MSN Movies Blog: Asian Provocateur

Timely release for Bangkok Dangerous remake

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:46:22 GMT

Hot on the heels of the remake of the Pang twins' creepy horror classic The Eye, a new version of the film that made their reputation, Bangkok Dangerous, finally gets a release date. It's out in the US on August 22. The UK release date is still tbc.

The new version is once again directed by Danny and Oxide Pang but this time stars Nicolas Cage in the role of the ruthless hitman who finds himself the target when on a job in Bangkok.

The hitman in the original is a deaf mute whose disability makes him fearless but the story has been changed to suit Cage. Oxide was quoted as saying "we understand that from a marketing point of view Nic needs to have some lines."

Instead rumour has it that his onscreen girlfriend plays a deaf-mute instead. Presumably she will be played by his co-star Charlie Yeung, the Cantopop singer and actress who also starred in Seven Swords.

Filmed on location in Bangkok's red light district Soi Cowboy, the filming was suspended during the 2006 Thailand coup d'état, even though Cage stayed in Bangkok. Filimng was completed in October 2006.

The Pang brothers' original film was hailed as "an explosive picture of the Bangkok underworld, illuminated with neon and saturated in violence."

Black Gold: Pirates get a Tarantino makeover

Sun, 04 May 2008 07:53:19 GMT

Moonlit Hunting Ground

Addicted to the anarchy of Bleach , I am already pining for the next box set after the cliffhanger ending of Series 1. Until then there is Black Lagoon Vol 2 which is out on DVD on May 19th.

Black Lagoon features four episodes of the kind of Anime I grew up on - excessively violent, coarsely expletive laden, cartoons for grown-ups. Well, not for kids at any rate.

It's a suicidally grim affair, at times made unintentionally funny due to the pedantic translation of the subtitles. Cue the theme song:

'I have big gun, I took it from my Lord
Sick with Justice I just wanna feel you
I'm your angel, only a ring away
You make me violate you, no matter who you are
It's all up to you, no one lives forever,
Been burn in hell, by all those pigs out there
It's always been hell from when I was born,
They make me violate them no matter who they are...

I'll put ou your misery, You made a mess
For Christ sakes, this rotten world
Shit out of luck, go with my vision
Light up the fire, right on the power
Weapon... I have it all.'

Calm Down, Two Men

It follows the adventures of the Revy, Rock, Dutch and Bennie Boy, aka the Black Lagoon shipping company, scavengers and lowlifes for hire who, when they're not threatening to kill each other, come up against Neo-Nazis and gun smuggling nuns.

Imagine modern-day pirates given the Pulp Fiction treatment but instead of John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson is teamed up with Uma Thurman in a Lara Croft meets Black Mamba guise. It's lots of people pointing guns at each other and crooks discussing the finer points of business over a hot brew (only in this case it's tea not coffee).

The camera angles are great, the violence uncompromising and the language is, without putting too fine a point on it, offensive. 'Jungle Bunnie' is one phrase that immediately springs to mind.

The only disappointment is that the dvd ends just when things are really getting interesting with the arrival of (and I quote) a "killer robot from the future" dressed in a French Maid's outfit.

Where will they go with this next? I can't wait to find out. Been burn in hell indeed.

Check out my Gallery section for lots more screen shots.

Black Lagoon Vol 2 features the episodes: Eagle Hunting and Hunting Eagle , Moonlit Hunting Ground, Calm Down, Two Men & Rasta Blasta.

Reaper Madness

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:22:01 GMT

Only the Japanese could turn a best selling Manga about death and the afterlfe into a brash technicolour animated series full of wit and comedy. No wonder that Bleach is already a huge hit amongst the Anime crowd.

It tells the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a not-so-ordinary 15 year old schoolboy with the ability to see ghosts and 'invisible' monsters.

One fateful night he inherits the powers of a female 'Soul Reaper' called Rukia Kuchiki whose job is to help lost souls crossover to the hereafter, which in Bleach is an alternate dimension called the Soul Society. Nothing is ever straight forward in the world of Anime!

By popping pills from a Pez-like sweet dispenser, Ichigo is able to free his warrior spirit from him body, armed with an unfeasible large sword, and take on soul eating monsters called Hollows.

With me so far?

Part of the appeal of Bleach is its chaotic storyline and mish-mash of visual styles.

Despite a preoccupation with kids who have died in road traffic accidents or have been abandonded, this is no Grave Of The Fireflies. Bleach may look more garish than watching a Pokemon movie with a hangover, but it's definitely cool and has as many in-jokes as an episode of South Park - even if their humour is as often as innocent as its 15 certifcate might suggest.

The series has a complicated and unpredictable story arc with lots of attractive sub-characters. Most of whom develop supernatural powers of their own, such as the mighty Chad who it's safe to say is a man of few words but has comic timing as immense as his physical stature.

Bleach is as anarchic as it is irresistable. A box set of the 20 episode first series is out on DVD on May 5th.

One Americanised Japanese cartoon series that definitely is aimed at all kids of a certain age is 1984's Voltron: Defender Of The Universe which returns to DVD in a 3 disc embossed metallic box set on June 2nd.

Voltron is not held with the same nostalgic affection in the UK as Battle Of The Planets, Transformers or even for those of us old enough to remember, Marine Boy but in the States it was iconic.

Very much a precursor of the Power Rangers, Voltron was a giant galaxy defending robot made up of 5 lion-like vehicles operated by 5 teenagers who suspiciously resemble G-Force.

I wouldn't say I'm a fan but its hard not to be impressed by the restoration process that has made this dvd possible.

Not only has it been newly restored from fresh film transfers with new colour correction applied but it has been re-edited according to the original TV series. The result is the re-inclusion of many scenes lost in the 1980s US version but also it looks as crisp and clean as if it was made last week, let alone last century.

One for collectors for sure.

It's a shame Voltron doesn't have the original Japanese soundtrack but how I wish the same process could be applied to my childhood hero Marine Boy.

He was probably banned because he ate chewing gum that allowed him to breath under-water, his best friend was a topless mermaid and he had a theme tune that sounded like it was sung by someone with their face in a bowl of water. Happy days!

Jet and Jackie's Forbidden Kindom is No. 1 in America

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:12:22 GMT

The first ever big screen collaboration between Jackie Chan and Jet Li, the Martial Arts fantasy The Forbidden Kingdom, is the Number 1 movie in the USA in its first week of release, taking $20 million in its opening weekend. I'm still waiting for news on the UK release date. Check my Gallery section for pics and posters from the forthcoming blockbuster.

Ghost in the Shell: Individual Eleven

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:18:10 GMT

It's hard for me to get excited about anything associated with Ghost in the Shell theses days. I didn't like Ghost in the Shell 2 and the TV series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex was just plain irritating.

It would be hard to match the sheer visual brilliance or thought provoking storyline of the original movie - especially under the high-turnover production pressure of a TV series - but the addition of Tachimokas or 'think tanks' for comedic value was surely somthing few people could have appreciated.

So the April 28th release of Ghost in the Shell: Individual Eleven (or to give it its full title Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2nd Gig - Inividual Eleven) was about as welcome as another potential Man Utd Premier League title win. But spank me for making rash assumptions because how wrong was I!

Like drum and bass, it seems that in SAC 2nd Gig (the Stand Alone Complex second series) GitS has returned to its roots and is all the better for that.

Individual Eleven is not only part of that series edited into a two and a half hour movie, but we have also been treated to additional scenes that re-focus the storyline, and the soundtrack has been re-mixed.

We are back in that green tinted cityscape and plug-in virtual world so lovingly 'borrowed' by The Matrix, as Major Motoko leads a reformed Section 9 in pursuit of a revolutionary terrorist cell called the Individual Eleven. And where would GitS be without poltical conspiracies and back-stabbing officials?

And as much as I hate giving away the plot (here comes a spoiler alert folks!) I personally was incredibly satified to see the demise of those helium-voiced jumping spiders that wind me up so much - well sort of.

Perhaps it is time for me to rehabilitate Ghost in the Shell, instead of simply re-watching the original for the eleventh time?

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig - Individual Eleven is out on DVD on April 28th 2008.

Notes from the Underworld

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:24:08 GMT

Horror buffs might remember Jacques Tourner's 1957 B&W classic Night of the Demon in which a skeptic of the supernatural finds himself pursued by a winged demon after being slipped a note containing a curse. Almost 50 years later, the Manga Death Note adapts the theme and turns it on its head.

Immediately after the UK cinema release of the Japanese live action movie on April 25th, the 28th sees the arrival on DVD of this beautifully drawn Anime series.

In Death Note a bored college student Light Yagami finds a note pad which has the power to kill anyone whose name is written inside it.

Light decides to use the book to cleanse the world of evil by systematically listing the names of criminals and evil doers. His actions do not go unnoticed and soon Light finds himself pursued in turn by L, Japan's answer to Columbo.

The note book belongs to Ryuk, a winged Shinigami or Death God, who accidentally drops it into the human realm. Ryuk appears to inform Light of the ever growing rules that accompany the book and that he will one day write Light's name in his own Death Note.

Unlike most Anime/Manga series, Death Note is unusual for its preoccupation with suspense over action but it is brilliant and shouldn't be missed. As for what I've seen of the live action movies (there are two), I'm still to be convinced.

Death Note is out on Manga, the dvd label that began most UK fans' obession with Anime as far back as the 80s. Hence the confusion - strictly speaking, Manga are the comic books and Anime are the animated onscreen adaptations.

Death Note was first serialised in top Japanese Manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump who reprint some of their best output in book form in the West under the name Shonen Jump Advanced. Which brings me to their new Manga Claymore.

Written and drawn by award winning artist Norihiro Yagi, Claymore takes us into more traditional Manga territory as it follows the adventures of Clare, a sword-wielding monster slayer in a medieval fantasy world.

Clare is a member of a sect of young silver-eyed warrior women, nicknamed Claymores after their huge weapon of choice, who rid villages of Yumas, flesh eating monsters who hide in human form.

Its clean artwork and rounded mythology makes Claymore enjoyable and instantly addictive. At under six quid a pop, you'll soon be whizzing through all 11 volumes.

If you're new to collecting Manga, series are available in small paperback volumes from both comic book specialists and general bookstores. Reprinted from the Japanese, the authentic ones read from back page to front and top right corner to bottom left.

You won't be surprised to hear that late last year Claymore was also aired as an Anime series in Japan.

Shonen Jump official site

Samurai Champloo strikes a B-boy pose

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:35:07 GMT

Since I'm on an Anime tip this week, I wanted to recommend a Japanese TV series from 2004 called Samurai Champloo. I only discovered it recently thanks to one of the big online stores who are currently offering a wide selecton of Manga dvds on BOGOF.

'Champloo', a loose translation of the Okinawan word 'chanpurū', is effectively a pun meaning 'remix'. So Samurai 'Remix' makes no apology for its cheeky mash-up of Edo period Japanese swordsmen and modern day hip hop culture.

The editing is straight out of the DJ Yoda school of video scratching, the anti-hero Mugen fights with a style that includes breakdance moves and the title sequence even throws in a turntable. The soundtrack is hip hop and the graphics are at times both simple and stunning.

It's a work of genius! No surprise then that its creators have some pedigree. Champloo was directed by Shinichirō Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Animatrix), and designed by Kazuto Nakazawa (Kill Bill Vol. 1) and Mahiro Maeda (Last Exile).

All 28 episodes seem to be available on UK DVD as both box set or single volumes. I'm only 8 episodes in but I'm hooked already and plan to work my way through the entire series.

If you want to try before you buy, there are stacks of clips on YouTube.

Vexille - new CG Anime trailer

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:38:53 GMT

The year is 2077 and Japan has become a rogue state isolated from the rest of the world. For a decade it has shielded itself from outside communication and satellite surveillance, and no one has been in or out of the country - until now.

Fearing that the Daiwa Corporation has defied a UN ban to develop android weaponary, the US sends in a crack Special Forces unit led by female commander Vexille to investigate.

This is the setting for the new CG Anime from the creators of Appleseed due out in selected UK cinemas on May 9th.

Like Appleseed, the movie is scored by Paul Oakenfold, and features tracks by Basement Jaxx, DJ Shadow, Underworld, Asian Dub Foundation and the Prodigy.

Enjoy the UK trailer from Momentum Pictures.

Watch the trailer on YouTube

Countdown to Manga Madness

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:32:32 GMT

London promises to host the largest gathering of Anime and Manga in the UK as it plays home to the Movie Comic Media Expo next month.

Over the weekend of the 24th and 25th of May cosplay characters will mingle with sci-fi geeks, gamers and comic fans at the Excel Convention Centre, Royal Victoria Dock.

So if your guilty pleasure is to dress up as your favourite Manga hero or heroine, stock up on purple hair dye because there will be prizes on offer in daily competitions.

If instead you fancy yourself a real-life Bradley Branning, you can queue up to have your photo taken with stars of sci-fi or just fill your autograph book.

For those of us who are more Earthbound, it's our chance to trawl through trader stalls for collectibles and join in the numerous Q&A sessions.

Tickets range from £9 - £14 for adults and £4 for kids.

For booking info and full details visit the Official Site

Send me you Cosplay photos Asianprovocateur@live.co.uk

Flashpoint - DVD review

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:40:02 GMT

In a departure from the kind of roles that made him famous, Donnie Yen is back on our screens in a brutal cop thriller.

Flashpoint is set in Hong Kong just before the 1997 handover, for no other reason perhaps than it helps bring to mind Jackie Chan movies but there is no humour to be found in this Police Story.

Instead Donnie doffs his rage to one of his favourite movies Fist Of Fury and his hero Bruce Lee. This he does with gusto.

Our hero swaps swords for guns and pigtail for a pair of shades as a modern day cop on a quest to bring three psycho brothers to justice. And of course even before Hong Kong was handed back to the Chinese, it had cops who knew kung fu!

Hamstung with red tape and officials who seem more on the side of the Triads than justice, Donnie is driven to extremes when his undercover pal's identity is blown.

"You will not have seen moves so fast and furious or such swaying swagger since the great Bruce Lee himself. Donnie must be proud."

Yes you've heard it all before and despite treading a fine line between gloss and realism, the movie is little more than average for the first 40 minutes.

But if you can hang tough like Donnie asks his pal Louis Koo, you will be rewarded with an Ong Bak influenced chase scene and one of the most hardcore MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fight scenes yet committed to celluloid.

It all kicks off quite literally when Donnie gets down to business with Triad boss Colin Chou who played Seraph, the Oracle's protector, in Matrix Reloaded. You will not have seen moves so fast and furious or such swaying swagger since the great Bruce Lee himself. Donnie must be proud.

And there's even a nod and a wink to Jackie Chan as the titles roll but instead of the funny out-takes, we get the hard as nails training fights the actors put themselves through.

I'm not convinced yet that Flashpoint will become a classic but for the big fight scene alone, it's a must-see.

Martial Arts master Donnie Yen swaps swords for guns

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:40:11 GMT

This week's big news is the imminent DVD release of Flashpoint, the new movie choreographed by and starring Donnie Yen, which is out on Monday.

If you don't know Donnie where have you been? Since making a name for himself as Jet Li's opponent in Once Upon A Time in China 2 he has starred in countless kung fu classics including one of my all time favourites Iron Monkey, and more recently as Sky, in the memorable rain soaked sword fight in Hero.

In Flashpoint, Donnie swaps swords for MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and John Woo style gunplay as he plays a detective who take on the Triads to rescue an undercover cop.

I'll be reviewing the movie next week.

Oscar winner Theron is new Lady Vengeance

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:26:51 GMT

Charlize Theron is to produce and star in an English language remake of 2005 South Korean movie Sympathy For Lady Vengeance. The remake is due out next year.

Theron won the Oscar for Best Actress in 2004 for her role in Monster but you may have seen her in the adaptation of sci-fi animated series Aeon Flux (pictured) or opposite Mark Wahlberg in the remake of The Italian Job.

The former model is also famous for appearing in Playboy.

Lady Vengeance was the final installment in Korean director Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy starring Lee Young Ae, most famous for its middle installment Oldboy.

Which version of the film will Charlize follow? The original is famous for its additional 'Fade to Black and White' version which progressively loses colour as the protagonist loses her humanity and becomes the murderous Lady Vengeance of the title.

Stormriders return in 300 style blockbuster

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 10:51:46 GMT

Ekin Cheng and Aaron Kwok are to reprise their roles as Whispering Wind and Striding Cloud in a sequel to The Stormriders ten years after the original was released.

Produced by legendary Hong Kong film studio Golden Harvest, The Stormriders was a huge box office success based on a series of comic books by Fung Wan, which were in turn highly praised for their depiction of swordplay.

The first Stormriders movie was a special effects extravaganza directed by Andrew Lau whose earlier work Young and Dangerous also starred Ekin Cheng and spawned 4 sequels and a prequel.

The Pang twins whose horror flick The Eye has just been remade for Western audiences had (inevitably) been linked with the role of directors.

Veteran actor Simon Yam, Cheng's co-star in Young and Dangerous 1, 2 and 3, is set to replace Japanese martial arts icon Sonny Chiba as the new villain.

Trivia fans might remember Chiba playing Hattori Hanzō, the world's greatest sword maker in Kill Bill. Chiba is also the hero of Christian Slater 's character in True Romance, also scripted if not directed by Tarantino.

Stormriders II, reported to have a budget of $12 million, is to be shot exclusively on blue screen in an effort to emulate the most recent successful graphic novel adaptation, 300.

Expect it in cinemas in 2009.

Lionsgate have Jessica Alba's Eye out

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:37:46 GMT

The English language version of eye-popping Hong Kong/Thai horror movie The Eye is out in UK cinemas on April 24th.

The remake of Oxide and Danny Pang's creepy classic stars the Fantastic Four's Invisible Woman, Jessica Alba, in the leading role as the blind violinist who sees dead after a double cornea transplant. The movie is released by Lionsgate home of all those Marvel Comics animes.

For more info on the original see my last blog entry. Meanwhile if you're an Alba addict, watch this trailer...

The Eye (2008)

Visit the offical website to view the trailer in hi-def, see more pics and to download MySpace skins of the film.

Watch the trailer on MSN Video

Go to The Eye official website

Eye see dead people

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 13:21:28 GMT

The Hollywood remake of The Eye starring Jessica Alba (the Fantastic Four's Invisible Woman) will be in UK cinemas soon so I thought this would be a great opportunity to talk about the original for those who missed it.

Released in 2002, The Eye (Gin Gwai) is a spooky yet stylish horror movie in the vein of The Ring and The Grudge (Ju-on) with a bit of Final Destination thrown in for good measure. Like it's esteemed company it has spawned native sequels as well as an English language remake.

The plot surrounds Mun, a blind violinst played by Angelica Lee, who undergoes a cornea transplant from a dead Thai girl. Her sight is finally regained after 18 years of darkness but she soon realises that the operation was more curse than cure.

Things get creepy as she begins to see people no one else can - ghostly figures that seem to be premonitions of gruesome deaths!

As if things aren't morbid enough on-screen, the weirdness extends behind the scenes of the production.

It was made by twin brother screenwriter/directors Oxide and Danny Pang and that concept alone always make me picture the girls who haunt the hotel in Kubrick's The Shining!

The Pangs were inspired to write The Eye after remembering a report in a Hong Kong newspaper about a 16 year old girl who committed suicide after receiving a cornea transplant. They said they wondered what she had seen that drove her to take her own life.

Often described both as a Hong Kong or a Thai movie, it was in fact shot in both locations and is available with Cantonese and Thai soundtracks.

To add to the confuson, the Pang brothers although born in Hong Kong, made their names in the Thai film industry with their co-directorial debut Bangkok Dangerous in 1999.

A note for collectors - if you're lucky you can still get the special edition DVD from Tartan which includes an animated card of the sleeve artwork.

Tartan Video - The Eye DVD

Jet and Jackie make kung fu history

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 09:37:03 GMT

The offical site has been launched for the new Jet Li/Jackie Chan collaboration The Forbidden Kingdom which is out in US cinemas next month.

Forbidden Kingdom is billed as the first onscreen pairing of the martial arts legends, surely the two most famous living martial artists on the planet, and is choreographed by much sought after Yuen Woo Ping (Crouching Tiger, Matrix, Kill Bill, Iron Monkey, Magnificent Butcher).

Dressed in all the trappings of a Hollywood blockbuster, this was actually shot on location in China and judging by the trailer looks amazing. Sort of Crouching Tiger meets Bulletproof Monk.

The plot takes 21st Century teenager Michael Angarano (last seen in 24) and transports him into Chinese mythology where he must free the Monkey King ... "Born in an egg on a mouuunntain top", everybody! .... from the Jade War Lord. But first he must be trained in 'kung fu' by Silent Monk (Li) and 'drunken master' Lu Yan (Chan).

It might look as spectacular as Hero or Curse Of The Golden Flower but this is a movie that doesn't appear to take itself too seriously. Expect lots of trademark Chan comedy as 'J +J' play off each other.

Watch the trailer on the offical website

DVD review - Tales From Earthsea (aka Gedo senki )

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:14:05 GMT

The latest anime dvd from the awesome Studio Ghibli is the first directed by Goro Miyazaki but lacks most of the charm of those directed by his father Hayao Miyazaki (Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke).

Adapted from a collection of short stories by American sci-fi and children’s author Ursula K Le Guin, the book shouldn’t be required reading for enjoying the movie, but any clues to the storyline would have helped.

"the book shouldn't be required reading for enjoying the movie"

As far as I could tell, it is a story about the redemption of a young prince Arren in a land where magic and dragons exist. This is overshadowed by a long standing rivalry between the good arch mage Ged (aka Sparrowhawk) and an evil wizard Cob. Light versus darkness and all the usual gubbings.

In the English version, Sparrowhawk is voiced by former Bond Timothy Dalton and Arren by Matt Levin, one of the voice over artists from the Xbox sci-fi game Mass Effect.

The story is less comprehensible than Spirited Away and more Westernised than Howl’s Moving Castle but without any of their genius.

The drawing style is distinctly Ghibli but has a brighter (younger?) colour palette than usual – I’m not sure why but I kept thinking of Dogtanian and the Muskahounds.

"the most Japanese thing about this movie is the villain who looks like a woman yet talks like a man"

The viewer can’t help feeling that Ghibli are trying too hard to break the Western market without realising that the essence of their appeal to audiences here is their (for want of a better word) Japaneseness. Yet the most Japanese thing about this movie is the villain who looks like a woman yet talks like a man, as creepy as that is.

In all my years of watching Japanese cartoons, I have still to figure out why they do that! Maybe it arose from casting confusion when Manga first started to be dubbed into English?

In short, worth renting but not buying. (3 out of 5)

Speed Racer gets The Matrix treatment

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:59:36 GMT

Japanese anime Speed Racer never made any waves here in the UK but was popular enough across the Atlantic to justify the big budget live action treatment.

Even that would be no great shakes if the new movie wasn't written and directed by the Wachowski Bros, creators of that mine of Manga references The Matrix trilogy.

If the trailer is anything to go by, the Wachowski's have made an acid trip of a movie that combines the visual styles of a Saturday morning cartoon and Nintendo's F-Zero video game. Trippy would be an understatement.

Watch the Speed Racer movie trailer on YouTube

Olympic race on for John Woo's Red Cliff

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 11:22:16 GMT

Director John Woo returns to his roots with his next movie Red Cliff, the most expensive Asian financed film to date, which depicts China’s epic Battle Of Red Cliffs of 208AD fought with over 1 million men.

It has been described as Woo’s 'last chance to return to relevance’ as the once highly acclaimed Hard Boiled and Face/Off director famous for discovering Chow-Yun Fat had, if you’ll excuse the pun, gone off the boil.

Formerly known as The Battle For Red Cliff, the film is the first of a two-part adaptation the historical novel Romance Of The Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong which the Beijing government is eager to have released before the Summer Olympics. It is described as a showcase of Chinese history.

Part two of the movie is due for release before the end of 2008.

Check out my Photo Albums for 12 screen shots from Red Cliff.

DiCaprio to star in Akira live action movie?

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:52:14 GMT

Two decades after the release of the anime movie that put Manga on the map for Western audiences, Warner Bros have announced a live action version of Akira.

The 6 book Manga will be translated into a two part movie, the first of which is being fast-tracked for release in Summer 2009.

What will shock purists is that the film will be set in New Manhattan, "a city rebuilt by Japanese money after being destroyed 31 years ago", instead of Neo-Tokyo despite the involvement of original author (and director of the anime version) Katsuhiro Otomo as executive producer. However I suspect that leaking this info on to the net now is a way of dissipating the heat long before the film hits the screen.

There are rumours - on Wikipedia no less! - that Leonardo DiCaprio could be playing the lead character Kaneda, and Joseph Gordon Levitt (3rd Rock From The Sun) could play Tetsuo. However this is pure speculation, probably due to the fact that DiCaprio's production company Appian Way is to co-produce. Warners have made no announcement regarding casting.

Andrew Lazar and Jennifer Davisson are also named as producers.

The first installment will be directed by Ruairi Robinson (The Silent City) from a script by English screenwriter, games designer and video games journalist Gary Whitta (Star Trek: Voyager, Futurama) best known for his writing contributions to video games Gears Of War, Prey and Duke Nukem.

Prepare for the return of 'cyber punk'!!!

Find out more -

Blockbuster Buzz

The Register

Akira on IMdb

The Silent City trailer on YouTube

Photo Album: Black Lagoon Volume 2

Sun, 04 May 2008 08:09:10 GMT

Black Lagoon Volume 2

Black Lagoon

Calm Down, Two Men

Moonlit Hunting Ground

More Photos...

Photo Album: Bleach - Series 1

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:41:15 GMT

Bleach - Series 1

Rukia Kuchiki

Ichigo - Soul Reaper

Ichigo - High school student

Ichigo breaks a spell

Ichigo Kurosaki vs a hollow

Series 1 box set out on DVD - 5th May 08

Ichigo confronts a hollow

Soul Reapers

Ichigo becomes a hollow?

More Photos...

Photo Album: Ghost In The Shell: Individual Eleven

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:00:43 GMT

Ghost In The Shell: Individual Eleven

Out on DVD April 28th

SAC 2nd Gig: Individual Eleven

Out on DVD April 28th

Photo Album: Vexille

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:57:17 GMT

Vexille

New CG anime from the creators of Appleseed

In selected UK cinemas from May 9

Film poster

Photo Album: Flashpoint

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:14:53 GMT

Flashpoint

Flashpoint out now on DVD

Flashpoint star Donnie Yen

Flashpoint

Photo Album: The Eye (2008)

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:50:08 GMT

The Eye (2008)

Jessica Alba has a Dr Lecter moment

Hospitals get Jessica down.

The Eye film poster

Photo Album: Forbidden Kingdom poster collection

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 12:33:18 GMT

Forbidden Kingdom poster collection

Main poster

Jackie Chan - Drunken Immortal

Jet Li - Silent Monk

Liu Yefei - Orphan Warrior

Michael Angarano - Traveller

Li Bing Bing - White Haired Assassin

Collin Chou - Jade Warlord

Teaser

Photo Album: John Woo's Red Cliff

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 10:04:01 GMT

John Woo's Red Cliff

Red_Cliff1

Red_Cliff2

Red_Cliff3

Red_Cliff4

Red_Cliff5

Red_Cliff6

Red_Cliff7

Red_Cliff8

Red_Cliff9

Red_Cliff10

More Photos...

Photo Album: 08 February

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:15:40 GMT

08 February

al_by_ben2

Blog list: Blog list

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:49:27 GMT

The Last Word: The MSN Celebrity Blog
The Remote Control: MSN TV Blog
Dancing About Architecture: The MSN Music Blog
Bolly Dolly: The Bollywood Blog
The Big Picture: The MSN Movies Blog
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Geek movie reviews with a brilliant podcast.
Blockbuster Buzz
Comicbook movie news.
KFC
Kung Fu Cinema.
Dragon's Den UK
Asian movies on UK DVD release.
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Asian, Horror and Sci-Fi movie news.