THE SIEGE AT THORN HIGH Gets A Propulsive Trailer For Joko Anwar’s New Action Flick
Joko Anwar directs the new action flick which gets an Indonesian theatrical release on April 17.
Trailers
NE ZHA 2 Continues The Epic Legendary Saga In North America In February!
The first installment, Ne Zha, was China’s biggest animated box office grosser in 2019. The sequel is currently playing in local cinemas in time for the Chinese New Year!
I, THE EXECUTIONER (1968) Review: Tai Kato’s Unrelenting Profile Of A Murderer
I, The Executioner comes to VOD, Digital, and Film Movement Plus on January 31. TW: This movie review discusses sexual assault and battery. This is all in my head at the moment, but I’m really curious as to the influence of classic Japanese films on a certain Korean filmmaker favorite of mine whose latest completed film I’m yet to capture. For now though, I’m happy to continue my own growth in that direction as I get to examine a little bit of the post-war cinematic work of Tai Kato these days. This time, it’s I, The Executioner, also known as Requiem For A Massacre depending on the marketing. Chalk this one up as another masterpiece by one of the most revered filmmakers of his time – and ours – gathering a cast of characters who are as complex as they are compelling in their deconstruction. That’s really what pulls you […]
GANGS OF LONDON Debuts Official Trailer For Season Three Of The Hit Crime Drama Coming In March
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù and Joe Cole are back to reprise their roles along with a slate of new additions, including “Warrior,” and “Boy Kills World” actor Andrew Koji!
SINNERS Rage Into The Night In The Official Trailer
SINNERS opens in theaters this April!
BY A MAN’S FACE SHALL YOU KNOW HIM (1966) Review: A Gangster’s Tale Of Unwavering Resolve
By A Man’s Face Shall You Know Him comes to VOD, Digital, and Film Movement Plus on January 31. Late filmmaker Tai Kato is the latest centerpiece of Film Movement Classics’ VOD and digital releases for the first month of 2024. First up among a pair of titles forthcoming is By A Man’s Face Shall You Know Him, Kato’s 1966 crime drama starring Noboru Ando as a post-WWII medic-turned-doctor who reflects on his life of turmoil, heartache, and violence when an old friend is admitted as his patient. Fans of Showa-era productions like these might be more than familiar with Kato’s work, or even that of Ando or the actor’s own history as a former gangster in his heyday. The same can likely be stated with respect to the distinguishable scar Ando bares on his left cheek, which certainly makes Ando’s performance here an inspired one, it not enhanced. Optically, […]
THE ORDER Signals A New Breed Of Ninja In The Official Teaser
The 33rd edition of the Pan African Film + Arts Festival is fast approaching, and that means tickets are already on sale via their official website. The same goes for their 2025 programme which is host to over 200 films across the African Diaspora, including eighty-minute conceptual martial arts thriller, The Order, from directing duo Najah Elessie, and Jonathon Jacobs. After being orphaned, Amari and Aissa are raised by a secret society called The Order, where they are trained as elite assassins by the mysterious Mama Zee. Tasked with eliminating a notorious human trafficker, Chipasha Luchembe, their mission takes a personal turn when Aissa learns he is responsible for her parents’ deaths—a secret Mama Zee kept from her. Consumed by vengeance, Amari and Aissa’s differing approaches threaten their bond as they uncover shocking truths that could destroy everything they thought they knew about Mama Zee and themselves. In a world […]
RUNNING ON KARMA (2003) Eureka Blu-Ray Review: A Myriad Of Bewildering Excellence
Eureka Entertainment’s Running On Karma arrives on Blu-Ray on January 28. Order it today at the MVD Shop. Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai’s Running On Karma hit me differently twenty years ago, so I wasn’t too keen on it. Nowadays my mind is more open to different types of films in the field I cover, and I’ve come to realize that it’s a film that holds a little something for several kinds of audiences. Andy Lau wears an albeit convincing muscle suit in his second role after donning a similar suit for a portly character in Love On A Diet, a 2001 rom-com from the same directing duo. The muscular build for the role Lau plays this time around takes a life on its own as an aspect to the inherently transformative nature of the story To and Wai proffer to viewers. The long and short? Lau stars along with […]
DEAD BEFORE THEY WAKE Review: Nathan Shepka Infiltrates Evil Sex Traffickers In A Near-Lifeless Crime Drama
Dead Before They Wake is now available on Digital Download I’ve come across the work of director Nathan Shepka prior to this year but his latest, Dead Before They Wake is my first real dive into his work. Shepka stars in the film which he also shares co-directing duties with Andy Crane, from a script Shepka wrote as well as produced under his own banner. The film is much ado with the kind of real world-driven storytelling in which human and sex trafficking is the underpinning that propels the story forward. Shepka plays Alex, a nightclub bouncer who is also known for doing favors for the right price, and people. Evan (Sylvester McCoy) is one such individual who approaches Alex one evening with a job offer: To search for a missing 14 year-old girl who is believed to have been enveloped into the city’s labyrinthine underworld of child sex trafficking. […]
ATONEMENT Signals Ronald Cheng’s Brutal Quest For Revenge In The First Teaser
Anybody else love the sound of a gritty Hong Kong thriller? Enter Atonement, the latest outing from directing duo Mark Wu, and leading man Ronald Cheng (Fatal Contact, Special ID) who shares the helm in his directing debut. Cheng plays a struggling father on a mission of vengeance when his daughter is kidnapped during their vacation in Thailand. Also starring are Chrissie Chau, Philip Keung, and young actress Fu Shun Ying for the film’s April release. Peep the teaser below along with the latest poster.
BAD BOYS: THE MOVIE Teaser Reveals The Latest Live-Action Revamp Of The Hit Manga
Fans of Hiroshi Tanaka’s manga catalogue can now find themselves re-living their fandom once again thanks to director Tatsuro Nishikawa with action drama, Bad Boys: The Movie. JO1 member Mamehara Issei will make his screen debut alongside Rihito Ikezaki of boy band INI, joining actors Jyutaro Yamanaka, and Sora Inoue, from a script by Nishikawa and screenwriter Kento Mineo. Based on Tanaka’s original 1988 Shonen Gahosha publication for Young King, the film centers on Kiriki Tsukasa (Issei), the only son of a wealthy family who instead runs away to follow in the footsteps of a legendary delinquent who helped him when he was younger. His quest to climb the ranks of gang life eventually brings him together Yoji (Ikezaki), Toshio (Yamanaka), Eiji (Inoue), forming a friendship which soon finds its integrity tested with looming gang battles to come, and Tsukasa reluctant to join in. Tanaka’s manga also found new life […]
OPERATION HADAL Scores Official Trailer Ahead Of Theatrical Release From Well Go USA
Mercenaries have occupied an offshore platform in Chinese territorial waters by force. The Chinese Navy sets sail to repel the invaders as the Jiao Long commando team prepares for a fierce fight in the deep sea. Such are the details for Operation Hadal (f.k.a. Operation Leviathan) for its North American theatrical run from Well Go USA. Dante Lam directs this, the threequel entry to his previous two patriotic actioners, Operation Mekong, and Operation Red Sea. Operation Hadal stars Xuan Huang, Yosh Yu, and Bryan Larkin. Catch the official trailer and poster below!
DROP Trailer Drops The Worst Thing That Could Happen To You On A First Date!
Christopher Landon, the man behind the Happy Death Day films and Freaky is back for more spine-chilling thrills and survival spectacle with Drop. The official trailer and poster are here with an April 11 date set from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse. Emmy nominee Meghann Fahy, breakout star of White Lotus and The Perfect Couple, plays Violet, a widowed mother on her first date in years, who arrives at an upscale restaurant where she is relieved that her date, Henry (It Ends with Us’ Brandon Sklenar) is more charming and handsome than she expected. But their chemistry begins to curdle as Violet begins being irritated and then terrorized by a series of anonymous drops to her phone. She is instructed to tell nobody and follow instructions or the hooded figure she sees on her home security cameras will kill Violet’s young son and babysitting sister. Violet must do exactly as directed […]
GOLDEN KAMUY: THE HUNT OF PRISONERS IN HOKKAIDO: Netflix Slates February Debut For Hit Sequel Series
Kento Yamazaki is giving me life this year, personally. The man is a star of multiple franchises including the live-action Golden Kamuy film from director Shigeaki Kubo, as well as its sequel series which debuted last year on WOWOW… AND a feature film continuation as I reported last month. The first film streamed on Netflix and so I can only imagine the upcoming feature will arrive all the same in due time. Meanwhile, the WOWOW series that followed is happily being included in the streamer’s catalogue beginning February 6 with Golden Kamuy: The Hunt Of Prisoners In Hokkaido, with Yamazaki and actress Anna Yamada among the roster of new and returning cast. The intense scramble for the tattooed skins finally begins! The latest trailer introduces several new characters who join the series, which dives into the heart of the story. Live and shine in this thrilling survival battle for hidden […]
GHOST KILLER Scares Up A Killer New Teaser For Kensuke Sonomura’s Latest!
Back to remind us of how cool Akari Takaishi and Masanori Mimoto are is the latest official teaser for supernatural action thriller, Ghost Killer. This one goes a little bit beyond for me in terms of my adoration for the film’s director, Kensuke Sonomura whose work quickly gained traction here in the states upon the release of his feature debut, Hydra, in 2019. Imaginably, if you’re curious about Sonomura’s back catalog of stunt work, there should be plenty to dive into. I can’t remember the last time I saw Yuichi Mori’s animated spectacle, Tekken: Bloodline, which Sonomura did the action for. I loved it then, and of course there’s Mamoru Oshii’s Nowhere Girl, Sabu’s crime comedy Hold Up Down, and Kenta Fukasaku’s Black Rat to name a few, and of course, Yugo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins franchise. Alas, Takaishi, Mimoto, and Sonomura are additionally joined on Ghost Killer by Sakamoto who penned […]
JADE Trailer: Martial Arts Thriller Starring Shaina West Arrives On Digital In February From Well Go USA!
Well Go USA is proudly releasing Jade, the new action thriller starring actress and martial artist Shaina West (The Woman King, Marvel’s Black Widow) and Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum). Stunt multi-hyphenate and filmmaker James Bamford (Man With No Past, The CW’s “Arrow”) directs from a script he co-wrote with screenwriters Lynn Colliar and Glenn Ennis. After her brother’s untimely and accidental death at her own hands, Jade swore she’d never pick up another gun. But when she unknowingly comes between powerful businessman “Tork” and her former gang leader in their urgent search for a valuable hard drive that could single-handedly take down Interpol, she may not have a choice. With the guidance of Reese, an old friend at Interpol, Jade must come to terms with all she’s faced in the past and present to safeguard her growing family’s future. This is a pretty big one for […]
WE KILL THEM ALL: Catch The Trailer For The New Survival Thriller Arriving On Friday
Jeremy Drummond’s newest thriller, We Kill Them All, is set to arrive on digital on Friday, January 17 in North America. Drummond directs from a script by Nicole Field, with Chloe McClay, Emma Newton, Leo Fafard, Michasha Armstrong, Ivy Sava, Kent Allen, Daniel Ford Beavis, Thomas Perras, and Clare Middleton starring. A young woman drives to a remote resort where her estranged and criminal father hopes to rekindle their relationship. When she arrives, she and the girlfriend she brings are met with the dangerous men from her father’s past and must fight for their lives to escape them. Watch the trailer below:
KIDNAPPING INC. Trailer: Bruno Mourral’s Award-Winning Crime Romp Comes To The U.S. In February From Dark Sky
Director Bruno Mourral’s career has been a slow brew since 2006. After finally making headway with the 2017 award-winning feature drama, Kafou, Mourral came back with a vengeance to hand festivals his latest crowdpleaser, Kidnapping Inc., garnering critical acclaim after Sundance, as well as the Gold Audience Award for Best Quebec Feature the 28th edition of Fantasia last year. As of Wednesday, Kidnapping Inc. is poised for release in the U.S. on February 7 from Dark Star Pictures. The film stars Jasmuel Andri, Rolaphton Mercure, Anabel Lopez, Ashley Laraque, Gessica Geneus, Patrick Joseph, Manfred Marcelin, and Marcus Boerean. Mourral directs from a script he wrote with Andri, and Gilbert Jr. Mirambeau, and also produces alongside Mirambeau, as well as Samuel Chauvin, Yanick Letourneau, and Gaëthan Chancy. Tasked with what appears to be a simple abduction for hire, two hapless kidnappers find out that it’s anything but and end up in […]
DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN Official Trailer Returns Old Foes Back To Hellish Ground
It has been nearly six years since Marvel Television’s Netflix era of comic book superhero thrills, followed by Disney+’s acquisition of all present shows and subsequent phase-interwoven production thereafter. At long last, we now have Daredevil: Born Again, featuring Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio returning in fine fashion following their respective cameos in “Hawkeye,” “She-Hulk,” and “Echo.” The official trailer is now here as well, which also includes appearances by returning actors Jon Bernthal and Wilson Bethel in the respective roles/alter-egos of Frank Castle/The Punisher, and Benjamin Pointdexter/Bullseye. Rounding out the cast are a mix of new and reuniting names including Elden Henson as Foggy, and Deborah Ann Woll as Karen, and actors Margarita Levieva Zabryna Guevara, Nikki James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, and Ayelet Zurer. In Marvel Television’s “Daredevil: Born Again,” Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice […]
PANDA PLAN Plans Disc And Digital Releases Next Month From Well Go USA!
Click here and you’ll be able to get a few reads of our own Joe Hallett’s review of the Jackie Chan action comedy, Panda Plan. The film is getting a release in the UK on January 17 from CineAsia UK, while the current plan stateside will be the film’s debut on Digital, Blu-Ray, and DVD on February 18 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Zhang Luan directs the film with action choreography by Lü Shijia (Police Story, The Foreigner), and a cast that also lists Wei Xiang (Too Cool To Kill), Shi Ce (Ash, A Cool Fish), and Han Yambo (Give Me Five). Check out the trailer below and peep at the artwork and casing just beneath. Soon after legendary kung fu star Jackie Chan is invited to adopt a beloved zoo panda named Hu Hu, a notorious international crime syndicate sets its sights on the bear and offers a massive […]