This week has been very crazy, but I think I like crazy. Let me know if you guys have anything you want to see added to the site, and I’ll do my best to get things worked out.
The Raid came out on DVD and Blu -ray today, so what better time than to talk about a new character for the sequel. Only known as the “hammer girl” Gareth Evans tweeted this image yesterday.
Not much is really known about the girl except for the fact that she seems pretty at ease swinging a hammer as she strolls along. Also, that bag looks like it can carry quite a bit, so maybe she’ll have some more weapons as well. I don’t know if she will be a friend or an enemy, but I’m sure it will be awesome either way.
It’s good to know that a lady will be in Berandal, as the Raid had no female opponents. Does this mean that Evans will scale back the gore? No way. I can’t wait to see who they cast for this character and what she’ll be able to bring to the film
A lot of cool news for the week, I have no idea why this video is so short. Feel free to let me know how you feel about any of the news I cover, like Iko joining Man of Tai Chi.
I’ve slowly become more and more interested in Man of Tai Chi. From the initial development stages, to the cast and camera rig, it looks like Keanu Reeves is taking all of the right steps. Now, it’s been announced that Iko Uwais is working on the film as well.
I’m not sure how big of a role Uwais will play, but it honestly doesn’t matter. He will have even more appeal to both the US and HK audience, and that’s never a bad thing. I cannot wait to see how they use Uwais in a fight, and the combination of action with the camera rig is going to be insane. Plus, can you imagine Yuen Woo Ping’s choreography with Iko?
Needless to say, I’ve got high hopes for this one.
I’m sure there are a lot of you wondering when you’ll be able to get your hands on the Raid. Even though it’s still making its rounds around the world, there has been a date as to when you can purchase this film (at least in the US.)
Do you want to know what it is? Course you do, it’s August 14th!
Consider this one a day-one purchase for me. I’m sure that a lot of you can agree that it lived up to the hype, and I’m excited to see what features are on the disc. I’m not too sure when the disc will be out in other regions, but this gives importers a glimmer of hope as well.
I also came across some news about how Jackie views his son. I heard some stuff here and there about how strict he is, and it may be somewhat true. Jackie appeared at the premiere of Double Trouble to cheer his son on, and said a few choice words about his son’s foray into the industry.
“I kept thinking he is lacking here and there. He isn’t as hard working as me, as determined as me. Since I felt he isn’t as good as me in anything, if he achieved a score of 80, I would like him to get 100.”
Ouch, but before you get too upset, Jaycee’s mom already did the scolding for him.
“Many people thus yelled at me, saying that Jaycee has already done very well. I shouldn’t keep scolding him. When I got home, I would get yelled at (Joan Lin) too, blaming me for being like that. When I was making THE KARATE KID, how Will Smith treated his son made him realize that I had to change my old way of thinking. From now on, I will say Jaycee Chan is the best.”
Jackie also spoke about the future of his franchises and what he leaves for his son.
“After seeing the film in Cannes I was very pleased, I thought from now on I wouldn’t make this type of big action films and leave it to Jaycee Chan. POLICE STORY 6 or what, I would leave them all to him. I will just make 2 YOUNG 2 and BREAK UP CLUB 2.”
I really don’t expect to see Jaycee in Police Story 6, but I guess it’s cool that Jackie is okay with passing those franchises down. I’m sure it’s tough to live in the shadow of someone like Jackie, and hopefully Jackie will try not to compare his son to himself in his prime.
A lot of news for the week. Hopefully you guys were able to read it all. Let me know what you think of my trailer analysis and I’ll keep you posted on what’s coming for the site!
LBP Stunts has done it again! They have just released a practice fight that was inspired by the Raid. Check it out for yourself before I ramble on too much.
If this was a test, consider it a success cause I wanna see more! What truly amazes me is how tight some of the shots are, yet they are still very clear. Brendon and Shawn did an awesome job with the choreo while Manny handled the camera masterfully.
I’m really excited to see what doors this opens up for LBP Stunts. These guys keep raising the bar and I truly believe they are on the verge of something big. If you still don’t believe me, take another look at their team action reel:
I’ve been coming across a lot of new info lately, and I feel like if I don’t address it in one big article, some might slip through the cracks. Hope you guys don’t mind the overload of info!
First up is Jaycee Chan’s next film, titled Double Trouble. The film is directed by Wen Jiang, most recently known for Let the Bullets Fly. Here is the synopsis for the plot:
Two security guards — one from Beijing, one from Taipei — are forced to work together to track down a legendary Chinese painting that has been stolen by international art thieves. Jaycee Chan, Xia Yu, Deng Jiajia, Jessica C and Shoko star in this ballsy action comedy from the action director of “Let The Bullets Fly”!
I’m not too sold on the film, and I feel like Jaycee is trying too hard to fit the mold his dad created. This movie is getting a limited US release, though, so I might be able to check it out when it comes out on June 8th. Check out the trailer below:
Next up is news that Prachya Pinkaew will be working on a prequel to the Tekken film that was released in 2010. It will be titled, Tekken: Rise of the Tournament and that’s about all we know right now. No actors have signed onto the project, but Crystal Sky Pictures has said they are looking for finding thespians that look like the characters instead of big name actors.
Wait, was the original film supposed to have big name actors? Nothing against the cast, but I thought they were trying to be authentic the first time around. Tekken: Rise of the tournament will be aiming for a theatrical release, but VOD and DVD are much more likely for this prequel.
Anybody remember that Snow White film that was called the Order of Seven? If not, I wouldn’t be surprised. I only wrote about it once. Well, don’t worry anymore, because it has been cancelled by Disney. The film was supposed to star Soairse Ronan and was going to have a Asian feel to it. While there are reports saying that money was an issue, the fact that two other Snow White films are coming out doesn’t help much either. This one is probably for the better, to be honest.
It appears that the Iceman Cometh 3D remake has not been cancelled after all. Stephen Shiu Jr took a moment to answer some questions, and revealed that Yuen Biao will have a role in the film.
Yes, he promised to act in the movie. This is the most exciting part, I think, because two generations of Icemen Cometh will fight in the same movie.
This is pretty awesome news, and it makes me want to get ahold of the original again. While I’m not too sure how the 3D will factor in, it would be cool to see Yen and Biao exchange blows. I’ll be following this closely to see if any more footage or images are released.
Finally, to finish off this mad list of news, is another interview by Gareth Evans about the Raid. Before you roll your eyes, let me point out that every one of his interviews have been different and equally as interesting.
Here was my favorite quote:
So what’s the one great movie fight scene you wish had been yours?
Oh, there’s tons of them! Jackie Chan versus the monks in Armour Of God is one of my all time favourites. I love that scene so much! Project A, Part II, the whole fight inside a restaurant with Chan Wai-Man, and he ends up kicking him over the balcony and the stunt guy goes right through the china vase.
I got loads, man! The entire mall sequence from Police Story!Wheels On Meals, Jackie versus Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez – that’s incredible! The whole fight thing in Wheels is just legendary!
This week was pretty crazy, but still had a lot of good info tucked into it. Be sure to let me know what you think about No Holds Barred, which you can watch by clicking here, or on my annotation (which almost did end up over my mouth.)
Trying a few new things today, but I want to start off with a great audio interview featuring Gareth Evans. It’s about an hour long, so you know there is a ton of good stuff in there. There is even some talks about the sequel and what to expect.
Next up is something new that I wanted to try called No Hold Barred. It’s a video segement where I sound off on some topics that have been swimming around in my head without worrying about spoilers and whatnot. It just happens to be on the Raid, so I’m pairing these two together now.
Oh, and the power really did go out during the video.
Anyways, I’d appreciate any feedback on what you think about the topic and what you might want to see from the segment. I always love hearing back from you guys!