The images of Asif Kapadia's first feature film, The Warrior, sear themselves in the mind: the warrior practising with his sword in front of a half-alive tree, or a close-up of a scorpion scuttling across the desert as a camel cart goes by. Restrained beauty pervades the film in the choice of locations, costumes and the framing of each shot, but those unaccustomed to art cinema will feel the absence of story in this visual, mystical odyssey which uses few words, as looks and images carry the film. Irfan Khan brings a quiet, powerful presence of haunting intensity to the role an Indian "samurai", seemingly a homage to Kurosawa. The warrior has an epiphany after a bloodthirsty encounter that leads him to abandon his life in the desert and head for the pure snows of the Himalayas. This film (that repays repeat viewing and introduces major new talent) is likely to become a landmark. On the DVD: The Warrior's picture quality on disc does justice to the film and the extras are rewarding. The young director is sincere and reflective, as shown in his scene-by-scene commentary and on the deleted material, the latter lasting over an hour. The making of documentary is absorbing. --Rachel Dwyer
When it comes to matters of the heart, keeping her man happy and committed is all in a day's work for Shante Smith.
Bhaji on the Beach is the directorial debut of Gurinda Chadha, which--like her next film, What's Cooking--features women as the central characters and seems to involve food at every turn. It's an ensemble piece, which takes a while to establish the characters' relationships with each other. But eventually the focus of the film--based on a story by Meera Syal--gets distilled to a group of women taken on a day trip to Blackpool by a progressive thinking "sister". The skies are suitably grey as they arrive in the English resort town, with the amusement arcades, takeaways and shop fronts looking tacky and run down. There's Ginder (Kim Vithana), who has run away from her violent husband, Hashida (Sarita Khajuria), who has a major decision to make and conservative aunties Asha (Lalita Ahmed) and Pushpa (Zohra Sehgal), not to mention youngsters Ladhu (Nisha K Nayar) and Madhu (Renu Kochar) who are just along for the excitement. As the day wears on, tension mounts between the different generations as secrets come out into the open. It matters little that the plot feels a touch contrived--particularly the convergence of significant characters towards the end--as there's a lot of energy in the performances. The result is a bit rough around the edges, but there's a lot to amuse here, not least in the colourful nod to Bollywood contained in Asha's many dream sequences. --Emma Perry
Detective Jeong Tae-su (played by martial arts wizard Jeong Du-hong) returns from Seoul to Onsung the hometown of his youth to attend the funeral of his long-time friend a reformed small-time mobster Wang-jae (Ahn Gil-gang). There following a nostalgic reunion with his gang of former childhood buddies he becomes obsessed with investigating the circumstances surrounding Wang-jae's death. What he uncovers sparks a chain of events that results in Jeong and his buddy Ryoo (played by director Seung-wan himself) being forced to battle it out with teenage gangs deadly assassins and a horde of murderous mobsters as they get closer to the truth.
Basic techniques for the contemporary player. Keb' Mo's DVD lesson is aimed at players who want to get comfortable with the basics of traditional country blues and then go on to more contemporary blues-based tunes. He begins by showing how turnarounds and harmonized scale passages can be the basis for developing fluid phrases in a Robert Johnson style blues tune. Keb' then teaches two originals both employing a rhythmic alternating bass style as well as some jazz oriented chor
The epic story of a man who challenged the limits of courage and fought for the heart of a nation. When his wife and entire village are brutally murdered by evil Manchu soldiers the master warrior Kwun (Jet Li) sets out on a mission of vengeance with the only survivor of the massacre - his son Ting. For seven years the two journey across ancient China on their quest for revenge always staying one step ahead of the deadly army. But Kwun is forced to face the past when they come across a wealthy benefactor with five young Shaolin masters in his charge who unbeknownst to Kwun have the detailed map to a priceless treasure trove tattooed on their backs. It is not long before Manchu officials find out about the maps and deadly soldiers came after the masters. Now in an ancient battle that will pit Kwun against one of the very soldiers who helped to kill his family he and Ting will unite with the young masters of Shaolin for a fight to the death. Get ready for an ancient martial arts battle with the world's most masterful warriors!
All followers of the martial arts continually attempt to improve their skills. In this action packed Kung Fu comedy our hero learns the difficult style of Monkey Kung Fu from an old master. Through countless bloody Kung Fu encounters he finally becomes the expert who defeats his enemies...an entertaining film mixing action with humour.
On a peaceful afternoon our distorted lives hidden in it. A girl stared at me. She said I am a good painter and that's what I haven't heard for a long time. She tempts me saying she will give good things to me. But where she has led me there was a strange and ruthless man I have never seen before. I could see my image from his eyes that were full of rage and engorged with blood... From Korea's most original filmmaker Kim Ki-duk (The Isle Bad Guy 3-Iron) Real Fiction is an absorbing surreal and intriguing film that develops over actual time. Ju Jin-mo is a quiet and repressed artist who tolerates an endless stream of humiliating abuse from customers and street thugs alike as he sketches portraits in a park. Through an encounter with a dissatisfied customer Ju finds himself enraged by the reality of his life and becomes hell bent on tracking down everyone who has ever tormented him. Unfortunately for the individuals who so frivolously wronged this fragile artist a simple apology will now no longer suffice and bloodlust can only be satisfied with blood. Ju is determined to wash away the stains on his soul with murderous retaliation whilst completely unaware that someone is secretly recording the killing spree with a camcorder in all its bloody glory... 'Real Fiction' was shot with no retakes. Director Kim Ki-duk had ten 35mm cameras and two digital cameras rolling simultaneously with sets prepared in advance and the crew rehearsing for ten days prior to filming.
Masterful Hong Kong action director John Woo (The Killer Face/Off) turns in this exciting and pyrotechnic tale of warring gangsters and shifting loyalties. Chow Yun-Fat (The Replacement Killers) plays a take-no-prisoners cop on the trail of the Triad the Hong Kong Mafia when his partner is killed during a gun battle. His guilt propels him into an all-out war against the gang including an up-and-coming soldier in the mob (Tony Leung) who turns out to be an undercover cop. The two men must come to terms with their allegiance to the force and their loyalty to each other as they try to take down the gangsters. A stunning feast of hyperbolic action sequences (including a climactic sequence in an entire hospital taken hostage) Hard Boiled is a rare treat for fans of the action genre with sequences as thrilling and intense as any ever committed to film.
He was dashing debonair and daring. He had pledged to fight evil to undertake any dangerous or delicate mission on behalf of his sovereign. He was fin de siecle gentleman Adam Adamant. Was and is - for Adam Adamant Lives! A Vintage Year for Scoundrels: Lured from an opulent ballroom to the rat-ridden streets of Edwardian Stepney Adam Adamant confronts his most deadly enemy - the Face an evil genius who condemns him to a state of suspended animation entombed in a block of ice. When he awakens sixty-four years later in the sordid swinging sixties streets of Soho the bemused and befuddled adventurer is befriended by Georgina Jones and is quickly plunged into the twilight world of gangsters and protection rackets. Death Has a Thousand Faces: Why does death lie in wait for the man with the stick of rock? What does the coded cipher hidden inside it mean? To find out Adam and Georgina drive to Blackpool where they're enmeshed in a world of drama and danger where fear lurks in every fairground and the executioner's block in the Horror Museum awaits another noble neck. As the seconds tick away it looks as if Blackpool's Golden Mile will be reduced to a pile of dust-swirling debris - can Adam prevent it from becoming a mere golden memory?
Get ready for the action-comedy smash hit that took Korean cinema by storm! Cha (Shin Eun-kyung) is an important figure in the Seoul underworld; even in such a male dominated arena no one dare take on the wild woman who wields a trademark pair of blades to ensure she gets the job done. That is until her terminally ill sister demands Cha be married and have a child before the sickness claims her. As Cha's associates find a meek civil servant (Park Sang-meon) to be her husband seem
A superb four disc digipack package with more than 14 hours of entertainment! The Warrior Box Set features two of Asia's most successful films - Bichunmoo and The Warrior. Together they make The Warrior Box Set a stunning mix of evocative action sweeping epic sequences and unforgettable dramatic content. Bichunmoo At the end of the Yuan Dynasty when Mongolia was ruling all of the Chinese continent the Mongolians the Hans and the Koryo (ancient Korean) migrants were going
Beyond the beauty shop! When hair stylist Peaches (Mo'Nique) arrives in Beverly Hills to get reacquainted with her sister Angela (Kellita Smith of ""The Bernie Mac Show"") sparks fly! Angela finds out Peaches owes $50 000 in back taxes and is on the run. So the two sisters join forces to fight off a pesky rival salon owner in a show-stopping competition to win a cash prize for Peaches and bragging rights at the city's annual hair show.
Mo Teague teaches you to condense your training time and focus on the most important issues. By looking at two factors - possibles and probables and basing your training needs on probables you can develop core skills which you will hone through repeition and drills ensuring that you have a variety of skills at your disposal to confidently deal with any variable that may occur.
One of a collection of films recently discovered in the Hong Kong film archives and now available for the first time in the UK. Mo Ka Kei is a master of the sword seeking to gain revenge on a notorious gangster who viciously raped her mother. She leaves a trail of death as she tries to reach the man she is after showing no mercy to anyone who stands in her way ... Mo Ka Kei can cut off a head in a blinking of an eye. An excellent tale of a woman scorned wreaking revenge on her ene
Bhaji On The Beach: A day trip to Blackpool to 'sea' the lights a harmless break from the routine for a minibus full of women from the Asian Women’s Centre. It all seems innocent enough but as the minibus trundles along to a Punjabi rendition of Cliff Richard’s Summer Holiday problems quickly become apparent. Ginder is fleeing her violent husband with her five-year-old son. Hashida is eighteen about to start medical school and has just discovered she is pregnant by her black boyfriend.... Monsoon Wedding: An exuberant drama set in New Delhi where ancient culture and dot.com modernity combine in unique and perfect harmony. The film traces five intersecting stories each navigating different aspects of love as they cross boundaries of class continent and morality. The plot centres around the last minute arranged marriage which joins together the Verma family from all around the world. The family re-unites in New Delhi to join in the celebrations with the bride and groom-to-be. The relentless summer heat mirrors the story's building intensity as the city anticipates the cooling torrent of the monsoons and when the rains come the downpour brings romance revelation and liberation. East Is East: George Khan proud Pakistani and chip shop owner rules his family with a rod of iron. He thinks he's raising his seven children to be respectable Pakistanis - but this is Salford in the North of England in 1971. For the seven kids of George Khan life is one long compromise. Tomboy Meenah prefers playing footie to wearing a sari hippie Saleem pretends to be studying engineering when he's really at art school heart-throb Tariq has got a reputation as a local Casanova and Sajid hasn't even been circumcised yet! In the Khan's cramped terrace house with its scant indoor plumbing anarchy erupts on a daily basis.
David Hockney is one of the great leaders in pop art and the best known artist of his generation. This completely original film by director Jack Hazan portrays the moods colours and tones of Hockney's art. Offering a swirling view of the 1970s London art scene - its art dealers and fashion trends. This award-winnig documentary captures the essence of the artist the era and is wholly groundbreaking in its treatment of gay life. A Bigger Splash which draws its title from one of Hockney's trademark paintings of a Californian swimming pool follows the artist's break up with lover Peter Schlesinger.
Ray Russell Mo Foster and Simon Philips (aka RMS) flew in from London and Gil Evans flew in from New York. That evening further inspired by the beautiful music of Herbie Hancock who preceded them on stage the band played a wide ranging collection of titles. Everyone had a ball and as a the final chord died away Gil shook his clasped hands above his head his familiar gesture seeming to say 'we got there'. Tracklisting: 1. Broadway Rundown 2. First Love 3. The Whole Of Tomorrow 4
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