cityonfire.com | Movie News & Developments |
- ‘Raid’ star Iko Uwais joins Wahlberg and Rousey in ‘Mile 22′
- ‘Arrow Arbitration’ helmer is back with a ‘Master’ of kung fu!
- 100 Yen Love (2014) Review
- Shu Qi’s annihilates her foes in a teaser for ‘The Assassin’
- ‘SPL 3′ (aka Sha Po Lang 3, Kill Zone 3 or whatever you want to call it) is happening!
- Cityonfire.com’s ‘Cross’ DVD Giveaway!
| ‘Raid’ star Iko Uwais joins Wahlberg and Rousey in ‘Mile 22′ Posted: 03 Jul 2015 10:43 AM PDT  "The Raid 2" Japanese Theatrical Poster Mark Wahlberg (The Big Hit) and Peter Berg (The Rundown) are in negotiations to re-team for Mile 22, an action movie co-starring UFC’s Ronda Rousey (The Expendables 3) and Iko Uwais (The Raid, The Raid 2). According to THR, Mile 22 tells the story of a CIA agent (Wahlberg) stationed in Indonesia who is tasked with transporting an informant to an airport 22 miles away. While en route, they must battle a bunch of bad guys who plan on taking them out before they reach their plane. Following 2013′s The Lone Survivor and the upcoming oil-explosion disaster flick, Deepwater Horizon, Mile 22 will be Wahlberg and Berg’s 3rd collaboration together. Stay tuned for more updates! |
| ‘Arrow Arbitration’ helmer is back with a ‘Master’ of kung fu! Posted: 03 Jul 2015 10:42 AM PDT  "The Master" Chinese Theatrical Poster Xu Haofeng made a name for himself by penning the screenplay for Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmaster. But it was 2011′s The Sword Identity, his directorial debut, which showed Haofeng’s true talent. Then came his acclaimed second film, 2012′s Judge Archer (aka Arrow Arbitration). Haofeng’s trend in both films was presenting the martial arts in a less stylized and more realistic manner, perhaps not unlike the 2007 Japanese film Black Belt or David Mamet’s 2008 MA-themed Redbelt. Now, Haofeng is back with his knack of realistic hand-to-hand combat in The Master. According to FCS: Liao Fan (Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac) stars in the title role as a Wing Chun master from Canton eager to establish himself in Tienjin with an intricate plan to do so goes awry when military official moves in with a deadly campaign to systematically indoctrinate miltary training throughout each school. Co-starring in The Master is Song Yang (The Sword Identity), Jia Song (On His Majesty’s Secret Service), Li Xia (The White Dragon), Huang Jue (Founding of the Party) and Chin Shih-Chieh (The Brotherhood of Blades). If you’re lucky enough to live where it’s playing (like, China for instance), the film is opening this weekend. If you’re not, you can watch the trailer until a distributor like Well Go USA or Lionsgate picks it up. Stay tuned! |
| Posted: 03 Jul 2015 10:29 AM PDT  "100 Yen Love" Japanese Theatrical Poster Director: Masaharu Take By Martin Sandison As well as being a beautiful and cultural place, my home city of Edinburgh, Scotland has one of the longest-running film festivals in the world, this year being the 69th. This time the festival has been one of the best in my memory, with a varied line up and many nations represented. The festival has always had a substantial Asian cinema representation, and this year was no different. Previous entrants have included Oldboy, Motorway, Life Without Principle and Hero. 100 Yen Love looked to be a good one to watch, and I wasn't disappointed. Star Sakura Ando appeared in one of my favourite Japanese movies Sion Sono's Love Exposure at the tender age of 22, and her performance is one of the most memorable things about that film. From then on she appeared in numerous television series and films, notable ones including Takashi Miike's For Love's Sake (his over the top musical based on a Manga), and Nao Kubota's Homeland, the first commercial Japanese film set in Fukushima since the nuclear crisis. One of three films Ando made in 2014, 100 Yen Love represents her as an actress at the top of her game. The movie is a great vehicle for her talents, and manages to shine in many other aspects. Director Masaharu Take balances these aspects with a great eye and ability as a story teller. At the beginning of the film Ando's character is an early 30's slacker who is living with her family in Tokyo. She has so many arguments with them that she decides to move out, and finds an apartment and a job in a shop. Every day she walks past a boxing gym, and eventually strikes up a relationship with one of the boxers, Yuuji. In the end she decides to take up boxing herself, and the film ends with her first professional fight. Not a boxing film per se, the movie is really a character study with boxing as a means of redemption for Ichiko. Along the way there are comedic touches, disturbing moments and intensely choreographed boxing scenes. After watching Love Exposure, Ando's wonderful portrayal of a girl who is at first manipulative and twisted, but some how ends up lovable was a joy to behold. 100 Yen Love manages to see her handle an even more complex character with similar aplomb, navigating the twists and turns of the plot. I was discussing the film with a guy who did the post-film Q & A with Ando and Take, and he thought every character in the film, even Ichiko, had very few redeeming features. I would disagree, as Ando creates a picture of Ichiko as a misunderstood and pure hearted girl who never stops fighting. The film is littered with memorable scenes; Ichiko trying to eat the toughest steak ever cooked while crying, numerous scenes between Ichiko and a homeless woman who she gives discarded food, Ichiko beating the crap out of her A-hole boss after she's had some boxing training, and of course the riveting boxing scenes. Ichiko's transformation from slacker to boxer is fist-pumping stuff, and as the narrative is so coherent everything fits in to place. Director Take really comes in to his own with this film, which is a complete change of pace from his previous one Unsung Hero, a great effort in the Chambara genre. That film had a pretty high budget and a traditional style, whereas 100 Yen Love is low budget and modern Japanese style. Take proves in the action department he is a versatile director, as Unsung Hero includes large scale battles, whilst 100 Yen Love's final fight is up close and personal. Apparently the fight was shot over a 16-hour period, and the action was pre-choreographed. A problem with a lot of the films we love is that the narrative is just a means to include as much action as possible, sacrificing character development; in 100 Yen Love there is so much investment in the protagonist that by the end that fight pay-off creates a strong emotion in the viewer. This is assisted by close-in angles, fluid editing and crunching sound effects, so you can really feel the heat of the battle. The use of slow motion during a crucial part of the fight also had me in raptures, as Ichiko finally uses her killer left hand. The obvious touchstone for 100 Yen Love is the classic boxing biopic Raging Bull, however the approach to character and narrative is very different when comparing both. The latter is a picture of a violent, volatile man who progresses in the ring but destroys his life out of it. 100 Yen Love portrays Ichiko as a girl who by the end wants to better herself, and boxing gives her this outlet. In the end the movie does follow a classic underdog story, but leaves enough room for originality and quirkiness so that it transcends this archetype. A problem that is apparent from the earlier parts of the film is that most of the main characters apart from Ichiko are pretty nasty pieces of work, and it is difficult to find positives in their depiction. Yuuji himself treats Ichiko like dirt, and uses her for his own ends. Ichiko's sleazy co-worker is perhaps the worst out of the lot, a real first class idiot. However these are but minor faults in a movie that has heart, emotion, style and great acting. I can't wait to see where star Ando and director Take go next. Martin Sandison's Rating: 8.7/10 |
| Shu Qi’s annihilates her foes in a teaser for ‘The Assassin’ Posted: 03 Jul 2015 01:50 AM PDT  "The Assassin" Teaser Poster Acclaimed director Hou Hsiao-Hsien remains one of the leading filmmakers of Taiwan’s New Wave cinema movement. He is perhaps most famous for his 1989 effort A City of Sadness, which starred Tony Leung Chiu Wai. For years, Hsiao-Hsien has been developing a wuxia project based on a Tang Dynasty tale. The movie, titled Nie Yin Niang (or The Assassin in English), has officially wrapped. Taiwanese actress Shu Qi, known for Hong Kong films like Jackie Chan’s Gorgeous and So Close, stars in the lead role. Her character was taken away by a Taoist nun as a young girl, trained in the martial arts, and later commissioned as a deadly assassin. Co-starring alongside Qi are Zhou Yun (Bodyguards and Assassins), Chang Chen (Helios) and Tsumabuki Satoshi (Waterboys). The film is said to bear some resemblance to Ang Lee’s landmark Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but Asian cinema buffs who grow tired of extensive CGI in wuxia films can take heart. Hou has promised The Assassin will be more realistic, telling reporters “Special effects won’t often be seen in the film.” The Assassin will feature martial arts choreography by Stephen Tung-Wai (Fox Hunter). Updates: Well Go USA has acquired Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Assassin. The film will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival later this month. Stay tuned for theatrical, VOD, Blu-ray and DVD release dates! |
| ‘SPL 3′ (aka Sha Po Lang 3, Kill Zone 3 or whatever you want to call it) is happening! Posted: 03 Jul 2015 12:01 AM PDT  "SPL 2: A Time For Consequences" Teaser Poster Following SPL 2′s box office success, the possibility of an SPL 3 was inevitable – in fact, it’s in stone! According Twitchfilm (via FCS), producer Paco Wong (Zombie Fight Club) announced that the next installment in the SPL franchise has already been green-lit. The original SPL (aka Sha Po Lang), helmed by Wilson Yip (Bio-Zombie), which was released in North America under the title Kill Zone, helped provide a boost to Donnie Yen’s and Sammo Hung’s popularity before they collaborated again three years later on 2008′s Ip Man. Even with a Category III rating (essentially the Chinese equivalent of the NC-17), SPL proved successful in Hong Kong theaters. Taking over directing duties for SPL 2 is Soi Cheang (Accident). The film stars Tony Jaa (Skin Trade), Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior), Louis Koo (Flash Point), Simon Yam (Cyprus Tigers) and Zhang Jin (Rise of the Legend). Despite the absence of Yen, SPL 2 had a successful opening in China and is still going strong. There are currently no directors, stars or a release date attached with SPL 3, but we’ll be sure to keep you informed. For now, don’t miss the trailer for SPL 2. As for as a North American release? We’re pretty sure it’s coming soon… |
| Cityonfire.com’s ‘Cross’ DVD Giveaway! Posted: 03 Jul 2015 12:01 AM PDT  Cross | DVD (Well Go USA) Cityonfire.com and Well Go USA are giving away 3 DVD copies of Simon Yam’s Cross to three lucky Cityonfire visitors. To enter, simply add a comment to this post and describe, in your own words, this classic trailer! We will be selecting a winner at random. Be sure to include your email address in the appropriate field so we can contact you for your home address. Additionally, you must 'Like Us' on cityonfire.com's Facebook by clicking here. The DVD for Cross was officially released on June 23, 2015. We will announce the 3 winners on July 21, 2015 and ship out the prizes immediately. CONTEST DISCLAIMER: You must enter by July 20, 2015 to qualify. U.S. residents only please. We sincerely apologize to our non-U.S. visitors. Winners must respond with their mailing address within 48 hours, otherwise you will automatically be disqualified. No exceptions. Contest is subject to change without notice. |
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