special id
Reel Time: MALAY KIM (2014)
Film Combat Syndicate has had the pleasure of hosting some truly stunning work from the folks over at cinematic action performance and choreography team, EMC Monkeys in the past year, and it’s really a small list in comparison to the amount of achievements they have made since their earlier years in activity long before this site existed. A lot of that work includes a list of admirable performances by fellow member Malay Kim, who has brand new reel out which features both old and new projects that are coming online very soon.
The team has left a major mark on the industry for fans online over the last few years, particularly with one of thier most successful videos to date attributed to the hit game, Sleeping Dogs in 2012, in which by an act of otherwise random chance, a segment of choreography became the center of attention upon the recent release of director Isaac Florentine’s latest hit film, Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear. Of course, the comparison was noticeable in similarity, but nonetheless, the team is taking it all in stride, and hopes to spark a meeting of minds one great day with the film’s pivotal action director and rising star in choreography, Tim Man.
Just think of the possibilities, kids.
Kim has a few more videos lined up that will be coming out real soon this year, including two upcoming tributes to the latest Donnie Yen cop thriller, Special ID with fellow actor and Fight Factory performer Michael Lehr, and the classic SNK fighting game, King Of Fighters, as well as an upcoming Power Rangers fan film titled Unmorphed, and Lethal Weapon 6 – a follow up to their 2012 Nerf-weaponized action vid, Lethal Weapon 5.
Feel free to subscribe to EMC Monkeys via their YouTube channel in the embed below, and stay tuned for more exciting info.
Go Behind The Scenes With The Cast And Crew Of THE MONKEY KING: THE LEGEND BEGINS
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Tony Jaa Introduces The People Behind SPL 2!
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Yen's 'Last Of The Best' Gets A Face Lift With A New Title
Just hours into international action star Donnie Yen‘s arrival for his appearance at this year’s New York Chinese Film Festival, a new image popped up online courtesy of Yen‘s Weibo account illustrating a name change in for the release of his latest action thriller with co-writer and director Teddy Chen. Previously announced as Last Of The Best, the new film will be simply titled as Kung Fu Killer, a title that sounds a bit more underwhelming than its predecessor, but still leaves a lot to the imagination about just how the film will be sold, which is already now a sharply divisive issue considering the new name.
Ask anyone and you will see what I mean.
Produced by Albert Lee, Last Of The Best Kung Fu Killer will see Yen as a former martial arts instructor imprisoned for the accidental death of another man whose services are once again required when a vicious killer begins targeting martial arts masters in the city. The film will also star fellow Iceman 3D co-star Wang Baoqiang, along with Charlie Yeung, Bai Bing and John Chiang. The film began shooting in May and wrapped later in the summer for a 2014 release date to be announced.
In the meantime, Yen will be in New York City to premiere his new film with director Clarence Fok, Special ID, for the final day of New York Chinese Film Festival on November 7, 2013 at the AMC Empire 25, located at 234, West 42nd street near Times Square. The film is currently awaiting a street date courtesy of U.S. distributor Well Go USA.
Promotion is also underway for the upcoming release of his new 3D adventure, The Monkey King, director Pou Soi-Cheang’s latest spin on the classic Journey To The West tale which is expected to hit Chinese and Hong Kong cinemas on January 31, 2014 prior to its U.S. release on February 14 according to the IMDb page. And lastly, for the first of a two-part movie, Yen and Baoqiang‘s Iceman 3D from director Law Wing-Cheong, is expected to release this April.
Stay tuned for more info.
Yen Gets An English Lead Role For PRIORITY RUN
Wonders never cease with international action star Donnie Yen, coming off the release of his long awaited Hong Kong action thriller, Special ID, into a longer work list of films to come which include the recently wrapped Last Of The Best from director Teddy Chen and the filming of Iceman 3D: Part 2. On Saturday, Twitch brought an exclusive report which included a major announcement from international sales company Arclight Films for a new Yen action vehicle titled Priority Run to be directed by Troy Nixey, which would possibly bring Yen his first lead role in an English action picture since performing smaller roles and coordinating action sequences on films like Highlander: Endgame, Blade 2 and Shanghai Knights. Other cast members are expected to be announced at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, California next month. Check out the synopsis below:
Mickey Facchinello Harnesses Her Inner-Yen In SPECIAL ID – EPISODE 1: THE MUTE
It’s been a lucrative year for independent action extraordinare, director and choreographer Vlad Rimburg. If you’ve been following Rimburg long enough, then you’re likely familiar with the copious amounts of work he has distributed in garnering the credibility he now has as one of the foremost independent action designers of our time. Well on Friday, nothing changed, with newly releasing his Donnie Yen-inspired action short film, Special ID – Episode 1: The Mute, based on one of the most recently unveiled teaser clips prior to the release of Donnie Yen’s latest action thriller from director Clarence Fok.
Filmed as the hopeful start of a new webseries, the new short was shot last weekend on Sunday afternoon at 3pm PST through 4am the following morning, with actress, action performer and Hollywood stuntwoman Mickey Facchinello (above/right) fitting Yen’s shoes as a mute demon huntress in a brutal, contained battle with The Hammer, played by Jimmy Chhiu (above/left) and his small group of demonic henchmen. Facchinello‘s previous credits with Rimburg include Chapter 1: Part C, Men In Suits and Chapter 2: Parts A and B which also featured actor Gui DaSilva, and CZ12 co-star, actress Caitlin Dechelle. Rimburg and Facchinello were supposed to work together again in January earlier this year, but Facchinello had other plans overseas. Facchinello recently made her appearance as one of the masked killers in the futuristic horror thriller from director James DeMonaco, The Purge.
I asked Rimburg what he enjoys most about working with Facchinello, who shares her martial arts lineage with the likes of actors and martial arts performers Mike Chat and Matt Mullins over at Team Sideswipe, and is also a member of LBP Stunts Chicago and Thousand Pounds Action Company. “I believe that Mickey is arguably the best female screen fighter around.” he says. “Her technique is clean and she adapts very well to anything I throw at her. She wrecks and she’s not afraid to go hard with the boys. I would love to see her in a Hong Kong finale.”
Rimburg continues his long path toward his dream of becoming a mainstream action director for bigger films to this day. Martial arts action cinema lovers will also be happy to know that Rimburg will be co-starring in Dennis Ruel’s directorial feature-length debut, Unlucky Stars, in which he also directed the action sequences, attributing specifically to a contemporary adherance to the classic Golden Harvest/Media Asia label Hong Kong action comedies of the 1980’s that most of us know and hold near and dear. And for all things considered, directing innovative, classic sequences is something Rimburg is not hesitant to express himself over.
“I love having the freedom to create.” he tells Film Combat Syndicate. “To be able to think of something and put it in a visual format, to me, is one of the greatest feelings there is. There are no limitations when thinking. Even if I know I’m choreographing something that I can’t film for a year or two, I love being able to fill my mind of beautiful and violent images. Most importantly though, I want to keep the art of martial arts filmmaking alive. It’s great to see the independent community continue to produce fights done right, in a time where fast editing and funky camera angles dominate skill and technique.”
Personally, I hope this won’t be the last we see from Rimburg. Even moreso, I hope Hollywood is paying attention to what Rimburg has to offer. Many a stuntman and woman I have shared words with speak nothing but praise for his efforts. Accordingly, I hope we continue seeing more of these from Ms. Facchinello for years to come. She’s a fan favorite, for certain. And of course, if you need to see more to believe, you can always explore the Youtube channel in the embed below.
Special ID – Episode 1: The Mute also stars Michael Lehr, Jimmy Chhiu, Brendon Huor, Bryan Cartago, Alfred Hsing, Jerry Quill, Noah Fleder and Brian Le.
The Noble Review: SPECIAL ID
SYNOPSIS:
Yen takes on the role of Zilong Chen, an undercover police officer deep within the ranks of one of China’s most ruthless underworld gangs. The leader of the gang, Xiong (Collin Chou – JET LI’S FEARLESS, THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, THE MATRIX RELOADED), has made it his priority to weed out the government infiltrators in his midst. Struggling to keep his family together and his identity concealed, Chen is torn between two worlds.
Upping the stakes, as Chen’s undercover comrades are being dealt with, one by one, Chen fears his days are numbered. Now, he must risk everything to take down the organization and reclaim the life he lost when he took on this perilous assignment. As the action mounts, Chen must do everything he can to protect the SPECIAL IDENTITY he wishes he never had before it’s too late.
REVIEW:
Special ID is one of the most anticipated Hong Kong action films for a long time. There was a long delay for its release and today I had the opportunity to watch the film in the cinema. I live in Xi’an, China and I watched it at the 10:20am showing; there were only 6 other people in the cinema. The version I saw was in Mandarin (the original film was shot in Cantonese), but it did have English subtitles, so I was able to follow the film without any problems.
The film has been labeled, “the next Flash Point“. This excited me greatly because the final fight scene in Flash Point is my favourite fight scene ever filmed (and I have a collection of about 1,000 Hong Kong films). I wanted more…and we’ve waited 6 years.
I will say that Special ID has more fight scenes than Flash Point and I will admit that I enjoyed Special ID more as a film than Flash Point. However, I am hugely disappointed with the film. Why? The fight scenes were average. They pale in comparison to the fights in ‘Flash Point’ and even SPL. There are about 3 big fights in the film, with several very short fights throughout the film too.
The first fight is a very strange duel between Donnie Yen and Ken Lo. Two truly amazing on screen fighters but the fight is quite bad in my opinion. Ken Lo appeared to be doing some Thai boxing and there was an absence of crisp hand exchanges. Also, there was limited leg work. Two great kickers producing very little kicking? Strange.
There is a good fight in the middle where Donnie fights a group of men. This is definitely the best fight in the entire film because Donnie gets to show off some impressive trademark moves of his; including some nice flashy kicks. Good use of slow motion during periods of this fight too. Some of his opponents are armed with various weapons, but this actually makes it quite interesting. No lengthy exchanges here, but some nice looking moves.
The final fight scene is between Donnie and Andy On. It lasts about 6 minutes and at least half of the entire fight is MMA grappling, something that I don’t like. If you love this, then you’ll love this fight. However, if you like Hong Kong style hand exchanges with some impressive kicking, then you’ll be greatly disappointed (like I was). Andy On is an average screen fighter and Donnie looks far superior here. Donnie throws some good kicks but where is the hand choreography? Very little on display.
Overall, I enjoyed the film because the characters were interesting and likeable. Donnie’s relationship with his mother and his female colleague was well-written and fun to watch. As a film, the story and character development/relationships are quite strong. However, most of us will be watching the film for some spectacular fight scenes, and it fails to deliver on that front. Collin Chou is totally wasted in this film, Ken Lo failed to impress here and I wish Vincent Zhao had played the villain instead of Andy On. It’s definitely worth watching, but I was a lot more satisfied after watching Flash Point, and Special ID would struggle to get into my top 10 Donnie films.
Written by FCSyndicate Asian Cinema contributor Graeme Noble (18/10/13). Noble is an acclaimed independent filmmaker and actor, and represents one-half of his award-winning independent film company, Noble Brothers Productions with brother John-William Noble. For more information on his work, visit http://www.noblebrotherproductons.org.
DONNIE YEN: "…I'll definitely play Ip Man again."
In a detailed interview with South China Morning Post to promote the week’s newly released action film from director Clarence Fok, Special ID, martial arts action cinema superstar Donnie Yen briefly talks to writer Edmund Lee about reprising his role as the iconic Wing Chun grandmaster, Ip Man, in the long-awaited third film.
It was at the bottom of the interview, long after delving into the intricate details of his personal journey in film, the topic of his latest production company, Superhero Films, and the issue of doing films on subjects he likes, which he says is difficult in the movie business. “I’ll leave that to fate, but I’ll definitely play Ip Man again,” he says. “I won’t be doing it any time soon, though, because there are so many Ip Man [movies] around. You are Ip Man! He is Ip Man! Everyone is Ip Man! Even the audience is getting bored at the moment.”.
The statement comes just over a week after the 50-year old action hero adhered to similar feelings in an exclusive with Yahoo! Singapore, but expressed more willingness to deviate from the character in general to advance his career. “I know that people like “Ip Man” very much.” says Yen at the time. “I can keep on making sequels but the truth is I don’t want to continue be stereotyped into a role. I want to show improvement.”.
Following the success of the first two films in 2008 and 2010, the third was announced last year amd was set for a 3D shoot to the tune of a reported budget of $36 million dollars with producer Raymond Wong, and his son, Edmund Wong, providing the screenplay. Since then, the film recently hit a brick wall with Yen parting ways from the project alongside director Wilson Yip, who reportedly lost interest in the franchise’s third installation due to their own prior bookings, leaving many fans with the hopes of seeing a third film much to be desired, despite the last reports of Yen and the elder Wong being in talks. Of course, the actors new statements brings on some glimmer of hope that fans will get to see the actor’s classic portrayal of the late-great Bruce Lee’s teacher, which may or may not include a theatrical rendition of Lee himself. This, of course, is up to the men behind the curtain.
All in all, in my opinion, between Kowloon Walled City, The Master, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2 and a previously-hyped sequel to Special ID if it comes to that, if Ip Man returns to the big screen once more, then it happens, it happens. If not, then at least Yen will still be making movies and pursuing his craft on his own platform as initially intended. But what do you think?
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below, or on Facebook or Twitter.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF EDMUND LEE’S AMAZING INTERVIEW.
Donnie Yen And Ken Lo Square Off In A New Clip From SPECIAL ID
We are only a few days away from the theatrical release of Donnie Yen‘s upcoming martial arts action cop thriller, Special ID, a film that we all should have seen by now were it not for some legal issues late last year. Fans are craving this movie everywhere there’s a loyal audience for Yen, and the folks at Starlit know this. So accordingly, I guess they decided unveiling one more teaser clip (it looks like two spliced into one rather) with Yen and classic kicking legend Ken Lo wouldn’t hurt…
I Dare You To Not Watch This Clip From SPECIAL ID
If you’ve been following updates for Donnie Yen‘s upcoming martial arts action thriller, Special ID, then get ready. You’re about to be tested!
Yes, it’s a fight clip from the movie. More to the point it’s a clip of the pivotal final fight between Donnie Yen and Andy On. And yes, you knew at some point this was going to happen.
I dare you to resist!
Donnie Yen Promotes SPECIAL ID In Malaysia
A new featurette is online to promote the highly anticipated domestic October 18 release of the Hong Kong action thriller, Special ID. Lead actor Donnie Yen was in Malaysia recently to promote the film, and in the embed below, he discusses the film, his vision for the action and stunt work, and the importance of having a positive, broader message behind films.
Banner Sightings For SPECIAL ID! (Cue Fan Rant)
I don’t live any where in Asia, obviously. But as long as it has taken for director Clarence Fok‘s upcoming film, Special ID, to arrive to audiences, I’m excited for this film regardless.
Hopefully one of my contributors currently living in China right now will be reviewing this one when it comes out. Unfortunately, I’m with the rest of those who will be missing out on it overseas, but still, to see these photos is pretty huge.
It might be the usual thing over in Hong Kong, although I couldn’t tell you. Never been there. But imagine spotting Donnie Yen movie banners like this while driving down the freeway somewhere in New York or California, New Jersey or even Texas or Michigan? Or anywhere else in the world for that matter!
If you’re a Hong Kong cinema fan this month and you don’t live anywhere near where this film is being released, (or Australia for that matter), I feel your pain quite invariably.
Group hug everyone. Fan rant over. ^o^/
Source
New Posters Light The Final Stretch Through The Release Of SPECIAL ID
If there’s one thing Donnie Yen fans love most, it’s their Donnie Yen film posters. And last week’s viral roll out of new character posters continue to be nothing short of attention-getting in light of Yen‘s upcoming film, Special ID.
The film’s arrival has been two years in the making, with lead actor and Hong Kong action legend, Yen starring as an undercover cop awaits the greatest fight of his life as fellow undercovers are being eliminated. The film is set for release on October 18, 2013, with director Clarence Fok at the helm, and actors Andy On, Ken Lo, Jing Tian, Hanyu Zhang and Qi Daji also starring.
The film is also poised for release in other territories, including North America where, for faithful action fans like myself, the film can’t come soon enough. Yen is also on the way with the latest Teddy Chen helmer, Last Of The Best, in addition to promoting the dual part modern-day wuxia remake, Iceman 3D, and the pending production of Dragon City. So if by any chance Special ID, happens to be news to you, you might want to do your homework.
P.S. Stay tuned for a review upon release!
[UPDATED] SPL 2 Gets Its Director
Update: An article posted at Twitch on 9/13/13 reaffirms Tony Jaa is still confirmed for S.P.L. 2, reaffirming rumors reported late last year.
TOO MUCH BOYKA?: My Thoughts On Scott Adkins And The Undisputed Franchise
That said, after having a chance to watch Undisputed 3 in the last few days (expect a Film Of The Week review before the end of the year), I honestly feel that the character Yuri Boyka has come full circle in the Undisputed canon. So if we are to get another film, I believe the character should get a standalone feature, so that the Undisputed franchise doesn’t suffer from too much Boyka, lest we forget the original narrative in which the Undisputed franchise was rooted.