Archive for the ‘foreign film’ Category

  • Crying Fist DVD Release

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    Evokative Films just became one of my favourite distributors because of the following bit of news. A while back I was lucky enough to see a Crying Fist. At the time I was just checking it out because it starred Choi Min-sik from Old Boy. By the time the movie was over I knew that I had seen something special.

    Jobless, besieged by creditors, and abandoned by his wife, the once silver medalist Tae-shik has sunken to street hustling, becoming a human punching bag. Meanwhile, young Sang-hwan’s delinquent ways land him behind bars. Both men look to boxing to turn around lives gone astray, aiming for the amateur title, ultimately pitting them against each other, but more importantly, against themselves.

    The final boxing match of Crying Fist tops any and all of the matches from the Rocky series and is one of my favourite all time movie scenes. I really can’t recommend this one enough. Be sure to check it out on May 5th when it comes out on DVD.

    Crying Fist DVD

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    pan cla

  • Il Divo Arrives in English

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    I was certain an English trailer for Paolo Sorrentino’s Il Divo (our review) was on its way and just before the film’s scheduled release at the end of the month, we finally get one.

    Usually, we’d tuck this trailer into the comments section but it’s deserving of another post, even if it is just as a reminder that this is coming. And this new trailer? Exactly what you can expect from the film: crazy, gleeful fun.


  • FAQ about Time Travel

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    As I am an IT type guy I am a big fan of the British tv series IT Crowd. I love the humour and all the characters. Since first watching it I have become a bit of a fan of Chris O’Dowd (Roy in IT Crowd). Last night I was browsing around the web and I discovered a poster at IMPA for the British Comedy called Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel which stars O’Dowd.

    FAQ About Time Travel

    I did some more searching and found the trailer, which looks pretty hilarious. The movie is set for a release in the UK on April 24th. I’m hoping that it ends up being released here in North America shortly after.

    Finally, here is O’Dowd in the opening scene of IT Crowd.

  • Let The Right One In = Bad Subtitles

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    I wish I new about this before I had gone out and purchased the DVD for the beautiful horror film Let The Right One In (Andrew’s Review) but since I didn’t I can at least warn everyone else. Icons of Fright just posted a series of screen shots that show how terrible the subtitles for the North American release really is.

    Here is an example from Sweden:

    080128_1131-15

    and here is the same shot from North America

    let_the_right_one_in-13

    Digital Bits has contacted the distributor and Magnet has said they will no longer be releasing the current version of the DVD but all DVDs printed now will have the proper subtitles. Unfortunately there is no plan for refunds or exchanges.

    “There are no exchanges. We are going to make an alternate version available however. For those that wish to purchase a version with the theatrical subtitles, it will be called out in the tech specs box at the back/bottom of the package where it will list SUBTITLES: ENGLISH (Theatrical), SPANISH.”

    This sucks for me and anyone else who has already purchased the DVDs but if you haven’t just keep a watch on the packaging and make sure you get the correct version.

    If you would like to complain here is their email address dvd@magpictures.com e-mail address. I would only suggest doing so if you purchased the DVD already and feel that they should provide an exchange.

  • 3D from Asia

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    pangs-1With Avatar on the horizon, Aliens vs. Monsters about to drop every single technology equipped venue in North America (Sorry about your luck Henry Selick) and more 3D films clogging the Hollywood pipe than you can point a stick at, it is safe to say that the 3D ‘revolution’ is here.

    Now the Pang Brothers are getting in on the action and making a $5 Million horror film using the technology. Now, I do not expect The Child’s Eye to be any better than say the My Bloody Valentine remake – all show and no reason to watch outside of the ‘Bread and Circuses’ mentality – the Pangs have always been image first and everything else second, which explains why most of their films are pretty forgettable. Only when story and image collide (Bangkok Dangerous (the original), The Eye (the original), Recycle (no remake on the horizon)) do they achieve any real notice outside of local distribution channels. And the Brothers collectively and individually putting out over two films a year almost the past 10 years. It will be interesting to see how other industries use the technology that still, for me, remains a gimmick. Even Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas which use it to augment rather than dominate the story still are more enjoyable and certainly less distracting in 2D projection. But I digress, the title of this article is 3D from Asia, and I’d be remiss in not mentioning the ‘Adult’ film also being made in Hong Kong.

    (Andrew passed this along via Worst Previews)

  • Blaxploitation 2009 Part 2: Black Trailer

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    Black Movie StillIt’s the year of blaxploitation! Earlier this year a few folks had the chance to catch up with Black Dynamite (our review) and it looks like a few more will have the opportunity to revel in the greatness with another film coming at us later this year.

    Pierre Laffargue’s Black stars MC Jean Gab’1 as the titular character, a Senegalese bank-robber who is thinking about going straight when he gets a call from his cousin that a suitcase full of contraband diamonds has been left at the bank where he works. The apparently easy pickings spurs Black into assembling a new crew and going for broke except he’s missing a key point: he’s not the only one looking for the suitcase.

    The film screened at SXSW earlier this week where it picked up a lot of love from both audience and critics (including one of my favourite critics Peter Martin) and the trailer certainly suggests this is a fun romp. I’m not familiar with blaxploitation films but this definitely has a fun 70s vibe to it.

    Black opens in France in July and us lucky Canadians will have a chance to check it out in August. Unfortunately, at this point the film doesn’t have a US distributor.

    Trailer is tucked under the seat!

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 4 Months Director’s New Film to Open Transilvania Film Fest

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    Tales from the Golden Age

    It will be a very long time before I, or anyone else who saw it for that matter, forgets the images presented and the discomfort created by Cristian Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (our review). Mungiu has been out of the spotlight since the release of the film but he’s been busy working and his new film is nearly ready for consumption.

    With Tales from the Golden Age, Mungiu returns to Romania and the people living under the later part of the communist regime. It’s described as an “unconventional personal history” of the period told through urban myths from the perspective of ordinary people. A bit lighter fare, the film is also said to be “comedic and bizarre” and judging from this still, that certainly looks to be the case.

    The synopsis reminds me a great deal of Corneliu Porumboiu’s 12:08 East of Bucharest, an earlier film which is lumped in with Mungiu’s breakthrough and Razvan Radulescu’s The Death of Mr. Lazarescu as the three films marking the rebirth of modern Romanian cinema. Porumboiu’s film looks at the fall of communism through the lens of various commoners living in a small town and their re-telling of the regime’s fall ten years later. Here as well, the filmmaker handles the tough subject by looking at the myths created by the people themselves and infusing the entire film with hysterics that will have you holding your gut with laughter. It’s one to look for on DVD if you haven’t already seen it.

    As for Mungiu’s Tales from the Golden Age, the film will open the 2009 Transilvania International Film Festival where it will screen out of competition in the “Romanian Days” showcase section. We can expect some buzz to start building in the next few months (and year) but until then, look for it making an appearance at a near you during the ’09 festival season.

  • Chan Wook-Park and His Thirst

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    Thirst posterThe love for Chan Wook-Park’s Vengeance trilogy is damn near unanimous on this side of the tracks; particularly the Oldboy third. So whenever a new effort from said director bubbles its way to the surface of American pop culture, unlike most of South Korean cinema (and this nclude his previous effort, I’m A Cyborg by that’s OK), we take notice. And when the word “vampire” is mentioned in the same sentence as Park, our ears prick up just that much higher.

    So yeah, Park’s next film that is sure to take us all by storm. It is being pitched as a dramatic romance with horror and no small amount of blood splattered across that premise. Thirst stars Song Kang-ho (from The Host and The Good the Bad and the Weird) A religious priest from a small town agree to be part of a medical experiment of which the results may be able to cure a fatal disease. With the experiment going horribly wrong, the priest opens his eyes after death with a strong affliction to sunlight. Sounds like a case of vampirism if ever I heard one.

    Now, ready for the good news? It’s two-fold actually. One, the newest trailer is online (which you can see embedded below). The second bit of oh-happy-day is that Universal has agreed to finance the distribution here in the states. It’s the first financial backing Park has received in the states so it’s likely that we’ll be seeing a limited release for this bit of potential greatness in theaters very soon!

    Take a gander at the trailer below (do you speak Korean?) and see what you think. I for one am on board!
    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • Sell Out! Trailer

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    Generally, a Malaysian musical comedy wouldn’t be something that appeals to me but I’m an equal opportunity lover and frankly, it’s not every day that I’ve already heard about a little known Asian film but here we are.

    Colleen saw and fell in love with Yeo Joon Han’s Sell Out! at VIFF and every time she talks about it, she breaks into gleeful hysterics; having seen the trailer, I can see why. From what I can remember, it’s about a boy, a girl and a company that is on the lookout for the next best product (as long as it has a deficiency that will break it immediately after the warranty expires).

    Doubtful that we’ll get to see the film outside of the festival circuit but at this point, I’m just happy to see a trailer! Keep an eye out for it possibly playing near you. I’m anxiously awaiting the DVD release!

    Thanks to the Twitch folks for the awesomeness!


  • Mysterious Trailer for New Almodóvar/Cruz Tagteam

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    I promised more and now it’s time to deliver.

    Pedro Almodóvar’s new film Los Abrazos Rotos is scheduled to open in Spain on March 18th and the promotion machine has started. Lucky for us, someone’s had the good sense to subtitle the first trailer which means for the non-Spanish speakers in the audience, you too can take in…the confusion?!?

    There isn’t much to go on other than Andrew’s previous post that the film features Penélope Cruz as a killer plastic surgeon and a very brief wiki entry which says that the film is a “four-way tale of dangerous love, and was shot in the style of a hard-boiled 1950s American film noir.” The trailer certainly suggests as much.

    We’ll keep you posted as more details are uncovered until then, take in the trailer.


  • C’est Beau: Coco avant Chanel Trailer

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    Coco Avant Chanel Movie StillBefore she became a fashion icon to generations, Coco Chanel was a young woman of poor means with an eye for design and if you’re at all familiar with the woman behind the brand, you’ll shake your head that’s it taken this long for a biopic on her life. Not only did she change the face of fashion for ever, in her own way she was also a radical feminist and a woman who didn’t believe in being kept down by “the man”.

    From director Anne Fontaine comes Coco avant Chanel (“Coco Before Chanel”), a film staring the beautiful Audrey Tautou as Coco. As the title suggests, the film documents the rise of the woman into the icon. Unlike Andrew, I don’t think this is going to be anything as unique as I’m Not There and looking at the trailer, I seem to be correct. It looks like a fairly typical biopic but I’m hopeful that between Tautou, Coco’s story and the gorgeous looking set and costume designs, this will be a winner.

    I’ve tracked down the first trailer for the film but sadly, it’s in French with no subtitles. Thankfully, it’s very easy on the eyes and even with my limited knowledge of French, I managed to follow the gist of the conversations. I expect we’ll be seeing a subtitled version in the coming months as the film’s North American release approaches.

    Coco avant Chanel opens in France on April 22nd and I expect Warner Brothers will release the film in the US later this year.

  • Clip and Trailer from “Tokyo! The Movie”

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    Tokyo! The MovieGondry, Joon-Ho and Carax amazingly all come together to make one operatic feeling, visionary, fantastical anthology piece all based on Japan’s hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

    In the tradition of such films as New York Stories, Night on Earth, Paris Je t’Aime and its forthcoming sequel New York Je t’Aime, Tokyo! addresses the timeless question of whether we shape cities, or if cities shape us.

    I’ve heard very little about the film thus far but can tell you I’m highly anticipatory of what is likely to be one of the hidden gems of 2009. Great directors giving a fantasy look at one of their favorite cities as only they can tell it. As a huge fan of Paris Je t’Aime, this has got more greatness written all over it.

    The clip below doesn’t give us much, but I stuck the newest trailer under the seats (thanks to filmjunk) along with a few stills. The OFFICIAL SITE has a bunch more information including several clips, images and synopsis.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

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