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Officer Black Belt is a South Korean action comedy film written and directed by Joo-hwan Kim. The Netflix film follows the story of Lee Jong-do, a skilled martial arts fighter as he is recruited by a probation officer to help closely manage the criminals wearing electronic ankle bracelets to stop them from hurting innocent people. Officer Black Belt stars Kim Woo-bin in the lead role with Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Hae Young, and Kim Yool-ho starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the thrilling action, hilarious comedy, and compelling characters in Officer Black Belt here are some similar movies to watch next.

Midnight Runners (Tubi & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Lotte Entertainment

Midnight Runner is a South Korean action comedy film written and directed by Jason Kim. The 2017 film follows two new students at the Korean National Police University...

Exclusive: Well Go USA Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to Thai martial arts action film Bangkok Dog, with plans to release the film in October this year.

Marking director Chaya Supannarat’s feature film debut, Bangkok Dog stars D.Y. Sao and Brian Le. Sao and Le originally rose to prominence alongside Andy Le through the Martial Club channel on YouTube and have built their careers in stunt work and choreography, with credits in Everything Everywhere All at Once and Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Bangkok Dog‘s executive producer, Prachya Pinkaew, is behind Thai martial arts hits Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior and The Protector, both starring Muay Thai megastar Tony Jaa.

Bangkok Dog follows an American agent who is sent to Thailand on a dangerous undercover mission to take down a sadistic crime lord. His street smarts and fighting skills win over the...

As a child I was fascinated by “Manimal” an old TV series where a man could transform into various creatures. Also, by “Braveheart” a cartoon sheriff with the powers of hawk, wolf, puma, and bear (currently singing that as I write this). So, the concept of a guy revived with martial animal powers caught my attention. With one of the executive producers (Prachya Pinkaew) being the man who brought us Tony Jaa it looked like there could be some potential here. I mean what martial arts movie fan doesn’t mind a bit of Tiger or Monkey Style? Can’t be too bad right???

on Amazon by clicking on the image below

Told in flashback to Detective Russells (Layton Matthews), An Voaen (D.Y. Sao) takes a watchman job at a mental institute. Here Mephisto and the Four Horsemen are abducting children for a sacrificial ritual to bring about the end of times,...

“The Masterpiece,” an artistic talent competition show, took to the airwaves on Wednesday in Thailand.

The Thai launch is regarded as a proof of concept or experiment that, if successful, could be rolled out as an unscripted format in other territories.

The show’s backers have significant pedigree in the sector. They include U.S. companies Fox Alternative Entertainment and Smart Dog Media and Thai producer and broadcaster Workpoint Entertainment. Fae is the unscripted production arm of Fox Studios. Smart Dog is a production company founded by Craig Plestis, who was instrumental in creating “The Masked Singer,” the U.S. version of Korean format “The King of Masked Singer.” Park Wonwoo, who created “Masked Singer” format also has a first look deal with Fau.

“The Masterpiece” features local celebrities and renowned directors who team up to recreate and then hide themselves in famous paintings, iconic moments in time, and pop culture images,...

Stars: Layton Matthews, D.Y. Sao, Anna Harr, Dominique Swain, Craig Ng | Written and Directed by Pearry Reginald Teo

Set in what appears to be a dystopian, and possibly post-apocalyptic America, Shadow Master opens with a Swat team walking in on a martial arts battle in what looks like a hospital turned into a slaughterhouse complete with hooks and chains.

They arrest the only person still alive. Back at the station Detective Russells begins interrogating the suspect. He claims to be John Doe, although we’ll later find out his mane is actually An Voaen, the hospital’s night watchman. A job that paid him with food and a place to live.

The hospital is actually abandoned, and judging by its occupants such as the Harley Quinn wannabe Dewitt and her mother might have been an asylum. The group’s leader Boon-Nam tells him that there have been issues with children disappearing in the night,...

JeeJa Yanin plays Zen, an autistic teen who uses her extraordinary Taekwondo skills to settle a score in Prachya Pinkaew’s wild Thai thriller from 2008. Though critical reaction was mixed, the movie lit up the box office and a 3D sequel was quickly announced. Director Pinkaew built the film around the young Yanin’s very real fighting ability.

The post Chocolate appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

In all of his creative projects, obsession stays due north for Tony Jaa. The martial artist, actor-director, and stuntman registered on mainstream radars worldwide in the Prachya Pinkaew-directed 2003 martial arts hit "Ong Bak," starring as Ting, a pensive warrior tasked to retrieve a sacred Buddhist statue after it was lifted from his Thai village by thugs. While his character tries to practice nonviolence, as a rule, Jaa's fists of fury aren't harmless; he banged and burnt himself up plenty just to get the footage needed for an entertaining thrill ride. Showcasing meticulously choreographed fights and ambitious stuntwork, "Ong Bak" grossed over 20 million...

The post Tony Jaa Wanted to Send a Message With His Ong-Bak Sequel appeared first on /Film.

Nearly every action sequence in Prachya Pinkaew's "Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior" stuns the viewer with acrobatic stuntwork and intricate choreography, but one scene stands out from the rest. The 2003 martial arts action film has its star Tony Jaa, playing the humble but deadly Muay Thai fighter Ting, going toe-to-toe with a series of towering, formidable opponents in an underground fight tournament. He knocks the champion's lights out with a single, powerful kick, but eventually must return to the Bangkok bar to square up with three more maniacs. The latter scene is known as the "Circle of Death" scene due...

The post One of Ong Bak's Most Memorable Scenes Was Three Years In the Making appeared first on /Film.

In the /Film conversation on the best martial arts movies, Prachya Pinkaew's 2003 gem "Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior" stands tall. Featuring the full-contact fight choreography of the late Panna Rittikrai (head of the parkour-happy Muay Thai Stunt team), the actioner features a parade of incredible acrobatic, multidisciplinary stunts, with a spotlight on its star, Tony Jaa. Jaa leaps through a barbed-wire hoop without a scratch, knocks a giant out with one kick, absorbs blows with every item of furniture available, and conducts himself with an energy level unseen outside of the "Dragon Ball" universe. Many who watch his films, from the...

The post Tony Jaa Didn't Make It Out of Ong Bak's Flaming Fight Scene Unscathed appeared first on /Film.

Almost all martial arts movies are dominated by males, therefore it’s refreshing to see a female kicking ass for a change. Enter the Thai girl, Yanin Vismitananda in her debut, “Chocolate”. This is a movie made purely for fans of action movies and a celebration of the beauty of the fight form.

The story of “Chocolate” takes place in Thailand, in which a local gangster, No. 8, finds out that his girlfriend Zin is in love with Masashi, a Yakuza boss. In order to stop them from seeing each other again, he cuts off his own toe as a symbolic gesture. To prevent further bloodshed, Masashi has no choice but to go back to Japan. In the meantime, Zin discovers that she’s pregnant and relocates herself so she can have the baby away from No.8.

While on the run, Zin gives birth to a daughter, Zen.

Catalogue includes Ong Bak, Man On Wire, Troll Hunters.

Magnolia has expanded its digital footprint and struck a carriage deal with Sling TV for its Magnolia Selects streaming platform featuring international hits like Tomas Alfredson’s Let The Right One In and James Marsh’s Oscar-winning documentary Man On Wire.

The company has also placed three channels launched on the Ott service: Warriors & Gangsters, Dox, and Monsters & Nightmares. Magnolia Selects launched on Roku services last March and is also carried on Amazon.

Magnolia Selects features Alex Gibney’s Oscar-nominated documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room, comedy-horror Tucker & Dale vs Evil,...

The Crosscut Asia section at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival will focus on genre films from Southeast Asia.

The sixth edition of Crosscut Asia, Fantastic Southeast Asia, will feature Filipino auteur Lav Diaz's sci-fi The Halt, the horror-fantasy-action film Sisters from Thai director and producer Prachya Pinkaew (Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior) and the Tatami episode of the Eric Khoo-produced HBO Asia horror series Folklore, directed by Japanese actor Takumi Saitoh.

The program will include "thrillers to romantic horrors, reflecting regional characteristics in the region," according to Tiff.

The first three editions featured works from Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, respectively, while ...

The Crosscut Asia section at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival will focus on genre films from Southeast Asia.

The sixth edition of Crosscut Asia, Fantastic Southeast Asia, will feature Filipino auteur Lav Diaz's sci-fi The Halt, the horror-fantasy-action film Sisters from Thai director and producer Prachya Pinkaew (Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior) and the Tatami episode of the Eric Khoo-produced HBO Asia horror series Folklore, directed by Japanese actor Takumi Saitoh.

The program will include "thrillers to romantic horrors, reflecting regional characteristics in the region," according to Tiff.

The first three editions featured works from Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, respectively, while ...

Confirmed titles include Lav Diaz’s The Halt, Prachya Pinkaew’s Sisters and Folklore episode Tatami.

The Crosscut Asia section of this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) will focus on genre films from Southeast Asia, including new titles from the Philippines’ Lav Diaz and Thailand’s Prachya Pinkaew.

Entitled ’Crosscut Asia #06: Fantastic Southeast Asia’, the line-up will range from thrillers to supernatural tales and romantic horrors and aims to reflect the special characteristics of the region.

Titles confirmed so far include Diaz’s first ever sci-fi film, The Halt (2019), which recently premiered in Cannes Directors Fortnight, and...

New Additions in September

To Stream, Start Your Free 7-day Trial At Shudder ($4.99/Month Or $3.99/Month With Annual Plan)

Check Out What’S New On Shudder In September, Including 18 Films And The 2nd Installment Of Channel Zero.

September 1

Bait 3D A freak tsunami traps a group of people in a submerged grocery store. As they try to escape, they are hunted by white sharks that are hungry for meat.

The Eye 2 A pregnant woman discovers the ability to see ghosts after she unsuccessfully attempts suicide.

September 3

Gattaca A genetically inferior man (Ethan Hawke) assumes the identity of a superior one (Jude Law) in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.

Nurse 3D A young nurse (Katrina Bowden) begins to suspect that a sexy colleague (Paz de la Huerta) is responsible for murdering a string of unfaithful men.

Dan Curtis’ Dracula In this British television movie adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula,...

From sharks in a supermarket to the limitless horrors of the No-End House, Shudder has a wide variety of scares to experience in September, as the streaming service is adding 18 films and the second season of Channel Zero to their eerie viewing arsenal in the Us:

"September 1

Bait 3D A freak tsunami traps a group of people in a submerged grocery store. As they try to escape, they are hunted by white sharks that are hungry for meat.

The Eye 2 A pregnant woman discovers the ability to see ghosts after she unsuccessfully attempts suicide.

September 3

Gattaca A genetically inferior man (Ethan Hawke) assumes the identity of a superior one (Jude Law) in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.

Nurse 3D A young nurse (Katrina Bowden) begins to suspect that a sexy colleague (Paz de la Huerta) is responsible for murdering a string of unfaithful men.

Dan...

The event received 243 submissions from 43 countries.

In South Korea, the 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) has announced their selection for the 11th Network of Asian Fantastic Films (Naff) project market - including works from Ong Bak producer Prachya Pinkaew and former Cannes and Venice director Woo Ming Jin (The Tiger Factory).

Naff organizers reported a total of 243 submissions from 43 countries this year, out of which they selected a final 26 projects from 19 countries, sorted into four sections – It Project, a Spotlight on India, Blood Window and Nordic Genre Invasion.

It Project has 17 titles including Woo’s Malaysian project Siri...

“Ong Bak” producer and director Prachya Pinkaew will line up with Singapore’s Sam Loh (“Siew Lup”), Malaysia’s Woo Ming Jin (“The Tiger Factory”) and South Korean genre specialist Oh In-chun (“The Dmz”) to pitch their genre movie projects at July’s Network of Asian Fantastic Films.

A five-day project market, Naff has selected 25 projects from 19 territories to be presented to potential investors and co-producers. Outstanding projects will receive cash awards and post-production support totalling $33,000 (Krw 36 million).

Naff is part of South Korea’s biggest genre film festival, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan). It runs July 14-18, 2018.

Korean projects include Kim Soo-young’s fantasy horror thriller “Superpower Girl,” Jeon In-hwan’s parallel universe fantasy “Remember Spring,” Lim Jin-seung’s fantasy black comedy “Autumn Man” and Oh’s “Night at the Evil Gallery.”

From elsewhere in Asia, Loh will pitch omnibus ghost story “Hell Hole,” Woo will pitch...

Female-fronted action movies like Tomb Raider are becoming more popular than ever before. That makes now a perfect opportunity to look back at some previously stellar, but less widely known examples.

While the female-led action films have been released since the dawn of cinema, they remain less than a common occurrence in theaters. Until now, studios just haven’t had the same confidence that audiences will turn out for female action heroes much in the same way that they do for male ones. Part of this reason is the stereotypes associated with the genre, and the connections we have with certain actors filling familiar roles. However, just because there aren’t a lot of female-led action films doesn’t mean they haven’t been any good. This is an example of 10 female-led action films which might not be that familiar to you, but definitely deserve to be.

Yes, Madam! (1985) [aka Ultra Force 2, or The Super Cops]

Director: Corey Yuen

Starring: Michelle Yeoh,...

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,...

Selected projects include works from producers Soros Sukhum and Prachya Pinkaew and filmmaker Jakrawal Nilthamrong.

Leading Thai producers Soros Sukhum and Prachya Pinkaew and award-winning filmmaker Jakrawal Nilthamrong have been selected to present projects at this year’s Thai Pitch in Cannes.

Organised by Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, the event will take place May 22-23 at the Thai Pavilion in the International Village. Producer and film festival programmer Raymond Phathanavirangoon is coordinating the event.

Soros Sukhum is producing artist and filmmaker Taiki Sakpisit’s first feature film The Edge Of Daybreak, about a former army general who is forced to confront the past through a series of intensive sessions of electroshock therapy.

Sukhum’s recent producing credits include Anocha Suwichakornpong’s By The Time It Gets Dark, Davy Chou’s Diamond Island and Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye[pictured], the latter two projects as a co-producer.

Prachya Pinkaew, best known as director of worldwide action hit Ong...

Craig Lines Feb 9, 2017

Cynthia Rothrock, Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung and more feature, as we salute the female stars of martial arts movies...

It’s arguably a rare sight when female characters lead a major genre film, and last year’s online Ghostbusters drama proves it’s still, depressingly, a controversial choice if they do. Too often, female characters are reduced to sidekicks, damsels, sex objects and caricatures. It sometimes feels like every day there’s a new statistic about women being under-represented in Hollywood and while, to some extent, things are looking brighter and more diverse by the day, it’s an uphill struggle. Still, as we wait for Hollywood to get its act together, I thought I’d celebrate a genre where awesome, strong, multi-faceted female characters have led casts as a regular occurrence for decades - martial arts!

See related Netflix's Stranger Things: Shawn Levy interview Netflix's...

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.

Arriving on the international scene as part of the leading edge of the Thai film explosion of the late 90s and early 2000s, Yuthlert Sippapak may not have found the international success of contemporary directors Prachya Pinkaew, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang or Wisit Sasanatieng - his quirky and seemingly omnipresent sense of humor keeping him in a rather more limited box - but Sippapak has proven to be one of the most successful of the lot at home while building a loyal cult around the globe with his continuous genre mashups. And he is now returning to one of his earliest successes while,, typically, subverting the entire exercise. Sippapak's first big success came with Buppha Rahtree, a blood drenched 2004 ghost story set in a Thai apartment...

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

Weep for the loss of Panna Rittikrai for when the acclaimed Thai fight choreographer succumbed to illness earlier this year the fight world lost a simply enormous talent. While Rittikrai has often been viewed as a secondary player in the rise of Tony Jaa and Thai action cinema, known primarily as Ong Bak director Prachya Pinkaew's go-to fight guy, I have long been of the opinion that putting Rittikrai in any sort of secondary role does him a great disservice. As a performer and director he laid the groundwork for everything that Pinkaew has done since and, frankly, I think Rittikrai was a better director - one who knew his audience better and would go to absolutely any lengths to deliver adrenaline fueled thrills. Case...

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

Stars: Tony Jaa, RZA, Petchtai Wongkamlao, JeeJa Yanin, Marrese Crump, Yayaying Rhatha Phongam, Solatorn Lungluang | Written by Eakasit Thairatana | Directed by Prachya Pinkaew

I don’t watch as many fighting movies as I’d like so when I got the chance to review Warrior King 2 I was at first happy. I’m a Tony Jaa fan, especially because of Ong-Bak so when I watched this I had that movie in my mind as where the bar would be set. Maybe that was unfair or not, but Warrior King 2 is a movie that has the best of intentions, but struggles to see them through.

When Kham’s (Tony Jaa) elephant is stolen he goes on the hunt for the kidnappers, soon finding himself the number one suspect in the death of the man he believes to be to blame. With not only the police on his trail but also...

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...

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...

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.

You don't mess with a man's elephant, especially if that man is Thai martial artist Tony Jaa.

In The Protector 2, Jaa's country bumpkin Kham goes in search of his beloved tusked "brother" Khon, who's been snatched by a cabal of criminals led by a kingpin (RZA) who plans to use him in a political assassination plot.

The ensuing story turns out to be hopelessly convoluted and nonsensical, the ridiculousness matched by Jaa's comical reactions during skirmishes, the pratfalls of cop Mark (Phetthai Vongkumlao), and the multiple instances in which bad guys on bikes clumsily drive off rooftops and bridges to their deaths.

Director Prachya Pinkaew's hectic editing and breakneck pacing turns the action spastic, and his lack of interest in anything approaching co...

Since being introduced back in 1997, Parkour has become a key part of many fast-paced action sequences. With the aim being to get from A to B as quickly as possible, it’s easy to see why our protagonists would favour this mode of ‘transport’. With the upcoming release of Brick Mansions on May 2nd, starring Paul Walker and Parkour founder, David Belle (pictured below), we’ve taken a look at some of the best Parkour and free-running scenes, as well as a few that we enjoyed for other reasons.

District B13 (2004) dir. Pierre Morel

David Belle, widely regarded as a founder of the modern parkour movement, eludes a gun-toting gang in a gut-wrenching chase through a French estate block. Impossible precision and stomach-churning drops are the order of the day although we’re unconvinced that the bit with the ladder is allowed in Parkour rules. Casino Royale (2006) dir. Martin Campbell...

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...

RZA plays a crime boss/lord in 2 films coming to theaters over the next 2 weeks: first, the Luc Besson-produced actioner Brick Mansions, an English-language remake of the 2004 French action film District 13, directed by Camille Delamarre from a script penned by Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen and Bibi Naceri, which opens this Friday; and second, the sequel to the "extreme fighting" thriller, The Protector 2, which will hit theaters May 2nd. Directed by Prachya Pinkaew, the Magnolia Pictures film stars Tony Jaa as a crime scene witness running from the police who gets involved with a crime lord (Lc) played...

Well folks, it’s April and over the last couple weeks, we’ve seen movie studios step up their marketing for some hotly anticipated films. We’ve been flooded with new trailers, images, and posters for a variety of films slated to hit this year, which can mean only one thing...Summer Movie Season is right around the corner (seems like just yesterday we were handling the 2013 Summer Movie Awards)! With the wealth of films hitting in these upcoming months it’s easy for moviegoers to be overwhelmed. Thus, as we have in years past, we present our Summer Movie Guide, so you know what’s coming, when, and decide for yourself if a film is worth your time. Come inside to learn about all that May has to offer!

We’re running this guide very similar to how we have in the past. We’re breaking down each page...

What difference does a director make? Rather a lot, really, and after years of toil with Ong Bak helmer Prachya Pinkaew Thai martial artist Tony Jaa has hooked up with Beautiful Boxer helmer Ekachai Uekrongtham and based on the production teaser posted to the film's Facebook page a few days back the step up in quality could be remarkable. Lest you think I'm being mean to Pinkaew here, do me this favor before complaining: Go rent his English language picture White Elephant. That is, of course, assuming you can find it which you probably can't because it's awful on a scale that it has been blotted from the minds and release schedules of most around the world. What has become clear with Pinkaew over the...

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

The extreme fighting sequel The Protector 2, currently out on iTunes, will hit theaters May 2nd. Directed by Prachya Pinkaew, the Magnolia Pictures film stars Tony Jaa as Kham, a crime scene witness running from the police who gets involved with a crime lord (Lc) played by RZA, who - obsessed with "collecting top-class martial artists from around the world" - runs an underground fighting ring. The film also stars Mum Jokmok, Marrese Crump, Jija Yanin Wismitanan, Ratha Pho-ngam, Kazu Patric Tang, Kalp Hongratanaporn and David Ismalone. Here's more about the film: Boss Suchart is the influential owner of a major elephant camp. When he was murdered in his own home – the...

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...

Magnolia Pictures has released the first trailer for Prachya Pinkaew’s action-packed sequel, The Protector 2, starring Tony Jaa, RZA, Mum Jokmok, Marrese Crump, Jija Yanin Wismitanan, Ratha Pho-ngam, Kazu Patric Tang, Kalp Hongratanaporn, and David Ismalone.

The film follows Boss Suchart, 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 Boss Suchart (Jija Yanin Wismitanan and Teerada Kittisiriprasert) are out for revenge. But luck is on Kham’s side when he runs into Sergeant Mark (Mum Jokmok), an agent sent to Thailand on a secret mission. In another twist, Kham is drawn into an underground fighting ring run by Lc (RZA), a crime lord who’s obsessed with collecting top-class martial artists. Lc’s fighters are branded by numbers,...

After making a splash with Tom Yam Goong, or The Protector as it came to be known in the United States, action star Tony Jaa is back nine years later with The Protector 2. The sequel sees Jaa running from the police and getting involved in an underground fighting ring where he'll have to contend with Lc (RZA), a crime lord who’s obsessed with collecting top-class martial artists from around the world. Of course, the action is the star here (even though it's silly), and Jaa is kicking some serious ass in this first trailer. And apparently, this one will be released in 3D this time, so the fists and feet will be flying at your face. Watch! Here's the first trailer for Prachya Pinkaew's The Protector 2, originally from Apple: Boss Suchart is the influential owner of a major elephant camp. When he was murdered in his...

The trailer is now online for the martial arts action sequel The Protector 2 , starring Tony Jaa. Check it out in the player below along with a new poster in the gallery viewer at the bottom of this page! Directed by Prachya Pinkaew, The Protector 2 also stars RZA, Mum Jokmok, Marrese Crump, Jija Yanin Wismitanan, Ratha Pho-ngam, Kazu Patric Tang, Kalp Hongratanaporn and David Ismalone. 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 (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 (Wismitanan...

Yup, they’re making another one. And this one, we’re told, is a prequel. I dunno why, but apparently there is a lot about the 2010 movie’s futuristic tournament fighting world left to explore, so instead of going forward, they’re going backward. Hey, whatever works, I guess. The man who will be fronting the latest “Tekken” movie is none other than Kane Kosugi, son of the legendary Sho Kosugi. The younger Kosugi has carved out a very nice career for himself in martial arts films in Japan and abroad. He can currently be seen fighting alongside Scott Adkins in “Ninja: Shadow of a Tear,” a film that has plenty of ninjas, but oddly, not a lot of shadowy tears. According to Kotaku, the prequel will now be called “Tekken: A Man Called X.” When the sequel was announced almost two years ago, the original title was “Tekken: Rise of the Tournament.

When Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior burst onto the film scene back in 2003, it blew away every single martial arts fan on the planet. This is a fact, and in no way whatsoever an exaggeration. Tony Jaa literally reached through the screen like the girl from The Ring and physically elbowed every single one of them in the face and told them to pay attention. That's because in 2003 no one was really making martial arts movies the way Jaa and his director Prachya Pinkaew were. The rest of the world was in love with wire fu and CGI, and here Jaa was beating the hell out of his own body and those of countless stuntmen all in the name of cinema. Even crazier is the fact that Jaa had been trying to make movies that way for years, but nothing big ever got off the ground. He just posted his.