd Brown at 12:33pm.
Dog Soldiers marked Neil Marshall as a director to watch. The Descent proved he was one of the finest genre film makers at work today. What will Doomsday show?
An action packed thriller from internationally acclaimed filmmaker Neil Marshall, director of The Descent.
After a lethal virus wipes out hundreds of thousands of lives in the United Kingdom, a massive wall is built to keep those contaminated from leaving the country of its origin: Scotland. Those who try to escape are killed, and the wall itself is a massive barrier fully armed with advanced weaponry to prevent any escapes. Nobody gets in. Nobody gets out. Scotland has been shut off from the rest of the world - forever ...
30 years later, the virus named “The Reaper” has been all but forgotten until a new case rears its ugly head in London. With no choice and the fear of another epidemic at hand, the government sends in an elite group to venture past the great wall, a territory not touched by those uncontaminated in over 30 years. The group must recover the work of Dr. Kane, who was close to finding a cure to “The Reaper” when it first was exposed. What lies beyond the wall is a mystery, a hellish environment left in ruins. What they will discover is far beyond the reaches of anything they could have imagined.
Click for a larger version of the still.
Posted by Todd Brown at 12:24pm.
Cronenberg, Mortensen, Cassel and Watts all in one place? Yes, please. Cronenberg wisely opted to continue working with Viggo Mortensen following their hugely successful collaboration in A History of Violence and the director’s found one hell of a foil for his star in French icon Vincent Cassel. If this is anything less than stellar I will be hugely disappointed.
In his latest thriller, master filmmaker David Cronenberg brings us deep into London’s underworld of organized crime, where survival rules and human lives are mere currency.
Anna is an idealistic young midwife who will stop at nothing to find the truth about a Russian girl who dies in her arms during childbirth. The only clues Anna has are the contents of the young mother’s purse - a diary and book of matches - which inevitably lead Anna into the heart of the Russian mafia where she is introduced to its newest member - Nikolai, played by Viggo Mortensen. Unbeknownst to Anna, Nikolai takes care of “disposal” - the guy who makes sure that bodies are unrecognizable and their killers untraceable. To make matters worse, the diary that Anna possesses holds key evidence against Nikolai’s boss. But it may also be the key to saving many more lives.
Make Viggo big.
Posted by Todd Brown at 12:13pm.
One of the most prolific and versatile directors in the world, Johnnie To has taken a step away from the crime pictures that have built his name lately with a much smaller romantic drama, Linger, starring Vic Zhou and Bing-Bing Li.
Busy Life. Empty hearts. Unforgettable lovers.
The reappearance of a lost lover brings back a faint feeling of love. Yet is is so untouchable. Is it real or is it just a piece of memory?
A life in the river of time is irreversible. But we can choose our memory.
It reveals an unbearable truth, while true perfection always comes from bits and pieces of regrets.
Flyer Front
Flyer Back
Posted by Todd Brown at 12:01pm.
I’m trying to temper my expectations for this one thanks to the disappointment that was Ryoo’s City of Violence but, good Lord, that’s a hard thing to do. Why? It’s the director of Crying Fist and Arahan making a full on, period set, martial arts zombie picture, that’s why. If anyone can pull this off it’s Ryoo and I’ll cry bitter tears for weeks on end if he cocks it up. Here’s the synopsis:
After the downfall of Koguryo in 676 A.D., a stand off between an army set to revive Koguryo and an army out to supress them (consisting mainly of Tang people) is at large. The Koguryo revivalist army led by Pyo-woo escapes the opposition army and arrives at a farming village in a remote forest. They are suddenly attacked by moving corpses - Yachas. The Koguryo soldiers that are done in by the Yachas also turn into one of them. As the brutal attack on humans unfolds, the revivalist army’s great battle against the hundreds of Yachas begins.
No cast announced on this yet, though I’d expect to see Ryoo’s regular crew popping up prominently. They’re aiming for a summer 2008 release.
Click here for a larger version of the poster.
Posted by Todd Brown at 11:51am.
Iconic Hong Kong director Tsui Hark made a fair bit of noise not so far back about how he intended to continue telling the epic tale he began with Seven Swords over the span of multiple sequels and while that may still be the eventual plan nothing changes plans quite like the reality of financial failure and while Seven Swords wasn’t an outright bomb it certainly did not perform up to expectations. And so Hark is moving along.
Just announced, his next project is titled Missing, a romantic mystery revolving around a team of divers exploring real life Asian Atlantis, Yonaguni, a sunken city lying between Taiwan and Japan discovered in 1986.The cast is stellar, the male lead handled by Guo Xiao Dong, the females by Angelica Lee (Lee Sinje) and Isabella Leong. Principal photography has already begun, much of the film being shot underwater in the actual Yonaguri ruins. In typical Hark fashion the story sounds more than a little complicated so rather than trying to sum up I’m simply scanning and including the synopsis from the sales booklet.
Missing Sales Booklet Cover
Missing Synopsis
Posted by Todd Brown at 11:43am.
Ryuhei Kitamura’s adaptation of Clive Barker’s Midnight Meat Train continues to rumbling down the tracks, bringing the Versus director’s stated goal of being a Hollywood director ever closer to reality, and materials from the film are starting to trickle out. What we’ve got for you here is what I believe to be the first still from the film itself, a simple shot of star Vinnie Jones on a train platform, lifted from the Liongate sales booklet. The visual is a nice, striking image but then we’ve come to expect that from Kitamura. The question is whether he’ll be able to rein his excesses in and tell a lean, compelling story ...
Click here for a large version.
Posted by Todd Brown at 11:35am.
Oh, they tease, they tease ...
The film isn’t due for release until 2008, they haven’t even announced the cast yet but there it is in the Lions Gate sales booklet prepared for this years Cannes Film Market: the first vampire shot from Daybreakers. For those not keeping track this is the sophomore film from Australia’s Spierig brothers, the duo behind the overacheiving little zombie comedy Undead a few years back. This one’s a straight up horror picture set in an alternate future where vampirism has overwhelmed the human race with normal humanity hunted almost to extinction as a food source and the vamp population beginning to panic at the impending extinction of their food supply. Can you say social commentary? Even if you can’t you’ve got to love the image ...
Click here to see it all big-like.
