After the rather dark and overly serious Ong Bak 2 (sorry, Ong Bak: The Beginning for UK readers), the proper sequel is on the horizon – slated for release in Asia in April 2010.
As previously mentioned, Ong Bak: The Beginning is now available on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK.
This impressive debut by the Pang brothers is a heady mix of dazzling imagery and a violent tale of love, betrayal and redemption… (more…)
How terrible does this look? The Pang Brothers get to remake their classic original success – with Nicholas Cage in the lead? Oh, and is it just me, or have they remade John Woo’s The Killer by accident?
Let’s hope their sequel to The Storm Riders, Storm Warriors, delivers…
Bangkok Dangerous gets released in the US on 5 September after being ‘tried out’ in Europe for a bit.
You couldn’t make it up! The bizarre true story of the man who became Thailand’s most famous kick-boxer to pay for an operation to become a woman… (more…)
As the UK gears up for the release of Chocolate, Showbox / Cine-Asia have released a new clip where the filmmakers pay affectionate tribute to the icehouse scene in Bruce Lee’s The Big Boss. The film will make its official London theatrical debut on 24th October, before being launched on DVD and Blu-Ray on 3rd November.
At last! After the increasing interest in Thai action film Chocolate, starring martial arts star in the making JeeJa Yanin, is on limited release in London today at the ICA Cinema, ahead of the DVD and Blu-ray release on Monday 3 November. You can see details of the screenings and book here.
The UK release for Ong-Bak director Prachya Pinkaew’s latest have finally been officially announced. Following a couple of festival engagements during the next few weeks, the film will make its official London theatrical debut on 24th October, before being launched on DVD and Blu-Ray on 3rd November.
Chocolate introduces the latest female Muay Thai sensation, JeeJa Yanin, and is a non-stop martial arts action extravaganza about a young girl whose uncanny ability to mimic the combat skills of her heroes Tony Jaa, Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee has made her an unlikely but awesome fighting force.
Director Prachya Pinkaew brings us a whole new female fighting sensation in the making, JeeJa Yanin, but is it another Ong-Bak or an overly earnest disappointment like Warrior King? (more…)
Wisit Sasanatieng’s long awaited follow up to Tears of the Black Tiger is a charmingly naïve and beautiful fairytale for adults – think Amelie with smoking teddy bears and zombie taxi drivers… (more…)
Yep, just a couple of weeks to go till Tony Jaa’s big comeback (at least from his near breakdown making this movie!) hits UK cinemas courtesy of Revolver Entertainment (16 October). Have the now almost legendary shooting and production problems been worth it? Well, here’s the UK trailer, see what you think…
We’ll be bringing you a full review of the film soon!
FROM THE PRODUCERS OF ‘ONG BAK’ AND ‘RAGING PHOENIX’.
From producers Prachya Pinkaew, Panna Rittikrai and Sukanya Vongsthapat, the creative forces behind such world famous Thai action movie hits as ‘Ong Bak’, ‘Warrior King’, ‘Raging Phoenix’, ‘Born To Fight’ and ‘Chocolate’, comes Force Of Five (aka ‘Power Kids’), the directorial debut of Krissanapong Rachata.
A jaw-dropping action-adventure packed with non-stop Muay Thai martial arts mayhem, the film stars Sasisa Jimdamanee (Born To Fight) and actor, martial arts coordinator and stuntman Johnny Nguyen (Serenity; Spider-Man 1 and 2; Cradle 2 The Grave) alongside a cast of young, up-and-coming child stars whose incredible martial arts skills will blow your mind.
Despite their small size and inexperience, having grown up under the roof of a Muay Thai school two young brothers and their friends have become highly skilled, if undisciplined, martial artists. Sadly, the youngest of the gang suffers from an acute heart condition, which following a minor scuffle with some local bullies lands him in hospital and desperately in need of a life-saving transplant. Fortunately, a viable heart soon becomes available at another local hospital, but before it can be transferred the building is overtaken by rebel soldiers-turned-terrorists prepared to kill if their politically-driven demands are not met by the authorities.
With only four hours in which the surgery can be performed successfully, the young friends take it upon themselves to infiltrate the hospital and retrieve the donated organ. Armed with only their martial arts skills and the will to save their friend’s life, this small group of mini Muay Thai marvels embarks on a desperate race against time in which they will be forced to defy danger, confront an army of terrorists and make an heroic bid to overcome insurmountable odds.
Brilliantly showcasing the talents of the next generation of Thai action movie superstars, Force Of Five is a raw and relentless thrill-ride that culminates in a jaw-dropping final showdown that will have viewers shaking their heads in disbelief.
Force Of Five (cert. 15) will be released on DVD (£17.99) and Blu-ray (£24.99) by Cine Asia on 5th July 2010. Special Features include: Interview Gallery; Making of; Behind The Scenes; Original Trailer; Dolby Digital Thai 2.0 and 5.1 (DVD); DTS HD MA Thai 5.1 (Blu-ray); English Subtitles.
Following the phenomenal success of her explosive screen debut in ‘Chocolate’, Thailand’s young female martial arts sensation Jija Yanin returns to the screen in Raging Phoenix, an awe-inspiring action-adventure that takes the ‘full-contact’ combat thrills seen in ‘Chocolate’ to an inventive and unprecedented level.
With fight sequences supervised by acclaimed Thai producer, director and fight choreographer Panna Rittikrai, Raging Phoenix unveils a brand of never-before-seen martial arts action that combines Muay Thai techniques with Drunken Boxing and dazzling hip-hop dance moves to deliver a ‘real fights, real injuries’ action extravaganza like no other.
Yanin stars as Deu, a rock and roll drummer abandoned by her family and recently sacked from her band, who finds herself being pursued by a gang of kidnappers. She is rescued from their clutches by Sanim, a master of an obscure drunken fighting technique known as Mayraiyuth. After informing Deu that she is the target of the Jaguar Gang, a group of criminals who kidnap young women and extract their pheromones to sell as a potent aphrodisiac on the black market, Sanim and his three sidekicks – Pigshit, Dogshit and Bullshit – agree to train her in their unique methods of combat.
Her training complete, Deu insists on joining Sanim and the others in infiltrating the Jaguar Gang’s underground lair and bringing down their lucrative and exploitative people trafficking empire. Their mission brings them face to face with a horde of murderous thugs led by a fearsome she-boss who proves to be more than a match for Deu and her new friends, all of whom have their own scores to settle with this most deadly of foes.
Once again, Jija Yanin shines in a movie packed with incredible hi-impact martial arts, breathtaking free-running and bone crunching stunts that will leave martial arts enthusiasts and action movie fans desperately wondering just what Thai cinema’s latest action hero will come up with next.
Raging Phoenix (cert. 15) will be released on DVD (£17.99) and Blu-ray (£24.99) by Cine Asia on 12th April 2010. Special Features include: B-Roll Action Scene footage; interview gallery; trailer gallery; Dolby Digital Thai 5.1 (DVD); DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 Thai (Blu-ray); optional English subtitles.
