Hello, thank you for visiting my blog. As you can see, this blog has not been updated for some time as I have been very busy with my daytime job and also my new found hobby of collecting toys.
I am still deciding whether or not to continue updating this blog or to abandon it altogether. But if you have a Google+ account, please follow me at gplus.to/gabthum instead. Thanks.
The first trailer for the upcoming superhero film "Thor" is here. The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Jaimie Alexander and Anthony Hopkins.
The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.
"Thor" is scheduled for release in the US on May 6, 2011.
The first trailer for the upcoming action film "Real Steel" has been released. The film is directed by Shawn Levy and stars Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly and Kevin Durand.
Hugh Jackman plays Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.
"Real Steel" is scheduled for release on October 7, 2011.
The official teaser trailer for the third "Transformers" film is now online. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is directed by Michael Bay and stars Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Patrick Dempsey and Ramon Rodriguez.
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is scheduled for release in the US on July 1, 2011.
Director: Wilson Yip Wai-Shun Cast: Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Lynn Hung, Huang Xiaoming, Simon Yam, Kent Cheng, Fan Siu-Wong, Darren Shahlavi
"Ip Man 2" picks up after the events of the first film with Ip Man (Donnie Yen) leaving Foshan and relocating to Hong Kong in 1949. While the previous installment is a sensationalized semi-biography of the martial arts master, the sequel is far more historically inaccurate. I estimated almost 70% of the events in this movie are fictional.
The first half of the movie follows Ip Man setting up his own school in Hong Kong to teach Wing Chun and faces rivalry with the local martial arts master (Sammo Hung). Those of you who saw the trailer will know that the highlight of this film is the showdown between Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung. This is the duel everyone is paying to see and as expected, the fight choreography is both intense and fantastic.
The second half of the movie deals with the evil British who looks down upon the Chinese people of Hong Kong. The plot is nothing new and is quite common among Hong Kong-mainland China co-productions nowadays and is meant to appeal to the nationalist pride of the mainland China audience. However, the filmmakers went overboard with their attempt as the British in the film are so obnoxious and racist that it is hilarious. The main offender here is Darren Shahlavi as Twister, the British boxer who spends most of his screen time shouting how much he hates the Chinese. His overacting is so over-the-top that it risks being cartoonish. This is in contrast to Hiroyuki Ikeuchi's portrayal of the honorable General Miura in the first film.
If you overlook the historical inaccuracies and overacting bad guys, "Ip Man 2" is a satisfying martial arts film thanks to Donnie Yen's calm and charismatic performance, and Sammo Hung's excellent fight choreography.
Speaking of "The Green Hornet", there is a recent Hong Kong martial arts film which has a subplot whereby the main character dresses up as a mask vigilante (based on Kato) to stop Japanese assassinations. Yup, I am talking about "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen" and the film is now available on Blu-ray & DVD from YesAsia.
The film is a continuation of the 1995 television series "Fist of Fury", with Donnie Yen reprising his role as Chen Zhen, a role made famous by Bruce Lee in the 1972 film also titled "Fist of Fury". "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen" is set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, seven years after the events of the TV series.
Although Donnie Yen choreographed all the fight scenes himself, it is unfortunately not as good as his previous efforts in films "Flash Point" and "SPL". I believe this is mainly the fault of the director, Andrew Lau, who prefers to use close-ups and fast cuts instead. Nevertheless, "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen" is still a pretty solid martial arts film and the Blu-ray/DVD is a must-have for any Donnie Yen fan.
Here's the brand new, second theatrical trailer for "The Green Hornet", directed by Michel Gondry and starring Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz, Edward James Olmos and Tom Wilkinson. You can check out the trailer above, courtesy of Yahoo! Movies.
Although this new trailer gave me a much better impression of the film, I still think that the choice of casting Seth Rogen as the Green Hornet is highly questionable. On top of that, the slow-mo fight scenes look really fake to me and is in great contrast to Bruce Lee's 'real kung-fu'.
"The Green Hornet" first originated as a radio series on WXYZ (a local Detroit station) from 1936 to 1952. ABC then adapted "The Green Hornet" to television on 1966. The television series starred Van Williams as The Green Hornet and introduced martial arts master Bruce Lee to American audiences as Kato.
"The Green Hornet" is set for release in Malaysia on January 27, 2011.
Universal Pictures has unleashed the teaser trailer for Jon Favreau‘s big screen adaptation of the graphic novel "Cowboys & Aliens". The comic book adaptation crosses the classic Western with the alien-invasion genre, and stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano, Noah Ringer and Adam Beach.
Official synopsis:
1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde. It’s a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.
Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella, he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents – townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors – all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.
"Cowboys & Aliens" is scheduled for release in the US on July 29, 2011.
Warner Bros has just released the full movie trailer for the big screen adaptation of DC Comics' "Green Lantern". The film is directed by Martin Campbell and stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, and Tim Robbins.
Official synopsis:
In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.
Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.
"Green Lantern" is scheduled for release in Malaysia on June 16, 2011.
A training video from the upcoming Japanese martial arts film "Karate Girl" has been released on Youtube. The video shows Rina Takeda and her co-star, Hina Tobimatsu, hard at work.
The film is directed by Yoshikatsu Kimura and is supposed to be a sequel to Rina's big screen debut, "High Kick Girl!".
"Karate Girl" will be released in Japan on February 5, 2011.
1. Rapunzel: A Tangled Tale 2. Ngangkung 3. Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 5. Lelio Popo 6. The Social Network 7. Bruce Lee, My Brother 8. The Next Three Days 9. Due Date 10. Aku Tak Bodoh
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