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Teaser art & detailed plot for Thai horror BANGKOK FABLE

When he’s not working on ‘Fireball Begins' the follow up film (that’s actually a prequel) to the Muay Thai fight fest that was 'Fireball,' it seems Thai director Thanakorn Pongsuwan is also Beavering away on a new horror project - with what sounds like ritual dark magic and evil curses by the train load - titled Bangkok Fable. There’s been a short summary of the storyline knocking around for a while now, but we now dug up a new very in depth plot summary, and some teaser art for the film. A new Thai extreme horror flick for 2011? Damn well hope so!

Synopsis: Anake is the only descendent of the Phram priesthood, an ancient bloodline. He is responsible for keeping the memory of his ancestors and their traditions alive. But he has run away from his duty to live a simple life with his wife and daughter in modern Bangkok. One day, a wealthy man called Rout calls on Anake for help, asking him to break a curse that has returned from the past. The female members of his family have become deformed, their limbs twisting in painful contortions. Even the children are not spared. Anake is hesitant to re-enter the domain of dark arts, but is persuaded by the money Rout can pay to secure the future of his own family. He returns to his childhood home to research the curse and discover how it was once stopped.

Anake learns that 200 years ago, before Bangkok was established, there was a young woman who swore revenge against Rout's bloodline for eternity. After death, her body refused to decay, as if willpower was maintaining both it and her curse. Anake's great-great-grandfather sealed the angry spirit of the woman in a secret place. In the family library, Anake finds two ancient books: one details how to trap evil spirits, the other details nine places in Bangkok where the rituals must be performed. But only one page of the second book remains, describing the ninth place where the woman's spirit might lie. The only clue that may lead him further is a painting of the woman on the wall of the family temple and the few cryptic lines of a poem. Anake begins his terrifying journey to find the nine secret places, surviving encounters with evil spirits who hold vital clues and desire for revenge. Unexpectedly, his own young daughter is struck down with the curse, twisting her limbs in agony...

PACIFIC BATTLESHIP YAMATO: R2 DVD Review

Director: Jun'ya Satô. Review: Adam Wing.

Well I guess it’s that time of the month again, a chance to step back in time and learn a little something. Jun'ya Satô’s history lesson kicks off on April 6th 2005, where Makiko Uchida is looking for a boat to take her to the site of Yamato’s final resting place. Yamato was the largest, heaviest and most powerful-armed battleship ever constructed, considered by some to be untouchable. It sank on April 7th 1945. After being refused assistance, she meets with captain Katsumi Kamio of the fishing vessel Asukamaru. He too is uninterested until he learns that she is the stepdaughter of Officer Nagoya Uchida. Katsumi Kamio was under the impression that Uchida had died when the Yamato was sunk by American aircraft, preventing it from fulfilling a suicide mission against the American fleet battling to capture Okinawa. Kamio and Uchida were part of a close set of comrades that served on board. He reluctantly agrees to assist her on her quest, and while travelling with deckhand Atsuchi, recalls the story of Yamato and it’s final mission. Don’t worry, they’re not searching for lost pearls, you won’t find any ‘kings of the world’ on this voyage, and Celine Dion doesn’t go down with the ship. Though I would’ve queued all night for that particular outcome...Continue review here.

Yamato trailer

2010 NYC Horror Film Festival line-up announced

The New York City Horror Film Festival today announced their full programming slate of short and feature films, featuring over 50 films submitted from the US and some 15 countries from around the world. Festival Screenings Take Place November 9th thru the 14th, 2010 at the Tribeca Cinemas, located at 54 Varick Street at Canal Street. The Festival’s Opening Night Gala will take place this year at Soirée (199 Bowery at Spring Street) on November 10 at 8:00pm. The gala is open to the public and will feature live performances, short films, and complimentary (free booze, yay! ) drinks. If we listed the full, jam packed screening schedule here it would literally FILL the whole page, so to check out the full line-up zip over to the festivals site here.

US theatrical release for Brit horror thriller HEARTLESS

The recent winner of the Best Independent Film Award at the Toronto After Dark Festival, Philip Ridley’s British psychological horror flick Heartless is set to get a theatrical outing (no doubt limited) in the US next month. Jim Sturgess leads a talented ensemble cast, including Clémence Poésy, Noel Clarke, Joseph Mawle, Eddie Marsan, Luke Treadaway and Timothy Spall and it goes on release from November 19th, so check those local Cinema listings for times.

Synopsis: Jamie Morgan was born with a disfiguring birthmark across his face, which leaves him an outcast in rough East London. While wandering abandoned yards taking photos, he comes across a gang of thugs and soon discovers that they are something other than human. He then is led into a Demonic plot that will see him become a party to the terrifying chaos around him.

Heartless trailer

 

IFC buys a DREAM HOME

Heads up U.S gore hounds, this one’s definitely for you! Art house distributor IFC films have nabbed all American rights to Pang Ho-Cheung's splatter pic Dream Home. Hailed as Hong Kong’s first ever slash horror, DH deals with how one woman deals (badly it seems) with the pressure of the current housing crisis in Hong Kong, and features pop starlet and actress Josie Ho. IFC will release the film theatrically and on video-on-demand in early 2011.

Synopsis: A cut-throat film about the cut-throat property market, Josie Ho stars as thirty-something Cheng Lai-Sheung. The daughter of a dying builder, she sells home loans by phone, in the hope of one day being able to buy her dream home in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour. But when she finally has enough money for the deposit the owners decide to raise the price and this sends her over the edge, on a serial-killing rampage using only household and construction items to slay her prey.

In other 'Dream Home' news - further to our story back in August - the UK release date has also been set and it hits UK cinemas November 19th. UK poster (pic left) and link to the just live UK sub site, below.

Dream Home UK sub site

Dream Home HK official site

Via Filmbiz

The UK enters the CHATROOM this December

Not the best time of year for a horror/thriller release - but we’ve just been tipped that Chatroom, Hideo Nakata’s (‘Ringu,’ ‘Dark Water’) first foray into the realm of mainstream English language horror movie making is heading for a UK release in December. Granted the films had some mixed reviews, but as fans of Nakata’s work we’ll definitely be giving it a watch. No sigh of anything in the way of posters or trailers yet, but luckily - as we sure as hell weren’t going to use the abomination of a one sheet cooked up for its French release - Taiwan of all places has come to the rescue, with a new far slicker looking poster, and a new cut of the trailer. Chatroom opens in the UK on December 22nd.

Synopsis: When jaded teens Jim, Eva, Emily and Mo meet William online, they're seduced by his charisma. But William isn't what he seems. He's calculating and manipulative and doesn't have time for people in the real world. Jim is vulnerable and he has no idea how dangerous his new friendship with William will be. When Jim confesses he's on anti-depressants, William knows he's found a victim. He vows to help Jim off his drugs, and the rest of the group fall in line. What begins as friendly advice to help Jim becomes twisted and Eva and Mo realise the deadly game William's playing, but the wheels are in motion. Jim is set on a path of self- destruction, and is going to do the unthinkable. As Eva, Emily and Mo try to save Jim, William begins a terrifying game of cat and mouse chasing them across the internet, shutting down their systems, and cutting them off from his victim. Fantasy meets reality when William and Jim are face to face in rush hour on the underground. Without the faceless security of the online world, everything becomes real. It's now a race against time to save Jim, but the clock is ticking... and someone must die.

Chatroom trailer

THE COLLECTOR: DVD review

Director: Marcus Dunstan. Review: Adam Wing.

Last night my girlfriend and I celebrated our anniversary together. Its been seven unforgettable years since she jumped on me in a seedy nightclub, seven years to the day since she swore she’d never get that drunk again. So me, being the old romantic that I am, chose to celebrate the occasion by cooking for her, buying her flowers - all the usual hackneyed clichés that girls enjoy. Guys like them too by the way, just putting it out there. Maybe not the flowers, but I’ll never say no to expensive chocolates and cheap wine. Work commitments meant that a night out was off the menu, so I decided that a romantic movie was the best way to go. Best laid plans and all that, when I arrived at the local supermarket I had what can best be described as an epiphany. It suddenly dawned on me that I don’t really like romantic movies. Unless you count Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman of course, anything made after that is ultimately rubbish. Fortunately for me, and the prolonged possibility of anniversary sex, the makers of Saw were on hand to present me with an admirable alternative. From the writers of Saw IV- VI, not to mention the up and coming Saw 3D, comes a startling new vision in terror. Handily presented in a rose tinted case to preserve the illusion of romance. Some would say blood red, I went with rose tinted – it’s a colour...Continue review here.

The Collector official site

South African HORRORFEST kicks off

If you’re a horror fan, in South Africa then heads up. SA’s premiere horror event - the 6th annual HORRORFEST – is just around the corner. Classic and rare movies, brand new indie productions, loads of short films, live movie soundtrack performance, literature, music and killer give-aways are all on the cards. And here’s a taste of what films are on show......

2010 South African HORRORFEST Schedule:

THUR 28 OCT 8:15pm: THE EXORCIST (Free Opening Screening of this legendary classic)

FRI 29 OCT 9:30pm: SHADOW REALM Part 1 - Short Film Collection (1st of 3 feature length short film collections totalling over 6hrs)

SAT 30 OCT 2pm: SPARROW (new Polish / UK slasher production) 4pm: MANIAC (notorious 1980 shocker)

SUN 31 OCT 12noon: TRIPPIN' (funny weed-infused slice of madness) 2pm: ZOMBIE WOMEN OF SATAN (sexy, gory & gut-munchingy hilarious) 4pm: SHADOW REALM Part 2 - Short Film Collection (2nd chapter of amazing short films from around the world)

MON 1 NOV 6:15pm: CARMILLA HYDE (Australian-made psychological thriller by South African expatriate) 8:15pm: THE BEAR's SKIN - La Peau D'Lours (intense French film of extreme survival)

…..to name but a few. For a full screening schedule and details on all the other events going on. Head to the fests official site…here.

Japan gets CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE STUPID kind

Spoof, comedy, mockumentary or all of the above? It’s hard to pin down exactly what director Takanobu Goda was going for in his oddball movie Close Encounters Of the Stupid, but suffice to say it looks more than a little bit of cheesy B-movie fun. To check out the trailer head over to the films official site, and select the third rocket from the left.

Synopsis: Comedians Chihara Junior and Rossy (of the duo Yaseibakudan) go on a shooting location to a village with an astonishing secret!! Amazingly, the villagers are all space aliens... A huge UFO appears and Rossy gets entangled in a space war... Not only that, Chihara Junior also has an astonishing secret... Rossy completely believes this absurd story and makes a stand for universal peace!! Definitely an idiot... but Rossy battles the evil aliens with his unbending sense of justice. And awaiting him at his destination? A finale of tears and stirring emotion! A sci-fi (?) reality documentary of unprecedented scale! A comedy space fantasy that far surpasses cheap prank joke entertainment! An idiot saves the universe with idiotic strength!

Close Encounters official site

Indomina goes for CLASH in the U.S

U.S distributor Indomina Releasing are at it again with news of another addition to their rapidly growing list of great Asian genre acquisitions. This time its Vietnamese box office hit Clash that’s been added to the books, following its screening at the 43rd Annual SITGES International Fantastic Film Festival. A hard core martial arts shoot-em up, Clash was directed by first timer Le Thanh Son and stars Veronica Ngo and Johnny Tri Nguyen.

Plot: Trinh, a mercenary, assigned to recover a stolen hard drive containing codes to Vietnam's first satellite, the VINASAT.1. She creates an ensemble of specialists, Quan and Cang, to regain control of the hard drive before it is sold to the Chinese Triad. Lies and betrayal unfold as Trinh uncovers the truth behind her squad. Who can she trust?

Clash trailer

Via filmbiz asia

US teaser trailer for ONG BAK 3

The third instalment of Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak reboot is heading for release Stateside next month, and if you’ve read our review of the film you’ll already have a good idea of our views. Heavy (at times) on the action, light on narrative with a love interest thrown in for good measure its a mess of a movie. But hey, that’s our opinion. The newly released US teaser trailer, might make you think otherwise….Maaaaybe.

Ong Bak 3 picks up where Ong Bak 2 had left off. Tien is captured and almost beaten to death before he is saved and brought back to the Kana Khone villagers. There he is taught meditation and how to deal with his Karma, but very soon his arch rival returns challenging Tien for a final duel. OB3 premieres on demand December 3rd, then hits a limited theatrical release January 14th. 

 

 

 

Jackie Chan’s LITTLE BIG SOLDIER on UK DVD

Love him or not there’s no denying Jackie Chan’s huge influence on bringing Asian cinema to a world wide audience, and the UK is the latest corner of the world to get to see his new action comedy Little Big Soldier. Based on an original story by Jackie himself, Soldier delivers what Chan fans know and want; comedy, stunts and martial arts action galore. LBS goes on sale November 8th.

Synopsis: In the aftermath of a great battle between rival kingdoms, only two men remain standing! One is a peasant soldier with a shameless ability for avoiding his responsibilities in battle (Jackie Chan); the other is a warrior prince, who has been wounded fighting for his country (Lee Hom-wong). Irresistibly tempted by the chance to collect a large reward, the peasant overpowers the disadvantaged prince and sets off to collect his bounty. Unknowingly, his bold actions unleash a chain reaction of chaos, and they are soon pursued across country by relentless nomad warriors and rogue forces lead by the prince's disenchanted brother. When danger confronts them around every corner, the world's two most unlikely allies quickly realise they will need to join forces if they are to make it home in one piece! Now, as each challenge takes them closer to victory, a prince will learn humility and a nobody will find the strength to be someone great.

Little Big Soldier UK trailer

Trailer for Thai action flick MY BEST BODYGUARD

Thai action movies aren’t an uncommon occurrence, but it’s not every day you get one that has a big name in Hong Kong Cinema, or for that matter a real life Thai Princess featuring in it, and director Sirippakorn Wongjariyawat has managed to get both into his latest action flick My Best Bodyguard. Starring Shawn Yue and Her Royal Highness Ubolratana Rajakanya, there’s action aplenty to be seen in the English subbed trailer for the film, and with a big name like Yue on the billing, we’ll most likely be seeing this turn up in Hong Kong soon enough.

Synopsis: Bangkok….. A new virus is about to emerge, a virus that could kill the whole nation in the blink of an eye. The information of the virus is sent to Nicha, a famous news reporter. The closer she gets to the truth, the more she is in danger. She finally found out that the virus was actually caused by a foreign drugs company that used 7 people for the experiment. Nicha wanted to inform the public about the source of the virus and expose the inhumane practices of the company. She stars her investigation by searching for the 7 individuals used as the test subjects. One of them holds the key to a vaccine to cure the rest. In the middle of Nichas search, which is actively hindered by the foreign medicine company, the government has a secret mission to kill all of the seven "lab rats". Nicha has to find them to protect them.

Best Bodyguard trailer

ONG BAK 3: Review

Director: Tony Jaa & Panna Rittikrai. Review: Adam Wing.

It’s very hard to ignore a troubled shoot like this, but the Ong Bak sequels have lurched from one disaster to the next and the evidence is there for all to see. Lets get one thing straight from the start though, Ong Bak 2 was never a true sequel to the smash hit movie that introduced Tony Jaa to the world. Glad we cleared that one up. Now that Tony Jaa has put his cinematic career aside for his spiritual pursuit (he's already become a Buddhist monk), Ong Bak 3 could well be the last screen appearance for the international martial arts sensation. A tragic loss to the big screen if you ask me, despite his failure to reach the dizzy heights of Ong Bak and The Warrior King, Tony Jaa is still a talent we can’t afford to lose. It’s not hard to see why he turned his back on movies though, with so many problems on and off set, I’m surprised either sequel ever saw the light of day. Part 2 came with some arresting imagery, fantastic stunts and breathtaking action, but still felt like a huge disappointment because it was lacking in depth and compelling storytelling. Money had ran out midway through production, resulting in a film that lacked any sense of closure, a turn of events that doesn’t bode well for this final instalment...Continue review here.

Ong Bak 3 official Thai site

Ong Bak 3 official U.S site

It bites! New trailer for Aussie killer Shark horror THE REEF

Well it’s passed mid week, so what better to take us toward the weekend than with a quick dose of “based on a true story” horror news. A new trailer is up on the official site for local director Andrew Traucki’s (‘Black Water’) new killer beasty, horror thriller, The Reef. The flick will get its UK premiere at Film4 Frightfest All-Nighter on October 30th, with a release due in the new year. Killer fish - chomping on happy go lucky 20 something holiday makers - filled trailer at the link.

Synopsis: For a group of experienced backpackers it seemed like a dream come true: A week cruising the world's most beautiful coral reef on their own yacht. But when their boat capsizes leaving them stranded on an overturned hull, the dream turns into a nightmare. What should they do? Stay with a damaged hull that could sink at any moment or try to swim for land? Finally deciding to swim, the friends take to the water. As they close in on land, a fin surfaces, and with it the realization that they are being stalked by a deadly fifteen foot white pointer shark. Will any of them make the swim or will the sea take what it wants?

The Reef official site

DVD Giveaway! Win a copy of TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE

Tales From The Darkside is back on DVD with the bone chilling final season, and you have a chance to win a copy on DVD.

This 30-minute horror/fantasy anthology series followed in the vein of The Twilight Zone and each week presented another standalone story of horror fantasy, and/or science fiction.

10 entrants will be selected at random to receive a free copy of the DVD. For a chance to win head over the competitons site, but get your entries in quick, the contest closes on October 24th. Good Luck!

Second trailer for BRUCE LEE, MY BROTHER

Last week we had a first peek at the mainland Chinese trailer for Raymond Yip’s upcoming biopic of the (early) life of Bruce Lee, now its Hong Kong’s chance to have a go….with more action, more young Bruce and more 50s rock? Bruce Lee, My Brother arrives on screen next month.

Synopsis: He is a legend known by everyone in the world… but not everyone knows about his family… his parents’ story, his childhood, his first film, his youth, his first love and how he became…The Dragon. Bruce Lee, My Brother is a movie of the eponymous martial arts legend as told by his younger brother, Robert Lee. It revolves around Bruce Lee’s life as a rebellious adolescent in Hong Kong until he sets off for the US and conquers the world at the age of 18 with only US$100 in his pocket.

 

Bruce Lee, My Brother trailer

Indomina aquires BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS for the US

North American distributor Indomina Releasing continues their spree of snapping up big name Asian movies for North America, with news they’ve just picked up the US rights Teddy Chan’s multi award winning - Donnie Yen starring - historical action fest Bodyguards and Assassins. Indomina have already made several very savvy acquisitions including Dantes Lam’s 'Fire of Conscience' and Woo-ping Yuen’s ‘True Legend’ which has us wondering if this could mark the start of injecting some much needed new life into Asian film distribution in the U.S? Hmmm time will tell. No word yet on any release dates, but in the mean time we’ve included the movies UK trailer to check out, so you know what to look forward too!

Synopsis: On October 15th 1906, the man destined to become the Father of Modern China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, is due to arrive in the British Colony of Hong Kong to discuss plans to overthrow the corrupt Qing Dynasty with a group of leading anti-Qing revolutionaries. Aware of Sun’s intentions, the Qing Court dispatches an elite army of assassins to the port where Sun is due to arrive, with orders to see to it that he never makes it to his appointment and does not leave the colony alive. Receiving news of the proposed assassination, a newspaper editor and a local tycoon, both sympathetic supporters of the revolution, take it upon themselves to protect Dr. Sun at any cost. To help ensure his safety they recruit a motley band of fellow sympathisers, friends and acquaintances, all skilled in martial arts combat to act as Sun’s bodyguards. Additionally, they devise a risky plan to secretly replace the assassins’ target with a human decoy in an attempt to lead the killers away from their quarry.

Via Reuters.

LA’s AFI Fest announces kickass titles for 2010 lineup

AFI FEST 2010 presented by Audi has unveiled more of this year's lineup and it's got us drooling. Already announced were some of the big name films like Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, but today they announced a whole boatload of new titles, including some of the films we've been dying to see.

Amongst the standout films playing at this years festival are: Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins, Takeshi Kitano's Outrage, Cheol Soo-Jang's Bedevilled, Im Sang-soo's The Housemaid, Kim Jee-woon's I Saw The Devil, Lee Chang-Dong's Poetry, Guillem Morales's Julia's Eyes and many, many more. Do you need a paper towel?

The official schedule for the festival will be online October 25th here. As with last year, tickets will be available for free on a first come, first served basis starting on October 28th. So if you're in the LA area, you might want to write that down.

Check out the festival's Official Website for more information.

Mutant mayhem! CITY UNDER SIEGE on English subbed DVD

If you’d ever wondered what would happen if Hong Kong did ‘X-Men,’ now we have the answer. HK director Benny Chan (‘Connected,’ ‘New Police Story’) takes a break from hard core crime thrillers heading for a genre mash up of a very different order, with his big budget mutants on the rampage action flick…City Under Siege - and its out on English subtitled DVD and Blu-ray next week. Siege stars Aaron Kwok leading a ridiculously high end cast that also includes Shu Qi, Wu Jing, Zhang Jing Chu, and Colin Chou and features action sequences by Nicky Lee (Invisible Target) and Ma Yuk Sing (Storm Warriors). Fantastic.

Synopsis: Sunny is a naïve circus performer who dreams of inheriting his father's knife-throwing skills. However, his hostile colleagues continue to bully him, relegating him to a lowly clown. On a tour to Malaysia, Cheung and other performers discover a cave occupied by the Japanese army during World War II. Instead of finding treasure, the performers - including Sunny - are sprayed with a mysterious chemical that turns them into superhuman mutants. Back in Hong Kong, Cheung and his gang wreak havoc on the city by pulling off a series of daring bank robberies. With the city controlled by fear, Sunny becomes the city's latest crime fighting hero with the help of opportunistic reporter Angel and two supernatural phenomenon experts from Mainland China.

Pre-order your copy here

City Under Siege trailer

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