THE CHAMPIONS Blu-Ray Review: An Underrated Classic That Scores Big For Hong Kong Film Fans
THE CHAMPIONS is now available from Eureka Entertainment.
THE CHAMPIONS is now available from Eureka Entertainment.
Attendees at the 19th edition of Fantastic Fest got a taste of things to come from upcoming horror thriller series, Teacup. The new Peacock episodic now has an official trailer and key art which you can view below. From modern-day master of horror and the mind behind The Conjuring and Insidious, James Wan’s Atomic Monster produces the series with UCP, joined by first-time showrunner Ian McCulloch (Yellowstone). TEACUP stars Yvonne Strahovski (The Handmaid’s Tale), Scott Speedman (Grey’s Anatomy), and Chaske Spencer (The English) and follows a disparate group of people in rural Georgia who must come together in the face of a mysterious threat in order to survive. Teacup also stars Boris McGiver, and Emmy winning actress Kathy Baker, and will stream the first two episodes exclusively on Peacock on Oct 10, with two episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays until Halloween, October 31. Watch the new trailer:
Trinity CineAsia hit the ground running over the weekend announcing an October 11 theatrical release in the UK and Ireland for Hong Kong action drama, Stuntman. The film stars Terrance Lau and Philip Ng, along with stunt veteran Stephen Tung Wai, a seven-time winner of Best Action Choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards, marking his latest return after seven years. The story follows a washed-up action choreographer who is struggling to find his way in a changing industry. He risks everything to stage a comeback, while also attempting to repair the relationship with his estranged daughter. Stuntman is co-directed by Albert and Herbert Leung, both real stuntmen-turned-filmmakers, who draw from their own professional experiences to create this dramatic, moving and inspiring story. Stuntman also stars Cecilia Choi, Sing Lam, and Rachel Leung. The company also revealed its latest promo which you can view below.
It’s been about ten years since I’ve seen Josh C. Waller’s feature debut, Raze, when it came out. The film landed on my radar during my first year with a website and I did quite a bit of press for it seeing as it fell under my purview for the talent at hand and the given subject matter – a story where dozens of women are taken, trapped and imprisoned into an unending underground hell full of death matches until there is one survivor. I couldn’t wait for this film to come out, and I think it’s equally exciting that this film is getting some extenuating festival hype by way of Fantastic Fest for the kind of genre crowdpleaser it aims to be. Indeed, the casting of Zoë Bell augments the film’s profile some with a stuntwoman taking the mantle with a lead role after more than ten years pursuant […]
With the first film in their rear view, 2018 Finnish rock comedy adventure Heavy Trip now has a second chapter in toe with Heavier Trip, making its way to Fantastic Fest this weekend. Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren are back in the director’s chair for the new installment along with returning cast and some new faces in the mix. Death metal band Impaled Rektum escapes prison to perform at Wacken, Germany’s iconic music festival. Their wild and perilous adventure into the metal music scene challenges the band’s integrity in the sequel to cult classic HEAVY TRIP. Heavier Trip stars Johannes Holopainen, Max Ovaska, Chike Ohanwe, Samuli Jaskio, Anatole Taubman, David Bredin, Martti Syrjä, Mats Eldøen, Helén Vikstvedt, Sinikka Mokkila, Jussi Vuori, and Ruth Rosenfeld. Also, watch the new trailer below and you’ll get a glimpse of beloved J-metal trio, Babymetal, in their cameo appearance, visual and audio!; Seriously, that band […]
Pakistani-American actor Shaz Khan has been on the rise for about fifteen years now with a number of indie screen credits. His latest continuation now puts him squarely on the MMA fandom radar with his next pic, The Martial Artist. Khan also debut directs from a script he penned (credited as “SK”) with co-writer Michael Ross Albert, based on “Say It Ain’t So,” a short film Khan wrote and directed by 2016. The movie held its premiere at a rousing red carpet VIP event in Bahrain back in late June, marking a milestone for Khan in the five years it took since development, training and preparation for the lead role, and production during 2020. When MMA rising star Ibby “The Prince” Bakran shines in a local fight, the world’s largest promotion company offers him a deal he can’t refuse. Now aligned with the sport’s top developing athletes, Ibby has a […]
Hounds Of War arrives on Digital on September 20 from XYZ Films. The current state of Isaac Florentine’s directing career is a bit of a mystery these days. He still remains as a fixture among the cadre of take-home action fandom for most, particularly having sheperded the post-Walter Hill Undisputed sequels of DTV lore amid his 30+ year career proliferating some of the best in martial arts movie stardom. Interestingly, he’s had a few core signs during this period that he was maturing (or at least trying to) as a director, namely with films like Assassin’s Bullet and Antonio Banderas starrer, Acts Of Vengance. His latest now comes after wrapping things up with his Boyka-of-choice with Scott Adkins starrer, Seized, having since collaborated with leading man Frank Grillo whose name has been on the chyron of trade casting reports almost year round for more than a decade now, having worked […]
Ideally, if you follow a certain filmmaker favorite long enough, the possibilities grow even more fascinating in terms of tangential topical discourse. For starters, I’ve seen the action fandom opine over the connectivity of Jesse V. Johnson’s films, and chatter over what Jason Statham’s cameo in Michael Mann’s Collateral could mean. Even Hasbro is on the verge of finally coalescing two of its hit properties since Steven Caple Jr.’s Transformers entry last year. By extension, I imagine a world nowadays where discussions could – if not already – begin materializing on the kind of tapestrial coherence of the burgeoning directorial work of action specialist, Kensuke Sonomura. Immediately with 2019’s Hydra and 2022’s Bad City, Sonomura proved his vigor and value as a cinematic storyteller capable of putting together quality action cinema marketable to audiences worldwide. In doing so, he’s introduced fans to a colloquial cinematic world all his own – […]
It only took seven years to make happen but the campaign for Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera is finally here!… Lionsgate rolled out the first teaser poster on Wednesday featuring Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. in one of the most compelling face-offs in heist genre history, and you know the hype is real if you’ve seen 2018’s Den Of Thieves and watched as Butler’s tattered L.A. detective wrestle his way through marital fallout, and self-destructive booziness while blazing his way through a cerebral game of wits and bullets with a deadly gang of armed robbers and their cunning leader. The man back at the helm is none other than Christian Gudegast whose work on the first film is nothing short of celebrated by any and all who’ve been heralding the film’s reception with comparisons to Michael Mann’s Heat. Gudegast also wrote the script in which case if memorable moments […]
It took a bit of pointing and tapping to find what’s what and who with this but the official trailer is out for Ahmad Idham’s new action flick, Reeza GTR. The trailer itself crackles with energy aplenty and all the trimmings and nods to its target audience from fast cars to faster fighting moves, and a hero to root for in actor and singer Alif Satar. Reeza, a young man with a big heart, is on the verge of achieving his dreams. When he meets the beautiful Myra hiding in the trunk of his car, his life turns chaotic and is never the same again as she is on the run from mysterious persons. The film also stars Sophia Albarakbah, Nelissa Nizam, Eizlan Yusof, and Ropie, and opens in Malaysian theaters October 17.
Breaking Glass Pictures is releasing the new horror comedy thriller Hayride To Hell on digital and on demand beginning September 24. The film stars screen icons Bill Moseley (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, House of 1000 Corpses) and Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th franchise), in their latest work who previously worked together on Christian Winters/Alan Smithee’s Old 37 (2015). Set on the Coxe Family Farm in rural Willis County, Farmer Sam (Bill Moseley) exacts his bloody revenge on unscrupulous local town-folk, including Sheriff Jubel (Kane Hodder), who menace him and attempt to steal the farm that has been in his family for 200 years. Hayride To Hell is directed by Dan Lantz (Alice and the Vampire Queen, Alpha Rift, and Bloodrunners) from a script by Kristina Chadwick and Robert Lange, the latter whose family-owned Sugartown Strawberries Farm in Lavern, Pennsylvania was where the movie was made. News of the release […]
Eureka Entertainment is taking the superspy leap with a trio of spy-themed Shaw Brothers productions in Super Spies and Secret Lies. The titles, The Golden Buddha, Angel with the Iron Fists and The Singing Thief, will roll out via the Eureka Classics shingle beginning November 19 in North America on Limited Edition Blu-Ray with 2000 copies per territory. Read on for the language and catch the trailer! Following the enormous international success of Dr. No and From Russia with Love, Bondmania swept the globe and initiated a cycle of Bondsploitation movies. Studios all over the world sought to capitalize on James Bond and the concept of the super-spy – including Hong Kong’s venerable Shaw Brothers, who began producing tales of intrigue, espionage, and grand theft in the mid-1960s. Eureka Classics presents three of their best in this special-edition set: The Golden Buddha, Angel with the Iron Fists and The Singing […]
Bong Joon-ho has always had a fantastic way of telling stories with compelling and subversive social messages. His latest effort seems indicative as much based on what we can now see in the first official trailer for the new sci-fi adventure, Mickey 17, with Robert Pattinson starring alongside….well, other… Robert… Pattinsons? Wow. From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, “Mickey 17.” The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living. Also starring Naomi Ackie, and Steven Yeun, and Academy Award nominees Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo. Warner Bros. Pictures is rolling out international releases on January 28 next year ahead of its U.S. release on January 31 in theaters and IMAX. Enjoy the trailer!
I have a feeling that Patrick Tam’s The Sword was one of those remastered specialty picks that played a festival that flew off my radar at some point. Certainly it feels like it. At any rate, this baby is now coming to a phys-media outlet near you with Eureka Entertainment announcing their release of the 1980 wuxia classic as part of the Eureka Classics line beginning November 19. The film will be made available on Blu-Ray and with a 2k restoration with a limited edition release of the package rolling out 2000 copies (per territory), which include exclusive features such as an O-card slipcase, and a collector’s booklet. Read on for the language below and then head over to the MVD shop to make your pre-order! Best known as a key contributor to the Hong Kong New Wave as the director of My Heart is That Eternal Rose and the […]
No, I don’t typically cover horror on this platform, but there’s always something for everyone on some scale when it comes to these festivals. The upcoming ninth edition of the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is no different, as shown with the details now available in the full line-up which you can below ahead of its launch next month. Peep the festival art below as well with the language just beneath encompassing all there is to know about what’s in store with badges now on sale and limited tickets up for grabs this Friday! Brooklyn, NY– The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (BHFF) announces today the full program for its 2024 incarnation, running October 17-24 with all screenings held at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations. Audiences are in for an unworldly lineup of films and events, including a special screening of Larry Fessenden’s HABIT with the Leviathan Award Ceremony, honoring his film career. The Opening Night film is […]
The official trailer is out for Hideki Takeuchi’s long-awaited adaptation of the hit manga and anime, Cells At Work. Best of all apart from the featuring of Mei Nagano and Takeru Satoh is the inclusion of other key characters, and now with actors Abe Sadawo and Mina Ashida adding the apropos human element to the stakes. The film, as fans of Akane Shimizu’s IP know it, embarks on an Osmosis Jones-style adventure of a red blood cell and her travails at maintaining the human body, alongside all the requisite cells needed – including the bacteria and virus-batling white blood cells and T-cells, and the healing cells to form clots. I love Takeuchi’s approach already, and not that I wasn’t already sold on the teaser from a while back, but this trailer makes a great case for recommended viewing. Cells At Work arrives in Japan cinemas from Warner Bros. Japan on […]
Oof! The last we heard from actor and filmmaker Michael Chuah for his latest production with Redemption was in 2022 when cameras were rolling. Fast forward a little under two-and-a-half years later and at long last the first sign of life has since gone online with a first look teaser featuring Chuah in leading man fashion for Malaysia’s moviegoing demos. A mercenary who wants to undergo a peaceful life, has to come out of retirement when he sees his newly moved in neighbours being targeted by the local crime syndicate. The film also stars Mimi Chu, Tian Long, and Cherry Cheng, and is subject to a January 2025 release. Catch the teaser below!
Trinity CineAsia is out to make its case with the upcoming UK/Irish home releases of Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In. The film stars Raymond Lam, Terrence Lau, German Cheung and Tony Wu, along with Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, Richie Jen, and Philip Ng. From award-winning director Soi Cheang (Mad Fate, Limbo, Dog Bite Dog), this gritty, fight-filled epic is adapted from the cult Manga series “City of Darkness” by Andy Seto and based on the novel by Yuyi. Set in British colonial Hong Kong in the 1980’s, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In follows a troubled youth as he accidentally enters the infamous Kowloon Walled City – a dangerous Chinese enclave ripe with gang crime and corruption. He soon discovers order amidst the chaos, and gains life lessons from the inhabitants as they resist a villainous invasion. With a production budget of $40 million USD, it is […]
Before Dawn is a new WWI epic drama, directed by Jordon Prince-Wright who co-wrote the script with Jarrad Russell. The film stars Levi Miller as Jim Collins, the son of an outback sheep farmer who decides against the wishes of his father to join the ANZAC Corps in the fight against the Nazis in France. The result is a cataclysmic journey of tragedy, dark reflection and bravery chronicling the near-900 day endeavor as we watch Jim tackle the dogs of war, measuring his own courage and ideal school of thought against an environment encumbered by a survival-first instinct. This aspect of the story is explored aptly through brewing tension between Jim, and Thomas Nickles (Travis Jeffery) following a mission gone wrong resulting in the death of Travis’s brother, Harry. The impasse eventually reaches a boiling point under the stewardship of their superiors, including the dogged Sgt. Beaufort (Myles Pollard), even […]
Fans of the independent Fideo Films and Phoenix Eye platforms are reconvening once more for another entry into the cult “Tiger Cop” shortfilm saga with Tiger Cop: Project A. Aussie director Adrian Castro will reteam with rising star Maria Tran (Tracer, Suka, Echo 8) on the new short with cameras rolling in Sydney and Melbourne in December. Tran will lead a cast that also lists Melbourne-based collaborators Vinh Nguyen, martial artists Louis Damien Chaurémootoo and David Hong, and comedian/actor Georgina Neville. Further bolstering the roster is legendary action star Richard Norton, whose credits partly include Twinkle Twinke Lucky Stars (1985), China O’Brien (1988) and its 1990 sequel, as well as Mr. Nice Guy (1987), Mad Max: Fury Road and its 2024 prequel, Furiosa, and upcoming Cynthia Rothrock Western vehicle, Black Creek. The concept behind Tiger Cop: Project A is a highly celebrated one for fans of the 80s and early-90s […]
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