John Woo

Video Dispatches: JCVD x2, HEROES SHED NO TEARS & MINUTE BODIES
Video Dispatches: JCVD x2, HEROES SHED NO TEARS & MINUTE BODIES

In this week’s Video Dispatches, we cover the recent home video releases of two Jean Claude Van Damme films, Heroes Shed No Tears and Minute Bodies.

The MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Franchise, Ranked

The Mission: Impossible franchise has been going strong for over 20 years. Here is our ranking of the now six films.

THE TROUGH: A Potential Cult Classic
THE TROUGH: A Potential Cult Classic

Much like Neil Breen’s current filmography, the horribly-titled The Trough definitely has cult movie potential if it ever hits the underground festival circuit.

10 Gangster Films From Abroad: Part III

They say if two’s company, then three’s a crowd, but I like crowds, especially when they’re crowds of gangster movies from countries around the world. So this is our third outing (first here, second here), and if my editor doesn’t kill me, there might be a fourth. Yes, there’s crime in every country, and where there’s crime there are criminals, and when they get organized they become gangsters, and if said country has a film business chances are they will make gangster movies.

Hong Kong Drug War
The History of Hong Kong Action Cinema Pt. 7 – 2000-Present: Life After the Handover

If you look at the films of Hong Kong before and after 1997, there is a striking difference. The action films leading up the nineties were fast-paced, tough, gritty with an edgy quality that paralleled Hollywood’s assembly line modeled studio era. The years surrounding the handover of Hong Kong to mainland China around 1997 proved to be an uncertain time for Hong Kong’s bustling film industry.

Ashes of Time Hong Kong
The History of Hong Kong Action Cinema Pt. 6 – 1980-2000: Handover & Second Wave

The 1980’s through the years leading up the handover in 1997 were paramount in Hong Kong’s long-running series of action films. They have yielded  some of the best titles to have emerged from the crown colony as it was in this era. The very words “Hong Kong” at this point in time stirs up images of hit men wielding two handguns, flying swordsmen, and an endless array of bright neon lights.

Hong Kong
The History of Hong Kong Action Pt. 5 – 1980: New Wave, Cinema City, Jackie Chan & John Woo

The Hong Kong New Wave of the late 1970’s had diverted, and the benefit of this diversion was the short-lived, but prolific Cinema City in 1980. Founded by comedians Alan Mak and Wong Jin, Cinema City would be the jumping point for some of Hong Kong’s most prestigious directors. John Woo, Ringo Lam, Tsui Hark, Eric Tsang, Ronny Yu, and Johnnie To found their way into the film business through Cinema City; these filmmakers would make some of the most innovative and energetic films ever.

Hard Boiled
The History of Hong Kong Action Cinema Pt. 1 – 1896-1930: The Pioneers

When I was young my Uncle Fred was our gateway to cool movies at a young age. He would babysit my brother and I, and going to the video store (yes, VHS) was the high point of the evening. After running the gamut of classic R rated action, and horror films we landed on the iconic movies of Bruce Lee.