THE CHAMPIONS Blu-Ray Review: An Underrated Classic That Scores Big For Hong Kong Film Fans
THE CHAMPIONS is now available from Eureka Entertainment.
filmcombatsyndicate.com
TEACUP: A Storm Brews In The Official Horror Series Trailer For Peacock
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:
STUNTMAN Reveals New Promo For UK/Ireland Release In October
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.
Fantastic Fest XIX Review: In RAZE, Zoë Bell Knuckles Up In A Do-Or-Die Fight To The Finish
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 […]
HEAVIER TRIP Rocks Out With An Official Trailer For The New Comedy Sequel
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 […]
HUNT THE WICKED Review: Relentless action of insane pace
“Hunt the Wicked” presents itself as a fast-paced succession of ballistic action with martial arts and even insane car action stunts that goes to the extreme, not giving the viewer a second of rest. The film becomes a dizzying succession of emotions where we have as main attraction, two stars like Xiao Mie and Andy On facing each other in a martial arts confrontation that is not to be missed. On the other hand, the plot is very simple, and as many films of this type nowadays, it suffers from the lack of a memorable soundtrack to associate it with. But anyhow, it has better production values than most of Iqiyi productions despite the abuse of some cheap special effects on its action sequences. The plot revolves around Huang Mingjin (Xiao Mie), a police officer from the narcotics squad who is investigating a drug trafficking ring that is shaking his […]
THE MARTIAL ARTIST: Catch The Teaser And Trailer For Shaz Khan’s Dramatic New MMA Thriller
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 […]
Planning The Havoc: A Conversation With HOUNDS OF WAR Director Isaac Florentine
Isaac Florentine has firmly established himself as a director on whom diehard action fans can rely. Since the early 90s, he has consistently delivered films with breath-taking action sequences that rival, and in many cases, far surpass those in larger-scale productions. Beginning his career in the trenches of very low-budget martial arts film production, while also directing the English language inserts for various iterations of the long-running Japanese-import children’s television franchise POWER RANGERS; Florentine developed a style of filmmaking based strongly on clearly framed and edited, highly kinetic action set pieces. His quality of work in these areas, in less than optimal conditions, caused him to rapidly become an in-demand talent during the, then still thriving, world of “Direct to Video Store” film releases. He would not only collaborate with action cinema stalwarts Gary Daniels, Dolph Lundgren, and Jean-Claude Van Damme— he gave each one rock-solid, highly entertaining, entries into […]
HOUNDS OF WAR Review: Frank Grillo Evens The Playing Field In Isaac Florentine’s Leveled-Up Revenge Thriller
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 […]
Fantastic Fest XIX Review: Kensuke Sonomura’s GHOST KILLER Scares Up A Killer Thriller With Supernatural Delight
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 – […]
DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA: The Chase Is On In The Official Trailer For The Upcoming Action Crime Sequel
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 […]
REEZA GTR Hits The Gas With The Official Trailer For The New Malaysian Actioner
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.
HAYRIDE TO HELL Trailer: Strap In For The New Horror Comedy From Breaking Glass Pictures
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 […]
SUPER SPIES AND SECRET LIES: Eureka Rolls Out A Trio Of Bond-Inspired Shaw-Produced Espionage Classics In November!
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 […]
KILL ‘EM ALL 2 reveals the trailer for the unexpected sequel
In 2017, Jean Claude Van Damme teamed up with friend and occasional collaborator Peter Malota (The Quest, The Order) for his directorial debut. The result was a direct-to-video film with some good action moments but an overall somewhat uneven result that failed to satisfy the Belgian actor’s fans. Nobody could have expected that seven years later we would have a direct sequel to that film, this time with Bulgarian Valeri Milev (Code Red, Bullets of Justice) replacing Malota in the directing duties, for a sequel that at first glance and judging by its trailer, seems to offer a more refined product that may manage to make up for the shortcomings of its predecessor. This direct sequel sets the story seven years later from its predecessor, the plot follows Phillip (Jean Claude Van Damme) after his retirement as spy, living a peaceful life in Italy, but peace won´t last long when […]
MICKEY 17 Trailer: Robert Pattinson(s) Collide In Bong Joon-Ho’s Interstellar Latest!
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!
THE SWORD: Eureka Unsheathes The 1980 Wuxia Classic In 2K Limited Edition Blu-Ray This November!
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 […]
The Criterion Collections Picks Up A Slice Of Sammo Hung Military Madness This December!
Every now and again, the guys and gals at Criterion – who are mostly known for releasing some rather high-brow cinema on Blu-ray – give action fans something special. Whether it’s their Police Story and Once Upon a Time in China releases or John Woo’s Last Hurrah for Chivalry, they certainly know their Hong Kong cinema. And so it should come as no surprise that, yesterday, Criterion announced they’ll be releasing Sammo Hung’s military actioner, EASTERN CONDORS, on shiny Blu-ray in December. Region locked US residents have been waiting for this once, since the only decent releasee as of late has been the Region B Eureka! Entertainment disc, which saw the film in a three-movie set with The Magnficent Butcher and The Iron-Fisted Monk. Criterion’s release will be standalone and, per usual, is jampacked with special features. Per Criterion: Legendary actor-director Sammo Hung delivers a bazooka blast of pure adrenaline in this exemplar of Hong Kong action […]
Brooklyn Horror Film Fest IX: The Full Line-Up Is Here!
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 […]
CELLS AT WORK: Mei Nagano And Takeru Satoh Fight Back Against Formidable Ills In The Official Trailer!
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 […]
You must be logged in to post a comment.