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- Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge (2014) Review
- 1st trailers for ‘Spy’ with Jason Statham and Melissa McCarthy
- Move over Arnold… George Tan’s ‘Conan’ movie is coming!
- Donnie Yen to tackle ‘Wesley’ and ‘The Seven Weapons’?
- Paramount has their ‘Eagle Eye’ on a director for ‘G.I. Joe 3′
- Jino Kang is the ‘Weapon of Choice’ for a perfect kill!
- Deal on Fire! The Good, the Bad, the Weird | Blu-ray | Only $7.99 – Expires soon!
- Watch the dark new trailer for ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’
| Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge (2014) Review Posted: 13 Jan 2015 12:29 AM PST  "Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge" International DVD Cover AKA: Tekken: A Man Called X By Kyle Warner 2010's Tekken came and went without many people taking notice. Well, I'm going to be honest: I kind of liked the film. I mean, make no mistake, I would never call it a good movie, but it's fun in a stupid sort of way. Drink a few beers, have a sense of humor about things, and it makes for some silly entertainment. The least you can say is that at least the filmmakers went all out with their limited budget, making the film look like a videogame come to life, complete with goofy costumes, goofy dialogue, and just enough competent action to satisfy the fans. And while the original Tekken failed to find an audience, I think the makers of 2014's Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge might secretly wish audiences would just ignore their film and move on. This is a lame, half-hearted effort from start to finish. Even the sound effects, music, and end credits feel like they were patched on at a moment's notice. Really, I'd like to begin and end this review right here by telling you that this movie sucks, that it's not worth your time, and that you should just find another way to waste 90 minutes in your day… but I expect you’d like to know why. Despite that pesky 2 in the title, Tekken 2 actually serves as a prequel to the first film. Kane Kosugi plays Kazuya (originally played by Ian Anthony Dale), and Gary Daniels and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa return as Bryan Fury and Heihachi, respectively. Really though, these feel like completely different characters. Kazuya is an amnesiac, Heihachi is lacking his signature hairdo that makes him look like a balding Wolverine, and Fury never once reminded me of his original iteration. Tekken 2 has very little in common with the original film or the game that inspired it. And based on production rumors and misinformation – Kosugi's site claimed he was not making a Tekken movie, and the film supposedly went through multiple titles like Agent X and A Man Called X – I kind of think Kazuya's Revenge became a Tekken film very late in the game. Whatever the case may be, you get the sense that the producers just didn't care. The original Tekken was cheap and silly but at least it tried. This film seems almost like it wants to brush the Tekken parts of its story underneath the rug. The movie begins with Kane Kosugi waking up with no memory of who he is or what's going on. After surviving a fight with armed men, thus learning he must've been some kind of badass before losing his memory, Kosugi is taken hostage by a group of assassins led by the mysterious Minister (Rade Serbedzija). Since he has no memory of who he is, the Minister decides to name our hero K. The Minister trains his people to be killers so that he may send them out into the world to assassinate enemies of peace, and he wants K to be his next assassin. There seems to be a cult-like relationship between the Minister and his followers, but this aspect of the story is largely left unexplored. K is one of the most passive heroes I've ever seen in an action film. Here's a man that should have an endless amount of questions – just for starters, who am I? – but he seems perfectly fine wasting the day away in bed or walking in slow motion across the city. Most of these introspective moments are filled with flashbacks, some of which remind us of events that just happened, and others look like clips taken from the original film (I may be wrong), which is very puzzling since those moments haven't happened yet. K doesn't really seem too bothered by the fact that he's a man without a past or that he's killing people for a man that's holding him hostage, as he never asks enough questions or makes much of an attempt to escape. In the finale, the "twist" is revealed and K learns he's actually Kazuya Mishima, which comes as a total shock to the audience because the film is called Kazuya's Revenge. He also learns his father is Heihachi Mishima, which again all videogame fans already knew. What's puzzling is why this matters and why it counts as a revelation in the plot. Heihachi is a non-character throughout 95% of the film. If you didn't know the game, you wouldn't know he was important, and nor would you understand his complicated relationship with his son. The plot and all of its twists are so flat they barely register at all. The only actor who impresses in any way is Kelly Wenham, who plays Rhona, K's handler. Rhona's the most complex character in the film and Wenham plays her well. While I would normally welcome the appearance of character actors Rade Serbedzija and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa in almost any film, neither one of them seems into the material. I can't blame them, though. Kane Kosugi, who I usually like, fails to impress in the lead role. Sure, the character is poorly written, but his performance is wooden, only truly coming to life in the action scenes. I'm really having a hard time thinking of something good to say about this movie… The fight scenes are fairly well choreographed and the performers are not without skill, but most of these scenes are shot devoid of style or rhythm. The only exciting fight is the last one, but by then I expect most audience members will have already checked out. The film, directed by Wych Kaos (Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever), never manages to rise above its minimal budget, and often looks cheaper than you would imagine. At one point, director Prachya Pinkaew (Ong Bak) was slated to direct Tekken 2, which was then supposedly titled Tekken: Rise of the Tournament. Things obviously fell apart. Whether Pinkaew's Tekken film was going to feature pretty much the plot same as Kazuya's Revenge is unclear. In some alternate universe perhaps we got a really cool Tekken 2 movie… But our universe sucks and so does Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge. Tekken 2 belongs alongside Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Alone in the Dark, and Double Dragon as one of the worst videogame movies of all time, and would feel right at home in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Avoid this one at all costs. I'm giving this a 2 instead of a 1. It's an awful film, but compared to other crap movies on the same spectrum at least I didn't need to take a shower after watching it, and nor did I seriously contemplate suicide. So, that's a plus. I reserve my 1's for crimes against humanity. You know, like Manos: The Hands of Fate or Adam Sandler movies. Ah ha! I figured out a compliment for Tekken 2. It's terrible but at least it doesn't have Adam Sandler in it. Kyle Warner’s Rating: 2/10 |
| 1st trailers for ‘Spy’ with Jason Statham and Melissa McCarthy Posted: 13 Jan 2015 12:05 AM PST  "Spy" Theatrical Poster Jason Statham (Parker) will be starring alongside Melissa McCarthy (The Heat) in Spy, formerly known as Susan Cooper, an upcoming action-comedy directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids). The film also stars Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Bobby Cannavale, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Peter Serafinowicz, Miranda Hart, Allison Janney and Morena Baccarin. It hits theaters on May 22, 2015. The thought of Statham doing an “action-comedy” with McCarthy isn’t as odd as you think. We’re obviously used to all the testosterone-filled movies he currently does, but let’s not forget that he wasn’t always the action star that he is today. In films like 1998′s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and 2000′s Snatch, it was more of his comedic performance that ultimately caught Hollywood’s attention. |
| Move over Arnold… George Tan’s ‘Conan’ movie is coming! Posted: 13 Jan 2015 12:00 AM PST  "Conan the Barbarian" Japanese Theatrical Poster There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of competition, right? Much like the two Kickboxer films currently facing off in production (Kickboxer: City of Blood and Kickboxer: Vengeance), there are two Conan movies that may also clash – or not. One has practically completed filming. Everyone already knows about Legend of Conan (aka King Conan), which has been on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s to-do list for about 2 years. The other called Iron Shadows – a Thailand-produced film by renowned Bruce Lee historian, George Tan (Cinema of Vengeance) – is apparently in post-production phase and set for a 2015 release. Iron Shadows is helmed by Kit Mallet (known for his stunt work in films like Man of Steel and I, Robot) and stars actor/bodybuilder Pasi Schalin (Trainers TV series) as Conan the Cimmerian. The film also stars Andrea Stefancikova (Dark Harvest), Ron Smoorenburg (Jackie Chan's Who Am I?), Esteban Cueto (Supah Ninjas) and Toby Russell (White Tiger, Top Fighter). With a $2 million budget, which can go a long way in Thailand, it’s obvious Iron Shadows – a title taken from one of Robert E. Howard’s Conan short stories – will be a straight-to-video release. It’s actually pretty surprising that the producers were able to secure rights to Howard’s creation, but more power to them. We expect a trailer to be hitting soon. Until then, here’s some promotional images ( 1 | 2 ) for Iron Shadows. Enjoy! |
| Donnie Yen to tackle ‘Wesley’ and ‘The Seven Weapons’? Posted: 13 Jan 2015 12:00 AM PST  "Flash Point" Japanese Theatrical Poster Ip Man 3 doesn’t start shooting ’til March, but that hasn’t stopped Donnie Yen (Kung Fu Jungle, Flash Point) from making plans for a couple more projects. According to Jaynestars (via DiP), Pegasus Entertainment boss, Raymond Wong Pak Ming, announced that he will be partnering up with Donnie Yen's Super Hero Films Company for two more movies: Wesley and The Seven Weapons. Wesley (or Wisely) will be based on the fictional character of the same name created by legendary Chinese novelist/screenwriter Ni Kuang. Wesley’s adventures have been covered in many novels, comic books and movies, including 1986′s The Seventh Curse with Chow Yun Fat and 1987′s The Legend of the Wisley with Sam Hui. The Seven Weapons, originally a 2010 Wuxia TV series by Gu Long, which, according to FCS, will focus on seven interconnected stories with individual weapons as the respective themes. In addition to Ip Man 3, here’s a list of titles Yen is currently working on: Iceman 2 (post-production), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2 (post-production), The Master (pre-production), Dragon City (pre-production), and Noodle Man (pre-production). As always, we’ll keep you in the loop! |
| Paramount has their ‘Eagle Eye’ on a director for ‘G.I. Joe 3′ Posted: 12 Jan 2015 06:01 PM PST  "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" Korean Theatrical Poster Fan reception to G.I. Joe: Retaliation was somewhat mixed but it seems Dwayne ‘The Rock” Johnson’s box office prowess carried the movie to global success. Now, Paramount is on a mission to bring the popular franchise back on the big screen once again. First, director Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Justin Bieber’s Believe) was in talks to helm the third installment. Then Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Casino Royale) came and went. Now, THR reports that D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye, Disturbia) is in talks to direct G.I. Joe 3. No other actors from the last two films have committed themselves to G.I. Joe 3, but it’s safe to assume that The Rock will return as Roadblock. Stay tuned! |
| Jino Kang is the ‘Weapon of Choice’ for a perfect kill! Posted: 12 Jan 2015 01:00 AM PST  "Weapon of Choice" DVD Cover Director. Producer. Writer. Stuntman. Oh yeah, he also holds a black belt in Hapkido, Tae Kwon Do and Kyokoshin-Kai Karate. The man I speak of is Jino Kang (Blade Warrior) and he’s back with another action-packed, independent martial arts thriller titled Weapon of Choice, also known as Fist 2 Fist 2 – a sequel by name only to 2011′s Fist 2 Fist (click here for our review). Retired assassin, Jack Lee (Kang), walked away from his violent past to raise his dead brother’s daughter, Jaime, as his own. When a crime lord kidnaps Jaime, Jack brings his deadly skills out of retirement and the streets of San Francisco become a battleground for a one-man killing machine! Don’t miss the trailer for Weapon of Choice. Updates: Enjoy a fight clip from the movie. The DVD for Weapon of Choice hits online retailers and VOD on January 13th. |
| Deal on Fire! The Good, the Bad, the Weird | Blu-ray | Only $7.99 – Expires soon! Posted: 12 Jan 2015 12:00 AM PST  "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" Blu-ray Cover Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for The Good, the Bad, the Weird, directed by Kim Jee-Woon (I Saw the Devil). The Good, the Bad, the Weird is the story of two outlaws and a bounty hunter in 1940s Manchuria and their rivalry to possess a treasure map while being pursued by the Japanese army and Chinese bandits. Part Sergio Leone’s The Good, The Bad and the Ugly; part George Miller’s Mad Max; all the inventive genius of filmmaker Kim Jee-Woon. Starring Lee Byung-hun (G.I. Joe: Retaliation), Song Kang-ho (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) and Jung Woo-sung (Musa). Order The Good, the Bad, the Weird from Amazon.com today! |
| Watch the dark new trailer for ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Posted: 12 Jan 2015 12:00 AM PST  "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" Teaser Poster In Joss Whedon’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Avengers reassemble to battle the sentient robot known as Ultron. Cast members include: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and James Spader. The film hits theaters on May 1, 2015. Updates: Actor Morris Chestnut (Under Siege 2: Dark Territory) has fueled internet rumors that he may be auditioning for the role of the popular Marvel superhero Black Panther for Avengers 2. | According to dramafever.com, Korean actress Kim Soo Hyun (7th Grade Civil Servant) has joined the cast. | Teaser trailer. | First trailer. BREAKING NEWS: Watch the latest trailer! |
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