On November 10, 2020, Indiecan Entertainment will release the Blu-ray for Alex Chung’s 2019 indie martial arts thriller, Contracts.
Contracts follows a team of assassins who become victims of a superior killer. The film took home Best Action Film and Best Fight at the 2019 Toronto After Dark Film Festival.
Contracts is directed by and starring Alex Chung, who also serves as a producer, editor and fight choreographer. Chung is perhaps best known for his stunt work on The Man in the High Castle, The Boys and xXx: Return of Xander Cage.
Contracts also stars Jermaine Carty (Haphead), Christena Gaunce (Teenage Love), Dan Sanderson (Martyrs – The Chronicles of Blood), Michael Carter (Heart Strings) and Kyle Stewart Continue reading →
“A Good Day To Die Hard” Japanese Theatrical Poster
Remember that 6th Die Hard sequel/prequel from director Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard) that was supposed to be titled McClane? If you do, forget the idea ever existed, because it has been scrapped.
Cancellation of Fox’s McClane should have come as no surprise, given Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox last March. But now, a reputable source claims that Disney is moving forward with an entirely new Die Hard project, not related to McClane.
Disney’s new take, which will be a reboot of the franchise, which means we will be introduced to a younger McClane (i.e. Bruce Willis was 33 when he made the first Die Hard).
Again, this is a rumor. For all we know, Disney is reverting back to Ben Trebilcook’s Die Hard 6 idea from 2013 Continue reading →
Director: Bi Gan Cast: Tang Wei, Huang Jue, Sylvia Chang, Lee Hong-chi, Chloe Maayan, Ming Dao, Xie Li-Xun Running Time: 138 min.
By Paul Bramhall
Once in a while a movie comes along that transcends genres and conventions, the type of movie that lingers in the mind long after the credits have rolled, and results in many a late-night conversation. Movies like Lee Chang-dong’s Burning and Takeshi Kitano’s Hana-Bi both fit the bill, and joining their esteemed company is Bi Gan’s A Long Day’s Journey Into Night.
Much like Korean director Yoo Ha, Gan is a poet turned filmmaker, and displays the rare ability to transpose that poetic tone to film, crafting a hallucinogenic noir that has distant echoes of Wong Kar Wai and David Lynch. A Long Day’s Journey Into Night is Gan’s sophomore full length feature, and in it Huang Jue (The Final Master, The Wild Goose Lake) plays a former casino manager who returns to his hometown Continue reading →
Director: Tanigaki Kenji Cast: Donnie Yen, Niki Chow, Teresa Mo, Wong Jing, Louis Cheung Kai-Chung, Jessica Jann, Takenaka Naoto, Tetsuya Watanabe, Wong Cho-Lam, Lawrence Chou, Jerry Lamb, Yan Hua, Anthony Chan, Philip Ng Running Time: 96 min.
By Paul Bramhall
I guess any review of Enter the Fat Dragon should begin by addressing its existence (it’s as good a place to start as any!). First up, yes, the production was conceived all thanks to a 2015 commercial that Donnie Yen starred in for the memory foam brand Sinomax. In it, we get Yen in a fat suit (think Gwyneth Paltrow in Shallow Hal), in which he goes up against his slim self in a race to meet their returning partners first, and somehow it all ends up being about the very comfortable looking Sinomax memory foam mattresses and pillows. I was sold, and it only takes a brief look at the comments section of the clip on YouTube to realise a disproportionate amount of them read “You should make a movie out of this!” It’s somewhat fitting then, that a producer such as Wong Jing should set in motion the plan to do just that.
Secondly, no, it’s not a remake of the 1978 Sammo Hung movie of the same name. Although, in fairness, both Sammo and Donnie’s characters share a love of Bruce Lee, so there are certainly some thematic similarities between the pair. In terms of plot though, they’re 2 distinctly different beasts. In the updated version, Yen unsurprisingly plays a righteous cop with anger management issues, much the same as he’s done several times over since 1988’sTiger Cage (but when you do it as well as he does, it’s not a complaint). After one ridiculous brawl too many, he finds himself demoted to the archive room, and to top things off his aspiring actress fiancé dumps him. Skip forward 6 months later, and a diet of potato chips and soft drinks has taken its toll on the waistline to the tune of 250 pounds. Continue reading →
This critically-acclaimed 1980 mini-series, spread out on 6 Blu-ray discs, focuses on John Blackthorne (Chamberlain), an English ship pilot, whose vessel wrecked upon the Japanese coast in the early 17th century.
Blackthorne is thrown in the midst of a war between Toranaga (Mifune) and Ishido (Kaneko), who struggle for the title of Shogun which will give ultimate power to the one who possesses it… oh yeah, and it has Continue reading →
Did you know that there are around 6 million car crashes in the United States every year? If you were recently involved in a car accident, it is good to understand that winning a car accident case depends on the information that your lawyer has.
Keep reading to learn the records for car crashes that you want to make sure you have when meeting with lawyers.
1. Police Report
One of the first things to give a reputable lawyer such as Sweet Lawyers is a copy of the police report. After an accident, the police will come to the scene and they are supposed to draft a police report that details information about the car crash.
Usually, the report will have the officer’s opinion on who or what caused the accident, their opinion on whether there was a violation of any traffic rules, statements from witnesses, passengers, or drivers. Sometimes they will also draw a small diagram showing where everything was at the scene of the accident.
Sometimes this police report is enough to help settle the case without it going to court.
2. Tickets and Fines
If you or anyone else received a ticket or a fine during the accident, let your attorney know. Sometimes people get a ticket for failure to yield or for driving under the influence. In this case, that fine or ticket can be used against the person that received them.
Your attorney can use these tickets and fines plus other evidence to help build a case showing that you weren’t the one at fault.
3. Medical Records
If you sought medical care for your injuries after the accident then you want to give these medical records to your attorney. Your lawyer can use the information from the records to determine what your diagnosis was and how much money you ended up spending out of pocket for your medical care and treatments.
They will also be able to tell if you have any underlying medical conditions before the accident that might affect your claim.
4. Pictures
Any pictures that you took at the scene of the accident you want to share with your attorney as well. If for any reason you did not take any pictures you can see if the representative of the insurance company took any. If you believe they have some your attorney should be able to contact them and receive copies of the pictures.
Ready to Gather Your Records for Car Crashes?
Now that you know what records for car crashes you want to make sure you gather it is time to put everything together to hand to your lawyer. If you are missing some of the documents above, your lawyer should be able to advise you on how to obtain them or they might help you collect them from the relevant parties.
Did this article help you out today? Please feel free to continue browsing through this section for some more informative reads.
Director Gary Mak Wing Lun – who is perhaps best known for helming 2002’s New Option and 2013’s SDU: Sex Duties Unit, as well as his “assistant director” work for high profile films like 1997’s Full Alert, 1998’s Beast Cops and 2013’s The Grandmaster – is working on an ensemble martial arts film titled Dragon and Tiger Struggle.
Federal agent Shiro Tanaka (Kosugi) used to live for his job – now, he lives only for revenge. When his partner is killed during a bungled drug bust, Shiro throws away his badge and the rule book with it: arming himself with an array of deadly weaponry – including nunchucks, blades and ninja stars – he sets out to Buenos Aires to settle the score with the bad guys.
Packing explosions, flying kicks and somersaults aplenty (as well as some truly logic-bending stunt sequences), Rage of Honor sees Kosugi at the top of his game as he battles his way from the streets of the urban jungle to the very literal jungles of South America Continue reading →
Hi-YAH!, Well Go USA’s very own Asian/martial arts streaming channel has just announced their New Release line up for the month of October, which includes a New film added to Hi-YAH! every Friday! Some of the highlights include Hong Kong classics from Andy Lau, Ringo Lam, Karl Maka, Maggie Cheung and Sammo Hung. Read for the full list Continue reading →
The Tai Chi Master may or may not have something to do with Yuen Woo Ping’s 1993 Jet Li/Michelle Yeoh film of the same name, but judging from a set of new posters (via AFS), we can definitely expect some classic kung fu Continue reading →
A Luis Vuitton bag stuffed full of cash sends a group of hard-luck lowlifes on a desperate chase for the fortune in this pitch-black neo-noir crime thriller. Fish-mongering gangsters, a greasy cop, an “innocent” gym cleaner, a young prostitute, her wife beater of a husband, her ruthless boss and her clueless boyfriend all violently scheme to get their hands on the elusive bag. First time director Kim Yong-hoon’s witty thriller is a beautifully constructed puzzle that with each double-cross, the pieces fall into place Continue reading →
“Once Upon a Time in China IV” Chinese Theatrical Poster
Director: Yuen Bun Producer: Ng See Yuen, Tsui Hark Cast: Vincent Chiu Man Chuk, Jean Wong Ching Ying, Hung Yan Yan, Max Mok Siu Chung, Lau Shun, Billy Chow, Chin Kar Lok, Elaine Lui Siu Ling, Louis Roth Running Time: 101 min.
By Paul Bramhall
Hot on the heels of Once Upon a Time in China III, otherwise known as “the one with all the lion dancing”, director Tsui Hark felt like he had his finger on the pulse when it came to knowing what audiences wanted. The answer was clear – more lion dancing. However things weren’t going so smoothly behind the scenes. A contractual dispute led to leading man Jet Li stepping away from the franchise, which left the gaping question of who could step into the wushu wunderkinds’ shoes. The answer wasn’t far away, as in the same year Li had also taken the lead in the Corey Yuen helmed Fong Sai Yuk, a production which gave him the chance to face off against Yuen’s latest discovery (direct from the Beijing Sport University), Vincent Zhao. He had the same wushu background as Li, was also from the Mainland, and was of a similar build. It was difficult to imagine a more suitable candidate to take over the role that made Li famous.
While Zhao proved resistant to Hark’s offer of a 3-year contract, in retrospect he might as well have signed it, since the pair would go on to work together on Green Snake (also from 1993!), Once Upon a Time in China V, The Blade, and The Chinese Feast, before parting ways in 1995. In 1993 though Hark was already helming 2 big budget productions, with the aforementioned Once Upon a Time in China III and Green Snake, so adding another Wong Fei Hung adventure to the slate was going to be Continue reading →
Being an avid James Bond fan, as well as a writer for City on Fire, I’ve put together a list of Bond titles that are relevant with Asian and martial arts cinema. Whether it be ninjas, samurai, kung fu masters – or just well-known Asian talent – there’s definitely a connection between 007 and the types of films that are usually covered here at City on Fire. Of course, considering the impact Bond films have had on cinema in general, none of this should come as a surprise.
Dr. No
Even in the first James Bond film, hints of Asian film culture were already evident. 1962’s Dr. No has Bond (Sean Connery) up against the titular villain, Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman), who was 1/2 German and 1/2 Chinese. Surrounded with his deadly Asian henchmen, Dr. No was committed to terrorizing the world with his atomic-powered radio beam. The 1973 Bruce Lee martial arts classic, Enter the Dragon, is considered by many, somewhat of an unofficial remake of Dr. No – in fact, critics have referred to Enter the Dragon as “a remake of Dr. No with elements of Fu Manchu”.
You Only Live Twice
Back in 1967, it was one heck of a gamble for Western movies to feature a prominent Asian cast, but as time went by, there was definitely a demand, so in a way, You Only Live Twice was a look into the future. Samurai warriors aside, the film served as one of the first major appearance of the ninja in a Western pop culture; and unless you were a fan of Japanese cinema, these masked assassins (and their cool assortment of weapons) were relatively unknown back then. Additionally, the film features popular Japanese actor, Tetsuro Tamba (Harakiri), as well as Akiko Wakabayashi (King Kong vs. Godzilla), Mie Hama (Counterattack of King Kong) and Tsai Chin (who would later make a cameo in 2006’s Casino Royale) in supporting roles.
Goldfinger
1964’s Goldfinger has one of the most memorable, if not THE most memorable, villains of all time: Oddjob (played by real-life Japanese weightlifter/professional wrestler, Harold Sakata). This abnormally strong assassin is armed with his trademark razor-edged bowler hat, which is similar to the “Flying Guillotine” weapon that was popular in many kung fu films. Sakata himself would go on to make appearances in a couple of martial arts titles: 1977’s Death Dimension (with Jim Kelley and George Lazenby) and 1982’s Bruce Strikes Back (with Bruce Le and Hwang Jang Lee) where he practically reprises his role as Oddjob.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Especially for the time, 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service displays the franchise’s most inventive, hard-hitting action sequences – similar to what we’d see in a John Woo flick years later. In one example, Bond (George Lazenby) is seen sliding belly-down a snowy hill while simultaneously shooting a high-powered machine gun at his enemies. A few years after his one and only outing as 007, Lazenby would join Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest studios and star in a handful of Chinese productions with the likes of Angela Mao (Enter the Dragon) and Jimmy Wang Yu (The Man from Hong Kong) – one of the projects, Game of Death – would have paired him up with Bruce Lee, but due to the latter’s untimely death, the project was put on the back burner (only to be finished a few years later with a Bond-esque credit sequence and a soundtrack by John Barry, who scored most of the Bond films). The most popular, 1975’s Man From Hong Kong, which has Lazenby as a villain, is essentially a James Bond copycat starring Wang Yu. Lazenby also appears in the aforementioned Death Dimension, not to mention the 1977 comedy, Kentucky Fried Movie, which is largely made up of an Enter the Dragon spoof titled A Fistful of Yen, which showcases Grand Master Bong Soo Han (Force: Five) and Evan C. Kim (Megaforce).
Man with the Golden Gun
Thanks to films like 1973’s Five Fingers of Death (aka King Boxer) and the explosion of Bruce Lee, the popular “kung fu craze” was alive and strong in the 70s. This era even influenced Carl Douglas’ to record the song “Everybody was Kung Fu fighting,” which became a major hit. So Bond producers strategically cashed-in on the “Chopsocky” mania and made sure 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun was heavily infused with some kung fu/karate action. In one fight scene, Bond (Roger Moore), who realizes he doesn’t stand a chance against Charlie Chan You Lam (The Secret Rivals, Part II), takes Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon advice: “Never take your eyes off your opponent, even when you bow,” which results in Bond’s victorious escape. The film also stars Soon-Teck Oh (the villain in Chuck Norris’ Missing in Action 2) and Yuen Qiu (Kung Fu Hustle, Dragon Claws).
Licence to Kill
1989’s Licence to Kill, featuring Timothy Dalton as Bond, marked the return of ninjas, which we haven’t seen in a Bond film since You Only Live Twice, 22 years earlier. Although the ninjas (technically, they’re Hong Kong narcotic agents, which doesn’t really make sense) show up for a short amount of time; the sequence can be seen as either memorable or out-of-place, depending on one’s taste. The ninjas are played by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat) and actress/model Diana Lee-Hsu.
Tomorrow Never Dies
In this 1997 Bond flick, Hong Kong action star, Michelle Yeoh (In the Line of Duty), joins forces with Bond (Pierce Brosnan) to take on an evil media mogul (Jonathan Pryce). Because Yeoh’s character – a Chinese secret agent who knows kung fu – isn’t your typical damsel in distress, she’s highly regarded as one of the most unforgettable Bond girls. Not only is she a real “co-star” alongside Brosnan, she also gets a chunk of action-packed screen time, courtesy of Hong Kong-based stuntmen, most notably, Philip Kwok (Five Deadly Venoms).
But wait, there’s more…
The James Bond franchise’ association with Asian Cinema doesn’t stop within the 007 films themselves. The late Richard Kiel (“Jaws” from 1977’s Spy Who Loved Me and 1979’s Moonraker) played a similar character in Tsui Hark’s 1984 action caper Aces Go Places 3 (aka Mad Mission 3: Our Man from Bond Street), a Hong Kong production that stars Sam Hui (Naughty! Naughty!), Karl Maka (Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon), Sugiyama Tsuneharu (an Oddjob wannabe), and get this: Sean Connery’s brother, Neil (Operation Kid Brother) as “Mr. Bond.” Kiel would also team up with Jackie Chan in Golden Harvest’s all-star 1984 comedy Cannonball Run II (the first Cannonball Run film, which also stars Chan, includes Roger Moore, who portrays a Bond-like character).
To be continued…
I can sit here and make connections between Bond movies and Asian/martial arts cinema for days (I didn’t even mention all the Bond knock-off films made in Japan and Hong Kong in the 60s), but for now, I’ll end it here.
Filmmaker Jung Byung-gil – known for his films Confession of Murder and fan favorite The Villainess – is stepping into Hollywood for Monarch Media’s Havoc (not related to Gareth Evans’ planned film of the same name), a thriller written by Eric Tipton, off an original idea by Steve Barnett (300) and Daniel Myrick (The Blair Witch Project).
Inspired by actual events, Havoc tells the story of a U.S. helicopter crashing on the North Korean side of the DMZ. With tensions between the North and South already on the verge of war, the surviving U.S. Army Reservists must work together to protect a civilian tech-specialist and find their way across the DMZ, without the possibility of U.S. military support. Both Jung and Kim served in the South Korean military, performing several missions with U.S. soldiers, and plan to bring their experiences to Havoc (via Deadline).
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Lin Zhen-Hao, the filmmaker behind Vincent Chiu Man Chuk’s 
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