heist
FROM VEGAS TO MACAU Gets A Sequel With More Names Attached
Continuing the trend of filming in exotic locales in and around Asia, writer and director Wong Jing is expected to return with a second offering of his revitalized spin on the God Of Gamblers franchise with the production of From Vegas To Macau 2. Apparently, the first film which released in January beat commercial expectations despite mixed reviews, and will now ante up the production with a larger budget for a 3D shoot that will take place in Thailand, Mainland Macau and Hong Kong.
From Vegas To Macau 2 is tentatively set for the next Chinese Lunar New Year in February 2015 and will once again feature actor Chow Yun-Fat reprising his lead role along with newly added cast members, award-winning actress Nick Cheung (Unbeatable) and Carina Lau (Young Detective Dee). Actor Nicholas Tse will also reportedly be reprising his role in the Wong Jing sequel before relocating this August to film scenes for the Yuen Woo-Ping production of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2: The Green Destiny with Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen.
There is no official word yet on whether or not Jing will move forward on officially revisiting the original God Of Gamblers franchise with new films, although producer Andrew Lau already affirmed his interest several months ago.
Stick around and place your bets!
H/T: Hong Kong Film Net
Watch The Latest Featurette For South African Action Thriller, iNUMBER NUMBER
Accalimed writer and director Donovan Marsh‘s latest South African crime thriller, iNumber Number, is aiming to set a trend as the nation’s first real domestic action film, having earned huge critical praise during its 2013 film festival run. And this week, we now have a new featurette for the award-winning film which finally extends itself across borders for its forthcoming day-and-date release on April 25, 2014 courtesy of Wrekin Hill Entertainment.
iNumber Number stars S’dumo Mtshali, Presley Chweneyagae, Israel Makoe and Owen Sejake. A North American remake with a new helmer is currently in development over at Universal Pictures with Fast And Furious franchise writer Chris Morgan and partner Emile Gladstone producing the film with XYZ Films’ Aram Tertzakian. Stay tuned for more information.
SYNOPSIS:
From the direcror of Spud, ruthless, ego-tripping men deep in the heart of Johnannesburg’s decaying industrial wasteland.
When honest undercover cop Chili Ngcobo (winner of the TV Talent show, ‘Class Act’, S’dumo Mtshali), and his by-the-book partner, Sello ‘Shoes’ Moshoeshoe (lead actor of the Oscar Winning film ‘Tsotsi’, Presley Chweneyagae), are cheated out of a large reward by their corrupt superiors, Chili finds another way of getting the money he feels they deserve. Chili penetrates a cash-in-transit heist gang, and instead of busting them, convinces his partner to participate in a once off score.
H/T
Film Of The Week: ABSTRACTION (2014)
SYNOPSIS:
Tommy and Gary are criminals engaging in grand thefts in order to make ends meet. They are opportunists and have no fear. After a routine robbery goes awry, the friends are forced to put their criminal activity behind them. As Tommy’s relationship flourishes with his new girlfriend Scarlet, his economic hardships become obvious. Scarlet soon proposes a notion that will make all their money troubles vanish – the heist of a half a million dollar painting. With just a short window of opportunity, Tommy and Gary design an ambitious plan, one that will ultimately determine their fate.
REVIEW:
It’s been a while since I have been able to go to the movies enough to review anything on the site. However, I was recently offered a chance to screen director Prince Bagdasarian‘s latest multi-nominated, multi-award winning heist thriller, Abstraction, and I could not resist. It took a few weeks because of my own obligations but I finally got around to seeing it. And overall, I was genuinely pleased at its delivery.
The relationships between our main characters are taken through varying dynamics as the bond of friendship is tested with each moment, and the romances that happen along the way. For example, the initial appearances of characters, Tommy, Gary, and Sean (Hunter Ives, Richard Manriquez and Sam Puefua) show us their unique friendship bonded by a history of some pretty bad behavior where trust is an only option, which ultimately solidifies their bond. That trust is almost automatically put to the test when one of them is caught by the cops following a fumbled robbery job for their boss, Marlon (Alfred Rubin Thompson). Some time passes as two of our main characters make their getaway following a toxic pay day and choose to lay low and out of the crime business long enough for things to settle, that is, until a beautiful woman named Scarlet (Korrina Rico) walks into their lives, which changes everything.
The friendship between Tommy and Gary often gets testy as they both share polarizing character traits, which leaves you wondering just how it is they get along, especially with Gary’s own questionable motives from time to time despite his loyalty. It’s the driving force of the entire film which makes it all the more enjoyable along the way, in addition to the three-way drama that occurs with Scarlet in the mix.
The action does picks up a few times throughout the film, from the first scene that briefly introduces actor Manu Intiraymi in some fisticuffs with Puefua who shows off his own skills as a bonafide stuntman on top of his acting. We also get to see a raging, shotgun-blasting Eric Roberts, and some pretty awesome chase sequences that build up a little more toward the end of the film. And though there are just a few small plot holes in some scenes, they don’t take away from the film, and after all is said and done, the drama finally unfolds, we know who all the players are, and all the hands are dealt.
With Abstraction, we are presented with a great line-up of characters, and an excellent formula for just the kind of intensity, drama, suspense, tragedy and thrills that filmgoers can look forward to in a crime picture. The music and visuals illustrate a perfect foundation for what the concept of the film really is, highlit by the depths of our emotions when we perceive what we think is, as opposed to what they really are, and the feelings they trigger.
For his first feature-length film, Bagdasarian does a terrific job from start to finish, showing he knows what it takes to put a great film together with great performances that will keep you entertained and guessing until the closing act. Definitely worth a look when it is finally released on VOD and DVD later this year.
Abstraction is written, produced & directed by Prince Bagdasarian and stars actor Hunter Ives, actress Korrina Rico, actor and producer Richard Manriquez and actress Natalie Victoria, with Sam Puefua, Ken Davitian, Manu Intiraymi James Lewis, Alfred Rubin Thompson and Academy Award® Nominee Eric Roberts rounding out the cast.
Feel free to read my interview with the director by clicking HERE, and for more information on Abstraction, visit the official website.