reborn
RE:BORN: Shudder To Premiere Tak Sakaguchi Action Thriller In North America November 7
Yuji Shimomura-directed thriller, Re:Born, has been the talk of many a fan for the longest time now, but the word is now that the film will stream on horror platform, Shudder, beginning November 7. Shimomura’s sophomore debut reunites the stunt performer, action director and coordinator with cult action star Tak Sakaguchi as both paved the way with many notable directors in the last twenty years for Japanese cult action cinema.
REBORN: Millarworld Graphic Novel Adaptation Lands ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ Director
The last few years or so have altogether been adding up for graphic novelist Mark Millar whose Millarworld hit big in partnering with Netflix to oversee creative endeavors based on his work.
A Case For Better Action Movies: Shimomura Yuji’s RE:BORN (2018) (Reprint)
It’s been nearly sixteen years actor Sakaguchi Tak appeared before me in a lovely action horror indie called Versus. Having fondly grown favorable toward Sakaguchi’s work over the years, I can certainly attest now along with others who have been fortunate to spot his latest and long-awaited return to film and reunion with Death Trance director, longtime friend and film cohort, stunt professional and filmmaker Shimomura Yuji for the new CQC action thriller, Re:Born, in which Sakaguchi (billed in the film as TAK∴) plays Toshiro, a reclusive store clerk whose past life as a clandestined killer soldier comes back to haunt him and the young girl in his care.
Cyber Spills And Action Thrills In The First REBORN Teaser
Moviegoers outside China can expect a rollout at some point following Hong Kong-based Bravos Pictures’ own worldwide rights acquisition, sans China, earlier this month. Check out the teaser below!
[UPDATED] Japanese Cult Action Star TAK SAKAGUCHI To Attend Iron Dragon TV Action Fest This August
EXCLUSIVE: Japanese action star, actor Tak Sakaguchi will share the floor as a guest panelist among other headliners for this year’s sophomore entry of the Iron DragonTV ActionFest. Submissions are now underway for the upcoming event which will be held at the Galaxy Highland 10 Theater in Austin, Texas from August 10 through 12.
The humble Ishikawa native is a naturally well-known fan favorite credited for such films as Battlefield Baseball, Versus, Alive, Samurai School, Yakuza Weapon and Sono Sion’s Why Don’t You Play In Hell? to name a few. His latest action-packed starring role now sees him carving and beating armies of villains to a pulp for longtime friend and film partner Shimomura Yuji’s second directing effort, Re:Born, which has since been subject to a raft of critical praise from the festival circuit since last year.
Obligatory rules for IDTV Action Fest submissions and entries therein are listed in detail for attendees and local genre fans and cinephiles alike to observe at the official Film Freeway page. Last year’s entries were quite the mighty selection of shorts and features to beat – among which included winners such as Eric Jacobus’s Blindsided, Holy Bastards’ UCHMUCSM, and Kung Fu Darling with celebrated martial arts star Zara Phythian.
Among other panelists will be The Paper Tigers co-star, actor and stuntman Gui DaSilva (Captain America: Civil War – Black Panther stunt double), Blindsided 2 and Altered Carbon co-star David No, The Boondock Saints and Sinners And Saints co-star Sean Patrick Flannery, and members of local Texas wrestling league, Inspire Pro.
As for Re:Born, well…this site is now home to first AND second reviews of the hit thriller while the film rolls out in other territories overseas. Its next stop is in the U.K. before it hitting U.S. shelves in the likely late Summer/Fall and if this is your first rodeo for a Sakaguchi headliner, it will not be your last.
*This article was updated to include additional names of panelists.
FAN COLUMN: Yuji Shimomura’s RE:BORN Is A Masterful Evolution Of Modern Action Filmmaking
Re:Born is a new Japanese martial arts action thriller film by Yuji Shimomura, probably one of the greatest action coordinators, stuntmen and directors in the small, but entertaining action scene of Japan, re-uniting with Tak Sakaguchi of Versus fame and Shimomura’s previous and only other feature Death Trance, the legendary martial artist and the underrated filmmaker have made not only their second and best film to date, but also one of the best action films of the year, whichever year you saw it in, because of its screenings in numerous film festivals starting from 2016.
The story centers on Toshiro Kuroda (played by Tak) who runs a small convenience store in a quiet town in Japan and looking after his adopted daughter, Sachi. When his blood-soaked, military past catches up to him however, it brings back an old comrade (played by Akio Otsuka, the voice of Solid Snake from MGS series) seeking revenge, with an army of brainwashed soldiers behind him, including a former buddy of Toshiro, known only by his codename, Abyss Walker (played by film’s fight choreographer Yoshitaka Inagawa). Toshiro, the reborn ghost, springs back into action with violent vigor.
The plot would seem cliche, rope and stereotypically dull to a naked eye, but imagine my surprise when it introduced elements, characters and a tone rarely seen in action movies of this caliber or premise. There’s a sense of mystery surrounding Toshiro throughout the film, with the mystery behind him viewed as the stuff of legends, told only as fairy tales, but alas Toshiro comes back to show that those were mere understatements. Some of the best characters in the film are the guys Toshiro knows from his life on the battlefield, the battle scarred and disabled Kenji is one, his backstory is quite tragic and at the same time fairly original in the way his relationship works with Toshiro after his reception of the immobilizing wounds and life in the care home.
Akio Otsuka’s Phantom was also quite brilliant, the man is just a great actor, capable of portraying menace through subtlety, control through conversation and anger through action. The aforementioned Abyss Walker played by Inagawa, is more of a physical antagonist, delivering a more than worthy adversary to Toshiro, and the buildup to their inevitable showdown, is interesting and exciting. Also impressive was Tak Sakaguchi’s daughter, Makoto Sakaguchi, who plays probably the quirkiest character in the film, whose innocence is starkly contrasted and countered by her skills in combat. Overall the familiar premise is saved by characters with enough depth and originality that is missing from a lot of the films in this genre.
What is not missing and would be quite hard to miss is all the glorious throat-slitting, artery-dicing, bladed weapon-oriented action of which there is so much, that at times you wonder whether or not the fight crew is able to keep things fresh and entertaining, and again surprisingly, they do. It’s all down to 3 reasons: The brutal, slick, incredibly efficient action choreography by real-life combat instructor and adviser Yoshitaka Inagawa, Sakaguchi’s skill in martial arts and will to learn something new and master it and finally Yuji Shimomura’s lean, mean and compelling direction, assisted by cinematographer Tetsuya Kudo’s fantastic camerawork, that has so much kinetic energy and flair, that the moves, as deadly as they were already, start seeming even more powerful.
The action is dynamic as well, with a lot of creativity, where you can tell that the filmmakers wanted to use their newly invented combat system “Zero Range Combat” in every possible environment and scenario. As such, we get fights in convenience stores, large city courtyards with crowds of civilians, gigantic rural rain-forests (my personal favorite: the damn thing goes on for nearly 43 breathtaking minutes – yes, it was so awesome I counted) as well as a very interesting and claustrophobic fight in a minuscule phone booth.
The abundance of weaponry is also impressive, featuring karambits and other knives of so many different shapes and sizes it easily makes Re:Born the most knife-oriented action film of possibly all time. In addition to Dual Kamas, chopsticks and screwdrivers, a very cute shovel that right after its introduction turns not so cute and an assortment of firearms, and you’ve got yourself an action film that is locked, loaded and ready for the fight. The soundtrack by Kenji Kawai (composer of Ghost in the Shell and Resident Evil: Vendetta), while not being the best among his work, is adequately tense and operatic.
Re:Born is masterful. The plot is simple in execution, detailed in characterization and in terms of action design, coordination and performance, the film is an example piece of hardcore, beautifully shot, edited and directed action filmmaking. Shimomura has finally become an action director to look out for and even aspire to, while Tak Sakaguchi proves that not only can you teach an old dog new tricks, but in turn he can teach you something back.
Special thanks to fellow fan and site reader Andrew Makatsaria for contributing his thoughts on Re:Born upon importing his own copy from Japan via YesAsia.com.
A Case For Better Action Movies: Shimomura Yuji’s RE:BORN (2018)
It’s been nearly sixteen years actor Sakaguchi Tak appeared before me in a lovely action horror indie called Versus. Having fondly grown favorable toward Sakaguchi’s work over the years, I can certainly attest now along with others who have been fortunate to spot his latest and long-awaited return to film and reunion with Death Trance director, longtime friend and film cohort, stunt professional and filmmaker Shimomura Yuji for the new CQC action thriller, Re:Born, in which Sakaguchi (billed in the film as TAK∴) plays Toshiro, a reclusive store clerk whose past life as a clandestined killer soldier comes back to haunt him and the young girl in his care.
I won’t go too into detail for this post, but I will assert, at the forefront of it all, that Re:Born services its target fanbase with some of the best, fleshed out action sequencing ever put together by a stunt team and a star who is no stranger to screenfighting. The story is gripping and carries its weight with intelligence, charm, a dose of intrigue and a subtlety that clutches you in its death stare at the last minute with as much fearsomeness as Sakaguchi does from millimeters away just after he dodges all of your silly bullets; Seriously, I love how the star’s character was written – realized and executed in such a way that may very well rival that of almost any horror movie icon you’ve come to know and love in the last four decades.
The action is fresh and pure in all its simplicity with a style assembled and emulated perfectly for the film’s tone of violence and gore as well as the overall pacing and energy of the lighting-fast-as-fuck techniques involved (yes, you read that correctly). Some stunt peers will have opinions of their own on it while it’s also worth noting that the style of fighting formulated for this film is made to look as feral and instinctive as it needs to be – ultimately as if these scenarios were a real setting apart from its fantasy millieu.
Talking vaguely on certain highlights, there are definitely some major bookmarks spotlighting Sakaguchi’s own character development that you’ll want to take into mind; His screentime with actress Hasebe Hitomi is something very much worth paying attention to next to young actress Kondo Yura in the role of Sachi, comprising the very heart and soul of the film, and equally, Toshiro’s stoic existence as he struggles to maintain his peace and sanity by medicated mouthfulls. Otsuka Akio seethes on screen as the villanous Phantom who is much more than he appears to be with a certain skillset that emerges as the film weaves together its story direction.
The cast at large is featured perpetually in the film’s action setting some purely unique moments and enlivening performances, and with great set locations such as alleyways, a courtyard, and the wooded forest that preambles the stellar fight finale in the third act. Actress and stuntwoman Sakaguchi Makoto herself is one of the biggest influences of enjoyment in this area having previously showcased her talents aptly in works like Miike Takashi’s Yakuza Apocalypse and Sono Sion’s Tokyo Tribe. It is here in the role of Casper, a subordinate working under Phantom’s command, that she absolutely shines in her element with pure grativas and performance caliber that will very much leave you charmed and entertained.
With TAK∴, everything from his chemistry with other characters to the way he carries himself as a screenfighter is indicative of someone who has admirably grown in his craft regardless of the hampering his career nearly suffered in recent years. He isn’t the greatest actor, but he can certainly perform roles in ways that work and befit the narrative and thus, I cannot ever recall a time when I have never not loved TAK∴’s work in most of the movies I have seen him in. It is partly why I had my hopes up for a Death Trance sequel when one was rumored to be announced around 2013 until reports started circulating that the star was suddenly “retiring” – news that shook the fans to our core and had many of us lamenting with questions as to why.
For this, my appreciation for TAK∴’s craft, friendship and film partnership with Shimomura and that of combat specialist and co-star Inagawa Yoshitaki who plays the brooding and deadly Abyss, has increased even further. Moreover, apart from the driven performances of the cast and overall delivery, I hope, with every ounce of my being and sincerity, that this will not be the last we hear from Sakaguchi and Shimomura in either of their careers. I really do want more from these amazing people and I also look forward to buying a copy of this movie once it officially opens in the U.S. now that it’s available in Japan and the U.K..
In my most serious of urgences, Re:Born serves as an exemplary spotlight on good, quality action cinema that deserves all the profusion it can get. Today’s market won’t allow wide releases for niche films like this at the same rate as overbloated and big scale movies tied to a popular IP, which by-and-large just plain sucks and I stand by the notion that this ought to change. That being said, if you REALLY love action movies and Asian cult cinema, or even films in general, then I wholly recommend purchasing and supporting this film in favor of some of the best film and action talent you will ever bear witness to, regardless of what your perspective is.
If you have never heard of Sakaguchi Tak (or TAK∴ for that matter) at all before this year, start your favorite new habit with Re:Born when it comes your way. It WILL be worth it. And this cast and crew most certainly deserve it.
FIVE-A-DAY ROUND-UP II: Jailbreak, Re:Born, Master Z, The Night Comes For Us, Lazarus
We’re continuing the Five-A-Day column today listing, and in no certain order, various action film titles fans may be keen on going into the new year. Here’s yesterday’s batch for starters and below are today’s:
Legendary actress and martial artist Michelle Yeoh is reportedly the In Focus subject for the forthcoming International Film Festival & Awards Macao which takes place between December 8 through 14. It makes an even worthier note of the Star Trek: Discovery series co-star’s forthcoming appearance Yuen Woo Ping’s pending Ip Man spin-off, Master Z: Ip Man Legacy in which actor Max Zhang reprises Cheung Tin-Chi, the role he played opposite action star Donnie Yen in the 2016 kung fu hit, Ip Man 3. Details on all ends are pending for the film which also has Dave Bautista and Tony Jaa in its line-up.
Jimmy Henderson’s third directorial offering, Jailbreak was a festival favorite among cinephiles and genre loyalists alike. Rising stars Jean-Paul Ly, Dara Our and Thatothoum Sam lead the cast opposite Celine Tran for the story of a tactical unit trapped inside an unsecure prison and forced to fight to keep a criminal witness alive. XYZ Films is releasing this one through Vertical Entertainment and presumably in 2018 as well as a date is still pending.
Also on deck from Vertical is Shimomura Yuji’s ghoulish new commando action thriller, Re:Born, which has seen actor Sakaguchi Tak’s return to film be quite the ceremonies revival it deserves. The film’s show of WAVE combat techniques serve as part of the backdrop for the tale of a reclusive ex-soldier forced back into battle to protect a young girl in his care from an old friend-turned-enemy in the wake hunting down his former team. Considering the nature of limited theater releases like this, I would hate to see this film released in a theater that won’t allow later showtimes. Here’s a trailer for its U.K. release:
Following up on his previous pairings with film cohort Kimo Stamboel, fellow ‘Mo Bro Timo Tjahjanto goes solo for the hotly anticipated return of actor and martial artist Joe Taslim with gangland thriller, The Night Comes For Us. The film was stifled for a few years due to unforeseen circumstances before production finally took off late last year and with a 2018 date, will soon tell the tale of an enforcer who returns to Jakarta where his crime family awaits the boiling point of a brewing mob war between bitter rivals. The film is already in post-production with Timo teasing the goods little by little on his Instagram page:
Here’s a first teaser of @joe_taslim as Ito the Triad’s enforcer in #TNCFU. Yes he’ll bleed alot & yes it will be Joe like you’ll never see him before. Stay tuned for more characters revealed.
A post shared by Timo Tjahjanto (@timobros) on Sep 4, 2017 at 7:49pm PDT
There hasn’t been much put out in public view but progress is still being made as director R.L. Scott continues to put the finishing touches on his latest superhero pivot, Lazarus. Scott reunites with Call Me King co-star Sean Riggs who leads the gritty and dark vigilante action horror tale telling of a super powered crimefighter’s one-man war on an organization to free the city from darkness. I honestly wish I could tell you more about this project, and seeing as how I can’t at current, next year should be a lot more promising as the film nears all the ins and outs of completion and acquisition.
We’ll pick up on five more tomorrow. In the meantime, post your picks in the comment section below for what lies ahead on your 2018 moviegoing calendar!
RE:BORN: Hero Musings Set The Tone For The Breakneck New U.K. Trailer
Four years since stirring talk of sequels and a retirement, it wasn’t until the last few years we finally started learning what to make of all that noise with the announcement of the new movie, Re:Born. The messaging on that film’s development then slowly seuged from talk of his final film endeavor to something much more ceremonial in the cult action star’s return, which is understandably confusing. Forgiveable? Well, why not?
A legendary soldier with a mysterious past decides to unleash his inner beast to stand up for what he cares about.
RE:BORN marks the comeback of Tak Sakaguchi (Versus, Alive, Shinobi:Heart Under Blade), often described as one of the most under-rated actors in the action movie scene, and this film highlights him at his very best. Director Yuji Shimomura (Flash Point, Warriors Way, Gantz:Perfect Wars) teamed up with fight choreographyer Yoshitaka Inagawa, a former close combat instructor for U.S. Special Forces and other international commando units. The film showcases Inugawa’s Zero Range Combat System – a technique focused around extremely quick and efficient movements at close range.
Indeed, 2016’s trending ta6gline, “Tak Is Back”, has some weight to it since the actor’s last appearance in Sono Sion’s riproaring, gory action comedy love letter to celluloid, Why Don’t You Play In Hell? Having abstained away from lead roles for a short while, Re:Born nonetheless hails a necessary comeback for an adorned festival favorite. Moreover, that longtime film friend and confidant Shimomura Yuji directs is also a major plus, marking Re:Born as his second narrative feature since helming Sakaguchi’s 2005 fantasy action thriller, Death Trance, which went rumored for a sequel more four years ago (something that made news of Sakaguchi’s retirement all the more surprising and saddening).
Re:Born is still slated for more exclusive screenings with its U.K. premiere slated for September 16 as part of The Fighting Spirit Festival line-up. Eureka Entertainment announced its own forthcoming home viewing release in the U.K. last month, and has since a presented a thrilling new trailer that packs as much promise as it does punch.
Check it out.
RE:BORN: It’s All-Out Guerilla Warfare In The Brand New Trailer
Having had a stellar festival run throughout Asia, Europe and the U.S. with last year’s Fantastic Fest premiere, director Shimomura Yuji’s new film, Re:Born, has seen quite the journey to its praise. The same can amply be applied to the resurgence of its star, actor Sakaguchi Tak who, given personal career circumstances, essentially had to keep off radar and thankfully, that dry patch is now over and done.
Nikkatsu Picks Up RE:BORN For Worldwide Sales, XYZ Films For North America
It’s been a pretty peculiar time thusfar in covering actor Sakaguchi Tak’s latest film, Re:Born. The latest trailer has been out for a few months now while the film has already begun hitting festivals, simultaneously granting its main star a spotlight after nearly falling into obscurity following some career upheaval in the last few years hence all that retirement talk that Versus and Alive helmer Kitamura Ryuhei said was “bullshit” three years ago.
That said, the film may eventually get a 2017 release away from Japan at some point considering the pace of things. Accordingly, and much to the approval of fans who’ve followed the actor’s work since his heyday as a budding actor on films like Battlefield Baseball and the cult hit, Versus, the film also signals his ultimate return into film via the name TAK∴. Producer Inoue Midori explains all this and more in the latest report via Screendaily of the new partnering between international sales agent, Nikkatsu, and XYZ Films who will represent the film’s U.S. release.
“It may sound bold, but Re:Born could be the new cornerstone in action movies,” said Inoue. “Tak Sakaguchi and the director Yuji Shimomura have put their blood and sweat together for the last five years during which Tak gave up the whole concept of so-called entertainment action but instead trained to adjust himself to the most practical combat techniques.
“On the other hand, Shimomura made such strenuous efforts to incorporate those new moves into the film. As a result, we are no longer able to categorise the final cut simply as an action movie, and along the way what is extremely encouraging for us is to have XYZ Films and Nikkatsu as sales partners that understand our unconventional film better than anyone else in the world.”
“From this film, Tak Sakaguchi changed his name to TAK∴ to show his utmost commitment not as an actor but as a combat fighter that represents the world of Re:Born.
“We are very thrilled that our two powerful partners will help us introduce this unheard-of WAVE action to a broader audience all over the world.”
Re:Born sees TAK∴ in the role of a former soldier forced to come out of hiding and rescue his niece when a legendary covert operative, his former colleague who now goes by “The Ghost” comes out of hiding with a trail of blood in his wake. Inoue produces with Fujita Shinichi, with a cast that includes young actress Kondo Yura, actresses Shinoda Mariko and Hasebe Hitomi, and actors Ishida Issei, Saitoh Takumi, Kato Masaya and Otsuka Akio.
Perhaps those Versus and Death Trance sequels may still be in order? Food for thought.
Sakaguchi's Bloodlust Takes Over New Photos From Shimomura's RE:BORN
Actor Sakaguchi Tak’s exit from (or re-entry into) film has been a hard one to pin-point. Though the actor himself has previously pointed out finishing his cult celebrity status with his latest starring role in Re:Born, some are discussing it as his “return”. It’s not exactly something I would argue against either. I’ve been a fan of Sakaguchi since college when he was just a budding young badass in a pair of early performances, including Yamaguchi Yudai’s Battlefield Baseball and Kitamura Ryuhei’s Versus.
FIVE A DAY: Here Are Some Titles To Look Forward To In 2016
As busy as my schedule is, there are a lot of films that I don’t get to see at least right away – hell, as we speak, I’ve prioritized some titles from this year going into 2016 including Bone Tomahawk and The Hateful Eight. That said, there are definitely a few titles that I will be looking into next year for required viewing, and I will average at least five a day between now and New Year’s Day in no specific order:
⚪ To start, there’s no way I’m missing out on John Wick 2. Period. The first film led the way for a terrific revival of R-rated action with just the kind of story that drives action film fanatics to the theaters, centering actor Keanu Reeves back in the limelight as a genuine action star long since winning sci-fi and kung fu fans everywhere with The Matrix Trilogy. It wasn’t too emotive, but the overall delivery was very much driven in what we knew and saw as the film took off with Chad Stahelski and David Leitch at the helm; This time its Stahelski sitting in the directors’ seat with Leitch executive producing, and having met the film’s fight coordinator J.J. Perry a few months ago just days prior to filming, in addition to certain set pics and casting rumors pertaining to a few martial arts star well-knowns, I’m wholly proud to be a part of the demographic amped for this sequel.
⚫ Only time will tell if and when we will get to see The Raid 3 in the next few years. In the meantime, with its franchise helmer Gareth Evans developing other title for an early production start next year, expect things to pick up quite nicely for Indonesian favorite, Iko Uwais, who has slowly been breaking international ground in the last few years. At home though, he’s still as big as ever, and the action is about to get even bigger with the new movie, Headshot, still forthcoming from Killers helmers Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel about an amnesiac in the care of a nurse when his violent past catches up. Considering the plot and surely if you’ve seen the 2014 Sundance favorite, Killers, you’ll have a distinct idea where this film will go in its overall tone and delivery. Uwais has been a sheer figure in introducing audiences to some of the most brutal and stylish performances under some of the best martial arts action ever put on display for the big screen, and so Headshot has a chance of delivering the same effect. The film currently has distribution in select territories while a teaser could come as early as this summer, and I have all the faith in the world this is going to be a tremendous hit.
⚪ I can’t really express enough how anxious I am to see what will come of director Xu Haofeng’s latest early 20th century action drama, The Master. Actor Liao Fan leads the film as a Wing Chun master from Canton eager to establish himself in Tianjin when local governing martial politics and a deadly campaign to systematically indoctrinate and miltarize the schools ensues. The film won best action choreography at the Golden Horse Awards prior to its release earlier this month in China and judging by what’s visible in the featurettes, clearly there’s no questioning why. Thankfully, the film is on part for future releases going into the new year and with any luck, it’ll make its way to audiences in the U.S. where I am as it looks to be a hearty follow-up for anyone who has seen Xu’s earlier works, The Sword Identity and Judge Archer.
⭕ Sakaguchi Tak’s new movie, Re:Born, is certainly one that many of us have waited for. It’s been bolstered as the actor’s last film before certainly stepping into retirement following a career that has flourished for more than fifteen years in bringing bona-fide Japanese action fanfare to the local niche and cult fans abroad, with the 2000 action horror, Versus, being one of the most truly notable hits. Stuntman, fight coordinator and filmmaker Shimomura Yuji, who has been by Sakaguchi’s side for a longstanding friendship both on and off set, is in the director’s chair and with a teaser now making the rounds, you can surely rest your heart on the fact that Re:Born is going to make a fine exit for Tak unless otherwise.
⚫ Last and far from least, we now have one other specific bit of comic book fandom to finally look forward to on the screen. He’s been trolling us all Christmas with swords wielding, guns blazing, blood spilling and balls in our faces with both cheecks squeezed in tight red spandex all because Ed Skrein is after his babymomma and now it’s time to get her back, among other things. Yes, its Ryan Reynolds shakin’ that Canadian bacon as the title role in Tim Miller’s Deadpool based on Rob Liefield’s popular comic creation. He’s the Merc With A Mouth and Reynolds has been owning him since 2009 upon debuting him in Gavin Hood’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and with the simple leak of concept footage driving the conversation in the last few years, we finally have the first of what could be at least two Deadpool movies or whatever capacity we can get him in pending Jeff Wadlow’s X-Force film which is still in development. Bearing that in mind, the last few times we had worthy R-rated comic book movies were Karl Urban’s performance in the 2012 release of Dredd and Wadlow’s 2013 Mark Millar adaptation sequel, Kick-Ass 2…and both movies flopped with the latter getting the shitstorm piracy treatment which means the likelihood of a Kick-Ass 3 remains nil.
Piracy kills movies. That is a fact and so for all the brouhaha behind PG-13 action movies, we finally have a Marvel property with a hero that literally spills copious amounts of blood and laughs to boot. The film opens in February, and your asses better go and support this movie.
Stay tuned for my next five!
Sakaguchi Tak's Last Action Film, RE:BORN Wraps Principal Photography!
Well, as far as memories go, one certainly hopes that cult action star Sakaguchi Tak has made his time on the set of his final movie, Re:Born, worthwhile. Production kicked off for the film roughly two-and-a-half weeks ago with longtime friend and cohort, Shimomura Yuji directing and close-quarters combat expert Inagawa Yoshitaka coordinating, and thankfully, we’ve been graced with a fair bit of imagery via the film’s official website and Facebook page.
It was sad as much as it was expected with Sakaguchi‘s own proclaimations of retirement from the industry in the last few years long after staking his claim in the throes of cult film fandom and the film festival circuit at large. Alas, fifteen years after making his feature debut in Kitamura Ryuhei’s cult chambara action horror, Versus, sixteen months after announcing Re:Born and two-and-a-half weeks after rolling cameras, Sakaguchi‘s final theatrical bow has wrapped production with a new cast and crew photo shared above.
Japanese action and stunt company is backing the film with U’den Flame Works, and if you’re at all familiar with their respective bodies of work in some capacity, add it to the imagery seen in some of the set photos and training reels in previous months and you can pretty much imagine what you’re in for. Details about the film, its cast and overall look are slowly being revealed, so watch this space!
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