TIKET SEHALA Malaysian Action Thriller Pits Forced Laborers Against Human Traffickers In Official Trailer
Opening in Malaysia on August 6.
malaysia
DATE ME NEXT TIME PLEASE (Short Film, Review): Love Knows no Distance
Full Short Film “Date Me Next Time Please”, is a tearful almost love story directed by prolific Malaysan director James Lee. A short film that follows the lead of many of his jobs, exploring the incomprenssive mysteries of love relationships, revolving around two friends from a small town and their almost love story when they move to the big city. The film is a bittersweet journey through an undeclared love story, with terminal diseases included, told through an aching path of sacrifice where victory is not guaranted and true love may not always being victorious, specially when two names were never written in the book of destiny. The director brilliantly displays on the screen the frustration and misery of the ungrateful pursuing of true love when destiny has other plans making the audience reflect and probably even recall the misfortunes of their own personal experiences on the treacherous clutches […]
CAFE LUMIERE Review: An almost love story with Haruki Murakami´s flavor
James Lee is a prolific Malaysian filmmaker who in his work enjoys moving through a vast variety of genres, from action to comedy but especially emphasizing in exploring the mysteries of love relationships, displaying into the screen, moving and most of the times, desperate unrequited love stories of impossible romances, that has become in one of the main trademarks of his work as director. This particular short film belongs to that categorie of his filmography. Cafe Lumiere is a heartfelt “almost” love story, highly influenced by Haruki Murakami´s literary´s works, something that the director never tries to hide, paying his personal tribute to the Japanese novelist, as if this little production were an adaptation of a Murakami´s novel that never existed. Lee manages to capture the atmosphere and essence of Murakami´s style of narrating stories, translating the magic of his words in paper, through hypnotic images that provoke in the […]
BEST SERVED COLD: Ex-MMA Star Ann Osman Lands Feature Film Debut Role In Malaysian Supernatural Action-Noir
Sabah-based former MMA fighter Ann Osman will make her feature film debut in supernatural action-noir, Best Served Cold for writer/director Aaron Cowan. Singapore-based 108 Media reportedly secured the backing required to develop the project, which is inspired by Jill Girardi’s short story, “Don’t Eat The Rice”, as well as characters in her October 2018 Buku Fixi novel publication, “Hantu Macabre. As Patrick Frater at Variety reports, Osman will take on the role of “Suzanna Sim, an ex-MMA fighter turned private detective who uses her fists and her knowledge of Southeast Asian black magic, while working with a Malaysian mythical creature, to find a rich new client’s missing husband”. Osman, best known as Athena as she blazed a trail for female posterity in the sport of MMA in , announced her retirement from the ring last month, leaving a 5-4 Flyweight record in her wake since her career took off in […]
WIRA: ‘Paskal’ Director Lines Up Next Production
Malaysian director Adrian Teh is revving up his next military action adventure, Wira, according to an announcement from GSC Movies. Teh will be joined by actor and martial arts star Yayan Ruhian, in addition to reuniting with Hairul Azreen and Henley Hii since starring in Teh’s recent military action thriller, Paskal. As Mumtaj Begum’s coverage this week at Star2 Online reports, Wira centers on a pacifistic military man forced to cast diplomacy aside and apply his skillset once more to save his family. Ruhian is best known for raking up a decade of memorable killer roles in a raft of cult hits since Merantau, The Raid 1 & 2 and Beyond Skykine. The Indonesian actor and action director will next be seen opposite Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 3 on May 17. He is also set to appear later this year in director Syamsul Yusof’s Malay warrior biopic, Mat […]
FLY BY NIGHT Lands Online With Two New Posters
Planet Films is high on momentum for the next month and change with the upcoming release of Zahir Omar’s directorial debut, Fly By Night. He’s got himself a few new posters making the rounds courtesy of Planet Films, host to laurels from its Busan XXIII debut and Macao premiere late last year, and to its credit, the Asian Cinema Fund stamp of approval as its 2018 beneficiary from July (scroll down to view). The film also held its ground at the Jogja-NETPAC Film Festival in Indonesia, as well as this year’s events in Santa Barbara and at the NYAFF’s inaugural Winter Showcase in New York City. Sunny Pang (Headshot, The Night Comes For Us) leads the suspenseful Kuala Lumpur-set heist thriller about a taxi company secretly targeting rich passengers to extort, only to find themselves thrown by external circumstances and forced to escalate their criminal activities to pay off their […]
RED STORM: Malaysian Action Thriller To Roll Cameras This Week
Malaysian action star, actor and filmmaker Michael Chuah has fascinated me for quite sometime now. I’m a little late since he emerged with Fist Of Dragon in 2011 but he’s stayed mobile with a few acting gigs apart from directing, including 2013 pic Firefly, Special Forces in 2016 and having recently completed Call Me Agent last month; Chuah was also a candidate for a possible transition to American soil with a lead role in Mark V. Wiley’s script for martial arts mob comedy Made In Chinatown during the early stages of development. As of Thursday, Chuah and co-director Tony Pietra, whose solo directing credits include Cuak (2014), Train Station (2015) and Shadowplay (2018), are at the helm for Red Storm from Evo Pictures Sdn Bhd, Fusion Media and He Nian Media Communication. Chuah is producing the film as well as starring with a cast that combines Chinese and Malaysian talent […]
FIRST LOOK: Meet The Kung Fu Killers In James Lee’s KILL-FIST
EXCLUSIVE: Independent filmmaker James Lee is well on the way with the new martial arts redemtpion thriller, Kill-Fist. Hailing a reunion for the director and his lead actor, Singaporean action favorite, recurring Code Of Law star Sunny Pang, the film further etches a mutual creative partnership for the two who’ve known each other for more than a decade in cinema. “It was fun and great to work with him again after The Collector and Call If You Need Me.” says Lee who cites that as both were different films that served the purpose Kill-Fist aims to do once more in challenging Pang as an actor. “Indeed he had to do some preparations for the character tragic Zhang. Kill-Fist is kind of a refresher for both of us, we hope we can move to bigger projects after this.” Pang, who serves up more brutal screentime in Gavin Lim’s own upcoming film, Diamond […]
Kabir Bhatia’s PULANG Teases A True-To-Life Tale Of Endurance, Love And True Wealth
Promising a sweeping tale of family and love in the face of peril and loss, Cinta helmer Kabir Bhatia’s latest, Pulang, is on track for a release later this year with a script that casts a light on the numerous untold tales of seamen in the 1940s who’ve left their families behind to board cargo ships in search of good fortune. For this, we have the new film, Pulang, and two teasers introducing the compelling imagery with actor Remy Ishak and actress Puteri Aishah Sulaiman leading the narrative. The title alone, which translates to the word “Return”, speaks to the compelling nature per the over seventy-year period in which Bhatia’s screenplay is set with Mira Mustaffa and Datuk Ahmad tackling writing duties. The film hails from Primeworks Studios and Grand Brilliance with a local Malaysia release date pending and with a casy that includes Alvin Wong, Azrel Ismail, Erwin Dawson, […]
KL SPECIAL FORCE Unleashes Anarchy In The Latest Trailer For The Malaysian Action Thriller
When actor Syamsul Yusof isn’t dabbling in music or directing films, he’s also starring in them. Point in fact, he’s partaken a number of films and to my knowledge, some of which are more than worthy of audiences wider than Malaysia. Films like hit gangster thriller KL Gangster come to mind as well its 2013 sequel which was leaked online a month ahead of its October release. That trailer alone grabbed the heck out of my attention among other films that followed in my coverage on here and I often wonder, as a result, how long it will be before Malaysia gets its just dues abroad. I even interviewed a stunt coordinator who since moved onto a become a local wrestling sensation in the region, and so there’s no question exactly how much I would love to see Malaysia shine overseas. Such is what I would love to see happen […]
Zul Ariffin Springs Into Action In The Official Trailer For J. REVOLUSI
Malaysia is looking to pick the pace up at the top of its year with the Spring release of Zulkarnain Azhar’s latest offering, J. Revolusi. Following a teaser last year, the official trailer is now online with a March 2 premiere in tow and a cast led by Zul Ariffin front and center and bearing the brunt of the peril in the tactical fight between good and evil. SYNOPSIS: J Revolusi is about Jay Zulkarnain (Zul Ariffin) who is an assault leader for Malaysia’s elite and deadly Special Forces, the UTK (Unit Tindakhas). Highly trained, merciless, and lethal in combat, Jay and his squad of operatives are every terrorist’s worst nightmare. But when Jay’s sister, Dian (Fazura), an undercover agent, is captured by a mysterious terrorist who also frames Jay for the murder of his squad, Jay must race against time to rescue her and unravel the secret of the […]
SPECIAL FORCES Fight Back In The New Trailer For Michael Chuah's Latest Action Comedy
Malaysian actor, martial artist and filmmaker Michael Chuah (Seed Of Darkness, Fist Of Dragon, Firefly) is back this year, and he’s not resting up either. With as early as May set for his fifth producfion, his fourth is well on the way for a Chinese New Year release for his latest comedic offering, Special Forces. Frankie Lee (The Journey), a.k.a. “Uncle Frankie” leads the cast with Chuah and a roster of familiars from Chuah’s film resumé, including actor Brendan Yuen and popular radio host KK Wong joining in for a fish-out-of-water tale of crimefighters who may be way in over their heads. You can pretty much speculate how this plot will turn out and judging by the footage, you can assure yourself that Chuah will be dishing out some tasty martial arts eye candy you can enjoy in the process. SYNOPSIS: With the recent crime rate, a group of people decided […]
Filming For Kara Hui's Action Thriller, MRS. K, Now Underway
It was back in July that talks circulated of Shaw Bros familiar, Hong Kong actress Kara Hui‘s 2017 retirement in the wake of what would have been her final film with director Giddeons Ko at the helm. Unfortunately, that script never measured up to censorship standards and remains indefinitely on hold, but that doesn’t count Hui out in the least. Paperheart Apparently she still has herself invested in at least one more film before retiring in 2017, and as such, Hui, a.k.a. Kara Wai Ying Hung, is officially announced for the lead role in the new action thriller, Mrs. K, with filming now underway in Malaysia. Hui reunites with director Ho Yuhang following their multi-awarded 2009 drama, At The End Of Daybreak, here and now with a story centered on a woman forced to fight and protect her husband and daughter when her past re-emerges. Simon Yam is also joining […]
The Criminal Underworld Doesn't Let Go Easy In The First JUVANA 2 Teaser
Four years from its roots as an award-winning television series, director Faisal Ishak signature work on the evolution of the Malaysian YA crime drama franchise, Juvana, can be considered a staple for success among its filmmaking ilk. Its 2013 film adaptation grows further for its fanbase with actors Zahiril Adzim and Johan As’ari among its principal cast and a narrative centered on the harsh upbringing in life for troubled young men on either sides of the jail bars. That narrative continues as of next month for the October 29 release of Juvana 2, along with the promise of a third set for sometime next year. Many familiar and new faces are lined-up for this next installment, including Malaysia-based Laksamana Stunt Team’s own Riki Rikando, and industry-certified stunt director Ayez Shaukat Fonseca also co-starring, and you can read more about Fonseca and his endeavors by clicking here. In the meantime, enjoy […]
Watch The First Thirteen Minutes Of Malay Action Comedy, POLIS EVO
Malaysian action returned to the fray this weekend as director Ghaz Abu Bakar‘s latest, Polis Evo, released in local cinemas on the 17th. Zizak Rizan and Shaheizy Sam take the lead in this latest odd couple cop action adventure which doesn’t quite have an audience beyond its current market, and hopefully like with most films that will change. For now, at least it’s great to see such an inviting promotional campaign with Bakar at the helm for what looks like an exciting piece of film. For what it’s worth, the first 13 minutes are online right now, and it’s a good sampler to help introduce the precursor here for what lies ahead, offering murder mystery, a little slapstick, and some explosive action for good measure. SYNOPSIS: Big city cop is reluctantly paired with a small town cop in a mission to take down a drug lord. Things don’t go down […]
Watch The Trailer For Malay-Language Sports Dramedy, BANTING!
M. Raihan Halim‘s directorial debut, Banting, is finally getting its Malaysia premiere on May 7 after initially releasing to audiences in Singapore late last year. Judging by the trailers and the overall plot, you can definitely chalk this one up as another peeling-back of the layers on gender-based religious stereotypes that influences cultural growth and self-fulfillment, although Halim’s offering here promises a few laughs to help sweeten the usual formulaic drama along the way. SYNOPSIS: Written and directed by award-winning writer/director, M. Raihan Halim, Banting follows the story of Yasmin Muhammad (lzyan Mellyna Ishak), a 24-year-old young woman who is tired of being stereotyped because she wears a hijab. She wonders if a hijab girl can do everything that a normal girl can do. Things take an unexpected turn when Yasmin comes across a professional wrestling gym and decides to sign up to become a wrestler. Hiding this newfound passion […]
GETTING REEL IN MALAYSIA: An Interview With AYEZ SHAUKAT FONSEKA
The Hit List a weekly article I run on Mondays listing all of the various test fights and shortfilms I spot online for the previous week, is a feature on my blog that has done a great service to my own continued discovery of online action – something I became fascinated by close to ten years ago. It’s often intriguing what you find online as you never really know what is happening beyond your own borders unless you look, which is what I do a lot of these days because of the vast amount of talent that has spawned throught the online netizenry of up-and-coming filmmakers. Actor, martial artist, stuntman, fight choreographer and stunt coordinator Ayez Shaukat Fonseka is one of those inspired artists I speak of whose channel I bumped into a few weeks ago prior to sharing one of its recent action shorts, Kejar (Chase), and as it […]
Do You Even 'Cicak', Bro? Watch The Full Trailer For CICAKMAN 3!
Vikingdom helmer, producer and director Yusry Abd Halim is back with co-director Ghaz Abu Bakar to deliver some more spectacle with a third installment to the Malaysian superhero comedy, Cicakman 3 which opens this March. The franchise, based on the original comic, has seen its share of success since hitting the big screen in 2006 with actor Salifu Apek starring in the title role set in the fictional Malaysian city of Metrofulus where an ordinary man ends up gaining life-threatening superpowers he must utilize to save the city. Apek has since retired the role after two movies with actor Zizak Rizak now taking the helm as another hapless individual who stumbles upon the superhero’s serum that ultimately turns him into Cicakman, only to find himself at odds with his newfound powers in the wake of another superhero’s emergence. A teaser came late last year with the last poster, and now […]
Malaysian Parkour Thriller, RENTAP, Flies High In A New Trailer!
Malaysia has proven to have its fair share of action films, and not a lot of them get the publicity they deserve. Hopefully one day that will change as directors continue to flourish, like that of Simon Long whose latest energetic freerunning flick, Rentap, certainly appears to have all the right moves to entertain its proper audience. SYNOPSIS: Feature film ‘Rentap is a fast-paced action comedy film about two ordinary brothers who are into ‘Parkour’, an exciting sport that requires self-discipline and team spirits which has never been film in the Malaysian market. A storyline which brings out positive themes of bravery, loyalty and friendship, it focuses on young people who must find belief within themselves, the strength to overcome great danger to save whom they care for. ‘Rentap’ has a good combination of entertaining features such as spectacular Parkour sequences, comedy elements, breathtaking scenes together with a touch of […]
Everyone Is Packing In The Latest Trailer For Malay Action Comedy, KAKI KITAI
I can’t speak fully on behalf of the musings of Malay actors and how they fare since I don’t live in the country. However, you have to at least give credit where credit is due, and the most recent trailer for director Mohd Azaromi Ghozali‘s upcoming Malay action comedy, Kaki Kitai, certainly looks like it deserves its fair share. Sure, its layers of silliness are there, but I’m privy to believe this won’t be anything to complain about. SYNOPSIS: Din, a.k.a. Drango and Ayoi are two friends who are also con-men. Both of them came to Kulala Lumpur only to come across and old friend of them who is now a police officer. However, the two friends lives take a turn when they found a trash bag filled with cash in which they used to pay off their debt. But later they both discover that the money actually belong to […]
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