Fantastic Fest XX Review: In CHOCOLATE, A Vivid, Starmaking Extravaganza
CHOCOLATE enjoyed a special screening in 35mm presentation for the twentieth edition of Fantastic Fest.
panna rittikrai
FESTIVAL NITS DE CINEMA ORIENTAL DE VIC XVI: Thai Retrospectives, Samurai Thrills And Jackie Chan Among 20 Titles To Look For
The Festival Nits De Cinema Oriental De Vic in Catalunya, Spain, is about to enter its sixteenth year in BIG fashion with some cool new premieres and retrospectives. The festival’s 32-title line-up will be giving deep into a variety of genres from horror and animation to comedy and drama, and for its Asian film coverage, you can especially predict there’ll be some terrific action titles making their European and otherwise international. Among some 20 titles we’ve gathered, the Thai retrospectives should be a crowdpleaser for fans looking to catch films like BKO: Bangkok Knockout and Panna Rittikrai classics like Hard Gun and Born To Fight. Family adventures will also make the rounds including Jackie Chan’s The Knight Of Shadows and Vidyut Jammwal’s elephant rescue actioner, Junglee, while Hong Kong takes aim with Big Brother starring Donnie Yen and Golden Job with Ekin Cheng, and Japan enters the fray with Takahiro […]
The Korean Roots of Hong Kong Kicking
The fast and precise kicks of Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen, and other great Hong Kong action stars are staples of the Hong Kong style of action choreography, but if we look before Bruce’s 1971 breakout hit The Big Boss, there were almost no kicks to be found in any action cinema. Only Billy Jack, released in the same year in America, featured the same high-flying kicks courtesy of Korean Hapkido artist Bong Soo Han. The similarity between Billy Jack’s kicks and Bruce’s in The Big Boss is no mere coincidence: Bruce had picked up his cinematic kicking style by studying from Korean and Vietnam war vets who brought Korean kicks to the USA, Chuck Norris being a major player. In his backyard home videos, we see Bruce shooting spin kicks and stepping side kicks, experimenting with how to make these kicks cinematic. Bruce’s backyard filmmaking endeavors would become […]
Well Go USA Unveils The Trailer For Panna Rittkrai's VENGENACE OF AN ASSASSIN!
When it comes to delivering memorable action sequences on film, late legendary stunt auteur and filmmaker Panna Rittikrai has led quite the eclectic career, having left a lasting impression on fans with a number of films in the last several decades. Without question, each title pulls out more and more stops to blow away audiences to the point of heart-pounding trepidation, and the proof is in the pudding. That said, the proof couldn’t be more prevalent in his final piece of work, Vengeance Of An Assassin, which released theatrically in Thailand late last year reuniting Rittikrai with action star Dan Chupong since Dynamite Warrior and the 2004 remake of the action classic, Born To Fight. Of course, reviews differ between those who’ve seen the film already, but there’s no mistake when it comes to the cinematic standard that Rittikrai had become so well known for up until passing away last […]
Guest Review: VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN (2014)
SYNOPSIS: Being an assassin has its rules – always keep your eyes on your target, be strict on your mission, execute without any hesitation and there is no room for negotiation. Each killer has his own background, but all of them have trade in their blood and losses. For Natee, his only reason in becoming an assassin and leaving behind his brother and his uncle is to find the truth about his parents’ death. It is the issue that he has always doubted and felt that uncle Thanom was hiding something from him. While protecting Ploy, a niece of a local business man from a group of assassins, he was asked to kill the girl instead. REVIEW: Tonight I had the pleasure of attending the premier of Panna Rittikrai‘s last film before his sad, sudden and untimely death, Vengeance Of An Assassin. The usual pomp and stance of a premier […]
Playtime Gets Painful In A New Clip From VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN!
Late director Panna Rittikrai‘s final feature film, Vengeance Of An Assassin just had its screenings at the American Film Market as well as a red carpet premiere in Thailand before its Friday release, and while no reviews are out just yet, the featurettes being released to promote the film have yet to disappoint. That said, the film has just unleashed its first clip illustrating action star Dan Chupong getting down and dirty in the much-hyped “Fighting Soccer” scene in the film. There’s no word yet on how it fits into the story which sees Chupong in the role of an assassin infiltrating one of his own to avenge the death of his parents, but needless to say, if you’re looking to be mindblown, the style of choreography designed for the full-contact shots seen here speak for themselves, in addition to the first trailer. Check out the clip below!
The Late Panna Rittikrai Takes Center Stage In New Featurettes For VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN
Three more featurettes are now out for the upcoming release of Thai action thriller, Vengeance Of An Assassin, a film finally on its way to a more broader audience beginning this weekend at the American Film Market before heading in Thai cinemas next Friday. Earlier featurettes were unveiled in promotion of the film as well, with a little extra footage in between some of the ample behind-the-scenes shots with insight from some of the film’s cast, including lead action star Dan Chupong in his first return to the set with the now late, great Panna Rittikrai who passed away back in July. The film sees Chupong in the role of an assassin who takes on the trade in order to find the people responsible for the death of his parents. Needless to say, his mission encounters a few rough patches that evidently lead to some exciting (to which I mean […]
AFM 2014: Character Posters And Three Featurettes Arrive For VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN
Late filmmaker and Thai action icon Panna Rittikrai departed us back in July. But in turn, he made sure he went out doing what he loved most, which, for all intents and purposes, included entertaining the hell out of us both in front, as well as behind the camera. As such, his parting gift, now in the form of Vengeance Of An Assassin, looks to do one of either of those things, with action star Dan Chupong who literally comes in with guns (and feet) blazing in several new behind-the-scenes clips for the new film. Chupong stars as Natee, an assassin whose assignment to kill the daughter of a local businessman goes awry when he refuses, all the while secretly infiltrating the same circles where he suspects to find the people responsible for the death of his parents. This plot is a perfect set up for just the kind of […]
The New Trailer For Panna Ritrikrai's VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN Will Set You On Fire!
It was on an April day early last year that the internet first heard murmurs of the production of a new potentially blowout action thriller, Vengeance Of An Assassin, a film that would evidenly reunite the now-late legendary Thai action icon and director Panna Rittikrai, and leading man Dan Chupong. The film follows their previous work together on Chupong‘s starring role 2004 remake flick, Born To Fight, in addition to the 2007 action adventure, Dynamite Warrior, two films among a handful of actioners as the Thai film industry gained more popularity since actor Tony Jaa broke out with Ong Bak in 2003. As of late though, it feels like there has been a bit of a sea-change as these types of action films are taking a lot more time to come out. Regarding Vengeance Of An Assassin, info has been broadly scant about this movie since Twitchfilm spoke on it […]
THE ONG BAK TRILOGY Home DVD Release Gets A New Trailer
In Thailand, you are given several names when you were born. But when Tatchakorn Yeerum took to the film stage and partook in the legendary legacy of stellar cinematic action, the world would come to know him as the one and only Tony Jaa, star of the 2003 break out hit, Ong Bak. The film, directed by Prachya Pinkaew, launched an international wave of fan hype among martial arts action cinephiles that put Jaa on the map of growing superstardom among legends like personal favorites Jackie Chan, the late great Bruce Lee, and even local legendary actor and Thai action auteur, Panna Rittikrai. The film also brought forth two epic sequels that explored the legendary etymology of the first film, with deeper scope in storytelling and stunning action sequences that defied death, and essentially, even logic. All three films have since been distributed over the years on DVD, Blu-Ray and […]
In Memoriam: PANNA RITTIKRAI
Our hearts go out to the friends and family of actor, martial artist, stunt coordinator and all-around filmmaker Panna Rittikrai, best known for his intergral role in helping bring Thai action cinema to the forefront of the film industry between his early career as a stuntman and an action director and performer as of late, including the Thai action classic Born To Fight and its 2004 remake, Ong Bak, Tom Yum Goong 1 and 2, Dynamite Warrior, Bangkok Knockout, and many more. Rittikrai‘s condition was a surprise to me several months ago (I can’t remember when). I chose not to speak too much on it until I learned all the facts and even now, not everything is clear on his diagnosis how long he has been ill, except for those closer to him with a more informed position on the issue; The official reports and posts I’ve read thusfar indicated an unnamed […]
New Info Details Chupong's VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN
It was back in April that Twitchfilm reported the last known activity on the last action thriller, Vengeance Of An Assassin. And while further information was scant, the folks at Sahamongkol Film International still managed to generate some excitement prior to the pending release of its latest 3D sequel studio blockbuster, Tom Yum Goong 2, starring Tony Jaa prior to launching his next big career move with the current production of Fast And Furious 7 set for July 11, 2014. With Sahamongkol now in the spotlight once more, further mention of Vengeance Of An Assassin also announced the return to the big screen for TYG2 co-star Dan Chupong who made waves in the explosive 2004 remake of the 1984 thriller, Born To Fight with Thai action legend and cinematic fight choreographer extraordinaire, Panna Rittikrai, followed by the 2006 collaboration, Dynamite Warrior. And new information this week now illustrates the film […]