Cinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gifCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Asian Trailer Watch: 'Bodyguards and Assassins'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/26/asian-trailer-watch-bodyguards-and-assassins/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/26/asian-trailer-watch-bodyguards-and-assassins/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/26/asian-trailer-watch-bodyguards-and-assassins/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Just as fans of American action movies should be readying themselves for the explosionpalooza that will surely be Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables, which brings together every big-name, bad-guy shooter of the last 20 years, so should fans of Hong Kong martial arts flicks begin bracing themselves in anticipation of the unholy ass-kicking that will be on display in Teddy Chan's upcoming film Bodyguards and Assassins. It tells the story of a group of (mostly undercover) bodyguards who must protect the revolutionary political leader Sun Yat-sen from an onslaught of highly trained assassins sent on the behest of the Emperor to quell the tide of reform in Hong Kong in 1905.

Think of it as 16 Blocks, but instead of a tired Bruce Willis protecting a witness as people shoot at him on the streets of New York, it's the amazing Donnie Yen and a pack of other Asian martial arts stars escorting a political leader across a wildly elaborate recreation of downtown HK at the beginning of the 20th century while a horde of assassins strike using darts, arrows, acid, and all manner of bladed weapon. The production design alone looks outstanding, but you'll soon be forgetting all about the set building once the fists, feet, and other limbs start destroying everything in the newest trailer for Bodyguards and Assassins (thanks to Twitch for the find).

I've included the previous B&A trailers below as well, but it's the action heavy one on top that's most likely to pique your interest -- aside from the bizarre choice of trailer music, this is one of the most blood-pumping, face-pounding, throat-grabbing, sword-chopping, pole-swinging montages I've seen in a while.

Continue reading Asian Trailer Watch: 'Bodyguards and Assassins'

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]]>Bodyguards and AssassinsBodyguardsAndAssassinsDonnie YenDonnieYenkung fuKungFumartial artsMartialArtsTeddy ChanTeddyChanPeter HallThu, 26 Nov 2009 13:32:00 ESTWhen Remakes Look Awesome: Zhang Yimou's "Blood Simple" Redo Has a Trailer, Rap Songhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/18/blood-simple-remake-trailer/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/18/blood-simple-remake-trailer/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/18/blood-simple-remake-trailer/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



The term remake has predominantly negative connotations, but once in awhile we see proof that a redo can be a good thing. Just look at Werner Herzog's new film, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, which isn't quite a remake of Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant so much as it's a stand-alone sequel or simply another filmmaker's take on the same sort of character explored in the original. It's enough to make me wish we could have seen what Spielberg and Will Smith's version of Oldboy would have looked like.

And here's another perfect example of a good remake: Zhang Yimou's version of the Coen Brothers' neo-noir cult classic Blood Simple, which Peter excitedly wrote about back in July. The film now has a title, The First Gun (aka Amazing Tales: Three Guns), and an international trailer, which shows us just how different Zhang's version is. The Chinese filmmaker, acclaimed for numerous Oscar-nominated films, whether recognized in the foreign, cinematography or costume categories, recently confirmed that he added a lot of things and changed the whole tone from the Coens' version.

"We brought in a lot of comedic elements and changed the relationship and personalities of the characters," Zhang told Chinese website Sina.com.

Continue reading When Remakes Look Awesome: Zhang Yimou's "Blood Simple" Redo Has a Trailer, Rap Song

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]]>amazing tales: three gunsAmazingTales:ThreeGunsblood simpleBloodSimplechinese cinemaChineseCinemathe coen brothersthe first gunTheCoenBrothersTheFirstGunzhang yimouZhangYimouChristopher CampbellWed, 18 Nov 2009 14:45:00 EST'Oldboy' is Dead! Long Live the Real 'Oldboy!'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/10/oldboy-is-dead-long-live-the-real-oldboy/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/10/oldboy-is-dead-long-live-the-real-oldboy/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/10/oldboy-is-dead-long-live-the-real-oldboy/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Looks like our friends over at Latino Review have some news on that Oldboy remake that would have starred Will Smith with Steven Spielberg directing. The initial news about this remake (which actually would have been an adaptation of "the Japanese manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya") had fans of the uber-violent and disturbing cult film confused and distressed, to say the least. (Okay, irate. They were irate.) I haven't read the manga, but I find it hard to believe that it would be any easier to adapt for a Smith/Spielberg-type audience than the movie Oldboy itself. Either way, it's bananas.

So fans can rest easy because a trusted source has tipped off LR that the whole shebang is as dead as a doornail because "Mandate and DreamWorks didn't see eye to eye, therefore DreamWorks has apparently walked away." And the thing with Latino Review is that their trusted sources are, well, trustworthy, so expect more details soon -- and stories in the trade papers that will claim the same scoop. Tomorrow.

I just don't get the appeal of remaking foreign films for US audiences, especially now that services like Netflix and GreenCine can bring whatever obscure film you just read about on your friend's Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr to your home in a matter of days. Although it could have been fun to see Will Smith eating a live octopus and disposing of enemies in exceedingly violent ways while under the direction of Steven Spielberg, it's still insulting to assume that American audiences are somehow not smart enough to find these movies on our own. Or, gasp, read subtitles! Oh, the horror.

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]]>Chan-wook ParkChan-wookParkoldboyremakesteven spielbergStevenSpielbergwill smithWillSmithJenni MillerTue, 10 Nov 2009 10:32:00 ESTIs Pakistan's Film Industry Dying?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/08/is-pakistans-film-industry-dying/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/08/is-pakistans-film-industry-dying/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/08/is-pakistans-film-industry-dying/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Left to right: Hand painted movie poster, Peshawar, Pakistan, 2006 (photo by Jim Henry); The Odeon Cinema, Lahore, Pakistan, 2009 (photo by Rahat Ali Dar for Los Angeles Times).

You've heard of Bollywood, Nollywood, and even Dollywood, but what about Lollywood? Based in Lahore, the second-largest city in Pakistan (and home to the U.S. Consulate), Lollywood produced more than 100 movies annually back in the 70s and 80s. Today, however, "Pakistani cinema has all but vanished," writes Alex Rodriguez in Los Angeles Times. Reportedly, the number of movie theaters in the country has declined from 1,100 in 1985 to just 120 today, and local film production has shrunk to fewer than a dozen movies each year. It's gotten so bad, the theater pictured above has been playing the same movie for three years. The same movie, and evidently not by popular demand!

Most of the usual suspects are blamed, with one that is unique to the country: "VCR, cable television, President Muhammad Zia ul-Haq's Islamization of Pakistani society, and finally DVD piracy." (Emphasis added.) While film industries have weathered changes in viewing habits, it appears that government edicts played a big role in the collapse of the industry: "Many cinemas were shut down, the rest were heavily taxed. New laws that required producers to have college degrees thinned the ranks of movie makers. The message Zia ul-Haq's government was sending to society was clear, [theater owner Jahanzaib] Baig says: 'We were being told that filmmaking was a vulgar and bad business to be in.'"

Continue reading Is Pakistan's Film Industry Dying?

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]]>lahorelollywoodpakistan film industryPakistanFilmIndustrypakistani independent filmsPakistaniIndependentFilmsPeter MartinSun, 08 Nov 2009 09:02:00 ESTWatch This: Spider-Woman and Superman In Bollywood Lovehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/31/watch-this-spider-woman-and-superman-in-bollywood-love/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/31/watch-this-spider-woman-and-superman-in-bollywood-love/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/31/watch-this-spider-woman-and-superman-in-bollywood-love/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


In Bollywood, no filmmaker needs to worry about what studio owns the rights to what Marvel or DC character. Not even the boundaries between DC and Marvel have meaning, as evidenced by this delightful clip from India's Dariya Dil. Here, Superman shows off his dance moves on land and in the sky while courting Spider-Woman. Yep, Spider-Woman! Somewhere, Lois Lane is throwing a snit fit. It's hard enough to be secure knowing Wonder Woman is out there, but how can she compete with Jessica Drew's pheromones?

All joking aside, I think it's rather cool that at least one filmmaker in India decided Superman needed nothing less than a super woman as a costar (we still haven't done that here!), and that superheroines could use a nice afternoon in the sky. Can you imagine how hard it is for a superheroine to date a normal guy? He'd be threatened by her powers and fame, and jealous of her working relationship with the impossibly buff superheroes in her universe. This is probably the first date Spider-Woman has had in ages where she didn't have to play down her awesomeness.

This clip also demonstrates something else you'll never see in a stateside Marvel or DC adaptation: Song and Dance! India must not have a lot of supervillains running around, because these two are able to take time to learn some sexy steps. If you find yourself sniggering "How cheesy!", just remember that Lois Lane was supposed to sing to Superman in Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie. Every adaptation walks a fine line between The Dark Knight and Dariya Dil.

Go below the jump for the video. Thanks to Cory Casciato and Westword for highlighting it.

Continue reading Watch This: Spider-Woman and Superman In Bollywood Love

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]]>Bollywood SupermanBollywoodSupermanSpider-WomanSupermanElisabeth RappeSat, 31 Oct 2009 11:02:00 ESTScreamfest Review: The Human Centipede (First Sequence)http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/27/screamfest-review-the-human-centipede-first-sequence/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/27/screamfest-review-the-human-centipede-first-sequence/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/27/screamfest-review-the-human-centipede-first-sequence/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Regular Cinematical readers will remember that I've famously said I can never watch Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust thank to violence it commits against animals, but I have definitely seen my share of gross, weird, and deeply disturbing movies. Until recently, the most f*cked up thing I've ever watched is probably Jorg Buttgereit's 1987 film Nekromantik, which climaxes - literally - with a guy stabbing himself to death as he ejaculates blood. But Sunday's offerings at Screamfest offered a new contender in this dubious competition to show audiences the depths of human depravity: specifically, The Human Centipede is precisely the kind of cult sensation that earns immortality on the merits of its gobsmacking levels of gore, despite the fact that all in all it's really not a very good film.

Dieter Laser stars as Dr. Heiter, a reclusive German surgeon who specializes in separating conjoined twins. Pining for the loss of his beloved 3-dog - in fact, rottweilers that he surgically attached end-to-end - Heiter recruits a series of unwitting victims, including a trucker, two American tourists (Ashley C. Williams and Ashlynn Yennie), and a Japanese playboy (Akihiro Kitamura), for his latest experiment. But when his victims give him more trouble than he expects - including unwanted attention from the authorities - Dr. Heiter is forced to decide whether to abandon his latest project, or protect it from the outside world - with their and his very lives, if necessary.

Continue reading Screamfest Review: The Human Centipede (First Sequence)

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]]>akihiro kitamuraAkihiroKitamuraashley c. williamsAshleyC.Williamsashlynn yennieAshlynnYenniedevin faraciDevinFaracidieter laserDieterLaserscreamfestscreamfest 2009Screamfest2009the human centipedeThe Human Centipede First SequenceTheHumanCentipedeTheHumanCentipedeFirstSequencetom sixTomSixTodd GilchristTue, 27 Oct 2009 15:48:00 ESTIndie Spotlight: New Releases for Oct. 23http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/23/indie-spotlight-new-releases-for-oct-23/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/23/indie-spotlight-new-releases-for-oct-23/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/23/indie-spotlight-new-releases-for-oct-23/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD....

Ong Bak 2: The Beginning (pictured) is something of a prequel to Ong Bak, the Thai sensation from a few years ago. Tony Jaa, whose multi-discipline fighting skills are beyond impressive, plays a guy who fights a lot. Cinematical's Todd Gilchrist sums up the way many of us felt when we first caught the film at South By Southwest: The fight scenes are spectacular; unfortunately, the plot that holds them together is incomprehensible and takes itself too seriously. At Rotten Tomatoes, the critics are almost evenly split between yea and nay, with the only question being whether the awesomeness of the fights is enough to compensate for the dullness of the rest of it. Playing on 10 screens in New York, L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and Washington D.C.

Antichrist is an art-house horror film from Lars Von Trier, starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a grieving couple to whom some supernatural and terrible things happen. It's been appalling audiences since it premiered at Cannes this spring. The critics all seem to agree that it's repellent, grisly, unsettling, and hard to watch. Where they part company -- about evenly down the middle, so far -- is whether that's good or bad. Playing on one screen each in L.A., New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. It will also be available through some Video On Demand systems starting Oct. 28.

Continue reading Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Oct. 23

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]]>antichristfeaturedindie spotlightIndieSpotlightmotherhoodong bak 2OngBak2the wedding songTheWeddingSonguntitledEric D. SniderFri, 23 Oct 2009 17:02:00 ESTBring 'Lucky Luke' Stateside!http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/22/bring-lucky-luke-stateside/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/22/bring-lucky-luke-stateside/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/22/bring-lucky-luke-stateside/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


As you've probably noticed by now, I'm a sucker for Westerns. It took me awhile to warm up to the genre. I live on the high plains and have one gig giving Old West tours in petticoats to my credit, so they were hardly escapism. Of course, now that I finally like them, there's just not that many being made. Lately, there's stirs of a re-imagining going on. Filmmakers and audiences are realizing Westerns can be fun again and in a repeat of the 1960s, the charge is coming from overseas. Film fans already know about Asia's madcap forays into the genre with The Good, the Bad, and the Weird, Sukiyaki Western Django, and the upcoming The Warrior's Way. But now France is getting in on the draw with Lucky Luke, and TwitchFilm has nabbed a trailer for it.

Lucky Luke is based on a French comic series, which (as per Wikipedia) was equal parts satire and good old fashioned Western. He's your typical lone gunslinger, wandering the borders in search of injustice, a heavy burden weighing on his shoulders, a deep characterization that's a bit at odds with its simplistic art. (He looks a bit like Woody from Toy Story.) How it spawned this crazy, stylish, bullet-ridden feature is a mystery, but it did, and I'm thankful. I'm desperate to see this, and to be better acquainted with Jean Dujardin. Ooh la la.

The trailer is embedded below the jump. Watch it, and join Twitchfilm, CHUD, and Cinematical in demanding a stateside release. You know you want to spend more time in this vision of the Old West.

[via CHUD]

Continue reading Bring 'Lucky Luke' Stateside!

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]]>jean dujardinJeanDujardinLucky LukeLuckyLukeElisabeth RappeThu, 22 Oct 2009 11:18:00 ESTBox Office: Amelia's Astro Freakshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/21/box-office-amelias-astro-freaks/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/21/box-office-amelias-astro-freaks/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/21/box-office-amelias-astro-freaks/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Things went wild this past weekend as Where the Wild Things Are took top honors. The action flick Law Abiding Citizen also premiered well and Paranormal Activity continues to astound, taking third place while only playing in 760 theaters. Here's the top five:

1. Where the Wild Things Are: $32.7 million
2. Law Abiding Citizen: $21 million
3. Paranormal Activity: $19.6 million
4. Couples Retreat: $17.2 million
5. The Stepfather: $11.6 million

Four new releases this week, three of which will be putting the Halloween spirit into people.

Amelia
What's It All About: Hilary Swank and Richard Gere star in this biopic of aviator Amelia Earhart who disappeared during an attempt to fly around the world.
Why It Might Do Well: A historical drama is a pretty good counter programmer to all the horror and fantasy movies currently in release.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Right now we're looking at 17% at Rottentomatoes.com.
Number of Theaters: 800
Prediction: $6 million

Astro Boy
What's It All About: Adaptation of the classic anime (that itself takes a page from Pinocchio) about a robot boy with incredible powers.
Why It Might Do Well: 73% at Rottentomatoes.com ain't too shabby.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Will this character that originated in the 1950s translate well in the twenty-first century?
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $16 million

Continue reading Box Office: Amelia's Astro Freaks

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]]>AmeliaAstro BoyAstroBoyCinemaCinematicalCirque du Freak: The Vampires AssistantCirqueDuFreak:TheVampiresAssistantMoviesSaw VISawViMatt BradshawWed, 21 Oct 2009 20:32:00 ESTTrailer Park: Broken Toys, Serious Embraceshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/21/trailer-park-broken-toys-serious-embraces/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/21/trailer-park-broken-toys-serious-embraces/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/21/trailer-park-broken-toys-serious-embraces/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Toy Story 3
Full length trailer for the Disney/Pixar sequel in which Andy goes off to college leaving Woody, Buzz and the gang to be donated to a daycare center. Looks like a worthy successor to the franchise. The toys start getting real again on June 18.

Serious Moonlight
In sort of a romantic comedy take on Misery, Meg Ryan plays a woman who duct tapes her cheating husband (Timothy Hutton) to the toilet and refuses to release him until he loves her again. Could be a cute idea but it's got a "wait for the DVD" feel. Watch for this one on December 4.

Dear John
Channing Tatum plays a soldier home on leave who falls in love with a college student (Amanda Seyfried) and carries on a long correspondence (hence the title) once he returns to duty. This is out on February 5.

The Missing Person
Filmnoir about a PI hired to tale a man who we eventually learn supposedly died on 9/11. I love the retro look and style of this one which will be out some time in 2009.

Broken Embraces
The synopsis for this one sounds intriguing -- a man chooses to ignore the life he lived before the accident that caused his blindness and killed his beloved -- but I don't see any of that in the trailer. On the plus side, Penelope Cruz is as stunning as ever. This will be playing New York on November 20 and Los Angeles on December 11.

New this week on AOL Moviefone:
  • The Crazies - Remake of a George Romero film in which a small town is exposed to a chemical that drives the residents murderously insane.
  • Disney's A Christmas Carol - Second trailer for the Disney holiday flick.
  • Tooth Fairy - Dwayne Johnson stars as an unscrupulous hockey player who is forced to work as a tooth fairy.
  • Shutter Island - Second trailer for Martin Scorsese's latest. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a Federal Marshall sent to investigate the disappearance of a dangerous inmate at a mental asylum.
  • Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakquel - Second trailer for the second film starring Jason Lee and a trio of pop song singing CGI rodents.
  • Red Cliff - Historical drama set in China in 208 A.D.
  • The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus - Terry Gilliam's latest about a man who dares to thwart the devil not once but twice.
  • The Book of Eli - 31 years after global war has ravaged the planet a man seeks to protect a book that could save humanity.
  • The Messenger - Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson star as U.S. soldiers with the unenviable task of informing people that their loved one has been killed in action.

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]]>Broken EmbracesBrokenEmbracesCinemaCinematicalDear JohnDearJohnMoviesSerious MoonlightSeriousMoonlightThe Missing PersonTheMissingPersonToy Story 3ToyStory3Matt BradshawWed, 21 Oct 2009 15:02:00 ESTIndie Roundup: 'Bluebeard,' 'Chloe,' 'Uncertainty,' 'Tao,' 'The Maid'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/21/indie-roundup-bluebeard-chloe-uncertainty-tao-the/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/21/indie-roundup-bluebeard-chloe-uncertainty-tao-the/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/21/indie-roundup-bluebeard-chloe-uncertainty-tao-the/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Cinematical's Indie Roundup

After a one-week break for bad behavior, Indie Roundup returns, refreshed and ready to sum up what's new and what's been happening in the independent film community.

Deals. Multiple deals have been made in the last two weeks, indieWIRE reports, notably involving higher-profile directors Catherine Breillat (Bluebeard, based on a classic fairy tale, will hit theaters next spring, courtesy of Strand Releasing) and Atom Egoyan (Chloe, starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, and Amanda Seyfried, due in the first half of 2010 through Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group). Of the latter, an erotic thriller, Monika Bartyzel wrote: "Chloe might not connect on a personal level, it does trap you into these lurid lives that flirt with every notion of bad behavior. I just wish they were characters I could love or hate, or simply feel for."

Director Chris Smith may be lower-profile, but fans of American Movie and The Yes Men (me! me!) will be glad to know that his latest work, Collapse, will hit theaters and VOD simultanteously next month. Kevin Kelly posted an exclusive poster and provided release dates, as well as a tidbit about the doc. Also coming to theaters and VOD next month is suspense thriller Uncertainty, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins; indieWIRE has more details on that one.

Online Viewing. As practically the only film critic in America who liked Couples Retreat, I feel honor bound to tell you that one of its stars, Faizon Love, had a much better showcase for his talents in Tao of the Golden Mask, which he wrote and directed. It streams exclusively on Babelgum this month. And Ti West's Trigger Man is finally available at iTunes Movie store.

The Maid cleans up -- after the jump!

Continue reading Indie Roundup: 'Bluebeard,' 'Chloe,' 'Uncertainty,' 'Tao,' 'The Maid'

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]]>bluebeardchloecollapseindie roundupindie weekend box officeIndieRoundupIndieWeekendBoxOfficeparanormal activityParanormalActivitytao of the golden maskTaoOfTheGoldenMaskthe maidTheMaidtrigger manTriggerManuncertaintyPeter MartinWed, 21 Oct 2009 09:48:00 ESTWatch This: Timur Bekmambetov's Flying Car Moviehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/19/watch-this-timur-bekmambetovs-flying-car-movie/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/19/watch-this-timur-bekmambetovs-flying-car-movie/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/19/watch-this-timur-bekmambetovs-flying-car-movie/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Who wants to see a foreign action flick about a hero with a flying car? Me, not so much - that is, until I heard that Russian director Timur Bekmambetov was on board as producer. I absolutely loved Bekmambetov's modern day sci-fi film Night Watch and its sequel, Day Watch. While his Hollywood debut, Wanted, left me a little apathetic, I'll still give anything that Bekmambetov's hard-to-pronounce name is attached to, especially if it looks as fun as Black Lightning.

The special effects-laden action pic follows a college student who drives an old, used Volga (from the looks of it, a late 1950s model) that can fly and do other awesome things -- short of transforming into a giant robot -- that allow its driver to become a crime-fighting hero.

Watch the full trailer (in Russian) after the jump.

Continue reading Watch This: Timur Bekmambetov's Flying Car Movie

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]]>Jen YamatoMon, 19 Oct 2009 19:03:00 ESTCinematical Seven: Bai Ling's Favorite Bai Ling Love Sceneshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/14/cinematical-seven-bai-lings-favorite-bai-ling-love-scenes/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/14/cinematical-seven-bai-lings-favorite-bai-ling-love-scenes/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/14/cinematical-seven-bai-lings-favorite-bai-ling-love-scenes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Chinese-American actress Bai Ling had her breakout role in 1997's Red Corner, a courtroom drama in which she defended Richard Gere from a corrupt government trial - romancing him, naturally, along the way. But since then, Ling has played a streak of bad girls and scantily-clad seductresses that put her equally-sensual public persona front and center, in films ranging from Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow to this year's Crank: High Voltage. Even in her latest film, the independent drama A Beautiful Life, Ling plays a stripper - albeit one with a heart of gold.

Some might argue that her career choices lean toward female objectification, and they wouldn't be wrong. But there's something wholly empowered about the way Bai Ling tackles her film roles. Sure, she's played her fair share of strippers, prostitutes, and femme fatales, but does it matter if she totally owns and embraces those characters more given in to their carnal impulses?

After the jump, Bai Ling names her favorite Bai Ling love scenes of all time.

Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Bai Ling's Favorite Bai Ling Love Scenes

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]]>Bai LingJen YamatoWed, 14 Oct 2009 22:32:00 ESTMovie Genres Lars von Trier Has Already Pwnedhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/12/movie-genres-lars-von-trier-has-already-pwned/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/12/movie-genres-lars-von-trier-has-already-pwned/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/12/movie-genres-lars-von-trier-has-already-pwned/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Hot on the heels of his controversial psychological horror tale, Antichrist (Hey, it pulled him out of a deep depression!) Lars von Trier has revealed that his next film will be Planet Melancholia, a science fiction-romance-disaster movie that will combine von Trier's Dogme-style leanings with minimal special effects, and involve a plot that producing partner Peter Aalbaek Jensen called "romantic, in a Lord Byron sort of way." (Von Trier would only comment, "No more happy endings!" Because really, he's made way too many cheerful films.)

On the one hand, tackling the realm of science fiction seems totally uncharacteristic of the Danish auteur, who's known best for his association with the minimalist Dogme 95 movement and for making some wildly dark and provocative films. But on the other hand, what has von Trier's career been but a series of genre exercises? Even when he abandoned the stringent rules of Dogme filmmaking (to date he's only really made one true Dogme film, The Idiots) he kept the idea that creativity comes with constraint - and after all, what is a genre but a thematic constraint?

Never mind the fact that genre films are strictly no-nos in the Dogme world; some of von Trier's best films have been genre pics. Behold, after the jump:

Continue reading Movie Genres Lars von Trier Has Already Pwned

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]]>Jen YamatoMon, 12 Oct 2009 21:18:00 ESTFantastic Fest Review: Merantauhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/09/fantastic-fest-review-merantau/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/09/fantastic-fest-review-merantau/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/09/fantastic-fest-review-merantau/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Just as bad business and worse storytelling conspire to rob us of the physical glory that is Tony Jaa, in steps Indonesia's Iko Uwais, bringing the martial art of silat to the big screen in a big way with Merantau.

Yuda (Uwais) leaves his small farming village on "merantau," a rite of passage meant to demonstrate a young man's independence from his family. However, life is tough once he arrives in Jakarta, and tougher still once he steps in to help Astri (Sisca Jessica) as she's bullied by first her boss, then the head of a European human trafficking ring (Mads Koudal).

Continue reading Fantastic Fest Review: Merantau

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]]>fantastic festfantastic fest 2009FantasticFestFantasticFest2009ff09gareth evansGarethEvansiko uwaisIkoUwaismerantauWilliam GossFri, 09 Oct 2009 20:18:00 ESTLiam Neeson Knows Where He'll Be For 'The Next Three Days'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/05/liam-neeson-knows-where-hell-be-for-the-next-three-days/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/05/liam-neeson-knows-where-hell-be-for-the-next-three-days/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/05/liam-neeson-knows-where-hell-be-for-the-next-three-days/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

I'm beginning to think that Liam Neeson owns Hermione Granger's Time Turner, or that he has a lifelong supply of Red Bull because he's signed on for another role -- and this one would appear to be filming simultaneously with The A-Team. According to The Hollywood Reporter reports that Neeson has just joined Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks in Paul Haggis' The Next Three Days.

Days is a remake of the 2008 French thriller Pour Elle, and accuses an ordinary woman (Banks) of a gruesome crime she insists she didn't commit. She's sent to prison and becomes suicidal, and her desperate husband (Crowe) plots to break her out. (Ah, love!) But she'll have a little help from Neeson, who plays an ex-con who has broken out of prison multiple times, wrote a how-to guide about it, and offers his assistance to Crowe. The role is being described as "cameo in nature" which suggests Neeson might be narrating his own Dummy's Guide to Escaping From Prison, or is at least available to Crowe by cell phone to work out the tougher bits.

Filming just started on Days in Pittsburgh last Friday, and wraps on December 12. The A-Team just started filming too, so I'm honestly surprised that their schedules can coincide so neatly. Maybe Neeson is ducking down to Pittsburgh and filming this one on the weekends. I think they're missing a prime opportunity here to tie The Next Three Days into The A-Team universe. If there's one thing Hannibal Smith knows anything about, it's being accused of crimes you didn't commit, and evading the law until you're free of them.

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]]>elizabeth banksElizabethBanksLiam NeesonLiamNeesonLionsgatePaul HaggisPaulHaggisPour EllePourElleRussell CroweRussellCroweThe Next Three DaysTheNextThreeDaysElisabeth RappeMon, 05 Oct 2009 15:18:00 EST'Let the Right One In' Remake Gets Its Casthttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/01/let-the-right-one-in-remake-gets-its-cast/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/01/let-the-right-one-in-remake-gets-its-cast/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/01/let-the-right-one-in-remake-gets-its-cast/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Overture Films' remake of Sweden's critically acclaimed Let the Right One In has been decried as unnecessary by a lot of critics and film fans. But it's happening no matter how much digital ink we spend complaining about it, and at least they have gone and hired themselves one heck of a cast. In an official press release, Overture has announced that Richard Jenkins, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Chloe Moretz have been cast in Let Me In.

The roles are the same, though the names have been Americanized. Smit-McPhee will be playing Owen, the lonely boy who befriends the strange smelling girl who haunts his apartment complex. Moretz will be playing Abby, the immortal with a child's face. Jenkins will play her caretaker, Hakan. (They haven't decided what to change the name to, I guess. I bet you'll see him renamed Hank or Henry before long.) While I haven't seen enough of Moretz to judge her work, I know Smit-McPhee and Jenkins will be fantastic. (If you haven't rented Romulus, My Father, do so! Its a wonderful film, and it'll give you a preview of what you can expect out of Smit-McPhee in The Road.)

Of course, the performances will all depend on how the troubling, eerie story is handled by director Matt Reeves. If the nuances of the characters are bungled, then it won't matter how good the cast is. Let Me In begins filming in New Mexico (now there's a departure from the Swedish snow) this fall, and will hit theaters January 15, 2010.

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]]>chloe moretzChloeMoretzkodi smit-mcpheeKodiSmit-mcpheeLet Me InLet the Right One InLet the Right One In remakeLetMeInLetTheRightOneInLetTheRightOneInRemakeMatt ReevesMattReevesovertureoverture filmsOvertureFilmsRichard JenkinsRichardJenkinsElisabeth RappeThu, 01 Oct 2009 19:02:00 ESTIndie Roundup: 'Wonderful World,' 'Capitalism,' and 'Paranormal'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/30/indie-roundup-wonderful-world-capitalism-and-paranormal/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/30/indie-roundup-wonderful-world-capitalism-and-paranormal/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/30/indie-roundup-wonderful-world-capitalism-and-paranormal/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

Cinematical's Indie Roundup

Every week, look for Indie Roundup to provide a snapshot of what's been happening in the independent film world.

News. Have you been keeping up with the foreign-language film submissions for the Academy Awards? Our friends at indieWIRE have compiled a very handy list, ahead of the Academy's official release. More than 50 countries have made their choices known, while more than a dozen portential entries have not yet been announced. Notable flicks include The White Ribbon (Germany), Forever Enthralled (China), A Prophet (France), and Police, Adjective (Romania).

Deals. Matthew Broderick stars in Wonderful World, which will be released by Magnolia Pictures in early 2010, according to indieWIRE. Josh Goldin (Darkman scripter) makes his directorial debut. Broderick plays a "failed children's folk singer and less-than-extraordinary weekend dad" who becomes involved with his Senegalese roommate's sister. Romance and either heartache or happiness -- or perhaps both -- follow.

Indie Weekend Box Office. No surprises last weekend, as Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story blew away the competition, averaging $57,991 at the four theaters where it opened in New York and Los Angeles, per the calculations of Box Office Mojo. While the totals are good so far, they're not extraordinary, and the real test will come as it expands across the country. As always, the question remains: will the heartland embrace the provocations of Michael Moore?

How did the four other indie openers perform? Read more after the jump!

Continue reading Indie Roundup: 'Wonderful World,' 'Capitalism,' and 'Paranormal'

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]]>Peter MartinWed, 30 Sep 2009 19:45:00 ESTFantastic Fest Review: Fish Storyhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/30/fish-story-review/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/30/fish-story-review/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/30/fish-story-review/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



Why review a Japanese-language film without sensational violence, naked ninjas, or giant robots? Because when it's a movie as smartly comic, raggedly rocking, warmly appealing, and richly rewarding as Yoshihiro Nakamura's Fish Story, you want the whole world to know. Or, at least, people who don't happen to be in Austin right now.

Not that Fish Story is the best movie ever made, but it certainly deserves to be seen by a wider audience than will have a chance to see it at special events like Fantastic Fest. And distributors tend to shy away from films that don't have easily marketable elements, like those mentioned in the opening line. In several important ways, this is a rather modest little flick, and I don't want to hype it out of proportion to its relative merits. But I must say: Fish Story engages, delights, and surprises as it criss-crosses wildly through the decades, and I think it's the kind of movie that a broad variety of people would enjoy, if only they had a chance to sample its many pleasures.

Rather than a fish, or fishes, the linchpin of the narrative is a song entitled "Fish Story," recorded by an obscure Japanese punk band in 1975 (one year before the Sex Pistols were formed). Unappreciated in their own time, the band's song takes on a life of its own over the years, still entrancing listeners in a record store in 2012. A comet is about to strike the earth, and mankind only has five hours left to live. With the rest of the populace departed to supposedly safer high ground, three men come together, listening to the record and fantasizing that, somehow, the song will be able to save the world.

Continue reading Fantastic Fest Review: Fish Story

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]]>fantastic festFantasticFestff09fish storyFishStoryFisshu sutôrîFisshuSutôrîyoshihiro nakamuraYoshihiroNakamuraPeter MartinWed, 30 Sep 2009 10:05:00 ESTStudio Ghibli's New Film... and More Miyazakihttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/29/studio-ghiblis-new-film-and-more-miyazaki/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/29/studio-ghiblis-new-film-and-more-miyazaki/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/29/studio-ghiblis-new-film-and-more-miyazaki/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Studio GhibliDirector Isao Takahata, who co-founded Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki, has revealed that he will be directing his first feature-length flick since 1999's My Neighbors the Yamadas. Takahata, who also wrote and directed the tear-jerker Grave of the Fireflies, will be taking on the classic folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, or Taketori Monogatari.

According to Asian Pulse, "Taketori Monogatari has directly and indirectly inspired many Japanese manga and anime, such as Sailormoon and Inuyasha. This beloved story is considered to be the oldest surviving example of Japanese narrative... A little baby is found inside the stalk of a glowing plant by a bamboo cutter. He takes her home, and raises her with his wife as their own daughter, and they give her the name Kaguya-Hime (radiant-night princess). She grows into a beautiful adult woman, with many suitors, even the Emperor of Japan - and she rebuffs them all. Then, things become even more complicated as her true lineage becomes revealed, and her special relationship with the moon."

Although this famous tale has been the subject of many movies (Empire Online notes that it was also the subject of Kon Ichikawa's Taketori Monogatari, aka Princess from the Moon) this is the first time that Ghibli has ventured into folklore territory.

Asian Pulse also revealed that the revered Miyazaki, who wrote and directed Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and My Neighbor Totoro, just to name a few, is in discussions to do two more features in the next three years.

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is slated for a 2010 release.

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]]>falsegrave of the firefliesGraveOfTheFireflieshayao miyazakiHayaoMiyazakihowls moving castleHowlsMovingCastleIsao TakahataIsaoTakahatamy neighbor totoromy neighbors the yamadasMyNeighborsTheYamadasMyNeighborTotoroponyoprincess mononokePrincessMononokespirited awaySpiritedAwaystudio ghibliStudioGhiblithe tale of the bamboo cutterTheTaleOfTheBambooCutterJenni MillerTue, 29 Sep 2009 18:15:00 EST