Are you ready for another dose of surveillance action from three of Hong Kong’s most popular actors? Louis Koo (Flash Point), Daniel Wu (Shinjuku Incident) and Lau Ching-Wan (The Bullet Vanishes) are back in Alan Mak and Felix Chong’s Overheard 3.
DDDHouse.com now has Blu-ray & DVD versions available for an October 28th pre-order. Keep in mind that the DVD versions are Region 3 coded, so you will need a multi-region DVD player to view the movie. Fortunately, the Blu-ray version is coded for region A, so they’re good to go on your current North American Blu-ray hardware.
"Bring Me the Head of the Machine Gun Woman" Theatrical Poster
RELEASE DATE: January 20, 2015
Screen Media presents the DVD for Bring Me the Head of the Machine Gun Woman, directed by Ernesto Díaz Espinoza, the Chilean action filmmaker responsible for Marko Zaror’s Mandrill, Mirageman, Kiltro and the upcoming Redeemer.
Timid, video game-loving DJ Santiago (Matías Oviedo) seemingly digs his own grave when he agrees to bring a violent criminal kingpin the head of Machine Gun Woman (Fernanda Urrejola). Watch the trailer.
Director: David Leitch Co-director: Chad Stahelski Cast: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Willem Dafoe, Daniel Bernhardt, Bridget Regan, Lance Reddick, Keith Jardine Running Time: 96 min.
By Jeff Bona
If there’s one Hollywood superstar who’s maintained a solid connection with the martial arts film genre, it’s Keanu Reeves.
Reeves first made this connection in 1999/2003 with the Matrix trilogy, where he “learned” a great deal of on-screen fighting from legendary Hong Kong choreographer Yuen Woo Ping; in 2013, he starred in the samurai epic 47 Ronin, where he worked with Zhang Peng (choreographer of The Wrath of Vajra); that same year, he reunited with Yuen for the Chinese/U.S. co-production Man of Tai Chi, a kung fu flick he not only starred in, but also directed.
With a resume as physically demanding and cultured as his is, it should come as no surprise that Reeves is still kicking some serious ass in his latest film, John Wick.
John Wick marks the directorial debut of David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, founders of the 87Eleven Stunt Team. They’re obviously known for staging stunt work and fight choreography in films like 300 (2006), Tron: Legacy (2010) and Safe (2012). Now, if Stahelski’s choreography work in Safe alone isn’t enough of a credential to get you excited about seeing John Wick, then you obviously haven’t seen Safe. Let’s put it this way: I like Reeves, but I’m not exactly watching John Wick for him, if you catch my drift.
John Wick is written by Derek Kolstad, who penned the straight-to-DVD actioners One in the Chamber and The Package (both star Dolph Lundgren, just to give you an idea of what kind of films these are). So, what we have with John Wick is essentially a “B-movie” with a moderate budget, a big star, and a couple of first-time directors who probably had one common goal: To make a brainless action flick for people who love excessive violence. Given this context, John Wick succeeds.
Keanu Reeves plays John Wick, an infamous, retired assassin who now leads a peaceful lifestyle. But when a series of unfortunate events distort his daily routine, Wick has no choice but to revisit his sinister past and go on one hell of a kill crazy rampage.
John Wick truly delivers during its amazingly staged action sequences. The majority of them involve brutal gun battles, which are stylishly choreographed with a dance-like rhythm; think a less exaggerated, more grittier take on Gun Kata, the fictional gun-wielding martial art style in Kurt Wimmer’s Equilibrium (2002). It’s a whole lotta fun watching Wick plow through hordes of enemies, sometimes shooting them 3 or 4 times a piece – aiming at various body parts – from a number of neat angles and distances.
The firefights are accented with hand-to-hand combat scenes, placed randomly between the endless rain of bullets. There will be those who complain that they’re filmed too close, or are too darkly lit, etc. This may be true, but the rest of the film’s savagery is the trade off. Although there wasn’t as many physical fight scenes as I’d like there to be, they’re at least done without the typical shaky cam approach.
The style doesn’t stop at the action. You might be amused by the treatment of playful on-screen text – and reoccurring subtitles – which were scattered across the screen using colored fonts, instead of the typical generic white text at the bottom of the screen. If you’re a muscle car enthusiast, the film showcases a number of beastly automobiles for your eyes (and ears) to appreciate.
What’s disappointing about John Wick is the lack of a competitive adversary to the title character. I felt the film was just begging for an enemy that can hold their own against Wick. The closest we get is an annoying femme fatale (Adrianne Palicki) who would be more suitable in a Pierce Brosnan-era James Bond flick. Equally as bad is a non-threatening, over-the-hill gangster (Michael Nyqvist) who ultimately becomes Wick’s main opponent during the film’s anticlimactic finale.
Then, there’s the film’s music. At times, I felt it was overused. From what I remember, almost every time any type of action kicked in, it was accompanied by an uptempo soundtrack; sometimes it worked, sometimes it was overkill. There are some other questionable hiccups throughout John Wick, but you have to remind yourself that you’re watching a B-movie masked by the star of Speed (1994), so these flaws should be easily dismissed and forgiven.
Overall, not a bad directorial debut for Leitch and Stahelski. They certainly have a good sense of pacing, and without doubt, they’re the real deal when it comes to creating some hard-hitting action pieces. With a little less aerial shots (someone went a little stock footage crazy), and some worthy baddies worked into the script, the Leitch/Stahelski duo may one day make an action flick that I can fully recommend. As for John Wick? It’s definitely worth a watch, but if you’re wise, you’ll wait ’til it appears on Netflix.
When a spate of eerie murders erupts across Hong Kong, two troublemaking cops are assigned to the case. After discovering that all of the victims were former boyfriends of aspiring starlet, the detectives find themselves in a deadly situation.
Badges of Fury also stars Wen Zhang, Michelle Chen, Collin Chou and Wu Jing.
Months ago, we reported that Don “The Dragon” Wilson (Bloodfist, Ring of Fire) and a group of producers were supposedly mounting a new project called The B-Team, an Expendables-esque movie with straight-to-video stars like Cynthia Rothrock, Michael Dudikoff, Loren Avedon, Billy Blanks, Jeff Speakman and Mark Dacascos.
Well, looks like “The Dragon” has some competition. Cityonfire.com was contacted by Indonesian filmmaker Bagus Ariatama, who’ll be directing his own Expendables-esque flick called Garuda 7. This Indonesian production will star local legends and some well-known, straight-to-video names; and possibly some Hong Kong talent. Garuda 7 will be put out by Lifevolution Pictures, which was formed by Ariatama and Bey Logan. Ariatama says the film will start pre-production this September (after Logan wraps up Lady Bloodsport) with cameras expected to roll by January 2014.
So, who’s going to be in Garuda 7? Apparently Indonesian martial arts stars Barry Prima (The Devil’s Sword) and Willy Dozan (aka Billy Chong of Kung Fu Zombie and Crystal Fist) are on board. Ariatama also mentioned that the well-connected Logan is trying to get Mark Dacascos, Michael Dudikoff, Lorenzo Lamas, Richard Norton and Hong Kong’s Simon Yam, to be a part of Garuda 7. The addition of even two of these guys could make Garuda 7 the first Expendables-like movie – that’s if The B-Team doesn’t get made first.
Updates: We have some new visuals for Garuda 7, which may hint that the forever-in-development “Indonesian Expendables” may finally be taking shape. Check out the film’s new promo poster, which has some very familiar names, including Verdy Bhawanta (Mortal Enemies), Tim Man (Raging Phoenix), Ron Smoorenburg (Who Am I?) and Brahim Achabbakhe (Man of Tai Chi), Kazu Patrick Yang (Dragonwolf), John Ladalski (Chinese Stuntman) and last but not least, Mark Dacascos (Brotherhood of the Wolf). In addition, visit the film’s Facebook page, which has a behind-the-scenes teaser. | Two new teasers.
Cityonfire.com and Well Go USA are giving away 3 Blu-ray copies of Donnie Yen’s Iceman to three lucky Cityonfire visitors.
To enter, simply add a comment to this post and describe, in your own words, this clip (yes, you read that right). We will be selecting a winner at random. Be sure to include your email address in the appropriate field so we can contact you for your home address. Additionally, you must ‘Like Us‘ on cityonfire.com’s Facebook by clicking here.
The Blu-ray & DVD for Iceman will be officially released on November 11, 2014. We will announce the 3 winners on that day and ship out the prizes immediately.
CONTEST DISCLAIMER: You must enter by November 10, 2014 to qualify. U.S. residents only please. We sincerely apologize to our non-U.S. visitors. Winners must respond with their mailing address within 48 hours, otherwise you will automatically be disqualified. No exceptions. Contest is subject to change without notice.
"The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom" Theatrical Poster
DDDHouse.com now has Jacob Cheung’s (A Battle of Wits) wuxia-fantasy 3D film The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom available for an October 24th pre-order.
Penned by Liang Yusheng (The Bride with White Hair), the film revolves around a pair of star-crossed lovers – a devilish outlaw (Iron Man 3’s Fan Bingbing) and the righteous Taoist leader (Ip Man 2’sHuang Xiaoming), and their love that could change the fate of the nation.
Keep in mind that the DVD version is Region 3 coded, so you will need a multi-region DVD player to view the movie. Fortunately, the Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray versions are coded for region A, so they’re good to go on your current North American Blu-ray hardware.
Kundo: Age of the Rampant | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)
Cityonfire.com and Well Go USA are giving away 3 Blu-ray copies of Kundo to three lucky Cityonfire visitors.
To enter, simply add a comment to this post and describe, in your own words, Steven Seagal’s clothes in this clip (yes, you read that right). We will be selecting a winner at random. Be sure to include your email address in the appropriate field so we can contact you for your home address. Additionally, you must ‘Like Us‘ on cityonfire.com’s Facebook by clicking here.
The Blu-ray & DVD for Kundo was officially released on October 21, 2014. We will announce the 3 winners on October 30, 2014 and ship out the prizes immediately.
CONTEST DISCLAIMER: You must enter by October 29, 2014 to qualify. U.S. residents only please. We sincerely apologize to our non-U.S. visitors. Winners must respond with their mailing address within 48 hours, otherwise you will automatically be disqualified. No exceptions. Contest is subject to change without notice.
CONGRATULATIONS: Damon, Daniel K. and 31FilmTalk. You have been notified via email!
Chilean martial arts sensation Marko Zaror (Kiltro, Machete Kills) is set to star in Zambo Dende, an action film based on Nicholas Rodriguez’ Colombian comic book of the same name. Darren Shahlavi (Tactical Force) and Michelle Lee (Blood and Bone) are also in talks to join the film.
According to Film Combat Syndicate, here’s what you can expect from the plot: “The character is based on real life events about a child named Azuk who would rise from oppression to become a fighting force for the oppressed slaves of Latin America, ultimately foreseeing his royal destiny preset by the assassination of his mother.”
Until then, look out for Zaror’s next film, Redeemer, which is just around the corner. He’s also tied to One Good Thing, directed by Kimo Stamboel (Macabre). Stay tuned!
Cinema Epoch presents the Blu-ray for 1991’s Samurai Cop. Detective Frank Washington (Mark Frazer) and Joe Marshall (Matt Hannon) team up to take on the Yakuza in this 1991 cult classic. Watch the trailer.
Directed by the late Amir Shervan (Killing American Style), Samurai Cop found a whole new audience during its midnight theatrical circuit and film festival re-release. Its resurgence prompted producers Rich Mallery and Gregory Hatanaka to start production on an upcoming sequel, Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance.
Imagine if Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Chow Yun Fat, Sammo Hung, Andy Lau, Yuen Biao, Lau Ching Wan, Ti Lung, Jimmy Wang Yu, David Chiang, Simon Yam and Tony Leung got together for a Chinese version of The Expendables? Cool thought, huh?
Well, there’s a slight possibility that a Chinese Expendables-type project may happen one day. While promoting his latest film, Kung Fu Jungle, Donnie Yen revealed that he has casually brought the idea up to Jackie Chan.
Here’s what Yen told Flicks and the City (via EP): “Months ago, I had a conversation with Jackie and I kind of brought the idea up: ‘You know what, why don’t we make our own Chinese Expendables,’ and he told me: ‘Talk to Jet Li. If you convince Jet Li, [I’ll] do it.’ It was just a casual conversation and was never really a serious follow up project we were aiming at. But, who knows…I think it’s brilliant idea.” When Yen was asked who he’d like to team up with, he said: “Everybody under the sun. Every Chinese action guy in film. That would be very fun.”
Well Go USA presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Kim Hong-sun’s The Traffickers.
This Award-winning South Korean crime thriller takes place in six hours on a passenger boat with an ongoing black-market organ-trafficking operation, and a desperate husband out to find his missing wife.
The film stars Im Chang-jung, Choi Daniel, Oh Dal-su and Jo Yoon-hee. Watch the trailer.
Lionsgate is set to release the DVD for Eric Tsang’s 7 Assassins on December 23rd. When a Kingdom’s royal gold goes missing, a group of elite royal guards are tasked with recovering the riches, but they quickly realize the missing gold is part of a larger rebel defiance, made up of a group of assassins who have banded together to rid the government of corruption.
Directed by both Tsang (who also stars) and Hung Yan Yan (action director), 7 Assassins stars: Felix Wong, Ray Lui, Guo Tao, Kara Hu, Well Lee, Michael Wong, Fung Hak On, Waise Lee, Leung Kar Yan, Ken Lo, Mars, Jason Pai Piao, Ti Lung, Dick Wei, Simon Yam, Yu Rong Guang and many others! Watch the trailer!
Director: Keith Parmer
Writer: Keith Parmer
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Josh Henderson, Brad Carter, Alfred Molina, Lennie James
Running Time: 120 min.
By Kyle Warner
Okay, this one’s kind of silly, but I’m not gonna lie, I enjoyed it.
The film begins with a Vegas casino robbery. Four members of a five man crew are captured before they can make off with the loot. The fifth man takes a bullet to the head, but survives and wanders out into the desert with ten million dollars under his arm. Fast forward a decade. The fifth man has a new name and a new job, serving as the Sheriff of the little town he wandered into all those years ago. He has no memory of his criminal past, thanks to that bullet that still resides within his brain, and claims no knowledge of the millions he supposedly hid. That’s a problem because his old crew is out of prison and they’re looking to collect.
With me so far? Yeah, it’s one of those movies where you have to suspend some disbelief… and it has some ideas that feel awfully familiar to films like A History of Violence and High Noon… but for the most part it somehow works, thanks to a quirky script and some likable performances.
The film is being sold as an action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. He stands front and center on the DVD cover with a shotgun and a scowl and you’d be forgiven for thinking that he’s the Sheriff at the center of the film. Instead that role belongs to English actor Lennie James, who’s made a career out of playing world-weary Americans on TV in such shows as The Walking Dead, Jericho, and Low Winter Sun. The role of a Sheriff who used to be a criminal but can’t remember shit because he’s got a bullet in his head asks a lot of any actor. Because, I mean, let’s get real: this is just goofy. But James plays it straight, anchors the film in something akin to reality, and keeps the story from falling into parody.
Another actor who helps the film a great deal is Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), here playing the town’s boozing doctor. In what could’ve been lame comic relief or just another tired retread of a worn-out stock character actually becomes the highlight of the film thanks to Molina’s screen presence and comic timing.
Sadly, Van Damme is largely wasted in the film. He plays little more than a henchman in the crew and is never given much to do. It’s unfortunate. I expect most people who will decide to watch Swelter will watch it for Jean-Claude Van Damme. But his role could’ve been played by just about anyone.
When the bad guys show up in the Sheriff’s little town, our amnesiac hero doesn’t recognize them, but he recognizes a threat easily enough. Still, it takes a long time for things to get going. In some quirky, harebrained way things do manage to connect by the end, but it could’ve used a faster pace.
Still, for all the easy things that the movie does wrong, Swelter does some of the hard things right. The performances are good. The dialogue is snappy and sometimes quite funny. The camerawork is interesting. And when the credits rolled at the end, I found that I had enjoyed myself.
In addition to Van Damme not being the star, I feel the need to make one more thing clear: Swelter is not an action film. Sometimes it’s not even much of a thriller. It’s a crime drama… or you might even call it a modern day western. But make no mistake, if you’re going into the movie expecting shootouts, fight scenes, and explosions, you’re going to be disappointed.
Swelter may disappoint with a story full of plot contrivances and by wasting Jean-Claude Van Damme in a throwaway role, but some fine performances and sharp dialogue manage to make the film strangely likable. It’s a B-movie, to be sure, but it’s a B-movie with some style.
Drafthouse Films presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Why Don’t You Play in Hell?, directed by Sion Sono, the controversial and prolific director behind such Japanese-language films as Cold Fish, Love Exposure and Guilty of Romance.
Why Don’t You Play In Hell? is an over-the-top mix of martial arts, comedy and gore. The best way to describe the gist of the movie is to catch its North American trailer, courtesy of Apple.
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