24Framespersecond.net

Filming starts on Takashi Miiki’s THIRTEEN ASSASSINS!

2009-07-14T11:44:15+00:00

Filming has just begun in Japan on Takashi Miike’s samurai epic Thirteen Assassins, and seeing as we’re huuuge Miiki fans, we thought we’d better take a look-see for any new info on this fantastic sounding production. Its way too early for any photos or media, but we did find this piece of concept art (left) and the official plot summary. Details below.... The Film - Based on Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 film of the same name, the movie follows the coming together of thirteen assassins who embark on a suicide mission to kill an evil young lord in the era of the Shogun. Headlining the cast will be; Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Hiroki Matsukata and Kazuki Namioka. The Plot – 13, an unlucky number for one. In the era of the Shogun, an evil young lord rapes and kills, assured of immunity by law. But he didn't count on the Thirteen Assassins. A feared secret force, each with their own deadly skill, the Assassins undertake a suicide mission to wipe out the Lord. As he embarks on a perilous journey, the Assassins close off his escape route and ambush him in a village of death. But little do they know, they are outnumbered four to one by the Lords crack team of bodyguards. The streets will run RED.

Herman Yau’s horror THE FIRST 7th NIGHT on DVD

2009-07-14T08:27:10+00:00

Veteran Hong Kong film director Herman Yau’s latest film offering, the horror thriller The First 7th Night is out to buy on English subtitled DVD. Because of its Category III-rating (much like his previous hard core horror Gong Tau) the film only received limited theatrical play, but was well received by local Hong Kong critics. Synopis: A helpless Taxi driver, A mysterious delivery boy, A 30 years abandoned motel, a touching past, all stitches up to form a strange tale. One day, a strange passenger “Xiao Ma” hires a taxi driver “Map King”, paying him a huge sum of money to take him to an abandoned old motel

Stephen Chow bails on THE GREEN HORNET?

2009-07-13T13:41:25+00:00

Until we see something more official we are still classing thus as rumour, but if it is true this pretty much marks the final nail in the coffin of any interest we have had in Seth Rogen’s much troubled movie remake of The Green Hornet. Early in the project Stephen Chow pulled out of directing the film citing creative (yeah right) differences over the script, but said he was still very much attached to play martial arts sidekick “Kato.” Well that was then. Now reports are starting to circulate that a casting call has just been put out by the studio for someone to play the aforementioned character “Kato.” If that is indeed the case, surely it can mean only one thing? Mr Chow has bailed….and would we blame him for jumping ship on this rapidly sinking Turkey….hell no. You can read the full story over at Spoiler TV.

Teaser poster for Hong Kong slasher DREAM HOME

2009-07-12T18:08:18+00:00

Think slasher horror and Hong Kong isn’t the first place to come to mind - well think again - because times they are a changing. Hk is heading for horro that’s red and icky and we’ve just picked up the teaser poster for their first, the slash horror Dream Home. Directed by Pang Ho-cheung (‘Exodus,’ ‘Isabella’) DH stars Josie Ho, as a women who will do anything to own her own home and something tells us that will be it wont involve her saving for a down payment. Still in production. the pic is due to open the new year.

One man and his Sheep!? ANIMALADA: Review

2009-07-12T11:22:48+00:00

Director: Sergio Bizzio. Review: Tim Irwin. Animalada is an Argentinean soap opera. It's full of jealousy, rape, murder, cheating lovers, worried families, and crazy people. The main difference is that here the main love interest is a sheep. In fact, the tagline pretty much sums it up. "A Man. A Sheep. It's Complicated." Those few words tell you most of what you need to know about the movie. Synapse Films has somehow found this and made it available on R1 DVD, and for that, at least, I'm thankful. Not that I necessarily think there is a need for more films about zoophilia, but rather it's an interesting slice of a film culture I still haven't been exposed to much. It's also a pretty enjoyable and funny film. It's got a dry, dark sense of humor. This is primarily because it plays everything so straight. We're introduced to Alfredo and his wife, Natalie. She comes from a wealthy family and runs a magazine about Polo. They mainly live in Buenos Aires but spend a couple months a year at their ranch in the country. Here is where the problems arise.

[REC] 2 making of featurettes online

2009-07-11T10:30:08+00:00

Ninety days and counting until Paco Plaza and Jaume Balaguero's [REC] 2 is released on the the world, but while we wait for the Zombie bloodbath to begin, how about some making of features to keep us all busy in the mean time? They are of course in Spanish, but hey we're nosey, and whatever the language its always interesting to have a peek behind the scenes. There are two online already and the next one goes live on July 16th.

DEADGIRL: Review

2009-07-10T07:56:19+00:00

Director: Marcel Sarmiento, Gadi Harel. Review: Adam Wing. Every now and then a low budget horror movie comes along that not only surprises you, but also turns out to be one of the strongest movies you’ve seen in a while. Don’t get me wrong, Deadgirl will offend as many viewers as it entices, if not a little more, but there’s something about this twisted little tale that will keep you hooked until the bitter (and rather tasteless) end. Rickie and JT are high school misfits, they rarely attend classes and the other kids wont even give them the time of day. One hot, tiresome afternoon they decide to check out an abandoned mental hospital and come face to face with a gruesome find, a naked girl covered in plastic, chained to a table. More importantly, she’s still alive. This is the part of the movie where things take a drastic, and morally disturbing turn for the worst. Rickie (Shiloh Fernandez) wants to get the hell out of there and do the right thing; JT (Noah Segan) has other ideas. Coming from the corner of the mind most people would be afraid to visit, JT decides that the imprisoned victim could in fact be their shiny new toy, a secret hideaway if you will, their very own sex slave. If you find that thought process unappealing, look away now. Deadgirl takes us to a very dark place indeed, and the way we get there is both unnerving and surprisingly poignant at the same time.

THE KEEP heads for the big screen in London

2009-07-09T19:37:46+00:00

Heads up U.K. classic horror geeks. It's your lucky day. Michael Mann‘s cult fright flick The Keep is set to get a rare theatrical screening at the London BFI next month. Based on the novel by F.paul Wilson, The Keep was first released in 1983 and starred some of today’s most well know classical actors including; Jürgen Prochnow, Ian McKellen and Gabriel Byrne. A major box office flop on its release, it has now gone on to become a firm cult favorite among horror fans and despite countless calls for one, the movie has yet to receive the proper DVD release it deserves. Booo. For more details on the screening, head over to the BFI’s site.

24framespersecond wants you: Redux

2009-07-09T14:00:39+00:00

It’s been over six months (my time flies) since the newly redesigned 24fps sprang into being and our readership is still on the up, so once again we are on the lookout for some new blood to join as site contributors. On the wish list we'd still like to get more Asia based movie fans contributing - but anyone with a passion for Asian, horror and genres films and the ability to write about them well - are welcome. So if you feel you fit the bill, are good with deadlines and want to join in the fun, drop us a line (preferably with some writing examples) via our contact page.

Hideo Nakata’s KAIDAN on R1 DVD.

2009-07-08T18:43:58+00:00

Without so much as a whisper of PR, horror maestro Hideo Nakata’s period scare movie Kaidan has just slipped quietly out on R1 DVD via Liongate entertainment. The artwork for the DVD is surpringly sympathetic to the original, though we couldn’t help but notice someone at LG could'nt resist having a go at least once with that special Photoshop - “add more blood!!” - button of theirs. Gore hounds take note - even though they've subtly named dropped "Ringu" on the cover - Kaidan marks a departure from Nakata’s previous films, going more for classical themed chills, rather than an all out scare fest. Synopsis: Years ago, a debt collector was slain by a samurai. Before falling to his death, the debt collector placed a curse on the samurai who went on to kill his wife and himself.

Korean horror just got darker with DISTRUST HELL

2009-07-08T12:01:08+00:00

What’s this...A Korean horror film, and not a teen schoolgirl or long haired ghost in sight? Instead first time feature director Lee Yong-ju is serving up Distrust Hell, a far darker tale of religious fervour, obsession, possession and madness. Whoever spliced the teaser together certainly knows their stuff, it’s one of the most (the score and sound direction especially) atmospheric, effective and creepy trailers we’ve seen in a while. Korean Starlet Nam Sang-Mi takes the lead, and even though her previous films roles seems to have mainly been action flicks and rom-coms, from this clip at least it seems she can turn her hand to cranking out some scares. Distrust Hell opens in Korea next month.

Tatsuya Fujiwara’s CHAMELEON, on English subbed DVD

2009-07-07T12:21:44+00:00

Swapping games of death for Gunplay “Death Note”, “Battle Royale” star Fujiwara Tatsuya’s new hardboiled action thriller Chameleon has just arrived fresh off the production line, on Hong Kong English subbed DVD. Tatsuya plays the leader of a group of con men - inadvertently caught up in a crime gang’s plot of kidnap and murder - who soon find they are way out of their league. Several trailers, full of gunplay laden goodness, can be found on the flicks official site. The plot: The leader of a group of con artists, Goro (Tatsuya) and his gang witness a kidnapping, after a successful scam. Goro records the incident on his mobile phone, but soon learns that the kidnapped man is a key witness in a high-profile political corruption case. The perpetrators, however, are also aware Goro and his friends have incriminating evidence on hand.

New poster and official site for TRACING SHADOW

2009-07-07T00:29:49+00:00

Regular readers should already be in the know about Francis Ng’s upcoming Martial arts wire-fu period action movie Tracing Shadow, and those eager to see more, need look no further. The marketing train has well and truly set of off down the tracks, with the release of a new poster and the launch of the films official site. Content on the site is only in Chinese at the moment, but the menus are in English so navigating around to see all the goodies is easy enough. Tracing Shadows arrives in Hong Kong theatres July 30th.

THE GRUDGE 3: R1 DVD Review

2009-07-06T06:14:49+00:00

Director: Toby Wilkins. Review: Adam Wing Once the curse starts, it can’t be stopped. That’s pretty much how Grudge 3 director Toby Wilkins puts it, which means we can probably expect more additions to the ever-advancing saga that refuses to die. This is of course the third instalment of the American series started by original Ju-on creator Takashi Shimizu back in 2004, there are two more Japanese sequels coming later this year. Do we really need this many calcium deficient dead folk in our living rooms? A young Japanese woman who holds the key to stopping the evil spirit of Kayako travels to the haunted Chicago apartment from the sequel (you remember, don’t you?), to stop the curse of Kayako once and for all and save a family who are currently being haunted by her malicious spirit. Which loosely translates to yet more pale-faced ghost ladies and cute little smurf boys with the vocal range of a cat, but hang on a minute, there’s a twist. This time around the curse is infecting the victims and our unfortunate leads are mimicking the gruesome events that unfolded in the original film. Well, sort of.

First trailer for Thai horror “6.66 DEAD NOT DEAD”

2009-07-05T13:53:55+00:00

Think of a Thai production company responsible for some of the most popular Thai films in recent years and Sahamongkol film will very near the top of list - and what’d you know good news - the latest from them to surface is a horror thriller titled - 6.66 Dead Not Dead. Whether the “666” is a reference to the big “D” remains to been seen as finding any info on the storyline in English (online translators are baffled by the Thai language) has been a slog, but we have dug up a short summary for the film. 6.66. Even better there’s a suitably creepy and at one point truly gruesome (check out the last 30 secs) trailer to be seen. 6.66 opens in Thailand July 30th. More as we get it.

Teaser for French Zomb horror LA HORDE

2009-07-04T13:49:31+00:00

Well well well what do we have here? The boys over at Quietearth have gone and picked themselves a first teaser for Yannick Dahan’s; hoods vs cops, vs an undead Zombie horde - genre mashup, La Horde (aka The Horde). Check out the carnage from the link.

Full FRIGHTFEST line-up announced

2009-07-03T21:34:27+00:00

The U.K.s premiere horror fest The Film4 FrightFest celebrates ten years of thrills and kills by serving up what could be the best ever line-up, of horror and genre pics, they’ve ever had. This year moving to the Empire Cinema, Leicester Sq FrightF will be serving some of the best in frighteners and genre movies from around the world. From Thurs 27 August to Monday 31 horror fans can enjoy over thirty new films across twelve countries, with eleven world premieres and fifteen UK premieres. Brit horror scores features heavily, with the world premiere of Christopher Smith’s shocker TRIANGLE opening the festival and the world premiere of the much anticipated THE DESCENT: PART TWO as the closing night finale. Among many many others, there is also the world premiere of Philip Ridley’s horror fantasy HEARTLESS, the UK premiere of CLIVE BARKER’S DREAD, VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL, Kyle Rankin’s INFESTATION and the icing on the cake - a fully restored version of the classic AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. Wowser! For full details of the screenings, time and dates head over to the fest official site.

J-horror splatterfest MEATBALL MACHINE: R2 Review

2009-07-03T07:57:28+00:00

irector: Junichi Yamamoto and Yudai Yamaguchi. Review: Adam Wing. Another day, another Japanese head-fuck. To be fair though, the plot for Meatball Machine reads like the latest best selling romance novel. A shy boy called Yoji (Issei Takahashi) works at a factory in a dead end job; he’s an outcast, a misfit, and a loner. Ignored and ridiculed by his workmates, he finds scant satisfaction each day watching a girl from across the way on his lunch break. The girls name is Sachiko (Aoba Kawai) and just like him, she’s shy too. More to the point, she’s liked Yoji from a distance for quite sometime. Even though he just kind of sits there and stares at her, not in the least bit creepy then. The only problem is, they're both really shy (have I mentioned that?) and it’s not until Sachiko is attacked by a rampaging sex maniac that romance blossoms. Shy boy intervenes and love finds a way, yerrr rigggghtttt…

Korean horror comedy THE FOX FAMILY on R2 DVD

2009-07-02T09:49:59+00:00

Lee Hyung-gon's surreal and ever so (ok very) slightly bonkers musical horror comedy The Fox Family, is heading for release on DVD in the U.K via newbie Asian movie distributors, "Terracotta." If nothing else it’s worth a watch for its oddity value and despite the fact I personally harbour a deep dislike of musicals, I can’t help but admit this looks great fun. Fox Family streets in the U.K, August 10th. Synopsis: A family of Fox Spirits (temporarily masquerading as a travelling circus troupe), have a chance to permanently become human: the chance occurs only if they each eat a human liver on one specific night in every thousand years. And so the hapless bloody quest begins to find unwitting volunteers. WARNING: contains singing and breakdancing!

Opening day schedule announced for THIRST

2009-07-02T07:50:47+00:00

Focus Features has announced the U.S. opening day schedule and venues for Park Chan-wook’s Vamp thriller, Thirst. Heads up If you are in NY, LA, or San Francisco you could be among the lucky first to see it - on July 31st - at the following locations…New York - Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema (143 East Houston Street, near 2nd Avenue). Los Angeles - Laemmle’s Sunset 5 (8000 Sunset Boulevard, at Crescent Heights). San Francisco - Landmark’s Bridge Theatre (3010 Geary Boulevard, near Blake Street). Best get in there early if you want to see it, first night seats will be going as fast as proverbial hot cakes!

New trailer for THE GRUDGE

2009-07-01T09:42:28+00:00

More ghostly goings on than you can shake a bloodied stick at, the full Korean trailer for Japanese The Grudge spin-off movies “Old woman in White” “Girl in Black” is now available on the official site. The trail shows these two new instalments owe more to the earlier films than we originally thought - and whats all this girls severed head in a bag about?! A homage to Ataru Oikawa’s “Tomie”? We shall see. Both films open in Korean July 9th, so expect an English subtitled DVD release around September time.

New clips for Fumihiko Sori’s ICHI

2009-06-30T22:47:48+00:00

With its U.K theatrical release barely over a week away, we’ve just been given some great new clips from Fumihiko Sori's Ichi, his reimagining of the legendary blind swordsman series…"Zatoichi." Traditionally a male character Sori's turns tradition on its head and Ichi stars actress Haruka Ayase (Hero) in the title role playing a young, beautiful blind musician who also happens to be an lethal swordswoman. All the clips can be accessed from the links below. For full details on film screening locations, times and dates, whiz on over to the pics official site for the info.

ROSARIGASINOS (GANGS FROM ROSARIO) R1 DVD: Review

2009-06-30T18:48:38+00:00

Director: Rodrigo Grande. Review: Tim Irwin. Have you ever thought about how many different countries all have their own gangster movies? America's The Godfather and Goodfellas have set the bar there, Japan has a plethora of Yakuza films, and England (at least recently) gets Guy Ritchie. Well what if you moved the stories and characters to Argentina, and tried again? That's almost how Rosarigasinos turns out to be. At the same time, imagine Butch and Sundance survived the shootout in Bolivia, and instead served 30 years in an Argentinean jail, then they are released and nothing is quite the same as they remembered. Rosarigasinos is an odd mix of everything above. Tito and Castor are old buddies and finally are released after serving 30 years in jail for (it sounds like) a variety of crimes. They are eager to reunite with the old gang who used to party all night long and have plenty of money. But first they have to find their own stash of money which they hid away before heading to jail. Unfortunately, it's no longer there and they're not sure where it ended up. Fatso, the only remaining gangster, is also the only one that volunteers to help them out. Of course in gangster land "helping out," means finding them a new job. The job here is an attempt on an armoured truck. To leave parts of the story a mystery, suffice to say that the heist does not go according to plan and the key to the money may lie with a prostitute Tito used to love. When she re-enters his life after 30 years he's not entirely sure how to react, especially since he sings a song about how her hands have been his jail bars for the past 30 years. The Buddy story plot is not the most important part of the film, but their relationship and indeed much of the film, doesn't follow the norm of any gangster movie. It's a comedy, but again the comedy doesn't follow the conventions American viewers might expect. The film is more about the nostalgia that they feel re-emerging into a changed world, wishing it were more similar to the days of their youth. They don't respond in the same way to women, their friends have all gone separate ways, and there are new trees on the streets they once walked. The film is as much about them recapturing the glory days as it is gangsters and stolen money. I am very glad that Synapse Films decided to restore and release this; especially since it's from a country whose film culture I'm not familiar with. Additionally, it's a very different film than many viewers would expect, and unusual in subtle ways. I'm not sure I enjoyed it as much as I might have if I were Argentinean, but perhaps once I get more familiar with their style I'll be able to appreciate it more. It's a fine film, with convincing performances from the two elderly leads - Both of whom have been mainstays of Argentine films for decades - and Federico Luppi (Tito) appeared in Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 hit, Pan's Labyrinth. For a feature directorial debut (by Rodrigo Grande) it's a great effort. Handled with enough style to support the story and characters, but never gets carried away. It's a bit light on the action, though what’s shown is quite enjoyable. But this wasn't meant to be an action film, so that's not a problem at all. For anyone interested in the films of Argentina, or those intrigued by gangster films from other countries, this is definitely worth seeking out.

Jealousy control to maximum. France next to get ONG-BAK 2

2009-06-29T23:04:59+00:00

While we in the English speaking world wait every patiently for even a sniff of a theatrical (hell we’d settle for DVD!) release of Tony Jaa’s Ong-Bak 2, those lucky French will be the next to see it on the big screen. Not so lucky is the fact that from the looks of the trailer, they will be watching it dubbed into French? An odd decision for a country so at home with watching subtitled movies. Any how. As well as the new cut of the trailer, there’s some other goodies to check out on the French official website. OB2 opens in France July 22nd.

ROVDYR (a.k.a. Manhunt): Review

2009-06-28T10:40:00+00:00

Director: Patrik Syversen. Review Adam Wing. A word of warning for anyone looking to book a last minute holiday this summer, whatever you do, don’t go to Norway. Whether it be sightseeing in Oslo, mountain views in Jotunheimen, or horse back riding and canoeing, forget everything you thought you knew about this tranquil holiday hotspot. It might look pretty in pictures but when you get there you’re likely to be faced by axe wielding serial killers, nazi zombies and starring roles in somebody else’s snuff movie. One things for sure, you wont have time to admire the view when your running, half naked, through the heart of it, blood pouring from your very own holiday souvenirs. Getaway snaps your facebook friends could do without I’m sure. In director Patrik Syversen’s latest dose of Nordic terror, four friends go on a camping break in the woods. They are expecting to have the time of their lives, what they’re not expecting is to have the last time of their lives, as you’ve probably all ready guessed, in Manhunt our four protagonists are put in danger by a deadly hunting party. No prizes for guessing what the prey is. Maybe they should’ve went with Torquay again after all…

Extreme J-horror GROTESQUE heads for R2 DVD

2009-06-27T17:36:16+00:00

Billed as "the cruellest Japanese splatter movie ever" (a statement that doesn't do the film's graphic scenes of torture and dismemberment anywhere near enough justice), Grotesque makes the likes of "Saw" and "Hostel" look like about as scary as a Kitten. Written and directed by Koji Shiraishi (Carved aka A Slit-Mouthed Woman) and starring Hiroaki Kawatsure (Chanbara Beauty; Carved) and Japanese porn star Tsugumi Nagasawa (Tokyo Gore Police), the film takes the concept of Japanese extreme cinema to a whole new level. Relentlessly and explicitly graphic, this is definitely not a film for the easily offended, or the faint-hearted. Grotesque (cert. 18) will be released on DVD by 4Digital Asia on 17th August 2009.

Full plotline for HK horror CURSE OF THE DESERTED

2009-06-27T11:03:19+00:00

Just a quick update with a detailed plotline for Curse of the Deserted. “Shaolin Girl” star Kitty Zhang takes the lead along side Shawn Yue in this, the latest frightener project by Veteran HK horror (‘Inner Senses,’ ‘Koma’) director Chi-Leung Law. And the story goes something like this…..In his new book “The Deserted Village”, young writer GUO (Shawn Yue) wrote about the titular curse…. “It began 500 years ago in the Ming Dynasty, when one of the villagers died of terminal illness. The widow Yanzi vowed to stay with her husband forever. When the man suddenly returned to life, his horrified neighbours believed him to be a monster. They burned him to death and torched his mansion. The devastated Yanzi upheld her vow and threw herself into the fire. Since then, the village was cursed, and the mansion residents all resulted in mysterious death. Some say only couples who share true love can survive in that village. Those who are unfaithful will come to their demise...”

Thai horror anthology 4BIA (AKA PHOBIA): DVD Review

2009-06-26T07:54:40+00:00

Thai horror has come on leaps and bounds over the last few years, which is probably why we are faced with not one, but four faces of terror in the latest box office hit Phobia (4bia, see what they did there!?!). 4bia is presented to us by four of the most well known directors in Thailand, including the makers of Body 19, Shutter and Alone. The four tales of terror are not actually connected at all, it’s four separate stories that deal with the notion of fear, the fear of being alone, the fear of reprisal, the fear of ghosts and the fear of the dead. Each tale comes in at just under half an hour and rumour has it that a sequel is all ready in the works.

English subtitled trailer for KUNG-FU CYBORG

2009-06-25T18:42:20+00:00

Several trailers for Jeffrey Lau's upcoming sci-fi action comedy Metallic Attraction: Kung-Fu Cyborg have been floating around the Interweb for some time, but this version we’ve just tracked down is the first fully English subtitled version and goes to prove once and for all just how truly mental this movie is going to be. Take a hint of “Ultraman” add to that a dash of “A.I” and finish with a huge dollop of “The (one of the robots in the flick turns into a Gun for Pete’s sake) Transformers” - wrap it all up with a martial arts twist and you get this - a genre mashup of the highest order. It’s going to be totally stupid, but hey I think they know that already. Kung-Fu Cyborg opens in Hong Kong, in August.

Thai horror THE COFFIN on English friendly DVD

2009-06-25T09:06:37+00:00

A Thai movie turning up on DVD with English subtitles can be rarer than Hen’s teeth these days, so it’s always a surprise when one we’re really keen to see crops up via a well known e-tailer. Case in point….Ananda Everingham’s (Shutter) supernatural horror pic Coffin, is now available to order on Malaysian English subtitled DVD. Directed by award-winning “Beautiful Boxer” filmmaker Ekachai Uekrongtham, Coffin is apparently inspired by a realThai ritual and deals with life, death, loss and the heavy price you can pay for trying to cheat death.

Now with more pork! Final poster for CHAW

2009-06-24T12:22:23+00:00

Look very carefully at the newly released final theatrical poster for Korean creature feature Chaw, and you might just spot our main piggy protagonist subtly taking up about half the page - and from the looks of it - this Hog means business! A tour de force in the same realms of korean horror classic "The Host"? Nah, probably not. Still looks good fun though. Chaw opens in Korea next month.

Jackie Chan’s SHINJUKU INCIDENT on DVD

2009-06-24T07:58:11+00:00

Good news Jackie Fans. Marking a rare return to a fully dramatic role, Chan’s controversial and violent crime thriller Shinjuku Incident arrives on English friendly DVD and Blu-ray next month. Along with the main man Shinjuku inclucdes an impressive cast including: Daniel Wu (Protégé), Fan Bing Bing (Lost in Beijing), Xu Jing Lei (Warlords), and Japan's Takenaka Naoto (Shall We Dance?) and Kato Masaya (Brother). One detail about the disc we are still trying to confirm is around the “uncut” tag it’s sporting. The original fully uncut film was given a category III (the highest there is in HK) rating, but this is quoted as a IIb classification, which relates to slightly a shortened - less gorey - theatrically release. More on that when we get it.

The DAYBREAKERS are coming

2009-06-23T18:02:55+00:00

Michael and Peter Spierig first shot to fame with their unconventional and hilariously funny indy horror Undead and ever since we first heard they has been given a big budget to play for their next movie, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the result. Well it’s been a LONG time coming but the wait is nearly over, the release date Daybreakers has finally been announced, for January 8th. Theres not much in the way of content as yet, aside from the teaser poster and holding page for the official site, but we’re keeping em peeled for more.

J-horror SHRILL CRYS OF SUMMER gets a reshuffle

2009-06-23T08:30:35+00:00

News on the follow up to the 2008 J-horror Shrill Cries of Summer has been a round for a while but much like its predecessor, an English subtitled trailer for thriller is available for your viewing pleasure over at Japanese distributor Shochiku Films official site. More a retelling (following a different story arc) than direct sequel, “Reshuffle” is again directed by Ataru Oikawa (‘Apartment 1303,’ ‘Tomie’) and stars Goki Maeda, Erena Ono, Airi Matsuyama and Rin Asuka. Synopsis: One year on.... The cruel tragedy repeats itself once again.... Every summer, danger haunts two people... One person dies a mysterious death, and another goes missing. A girl whose mind gets distorted from her father's divorce and the fear of his remarriage calls powerful and evil forces to her. Can her friends help her overcome the delusion and distrust to save her from the tragic fate? The girl struggles with the devil inside and fights between nightmare and reality, as the whole village gets caught up in madness and fear.

THREE KINGDOMS: DVD review

2009-06-22T17:48:53+00:00

Director: Daniel Lee. Review; Adam Wing If you're not a fan of martial arts war epics then the past twelve months haven't been kind to you; Andy Lau, Maggie Q and Sammo Hung add their names to a very long list in Daniel Lee's (What Price Survival?) take on China's greatest literary classic Romance Of The Kingdoms. Lau stars as general Zhao Zilong, and it would seem that Asia’s answer to Mel Gibson is having problems taking off his armour after recent turns in both A Battle Of Wits and The Warlords. Zhao rises quickly in the ranks to become a top general under Liu Bei, and after many years of war he finds himself alone as the invincible general, he really is that good. Sadly for him and his shiny armour, it’s not much fun alone at the top so with a grand legacy at stake, Zhao leads his final charge against an army headed by Cao Cao's granddaughter Cao Ying (Maggie Q).

THE LEGEND OF THE QUEEN promo impresses

2009-06-21T09:45:00+00:00

One thing that’s proved to be a solid gold guarantee to sell theatre tickets in Thailand, is movie about a historical hero. After the huge success of the 2007 Thai epic King Naresuan, someone somewhere was bound to try a repeat performance. Enter stage left a superb promo reel for Thai movie house, Oriental Eye’s - The Legend of the Queen. The Queen in question was Jamadevi of Hariphunchai who ruled in Northern Thailand around 750 AD and was one of the key figures in introducing Buddhism to Thailand. Aside from that snippet there is very little info in English about her rein, then again, taglines like “one million warriors” and “1000 wars” tend to give the impression it wasn't all sweetness n light.

English subtitled trailer for Norwegian slasher SNARVEIEN

2009-06-20T08:45:28+00:00

The schizophrenic name changing Norwegian slasher Detour, Snarveien, Detour.....seems to have finally settled on a title. With the release of the theatrical poster; it looks like “Snarveien” is our winner. Saying that English language media does keeps cropping up – latest to appear is a new English subtitled version of the trail. Watching the new clip its plain this won’t be bringing us much new or genre busting, but for a straight up slasher-fest it could deliver something for the gore fans. Snarveien opens in Norway July.

U.S official site for THIRST

2009-06-19T07:21:06+00:00

This pretty much does what it says on the tin. The official U.S site for Park Chan-wook's is up and running. Go get it!

THREE KINGDOMS invades the U.K

2009-06-18T07:54:27+00:00

Following closely in the wake of the U.K theatrical release of John Woo's “Red Cliff,” Daniel Lee’s movie version of Guanzhong Luo's 600-year-old Chinese classic novel 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' is out on R2 DVD next month. They threw everything plus the kitchen sink at this production, with an absolute avalanche of action stars including (deep breathe) Andy Lau, Sammo Hung, Maggie Q, Vanessa Wu, Andy On, Rongguang Yu, Quanxin Pu, Lung Ti, Hua Yueh, Chen Zhi Hui and Damian Lau. Unlike Woo’s more recent version, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon takes far greater liberties with its source material, playing heavy on the action and light on historical accuracy. So, if sword wielding epic-type-ness is more your cup of Joe than dramatical excess, then this is the one for you. Three Kingdoms gets released on DVD and Blu-ray in the U.K, July 13th.

Korea gets THE GRUDGE

2009-06-17T08:08:07+00:00

Summer is the season for scary movie watching in Korea but aside from the upcoming creature feature Chaw and franchise sequel Whispering Corridors 5, much like last year, 2009 is looking light for local horror flicks. Korean distributors have again had to look abroad to Japan to find something to fill those theatre seats with eager fright fans, hitting pay dirt by snapping up the two new Ju-on (The Grudge) horrors “Old Woman in white” and “Girl in Black.” Good news for Korean horror fans, and for us, when the English subtitled DVDs arrive shortly after. There isnt much in the way of content on the Korean website for the pic just yet. There is however a creepy as hell new teaser trailer to take a peek at, from the link below. Ju-on opens in Korea July 9th.