5 reasons why ‘Kung Fu Killer’ gets Donnie Yen back on track!

Posted on April 20, 2015 by JJ Bona
"Kung Fu Killer" Theatrical Poster

“Kung Fu Killer” Theatrical Poster

While few would dispute Donnie Yen’s position as one of action cinema’s reigning champs, there’s no denying that the reception to his more recent output has been rather lackluster. Films such as Special ID and Iceman have disappointed for a number of reasons, but mostly for the fact that they lacked the hard-hitting action fans had come to expect after movies like Ip Man and Flash Point. Thankfully, Donnie Yen’s upcoming effort Kung Fu Killer represents a startling return to form and we’re here to tell you why.

1.) Donnie Yen gets to stretch his acting chops for a change

After Iceman saw Donnie Yen strolling around Hong Kong with a goofy grin and a wig, it’s refreshing that Kung Fu Killer affords him the chance to act again. When a fearsome serial killer begins targeting the best martial artists in their field, the police turn to Donnie Yen’s character for help – the twist is, he’s already behind bars himself. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Yen play a character with this much of a dark side; here he’s a bit closer to Hannibal Lecter than he is Ip Man, and it’s a nice change of pace.

2.) Wang Baoqiang may be Donnie Yen’s toughest opponent yet

Okay, considering that Donnie Yen faced off against Jet Li back in Once Upon a Time in China II, that statement might not be entirely accurate. But the point is that actor Wang Baoqiang brings to Kung Fu Killer exactly what a Donnie Yen movie needs: a formidable villain. Thanks to his surprisingly solid martial arts skills and a manic, over-the-top performance, Wang Baoqiang electrifies the film every moment he’s onscreen.

3.) The filmmakers incorporate elements of other genres

Nobody would mistake Kung Fu Killer for anything other than what it is – a pulse-pounding action/thriller – but the fact that our villain is a serial killer gives the movie a unique feel. This allows the filmmakers to incorporate at various times the look and feel of other genres, particularly those of the police procedural and horror movie. The result is that Kung Fu Killer‘s premise and aesthetic alone help set it apart from other Donnie Yen movies.

4.) Teddy Chan is back behind the camera

Not familiar with Teddy Chan? He’s the same director who worked with Donnie Yen on the excellent Bodyguards & Assassins. While that movie was more of an ensemble film than a showcase for Yen in particular, Teddy Chan made sure the movie’s action sequences were delivered with the same flair and finesse Donnie Yen’s fans have come to expect. In Kung Fu Killer, the focus is squarely on Yen and Teddy Chan delivers the goods when it comes to the movie’s numerous fights and kinetic setpieces.

5.) The film pays homage to the action legends who have come before

It’s impossible to forge ahead in a genre without paying respects to the innovators and trailblazers who have come before. Donnie Yen clearly knows this better than anyone as Kung Fu Killer is stuffed to the brim with cameos and knowing nods to the legends of Hong Kong cinema. We dare say you won’t be able to catch them all on a first watch, but eagle-eyed viewers will be sure to notice appearances from Shaw Brothers players David Chiang and studio boss Raymond Chow, not to mention a tribute to the recently departed Lau Kar-leung.

Watch the U.S. trailer for Kung Fu Killer, which hits theaters on April 24, 2015, followed by a Blu-ray & DVD release on July 21, 2015. Read our full review here.

Posted in News |

Two new posters for ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’

Posted on April 20, 2015 by JJ Bona
"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" Teaser Poster

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” Teaser Poster

THE MOVIE: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is an upcoming movie intended to be a sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel. Zack Snyder is directing the film, written by Chris Terrio, from a story by Snyder and David S. Goyer. The film releases on March 25, 2016.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stars Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons and Holly Hunter.

Updates: Collider reports that Zack Snyder will shoot Batman vs. Superman back-to-back with JLA, which means a 2017 release for JLA. | Here’s the first look at Ben Affleck as Batman. Also, a peak at the new Batmobile in Batman vs. Superman, courtesy of Collider. | Collider reports that Batman vs. Superman (aka Man of Steel 2) is officially titled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Also, the new logo has been revealed. | Variety reports that Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) has signed up for the role of Aquaman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. | First image of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. | First photo of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, courtesy of Collider (via EW). | 1st teaser trailer.

BREAKING NEWS: Two new posters: 1 | 2

Posted in News |

Hungry? Watch the newest ‘Jurassic World’ trailer!

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Jeff Bona
"Jurassic World" Teaser Poster

“Jurassic World” Teaser Poster

THE MOVIE: The fourth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise is titled Jurassic World. Directing the film will be Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed). There are no plot details, but the film has a release date for June 12, 2015. So far, the cast includes Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jake Johnson, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins and Irrfan Khan.

Chances are his script will bear no resemblance to an earlier one from The Departed‘s Willian Monahan that floated around the web back in 2007. That draft had a soldier of fortune returning to Jurassic Park with the help of some genetically engineered mini-T-Rexes who obeyed his commands like domesticated dogs. We’re not even making this up!

Updates: Here’s a new pack of cast photos, featuring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins, courtesy of Collider. | First official poster. | First Jurassic World teaser. | First full trailer. | Big Game trailer. | New  TV spot.

BREAKING NEWS: Watch the newest trailer.

Posted in News |

Rainy Dog (1997) Review

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Martin Sandison
"Rainy Dog" DVD Cover

“Rainy Dog” DVD Cover

Director: Takashi Miike
Writer: Seigo Inoue
Cast: Show Aikawa, Blackie Ko, Xianmei Chen, Zhang Shi, Jianqin He, Tomorowo Taguchi
Running Time: 95 min.

By Martin Sandison

Part of director Takashi Miike’s Triad society trilogy, Rainy Dog is a revelation; a quiet, slow moving meditation on innocence and the consequences of violence. Miike is of course synonymous with extreme cinema, especially his masterpieces Ichi The Killer and Audition. As much as I love those movies, Rainy Dog proves his ability to work on a serious level with real clarity and attention to detail. Shot in Taiwan with mostly a Taiwanese cast and crew, Miike does not speak Mandarin meaning that he was not able to communicate directly with either of them, but still manages to elicit wonderful performances.

Sho Aikawa stars as an ex-Yakuza hitman who has relocated to Taiwan, and lives in a modest apartment. One day a girl he slept with arrives with his supposed son, saying he has to look after the child. He takes on a job he shouldn’t have, and is pursued by Yakuza. He falls in with a prostitute and the three of them hideout from the gangsters. Despite a slight plotline everything falls in to place beautifully, and even minor characters are memorable. Tomorowo Taguchi has a small part, playing a strange guy that sleeps rough and wears a sharp suit who is obsessive in his pursuit of Aikawa, despite his motives never being explained. This was one of the many movies Taguchi appeared in that year, and he is one of the best character actors ever to come out of Japan. One of his first roles was in Tetsuo: The Iron Man, one of the greatest Cyberpunk horror movies ever made. I first watched that movie at the age of about 14, and its insane visuals made a huge impression on me. A couple of years ago I managed to catch it on the big screen in the Edinburgh Film Festival, and its impression was just as vital. Anyone that knows their Hong Kong cinema will notice Blackie Ko appearing as a brothel owner very briefly in Rainy Dog. Aikawa puts in perhaps his strongest performance in a Miike film, coming just before his deranged turn in Dead or Alive, another Miike classic that couldn’t be more different in tone from Rainy Dog.

The shooting style of the film is a marked departure for Miike; maybe this is partly due to the crew being Taiwanese, who mainly worked on the films of Hou Hsiao- Hsien, the maverick arthouse director. There are a lot of static shots in Rainy Dog, with characters framed through the pouring rain. The aesthetic is a lot more low key and quietly observed, with a slowly burning atmosphere. The films influences are a lot more plain to see than in other Miike films also. Wong Kar Wai’s films of the time such as Fallen Angels (one of my all-time favourites) with their late night ambience inform Rainy Dog, with even use of the stop printing technique so synonymous with Wong used in one scene. John Woo’s The Killer with Chow Yun Fat as the hitman with a heart of gold and dark city feel is echoed and incorporated with a much more grimy style. The violence is filmed in short bursts with one or two angles, worlds away from Woo’s elaborate dance. Aikawa’s monosyllabic performance and other characters recall classic Westerns, such as Sergio Leone’s masterful Dollars Trilogy. The blues slide guitar soundtrack reinforces this, and reminds me of Jim Jarmusch’s brilliant revisionist Western Dead Man that has a soundtrack by the genius Neil Young, my favourite musician. The look and feel of Takeshi Kitano’s gangster films, especially Sonatine, are reference points also, with their deliberately slow and symbolic style. All of these film makers inform the style of Rainy Dog, but Miike manages to rise above them and deliver a film very much his own.

In terms of pure film making Rainy Dog is definitely one of Miike’s best; every aspect combines to create an immersive experience and leave a lasting impression. The cinematography is clean and concise with no intrusive angles, and there are some beautiful tracking shots especially at the end of the film. The look is consistent and even in tone, no matter the location.

The characters in the film are incredibly well drawn and you really care for them, and Aikawa’s character really develops as he goes on from a violent, drug-taking loner to a man full of heart. Jianqin He as Aikawa’s supposed son Chen is a really hear wrenching character, and communicates complex emotions despite being a mute. Some of the scenes with He are particularly touching, one being when he is sleeping rough outside of Aikawa’s apartment and befriends a stray dog.

There are some minor problems with the picture overall, such as the lack of gunfights that would satisfy the action fan and an air of detachment in the first half. Also the persistent rain creates an aesthetic that can at times be over cooked. However those seeking a different kind of film from Miike will not be disappointed with Rainy Dog.

Martin Sandison’s Rating: 8/10

Posted in Japanese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Josh Trank’s ‘Fantastic Four’ gets a new trailer!

Posted on April 19, 2015 by JJ Bona
"Fantastic Four" Theatrical Poster

"Fantastic Four" Theatrical Poster

Josh Trank, the co-writer/director of 2012’s Chronicle, scored a major hit with that film’s ‘found footage’ take on the superhero genre. He’s been rewarded with the task of rebooting the Fantastic Four. The movie will star Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Reg E. Cathey and Tim Blake Nelson. It has a release date set for August 7, 2015.

This will be 20th Centry Fox’s second attempt at launching Marvel Comics’ cosmic family into a successful movie franchise. Trank will be assisted by producer Matthew Vaughn, a filmmaker who has some experience with comic book material: he directed both X-Men: First Class and Kick Ass. | Watch the 1st teaser trailer.

BREAKING NEWS: Watch the newest trailer!

Posted in News |

Jiang Wen to helm wuxia flick titled ‘The Hidden Warrior’

Posted on April 18, 2015 by JJ Bona
"The Lost Bladesman" Theatrical Poster

"The Lost Bladesman" Theatrical Poster

Jiang Wen (The Lost Bladesman) – actor, writer and director of Let the Bullets Fly – has announced that his next project will be a wuxia film titled The Hidden Warrior. The upcoming martial arts actioner will complete his Republican era-set Beiyang trilogy, which started with Let the Bullets Fly.

According to FBA, The Hidden Warrior is the tale of a young swordsman trying to solve a five-year murder case within the bowels of the city in 1936 Beijing. The screenplay for the film – based on a novel by Zhang Beihai – is being written by He Jiping, who is mostly known for penning The Warlords and Flying Swords of Dragon Gate.

We’ll keep you posted on The Hidden Warrior as we hear more. Stay tuned!

Posted in News |

Mike Moeller is a sensation with ‘One Million Klicks’

Posted on April 18, 2015 by JJ Bona
"One Million Klicks" Theatrical Poster

"One Million Klicks" Theatrical Poster

After taking the lead in 2012’s Arena of the Street Fighter, German martial artist Mike Moeller is back this year with One Million Klicks. It’s the first project from production company Silent Partners, which was recently formed by Mike Leeder along with Ruediger Kummerle.

The movie is a German language modern day actioner, which follows the well worn genre trope of a good hearted fighter being drawn into an underground martial arts tournament being shown on the internet… think Bangkok Knockout. However with Moeller in the lead, some solid action should definitely be on the cards.

Mike Leeder recently reported that Evolutionary Films, the London based sales and production company, have been appointed as international sales agent to represent the movie, and will be being taken to Cannes. Click here to watch the latest trailer!

Posted in News |

Saviour Monk, The (1975) Review

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Paul Bramhall
"The Saviour Monk" Chinese DVD Cover

"The Saviour Monk" Chinese DVD Cover

Director: Leung Chit Foo
Producer: Chang Yan-Tao
Cast: Doris Lung Chung Erh, Tong Wai, Philip Ko Fei, Chin Chi Min, Ma Cheung, Yuen Sam, Lee Ying, Tit Mang Chau
Running Time: 87 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The Saviour Monk is a tricky movie to review – it looks, feels, and sounds like an old school kung fu movie. It has a cast which includes familiar old school faces like Doris Lung and Philip Ko, and, well, what 70’s Hong Kong movie with the word ‘monk’ in its title doesn’t feature the monks in question busting out some kung fu moves?

The Saviour Monk is that movie, as in its compact runtime (it clocks in at under 90 minutes), apart from some brief and decidedly average swordplay action, not a single punch or kick is thrown. So, what are we left with? In place of a kung fu spectacle, director Leung Chit Foo appears to have set out to sincerely tell the tale of a suitor to the throne, who decides to forego his birthright in order to become a monk.

There’s some onscreen text at the beginning of the movie which could well explain that proceedings are loosely based on a true story, but unfortunately it’s impossible for me to tell, as none of it was subtitled. The subtitles do kick in for the characters dialogue, even if they look like they were made on a typewriter that’s been dropped on the floor, wildly shaken, and stomped on for good measure. The quality of the subtitle appearance aside, The Saviour Monk did actually add a new word to my vocabulary, when the father of the would-be monk yells at him, “You! the recalcitrant!” Sadly the range of vocabulary is let down later on by such lines as, “Please sit down up.”

The monk himself is played by Tong Wai, who’s righteous appearance often saw him starring in wuxia productions such as Majesty Cat and The Smart Cavalier, as well as featuring in the occasional Shaw Brothers production such as Naval Commandos. With a host of genre talent playing against type, and the selling point of watching a rich prince on his journey to become a monk, you may wonder if there’s any reason at all to watch The Saviour Monk. Thankfully, there is. Those reasons mainly come in the form of director Chit Foo’s rather bizarre production design decisions, which pop up with enough regularity to keep you watching.

When Wai is told by his father that he has to marry the daughter of another provinces royal family, in order to try and discover their military secrets, he reluctantly agrees to go through with it. On their first night together as a married couple, Wai looks at his new wife, and suddenly finding himself tempted by the flesh, reminds himself via voice over that “Sex means empty.” When he next looks at his wife, she’s a jangling open mouthed plastic skeleton. Of course, he’s appropriately turned off. Worrying that his wife is still frisky though, he tells her to light up a joss stick, and together they proceed to run circles around a small table for nearly a whole minute. What makes these scenes so hilarious, is that they appear to have been filmed with a genuine sincerity and seriousness.

As a reward for not giving into his human desires, Wai is visited by the ghost of a monk who’s been inexplicably following him around since the start of the movie, and taps him on the head with a brush, making all of his hair disappear. Having achieved his goal of becoming a monk (seemingly by doing nothing more than resisting having sex with the woman he was forced to marry), Wai doesn’t even bother to wake her up, simply abandoning her in bed and setting off on his monks journey. This sets up the main structure of the plot, which finds Wai stumbling across a cult called the ‘Heaven Religion’, who want to control the population, while at the same time his wife and father are in hot pursuit after she was given the one night stand treatment (minus the sex part).

The leader of the ‘Heaven Religion’ is played by kung fu legend Philip Ko, decked out to look like a Chinese version of Dracula in black robes and pale makeup, it almost seems like a crime that he doesn’t throw a single shape. His base seems to be in some kind of underground cave, albeit a cave which has automatic doors, and when we’re first introduced to his evil schemes it’s through one of the daughters of a village elder, who’s been possessed by his evil spell. The daughter is played by another familiar face from the jade screen, Doris Lung.

Lung had an interesting career in the Hong Kong movie industry, active for the best part of a decade from the early 70’s through to the early 80’s, some sources report that she had an unstable personality, and attempted suicide three times during this time. Whether these facts are true or not is difficult to confirm, but regardless of their authenticity, in The Saviour Monk she gets to unleash her wild side via plenty of manic laughter (dubbed over by a man, no doubt inspired by The Exorcist, made 2 years prior) and arm flailing.

Most interesting of her scenes though is one in which she performs a sexual dance routine in Philip Ko’s lair, not at all dissimilar to the go-go dance scene in The Association, only with slightly less revealing clothing. Both The Association and The Saviour Monk were made in 1975, so it begs the question of which one introduced the ‘sexy dance in a cults hidden lair’ scene first. While Lung’s dance doesn’t involve a see through gown, the scene does get points for incorporating a lineup of male and female backup dancers, some of whom wear expressions which look like they’re questioning how they got roped into such a performance.

The Saviour Monk saves its pièce de résistance for around the mid-way point, when out of nowhere, it decides it’s going to be a kaiju flick, and Philip Ko summons a giant bug eyed monster to erupt out of the ground, stomping everything in its path. Ok, so the only thing in its path are a few model trees, but it still counts. Unfazed by the monster, probably because the scenes were filmed separately, Wai calmly prays to the Buddha, and summons a Chinese dragon to appear and throw down with the bug eyed beast. While the scene is arguably sub-standard compared to its Japanese counterparts of the same era, the novelty of witnessing a kaiju battle in the middle of a movie which it really has no place in being, makes The Saviour Monk worth a watch.

Thankfully the bug eyed monster makes a comeback for the finale, but not before more onscreen randomness such as watching Wai parting a river as if he’s Moses, and Lung being shrunken to the size of a small doll. The Saviour Monk is perhaps best viewed as a watch once curiosity, and as Wai’s character felt after spending a night with his wife, once should be enough.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6/10

Posted in Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Lust of the Dead 5 | DVD (Tokyo Shock)

Posted on April 17, 2015 by JJ Bona
Lust of the Dead 5 | DVD (Tokyo Shock)

Lust of the Dead 5 | DVD (Tokyo Shock)

RELEASE DATE: June 23, 2015

Tokyo Shock presents the DVD for Lust of the Dead 5 (aka Rape Zombie: Lust of the Dead 5) starring Asami (Prison Girl) and Mihiro (Ju-on series).

The insane apocalyptic zombie saga continues! Watch the viral epidemic spread as the sex-craved, walking-dead expand their rampage across post-nuke Tokyo! Can they be sopped? Can their perpetual lust ever be satisfied?

Don’t miss the trailer! Also see Lust of the Dead 4.

Pre-order Lust of the Dead 5 from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Martial Arts Titles |

Third time’s a charm for Takashi Ishii’s ‘Gonin Saga’

Posted on April 17, 2015 by JJ Bona
"Gonin" Japanese Theatrical Poster

"Gonin" Japanese Theatrical Poster

In the mood for more Yakuza action? Well, so are we. Takashi Ishii (Freeze Me) is currently wrapping up the third entry to his violent Gonin series. But before we talk about that, let’s take a look at the first two films:

1995’s Gonin revolved around a disco owner who convinces 4 other guys to go along with him in a planned heist of the local Yakuza thugs for over 100 million yen. The heist is successful, however, the Yakuza, obviously perturbed at the theft, send out 2 hit men (one of which is played by Beat Takeshi) to kill the five.

Gonin 2, which came out in 1996, followed Masamichi Toyama (Ken Ogata), a married man who gets into a bad gambling debt he cant pay back. As a result, Yakuza gangsters track him down, beat him to a pulp and rape his wife. Now, the only thing Toyama will pay back is bloody revenge!

According Film Business Asia, Gonin Saga (aka Gonin 3) follows an investigative reporter who meets the sons of the gangsters involved in the aftermath of the original heist. The film stars Masahiro Higashide (Crows Explode), Kenta Kiritani (Outrage Beyond), Anna Tsuchiya (Kamui Gaiden), Tasuku Emoto (A Story of Yonosuke) and Masanobu Ando (Battle Royale).

Gonin Saga is expected to be released in Japan on September 26, 2015. Until then, here’s the first trailer (via FCS).

Posted in News |

Suzune Complete | DVD (Tokyo Shock)

Posted on April 16, 2015 by JJ Bona
Suzune Complete | DVD (Tokyo Shock)

Suzune Complete | DVD (Tokyo Shock)

RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2015

Tokyo Shock presents the DVD for Ryu Kaneda’s Suzune Complete, which contains Suzune: Genesis and Suzune: Evolution.

When your body is bursting with all kinds of erotic parasites, the only person that can save you is Dr. Suzune (Rei Yoshii).

Based on Japan’s most popular mobile phone manga, Kisei jui-Suzune by Haruki. Watch the trailer (don’t blame us, we’re just here to report this stuff).

Pre-order Suzune Complete from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases |

Pound of Flesh (2015) Review

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Z Ravas
"Pound of Flesh" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Pound of Flesh” Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Maximum Blood
Director: Ernie Barbarash
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Darren Shahlavi, Aki Aleong, John Ralston, Jason Tobin, Philippe Joly, Brahim Achabbakhe, Andrew Ng, Mike Leeder, Adele Baughan
Running Time: 104 min.

By HKFanatic

About two minutes into Pound of Flesh, Jean-Claude Van Damme wakes up in a bathtub full of ice. His skin pallid, his eyes as sunken as a skull’s, he slowly becomes aware of his surroundings. Crawling from the tub, he is trembling, naked, and afraid. He tentatively inspects the massive scar across his side and soon comes to the realization that he has had his kidney removed against his will. The horror of this moment is startling portrayed by Van Damme, who appears in this instance less an action hero and more a frightened victim. Quite frankly, we’ve never seen the actor as vulnerable as he is here.

Unfortunately, this is the only dramatically interesting scene in the entirety of Pound of Flesh. Shortly after Van Damme throws some pants on and makes a few phone calls to his old covert agent connections, the movie becomes your typical low-budget action flick as Van Damme storms through the seedy bars and back alleys of China shouting “Where’s my kidney?!” to unintentionally hilarious effect. You see, before Van Damme was drugged and placed under the knife, he had traveled to the country to donate his organ to a terminally ill niece. If he doesn’t get the missing kidney back in time, his niece is sure to die.

The old ‘waking up in a bathtub of ice’ story has been around for years as something of an urban legend, and was even the premise behind the 2004 Hong Kong thriller Koma from The Bullet Vanishes director Chi-Leung Law. No doubt it’s a serviceable set-up for an action movie; the problem emerges as soon as fists start flying the viewer realizes that, while Jean-Claude Van Damme’s name receives the top billing, his stand-in might receive more screentime than he does.

Although there have been no behind-the-scenes stories or rumors of reshoots, it’s difficult to watch Pound of Flesh and not get the impression it must have been something of a troubled production. There are scenes where it’s glaringly obvious that Van Damme was filmed in front of a green screen and inserted into the middle of previously shot sequences. Worse yet, Van Damme’s stunt double is visible in nearly every action shot in which the camera isn’t facing Van Damme head-on. No doubt Van Damme is an international star, and an actor who’s getting up there in years, so insurance purposes or his health may necessitate the use of a stand-in; however, it’s never been this apparent and easy to spot.

The fight choreography in Pound of Flesh arrives from the talented John Salvetti, an action coordinator who needs no introduction once you realize he’s the guy who fought Donnie Yen at the end of Tiger Cage 2. What he brings to Pound of Flesh is a more grounded, realistic style of combat that favors grappling and other moves that will likely be familiar to fans of Mixed Martial Arts. While his choreography is topnotch, its impact is frequently marred by choppy editing; it also has the unfortunate habit of downplaying Jean-Claude Van Damme and his co-star Darren Shahlavi’s flair for the more acrobatic, high-flying, Hong Kong-influenced style of onscreen martial arts.

It’s impossible to discuss Pound of Flesh without addressing the death of Darren Shahlavi, an immensely talented screen performer who died tragically young shortly after filming. Shahlavi had a gift for playing formidable villains, whether as the British boxer in Ip Man 2, Kano in the popular Mortal Kombat: Legacy web series, or the kung fu serial killer in the Gary Daniels cult classic Bloodmoon. His untimely passing has robbed us of a gifted martial artist who no doubt had many, many more promising roles ahead of him. Fortunately, he’s a highlight of Pound of Flesh, as he seems to be the only actor onscreen who realizes he’s in the middle of a direct-to-video action flick and decides to have fun with it. Shahlavi’s clearly relishing the chance to play a baddie opposite Van Damme and he delivers an entertaining, over-the-top performance to match.

While Van Damme himself appears invested in the Pound of Flesh’s dramatic moments, his performance is undone by a script that paints his character as blatantly unlikable. Van Damme is placed at odds against his long-suffering brother (portrayed by John Ralston), a church-going, violence-averse college professor. Once we learn that this character is literally sterile and had his wife stolen by Van Damme, we realize he’s only here so Van Damme’s character Deacon can look cooler in comparison – which doesn’t exactly endear the viewer to the selfish Deacon. Lest we forget that this guy was drinking it up and engaging in a one night stand the night before he was supposed to donate his kidney to his niece. It’s enough to make you wish Van Damme would stick to playing the melancholy assassins he usually portrays in recent films like Six Bullets.

Thanks to the genuine quality of movies like Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning and Ninja II, fans are coming to expect more from direct-to-video action movies. The bar has been raised, which is why it’s such a shame that Pound of Flesh feels beamed in from the mid-2000’s, back when Steven Seagal was sleepwalking through movies where he simply overdubbed his voice onto footage of a stand-in actor. It’s anyone’s guess why Pound of Flesh ended up being such a sloppily assembled product – no doubt time and budgetary restraints played a part – but it’s easy to feel let down when our action stars of old appear content to deliver such a substandard film. Simply put, the fans who have supported Van Damme over the years deserve more than this.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 5/10

Posted in Asian Related, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , |

I Am Steve McQueen (2014) Review

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Kelly Warner
"I Am Steve McQueen" Blu-ray Cover

“I Am Steve McQueen” Blu-ray Cover

Director: Jeff Renfroe
Writer: David Ray
Cast: Robert Downey Jr. (voice), Kristin Kreuk (voice), Chad McQueen, Gary Oldman, Zoe Bell, Pierce Brosnan, Randy Couture, Katherine Haber, Norman Jewison, Pat Johnson, Ali MacGraw
Running Time: 90 min.

By Kyle Warner

“You never know with a Hollywood star whether you’re seeing the real person. You know, everyone said that John Wayne was a great hero but the reality is that John Wayne played great heroes. With McQueen, you definitely got the idea that you were seeing an authentic person.” – Film critic Ben Mankiewicz

Produced by Network Entertainment, I Am Steve McQueen is another in the company’s line of documentaries looking back on the life and career of a talent from the past. I’ve not seen their I Am Evel Knievel or their upcoming I Am Chris Farley, but I have seen their 2012 documentary I Am Bruce Lee. The McQueen doc does not differ much from I Am Bruce Lee’s formula. Despite the title that might suggest the documentary is about McQueen’s life in his own words, his life story is primarily told by the family he left behind and the admirers he inspired

The film charts McQueen’s life from his tough childhood to his death at the age of 50 when he was one of the world’s biggest movie stars. As the documentary goes on, it touches on McQueen’s major films like Bullitt, The Great Escape, and Papillon, while also taking time to give his fans a better understanding of his personal life. And of course there’s the racing. Lots and lots of racing. I’d known Steve McQueen had a reputation as a car guy that dabbled in racing now and then, but before watching this documentary I hadn’t known that he was so serious about racing as a sport. There was a time in his career when you could say that he was a racer that also acted and not the other way around.

I think the film’s finest achievement is that does a good job of letting you that McQueen was more than just an actor; he was a highly skilled racer, a military veteran, and a very complicated human being. And I mean complicated. I Am Steve McQueen paints the actor as an incredibly competitive man. Friends from acting school remember him as considering all other blonde, blue-eyed actors as potential enemies. When he went onto bigger films, it seems he did all he could to steal scenes away from his co-stars so that he would leave the biggest impression on the audience (which is especially noticeable in The Magnificent Seven). McQueen wasn’t out to make friends in showbiz, but rather to make a name for himself. And he succeeded, giving us one memorable performance after another while simultaneously building an image for himself as the steely eyed, silent type anti-hero. Often times his competitive nature helped him rise to a level of stardom that other actors could not have reached. However, that same drive also ruined some relationships with artistic colleagues and loved ones. McQueen seemed to understand his competitive nature was leading him to the edge and he thought learning martial arts under the tutelage of Pat Johnson and Bruce Lee would help him to achieve inner balance. It would seem, based on three marriages and a multitude of fractured relationships with directors and co-stars, inner peace remained largely elusive for McQueen through much of his life.

There are many archival clips and images of McQueen throughout the documentary but the man himself grants very little information to the questions posed about his life and career. Instead, others are asked to fill in the gaps. Robert Downey Jr. serves as the film’s narrator, but like McQueen he is given very little to say. McQueen’s family lends information on his personal life and feelings over the years. Director Norman Jewison (The Cincinnati Kid), TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz, and biographer Marshall Terrill give us some history about McQueen’s films. And actors Pierce Brosnan, Gary Oldman, Zoe Bell, and Randy Couture gush with admiration about how McQueen inspired them and influenced the craft of film acting. It’s a lively group of individuals and the documentary is never boring, but I do think I Am Steve McQueen suffers from not enough of the man’s own words about his life. True, it seems McQueen was a quiet type off-screen as well as on-screen, but it still feels less complete than I would’ve liked. One of the things the documentary makes clear is that once McQueen had control over where he wanted his career to go, many of the characters he played told a little something about him. McQueen’s filmography is somewhat biographical, showing his youth on the mean streets, to his time in the military, to his love for cars and racing. So, while the documentary doesn’t give us too much of McQueen talking about himself, perhaps we can still learn something more about the man just by watching his movies.

The documentary spends too much time trying to explain how or why McQueen was cool. I guess I understand the reasoning behind it since he is known as the ‘King of Cool,’ after all. But I feel they returned to this part of McQueen’s mystique too often, leaving some of the interviewees to ramble on about his clothes, his eyes, and whether or not he would still be considered quite as cool if we just recognized him as some random guy and not the famous actor. It’s like they were attempting to explain the science of ‘cool.’ It’s entertaining at first, but only at first.

I was not a fan of I Am Bruce Lee. I felt it barely scratched the surface of the legend that is Bruce Lee, and instead was more focused on showing how Lee influenced others in their film or martial arts careers. I liked I Am Steve McQueen considerably more. Like the Bruce Lee documentary, I feel the McQueen film could’ve gone deeper. I don’t believe that McQueen’s bigger fans will learn anything new from the film. But it’s an entertaining documentary that covers all the major bases. More casual McQueen fans – like me – are more likely to get something out of the documentary, as it grants an interesting, honest look at the King of Cool. In the end, the documentary made me want to rewatch the McQueen films in my collection and check out some of the others that I missed. I figure that means I Am Steve McQueen accomplished what it set out to do.

Kyle Warner’s Rating: 7/10

Posted in Documentary, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , |

Furious | DVD (Leomark Studios)

Posted on April 13, 2015 by JJ Bona
Furious | DVD (Leomark Studios)

Furious | DVD (Leomark Studios)

RELEASE DATE: July 21, 2015

Leomark Studios presents the DVD for 1984’s Furious, featuring Best of the Best stars Simon Rhee and Phillip Rhee, as well as Loren Avedon (Raging Thunder).

This cult classic has been pirated by fans all over the world since its first release in 1984. Now, Furious arrives digitally remastered in this collector’s edition DVD. Watch the trailer.

Extras include interview with writer/director Tim Everitt, two trailers and director’s commentary.

Pre-order Furious from Amazon.com today!

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Martial Arts Titles |

Skin Trade (2014) Review

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Z Ravas
"Skin Trade" Theatrical Poster

“Skin Trade” Theatrical Poster

Director: Ekachai Uekrongtham
Producer: Craig Baumgarten, Dolph Lundgren, Mike Selby
Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Ron Perlman, Michael Jai White, Celina Jade, Peter Weller, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Conan Stevens, Mike Dopud, Tasya Teles, Leo Rano
Running Time: 95 min.

By HKFanatic

Like many action stars of the Eighties, Dolph Lundgren has spent the last fifteen years starring in a reliable stream of direct-to-video titles. Except for a welcome appearance in The Expendables films, your best chance at catching Dolph in action as of late has been movies like The Killing Machine and Command Performance. Although Dolph frequently steps behind the camera himself for these projects, for the most part they’ve been rote thrillers with little to distinguish them besides Dolph’s natural charm. Thus, the announcement of Skin Trade made martial arts fans stand up and take notice: here was an opportunity to see Dolph Lundgren team up with international sensation Tony Jaa of Ong Bak fame. Cautious optimism aside, martial arts junkies could be forgiven for thinking this might be the best team-up since peanut butter met chocolate.

And let us not forget, in many ways Tony Jaa needed Skin Trade to be a success as much as Dolph did. It’s difficult to believe that only ten years after he shot to international stardom with Ong-Bak, Tony Jaa’s career was in a state of disrepair. By 2013, he was as well-known for his disappearing from the set of Ong-Bak 2 and contract disputes as he was his flying kicks. The dismal reception of Tom Yum Goong 2 – the movie that had once been positioned as Jaa’s comeback – served as salt on the wound. Thankfully, moving into 2015 Tony Jaa seems to be in a much better place: his physical talents will be seen by a wider audience than ever thanks to his cameo in Hollywood blockbuster Furious Seven, and Skin Trade is preparing for a Video On Demand rollout from Magnet Releasing.

Magnet themselves have been smart in building the hype for Skin Trade through a steady stream of online marketing, highlighting the star power of its cast: joining Jaa and Lundgren is fan favorite bruiser Michael Jai White (Falcon Rising), as well as character actors Paul Weller (Robocop) and Ron Perlman (Hellyboy). Which begs the question: does Skin Trade actually live up to the hype or is it destined to join the rest of Dolph Lundgren’s post-millennial career on the racks of America’s now non-existent video stores?

Perhaps befitting a film that seeks to unite two of the biggest action stars from opposite sides of the globe, Skin Trade itself seems to exhibit something of a split personality. The first half hour of the film plays out like you would expect a by-the-numbers Dolph Lundgren actioner to unfold, with Dolph on the hunt for a vicious Serbian gangster (played by Ron Perlman) who traffics women to be sold as slaves in Asia. It’s unclear just why Dolph has such a vendetta against Perlman, except for the fact that he’s a genuinely nasty piece of work, but when Perlman places a hit on Dolph’s family, it’s safe to say that things have become personal. This is the kind of revenge plot that would be set-up within the first ten minutes of a Steven Seagal flick, but for some reason takes three times as long here.

Fortunately, once Dolph Lundgren wakes up in the hospital seeing red, he hops a plane to Thailand and the real movie begins. In Asia, he crosses paths with Tony Jaa’s Thai detective – but if you were expecting the two of them to put aside their cultural differences and get to stopping Ron Perlman together, then you clearly haven’t read a comic book crossover in which our two heroes must first slug it out with each other before they can team-up. And once it does arrive, the Dolph Lundgren vs. Tony Jaa title match is well worth the wait. These two radically different combatants go at each other in a knock-down, drag-out brawl that thankfully doesn’t suffer from too much of the choppy editing that has ruined many a highly-anticipated bout (anyone remember Jet Li vs. Mark Dacascos in Cradle 2 the Grave?).

If that weren’t enough, their scuffle might just be bested later on when Tony Jaa squares off against Michael Jai White. The fight choreography is frequently captured from a far-off distance, which is a boon in that it allows us to see the athleticism of our combatants; however, it has the adverse side effect of underselling the drama of the fight. Since we never really cut to a close-up, the film fails to sell us on the emotions of the actors. Thus, I often had the impression I was watching two highly trained stunt people hit their marks rather than two characters engaged in a dramatically-charged conflict. It might seem like a small quibble in a direct-to-video flick, but the viewer should have a reason to care about the combat unfolding besides the fact that it features two of their favorite action stars.

Fans of actor Dolph Lundgren may be disappointed to hear he’s frequently outshined by his co-stars. While he is very much the main character, the filmmakers don’t afford him the same kind of jaw-dropping moments that Jaa and White receive. And despite his massive size and legitimate martial arts skills, Dolph has never moved as a graceful performer onscreen. There’s an awkward, lumbering quality to his movements that continues here, and he spends most of the climax of the film mowing down people with an AK-47 rather than employing fisticuffs. Peter Weller chews up the scenery every moment he’s onscreen (wait till you hear the way he pronounces “Asia”) but he unfortunately disappears from Skin Trade after the first act. Meanwhile, Ron Perlman seems to be doing a variation on his character from Drive, only this time with an Eastern European accent.

Skin Trade is not a great film by any stretch of the imagination – for one thing, it seeks to shed a spotlight on the real world horrors of sex trafficking, while at the same time shamelessly exploiting the few female characters in the cast. Regardless, Skin Trade certainly continues the trend of direct-to-video action movies stepping up their game: the movie harkens back to the kind of old-school, minimal-CG stunts and fight scenes that mainstream Hollywood seems to have turned their back on. There was a time when skipping a theatrical release and arriving via VOD was something of a kiss of death, but movies like Universal Soldier: Regeneration and Ninja II have proved that’s quickly changing. With its fast pace and copious amounts of bloody violence, this is clearly a film that knows its audience. As such, it’s hard to imagine that fans of the central performers won’t come away from Skin Trade thoroughly entertained.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 6/10

Posted in Asian Related, News, Reviews, Thai | Tagged , , , , , , |
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