News

Netflix has confirmed that 64 new original series, movies and specials will be debuting on the streaming service in December, including the red-hot Oscar contender “Roma.” Among the returning shows are the second half of season 3 of “The Ranch” and season 4 of “Fuller House.”

Available December 1

“8 Mile”

“Astro Boy”

“Battle” (Netflix original)

“Bride of Chucky”

“Christine”

“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”

“Crossroads: One Two Jaga” (Netflix original)

“Friday”

“Friday After Next”

“Hellboy”

“Man vs Wild with Sunny Leone,” Season 1

“Meet Joe Black”

“Memories of the Alhambra” (Netflix original)

“My Bloody Valentine”

“Next Friday”

“Reindeer Games”

“Seven Pounds”

“Shaun of the Dead”

“Terminator Salvation”

“The Big Lebowski”

“The Great British Baking Show: Masterclass,” Season 5 Masterclasses

“The Last Dragon”

“The Man Who Knew Too Little”

Available December 2

“The Lobster”

Available December 3

“Blue Planet II,” Season 1

“Hero Mask” (Netflix original)

“The Sound of Your Heart: Reboot,” Season 2 (Netflix original)

Available December 4

“District 9”

Available December 6

“Happy!

Netflix has released the trailer for a wild looking Turkish fantasy action series called The Protector. The series stars Çagatay Ulusoy as Hakan, a man given supernatural powers by a mysterious talisman.

Can Evrenol helms the series so it should be pretty imaginative, if not completely in the horror realm.

Synopsis:

Given mystical powers by a talismanic keepsake, a young man embarks on a quest to fight shadowy forces and solve a mystery from his past.

The Protector hits Netflix worldwide on December 14th, check out the new t...

A few days ago Netflix dropped the trailer for its upcoming Turkish fantasy action series, The Protector. The series, starring Çagatay Ulusoy as Hakan, the titular protector, as a man given supernatural powers by a mysterious talisman. These powers translate into a whole lot of ass kicking and a new set of supercharged pals who are charged with training and protecting him from The Immortal, a kind of evil cognate.  The whole thing looks pretty rad, and while I confess to not knowing a whole lot about Turkish film, but I do know that of the 13 episodes Netflix has lined up for this new event, our friend Can Evrenol is at the helm with what looks like a pretty sizable sandbox to play...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Ronald Hogan Oct 16, 2018

The Purge feels like an event in its quick-moving seventh episode.

This The Purge review contains spoilers.

The Purge Episode 7

I appreciate The Purge's commitment to old-fashioned stunt work more than perhaps anything else about the show. After all, there aren't many movies that would light a guy on fire, then send him down a zip line, let alone a television show. The only thing I appreciate more than a “guy on fire” scene is an unbroken long take tracking shot, like the stairway fight in The Protector or the incredible raid sequence in True Detective. The fire-flight isn't as long as when Alec Holland gets set on fire in Swamp Thing, but there's got to be points for degree of difficulty, plus there's no way to put the guy out when he's in the middle of the zip line, so he has to ride all the...

Turkey’s economic crisis is stunting streamers, prompting local subscriber services to slash prices and join bundled telecom offerings, leaving little room for Netflix and Amazon, which both account for less than 5% of the market.

Still, depreciation of the Turkish lira — which has lost 40% of its value against the U.S. dollar from a year ago — could prompt international streaming giants to grow their presence in Turkey, says Iht Markit analyst Constantinos Papavassilopoulos.

He says the crisis has made Turkey a particularly price-sensitive market, where a vast majority of the country’s 3.9 million Ott consumers now subscribe to cheap online bundled pay TV packages from the nation’s dominant telcos: Turkcell, Türk Telekom and Vodafone.

What Turkey’s currency plunge offers, he says, is a great opportunity for Netflix to acquire and create more shows beyond its lavish first Turkish original supernatural/fantasy drama “The Protector,” produced by Saudi-owned 03 Medya,...

Former president of NBCUniversal International Peter Smith has been appointed head of Mbc Studios, the new production unit of top Middle Eastern free-to-air satellite network Mbc Group, which is based in Dubai. The new unit is expected to make a major push into high-end Arabic scripted content to help kick-start a film and TV industry in Saudi Arabia.

Smith, a respected industry veteran who more recently headed the Antenna Group, has been charged with stepping up Mbc’s output of “local and international film and TV drama series” that can resonate with audiences in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, an Mbc statement said.

“Due to the existence of an untapped story reservoir in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Ksa) and the rest of the Middle East across all genres of content, Mbc Studios will take the initiative to produce the region’s most compelling stories for cinema,...

After a second failed attempt to break into the American market with The Protector (1985), a film in which he repeatedly conflicted with director James Glickenhaus, Jackie Chan returned to Hong Kong determined to top Hollywood. According to Chan, he told Glickenhaus: “You do The Protector and I’ll do Police Story, and I’ll show you what the action movie is all about.” Today, more than 30 years after its release, Police Story remains one of the best-loved and most impressive action films by the most popular action star in the world, and has been given the restoration treatment and Metrograph engagement befitting a true classic, while Glickenhaus is best known for actually writing and directing a movie called McBain.After knocking around Hong Kong for several years as a stuntman and bit player, and a few attempts at becoming a lead in cheap Bruce Lee knock-offs, Jackie Chan finally burst...

In order to be a great martial art film, a movie just has to follow one rule: keep audiences entertained. Those films produced in Thailand manage to do just that, earning the praise of being home to some of the best martial arts movies. The films may lack a serious story-line, but the incredible choreography more than makes up for it all.

Narrowing down the movies to find the best is no easy task, but we came up with what we feel are the top five best Thai martial arts films. Each movie in our list features the enchanting choreography from the late famed director and martial artist Panna Rittikrai. His films used no CGI to show off each actor’s athletic prowess.

Born to Fight (2004)

This remake of the 1986 film bears little resemblance to it beyond a title. Nevertheless, it is just as action-packed and entertaining. It follows Deaw,...

By David Kozlowski | 4 August 2017

Welcome to Issue #7 of The Lrm Weekend, a weekly column offering strong opinions about film, TV, comics, Star Wars, Marvel, DC, animation, and anime. We also want to hear from you, our awesome Lrm community! Share your feedback or ideas for future columns: @LRM_Weekend and we'll post your Tweets below!

Previous Issues: 7.28.17 | 7.21.17 | 7.14.17 | 7.7.17 | 6.30.17 | 6.23.17

Hey Lrm Weekenders, you might notice a few changes to the column this week. As summer draws to a close we're moving some stuff around and tweaking our content to be a little more opinionated and provocative.

Each of our Lrm writers have super-strong opinions about film, TV, comics, and all of the big franchises and universes. So, going forward Lrm Weekend is going to amp-up our voices a bit more -- and we invite our readers to punch back whenever and wherever you disagree!

Audiences Are Tired Of Spectacle And Hollywood Doesn't Care.

Most single-shot sequences, aren’t. What you’d swear are single takes are actually seamless edits — but that doesn’t dilute their mind-bending power. Even better: one-take action sequences like the third-act corker in “Atomic Blonde,” which sees Charlize Theron battling scads of baddies in a longform, long-take sequence designed to look like a single shot.

David Deitch’s film is filled with heart-pounding action scenes (Theron cracked multiple teeth while filming the Cold War-set Berlin spy thriller), but it’s that big final battle that action fans will remember. And while “Atomic Blonde” feels fresh, the sequence takes plenty of cues from single-shots that have come before.

Read More‘Atomic Blonde’ Review: Charlize Theron Kicks Ass In Cold War Action-Thriller — SXSW 2017

Fans of both Theron and single-shot sequences can get a small taste of the ass-kicking to come in “Atomic Blonde” (for the really curious, the single-shot segment plays out mostly on the stairs,...

At one point, “Triple Threat” — which brings together the fighting talents of Tony Jaa (“Ong-Bak,” “The Protector“) and Iko Uwais (“The Raid“) into one film — was promisingly going to be directed by “John Wick” co-helmer Chad Stahelski. Sadly, that didn’t happen, and instead, some guy named Jesse V.

Continue reading Tony Jaa & Iko Uwais Fight In First Trailer For ‘Triple Threat’ at The Playlist.

Stars: Sasisa Jimdamanee, Johnny Nguyen, Nantawooti Boonrapsap, Arunya Pawilai, Nawarat Techarathanaprasert, Paytaai Wongkamlao | Written byNonont Kontaweesook, Napalee | Directed by Krissanapong Rachata

[Editor’s Note: Welcome to the first installment of Cine-Sunday, a new weekly feature here on Nerdly where we revisit the newly-revived Cine-Asia’s back catalogue and review the highlights. Going forward each new review will go live on Sunday’s at noon (UK time). And you can see all the Cine-Asia titles we’ve reviewed, so far, right here]

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.

If you're a fan of kick-ass martial arts movies, you already know who those three actors are in the headline. But in case you aren't, and maybe you're just curious about what John Wick co-director (and John Wick: Chapter 2 solo director) Chad Stahelski might be up to next, allow me to introduce you to three of the baddest mofos on the planet. Before we get to the intros, let's get to the good stuff: THR reports that these guys will be joining forces in a movie called Triple Threat. The script, written by Dwayne Smith, "revolves around a Chinese martial artist who goes to Mexico to rescue his ex-wife and their son after they are kidnapped by a drug cartel." Wang Xiaolie is set to co-direct the movie with Stahelski.

Why is this cool news? Because the stars are insanely awesome. Tony Jaa is the star of Thai action...

Fox’s Lucifer will shed some light on Lapd detective Chloe Decker’s dark past when new details about her father’s murder — as well as Dad himself? — surface in Season 2.

RelatedLucifer Season 2 Casts Sopranos Vet as the Angel Uriel

Chris Payne Gilbert, whose credits include 10 Items or Less and Lifetime’s The Protector, will co-star in the coming season’s seventh episode as John Decker, who back in the day was a beat cop, a good man and even better father. Chloe was a 19-year-old just beginning a movie career when John was killed in the line of duty,...

This past weekend was a big one for award winning director Ryan Coogler (Creed), since it was the first time the cast of his next project had assembled for the cameras. Taking the stage at the legendary San Diego Comic-Con during the Marvel Studios presentation, Coogler made the first introductions of the team of performers that will be delivering Black Panther to cinema screens in 2018.

There was rapturous reception for Black Panther himself, Chadwick Boseman, as well as his supporting cast members – Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyong’o – which was followed by ample opportunity for Coogler to discuss the film with the press. In doing so, he confirmed that the greatest influence on his adaptation is the work of current Black Panther comic book writer, Ta-Nehisi Coates – whose stories are pencilled by Brian Stelfreeze, and inked by Laura Martin.

“Oh, I love it, man. I mean, [Coates] is...

Fresh off of the high profile legal battle over striking similarities with The Raid: Redemption that nearly stalled his last film, Baaghi, up and coming action star Tiger Shroff is back with a new project and it looks pretty ridiculous. A Flying Jatt is India's latest attempt at creating its own superhero franchise with Shroff in the titular role, a hero from the traditional farming community of Punjab who is God's divine protector. The film, directed by Abcd's Remo D'Souza, also stars international action film heavy Nathan Jones (Muay Thai Giant, The Protector, Mad Max: Fury Road) as a supervillain in a goofy costume. There's not much to see in this thirty second teaser, but Shroff is clearly making a niche for himself as India's...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Variety calls Killzone 2: “A turbo-charged smackdown, which genre fans will devour with the enthusiasm of a child opening presents on Christmas!”

When an undercover cop gets too close to revealing the mastermind of a drug syndicate, his cover is blown. Double-crossed and under a false identity, he’s thrown into a Thai prison, where a guard discovers the inmate – claiming he’s a cop – is a bone marrow match for his dying daughter…and his warden may have an even deadlier operation hidden within the prison walls.

In this giddily frenetic follow-up (though not a sequel) to modern martial arts epic Kill Zone (aka Spl: Sha Po Lang), action icons Tony Jaa (Ong Bak, The Protector) Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior) and Zhang Jin (IP Man 3) team up with Hong Kong megastars Simon Yam, and Louis Koo for a breakneck story of dirty cops, prison riots, and black market organ transplants,...

I’ve got a brutally badass trailer here for you to watch for Tony Jaa’s upcoming martial arts film Kill Zone 2. There’s some incredibly insane action in this trailer, and you get to witness Jaa break some people. I enjoy watching Tony Jaa fight in movies and this next film looks incredibly awesome.

When an undercover cop gets too close to revealing the mastermind of a drug syndicate, his cover is blown. Double-crossed and under a false identity, he’s thrown into a Thai prison, where a guard discovers the inmate – claiming he’s a cop – is a bone marrow match for his dying daughter…and his warden may have an even deadlier operation hidden within the prison walls.In this giddily frenetic follow-up (though not a sequel) to modern martial arts epic Kill Zone (aka Spl: Sha Po Lang), action icons Tony Jaa (Ong Bak, The Protector...

Don’t worry if you never saw 2005’s Kill Zone — according to those familiar with the project, this year’s Kill Zone 2 (also called Spl II: A Time for Consequences) is a sequel in name only. Completism doesn’t even apply. Now, if one simply desires Hong Kong-provided ass-kicking, this is a place to direct attention. Critically acclaimed for the intensity of its action and the narrative that gives them weight, it might be the perfect antidote to tired, assembled action cinema of the multiplex.

Well Go USA, our premiere distributor of Asian cinema, will begin the U.S. run of Cheang Pou-soi‘s movie this week, and so there’s an intense trailer to promote such an occasion. What else does one need to hear? Partake in the bone-crunching!

Have a look below:

Synopsis:

When an undercover cop gets too close to revealing the mastermind of a drug syndicate,...

Some of you have almost certainly already burned through the entire second season of Marvel's Daredevil since it was released on Netflix this past Friday, so you've seen this scene in context. But for those who haven't had the opportunity to binge the whole show yet and are looking for a quick burst of the down and dirty action the series provides, or maybe if you're on the fence about giving the show a shot, check out this stairwell fight scene. (Spoilers ahead.)

In it, The Punisher has duct-taped a gun to Daredevil's hand, and after knocking The Punisher out so he doesn't kill any more people, The Man Without Fear has to fight his way through an apartment building full of bad guys. This is the show's attempt to outdo the famous hallway fight from the first season, and you can be the judge of whether or not they succeeded:

Pretty remarkable stuff,...

Koch Media

To celebrate the release of Vietnamese martial arts epic Sword of the Assassin, we have a great DVD action bundle up for grabs. The prize bundle contains The Frozen Ground, Red Dawn, Son of a Gun, Redirected, and Tiger House.

In Sword of the Assassin, after the loss of his family during a deadly massacre, a young man joins forces with a beautiful sword-wielding female warrior as they seek revenge against the powerful royal family responsible.

Marking Vietnam’s first foray into the realm of historic martial arts epics, the film features beautiful cinematography and exhilarating action scenes in the vein of Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This is a must-see piece of action cinema.

The film won awards for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Sound at the prestigious Golden Kite Prize of the Vietnam Cinema Association. From director Victor Vu,...

Koch Media have announced the UK release of Sword of the Assassin, which has been described as “Vietnam’s martial arts calling card” by Twitch Film. Marking Vietnam’s first foray into the realm of historic martial arts epics, the film features beautiful cinematography and exhilarating action scenes in the vein of Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This is a must-see piece of action cinema.

After the loss of his family during a deadly massacre, a young man joins forces with a beautiful sword-wielding female warrior as they seek revenge against the powerful royal family responsible.

Sword of the Assassin has won awards for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Sound at the prestigious Golden Kite Prize of the Vietnam Cinema Association. From director Victor Vu, with action by Warrior King’s Johnny Nguyen, Sword of the Assassin stars Huynh Dong, Midu and Khuong Ngoc.

Australian giant, and TwitchFilm favorite, Nathan Jones (Tom Yum Goong, Fearless, Muay Thai Giant, Troy, Mad Max: Fury Road) continues his conquest of every Asian regional cinema industry with his latest appearance in upcoming Tamil language boxing action/drama Bhooloham.While Nathan Jones obviously plays a bit part in the film, he's one of the most recognizable faces in this trailer. Directed by N. Kalyanakrishnan and starring Jayam Ravi and Trisha Krishnan, Bhooloham is described as "power packed". As a fan of Tamil cinema, I have never ever heard of anyone listed above apart from Jayam Ravi, and even he hasn't done much of note. Strangely, not listed among the starring credits but also features in the trailer is Prakash Raj, one of South India's most reliable...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Stars: Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Ron Perlman, Michael Jai White | Written by | Directed by

Since his role in the blockbusting ensemble piece The Expendables, Dolph Lundgren has been somewhat of a tour-de-force in the world of direct-to-market action flicks. From straight forward action movies like Hard Rush and A Certain Justice, to more fantastical films such Battle of the Damned and Legendary, Lundgren has been tolling away in the genre starring in films that, whilst not all are entirely successful, are ways apart from his pre-Expendables career.

The reason for his recent success, in this reviewers opinion, seems to be his willingness to share the limelight. Where once he may have demanded the mot screen time, a headline on the poster etc., these days his films are more about the ensembles within them. He’s starred alongside the likes of Vinnie Jones, Randy Couture, Cung Le (an underrated action star...

[Engines are revving with news that Thailand's Civil Court has struck down the injunction against releasing Furious 7 following an appeal filed by Jaa, Universal and Uip.]The ongoing drama between Thai star Tony Jaa and Sia Jiang - the head of Thailand's Sahamongkol studio for whom Jaa starred in Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong - continues with word that Jiang has been granted a court injunction blocking the release of Furious 7 in Thailand pending resolution of an ongoing contract dispute between the Thai studio and the star.For those needing a primer on the dispute - we first reported on it here with a response from Jaa's management here - what it boils down to is this. When he initially joined Sahamongkol, Jaa signed...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Justin Hires ("21 Jump Street," "Key and Peele") is set to play Carter, the role which Chris Tucker made famous, in CBS' TV adaptation of the hit "Rush Hour" movie franchise.

He joins British actor Jon Foo ("Tekken," "Vikingdom," "The Protector") who is taking on the role of Detective Lee which Jackie Chan played in the films.

Hires' Carter is an irreverent bad-boy detective who uses unorthodox methods to get results. He also has no interest in a partner, but is forced to work with a stoic, by-the-book Hong Kong police detective assigned to a case in Los Angeles.

Bill Lawrence and Blake McCormick penned and will executive produce the show. "National Treasure" helmer Jon Turteltaub will direct the pilot and executive produce as well.

Source: The Live Feed...

British actor Jon Foo ("Tekken," "Vikingdom," "The Protector") is set to play Detective Lee, the role which Jackie Chan made famous, in CBS' TV adaptation of the hit "Rush Hour" movie franchise.

Foo's Lee is a stoic, by-the-book Hong Kong police detective assigned to a case in Los Angeles. He's soon forced to work with a cocky black Lapd officer who has no interest in a partner.

Bill Lawrence and Blake McCormick penned and will executive produce the show. "National Treasure" helmer Jon Turteltaub will direct the pilot and executive produce as well.

Foo is of Chinese and Irish descent and is a trained martial artist who has done stunt work and built a resume as an international action star.

Source: Deadline...

Universal Pictures has released a TV spot for Furious 7. it seems like a lot of people are excited for the seventh movie in this adrenaline-fueled franchise. I find it fascinating that when it seemed like this franchise was going to fade away, it completely blew up, and now we're getting the best movies out of it. One of the things I'm most excited about for this next chapter in the story is the fact that they got Jason Statham as the villain. He's the perfect actor to play a villain in this series!

Continuing the global exploits in the unstoppable franchise built on speed, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Johnson lead the returning cast of Furious 7. James Wan (Insidious, The Conjuring) directs this chapter of the hugely successful series that also welcomes back favorites Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Elsa Pataky and Lucas Black.

Just in case you didn't get enough adrenaline-feuled awesomeness from the Furious 7 Super Bowl spot, Universal Pictures has released a new 3-minute trailer full of exhilarating, action-packed footage. There are a lot of fans looking forward to seeing this movie, and if you're not sold on it yet, this is going to be the trailer to do it. I think Jason Statham is going to steal the show as the big bad villain, and the trailer teases a fight scene between him and Dwayne Johnson. That's a fight I'll pay to see!

Continuing the global exploits in the unstoppable franchise built on speed, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Johnson lead the returning cast of Furious 7. James Wan (Insidious, The Conjuring) directs this chapter of the hugely successful series that also welcomes back favorites Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Elsa Pataky and Lucas Black.They...

Though action star Tony Jaa (of Ong Bak, The Protector and the upcoming Fast & Furious 7) was previously slated to star in the remake of Kickboxer from Honk Kong filmmaker Stephen Fung. However, scheduling conflicts will keep Jaa from being in the film, but fans of the original film should be pleased with his replacement. The original film's star Jean-Claude Van Damme has stepped up to take the master role in the film who mentors Kurt Sloan (Alain Moussi), a talented martial artist who travels to Thailand where he must learn the secrets of the kickboxer to avenge his brother's death at the hands of Tong Po. Read on! That might make this more of a reboot than a remake now that Van Damme is involved, but THR says he'll be playing a new version of Master Chow (played by Dennis Chan in the original 1989 movie), so maybe these films...

To celebrate the release of Warrior King 2 – the triumphant, breathtaking and action-packed return of modern martial arts star Tony Jaa in the high-octane sequel to the hugely successful “Warrior King” out on DVD 1st September 2014 – we have a copy to giveaway!

Directed by Pratcha Pinkaew, co-creator of Ong-Bak and Warrior King, and featuring an all-star cast including Wu Tang Clan’s RZA and JeeJa Yanin, this is a must-watch for those who love their punches fast and their kicks even faster. An adrenaline-fuelled spectacle for fans of The Raid!

Order your copy today on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1BhiQoS

To win Warrior King 2 on DVD, just answer the following question:

Warrior King star Tony Jaa also appeared in which movie? Was it:

a) Rumble in the Bronx

b) Ip Man

c) Ong Bak

Email your answer to [email protected], making sure to include your name and address.

Another day, another remake. But this doesn't sound so bad after all... Or maybe I'm going crazy. News has arrived via the Brian O'Shea, the CEO of The Exchange, the company producing the remake of Kickboxer, that the cast has been confirmed and it includes some big names. The last we wrote about this Kickboxer remake, it was announced that WWE star Dave Bautista (who is in Guardians of the Galaxy) and Ufc champion Georges St. Pierre would appear in the film. But now we can add a few more names: Tony Jaa (of Ong Bak, The Protector, Fast & Furious 7) and Scott Adkins (The Bourne Ultimatum, Zero Dark Thirty). Commenting on the casting news, The Exchange CEO Brian O'Shea says: "Kickboxer will display a style of acrobatic, rapid-fire martial arts action that Scott Adkins is increasingly becoming synonymous with. Along with Tony Jaa, Kickboxer has compiled a talented cast to...

Panna Rittikrai, the action choreographer who introduced Thai action movies to world audiences, has died aged 53.

According to local press reports, Panna died from liver disease on Sunday in a Bangkok hospital. He had been battling illness since November 2013.

Born in 1961 in Khon Kaen province, Panna started working in the Bangkok film industry in 1979 training actors to fight. After moving back to his hometown, he put together his own stunt team and started making action movies. He trained Tony Jaa and had a major hit in 2003 with Ong Bak, produced by Sahamongkolfilm.

Directed by Prachya Pinkaew, Ong Bak introduced a new style of realistic, wire-free action choreography and put the Thai martial art of Muay Thai on the world map. It was swiftly followed by Tom Yum Goong (aka The Protector), reuniting the same team.

Panna soon turned director, as well as action choreographer, and directed a string of films for Sahamongkol including The Bodyguard, Ong Bak 2 and...

Reports are surfacing from Thailand that celebrated martial arts choreographer and film director Panna Ritthikrai has died from liver disease, aged 53.Ritthikrai is probably best known for his work with action star Tony Jaa in films such as the Ong-Bak and Tom Yum Goong series, but he also directed a number of features including The Bodyguard and the fantastic olympian-actioner Born to Fight. He was an integral player in the new wave of Thai action cinema that took the world by storm at the start of the 21st century, and continued to be a pivotal force until the very end. Gareth Evans, director of Indonesian action flick The Raid, tweeted earlier today "What Panna and Jaa did w/ Ong Bak revitalised martial arts cinema. The importance of...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Muay Thai expert and martial arts star Tony Jaa returns with “Tom Yum Goong 2” (a.k.a. “The Protector 2” or “Warrior King 2”, depending on the territory), the follow up to his highly popular elephant defending 2005 hit. The film sees him reteaming with director Prachya Pinkaew and action choreographer Panna Rittikrai, who he worked with on the original, as well as “Ong Bak” and more. As expected from a sequel, the film sticks to the concept of its predecessor and, for better or worse, takes things up several notches, with a bigger budget, 3D effects and even crazier large scale action scenes. Jaa again plays Kham, the film opening with him living a peaceful life in the countryside and teaching young kids martial arts while taking care of his beloved elephant Khon, a sacred beast he is sworn to protect. After Khon is snatched again and Kham is framed...

I recently had the chance to see The Protector 2, which is available right now on VOD on iTunes and Amazon. The Protector 2 is actor Tony Jaa’s follow-up to The Protector, which has one of the most impressive long continuous shots I’ve ever seen in an action film. Based on the strength of that shot alone, I […]

The post ‘The Protector 2′ Is The Most Insane Martial Arts Film of 2014 appeared first on /Film.

The Protector 2

Written by Eakisit Thairaat

Directed by Prachya Pinkaew

Thailand, 2013

Thai martial-arts star Tony Jaa started the current renaissance in South Asian action cinema alongside director Prachya Pinkaew with the 2003 film Ong-Bak, but eleven years on, the warts in their style are starting to show. None of Jaa’s subsequent films has had a comprehensible plot, and Pinkaew’s later attempts to employ computer-generated effects have not matched the down-and-dirty practical stunts in Ong-Bak. Jaa’s latest, The Protector 2,has those same problems, but it also understands the elemental appeal of a balletic fight scene.

The first Protector film (also known by the title of its uncut international version, Tom Yum Goong) had Jaa playing a rural Thai elephant tender, assaulting everyone in Sydney to find one of his kidnapped charges. The best plot summary that one can provide for The Protector 2 is, “the same elephant gets taken again.

Tony Jaa is one of this generation’s most underrated cinematic martial artists, ruling foreign cinema with furious Muay Thai fury – but you wouldn’t know that from The Protector 2. In fact, for anyone who doesn’t know Tony Jaa’s body of work, avoid The Protector 2 at all costs. Go watch Ong-bak or The Protector, two phenomenal displays of fluid fighting that show Jaa’s real talent – not this horrid clusterf#ck of laughable green screens, cartoonish villains, Star Wars sound effects, and dizzying cinematography. Usually movies with constant badassery contain moments of exhilarating fighting, but the longer Prachya Pinkaew’s train-wreck of a sequel lasted, the more I debated if being pummeled by Tony Jaa in person would have been more enjoyable. At least my eyes would have been swollen shut?

Already having rescued a special elephant he’s meant to protect, Kham (Tony Jaa) finds...

The sixth Terracotta Far East Film Festival has announced its full line-up and my my there’s a lot to see. Deep breathe, there’s a lot to go through, so here we go......It will be held in two central London venues over ten days from Friday 23 May to Sunday 1 June, showing 23 films including International and European premieres. The festival is one of the UK’s biggest showcases for contemporary Asian cinema, boasting an electrifying mix of movies from emerging and established artists across a range of genres. The 2014 edition will open on Friday 23 May with the UK premiere of On The Job, the latest ground-breaking work from Erik Matti which premiered at Cannes Film Festival 2013 in the ‘Directors’ Fortnight’. The closing film of the festival, screened on Sunday 1 June, will be the International premiere of Judge! with special guest appearance from director Akira Nagai. This year, the festival...

London-based Asian film festival to open with the UK premiere of Erik Matti’s On the Job and features a focus on the Philippines.

The sixth Terracotta Far East Film Festival (Tfeff), one of the UK’s biggest showcases for contemporary Asian cinema, is to open with the UK premiere of Erik Matti’s On the Job, which debuted at Directors Fortnight during the Cannes Film Festival 2013.

The festival, which will be held in two central London venues from May 23 to June 1, will comprise 24 films. It will close with the international premiere of Judge!, attended by director Akira Nagai.

Tfeff’s Spotlight On section will focus on the Philippines and director Matti will attend the opening ceremony of the strand with his film, On the Job.

The spotlight strand will be hosted by the Institute of Contemporary Arts (Ica) from May 23-27, which will also feature a double bill dedicated to award-winning Filipino actor Felix Roco. He will...

For a brief while there in the first decade of the 2000′s it looked like Thailand’s Tony Jaa was laying claim to the title of best action star of the 21st century. Ong Bak introduced him as a viable and extremely capable action lead, and the next few years saw that status confirmed with two sequels and The Protector (aka Tom Yum Goong). And then he went nuts. In his defense he was trapped in an incredibly restrictive contract and his ego had grown to elephant-sized proportions, but that’s a long story for a different day. The good news is that he looks to in the process of making a comeback. He’s currently filming Fast & Furious 7, has two Dolph Lundgren films in the can and is rumored to be attached to sequels for The Raid and Spl. He also made a sequel with the same people whose tight grip almost drove him mad. The Protector 2...

If I could have it my way, most every movie starring Tony Jaa wouldn't feature fight scenes such as this one featuring Jaa, for the most part, getting his ass kicked by RZA wearing a suit and tie. Yes, RZA. I don't turn on a Jaa film to watch him getting thrown through set walls or to see how well he's able to make it look like he can't take out an opponent as weak as RZA in a matter of seconds. Jaa kicks ass, he doesn't get his ass kicked, least of all by a guy in a business suit. Sorry, not believing it. Oh, and what's the bit with the hat at the beginning of this clip and the guy that stumbles away flailing his armsc yt id="guySfo1Pgw0" width="500" The Protector 2 is On Demand now and will be in theaters on May 2. Here's the lengthy...

We have an action-packed clip from The Protector 2 for you today, featuring the film's star, Tony Jaa, kicking all forms of ass (mostly with his knees and elbows) in a parking garage. The film is a follow up to 2005's The Protector aka Tom Yum Goong, which had Jaa's character traveling to the big city to retrieve his pet elephant. This one has a much more convoluted plot, but that's okay, since we really just want to see Jaa beat the living hell out of...

Magnet Releasing is announcing the release of The Protector 2 on iTunes/On Demand for this March 27 and in theaters starting May 2. The Protector 2 is directed by Thai film director, film producer and screenwriter Prachya Pinkaew (Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, Tom-Yum-Goong). The film stars Tony Jaa, RZA, Mum Jokmok, Marrese Crump, Jija Yanin Wismitanan, Ratha Pho-ngam, Kazu Patric Tang, Kalp Hongratanaporn and David Ismalone.

Synopsis

Boss Suchart is the influential owner of a major elephant camp. When he was murdered in his own home – the killer delivered three fatal blows on his body – all evidence points to Kham (Tony Jaa), who was present at the crime scene and was seen with the victim the moment before he died. Kham is forced to run as the police launch a pursuit. Meanwhile, the twin nieces of Boss Suchart (Jija Yanin Wismitanan and Teerada Kittisiriprasert) are out for revenge. But luck...

Thai action star Tony Jaa is back to kick some more ass in a sequel to his 2005 film The Protector. The Protector 2 was directed by Prachya Pinkaew, who not only directed the first film but also worked with Jaa on Ong Bak. the movie also features some amazing fight choreography by Jaa and his mentor, Panna Rittikrai. Some of the stunts they pull off look absolutely insane! You just have to watch the trailer to see the awesomeness for yourself. If you haven't seen the first movie yet, it's definitely worth watching.

Boss Suchart is the influential owner of a major elephant camp. When he was murdered in his own home – the killer delivered three fatal blows on his body – all evidence points to Kham (Tony Jaa), who was present at the crime scene and was seen with the victim the moment before he died. Kham is forced to...

I may not have been a big fan of The Protector (I simply couldn't figure out what was going on with the elephant), but the sheer awesomeness of Tony Jaa makes pretty much anything worth seeing. Now Jaa and director Prachya Pinkaew are re-teaming for The Protector 2 and from the looks of it, there are no elephants in this story.

Jaa is dropped back into the cityscape but this time, he's on the run from a murderer and ends up embroiled in an underground fighting rink. Yes, this reeks a little of Man from Tai Chi (review) but instead of Keanu Reeves, The Protector 2 has RZA being a badass. Win.

The Protector 2 will debut on iTunes on March 27 and limited theatri [Continued ...]...

Back in 2003, Tony Jaa was the biggest name in punching things, thanks to the release of “Ong Bak,” the Thai martial-arts film that, at the time, provoked a similar reaction to “The Raid,” only set in Bangkok instead of Jakarta. “Ong Bak 2” didn't quite pan out so well, however, and although Jaa is set for a role in “Fast & Furious 7” he's never broken out in the west. Nor has Prachya Pinkaew, who made “Ong Bak” and who also directed Jaa in “The Protector,” which came out stateside (in a somewhat cut-down version – thanks, Harvey) in 2006. Now, though, “The Protector 2” is on its way, and it's gathering a little more attention thanks to the presence of RZA, erstwhile Wu-Tang clan leader (actually, I think Wu-Tang membership is for life) and current martial-arts enthusiast: he directed and acted in martial-arts insanity-fest “The Man With the Iron Fists” in 2012, and behold, here he is in Bangkok,...

Reuniting with his Ong-bak and The Protector director, Prachya Pinkaew, martial arts star Tony Jaa jumps back into sequel territory with The Protector 2, a follow-up to the 2005 hit, also known as Tom Yum Goong. The first film featured Jaa as a rural fighter named Pham who travels to the city in order to retrieve his prized elephant from some nasty villains. The sequel puts Pham back in the city, but he's no longer trying to save an elephant as he's on the run for suspected...

The RZA versus Tony Jaa? Yeah, I’m gonna go with the Thai guy. Check out a new U.S. trailer for director Prachya Pinkaew’s “The Protector 2,” the follow-up to his and Jaa’s “Tom Yum Goong,” aka “The Protector.” The sequel finds the Thai dynamo running around, well, somewhere. The point is, he’s still kicking, punching, kneeing, and elbowing the crap out of everyone. Seriously, dude is violent! But hey, that’s how you gotta be these days with these bad guys. Amirite? I’m personally not sure what the hell the plot is all about (what, he’s an assassin, too?), but Todd Rigney knows, cause he already reviewed the film here. Boss Suchart is the owner of an elephant camp. When he is murdered, all evidence points to Kham (Tony Jaa), who was seen with the victim before he died. Kham is forced to...

The only thing worth mentioning when it comes to Tony Jaa's The Protector was the staircase tracking shot. It's more than three minutes of balls-to-the-wall action and it's all caught in one shot. Check it out at the bottom of this post. I say this as Jaa has reteamed with Protector helmer Prachya Pinkaew (who also helmed Jaa's breakout feature, Ong Bak) for The Protector 2, which co-stars RZA, Mum Jokmok, Marrese Crump, Jija Yanin Wismitanan, Ratha Pho-ngam, Kazu Patric Tang, Kalp Hongratanaporn and David Ismalone and will be released by Magnet on iTunes/On Demand March 27 and in theaters May 2. Here's the plot: Boss Suchart is the owner of an elephant camp. When he is murdered, all evidence points to Kham (Tony Jaa), who was seen with the victim before he died. Kham is forced to run as the police launch a pursuit. Meanwhile, the twin nieces of...