Historical epic movies have bombarded Chinese cinema today, as well as many action-period blockbusters which tried to please everyone. In addition to numerous released and upcoming titles is a film that will portray one chapter from the history of Dr. Sun Yat-sen who is popularly referred to as the Father of Modern China. Sun played a critical role in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the subsequent establishment of a short-lived republic. He is one of few political figures in 20th-century China who is admired by otherwise opposed politicians on the mainland and in Taiwan. However, the story of this star-studded film entitled “Bodyguards and Assassins” is not precisely based on Dr. Sun’s biography, but it’s a fictional account of an assassination attempt on revered Chinese revolutionary and the efforts of kung fu masters who protected him before the Chinese Revolution overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911. The film boasts a cast of Chinese and Hong Kong cinema superstars who led by one of the busiest Kung Fu stars in Chinese cinema today, Donnie Yen. He will portray “Gambler,” a character that is shaping up to be somewhat antiheroic in that he is described as not being patriotic or righteous and is uncertain of his place in the revolution. Other leading cast members include Leon Lai as “Beggar,” Wang Xueqi as “Scion,” Nicholas Tse as “Rickshaw Puller,” Tony Leung Kar-fai as “Revolutionary,” Hu Jun as “Assassin,” Eric Tsang as “Police Commissioner,” Simon Yam as “General in Exile,” Fan Bing-bing as “Mistress,” Wang Po-chieh, and Zhou Yun. The film that previously known as “Dark October” has been in development for a decade, it’s directed by Teddy Chan who formerly made Jackie Chan’s “The Accidental Spy”. “I really wanted to make this (film) 10 years ago but the market then just could not support such an expensive and costly film,” Teddy explained. Teddy actually hasn’t done anything of consequence since that substandard Jackie Chan actioner and it’s still ambiguous if he’s up to the task of heading a project of this magnitude, even with 10 years of preparation. On the other hand, “Bodyguards and Assassins” producer Peter Chan does have a good track record with such films as “The Eye”, “Three… Extremes”, “Protégé”, and “The Warlords”. Perhaps with the presence of Peter Chan, and the virtually everyone who matters in current Hong Kong film in the cast, this film should at least do well commercially.

1905, City of Victoria (British Colony of Hong Kong). Before Dr. Sun Yat-Sen can become the Father of Modern China by instigating the revolution of 1911 that overturns the Qing Dynasty, his life is almost cut short when he arrives at Hong Kong for a secret meeting to establish a united anti-Qing revolutionary front.
In the distance of thirteen blocks, the one man Dr. Sun Yat-Sen who holds a nation’s fate must survive relentless attempts on his life with only five bodyguards, a group of ordinary men and women who actually possess extraordinary fighting skills. Against hundreds of assassins, these men must put their courage to the test in order to protect the hope of millions even if it means fighting to the death…

Facts behind the impressive scale of production:

# The role of Sun Yat-sen was originally offered to Chow Yun-fat who opted instead to play Chinese philosopher “Confucius” in an upcoming biopic.

# The film features a truly awesome set which recreates a bustling Hong Kong in the early 20th century. It was the biggest set of its kind ever constructed for a Chinese film.

# According to producer Peter Chan, the actioner is an attempt to make a “new mainstream commercial film” to attract audiences from around the world with a universal storyline, quality acting and inspiring scenes.

# Nicholas Tse had actually auditioned for this film several years ago before the production was held up.

# 150-million yuan of budget have gone into the undertaking, including nearly 50-million yuan and eight months time to construct of a replica of Hong Kong's urban core in 1906.

# The majestic set which is the first one-to-one scale reproduction of old Hong Kong, build in the Song Jiang Province, a western suburb of Shanghai, and is about the size of 10 football fields. Painstakingly focused on keeping historical accuracy and attention-to-detail, the streets and arcades vary from traditional Chinese shophouses to colonial-style buildings to gothic architecture enhanced by props meticulously true to the time, like rickshaws, alcohol bottles and signboards.

# About 500 homes, 200 shops and 4,000 signboards were created for the film.

# Hollywood actress Andie Macdowell and Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire" director Danny Boyle, who were in town for the Shanghai Film Festival, were duly impressed as they toured the set.

# The film features performances by many of the top actors in Hong Kong. Among them are nine previous winners for Best Actor and one for Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

# In their promotional slogan, the producers are promising sixty minutes of non-stop fighting.

Budget: $23 million

Theatrical release dates:
Dec 18, 09: China, Hong Kong, Singapore
Dec 24: Malaysia, Taiwan

Sources: KungfuCinema, Today Online, WuJing.org – Photos courtesy of Cinema Popular

Since Mel Gibson headlined "Signs" and "We Were Soldiers" in 2002, he choose to concentrated on his directing career, and subsequently "The Passion of the Christ" and "Apocalypto" came from his vision as a filmmaker. Now, his first film as a leading actor after seven years is a mystery thriller called “Edge of Darkness.” In the film, he is playing a cop investigating the murder of his daughter, which leads to unraveling a gravely important national security secret. “Darkness” puts Gibson back in familiar territory, to the type of role he has already proven more an adept at handling. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that, even at the age of 53, Gibson is still one of Hollywood’s most credible action stars. It is also probably easier to sell Gibson now than it was in 2006 where he was dealing with numerous real-world incidents, and it's probably easier to sell something he's just acting in, since as a movie star, very few guys have ever enjoyed the run Gibson had for about 20 years. In the other hand, the parent-getting-revenge genre is pretty hot right now, just check last year surprise hit “Taken” and recently “Law Abiding Citizen”. Thus, akin to previous Russell Crowe-starred, “State of Play”, “Darkness” is actually a big screen adaptation to a British television drama serial produced by BBC Television. Also like “Play”, this film has quite a keen suspicion about politicians and where business and politics intersect. The serial that first aired on 1985 has won several prestigious awards, remains highly regarded to this day, and often cited as one of the best and most influential pieces of British television drama ever made. This big screen version directed by Martin Campbell and produced by Michael Wearing, who also directed and produced the series respectively. Since Campbell directed the BBC drama, he has gone on to develop several Hollywood Blockbusters such as “Vertical Limit”, “The Mask of Zorro” and two Bond movies, “Golden Eye” and “Casino Royale. Next, the director should soon be getting to work on DC comic adaptation, “The Green Lantern.” I love a good mystery thriller, and with Gibson kicking ass, Winstone being all mysterious and Campbell directing, I’m just so excited to watch “Edge of Darkness.”Thomas Craven (Gibson) is a veteran homicide detective for the Boston Police Department and a single father. When his only child, twenty-four year old Emma (Bojana Novakovic), is murdered on the steps of his home, everyone assume that he was the target. But he soon suspects otherwise, and embarks on a mission to find out about his daughter's secret life and her killing. His investigation leads him into a dangerous looking-glass world of corporate cover-ups, government collusion and murder - and to CIA operative Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone) who has been sent in to clean up the evidence. Craven's solitary search for answers about his daughter's death transforms into an odyssey of emotional discovery and redemption.

# Gibson is a fan of the television series, he attended a gun club with two policemen to improve his marksman skills for the film.

# Robert De Niro had been cast in CIA officer, Darius Jedburgh, role, but dropped out due to 'creative differences' after spending a few days on the set.

# Because principal photography has been started, director Martin Campbell will have to settle with the shooting around De Niro's character until the filmmakers find his replacement.

# The Sugarloaf Mountain reservation was shut down for a few days while it rented out for the filming of “Darkness”.

# Screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed, Body of Lies) has re-written the script completely with the action transferred to American way and given a more contemporary theme.

# Rumor has it that Mel Gibson wants to cast Britney Spears in the movie.

# A couple who own a building in Boston have turned down a proposal to use their site in the film because of the movie's affiliation with Gibson.

Budget: About $90 million
Opening prediction: $21 million
Domestic gross prediction: $80 million

Theatrical release dates:
Jan 28, 10: Netherlands
Jan 29: Finland, USA
Feb 04: Singapore
Feb 19: Norway, UK
Mar 11: Malaysia

Sources: IMDB, Wikipedia – Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Inspired by an anonymously written Chosun Dynasty novel, “Jeon Woo Chi” is a ‘Korean superhero flick’ that fused with local folklore and used Taoism and tradition as its narrative devices. The movie is highly anticipated not just because of buzzes that has been building about a Korean production that looks set to take on “Batman”, “Iron Man” and “Spider-Man” at their own game, but also because of its super star cast and director, Choi Dong-hoon, who made a splash in Korean film industry with his high stakes thrillers, The Big Swindle (2004) and Tazza: The High Rollers(2006). Since the big success of “Tazza”, peoples are concerned about what that Choi would tackle next. While, the fact a young director with two jackpots in the can ends up helming a big budget fantasy action blockbuster is not much of a surprise, but seeing someone like Choi sitting on the director's chair for a likely quite irreverent "Korean superhero" flick like this is not something you see every day. Particularly considering how much of a departure “Jeon Woo Chi” is compared to his first two works. By only taking the basic concept of the legendary character, Choi came with an idea of throwing the ancient hero 500 years in the future, in our very time, but with the same villains, goblins and whatnot to fight with. So you get the unlikely hero coming to terms with a completely unfamiliar environment, some Crocodile Dundee moments ensuing, and then your assorted ass-kicking bonanza in the second act. Though the main plot will be something that doesn't sound like anything you've never seen before, but the idea that the folk idol will find drinking, fooling around and womanizing a lot more fun than going after the baddies is a little more alluring. Of course until justice will call, and he'll have to answer. "It's going to be very different from a Hollywood clear-cut 'good' superhero," the filmmaker told reporters. "Jeon Woo Chi is a rascal and quite mischievous." An ensemble of promising cast this film has also comprised with many alumni of Choi's past works. As the titular role is Kang Dong-won, young star of 'M' (2007) and The "Duelist" (2005) who plays the naughty time transported hero fighting against Kim Yoon-seok the detective anti hero in last year's surprise hit, thriller "The Chaser" (2008). Im Soo-jeong from Kim Jee-woon's "A Tale of Two Sisters" fame and Park Chan-wook's "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK" also appears in the film along with Yoo Hae-jin who worked with Choi on "War of the Flower" and a host of other films.

500 Years Ago in the Chosun Dynasty, the Pipe of the prophecy has fallen into the evil hands of the goblins, propelling the world into a whirlwind of disorder. The ancient Taoist wizards turn to the greatest ascetics of their time, the Master and Hwadam for help in vanquishing the goblins and trust each wizard with one half of the Pipe. Meanwhile, the Master’s rascal student Jeon Woo Chi tricks the king with the art of transformation and creates a fiasco, which makes the three Taoist wizards and Hwadam visit the Master. But the Master has been murdered and his half of the Pipe is missing! By taking his master’s pipe out to the market streets, Jeon Woo Chi has been pushed into a corner, ultimately getting sealed into a painting along with his trusty dog, Chorangyi.

Fast forward to Seoul, 2009. For some strange reason, goblins that had been sealed up in the past begin to appear one by one and reek havoc on the world. The three Taoist wizards had been enjoying their years of retirement as a priest, a monk, and a shaman. However, they are now brought together in a search for Hwadam, who is nowhere to be found after going into training over five hundred years ago. After much discussion, the three wizards seek a certain picture scroll in display at the museum. They unseal it and call forth Jeon Woo Chi and Chorangyi. Being offered freedom in return for catching the goblins, Jeon Woo Chi sets out on his task. What began as a hunt for goblins slowly turns into Jeon Woo Chi’s personal sightseeing expedition of the modern day world. To top it off, he meets a woman with the same face as the one that had captivated him so many centuries back. He begins his adventure and the quest for Seo In-kyung, his new, yet old love. When Hwadam finally appears in front of the wizards because of Jeon Woo Chi, it is only to reveal where he has hidden the other half of the prophesized Pipe.

Budget: About $12 million

Theatrical release dates
Dec 23, 09: South Korea

Sources: Cine21, KOFIC, Asian Media Wiki – Photos courtesy of CJ Entertainment

Post-apocalyptic sceneries are becoming one of director’s favorites as their movie setting these days, though the idea of the end of the world certainly wasn’t new as it gained vitality in the West during the Cold War. The stories for these films are often taking place in an agrarian, non-technological future world, or a world where only scattered elements of technology remain. In the film, mankind itself hangs in the balance -- a reality which lends the post-apocalyptic action its urgency. It is precisely insofar as the future of mankind is at stake that heroism becomes a sensible and important theme in post-apocalyptic films. For the viewer, the real thrill of post-apocalyptic film is feeling the heroic in him or her being called out into a world that in many ways already feels post-apocalyptic. Thus, part of the revelation of post-apocalyptic film concerns what is illuminated in the viewer's own person and world-situation. There are some titles that become genuine classics such as “The Road Warrior,” “Mad Max”, and “Terminator”. Hollywood's obsession with the end of the world also has found its place in 2009 with releases such as “Knowing”, “Terminator Salvation”, “9”, “Zombieland”, “The Road” and “2012” later this year.
“The Book of Eli” is the next film in line depicting survivors of a cataclysmic event. The film is helmed by acclaimed director siblings the Hughes brothers whose last big feature was 2001 "From Hell," a gory and gothic period piece that starred a pre-"Pirates" Johnny Depp as an eccentric and slightly unbalanced investigator chasing Jack the Ripper through the rain-slick cobblestone streets of 19th century London. “Hell” met mixed reviews and middling box office, and not long after that, Albert and Allen Hughes, once considered two of the more urgent and authentic voices in Hollywood, seemed to disappear. While never A-listers in the Hollywood sense, their smaller films earn positive notices and solid box office, and the duo has developed a respected name in the industry. “Menace II Society” pulled in $27.9 million against a $2.5 million budget in 1993, and has an 86% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Two years later, their next offering, “Dead Presidents”, brought in $26.3 million back from a $15 million budget and earned a less impressive, but still solid, 63% positive rating from Rotten Tomatoes. With dusty, gritty images and more than a handful of big guns and bigger explosions, “The Book of Eli” looks like “Mad Max” on a bigger budget, which is perhaps, can be a huge return for the duo. It has its strengths, such as Denzel Washington’s charisma which hopefully providing a solid anchor for the film, and its weaknesses, the western genre.

30 years in the future, in a post-apocalyptic world where a major war has left few people behind and a lot of environmental changes, there’s a lone hero named Eli, whose destiny is to save humanity. He guards a mysterious book which provides knowledge that could offer its owner large amounts of power to guide, lead, control, and manipulate society. Making his way across the desolate wasteland of near-future America, he faces challenge as the despot of a small makeshift town is determined to take possession of the book.

Cast and Characters:

# Denzel Washington as Eli: Lone warrior who fighting his way across a desolate wasteland in order to guard the book with information that can bring back civilization.

# Gary Oldman as Carnegie: A ruthless yet charismatic despot in charge of a town near Sacramento; he's an extortionist, slave driver, saloon keeper, and antiquarian. Age has hardened him. Brutal intelligence is etched on his face. His cruel, ambitious eyes show him to be a man with power, but never enough to satisfy. He built his rotten town out of poisonous rubble and rules it with an iron fist -- but he wants more. A smooth talker, decisive and ruthless, Carnegie is on a collision course with Eli.

# Mila kunis as Solara: she is caught in a terrible trap: local strongman Carnegie can force her to do anything he wants by threatening her mother. Ordered to seduce Eli and keep him off guard, Solara fails in her mission, and soon realizes that Eli is like no man she has ever met: he balks at being reduced to animalistic behavior, and he uses violence to serve a cause greater than his own. Moved by Eli's heart and spirit, Solara opts to follow him on his journey, and becomes his friend and pupil.

# Jennifer Beals as Claudia: she is Carnegie's mistress and Solara's mother, a blind woman who has been sightless since birth. Captured as a prize by Carnegie long ago, she tolerates her life as his sexual plaything, knowing that to refuse him anything will only mean torment for her child. Eventually, she settles the score.

# Ray Stevenson as Redrige: A thin-faced, violent man, Redridge is Carnegie's muscle, the leader of his crew of gunmen and enforcers. Redridge is extremeley loyal, but he’s always watching for an opportunity to win Solara, for whom he lusts, as a prize from his boss.

Facts from the desolate wasteland of near-future:

# Hughes Brothers admitted that “Book of Eli” was actually inspired by Planet of the Apes, though not in a literal way… more of an obscure inspiration.

# The movie’s tone is being compared to “The Road Warrior”.

# Denzel Washington trained in martial arts by Bruce Lee's protégé Dan Inosanto, so that he could do all of his own hand to hand fight sequences.

# Kristen Stewart turned down Solara role due to scheduling conflicts with “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” (2009).

Budget: About $80 million
Opening prediction: $35 million
Domestic gross prediction: $75 million

Theatrical release dates:
Jan 14, 2010: Russia
Jan 15: UK, USA
Feb 03: Egypt
Feb 10: Belgium
Feb 18: Australia, Netherlands, Estonia
Feb 26: Germany, Finland, Sweden
Mar 04: Argentina, Czech Rep
Mar 05: Romania
Mar 12: Brazil

Sources: IMDB, Wikipedia – Photos courtesy of Warner Bros

Every decade produces terrible horror movies and great horror movies and I think most universally recognized horror classics are from years ago. Such titles as “Halloween”, “Friday the 13th”, “Nightmare on Elm St”, “Carrie”, “The Exorcist”, and “Evil Dead”, are all antiques by today’s standards, but they were revolutionary at the time and heavily influenced modern horror. When it comes to the genre, the 2000s also have supplied plenty of thrills, chills and kills. But, what of those that have been released recently that can compare to such classics, while many of them are terrible and lack the originality and scare-factor of those from the “Golden Age”? But here, I try to conceive some of the best this decade has to offer and this is based solely on my own opinion. There may be better films out there that I just haven't seen yet. But for now, these will certainly do.

Let The Right One In (2008 - Swedish)
Director: Tomas Alfredson “She just moved in next door”
With all of the crazy hype surrounding the “Twilight” books and films, along comes one of the best vampire movie ever made. “Let The Right One In” is one of the most beautiful, touching and downright disturbing horror films we’ve probably ever seen. The story centers on a bullied 12-year-old boy (Kåre Hedebrant) newly befriended by an equally solitary girl (Lina Leandersson) who has just moved in next door to him. Their friendship leads to them forming a “blood bond” ... which becomes all the more complicated when she turns out to be one of those bloodsucking creatures. Absolutely a breathtaking film, the cinematography of this film is spectacular, and the direction is sometimes inspired, and always good. LTROI proves that a well made horror film can still have a good story to tell if the horror elements were to be stripped away. It is without doubt a cult classic already and I hope Hollywood, with their upcoming remake, don’t mess the excellent scores this film has built up.

[REC] (2007 – Spanish)
Director: Juame Balaguero & Paco Plaza “One Witness. One Camera”
Named for the record button found on a video camera, this zombie-type film is actually shocky and scary. It turn the hand-held camcorder (ala Blair With Project) that usually annoying, into a really well equipment here. Through the POV viewfinder, the horror freaks joins a television reporter and her cameraman who are covering a fire station for a documentary TV series. While tagging along during a routine call, they become eyewitnesses to a nameless plague that forces the police and military to seal off the apartment building they’re occupying. The gore of this film is fantastic, the scares are all adrenalistic, and the storyline is good enough to keep our interest the whole time. In addition, the ending of this thing is probably one of the better endings for a horror film in quite some time. “[REC]” is absolutely far superior than the American shot-by-shot remake "Quarantine".

The Others (2001)
Director: Alejandro Amenabar

“Close Every Door, Turn Off Every Light”
This film is probably one of the most underrated horror flicks since 2000, but in fact, “The Others” really does make for a top-notch, classy horror movie. In the film, Nicole Kidman, with her brilliant and strong acting, plays the role of a single mother who trapped in a big mansion because of her two children's sensitive and allergic problems with sunlight. Suddenly ghosts are hunting the house. Kidman, her kids and the servants are disturbed by this and the movie shows us the fight on how they try to solve the problem. Chilling and suspenseful without even a hint of gore, it may well be the finest haunted house movie ever made. The foggy landscape around the house and the dark, moody tone of the entire film set a tone in which the scares seem perfectly in step with the rest of the movie, as well as the emotions of the central characters.

The Ring (2002)
Directed: Gore Verbinski “Before you die, you see the ring”
Though the original's Sadako is even more creepy and terrifying than the remake's Samara, but with its visual nature and strong plot, “The Ring” which quite a critically-acclaimed movie is the only Hollywood remake of an Asian horror movie to perhaps stood on the same level with the original. Gore Verbinski proved to have a great handle on the horror genre. He showed a natural instinct towards making this film visually striking while still keeping it about the characters and the story. Naomi Watts stars as a Seattle journalist investigating the urban legend of a videotape that puts a seven-day death curse on anyone who watches it. Weird, scary and with a terrifically wicked ending that best remembered for its signature scene.

The Descent (2005)
Director: Neil Marshall

“Afraid of the dark? You will be”
The horror in “The Descent” is a slow build up, and then suddenly you are immersed in it. It’s about A caving expedition staged by a group of female friends that goes horribly awry. They’re exploring an unknown cave system and get trapped by a tunnel collapse. And all getting worse when they encounter “crawlers,” a blind, feral humanoid race that evolved entirely underground. The film treats its audience with intelligence by never explaining things, but giving you enough clues to let you form your own conclusions. Rather than relying on outlandish death scenes and over-the-top gore, it's slightly restrained in its old-school approach that values tension over eye-candy. In this British movie, you also don't see the banal, formulaic Hollywood treatment such as trying to give each character a special, but superficial "story". In addition, Writer-director Neil Marshall also introduces one of the most compelling plot twists of the decade.

Paranormal Activity (2009)
Director: Oren Peli “Don't See It Alone”
First-time director Oren Peli using his claustrophobic camera made this 2-year-old indie bombshell an immediate classic. This is a film that has been described by many, many critics and movie lovers alike as being one of the scariest, unbridled, hyper-realistic movies in a very long time. Thanks to the realistic performances by its leads, the film delivers the suspense and terror in a way that leaves you on the edge of your seat and wanting more. The scene of the camera videotaping the characters as they sleep and hearing things go bump in the night is horrifying because it preys on a primal fear of ours. “Paranormal Activity” may have been a cheap movie to make, but the scares are anything but cheap.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Director: Scott Derrickson

“What happened to Emily?”
Another horror entry about demonic possession that is actually very creepy and has a very nice concept. The plot is based on Anneliese Michel, a German girl who was said to be possessed by demons and subsequently went exorcism. It adapted into a story that tells the trial of the priest accused of negligence resulting in the death of the young girl who is believed to be possessed In an rare decision, the Catholic Church officially recognises the demonic possession of the 19 year-old college girl Told in flashbacks, the lawyer Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) takes on the church when she fights in defense of a priest, Father Richard Moore (Tom Wilkinson) who performed an exorcism on a young woman, Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter). The acting is excellent from all the cast, particularly Wilkinson and Linney. The exorcism scenes that shown in the flash-backs may be reminiscent of "The Exorcist", but they are terrifying, intense, disturbing, and stays with you long after it's finished.

Drag Me to Hell (2009)
Director: Sam Raimi

“Even nice people can go to hell”
Raimi is certainly summoned as one of the maestro of horror films as he created what many consider to be the untouchable classic Evil Dead series. His returns to the basic with “Drag Me To Hell” is electrically charged with scares and, in classic Raimi fashion, cranking it up full volume with maggots, vomit, projectile nosebleeds, and a demon possessed goat, which reminding us that horror can be entertaining and fun and not just centered on gore and torture. Actress Allison Lohman also successfully steps in as the new Bruce Campbell in Raimi’s horror canvas. Never ever she looked so cute and mesmerizing, she really brought us care to her character by her innocent charm. And it goes without saying that Lorna Raver’s creepy old woman has become a pin-up of 2009’s horror characters.

Shutter (2004 - Thai)
Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun & Parkpoom Wongpoom “The most terrifying images are the ones that are real”
This Thailand horror movie was adapted by the Hollywoods, with the same title, but not as good (scary) as the Thailand version. The story is about a man who is tormented by a girl he killed in a car accident. The girl haunts the man because of it via “creepy” images developed from his camera. A genuinely homegrown, genuinely frightening Thai take on J-horror, “Shutter” is well made and contains more than its fair share of supremely creepy moments. The supernatural power of the piece is how cleverly it is wired into the main character’s guilt. The plot of this one is complete, which is a rare thing in horror movies. It creates substantial tension, backs off beautifully, then when you think it's over it takes you deeper. In addition, there’s also the final chilling twist that is worthy of Hitchcock.

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003 - Korean)
Director: Ji-woon Kim

“Fairytales have never been this Grimm”
Based on an old Korean fairy tale, this horror is a dash of haunted house, a dash of reliable evil stepmother, and a helping handful of fashionable questionable narrative reality. This movie is so clever that it will keep you confused until the very end when it just clicks even though no words are said. The twist ending also explain the nature of some of the horrors and past events. It superbly made it clear that this is a carefully structured film about grief and guilt, as well as horror. The acting is excellently done especially from the 2 sisters and their stepmother; the relationships between them are so well thought out and acted that you'll never see the end coming. The soundtrack is faultless, the furnishings in the house, and the use of colors are fantastic. The film also has been remade by Hollywood and of course easily turned into just another Asian horror remake junk.

4bia (2008 – Thai)
Director: B. Pisanthanakun, P. Wongpoom, P. Purikitpanya & Y. Thongkongtoon “Face Your Fears”
When you watch "4bia", you not only pay for the price for one horror movie but four put together! What a bargain! It's rather refreshing to see this kind of anthology played on the big screen. It’s like watching episodes of The Twilight Zone. Each bite-sized tale is a surprise and leaves you with a sick feeling in your gut when it’s over. Talking about taste, there are lots of different flavors packaged within this horror so that there is certainly something for everyone’s savors and vulnerabilities to enjoy. “4bia” also manages to keep the viewer engaged throughout, and as such, it certainly stands as one of the better horror anthologies of recent years..

28 Days Later (2002)
Director: Danny Boyle

“The Days Are Numbered”
After the success of his Oscar winning “Slumdog Millionaire”, it’s nice to go back and look at the craziness that Danny Boyle is capable of doing within the horror genre. In this zombie flick, Boyle applied his gritty indie style to this visceral tale of a highly infectious "rage virus" that turns people across England into red-eyed, zombie-like marauders, and reinventing the walking dead genre for the 21st century in the process. The plot is untraditional in its organization giving it more interest. There’s relatively little gore here, but it's scarier than many recent horror movies because of the combined effects of its great camera work, unconventional movement and interesting settings. Cillian Murphy with his great acting gives us a man in the middle of a crisis, that we truly believe his arc from a pained and scared man just waking up at the end of the world to a man who will fight through all hell to protect those he cares about.


Trick R Treat (2008)
Director: Michael Dougherty“If you don't follow the rules tonight, you won't live to see tomorrow”
A really fun anthology movie specially made for Halloween which has received enough positive feedback to peek my interest. This long-delayed anthology of intertwined Halloween tales sadly never got the major theatrical release it deserved, but that's no indication of its quality. It's an entertaining, crazy ride that confines the magic of Halloween with intriguing characters, twisty storylines and an absorbing mythology surrounding the holiday. There's the gruesome, the macabre, the frightening, and perhaps most importantly the hilarious. The film falls in line with Raimi's comedy horror classics “Evil Dead.” If you're looking for a great way to spend a creepy night, definitely pick this one up. As an anthology, it works very well; but, as an overall film, it's even better.

The genuinely creepy Spanish horror film “Rec” surely is one of the biggest independent horror success stories of 2007. In the US, the film was quickly snapped up by Sony Picture’s Screen Gems division and put on the studio shelf before being remade in English the following year under the title of “Quarantine.” However, not thrilled with the remake, the two “Rec” directors, Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, decided to go back and make the highly anticipated follow up "[REC] 2" entirely on their own again. “Reading the internet blogs, especially the Spanish and Mexican ones, we felt that the film was no longer ours,” Plaza says. “Fans loved it and spent hours talking about it, developing theories. We didn’t want to spoil it for them. We wanted to give them more of what they liked and surprise them.” Two Spanish directors indisputably gave audiences a unique look into the zombie sub-genre with a handheld, first person perspective film taking place within a single building which bore witness to a zombie outbreak that spread like wildfire. Due to the quarantine lock down of said building, the film also gave us a claustrophobic and dark tone which helped in creating one of the scariest films of all time which quickly became a cult phenomenon. Co-director Balagueró also said that the new story adds some twists, turns and revelations that audiences will appreciate. “At the end of the first movie, we suggested some supernatural elements. But, they were only suggestions, or insinuations. We always wanted to explore them in greater detail. The sequel was perfect because we could use it to totally enter and deal with the [Catholic] church and the demonological landscape. We were really, really excited about it.”In the way to amaze viewers, the filmmakers are attempted to bring back many of the actors who appeared in the first film as well. Perhaps one of the most surprising is the return of actress Manuela Velasco, though her character, the TV reporter Angela, was getting dragged in the darkness at the end of the original. Balagueró found it impossible not to involve her in the follow-up. “She was the iconic face of the first one. We found that most people who liked the movie loved her. Her character really got you through the first movie. We decided that it would be very interesting in the sequel to bring back this very familiar character. But not only Velasco, all of the characters from the first movie appear again. Just for a second, or sometimes a minute. I think the impression for audiences is very familiar and adds continuity.”
This sequel of course will take viewers back to the familiar blood-drenched hallways, corridors and isolated rooms that had terrified them and the tension is expected will be much more intense than it was before for the attacks are exceedingly relentless this time round. But will this sequel ties up loose ends, plot holes, and unanswered questions that fans have been wondering about since the previous installment’s startling and its ambiguous ending? To know the answers, we can check on some available reviews from movie critic who had stamped their appraisals with nothing but a gold token.

Begins mere minutes after part one’s credits have rolled, “[REC] 2” picks up the story outside the quarantined apartment complex, where a special group of elite soldiers- along with a mysterious health department official - are sent into the building to search for survivors, eliminate threats, and most importantly, collect a blood sample from ‘patient zero’ to help create an antidote. Naturally, things become far more complicated and gruesome than expected. A huge twist also comes when the group finds the apartment lab and discovers that there is a far more powerful force behind the exposed virus.

Some facts within the quarantine building:

# Producing company Filmax International describing the film as having "the same claustrophobic concept" as REC but with "new means of transferring fear from the screen to the spectator through the recording lens."

# “Rec 2” went on general release in Spain the first weekend of October, going to number 1 in the Spanish box office and achieving the best opening weekend of the year for a Spanish film.

# Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró dubbed some of the infected people.

# Pablo Rosso, the camera from the original "[Rec]", returns this time as the SWAT member Rosso.

# The clothes worn by Manuela Velasco were exactly the same that she worn in the original movie.

# In sound design, the film features ear piercingly sharp, unexpected blips from the video image, moments of silence followed by monstrous screams of the infected, as well as other vocal manipulations.

# New in this sequel is the use of multiple cameras as each member on the squad has their own camera which can be flicked to on a moment’s notice.

Theatrical release dates:
Oct 24, 09: Japan
Oct 29: Argentina, Germany
Dec 23: Belgium, France
Feb 11, 10: Netherlands
Feb 19: Brazil

Sources: IMDB, Wikipedia, Fangoria – Photos courtesy of Filmax International

Another horror thriller preview for this Halloween week special, this time we’ll talk about a film titled “Case 39” and interestingly it starred by the two who have no household names in the genre, Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper. The director is a German filmmaker, Christian Alvart, who could be recognized from his second work in Hollywood, “Pandorum” that funnily was released first. Alvart came to the fore in Europe and attracted Hollywood producers after he made the innovative psychological thriller “Antibodies”, the riveting tale of a serial killer whose malevolent state of mind just might be virally contagious to the police officer questioning him. Celebrated as engrossingly stylish and provocative, the film thrust Alvart into the limelight of today's fastest rising new filmmakers. When invited to bring his vision in the States, Alvart was planning to make a radical departure from horror-thrillers, but something probably changed his mind and he just stretched his horror opus with two more titles. If in “Pandorum”, Alvart had taken us to experience some horrors in outer space setting, but “Case 39” is completely playing in a different arena as it will presenting a familiar terror that often illustrated around a house and troubling child. So, just like currently released “Orphan”, this one is an additional scary kid flick that represented with the presence of actress Jodelle Ferland, who seems to have found a niche playing creepy children in creepy movies (The Messengers, Silent Hill). Also starring in “Case 39” are Golden Globe-winning actor Ian McShane, accomplished Broadway stage actress Kerry O'Malley, and award-winning Canadian star Callum Keith Rennie. Initially scheduled to open wide in U.S. theaters on February 8, 2008, this R-rated movie for violence and terror including disturbing images faced a number of release date changes and was, at one point, totally removed from Paramount's slate before finally resting in the new January 2010 date. Many of cinema's most memorable horror stories have emerged from the tiny cracks in family relationships and the volatile emotions of anxiety, paranoia and uncertainty that hide within. As examples we can take such titles as “The Exorcist,” “Rosemary's Baby,” “The Others,” or “The Orphanage”, but would this Alvart’s effort landed on the same level with them when the distributor itself has no confidence to release it?

Devoted family services specialist Emily Jenkins (Zellweger) has seen it all - lies, neglect, abuse - domestic horrors of every type. That is, until she takes on Case 39: the case of 10-year-old Lillith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland), whose eerie, secretive family leaves Emily shaken and disturbed. When Lillith's parents attempt to harm their only child in a late-night ritual, Emily intervenes. Heartbroken by Lillith's loneliness and innocence, Emily decides to do something she has never allowed herself to do in the past: get personally involved. Hoping to do the right thing for the withdrawn girl, Emily offers Lillith a caring, happy home until she can find an adoptive family. That's when the real terror begins. What pushed Lillith's family to the breaking point? Why does everyone who comes into contact with Lillith seem to suddenly become mad? And how will Emily survive the devastating secret fears that have come to the fore? To discover the truth, Emily must leave behind her rational beliefs and confront her most terrifying nightmares as she enters a supernatural realm where evil preys on humanity. Now, the one thing Emily has to fear is the power of fear itself.

# To gain a more intimate understanding of what real urban social workers deal with on a daily basis, Renée Zellweger spent time at Los Angeles Child Protection Services, making the rounds with visits to troubled families.

# Chloe Moretz (The Eye, The Amityville Horror) and Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan, Ghost Whisperer) were considered for the part of Lillith.

# While shooting one of the fire scenes for the movie, a special effect fire got out of control and burned the whole set down, including the studio stage it was built into and almost all of the crew's equipment. Nobody was seriously injured and filming resumed the very next day with equipment being hauled in from all over the world.

# With one exception, all the shots with Zellweger being close to and around fire are real (practical effects). The one CG-enhanced shot is the wide angle of her sitting passively on the couch while the room was burning around her. This was shot twice: Once with her and no fire and once with fire and no Renée.

# Director Trademark: [Christian Alvart] [mirror shot] As Doug (Bradley Cooper) pulls hornets out of his right ear with a cotton swab, Doug is reflected by three mirrors, effectively showing him four times from all angles (and the hornets as well).

# The film has had many release dates, since it first began production back in 2006. Its initial US release was February 8, 2008 which was changed to February 22, 2008. It was then moved to August 22, 2008, and then moved again to April 10, 2009. It was then totally removed from Paramount's release schedule before set to open the year of 2010.

# Its release has also been bumped many times in Australia, but was settling for a August 20, 2009 date, with promotional posters being seen in cinema foyers, but the release date was changed yet again, to November 5, and an official Australian website has been produced to promote the film.

# On 4 September 2009, The Spanish language version of the movie was leaked onto the internet via various torrent and warez websites.

# The film was released to New Zealand cinemas on August 13, 2009 and in it's opening weekend was ranked #12 with $35,056. Averaging $1,845 at the 19 cinemas it was released, the film failed to garner attendence most likely due to extremely negative reviews.

Opening prediction: $3 million
Domestic gross prediction: $15 million

Theatrical release dates:
Nov 05: Australia, UAE
Nov 12: Argentina
Nov 26-28: Singapore, Taiwan
Dec 02: Egypt, Hong Kong
Dec 04: Mexico
Dec 10: Lebanon, Thailand
Dec 17: Germany
Jan 01, 10: USA
Jan 14-15: Malaysia, India, Romania
Feb 03: Philippines
Mar 05: Ireland, UK
Mar 11-12: Chile, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Venezuela
Mar 17-18: Belgium, Netherlands
Apr 09: Brazil

Sources: IMDB, Wikipedia, Movies Central – Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

It is on track to gross more than $100 million domestically and will easily become the most profitable film for Paramount Pictures. This week, the very modest budget Halloween special flick "Paranormal Activity", banked a hefty $22 million from 1,945 theaters and win the weekend top spot after five weeks in theaters. The result is easily knocked out the loser “Saw VI” that got stuck in his own trap of sequel greed. Now, “Paranormal” has a running tally of $62.5 million and the film’s October run has seen it accomplish any number of remarkable box office feats that are unlikely to be matched ever again...and Halloween isn't even until next weekend. As the movie continued its impressive run, words are flying in that Paramount is eying to give it a sequel treatment. To the Los Angeles Times, the studio chairman Brad Grey expressed the desire, saying "We have the rights on a worldwide basis to do Paranormal 2 and we're looking to see if that makes some sense." It seems the mountainous studio is not ignoring the fact that "The Blair Witch Project" sequel only earned $26 million domestically on a $15 million budget, while the original took in a shocking $140 million on a $60,000 budget. Anyway, I still hope they will make a decent one for “Paranormal” sequel.

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The vampire flick has become almost as tired as the zombie’s, but with even greater presence in the mainstream. It's saturated with things like “Twilight” and “True Blood”, transforming the terrifying Draculas and Nosferatus into pop icons and teen idol like Edward Cullen. Now, the vampires will be back in the big screen once again but they will getting more violent and arbitrary as new film “Daybreakers” will bring them to the top authority, the majority, and no need to stay hidden anymore after a plague turns most of humanity into creatures of the night. Directed by Michael Spierig & Peter Spierig, the twin Australian filmmakers who unleashed the no-budget, frenetic, zombie opus titled “Undead” in 2003. After a six year hiatus, they have finally returned and bring this ambitious tale of a futuristic Earth populated entirely by vampires, and the efforts made by the creatures to ensure that their food supply doesn’t run out as humankind is faced with extinction. Three leading actors are also gladly to contribute their sharp acting skill for this new spin on the general world of vampires. Two-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke plays a vampire researcher who tries to save humanity from extinction, Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actor in his role as Max Schreck in “Shadow of the Vampire”, Willem Dafoe, plays a former vampire that has miraculously converted back to human, and Sam Neil as the commander of the vampire central government. As vampire films go, this one certainly has an interesting take coz the Spierig brothers seems to take liberally from “Blade” and “Underworld” as well as slotting in several social commentary into the batter. “Daybreakers” might end up as a ground-breaking new horror franchise, or might end up as one of the most stupid things on screen in some time. But according to several peoples who have saw it at the current Toronto Film Festival, they actually thought the film was great and surpassing all of their expectations, which makes me even more excited to eventually see it.

The year is 2017, most of the human race have been infected by a mysterious disease which in turn has transformed the world into a civilization of vampires. The remaining humans are gathered and farmed for their blood which is now the sole food source for an entire planet. The problem is that the human race is now nearly extinct and a crippling blood shortage is causing world-wide starvation. When vampires starve, they degenerate into nasty, winged demons that lose all capacity for rational thought. These creatures, fueled by a primal, predatory instinct, begin feeding on other vampires causing massive panic. The only hope is to find a synthetic blood substitute that can reduce or completely eliminate the need for human farming. Enter hematologist Edward (Hawke) whose experiments with blood substitutes have thus far been explosive failures. He is motivated by an overwhelming sympathy for the human race and a desire to see them revived. When he is contacted by one of the last human tribes in existence, he must choose between upholding his morals and a grizzly death at the hands of his people.

# The Spierig brothers received financing from Australia's Film Finance Corp., with production take place in Queensland.

# Spierigs wrote the script with an Ethan Hawke-type actor in mind while never thinking that they would actually get him into the role.

# Hawke described the film as an allegory of man's pacing with natural resources, "We're eating our own resources so people are trying to come up with blood substitutes, trying to get us off of foreign humans." The actor also said that despite the allegory, the film was "low art" and "completely unpretentious and silly".

# The character played by Ethan Hawke and Twilight's Robert Pattinson share the same first name.

# Weta Workshop which output came to worldwide prominence with director Peter Jackson's film trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”, take responsibility to create the creature effects.

Budget: $21 million
Opening prediction: $20 million
Domestic gross prediction: $65 million

Theatrical release dates:
Jan 08, 10: Canada, Russia, USA
Jan 14: Singapore
Jan 21: Australia
Jan 28: New Zealand
Feb 25: Netherlands
Mar 19: Italy

Sources: IMDB, Wikipedia, FilmSchoolRejects – Photos courtesy of Lionsgate