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New clips for Fumihiko Sori’s ICHI

With its U.K theatrical release barely over a week away, we’ve just been given some great new clips from Fumihiko Sori's Ichi, his reimagining of the legendary blind swordsman series…"Zatoichi." Traditionally a male character Sori's turns tradition on its head and Ichi stars actress Haruka Ayase (Hero) in the title role playing a young, beautiful blind musician who also happens to be an lethal swordswoman. All the clips can be accessed from the links below. For full details on film screening locations, times and dates, whiz on over to the pics official site for the info.

Travelling the country in search of the blind swordsman who raised her as a child and passed on his fighting skills to her before mysteriously leaving her life, Ichi is constantly struggling to deal with those eager to take advantage of her disability. During her quest she encounters and is threatened by a brutal gang of bandits. Another passing wanderer, Toma (Takao Osawa), steps in to rescue Ichi but finds he is the one being saved when she reveals a samurai sword hidden inside her walking stick and effortlessly despatches their attackers. The slaying of the bandits brings the wrath of their leader, Banki (Shido Nakamura), down upon Ichi and Toma and they reluctantly become embroiled in a battle for control of a village between Banki's gang and the local yakuza. However, Ichi's initial feelings about her involvement changes when she discovers Banki may know the whereabouts of the man she is seeking.

Ichi clip1 clip2 clip3 clip4

Ichi official UK site

ROSARIGASINOS (GANGS FROM ROSARIO) R1 DVD: Review

Director: Rodrigo Grande. Review: Tim Irwin.

Have you ever thought about how many different countries all have their own gangster movies? America's The Godfather and Goodfellas have set the bar there, Japan has a plethora of Yakuza films, and England (at least recently) gets Guy Ritchie. Well what if you moved the stories and characters to Argentina, and tried again? That's almost how Rosarigasinos turns out to be. At the same time, imagine Butch and Sundance survived the shootout in Bolivia, and instead served 30 years in an Argentinean jail, then they are released and nothing is quite the same as they remembered. Rosarigasinos is an odd mix of everything above.

Tito and Castor are old buddies and finally are released after serving 30 years in jail for (it sounds like) a variety of crimes. They are eager to reunite with the old gang who used to party all night long and have plenty of money. But first they have to find their own stash of money which they hid away before heading to jail. Unfortunately, it's no longer there and they're not sure where it ended up. Fatso, the only remaining gangster, is also the only one that volunteers to help them out. Of course in gangster land "helping out," means finding them a new job. The job here is an attempt on an armoured truck. To leave parts of the story a mystery, suffice to say that the heist does not go according to plan and the key to the money may lie with a prostitute Tito used to love. When she re-enters his life after 30 years he's not entirely sure how to react, especially since he sings a song about how her hands have been his jail bars for the past 30 years....Continue reading review.

Rosarigasinos trailer

Jealousy control to maximum. France next to get ONG-BAK 2

While we in the English speaking world wait every patiently for even a sniff of a theatrical (hell we’d settle for DVD!) release of Tony Jaa’s Ong-Bak 2, those lucky French will be the next to see it on the big screen. Not so lucky is the fact that from the looks of the trailer, they will be watching it dubbed into French? An odd decision for a country so at home with watching subtitled movies. hmm...any how, as well as the new cut of the trailer, there’s some other goodies to check out on the French official website. Go take a look. OB2 opens in France July 22nd.

Synopsis: Orphaned when the treacherous Lord Rajasena kills his parents, young Tien is saved from slavery and raised by Chernang, leader of a renowned band of guerrillas. Growing to adulthood, Tien (Jaa) becomes proficient in a variety of martial arts styles including boxing, kung fu, and Muay Thai, as well as numerous forms of exotic weaponry. With his training behind him, Tien begins his journey towards his ultimate goal: revenge against Lord Rajasena for his parents' death. However, infiltrating the enemy brings Tien in contact once again with childhood sweetheart Pim, who has become Rajasena's top dancer. Inflicting an initial blow on Rajasena, Tien makes his return to the jungle, only to find his enemies - and a shocking revelation - waiting for him.

OB2 French site

OB2 hi-res trailer

ROVDYR (a.k.a. Manhunt): Review

Director: Patrik Syversen. Review Adam Wing.

A word of warning for anyone looking to book a last minute holiday this summer, whatever you do, don’t go to Norway. Whether it be sightseeing in Oslo, mountain views in Jotunheimen, or horse back riding and canoeing, forget everything you thought you knew about this tranquil holiday hotspot. It might look pretty in pictures but when you get there you’re likely to be faced by axe wielding serial killers, nazi zombies and starring roles in somebody else’s snuff movie. One things for sure, you wont have time to admire the view when your running, half naked, through the heart of it, blood pouring from your very own holiday souvenirs. Getaway snaps your facebook friends could do without I’m sure. In director Patrik Syversen’s latest dose of Nordic terror, four friends go on a camping break in the woods. They are expecting to have the time of their lives, what they’re not expecting is to have the last time of their lives, as you’ve probably all ready guessed, in Manhunt our four protagonists are put in danger by a deadly hunting party. No prizes for guessing what the prey is. Maybe they should’ve went with Torquay again after all…Continue reading review here.

Rovdyr trailer

Extreme J-horror GROTESQUE heads for R2 DVD

Billed as "the cruellest Japanese splatter movie ever" (that doesn't do the film's graphic scenes of torture & dismemberment anywhere near enough justice), Grotesque laughs in the face of the likes of "Saw" and "Hostel."  Written and directed by Koji Shiraishi (Carved aka A Slit-Mouthed Woman) and starring Hiroaki Kawatsure (Chanbara Beauty; Carved) and Japanese porn star Tsugumi Nagasawa (Tokyo Gore Police), the film takes the concept of Japanese extreme cinema to a whole new level. Relentlessly and explicitly graphic, this is definitely not a film for the easily offended, or the faint-hearted. Grotesque is released on R2 English subbed DVD by 4Digital Asia, on 17th August 2009. Trailer link below. Viewing discretion advised. Nsfw.

A girl, Aki (Tsugumi Nagasawa), and her new boyfriend, Kazuo (Hiroaki Kawatsure), are mugged, knocked unconscious and kidnapped by an unknown assailant. They wake up to find themselves bound and gagged in a torture chamber-style basement at the mercy of a man armed with a mind-boggling array of kitchen implements and power tools whose only pleasure is gained from the suffering of others. So begins a slow and sustained assault during which the couple is gradually hacked, mutilated and degraded to the point where death becomes a more desirable option to living. Or is it? When one captive is offered the chance to die in order to save the life of the other, the question of how far one would go for a loved one is answered in the most unpleasant of ways.

Grotesque trailer 

Full plotline for HK horror CURSE OF THE DESERTED

Just a quick update with a detailed plotline for Curse of the Deserted. “Shaolin Girl” star Kitty Zhang takes the lead along side Shawn Yue in this, the latest frightener project by Veteran HK horror (‘Inner Senses,’ ‘Koma’) director Chi-Leung Law. Curse of the deserted is due for release in November - And the story goes something like this…..

In his new book “The Deserted Village”, young writer GUO (Shawn Yue) wrote about the titular curse…. “It began 500 years ago in the Ming Dynasty, when one of the villagers died of terminal illness. The widow Yanzi vowed to stay with her husband forever. When the man suddenly returned to life, his horrified neighbours believed him to be a monster. They burned him to death and torched his mansion. The devastated Yanzi upheld her vow and threw herself into the fire. Since then, the village was cursed, and the mansion residents all resulted in mysterious death. Some say only couples who share true love can survive in that village. Those who are unfaithful will come to their demise...” To the world, the book was pure fiction. Only Guo and his ex-girlfriend Zhi (Kitty Zhang ) had lived through the horror to know its existence. When four college students decided to explore the village themselves, the trip led them to an ancient well in Yanzi’s mansion, where the curse was unleashed once again.

 

Thai horror anthology 4BIA (AKA PHOBIA): DVD Review

Director: Various. Review: Adam Wing.

Thai horror has come on leaps and bounds over the last few years, which is probably why we are faced with not one, but four faces of terror in the latest box office hit Phobia (4bia, see what they did there!?!). 4bia is presented to us by four of the most well known directors in Thailand, including the makers of Body 19, Shutter and Alone. The four tales of terror are not actually connected at all, it’s four separate stories that deal with the notion of fear, the fear of being alone, the fear of reprisal, the fear of ghosts and the fear of the dead. Each tale comes in at just under half an hour and rumour has it that a sequel is all ready in the works.

First out of the blocks is Happiness, directed by Iron Ladies helmer Yongyoot Thongkongtoon. Part one finds a girl with a broken leg alone in an apartment with only her mobile phone for company. A mysterious stranger sends her a random text message and even though she is cautious at first, boredom gives way to curiosity and it’s not long before events take a turn for the worst. One girl, one apartment, one phone, that’s pretty much all there is to it, but it’s amazing just how sinister a text message alarm can sound when you’re alone in the dark. Happiness is a slow, deliberate tease from start to finish that culminates in a well-crafted pay off. A promising start then, one down, three to go....Continue reading review.

4Bia trailer

English subtitled trailer for KUNG-FU CYBORG

Several trailers for Jeffrey Lau's upcoming sci-fi action comedy Metallic Attraction: Kung-Fu Cyborg have been floating around the Interweb for some time, but this one we’ve just tracked down is the first fully English subtitled version and goes to prove once and for all just how truly mental this movie is going to be.

Take a hint of “Ultraman” add to that a dash of “A.I” and finish with a huge dollop of “The (one of the robots in the flick turns into a Gun for Pete’s sake) Transformers” - wrap it all up with a martial arts twist and you get this - a genre mashup of the highest order. It’s going to be totally (in a good way) stupid, but hey I think they know that already. Kung-Fu Cyborg opens in Hong Kong, in August.

Synopsis: De Ming is a national secret as it is the first cybernetic organism programmed with human emotions, created by the Chinese government. To test DE Ming’s sophisticated identity, De Ming is send to a remote area, a village as a newcomer. Unaware of DE Ming’s robotic identity, the villagers come to care for him. Then an unbelievable confrontation turns everything around when another Cyborg, K-88 disappears after a neural meltdown and creates havoc. De Ming, together with it’s guardian Xu are sent to hunt down the malfunctioned K-88.

Kung-Fu Cyborg trailer

Thai horror THE COFFIN on English friendly DVD

A Thai movie turning up on DVD with English subtitles can be rarer than Hen’s teeth these days, so it’s always a surprise when one we’re really keen to see crops up via a well known e-tailer. Case in point….Ananda Everingham’s (Shutter) supernatural horror pic The Coffin, is now available to order on Malaysian, English subtitled DVD. Directed by award-winning “Beautiful Boxer” filmmaker Ekachai Uekrongtham, Coffin is apparently inspired by a real life Thai ritual and deals with life, death, loss and the heavy price you can pay for trying to cheat death.

Synopsis: In Thailand, there is a legend that if you lie in a coffin for one night, then you can fool the grim reaper and escape bad luck. To prolong his girlfriend's life, Australia-raised Thai architect Chris overcomes his claustrophobia and participates in the mass coffin ritual. Diagnosed with terminal cancer one week before her wedding, Hong Kong nutritionist Sue (Karen Mok) also runs off to Thailand for the ritual in hopes of cheating death. Soon after the ritual, however, Chris and Sue realize there are consequences worse than death as they begin to encounter strange and terrifying paranormal experiences.

The Coffin official site

Pre-order your copy here

Now with more pork! Final poster for CHAW

Look very carefully at the newly released final theatrical poster for Korean creature feature Chaw, and you might just spot our main piggy protagonist subtly taking up about half the page - and from the looks of it - this Hog means business! A tour de force in the same realms of Korean horror classic "The Host"? Nah, probably not. Still looks good fun though. Chaw opens in Korea next month.

 

 

 

Chaw official site

Jackie Chan’s SHINJUKU INCIDENT on DVD

*UPDATE* We've just had confirmation through that this will indeed be the full uncut version. Hoorah!

Good news Jackie Fans. Marking a rare return to a fully dramatic role, Chan’s controversial and violent crime thriller Shinjuku Incident arrives on English friendly DVD and Blu-ray next month. Along with the main man, Shinjuku includes an impressive cast including: Daniel Wu (Protégé), Fan Bing Bing (Lost in Beijing), Xu Jing Lei (Warlords), and Japan's Takenaka Naoto (Shall We Dance?) and Kato Masaya (Brother). One detail about the disc we are still trying to confirm is around the “uncut” tag it’s sporting. The original fully uncut film was given a category III (the highest there is in HK) rating, but this is quoted as a IIb classification - That relates to slightly a shortened - and less gorey - theatrically release. More on that when we get it.

Synopsis: Chinese labourer Steelhead (Jackie Chan) illegally arrives in Japan to search of his missing sweetheart Xiu Xiu, only to discover that she's married to rising Yakuza boss Eguchi. Determined to survive in Tokyo's underbelly, Steelhead unites the Chinese migrants, establishing their own community to protect themselves from the oppressive Japanese and foreign gangs. Steelhead even finds new love with bar owner Lily (Fan Bing Bing), and earns the favour of the righteous Inspector Kitano (Takenaka Naoto). However, the Chinese antagonize the entrenched Taiwanese gangsters, leading Steelhead to forge an alliance with Eguchi. As a Yakuza enforcer, Steelhead earns respect and even his own base of power. But Steelhead's Chinese brothers are corrupted by their newfound power, and an internal struggle within the Yakuza threatens their own position. All Steelhead wants is a return to simpler, honest times like he once shared with Xiu Xiu back in China. But it may now be too late…

Shinjuku Incident official site

Pre-order your copy here

 

The DAYBREAKERS are coming

Michael and Peter Spierig first shot to fame with their unconventional and hilariously funny indy horror Undead and ever since we first heard they has been given a big budget to play for their next movie, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the result. Well it’s been a LONG time coming but the wait is nearly over, the release date Daybreakers has finally been announced, for January 8th. Theres not much in the way of content as yet, aside from the teaser poster and holding page for the official site, but we’re keeping em peeled for more.

Synopsis: 2019, an unknown plague has transformed the world's population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race.

 

Daybreakers official site

J-horror SHRILL CRYS OF SUMMER gets a reshuffle

News on the follow up to the 2008 J-horror Shrill Cries of Summer has been around for a while but much like its predecessor, an English subtitled trailer for the thriller has now become available for your viewing pleasure over at Japanese distributor Shochiku Films official site. More a retelling (following a different story arc) than direct sequel, Shrill Crys of Summer (Reshuffle) is again directed by Ataru Oikawa (‘Apartment 1303,’ ‘Tomie’) and stars Goki Maeda, Erena Ono, Airi Matsuyama and Rin Asuka.

Synopsis: One year on.... The cruel tragedy repeats itself once again.... Every summer, danger haunts two people... One person dies a mysterious death, and another goes missing. A girl whose mind gets distorted from her father's divorce and the fear of his remarriage calls powerful and evil forces to her. Can her friends help her overcome the delusion and distrust to save her from the tragic fate? The girl struggles with the devil inside and fights between nightmare and reality, as the whole village gets caught up in madness and fear.

 

Reshuffle trailer

Reshuffle official site

THREE KINGDOMS: DVD review

Director: Daniel Lee. Review; Adam Wing.

If you're not a fan of martial arts war epics then the past twelve months haven't been kind to you; Andy Lau, Maggie Q and Sammo Hung add their names to a very long list in Daniel Lee's (What Price Survival?) take on China's greatest literary classic Romance Of The Kingdoms. Lau stars as general Zhao Zilong, and it would seem that Asia’s answer to Mel Gibson is having problems taking off his armour after recent turns in both A Battle Of Wits and The Warlords. Zhao rises quickly in the ranks to become a top general under Liu Bei, and after many years of war he finds himself alone as the invincible general, he really is that good. Sadly for him and his shiny armour, it’s not much fun alone at the top so with a grand legacy at stake, Zhao leads his final charge against an army headed by Cao Cao's granddaughter Cao Ying (Maggie Q).

Producer Sammo Hung’s Pingan serves as narrator for the film, a character well known to his comrades for achieving very little. Damian Lau, Yu Rong Guang, and Shaw Brothers heroes Ngok Wah and Ti Lung appear alongside the current crop of action stars in welcome supporting roles, while Andy On and Vannessa Wu lead the way for a new generation. Andy On is impressive but Vanessa Wu is limited to a handful of scenes that lead to very little. The film has been criticised for straying from the original storyline but to be honest, I know very little about the historical accuracy so from a film fans point of view, Three Kingdoms comes across as a workmanlike epic that entertains in a shallow but agreeable fashion...Continue review here.

Three Kingdoms U.K trailer

THE LEGEND OF THE QUEEN promo impresses

One thing that’s proved to be a solid gold guarantee to sell theatre tickets in Thailand, is movie about a historical hero. After the huge success of the 2007 Thai epic King Naresuan, someone somewhere was bound to try a repeat performance. Enter stage left a superb promo reel for Thai movie house, Oriental Eye’s - The Legend of the Queen.

The Queen in question was Jamadevi of Hariphunchai who ruled in Northern Thailand around 750 AD and was one of the key figures in introducing Buddhism to Thailand. Aside from that snippet there is very little info in English about her rein, then again, taglines like “one million warriors” and “1000 wars” tends to give the impression it wasn't all sweetness n light back then.

So, the trailer…Clearly someone at Oriental has been watching Zach Snyder's “300,” and the whole thing is and/or will be very heavy on the green screen. That said, if the finished films brings together the same high production values, atmosphere and kick ass bloody action...then....well….wow!  Annoyingly the promo is an embedded flash file, so we can’t direct link. Here is how to find it. On the website select: “What we do,” “Films,” “Legend of the Queen” then “Trailer.” Check it out.

Orient Eye website

English subtitled trailer for Norwegian slasher SNARVEIEN

The schizophrenic name changing Norwegian slasher Detour, Snarveien, Detour.....seems to have finally settled on a title. With the release of the theatrical poster; it looks like “Snarveien” is our winner. Saying that English language media just keeps cropping up – latest to appear is a new English subtitled version of the trail. Watching the new clip its plain this won’t be bringing us much new or genre busting, but for a straight up slasher-fest it could deliver something for the gore fans. Snarveien opens in Norway July.

"Lina and Martin are smuggling cheap booze from Sweden across the border for a wedding party in Norway. At a roadblock, they are told to take a detour, due to an accident. Deep inside the Swedish woods, their car suffers a tire blow-out, and they seek assistance at an abandoned gas station. Soon after, they encounter a girl screaming for help. They assist a policeman in returning the now unconscious girl to a spooky house in the middle of the woods, unaware that they are under constant video surveillance. Unwittingly they have landed leading roles in an Internet snuff film…"

Snarveien website

Snarveien English trailer

U.S official site for THIRST

This pretty much does what it says on the tin. The official U.S site for Park Chan-wook's is up and running.

Go get it!

 

 

Thirst U.S website

THREE KINGDOMS invades the U.K

Following closely in the wake of the U.K theatrical release of John Woo's “Red Cliff,” Daniel Lee’s movie version of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' is out on R2 DVD next month. They threw everything plus the kitchen sink at this production, with an absolute avalanche of action stars including (deep breathe) Andy Lau, Sammo Hung, Maggie Q, Vanessa Wu, Andy On, Rongguang Yu, Quanxin Pu, Lung Ti, Hua Yueh, Chen Zhi Hui and Damian Lau.

Unlike Woo’s more recent two part version, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon takes far greater liberties with its source material, playing heavy on the action and light on historical accuracy. So if sword wielding epic-type-ness is more your cup of Joe than dramatical excess, this is the one for you. Three Kingdoms gets released on DVD and Blu-ray in the U.K, July 13th.

 

 

Three Kingdoms trailer

Korea gets THE GRUDGE

Summer is the season for scary movie watching in Korea but aside from the upcoming creature feature Chaw and new franchise sequel Whispering Corridors 5,  much like last year, 2009 is looking light for local horror flicks. Korean distributors have again had to look abroad to Japan to find something to fill those theatre seats with eager fright fans. Lucky for them they've hit pay dirt by snapping up the two new Ju-on (The Grudge) horrors “Old Woman in white” and “Girl in Black.” Good news for Korean horror fans - and for us - when the English subtitled DVDs arrive shortly after. There isnt much in the way of content on the Korean website for the pic just yet. There is however a creepy as hell new teaser trailer to take a peek at from the link below. Ju-on opens in Korea July 9th.

Ju-on Korean website

Ju-on teaser trailer

Full trailer for CHAW

It's here! The full trailer for the Korean (giant Boar terrorises a small village and eats people) creature feature Chaw, has arrived on the films website. We've been banging on about the movie long enough that you should be well up to speed by now - but if you have missed the back stories and info - you can read all about it here, and here.

 

 

 

 

Chaw official site

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