Film Junk » International http://www.filmjunk.com Blog and Podcast Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:09:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en Let the Bullets Fly Trailer Starring Chow Yun Fat http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/02/09/let-the-bullets-fly-trailer-starring-chow-yun-fat/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/02/09/let-the-bullets-fly-trailer-starring-chow-yun-fat/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:09:56 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=70963 China's highest grossing movie of all-time is finally coming to North America, but as this trailer clearly states, it "ain't no Avatar." The movie is called Let the Bullets Fly and it is a period action movie set in the 1920s. There's no wuxia to be found here; instead it's filled with bloody fist fights and violent shootouts. It looks to be a Western of sorts, perhaps in the vein of Kim Ji-woon's The Good, The Bad, The Weird. Indeed, I was pretty surprised by how gruesome and off-the-wall the first domestic red band trailer is. The movie stars Chow Yun Fat as a local mobster in a remote provincial town who butts heads with a bandit (Jiang Wen) masquerading as the town's mayor. The two engage in a deadly mind game that ends up leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. The movie debuted in North America at the Tribeca Film Festival last year and will be released by Well Go USA next month. Let the Bullets Fly hits select theatres on March 2nd; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> China's highest grossing movie of all-time is finally coming to North America, but as this trailer clearly states, it "ain't no Avatar." The movie is called Let the Bullets Fly and it is a period action movie set in the 1920s. There's no wuxia to be found here; instead it's filled with bloody fist fights and violent shootouts. It looks to be a Western of sorts, perhaps in the vein of Kim Ji-woon's The Good, The Bad, The Weird. Indeed, I was pretty surprised by how gruesome and off-the-wall the first domestic red band trailer is. The movie stars Chow Yun Fat as a local mobster in a remote provincial town who butts heads with a bandit (Jiang Wen) masquerading as the town's mayor. The two engage in a deadly mind game that ends up leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. The movie debuted in North America at the Tribeca Film Festival last year and will be released by Well Go USA next month. Let the Bullets Fly hits select theatres on March 2nd; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/02/09/let-the-bullets-fly-trailer-starring-chow-yun-fat/feed/ Sony Buys The Raid Sequel Before The Raid is Even Released http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/02/03/sony-buys-the-raid-sequel-before-the-raid-is-even-released/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/02/03/sony-buys-the-raid-sequel-before-the-raid-is-even-released/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:58:00 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=70607 When a studio buys the sequel to a movie before the first one even hits theatres, that's generally a pretty good sign. In case you haven't heard all the buzz surrounding Gareth Evans' The Raid, the insane Indonesian action movie was a big hit at TIFF and Sundance, and now Sony is building even more hype by picking up the rights to its proposed follow-up, Berandal ("thug" in Indonesian), without even waiting to see how the first one will be received by the general public. They also already have an English-language remake in the works. The Raid star Iko Uwais will reteam with Evans for Berandal, which will supposedly have a bigger budget, although that's not necessarily saying much (the original was shot for just $1 million). The story is currently being kept under wraps, but in a recent interview with Collider, Evans explained how the idea for the sequel came about:
"I told you earlier about a film that we tried to get up off the ground and couldn’t get done. While I was developing The Raid, I was looking at ways to kind of link those two scripts together because we had done all this choreography on that first film, we were like ready to go we just needed the finance to pull the trigger on it. Because I didn’t want to just abandon that project, I started to look at ways we could link the two together. So the one problem I had with that original script was that the lead role didn’t have an interesting enough backstory... As I was thinking about it, I thought 'Well if I make this a continuation of the story from The Raid, it'll work much better, and it'll kind of add more ideas and add more different elements to it,' so it's actually gonna be the sequel to The Raid."
He also hinted that the movie would have some car chase elements, including "a cool fight scene where you go inside a car, fighting against four people as it's speeding along a one-way." Whoa. He says that these films will likely form the first two parts of a trilogy, with the third installment still a ways off. Either way, it sounds like he's learning to build on the success of The Raid without having to sacrifice his creativity, which is a great way to go. I still have yet to see The Raid, but based on what I saw in his first film Merantau, I can only imagine how crazy it is. The Raid will hit select theatres on March 23rd... can it possibly live up to the hype?

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]]> When a studio buys the sequel to a movie before the first one even hits theatres, that's generally a pretty good sign. In case you haven't heard all the buzz surrounding Gareth Evans' The Raid, the insane Indonesian action movie was a big hit at TIFF and Sundance, and now Sony is building even more hype by picking up the rights to its proposed follow-up, Berandal ("thug" in Indonesian), without even waiting to see how the first one will be received by the general public. They also already have an English-language remake in the works. The Raid star Iko Uwais will reteam with Evans for Berandal, which will supposedly have a bigger budget, although that's not necessarily saying much (the original was shot for just $1 million). The story is currently being kept under wraps, but in a recent interview with Collider, Evans explained how the idea for the sequel came about:
"I told you earlier about a film that we tried to get up off the ground and couldn’t get done. While I was developing The Raid, I was looking at ways to kind of link those two scripts together because we had done all this choreography on that first film, we were like ready to go we just needed the finance to pull the trigger on it. Because I didn’t want to just abandon that project, I started to look at ways we could link the two together. So the one problem I had with that original script was that the lead role didn’t have an interesting enough backstory... As I was thinking about it, I thought 'Well if I make this a continuation of the story from The Raid, it'll work much better, and it'll kind of add more ideas and add more different elements to it,' so it's actually gonna be the sequel to The Raid."
He also hinted that the movie would have some car chase elements, including "a cool fight scene where you go inside a car, fighting against four people as it's speeding along a one-way." Whoa. He says that these films will likely form the first two parts of a trilogy, with the third installment still a ways off. Either way, it sounds like he's learning to build on the success of The Raid without having to sacrifice his creativity, which is a great way to go. I still have yet to see The Raid, but based on what I saw in his first film Merantau, I can only imagine how crazy it is. The Raid will hit select theatres on March 23rd... can it possibly live up to the hype?

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/02/03/sony-buys-the-raid-sequel-before-the-raid-is-even-released/feed/ Punished DVD Review http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/23/punished-dvd-review/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/23/punished-dvd-review/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:00:30 +0000 Reed http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=69903 Punished is another entry in the revenge genre that continues in its ongoing popularity. A kidnapping occurs with the film non-linearly unraveling the mystery of who is involved. Although there are a few depictions of brutal violence, this film concerns itself mainly with the psychological toll on the perpetrator of revenge. An interesting change is that the physical revenge is performed by a hired-hand of the victim's father. Some people expecting an action film will likely find the character scenes rather bland, but I thought they were interesting in the context of the mystery of revealing who was involved in the kidnapping. The violence is not stylized at all. There are rough and tumble fights rather than wire-work martial arts. And the gunfights are straight ahead "keep shooting until you get shot" matches. No slow motion or doves here. A real estate tycoon Wong Ho-Chiu (Anthony Wong) lives with his rebellious daughter Daisy (Janice Man), dutiful son, and compassionate wife (Maggie Cheung), who is the mother-in-law of the children. He has two bodyguards. He browbeats a meek man in charge of a real-estate deal currently in trouble. When his daughter is kidnapped, he enlists one of his bodyguards Chor (Richie Jen), who has a previous criminal background, to find the perpetrators. What is interesting about the introduction of all these characters is that the audience can immediately suspect any one of them to be the mastermind of the kidnapping. Even the benign characters can be suspected of having a motive against the tycoon. There are various natural character pair interactions that keep you guessing which characters are being honest or deceptive. Chor is also dealing with his own disinterested son from a failed marriage. Depending on how you feel about the tycoon by the end of the film, you might have a problem with what happens near the ending. He did not show compassion towards the common people who were affected by his business deals, but was he really ruthless with people? Sympathies for the tycoon will no doubt vary. Did the tycoon deserve having to deal with this kidnapping ordeal? One aspect that is not explored in the tycoon's mental deterioration is paranoia although he does initially suspect his daughter arranged her own kidnapping. Some people will probably have a problem reconciling the brutal killer and tolerant father aspects of Chor. I think it acknowledges the idea that your nice neighbour next door could be a killer. Anthony Wong has a long and much rewarded career in Hong Kong cinema. I really enjoyed his performance in this film. (On a whim, I decided to check out the English dubbing on the DVD. As expected, the choice of voice actor for Anthony Wong was horrible.) It's interesting that his real-life son plays his son in this film. Although having directed seven films (one of them being 2 Become 1, a comedy/drama in 2007 for which he was nominated as Best New Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards), director Law Wing Cheong is probably best known for being an assistant director on popular Johnnie To films like Election and Exiled. I thought he did a nice job keeping the tension with subtle camera framing movements. One thing I like about foreign films is that they often show you cultural details that are different than what you are familiar with. In this film, there is an outdoor racing track for large remote-controlled cars. This was an interesting setting to use for an interaction between Chor and his son. The press release for the DVD of this film from Indomina Releasing contains a factual error with regards to the actress Maggie Cheung Ho Yee in this film. The press release confuses her with Maggie Cheung of Hero and In the Mood for Love fame. Also I don't think the plot synopsis is correct with regards to several details, but to point them out here would be providing spoilers. Don't expect an action-packed revenge film like Taken with Liam Neeson. This is a more contemplative take on the effects of taking revenge, with circumstances affecting decisions and determining outcomes. The title "Punished" can refer to both the external physical violence and internal mental disturbance that come with revenge. -- Reed

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]]> Punished is another entry in the revenge genre that continues in its ongoing popularity. A kidnapping occurs with the film non-linearly unraveling the mystery of who is involved. Although there are a few depictions of brutal violence, this film concerns itself mainly with the psychological toll on the perpetrator of revenge. An interesting change is that the physical revenge is performed by a hired-hand of the victim's father. Some people expecting an action film will likely find the character scenes rather bland, but I thought they were interesting in the context of the mystery of revealing who was involved in the kidnapping. The violence is not stylized at all. There are rough and tumble fights rather than wire-work martial arts. And the gunfights are straight ahead "keep shooting until you get shot" matches. No slow motion or doves here. A real estate tycoon Wong Ho-Chiu (Anthony Wong) lives with his rebellious daughter Daisy (Janice Man), dutiful son, and compassionate wife (Maggie Cheung), who is the mother-in-law of the children. He has two bodyguards. He browbeats a meek man in charge of a real-estate deal currently in trouble. When his daughter is kidnapped, he enlists one of his bodyguards Chor (Richie Jen), who has a previous criminal background, to find the perpetrators. What is interesting about the introduction of all these characters is that the audience can immediately suspect any one of them to be the mastermind of the kidnapping. Even the benign characters can be suspected of having a motive against the tycoon. There are various natural character pair interactions that keep you guessing which characters are being honest or deceptive. Chor is also dealing with his own disinterested son from a failed marriage. Depending on how you feel about the tycoon by the end of the film, you might have a problem with what happens near the ending. He did not show compassion towards the common people who were affected by his business deals, but was he really ruthless with people? Sympathies for the tycoon will no doubt vary. Did the tycoon deserve having to deal with this kidnapping ordeal? One aspect that is not explored in the tycoon's mental deterioration is paranoia although he does initially suspect his daughter arranged her own kidnapping. Some people will probably have a problem reconciling the brutal killer and tolerant father aspects of Chor. I think it acknowledges the idea that your nice neighbour next door could be a killer. Anthony Wong has a long and much rewarded career in Hong Kong cinema. I really enjoyed his performance in this film. (On a whim, I decided to check out the English dubbing on the DVD. As expected, the choice of voice actor for Anthony Wong was horrible.) It's interesting that his real-life son plays his son in this film. Although having directed seven films (one of them being 2 Become 1, a comedy/drama in 2007 for which he was nominated as Best New Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards), director Law Wing Cheong is probably best known for being an assistant director on popular Johnnie To films like Election and Exiled. I thought he did a nice job keeping the tension with subtle camera framing movements. One thing I like about foreign films is that they often show you cultural details that are different than what you are familiar with. In this film, there is an outdoor racing track for large remote-controlled cars. This was an interesting setting to use for an interaction between Chor and his son. The press release for the DVD of this film from Indomina Releasing contains a factual error with regards to the actress Maggie Cheung Ho Yee in this film. The press release confuses her with Maggie Cheung of Hero and In the Mood for Love fame. Also I don't think the plot synopsis is correct with regards to several details, but to point them out here would be providing spoilers. Don't expect an action-packed revenge film like Taken with Liam Neeson. This is a more contemplative take on the effects of taking revenge, with circumstances affecting decisions and determining outcomes. The title "Punished" can refer to both the external physical violence and internal mental disturbance that come with revenge. -- Reed

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/23/punished-dvd-review/feed/ Battle Royale Finally Getting a Proper U.S. Release on DVD and Blu-ray in March http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/13/battle-royale-finally-getting-a-proper-u-s-release-on-dvd-and-blu-ray-in-march/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/13/battle-royale-finally-getting-a-proper-u-s-release-on-dvd-and-blu-ray-in-march/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:40:47 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=69539 After over a decade of being forced to watch it via bootleg, import or BitTorrent, soon U.S. fans of Kinji Fukasaku's Japanese cult classic Battle Royale will finally be able to own the movie on Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray. Based on the book by Koushun Takami, this gory action flick drew a ton of controversy when it was initially released because of the fact that it pits a class of high school students against each other in a brutal fight to the death. Clearly it shares many similarities with The Hunger Games, which would seem to be the main motivating factor for Anchor Bay to finally give the movie a proper U.S. release this March. Battle Royale will be available in a single-disc edition and also a four-disc set that includes the Director's Cut, Theatrical Cut and the sequel, Battle Royale II, plus a bonus disc that contains the following extras:
  • The Making Of Battle Royale
  • Battle Royale Press Conference
  • Instructional Video: Birthday Version
  • Audition & Rehearsal Footage
  • Special Effects Comparison Featurette
  • Tokyo International Film Festival 2000
  • Battle Royale Documentary
  • Basketball Scene Rehearsals
  • Behind-The-Scenes Featurette
  • Filming On-Set
  • Original Theatrical Trailer
  • Special Edition TV Spot
  • TV Spot: Tarantino Version
I haven't seen the movie in quite some time and I'm definitely curious to see if it still holds up. Something tells me that it will probably seem pretty tame by today's standards. Still, it is supposedly Quentin Tarantino's favourite movie of all-time, and that's gotta count for something, right? Battle Royale hits stores on March 20th; check out a new trailer for the DVD and Blu-ray release below.

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]]> After over a decade of being forced to watch it via bootleg, import or BitTorrent, soon U.S. fans of Kinji Fukasaku's Japanese cult classic Battle Royale will finally be able to own the movie on Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray. Based on the book by Koushun Takami, this gory action flick drew a ton of controversy when it was initially released because of the fact that it pits a class of high school students against each other in a brutal fight to the death. Clearly it shares many similarities with The Hunger Games, which would seem to be the main motivating factor for Anchor Bay to finally give the movie a proper U.S. release this March. Battle Royale will be available in a single-disc edition and also a four-disc set that includes the Director's Cut, Theatrical Cut and the sequel, Battle Royale II, plus a bonus disc that contains the following extras:
  • The Making Of Battle Royale
  • Battle Royale Press Conference
  • Instructional Video: Birthday Version
  • Audition & Rehearsal Footage
  • Special Effects Comparison Featurette
  • Tokyo International Film Festival 2000
  • Battle Royale Documentary
  • Basketball Scene Rehearsals
  • Behind-The-Scenes Featurette
  • Filming On-Set
  • Original Theatrical Trailer
  • Special Edition TV Spot
  • TV Spot: Tarantino Version
I haven't seen the movie in quite some time and I'm definitely curious to see if it still holds up. Something tells me that it will probably seem pretty tame by today's standards. Still, it is supposedly Quentin Tarantino's favourite movie of all-time, and that's gotta count for something, right? Battle Royale hits stores on March 20th; check out a new trailer for the DVD and Blu-ray release below.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/13/battle-royale-finally-getting-a-proper-u-s-release-on-dvd-and-blu-ray-in-march/feed/ Zhang Yimou’s The Flowers of War Trailer Starring Christian Bale http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/05/zhang-yimous-the-flowers-of-war-trailer-starring-christian-bale/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/05/zhang-yimous-the-flowers-of-war-trailer-starring-christian-bale/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:08:53 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=68117 Despite his run-in with Chinese authorities last month, Christian Bale still seems to be a hit with the general public after his new film The Flowers of War became the highest grossing Chinese movie of 2011 in just two weeks. The movie has made approximately $83 million to date and is currently sitting at #6 on the all-time box office charts in China. Considering that the movie had a production budget of $100 million, however, it really needed to do quite well just to have a shot at breaking even. Directed by Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), the movie is set during the Nanking Massacre, a six week period in 1937 where Japanese forces murdered and raped hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians. Bale plays an American mortician who poses as a priest to try and protect a convent for Catholic girls from the marauding soldiers. The movie also opened in New York and L.A. last month, but there's been no word on whether or not it will expand further, which is a little surprising given Christian Bale's A-list status. Is this something you'd be interested in watching? Check out the domestic trailer for The Flowers of War after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> Despite his run-in with Chinese authorities last month, Christian Bale still seems to be a hit with the general public after his new film The Flowers of War became the highest grossing Chinese movie of 2011 in just two weeks. The movie has made approximately $83 million to date and is currently sitting at #6 on the all-time box office charts in China. Considering that the movie had a production budget of $100 million, however, it really needed to do quite well just to have a shot at breaking even. Directed by Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), the movie is set during the Nanking Massacre, a six week period in 1937 where Japanese forces murdered and raped hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians. Bale plays an American mortician who poses as a priest to try and protect a convent for Catholic girls from the marauding soldiers. The movie also opened in New York and L.A. last month, but there's been no word on whether or not it will expand further, which is a little surprising given Christian Bale's A-list status. Is this something you'd be interested in watching? Check out the domestic trailer for The Flowers of War after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/05/zhang-yimous-the-flowers-of-war-trailer-starring-christian-bale/feed/ Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame Blu-ray Review http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/12/15/detective-dee-and-the-mystery-of-the-phantom-flame-blu-ray-review/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/12/15/detective-dee-and-the-mystery-of-the-phantom-flame-blu-ray-review/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:08:54 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=68225 If you thought Guy Ritchie was the only one capable of taking a well-known detective and turning him into an over-the-top action hero, well, then you haven't seen Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. Directed by Hong Kong veteran Tsui Hark, the movie is inspired by a real-life historical figure from the Zhou Dynasty named Di Renjie, who served as chancellor to Wu Zetian, the first and only female Emperor of China. Prior to that he had been a magistrate and judge, which was the basis for the 18th century novel The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. This new big budget wuxia film re-imagines him as not only a crime-solving super sleuth, but also a martial arts master with almost superhuman abilities. As the movie begins, Dee has been in prison for eight years, serving out a sentence for treason. The Empress is preparing for her coronation ceremony by building a giant Buddha statue, but her ascension to the throne is threatened when senior officials start getting killed off, one by one. To complicate matters, the victims seem to be dying of spontaneous combustion, bursting into flames and leaving behind no clue as to who their killer might be. Clearly only one man who can solve a mystery like this, and so the Empress retrieves Detective Dee from his cell and puts him to work for her. Dee reluctantly obliges. The initial mystery is an intriguing one, but it soon gives way to a lot of political scheming and conspiracies which I found slightly less compelling. Ultimately it's not a big deal because at its core, this is a fantasy action film in the vein of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. The movie may border on being incoherent at times, but there is always more than enough eye candy to keep you entertained and it never takes itself too seriously. Andy Lau brings his usual stoic charm to the role of Detective Dee, and although his martial arts skills are the main draw here, he also convinces us that Dee is a person who prefers to think his way out of a situation where possible. The character does feel like Sherlock Holmes in a lot of ways, and is able to deduce things about people through the power of observation. Unfortunately, he is lacking a loyal Watson at his side, and instead Dee is assigned two assistants to accompany him, neither of whom he can fully trust. One is Shangguan Jing'er, a martial artist and maid to the Empress, played by Li Bingbing (The Forbidden Kingdom). She is there to keep tabs on Dee, but she also helps out in a pinch by wielding a pretty bad ass whip. The other is Pei Donglai (Deng Chao) a hot-headed albino who is assigned to the case by the Supreme Court. Together, they combine their skills and resources to try and get to the bottom of things. While much of Tsui Hark's recent output has been panned, he certainly knows his way around a big budget blockbuster, pouring money into lavish costumes and intricate sets. The action is choreographed by Jackie Chan's good buddy Sammo Hung, who also did the fights for the recent Ip Man movies. Some of the slow-mo feels a little bit cliched but the elaborate set pieces and choice of weaponry more than make up for it. In particular, there are memorable fights in a water-filled underground cavern and an elevator platform suspended high in the air with pulleys. Yes, there is a lot of wire work, but it kind of fits the tone, adding some fantastical flare to the mix. The biggest problem with this movie is the inconsistent quality in CG effects. Many Asian films have a tendency to be overly reliant on CGI, mainly because of budgetary issues, but it also seems that many Eastern directors don't know their limitations and Eastern audiences don't demand a high level of realism either. Some of the effects in this movie hold up (the Buddha statue is pretty gorgeous both inside and outside), but some of them definitely do not (the fire effects when people burst into flames are not at all convincing). The weakest of all is a surreal showdown between Detective Dee and a bunch of CG deer... not that I really wanted to see Andy Lau punching out a real live deer either. The movie definitely takes some strange turns, from the shape-shifting magical talking deer to a worm-eating herbalist named Donkey Wang, and it's probably not for everyone. At the same time, it is audacious and unique enough to earn a recommendation from me. If "Sherlock Holmes meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" seems like something you'd want to see, you should probably give Detective Dee a try. As for whether or not we can expect a sequel, well, I think that's elementary. -- Sean

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]]> If you thought Guy Ritchie was the only one capable of taking a well-known detective and turning him into an over-the-top action hero, well, then you haven't seen Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. Directed by Hong Kong veteran Tsui Hark, the movie is inspired by a real-life historical figure from the Zhou Dynasty named Di Renjie, who served as chancellor to Wu Zetian, the first and only female Emperor of China. Prior to that he had been a magistrate and judge, which was the basis for the 18th century novel The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. This new big budget wuxia film re-imagines him as not only a crime-solving super sleuth, but also a martial arts master with almost superhuman abilities. As the movie begins, Dee has been in prison for eight years, serving out a sentence for treason. The Empress is preparing for her coronation ceremony by building a giant Buddha statue, but her ascension to the throne is threatened when senior officials start getting killed off, one by one. To complicate matters, the victims seem to be dying of spontaneous combustion, bursting into flames and leaving behind no clue as to who their killer might be. Clearly only one man who can solve a mystery like this, and so the Empress retrieves Detective Dee from his cell and puts him to work for her. Dee reluctantly obliges. The initial mystery is an intriguing one, but it soon gives way to a lot of political scheming and conspiracies which I found slightly less compelling. Ultimately it's not a big deal because at its core, this is a fantasy action film in the vein of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. The movie may border on being incoherent at times, but there is always more than enough eye candy to keep you entertained and it never takes itself too seriously. Andy Lau brings his usual stoic charm to the role of Detective Dee, and although his martial arts skills are the main draw here, he also convinces us that Dee is a person who prefers to think his way out of a situation where possible. The character does feel like Sherlock Holmes in a lot of ways, and is able to deduce things about people through the power of observation. Unfortunately, he is lacking a loyal Watson at his side, and instead Dee is assigned two assistants to accompany him, neither of whom he can fully trust. One is Shangguan Jing'er, a martial artist and maid to the Empress, played by Li Bingbing (The Forbidden Kingdom). She is there to keep tabs on Dee, but she also helps out in a pinch by wielding a pretty bad ass whip. The other is Pei Donglai (Deng Chao) a hot-headed albino who is assigned to the case by the Supreme Court. Together, they combine their skills and resources to try and get to the bottom of things. While much of Tsui Hark's recent output has been panned, he certainly knows his way around a big budget blockbuster, pouring money into lavish costumes and intricate sets. The action is choreographed by Jackie Chan's good buddy Sammo Hung, who also did the fights for the recent Ip Man movies. Some of the slow-mo feels a little bit cliched but the elaborate set pieces and choice of weaponry more than make up for it. In particular, there are memorable fights in a water-filled underground cavern and an elevator platform suspended high in the air with pulleys. Yes, there is a lot of wire work, but it kind of fits the tone, adding some fantastical flare to the mix. The biggest problem with this movie is the inconsistent quality in CG effects. Many Asian films have a tendency to be overly reliant on CGI, mainly because of budgetary issues, but it also seems that many Eastern directors don't know their limitations and Eastern audiences don't demand a high level of realism either. Some of the effects in this movie hold up (the Buddha statue is pretty gorgeous both inside and outside), but some of them definitely do not (the fire effects when people burst into flames are not at all convincing). The weakest of all is a surreal showdown between Detective Dee and a bunch of CG deer... not that I really wanted to see Andy Lau punching out a real live deer either. The movie definitely takes some strange turns, from the shape-shifting magical talking deer to a worm-eating herbalist named Donkey Wang, and it's probably not for everyone. At the same time, it is audacious and unique enough to earn a recommendation from me. If "Sherlock Holmes meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" seems like something you'd want to see, you should probably give Detective Dee a try. As for whether or not we can expect a sequel, well, I think that's elementary. -- Sean

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/12/15/detective-dee-and-the-mystery-of-the-phantom-flame-blu-ray-review/feed/ Headshot Trailer: An Upside-Down Thai Crime Flick http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/11/02/headshot-trailer-an-upside-down-thai-crime-flick/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/11/02/headshot-trailer-an-upside-down-thai-crime-flick/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:10:43 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=66065 Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Headshot, not to be confused with the upcoming Walter Hill film starring Sylvester Stallone, is a Thai crime thriller with a rather unique twist. The movie stars Nopachai Jayanama as a hitman named Tul who gets shot in the head. When he wakes up in the hospital three months later, his vision is completely inverted and the camera reflects this by showing much of the subsequent action from his point of view. He sets off in search of his would-be killer. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival back in September where it was picked up for U.S. distribution by Kino Lorber. The first domestic trailer has apparently been online for a while but it is definitely worth a look. It showcases plenty of blood and violence, but it also seems to be heavy with symbolism and philosophical musings as well. Headshot will hit theatres sometime in 2012; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Headshot, not to be confused with the upcoming Walter Hill film starring Sylvester Stallone, is a Thai crime thriller with a rather unique twist. The movie stars Nopachai Jayanama as a hitman named Tul who gets shot in the head. When he wakes up in the hospital three months later, his vision is completely inverted and the camera reflects this by showing much of the subsequent action from his point of view. He sets off in search of his would-be killer. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival back in September where it was picked up for U.S. distribution by Kino Lorber. The first domestic trailer has apparently been online for a while but it is definitely worth a look. It showcases plenty of blood and violence, but it also seems to be heavy with symbolism and philosophical musings as well. Headshot will hit theatres sometime in 2012; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/11/02/headshot-trailer-an-upside-down-thai-crime-flick/feed/ Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within Trailer http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/11/01/elite-squad-2-the-enemy-within-trailer/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/11/01/elite-squad-2-the-enemy-within-trailer/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:05:52 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=65784 I'm not quite sure why I still haven't seen Tropa de Elite (aka Elite Squad), the Brazilian crime flick directed by José Padilha and co-written by City of God screenwriter Bráulio Mantovani. I've heard many good things about it, and now that the sequel is about to get a North American release I think it may finally be time to get caught up. The original film followed the BOPE, a special unit of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police, as they try to take down various drug kingpins in preparation for the Pope visiting the city. The sequel, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, expands the scope of the battle to include politics as well. Thirteen years after the events of the first film, Captain Nascimiento (Wagner Moura) finds himself caught up in a political dispute after a prison riot, exposing corruption all the way up the chain of command. I can certainly see why both movies have been compared to The Wire, and the trailer also has me very intrigued to find out what José Padilha can do with a Robocop reboot. Elite Squad: The Enemy Within hits select theatres on November 11th; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> I'm not quite sure why I still haven't seen Tropa de Elite (aka Elite Squad), the Brazilian crime flick directed by José Padilha and co-written by City of God screenwriter Bráulio Mantovani. I've heard many good things about it, and now that the sequel is about to get a North American release I think it may finally be time to get caught up. The original film followed the BOPE, a special unit of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police, as they try to take down various drug kingpins in preparation for the Pope visiting the city. The sequel, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, expands the scope of the battle to include politics as well. Thirteen years after the events of the first film, Captain Nascimiento (Wagner Moura) finds himself caught up in a political dispute after a prison riot, exposing corruption all the way up the chain of command. I can certainly see why both movies have been compared to The Wire, and the trailer also has me very intrigued to find out what José Padilha can do with a Robocop reboot. Elite Squad: The Enemy Within hits select theatres on November 11th; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/11/01/elite-squad-2-the-enemy-within-trailer/feed/ Paul Walker Goes Parkour with District B13 Remake http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/10/27/paul-walker-goes-parkour-with-district-b13-remake/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/10/27/paul-walker-goes-parkour-with-district-b13-remake/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:02:01 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=65748 Although we've been seeing English language remakes of foreign films for many years, it feels like there's been a sudden rash of announcements for these kinds of projects as of late, thanks in large part to the recent buzz surrounding Indonesian martial arts flick The Raid. Now the parkour-driven French action movie District B13 looks like it will be the next one in line for a remake, and I definitely can't help but feel that there is a correlation. Producer Luc Besson is currently in the process of setting up the U.S. version through Europa Corp under the name Brick Mansions. According to Deadline, Paul Walker is in talks to star alongside the original film's star David Belle. News of this remake first broke over at Twitch, where it was reported that the movie would take place in Chicago. The main character will be an undercover cop who is looking to recover a weapon of mass destruction obtained by a powerful drug dealer. In order to infiltrate his hideout, he needs to team up with someone who knows the streets like the back of his hand. The script has been written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen (Taken, The Transporter). It's nice to see that Besson realizes the original film and its sequel were only interesting because of David Belle (he reportedly wouldn't do the remake without him). Sure, you could cast a Hollywood star and train them to do some parkour, but it wouldn't be nearly as convincing. That being said, I still don't really understand the point of remaking foreign action movies, particularly when they don't have much dialogue in them to begin with. What do you think? Are you sick of parkour or are you interested in an English language version of District B13?

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]]> Although we've been seeing English language remakes of foreign films for many years, it feels like there's been a sudden rash of announcements for these kinds of projects as of late, thanks in large part to the recent buzz surrounding Indonesian martial arts flick The Raid. Now the parkour-driven French action movie District B13 looks like it will be the next one in line for a remake, and I definitely can't help but feel that there is a correlation. Producer Luc Besson is currently in the process of setting up the U.S. version through Europa Corp under the name Brick Mansions. According to Deadline, Paul Walker is in talks to star alongside the original film's star David Belle. News of this remake first broke over at Twitch, where it was reported that the movie would take place in Chicago. The main character will be an undercover cop who is looking to recover a weapon of mass destruction obtained by a powerful drug dealer. In order to infiltrate his hideout, he needs to team up with someone who knows the streets like the back of his hand. The script has been written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen (Taken, The Transporter). It's nice to see that Besson realizes the original film and its sequel were only interesting because of David Belle (he reportedly wouldn't do the remake without him). Sure, you could cast a Hollywood star and train them to do some parkour, but it wouldn't be nearly as convincing. That being said, I still don't really understand the point of remaking foreign action movies, particularly when they don't have much dialogue in them to begin with. What do you think? Are you sick of parkour or are you interested in an English language version of District B13?

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/10/27/paul-walker-goes-parkour-with-district-b13-remake/feed/ Sleepless Night Trailer http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/09/28/sleepless-night-trailer/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/09/28/sleepless-night-trailer/#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:03:59 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=64295 Frederic Jardin's Sleepless Night (Nuit Blanche) is another buzz film coming out of the Midnight Madness programme at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. It's a white-knuckle action thriller that takes place over one night, following a dirty cop who gets caught up in a drug deal gone bad. After his son is kidnapped and held for ransom, he hits the seedy streets and nightclubs of Paris, racing against the clock to get him back. Just like The Raid, it was announced last week that a U.S. remake is already in the works. It will be produced by Roy Lee (Abduction, The Departed). Here's the first official trailer for the original film, however, which looks pretty intense. There are no English subtitles, but I'm not sure that you'll need any. Sleepless Night does not yet have a U.S. release date; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> Frederic Jardin's Sleepless Night (Nuit Blanche) is another buzz film coming out of the Midnight Madness programme at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. It's a white-knuckle action thriller that takes place over one night, following a dirty cop who gets caught up in a drug deal gone bad. After his son is kidnapped and held for ransom, he hits the seedy streets and nightclubs of Paris, racing against the clock to get him back. Just like The Raid, it was announced last week that a U.S. remake is already in the works. It will be produced by Roy Lee (Abduction, The Departed). Here's the first official trailer for the original film, however, which looks pretty intense. There are no English subtitles, but I'm not sure that you'll need any. Sleepless Night does not yet have a U.S. release date; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/09/28/sleepless-night-trailer/feed/ The Raid to Get U.S. Remake http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/09/21/the-raid-to-get-u-s-remake/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/09/21/the-raid-to-get-u-s-remake/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:31:59 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=63910 Well that didn't take long. Just days after Gareth Evans' bone-crunching Indonesian action film The Raid took the Toronto International Film Festival by storm and won the Midnight Madness audience award, a U.S. remake of the film is already being planned. According to Heat Vision, Sony Screen Gems are in negotiations to pick up the remake rights to the film, facilitated by the fact that Sony Pictures owns the North American distribution rights to the original. Although Evans himself was offered the chance to direct the remake, he has opted out, choosing instead to focus on a sequel. The plot of The Raid revolves around a SWAT team that infiltrates an apartment building run by a local mobster, eventually becoming trapped and surrounded by hordes of vicious killers. However, it is clearly not the plot that makes the movie special, but rather the choreography, stunts and the Indonesian martial arts style Silat as wielded by star Iko Uwais. How can they possibly reproduce any of this in an American remake? While I understand the purpose of remaking certain foreign films in order to bring a great story to a new audience, in the case of action films like this I just don't see how a remake makes any sense. Sure, mainstream moviegoers hate to read subtitles, but in an action movie without much dialogue, does it really matter? All I can say is that this remake better not get in the way of a decent theatrical release for the original film. Based on how Sony seemingly shafted [REC] in favour of Quarantine, I'd say that is a distinct possibility.

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]]> Well that didn't take long. Just days after Gareth Evans' bone-crunching Indonesian action film The Raid took the Toronto International Film Festival by storm and won the Midnight Madness audience award, a U.S. remake of the film is already being planned. According to Heat Vision, Sony Screen Gems are in negotiations to pick up the remake rights to the film, facilitated by the fact that Sony Pictures owns the North American distribution rights to the original. Although Evans himself was offered the chance to direct the remake, he has opted out, choosing instead to focus on a sequel. The plot of The Raid revolves around a SWAT team that infiltrates an apartment building run by a local mobster, eventually becoming trapped and surrounded by hordes of vicious killers. However, it is clearly not the plot that makes the movie special, but rather the choreography, stunts and the Indonesian martial arts style Silat as wielded by star Iko Uwais. How can they possibly reproduce any of this in an American remake? While I understand the purpose of remaking certain foreign films in order to bring a great story to a new audience, in the case of action films like this I just don't see how a remake makes any sense. Sure, mainstream moviegoers hate to read subtitles, but in an action movie without much dialogue, does it really matter? All I can say is that this remake better not get in the way of a decent theatrical release for the original film. Based on how Sony seemingly shafted [REC] in favour of Quarantine, I'd say that is a distinct possibility.

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/09/21/the-raid-to-get-u-s-remake/feed/ Captain America Makes More Money Overseas than in America http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/09/15/captain-america-makes-more-money-overseas-than-in-america/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2011/09/15/captain-america-makes-more-money-overseas-than-in-america/#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:08:02 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=63632 Contrary to popular belief, it appears that non-American audiences have no problem embracing a superhero named Captain America. This past weekend, Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger opened in China and grossed a solid $5 million, putting its international box office total at somewhere around $178 million. The foreign gross has now surpassed its domestic take, which is approximately $173 million and not likely to grow beyond that. While almost all of today's blockbusters actually end up making the majority of their money overseas, many people thought that a hero named Captain America would be a tough sell in other parts of the world. They have been proven wrong. Chris Evans for president? Due to marketing concerns, Paramount and Marvel reportedly offered foreign distributors the option to release the film as "The First Avenger" in their respective countries. However, the vast majority stuck with the full title due to the comic's strong brand recognition. Only Russia, Ukraine and South Korea opted for the alternate title. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is another movie that was predicted to do poorly in other parts of the world, but it ended up bringing in an equal amounts domestically and internationally back in 2009. Perhaps foreign viewers are getting behind these films because their own countries simply do not offer the same level of spectacle on the big screen. One thing's for sure: 3D is a lot more popular overseas, which means Hollywood studios are going to continue to try to cater to the international audiences where possible. Are you surprised that Captain America did so well with non-American viewers?

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]]> Contrary to popular belief, it appears that non-American audiences have no problem embracing a superhero named Captain America. This past weekend, Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger opened in China and grossed a solid $5 million, putting its international box office total at somewhere around $178 million. The foreign gross has now surpassed its domestic take, which is approximately $173 million and not likely to grow beyond that. While almost all of today's blockbusters actually end up making the majority of their money overseas, many people thought that a hero named Captain America would be a tough sell in other parts of the world. They have been proven wrong. Chris Evans for president? Due to marketing concerns, Paramount and Marvel reportedly offered foreign distributors the option to release the film as "The First Avenger" in their respective countries. However, the vast majority stuck with the full title due to the comic's strong brand recognition. Only Russia, Ukraine and South Korea opted for the alternate title. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is another movie that was predicted to do poorly in other parts of the world, but it ended up bringing in an equal amounts domestically and internationally back in 2009. Perhaps foreign viewers are getting behind these films because their own countries simply do not offer the same level of spectacle on the big screen. One thing's for sure: 3D is a lot more popular overseas, which means Hollywood studios are going to continue to try to cater to the international audiences where possible. Are you surprised that Captain America did so well with non-American viewers?

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