Shaun Williams

About Shaun Williams

UK born action cinema fanatic. Especially martial arts cinema. Currently residing in Marlyand. Avid physical media supporter. Host of the Fu for Thought podcast.

Posts by Shaun Williams:

Eureka Entertainment Line Up Sonny Chiba’s BEAST FIGHTER Films for A June Release

Shaun Williams

Eureka Entertainment continue their long line of stellar Blu Ray releases with the upcoung double-pack of Karate Bullfighter and Karate Bearfighter. Both films star the iconic Japanese badass, Sonny Chiba (The Street Fighter), and are based on the Manga, Karate Baka Ichidai, which ran 1971 to 1977 (and was later adapted into an anime series). Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, director of the fan favorite, Sister Street Fighter, the films focus on Masutatsu “Mas” Ōyama, the world reknowned karate master and Sonny Chiba’s real-life teacher: In Karate Bullfighter (or Champion of Death), a karate tournament is crashed by an enigmatic martial artist calling himself Ōyama (Chiba), who arrives in tattered rags and beats all who dare challenge him. But Ōyama’s entrance into the world of karate has unforeseen consequences, and soon he is fighting for far more than sporting victory. Then, in Karate Bearfighter, Ōyama is expelled from the karate community for refusing to pull his punches. With nowhere […]

Eureka Entertainment To Release Yuen Woo-Ping’s Madcap Classic, THE MIRACLE FIGHTERS, This June!

Shaun Williams

It’s a good time to be a Hong Kong cinema fan! Eureka Entertainment recently announced they will be releasing a Blu Ray of Yuen Woo-ping’s masterclass in madness, The Miracle Fighters, in the UK and the US on June 25th. Many people know Woo-ping as being the man responsible for the action in films like The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill but in the early 80’s he, with help from his brothers (aka The Yuen Clan), created some of the most innovative and inventive productions to come out of Hong Kong (including Donnie Yen’s first film, Drunken Tai Chi). To say that The Miracle Fighters has to be seen to be believed is an understatement. It’s off the wall in all the right ways During the Quing dynasty, marriage between Manchu and Han people is outlawed. When it is discovered that high-ranking official Kao Hsiung (Eddy Ko) has taken a Han wife, the Emperor […]

Colin Farrell Reminisces On Being A True Gangster In The First Trailer For THE PENGUIN

Shaun Williams

Max has just dropped our first look at Colin Farrell (In Bruges, The Banshees of Inisherin) as the infamous Batman foe, Oswald Cobblepot, in their trailer for THE PENGUIN. The show will reach screens in the Fall and, judging from the teaser, looks to be a dark gangster epic. They’ve certainly captured the look and feel of Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Only natural really since Reeeves produces the show alongside Farrell and showrunner, Lauren LeFranc (Impulse) who also writes the series. Craig Zobel, director of the much loved Max series, Mare of Easttown, will helm the first three episodes. As well as Farrell, the cast boasts a host of recognizable names including Sofia Milioti (Palm Springs), Clancy Brown (Starship Troopers) and Carmen Ejogo (The Purge: Anarchy). Until the series airs, two questions remain unanswered: will we get to see the Caped Crusader and will we finally see Cobblepot wield his […]

Dev Patel’s Directorial Debut, MONKEY MAN, Gets A Second Bone-Crunching Trailer

Shaun Williams

Dev Patel (The Green Knight) recently wowed audiences at SXSW 2024 with a screening of his first directorial effort, MONKEY MAN. Those that didn’t attend the famed festival now get second look at what the film has in store in the brand new trailer. While obvious comparisons to the John Wick franchise have been made, Patel has made it clear that his film has little in common with the Keanu Reeves lead blockbusters: This film is born from my love of so much action cinema, expanding from Bruce Lee to Sammo Hung. To Jet Li to Jackie Chan. To the Korean cinema that totally changed my life. The only real touchpoint John Wick is for this kind of film is that you see a man in a suit. Rave reviews have had action fans positively frothing to get their eyes on this one and they’ll be able to do just that on […]

Netflix Delivers A Kicking New Teaser For The Upcoming Live Action CITY HUNTER

Shaun Williams

The beloved Manga, CITY HUNTER, gets another live-action interpretation this year as Netflix are set to release a new feature-length film on April 25th. This time around, Ryohei Suzuki (The Blood of Wolves II) brings the revered private detective and lover of beautiful ladies to life while Yûichi Satô (Kisaragi) steps into the Director’s chair. CITY HUNTER follows Ryo Saeba, a “sweeper” who navigates the shadowy depths of modern-day Shinjuku, Tokyo. Balancing a cool demeanor with a fun personality, Ryo takes on high-stakes challenges in the underworld. After receiving the message “XYZ, please find my sister,” Ryo and his partner Hideyuki go on to search for Kurumi, a famous cosplayer. Meanwhile, mysterious violent incidents are taking place in Shinjuku, and Saeko, a skilled police detective is having a tough time solving these cases. Ryo and Hideyuki work in tandem to pursue Kurumi, but tragedy strikes when Hideyuki is killed during […]

The New Slugfest, CRAZY, From The Mind Of Hector Soria, Delivers The Brutality

Shaun Williams

Actor and Action Designer, Hectoria Soria, recently teamed up with indy action film heavy hitters, Art School Drop Outs, to deliver CRAZY, a new short film that sees Soria brawl it out with actor and stuntman, Victor Chong. According to Art School Dropout’s YouTube, this was a quick, 6-hour production that was dreamed up “from out of nowhere” by Soria. The final result is a bone-crunching one-on-one that tells a familiar – yet classic – story. Check it out below!

Anticipation Grows As Soi Cheang’s TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN Teaser Drops

Shaun Williams

To say Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In has martial arts cinema fans champing at the bit would be an understatement. The film, directed by Soi Cheang (Limbo), and starring Raymond Lam (Saving General Yang), Richie Jen (Seoul Raiders), Louis Koo (Paradox), Sammo Hung (Ip Man 2) and Philip Ng (Once Upon a Time in Shanghai) was met with immediate anticipation as soon as it was announced back in 2021. In fact, the film garnered buzz as far back as 2013 when Donnie Yen was rumored to star. Fast forward a decade and here we are, finally getting a taste of what we might see from legendary Action Director, Kenji Tanigaki. I think I can comfortably say that fans won’t be disappointed! While a few snaps of Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In‘s FILMART promo poster made it to Instagram yesterday, Chinese website and newspaper, Ming Pao, posted this teaser late in the […]

Philip Ng To Star In New Martial Arts Actioner, WITHOUT REMORSE

Shaun Williams

Asia’s leading film and TV marketplace, FILMART, recently saw Philip Ng (Once Upon a Time in Shanghai) take the stage to announce his upcoming film, Without Remorse, which he will star in alongside frequent co-star and martial arts giant, Andy On (True Legend). Philip Lui Koon-Nam is set to direct. Lui’s previous (and only) film as director, Undercover Punch and Gun, also starring On and Ng, was met with fairly positive reviews from martial arts fans upon its initial release in 2019. Little is known about Without Remorse at the moment. The FILMART presentation was accompanied with a concept poster showing two silouetted characters squaring off against a destroyed cityscape. However, Ng did take to Instagram to describe the film as a “hardcore martial arts actioner.” Production on the film will start soon so expect details to trickle in shortly.