Finishing Blow Episode 91
It’s been a crazy week, but a lot of stuff to check out. Don’t miss a thing!
New Trailer for the Borderland
Gordon Liu Reported Missing (UPDATE!)
09th Mar2013
0 Comm
07th Mar2013
The B-Team Assembles
For the most part, everyone is happy with the casting of the Expendables films. You have a lot of big names on the screen, and the action never stops. While most of the bigger names have been contacted for roles in these movies, there are a select few that never got the same opportunity to make a comeback.
Well, that’s about to change with the B-Team
The B-Team is a film that is being handled by Don “the Dragon” Wilson and Michael Dudikoff from American Ninja. Other names include Cynthia Rothrock and Jeff Speakman. However, there is a huge catalog of names that may be added to the roster as well. They include Richard Norton, mark Dacascos, Billy Blanks, Jerry Trimble, and Loren Avedon.
You might be wondering how everyone will share the screen, and Don Wilson has the answer to that.
” there’s a lot of bad guys and good guys in it, there’s room for anybody thats going to be available. They would only be in for a few days and then out, the ones I listed, we would have to be in New Guinea the entire shoot but the other actors can come and go. There’s plenty of action and the game plan is to get as many guys as we can get in. I literally know everyone of them!’
Want to know more about the story? Give this synopsis a read:
Far from the excitement of Port Moresby in PNG, jettisoning skyward is the awe inspiring Volcanic Rim of Rabaul. This Ancient and beautiful place has an intriguing and tumultuous history. Deep in the jungle/forest near Rabaul’s base, a group of archeologist unearth a highly-developed, ancient civilization. Among the amazing relics found, a mysterious amulet is discovered that is believed to hold long forgotten technological secrets. Secrets that could threaten the welfare of the planet. This amulet had remained forever lost, until now.
When world powers learn of this discovery, rogue groups from around the world race to capture the amulet and its secrets. The amulet’s secrets would give the owner great power. The Prime Minister of PNG requests that the President of the United States send an elite team of Military operatives to return the amulet to its rightful place. Rising to the call for action, the President dispatches both an elite team and a backup team of action movie heroes (Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock & more). They enter PNG under the guise of making an action film, when in reality; it is their mission to return the amulet. They are THE B-TEAM and this, is their story.
In order to keep up the facade that the B-TEAM Members Wilson, Rothrock and co are just shooting a movie, they bring their family members along as added cover. While the Team risks their lives; their families discover the extraordinary beauty and sites of PNG. Through various missions, chases, fights, streaks of good luck, streaks of bad luck and treks through the jungle (Shenanigans, etc.) The heroes get close to securing the amulet while appearing to be making a film. The elite team ends up serving as a distraction to the rouge groups, etc while the B-Team-ers make exceptional progress.
So, there you have it. Personally, I’m excited to hear about this project. Hopefully some of the actors get a second wind in their careers and the action is solid. Something makes me think that the fighting will be better because they won’t have the big budget, but we’ll see. It’ll be fun to see everyone sharing the same screen, even in the B-list arena.
Are you guys excited? Who would you like to see?
Source: Impact Online
25th Aug2012
Finishing Blow Episode 63
I want to go ahead an apologize for the camerawork on this one. I was trying to make a conscious decision to lift the camera up higher to stay in frame, but I guess I was tilting it up too much. I don’t have a front facing scree, so I apologize for the bad framework. I’ll be better next time!
Female Expendables on the Way?
Tai Chi 0 + Hip Hop = This (UPDATED)
A Trailer and Some Clips for Blood Money
23rd Aug2012
Jackie Chan Named #1 Action Star
The NY Daily News recently had a top 20 “Action Movie Stars of All Time” list, and I’m happy to say that Jackie earned the top spot. The list was compiled in response to all of the action stars that use CGI now.
I can’t seem to find the English version of the list, so I’ve toiled away at listing the names from the Chinese article I found on MTime. Here is everyone that was listed.
(By the way, this took forever to figure out who was who in Chinese.)
- Jackie Chan
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Douglas Fairbanks
- Sylvester Stallone
- Bruce Lee
- Charles Bronson
- Harrison Ford
- Clint Eastwood
- Jet Li
- Errol Flynn
- Michelle Yeoh
- Bruce Willis
- John Wayne
- Steve Mcqueen
- Jason Statham
- Vin Diesel
- Chow Yun-Fat
- Wesley Snipes
- Toshihiro Mifune
- Cynthia Rothrock
Congrats to Jackie on getting the top spot. I feel he’s earned it after all of the work he’s done for the industry, but what about you guys? Do you think Jackie should have been #1, or that he really doesn’t need to be praised that much? I feel like a lot of people were left off of the list (like Iko Uwais, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao, for starters) but maybe they weren’t “action stars.”
Feel free to sound off!
Source: Mtime.com and Jackie’s Official Page
28th Mar2012
White Tiger and Lone Wolf and Cub Details
It looks like this week is going to be just crazy with announcements for new films (and hey, I’m not complaining.)
The first project that I want to talk about is called White Tiger. There are a lot of names attatched to the film, but people are getting excited over the fact that Cynthia Rothrock and Don Wilson will be appearing onscreen for the first time in 8 years. Rothrock will play the main villain while Wilson will be teaming up with Matt Mullins (who will play the lead.)
Several other big names are attached to the project, including Joe Lewis, Kazu Tang from Raging Phoenix, and Thai actress Yui. Toby Russell directed the film, which was shot in Thailand and Papua New Guinea. Post-production has started on the film, which is slated to release later this year.
While I’m all for seeing familiar faces on the screen, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a little worried. A lot of stars are stepping back into the spotlight, and I’m not saying these stars haven’t been working since their debuts. There is just this question of “are they still up to it?” Some stars have proven audiences wrong while others seem to simply have run out of steam. I’m really hoping that this collaboration will wow us like films used to.
Next up is news that Kamala films has gotten the rights to Lone Wolf and Cub. Some of you may be familiar with this manga while others may be left in the dark. Lone Wolf and Cub was originally a manga by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima that revolved around a elite executioner during the Edo period. He is wrongly accused of a crime and discovers that his wife has been murdered, forcing him to flee with his 3 year old child and become an assassin for hire.
As for the recent acquisition, Jeremy Lin has been announced as the director while David and Janet Peoples will be penning the script. Given that the pair has written excellent films like 12 monkeys, Bladerunner, and Unforgiven, there is a good chance that the plot can be compelling. Lin did a decent job as director in Fast Five, and I’m curious to see what direction he goes with this film.
Admittedly, I haven’t seen the films or read the comics before, but I know of people that hold this series in high regard. Given how many remakes are out there right now, I hope that this isn’t a senseless cash-in, but a true homage to the original source material. I don’t know who will play the assassin, but I really hope they keep the spirit of the manga intact. Without that, a lot of fans are going to be upset.
Sources: kungfucinema, twitch, and impactonline
18th Feb2012
Finishing Blow Episode 36
Hope everyone had a Happy Valentine’s Day! This week covers everything from classics to a couple new announcements as well. Feel free to sound off!
Happy Birthday Iko Uwais and Footage from the Raid
Giving the Ladies some Attention
Gina Carano is Set to Do Another Film
New Images for New Dragon Inn and Alternate Cut of Hero Fight
14th Feb2012
Letting the Ladies Get Some Attention for Valentine’s Day
It’s Valentine’s Day, so I decided to pay a special tribute to some of the ladies of the industry. I was gonna write a little blip about each fight, but I’ve made you all wait long enough. Hope everyone had a Happy Valentine’s Day!
The first fight is Jeeja Yanin from Chocolate. If you haven’t seen this movie, the story isn’t that great, but the fights aren’t bad either. Proof that girls can fight.
Next up is Mickey Facchinello. I decided to post 2 of her fights so you can get a good idea of how talented she is. The first one is Homework, which has some pretty interesting choreography to it.
The second video is a test fight based off of Arkham Asylum. She did this with Thousand Pounds, and I really think it captures the essence of the game very well.
The next person I’m gonna showcase is Amy Johnston. She is also a very talented fighter that is a member of the Thousand Pounds fight team. Here is her first video with the team.
This is a fight that hasn’t gotten as much recognition, but is still a good fight to watch. I’m impressed that they resisted the urge to fight in the water and stick to solid choreography. Awesome job to both ladies!
Amy Johnston vs Katelyn Brooke
Lastly, I was debating whether to post a Michelle Yeoh fight or Cynthia Rothrock fight before realizing I could just kill 2 birds with 1 stone!
Feel free to link your own favorite fights with talented ladies, as these are just some of them.
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
03rd Feb2012
Millionaire’s Express (Shanghai Express) Review
Background Info
Sammo Hung didn’t have a shortage of films by the time 1986 rolled around, so he needed a new edge to keep audiences coming back. He decided to add a unique spin on the action by making the film feel more like a western. Even though the environment changed, he made sure to bring back a number of famous faces like Yuen Biao, Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton, and Kurata Yasuaki to ensure the action remained solid. Was the risk worth the payoff?
Millionaire’s Express Dragon Dynasty Trailer
Story/Characters
The story of Millionaire’s Express can get a little cluttered at times, so it’s important to know what’s going on. While it’s a lot to keep track of, a lot of the comedic elements come from this confusion, which is actually pretty entertaining. Sammo Hung plays, Ching Fong-Tin, a clever “businessman” who has returned home with profit in his mind. He plans to stop a train of wealthy passengers, forcing them to stay in the city, but things get more than a little complicated when several of the passengers have their own plans for the train.
I love this guy…
Most of the characters are very one-sided, and it’s just to get laughs. While this may sound like a bad thing, it’s actually easier to keep track of people and what they are doing during the film. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t laugh during some segments, even though a lot of the jokes are dated. Needless to say, you might be able to see the jokes coming from a mile away, but others feel fresh and fun, making sure you’ll smile from time to time.
Action/Choreography
This is why people want to see Sammo and Yuen Biao on the screen, and it doesn’t disappoint. The fights are fast and energetic, though they aren’t very plentiful. You’ll be able to see Hung and Biao go at it one on one as well as a very large-scale fight at the end of the film. While I would have hoped for more action, it’s important to realize the movie is only about an hour and a half long, and there has to be time for story in there somewhere. For what it’s worth, some of Yuen’s sequences are truly awesome, especially the stunt he has on the roof of a burning building.
Own it, Watch it, or Skip it?
Older movies are harder to review because of the fact that films keep evolving as time passes. However, I’m still amazed to see what these guys were capable of in their prime, and it makes you wonder what they would have been able to do with today’s technology. As a standalone film, this movie isn’t necessarily Sammo’s best, but not his worst either. I think this movie got overlooked, which is a shame because it has some very amazing moments in it. While you may not desperately need to own this one, you won’t be disappointed if you decide to pop it in from time to time.
Watch it
Millionaire’s Express DVD (HK Version)
Shanghai Express (Special Collector’s Edition)
