Batten down the hatches! Hide your women and children! Cult monster fave Guilala - last (and only previously) seen in 1967’s The X From Outer Space - is back and in cult director Minoru Kawasaki’s hands nobody is safe! Not even the leaders of the western world!
Let’s be clear here: Kawasaki, quite proudly, does not make what anybody would generally term ‘good’ films. He is a master of cheap shlock, gimmicky humor, and rubber monsters. He is the crazy child of Japanese film, the man who simply refuses to grow up and continues to make precisely the sorts of films he would have loved himself when he was ten, and he is an absolute master of his craft. Kawasaki is a trash-auteur of a very particular type and while his films may not be ‘good’ they are always good for at least a handful of very solid laughs and, by my count, his Guilala revival flick is his strongest since he first burst into the international scene with The Calamari Wrestler.
Continue Reading "Sitges 2008: MONSTER X STRIKES BACK! ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT!"...
Freshly off a screening of Fumihiko Sori’s Ichi - a partial re-envisioning, partial continuation of the classic Zatoichi saga - I feel quite confident about two things.
First, though he now has only three feature films to his credit Sori is arguably Japan’s most wildly diverse director. Thus far he has made a charming indie comedy (Ping Pong), an animated scifi spectacle (Vexille), and now a traditional swordplay drama. All are impeccably crafted and all vary so wildly in style and approach that you’d never guess that the same man directed all three if not for his name in the credits.
Second, if there is any man on the surface of this planet with a fighting chance to out-do Riki Takeuchi in the crazy-face department then that man must surely be Shidou Nakamura. Yes, both are in this film and, yes, both break out the crazy-face on a regular basis.
Continue Reading "Sitges 2008: ICHI Review"...
[Updated with higher quality trailer.]
In the last week a teaser trailer for upcoming Hong Kong action film The Beast Stalker starring Nicholas Tse and Nick Cheung has emerged. Hong Kong is in desperate need of a leading action man and Nicholas Tse is certainly doing what he can to fill that role. Once under the title of Witness it has undergone a name change and is due to hit theaters on November 11th.
Little girl Yee was killed by Fei (Nicholas Tse), a brave cop, when he was fighting with the bandits. Yee’s twin sister Ling was taken hostage by the same group of criminals. Her mother (Zhang Jingchu) decided to save her daughter on her own.
We have the teaser trailer after the break, which includes what appears to be the new signature shot in Hong Kong action films, the broadside hit. And look for the fall from the moving vehicle. That’s gonna leave a mark!
Be sure to visit the forums over at KFCC for set photos.
Continue Reading "Nicholas Tse is ‘The Beast Stalker’"...
5 Star Productions has announced a new horror thriller titled Slice. Thailand certainly is not short of horror films, cranking them out willy nilly but what is special about this one is the talent behind the camera and behind the pen. Muay Thai Chaiya director Kongkiat Komesiri and art director, acclaimed director Wisit Sasanatieng [Tears of the Black Tiger, Citizen Dog and The Unseeable] except this time around Wisit [left] is writing the script. That makes me a happy boy because he has already proven he can do good horror with The Unseeable.
After a string of murder cases, involving mostly male victims being severed from the police are still baffled by the case and have no clue linking a murder suspect. An ex hitman named Tai, turned informant, tries to fill in the details of this baffling case. But the police simply disregard his valuable input, until now. The situation changes when the next victim is revealed as the son of a government official. The order is put out to capture the murderer at all costs. The police have nowhere to turn to for clues and so must revert to Tai for leads. But information from the Tai comes with a price. First he requests his freedom. In return, he promises to apprehend the murderer within 15 days. To make sure he can deliver the murderer as promised, his wife is held against her will until he can deliver the murderer. With Tais expertise in tracking down people, the ex hitman uses what he knows to gain insight and clues to the case. Remembering that one of his childhood friends has a history of mental illness that shows in the form of resenting the male species in general, thus starts a chase for the murderer. Tai must now duel it out and hopefully catch the right man.
We’ll jump at the chance to give you any information or fun tid bits on any Shinya Tsukamoto film. Yeah, we’ve got big man crushes on the guy. And while this may not be much it is at least a tease, a taste of what is to come. The ever watchful eyes of Chris over at the J-film Pow Wow sighted a handful of images from Nightmare Detective 2 over at Cinema Today. It’s just enough to whet your appetite.
Not too long ago, we reported the launched of the official site for Wilson Yip’s martial arts biopic Ip Man with a teaser and a gallery of stills lurking within. The teaser was actually more of a behind a scenes video which hardy contain any footage of the film, leaving us hungry to see more. Lo and behold, a trailer has been added to the site and holy cow, Donnie Yen really cut loose. Just look at his rapid Wing Chun straight punches go! To say I’m very excited to see this film is a gross understatement.
The theatrical release date in Hong Kong is December 18th. Hurry over and catch this bad boy trailer after the jump!
Continue Reading "Donnie Yen Throws Barrage of Punches! Kick ass Trailer for IP MAN!"...
Can’t actually believe what I’m saying, but… mama, can’t wait for this. A “pure action” drama. On cable?!
We talked a little about Korean cable TV in the last few weeks, usually on the tone of “a horny teenager’s paradise,” but sometimes they actually get it right. Although season 2 of 별순검 (Chosun Police) had an extremely disappointing start, tvN’s 맞짱 (Fight Master) actually looks better and better. I just wish they’d give us something more than 30 second teasers. Anyhow, official website is open, and we have a few details, along with the bone-crunching teaser you’ll find below the break. First, other than Denis Kang, another legit fighter (Choi Mu-Bae who once fought for PRIDE) is joining the show, although only as a cameo. And the cast really isn’t too bad, with veterans like Kang Sung-Jin, Jo Deok-Hyeon and Jang Hang-Seon completing the roster. The story seems to indeed focus on fighting and not just trendy drama tropes with a few punches thrown in. But I save the best news for last: I thought it wouldn’t be him, although I did leave the possibility open, but the Park Jung-Woo who wrote and directed this is indeed Chungmuro’s Park Jung-Woo, writer of many of Kim Sang-Jin’s films—주유소 습격사건 (Attack the Gas Station), 신라의 달밤 (Kick the Moon)—some really glorious flicks like 라이터를 켜라 (Breakout), and even his own films, like 바람의 전설 (Dance with the Wind) and 쏜다 (Big Bang). Definitely another reason to watch.
Story goes something like this: Kang Geon (Yoo Gun) sees by chance a colleague from his office, who looked to be everything but “energetic,” squaring off in the ring of an underground fight club, where he’s actually known as the best. Kang joins the club and starts training to fight, when a particularly sinister fighter injures someone close to him, and it’s… well, guess what? Revenge. Oh oh… sounds like the kind of post-it synopsis that would make for a great 80s action flick. And this is starting in two weeks. Not a bad way to start the fall season.
Continue Reading "Some More Action From 맞짱 (Fight Master)"...
They called her “dynamite,” and maybe it wasn’t such a bad pun on her career, after all. It was originally borne out of her tendency to, so to speak, see schedules as nothing more than strange symbols on her daily planner, something like the “art” you draw on a post-it when on the phone, and a “call Bubba 8282” becomes some kind of bizarro world version of a Picasso. She grabbed the limelight with the pathos of a raging lioness, sometimes with so much energy shows were halted mid-flight (fellow singer Kim Serena knows it all too well, when in 1971 she spent a few famous minutes on the stage floor with her trying to experiment the limits of hair pulling). Infamously enough, she was the first artist to ever be banned from singing by the Korean Singers Committee for an impressive three months, during which rumors started spreading wildly, in the kind of fashion which would make today’s tabloid vultures look like zombies with no creativity. Except, well, they already are.
A particularly crazy one painted her as a possible North Korean spy, because she kept moving every few months, one of the tricks used by spies to elude controls. She was one of the sexiest women to ever grace the Korean musical stage, enough that folk rock legend Shin Joong-Hyeon went crazy for her voice right from the beginning, and wrote most of her successes. She had it all: voice, stage theatrics and the right look to make it big. One of her major hits was 1970’s 님은 먼 곳에 (My Dear is Far Away), which became the title of a popular TBC drama from the same year. But now Kim Chu-Ja’s great vocal talents have found a new, peculiar dimension, in Lee Joon-Ik’s latest 님은 먼 곳에 (Sunny), titled (in Korean at least) after her biggest hit. Ahh… I love the smell of Korean folk rock in the morning.
Continue Reading "[K-FILM REVIEWS] 님은 먼 곳에 (Sunny)"...
This is something we should be keeping an eye on. I found this poster over at CRIENGLISH and I was browsing the forums over at KFCC [What? You don’t browse there?] and I found a smack of behind the scenes pics for an upcoming actioner from China, The Underdog Knight. The poster features Chinese actors (from L to R) Sun Hong Lei, Yu Rongguang, Liu Ye, Wong Chau-Sang and Liu Yang. The movie played at South Korea’s Pusan International Film Festival a couple days ago.
What caught my eye? In the forum it is noted that mainland actor Liu Ye’s character has been dubbed ‘the violent Forrest Gump’. Suddenly you count me in as interested. Life is like a box of fists! Let alone Chinese acting staples like Anthony Wong and Liu Yang are in the mix. But you need to get to the forum and have a look at those photos, this movie looks rough! Sure, there are a few wires here and there but Lin Ye looks solid in the lead role handing out beatings.
So what is the movie about? Liu Ye’s character suffered brain damage during marine training, and has remained an optimistic innocent. The Underdog Knight revolves around the story of a retired army man who is not intelligent but finds self-worth in battling the dark side of the society. By chance he thwarts a robbery ordered by HK gang boss Brother Rong (Anthony Wong), and gets involved in a battle of wits and fists between cops and robbers.
We’re keeping an eye out on this one.
This is kind of becoming old hat, isn’t it? Another day, another quality acquisition from Montreal based DVD label Evokative Films. They’ve already got Miki Satoshi’s Adrift In Tokyo and Sion Sono’s Hazard and now the young start up outfit has picked up rights to Chung Mong-Hong’s Taiwanese drama Parking, starring Chang Chen and Chapman To. Our very own Simon caught this at the World Film Festival in Montreal and came away much impressed.
Somewhere, King Jeongjo must be grinning at all this, with one of those “I told you” looks on his face.
Unfairly neglected by historians for decades, merely considered a by-product of Yeongjo’s relationship with his father Prince Sado, and the chimera of “fair and balanced” politics the Tangpyeong policy brought, Jeongjo has become Korean culture’s new darling, particularly when it comes to novels (Kim Tak-Hwan’s historical crime bestsellers being the best example), dramas, and now even films. Jeongjo’s reign gave us last year’s masterpiece 한성별곡-正 (Conspiracy in the Court), the badass political sageuk 8일 (Eight Days), and now even the wonderful 바람의 화원 (Painter of the Wind). This last one is of particular note, because it highlights another one of Korean entertainment’s new obsessions: painting. Or better, Kim Hong-Do and Shin Yoon-Bok, two of Joseon’s great painters. Not only we have Painter of the Wind, but Hwang Jung-Min will star in 샤라쿠 (Sharaku), based on a (honestly? Insane) conjecture by a few Korean historians that Kim Hong-Do, when he went to Japan, might have in fact “disguised” himself as the godfather of Japanese woodblock printing, Sharaku Tōshūsai. Then there’s this one, Jeon Yoon-Soo’s 미인도 (Portrait of a Beauty).
The story is essentially the same as Painter of the Wind: Shin Yoon-Bok (Kim Min-Sun) is a a woman disguising herself as a man to enter the Dohwaseo (Royal Bureau of Painting), where she meets the great painter Kim Hong-Do, and chaos ensues (love, scheming, politics… all the ingredients of a sageuk). Details are likely to be a little different, and of course this will be a lot more “mature” (perhaps in more than one sense) than the drama. And, most importantly, the trailer is a beauty. Kim Min-Sun is a strangely underrated actress, who’s just getting better and better, and this might finally be her chance to enjoy some stardom. Can’t say I enjoyed any of director Jeon’s films - particularly the mess he made with Heo Young-Man’s manhwa in 식객 (Le Grand Chef), not to mention putrid pap like 파랑주의보 (My Girl & I). But this has different vibes already. Release is set for early November, and you can find the trailer below the break.
Continue Reading "Sex, Lies and Brushes in 미인도 (Portrait of a Beauty)"...
Thai martial arts flick, and much mulled-over Twitch favourite, Chocolate is coming to ‘selected’ cinemas in the UK on the 24th October. Realistically this will be a handful of art house theatres in London and, if we’re lucky, a smattering elsewhere. The female led action from the director of Ong Bak (Prachya Pinkaew) is also coming to our lovely island courtesy of Cine Asia on DVD and Blu-Ray from the 3rd November.
Special features on the DVD will include: Breaking The Mould featurette; Step By Step featurette; A Star Is Born featurette; Fighting Talent featurette; The Stars Of Chocolate featurette; Real Fighters featurette; Deleted Scenes; Outtakes and Highlights; Training Workshop; Power Moves (Easter Eggs); TV spots; Trailer Gallery.
Evidently no longer content with simply being Korea’s Action Kid, director Ryu Seung-Wan has now taken it upon himself to become Asia’s Blake Edwards as well, or perhaps an adopted Zucker Brother, with his new comedy Dachimawa Lee playing like the demented spawn of The Pink Panther and Spies Like Us with pudgy Im Won-Hee filling in for Peter Sellers. A head-spinning comic riff on just about every action or spy movie Ryu has ever seen Dachimawa Lee arguably gives just a little too much bang for the buck. There is no joke too obvious, no performance too broad, no gag too - dare I say - salivary for Ryu to include here. Kitchen sink? He’s got the cabinets and light fixtures in there, too. Like all films of the type how much enjoyment you get from it will depend entirely on whether you share Ryu’s particular sense of humor and film reference library - and there were a number of walk outs from those who evidently shared neither - and the gags definitely reach a saturation point before you get all the way through, but man ... when this thing works it positively soars.
Continue Reading "Sitges 2008: DACHIMAWA LEE Review"...
I make no great secret of my admiration for Taiwanese director Alexi Tan. The man has a simply fantastic eye behind the camera and, in my book, has a fighting chance of becoming one of the leaders of the current wave of Chinese film. Tan has generally been quiet since releasing his feature debut Blood Brothers but he’s back and making some noise once again.
Clothing company Diesel are celebrating their thirtieth birthday this year and as part of their celebrations they have commissioned Tan to create a new short film titled xXx: A Forbidden Love Story. Now, don’t get the fact that this is sponsored by a clothing company give you the wrong idea. This is not a commercial. Tan retained creative control of the project and says that, in many ways, this is a trial run for his next feature, so what we’re seeing here will give a good idea of what to expect from his next major project. He’s assembled a very talented group for this one, too, with actors Liu Ye and Gao Yuan Yuan in the leads, Gorillaz and Cibo Matto musician Miho Hattori composing the score, and Oscar winner Tim Yip handling the design work.
Yes, it is rather attractive and you’ll find it in the Twitch Player below the break.
Continue Reading "A Trailer For Alexi Tan’s xXx: A FORBIDDEN LOVE STORY"...
Billed as India’s biggest CG animated film, Sultan: The Warrior features Tamil “Superstar” actor Rajinikanth (or Rajin for short) lending his likeness & voice as a mythological hero in an action adventure. Rajin is one of the most bankable actor in India who’s known for his trademark ultra-cool mannerism and slick dialogue delivery, hence his nickname. There is no doubt that he will carry over his charisma on to the animated version of himself. Apparently, his daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth will make her directorial debut with her own production house, Ocher Studios producing the animation while A.R.Rahman (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) will compose the soundtrack.
The theatrical release date is on January 14th. You’ll find the two teasers below after the jump.
Continue Reading "Two Teasers for Indian Animated film SULTAN: THE WARRIOR"...
