One of the aspects of covering film festivals that I look forward to most is covering the short films that are shown. This year’s selection of shorts at the Fantasia International Film Festival did not disappoint. My friend and I now have new favorite directors to watch for and we have obscure lines we can quote from these shorts for a laugh. You should try to view these as well:
I was hanging out with a friend once and we were geeking out over Game of Thrones, Thundercats, and some kind of anime that I can’t remember now. Then I asked him if he wanted to join my monthly RPG game, I think my cohort was playing Vampire the Masquerade at the time. He looked me, looked intensely serious and a bit judge-y, and said something to the effect of that being “too geeky” for him. So apparently there are levels of geek and even some geeks are embarrassed by things that are “too geeky”?
“What if I told you the stories you grew up with were all true?”
When I received an email about a fantasy/sci-fi drama including a writer, the Navajo community, an ancient legend, and Josh Hartnett, I knew I had to see the film. I sent out my screener request immediately and am glad to report that I was not disappointed in Well Go USA Entertainment’s latest: Valley of the Gods.
At first, I wasn’t too impressed with the action design of the fight IN the underground fight; but after watching a little while, the fight is only used to deliver the message…and that ultimately is what got me to keep watching. I’m usually a very critical person when I watch martial arts movies, and I have things to say about how the choreography was, but I saw the reason why they casted this protagonist. They saved the best action pieces for the fantasy kung fu fighting that goes on in his head. The performers were very capable, and the special effects were also very unique, so I felt the pacing of the fight was very broken to fully appreciate it.
Ash (Grant Steven) is a young man whose life is torn apart after the woman he loves is murdered. He is approached by a mysterious figure, The Trickster (David Ajala) who offers Ash the abilities to punish those who have wronged him.
Within the last few years following Luc Besson’s co-production partnering of EuropaCorp with Shanghai-based Fundemental Films for a slate of English-language films, its package also included a fantasy martial arts film titled Warrior’s Gate. Scant info has been granted for the latter, but thankfully things are about to change as production finally begins next month in lieu of current events at this year’s Beijing International Film Festival.
THR reports that helmer Matthias Hoene is directing this, his second feature since winning acclaim with the 2012 action horror romp, Cockneys Vs Zombies. Rising star Uriah Shelton, Flowers Of War actress Ni Ni and Taiwanese-Canadian actor Mark Chao (Black And White 1 & 2) are joining the $48 million dollar French-Chinese co-production with a script by Besson and Robert Mark Karmen which centers on teenager who gets magically transported to China where he ultimately trains in kung fu in order to save a princess from danger.
Sure, it’s a plot that sounds awfully familiar for anyone who still feels like The Forbidden Kingdom and Warriors Of Virtue just came out yesterday. Hopefully there’s some redeeming value in this project as new as it is, and who would say no to another kung fu movie at that? I wouldn’t.
Check back for more info.
H/T: City On Fire
Photo: Facebook
Into the Badlands is a genre-bending martial arts series very loosely based on the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West. In a land controlled by feudal barons, Into the Badlands tells the story of a great warrior and a young boy who embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment.
Last October saw the initial launch of a new Kickstarter campaign for the dazzling new animated project, Bloodline: The Animated Series, from New York-based company, Visionary Outlook, LLC and its CEO, Alphonso Devon Blackwood. Since then, Blackwood and the company evidently cancelled promoting the fundraiser to re-evaluate and analyze their platform a bit more, and they’ve now made the few necessary changes to re-launch a fresh new effort in funding their ambitious new series, with some amazing perks to boot.
There are quite a few layers and different pieces and details to this epic saga, although in my own summation, here’s the skinny: Hopeskin, a distant planet falls in upheaval as its King lay ill, ensuing a forbidden ritual by His majesty’s inner circle to scan the galaxy in search of his true heir, forcing an unwitting young 16-year old boy into an epic battle against dark intergalactic forces as he discovers his royal lineage. This is exactly the kind of formula that speaks to fans of anime and sci-fi/fantasy community alike, and Blackwood and his team are looking to expand on it anyway they can, between any number of episodes to an additional full feature film, a 2D fighting game, and MUCH more.
All that’s needed now is your generosity and interest. So, by all means, check out the new Kickstarter campaign page and donate, and/or pass it on to friends who love kickass anime!
It’s been ten years since award-winning director James Cameron began his journey into the world of Pandora for the production of his 2009 milestone success story, Avatar. With time on his side and the technological advancements in film pending, it was only a matter of time the filmmaker would soon reap the benefits of such filmmaking and entertainment innovations, from motion capture and 3D technology, to the implementation of 4D entertainment in select theaters worldwide.
Evidently, the film was a record-breaking box-office victory for Cameron and the distributors at 20th Century Fox, earning well-over $2.7 billion dollars between 2009, and its re-release in 2010, and ultimately becoming the highest grossing film to date. Moreover, on top of its Academy Award, Golden Globe, Saturn Awards and BAFTA accolades, the film drew mostly positive reviews for its environmentally-centric and anti-war message on top of its emotionally-charged delivery, packed with explosive visual spectacle and epic storytelling.
Well, beginning next year, Cameron will commense maintaining that upward trend with the production of Avatar 2 in Manhattan Beach in California, and in New Zealand. As such, he and his Los Angeles-based production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, are issuing a heads-up this week for actors and extras ahead of the film’s principal shoot next year for Native American supporting roles and extras. The official website, Acting Auditions has all the details on the requirements listed, so if you’re an actor, feel free to CLICK HERE and get all the information while you can.
Avatar 2 will follow the immediate events of the first film with actor Sam Worthington reprising his role as paraplegic soldier and former-human-turned Na’vi, Jake Sully, whose conscience was transferred to his new body to begins his new life on the mystical and rich alien planet, Pandora, among the Na’vi with warrioress and love interest, Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldana. Also slated to return are actress Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine and actor Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, both who are said to have more integral roles following the events of the first film. Cameron is also producing the film with Jon Landau & Ray Santini with a scripts for all three upcoming sequels by the director, along with Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver and Shane Salerno.
The remaining three films of the Avatar saga are slated for releases on each December between 2016 and 2018. Stay tuned for more info!
H/T: Examiner
The teaser is below. Check it out right now!
On its face, watching actor Jeff Bridges wax medieval with a British accent doesn’t sit well with me, even in the latest trailer for the long-awaited release of Nomad (2005) and Mongol (2007) helmer Sergei Bodrov‘s forthcoming fantasy actioner, Seventh Son. However, considering the epic series of set backs that followed with Academy Award-winning VFX house Rhythm And Hues Studios filed for bankruptcy during post production and Legendary Pictures landing the film at Universal Pictures for distribution after parting ways with Warner Bros., I’d say the actor’s methods are the least of my worries, lest I judge the film too soon.
You must be logged in to post a comment.