1 2 3 >
UK sub site for action spoof NORWEGIAN NINJA

From the minds that produced the cult Nazi zombies hit “Dead Snow”, Thomas Cappelen Malling’s quirky, offbeat homage to B-movie spy flicks…Norwegian Ninja is heading for the UK, and the movies sub site is now live. We’ll give you the plotline (we’re good that way) for it right now, but theres clips and photos aplenty to be seen on site as well. Norwegian Ninja is released in the UK on April 18.

Synopsis: When Commander Treholt (Mads Oussdal) and the highly trained members of his covert Ninja Force discover a sinister plot against Norway, they immediately leap into action to avert the crisis. Behind the devious plans for a coup-d'état that would effectively place the US in control of the country is Treholt’s nemesis, Meyer (Jon Oigarden), an operative of “Stay Behind”, an anti-Soviet force funded by NATO and with nefarious links to the CIA. As Treholt and Meyer wage a private and very personal war for the hearts and minds of the Norwegian people, the Ninja Force must fight to defeat Meyer’s co-conspirators in the name of King Olav’s battle cry, “All For Norway!” Meanwhile, Treholt is also occupied with the unenviable task of training a seemingly incompetent member of the Ninja Force to become his second-in-command.

Norwegian Ninja UK site

JU-ON: WHITE GHOST/BLACK GHOST coming to US

Japanese horror fans in the US, mark May 17th on your calendars! WellGoUSA is using that day to bring us a DVD/Blu-Ray double feature of the two recent Ju-on spinoffs Ju-On: White Ghost and Ju-On: Black Ghost. Both films will come on the same disc. No word yet on whether there will be any special features or not, but WellGoUSA's website for the films mentions "Collector's Edition contains additional Bonus Material". Neither film has any relation to the original Ju-On films, other than having been supervised by Takashi Shimizu, the man behind the originals, as well as brief cameo appearances by Toshio Saeki, the creepy little boy.

Ju-On: White Ghost (also known as The Grudge: Old Lady In White) was directed by Ryuta Miyake and tells the story of senior high school student Arkane whose strong ESP power induces him into seeing Mirai, the tragic ghost of an old school friend. It stars Hiroki Suzuki and Akina Minami. Ju-On: Black Ghost (also known as The Grudge: Girl In Black) was directed by Mari Asato and tells the chilling story of a young woman called Fukie who discovers that she's carrying an unborn 'grudge', which vengefully curses all those around her. It stars Koji Seto and Hana Matsumoto.

Check out the trailer

Visit WellGoUSA's page for more info

Pre-order the Blu-Ray or DVD from Amazon

Jackie Chan’s 100th film gets September release

Jackie Chan is back in the big chair with his 100th movie, '1911,' a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution, and it has just been given its bow date - hitting Chinese theatres September 26th - which means a Hong Kong (for our ever useful English subbed DVD source) opening, shouldn’t be too far behind. Those in the U.S will soon get a chance to their latest Jackie fix, '1911' style, as distributor Well Go USA has nabbed the film's North American rights, for a full blown theatrical release.

 

 

1911 character pics 

WUSHU: Review

Director: Antony Szeto. Review: Adam Wing.

Jackie Chan is on board as executive producer of Wushu - The Young Generation, which is hardly surprising when you consider that it’s young stars are genuine martial artists plucked from obscurity and thrown onto the big screen in the hope of discovering the next big thing. Antony Szeto takes on directorial duties, telling the tale of newbie martial arts students facing a variety of challenges as they prepare to graduate. Leading the pack are Wang Wen Jie and Liu Feng Chao, and martial arts legend Sammo Hung provides hefty support as both wushu instructor and father of two of the boys.

We first meet Li Yi (Wang Wen Jie) and Li Er (Wang Ya Chao) at a very young age, starting their journey through school and into manhood. Li Yi is tipped to win a hotly contested wushu competition, but he insists on performing his late mother's signature move, which is so difficult that it could cost him the gold medal. His friends have their own trials to face, but they too must do whatever it takes to overcome the hurdles and tackle their challenges head on. Just as things become a little too pedestrian, former wushu prodigy He Le (Tie Nan) attempts to kidnap some of the wushu students - where would we be without a little Hollywood formula? Along with Li Yi and student Yang Yaowu (Liu Feng Chao), Li Hui sets out to track down the villains and bring He Le to justice..Continue reading review.

Gareth Edwards MONSTERS on UK DVD

Lets run through the gong list first…The winner of the Best Director, Best Achievement in Production and Best Technical Achievement awards at the 2010 British Independent Film Awards and nominated for the BAFTA award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. Yes, Gareth Edwards debut feature Monsters has already earned him enough awards that he’s in serious danger of needing a bigger mantle piece…and rightly so we say. Monsters hits UK DVD and Blu-ray on 11th April.

Synopsis: Soon after a NASA probe sent to collect samples from Jupiter’s moon, Europa, crash-landed in Central America, strange new life forms began to appear in the area forcing half of Mexico to be quarantined as an infected zone. Six years later, US and Mexican military forces are struggling to contain the fully-grown alien creatures and to control their seasonal migration within the zone. In the midst of the chaos caused by the creatures’ unusually early migration is photojournalist Andrew Kaulder , who is hoping to get at least one ‘money shot’ of them in action. But when his publisher boss’ vacationing daughter Sam is found to be stranded in the area, Kaulder is charged with guaranteeing her secure passage through Mexico to the safety of the US border.

Taiwan goes epic with war movie SEEDIQ BALE

Taiwan's has a film epic in the works and its all out war. Directed by Wei Te-sheng -maker of the hit ‘Cape No. 7' - Seediq Bale is set to cost around US$19 million (that’s a huge budget for a Taiwan movie) to produce, and the blockbuster will hit local theatres in two parts, September 2011. Based on the most famous and most violent of all anti-Japanese uprisings in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period called the Wushe Incident, in which Sediq hero Mona Rudao led his tribe to rebel against Japanese military forces in 1930.

Featuring a 15,000-strong cast and produced by a 400-man technical production crew from Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, Bale is still in post production and would be released in two parts. The first part, scheduled to be shown on Sept. 9, will centre on the portrayal of the major characters and the atmosphere of the distinctive era. The second part, to be released on Sept. 30, and revolve around the uprising of the Sediq tribe and its suppression by the Japanese army. Each part will run for at least two hours.

Sounds like it will truly be “epic,” and if the footage to be seen in the rough cut trailers below are anything to go by, it will look it too.

Seediq Bale trailers

Via: FocusTaiwan

International trailer and artwork for THE SILENT HOUSE

Not every day you see a horror hailing from Uruguay so its news of note that The international trailer and artwork for Gustavo Hernández’s - shot in one continuous 78 min take - indy horror thriller The Silent House have just been released. The film - opening in UK cinemas on 8 April 2011 has been getting a lot of attention due to the real time shooting style, and surprise surprise, the American remake is also already in production. Linkage below.

Synopsis: Laura ( Florencia Colucci) and her father ( Gustavo Alonso) settle down in a cottage which seems to be off the beaten track in order to update it since its owner ( Abel Tripaldi) will soon put the house on sale. They will spend the night there in order to start the repairs the following morning. Everything seems to go on smoothly until Laura hears a sound that comes from outside and gets louder and louder in the upper floor of the house. Wilson goes up to see what is going on while she remains downstairs on her own waiting for her father to come down. The plot is based on a true story that happened some time ago in a small village in Uruguay. “La Casa Muda” focuses on the last seventy eight minutes, second by second, when Laura intends to leave the house which hides an obscure secret and she hopes to leave unharmed.

Silent House poster

Silent House trailer

Silent House official site

STONEHENGE APOCALYPSE: DVD Review

Director: Paul Ziller. Review: Adam Wing.

I don’t know what scares me the most about Stonehenge Apocalypse - the fact that the line “A nuclear attack on Stonehenge will destroy the entire planet” is used, or the fact that I actually quite enjoyed it. On the most primitive of levels of course. I say primitive, I’m trying to remain respected here. I actually enjoyed it because it really wasn’t that bad a movie, note the word usage however - ‘really wasn’t that bad a movie’. At no point did I state that it was a good movie, ok? When a group of archaeologists dig up a human skeleton near the historical monument of Stonehenge, an ancient piece of machinery is discovered hidden beneath the ground. Not knowing what it could be, the workers accidentally trigger the mechanism and start a chain of events that could very well end the world as we know it.

Directed by Paul Ziller (I’ve never heard of him either), Stonehenge Apocalypse brings together a host of familiar, and not so familiar faces, from the small screen. Rogue scientist Jacob Glaser is brought to life by Misha Collins (angel Castiel in Supernatural), Peter Wingfield (Holby City, 24, X-Men II) plays Dr. John Trousdale, and Hill Harper (CSI: NY) takes on the role of born again bad guy Joseph Leshem. The one name that places Stonehenge Apocalypse at the tip of Syfy Channel’s illustrious TV movie pyramid is that of writer Brad Abraham, and perhaps we should give director Paul Ziller a little credit here too. Not to mention Misha Collins, but we’ll get to that part later...Continue reading review.

Stonehenge Apocalypse trailer

New pic from K-horror THE CAT

They do say you’re either a cat or a dog person. Me, I prefer our Canine friends and after reading the plotline for upcoming Korea horror The Cat, don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon. Cat is directed by Byun Seung-Wook, and stars Park Min-yeong. No word yet on a release date, but you can make a sure bet it will open in Korea (horror flicks almost always do) this summer. Pics below.

Synopsis: So-yeun is an animal groomer who works in a pet shop. One day, she gets stuck with a Persian cat named Silky when its owner suddenly dies. From then on, So-yeun is constantly haunted by a bobbed hair girl with green cat-like eyes who turns her life turns into turmoil. So-yeun desperately seeks help from the people around, but no one listens to her. The presence of the girl and the sound of Silky cries start to choke in around her life more and more. Not only that, people around So-yeun gets killed one by one. Soon, So-yeun comes face to face with the bobbed hair girl at the scene of a horrific death. So-yeun gets rid of Silky hoping her troubles will come to an end, but Silky keeps coming back to her like a boomerang. Terrified she could be the next to die, So-yeun sets out to find out the identity of the girl with the help her dead friend ex-boyfriend, Jun-seok, who is a cop. Later, So-yeun finds out the truth to the tragic incident that took place in the past.

The Cat stills 1 2

UK one sheet for Brit comedy horror ATTACK THE BLOCK

Possibly one of the most entertaining (if oddball) film releases of the year, just got a step closer, with the release of the official poster for Joe Cornish’s Alien invasion come horror/comedy mash-up Attack the Block. Early reviews out of this years SXSW festival via the genre press (no surprise much of the mainstream didn’t get it) have been fairly rave, so it’s a no brainer this should got straight onto any cult film fans wish list. Attack the Block opens in the UK May 13th and we’d be very surprised if it doesn’t show up in the US soon after. See the poster bigger at the link.

Synopsis: Trainee nurse Sam is walking home to her flat in a scary South London tower block when she¹s robbed by a gang of masked, hooded youths. She¹s saved when the gang are distracted by a bright meteorite, which falls from the sky and hits a nearby parked car. Sam flees, just before the gang are attacked by a small alien creature that leaps from the wreckage. The gang chase the creature and kill it, dragging its ghoulish carcass to the top of the block, which they treat as their territory. While Sam and the police hunt for the gang, a second wave of meteors fall. Confident of victory against such feeble invaders, the gang grab weapons, mount bikes and mopeds, and set out to defend their turf. But this time, the creatures are bigger. Much bigger. Savage, shadowy and bestial, they are hunting their fallen comrade and nothing will stand in their way. The estate is about to become a battleground. And the bunch of no-hope kids who just attacked Sam are about to become her, and the block¹s, only hope.

ATB poster

Theatrical trailer time for GHOST: THE CINDERELLA

We start off events all fun and frolics, but this being Thai horror we’re talking about, you know its going to end very badly for all involved. The teasers did their job, but now its time for a full trailer for Thai horror Ghost: The Cinderella…Oh yes, its all kinds o bloody.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ghost full trailer (nsfw)

US DVD art for J-splatter fest GOTHIC & LOLITA PSYCHO

A movie about a gun Umbrella wielding, lace dress wearing psychotic killer, hell bent on revenge? Yes Go Ohara’s (“Geisha vs Ninja”) latest foray into the world of Japanese exploitation movies Gothic & Lolita Psycho is coming to R1 DVD, and we’re pleased to see that Tokyo Shock have seen sense to keep their cover art pretty much identical to the original great artwork design. Gothic & Lolita Psycho goes on sale May 24. Fight (and frills) filled trailer at the link.

Synopsis: Gothic and Lolita…the fashion reflects her dark and childish mental state. YUKI, the heroine, saw her mother killed by cruel gangs. Now she vows revenge! Knock off the enemies with her transformable umbrella. So gorgeous and so savage…Who killed here mother? What the hell are the gangs? What is the truth and purpose that father knows? Her coming terrible destiny is going to be littered with the dead.

 

Gothic & Lolita trailer

Korean war epic 71 - INTO THE FIRE: DVD review

Director: John H. Lee. Review: Adam Wing.

Remember back in 1991 when terrorists seized control of an elite boarding school, and a group of trouble-making boys - led by head Goonie Sean Astin - took it upon themselves to fight back. Louis Gossett Jr. played Dean Edward Parker and boyhood wonder Toy Soldiers was born - well I loved it anyway. Now imagine Toy Soldiers set in Korea, where the guns are bigger and the warfare is based on fact. I might be selling 71: Into The Fire a little short on this one, comparing it to a fantastical schoolboy adventure, but John H. Lee’s spectacular war epic touches on similar themes of heroism, defiance against all odds and plucky determination.

During the devastating Korean War, 71 South Korean soldiers stood guard at a middle school and defended an important strategic point from hundreds of North Korean soldiers - most of them students, not yet soldiers. Director John H. Lee (A Moment to Remember) brings the story to life with a pitch-perfect cast that includes Kwon Sang Woo, Cha Seung Won and Kim Seung Woo. In June 1950, a war between North and South Korea broke out, threatening to destroy everything that lay in its path. A South Korean soldier (Kim Seung Woo) is ordered to take his troops to assist a group of young soldiers defending a girl’s boarding school near the Nakdong River. The ragtag band of inexperienced soldiers, which includes resident bad boy Gap Su (Kwon Sang Woo), is led by Jang Beom (T.O.P), the only member of the group with any kind of battle experience...Continue reading review.

Donnie Yen’s LEGEND OF THE FIST breaks into the US in April

Just in case US residents haven't had enough Donnie Yen kicking people in the face this year, Well Go USA and Variance Films are giving us some more. Legend Of The Fist: The Return Of Chen Zhen is coming to American theaters on April 22nd. Because you can never have enough of Donnie Yen kicking people in the face. Especially if those people are Nazis. The film is directed by Andrew Lau (Internal Affairs) and also stars Shu Qi and Anthony Wong.

Synopsis: Seven years after the apparent death of Chen Zhen, who was shot after discovering who was responsible for his teacher's death (Huo Yuanjia) in Japanese-occupied Shanghai. A mysterious stranger arrives from overseas and befriends a local mafia boss. That man is a disguised Chen Zhen, who intends to infiltrate the mob when they form an alliance with the Japanese. Disguising himself as a caped fighter by night, Chen intends to take out everyone involved as well as get his hands on an assassination list prepared by the Japanese.

 

Check out the Official Website

Watch the trailer

NY premiere of Yoshihiro Nishimura’s HELLDRIVER

Attention all New Yorkers with hankering for over the top and shamelessly exploitationist splatter. Co-Presented with Subway Cinema, the NY Japan society is to host the New York Premiere of Yoshihiro Nishimura’s Zombie splatter fest Helldriver on Thursday, April 28. This will apparently be the one chance to see the original director's cut of the film, with more action and more gore plus the added bonus that Nishimura and actress Eihi Shiina will be making an appearance.

50% of all ticket sales will go to Japan Society's Earthquake Relief Fund, so not only will you be able to check out the latest outpouring from the mind that created ‘Tokyo Gore Police,’ you’ll be doing something to help aid the people of Japan, after the terrible tragedy. Tickets go on sale soon, so keep an eye on the Japan Society website here.

Synopsis: In a land where half of the population has become not-so-sexy flesh eaters and the economy gently withers away, all hope seems lost for Japan... until Kika arrives. A stunning high school girl armed with an artificial heart-powered chainsaw sword, she leads a motley crew of desperados on a secret mission into the zombie-infected wilds to exterminate zombie queen Rikka and put an end to the plague of the living dead. But the road is fraught with a thriving zombie culture that, with its own designs on the living half of Japan, refuses to just lay down and die.

AMERICAN: THE BILL HICKS STORY hitting the US in April

Finally! After hitting UK screens in May of last year, the US is getting American: The Bill Hicks Story. The documentary about the revolutionary and controversial stand-up comedian is opening in New York on April 8th and will spread to other cities in limited release afterward. Directed by Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas, the doc is full of archival footage as well as interviews with family and friends. If you're not familiar with the life and work of Hicks, now is your chance to rectify that grievous wrong and if you're already a fan, rejoice!

Synopsis: 15 years after his death, Bill Hicks is now more popular than ever, and is widely seen as one of the best comedian of the modern era. However, in America, where he challenged institutions and accepted ways of thinking, he suffered censorship and was never truly recognized by a wide audience. In the country which enshrines freedom of speech in its constitution his story is truly about what it means to be an American.

Head over to the film's Official Website for more information, screening locations and dates.

 

Watch the trailer

Criterion invites THE MAKIOKA SISTERS over in June

Criterion has been making a lot of strides recently to make more classic Japanese films by lesser known directors available and their most recent newsletter added yet another disc to that list. On June 14th, they'll be releasing Kon Ichikawa's adaptation of the classic Junichiro Tanizaki novel The Makioka Sisters on DVD and Blu-Ray. The disc comes with an all new high definition digital restoration and the Blu also has an uncompressed monoaural soundtrack, making this a must-buy for classic Japanese film fans.

Synopsis: Revolving around the changing of the seasons, The Makioka Sisters (Sasame-yuki) follows the lives of four sisters who have taken on their family’s kimono manufacturing business, over the course of a number of years leading up to the Pacific War. The two oldest have been married for some time, but according to tradition, the rebellious youngest sister cannot wed until the third, conservative and terribly shy, finds a husband. This graceful study of a family at a turning point in history is a poignant evocation of changing times and fading customs, shot in rich, vivid colors.

Check out Criterion.com for more info

Watch the trailer

Pre-order the DVD or Blu-Ray from Amazon

More gore! Second teaser for GHOST: THE CINDERELLA

So far we’ve had posters, plotline, and a first splatterfest of a teaser trailer for new Thai horror Ghost: The Cinderella, and guess what, the second is showing no signs of being anything other than all kinds of gruesome. See it at the link. (nsfw)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ghost teaser 2

The CHAPMAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL is coming to LA

If you live in southern California and you enjoy French cinema then mark March 24th through 27th on your calendars for the Chapman & Tournees French Film Festival. The festival will be screening 8 different films, including the US premier of Nicolas Saada's Cesar nominated Espion(s), starring Guillaume Canet (V For Vendetta, The Crying Game). Director Saada will also be on hand for a Q&A session after the screening.

Other screenings include Catherine Breillat's Bluebeard, Anne Fontaine's Coco Before Chanel (starring Audrey Tautou), Cedric Klapisch's Paris (starring Juliette Binoche), Olivier Assayas's Summer Hours (recently released by Criterion) and more.

Make sure and check out the Official Festival Website for more information on the films, as well as dates and times.

Cine Asia presents Hong Kong Legends!

Rapidly becoming the one of the most prolific distributors of Asian movies in the UK, Cine Asia have just announced a deal with Entertainment One giving them access to their entire back title list, massively increasing their Asian movie catalogue. Here’s the details…

“Continuing our passionate commitment to deliver the very best in Asian action-cinema through our pioneering Cine Asia brand, Showbox Media Group is proud to announce the re-birth of the celebrated Hong Kong Legends action-cinema label. Under the new releasing banner, ‘CINE ASIA presents HKL', Showbox is set to bring the label back to life, and will re-release the cream of Entertainment One's Asian film catalogue, including Jet Li's Once upon a time in China series, Jackie Chan's Police Story 1&2 and Donnie Yen's world-famous, Iron Monkey.

Originally launched on February 7th 2000, Hong Kong Legends broke new ground in the presentation of classic Hong Kong Cinema titles. Undertaking an extensive film restoration programme and developing an entire range of exclusive bonus material, HKL was considered the gold-standard in Asian Cinema until its part-discontinuation in 2007. To celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Bruce Lee's birthday, CINE ASIA presents HKL will first re-release the feature-packed 2-Disc Ultimate Editions of Bruce Lee's illustrious movies The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon and Game of Death, along with the brand-new Cine Asia Blu-ray and DVD release of 'Young Bruce Lee' on 30th May 2011.”

Looks like classic Hong Kong action nirvana, is about to land in the UK!

Recent Entries