Posts Tagged ‘fighting’

  • 31 Mar

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    Paul Bettany as a Vampire Fighting Priest? Hell Yes!

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    Paul BettanyThe western/supernatural mashup may be a new developing trend. First there’s the yet to be released Gallowwalker (which we previously discussed) and now it looks like another entry into the genre fusion is right around the corner.

    News today is that the ridiculously talented Paul Bettany is in talks to star in the big screen adaptation of Hyung Min-woo’s popular Korean manga “Priest”. It’s the story of Ivan Isaacs, the title character of Priest, who basically has to save the world by fighting off evil beings, including vampires. It’s an extended and somewhat convoluted plot featuring fallen angels, God, demons and all sorts of other nasties which, if you’re looking for more detail, is well documented here.

    There is speculation that the film adaptation will not look at either the fallen angels or zombies but will focus specifically on the vampires and having yet to read the material, I can’t comment on what the omission means for the film but I will say this: Paul Bettany in talks to save the world against bad guys in a western themed world certainly has my attention.

    It looks like this isn’t the first time Bettany and director Scott Charles Stewart have worked together. The duo recently finished filming Legion, an interesting sounding horror thriller which is now in post production.

    I’m interested. The story of “Priest” sounds like something I should be reading and with Bettany slated to star in the adaptation, I’m definitely curious about the production.

  • 14 Mar

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    Tyson: The Fighter, The Biter, The Man

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    Tyson Movie StillYou know him as a prize winning fighter, an ear biter, a convicted rapist and all around “crazy” guy but what do you really know about Mike Tyson? James Toback doesn’t think we have the full story.

    Toback, a close friend of Tyson’s, has directed Tyson, a documentary which features a mixture of archival footage, photographs and interviews, including conversations with Tyson himself, to shed light on Tyson’s life experiences. From the trailer, it’s difficult to discern what Toback is trying to get at with the film: is he simply allowing Tyson the opportunity to air out his laundry, is he creating a more complete image of the icon or is he trying to elicit sympathy for his good friend? I’m curious to see what he is trying for and what he actually achieves.

    Tyson premiered at Cannes last year and has since been picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics. Look for it in limited release on April 24th.

    Trailer is tucked under the seat!

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 30 Dec

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    Review: The Wrestler

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    The Wrestler poster

    Director: Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain)
    Writer: Robert D. Siegel
    Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin
    Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
    MPAA Rating: R
    Running time: 109 min

    reprinted from our TIFF coverage to coincide with the wide release

    The prints of Darren Aronofsky’s new film, The Wrestler, have barely dried (or what is the digital equivalent?) and already it has won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival and is on its way, possibly, to the Peoples Choice Award at Toronto. After the emotional and visual epic of The Fountain, the director has scaled the scope of his new film down to about as intimate as one can get (this sentence is amusing in and of itself considering the subject matter is Pro Wrestling). There are essentially three characters in the film, the stylistic tics are kept to a subtle minimum and the actors are simply allowed to perform. At the packed pubic afternoon screening in Toronto, Aronofsky, who was on hand to introduce the film, kept the words to a minimum saying simply all one needs to make a good film is a lens and good performers and that is what he has done here, due largely to a career high from Mickey Rourke. Rourke himself has seen enough trials and tribulations over his acting/boxing career that much of the weathering is quite naturally etched on his face and skin. Fulfilling the promise of his work in the 1980s (Johnny Handsome, Barfly) that was squandered with personal problems and junk-cinema starting with Wild Orchid and throughout the 1990s. While he made a fair bit of a splash covered in make-up and acting against digital backdrops in the testosterone-noir of Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City (and for that matter, shines amongst the equally bombastic Domino), here he is given a role that allows for a gamut of emotions in a rich, patient bit of intimate storytelling. The actor has never shone brighter than here. But The Wrestler is no ‘comeback’ Mickey Rourke in The Wrestlersports story. Rourke’s take on the public and private life of a (fictional) professional wrestler, 20 years past his prime yet still grinding it out in gutter venues, despite the protestation of an aging body, is a warm, generous, and sad portrayal. Likewise, Marissa Tomei, in a rich supporting role, continues to prove that she is one of the most talented actresses working today. Going as the stripper with the heart of gold is about as rote and cliché as one can get, but Tomei realizes her character as a full fleshed role, all the while being mostly naked up on screen. Yes, The Wrestler deserves every bit of praise it is garnering. Those worried that The Fountain (despite its cult audience) may have been a career killer, worry no more.
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  • 06 Nov

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    Stallone Gets Help to Blow Up Jungle

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    Sylvester StalloneIt’s accurate to say that I pretty much hated 89 of the 91 minutes of Rambo and the only reason the first few minutes get a pass is because they looked damned good. I’m usually on-board for lots of action and guys with guns but the overall ugliness of Stallone’s most recent film, along with the over-the-top constant barrage of killing, blood and flying body parts, rubbed me the wrong way; probably because it took itself too damned seriously.

    But even with that experience, the recent news in Variety regarding Stallone’s next project managed to make me gleeful rather than shake my head. Word is that Stallone has written and will direct The Expendables. He will also star inthe project as a member of a mercenary team on a mission to overthrow a South American dictator. That doesn’t sound particularly exciting (more of the same if you ask me) but the rest of the cast is pretty spectacular. Along with Stallone, the film will star Jason Statham and Jet Li.

    Take that in for a moment.

    Now picture it: Li, Statham and Stallone slugging through the jungles, carrying big guns, setting off explosions and generally just wreaking havoc and being bad asses. Will it be good? Probably not but I’ll stay positive until the thing is released.

    For now, count me in.

  • 03 Nov

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    Trailer for Sword Documentary Reclaiming The Blade

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    Reclaiming the BladeAs someone who has a love for both history and fantasy, it’s no surprise that the sword is an object of great appeal to me. So when I’m browsing through newly updated content to Apple and stumble on a film titled Reclaiming the Blade, I had to look a little further. A trip to IMDb revealed that the film is actually a documentary, something which both surprised and excited me. Yes – a documentary about swords. I can just see every medieval group and costume/prop maker heading out en masse to the theatres.

    In all seriousness the film, directed by Daniel McNicoll, “explores both European and Asian historic swordplay and offers an in-depth look at the fascinating world of stage combat on the silver screen.” It’s narrated by John Rhys-Davies and includes interviews with Viggo Mortensen, Karl Urban and sword master Bob Anderson who has worked on everything from Star Wars to The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

    For the most part, this is the type of documentary I’d expect to see on the Discovery or History channels but if the filmmakers have put their love and sweat into this baby, I’m not surprised that they’ll try to get as much of a theatrical distribution as possible. At the moment, IMDb is showing a release of December 15th but I’m not quite sure where it opens or how wide and the website reveals little more. I’ll keep you posted with more on the release as information becomes available.

    Trailer is tucked under the seat! Also available in HD at Apple.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 27 Oct

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    Vampires & Werewolves Duke It Out

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    Underworld 3 Movie StillA few months back I posted and then promptly removed the rough first trailer for the upcoming instalment in the Underworld trilogy Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. This prequel is said to tell the tale of the break between the Lycans and the Vampires and on paper, it sounded like it could be very cool. Gone were Len Wiseman, Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman but in their stead we have the introduction of Rhona Mitra and the return of Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy, easily the two biggest talents in the first two films, but rather than a ballpark hit, this looks like a bloody mess of overly dark period action.

    I love the look of the first two films and the story has the potential for more than just action but it looks like first time director Patrick Tatopoulos is following in the footsteps of his predecessor and the trailer that they’ve pumped out looks just like more of the first two films: all action and no story. Could be cool if the action is good but considering the darkness, it’s hard to make out much of anything more than Nighy loosing his cool and Sheen pandering to his fellow werewolves. Am I disappointed? You bet. I really wanted more of the story and it looks like I’m not going to get my wish.

    That all said, I’ll likely still take my ass out to the theatre to check it out. When all is said and done, I do enjoy a little ass kicking and though this looks like it may not even deliver that much, I have to at least give it a chance. You never know, it may surprise.

    Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is looking to win the box office weekend with a January 23rd release.

    Trailer is tucked under the seat!

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 25 Aug

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    Outlander Goes Direct to DVD

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    Outlander Movie StillSad news. One of the films I was most excited to see is, apparently, going to bypass theatrical distribution and head straight for DVD.

    We’ve talked about Outlander in the past. The viking vs. aliens story staring James Caviezel, Sophia Myles, Jack Huston, Ron Perlman and John Hurt was shaping up nicely but for one reason or another, likely because they don’t feel it has box office appeal, it looks as though the The Weinstein Company, who have the US distribution rights, will not be putting any money into a release.

    It has come to my attention, via Dread Central, that Movies Unlimited has the film on pre-order with a release date of November 18th. I’ve never heard of Movies Unlimited so I’m not quite sure how accurate that release date is but I’m assuming that since they’re taking people’s money, they know what their talking about. Also worth noting that Amazon also has the film listed for the November 18th release date.

    Though this means we may not get to see it in North America, other markets may still have a chance to see the film on the big screen. We’ll be keeping you posted if any new developments arise.

  • 19 Aug

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    First Outlander Clip Hits Web

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    I‘m not sure what more needs to be said about the, hopefully, upcoming Viking/Alien awesomeness that will be Outlander but for one reason or another, the folks at Weinstein have yet to announce anything even remotely connected to a release date. What on earth are they waiting for? Another viking/alien flick to come along and pave the way? The bloody film is already in the can so there is little more for them to do other than roll it out. Heck, if you have such little faith, start small and expand!

    But I’m already digressing. The real reason for the post is that the folks at Quiet Earth have uncovered the first clip for the film which also happens to be an official clip for the press from the recently wrapped Locarno Festival. If you’re still scratching your head wondering what this viking and alien talk is about, be sure to check out our previous coverage.

    We’ll be keeping you posted on the release date if and when it is available.

  • 12 Aug

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    Underworld 3 Trailer

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    Underworld 3 Movie StillWell, I know there isn’t a whole lot of love around here for the upcoming Underworld prequel but like it or not Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is coming at the hands of FX artist Patrick Tatopoulos.

    A few weeks back Andrew posted some of the first stills from the upcoming film and expressed his disappointment at the fact that up-and-coming actress Rhona Mitra had been unfortunate enough to sign up for the film with Bill Nighy and Michael Sheen reprising their roles and frankly, I can’t say I disagree with him. As much as the first two films were brain floss and I thoroughly enjoyed and continue to enjoy occasional visits with them, I can’t say I’m all that excited to see this.

    The new film takes us back to outline the origin story which sparked the centuries-old feud between the vampires known as Death Dealers, and their onetime slaves, the Lycans. It’s an interesting mythology but it looks like once again they’ve messed up by moving away from the story itself and focusing on the action, replacing guns with period-appropriate weaponry.

    This trailer is not the best quality and I’m not quite sure where it was filmed but it doesn’t really look like SDCC footage.It’s hard to tell whether this will be any good but I’m willing to put my money on more more brainless candy floss. Either way, we’ve got your first look at the trailer.

    Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is scheduled to open January 23rd.

    UPDATE: Working trailer can now be found under the seat!

    Second UPDATE: Trailer has been removed at the request of the studio.. We will post a new trailer when it becomes available.

  • 01 Aug

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    Thomas Jane in Mutant Chronicles Trailer

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    I‘ve been pretty excited about seeing Thomas Jane in the upcoming The Mutant Chronicles. So much so that I’ve posted about it on two occasions (and I’m not alone in my excitement).

    The folks at Twitch have uncovered an English language trailer for the film and I have to admit that outside it looking very sleek, the thing starts to go downhill as soon as people start to talk. I’m not sure why but all of a sudden, I’m keenly aware that this is likely to suck; and do so very badly.

    The fact that the film doesn’t have a release date yet doesn’t help matters any. The longer it sits, the less interesting it becomes.

  • 11 Jul

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    Outlander Trailer is All Sorts of Awesomeness

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    Oh sweet mother of all that is good and wonderful in this world. I’d like to thank you for ending my already great week with the biggest smile I’ve had in a while.

    I’ve already gushed over my excitement at the upcoming Viking awesomeness that will be Howard McCain’s Outlander starring James Caviezel, Sophia Myles, Jack Huston, Ron Perlman and John Hurt.

    Thanks to reader AD for the heads up, we bring you the first official trailer for the film and it’s glorious. Seriously fantastic. I’m full of glee. See it below or in much bigger, better quality at the official website!

    Unfortunately, no release date yet. Bugger.

  • 03 Jul

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    Multiple Teasers for The Mutant Chronicles

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    Mutant Chronicles Movie Still

    In the recent past, we’ve posted about the upcoming sci-fi/zombie/war movie The Mutant Chronicles starring Ron Perlman, Thomas Jane and John Malkovich. I’ve been particularly curious, mostly because of the photos and posters that have been released of the production have appealed to me and now with some moving images up for scrutiny, I’m even more impressed.

    A bit surprisingly, general response to the teaser has been lukewarm and I can’t quite tell why. Thankfully the folks of Quiet Earth, experts on all things apocalyptic, seem to be as excited as I am. You can check out the teaser trailer below but be sure to head over there for a Russian trailer they’ve uncovered which has a little added footage.

    At the moment, The Mutant Chronicles doesn’t have a US release date.

    Teaser is tucked under the seat!

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