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Brazil’s Fantaspoa Film Fest announces its full program

Latin America is getting in on the genre action! Starting next week, on may 4th and going until may, 20th, Brazil’s Porto Alegre will be capital of Genre Cinema. Fantaspoa – International Fantastic Film Festival of Porto Alegre, the biggest genre film festival of South America will be back for its 8th edition, with 17 days of pure cinephilia, exhibiting 150 films – including 87 features from 32 countries: 5 having their world première, 12 in national première and 43 in their Latin America première.

The festival will also bring more than 35 guests, including the duo that will be getting a Career Achievement Award: David Schmoeller and Stuart Gordon. Schmoeller, in the occasion, will also have the première of his first feature in 14 years: “Little Monsters”. The festival will open and close with two world premières: “Nervo Craniano Zero”, directed by Paulo Biscaia Filho will open the festival and “Cell Count”, directed by Todd E. Freeman will close it.

There’s no English version of the program but it’s easy to navigate (especially if you stick it through the Google translator) and well worth a look if you like your movies on the darker side of different . Check it out here.

Fantaspoa festival trailer

THE FRONT LINE: U.S DVD review

Director: Hun Jang. Review: Chris Sawin.

It's 1953 and The Korean War wages on. Negotiations for a ceasefire have been going on for over two years, but nothing has come of it. The South Korean group of men fighting at Aerok Hill is known as Alligator Company. Their commander was said to be shot with a gun from his own side and Intel says there's a spy residing in their midst. First Lieutenant Eun-Pyo (Ha-kyun Shin) of the Defense Security Command is sent to look into it.

Once there, Eun-Pyo is reunited with his best friend from college Su-Hyeok (Soo Go) who Eun-Pyo thought had died at the beginning of the war. But Su-Hyeok is not the man he used to be as his humanity has been stripped away, he doesn't think twice about killing anyone, and has somehow moved up in rank to Lieutenant in just two short years. But Alligator Company is hiding something that lies within the events that occurred at Po-hang and has left their current commanding officer Captain Il-Young (Je-hoon Lee) addicted to morphine.

Despite being a fan of horror, blood and guts, and explosions, war movies have always been the oil to my water. No matter how hard you stir or shake the two of us together we just don't mix and have decided to see other genres because of it. It's not that I think war movies are bad. They just haven't appealed to me in the past and every one I've tried to watch up until this point has been okay at best. Maybe it's because I'm getting older or that I'm beginning to notice more during movies, but The Front Line makes me reconsider that opinion and those feelings...Continue reading review. 

The Front Line U.S site

 

Sumptuous first teaser for THE EMPEROR’S CONCUBINE

Time for a change of pace from all out horror and action, and as we haven’t had a decent Korean historical bodice ripper come our way (that sounds a little wrong) in quite some time, the first teaser for the big budget offering The Emperor's Concubine from director Kim Dae-seung (‘Blood Rain’), fits the bill perfectly.

The whole things looks achingly beautiful and lush - so if movies in the vein of Lee Jun-ik’s ‘The King and Clown’ are your bag, best pencil this in right now. The Emperor's Concubine follows the love triangle story of King Sungwon and his Concubine Hwa-Yeon with another man (of course that’s bound to end well) and opens in Korea in June.

 

The Emperor's Concubine trailer

English subbed trailer for Thai horror DARK FLIGHT

Ok...so you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to work out from watching the un-subbed trailer for Thai horror Dark Flight that things don’t go well for all involved - but it always helps to get a handle on the “plot” when there’s subtitles along for the ride. Luckily, Hong Kongs very handy in that dept, and as the film has just been released there, we can now dish up some Thai scares, with that little bit extra.

Synopsis: Thailand’s first 3D horror movie is ready to take off. It will be the darkest flight of your life. Ten years ago, a young air hostess, Neuw, miraculously survived a plane crash. Neuw insists that a vengeful spirit caused that accident, but her belief unsettled those around her and she had to go through a psycho-therapy. Now, the woman is ready to fly again. But on her first flight, New is struck by a disturbing feeling. The plane on which she’s working looks familiar, and Neuw realizes that it’s actually the same aircraft that crashed ten years ago, though it has been repaired and repainted. Gripped by terror, but there’s nothing she can do because the plane has already taken off, along with the same vengeful spirits that reside in it. Up in the air, the spirits are determined to take her life this time.

Dark Flight trailer

Johnny To’s LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE on U.S DVD

It’s always a good day when they announce a Johnny To movie is getting an English subbed release and his critically-Lauded award winning thriller Life Without Principle is up for the U.S DVD treatment...next month. This really doesn’t need much more introduction than that. It’s To, it’s great...go buy it! Nuff said. Life Without Principle debuts on DVD, Digital and Video on Demand May 29th.

Synopsis: An ordinary bank teller turned financial analyst is forced to sell high-risk securities to her customers in order to meet her sales target. A small-time thug delves into the futures index hoping to earn easy money to post bail for a buddy in trouble with the law. A straight-arrow Police inspector who has always enjoyed his middle income lifestyle is suddenly desperate for money when his wife puts a down payment on a luxury flat she can’t afford and his dying father wants him to look after a young half-sister he never knew he had. Three little people who are in dire need of money for the predicaments in their respective lives have nothing in common until a bag of stolen money worth HK$5m pops up and lands them in an intricate situation that forces them into making soul searching decisions about right and wrong and everything in between on the morality scale.

Life Without Principle U.S trailer

Life Without Principle H.K trailer

‘The Ring’ sequel SADAKO 3D heads for Korea

One of the most anticipated Asian horror movie events on our calendar for 2012 is the release of the latest incarnation of ‘The Ring’ series Sadako 3D, ands it looks like she’s spreading further afield. Korea is next to get a dose of classic J-horror, when it opens there in June 14 - Which all importantly, should give us first sight of an English subbed DVD release around September time. New poster and teaser trail at the link.

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.

Sadako 3D Korean teaser

New poster and trailer for Thai horror DISTORTION

Nonzee Nimibutr’s horror thriller Distortion has picked up a theatrical trailer and poster of its very own. All the back story and info on the movie can be found here, or you can zip on down to check it out right now. Alas it’s rather dialog heavy (without subs) but there is a hint of the obsession and madness to come, thrown into to mix, to spice it up a little. 'Distortion' opens in Thailand, in May.

 

 

 

Distortion trailer

Takashi Miike’s HARA-KIRI heading for UK release!

Stop the press, hold the phone - and generally just quit what you’re doing - if you are a Miiki fan....in the UK. His latest work, Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai, a remake of Masaki Kobayashi’s 1962 cult classic, is getting a limited theatrical release next month, May 4th and then drops onto DVD a few days after! Either way you'll be able to get another fix, of the master in action. Can't wait!

Synopsis: Poverty stricken samurai Hanshiro Tsukumo (Ebizo Ichikawa) requests to commit ritual suicide at the House of Ii, run by obstinate Lord - Kageyu Saito (Koji Yakusho), in a desperate attempt for a honourable end. In an effort to persuade Hanshiro to rethink his request, Kageyu tells the tragic story of a similar plea from young ronin Motome (Eita). Hanshiro is stunned by the horrifying details of Motome's fate, but insists on dying with honour. With his final breath, Hanshiro makes a last request which results in the shocking revelation of a bittersweet tale of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord.

 

Hara-Kiri trailer

Hara-Kiri official site

Korean horror DON’T CLICK set for release in May

A video tape that curses all those who watch it to a terrible death, it’s a premise that sounds rather familiar, but seeing as it looks like Korean fright flicks are mighty thin on the ground this year, upcoming K-horror Don’t Click is going back on our ‘too see’ list. We say “back” because ‘Don’t Click’ was supposed to open in Korea last last summer - under the iffy name tag of ‘Unidentified Video’ - but its returned for release in 2012, with a snappier title, new poster, new full trailer and a decent summary of the plot. Nice! Don’t Click opens on May 31.

Synopsis: Jung-mi, who's been living alone with her elder sister after their parents left for the US, uploads UCC often in hopes of being famous. She believes that it's the easy way to make her dream come true: being an anchorwoman. Jung-mi's sister, Se-hi thinks this is useless and same time dangerous but cannot stop her sister. When Jung-mi finds that the video so called "forbidden video" is in the centre of the attention, she asks Se-hi's boyfriend, Joon-hyuk working at special investigation team for cyber crimes to get her the file. Even though it's already forbidden, Joon-hyuk illegally downloads the video file from the closed internet site for Jung-mi. She clicks the file only to find out it contains one high school girl's wicked necromantic ritual. After watching the video, there happen series of strange incidents to Jung-mi. Now, Se-hi has to find the way to save her only sister from the curse of the video.

Don’t Click teaser

Don’t Click full trailer

UK poster for the sci-fi action oddness that is IRON SKY

The UK quad poster is out for the sci-fi, action, Nazi, comedy mash-up that is Timo Vuorensola’s oddball adventure - Iron Sky, and even though its virtually identical to the international version, we’ll use it as a blatant excuse to remind all those Brits with leanings to towards strange and downright out-there movies, that’s its on the way to UK cinemas next month.

For a low/medium budget movie the effects look amazing, and as for the stortline - Nazis on the on the moon - cummon, what not to get exited about? Iron Sky Invades UK theatres from May 4

Synopsis: Towards the end of World War II, the Nazi's realise they are the losing side. Retreating to the dark side of the Moon, they have re colonised, trained new troops, and have been waiting 70 years… for revenge!! Now, fully equipped with space age technology and futuristic weapons, they are returning to wreak havoc and take control. The battle for Earth is gonna get Nazi! 

Iron Sky trailer

Iron Sky UK quad

YAKUZA HUNTERS 2:  DVD Review

Director: Makoto Shinozaki. Review: Adam Wing.

The last time we saw Asami she was taking revenge on the gang members who had left her for dead after running riot in her town. She teamed up with a quartet of gun toting babes locked, loaded and ready for action. Dressed in next to nothing (go figure), Asami and her ‘Yakuza Hunters’ took to the streets in search of simple-minded madmen and the taste of bloody retribution. The fight sequences (when they came) were deliciously dirty, but Yakuza Hunters dragged its (high) heels from time to time, boosting the running time with layers of misjudged sentiment. With a retro soundtrack and gore by the bucket load, the first chapter kicked enough Yakuza ass to make the prospect of part 2 a welcome one, but if you’re hoping to see Asami half naked again, you’ll have to file this second helping away under ‘disappointment’.

Other than Asami spending the entire movie in clothing, Yakuza Hunters 2 is pretty much business as usual. Three years have past since Asami left town, but it isn’t long before she stumbles across her down beaten master Inokuma, the man who first taught her how to fight. The Shoryu Yakuza - who are threatening everybody with eviction so that they can build a new casino - is now running the town. In order to achieve their goal, they hire cold-blooded killer Akira (Hitomi Miwa) to kill anyone who gets in their way. They should maybe have mentioned that to Asami though, because it’s pretty obvious that she didn’t get the memo. Relationships are worsened when Akira brutally murders those closest to Asami, and she has no choice but to take up arms again (not to mention her hat) in a babe on babe battle to the death – fully clothed that is. I mentioned that part already, didn’t I?...Continue review here.

Read our review of Yakuza Hunters 1

New trailer for Filipino horror DARKEST NIGHT

A horror from the Philippines with a twist, as this particular fright flick looks somewhat better than their usual low budget affairs, and was filmed mainly in English. Always handy, for securing some overseas sales? Essential post production work is now finished for Darkest Night and a new trailer for the film has just been released to the public.

Darkest Night was produced by Gothic Productions International, a Philippine company funded by U.S. independent resources. The film's opening is expected later this year, first in North America and later in other countries around the world.

Synopsis: Darkest Night unfolds in a “found video and documentary” style. American  Ken Tyler, is introduced to the traditional-minded family of his Filipino fiancée, Susan Reyes, during a Christmas Day family reunion. What follows is a dark, horrific trip not to be missed, as demonic forces slowly come into play.

Darkest Night trailer

Norwegian horror thriller BABYCALL on UK DVD

If you’re a UK fan of tense, creepy horror thrillers, then pencil this in to ya viewing list right now. Pål Sletaune’s Norwegian scare flick Babycall - starring Noomi Rapace of ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ fame - is set for release on UK DVD...June 4th.

Synopsis: Anna and her eight year old son Anders are under the witness protection program following a difficult relationship with Anders’ father. They move into a large apartment complex. Anna becomes overprotective of her son and even buys a babycall to keep track of him. Soon, strange noises from other apartments appear on the monitor, and Anna overhears what might be the murder of a child. Meanwhile, Anders’ mysterious new friend starts visiting at odd hours, claiming that he has keys for all the doors in the building … Does this new friend know anything about the murder? And why is Anders’ drawing stained with blood? Is Anna’s son still in danger?

 

Release date of THE GRANDMASTERS announced!

We said it was coming and finally it’s arrived. The release date for Wong Kar-wai’s martial arts epic The Grandmasters has been announced and the day to remember is December 18th. Filmbiz Asia got the scoop on that news, plus some other highly anticipated releases in 2012, and you can read up on them here.

Trail for Chinese action movie MOONLIGHT SAVAGE confuses

Well...it seems our theory that a clip from Chinese action movie Moonlight Savage might well reveal more about the plotline, has been well and truly blown out of the water. A first trailer has been released that actually raises a lot more questions than answers, because the whole thing watches more like a homage to a 70s Italian horror movie, than an action flick?! Add to that they’ve just changed the movies title to ‘Mysterious Robber,’ and we’re nowhere near to being any the wiser. Mysterious (but maybe that’s in a good way?) just isn’t the word. Check it out at the linkage.

 

 

Mysterious Robber trailer

ID:A - DVD Review

Director: Christian E. Christiansen. Review: Adam Wing.

On paper it sounds intriguing enough; ID:A is a Scandinavian thriller in the tradition of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Killing. What this actually means is, due to the success of the Danish crime series on British TV, any new film that falls into the category ‘conspiracy thriller’ is going to be snapped up by UK film distributors. Christian E. Christiansen takes to the director’s chair, attempting to make up for his dull as dishwater thriller The Roommate with a lukewarm take on the Bourne phenomenon.

Tuva Novotny (Eat Pray Love, Stoned) stars as Ida (see what they did there?), a woman we first meet waking from near death on a riverbank. She has a gaping head wound, a bag full of money and no memory of what has happened to her. Sound like a female Bourne to you? Well, maybe. Attempting to piece together the complex mystery of her past, she soon realises there are violent strangers on her tail and her life is in danger. Sound like a female Bourne to you? Think again. The set up of ID:A might seem overly familiar, but the execution is found wanting on so many levels. Also starring Flemming Enevold (The Killing II) and Carsten Bjornlund (The Thing; The Killing II), ID:A is available on UK DVD this May...Continue reading review.

ID:A trailer

Time Outs 100 best horror films

There’s nothing better to start up a heated debate better in the online horror film fan community like a “list,” and Time Out are the latest in a long line of publications to be brave enough to produce a “100 best horror films,” the only difference here is the list was chosen by those who write in, direct, star in and celebrate the genre including the like of; Roger Corman, Guillermo del Toro, Simon Pegg and Clive Barker. Whether you agree or disagree with the final results you can’t deny the list was created by those, in the know, and it makes for a fascinating read. Check it out here.

 

UK poster for SILENT HOUSE

As “re-imaginings” go, the U.S version of the Uruguayan film ‘La Casa Muda’ doesn’t look too bad at all, and as it’s heading for UK Cinemas – we’ll throw the fact out there, that the Quad poster and trailer for the reboot are now on the scene.

Of course we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t mention the original film, just for some balance you understand. If you’re interested to know more, check out our story on ‘La Casa Muda’ here.

Silent House opens in UK cinemas May 4.

Synopsis: In Silent House, Sarah, along with her uncle and father, prepare their long-time family summer home, recently violated by squatters, for sale. But broken windows and cracks in the plaster are the least of their problems when they discover they are not alone and there’s more than just mold concealed behind the walls. Over the course of 85 harrowing minutes, their idyllic isolated retreat is transformed into a site of horror as the family’s past returns to taunt then terrorize them, exposing a hidden and distorted history.

Silent House Quad

Silent House UK trailer

Promo art, pics and plot for Nonzee Nimibutr’s DISTORTION

We’ve been tracking what’s been happening with Nonzee Nimibutr's (‘Tears of the Black Tiger,’ ‘The Eye 2’) latest movie - the Thai horror thriller - Distortion for well over 6 months now and it’s finally starting to pay off, with sight of some promo art for the film, plus some newly released stills. Add too that a very long summary of the plotline and things are starting to get interesting. Distortion is being funded by Sahamongkol Film who aren’t know for repping horror flicks that pull their punches. Some Thai movie sites say 'Distortion' is set for release their in May, which sound a little early to us considering there’s not even been a trailer for it yet - But as soon as there is we’ll be on it.

Synopsis: A grisly murder on a hot day in Bangkok sets in motion a psychological horror involving four people haunted by nightmares, repressed memories and the darkest past. Keun is a psychiatrist well-known for criminal profiling. He’s sent to help solve the murder and at the crime scene, he meets Tien, a forensic scientist with a traumatic childhood. During the investigation, Keun meets Kwang, a 19-year-old woman whom he first met 9 years ago. Back then, Keun was sent to treat Kwang after she witnessed her father killed her mother. Kwang confessed that her father, a soldier, had been molesting her. Keun and Kwang go to visit Kwang’s father at the prison. But they’re told that the soldier killed himself years ago out of shame. After that, Keun’s mental health is severely disturbed. He suffers from hallucination and sees a spirit dressed like a soldier. Then the second murder happens. The body was horrifically brutalized the same way as the first. Tien, who was once harassed by nightmare about the death of her mother, brings Keun to see a monk. Keun begins to believe that maybe the ghost of Kwang’s father is after him.

Keun asks Kwang to go under hypnosis, and to his shock, Kwang reveals that as a child she was never molested by her father. Keun goes with Kwang to meet her boyfriend, Key, who’s also Keun’s childhood friend. Key believes that actually, it was Keun who implanted into Kwang’s head the story of her father molesting her. Key recalls that, when he and Keun were 13, the two friends were lured into a forest and raped. The incident left a scar on Keun and that’s why he tried to trick Kwang to believe that she was raped. Keun confesses the truth in a press conference. He’s sued by the relatives of Kwang’s father. On the way to the police station, Keun reveals the identity of the serial killer to Tien. Keun has withheld that information because he wants the third victim to be killed first.

After seeing the police, Key takes Keun to the Boy Scout camp where they were raped as children. It’s revealed that Key is the serial killer who’s taking revenge on the men who raped them. He has kidnapped the last rapist and locked him up. But Keun helps the rapist escape into a forest. Key catches up with them. The rapist reveals that it was only Key who was raped, and it was Keun who helped lure Key to the rapists. Keun then confesses that as a child he was molested by his stepfather and wanted to inflict the same pain to others. Key’s consumed by rage and starts beating Keun violently. But Tien appears and shoots at Key. Keun spends the rest of his life in a mental asylum. He’s become a madman who lives his life in perpetual hallucination, never to emerge into the real world again.

Distortion poster

Distortion stills

FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGONS GATE on English subbed DVD

Tsui Hark proved he was back on form with ‘Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame’ and with his latest martial arts film - Starring Jet-Li - Flying Swords of Dragon Gate keeps that momentum going, in 3D! Revisiting the film ‘Dragon Inn’ he produced two decades earlier (itself a remake of the 1967 King Hu wuxia classic), Flying Swords has a revamped story, massively upscale production values and its out now to buy on English subbed DVD and Blu.

Synopsis: During the Ming Dynasty, China was practically ruled by evil eunuchs. In a mission to rescue persecuted officials, righteous swordsman Zhao Huai'an (Jet Li) assassinates the vicious East Chamber commander Wan Yulou (Gordon Liu), thus making himself the prime target of the West Chamber overlord Yu Huatian (Aloys Chen). Zhao and company flee to the vast, sprawling desert on the frontier, and seek refuge at the infamous Dragon Gate Inn, which was rebuilt after being burned down in a blaze three years ago. There, the fugitives come head-to-head with a variety of mysterious figures - swordswoman Ling Yanqiu (Zhou Xun), hunted palace maid Su Huirong (Mavis Fan), a deadly tribal princess (Guey Lun Mei), a pair of bandits (Chris Lee and Aloys Chen), and secret agents from the West Chamber. When Yu Huatian and his henchmen track them down to the inn, everyone's fate will be decided in an earth-shattering showdown amidst the all-devouring sandstorm...

Hong Kong 2-Disc Special Edition DVD comes with 126 minutes of special features, including making-of, behind-the-scenes, cast & crew interviews, and trailers.

Flying Swords trailer

Order your copy here

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