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Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chika Kanamoto, Emerson Min, Sticky Fingaz, Ji Yong Lee, Andrey Ivchenko, Kristanna Loken, Shannen Doherty, Cynthia Rothrock, Weston Cage, Kris Van Damme | Written by James Cullen Bressack, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Alethea Hnatko-Cho | Directed by James Cullen Bressack

Jean-Claude Van Damme has kept a fairly low profile compared to many other 80s action heroes. And that includes such non-genre appearances as voice acting in kids films like Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3, Minions: The Rise of Gru as well as a cameo in the French comedy Haters. However, Darkness of Man sees him return to the Dtv action spotlight

As the film opens, Russel Hatch lies in a puddle of his own blood, bleeding out from several bullet wounds. He tells us in voice-over that, like every story, this began with a woman. And we go back to Miami two years prior when Hatch was an Interpol agent.

Spyglass Media and Paramount Pictures wanted to move quickly on Scream 7… then the version of the film they wanted to move quickly on crumbled piece by piece. Scream (2022) and Scream VI directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are finishing work on their Universal Monsters movie Abigail (formerly known as Dracula’s Daughter), so with returning writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick working on the script, the companies hired Freaky and Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon to direct the film and started reaching out to actors. Jenna Ortega allegedly wanted a substantial pay raise to reprise the role of Tara Carpenter… and as we saw when Neve Campbell dropped out of Scream VI due to a pay dispute, these pay issues don’t tend to work out. So Ortega was out, but Melissa Barrera was on board to come back as Tara’s sister Samantha. Until she was fired from...

Stars: Jules Willcox, Marc Menchaca, Anthony Heald, Jonathan Rosenthal | Written by Mattias Olsson | Directed by John Hyams

An English-language adaptation of Swedish thriller Gone, with a screenplay by from that films director Mattias Olsson, Alone is most-noticeable as being helmed by John Hyams. The son of director Peter Hyams, John Hyams burst on to the action movie scene with a trio of movies between 2009 and 2012 featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme – with whom his father had worked in 1994/5 – all of which were fan-favourites and which, at the time, were seemingly Hyams’ calling card into bigger budget action fare. Only that didn’t happen.

Despite the warm reception afforded Universal Soldier: Regeneration and its follow-up Day of Reckoning And the great reviews Dragon Eyes, a film that sought to launch the leading-man action career of Cung Le, received from critics and fans alike; Hyams has spent the intervening years in television, producing and...

Adrianne Lenker announced a brief fall tour in support of her recent albums Songs and Instrumentals.

The trek kicks off on November 5th in Burlington, Vermont, making stops along the East before wrapping in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 21st. Tickets go on sale Friday at noon E.T.

The dual solo LPs, released last fall, were made in quarantine at a cabin in the mountains of western Massachusetts. “As I settled into the cabin over the course of a month, I grew really connected to the space itself,” she said.

Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief hit The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon Thursday to perform “Dragon Eyes” from her recent solo album Songs.

Lenker kept the performance simple, strumming an acoustic guitar alone in front of a wall of windows. Big Thief is currently up for two Grammys at Sunday’s ceremony: Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for “Not,” off their 2019 album Two Hands.

The singer-songwriter dropped two albums back in October, Songs and Instrumentals, her third and fourth solo records. She wrote and recorded the songs in...

On the release day of her double solo LP Songs and Instrumentals, Adrianne Lenker has dropped a video for “Zombie Girl.”

The clip opens with Lenker playing the acoustic guitar in a cabin in the woods — where she recorded the two albums in quarantine. “What a dream that was,” she sings. “I almost couldn’t wake because/I was frozen in bed with a zombie girl/Vacant as a closed-down fair.”

“Zombie Girl” follows the singles “Dragon Eyes” and “Anything” and 2018’s Abysskiss. The records were pressed on analog-analog-analog (Aaa), are completely digital-free,...

Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker has shared “Dragon Eyes,” the latest offering from her upcoming double solo LP, Songs and Instrumentals.

Accompanied by a visual of trees at dusk, the track features Lenker’s vocals over sparse acoustic guitar. “Freezing at the edge of the bed/Chewing a cigarette and repeating shadows of words I said,” she sings. Later, she reflects on a season that’s come to a close: “Stars bloom on a warm summer night.”

“Dragon Eyes” follows the lead single “Anything.” Songs and Instrumentals mark Lenker’s third and fourth solo albums,...

Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker had wasted no time in quarantine. The Brooklyn singer-songwriter will release two new albums, Songs and Instrumentals, on October 23rd via 4Ad.

Ahead of the release, Lenker shared “Anything,” which features her playing acoustic guitar with a paintbrush. “Grocery store list, now you get pissed/Unchecked calls and messages,” she sings softly. “I don’t wanna be the owner of your fantasy/I just wanna be a part of your family.”

Songs and Instrumentals mark Lenker’s third and fourth solo albums, following 2018’s Abysskiss.

Stars: Jules Willcox, Marc Menchaca, Anthony Heald, Jonathan Rosenthal | Written by Mattias Olsson | Directed by John Hyams

An English-language adaptation of Swedish thriller Gone, with a screenplay by from that films director Mattias Olsson, Alone is most-noticeable as being helmed by John Hyams. The son of director Peter Hyams, John Hyams burst on to the action movie scene with a trio of movies between 2009 and 2012 featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme – with whom his father had worked in 1994/5 – all of which were fan-favourites and which, at the time, were seemingly Hyams’ calling card into bigger budget action fare. Only that didn’t happen.

Despite the warm reception afforded Universal Soldier: Regeneration and its follow-up Day of Reckoning And the great reviews Dragon Eyes, a film that sought to launch the leading-man action career of Cung Le, received from critics and fans alike; Hyams has spent the intervening years in television, producing and...

"I know fear when I see it! It's all in the eyes!" Magnolia Pictures has released an official trailer for an indie survival thriller titled Alone, the latest film from filmmaker John Hyams. A recently widowed traveler fleeing the city in the Pacific Northwest is kidnapped by a cold blooded killer, only to escape into the wilderness where she is forced to battle against the elements as her pursuer closes in on her... Will she be able to make it out alive? Jules Willcox stars as Jessica, with Marc Menchaca, Anthony Heald, and Jonathan Rosenthal. This looks chilling but it also looks like every other kidnapping thriller. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for John Hyams' Alone, direct from Magolia's YouTube: Set in the Pacific Northwest wilderness, the film follows recently widowed Jessica who, fleeing the city in a desperate attempt to cope, is ...

Sydney-based sales agent Odin’s Eye has picked up international rights to Harvey Keitel-starring action feature “Live Fast, Die Laughing.” The film is directed by Timothy Linh Bui and produced by Los Angeles-based Convergence Entertainment.

Scripted by Tim Tori, the film is the story of a broke taxi driver in Vietnam who thinks it is his lucky day when a mysterious American woman offers him a fortune to drive her 1,000 miles from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. They set off, pursued by mobsters and an assassin.

Set to shoot in November, the film will star Francesca Eastwood (“True Crime”) alongside Keitel. Action direction is to be supplied by fight choreographer Vincent Wang.

“Live Fast” is produced by Douglas W. Miller and Tim Kwok through Convergence Entertainment.

“Tim Bui is an authentic and original voice, with a unique story that’s rarely seen in modern-day Vietnam,” Kwok said. “The...

SandalwoodThough it will be Larnell Stovall’s first time in the Kannada film industry choreographing the stunts, he is a well known name in Indian cinema. Digital NativeDigital NativeHollywood stunt director Larnell Stovall has been roped in to choreograph the boxing sequences in the Kannada film Phailwan. The film has Kiccha Sudeep playing the lead role and he will be seen as a professional boxer in it. This required the filmmakers to create some realistic fight sequences following which the Hollywood stunt director has been brought on board. Sudeep also underwent special training in boxing and wrestling in Thailand to get into the skin of the character. Though it will be Larnell Stovall’s first time in the Kannada film industry choreographing the stunts, he is a well known name in Indian cinema having worked in films such as the Salman Khan starrer Sultan, SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali and Akshay Kumar’s Brothers.

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Nicholas Winding Refn and William Lustig are to produce the remake of Maniac Cop...

The planned remake of Maniac Cop is now pressing ahead, it's being reported.

The project is the result of a multi-studio deal that will see Hollywood’s Vendian Entertainment and France-based Wild Brunch team up with Space Rocket Nation (the company of director Nicolas Winding Refn). While this multi-year alliance of firms will facilitate first-look deals to produce commercials for up and coming talent, feature films are on the menu, the first of which will be this Maniac Cop remake which has been gestating for the past few years.

The film will update the 1988-1993 Maniac Cop horror trilogy directed by William Lustig featuring the signature lantern-jawed visage of the late Robert Z’Dar as the titular killer constabulary Matt Cordell, who escaped from prison to wantonly murder innocent people in uniform. The...

Stars: Cung Le, Dolph Lundgren, Vinnie Jones, Gianni Capaldi, Briana Evigan, James C. Burns, Robert Lasardo, Sean O’Bryan | Written by James Coyne | Directed by Giorgio Serafini, James Coyne

A Certain Justice, aka Puncture Wounds, is the latest film from the foursome of Giorgio Serafini, Dolph Lundgren, Vinnie Jones and Gianni Capaldi, who previously worked together on Hard Rush (aka Ambushed) and Blood of Redemption. This time round the group is joined by Ufc Fighter-turned action star Cung Le (from the awesome Dragon Eyes) and one of my favourite female stars working in Hollywood today, Briana Evigan.

The film tells the story of soldier John Nguyen, who returns home from a traumatic tour of duty in Iraq struggling with Ptsd. What little peace he had managed to build around him is shattered one fateful day when he rescues a local call girl from a group of violent pimps, killing one and severely injuring the other.

While they've collaborated on several projects, filmmakers John and Peter Hyams's respective approaches to action filmmaking are basically different. Father Peter (Timecop, Sudden Death) emphasizes the importance of a film's screenplay in determining its tone while son John (Dragon Eyes, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning) considers editing to be the most crucial stage of a film's development. In time for the release of Enemies Closer, a new film directed by Peter and edited by John, the Voice talked to the Hyamses about working with star Jean-Claude Van Damme, using gore to establish a film's complex tone, and comparing Paul Greengrass–style shaky-cam to Par...

Direct to video films have long been a ghetto where low rent productions and long forgotten c-list stars were forced to reside. Recently however a shift in momentum has begun to occur and something strange is happening, some of these films are actually quite good. Now don’t confuse direct to video films with the video on demand platform that is quickly becoming the go to distribution model for indie films. Direct to video productions do not have star-studded casts (at least in a ‘mainstream’ sense) nor do they much fanfare surrounding them. What they do have is freedom.

Director John Hyams quickly understood the freedom and malleability that direct to video presents and has gone about creating some incredibly interesting genre fare. Hyams first two feature length films, Universal Soldier: Regeneration and Dragon Eyes, displayed an acute understanding of the action genre. Both films showcased his talent for utilizing space,...

The blokes who flex their muscles in Ultimate Fighting Championship and mixed martial arts events are mostly a larger-than-life blend of showmanship and brawn – which explains why they’re increasingly being snapped up by Hollywood. With more and more Mma fighters moving into the movies, I thought I’d take a look at some of the biggest names to have made the crossover.

Tony Schiena

Winner of numerous Mma trophies around the globe, Schiena flexed his acting chops in Locked Down as a framed cop who winds up in jail and is forced into cage fighting by none other than Brit hardman turned thesp Vinnie Jones. Schiena retired from sport after breaking both his ankles (ouch!) but has since found his feet on the big screen working with everyone from Pacino to Van Damme.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

Famed for fierce body slams that won him the Ufc light heavyweight title...

Despite my lifelong affinity for the action genre, I'd never encountered the Universal Soldier franchise. Somewhere in the back of my head I knew of its reputation as a Terminator rip-off, but it wasn't until I read Vern's “Action Movies Don't Have to Suck” piece for the Village Voice that I was intrigued enough to seek out John Hyams'& Universal Soldier: Regeneration and Day of Reckoning. Hyams' elegant staging and disarming sincerity offer a refreshing alternative to the action adventure comic book slop dished out to teenagers and poked at by indifferent adult audiences that an entire generation of studio execs have chosen to ignore. Despite their relatively tiny budgets, Hyams' Universal Soldier movies, along with his other fictional feature, Dragon Eyes, are exquisite examples of digital cinema and personal storytelling. Rightfully, these movies should be dime store thrill rides, and in the best possible sense they are. They're also equal parts melodrama,...

Well here it is. After hinting at some of the films on Twitter and promising that this will be unlike any top ten you see this year, I’ve finally compiled my Top 10 films of 2012. However, I originally compiled my list before seeing Pitch Perfect, which I felt Had to be included in this list; therefore my choices for ninth and tenth film on the list now share tenth place.

I’ve also included a hell of a lot of honorable mentions (enough to take this up to a Top 25 if I had included them all), three of which are short films. Three short films which happen to be the best I’ve seen in years and give some of the feature-length films released this year a run for their money. Consider everything on this list a recommendation of the highest order…

The Top 10 in full:

10) =Big Miracle / Dragon Eyes...

John Hyams’s last two films—Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009) and Dragon Eyes (2012)—were distinguished by their keen sense of action-setpiece construction and their potent use of motion and space. Regeneration, the weightier and more accomplished of the two, even achieved a sort of tragic grandeur; its images of empty-eyed soldiers fighting ceaselessly in irradiated urban ruins play like action-movie poetry.

Hyams’ new film, however, is an ambitious radical departure—a ballsy, heady genre mutant that confirms that Hyams is something more than just a smart and talented action traditionalist. Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning—slippery, chilly, queasy—grafts an art-horror movie on to the rootstock of a violent action flick. It bears only a passing resemblance to Regeneration, and has even less in common with the original Universal Soldier (1992); in fact, the two films it brings to mind are Lost Highway and Videodrome.

Held together by an atmosphere of sustained dread,...

News.

The BFI London Film Festival has announced its 2012 award winners. Jacques Audiard's Rust & Bone is the Best Film, and Benh Zeitlin's Beasts of the Southern Wild (which also picked up an award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival this past week) is the Best Debut. For a complete list of winners, click here. The Rome Film Festival has unveiled some additions to their lineup, including new films from Paul Verhoeven (his mid-length feature Tricked, which we've previously shared the trailer for) and Peter Greenaway. Via The Guardian: It's hard to go very long without hearing word of new projects from Werner Herzog, and his list of forthcoming films has grown yet again with the announcement of his adaptation of Dbc Pierre's Vernon God Little:

"Herzog will return to Texas: it's about a teenager who heads to Mexico after becoming a scapegoat for a high-school killing in a small Texan town.

Where do you go after you’ve already pitted Jean-Claude Van Damme against Dolph Lundgren for, what, the third time now? Well, you add Scott Adkins, the current “It” boy in the world of direct-to-dvd action movies. Adkins joins the crew in “Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning”, the fourth entry in the franchise and second go-round for director John Hyams, who also helmed Van Damme in “Dragon Eyes”. Take a look at the new poster for “Day of Reckoning” above, and just in case you missed it, the previously released trailer is below for your viewing pleasure. Surviving Unisols Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren) must battle anarchy and build a new order ruled by Unisols without government oversight. They are weeding out the weak and constantly testing their strongest warriors in brutal, life-and-death combat. Luc has emerged operating the Unisol Church of Eventualism, a self-help...

Selected Filmography:

2007: Blizhniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter

2009: Fighting

2009: Bodyguards and Assassins

2010: Tekken

2012: Dragon Eyes

2012: The Grandmasters

2012: The Man with the Iron Fists

Stats:

Born: May 25, 1972

Height: 5 ft 10

Style: Kickboxing, Sanshou, Taekwondo, Wrestling

Contact Info:

Twitter: @Cungle185

Website: www.cungschallenge.com

Cung Le is a fighting machine, anyone who steps in his way will feel the full force of his brutal back kick and many wont be getting up from it. I have always been impressed with his fighting ability and whenever he enters the octagon he always brings 100% to each fight, which makes him an exciting fighter to watch.

Early Life

Cung Le, a Vietnamese American, was born in Saigon, South Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). In 1975, three days before the Fall of Saigon, Cung Le and his mother Anne left Vietnam by helicopter under heavy gunfire. He ended up in San Jose,...

After Dark Films is planning to make a big splash at this year's San Diego Comic-Con with a sneak peek into its horror brand After Dark Originals 2. Make sure you stop by Booth #4145 to get the goods.

After Dark will be providing previews of the following:

• Asylum - Starring Stephen Rea, directed by Todor Chapkanov, and written by Chris Mancini. A veteran hostage negotiator’s next call leads him to an overrun insane asylum. He soon finds that dark forces are pushing the patients to commit atrocities, and he may be the only one that can stop them.

• Dark Circles - Starring Johnathon Schaech and Pell James, written and directed by Paul Soter. When new parents Alex and Penny retreat from the city and move into a place outside town, the stress and massive sleep-deprivation caused by their infant has both of them seeing things in the house that may or may not exist.

Universal Soldier: Regeneration established John Hyams as a director with serious trad action chops, an acuity for 'scope framing, a disarming sense of emotional gravity, and a fondness for big dilapidated spaces. Like Joe Carnahan's somewhat-similar (albeit more "realistic") The Grey, Regeneration is a surprisingly actorly action movie—especially strong in its use of Dolph Lundgren, an underrated actor if there ever was one—with a bleak moral palette. However, very unlike The Grey, Regeneration isn't especially talky—the performance come chiefly through looks and posture, which allows the acting to blend with the action.

Hyams' new film, Dragon Eyes, isn't an accomplishment on the level of Regeneration, and some of its flashy conceits—like the Guy Ritchie-esque on-screen titles, or the cartoonish color grading—never gel with Hyams' camera style. Still, it's, as they say, "not without its pleasures"—and many of those pleasures could teach bigger-budgeted...

Hong, the lead character in “Dragon Eyes,” might as well be a Man Without A Name when he wanders into the small town of St. Jude. He seeks a second chance, an opportunity to atone for past violent misdeeds seen in fuzzy flashback. It doesn’t take long for the viewer to realize this means a lot of people are about to be kicked in the face. One of the marquee titles from After Dark Action -- the new action imprint from Dark Castle and After Dark -- “Dragon Eyes” at least delivers on this aspect.

Our hero is played by martial artist Cung Le, a tight ball of energy with a pout. Not an entirely expressive performer, he sets the tone for this low-stakes actioner, his thousand mile stare and minimal but clear English painting him as a Man of Serious Action. Director John Hyams, who has revealed himself...

You don't have to be a movie genius to know who will rule the box office this weekend. With "The Avengers" wiping the floor with every other blockbuster ever, audiences will likely continue to assemble. However, if you think there's a little too much life in the Joss Whedon opus, its weekend competitor, "Dark Shadows," might be more to your taste. This weekend, Tim Burton's vampiric comedy is the only new release going head-to-head against the action juggernaut. So! Let's take a look at this David vs. Goliath tale, and the box-office predictions, in Moviefone's Weekend Movie Preview. Nationwide Releases "Dark Shadows" What's the story? Based on the 1960s gothic television soap, "Dark Shadows" follows imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), who awakens from a 200-year slumber to settle a score with a jealous witch. Box-office prediction: While "Dark Shadows" may not have enough muscle to take out "The Avengers,...

Jean-Claude Van Damme may be 51 years old, but he can still kick you through a wall. The kickboxing Belgian has been fighting through scores of baddies ever since he first roundhoused his way into our hearts in 1988′s Bloodsport. His latest film, Dragon Eyes, sees him taking the backseat as a mentor to martial arts star Cung Le, but with a role as the villain in Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming Silver Pictures Reunion Tour sequel The Expendables 2, there will be plenty of Van Damage in the near future. We spoke with the Muscles From Brussels about kicking ass, taking names,...

Hollywood can be a tough place for young actors and actresses, and the seeming benefit or advantage of nepotism isn’t always what outsiders might make it out to be. Such is the case for Kristopher Van Varenberg, the 24-year-old son of notoriously limber action star Jean-Claude Van Damme and Gladys Portugues, an ex-bodybuilder and fitness competitor. Mixing action roles and bit parts in movies alongside his dad with character work in other films — including two new After Dark Films releases, “Dragon Eyes” and “Philly Kid,” debuting this week – the friendly and candid Van Varenberg is out to leave his own mark in the entertainment business. ShockYa recently had a chance [ Read More ]...

You want action? Well, the fine folks from Dark Castle Entertainment and After Dark Action Films intend to give it to you and then some! Starting May 11th and running until May 17th, you.ll be able to get plenty of it thanks to the After Dark Action Film Festival. The Philly Kid, El Gringo, Dragon Eyes, Stash House and Transit are the movies and in select theatres near you (click Here to see the list of theaters) In honor of this special event,...

Transit (2012) Jim Caviezel is an interesting action hero. Although I don’t find the characters he plays to be particularly heroic or likeable, I think the guy’s performances are always spot-on. Such is the case with director Antonio Negret’s 2012 chase flick “Transit”, a moderately enjoyable suspense/thriller released as part of the After Dark Action series. Of the two I’ve seen — the other being “Dragon Eyes” — “Transit” is easily the weakest, due in part to a script that’s as predictable as it is moronic. Caviezel stars as an ex-con who’s attempting to put the pieces of his shattered family back together after spending some quality time in the hoosegow. During a particularly dysfunctional road trip with the wife and kids, the group runs afoul of some brooding criminals who use the bickering brood to smuggle their loot through a police check point. Intrigue and suspense promptly ensue.

Boom! Kapow! Blam! Like stuff blowing up? People getting punched in the face? Kicked in the head? Cool dudes with guns and fists of fury dispensing justice on the bad guys one broken nose and a bullet at a time? Heck, you’re probably the guy that the new After Dark Action festival is going for. Check out a new trailer from the fest, which assembles all the line-up’s five titles (“Dragon Eyes”, “Transit”, “El Gringo”, “Stash House”, and “The Philly Kid”) into one action-packed trailer. After Dark Action is from the same people who gave us the After Dark Films, and now they’re doing to action what they did with horror. You’ll be able to catch all five films in limited release on May 11th, but in case you can’t make it in person, no worries, they’ll also be available on VOD at the same time.

Take a gander at the poster and a blood splattering first trailer for Scott Adkins’ latest actioner, “El Gringo”, which will be taking part in the After Dark Action line-up this year. You’ll be able to catch “El Gringo”, along with all the other After Dark Action films (including “Dragon Eyes” with Cung Le and Jean-Claude Van Damme), in select theaters and on VOD starting May 11, 2012. In El Gringo, The Man (Adkins) crosses into Mexico with a satchel of $2,000,000, cash, a bloody past, and a plan to live out his remaining days on a beach. Instead, he gets stuck waiting for a bus in El Fronteras, a sleepy desert town that’s so uninviting that – forget about the ocean – he can hardly find a glass of water. Then, word of his money spreads to the El Fronteras underworld. Under sudden attack from corrupt cops, gangsters, and desperados, the Man...

After a hard-hitting, bone-crunching, and all around exhilarating weekend of action, the 2012 edition of ActionFest wraps up today with closing film, Peter Chan's Wuxia, repeat screenings of some of the festival favourites and a couple of still to be announced secret screenings. Last night in a packed tent on the grounds of the Carolina Theatre, the festival Jury handed out the best film (and best screenplay) to I Declare War.The rest of the awards are below:Best Film: I Declare WarBest Screenplay: I Declare War, written by Jason Lapeyre. Best Director(s): Alan Mak and Felix Chong, The Lost Bladesman Best Action Scene: The Lost Bladesman Best Fight: Dragon Eyes, "Street Fight #1″ Best Villain: James Frain, Transit Spirit of ActionFest Award: ManborgLifetime Achievement Award: Mickey...

Movie trailer and images from The Philly Kid, as well as the poster for the Wes Chatham Mma actioner. Opening on May 11th as part of the After Dark Action group (with Dragon Eyes, Transit, Stash House, El Gringo), The Philly Kid also stars Neal McDonough and Devon Sawa in the Jason Connery-directed film. On the same night that he was crowned an Ncaa wrestling champion, Dillon McCabe (Wes Chatham) was involved in the killing of a cop and then sentenced to fifteen years of prison. Ten years later, Dillon is paroled back onto the streets of his run-down Baton Rouge neighborhood. Before he can pick up the pieces of his life, his best friend gets in trouble with a vicious loan shark. To get the money to free him, Dillon must return to fighting – this time, mixed martial arts. But his quick, brutal success gets him into more trouble than ever.

Movie trailer and images from The Philly Kid, as well as the poster for the Wes Chatham Mma actioner. Opening on May 11th as part of the After Dark Action group (with Dragon Eyes, Transit, Stash House, El Gringo), The Philly Kid also stars Neal McDonough and Devon Sawa in the Jason Connery-directed film. On the same night that he was crowned an Ncaa wrestling champion, Dillon McCabe (Wes Chatham) was involved in the killing of a cop and then sentenced to fifteen years of prison. Ten years later, Dillon is paroled back onto the streets of his run-down Baton Rouge neighborhood. Before he can pick up the pieces of his life, his best friend gets in trouble with a vicious loan shark. To get the money to free him, Dillon must return to fighting – this time, mixed martial arts. But his quick, brutal success gets him into more trouble than ever.

Movie trailer and images from The Philly Kid, as well as the poster for the Wes Chatham Mma actioner. Opening on May 11th as part of the After Dark Action group (with Dragon Eyes, Transit, Stash House, El Gringo), The Philly Kid also stars Neal McDonough and Devon Sawa in the Jason Connery-directed film. On the same night that he was crowned an Ncaa wrestling champion, Dillon McCabe (Wes Chatham) was involved in the killing of a cop and then sentenced to fifteen years of prison. Ten years later, Dillon is paroled back onto the streets of his run-down Baton Rouge neighborhood. Before he can pick up the pieces of his life, his best friend gets in trouble with a vicious loan shark. To get the money to free him, Dillon must return to fighting – this time, mixed martial arts. But his quick, brutal success gets him into more trouble than ever.

Today we have an exclusive look at the trailer for After Dark Action's The Philly Kid, following on the heels of the production company's recently teased Transit with Jim Caviezel and Dragon Eyes with Jean Claude Van Damme, co-starring his glasses. The Philly Kid stars Neal McDonough, Devon Sawa, Sarah Butler, and Wes Chatham as the titular character and is part of After Dark Action's line-up of five all-new action films to hit theaters and on demand. Get your fight on:...

Hello again, Movies.com readers! This is Ed Travis, and ActionFest 2012 officially begins one week from this writing. We couldn’t be more excited to have this final blast of information to share with everyone! Yes, that’s right, our final wave of programming and special guests is now announced to the public. Check it out! Final Wave Of Actionfest Programming Announced! Click any of the following titles for links to their trailers and/or websites! Dragon Eyes (North American premiere w/ star Cung Le in attendance!) Director: John Hyams, U.S.A. Mma superstar Cung Le, Jean Claude Van Damme and Peter Weller star in this modern version of Akira Kurosawa’s classic Yojimbo. A Gang Story (Regional Premiere) Director: Olivier Marchal...

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Let’s get one thing straight: This is not a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie. Although his face is front and center on the DVD artwork, the big guy’s role in the film is very small. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it allows former Mma champion Cung Le to flex his considerable muscles. “Universal Soldier: Regeneration” director John Hyams’ immensely satisfying action epic “Dragon Eyes” puts Le in the proverbial driver’s seat, and he does a good job steering the audience through a number of jaw-dropping fight sequences that are as brutal as they are entertaining. As long as you don’t mind Van Damme tackling a much smaller role than most of us are used to, then you shouldn’t have a single thing to complain about. Screenwriter Tim Tori (“Prowl”) uses Akira Kurosawa’s classic “Yojimbo” as a framework to tell the tale...

Another week, another Monday. So it’s time for the rundown of DVDs and Blu-ray’s hitting stores online and offline this week. It’s another packed week, with plenty of movies waiting to take you money, so let us breakdown the new releases and highlight what you should – and shouldn’t – be buying from today, April 9th 2012.

Pick Of The Week

Dragon Eyes (DVD/Blu-ray)

In New Orleans, a mysterious man looks to unite to warring gangs against the lawmen who have been using them to advance their corrupt agenda. Dragon Eyes review.

And the rest…

Shadow of the Sword (DVD)

As children, Martin (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Headhunters, Game of Thrones) and Georg (Peter McDonald, Wreckers) developed a strong bond, both orphans growing up in a monastery. Following a 15 year absence, neither could have predicted the devastating circumstances which cause their lives to collide once more. When soldier Martin unwittingly...

Check out a new extended trailer (almost 4 minutes long) and poster for the Jean-Claude Van Damme/Cung Le actioner “Dragon Eyes”. The film is from John Hyams, whose resume includes the Jcvd films “Universal Soldier: Regeneration” and the upcoming “Universal Soldier: A New Dimension”. The film has been snapped up as part of After Dark Action’s upcoming theatrical line-up, which will include four other titles on the slate. Along with those other four titles, “Dragon Eyes” will be released theatrically as a commercial film festival in markets nationwide and on VOD on May 11 by the same folks behind the annual After Dark horror festival. Welcome to St. Jude, a town where rival gangs rule the streets, where the chief of police is a cold-blooded killer, and where citizens have learned to keep their heads down. Then comes out-of-towner Ryan Hong. His vintage car attracts attention. His unbelievable marital arts skills cause a sensation.

Transit is a high-octane, explosive action thriller from legendary action producer Joel Silver (Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, The Matrix). The second in the new “After Dark Action” strand (the first being Dragon Eyes) from After Dark Films, the film is directed by Antonio Negret who previously helmed the After Dark Horrorfest flick Seconds Apart.

Just out of prison, Nate needs to regain his family’s trust and takes them on a road trip. His plans take a turn for the worst when a group of criminals covertly stash four million dollars from a deadly bank heist in his car; with the aim of collecting it once through a police roadblock up ahead. Nate’s family complete their unknown task and speed off down the highway; but the criminals need their money, and will stop at nothing to reclaim it.

Starring Jim Caviezel (Passion of the Christ), James Frain (True Blood...

After Dark Films, the same folks who bring us the After Dark Horrorfest every year, are about to branch out with another closely related genre: action. This week, in partnership with Dark Castle Home Entertainment, they have announced After Dark Action, a series of "five original, adrenaline-pumping films" that will be released simultaneously on demand and in select theatres. The movies feature an impressive line-up of stars that include Jean Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Peter Weller, James Caviezel, Harold Perrineau, Scott Adkins and Christian Slater. It certainly sounds promising, but will these movies be any better than the direct-to-video drivel that a lot of these guys have been starring in over the past decade? The full list of films is as follows: Transit – Starring James Caviezel, James Frain, Elizabeth Rohm, Harold Perrineau and Sterling Knight; and directed by Antonio Negret and written by Michael Gilvary Dragon Eyes – Starring Jean Claude Van Damme,...

New Franchise of Five Original Action Films Features International Action Stars

Jean Claude Van Damme, Jim Caviezel, Cung Le, Dolph Lundgren,

Christian Slater & Peter Weller

Dark Castle Home Entertainment and After Dark Films will debut the new action movie franchise After Dark Action, it was announced today by Courtney Solomon, After Dark Films President and CEO. The first generation of After Dark Action movies includes five original, adrenaline-pumping films starring international stars such as Jean Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Peter Weller, Jim Caviezel, Cung Le and Christian Slater. After Dark Action will showcase the movies theatrically as a commercial film festival in markets nationwide and on VOD on May 11. .After many years with the Horrorfest .8 Films To Die For. and After Dark Originals brands, we are excited to expand into the action film arena,. says Solomon. .Our mission is to create innovative, first-rate entertainment for action lovers everywhere..

After Dark...

Dragon Eyes is an upcoming martial arts film featuring Cung Le and Jean-Claude Van Damme. In New Orleans, a mysterious man looks to unite two warring gangs against the lawmen who have been using them to advance their corrupt agenda.

Cung Le as been starring in some big movies of late, a few years back he was a villain taking on Donnie Yen in Bodyguards and Assassins. His latest movies after Dragon Eyes to be released are The Grandmasters and The Man with the Iron Fists, both set for huge cinema releases. The future looks very bright for Cung Le, also apart from his movies he is known for a successful mixed martial arts career, so far in the Ufc is record stands at 7-2 and his former kickboxing career stands at a very impressive 17 wins(12 KOs),0 losses.

I am also a big Jean Claude Van Damme fan, i have...

To mark the release of Dragon Eyes on DVD and Blu-ray 2nd April, After Dark Films have given us four copies of the Blu-ray to give away. Dragon Eyes stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, Cung Le, Peter Weller and is directed by John Hyams.

From legendary action producer Joel Silver (Sherlock Holmes, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard) and director John Hyams (Universal Soldier: Regeneration)

St. Jude Square is a neighbourhood living in fear as duelling drug gangs and corrupt police terrorize the streets… until hope arrives in Hong (Cung Le - Fighting, Tekken, Pandorum), a mysterious stranger who after release from prison decides to take a stand and fight back. Using his unparalleled martial arts skills and calling on the teachings of his ex-cell mate mentor Tiano (Jean -Claude Van Damme – Universal Soldier, Timecop) Hong begins his savage campaign for justice, taking on the brute force of the gangs and the notorious...

Dragon Eyes

Stars: Cung Le, Jean Claude Van Damme, Peter Weller, Kristopher Van Varenberg, Crystal Mantecon | Written by Tim Tori | Directed by John Hyams

John Hyams, who previously helmed Van Damme’s Universal Soldier: Regeneration, teams up with the actor once again for Dragon Eyes and whilst Van Damme was the focus of their first collaboration, this time round the star of the show is Cung Le, the Sanshou practitioner and former Mma champion who we last saw as Marshall Law in the Tekken movie released here in the UK last year. The film tells the story of Hong (Le), a former convict who, upon leaving prison, takes up residence in St. Jude Square, a neighbourhood living in fear as duelling drug gangs and corrupt police terrorize the streets. However Hong decides to take a stand and fight back using his martial arts skills and calling on the teachings of...

We’ve been given the task, nay, honour of debuting the trailer for G2′s new movie, Dragon Eyes starring Jean Claude Van Damme to the world! To say that the trailer is intense is rather an understatement as it features various fist fights throughout pretty much the entire 1 minute and 42 seconds that it runs!

Dragon Eyes is released on DVD and Blu-ray 9th April and as well as the legendary Van Damme, stars Robocop himself Peter Weller alongside Cung Le, Dan Henderson, Trevor Prangley and Gilbert “El Ni ÑO” Melendez.

St. Jude Square is a neighbourhood living in fear as duelling drug gangs and corrupt police terrorize the streets… until hope arrives in Hong (Cung Le – Fighting, Tekken, Pandorum ), a mysterious stranger who after release from prison decides to take a stand and fight back. Using his unparalleled martial arts skills and calling on the teachings of his ex-cell...

After Dark Films always has one of the most fun booths at the San Diego Comic-Con, and we have a peek inside this year's version for you to dig on. Their theme for 2011? Re-Kill and Rise of Nightmares!

Sega and After Dark Films have formed a partnership for this year's San Diego Comic-Con highlighting Rise of Nightmares on Kinect for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. Both companies also have some other cool things planned; read on for the details.

Look for Rise of Nightmares to debut gameplay trailers and promotional materials in preparation for the game's September 6, 2011 release date. Rise of Nightmares features over-the-top horror themes, buckets of blood, and copious amounts of gore. Players will immerse themselves in a unique videogame that allows them to perform a variety of intuitive motions in order to guide their character through one night of terror. Along the way players will...