Details are scarce as of right now, but Scott Adkins Fanz has a little background info on the myth that revolves around the characters.

During Amphitryon’s absence, Alcmene (Hercule’s mother) became pregnant by Zeus, who disguised himself as Amphitryon, when he visited her; she then became pregnant again by her real husband upon his return. Of these unions were born twin boys, of whom Iphicles was the son of Amphitryon, Hercules the son of Zeus.

This sounds like an interesting concept, though a lot needs to be done to make this feel fresh for audiences. I’m not a big fan of 3D, but it’s a necessary evil at this rate, so I’ll deal with it. Hopefully Adkins has a prominent role and not one that’s more like a cameo for this film. I’ll let you know of more details as I come across them, but feel free to sound off on what you think about the film and what you are excited for.

Source: Scott Adkins Fanz

I’m really on the fence for this film. There needs to be a lot going for this film to be Tony’s comeback film, and the 3D might be too gimmicky. Hopefully we’ll get an official trailer in a few weeks so we can see if it’s really worth all of the hype.

Next up are 7 character posters for Seven Assassins. This film seemingly came out of nowhere, and I don’t know how good it will really be. The trailer looks decent enough, but there needs to be another one to really send this one home. For the time being, get to know what each character will look like.

It’s clear that 2013 is a great year to be an action fan, and it’s never a bad thing to have too many films to watch. I’ll keep you guys posted on news as soon as I learn about it.

If you are part of Riot ACT, chances are good that you won’t be making it to work in one piece.  Todd’s walk to work is a continuation of the series, and adds more of everything we love. Give it a look:

Fight of the Week: Todd’s Walk to Work

I like this series and how diverse the team can really get. Even though the concept is simple, each fight is different and unique. Also, great cameo from the Action Playground as well. Check out the Riot ACT Channel as well as the Action Playground Channel to see what else the teams have to offer. Great job guys!

Yesterday was full of images, but today I’ve got 3 brand new trailers to show you guys. Keeping with the Donnie Yen theme, let’s start off with the teaser trailer for the Iceman Cometh.

Iceman Teaser

It looks like this film will be epic in every sense of the word. The fights look well done and intense, while the effects don’t look all that bad. Yes, the 3D is still gimmicky, but I can live with that. It’s easy to see why it’s taking so long to get everything completed, though I don’t know how this film will really be after it’s split in two. The Iceman looks like it’s going to deliver on all fronts, and I can’t wait to see more.

Next up is the film that has been getting mixed reception from audiences, Badges of Fury.

Badges of Fury Trailer

Personally, I’m not really feeling this film anymore. The first trailer was awkward, but this takes it to a whole new level. It’s clearly a comedy before anything else, and not a well done one at that. While I’ll still check it out, I’d rather see Jet take more dramatic roles than do something like this. It’s a shame since the premise sounded so cool, but it would take a lot to win me back over for this one.

Lastly, let’s end the post with a trailer for Dustin Nguyen’s Once Upon a Time in Vietnam courtesy of Beyond Hollywood:

Once Upon a Time in Vietnam is one of those movies that comes out of nowhere and demands attention. It’s got a solid story, interesting characters, and action that will please anyone. It will be curious to see how people respond to this film, but it may help put Vietnam on the map.

All 3 movies are very different and will garner different reactions. What did you guys think? Which one are you most excited for?

The first is the one I want to talk about is one that is complete, but in legal limbo. Check out the teaser poster for Special Identity.

In case you don’t know, Special Identity is has been completed, but there are a lot of “issues” surrounding it. The story is based on an undercover officer who is with a gang lead by Collin Chou. Chou’s character is determined to find the rats that are around him, taking out Yen’s colleagues one by one. The pressure is high and everything is at stake as Yen does his best to protect his identity while doing his job.

This is probably the biggest movie by Donnie Yen that I am looking forward to this year. Yeah, the plot and cast are similar to Flash Point, but who cares? I’ve even heard that the trailer has been previewed and will be very similar. Can’t wait to see this one in action!

The next film Donnie will be working on is a joint production with Emperor Motion Pictures. It is known as the Last of the Best, and will also star Charlie Young and Michelle Bai. The film will be directed by Teddy Chen, who last directed Bodyguards and Assassins with Donnie.

The film will revolve around a former martial arts instructor who accidentally kills someone and is imprisoned. There are soon a string of serial killings, forcing the police to turn to Yen for help in exchange for his freedom. I think that the film sounds interesting and could be good, though Donnie seems to kill people “by accident” often. Filming will start later this year and the film will be released in the summer of next year.

Lastly, we have some more news on the sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Known as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon II: Green Destiny, the film will star both Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh. The script was written by John Fusco (who wrote the Forbidden Kingdom) and will be based off of the fifth book in the series.

The film will be directed by Yuen Woo-ping, who served as the choreographer for the Ang Lee film. Filming will take place in Malaysia and will start in 2014 with a tentative release in 2015. While it doesn’t surprise me that Yuen Woo-ping is the director, the films he directs are very hit and miss. Let’s hope this film lives up to everyone expectations, as we all know that’s a very tall order.

So, what movie are you most excited for? It’s pretty easy to see that Donnie Yen isn’t going anywhere for a while.

Finishing Blow Episode 101

Lots of stuff to explore this week! Congrats to the winner of the drawing! (Be sure to e-mail me your address a kmiller.mamj@gmail.com)

Donnie Yen and Wilson Yip Depart Ip Man 3

The Forge Gives Strength to Those in Pain

Leeder and Law Join the Berandal Cast

Fight of the Week: Yo Soy Un Hombre Loco

Details on Swelter and Justice

Posters for the Iceman Cometh 3D and Police Story 2013

Images for Man of Tai Chi

King Boxer Review

Background Info

Known as the film that started the “kung fu craze” in the US, The Five Fingers of Death (or King Boxer) has a huge reputation and following behind it. The film stars Lieh Lo, a superstar that precedes Bruce Lee.  While typically cast as the villain in films, Lo plays a good guy who is faced with fighting several different foes. With director Chang-hwa Jeong behind the lens, does this film have all of the necessary elements to be a successful film?

King Boxer Trailer

Story/Characters

The story to King Boxer is a simple one, but one that’s told in a respectable manner. The main character, Chao Chih-Hao experiences several different events that change his path during the course of the film. There are several different threads that are dangled in front of the viewer, but they all tie together nicely and there aren’t any real loose ends to speak of. The only thing that seemed odd was the passage of time. One character would say that a year had passed while others mentioned that they had seen Chih-Hao a few days ago. Then again, this could be translation error or people’s differing ways of telling time.

The characters themselves don’t fare as well as the story does. Chih-Hao, in particular, seems to fluctuate between silent nobody to hardened killer too often. Characters in the film seem to change based on the needs of the story, such as when one villain lets someone live only to kill them in the following scenes. Touching back on the passage of time, there are several instances where fighter become masters too quickly to be logical. Things like being a fighter after losing eyesight on the same day and healing broken hands in just a month. I know I’m being picky, but it does detract from the overall experience.

Action/Choreography

It’s interesting to see how far along martial arts films have come. By today’s standards, the action is passable, but nothing amazing. There is a lot of aerial action and doubling for falls, which seems out of place, but the hand to hand combat is at least solid. I find it humorous that throws and jump kicks are the most devastating attacks, but that’s just being nitpicky. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that this film inspired a lot of the aerial fights that we see nowadays in action films, either. King Boxer is not a fast paced fight-fest, but it’s something that should be appreciated nonetheless.

Own it, Watch it, Try it, or Skip it?

It’s hard for me to recommend King Boxer to those that haven’t seen it. It’s apparent that nostalgia plays a HUGE role in how much people will like this film. I didn’t enjoy this film as much as I have other Shaw Bros. films, but I can respect the roots of martial arts cinema. If you are curious about the evolution of fighting and storytelling, give it a look. If you don’t consider yourself a hardcore fan, I think you can pass this one by and be ok.

Try it

King Boxer DVD (US Verion)

Keanu Reeves’ Man of Tai Chi is a film that caught me off guard. I didn’t think much of it until I saw the concept trailer and teaser, but things are shaping up to be really interesting. Some new images of the film were released today, and it’s pretty easy to see that there will be a fair share of fighting as well as some crime/mystery mixed in.

I really think this movie is going to take people by surprise, and that’s always a good thing. Don’t forget that Iko Uwais is also said to have a part in the film, and I’m sure there will be plenty of other surprises in store for fans as well.

Source: Film Smash

Here is the one for Police Story 2013, which I think is a drastic change in tone for a Jackie Chan film.

I can tell that both films are going for something different. The Iceman Cometh remake is clearly going for the “epic” story while Police Story is more personal and gritty. I think that both films will have a big impact in different ways, and hopefully we’ll see a trailer for them in the coming weeks.

It looks like every action star has a full schedule this year, and I’m not complaining about that at all. Let’s start with JCVD’s new film called Swelter. In it, Van Damme plays a bank robber that works with his crew to steal $100 million dollars. Naturally, some of them are caught and ten years pass. By this time, Van Damme is a sheriff of a small town, somehow forgetting about his turbulent past. Some of his former members find him and demand to know what happened to the money, which is where the action will heat up.

This story seems basic enough, and it will all depend on how the material is handled to determine how things go. It could be something deep and emotional like Gran Tourino or A History of Violence, or be something like the Last Stand.

Another person that seems to be getting a lot of job offers is Dolph Lundgren. The man has pretty much worked with all of the Expendables by now, and word is that he’s teaming up with Cung Le for a new film called Justice (or maybe Certain Justice or Justice is Coming.) There aren’t very many details about the film except that it’s something that Le has kept close to his chest for years now. He’s called it a blend between First Blood and No Country for Old Men. The film is going to be directed by James Coyne.

I’m glad to see that there are so many different talents working together, and hopefully that will give us fans something to look forward to. I’ll keep you guys posted when I learn more about each film, but feel free to state how excited you are (or aren’t) for these two films that are coming out.

Source: City on Fire