THE RAID to explode across the UK

We havent seen this kind of heavyweight theatrical support for an Asian film in a long time – Momentum Pictures, and Alliance Films Company, will release what film critics are calling “The Best Action Film of the Year”, THE RAID, in over 280 cinemas across the UK and Ireland on 18 May.

The Raid stars the newest action movie superstar, Iko Uwais, was written and directed by Welshman, Gareth Evans and features a kick ass score by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and composer Joe Trapanese. An up to date list of all the cinemas playing THE RAID and show times is on the film’s Fan Hub page, or the official UK Facebook page.

Synopsis: Deep in the heart of Jakarta's slums stands an impenetrable apartment block; a safe house for the city’s most dangerous killers and gangsters and considered untouchable to even the bravest of police. Cloaked under the cover of pre-dawn darkness and silence, an elite SWAT team is tasked with raiding the safe house in order to take down the notorious drug lord that runs it. When rookie cop Rama is the last man standing, he must fight his way to the top of the building to complete the mission and escape with his life.  

The Raid UK trailer

UK DVD cover art for Columbian horror film THE SQUAD

Every once in a good while a South American country; ups and throws something bloody good into the international horror pot and this time around Colombia’s in the frame as Jaime Osorio Marquez's Military horror (‘El paramo’) The Squad is heading for a UK DVD bow. Part psychological thriller, part full-blown horror film, The Squad builds tension before delivering a final revelation that will “send faint-hearted viewers running screaming to the hills.” We’d gladly take that challenge...and for any others in the UK wanting to give it a go, June 18 is the date to look out for.

Synopsis: When all communication with a remote military base situated in an area of intense guerrilla activity is lost, a unit of Colombian soldiers is sent on a mission to regain contact with their brothers-in-arms. Fearing the base has been taken over by enemy forces, they arrive to find the place seemingly devoid of life. Once power is restored to the outpost, the full horror of the situation is revealed – the place is littered with corpses, the walls daubed with blood and what appear to be magical symbols intended to ward off evil. Amidst the carnage the soldiers discover a woman buried alive behind one of the walls. The dead captain’s log reveals she had been captured in the area several days earlier and was being held on suspicion of being a guerrilla informant. Further interrogation of the woman reveals little, but soon leads to tensions amongst the men who are struggling to come to terms with the mysterious slaughter of their comrades. Confused and isolated, the soldiers find themselves gripped by inexplicable feelings of fear, mistrust and paranoia that leads them to question the nature and identity of their enemy.

The Squad trailer

HELPLESS: Review

Director: Byun Young-joo. Review: Chris Sawin.

Mun-ho (Lee Seon-gyun) and Sun-yeong (Kim Min-hee) are engaged to be married. They're actually on the way to visit Mun-ho's parents, but as Mun-ho stops for some coffee Sun-yeong receives a phone call that changes both of their lives forever. As Mun-ho returns to the car, Sun-yeong is nowhere to be found. He searches everywhere, calls her cell phone to no avail, files a police report, and even comes home to a house that looks like it has literally been turned upside down. Sun-yeong has disappeared without a trace and Mun-ho will stop at nothing to find her even if it means that the person he's looking for may not be the person he's grown to love over the course of the past year.

Helpless is unique in the sense that it's more enjoyable than the movies it may remind you of. To a certain degree, it’s a lot like ‘Unknown’ with a little bit of gender swapping and more originality. The intimate scenes between Mun-ho and Sun-yeong were reminiscent of ‘The Vow,’ but doesn't feel overdone or leave you with the urge to regurgitate. Overall, Helpless is pretty well-crafted. Mun-ho becomes obsessed with finding Sun-yeong and will stop at nothing to not only find her whereabouts, but also what her true identity actually is. He puts everything on the line including his job as a veterinarian. He talks his former police detective cousin, Jong-geun (Jo Sung-ha), into helping him search for Sun-yeong. As Helpless progresses, it's as if Mun-ho's mental and emotional stability folds under learning who Sun-yeong actually is but he can't stop. Not until he hears it all from Sun-yeong herself...Continue review here.

Helpless trailer

SADAKO 3D heads for Hong Kong

Where they’re next set to release the latest incarnation of ‘The Ring’ series - Sadako 3D - has been occupying a lot of our time, because we really want to see it and every new territory means a possible source to snap up an English subbed DVD. Last month Korea offered up hope for a possible purchase, but now that Hong Kong has just jumped on the Sadako bandwagon, we’ve now got a sure fire (and cheaper. Hey...we’re big Asian horror fans, but still always up for a bargain) source on the way. S3D opens in HK June 14.

Synopsis: Akane is a high school teacher who hears a rumour from her students that there is actual footage on the Internet of someone's suicide. The footage is said to drive anyone who sees it to also commit suicide. Akane does not believe the rumour at first, but when one of her female students dies after viewing the footage, she and her boyfriend Takanori are fatefully drawn into the horror that has been created by the man who appears in the suicide footage, Kashiwada. Kashiwada's intention is to create chaos in the world by bringing back Sadako and the power of her curse. Now Akane has to fight against Sadako and Kashiwada to save the lives of herself and Takanori.

Official Sadako 3D website

 

EMPEROR AND THE WHITE SNAKE: DVD review

Director: Ching Siu Tung. Review: Adam Wing.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Two beautiful girls live amongst the trees, frolicking in a CGI forest and talking to animals. They could be lovers, they might be sisters (very close sisters), but they frolic all the same - laughing, giggling and slithering through life. One of the girls becomes obsessed with a rather damp excuse for a human being, saves his life and then stalks him for a while. The other girl longs for companionship and befriends a dim-witted demon hunter. The dim-witted hunter is bitten by a giant bat demon and starts to transform, but the beautiful girl vows to teach him the ways of a human/demon hybrid – as you do I guess.

Perhaps I should’ve mentioned that this is a Jet Li movie, with the martial arts legend appearing alongside a long line of CGI nastiness, playing the part of a demon slaying monk. Perhaps I should also mention that the two girls are snakes, one white and one green, and that not since the hit movie Splash have we witnessed such alluring scaly-skinned specimens. Welcome to the wonderful world of Emperor And The White Snake. That’s right folks, The Legend of the White Snake is born again, with Eva Huang (Kung Fu Hustle) starring as a lovelorn demon and action superstar Jet Li playing the part of a Buddhist monk – a Buddhist monk who belongs in another movie entirely, but we’ll let that go for now...Continue review here.

Emperor trailer

U.K theatrical release set for Sion Sono’s HIMIZU

Auteur of the strange - all round genius - and huge favourite around these parts, Japanese director Sion Sono’s latest opus (and biggest box-office success to date) Himizu is set for a UK theatrical release next month via Third Window Films, and we reckon its an opportunity not to be missed. Opening at the ICA, Prince Charles Cinema and selected regional sites, you can catch Himizu from June 1st. A real no brainer that this is a must see for Sono fans...end of!

Synopsis: Set after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, all 14-year-old Yuichi Sumida wants to become is a regular boy and live a decent life. His environment though repeatedly drags him into the mud. He runs his parent's rental boat business, which is located next to a nondescript lake. His mother frequently comes home with different men and soon she leaves him entirely. His father only comes around looking for money. Whenever Yuichi's father is drunk he tells Yuichi "I wish you were dead." Keiko Chazawa is a classmate of Yuichi Sumida. She harbours a severe crush on Yuichi. Keiko's home life isn't much better than Yuichi's. Her mother builds a gallows with a noose in place for Keiko to take her own life. Her mother believes her life would be better off without Keiko.Under these circumstances, Keiko pays a visit to Yuichi's home. A group of people are lingering nearby who live in make shift tents on the property. Keiko tries to befriend Yuichi, but she is berated and even physically assaulted. She doesn't get deterred though and sticks around. One day, the yakuza come by Yuichi's home. They look for Yuichi's father who is nowhere to be found. The men then tell Yuichi that he has to come up with 6 million Yen by tomorrow to pay off his father's debt. Yuichi already heartbroken by his mother's abandonment and abuse from his father nears a tipping point. A string of incidents then occurs that brings Yuichi's world to a screeching halt. Is there light at the end of the tunnel for Yuichi?

Himizu trailer

Full trailer for Lim Sang-soo’s THE TASTE OF MONEY

After bringing us the highly acclaimed remake of the Korean 60s classic (hailed by some as the best Korean film ever made) ‘The Housemaid,’ director Im Sang-soo, is back with another tale of high society greed, sex and deceit - in The Taste of Money. A new trailer is out and if only goes to prove one thing it’s that Soo knows how make greed, sex and deceit look oh so very stylish. The Taste of Money opens in Korea May 17th. 

 

 

The Taste of Money full trailer

The Taste of Money official site

 

Aussie horror THE LOVED ONES hits the U.S this June

Great news for all you U.S gore fiends who are fans of unusual, quirky and shockingly bloody horror - Australian first time director Sean Byrne’s "Carrie"-meets-"Misery" flick The Loved Ones, is finally due for some theatrical releases in the U.S ,and the date to watch out for is June 1st! Details of which cities are lucky enough to get to see it first (plus there’s a tab to click to request further venues) are on the films official site.

Prom night just got BLOODY...good.

Synopsis: Brent (Xavier Samuel) has never really recovered from the night of his car crash. It's the crash that killed his father, the crash that he was responsible for, and his only solace is his loving girlfriend Holly. But there's another girl who yearns to comfort Brent, the quietest girl in school, Lola. Just when Brent thought his life couldn't get any worse, Brent turns down Lola's invitation to the school prom and enters a nightmare beyond imagining. Just hours before the dance, Brent is abducted and taken to Lola's home by her adoring, demented DADDY who's determined to make his lovelorn princess's dream come true, her own private prom night with her dream date. As the night wears on Brent discovers that Lola's feelings for him aren't the only thing she's been keeping a secret, and although beaten and broken, he must summon every ounce of will he possesses if he is to survive, escape, and prevent Lola and her father from extending her revenge to those he loves most.

The Loved Ones official site

Read our review of The Loved Ones

Poster for Indonesian horror comedy KAKEK CANGKUL

We’re back in the weird and wonderful world that is Indonesian movie production, which this time raises the question - can you make a horror comedy that revolves around the premise of a scythe wielding, psychotic senior citizen? Whether they’ve found the answer might well remain a mystery, but they are giving it a good go all the same, with the upcoming slasher Kakek Cangkul aka (and this is a literal translation) ‘Grandfather Hoe’.

Granted it all sounds more than a tad strange, until you realise the movie is actually the follow up to another hit Indonesian horror - from Movie Eight Studios - titled (no we’re not making this up) 'Grandmother Ladle,' and there’s even a third film planned to round off the series. Maybe nothing about Indonesian cinema should surprise us any more? Kakek Cangkul opens locally in late May.

Korea becomes DERANGED this summer

Summer is fast approaching, and as that means its horror season in Korea we’ve some new details on a big budget scare flick titled ‘Yeongasi’ (aka ‘Deranged’), the latest big budget offering from CJ entertainment. With this one we’re heading for Zombie (of the infected, rather than un-dead kind) territory, as a mass virus epidemic takes control of human brains turning the victim into a H2O-thirsty zombie obsessed with water!? Intriguing stuff. The movie is slated for release this coming July so no trailer as yet, but we have tracked down a detailed summary of the plot to be going on with. More soon..

Synopsis: Jae-hyuk is an ordinary man in his 40s. He works as a medical supplies salesman and is hassled by doctors all day. His brother Jae-pil is a detective that is not all that interested in public safety and spends most of his time moaning about the stock market. The discovery of a series of floating, gruesomely skeletal bodies around the country sparks hysteria. The police commissioner is disturbed to see CCTV footage of people jumping into water as if they were possessed, and drowning themselves. Time passes and hundreds of similar cases are reported, leaving officials stumped as to the cause of the deaths. The government declares a national emergency. Jae-pil joins the massive investigation and meets the mayor of a small town who claims he witnessed several men in work uniforms dumping infected dogs into the streams and realizes that there is a conspiracy behind the outbreak. Meanwhile, Jae-hyuk’s wife and children are showing the same symptoms as the victims, leading to a frantic search for medicine. Through Jae-pil he learns of a warehouse containing a potential cure in thousands and thousands of doses and heads there with no idea of what he’s heading into.

IRON SKY - Invading UK Cinemas for ONE DAY ONLY

Brought to life by Finnish Director Timo Vuorensola and producer Tero Kaukomaa, the cinematic phenomenon that is - the sci-fi, action, comedy mash-up - Iron Sky is finally coming to UK screens....But not for long! The window of opportunity for some Nazis from the moon action is pretty damn tiny, because for one day only (Wednesday 23rd May) Iron Sky will be shown at cinemas across the country, and then released on DVD on Monday 28th May.

A confirmed list of the initial 15 theatres screening Iron Sky will be released next week, but in the mean time, if you want to see the film near home, get in touch with your local cinema to let them know there’s a demand. Interest can also be expressed and viewed on this interactive map within the Iron Sky website.

Synopsis: In the final moments of World War II, a secret Nazi space program evaded destruction by fleeing to the Dark Side of the Moon. Over the next 70 years, in utter secrecy, the Nazis constructed a gigantic space fortress, amassing a veritable armada of flying saucers. When American astronaut James Washington) sets down his Lunar Lander a bit too close to the secret Nazi base, the Moon Fuehrer decides the glorious moment of retaking the Earth has arrived sooner than expected. Washington claims the mission is just a publicity stunt for the President of the United States but what else could the man be but a scout for the imminent attack by Earth forces? The Fourth Reich must act! Two Nazi officers, ruthless Klaus Adler and idealistic Renate Richter, travel to Earth to prepare for the invasion. In the end when the Moon Nazi UFO armada darkens the skies, every man, woman and nation alike must re-evaluate their priorities.

Iron Sky UK trailer

YAKUZA WEAPON: Blu-ray review

Director: Tak Sakaguchi. Review: Adam Wing.

Teaming up with cult actor/director Tak Sakaguchi (Versus) for another deliriously demented offering, it would seem that Sushi Typhoon is back in business. Co-directed by Yudai Yamaguchi, and featuring action direction by Yuji Shimomura (Death Trance, Versus, Shinobi), with special makeup effects provided by Sushi Typhoon regular Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police, Helldriver), Yakuza Weapon is based on an adult comic created by Ken Ishikawa, who also had a hand in Cutie Honey. I think it’s safe to assume that we’re not entering period drama territory here.

It’s the usual drill. High-octane action, human weaponry, CGI bloodlust and yakuza gangster fodder, brought to you in glorious high definition - I mean really, what’s not to like? You either love this kind of thing or you don’t, and I doubt very much Yakuza Weapon will do enough to change your opinion either way. The yakuza underworld is ruled by chivalry and loyalty (you’ll hear that a few times in this one), otherwise known as ‘Jingi’. If a yakuza violates Jingi there is hell to pay, because the yakuza live and die by their principles...Continue review here.

 

5 Points Pictures announces MOSS

Anime/Manga distributor Right Stuf Right Stuf Inc have just announced the creation of 5 Points Pictures a new division set to focus on live-action programming, and there’s going to be a ton of great Asian titles heading Stateside, from them very soon.

Early on the cards to be released under this studio-label - as part of a multi-picture agreement with South Korea's CJ Entertainment - include critical favourites ‘Bleak Night’, ‘Punch’, recent hits ‘Finding Mr. Destiny,’ ‘Penny Pinchers,’ ‘The Suicide Forecast,’ and edge-of-your-seat drama Tazza: The High Rollers' - But first up for the 5 Point treatment will be a special-edition DVD of MOSS the excellent murder-mystery-thriller, from Director Kang Woo-suk and its due to hit the streets this August.

Extra features: “The Making of Moss,” “The Beginning of the Story – The Comic Behind the Story,” art and set design documentary (“The Birth of the Village”), make-up and effects featurette (“Come Out to the Real World”), poster shoot video, original South Korean teaser and trailer, cast and director bios, and 5 Points Pictures trailers.

Synopsis: Hae-guk receives word that his estranged father has passed away, so he travels to the remote village where the older man lived to attend the funeral. However, when Hae-guk starts asking questions about his father’s life – and unexplained death – the residents and their charismatic Chief exchange mysterious looks and seem anxious to rush him out of their village. Something isn’t right, and Hae-guk is determined to uncover the truth… at any cost!

Moss trailer

CRIME OR PUNISHMENT?!?: DVD review

Director: Keralino Sandorovich. Review: Adam Wing.

Every day is pretty much like any other, that is of course, unless your name is Ayame (Riko Narumi) and you live in a world created by Keralino Sandorovich. With a pin-up career going nowhere fast, Ayame takes on the PR role of ‘police chief for the day’, a job that would normally require her to put on her best smile and act like she works for the police department. Unfortunately for Ayame, today is not a normal day. The staff at the police station insist on treating her like a real police chief and look to her for advice, enthusiasm and instruction. Which is bad enough in itself, but add to the mix an ex-boyfriend who works as a detective at the station, and you’re starting to have a very bad day indeed.

Things are a little more complicated than that though, and there’s more to her ex Haruki (Kento Nagayama) than meets the eye. Not only is he playing at being her subordinate for the day, he also holds a dark and deadly secret that goes someway to explaining why they broke up in the first place. Situations take another unexpected turn when a major event takes place, and it’s down to Ayame to solve the case at hand. Crime or Punishment?!? is a slapstick comedy starring Riko Narumi (Bushido Sixteen), Kento Nagayama (Villain), Sakura Ando (Love Exposure) and Megumi Okina (Shutter), arriving on UK shores this month courtesy of Third Window Films...Continue reading review.  

 

Cult favorite LADY SNOWBLOOD headed to UK Blu-ray

British distributors Arrow Video have announced that they'll be releasing both of the Lady Snowblood films on Blu-ray. Lady Snowblood (1973) and the sequel Lady Snowblood: Love Song Of Vengeance (1974) are due to hit shelves in the UK on September 24th in both a Dual Format Edition and SteelBook Limited Edition releases.

The main inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films, both films were directed by Toshiya Fujita and star the legendary actress Meiko Kaji as Yuki, a child raised with the single purpose of cutting down the four beasts that brutalised her mother, dismembering every down, dirty lowlife that stands in her way.

The full list of specs and features hasn't been released yet, but we'll let you know when that changes. In the meantime, you can pre-order the discs from Amazon or HMV. Thanks to Blu-Ray.com for the heads up.

Lady Snowblood trailer

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