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Aaron Woodley All Set To Slay Monsters.

Posted by Todd Brown at 4:05pm.

Posted in Film News , Action, Horror, USA & Canada.

While I’m not entirely certain what the status of Aaron Woodley’s Drone - the film being produced by Woodley’s famous uncle, David Cronenberg - is, I do know this:  Woodley is one very busy man.  Tennessee has wrapped up, the Toronto Stories anthology project is complete and ready to premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and he’s already got another feature in development:  League of Monster Slayers.  Wondering where all the Goonies have gone?  Missing the Monster Squad?  It looks like Woodley is preparing to scratch that particular itch:

Orphaned twin siblings LILLY (10) and SEBASTIAN (10), live at their wealthy uncle - MR. BLACKBURN’s estate. The castle-like house is run by the cold and stern cook, MRS. KIND (60), the odd groundskeeper SAMUEL (50’s), and mysterious, mute maid CAMILLE (60s). The orphans are alone, all their previous nannies have quit, exhausted by the children’s overactive imaginations, discounting their wild stories that the house is haunted and that monsters are lurking.

Everything changes with the arrival of their new nanny, MADELINE THATCHER (29), a prim and proper sort who occupies them with intense schooling each day. But Madeline is more than she at first appears. In fact, the children quickly discover that their new nanny has trained in the dark arts since her father was killed by a werewolf when she was just 10. With vengeance she hunted the werewolf down and killed it with a silver bullet. Part detective, part warrior, Madeline is on business - undercover. Someone is up to no good at this house and she’s there to put an end to it. The children agree to keep Madeline’s identity under wraps, on the condition that she teaches them everything she knows about fighting monsters.

They name their newly formed alliance the “League of Monster Slayers” (L.M.S. being an acronym for Lilly, Madeline, Sebastian), and begin to uncover the dreaded secrets of the grand estate by doing battle with an onslaught of monsters and confronting an evil ghost constructing a portal to hell.

Ummm ... yes, please?

 

Because Some Is Good But More Is Better.  Yet Another Update To The TIFF Trailer Park!

Posted by Todd Brown at 4:02pm.

Posted in Trailer Alerts , Toronto Film Festival 2008.

Yep, you guessed it, more trailers have been added to the ever expanding Toronto International Film Festival Trailer Park.  You want to get a peek at what’s playing at the monstrous film event?  This is where to come, we’ve got the largest collection of trailers and clips for TIFF-involved films available anywhere.

 

LESLIE, MY NAME IS EVIL

Posted by Todd Brown at 3:56pm.

Posted in Trailer Alerts , Cult, Drama, USA & Canada.

Though he had some other titles to his credit earlier, Reg Harkema forced audiences to sit up and take notice of his work in 2006 when his Monkey Warfare took home a Special Jury Award at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, a prize hard won not only by the film itself but with the sort of street level guerrilla marketing that you normally expect to find with independent bands, not independent films.  Now Harkema is back, hard at work on his latest effort, the brilliantly titled Leslie, My Name Is Evil.

Perry, a sheltered chemical engineer, falls in love with Leslie, a former homecoming princess, when he is selected as a jury member at her hippie death cult murder trial.

Are you think Manson Family?  Because Harkema clearly is.  While the film is still being cast the director has cut together a conceptual promo that plays out like twenty years of American history told collage style and set to a fantastic bit of music.  My description isn’t doing it justice but you can check it out below the break in the Twitch Player.

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When The Viral Apocalypse Comes, Who Will Be ABLE To Survive.

Posted by Todd Brown at 3:46pm.

Posted in Trailer Alerts , Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Continental Europe & Russia.

In our greatly over-zombified world the concept of a viral apocalypse has become old hat, or so we think.  We’ve gotten used to the idea of a viral outbreak sweeping rapidly through the world, transforming all who come into contact with it into the ravenous undead.  But film makers Marc Robert and Will Stotler are here to ask a very simple question:  what if the viral outbreak comes and it is not fast at all, but slow.  What would happen if a population was infected at massively epidemic levels and the infected had no choice but to stay home alone in quarantine for days simply awaiting the inevitable end.  Who would survive?  How would they?  This is the premise of their film Able and judging from the trailer they have just sent our way this thing has one seriously talented cinematographer behind the camera.  The atmosphere is astounding, the imagery haunting.  It’s one very nice piece of work.  Check it in the Twitch Player below the break.

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Twitch Video Player Top Ten!

Posted by Todd Brown at 3:10pm.

Posted in Trailer Alerts .

The past day or so spent in the land of trains, hotels and very bad internet access has meant that the Twitch Video Player Top Ten arrives a day late this week, but hey ... no harm in waiting for the good stuff and the stuff is, indeed, good.  A familiar title returns to the top of the list while Charlie Kaufman takes over three slots in the Top Ten.  How did it all shake down this week?  Read on!

1.  Tokyo Gore Police Trailer Two (5862)
2.  Ong Bak 2 Promo Reel (5906)
3.  Babylon AD Viral Promo (3432)
4.  Synecdoche, New York Clip One (2225)
5.  Synecdoche, New York Clip Two (1714)
6.  Vinyan Clip (1611)
7.  Kinta Theatrical Trailer (1520)
8.  Synecdoche, New York Clip Three (1483)
9.  Tokyo Gore Police Promo (827)
10. Burn Trailer (711)

 

Very Early Thoughts on Lee Demarbre’s SMASH CUT

Posted by Todd Brown at 1:39pm.

Posted in Film News , Cult, Comedy, Horror, USA & Canada.

I’ve spent the last day in Ottawa on the set of the latest film from Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter director Lee Demarbre and while I’ve got to hold off a bit to comment on what I’ve seen on this set as part of the visit I was just given a look at several scenes from Demarbre’s Smash Cut, the director’s tribute to Herschell Gordon Lewis starring horror icons David Hess (Last House on the Left) and Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes) along with *ahem* adult star Sacha Grey.  Lewis has not only given his blessings to the film but appears in a small role while Hess takes the lead as a struggling film maker who resorts to extreme measures to add realism to his films.

So, what did I think?  The second film shot on the Red camera here in Canada the thing looks great.  Cinematography is very strong and the production designers have obviously had a blast with the color schemes and set design.  Hess looks very strong in a rare lead role, delivering a bizarrely compelling off-kilter performance.  The balance of humor and gore is very strong, there are some very strong kill shots and all involved are obviously having a blast.  It’s early days yet, but from what I saw today this looks like the real thing.  We’ve got a few stills to share already along with a conceptual teaser that includes no actual footage from the film, and have been promised more images along with a first look at the proper trailer once it’s cut together.  You can check that teaser below the break and hit the link below for the images.

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It’s Good News, Bad News For Mike Judge.

Posted by Todd Brown at 10:49pm.

Posted in Film News , Comedy, USA & Canada.

Okay, Mike Judge fans here’s news to to brighten and / or darken your world.  On the positive side the director of Office Space, King of the Hill and Idiocracy has gotten the green light to make a new film about an ambulance chasing lawyer titled Extract.  On the negative side the lawyer is slated to be played by Ben Affleck.  Am I being a bit hard on Ben?  Maybe, but I don’t plan on being any nicer to him until he stops making crappy movies.

 

First Images Of Zac Efron In Richard Linklater’s ME AND ORSON WELLES

Posted by Todd Brown at 10:17pm.

Posted in Film News , Drama, USA & Canada, Toronto Film Festival 2008.

Yes, this is indeed That Zac Efron, the one from Disney’s High School Musical films, represented here on Twitch because he’s making his “serious” acting debut in Richard Linklater’s Me And Orson Welles, soon to debut at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival.  Here’s the skinny on the latest from the director of Dazed and Confused and School of Rock:

The story of a whirlwind week in 1937 NYC when a young aspiring actor (Efron) is thrown into the middle of Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre Company on the eve of the opening of Welles’ historic staging of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. During this week, Richard will find romance with a worldly older woman (Danes), become immersed in a creative experience few are afforded, and learn the downside of crossing the imperious, brilliant Welles (strikingly portrayed by newcomer Christian McKay).  Richard is about to grow up FAST.

We’ve got a quartet of brand new images from the film - including a pair of Efron in character - which you’ll find at the link below.

 

Fresh Stills And A High Res Trailer For Wayne Coyne’s CHRISTMAS ON MARS!

Posted by Todd Brown at 9:52pm.

Posted in Trailer Alerts , Cult, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, USA & Canada.

What’s better than a science fiction feature from The Flaming Lips?  How about brand new stills from the production and a high res trailer from the film itself?  You betcha.  The film in question is Christmas on Mars, directed by the Lips own Wayne Coyne, who also stars as a Santa-suit-wearing Martian.  And Lord knows we could use a few more of that type of Martian and a few less of the kidnap-and-probe variety, Trailer below the break, images at the link below.

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Major Update To The TIFF Trailer Park

Posted by Todd Brown at 9:42pm.

Posted in Trailer Alerts , Toronto Film Festival 2008.

Continued crappy internet access while away from home prevents this from being quite as major an update from the Toronto International Film Festival Trailer Park as I would like but it’s still pretty damn large.  You want new Gala titles?  We got ‘em?  Masters?  Special Presentations?  We got ‘em.  You want you Brad Pitt and Ed Norton and Coen Brothers and the like?  We got ‘em.  Thirty or so titles in all have been added to the TIFF Trailer Park and it’s worth noting that while preparing this update I noticed that Russian hitman film Domovoy, which has been covered heavily in these pages, has been retitled Ghost for the international market and has been accepted to the festival.  Nice.  Hit the link below to browse the largest collection of TIFF trailers available anywhere!

 

Twitch Checks In With Tak Sakguchi

Posted by Rodney Perkins at 8:51pm.

Posted in Interviews , Martial Arts, Action, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Asia, Asian Film Festival of Dallas 2008.

Tak Sakaguchi has been a busy man in 2008. In addition to choreographing fights for Tokyo Gore Police and serving as action director for High School Girl Rika: Zombie Hunter, he directed two features this year: Be a Man! Samurai School and Samurai Zombie (Yoroi) . Twitch sat down with him in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 in order to gain some insight into his current and future projects.  The discussion, which was conducted with translation assistance by Chiho Mori, focused on his most recent output, including United Red Army, Samurai Zombie (Yoroi), and the rumored Versus sequel. He also provided some information about a new project he has in development. As usual, details are contained beneath the fold.

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Two Trailers for Serbian Sci-Fi Animated Film TECHNOTISE: EDIT AND I

Posted by Al Young at 8:04pm.

Posted in Trailer Alerts , Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Continental Europe & Russia.

Chalk this up under “Holy crap, where did this came from?”

Have you ever complained that there is hardly any originality in recent animation?  Well, Aleksa Gajić’s Technotise: Edit and I (Technotise: Edit I Ja), the first Serbian animated feature film, looks far from being unoriginal, both in style and substance.  Based on Aleksa’s own graphic novel series he written and drew himself, the film was in production for several years before its finally completed.  Over at the official site, there is some artwork, sound bites from the voice cast and a downloadable trailer.  Wikipedia has the skinny on this under-the-radar animation as followed:

The plot is set in Belgrade in 2074. The main character is Edit, a female psychology student. After her sixth failure at the same university exam, she decides to have the chip installed to help her pass. From that moment, her life changes and unusual things start happening to her.

In technical terms, the film is combination of four kinds of animations. The main aesthetic model for the film was Japanese anime, realistic drawing with static scenes, with emphasized atmosphere and with authentic artistic expression. It was completed over an 8 year period using classic 2D, improved 3D and vector animation.

Its expected to premiere in November.  You’ll find the two trailers below after the jump.

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Twitch-O-Meter: This Film’s Got a Game in It

Posted by Ard Vijn at 5:21pm.

Posted in Twitch-O-Meter .

As a Twitch-O-Meter, this post will remain up on top of the page for one day. There might be newer posts below this, so don’t forget to take a look!

Recent computer troubles had me buying a new one, and as always I was amazed at the huge leaps in (affordable) information technology which happened in the past few years. My old model had a single CPU with a speed I could fathom (or at least judge), the internal memory was less than a ten-year-old hard disc, and the videocard didn’t eerily glow yet. But the new one… woohoo!

Of course I tried some visually impressive games from a few years back, to see if they still ran as ‘choppy’ as I remembered. Two of the games that still managed to enthrall me (and ran silky smooth on the new machine!) were actually movie licensed games. Normally a movie license would mean certified damnation, cursing a videogame with a not-to-be-missed deadline and making sure the end result was buggy coupled with bad gameplay.

But not so with these: the ”The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay” game was very good and looks impressive to this day, and the same goes for “Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game Of The Movie”.

Maybe insanely long titles lift the movie licensing jinx on videogames? Nah, even before those, “Goldeneye” on the N64 proved that a license didn’t need to be the kiss of death.

Anyway, this got me thinking a bit. What sort of game based on a movie would I like to see but hasn’t been released yet?
Hmmmm....

Read on for five of my silly ponderings on this subject…

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A Review of The Folksinger

Posted by Simon Laperriere at 2:43pm.

Posted in Film & DVD Reviews , Continental Europe & Russia.

German director M.A. Littler got noticed last year in the festival circuit with The Road to Nod, a slow-moving existential film noir with religious references and a moody blues soundtrack. The film travelled all over the world and even won a well-deserved Jury Prize at the Boston Underground Film Festival. Being a very productive filmmaker, it took Littler just a few months to produce and direct another feature. The Folksinger just had its world premiere at the Deep Blues Music & Film Festival where it grabbed the best documentary award. Such recognition might raise a few eyebrows because this movie isn’t a straightforward doc, but a strange object sitting on the thin line between reality and fiction.

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Theatrical Trailer for Disney’s Bollywood Animated Film ROADSIDE ROMEO

Posted by Al Young at 2:05pm.

Posted in Trailer Alerts , Musical, Comedy, Animation, Asia.

We posted some teaser trailer from the Disney & Yash Raj Films co-production Roadside Romeo a while back and now the full theatrical trailer for the Bollywood animated film has arrived.  Anyone who seen a Bollywood film would know that usually there is a boy-meets-girl scenario with some romantic song & dance sequences.  This is no exception but the only difference is its done completely in CG and while its no Pixar from a visual standpoint, it does have Disney involved which means spectacular musical numbers when considering their track record.  You’ll find the full theatrical trailer and three teasers below after the break. 

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Exclusive Demo Reel for Tak Sakaguchi’s Zero’s Action Team

Posted by Rodney Perkins at 11:13am.

Posted in Film News , Martial Arts, Action, Asia, Asian Film Festival of Dallas 2008.

The Asian Film Festival of Dallas (AFFD) concludes on Thursday, August 21, 2008 with a screening of Tak Sakaguchi’s directorial debut Be A Man! Samurai School. Sakaguchi is the festival’s 2008 special guest, and has flown into Dallas, Texas exclusively for the screening. Tak kindly provided us with the latest demo reel for his Zero’s action team, which is to say the least, completely on fire.  Anyone even reasonably close to the Dallas area should seriously consider making the screening as Sakaguchi has brought Isao Karasawa, who is one of his lead stuntmen, and there will be a live demonstration before the event. The demo reel is contained beneath the fold. 

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FYI

Posted by Todd Brown at 9:04am.

Posted in Random Geek Talk .

Internet access on board trains is apparently a much better idea in theory than it is in practice.  Forty or so additions to the TIFF trailer park, new images and a high res trailer for Christmas on Mars, and assorted other bits and pieces will have to wait until I have a connection that works for longer than stretches of fifteen seconds or so.  I can’t believe I’m paying for something that works this badly ...

 

Teaser Poster for TRANSPORTER 3

Posted by Al Young at 7:31am.

Posted in Film News , Martial Arts, Action, USA & Canada.

Europa Corp has unveil the teaser poster for Transporter 3 with Jason Statham as the unstoppable Frank Martin, springing into action.  No, this isn’t an advertisement for a wrist watch.  The object attached around Frank’s wrist is actually an explosive device and it seems he is on the move to prevent it from detonating.  If you haven’t done so already, watch the teaser trailer at the official site.

The theatrical release date in France is on November 26th.

 

Six Minutes of Stereoscopic Goodness From Erik Poppe’s DE USYNLIGE!

Posted by Todd Brown at 7:05am.

Posted in Trailer Alerts , Drama, Continental Europe & Russia.

It seems as though every year when the complete list of films for the Toronto International Film Festival is announced there are at least a few titles surprisingly absent.  The new Ridley Scott flick, Body of Lies is definitely one this year, as is John Hillcoat’s The Road.  Casting attention overseas one of the biggest omissions, to my way of thinking, is Erik Poppe’s De Usynlige.  Poppe is one of the very brightest film talents in Europe, the new film is ready and everything released so far looks absolutely brilliant.  Need proof?  We’ve got the official trailer in the Twitch Player below the break but head over to the just-launched official website for the film for something even better, something I’ve never seen done before.

What he’s done is this:  on the front page of the website there is a six minute reel of footage from the film.  Nothing that unusual there, that’s been done.  What’s different is that the reel is actually two reels in one, six minutes of footage from one character’s perspective placed next to six minutes of footage from another character’s perspective, with both reels running simultaneously.  When the two perspectives intersect it’s absolutely brilliant.  I have no idea how Poppe plans to replicate this effect with the official release of the film - if he does at all - but I seriously hope that both of these video streams will be included as alternate angles on the eventual DVD release to allow viewers to cycle between them.

Continue Reading "Six Minutes of Stereoscopic Goodness From Erik Poppe’s DE USYNLIGE!"...

 

Korean Sex Comedy SEX IS ZERO 2 Coming To DVD

Posted by Todd Brown at 6:55am.

Posted in DVD News , Cult, Comedy, Asia.

The original Sex is Zero was a major hit in its native Korea and world wide, a sort of Asian spin on American Pie style gross out sex comedy. And so while the sequel was not received as warmly by the critics there’s certainly a lot of interest out there.  Producers managed to lure most of the original cast back for round two and soon audiences around the world will be able to judge for themselves as it arrives on English subtitled DVD on August 27th.

 

Alex Proyas will reveal ‘The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag’

Posted by Mack at 6:07am.

Posted in Film News , Drama, Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, USA & Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia & New Zealand.

Alex Proyas. The man does sci-fi and he does it well, there is no doubt about that. Any misgivings aside about I, Robot, his other film, Dark City, stands out as one of the genre’s great offerings. And news has come forth that Alex Proyas is setting himself up to write and direct an adaptation of The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag by author Robert A. Heinlein. Just reading the plot summary for it gets me all excited and tittering like a little school girl. This sounds like excellent material for someone with Proyas’ visual strengths.

Originally published in 1942, the offbeat tale centers on a man who becomes increasingly disturbed when he realizes he cannot account for his activities during the day, or even what he does for a living. He divulges his problem to the husband-and-wife partners of a private detective agency, and their investigation leads to a series of revelations they could never have fathomed.

The budget will be in the $40 million-$50 million range. Proyas is in post on “Knowing” and is attached to direct the Universal project “Dracula Year Zero.” Presumably, the Heinlein project will lense in 2010.THR

 

Twentieth Century Fox says ‘nay nay’ to WB release of The Watchmen in 2009.

Posted by Mack at 5:44am.

Posted in Film News , Cult, Drama, Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, USA & Canada.

If I was a betting man I would hedge a bet how long Twentieth Century Fox was holding out from dropping this bomb on fanboy land. Just long enough for the trailer to come out and get that Pavlov reaction a swirling? I would have bet they used our collective geek drool to seal the envelope of their claim to the rights of Alan Moore’s graphic novel thus their presumed share of the profits when the film adaptation of The Watchmen comes out in March 2009… maybe. Alas this appears to have been a long time coming as they originally made the claim back in February that they still hold the rights to the graphic novel.

Following a series of complex legal arrangements in the ensuing years that involved the joint venture Largo Entertainment and producer Larry Gordon, US District Court Judge Gary Allen Feess ruled that Fox still held a claim to the rights.

The ruling leaves both parties clear to proceed to litigation. Fox claims it is owed a share of the profits when a Watchmen film is released and foreshadowed a possible request for an injunction blocking the release when it issued a statement that said: “We will be asking the Court to enforce Fox’s copyright interests in The Watchmen and enjoin the release of the Warner Brothers film and any related Watchmen media that violate our copyright interests in that property.” Screendaily

Enjoin - law to forbid or command somebody to do something by means of a legal injunction.

This of course adds up to “DAMNIT”. I know we’re many months away from the actual release but it would be a shame for something so pretty to wallow away in darkness while studios bicker about rights and profit shares. 

 

NIFFF 2008 - Gunnar B. Gudmundsson Talks Astropia/Dorks & Damsels

Posted by Blake at 5:54pm.

Posted in Interviews , Cult, Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Continental Europe & Russia, Random Festival News.

If in an alternate universe, Edgar Wright had a brother living in Iceland making his own Spaced feature on the fanboy culture, then Astrópía (Dorks & Damsels) is at that film and Gunnar B. Gudmundsson is that brother (no they are not really related). Astrópía is a rush of fantasy cinema that is drawn to parallel the current world of fanboys. It’s a refreshing and highly entertaining comedic spin through all things fanboy that is dare say the most charming film in theaters this year. You don’t have to know a single thing about it to enjoy it as Gudmundsson carefully layers the film whereby novices and more intimately familiar audiences can follow along. He also wonderfully realizes the real world of the characters and shows us in full detail their fantasy worlds. If ever there were a perfect film for Comic-Con audiences, this is it. Astrópía makes certain to poke fun at everything while also highlighting its thrills and excitement without ever seeming condescending. In any other hands this film certainly would have been plagued with too broad or simplistic takes showing how nerdy everyone is that reads comics, LARPs, watches cult videos and more. Gudmundsson and the Astrópía screenwriters have demystified this culture, which is a very diverse and passionate one and has now made walking into a comic book store feel cooler than a Reservoir Dogs movie opening. This indie low budget gem is by far one of my favorites for 2008.

I recently interviewed Gunnar B. Gudmundsson to go over Astrópía in more detail and learn about its making. Interview follows after the link bump. 

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Ho Wi Ding’s SUMMER AFTERNOON … A Shocking Road Trip. Catch It In Palm Springs.

Posted by The Visitor at 6:40am.

Posted in Film News , Thriller, Drama, Asia, Cannes 2008, Hong Kong 2008, indiefilmcafe, Short Films.

**UPDATE** Here’s how you can purchase the Summer Afternoon DVD, which is only available in Taiwan. Just send an email to: .

Two girls and a guy on a road trip through the countryside. Two are lovers and one is a nuisance. As they say, two’s company and three’s a crowd, and that’s how trouble starts.

Ho Wi Ding, the Malaysian filmmaker based in Taiwan, first came to our attention by winning in Cannes 2006 with his short film, Respire, an affecting tone poem about the last days in the life of a young girl in a virus-infected, post-apocalyptic world. This year, he went to Cannes again with Summer Afternoon, the only Asian short film in the line-up.

And what a film it is.

More info after the break.

Continue Reading "Ho Wi Ding’s SUMMER AFTERNOON … A Shocking Road Trip. Catch It In Palm Springs."...

 

AFFD Review: KALA aka DEAD TIME

Posted by Rodney Perkins at 6:39am.

Posted in Film & DVD Reviews , Thriller, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Asia, Asian Film Festival of Dallas 2008.

Something strange is afoot in Joko Anwar’s supernatural noir Kala , which takes place in an unnamed city in an unnamed nation. Eros is a detective who investigates the murder of a group of men killed by a mob operating freely under a new morality law.  Janus, a narcoleptic journalist, is pursued by mysterious men after surreptitiously recording a conversation involving the wife of the murdered man. These two people’s lives are further entangled after one of Janus’s friends is killed, and Eros is put on the case. As time progresses, it is revealed that these separate threads are all linked through both supernatural and human mechanisms.

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DVD Release Calendar

Posted by Geert Jan at 6:35am.

Posted in DVD News .

Changed dates and new additions:

August 26th: The Black House [r1], Brotherhood of the Wolf (DC) [r1], My Sassy Girl [r1], No Blood No Tears [r1], Postal [r1], Redbelt [r1], 29th: Sparrow [r3hk]

September 2nd: Fist of Legend [r1], Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea [r1], The Wolves [r1], 3rd: Hansel and Gretel [r3k], 9th: The Forbidden Kingdom [r1], The Forbidden Kingdom (SE) [r1], 23rd: Far North [r1], The Legend of Red Dragon [r1], Midnight Eagle [r1], Re-Cycle [r1], The Suicide Song [r1], 30th: Iron Man [r1], Iron Man (SE) [r1], The Rebel [r1]

October 7th: Psycho (SE) [r1], Rear Window (SE) [r1], Touch of Evil (SE) [r1], Vertigo (SE) [r1], 14th: Bad Guy / Time [r1], Ten Nights of Dreams [r1], 27th: Big Man Japan (AKA Dai Nipponjin) [r2uk], 28th: Kisarazu Cat’s Eye: The Movie [r1], Sukeban Boy [r1], Woman on the Beach [r1]

November 3rd: Mad Detective [r2uk], 11th: Sukiyaki Western Django [r1], Sukiyaki Western Django [r1], Sukiyaki Western Django [r1], Sukiyaki Western Django [r1], Sukiyaki Western Django [r1], Sukiyaki Western Django [r1], Yo-Yo Sexy Girl Cop [r1], 18th: The Minoru Kawasaki Collection [r1]

Send in your suggestions:

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Complete TIFF Film List Announced!

Posted by Todd Brown at 6:00am.

Posted in Film News , Toronto Film Festival 2008.

Yes, the time has come for the Toronto International Film Festival to stop teasing and finally announce the remaining titles for this year’s edition of the festival.  You want ‘em?  You got ‘em.  Hit the link below to download the complete list.

 

REVIEW of THE ELEPHANT AND THE SEA

Posted by Michael Guillen at 12:45am.

Posted in Film & DVD Reviews , Comedy, Drama, Asia, Random Festival News, Random Awards News.

A few years back at the 48th San Francisco International Film Festival the organizers shone a spotlight on a sextet of films representing an emergent wave of independent film coming out of Malaysia, a multi-cultural society where the development of digital video and the growing sophistication of a new, cine-literate generation had taken the international film festival circuit by storm.  For me, the showcase was a thrilling exposure to the social realities and divergent voices of Malaysia’s diverse ethnicities.  Included among that showcase was the world premiere of Woo Ming Jin’s Lampu merah mati (Monday Morning Glory, 2005).

Dispatching to indieWire from the 2007 Rotterdam International Film Festival, Dennis Lim reiterated that “[t]he growing diversity of Malaysian film reflects the irreducible complexity of Malaysian society, which is composed of not fully integrated Malay, Chinese, and Indian ethnic groups and where identity is intricately bound up with race, religion, class and stark differences between rural and urban experiences.” The world premiere of Woo Ming Jin’s sophomore feature The Elephant and the Sea proved to be the discovery of the Rotterdam International for Lim who praised the film’s “economical storytelling, evocative details, dry wit, and ample visual intelligence” and who concluded that—with any luck—the film would have a festival life in its future.

Luck prevailed.  The Elephant and the Sea went on to screen at roughly 30 film festivals, winning the “Best Director” and “Critics” Awards at last year’s Cine Digital Seoul Film Festival; the “Special Jury Award” at the Torino Film Festival, and another “Best Director” Award at Spain’s recently concluded DIBA Digital Barcelona Film Festival.

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1930s Korea Lights Up in 모던보이 (Modern Boy)

Posted by X at 12:28am.

Posted in Trailer Alerts , Asia.

It’s sort of ironic that, while the Hallyu bubble’s explosion hit sageuk stronger than any other genre (over half a dozen projects vanished into thin air), period dramas are starting to flourish. Maybe It’s even understandable, if you consider the infrastructure is more or less there (plenty of sets able to reenact the Korean Peninsula from the 20s to the pre-war), and the historical liberties granted by the sub-genre give much more freedom to directors. Perhaps for those reasons and more, we’ll see plenty of period dramas in the coming months. Song Il-Gon is preparing an adaptation of lovely theater play 다리퐁 모단걸 (Telephone Modern Girl), about the first telephone used in Korea at the beginning of the 20th Century, while a monster cast highlights Park Dae-Min 공중곡예사 (Public Circus), a serial murder thriller set in the late Joseon Dynasty, starring Hwang Jung-Min, Eom Ji-Won, Ryu Deok-Hwan, Oh Dal-Soo and Yoon Je-Moon (Mama~). But the first to launch will be Jung Ji-Woo’s 모던보이 (Modern Boy).

At first sight, it might sound similar to that mess called 원스 어폰 어 타임 (Once Upon a Time). But, then again, this is Jung Ji-Woo of 해피엔드 (Happy End) and 사랑니 (Blossom Again) we’re talking about. Looking at the newly released trailer, it actually sounds a lot more like a more energetic and stylish version of last year’s TV Drama 경성 스캔들 (Scandal in Old Seoul), Japanese involvement et all. But, what the hell. With that director, Park Hae-Il and Kim Hye-Soo, I think that’s a pretty safe bet. Release is set for October. Check the trailer below the break.

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