From the makers of “Appleseed” and “Appleseed ExMachina” comes the latest CGI futuristic film in the lineup, “Vexille”. The film is both stylistic and sleek to view. Pairing it with its pulse pounding counterpart, the electronica stylings provided by Paul Oakenfold (“The Matrix: Reloaded”, “Swordfish”) the film appears to be of a much darker depiction of the future than its predessors. The story begins in the year 2077, where a persecuted Japan has decided to withdraw from the United Nations. Accused of illegal research in the field of robotics, Japan closes all its doors to the world for ten years…
Author: Tobe R. Roberts
Stephen Chow, noted comedian/director whose filmography includes Shaolin Soccer (2001), Kung fu Hustle (2004), and now CJ7 gives us a futuristic ET-like film which is suitable for the whole family. As with the previous films, CGI is not spared but not overdone. With the star of the film being completely CGI generated, the cuteness factor depends upon how likeable and loveable CJ7 is. Very energetic, reminiscent of a Saturday morning cartoon, CJ7 begins with Stephen Chow and his young son, Dicky (played by a girl, Jiao Xu). As a family, they are a poor family and mom has since passed…
Director James Marsh’s third film reveals to us the passion and the obsession of one man’s quest to skywalk between both World Trade Towers in 1974. “Man On Wire” takes the viewer into the mindset of French performance artist Philippe Petit whose electric personality fueled his determination to do what had not been done before. First discovering the creation of the towers in France, Petit became enamored with the idea of one day traversing 1000 feet above the ground across the void between both towers. The film skillfully depicts all the players involved in this daring scheme to enter the…
1955. Jean Dujardin alias French Agent 117 aka Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath is the star in “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, as a homage to 007, Inspector Clouseau and even Maxwell Smart along with dash of Austin Powers, you have a very funny, ridiculously wacky movie. Based on the 1949 novels by Jean Bruce, the movie brings to life the debonair yet quirky character of OSS 117. We begin with two OSS agents both 117 and his comrade Jack Jefferson (Philippe Lefebvre) on a airborne mission for which they are herald as heroes of the day. A mishap…
Yoko Takeuchi (The Ring), stars in Director Kichitaro Negishi’s new film, “Dog in a Sidecar”, based on the award winning novel by Yu Nagashima. The story centers around a blossoming friendship between an innocent little girl and her father’s rough around the edges mistress. Kana Matsumoto plays the little girl, Kaoru Kondo whose mother (Sawa Suzuki) gets fed up and leaves both her and her younger brother Taro (Takeru Taniyama) to fend for themselves until…Yoko arrives. However, I’m jumping the gun a little, we begin our story with a grown up Kaoru (Mimura) who has a career as a real…
With a visually eye-popping palette, first time director and well known photographer Mika Ninagawa (daughter of famed stage director Yukio Ninagawa), brings her visual style to period piece “Sakuran”. Sakuran is based on a Japanese manga and revolves around the life of courtesans in the 18th century Yoshiwara pleasure district. Kiyoha exudes siren-like mystique (Anna Tsuchiya) as a rough and tumble prostitute, an opinionated spirit who quickly rises to oiran power but not after becoming a student in the school of “hard knocks”. Even as an impudent child, she was equipped with a razor-like tongue laced with harsh obscenities with…
An amazingly versatile actress who has had her beginnings at the age of 11, in Stephen King’s, “The Stand”, Cassandra Hepburn has been gaining a plethora of experience in the industry for over a decade, appearing in both independent and mainstream productions ranging from Sidney Lumet’s, “Find Me Guilty”, to roles on TV’s “Young and The Restless”, “Medium”, and “Days of Our Lives” to now features such as Quentin Taratino and Larry Bishop’s “Hell Ride”, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival with positive reviews. With such experience, and a driven personality to further add to the mix, Cassandra…
Directed by Ozren Miharcic, “Enter the Dragon” is the deliverance of an ideal, a token of remembrance as homage to the great martial artist Bruce Lee in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This unveiling in 2006, marked the erection of the world’s first statue to Bruce Lee, just one day before the China revealed their own monument. However, not only was the bronze monument placed in the war torn town of Mostar a symbol of hope to those who have had ruined childhoods, but a reminder that destruction, ethnic division and conflict is not a permanent path. The radiance of “Little Dragon”…
Director Andrzej Jakimowski depicts a wonderfully down to earth drama seen through the eyes of a young precocious six year old boy- Stefek (Damian Ul) . Stefek is without a father and through his unique vision we are taken away into the hardworking lives of his community. The working class village is comprised of very richly developed characters including, teen sister Elka (Ewelina Walendziak) who desires to better herself and is industrious, her mechanic beau named Jerzy (Rafal Guzniczak) who adores Elka but is taken by the not so wholesome and voluptuous, Violka (Joanna Liszowska) and Stefek and Elka’s mother…
Aicha (SEMRA TURAN) is in her last year of high school in Copenhagen. With aspirations of venturing into medicine as her older brother Ali (NIMA NABIPOUR) did, it is also her parents dream. However, much larger than her dream of being a doctor, is her passion for Kung Fu. Aicha lives and breathes the art. Currently, Aicha practices martial arts after school with her teacher and other female students. After a scuffle with an ego-maniacal teammate, she leaves the school. Aicha finds another kung fu school at an elite level and she is desperate to join. Her Turkish parents do…