Does the ‘Escape From New York’ remake have its new Snake Plissken?

"Escape From New York" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Escape From New York” Japanese Theatrical Poster

For a little while there, it looked like we were going to get a reboot of Escape From New York reboot from New Line Cinema with Breck Eisner (Sahara) in the director’s chair and Gerard Butler wearing the eyepatch originally made famous by Kurt Russell. The project eventually fell through and New Line let the rights to the franchise expire. Now Hollywood mega-producer Joel Silver (Lethal Weapon, Predator) has swooped in to secure the rights to the 1981 cult film directed by John Carpenter.

The plan? To turn Escape From New York into its own trilogy of films, supposedly modeled after the Planet of the Apes films. There are no directors or actors attached to this potential remake so for now it’s in the early, early stages. Considering that the original Escape was only able to spawn one universally-disliked sequel, though, it’ll be interesting to see how Joel Silver plans to turn this into a trilogy.

Updates: According to New York Daily News, Tom Hardy and Jason Statham are up for the role of Snake Plissken. | Producer Joel Silver spills details about the Escape From New York trilogy, courtesy of Collider. Apparently, Silver is influenced by Rocksteady’s Arkham City video game.

BREAKING NEWS: Collider reports that Silver Pictures and StudioCanal are making moves and have their eye on Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim), Jon Bernthal (TV’s The Walking DeadThe Wolf of Wall Street) and Dan Stevens (The Guest) to portray the new Snake Plissken. Stay tuned…

Posted in News |

Deal on Fire! Iron Monkey | Blu-ray | Only $5 – Expires soon!

"Iron Monkey" Blu-ray Cover

"Iron Monkey" Blu-ray Cover

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Yuen Woo-ping’s Iron Monkey, also known as Iron Monkey:The Young Wong Fei Hong

This 1993 martial arts film is a fictionalized account of folk hero Wong Fei-hung (Sze-Man Tsang), his father Wong Kei-ying (Donnie Yen of Special ID), and their encounter with Iron Monkey (Yu Rongguang of Champions).

Iron Monkey was ranked in Empire’s “The 100 Best Films of World Cinema” in 2010. So, what are you waiting for?

Order Iron Monkey from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Mystic Blade | DVD (Indican Pictures)

Mystic Blade | DVD (Indican Pictures)

Mystic Blade | DVD (Indican Pictures)

RELEASE DATE: October 21, 2014

Indican Pictures presents the DVD for 2013’s Mystic Blade, an English language, Thai martial arts flick, directed by David Ismalone (Ong Bak, Tom Yum Goong 2).

Sam (Don Ferguson of Tom Yum Goong) is a killer by trade, one of a group of merciless men known as the Shadow Syndicate, whose business is delivering fate for a price. But when Sam is asked to erase the line between honor and evil, he turns his back on the Shadows. Now, they want him dead. Watch the trailer.

Pre-order Mystic Blade from Amazon.com today!

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

Former 007 to team up with the worst filmmaker of all time

"A Good Day To Die Hard" Japanese Theatrical Poster

"A Good Day To Die Hard" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Collider reports that Pierce Brosnan (Goldeneye, November Man) is teaming up with director John Moore (Max Payne) for an upcoming action flick titled I.T., which is about a publisher (Brosnan) who is tormented, via technology, when his relationship with a young I.T. consultant goes south.

Without getting too much into a bitchy rant, Moore is one of the worst – if not THE worst – filmmakers working today. He managed to ruin (understatement!) the tail end of one of the greatest, most consistent action franchises of all time with A Good Day To Die Hard (2013), a film I describe as soulless, bland, idiotic and an embarrassment to Bruce Willis’ career (I’ll easily sit through any of Willis’ recent straight-to-DVD titles over it any day!).

Can someone tell me why Moore gets work, while a talent like Mel Gibson (Braveheart) is still blacklisted from Hollywood? If you want to talk about “sin” or “disrespect,” watch A Good Day To Die Hard. Stay tuned for more updates regarding I.T. (too bad it’ll be train wreck).

Posted in News |

Bruce Lee: The Legend (1983) Review

"Bruce Lee: The Legend" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Bruce Lee: The Legend” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Writer: Russell Cawthorne
Narration: James B. Nicholson

Cast: Bruce Lee, Raymond Chow, Nora Miao, Linda Lee Cadwell, Hugh O’Brian, Betty Ting Pei, Gig Young, Chuck Norris, Robert Clouse, Chuck Norris, Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Andre Morgan, Fred Weintraub
Running Time: 88 min.

By Matthew Le-feuvre

In 1973, still fresh from the trauma of Bruce Lee’s abrupt and unforeseen death, Golden Harvest decided to produce a full length documentary entitled Bruce Lee: The Man, The Legend. Although its aim at the time was an unbiased attempt to show the real personality behind the mythical iconography. Unfortunately – admidst all the frantic hysteria; the obsessive behavior and shallow superstitions – this tribute feature ended up fueling an inferno of controversy, rather than dispel the waging tongues of discontent; namely the media, whom quite drunk on sensationalism, reviewed The Man, The Legend as “exploitive” and “capitalistic.”

Understandably, their argument was valid, particularly in regards to incorporating actual sequences of Linda Lee at the height of her grief, as well as extensive footage of Lee’s Hong Kong funeral service. On the other hand, it was a revealing glimpse of Bruce Lee’s humanity or immortality, via transcendence, but somehow Raymond Chow was targeted and pre-judged as an insincere man; an egocentric mogul determined too milk as much box office returns as possible from an all too eager public willing to exercise collective expenditure for the sake of their lost idol. The Same could be said of Lo Wei or the Shaw Brothers.

Sadly, Bruce Lee: The Man, The Legend intriguingly morphed into something by way of a double edged sword, an anaemic production that couldn’t really satisfy anyone at any conscious level, either with exclusive interviews, commentary or teasing wisps of ‘then’ unseen Game of Death footage or plot concepts for an unrealized philosophical treatise called The Southern Fist.

Various parts looked and felt as though they were hurriedly edited solely for padding without any significant continuity or explaination for insertion: Wong Shum Leung’s (Bruce Lee’s former second Wing Chun Sifu) Game of Death screen test, for example, is not entirely clarified on first viewing as it was predominantly staged on an interior Enter the Dragon set, featuring Wong and Lee’s adoptive brother, Wu Ng, sparring and performing close trapping techniques. Confusing as this may well be, if extra attention had been focused on proper narration and/or construct, perhaps critics would have been, moreover, receptive to this slightly muddled presentation.

Instead, for reasons of his own – be it creative, economic or financial – Raymond Chow decided to shelve The Man, The Legend indefinitely. However, a decade on, Golden Harvest executives again consigned themselves to remaking a broader, more in depth profile, albeit shortening the original title to just Bruce Lee: The Legend.

Freed from the convention of time and budget constraints, technical motifs of book-like chapter visuals and succinct, yet informative narration opens Bruce Lee: The Legend with a rousing musical score and a superb montage of Lee-action sequences. From there, it gently flows into a carefully edited kaleidoscopic gamut of ‘then’ rare footage, diversifying from Lee’s selected childhood filmography/U.S. television credentials to his subsequent Hong Kong film entries. Interspersed with unavailable stills/photographs and eye witness testimonies, personalities such as the aforementioned Raymond Chow and Nora Miao intimately discuss their friendship, as well as celluloid analogies between Lee’s life experiences and the pictures he made for Golden Harvest.

These absorbing insights not only celebrates Bruce Lee’s enduring legacy, but successfully differentiates the ‘Man’ from the illusion of ‘Star fodder’ – a commodity tagging or representation Lee personally found morose and superficial, as inferred to the late Pierre Burton.

Interestingly, all this mammoth responsibility fell into the capable hands of writer/producer, Russell Cawthorne (the very same man who cameoed in Game of Death ’78 as Billy Lo’s plastic surgeon), an introspective individual, who has often quoted that his associations with Lee were always one of electric.

Indeed, condensing a person’s life into a mere eighty minutes is understandably a challenging task to accomplish, yet Cawthorne’s enthusiasm and objectivity blooms within the context of this unique observation where latter biographies – obviously modeled on The Legend – seem mundane, paceless and absent of passion; bar exception is Toby Russell’s Death By Misadventure (1994), the extensive works of Walt Missingham and John Little’s A Warrior’s Journey (2005).

Today Bruce Lee: The Legend may appear dated and stylistically mechanical (no digital or CGI software here folks!), particularly for contemporary fans. Nevertheless, Cawthorne has left no stone unturned, especially when dealing with sensitive or controversial issues – Lee’s untimely passing or the unfinished Game of Death project: both ongoing and debatable subjects that emerge with regularity.

Still, despite the disadvantage of many alternative prints (some versions have omitted (A), Lee’s screentest; (B) certain Game of Death outtakes or (C) Enter the Dragon montage with revamped musical score.), nostalgically, Bruce Lee: The Legend is as ever a commendable examination into one of the most important, multi-faceted icons of the 20th century, brimming with edifying poise and (a) regality not found in current or extant documentaries produced on the “Little Dragon.”

Matthew Le-feuvre’r Rating: 10/10

Posted in Chinese, Documentary, Golden Harvest, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , |

Well Go USA’s new trailer for ‘Kundo: Age of the Rampant’

 Kundo: Age of the Rampant | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Kundo: Age of the Rampant | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Kundo: Age of the Rampant (aka Band of Thieves) is a 19th century period action/martial arts film that stars Ha Jung-woo (The Chaser) and Kang Dong-won (The X).

Directed by Yoon Jong-bin (Nameless Gangster), the film revolves around a group of righteous thieves who steal from corrupt public officials and give to the poor. But things get deadly when the thieves come across a powerful figure.

Updates: Watch the new North American trailer, courtesy of Film Combat Syndicate. And don’t forget, Well Go USA is releasing the Blu-ray and DVD on October 21, 2014.

Posted in News |

Shogun Assassin | Blu-ray & DVD (Animeigo)

Shogun Assassin | Blu-ray & DVD (Animeigo)

Shogun Assassin | Blu-ray & DVD (Animeigo)

RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2014

Animeigo presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Shogun Assassin, starring the legendary Tomisaburo Wakayama (Black Rain). Shogun Assassin is perhaps the most famous – and bloodiest – samurai film in the Western world. Created by editing together the first two Lone Wolf and Cub films (1972’s Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx), this ridiculously violent adventure is an entertaining package!

Unlike the currently released Shogun Assassin: 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition, this new version contains both the Blu-ray & DVD discs.

Pre-order Shogun Assassin from Amazon.com today!

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

Justin Lin’s ‘Shaolin Temple 3D’ gets an award-winning writer!

"Martial Arts of Shaolin" Chinese Theatrical Poster

"Martial Arts of Shaolin" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Deadline reports that Justin Lin (Fast and the Furious franchise) will be directing a remake of Chang Hsin Yen‘s The Shaolin Temple, a 1982 Chinese martial arts film known for launching the film career of Jet Li. Troy Craig Poon, CEO of Perfect Storm Entertainment – and Lin’s business affiliate – says the plan is to hire “an A+ list Hollywood writer to tackle the story.” He adds “The aim is to make an unprecedented Chinese-based tentpole with story, style and scope that will resonate with global audiences as well.”

Deadline says that the film being “planned as a Mandarin-language effort, although an alternative-language version may be explored as well.” There are currently no cast details or target release date, but pre-production for the film may begin after Lin’s Bourne V feature, which is due for an April 2015 release. We’ll keep you posted.

BREAKING NEWS: Deadline reports that writer/director Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James, Killing Them Soflty) will be writing the screenplay.

Posted in News |

Shane Black to bring ‘Remo Williams’ back to the big screen?

"Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" Japanese Theatrical Poster

"Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Deadline reports that Shane Black (Iron Man 3) has been hired to direct an adaptation of Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir’s novel series, The Destroyer. The story revolves around Remo, a cop sentenced to a fake death by the government, then trained as an assassin to defend the country from enemies.

The Destroyer was also adapted into a comic book by Marvel, as well as a 1985 film titled Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, which was directed by Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger) and starred Fred Ward as the title character.

In the meantime, Black is has three other movies in the works, including The Nice Guys, a Predator sequel and a possible Doc Savage movie. Stay tuned!

Posted in News |

Covert Operation | aka The Borderland | DVD (Lionsgate)

"Covert Operation" DVD Cover

"Covert Operation" DVD Cover

RELEASE DATE: November 11, 2014

Lionsgate presents the DVD for Covert Operation (aka The Borderland). Gabriel (played by 5-time World Karate Champion, Seydina Balde), a bounty hunter trapped in Asia, is promised his freedom in return for one final rescue mission. However, his mission takes a turn for the worst when he’s trapped between the border of China and North Korea.

Covert Operation arrives from French director Mathieu Weschler and stars Seydina Balde (Danny The Dog, stunt performer in Casino Royale) in the lead role.Watch the trailer.

Pre-order Covert Operation from Amazon.com today!

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

Asia Extreme Collection Volume 1 | DVD (Pallisades Tartan)

Asia Extreme Collection Volume 1 | DVD (Pallisades Tartan)

Asia Extreme Collection Volume 1 | DVD (Pallisades Tartan)

RELEASE DATE: October 7, 2014

Pallisades Tartan presents the DVD for Asia Extreme Collection Volume 1: South Korean Horror Films. This 3-disc set includes the following titles: Kong Su-Chang’s R Point (2014), Yoo Sang-Gon’s Face (2004) and Kim Yong-Kyoon’s Red Shoes (2005).

You might also be interested in the DVD sets for the Asia Extreme Collection Volume 2: Japanese Horror Films or Asia Extreme Collection Volume 3: Thai Horror Films.

Pre-order Asia Extreme Collection Volume 1 from Amazon.com today!

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

Billy Chong returns with ‘Duel: The Last Choice’

"Duel: The Last Choice" Indonesian Theatrical Poster

"Duel: The Last Choice" Indonesian Theatrical Poster

If you think Iko Uwais (The Raid 2) was the first Indonesian action star to take the world by storm, think again! Old school Indonesian martial arts star Billy Chong (Kung Fu Zombie and the proposed Garuda 7) – who presently goes by the name Willy Dozan – is back with a new flick titled Duel: The Last Choice, which he also directs.

Chong continues the tradition of the “father and son films” like Ninja III: The Domination (Sho Kosugi and Kane) and Assassination Games (Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kris) by teaming up with his son, Leon Dozan.

Duel: The Last Choice will be released domestically on September 18. Hopefully, we’ll see a North American release in some shape or form. Until then, here’s the trailer, courtesy of Film Combat Syndicate.

Posted in News |

Asia Extreme Collection Volume 2 | DVD (Pallisades Tartan)

Asia Extreme Collection Volume 2 | DVD (Pallisades Tartan)

Asia Extreme Collection Volume 2 | DVD (Pallisades Tartan)

RELEASE DATE: October 7, 2014

Pallisades Tartan presents the DVD for Asia Extreme Collection Volume 2: Japanese Horror Films. This 3-disc set includes the following titles: Shinya Tsukamoto’s Snake of June (2003), Yuichi Sato’s Pray (2005) and Shinya Tsukamoto’s Vital (2004).

You might also be interested in the DVD sets for the Asia Extreme Collection Volume 1: South Korean Horror Films or Asia Extreme Collection Volume 3: Thai Horror Films.

Pre-order the Asia Extreme Collection Volume 2 from Amazon.com today!

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

Exclusive: Interview with Alain Moussi

Cityonfire.com presents an interview with Alain Moussi, the rising star of Stephen Fung’s upcoming Kickboxer remake!

Moussi, who currently holds a 5th degree Black Belt in NX Jiu-Jitsu, also worked as a stuntman on X-Men: Days of Future Past, Pacific Rim, Brick Mansions and White House Down.

In this exclusive interview, Moussi talks about Kickboxer, future projects (well, sorta!), and his favorite movies and filmmakers of all time. Enjoy!


Moussi with Michael Jai White and Bill Wallace.

Moussi with Michael Jai White and Bill Wallace.

In your own words, who is Alain Moussi?

At the cost of sounding cheesy, I’m many things to different people; a martial artist, a sensei and a family man. I’m a dreamer who believes that with hard work and determination, his dreams can become reality.

We all know you’re fan of Jean-Claude Van Damme (particularly Bloodsport and Kickboxer), but what about his other movies?

I’ve always favored Bloodsport and Kickboxer since those are the films that inspired me to start training in martial arts. I also like many other Van Damme titles such as Lionheart, Hard Target, Time Cop and Maximum Risk. In my opinion Van Damme isn’t your typical “tough guy”. His characters often show vulnerability which makes him relatable. As a martial arts fan, I enjoy all of his movies. They’re always fun and entertaining! I think Van Damme’s most recent titles show his versatility as an actor. He’s played the hero and the villain crossing over into many genres. I am looking to forward to seeing Pound of Flesh coming out in 2015.

 

"Enter the Dragon" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Enter the Dragon” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Give us a list of your top 5 martial arts films of all time.

So hard to pick only 5! Here are 5 of my favorites:

Enter the Dragon: My father introduced me to Bruce Lee films when I started training in Jiu-Jitsu. I became an instant fan. I loved Bruce Lee’s intensity and charisma.

Kickboxer: As a kid I was very impressed by JC’s kicks and flexibility. He was so clean in his movements. I could definitely see myself becoming just like him.

Best of the Best: Pop it Tommy pop it! Loved it! A beautiful story and display of the martial arts spirit.

Rumble in the Bronx: RITB was the first Jackie Chan movie I watched and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! I loved Jackie’s use of the environment and his ability to throw comedy within his fights.

Ong Bak: Tony Jaa’s athleticism was second to none but what I loved most was that the fights were so gritty and raw.

 

Moussi posing with his future opponent?

Moussi posing with his future opponent?

If you can work with any star, who would that be?

If I had to pick one it would definitely be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. I’ve been a fan of The Rock since he started in the WWE. He’s smart, funny and charismatic! To me The Rock is the ultimate blend of “old school” and “new school” action hero.

If you can work with any filmmaker, who would you choose?

I would love to work with Michael Bay. He’s the ultimate action movie director!

With all the high octane action films of recent years (The Raid 2, Tony Jaa, Donnie Yen, etc.), there has definitely been a new “standard” set. Do you think your Kickboxer remake will meet this standard?

The producers and director Stephen Fung are martial arts fans. They want Kickboxer to be a hard hitting movie. Tony Jaa and Scott Adkins are two of the biggest martial arts superstars in today’s film industry. Georges St-Pierre and Dave Bautista are both champions in their respective fields and the fight choreographer [Larnell Stovall] is one of the best in the business! Kickboxer has all the makings to be an awesome martial arts film!

 

Press coverage in a Hong Hong entertainment magazine.

Press coverage in a Hong Hong entertainment magazine.

In your opinion, is there such thing as “too much violence” in movies?

I think there is a difference between action and violence. A certain amount of violence is acceptable in action as long as it is within context. Gratuitous violence used for shock value only can be “too much violence”.

I know you’re not the biggest fan of remakes, but if you were contracted to appear in another remake of your choice, what movie would you choose?

I would choose Tango & Cash (opposite The Rock)! I love action comedies and I think it would be a fun story to revisit!

 

"Tango & Cash" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Tango & Cash” Japanese Theatrical Poster

If we looked at your personal DVD or Blu-ray collection, name a few movies we would find?

You would find The Expendables, Zoolander, Legends of the Fall, Unleashed, Gladiator, Training Day, Blade, The Raid, Wedding Crashers among many others…

Do you have any possible projects in the works after Kickboxer is completed?

Yes…

No details?

Haha! Have to keep some mystery don’t I !?

Have you seen any of Stephen Fung’s directorial work?

I have seen Tai Chi Hero. I liked the story, comedy, the action and the camera work. I thought it was a cool movie. I’ve talked to Stephen about his vision for Kickboxer and it’s great. I’m looking forward to work with him.

If Stallone called you up to appear in Expendables 4, and he gave you the choice of being a good guy or bad guy, which would you choose?

I would choose the good guy since I love playing the hero!

Thanks again to Alain Moussi, who took the time to answer these questions! The Kickboxer remake starts shooting in the fall. Look for it in theaters in 2015!


NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Much has changed since we first posted this interview back in August 20, 2014. During pre-production, it was announced that Tony Jaa and Scott Adkins – as well as Hong Kong director Stephen Fung – were no longer part of the film. Instead, filmmaker John Stockwell (In the Blood), Jean-Claude Van Damme (star of the original Kickboxer) and Darren Shahlavi (Ip Man 2) were among the new names added to the movie. For the most up-to-date news regarding the Kickboxer reboot, click here.

Posted in Interviews, News |

Asia Extreme Collection Volume 3 | DVD (Pallisades Tartan)

Asia Extreme Collection Volume 3 | DVD (Pallisades Tartan)

Asia Extreme Collection Volume 3 | DVD (Pallisades Tartan)

RELEASE DATE: October 7, 2014

Pallisades Tartan presents the DVD for Asia Extreme Collection Volume 3: Thai Horror Films. This 3-disc set includes the following titles: Mark Duffield’s Ghost of Mae Nak (2005), Monthon Arayangkoon’s The Victim (2006) and Paul Spurrier’s P (2005).

You might also be interested in the DVD sets for the Asia Extreme Collection Volume 1: South Korean Horror Films or Asia Extreme Collection Volume 2: Japanese Horror Films.

Pre-order the Asia Extreme Collection Volume 3 from Amazon.com today!

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