Thank you guys for supporting me for 100 videos. Be sure to post a comment on what you like about the site to enter to win a copy of Dragon! I’ll announce the winner in next week’s video!
I finally get to tell you guys about some awesome films that are coming down the pipeline. The first is called Favela, and it stars Undisupted 2 and Spawn star Michael Jai White. The film is going to be a series, tracking the story of a man named John ‘Falcon’ Chapman and his journey for revenge.
The film will be directed by Assassination Games and Six Bullets director Ernie Barbarash, who also hopes to pump out 1 to 2 of these films a year. The first film will take place in Brazil, where Falcon journeys to find the killer of his sister. If these images are anything to go by, there will be plenty of action to be had.
I don’t know how the filming schedule will be, since 1 to 2 films on this series is pretty demanding. If things go well, White has a solid role ahead of him, but he won’t be able to do many more projects. I’ll keep you posted as I learn more.
Next up, I want to cover a film that features a star from the film Merantau. While most people think about Iko Uwais and Gareth Evans (among others) there are some that didn’t appear in the Raid. However, the end fight to the film was a spectacular one, and Laurent Buson was one of the opponents. He also belongs to a talented stunt group called the Z Team, and they have just released a trailer for their next film, the Price of success.
The film will follow a group of men that are forced to fight one another to save their loved ones until only 1 remains. The plot isn’t anything new, but the trailer gives off a Kill Em’ All or BKO vibe. Check it out here:
I’m excited to see how this film turns out, and I love any movie that doesn’t rely on wires and CG. The team looks like they are in top shape, and the fights may surprise a few. I’ll be checking it out, for sure!
Most of the people who visit this site are aware of a little film called the Raid. The more hardcore know that Berandal, the sequel to the Raid, was planned first and that it will now be a trilogy. Well, it looks like the wait for more news is almost over, as details have been released in regards to the cast.
We all knew that Iko Uwais would be coming back, but the question was who would join him? Twitch has revealed that Hammer girl will be played by Julie Estelle while other members include Alex Abbad from Merantau, Marsha Timothy from the Forbidden Door,Mathias Muchus and Tio Pakusadewo. Lastly, internationally renowned Silat practitioner Cecep Arif Rahman will also be playing a significant role.
Someone commented on one of my videos about Rahman before, and I’m super excited to see him exchange blows with the Merantau team. I’m going to be keeping a close eye on Gareth Evans’ twitter, so stay tuned for more details as filming gets closer.
Bangkok Renaissance is coming to the states, only under a new name. For reasons beyond my comprehension, they decided to keep the “Bangkok” part of the title while changing “Renaissance” to “Revenge.” The film stars John Foo and is directed by Jean-Marc Minéo.
I’m just going to go ahead and say what everybody is thinking; this movie pulls heavily from Ong Bak and Merantau. There are a lot of sequences in the trailer that remind me of this, and I wonder why they went this route. I’m sure that the action will be solid, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen it all before.
Bangkok Revenge will be in US theaters on September 14th.
Actionfest has come to a close for the year, and Twitch has this awesome video that Gareth Evans made for the event. The Merantau team has been very active in their involvement with Actionfest, even showing special scenes from the film last year.
This proves that Yayan Ruhian (aka Mad Dog) is a beast and that Iko shouldn’t be messed with either. He, he just laughs as Iko kicks him. How can that be funny!?
Hopefully I’ll be able to go to the event next year, as it would be a cool experience. It’s pretty much the only even that takes place on this side of the coast, so I’ll have to plan a little earlier next year.
Also, if you haven’t seen the Raid yet, you need to get on that as well.
There’s been a lot of buzz about the Raid recently, and rightly so. The movie is over the top in action, and it never backs down for anyone. However, there are a ton of hurdles this movie had to overcome to even get noticed. You have a director that people aren’t familiar with, an Indonesian cast that nobody knows, and it’s a subtitled film, but that hasn’t stopped it from wowing audiences.In fact, it’s ranked #14 in the box office ranking and is only in 176 theaters right now.
Sony did a great job getting people aware of the Raid. First was the remake announcement (still bummed a little about that) then the critical acclaim at a variety of festivals. Lastly, they got Mike Shinoda to do the soundtrack so that Linkin Park fans would spread the word as well.
I’ve seen the film for myself, and while my official review won’t be out til this Fri (shameless promo) I think it’s safe to say that you should plan on seeing this one ASAP. It’s something you want to experience in the theaters for sure. Also, try to avoid any footage as it’s much better seen on the big screen. (I’m guilty of over-posting some things on the Raid.)
Before I even say anything, this video almost hits the 20 minute mark. Yeah, it’s really long, so sorry in advance. Oh, and think I messed up my hair, it’s supposed to look different. I’ll get the hang of it though. Enjoy!
