Merantau

Martial arts films have in the last couple of decades been largely dominated by Chinese style martial arts, namely some form of Kung Fu, either in theme, content, or just action choreography. As I have written before, Kung Fu photographs well, especially the very dramatic kicks and aerials that can be performed. It captures the audiences imagination, and delivers easy to comprehend impacts. This is due primarily to the popularity of Hong Kong films, with Bruce Lee at that popularity's vanguard. The problem is that there are as many types of martial arts as cultures. Does anyone remember what the karate film looks like? Can modern audiences even tell the difference any more? Muy Thai style boxing and mixed martial arts have started to become popular and films featuring these fighting styles, Ong Bak for example, are opening up the door for films utilizing something other than Kung Fu for their action.

Enter Merantau, a film produced and shot in Indonesia. In it, the main character, Yuda, is a practitioner of Silat Harimau, the regional martial art. Playing Yuda is Iko Uwais, a true Silat disciple and instructor. He was noticed by director Gareth Evans when making a documentary about Silat. Both agreed to produce a film that would elevate Silat to the world stage. The premise of the story is effectively basic. Yuda leaves his quiet village in the countryside as part of his "Merantau," a century's old rite-of-passage carried out by young men that aims to mature boys into men by setting them out to face challenges away from home. Yuda goes to the capital city of Jakarta where his idyllic sense of righteousness collides head on with the underbelly of the bustling metropolis. During the production, Evans, Uwais, and the stunt crew intentionally conceived of screen friendly fighting techniques and a shooting style that would enhance the onscreen dynamics of Silat apart from its real world application. If the trailer below is anything to go by, they have certainly succeeded:



Merantau has been making the festival rounds to very good reviews; it has been picked up in several territories. Be sure to keep your eyes on your local listings for the debut of a new martial art style to the cinematic vocabulary. You can find a link to the official site at the footer of this website.

Sasori

This is one of those films that stayed under the radar for almost its entire production and release. News of a Hong Kong remake of the classic Female Prisoner #701 Scorpion starring the incomparable Kaji Meiko (the original Princess Snowblade on which Lucy Liu's Oren Oshii is modeled) leaked onto the internet quite a few years ago. One picture from the production managed to be released (the one above) and then silence. No one was sure whether the film got made or not. Then there was word that distributor Eastern Light, a division of Arclight Films, picked the film up, where it then languished unseen for sometime. The film finally was released in Japan last year to very little if any fanfare despite its pedigree and the talent behind it. The key role is played by Mizuno Miki to whom some will be familiar through the Bayside Takedown series. With a rather popular and reasonably accomplished leading woman, it makes the underwhelming way the film was supported even that more perplexing. Joining Mizuno are the likes of Simon Yam, Sam Lee, Lam Suet and other familiar faces across Asia—certainly not a "marketing nightmare."
Joe Ma's take adheres fairly closely to the original's basic foundation. The original series was one of the quintessential works in the "women in prison" films being made in Japan in the 60s & 70s, paralleling similar exploitation genres found in the U.S. and Europe. The central appeal to the Female Prisoner films is the sight of women in engaged in violence toward one another as well as seeking vengeance on the men who wronged them. Being a Hong Kong film, Sasori certainly does not shy away from the action. It helps that Mizuno is a trained martial artist and stunt woman who belongs to KURATA Yasuaki's (Fist of Legend) Kurata Action Club as she is able to convincingly give and take the punishment required by the genre, probably one of a very tiny few who could and still look alluring in the interim.
The trailer below is for the DVD release. As one can see, it promises nothing more than what it is selling: action and the darkest of man's (and woman's) instincts. One would think that the success of Kill Bill should have lent some momentum to Sasori in theatrical release, but be as it may, Tarantino's film is only being used in an associative--"the series that inspired..."--manner.



It can be said that timing is everything. Whatever delays or inside politics led to Sasori missing the Kill Bill boat not only hurt it, but perhaps similar projects as well. Let us hope that someone will have the courage and force of will to revisit this type of film, anything to ease the deluge of forlorn love films that have outworn their welcome.

Avatar

If a director of unheradled success takes a nearly a decade off before his next offering, that offering has little choice than to be Avatar. Spectacle, epic, love story, parable, technological achievement, Avatar is all these things with not an apology in sight. It is what is in sight, the mind-numbing array of hyper-realized visuals and staccato surround-sound action, that makes the film memorable. You can't help it. You don't have to even like it, but Avatar is throwing things at your eyeballs that your brain barely has time to process, and aren't soon to forget.

As both director and storyteller, James Cameron gives us something wholly his own, under his direct command, for the first time in his career where there are no limits. This is where Avatar is above all things a Cameron film, the flora and fauna of Pandora his fictional stage upon which to set his (literal) star-crossed lovers and white knuckle action sequences. And each is done to exacting specification-- no stone un-rendered, no dramatic expense spared. The story of a crippled marine who's given a chance to see the world as an alien creature and experience its profoundly naturalistic culture... is there any question from the first minute what his destiny is? As such it is too easily dismissed as a plot point, which perhaps ironically is to Avatar's benefit.



What Avatar does not do is herald some new age of film, science fiction or not. The core audience is just too old, those who've likely seen hundreds if not thousands of movies. Every sci-fi trope is thrown at us with abandon, almost insistence, as if Cameron had a checklist he wanted to put out one more time. The script is rife with clichéd one-liners, the absolute minimal techno-babble, and overwrought with mother-earth preaching among zero-subtlety politics. But if one were to put cynicism aside, there still exists that magical time in a young person's life where they haven't "seen it all," and it is this narrow window that will captivate untold viewers like all of our favorite movies once did in the past. And it is that very same notion that Avatar will successfully tap into with everyone else, delivering each multi-genre example of itself with the precision of a sledgehammer. Be it geekery, romance, exploration, fantasy, or explosions, Avatar delivers each with enough blunt force to bring any audience into submission long enough for Cameron to see his story through. At times that story is just plain weird, for every visual "wow" moment there seems to be palpable "WTF?" story element. It's unknown wether to berate or smirk at these choices, but it doesn't matter since the film is constantly bombarding the viewer with all things fantastic to re-draw attention, likely by design.



Regardless of how well or haphazardly the above is delivered, what Avatar does do is present a fully realized fictional world unlike any before. Pandora cannot be denied in its visualization on screen, and the sheer scope of its screen time is staggering considering the endeavor involved in making it come to life. The technical achievement is arguably here and not with the blue, nine-foot feline humanoids that run through it. Every plant, leaf, rock, stream, insect-- you name it -- is there and it is alive. A mixture of fantasy ideals from both film and literature ride the line between wholly believable and somewhat plausible to outright dream imagery in motion. The culmination of this is seen in the night scenes of the bioluminescent forest, a dark-light mind-trip cradling the electric life force that is Pandora. Surely the impact and breadth of Pandora is a prominent, if subliminal, element for the audience to attach itself to, which makes its foreshadowed destruction all the harder to watch when the evils of mankind must rear its ugly head.



Mankind is at its ugliest in Avatar, opening Cameron's floodgates for that which he does best, balls-out action. In the battle between marines and aliens, there is no scenario Cameron leaves untouched in the ultimate game of, well, cowboys and indians. The Earth-sanctioned military employs massive drop shops and mech-warrior battle suits, the alien Navi hurl poison arrows and fly dragons. Soldiers plow down acres of forrest with round after round of heavy ammunition, only to be trampled by building-sized, prehistorically-styled rhinoceri. The dragon-like Banshee tear into VTOL copters, ripping engines apart like paper and flinging them into the floating cliffsides that each navigate with perilous speed. These sequences can barely contain description, at their breakneck pace and relentless onslaught of in-your-face hostility. To say Cameron is in his element here gleefully rides distinct understatement.



Amongst all the flight and fancy, the 3D experience is negligible for some, a necessity for others. For Avatar to be the "make or break" movie to bring the current technology to a mass audience, there simply isn't enough to set itself apart from the regular experience. Arrows flying at the audience have pretty much the same effect on Earth as they do on Pandora. Ultimately the audience will create itself out of moviegoers who genuinely enjoy the gimmick, because films of the budget, breadth, and balls of Avatar will be few and far between. As much talk as there was by theaters, technicians, and studios that would wager wether or not Avatar would re-define the moviegoing experiences of the future, how could any of each accommodate or even expect Avatar-level films on a basis regular enough to fulfill the prophecy? For the price of one Avatar, a dozen slasher or kiddie CG pics could be made and draw the same audience. And a small reminder on 3D box office receipts: 3D films average at a $14 ticket and up, way up for IMAX, which significantly tweaks audience/ticket sales reports.

Third dimension aside, Avatar puts itself forward and predominately succeeds in everything it claims to be. It needn't deliver on all counts no matter the effort employed to do so, for each part of the whole is at a level high enough to satisfy expectations low and high alike. For the seasoned cinema goer it holds an undeniable awe be it in genuine appreciation or sarcastic disbelief. Among the far more numerous popcorn chompers Avatar crowbars its uniqueness with no small amount of bravado. Any focused inspection could certainly begin to de-weave the haphazard series of events and CG magician-ship, but it would remain far beside the entertainment brought by the flamboyant pageantry. In Avatar's case it is more than enough.

Battleships, Monkeys, & CG--oh my.

The first post of 2010 brings some potentially exciting news.

For anyone who grew up on animations of the late 70s and 80s, one should have memories of a series called Star Blazers, the Americanized version of a Japanese anime series "Uchuu Senkan Yamato (Space Battleship Yamato)." It was one of my first exposures to Japanese anime and I still have clear memories of the impact it had on me because of the grown-up nature of the story. It was far far different from "Tom & Jerry" or "Looney Toons." The series has a strong following to this day, especially among men in the late 30s and early 40s—an important demographic for the film industry.

When word broke that a film adaptation of the anime was in the works, I naturally had my misgivings. The story of the series is long and complex, yet its timely message of Earth at a environmental crisis with a group of people heading out to space in a last ditch effort to save it would make a natural draw to contemporary theater-goers. However, there are reasons why anime adaptations have always been difficult; how do you boil down a 24 episode or more storyline down to 2 to 2.5 hours? It is no easy task. What will the filmmakers keep? What will they cut out? What will they add? Peter Jackson proved that an adaptation can incorporate edited, added, and reorganized elements and still hold true to the original source, but he, Fran Walsh and Philipa Boyens spent countless hours writing and rewriting the script, and refining it during the production. This is a practice not found in Japan where the first draft is what usually goes in to production. If they were planning a trilogy of films, I could feel some sense of comfort, but as of this writing, Space Battleship Yamato is a standalone with sequel possibilities depending on box office. I believe this will ultimately affect the quality of the story.
However, some doubts were alleviated with the choice of director: YAMAZAKI Takashi, the man behind SF cult hits Juvenile & Returner as well as the Always: Sunset on Third Street period family drama series. Yamazaki is an expert at subtle uses of CG as a tool to bring the world of his films to life; he is the antithesis of KAZUAKI Kiriya. At least visually, the focus wouldn't be on the FX, but on how the characters live in a world brought to life by SFX. Over the weekend, the first preview CM (commercial) for the film aired:



The production design seems well done, possibly borrowing from the design philosophy of the "Battlestar Galactica" series in the practical realization of the technology. Then there is the CG. On Youtube, it might look fine, but on a 15 foot screen, there is the potential for this space adventure to look immensely artificial. Japan, despite all its technology, is not adept at CGI effects, mainly due to the lack of investment by production companies in the proper equipment and software or to set a portion of the budget to outsource CGI effects to internationally recognized effects houses. In order to save money, producers usually gather a staff using largely off the shelf equipment and software for the duration of the production. In the case of Yamazaki, his production company is also a CGI effects company so he has a slight advantage, but comparisons to even second-tier Hollywood effects houses are not even possible.

Recently, news on the Chinese film news site MonkeyPeaches.com, brought word of a project entitled Da Nao Tiao Gong (Uproar in Heaven), which will be a new live-action film based on the "Journey to the West" fantasy novels. The most important point in the press release is the decision by production company, Filmko Pictures, to contract Weta Digital to animate the Monkey King and deliver other CGI effects. Unlike their Japanese counterparts, Filmko Pictures recognizes Weta Digital's leadership in the type of CG that would be required to bring their film to reality and have decided to earmark a budget to add Weta's expertise to the team.

I have always been of the opinion that Japan could be a leader in CG effects and visualizations. Their long tradition of visualizing fantastic characters, situations, action and effects from manga would be greatly sought after by filmmakers around the world. Sadly, there is no one in Japan's film industry who has vision and courage to invest in creating the infrastructure, training, and environment for CGI effects services. To this day, there are no specialized effects houses in Japan's film industry. There are companies like Yamazaki's, a film production company with a CG department, but a Weta or ILM type company does not exist. This remains one of the Japanese film industry's wasted opportunities...

Little Big Soldier

Jackie Chan, to most of us, needs no introduction. He has been a fixture in martial arts films for so long, he can arguably called one of Hong Kong & China's living legends. It is unfortunate, however, that like many of his brethren from HK, his excursions into the American market has been hit and miss, some would claim more the latter than the former. In recent years, it seems that Chan has been satisfied to accept a "paint by numbers" project for Hollywood to cash a paycheck which he funnels into a project in China or Hong Kong.
Take for example two projects which should be coming out for 2010. There is the Wil Smith produced, China relocated remake of The Karate Kid in which he plays the "Mr. Miyagi" to a young boy played by Smith's son (i.e. "paint by numbers"). Then there is Little Big Soldier a film which, from the following synopsis and trailer, has far more thematic potential:

It was the darkest of times in China, when ruthless warlords waged battles to satiate their endless aggression.  Millions of lives perished, and those who survived had only two choices - kill or be killed.
The battalions of warring states Liang and Wei collided in a bloodbath that lasted from dawn until dusk.  Only two men were left standing - a FOOT SOLDIER from Liang (Jackie Chan) and the rival GENERAL from Wei (Wang Leehom). The Soldier survived because he is an expert in playing dead, with a device strapped on his body which protruded like an arrowhead for added realism.
The Soldier captured the wounded General, hoping to use the enemy as his ticket to freedom - by handing the General to the Liang warlord, the Soldier could be honorably discharged and return home to his peaceful life.  The young General, though taken captive, was condescending towards the Soldier.  The two men were often at loggerheads during the long and winding journey.

It is a shame that the Hollywood seems satisfied with relegating Chan or other experienced martial arts actors like Jet Li to two-dimensional action roles because it is obvious that Chan (and Li for that matter) are as interested in flexing their thespian skills as displaying their already well known martial skills. Recently, Chan took on a role in which he absolutely did no fighting whatsoever (The Shinjuku Incident) and Li will be doing the same in Ocean Heaven. And while the trailer above sells some of the action scenes in Little Big Soldier, something tells me that the majority of its runtime will be spent developing the Midnight Run-esque relationship between the Foot Soldier and the General, and that can only be a good thing....

14 Blades

Daniel Lee's latest film is based on accounts of the "Jinyiwei (brocade-clad army), the Ming emperors' own version of the CIA. The organization was set up in the late 14th century by Ming dynasty founder Zhu Yuanzhang (Emperor Hongwu), first as his own personal guards numbering in the hundreds, and later gaining many more other responsibilities (including intelligence, of course), reaching their apex in the 16th century with a total force around the low six figures." [Twitch Film]. Donnie Yen will be playing one of the Jinyiwei, who were masters of the 14 Blades—eight for torture, five for killing, and the last blade reserved for suicide when a mission failed. The story centers on the Imperial Court being taken over by evil eunuch JIA. The best of the Jinyiwei, QUINGLONG (Yen) and XUANWU, are assigned to steal a list identifying those still loyal to the Emperor. However unbeknownst to Quinglong, the Jinyiwei have fallen under the control of Jia, and during the mission Quinglong is betrayed by Xuanwu and barely escapes with his life. Now as the most wanted man in the land Quinglong must seek out and rally the loyalists to rise against Jia and restore the Emperor to power. In his way are the deadliest assassins in the land, his former brethren, the Jinyiwei.



The above preview gives a glimpse at the stunning cinematography, set pieces, production design (the 14 Blades and the case they come alone is noteworthy!) and action that promises to be more along the lines of classic Hong Kong martial arts films like Dragon Inn (which also dealt with this sect of assassins), rather than the more recent, lush imagery and philosophical wuxia of say, Hero. That's not a complaint. In fact, it is great to see a revival of both styles utilizing contemporary cinematic techniques and technology. With a veteran like Yen taking on a role of a type of "James Bond" complete with "gadgets", we can at least expect the film to deliver on entertainment. Let's hope the fascinating, historically based concept will hold up as well.

Masters Returning to Wuxia II

As stated earlier, there seems to be an influx of Chinese auteurs returning to the fold recently. This time, it's the most auteur-esque of them all, WONG Kar-wai who has not delved into this genre since his debut film Ashes of Time. The prospect of this unique visionary returning to wuxia alone is reason enough to get excited, but what will it be about? Entitled The Great Master, the film will be Wong's take on the story of Ip Man, the legendary Wing Chun practitioner who was Bruce Lee's master. Recently, Donny Yen took on the role of the master in the film Ip Man so it will be fascinating to see what Wong's spin on it will be. Oh, then there is the preliminary (and far from final) cast list: Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Zhang Zhen and Zhao Benshan. Not enough? How about rumors that the goddess Brigette Lin is considering coming out of retirement to appear in this film!
However, we should all be familiar with Wong's well earned reputation for making films at a glacial pace. The film is to start filming this month, but it will be anyone's guess as to when we will see the final product....

Stills from True Legend

Sina.com has posted some gorgeous stills, some in high resolution, from YUEN Woo-pings's upcomingTrue Legend. You can view more by clicking here. This is truly becoming a must watch film for 2010.

Masters Return to Wuxia

There are some exciting projects coming together or already in production in Asia, so I thought it might be time to explore some of these for the month of December. I'll start with two films that are sure to generate quite a bit of anticipation among film fans, particularly of martial arts films.

TRUE LEGEND



Beyond having the incomparable Michelle YEOH and Vincent ZHAO (The Blade) in the cast, what is most remarkable and exciting about this film is that it is being directed by the legendary YUEN Woo-ping, his first in 12 years. Many people will be familiar with Yuen as the action choreographer for some of Hollywood's recent blockbusters, but there are those of us who remember Yuen as the director of some of the martial arts genre's representative films, including Drunken Master starring a young Jackie CHAN. True Legend will be focused on Beggar Su, a popular folk hero who has appeared in many martial arts films, including the aforementioned Drunken Master, portrayed by Simon YUEN. This time, however, director Yuen will cover Su's story from his days as a wealthy man who loses his fortune and reputation through machinations against him; penniless, he devotes himself to martial arts and rises up as a hero for the people, earning the monikor: "King of Beggars." From the teaser trailer below, the production design and more importantly, the action hearken back to the golden age of wuxia films which Yuen helped usher.




RAIN OF SWORDS (in the Pugilistic World) [working title]

With the success of the Red Cliff duology, it seems that John WOO has finally realized that things are certainly better back home after repeated and arguably mixed results in Hollywood (FACE/OFF being his best in my humble opinion). And while several projects to which he was attached to direct have fallen through, it seems project has begun production. The story centers on "an assassin (Yeoh) [who is] responsible for the death of a prominent court official. [She] goes into hiding and meets the slain official's son (Korean actor Jung Woo-sung) and falls in love without knowing his true identity. Assassins eventually catch up with Yeoh and Jung as they discover each other's identity and a tense, three-way standoff ensues." Sounds like classic John WOO themes transported to dynastic China. The Red Cliff saga displayed Woo's ability to employ some of the excellent character dynamics and storytelling he is known for, yet matured and adapted for the material. Add the impeccable costume designs of WADA Emi (Hero), and we could be looking at the renaissance of the Hong Kong action maestro. I, for one, will be more than happy to see John WOO retire the twin .45s and explore the wuxia genre. Below are the first stills from the production courtesy of Sina.com.

Chushingura (The 47 Ronin)

If it seems this month seems to be the month for railing against remakes, it isn't without justification. There are just so many in the pipeline at the Hollywood studios that it bears noting. Without beating the proverbial horse on our ire for this ludicrous practice that has seized the majors, this post will be a simple illustration, allowing you the reader to judge for yourself. For those of you who are not familiar with the legend of the 47 Ronin, one of Japan's most culturally beloved and recognized tales, you can read more about it here.

Now, read the comments of writer Chris Morgan (Cellular, The Fast and the Furious, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Wanted) who is charged with the American take on the story with Keanu Reeves attached.

It's this great, 'Gladiator'-esque, '300'-like big action movie with samurai and ninja...'The 47 Ronin' is a true story that took place around 1700-1701...It's a time in Japanese culture when it was all about [the] bushido [code] and honor, and putting internal things over external things -- swords that were made to be functional instead of ornamental, that kind of stuff.

Please pay careful attention to the words he has applied to the story and compare that to what you read at the link provided. As we keep saying, what are these remakes really about? Do yourself a favor and go rent one of the classic film versions of the story from Japanese masters such as Mizoguchi Kenji (an almost entirely bloodless exploration of the samurai's existential angst) or Inagaki Hiroshi (a 1962 version focused more on questioning cultural values).

Fumiko no Kokuhaku

Thanks to Twitch Film for putting the spotlight on this wonderful short film by young filmmaker Ishida Hiroyasu (aka Tete). The independent anime movement has been quietly growing ever since Shinkai Makoto paved the way with films such as Voices of a Distant Star and 5 Centimetres Per Second. Fumiko no Kokuhaku (Fumiko's Confession) is beautifully realized with expert comic staging and direction. The painterly backgrounds are playfully "imperfect" and bright in their palette, reinforcing the humor in the piece. Enjoy!



If Ishida is the sign of things to come, I can only welcome this upcoming talent and look forward to a full length feature sometime in the future. Ishida's official site can be found HERE where there are links to sketches and pre-production work for this film and other, what seem to be student works.

Clash of the Titans (remake)

Yahoo Movies released the first teaser for the remake of Clash of the Titans starring Sam Worthington who may be turning into the flavor of the month--time will tell. We have said our peace here about remakes, but this teaser only serves the point. What are they marketing in this minute and a half? Is it a classic fable of heroism? Is it the struggle of man against divine forces? Or is it monsters, swords, and gods...oh my!

The only dialogue in the piece doesn't feel mythic. In fact, it's almost downright contemporary, despite being delivered by Pete Postelthwaite. When you slap on rock music to a stream of jumping, grimacing, running imagery, and with the Monday Night Football inspired "Titans"-"Will"-"Clash" tagline, the intention of the filmmakers, so far it seems, is to pull in the crowd whose "literature" involves comic books and whose "epics" are found on videogame consoles.

But this is just the teaser. There is certainly more to be offered, right???

The Mechanic (remake)

This is the poster that was released during the American Film Market, currently taking place in Santa Monica, for the upcoming remake of the classic Charles Bronson thriller. We here are not the biggest fans of remakes as they are a distinct sign in the lack of faith Hollywood has in original material, even though there are so many interesting concepts out there.

The Mechanic was a heady, cat-and-mouse thriller about a contract killer that played out more like a procedural than a typical action film, especially one from the 70s. I can almost guarantee you that the elements that made the original very intelligent and taut with tension will most certainly be replaced by gritty action and a lot of posturing by our players.

That said, however, the main impetus for this post is the marketing of the film. The poster above is fairly typical of key art that comes out of AFM as most films have yet to start principal photography and are deep into pre-production. The goal at AFM is to attract distributors. At this stage, the producers probably have not had time to shoot proper cast photos, so a bearded jawline that seems like lead Jason Stratham is enough. What is laughable is the briefcase being made the central focus of the poster, one with the star's name on it as if it's labeled just in case he loses it. But the piece-de-resistance is the tag line:

There are thousands of ways to kill a man...
Just check his briefcase

Aside from being sterile rather than compelling the English grammar should make one chuckle. It's obvious the copy writer means for us to check the "hitman's" briefcase (you know the one with Stratham's name on it), but grammatically, the "his" in the second line modifies the previous, noun, and in this case that would be the man you can kill thousands of ways. So, what this poster is telling us is if we wanted to kill a man, all we need to do is to check his briefcase to find out how.

Hollywood...you're certainly good for a laugh, if anything.

Tales of an Anciet Empire

The 80s was a wonderful period for of those of you who grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons, as sword & sorcery fantasy films were frequently being made and released. Most have been, of course, relegated to "cult film" status these days, but it is truly a shame that the genre as a whole all but disappeared for the past 20 years. That is...until Peter Jackson proved that interest in fantasy films has lain dormant, ready to be awakened.

Now, "fantasy epics" are being greenlit by many studios. Among these, a small little film is being made in the spirit that existed back in fantasy films' heyday. The title, Tales of an Ancient Empire, should be familiar to any of you who know of one of the classic films of 80s fantasy, The Sword and the Sorcerer, a brisk, high adventure film that was unapologetic about its masculinity & chauvinism; the fantastic three-bladed sword wielded by the hero, Talon (played by Lee Horsley), featured in the title was an immediate allure for the genre's fans. The film ended promising further adventures of Talon in an upcoming film called Tales of an Ancient Empire. Then the fantasy bubble burst.

Flash forward to today as The Sword and the Sorcerer's original director, Albert Pyun, is busy in post-production on the long promised sequel. Naturally, the previous film's hero, Talon, is now too old to continue the adventures, so a new, young band of warriors lead by Kevin Sorbo of TVs "Hercules" series, will take the reigns as Talon's children. Albert Pyun has recently been releasing clips of the unfinished film on his Vimeo site, letting fans in to the process, revealing rough cuts of scenes. It is a brilliant bit of marketing, giving fans snippets to wet their appetites in addition to serving as a promotional tool to attract new fans unfamiliar with the original film. Beyond this, however, the clips reveal the important role editing plays in filmmaking. By viewing the scenes Pyun has made available, one can get a sense of how performances can be shaped, mood manipulated, and potential script inconsistencies or problems fixed or circumvented. They also reveal how music, sound, and other crafts related to the process complete the experience.

The first scene released is a simple conversation scene between the two leads, Sorbo, and Melissa Ordway. As the very first glimpse at footage from the film, the scene confidently quells personal worries that the film would lose something in the "mists of time" as sensibilities have certainly changed in the last 20 years. This feels like a sword and sorcery film and more importantly, it still feels like The Sword and the Sorcerer. I think it is safe to say that had Pyun not directed this sequel, I think the sensation would be quite different.



You can view 3 other clips (and I assume more are to follow) at Pyun's Vimeo site by clicking here. I look forward to seeing the difference between these rough cuts and their final iteration in the released film. With a rumored sequel to another 80s cult favorite, Hawk the Slayer, going in to production, fantasy adventures might just be making a comeback. Fingers crossed...

Invictus

Morgan Freeman. Matt Damon. "In a Clint Eastwood film." I don't think any more need be said. Watch the trailer now over at Apple, preferably in HD.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec

A few months ago, I wrote a post about a new period adventure that Luc Besson would be helming. Now, the first official image for the film as been released.



It may be small, but it is at least a glimpse of the visual adaptation of the French comic. The cast has also been revealed by Europa Corp. Louise Bourgoin (The Girl from Monaco) takes on the titular role of Adele Blanc-Sec. A relative newcomer with only a few films under her belt, she is mostly known for her alluring looks and obvious sex appeal. It will be interesting to see how she takes on a "flapper-esque" liberated woman at the turn of the century. Rounding out the cast are Mathieu Amalric (Quantum of Solace / The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Gilles Lellouche (Mesrine: L'instinct de mort), and Jean Paul Rouve (La môme). With any luck production stills of the cast in their roles will be released in the near future. Needless to say, my excitement for this project continues to grow.