Hong Kong-based Mei Ah Entertainment brings a slate of new projects to Filmart, featuring stars including Shen Teng, Ma Li and Ekin Cheng.
Untouchable is a $23m crime action thriller set in Macau about a boxing champion-turned-lawyer who can’t stay away from the underworld. This marks the first action film of box-office sensation Shen, known for his comic roles in films such as Goodbye Mr. Loser.
Zhang Yuqi (The Mermaid) co-stars in the film directed by Wang Daqing (One Day) and produced by Shang Ke (Let The Bullets Fly).
Previously known as Twin Blades, Brave Girls pairs leading Chinese...
Untouchable is a $23m crime action thriller set in Macau about a boxing champion-turned-lawyer who can’t stay away from the underworld. This marks the first action film of box-office sensation Shen, known for his comic roles in films such as Goodbye Mr. Loser.
Zhang Yuqi (The Mermaid) co-stars in the film directed by Wang Daqing (One Day) and produced by Shang Ke (Let The Bullets Fly).
Previously known as Twin Blades, Brave Girls pairs leading Chinese...
- 3/11/2024
- ScreenDaily
Award-winning Chinese sci-fi novel “Folding Beijing” moved closer to production as a movie, following support by mainland China studio Wanda Film.
The film, titled “Folding City” is to be produced by Josh Kim, Chris Lee and Yin Hongbo (aka Homber Yin). Edward Gunawan and Katherine Lee join as co-producers.
Kim is the Korean-American director who previously made a splash with adolescent drama “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)”. The film was selected as Thailand’s Oscar contender in 2015. Kim is currently in production as co-director of HBO series “Forbidden.” Lee is a former Hollywood studio executive with producing credits including “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)” and “S.W.A.T.,” and executive producing credits including “Valkyrie,” “Superman Returns.”
For many years sci-fi was shunned by Chinese film industry regulators and specific subject matter, such as time travel, was explicitly forbidden. But attitudes have changed since the blockbuster success of “Wandering...
The film, titled “Folding City” is to be produced by Josh Kim, Chris Lee and Yin Hongbo (aka Homber Yin). Edward Gunawan and Katherine Lee join as co-producers.
Kim is the Korean-American director who previously made a splash with adolescent drama “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)”. The film was selected as Thailand’s Oscar contender in 2015. Kim is currently in production as co-director of HBO series “Forbidden.” Lee is a former Hollywood studio executive with producing credits including “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)” and “S.W.A.T.,” and executive producing credits including “Valkyrie,” “Superman Returns.”
For many years sci-fi was shunned by Chinese film industry regulators and specific subject matter, such as time travel, was explicitly forbidden. But attitudes have changed since the blockbuster success of “Wandering...
- 4/29/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Five competitive local titles have announced as of Monday that they will be vying for box office supremacy in China over the May 1 Labor Day weekend, a public holiday.
They include a long-anticipated video game adaptation, an omnibus pandemic film helmed by three different female big shots from China, Hong Kong and the U.S., a sleek Aaron Kwok-starring thriller, a TV series adaptation and the first title from helmer Li Yu not to star the now-disgraced Fan Bingbing in 14 years.
Their sales will be worth tracking, as holiday periods tend to be the most money-making in the world’s largest film market, where the February Chinese New Year box office set world records with an impressive $1.2 billion in sales in just six days.
In years past, Labor Day was considered a less significant holiday for movie-going than Chinese New Year, the summer holidays, October’s weeklong National Day holiday in October,...
They include a long-anticipated video game adaptation, an omnibus pandemic film helmed by three different female big shots from China, Hong Kong and the U.S., a sleek Aaron Kwok-starring thriller, a TV series adaptation and the first title from helmer Li Yu not to star the now-disgraced Fan Bingbing in 14 years.
Their sales will be worth tracking, as holiday periods tend to be the most money-making in the world’s largest film market, where the February Chinese New Year box office set world records with an impressive $1.2 billion in sales in just six days.
In years past, Labor Day was considered a less significant holiday for movie-going than Chinese New Year, the summer holidays, October’s weeklong National Day holiday in October,...
- 3/8/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The early money might be on Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” (Mexico) and Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” (Poland), but Asia appears to have a real shot at the Oscar foreign-language category, with a mixture of heavy-hitters and dark horses from an eclectic line-up.
The continent’s frontrunner is easily Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters.” The film follows a family of petty thieves and the repercussions that ensue after they take in a waif. Moving, eloquent, and with an emphasis on the family unit, this is a film that could sway even the most cynical. The film will also benefit from its Magnolia Pictures’ release in the U.S.
From South Korea, Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning,” winner of the Fipresci Prize at Cannes, is mesmerising. Beginning as a frustrated youth drama, it gradually moves into missing-person thriller territory, culminating in a cathartic finale. The film is...
The continent’s frontrunner is easily Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters.” The film follows a family of petty thieves and the repercussions that ensue after they take in a waif. Moving, eloquent, and with an emphasis on the family unit, this is a film that could sway even the most cynical. The film will also benefit from its Magnolia Pictures’ release in the U.S.
From South Korea, Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning,” winner of the Fipresci Prize at Cannes, is mesmerising. Beginning as a frustrated youth drama, it gradually moves into missing-person thriller territory, culminating in a cathartic finale. The film is...
- 11/8/2018
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Love him or hate him, Jiang Wen is a director you cannot ignore. In 2018, he completes his Republican Era gangster trilogy, which started in 2010 with “Let the Bullets Fly” and also includes 2014’s “Gone with the Bullets”, with the Eddie Peng starring “Hidden Man”
Synopsis
On the cusp of the Second Sino-Japanese War, a spy returns to China set on revenge, but finds himself plunged into a high-stakes game of intrigue, love, and scheming. Young Li Tianren escapes to America after his master is killed by the power-hungry Zhu Qianlong and his Japanese sidekick Nemoto. 15 years later, the boy, now called Bruce, returns to Beijing as a spy for the Americans but has bloody revenge on his mind.
Loosely based on Zhang Beihei’s wuxia novel “Xia Yin”, “Hidden Man” stars Taiwanese heartthrob Eddie Peng as Bruce, Liao Fan as Zhu Qianlong as well as Jiang Wen himself. The film...
Synopsis
On the cusp of the Second Sino-Japanese War, a spy returns to China set on revenge, but finds himself plunged into a high-stakes game of intrigue, love, and scheming. Young Li Tianren escapes to America after his master is killed by the power-hungry Zhu Qianlong and his Japanese sidekick Nemoto. 15 years later, the boy, now called Bruce, returns to Beijing as a spy for the Americans but has bloody revenge on his mind.
Loosely based on Zhang Beihei’s wuxia novel “Xia Yin”, “Hidden Man” stars Taiwanese heartthrob Eddie Peng as Bruce, Liao Fan as Zhu Qianlong as well as Jiang Wen himself. The film...
- 10/20/2018
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
If the delicacy of the English title, “Hidden Man,” makes you think that Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen (last seen by Western audiences in “Rogue One”) might have come over uncharacteristically restrained for the final installment of his action trilogy after 2010’s “Let the Bullets Fly” and 2014’s “Gone with the Bullets,” the seriocomic, gory beheadings and eviscerations that happen in the film’s first few minutes should disavow you. And if not that, perhaps the small boy running from the scene while burning alive? The sheer excess of this exuberant but also exhausting period blockbuster is much more accurately conveyed by its grandiose Chinese title, which roughly translates to “Evil Does Not Prevail Against Righteousness.” If it were “Evil Does Not Prevail Against Righteousness But It Takes a Very Long Time Not to Prevail,” it would be perfect.
The aforementioned burning boy survives the gory attack that opens the film...
The aforementioned burning boy survives the gory attack that opens the film...
- 9/24/2018
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
We first discovered Jiang Wen in Zhang Yimou’s Red Sorghum (1988), and so it was with a certain delight when Tiff announced that Yimou’s Shadow and Wen’s Hidden Man would make their preem entries in Toronto. The Sixth Generation filmmaker pulls double duty once again with this sixth future which receive a Gala Presentation at the fest and will surely appease fans of his previous two entries in 2010’s Let the Bullets Fly (review) and Gone with the Bullets (2014).…...
- 9/17/2018
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSWe are deeply saddened by the news that Village Voice, home to an abundance of film criticism over the past six decades, "is suspending all editorial content and will lay off half its staff effective immediately." For the Criterion Collection, David Hudson has provided a spotlight of the Voice's foremost critical voices, including Bilge Ebiri, whose last review for the publication is on the "communal consciousness" of Robert Greene's Bisbee '17. Recommended Viewinga gorgeous trailer for photographer RaMell Ross's directorial debut Hale County This Morning, This Evening, the tale of "two young African American men from rural Hale County, Alabama, over the course of five years."The official trailer for Yorgos Lanthimos's The Favourite, currently in competition at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, provides a closer look into its evidently wicked sense of humor,...
- 9/6/2018
- MUBI
From his early days in films like Zhang Yimou’s To Live, to titles like Shower, Let the Bullets Fly, and A Touch of Sin, Jiang Wu has risen to become one of China’s greatest actors. At the New York Asian Film Festival to receive the Star Asia award, Jiang and Director Xin Yukun spoke with Lmd about their thriller, Wrath of Silence. The Lady Miz Diva: Congratulations on the Star Asia award. How does it feel to receive it here in front of your New York Fans? Jiang Wu: I like New York a lot. I’ve been collaborating with American filmmakers pretty often. I’ve received three or four awards already in America; the first one was in Hawaii, and then I went to...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/23/2018
- Screen Anarchy
The comedy drama held off challengers including ‘Hidden Man’.
Dying To Survive continued to thrive at the Chinese box office in the period of Jul 9-15, as new opener Hidden Man failed to take it down from the top.
Dying To Survive maintained an astounding momentum in its second week and added $159.7m for $350.2m after 11 days. It has fast become the third highest grossing film of 2018, after Operation Red Sea and Detective Chinatown 2. It has also outpaced Monster Hunt and Fast And Furious 7 to become the sixth highest grossing film of all time in the territory.
But it...
Dying To Survive continued to thrive at the Chinese box office in the period of Jul 9-15, as new opener Hidden Man failed to take it down from the top.
Dying To Survive maintained an astounding momentum in its second week and added $159.7m for $350.2m after 11 days. It has fast become the third highest grossing film of 2018, after Operation Red Sea and Detective Chinatown 2. It has also outpaced Monster Hunt and Fast And Furious 7 to become the sixth highest grossing film of all time in the territory.
But it...
- 7/16/2018
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
The comedy drama held off challengers including ‘Hidden Man’.
Dying To Survive continued to thrive at the Chinese box office in the period of Jul 9-15, as new opener Hidden Man failed to take it down from the top.
Dying To Survive maintained an astounding momentum in its second week and added $159.7m for $350.2m after 11 days. It has fast become the third highest grossing film of 2018, after Operation Red Sea and Detective Chinatown 2. It has also outpaced Monster Hunt and Fast And Furious 7 to become the sixth highest grossing film of all time in the territory.
But it...
Dying To Survive continued to thrive at the Chinese box office in the period of Jul 9-15, as new opener Hidden Man failed to take it down from the top.
Dying To Survive maintained an astounding momentum in its second week and added $159.7m for $350.2m after 11 days. It has fast become the third highest grossing film of 2018, after Operation Red Sea and Detective Chinatown 2. It has also outpaced Monster Hunt and Fast And Furious 7 to become the sixth highest grossing film of all time in the territory.
But it...
- 7/16/2018
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Warner Bros. in China has boarded the upcoming “Hidden Man,” by cult director Jiang Wen.
Jiang has had a career that lurched from being banned for his “Devils on the Doorstep” directorial effort, through to today being one of China’s most celebrated actor-directors. He recently starred in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
The film is produced by Gravity Pictures, one of the production and distribution companies within Li Ruigang’s China Media Capital group. Warner’s investment comes through Flagship Entertainment, the Beijing and Hong Kong joint venture between Warner and Cmc. It is currently unclear what rights the studio obtains in exchange for its investment.
The film is pitched as the third element in a loose trilogy that stared with “Let The Bullets Fly” and continued with “Gone With The Bullets.” Both mix up old time gangsters, decadent high life, and power grabs, throwing up political analogies...
Jiang has had a career that lurched from being banned for his “Devils on the Doorstep” directorial effort, through to today being one of China’s most celebrated actor-directors. He recently starred in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
The film is produced by Gravity Pictures, one of the production and distribution companies within Li Ruigang’s China Media Capital group. Warner’s investment comes through Flagship Entertainment, the Beijing and Hong Kong joint venture between Warner and Cmc. It is currently unclear what rights the studio obtains in exchange for its investment.
The film is pitched as the third element in a loose trilogy that stared with “Let The Bullets Fly” and continued with “Gone With The Bullets.” Both mix up old time gangsters, decadent high life, and power grabs, throwing up political analogies...
- 5/14/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“Rest on your Shoulder” is the latest outing from Hong Kong director Jacob Cheung, which sees him shifting from the character driven drama of “Cageman” and “Ticket” to something on a much bigger scale. Adapted from a popular internet novel, the film is a very different affair indeed, being a special effects heavy tale that combines a variety of genres and themes into an ambitious tale of life, love and talking insects. The film certainly has a high profile cast, headlined by Aloys Chen (“Let the Bullets Fly”), Gigi Leung (“Just Another Pandora’s Box”), Jiang Yi Yan (“City of Life and Death”) and Guey Lun Mei (“Taipei Exchanges”). The film takes place in an unspecified near future, with the planet apparently ravaged by pollution and the population under constant threat of disease. Aloys Chen plays Yan Guo, a botanist living on the eco-paradise Moon Island, working to try and...
- 10/17/2011
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
The London Film Festival’s now in full swing, so Michael’s provided a handy guide to what you can still get to see over the next few days...
The 55th London Film Festival is now underway, boasting a programme that includes top-flight flicks like George Clooney’s The Ides Of March, Lynne Ramsey’s We Need To Talk About Kevin, and 360, directed by Fernando Meirelles. However, unless you’re a BFI member, a quick-off-the-mark cinephile, or an industry bigwig, it’s highly likely that you missed the small window of chance for getting tickets for these bigger films.
No need to worry, though, as many of the festival’s 300+ films haven’t yet sold out. Here are just a few notable or geek-friendly deep cuts that, at time of writing, still have tickets on sale.
Anonymous
Despite being one of the festival’s Gala films, two of Anonymous’ screenings still have spare seats going.
The 55th London Film Festival is now underway, boasting a programme that includes top-flight flicks like George Clooney’s The Ides Of March, Lynne Ramsey’s We Need To Talk About Kevin, and 360, directed by Fernando Meirelles. However, unless you’re a BFI member, a quick-off-the-mark cinephile, or an industry bigwig, it’s highly likely that you missed the small window of chance for getting tickets for these bigger films.
No need to worry, though, as many of the festival’s 300+ films haven’t yet sold out. Here are just a few notable or geek-friendly deep cuts that, at time of writing, still have tickets on sale.
Anonymous
Despite being one of the festival’s Gala films, two of Anonymous’ screenings still have spare seats going.
- 10/12/2011
- Den of Geek
Band Baaja Baaraat, the debut film of Maneesh Sharma produced by Aditya Chopra has been nominated for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa).
Apsa 2011 International Jury President, Hong Kong film producer Nansun Shi announced at the Busan International Film Festival that 37 films from 19 countries and areas have been nominated for this year’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Best Feature Film nominees in the 2011 APSAs are Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (A Separation, Islamic Republic of Iran), Rang zidan fei (Let the Bullets Fly, People’s Republic of China – Mainland China / Hong Kong), Bé Omid É Didar (Goodbye, Islamic Republic of Iran), Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Band Baaja Baaraat (Wedding Planners, India).
A Separation by Asghar Farhadi and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia written and directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan has each received four Apsa nominations. Both films are the...
Apsa 2011 International Jury President, Hong Kong film producer Nansun Shi announced at the Busan International Film Festival that 37 films from 19 countries and areas have been nominated for this year’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Best Feature Film nominees in the 2011 APSAs are Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (A Separation, Islamic Republic of Iran), Rang zidan fei (Let the Bullets Fly, People’s Republic of China – Mainland China / Hong Kong), Bé Omid É Didar (Goodbye, Islamic Republic of Iran), Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Band Baaja Baaraat (Wedding Planners, India).
A Separation by Asghar Farhadi and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia written and directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan has each received four Apsa nominations. Both films are the...
- 10/11/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Two entries in the Academy's Best Foreign-Language Film category are among the five Best Feature Film nominees at the 2011 Asia Pacific Screen Awards, which announced its nominees on Monday. Iran's "A Separation" (left) and Turkey's "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia," both Oscar entrants, were nominated for the Apsa's top prize. Other nominees include another Iranian film, "Be Omid E Didar" ("Goodbye"), China's "Rang zidan fei" ("Let the Bullets Fly") and India's "Band Baaja Baaraat" ("Wedding Planners"). Overall, nominations went to 37 of the 240 films entered into the competition. Asghar Farhadi's...
- 10/10/2011
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Here's how John Patterson opens a terrific piece in the La Weekly: "A priceless cinematic time capsule of the African-American experience in post-Watts Los Angeles; a kaleidoscope of the multiple mindsets of a community in profound flux; a sustained rebuke and a consciously developed alternative to the plantation economics and racist narratives of the then-current 'blaxploitation' boom; exemplary first steps along a filmmaking road finally not taken — (but oh, the possibilities glimpsed herein!): L.A. Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema is all of these and more. This collection of the highlights of the legendary but only partially understood African-American film explosion at UCLA in the 70s and early 80s is a priceless work of excavation and restoration, and as an La-specific filmic event it's unlikely to be surpassed in the near future." Part of Pacific Standard Time, the series opens today and runs through December 17.
"Now in its fifth year,...
"Now in its fifth year,...
- 10/7/2011
- MUBI
China's Oscar submission this year, Zhang Yimou's The Flowers of War (previously discussed) was not released in time to show up in the nominations for its own country's Oscar equivalent. Nevertheless two Asian submissions for this year's Best Foreign Film Oscar race are competing for the "Golden Horse". While there are multiple film awards which hail from Asia (it can be horribly confusing to follow) The Golden Horse is the oldest and most inclusive of the awards institutions as there are no nationality requirements, only that the film be predominantly in a Chinese language. As is our habit and general proclivity let's start with Best Picture and Best Actress, the two most important categories in any awards show.
Let the Bullets Fly, Piano in a Factory and A Simple Life (pictured) compete for "Best Feature Film" alongside "Return Ticket" and "Seediq Bale"
Best Picture
Let the Bullets Fly (China / Hong...
Let the Bullets Fly, Piano in a Factory and A Simple Life (pictured) compete for "Best Feature Film" alongside "Return Ticket" and "Seediq Bale"
Best Picture
Let the Bullets Fly (China / Hong...
- 10/4/2011
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
In this month's column, we take a look at some of the Asian films that played at this year's edition of Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. China / Hong Kong Let the Bullets Fly is rousing, blockbuster-style entertainment. It's easy to understand why it currently stands as the all-time box office champion in China; it's filled with colorful characters, memorable action sequences, a healthy amount of humor, and a dollop of pathos. Chow Yun-Fat plays Huang, a local crime boss and drug dealer who holds the community of Goose Town in his tight fists. He's a charming, magnetic villain, the kind you love to hate, and Chow has great fun reveling in the man's evil. Though he's...
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- 10/4/2011
- by Peter Martin
- Movies.com
Rabies has nothing to do with the disease most commonly known to effect a particular slathering, angry St. Bernard and others of its kind. However, first-time Israeli filmmakers Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado do infect the myriad characters within their 90 minute horror/thriller hybrid with satisfying results. Little is known going in about the people, and we learn to loathe or like them as the film progresses in real time. There are the requisite damsels in distress, a dirty cop and his side-tracked partner, two friends vying for the same girl, two siblings that are in the wrong place at the wrong time, a maniac without a name or goal, and a park ranger and his girlfriend. Oh, and they have a dog, but he doesn’t have rabies. That’s the character roster, and Keshales and Papushado throw them into the same fox park that provides its own set of surprises.
- 10/3/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
The fun of Let The Bullets Fly comes directly out of the verbal and situational jump rope that everyone involved commits to. It’s formed with Shakespearean-style characters who both seem larger than life and able to lie. After taking down a horse-drawn train coach, the infamous bandit Pocky Zhang (played coolly by writer/director Wen Jiang) finds out that he’s killed the Governor-to-be of a sleepy little hamlet called Goose Town and decides, what the hell, he’ll ride into town claiming to be the man he’s killed. Fortunately, a toady named Tang (Xiaogang Feng) and the poor dead man’s unaffected widow (Carina Lau) want to tag along to avoid being murdered on the side of the road. When they ride into town, they’ll face off against the man who controls the city with a wealthy fist. Master Huang (played with pure genius by Chow Yun-Fat) gives them the proverbial finger by...
- 9/26/2011
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Fantastic Fest is filled with so many consecutive movies that writing timely, full reviews of each without losing a considerable amount of sleep or sanity would be difficult. There are writers out there who will do it and I salute them. But for me, being the lone wolf for /Film in 2011, I've decided to provide mini-reviews of most things, with the occasional video blog, full review and interview thrown in. This way you hear about everything. So here's a pair of mini-reviews: A Boy And His Samurai directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura and Let the Bullets Fly by Wen Jiang. A Boy And His Samurai combines time travel, samurais and baking reality shows into a perfect little package that will have you smiling ear to ear. Let the Bullets Fly stars Chow Yun Fat as a local crime boss who engages in a battle of wits and bullets with a notorious con-man.
- 9/24/2011
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
"Let the Bullets Fly" is funny, exciting, and at 132 minutes, a half an hour too long. It's like that guy you knew in college who told told really great stories but got so wrapped up in his own awesomeness as a storyteller that he never knew when to shut up. "Let the Bullets Fly" is a great little movie inside a weaker bigger movie.
It's still a lot of fun. Almost every character in the film has more than one identity and there are multiple layers of deception going in every scene. Writer/director Jiang Wen stars as "Pocky" Zhang a legendary bandit in 1920s China pretending to be the Governor in order to rob from the rich and give to the guy pretending to be the Governor. He's assisted by Tang (Ge You), the actual Governor whose train is hijacked and wrecked by Pocky in the film's pre-credits sequence.
It's still a lot of fun. Almost every character in the film has more than one identity and there are multiple layers of deception going in every scene. Writer/director Jiang Wen stars as "Pocky" Zhang a legendary bandit in 1920s China pretending to be the Governor in order to rob from the rich and give to the guy pretending to be the Governor. He's assisted by Tang (Ge You), the actual Governor whose train is hijacked and wrecked by Pocky in the film's pre-credits sequence.
- 9/23/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
Yesterday marked the kickoff of the annual Fantastic Fest, a genre film festival held down in Austin by the Alamo Drafthouse that focuses on oddities and purely awesome films, 75 of them to be accurate. The festival line-up defies a specific description, as it is essentially anything that the creators and runners deem as awesome. Most of the films are foreign, with genre elements as sci-fi, horror, exploitation and more are explored. Truly, this is a place you go to expose yourself to films that you will likely never see again in a theatre, and certainly not with an audience that is just as interested in discovery. This year marks the second Fantastic Fest for myself, and it is an experience that can’t be replicated.
One of the big talking points last year was the online reservation system for securing tickets. Fantastic Fest has three basic badges: VIP, press and general.
One of the big talking points last year was the online reservation system for securing tickets. Fantastic Fest has three basic badges: VIP, press and general.
- 9/23/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
With Jiang Wen's film playing at this year's festival here's a chance to read my earlier review.Over the past few years, the majority of big-budget mainstream Chinese movies have insisted on beating their audiences over the head with overtly nationalistic sentiment. It has gotten to the point where you can't spend two hours in a Mandarin-speaking cinema without being lectured that you should hate the Japanese and the British, or how indebted to the Communist Party you should be for all that we are & all that we have. How refreshing it was, therefore, to experience Jiang Wen's new holiday blockbuster, Let The Bullets Fly, a rip-roaring comedy thriller committed to delivering smart dialogue through great performances and almost entirely free of any underlying political...
- 9/22/2011
- Screen Anarchy
It’s true! It’s less than a day until I board a plane and land in beautiful Austin, Texas! Lots of exclamation points! Okay, enough of that ridiculousness. Let’s get into only the 10 films I can’t wait to see at Fantastic Fest. I could have technically made a quick post saying I want to see every single film, but I thought a list of 10 films in no particular order would be the most democratic way to do so.
Livid – Starting off with one of my most anticipated horror films coming from the minds behind Inside. Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo bring us something that is supposedly more subdued, but we all know they have something up their sleeves to freak us out even more so.
Rabies – An Israeli horror film which I’ve been told is simply amazing, co-directors Navot Pupushado and Aharon Keshales bring us what...
Livid – Starting off with one of my most anticipated horror films coming from the minds behind Inside. Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo bring us something that is supposedly more subdued, but we all know they have something up their sleeves to freak us out even more so.
Rabies – An Israeli horror film which I’ve been told is simply amazing, co-directors Navot Pupushado and Aharon Keshales bring us what...
- 9/21/2011
- by James McCormick
- CriterionCast
There's almost too much that's good about Fantastic Fest: experiencing the Alamo Drafthouse for a week straight; the small, friendly, film fan atmosphere; the parties. Oh yeah, then there's the insane films. Every year Fantastic Fest is filled with a ton of wild genre flicks that either you've never heard of yet or already have a lot of buzz surrounding them. As the 2011 festival is set to kick off this week, /Film will be on the ground telling you about the sickest, most disturbing and exciting films playing in Austin, Texas. Before that though, since there's so much that's good about Fantastic Fest, we've got three lists to get you as excited: The Top 15 Films I'm Curious About - The true gems of Fantastic Fest, these are the wild cards we're excited for from description alone. The Top 10 Most Anticipated Films - These are films with familiar names or built in buzz from previous festivals.
- 9/20/2011
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
The programme for the 55th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express launched today by Artistic Director Sandra Hebron, celebrates the imagination and excellence of international filmmaking from both established and emerging talent. Over 16 days the Festival will screen a total of 204 fiction and documentary features, including 13 World Premieres, 18 International Premieres and 22 European Premieres . There will also be screenings of 110 live action and animated shorts. Many of the films will be presented by their directors, cast members and crew, some of whom will also take part in career interviews, masterclasses, and other special events. The 55th BFI London Film Festival will run from 12-27 October.
Special Screenings
Opening the festival is Fernando Meirelles’ 360, written by Peter Morgan, and starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law and Rachel Weisz. Weisz is also the star of Terence Davies’ closing night film, The Deep Blue Sea, alongside a cast which includes Simon Russell Beale and Tom Hiddleston.
Special Screenings
Opening the festival is Fernando Meirelles’ 360, written by Peter Morgan, and starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law and Rachel Weisz. Weisz is also the star of Terence Davies’ closing night film, The Deep Blue Sea, alongside a cast which includes Simon Russell Beale and Tom Hiddleston.
- 9/7/2011
- by John
- SoundOnSight
From the 12th to the 27th of October the 55th BFI London Film Festival brings its annual box of delights to the capital. Earlier today the full programme was announced, and it look like being another fine year.
We already know that Fernando Meirelles’ latest 360 will open proceedings on the 12th and fifteen days later Terence Davies’ The Deep Blue Sea will bring the festival to a close but there are many more great films to come and see in London this October.
There was a familiar feeling creeping across the audience this morning that a lot of the films had, like last year, already played elsewhere but this is only a small consideration when you consider the scope of the festival’s remit. To bring a vital, fresh and horizon-expanding series of features, shorts and documentaries is no easy task, and while the more well known films have played...
We already know that Fernando Meirelles’ latest 360 will open proceedings on the 12th and fifteen days later Terence Davies’ The Deep Blue Sea will bring the festival to a close but there are many more great films to come and see in London this October.
There was a familiar feeling creeping across the audience this morning that a lot of the films had, like last year, already played elsewhere but this is only a small consideration when you consider the scope of the festival’s remit. To bring a vital, fresh and horizon-expanding series of features, shorts and documentaries is no easy task, and while the more well known films have played...
- 9/7/2011
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Artistic director Sandra Hebron has announced the line-up for the 55th BFI London Film Festival this morning where they will screen “a total of 204 fiction and documentary features, including 13 World Premieres, 18 International Premieres and 22 European Premieres” plus “110 live action and animated shorts”.
We are already knew Fernando Meirelles’ adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s erotic drama play 360 written by Peter Morgan and starring Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law and Rachel Weisz would open the festival and that The Deep Blue Sea, which incidentally is another adaptation of a play (Terence Rattigan’s) and also stars Rachel Weisz, will close it. Of Time and City’s Terrence Davies directed that movie which also stars Tom Hiddleston and Simon Russell Beale.
Now we know the in-between stuff from the Gala & Special Screenings and there’s a wide selection of extremely interesting films;
George Clooney is bringing his political thriller The Ides of March that...
We are already knew Fernando Meirelles’ adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s erotic drama play 360 written by Peter Morgan and starring Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law and Rachel Weisz would open the festival and that The Deep Blue Sea, which incidentally is another adaptation of a play (Terence Rattigan’s) and also stars Rachel Weisz, will close it. Of Time and City’s Terrence Davies directed that movie which also stars Tom Hiddleston and Simon Russell Beale.
Now we know the in-between stuff from the Gala & Special Screenings and there’s a wide selection of extremely interesting films;
George Clooney is bringing his political thriller The Ides of March that...
- 9/7/2011
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay will be screened for the Asian Special Program at the 16th Busan International Film Festival. The festival will present Sholay, a film from his golden era as a tribute to Amitabh Bachchan.
“Influenced by the Spaghetti Western, Sholay is an Indian western that illustrates the love and adventure of two young men trying to save their village from bandits,” describes an official press release of the festival.
The theme of the Asian Special Program this year is ‘Special Focus on Asian Western: Men of the East’. This program will present localized western films where the uniqueness of Asian countries and the characteristics of original western cinema are combined.
The other films that will be screened in this program include Saito Buichi’s The Rambling Guitarist, Kim Jee-woon’s The Good, the Bad, the Weird; Jiang Wen’s Let the Bullets Fly etc.
“Influenced by the Spaghetti Western, Sholay is an Indian western that illustrates the love and adventure of two young men trying to save their village from bandits,” describes an official press release of the festival.
The theme of the Asian Special Program this year is ‘Special Focus on Asian Western: Men of the East’. This program will present localized western films where the uniqueness of Asian countries and the characteristics of original western cinema are combined.
The other films that will be screened in this program include Saito Buichi’s The Rambling Guitarist, Kim Jee-woon’s The Good, the Bad, the Weird; Jiang Wen’s Let the Bullets Fly etc.
- 8/29/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
29 more days to go until Fantastic Fest 2011 takes over Austin Texas! I cannot wait. 17 more films were announced late last week. Only one of those 17 films was on our “Film Guestimation” list for Fantastic Fest 2011. They still have yet to announce Opening & Closing films along with other Gala screenings so hopefully we won’t look like total fools. All we need is maybe half of our films that we listed to show up. Anyway, beyond the break, you can check out what is playing.
Apparently, more films will be announced this week. We will try to get those out as soon as we hear about it.
Events & Contests
100 Best Kills
One of the greatest long-running traditions of Fantastic Fest is the 100 Best Kills Party, where we sit in a theater together and turn the spotlight on the Grim Reaper of movieland as he disembowels, detonates and decapitates again and again and again.
Apparently, more films will be announced this week. We will try to get those out as soon as we hear about it.
Events & Contests
100 Best Kills
One of the greatest long-running traditions of Fantastic Fest is the 100 Best Kills Party, where we sit in a theater together and turn the spotlight on the Grim Reaper of movieland as he disembowels, detonates and decapitates again and again and again.
- 8/23/2011
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
“Mr. and Ms. Single” is the latest offering from Hong Kong director Patrick Kong, and is another in his ongoing line of modern Chinese urban romances, following the likes of “Marriage with a Liar”, “Love is Not All Around” and others. The film was his 10th, and both his first made especially for the lucrative Mainland market, and the first which he didn’t actually write himself, being based on a popular stage play, with a script from original writer Ha Zhi Chao and Ru Xiao Guo. The film does represent Kong’s next step up the commercial cinema ladder, and appropriately sees him bringing together an impressive big name cast, including popular actor singer Eason Chan (recently in “Lover’s Discourse”), Rene Liu (“Hot Summer Days”), Bai Bing (“Let the Bullets Fly”) and Harlem Yu (“Butterfly Lovers”). The plot covers some familiar rom-com territory, with Eason Chan as the rather dowdy Cui Minguo,...
- 8/20/2011
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
Fresh off a successful opening salvo of films, Fantastic Fest is proud to announce the second wave of pictures for the week of September 22-29 in Austin, Texas. As always, it looks like an impressive line-up.
And seeing how this is the film festival that has launched such films as Zombieland, Trollhunter and The Human Centipede, you'll just have to trust them. They've proven time and again they know what's good.
In addition to the line-up of 17 new films making their world, North American or Us premieres, Fantastic Fest has some great contests and one hottie of a new director in Kristen Bell.
So, without further ado, here's the info for Fantastic Fest, Second Sequence.
From the Press Release
Fantastic Fest is proud to announce the second wave of programming for the seventh edition of Fantastic Fest, happening September 22-29 in Austin, Texas. The second wave includes 17 new World, North American and Us premiere films,...
And seeing how this is the film festival that has launched such films as Zombieland, Trollhunter and The Human Centipede, you'll just have to trust them. They've proven time and again they know what's good.
In addition to the line-up of 17 new films making their world, North American or Us premieres, Fantastic Fest has some great contests and one hottie of a new director in Kristen Bell.
So, without further ado, here's the info for Fantastic Fest, Second Sequence.
From the Press Release
Fantastic Fest is proud to announce the second wave of programming for the seventh edition of Fantastic Fest, happening September 22-29 in Austin, Texas. The second wave includes 17 new World, North American and Us premiere films,...
- 8/18/2011
- by Doctor Gash
- DreadCentral.com
Earlier we shared the first group of films slated to be at Fantastic Fest this year in Austin, TX. Today we have the second group that includes: Nacho Vigalondo‘s Extraterrestrial, Ti West‘s The Innkeepers, Lars Von Trier‘s Melancholia and Adam Wingard‘s You’re Next.
Here are the descriptions of the films from the press release:
Movies On Fire: Hong Kong Action Classics- presented by Agfa
The amazing Grady Hendrix of the famous New York Asian Film Festival will join us and introduce four surprise 35mm screenings of classic Hong Kong grindhouse gems (most not available on DVD) from Hong Kong’s exploitation heyday of the late 80’s and early 90’s, these movies are cinematic crystal meth: cheap n’crazy, they’ll spoil you for everything else. Designed to play to rowdy audiences who threatened mayhem if they weren’t delivered a dose of gonzo delirium every five minutes,...
Here are the descriptions of the films from the press release:
Movies On Fire: Hong Kong Action Classics- presented by Agfa
The amazing Grady Hendrix of the famous New York Asian Film Festival will join us and introduce four surprise 35mm screenings of classic Hong Kong grindhouse gems (most not available on DVD) from Hong Kong’s exploitation heyday of the late 80’s and early 90’s, these movies are cinematic crystal meth: cheap n’crazy, they’ll spoil you for everything else. Designed to play to rowdy audiences who threatened mayhem if they weren’t delivered a dose of gonzo delirium every five minutes,...
- 8/18/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
If you're a fan of genre film, you've had September 22-29 circled on your calendar for months. That's when one of the most fun, depraved and intimate film festivals in the country once again invades Austin, Texas. It's called Fantastic Fest and it features a huge blend of action, horror and sci-fi movies that most people haven't heard of at the time, but we all hear about after. This year is no different. They announced the first wave of films [1] in July and today we've got the second wave. Most of them are new to many of us, but then there are a few that we've covered in the past: Nacho Vigalondo's Extraterrestrial, Ti West's The Innkeepers, Lars Von Trier's Melancholia and Adam Wingard's You're Next just to name a few. After the jump, read the full breakdown of the second wave of films. Slashfilm will...
- 8/18/2011
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
Official Us Poster For Lars von Trier’s ‘Melancholia’; VOD Debut In October After Fantastic Fest Bow
VOD must be quite a profitable avenue for Magnet, as they will debut Lars von Trier‘s highly-anticipated Cannes hit Melancholia on the digital platform over a month before its theatrical release in November. Vulture has the official Us poster premiere (using the same key art as the rest) as well as the news of an October 7th, 2011 VOD release date for the drama starring Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Alexander Skarsgard, Stellan Skarsgard and Udo Kier.
It will then debut in theaters on November 11th, but it has also just been announced as part of the Fantastic Fest line-up. Check out their second wave of titles after the poster for the fest that runs from September 22nd to the 29th.
Aardvark (2010)
Texas Premiere
Director Kitao Sakurai live in person
Director: Kitao Sakurai, Japan, 80 minutes
Larry (Aardvark’s blind-since-birth protagonist) has an innate curiosity that...
It will then debut in theaters on November 11th, but it has also just been announced as part of the Fantastic Fest line-up. Check out their second wave of titles after the poster for the fest that runs from September 22nd to the 29th.
Aardvark (2010)
Texas Premiere
Director Kitao Sakurai live in person
Director: Kitao Sakurai, Japan, 80 minutes
Larry (Aardvark’s blind-since-birth protagonist) has an innate curiosity that...
- 8/18/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas, founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse, Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies, writer of The Iron Giant and Secondhand Lions. The festival which focuses on genre films such as horror, science fiction, fantasy, action, Asian, and cult takes place in September at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, filling three screens for eight days and hosting many writers, directors and actors, both well established and unknown. We’ve already posted the first wave of films which was pretty impressive. Now the fest has announced the second wave which includes Ahn Sang-hoon’s Blind, Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia and aume Balaguero’s Sleep Tight. See the press release below.
Austin, TX–Thursday, August 18th, 2011– Fantastic Fest is proud to announce the second wave of programming for the seventh edition of Fantastic Fest,...
Austin, TX–Thursday, August 18th, 2011– Fantastic Fest is proud to announce the second wave of programming for the seventh edition of Fantastic Fest,...
- 8/18/2011
- by Kyle Reese
- SoundOnSight
I, for one, am pretty darn excited that foreign-friendly distributor Well Go USA has snatched up the North American rights to writer/director Wen Jiang’s insanely enjoyable action/comedy “Let the Bullets Fly”. These guys and gals seem to know what they’re doing. The film — which features a knock-out performance by Chow Fun Fat — was apparently a pretty big hit in China, and, from what I understand, is now the highest-grossing motion picture produced within the country’s borders. Once you see the film, you can understand why it’s done so well. As of this writing, Well Go USA plans to release the film in 2012. Beyond that, details are scarce. Care to know what I thought about the flick? Click right here to read my capsule review. Source: Hollywood Reporter function getVideo() { var so = new SWFObject("http://cdn.springboard.gorillanation.com/storage/xplayer/yo033.swf?pid=byhw...
- 7/8/2011
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
Some excellent choices we must say. Well Go USA has nabbed the Us rights to the Chow Yun-Fat starring action blockbuster Let the Bullets Fly as well as three other big name titles including; Shaolin, The Stool Pigeon and Triple with view to release them in the new year. 2012 just got a whole lot more action packed America. Synopsis: China, 1919. Bandit Scarface Zhang (Jiang Wen) leads his posse in a fatal train robbery that leaves only Tang (Ge You), a rich man who buys governorships all over China, and his wife (Carina Lau) alive. To save his life, Tang lies that he was only accompanying the new major of Goose Town. Looking for a big payday, Zhang assumes the governorship and turns Goose Town upside down. The problem is that order is created by the town crime lord Huang Si Lang (Chow Yun Fat), and he is not ready to lose his iron grip.
- 7/7/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
Some excellent choices we must say. Well Go USA has nabbed the Us rights to the Chow Yun-Fat starring action blockbuster Let the Bullets Fly as well as three other big name titles including; Shaolin, The Stool Pigeon and Triple with view to release them in the new year. 2012 just got a whole lot more action packed America. Synopsis: China, 1919. Bandit Scarface Zhang (Jiang Wen) leads his posse in a fatal train robbery that leaves only Tang (Ge You), a rich man who buys governorships all over China, and his wife (Carina Lau) alive. To save his life, Tang lies that he was only accompanying the new major of Goose Town. Looking for a big payday, Zhang assumes the governorship and turns Goose Town upside down. The problem is that order is created by the town crime lord Huang Si Lang (Chow Yun Fat), and he is not ready to lose his iron grip.
- 7/7/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
I guess it's just one of those nights. Let the Bullets Fly is China's top grossing domestic film in history, and now it will most likely get it's moment to shine on American big screens. Well Go USA has picked up all North American rights to this super popular Chow Yun Fat action comedy, and it is only one part of a massive deal with Emperor Motion Pictures in China. Also included in this deal are several other China/Hk features, Benny Chan's Shaolin, Derek Yee's Triple Tap, and Dante Lam's The Stool Pigeon, all three of which will be showing at this year's Asian Film Festival of Dallas starting July 14th.Well Go USA have been making some major acquisitions for North American theatrical play and...
- 7/6/2011
- Screen Anarchy
I tend to go through periods where I watch nothing but Asian cinema. This has been one of those weeks. Below you’ll find a trio of bite-sized ramblings surrounding three snazzy motion pictures, all of which I found to be more than enjoyable. Then again, I probably shouldn’t admit that I enjoyed something along the lines of “Cold Fish”, given the large amount of cinematic debauchery contained within. Because I liked it. A lot. And that’s okay. Right? Anyway, here they are, in no particular order. Let the Bullets Fly (2010) Is writer/director Wen Jiang’s clever action/comedy a political film at heart? Honestly, I don’t think I’m knowledgeable enough about China’s storied history to draw that sort of intellectual conclusion. Sorry if that disappoints you, but there are much smarter reviewers out there if you’re looking for that sort of cinematic analysis.
- 7/5/2011
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
1. Let the Bullets Fly (Cn Entertainment; Region A) A comedy set during the early Warlord Era of the early 20th Century, starring Chow Yun Fat, Carina Lau, Jiang Wen, and Ge You. Directed by Jiang Wen. Both James Marsh ("a rip-roaring comedy thriller") and Niels Matthijs ("an admirably entertaining film that is sure to amuse novice and hardcore film fans alike") spoke highly about the film in their reviews for Twitch. The Blu-ray includes trailers, interviews, cast profiles, promos, and a "making of," plus poster and lobby stills. 2. The Cincinnati Kid (Warner; Region Free!) The great Steve McQueen stars as the up-and-coming card shark in 1930s New Orleans who seeks to defeat old master Edward G. Robinson, with able support provided by...
- 6/14/2011
- Screen Anarchy
One of the highest-grossing Chinese-language films ever, Let the Bullets Fly Actor-director Jiang Wen's darkly humorous action comedy is out on English subtitled DVD next week. Described as a Chinese take on the "Good, Bad, Ugly" formula of the Spaghetti Western genre, Bullets stars Jiang as "The Good", a bandit who becomes the new mayor of a lawless town, Chow Yun Fat as "The Bad", the crime lord who won't give up power without a fight, and Ge You as "The Ugly", an opportunist with a loose sense of loyalty. Let the Bullets Fly also co-stars Carina Lau (Detective Dee), Aloys Chen (Painted Skin), and Zhou Yun (The Sun Also Rises). Synopsis: China, 1919. Bandit Scarface Zhang (Jiang Wen) leads his posse in a fatal train robbery that leaves only Tang (Ge You), a rich man who buys governorships all over China, and his wife (Carina Lau) alive. To save his life,...
- 6/8/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
One of the highest-grossing Chinese-language films ever, Let the Bullets Fly Actor-director Jiang Wen's darkly humorous action comedy is out on English subtitled DVD next week. Described as a Chinese take on the "Good, Bad, Ugly" formula of the Spaghetti Western genre, Bullets stars Jiang as "The Good", a bandit who becomes the new mayor of a lawless town, Chow Yun Fat as "The Bad", the crime lord who won't give up power without a fight, and Ge You as "The Ugly", an opportunist with a loose sense of loyalty. Let the Bullets Fly also co-stars Carina Lau (Detective Dee), Aloys Chen (Painted Skin), and Zhou Yun (The Sun Also Rises). Synopsis: China, 1919. Bandit Scarface Zhang (Jiang Wen) leads his posse in a fatal train robbery that leaves only Tang (Ge You), a rich man who buys governorships all over China, and his wife (Carina Lau) alive. To save his life,...
- 6/8/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
Wen Jiang films aren't known to be all that accessible. My first experience with his work (The Sun Also Rises) was a somewhat bewildering experience, but it definitely left me with a taste for more. His latest stays true to his trademark style, but turns out to be surprisingly accessible. If you've always wanted to see a Wen Jiang film but were afraid to try, here's your chance. Let The Bullets Fly is an admirably entertaining film that is sure to amuse novice and hardcore film fans alike. Let The Bullets Fly is Jiang's first outspoken comedy. The Sun Also Rises contained its fair share of humorous moments, but still featured strong dramatic undertones. These are all gone here, leaving the viewer with a simple...
- 6/8/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Chinese director Gao Qunshu continues his bid to be the country’s top genre film maker, following up his hit visceral spy drama “The Message” with the action packed contemporary western “Wind Blast”. A breathless thriller set in the harsh wilderness of the Gobi Desert, the film overflows with stylish shootouts, chase scenes and fist fights, featuring choreography by Hong Kong action director Nicky Li, who recently also worked on the blockbusters “Let the Bullets Fly” and “Shaolin”. The film has an impressive ensemble cast of Mainland and Hong Kong stars, headed by Duan Yihong (“Hot Summer Days”), the legendary Francis Ng (“Turning Point”), Xia Yu (“Electric Shadows”), Ni Dahong (“A Woman, A Gun And A Noodle Shop”), Charlie Yeung (“After this our Exile”), Zhang Li, Yu Nan, and top martial arts star Wu Jing (“Shaolin”). The film gets right down to business, with former underground boxer turned hitman Zhang...
- 6/4/2011
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
With so many Chinese historical epics continuing to clutter up the box office, films are having to offer something increasingly special in order to stand out from the stampeding herd. “The Lost Bladesman” does just that, being based on the legendary historical “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” figure Guan Yu and starring the one and only Donnie Yen, a combination which has translated into massive success at the domestic box office. With Yen unsurprisingly handling the action choreography as well as taking the lead role, the film was directed by duo Alan Mak (“Infernal Affairs”) and Felix Chong (“Once a Gangster”), who also worked together on the popular thriller “Overheard”, and has an illustrious supporting cast, including acclaimed Mainland actor and director Jiang Wen (who recently helmed the excellent “Let the Bullets Fly” and the powerful “The Sun Also Rises”), Betty Sun (“Just Another Pandora’s Box”), Andy On (“True...
- 5/6/2011
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
This evening sees the 10th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival come to a close. My gallant colleague, Peter Gutierrez and I would like to thank the staff and volunteers, publicists and assistants for making Tff 2011 quite a cool experience for us folks of the Twitch-variety. And now if you will indulge us a bit more, here are some final thoughts on the fest, including our takes on Detective Dee And The Phantom Flame, She Monkeys, Let The Bullets Fly and Saint. Peter Gutierrez: While I focused more on Tribeca's genre films (as one might expect), I was really pleasantly surprised by the Icelandic documentary Gnarr -- it was highly engaging and deceptively deep from start to finish. Some might fault it for being...
- 5/2/2011
- Screen Anarchy
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