D-WARS or How Not To Make A Succesful Movie In Ten Infinte Steps

Ahhhh- D-War, a film which has, to date, made so much money, it has become Korea's most successful film ever! Cha-chinging a very respectable 20.3$ million in its first five days over 689 cinema screen, it went to make a further $44 million in Korea, another $10 million in the world and grossing $5 million in USA on its' opening weekend.
However the reason why the hell D-War , a Z-Grade, painful exercise in non-involving movie making, is something I will never understand or at least hope to never understand. For I am sure if I figured it out, there'd be no saving me from this hell either.
You see ,. dear readers, I watched 'D-War' last weekend. All I knew about it was that:
1) There was a snake coiling around a building in the trailer which looked cool
2) My friend was really excited about it.

There may be one or two more little minor points that I perhaps somehow subconsciously were aware of but these did not play an important role in my approach to the movie.

Saturday Night; the height of the weekend. Dinner has been dealt with, a crap film watched to set the mood, the time for the most amazing, the pinnacle movie has come. Bear in mind that at this point I am an recovering man. A chest infection means I cough up damn near everything except blood and it feels as if I have chestburster playing fiddles with my rib, ribcage and lungs.

And then it starts : Within five minutes , I find myself in the company of the most inept, amateurish, illogical film I've seen for maybe the past five years.

I mean look here, i sit through everything and there are times at which i really would like to stop myself from ever having to see another film. But 'D-War' is beyond this. It is so spectacularly bad that it moves into a genre, a realm of its' own.
Point in question: The film has absolutely no idea what a linear structure is. In theory and on paper it follows a story from beginning to the end but it absolutely never adheres to any reason to explain the movement of the story. Near the end of the film the main character and the girl find themselves in what looks like a cheap-ass version of Mordor. And no one, not the bad guy, not Robert Forster, hell not even an ancient legend explains how the sweet Jesus they go from being in the city, getting knocked out and waking up in Mordor. No one even comments on it! Now I don't know you but if I was to get knocked out tonight on the 'Central Line' and wake up say in Tijuana in the middle of a drugs and prostitute shoot-out, i would not just assume that these things happen and join in. A person either needs to have been lobotomised or a heavy user of hallucinogenic drugs in order to be not to be shocked waking up in strange lands which they have never before encountered. But as I say, we don't really know whether the main guy is an addict or not so perhaps this is a subtle hint at the inhibition and danger-risk assessment destroying powers of drug addiction from director Shim Hyung-Rae
Point number two: Was this film written in Korean and then translated perhaps with the help of that unmistakeably intelligent and verbose and witty tool BabelFish? Because the film feels Korean, acts Korean , hell even the little humorous vignettes are Korean but goddammit it actually isn't. Maybe in the original language every word used was exposition and each syllable served a purpose, however listening to in English it is just non-sensical. i don't know about you but I did not see many movies where each dialogue made me more confused than the last. Someone, during the screening of 'Savage Grace' , complained about the banality of the dialogue there: well , he should see this! I'm sure he'd go back to 'Savage Grace' with new, deep, admiring feelings.
And I could go on: there are so many levels on which the film fails that it becomes a sort of sport spotting them. Even my friends were confused by the film's callous, innovative method of if it does not make sense then it must work - scenes following each other as they should but not together - as if a blind madman with a pair of scissors just attacked the 400 reels of film and whatever he cut they sellotaped together to create this film.
However credit where it's due as the CGI does not look atrociously bad - again none of it makes sense (why the hell do those soldiers suddenly appear at the cave? Why is Robert Forster a woman? why doesn't he just help them? Why does the bad guy look after Robert Forster's store when he can't find him? And perhaps the most amazing series of questions: Why does the lead keep abandoning his token best black friend? and why does the best friend keep coming back to help him? I'm sure there is some deep, homosexual , homoerotic, relationship twist there in the original language but once again BabelFish just loses it somewhere between helicopter and across the street.
That's not it. However I'm out of steam and out of breath. Do yourself a favor: miss this. Then i won't have to deal with your therapy later on.

Yours truly
Evrim Ersoy

KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL AT THE BARBICAN! THURSDAY 2 TO FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER! FULL PROGRAMMw!

A dazzling showcase of Korean cinema, The London Korean Film Festival 07 spotlights the quality and diversity of Korean film and offers a cinematic insight into contemporary Korean culture.

Opening with Cannes 2007 favourite Breath (Soom) from acclaimed director Kim Ki-duk, the festival includes classics from the Korean Film Archive, a day of Korean Animation for all the family, the best Korean films of recent years plus a retrospective of the work of superstar director Park Chan-wook who will be attending the festival.

Highlights of this year’s festival will then be screened as the London Korean Film Festival 07 on Tour, visiting Warwick from 9 to 11 November and then Oxford from 12 to 14 November. Visit www.koreanfilm.co.uk for details.

Friday 2 November

7.30pm - Opening Gala Special Preview - Breath (Soom) (cert TBC) (Korea 2007 Dir. Kim Ki-duk 84 min) with introduction from special guest (TBC)

The latest film from the acclaimed director of Spring Summer Autumn Winter and Spring, Palm d’Or nominee Breath garnered a 10 minute standing ovation on its premiere in Cannes. This gentle, offbeat love story centres on the quirky relationship between bored housewife and budding interior decorator Yeon and her unusual new best friend, suicidal death row prisoner Jang Jin. A beautiful and touching film that cements Kim Ki-duk’s status as a master filmmaker. With thanks to Tartan Films

Saturday 3 November

Korean Animation Day!

A fun-filled family day of animated movies, activities and themed workshops for children, focusing on Korean Animation.

11:00am - Family Film Club - The Great Pig Pirate MATEO (Nal-eu-neun daejee Hae-jeok MATEO) (U) (Korea 2004 Dir. Song Geun-Sik 85 min) preceded by drop-in workshop 10.30am

In a world where pigs really can fly and pirates rule the air, Mateo follows the Pirate Code to the letter. Trouble is, he’s not very good at being bad! When a renegade princess with a map to royal treasure crosses his path, Mateo and his gang must decide what’s more important – being famous pirates or saving their world! Korean with English Subtitles – subtitles will be read aloud by an actor.

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1.00pm - Yeuwoobi (Yobi The Five Tailed Fox) (PG) (Korea 2007 Dir. Lee Seong-gang 85 min) preceded by a special performance of music from Yeuwoobi by Korean artists from 12.45pm (TBC)

This imaginative feature from award winning director Lee Seong-gang is a beautiful study of the trials of growing up and fitting in. When 10-year-old Yeuwoobi discovers that she is actually a five tailed fox spirit and not a young girl at all, she begins a quest to become a real human. But with the evil ‘Shadow’ trying to capture her, she doesn’t have much time! Korean with English subtitles.

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3.00pm - Empress Chung (Wang-hoo sim-cheong) (PG) (Korea 2005 Dir. Nelson Shin 85 min)

This vivid musical animation looks like a cross between Anime and the best of Disney. In it, a secret empress living as a country girl tries everything to save her father’s eyesight, even allowing a sea monster to take her captive in his submarine castle. This gorgeous fairy-tale is the first joint cinematic success from South and North Korea, and has enchanted audiences worldwide. Korean with English subtitles.

Saturday 3 November

6.15pm - Family Ties (Gajokeui tansaeng) (12A) (South Korea 2006 Dir. Kim Tae-yong 113 min)

In Family Ties, award winner Kim Tae-yong tells three intertwining stories from members of the same dysfunctional family. Mira’s quiet and orderly life gets turned upside-down by a series of unexpected house guests, including her troubled brother and his new wife. Meanwhile Sunkyung is having trouble coming to terms with her estranged mother’s terminal illness. In the final act, both strands intersect with dramatic results for this bittersweet observation of suburban family life.

Saturday 3 November

8.45pm - Time (Shi gan) (15) (South Korea 2006 Dir. Kim Ki-duk 97 min)

In this pervasive film, a desperately insecure young woman undergoes radical plastic surgery in an attempt to transform herself into what she assumes is her partner’s ideal woman. However, her shocking metamorphosis takes a sinister turn when she begins to alter more than just her looks. Director Kim Ki-duk’s fascinating study of personal neuroses will haunt audiences long after the final credits roll.

Sunday 4 November

6.00pm - Forbidden Quest (Eumranseosaeng) (18) (South Korea 2006 Dir. Kim Dae-woo 139 min)

Intrigued by an erotic novel, aristocrat Kim Yoon-Suh decides to write his own, based on the torrid affair he is having with Jeong-bin, the King’s favourite concubine. The author commissions voyeuristic illustrations from the police chief Gwang-heon which guarantees the salacious tome’s popularity. However, it’s not long before Jeong Bin sees it and, scandalised, plots a fitting revenge on her deceitful lover. A witty, provocative directorial debut.

Sunday 4 November

8.45pm - The King and The Clown (Wang-ui namja) (15) (South Korea 2005 Dir. Lee Joon-ik 119 min)

Set in the early 16^th century, Lee Joon-ik’s stunning film follows two acrobatic clowns, who find themselves in dire trouble after staging a play that satires the current monarchy. Summoned to the court to perform, their situation becomes more dangerous when the tyrannical King develops and obsessive attraction to one of the pair. With Kam Woo-Seong and rising star Lee Joon-ki.

Monday 5 November

Korean Film Archive Screenings

Two classics of Korean Cinema, rarely seen in the UK, screened with kind permission from the Korean Film Archive.

6.30pm - My Mother & Her Guest (Sarangbang sonnimgwa eomeoni) (South Korea 1961 Dir. Shin Sang-ok 103 min)

Shin Sang-ok’s masterpiece centres around young girl Oak-hee and her extended family. Moments of poignancy cut through quirky humour when Shin’s focus is the socially taboo attraction between Oak-hee’s widow mother (Shin’s wife Choi Eun-hee) and their artist lodger. In 1978 Shin and his wife were kidnapped by Kim Jong-il to revitalise North Korea’s film industry, but escaped while in Vienna in 1986.

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8.45pm - Madame Freedom (Jayubuin) (South Korea 1956. Dir. Han Hyeong-mo 125 min)

Highly controversial but extremely popular, Han Hyeong-mo’s classic is one of the great landmark films of South Korea, providing a template for the melodramas for which Korea has become so widely known. Based on a series published in the 1954 Seoul Shinmun newspaper, Madame Freedom explores society’s reactions to a conservative middle-class couple who begin to see different people as their lives become more westernised.

Tuesday 6 November

6.00pm - A Dirty Carnival (Biyeolhan geori) (18) (South Korea 2006 Dir. Yoo Ha 141 min)

This noirish thriller follows young hood Byung-doo, forced to enter a life of organised crime to provide support for his family. When boss Hwang offers him a job that would give his family financial independence, Byung-doo wrestles with his need to make fast money and his desire for an honest life. A mesmerising performance from one of Korea’s leading actors Jo In-Seong, and superb direction from Yoo Ha.

Tuesday 6 November

8.45pm - War of the Flower (Tajja) (15) (South Korea 2006 Dir. Choi Dong-hoon 139 min)

When hard-core gambler Go-nee (Cho Seung-woo) is swindled out of his sister’s savings by group of fraudulent gamblers, he persuades retired master Mr. Pyeong to train him to be the best slicker in the business to get the money back. Arguably one of the most sophisticated and stylish recent Korean films, War of the Flower became an instant hit with home audiences.

Wednesday 7 November

Retrospective: Park Chan-wook

A celebration of the work of the renowned Korean filmmaker, with films specially chosen for the festival by Park Chan-wook, who will also be in attendance at the screenings.

6.15pm - Sympathy For Mr Vengeance (Boksuneun naui geot) (18) (South Korea 2002 Dir. Park Chan-wook 121 min)

Unable to provide a kidney for his gravely ill sister, deaf mute Ryu makes an horrific black market deal that sets him on a brutal path of violence and revenge which leaves no one connected untouched. This emotionally complex tale of good intentions gone wrong is a brilliant, emotionally resonant study of desperate actions and their devastating repercussions.

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8.45pm - Lady Vengeance (Chinjeolhan geumjassi) (18) (South Korea 2006 Dir. Park Chan-wook 112 min)

After 13 years in prison, notorious teen- killer Geum-ja (Lee Young-ae) sets out to confront the man who framed her, but unearths a more horrific truth whilst searching for atonement for her part in the death of a kidnapped boy. As lady Vengeance’s brilliantly conceived flashbacks play out, this spellbinding thriller keeps us guessing right up until its stomach-churning conclusion.

Thursday 8 November

7.30pm - Closing Gala Special Preview - I’m a Cyborg But That’s OK (Saibogujiman kwenchana) (12) (South Korea 2006 Dir. Park Chan-wook 105 min) plus Barbican ScreenTalk with Park Chan-wook

Park Chan-wook’s newest film is a departure in style from the vengeance trilogy that made him both a household name and a critical success. Im Soo-jeong (A Tale of Two Sisters) and Asian mega-star Rain star in this visually delightful musical romance, which flits neatly between fantasy and reality as it charts the touching relationship between oddball residents of a Korean mental hospital. Barbican Film delighted to welcome Park Chan-wook for a special Barbican ScreenTalk following the gala screening of his new film. With thanks to Tartan Films

MADE IN HONG KONG SEASON AT THE ICA - WIN TICKETS!

In conjunction with ICA, Firecracker is proud to offer you the chance to win a pair of tickets to Ringo Lam's explosive 'Full Alert' showing at 8.45 on the 12th October and 'Perhaps Love' a Bob Fosse style musical which will be showing on at 9.00 on the 16th October.

And all you have to do to enter is answer a simple question:

Ringo Lam recently co-directed a film with two other masters of Asian Cinema. What were their names?

All answers must be sent to : competitions@ica.org.uk

More information about the season can be found at: www.ica.org.uk and our previous post!

Good luck!

MADE IN HONG KONG OVER AT THE ICA!

ICA presents:

MADE IN HONG KONG

A season of seven Hong Kong movies from 1997-2007

12 – 16 October, ICA, The Mall, SW1

FULL ALERT / MY LIFE AS MCDULL / PERHAPS LOVE /

MADE IN HONG KONG / AFTER THIS OUR EXILE / GOLDEN CHICKEN /

ORDINARY HEROES

For five days in October the ICA will host a season of films made in Hong Kong over the past 10 years; from the 1997 handover to China to the present day. This decade has seen the film industry in Hong Kong go from strength to strength, creating a new identity while looking back at the area’s history. Among these films, gangland thrillers, a lush musical and a bittersweet piece of animation tackle such issues as identity, the legacy of colonialism and how Hong Kong reacts to mainland China.

Full Alert

12 October: cinema 1

An explosive action thriller featuring starring Ching-wan Lau and Francis Ng, rich on characterisation and punctuated with exciting chase scenes and gunfights. Full Alert was Ringo Lam’s return to Hong Kong movies following his stint making Hollywood-set action films, and his guerrilla film-making style wonderfully captures the sense of the Hong Kong streets. [Dir Ringo Lam, Hong Kong 1997, 99 mins]

My Life as McDull

13, 15 October: cinema 1 & 2

A rare screening of this HK animated classic, a beguiling film about good-natured piglet McDull, who epitomises the spirit of post-1997 Hong Kong. The film follows his life growing up in the slums of Sham Shui Po and features swooping shots of the bustling Kowloon streets, greasy cafes and local characters, fusing animation, photography and computer graphics. [Dir Toe Yuen, Hong Kong 2002, 75 mins]

Perhaps Love

13, 16 October: cinema 1 & 2

This beautifully shot Hollywood-style musical was one of the biggest recent hits in Hong Kong, spinning a delightful love triangle between three of the film’s megastar performers, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhou Xun and Jacky Cheung, with set pieces that are wonderfully staged and on a par with such films as Moulin Rouge. [Dir Peter Chan, Hong Kong 2005, 107 mins]

Made in Hong Kong

14 October: cinema 1

This cult Hong Kong gangster film chronicles three teenagers trying to escape their lives. Fruit Chan’s Hong Kong is more brutal than that presented by the likes of Ringo Lam or John Woo – there are no straightforward gunfights here, instead a menacing cityscape and a backdrop of run-down housing projects. A hit on the festival circuit and previously at the ICA, starring Sam Lee, Neiky Yim and Wenbers Li. [Dir Fruit Chan, Hong Kong 1997, 108 mins]

After This Our Exile

14th, 15th October, Cinema 1 & 2

The director’s cut of this elegantly paced Malaysian-set drama following a debt-ridden father and a heartbreaking father-son relationships. The film marks the return of new-wave luminary Patrick Tam after a 17 year break from film-making. Stars Aaron Kwok and newcomer King-to Ng. [Dir Patrick Tam, Hong Kong 2006, 160 mins]

Golden Chicken

15, 16 October: cinema 1 & 2

Sandra Ng gives a brilliant performance as ‘Golden Chicken’ Ah Kam (“chicken” is slang for a prostitute) in this moving and charming film about a woman’s life story, which also acts as a mirror to the history of Hong Kong over the last 20 years. Terrific supporting cast includes superstars such as Andy Lau and Tony Leung. [Dir Samson Chiu, Hong Kong 2002, 106 mins]

Ordinary Heroes

16 October: cinema 1

Few films have captured Hong Kong’s social movements as vividly as Ann Hui’s award-winning film as it follows a group of ordinary characters – ranging from a fishergirl through to a councilman – as they show courage and resilience against all odds, detailing their unfulfilled dreams and personal disenchantment. Cast includes Anthony Wong, so impressive in Johnny To’s stunning 2006 crime epic Exiled. [Dir Ann Hui, Hong Kong 1999, 128 mins]

Notes to editors:

With thanks to Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London (www.hketolondon.gov.hk) and the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society for their co-operation in making the films available, and to Applause, Panorama Distributions, Celestial, MVP, Man 5 Productions, Golden Scene, Wide Vision, Universe, BMA and HK Film Archive for their support.

This London season at the ICA forms part of a Europe wide programme of film festivals celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 1997. The HK Film Panorama was set up to present films produced between 1997 and 2007, demonstrating the key role of Hong Kong in the world film industry. HK is the third largest film production centre in the world, and HK actors and directors have been successful Hollywood - and some Hollywood directors are inspired by the work of HK directors. The HK Film Panorama comprises a mix of some old favourites and recent productions. It has already visited Graz, Hamburg, Brussels, Antwerp, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Geneva, Vienna and Berlin, and will also visit Madrid (Oct 07) and Munich (Feb 08).

For further information on the screenings including times and prices please visit: www.ica.org.uk

KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL! UPDATE SOON!

Barbican will be hosting 'The Korean Film Festival' this year between Friday 2nd to Thursday 8th November.

THE LONDON KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 07 Friday 2 to Thursday 8 November
Barbican Film is delighted to present this year's London Korean Film Festival in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, through the Korean Cultural Centre and the Korea Culture and Content Agency. A dazzling showcase of Korean cinema, this week-long festival highlights the quality and diversity of Korean film and offers a cinematic insight into contemporary Korean culture. This year's festival includes Cannes 2007 favourite Breath (Soom) from acclaimed filmmaker Kim Ki-duk (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring); films from the Korean Film Archive and a day of Korean Animation for all the family, where young viewers can take part in themed workshops and costume play activities. The festival is also delighted to welcome the director Park Chan-wook (Old Boy) who will present a retrospective of his work including his latest film I'm a Cyborg but that's OK (Saibogujiman kwenchana). The London Korean Film Festival also includes the best Korean films of recent years including A Dirty Carnival (2006 Dir. Yoo Ha) and The War of Flower (2006 Dir. Choi Dong-hoon). The full programme will be available in October.

LONDON FILM FESTIVAL ON ITS WAY!

London Film Festival – Pre-Festival Round-up

This year’s The Times BFI 51^st London Film Festival’s full programme includes 184 features and 133 shorts as well as a host of screen talks, masterclasses and live events.

Opening the Festival on Thursday 17 October is the UK premiere of David Cronenberg’s EASTERN PROMISES with Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts and Vincent Cassel, whilst Wes Anderson closes the Festival on November 1 with the UK premiere of THE DARJEELING LIMITED, starring Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody.

Both films have been garnering a lot of interest all over the world, with Eastern Promises receiving rave reviews from both press screening in London and public screenings at the Toronto Film Festival.

The LFF is also host to a number of Galas and Screening in the square brining together some of the most respected and challenging filmmakers of today together: From Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion winner Ang Lee’s LUST, CAUTION, to renowned director of ‘Russian Ark’ Alexander Sokurov’s ALEXANDRA, Abdellatif ,from director François Ozon, the director of last year’s intensely humane ‘TIME TO LEAVE’ ; ANGEL based on the novel by Elizabeth Taylor, to Sean Penn’s INTO THE WILD, Ermanno Olmi ,from director Michael Haneke his intensely anticipated remake of his own title FUNNY GAMES, ,to the glorious madness of Takeshi Kitano in GLORY TO THE FILMMAKER!, from Andrew Dominik’s THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD), to Todd Hayness’ intriguing I’M NOT THERE and Nobuhiro Yamashita’s THE MATSUGANE POTSHOT AFFAIR . Audiences will also discover debut feature directors including: Céline Sciamma (WATER LILIES), Rodrigo Plá (LA ZONA), Shivajee Chandrabhushan (FROZEN) and Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud (PERSEPOLIS).

As always London film festival will also be surrounded by special events, screenings and master talks. Giving both the cinephiles and the casual audiences the chance to learn, understand and question more about their favourite films and filmmakers, the festival will include events and classes from directors as diverse as Wes Anderson to Robert Rodriguez. Other expected guests include David Cronenberg, Naomi Watts, Cristian Mungiu, Sienna Miller, Andrew Dominik, Tang Wei, Ang Lee, Jason Schwartzman, Julian Schnabel, Tom Cruise, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Jan Svĕrák, Michael Moore, Asif Kapadia, Halle Berry, Susanne Bier, Sean Penn, Michael Pitt, Todd Haynes, Casey Affleck, Tamara Jenkins, Carlos Reygadas, Esther Robinson, Amy Adams, James Marsden, Jason Reitman and Kevin Lima.

Celebrating restorations from archives around the world, Treasures from the Archives showcases features and shorts including: the magnificent ENAMORADA, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and extraordinary, neglected classic KILLER OF SHEEP. The big screen will also come to Trafalgar Square for two nights, ablaze with archive films that celebrate London as one of the world’s great cinematic cities, including Alfred Hitchcock’s BLACKMAIL.

All in all this seems like an intensely interesting and packed to the brims year for the festival If you’d like to get an idea of some of the must-sees of the festival, continue reading for the monsters & Critics’ choice of Top 10 titles to see at The Times Bfi London Film Festival.

TOP TEN MUST-SEES FOR THIS YEAR’S LONDON FILM FESTIVAL:

This is a list intended for those who already have chosen a few titles but would also like to take a chance and see others which they might not know much about. The list isn’t in order in importance but rather in order of appearance on the festival website.

1) 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (Director: Cristina Mingu): This year’s Palme D’or winner, this Romanian film depicts a harrowing portrait of an illegal abortion in Communist-era Romania. Although the subject matter is grim, this low-budget film achieves a sense of social realism not seen on the screen since the heyday of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach.

2) The Band's Visit (Director: Eran Kolirin): Raising more than a few eyebrows when playing in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, Eric Kolirin’s debut is a highly infectious, warm and joyful affair sure to win the hearts of any audience member who watches it. Focusing on the story of a small Egyptian police band that comes to Israel in the early 1990s to perform at an Arab cultural centre in Petach Tikva, the film balances wide farce with wit and emotion , creating an undeniably tempting concoction.

3) The Edge Of Heaven (Director: Fatih Akin): Fatih Akin burst onto the European movie scene with his shocking and intense Turco-German drama Against The Wall (Gegen Die Wand). With this multi-layered, intricately plotted drama about the story of a Turkish man travels to Istanbul to find the daughter of his father's former live-in prostitute girlfriend confirms that he is one of the names to watch. The film is a blueprint for economy and precision in film-making with each scene, each line and each shot counting towards the end result.

4)Grace Is Gone (Director: James C. Strouse): Last year, filmgoers experienced James C. Strouse’s writing in Steve Buscemi’s Lonesome Jim. This year they get to experience his debut feature. A stunning central performance from John Cusack as Stanley Phlilps, a father of two whose soldier wife gets killed in Iraq, Grace Is Gone is an eloquent, touching look at the impact of war on one average family.

5) In Memory Of Me (Director: Saverio Contanzo) : Saverio Contanzo’ s first film , Private , was a stunning story of a Palestinia family trapped in their house by Israeli soldiers. His second, In Memory Of Me , continues Contanzo’s ability to create large-scale drama in small-scale locations by telling the story of Andrea whose quest to find himself leads him into being accepted by a small Jesuit seminary isolated on an island near Venice. To reveal anymore would ruin the joy of experience Saverio Contanzo’s film, with patterns, dynamics and stories slowly but surely exposing themselves through the routines and the training at the seminary under the ever-watchful and stern eye of the Father Superior.

6) In Prison All My Life (Direcotr: Marc Evans) : In a year that is exceptionally strong in the documentaries category, In Prison All My Life, stands out as a compelling statement on the issue of death penalty in America.. Through the figure of William Francomme, a middle-class Englishman, who gets involved directly in the case of Mumia Abu-Jabul who has been in jail awaiting his execution since being sentenced in 1981 for the killing of a police officer. A thoughtful, insightful affair, In Prison All My Life, shows why documentaries continue to be one of the strongest arms of both cinema in general and film festivals.

7) The Trap (director: Srdan Golubovic) : A modern day film noir as well as an updating of ‘Crime And Punishment’ this tense drama ; adapted from the novel by Nenad Teofilovic, rests on a monumental performance by Melina Pota as Mladen who is forced to take extreme measures in order to obtain the 26,000 Euros for an operation to save his son.

8) Saturno Contro (Director: Ferzan Ozpetek): A group of friends, now edging towards their 40s, have managed to remain a tight knit group throughout the changes in their lives. However, their solidarity is threatened by the shocking circumstances they experience when one of them is suddenly taken ill. Returning to familiar ground, Ferzan Ozpetek weaves a tale of close-knit friends and creates wholly believable characters who reactions always stay this side of interesting.

9) Planet Terror (Director: Robert Rodriguez): Yes, it might be coming out in cinemas everywhere soon but this might be your only chance to catch something so outrageous and so cult within the oeuvre of The Times Bfi 51^st London Film Festival. Literally a love letter to all the gore-soaked films of the 70’s, Planet Terror is a disgusting, gory, unbelievable and funny ride that once seen you will never, ever forget.

10) Tuya’s Marriage (Director: Wang Quan An) : One of the unforeseen pleasures of this year's Berlinale, Golden Bear-winning Tuya's Marriage is the story of one woman's struggle to support her family, set against the backdrop of a disappearing way of life.. An enjoyable slice-of-life drama suffused with gentle humour, the film focuses on Tuya, a young Mongolian woman who reluctantly aggress to divorce her incapacitated husband and see new suitors but with one condition: the man who marries her will look after her old husband Bater as well as her family. As she sees one suitor after next and fails to find someone, her drunken but kind-hearted neighbor Sen’ge watches on.

UPDATE:

The BFI 51^st LONDON FILM FESTIVAL BOOKING PERIOD STARTS

From the 29^th September, the London Film Festival will be open for public bookings! Now is your chance to enjoy this year’s many Gala’s and First-Time screenings. Tickets can be booked by one of the two easy methods: By visiting the festival website at www.lff.org.uk or by calling 0207 928 32 32.

Due toLondon Film Festival being first and foremost a public film festival, it means that you, the public can actually buy tickets to attend huge glitzy premieres, as well as having the opportunity to see future award-winning films and world cinema gems before they go on general release. Last year film such as ‘HALF NELSON’ , ‘LAST KING OF SCOTLAND’ and ‘THE LIVES OF OTHERS’ were first screened at the London Film Festival before anywhere.

Remember though a lot of screening sell-out very quickly! So you have to be quick off the mark to catch the tickets!

Enjoy the festival!

RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL NOW ON!

The U.k.'s premier independent film festival 'Raindance' is once again on! Starting on 25th September with wonderful 'Weirdsville' and closing off on 7th October with gus Van Sant's new film 'Paranoid Park' the festival is aiming to bring the best of independent cinema to the U.K.
As part of the festival, Raindance is also screening a number of new and unknown titles from Asia: Some of the highligts include 'M' ; described as a Belle Du Jour for the internet age, 'Bakushi: The Incredible Lives Of The Rope Masters', a documentary about the performers of a strange erotic art form known as Bakushi, 'It's Only Talk' ; Ryuchi Hiroki’s second collaboration with the winning team of actress Shinobu Terajima and screenwriter Haruhiko Arai about a woman suffering from depression and finally Blitzkrieg Bop: a surreal, mad-cap Japanese gangster flick.
There are still tickets available to all the remaining screening so hurry!
More info can be found at:
www.raindance.co.uk


P.s.: Tonight is the last chance to see 'La Antenna'. An Argentinian sci-fi flick that is simply out of this world. Fans of classic anime such as 'Ghost In The Shell' and 'Akira' as well as Fritz Lang, Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam fans should pay heed. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

REMAKE TIME: ONE MISSED CALL

The trailer for the remake of 'One Missed Call' is finally online. Directed by Eric Valette (who was behind the French horror film ''Malefique' a few years back), 'One Missed Call' is a remake of the Takashi Miike directed horror film of the same name from 1999. The film was very succesful both in Japan and worldwide and even inspired two more sequels!
So it is no surprise to see it being re-made for an Hollywood audience. The question that remains is: Will it be worth it?

Link for the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x46VHO3T0m8

COMPETITION RESULTS!

Our DVD giveaway competition is now over. Thanks to all those who entered.
The winners are:
Edward Ashby
Anthony Antoniou
Nick Taylor

If you haven't already e-mailed us your address, please do so. The DVD's will be on their way to you as soon as possible. Many thanks to Cine Asia and Premier Asia who made this exciting event possible.

Competition Time: Celebrating All Asia

Hello Folks;

A great competition to celebrate the release of two wonderful films: 'The Duelist' and 'Dragon Tiger Gate' We have x3 copies of 'Dragon Tiger Gate' courtesy of Cine Asia
and x3 copies for 'Duelist', courtesy of Premier Asia.
3 Lucky winners will win a copy of each movie. And all you have to do win is answer a simple question:
What is the name of the upcoming movie from Wilson Yip that re-unites him yet again with Donnie Yen and his character Inspector Ma?
Please send all e-mails to: evrimersoy@gmail.com using the subject line : 'Competition'.
The competition will end 31st August Midnight.
Winners will be announced in a post here 3rd September.

Good Luck!


Dragon Tiger Gate:HE LATEST ACTION-ADVENTURE FROM "HERO" STAR DONNIE YEN Action superstar Donnie Yen (Seven Swords; Hero; Blade II) blasts back on to the screen in inimitable fashion as both star and action director in one of the most highly anticipated Hong Kong movies in recent years, DRAGON TIGER GATE.

Released on DVD on 25th June 2007, DRAGON TIGER GATE comes packed with over two hours of extra features including behind-the-scenes featurettes and interviews with the film's stars and director.

Based on the popular and long running Hong Kong comic book Oriental Heroes by Wong Yuk-Long, and co-starring Nicholas Tse (New Police Story) and Shawn Yue (Diary; Initial D; the Infernal Affairs trilogy), Yen's latest is a gratuitous celebration of martial arts excess and uber-cool whiplash style.

Created by two martial arts masters as a haven for orphans who have become caught up in the nefarious underworld of the Triads and street gang violence, the Dragon Tiger Gate Martial Arts Academy is a lone, shining beacon of virtue in a city ravaged by corruption. Making their own separate ways in this unscrupulous society are two estranged step-brothers, Dragon Wong (Donnie Yen) and Tiger Wong (Nicholas Tse), each the son of one of the Academy's co-founders and both possessing their father's considerable combat skills. While Tiger has followed a suitably righteous path and remained with the school, Dragon has begun working for a local gang leader, his adoptive father Ma Kun (Chen Kuan-tai). Their paths cross when Tiger finds himself in possession of an icon belonging to Ma Kun and refuses to give it back. This conflict is soon overshadowed, however, when a deadly masked warlord known only as Shibumi targets both Ma Kun and the Academy's remaining master, Wong Jianglong (Wah Yuen). Aided by Academy newcomer, the nunchaku-wielding Turbo (Shawn Yu), Tiger resolves to help his master. But even the combined might of Tiger and Turbo proves to be no match for Shibumi and they are forced to rely on the only fighter strong enough to take on this new threat. But first, Dragon will have to come to terms with his past…

Utilising groundbreaking wirework, cutting edge CGI, traditional kung fu gymnastics and innovative camerawork to keep the action flowing, DRAGON TIGER GATE is a full-on crowd-pleaser that never lets up, and one that is guaranteed to leave fight fans fully sated.

DRAGON TIGER GATE (cert. 15) will be released on DVD (£16.99) by Cine-Asia on 25th June 2007. Special Features include: "Making of" featurette; Pre-Production featurette; Shooting Diaries; four location featurettes; deleted scenes; trailer gallery; interviews with Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue, Dong Jie, Li Xiao-Ran and Wilson Yip; Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 audio options; chapter index.

THE Duelist: Loosely based on an original manga by Bang Hak-gi and set during Korea's late Chosun Dynasty era, acclaimed Korean filmmaker Lee Myung-Se's (Nowhere To Hide: Bitter And Sweet) innovative and visually impressive reinvention of martial arts genre conventions, DUELIST, is a ravishingly shot and brilliantly choreographed tale of intrigue and romance now coming to DVD, courtesy of Premier Asia.

It is a time of social and political upheaval in Korea. Amidst the chaos, the Minister of Defence, Piljoon Song is plotting to eradicate all those who oppose him, thereby assuming complete control of the armed forces and, in effect, the country itself. Meanwhile, the economy has been thrown into disarray by the introduction of vast amounts of counterfeit money.

Charged with investigating the source of the counterfeiting operation are Detective Namsoon, a young female officer, and her partner Detective Ahn. In an attempt to solve the case, Namsoon goes undercover adopting a variety of guises in order to infiltrate the criminal underworld. The mystery deepens, however, when one by one the prime suspects in the investigation wind up dead.

The key to solving the mystery appears to be an enigmatic, handsome swordsman known only as Sad Eyes, whom Namsoon repeatedly encounters during the course of her inquiries.

Despite appearing to be on opposite sides of the law, they inexplicably find themselves romantically drawn to each other and proceed to engage in a game of cat-and-mouse resulting in a series of duels that merely serve to strengthen their mutual feelings of infatuation and professional respect. But as they each struggle to reconcile the conflict between love and duty, Namsoon discovers the truth behind Sad Eyes' identity and it becomes all too apparent that their fate can only be decided by one final duel.

Taking visual inspiration from the works of artists Matisse and Mondrian (specifically the pieces "Dance" and "Manhattan" respectively) and basing the fight choreography on rhythms and movements more associated with the tango and ballet than with kung fu and swordplay, in DUELIST Lee Myung-Se has created a uniquely artistic and visionary martial arts film unlike anything seen before.

DUELIST (cert. 12) will be released on DVD as a two disc special collector's edition (£19.99) by Premier Asia on 2nd July 2007. Over two hours of special features include: a making of documentary; an interview with director Lee Myung Sae; featurettes on the editing, music and visuals of the film; behind the scenes interviews and footage of the cast and a promotional gallery. The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with a choice of Korean Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 sound tracks and optional English subtitles.

New York Korean FF

New Yorkers have been given the opportunity to binge on Asian movies over the last couple of months with the NY Asian Film Festival followed by the Asian American International Film Festival, and the feast doesn't stop there. August 21 sees the opening of the NY Korean Film Festival, with a line up featuring some of the latest and greatest Korean flicks from A Dirty Carnival to You Are My Sunshine, Radio Star to Bloody Tie. Director of 200 pound Beauty Kim Yong-hwa will be in attendance for the screenings of his movie, plus there's a horror day, shorts screenings and a retrospective of master Im Kwon-taek. More info over at the festival site...

Reanimated: The Return of Kaiju Shakedown

Followers of the late-lamented Variety Asian film blog Kaiju Shakedown will be pleased to hear of its Lazarus-like return, once again presided over by Subway Cinema's Grady Hendrix. Add to Twitch and you've got your essential daily Asian cinema fix... Check it out here.

Rumblings

Two pieces of news to discuss on this new week:
First the very much yo-yo'in Chow Yun Fat on John Woo's new historical epic 'Battle Of The Red Cliff'. First he was in, then he was out, then he was in again and now...it seems that Chow Yun Fat is out for good. A recent report from the set suggested that Chow Yun Fat would not be allowed to 'Battle Of The Red Cliff' because of the fears that his arrival might disrupt and negatively effect the relationship of John Wood with the other actors. However rumours still abound that John Woo will try to get Chow Yun back. We'll just have to wait and see on this one.
The second piece of news is the longer trailer and new poster art for the weird and mind-blowing looking D-War. The longer trailer is featrued on Youtube but can also be seen on the offical website at:
http://www.d-war.com/

Rumor Mill: Stephen Chow to star in 'GREEN HORNET'

According to a recent report on the Los Angeles Times last week, 'Stephen Chow' will be starring in the Green Hornet film alongside star 'Seth Rogen'

More details as they become available

Sonny Chiba Retires From Stylish Ass-Kicking

Action icon Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba announced his retirement from action thesping under his Japanese stage name at a press conference in Tokyo on Monday, citing his age, 68, and physical decline. He also said that he intends to teach at his alma mater, Nippon Sport Science University, and launch his own acting school in Japan.

Chiba said he realized he'd reached his limit filming a period drama for pubcaster NHK in July. Required to wear a heavy suit of armor for his role of warlord Itagaki Nobukata, Chiba suffered an asthma attack. "Itagaki died (in the drama) -- now I want to bury 'Shinichi Chiba' as well," he told reporters.

Starting next year, Chiba will be a guest instructor at Nippon Sport Science University. Also, next month he will start taking applications for a Japanese branch of his LA-based acting school, Thousand Leaves Hollywood. (The Chinese characters in "Chiba" can be read as "Thousand Leaves.") Chiba said he intends to expand the school to six cities nationwide, as well as join with Hong Kong action legend Jackie Chan to launch schools for future action stars in Beijing and Shanghai. "I'd like to train many young people and pass on the name 'Shinichi Chiba' to one of them," he said. Chiba also said he would continue to act under his real name. Sadaho Maeda, and his international stage name, Sonny Chiba.

In 1970 Chiba started another school for action thesps, Japan Action Club (JAC), training future international star Hiroyuki Sanada, but withdrew from its management in 1991. He currently runs an acting school, Thousand Leaves Hollywood, out of his LA home.

Born in Fukuoka, Japan in 1939, Chiba made his screen debut in 1959. In the 1970s he rose to global stardom in karate action pics as the Japanese answer to Bruce Lee . Recent pics include "Kill Bill Vol. 1" and "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift."

Sourc: Variety, MARK SCHILLING

JAPAN EXPO LONDON 21st -22nd of JULY

Whether you end up taking photos of a reproduction Eiffel Tower, surfing an indoor wave, musing in a Zen temple, or sleeping in a capsule hotel, you need to visit Japan with an open mind and be prepared to be surprised.

Somewhere between the elegant formality of Japanese manners and the candid, sometimes boisterous exchanges that take place over a few drinks, between the shopping malls and the unexpected rural festivals, everyone finds their own vision of Japan a beautiful country both modern and traditional.

JapanEX London will give consumers a glimpse of what they can expect when they choose to visit Japan.

JapanEX London will hope to have a selection of Japanese food, drink and traditions including demonstrations, food & drink sampling.

Simple Traditional Foods. Sushi - Domburi - Onigiri - Soba - Udon. Tea - Sake - Happoshu - Shochu.

From Aikijujutsu, Aikido, Kenjutsu, Kendo, Ninjutsu, Shorinji Kempo, the list is endless. Martial Arts have proven over the centuries to be a major influence in the culture and traditions of Japan. Experience some of these at JapanEX London.

Japanese fashion has a major influence on European trends with many new & old styles breaking through to the mainstream market. Elegant Gothic Lolita Fashion is one of the more recognisable styles as well as a look known as Street Fashion. Fashion at JapanEx London hopes to bring you the new and best labels in the UK or to import from Japan.

From gadgets to gizmos, Japan has it all. Japan has proven time & time again that it can create and adapt today's and create tomorrow's technology. If it's new and fun it mostly likely started development in Japan. See the latest at JapanEx London.

Games, Games and more Games, from GameBoy, DS, DS Lite to PSP and beyond.... Japan leads the way with some of the greatest titles ever released. JapanEX London will feature the latest games.

Kimono and Yukata traditional Japanese clothing, Geisha, Tea ceremony (Sado), Karesansui Gardens (dry gardens) are all strong traditions of Japan. These and many more will be represented or displayed at JapanEX London.

Modern Japanese Popular Culture has it's routes in films, television programs, comics, and music. Some expressions of modern Japanese pop culture are Manga, Karaoke, J-Rock and Kawaii which stands for 'Cute'.

There are countless types of classical music in Japan, none more striking than Taiko (Japanese Drums) however Modern Japan has an affinity with bubblegum pop and J-Pop. They are some of the best-selling forms of music, and are often used in films and television, especially in Japanese animation. J-Rock has a huge following and is not defined by its sound (which may or may not be "rock" music) but by the appearance of the bands.

Manga is the Japanese word for comics and print cartoons. Outside of Japan, it usually refers specifically to Japanese comics. Manga developed from a mixture of ukiyo-e and foreign styles of drawing, and took its current form shortly after World War II. It comes mainly in black and white, except for the covers and sometimes the first few pages. The huge following for Manga has lead to the explosion of the Animation industry in Japan which is known as 'ANIME' All of the major UK distributors for Manga & Anime will be at JapanEX London.


For more information and tickets go to

http://www.mcmexpo.net/japanexlondon/showinfo.shtml

A Fistful of Fen

The Cambridge Film Festival starts today and runs until July 15th. It's the 27th such event to illuminate the Fenland and goes from strength to strength. Among a small number of Asian titles, a definite highlight is the UK Premiere of Studio Ghibli's latest Tales From Earthsea, from Goro - son-of - Miyazaki, as is the UK Prem of anticipated Pakistani zombie flick Hell's Ground (Zibahkhana).

Other stuff to look out for: Taiwanese director Leste Chen's follow-up to horror The Heirloom - gay drama Eternal Summer; Indonesian auteur Garin Nugroho's musical epic Opera Jawa; Apichatpong Weerasathakul's Syndromes and a Century; anime in the form of Satoshi Kon's Paprika and the feature length Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society. Chinese director Jian Yi is also on hand for the screening of his doc Super Girls!, following several would-be pop idols as they try their luck at China's biggest TV singing contest.

Take a punt downriver, look at some old college buildings, see where Isaac Newton discovered gravity, and, of course, watch movies.

Check out the website here.

Edward Yang (1947-2007)

Over the weekend news services reported the death of Taiwanese director Edward Yang. He was 59 and had been suffering from colon cancer for several years. Best known for the lengthy masterworks A Brighter Summer Day (1991) and A One And A Two (2000), Yang spent the last few years working on an animated feature film in collaboration with Jackie Chan. Self-described as having been the initial leader of the Taiwanese new wave in the early/mid 1980s, along with actor-director Hou Hsiao-Hsien and writer Wu Nien-Jen, Yang rarely matched Hou's rate of output, which may explain why his name now commands less recognition. While Hou's films - and those of Tsai Ming-Liang - attract regular retrospectives, little of Yang's work is in any kind of wide circulation.

Like Hou, Yang was consistently concerned with the big picture of Taiwanese history and society. His themes included the question of Taiwan's potential reunion with China in A Brighter Summer Day, the suitability of traditional cultural values in late twentieth century Asia in A Confucian Confusion (1994), and a general sense of the implications of westernisation (Yang studied and worked as a computer programmer in the US in the 1970s, and was living in Los Angeles at the time of his death). But his last film, A One And A Two, differed from his earlier work in its straightforward, contemplative portrayal of the emotional conflicts within a single extended family. An ambitious attempt to distill fifty years of life experience into a single scenario, A One And A Two is, to my mind, the greatest, wisest exploration of modern urban existence in contemporary cinema. Other mooted films in recent years included an expensive drama set in Taiwan during the Second World War and one about a boy travelling the world with just a credit card and a cellphone.

Yang credited British critics and the London Film Festival as the first to recognise the Taiwanese new wave, and the ICA has shown sustained interest in Yang (with further screenings of A One And A Two scheduled this month). Yet here, as just about everywhere, most of his work is simply unavailable. Perhaps Yang's death will provide sufficient incentive for someone to finally make his films widely available as a kind of belated tribute.

see also Jonathan Rosenbaum on the films of Edward Yang

D for Digital: Skip to the City

The Skip City International D-Cinema Festival takes place in Kawaguchi City, Japan, July 14-22...

An important regional showcase for digital works, the jury for the international feature film competition this year is presided over by HK director Mabel Cheung (Beijing Rocks, The Soong Sisters). Among the global line-up of ten features are films from Japan, China and the Philippines: respectively Kazuyuki Nozawa's Philippines-set Maria's Navel, which follows a young child and her family struggling to get by on the streets of Manila, Qiao Liang's Euro-drama My Own Private Deutchland, and Ato Bautista's thriller Blackout. Bautista's debut Awaken can currently be seen on Firecracker TV.

The fest also includes a Japanese short film competition, and a section entitled Camera Crayon, showing 29 youth short films from the UK, US, Denmark, Korea and Japan.

Proceedings kick off with the world premiere of Kiyoshi Sanabe's Yunagi City, Sakura County, a drama following an elderly man who travels to Hiroshima to retrace the story of his sister, who died of radiation illness after the war.

There's also the chance to see traditional Japanese Kabuki theatre captured on camera in Cinema Kabuki.

More info on all this, plus trailers of the competition titles, can be found at the website here

See the SCIDCF trailer here

Firecracker supports NYAFF 2007 - Starts Tomorrow

Firecracker is delighted to be on board as a media sponsor for this year's New York Asian Film Festival. Kicking off tomorrow, this year's line-up once again confirms the event's place as the best Asian movie event in the Big Apple, with juicy titles such as I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, The Banquet, Exiled, Nightmare Detective and City of Violence among the highlights, and there's an awesome range of special guests and events.

More coming soon but in the meantime over to the guys at Subway Cinema:

Dragon Dynasty and Subway Cinema Present NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2007 June 22 - July 8, 2007 at the IFC Center and Japan Society

The New York Asian Film Festival 2007 thunders back into town with a herd of rowdy movies that are ready to blow your mind and cleanse your soul. A seventeen day orgy of new films from PARK Chan-wook, Johnnie To, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Takashi Miike, this year's festival will introduce you to buffalo-busting action flicks from Thailand, cartilage-cracking gangster films from Korea, and the first gore flick ever made in Pakistan!
SPECIAL GUESTS!

E. J-yong
Director of Dasepo Naughty Girls and curator of Mise-en-scene's Genres Film Festival (MGFF)

Shusuke Kaneko
director of Death Note and Death Note: The Last Name

HAN Jae-rimDirector of The Show Must Go On

Sion Sono
director of Exte

Omar Khan
Director of Hell's Ground (Zibhakhana) and Pakistani film preservationist Pete Tombs and Andy Starke: producers of Hell's Ground and kings of the Mondo Macabro DVD label.

LEE Sang-geun
Director of award-winning short film Do You Wanna Baby?

SPECIAL EVENTS!

The NYAFF has partnered with Korea’'s Mise-en-scene’s Genres Film Festival (MGFF) to bring over their award-winning horror, comedy, melodrama, sci-fi and action short films, selected by MGFF’s committee and jury members, Bong Joon-ho (The Host), Kim Ji-woon (A Bittersweet Life), Ryoo Seung-wan (The City of Violence), Jang Joon-hwan (Save the Green Planet), E. J-yong (Dasepo Naughty Girls), and Park Chan-wook (I'’m a Cyborg, But That's OK). Presented with the generous support of the Korean Cultural Service New York.

From Lahore with Gore
–July 3 sees the New York debut of Hell's Ground, Pakistan’s first splatter film, produced by the good people at the Mondo Macabro DVD label. The director and producers will be at the screening with a clip reel highlighting the wildest Pakistani exploitation movies from the 70’s and 80’s and there will be big hugs for audience members who are suddenly terrified to realize that Pakistan is infested with zombies and hairy monsters.

THE TRAILER!
check out the official festival trailer on YouTube here

THE LINE-UP!
Full write-ups and schedule are available here

Dragon Tiger Gate and The Duelist arrive in the U.K.

Two great films of Eastern Cinema are fianlly arriving on UK DVD:

Action superstar Donnie Yen (Seven Swords, Hero, Blade II) blasts back on to the screen in inimitable fashion as both star and action director in one of the most highly anticipated Hong Kong movies in recent years, Dragon Tiger Gate.

Released on DVD on 25th June 2007, Dragon Tiger Gate comes packed with over two hours of extra features including behind-the-scenes featurettes and interviews with the film's stars and director.

Special Features include: "Making of" featurette; Pre-Production featurette; Shooting Diaries; four location featurettes; deleted scenes; trailer gallery; interviews with Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue, Dong Jie, Li Xiao-Ran and Wilson Yip; Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 audio options; chapter index.

Loosely based on an original manga by Bang Hak-gi and set during Korea's late Chosun Dynasty era, acclaimed Korean filmmaker Lee Myung-Se's (Nowhere To Hide, Bitter and Sweet) innovative and visually impressive reinvention of martial arts genre conventions, Duelist, is a ravishingly shot and brilliantly choreographed tale of intrigue and romance now coming to DVD, courtesy of Premier Asia.

Duelist will be released on DVD as a two disc special collector's edition by Premier Asia on 2nd July 2007. Over two hours of special features include: a making of documentary; an interview with director Lee Myung-se; featurettes on the editing, music and visuals of the film; behind the scenes interviews and footage of the cast and a promotional gallery. The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with a choice of Korean Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 sound tracks and optional English subtitles.

Read Firecracker's review of Duelist's UK Theatrical Release

Read Firecracker interview with Lee Myung-se

Sequels Galore - Nightmare Detective 2 And The Host 2 announced

Straight off the press: Two of this year's big hits are getting a sequel. Whilst Nightmare Detective will be helmed once again by Shin'ya Tsukamoto , the director for Host 2 is yet to be announced.

More details can be found on the Twitch website:

Nightmare Detective 2

The Host 2

PiFan Reveals its Lineup

PiFan - or to use its full title, the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival - is Korea's second biggest film fest (after Pusan) and the biggest genre-based fest in Asia. Its line-up is always worth a look and this year - the 11th edition - is no exception, with titles in the competition including the latest from Nobuhiro Yamashita, the acclaimed Japanese director of No One's Ark (2003) and high school girls' rock 'n roll charmer Linda Linda Linda (2005). Yamashita's crime-comedy The Matsugane Potshot Affair is joined by Oxide Pang's Diary, Thai director Chookiet Sakveerakul's 13 and Resurrection of the Butterfly by Korean directorial team Kim Min-sook & Lee Jung-gook.

While a Korean movie - Chulsoo and Younghee director Hwang Kyu-deok's latest For Eternal Hearts - opens proceedings, there's a more unexpected closer, with Indonesian director Joko Anwar's supernatural thriller Kala. The follow-up to the acclaimed Joni's Promise (Janji Joni) (Firecracker Showcase 2006), Kala represents something of a change of tack for this rising talent, but looks like following in its predecessor's footsteps as one of the few Indonesian movies to make an impact overseas. This is something Firecracker TV hopes to change very soon, with several of the best recent Indonesian flicks set to go live.

Read more on PiFan at Variety

Visit the PiFan site

Johnny To 'Exiled' to... the UK?!

Also out in the UK this week is Johnny To's superb semi-sequel to The Mission : Exiled

Proving that he is still one of the best and most masterful directors out there, Johnny To gathers his actors from the first film to weave a tale of past, present, friendship, honour and looking as cool as possible whilst blasting a gun.

Anyone who is not accustomed to Johnny To's usual quirkiness will be in for a treat as he regularly punctuates the action with the most beautifully mundane events and details, elevating the whole film above the level of an average Pistol Opera/Heroic Bloodshed.
Anthony Wong delivers a stunning performance, as well as looking extremely dashing and handsome, as the hit man assigned to kill an old friend. The rest of the cast, including Francis Ng, Nick Chung, Roy Cheung and Suet Lam, are spectacular, too, reminding us why The Mission is still one of the most wonderful films ever.

All UK readers, take notice.

Click for Firecracker review of Exiled