News

Some say that December is the perfect time to catch up on a bevy of great TV for the year. While there are plenty of shows vying for your precious remaining 2017 hours, that certainly isn’t stopping networks of all kinds from trying to strike gold with a hit before the calendar turns.

Read More: Our 20 Favorite New TV Characters of 2017

Admittedly, this month’s selection is slimmer than usual (someone has to make room for all the holiday specials!), but there’s still enough to highlight for our monthly roundup of new shows. (Wondering if you’re all caught up with the big shows from the past few months? Our August, September, October, and November previews are here to help guide you.)

“All Def Comedy” (December 1, HBO)

“All Def Comedy” made its HBO debut last year as a late-fall special, but Tony Rock is back to host an...

What if I told you that Jean-Claude Van Damme – yes, That Jean-Claude Van Damme – was, in fact, a secret agent? That his entire film career was built solely as a front for his black ops? Would you believe me? No? Well then that’s egg on your face because that’s what the Amazon series Jean Claude Van Johnson is about…

Jean Claude Van Johnson stars the legendary Jean-Claude Van Damme as the titular character, a global martial arts and film sensation, also operating under the simple alias of “Johnson” as the world’s most dangerous undercover operative. Unhappily retired, a chance encounter lures him back into the game, forcing him to confront the greatest enemy he’s ever faced.

Following the debut of the Jean Claude Van Johnson pilot last year, the series begins on Amazon Prime Video on December 15th.

Martial arts movies are true guilty pleasures -- one of the more overlooked and undervalued of all the film genres. I was raised on a steady diet of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sonny Chiba, and Chuck Norris films. Later, I got to know Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Jean Claude-Van Damme, Steven Seagal for -- for the better or (sometimes) worse. These amazing fighters led the way for more recent talents, like Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais.

The '70s and '80s were arguably The greatest decades of martial arts movies (Enter the Dragon, Drunken Master, The Octagon, Bloodsport)... sure, you had to squint at times to get past bad acting and absurd plots, but we reveled in the pure visceral insanity of two (or more) trained fighters going toe-to-toe. Karate vs. Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do vs. Muay Thai -- for martial arts junkies, it's incredible to watch...

Amazon Prime Original Series is charging ahead at full steam with an ever-growing list of great series, which also features Jean Claude Van Johnson. On the 9th June 2017, the company released six episodes of Le Mans: Racing is Everything on Amazon Prime Video, which features unprecedented access to six teams competing for glory at […]...

The stars of yesterday now are making three films a year you never knew existed until they show up on Netflix.^ Real Movie ^

In my prior life as a script reader, I certainly read a lot of bad scripts, but at times, an even more common occurrence was a script that seemed to do a great many things right, but somehow fell just short of being something you wanted to champion as a movie. As draining as the terrible scripts were, there’s something pure about clear-cut bad. It takes little effort to explain why they’re unfit.

The real challenges were the scripts that had kind of a decent premise, kind of an okay twist or two, and a lead character who wasn’t bad so much as he or she was just… there. The raw materials are there for what Could be a script. They just happen to be assembled in the least compelling way...

Author: James Kleinmann

The Tribeca Film Festival hits New York next week and runs from April 19 – 30 th. Now in its sixteenth year, the annual event was co-founded by screen legend Robert De Niro in the wake of the September 11th attacks in an effort to revitalise Lower Manhattan. Retaining an element of its original commitment to Us indie cinema, it has evolved to encompass TV, Vr, online work, music and gaming. As ever, the festival will welcome a dizzying array of big name guests including Tom Hanks, Emma Watson, Jon Favreau, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Quentin Tarantino, Scarlett Johansson and Ron Howard. Here are just some of the highlights, for the full line up and to buy tickets check out the official festival website here.

Opening and Closing night Galas at Radio City Music Hall

Kicking off the festival is the world premiere of music doc Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives.

Author: Matt Rodgers

Growing up in the UK’s equivalent of The Shire meant that access to the escapism of video rentals was something as distant as The Misty Mountains. The arrival of a man who looked like Stanley Uris from Stephen King’s It, driving a van that was filled to the rafters with VHS, and which glowed like the Pulp Fiction briefcase when opened, introduced me to a roll-call of the 80s Action Heroes. Monosyllabic men, who quipped their way through bullets and bodies. The first plastic case to cross my sweaty palms featured a muscular fellow, holding a gun, against a colourful heatmap backdrop. It was Predator, and that was a long time ago.

About where things began to change for the real expendables is hard to pinpoint. Why did these one-time box-office giants; Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Van-Damme, and to a lesser degree Lundgren, suddenly find their powers diminishing?...

Duncan Bowles Dec 30, 2016

Alain Moussi takes us through the new Kickboxer film, the joys of Jason Statham, and salutes Scott Adkins too...

Alain Moussi is a very happy man. When we spoke to him on the phone to talk about the home release of Kickboxer: Vengeance his enthusiasm and passion for the film and all things action movie related were in abundance and rightly so. Moussi has been working in stunts for years, doubling for the likes of Henry Cavill, Aaron Eckhart and recently Hugh Jackman in this year’s X-Men: Apocalypse, but Kickboxer has given him not only the chance to play his first lead role, but to act alongside several of his childhood heroes. There’s also the benefit that two sequels have already been greenlit and are under production already, so here’s hoping Moussi’s first franchise shines a light on his burgeoning talent.

For action fans,...

[[tmz:video id="0_86crnhh7"]] Jean Claude Van Damme says we need to run America like a business, and the first order of business should be establishing a relationship with Vladimir Putin. We got Jean Claude leaving Caffe Roma in Bev Hills Friday night, and he was in the mood to talk politics.  He also had a thing or 2 to say about people using the word "pussy," which he says is way common. Read more...

Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.

This Past Weekend:

As expected, Fede Alvarez’s thriller Don’t Breathe (Screen Gems), starring Jane Levy and Stephen Lang, won the weekend, but it did way more than we predicted, doing better than most movies released in the last weekend of August, winning the weekend with $26.4 million, pretty much double what I predicted. That’s a pretty great testament to the power of Screen Gems’ marketing campaign and that’s more than double what the movie cost to make. Jason Statham’s Mechanic: Resurrection (Summit/Lionsgate) didn’t fare as well as it opened in fifth place with $7.5 million in 2,258 theaters, about where I predicted. Of the more moderate releases, the Obama date movie Southside with You (Roadside Attractions) took in $3 million in around 800 theaters,...

When i first heard the news Jean Claude Van Damme would be starring in his own TV series, i was very excited. Here, Van Damme plays himself and to be honest he is very good at it, showcasing his acting ability flicking through dramatic to comedy with ease (Yes we get to see some of his trademark kicks).

Jean Clade Van Johnson opens with Jean Claude Van Damme staring at the camera, speaking about his old films such as Bloodsport and Timecop, ““My name is Jean-Claude Van Damme and I used to be super famous.Maybe you’ve seen Timecop, which is like Looper only a million times better” and how right he is.

He has it all, his own mansion, own car, own perfume and women on the side – but what he doesn’t have is the woman he loves and the big fame anymore.

After the opening sequence,...

This weekend brings Amazon’s new pilots to their website for viewers to vote which ones get turned into full fledged series. If there’s any good in this universe, everyone will support the new pilot for Jean-Claude Van Johnson. You might remember we broke the exclusive on the series at Amazon following a contractor named Jean-Claude […]

The post ‘Jean Claude Van Johnson’ Trailer: Jean-Claude Van Damme Is Leading a Hilariously Depressing Life appeared first on /Film.

Jean Claude Van Damme is best known for this plethora of ’90s action movies. From his breakout in “Bloodspot” to his unfortunate role in “Street Fighter,” Van Damme made a name for himself with his martial arts fighting and, let’s be honest, his splits. However, in the last decade, he has started to take on […]

The post Jean Claude Van Damme Starts His Day In Trailer For Amazon Series ‘Jean Claude Van Johnson’ appeared first on The Playlist.

Jean Claude Van Damme’s recent career renaissance playing characters who as often as not are commentaries on his storied (and sometimes infamous) action movie career has been a lot of fun. Hopefully it won’t end soon, but it might be reaching its logical conclusion with Jean Claude Van Johnson, an upcoming Amazon pilot that casts the Muscles from Brussels as a secret professional killer who also happens to be, wait for it, a global action star. Operating under the alias…...

Directed by: Peter Atencio

Written by: Dave Callahan

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kat Foster, Moises Arias, Phylicia Rasha

The Muscles From Brussels is back and starring in his very first Tv series titled “Jean Claude Van Johnson“. This is something i am very excited about, being a fan of his work since the early 1990’s, i am very much looking forward to it.

“Jean-Claude Van Johnson” stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, playing a Martial Arts and film Icon, operating under the name “Johnson,”. He is known as one of the most dangerous undercover private contractor in the world.

Plot:

A famous action hero/martial arts star comes out of retirement to assume an alter ego as undercover private contractor named Jean-Claude Johnson.

It is also great to see Van Damme in a comedy, i have always been impressed with his comedy acting and timing, so this should be alot of fun.

EuropaCorp has released&#160a&#160new image for&#160Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets&#160in anticipation of&#160San Diego Comic Con! Here, we get to see Dane DeHaan inside one of the sleek spaceships in this epic sci-fi adventure. The movie also stars Cara Delevingne. It comes from the mind of acclaimed director Luc Besson, who returns to the genre he helped redefine for a new generation with The Fifth Element way back in 1997.

Rooted in the classic graphic novel series&#160Valerian and Laureline, visionary maestro writer/director Luc Besson advances this iconic source material into a contemporary, unique and epic science fiction saga. The film is coming to San Diego Comic-Con today for a can't miss panel that promise to bring the first exciting trailer. The fun kicks off at 1pm in Hall H.

"Witness the first public exhibition of footage from acclaimed director/producer/writer Luc Besson's first-ever Hall H presentation,...

Way back in December, a teaser trailer was released for Kickboxer: Vengeance, and in February, a sequel was announced, entitled Kickboxer Retaliation, which will star Game of Thrones actor Haf&#254&#243r J&#250l&#237us Bj&#246rnsson. We haven't had any updates on Kickboxer: Vengeance since then, but today we have the first full trailer for this remake, which will hit theaters September 2. This trailer also gives us a new look at original Kickboxer star Jean Claude-Van Damme, who makes his return to the franchise

David and Kurt Sloan are the descendants of a well-known Venice, California dynasty of champions. Both are top-notch fighters and athletes in the prime of their lives. When David wins the Karate World Championship, a promoter lures him to Hong Kong despite Kurt's protests that the man is a crook. Not soon after, Kurt receives a letter from David and heads to Thailand to meet him.

Matt Damon's having a moment, and it doesn't seem like it's a good one. Whenever an actor has a new project coming out, they're automatically in the hot seat, and you'd better believe there is a small army hard at work trying to make sure that nothing happens during that press tour that might impact the overall success of the film. Add in a new TV show that's rolling out the same time as the movie is being released, and you have so many more opportunities for the actor to hang themselves, particularly in the atmosphere of constantly-simmering outrage that exists right now. Damon has never been one to keep his opinion to himself, and it was interesting watching a moment from "Project Greenlight" blow up in his face, especially since he's part of the producing team that is responsible for the show. He could have had that moment...

The Muscles From Brussels' marriage is over again. Jean-Claude Van Damme, 54, and wife Gladys are getting a divorce, almost 15 years after they remarried. She recently filed paperwork at a Los Angeles court to end their marriage for the second time. The divorce documents list the date of their separation as March 7 and irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. Van Damme's wife is seeking spousal support from him. The actor has not commented. The documents also list both of their legal names—Jean Claude Van Varenberg and Gladys Portugues Van Varenberg—and their addresses—her home in the Los Angeles area and Van Damme's residence in Hong Kong. The...

Paddington is an instant family classic, and will likely defy the expectations of those expecting another live-action CGI hybrid such as Scooby Doo, The Smurfs or Yogi Bear. Director Paul King is able to take the story of a young Peruvian bear known worldwide, and turn it into a unique and charming experience unlike anything seen before. It truly is a special little film, and it will surely continue to find an audience well after it leaves theaters. Its the type of movie that is impossible to hate on any level.

The movie follows Paddington as he travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined, until he meets the kindly Brown family, who read the label around his neck ('Please look after this bear. Thank you.') and offer him a temporary haven.

So…what do I mean by “What the F**k?” Movies? These are the films that, upon completing your viewing, you seriously worry about the director’s sanity. Or you can’t really comprehend what you just saw. Or you know what you watched was something magical, but can’t really put the pieces together in your mind. Or, worse, you know what happened, but certifiably it’s insane. But with this “definition” comes a few caveats: no horror films and no fully animated films. Those genres lean a little too crazy to begin with – it’s more fun to look at films that force a sense of realism, even if it’s just on the surface.

50. Southland Tales (2007)

Directed by: Richard Kelly

Not all these movies are necessarily “good.” In 2001, writer/director Richard Kelly found cult status with the mind-bending Donnie Darko. It took six years for him to...

Another day, another bit of news coming out of Cannes, another Hollywood remake – the life of a film journalist sure is a bag full of surprises, isn’t it?

The 80s were a grand period for action and martial arts, and one of the most pivotal players in the action genre was none other than Jean Claude Van-Damme, but unfortunately it looks like one of his most iconic turns is going to be remade without his Brussels-influenced badassery. While searching for financing at Cannes, producer Brian O’Shea revealed that 1989′s Kickboxer will be remade by a foreign filmmaker, a young stuntman and a duo of WWE/Ufc stars.

According to O’Shea:

““We have a visionary director, a strong Hollywood producer, great cast and an action-packed script based on a well-known property,” producer Brian O’Shea told THR. “What more can you ask for?”

That visionary director is China’s Stephen Fung,...

Two professional fighters turned Marvel characters are set to remake a Jean Claude Van-Damme classic. Dave Bautista, the WWE wrestler who stars as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, and Georges St. Pierre, the former Ufc champion who played Batroc in Captain America 2, have just signed to co-star in a new version of Kickboxer. […]

The post ‘Kickboxer’ Remake To Star WWE’s Dave Bautista and Ufc’s Georges St. Pierre appeared first on /Film.

The release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier sees the return of Nick Fury and his glorious eyepatch to our oversized cinema screens, although if you want to watch the film in 3D an eyepatch of your own will cause some problems. To celebrate the release of the movie (and the fact that the eyepatch is no longer the sole reserve of the fancy dress pirate) here are seven examples of people – real or otherwise – that know how to rock the one-eyed look.

1) Nick Fury

Making his first appearance in 1963, Nick Fury is the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. , an espionage and law enforcement agency that makes the Nsa look like your local neighbourhood watch group. These days Nick Fury is synonymous with Samuel L Jackson, who has so far portrayed the character in six films including Iron Man, Thor and Marvel’s The Avengers (or Marvel Avengers Assemble...

Since taking to the director’s chair, George Clooney has presented both intellectually stimulating and unashamedly entertaining pieces of cinema. However in his latest endeavour, The Monuments Men, he seems to have disregarded the former, taking a real life story, and dumbing it down somewhat. Remaining frustratingly conventional and littering his title with archetypal Hollywood tropes, such an approach does nothing but detract from what is a completely fascinating set of events.

Set towards the latter end of the Second World War, Clooney plays Frank Stokes, who is tasked by President Roosevelt to form a platoon of ageing art historians and collectors, to head off to Europe and identify – and then capture – extremely renowned and valuable pieces of art that the Nazis have stolen. Stokes manages to persuade the likes of James Granger (Matt Damon), Richard Campbell (Bill Murray), Walter Garfield (John Goodman) and Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban) to assist him,...

Review Ron Hogan 10 Feb 2014 - 06:03

George Clooney wrote, directed and starred in The Monuments Men. Ron reckons that might've been too many jobs for one person

Throughout World War II, as the Nazi war machine brought Europe to its knees, the highest levels of the Fuhrer's government had ideas on home decoration that were almost as evil as their plan for the Jewish people. Europe is home to some of the world's most beautiful art, masterpieces like the Ghent altarpiece, the Mona Lisa, the Madonna and Child, and thousands of other painting, sculptures, and buildings that are irreplaceable markers of human achievement and mankind's ability to create something beautiful out of pigments in oil or a block of marble.

At the highest levels of power, the Nazi government decided to use the world's greatest art museums as their personal shopping mall, except they didn't pay for their art and...

In his past films, George Clooney has shown himself to be surprisingly deft at working with genre and mood.  Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a stunning directorial debut that melds comedy, paranoia, tragedy, and drama, and his following works all have a smart, sensible core (although I'll admit his previous picture, The Ides of March is slightly shaky).  Unfortunately, his confident direction is nowhere to be found in his latest film, The Monuments Men.  The story is scattershot in structure, narrative, and tone.  The premise is fascinating, but Clooney can never seem to find the right angle, and it's unclear if we're watching a drama with comedic elements or a rousing World War II picture with moments of tragedy.  There's almost a total lack of cohesion, and while Clooney is occasionally able to regain control of the picture, the best moments rely almost entirely on the performances. The Nazis...

George Clooney’s “The Monuments Men” is processed cheese. It is a film that has been rewritten, edited, and refined until it has lost all sense of purpose or identity. There’s no flavor left. It is a film that defies genre; not quirky enough to have a comedic personality despite a cast that almost always supplies edge and not engaging enough to work as drama or thriller.

With awkward editing that belies a long post-production, a frustrating screenplay, and a cast that looks as bored as you will be at times, you may not see a more star-studded disappointment this year.

Rating: 1.5/5.0

In a horrendous bit of framing that feels added post-test screenings, Frank Stokes (George Clooney) explains the impact of war on art to a receptive Truman near the end of World War II. While the focus clearly needs to be ending the conflict and saving as many lives as possible,...

Whoops! When Sandra Bullock took home the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie, an audio mishap caught her completely off guard, and she totally dropped the F-bomb!

Sandra Bullock was up for three Critics’ Choice on Jan. 16, but when she won for her role in Gravity and shocked everyone with her acceptance speech.

Sandra Bullock Drops F-Word Critics’ Choice Awards

Marlon Wayans presented Sandra with the award (and with a kiss right on the mouth) and even though she didn’t win for Actress in a Comedy, she was still absolutely hilarious.

Sandra Bullock Laughs At AFIs Take Our Poll

“I would first like to thank Jackie Chan, Sylvester Stallone, Jean Claude von Damme, for teaching me everything I know,” she started her speech at Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport. “It’s not easy doing what we do, people.”

However, after that she got...

Need for Speed

One of the things that the upcoming film based on the "Need For Speed" video game series is most proud of is its reliance on practical stunts. A new featurette for the upcoming "Need For Speed" film explores that aspect with the help of the film's stunt co-ordinator Lance Gilbert:

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Peter Jackson closes out the 'Smaug'-related production video blogs this week with a look at the writing and recording of the film score for 'Desolation of Smaug'.

X-Men: Apocalypse

Are you a fan of the "X-Men" films, but not the comics, and so are still confused about who the hell this arch-nemesis Apocalypse is? IGN has pulled together an effective five-minute video talking about the character's backstory which you can check out below:

Chuck Norris: The Epic Christmas Split

Forget Channing Tatum, a computer-generated Chuck Norris does the best...

Jean Claude-Van Damme‘s split stunt atop two Volvo trucks certainly has provided plenty of parody fodder. First it was Channing Tatum’s version straddling two food carts on the set of 22 Jump Street. Now Chuck Norris takes it a step further (and upward). The CGI parody shows Norris straddling the wings of two airplanes as he balances 11 paratroopers in the shape of a Christmas tree on his cowboy-hatted head. Hungarian creative agency Delov Digital created the video as a holiday greeting. And here’s the Jcvd original:...

It's another installment of the weekly Tubefilter Chart of the Top 50 Most Viewed YouTube Channels Worldwide and Rihanna shows why she's Queen of YouTube. Chart Toppers In the online video world, there's nothing more powerful than a new release from Rihanna. The international pop star recently published a music video for her latest single What Now, bumping her up to the top of the charts with almost 48.8 million views. The Queen of YouTube is followed by the video sharing site's Video Game King. The Swedish gamer known as PewDiePie witnessed a 24% drop in his week-over-week view count, but still scored just shy of 48 million views in the last seven days. In third place, we welcome a newcomer to the Tubefilter Charts, Volvo Trucks. The company's ingenious spot featuring Jean Claude Van-Damme mastering the most epic of splits helped push the Swedish car company's channel up to more than 47.4 million views.

Review James Stansfield 20 Nov 2013 - 22:00

Sky Atlantic's The Tunnel is moving into its end-game. Here's James' spoiler-filled review of episode 6...

This review contains spoilers.

Although there was much to like in this episode of The Tunnel, it has begun to feel like the show is settling into a routine for some of its instalments. The Truth Terrorist makes another threat/truth, this week involving injustice within the law’s treatment of young people by setting them on fire. He communicates this to journalist Danny Hillier. Hillier acts like a bit of a dick and Detectives Roebuck and Wassermann race against time to stop Tt from completing his latest statement on society and hope to catch him.

It makes for some dramatic TV, of that no one can argue, but after six episodes, we’re beginning to wonder if Tt actually has an endgame? The points he, and the show,...

Review James Stansfield 7 Nov 2013 - 14:32

The Tunnel delivers a satisfying hour of television. Here's James' review of episode four...

This review contains spoilers.

Before we get into The Tunnel this week, and there was a lot of it, I thought it was worth making mention of its spooky opening titles sequence. The titles are a circling shot of the titular thoroughfare, bathed in a low yellow light, but what makes them so unnerving is the soft, lilting music that plays alongside. The song has an almost child-like, lullaby quality to it. It’s really quite unnerving and lends the show a fairytale-like feeling…….which was in keeping with the moral themes that episode four brought to the table.

This week’s action was mainly centred around Detectives Karl and Elise’s race against time to save old French soldier Jean-Claude from freezing to death in a cold storage unit,...

Review James Stansfield 31 Oct 2013 - 14:03

The Tunnel's woven plot threads run the risk of losing the viewer at times. Here's James' review of episode three...

This review contains spoilers.

With its third episode, The Tunnel seems to entering a phase where it’s hoping the audience is just going to be able to keep up with everything, and trust in the creators that it’ll all make sense in the long run. The show could never be accused of being boring, but the pace is achieved by the introduction of yet more characters who seem to be fighting at times for a few minutes screen time, sometimes with muddy results.

Last week’s episode concluded with the Truth Terrorist (that term officially popped up in The Tunnel this week) unleashing the second of their “truths” they wish to teach the world. The cliffhanger was constructed so quickly that...

Ip Man

Directed by Wilson Yip

Written by Edmond Wong and Chan Tai-Li

Hong Kong, 2008

In this biopic, Donnie Yen is Ip Man, one of the earliest Wing Chun martial arts exponents and the man credited to have elevated its popularity in the early parts of the 20th century. Best known for his role as Bruce Lee’s first mentor, Ip Man is godlike amongst martial arts fans. As far as biopics goes, Ip Man isn’t really award-winning material. The picture takes plenty of liberties with the facts of the legendary practitioner of the Southern Chinese fighting style. It’s slightly exaggerated and fairly straightforward storytelling, but first and foremost, Ip Man is an excuse for Yen to demonstrate his newfound mastery of the Wing Chun style – and on that front, the film succeeds brilliantly.

Ip Man is a joy on various levels due mostly to the quality of...

Yesterday, the iconic and storied action star Sylvester Stallone sent out a tweet that seemingly confirms that Mel Gibson has signed on for a role in The Expendables 3.

It said;

Mad Max vs Barney Ross……

Mad Max is of course the legendary character portrayed by Mel Gibson in two movies from the 1980s (we think we are pretty safe in assuming that because Gibson has been so vocally courted for a role in this movie previously that Stallone isn’t referring to Tom Hardy, who appears in next year’s franchise reboot) and Barney Ross is the leader of The Expendables. Judging from the “vs” observation it appears that Mel will be portraying a villain of sorts. It’s not going to be an easy feat topping prior villains such as Jean Claude Van-Damme, although something tells me Mel can manage it.

Mel Gibson joins Jackie Chan, Milla Jovovich,...

It's a father-son duo behind the camera for upcoming Jean Claude Van Damme picture Enemies Closer with Peter Hyams - director of Timecop - directing and serving as Dp while son John Hyams - director of the most recent pair of Universal Soldier films - working the edit bay. And Jean Claude? He's doing what he always does: Delivering beatings with a smile.After a major shipment of drugs goes missing on the Us-Canadian border, forest ranger and former Navy Seal Henry is plunged into survival mode when the drug cartel forces him to help retrieve the downed package. Trapped in the wilderness with no communication to the outside world, Henry finds himself face to face with Clay, a man with a personal vendetta against Henry...

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

In the aftermath of The Expendables, Hollywood is increasingly using older actors in lead roles. But where are tomorrow's Van Dammes going to come from?

Having assumed the identity of the Us president, compulsive evildoer Zartan threatens to decimate the population of Earth. A crack covert mission team must call on the only man who can save the day: General Joseph Colton, the original GI Joe. Why a 58-year-old Bruce Willis might be better equipped to bring down a terrorist ringleader than walking Wmd Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is never made clear during the 110 minutes of GI Joe: Retaliation, but right now it seems that action heroes – like the cheeses with which many of them share an acting style – get better with age.

Ever since The Expendables grossed $274m worldwide - a figure almost as high as its cast's combined ages - the geriaction subgenre has exploded, making born-again stars...

This is my top 10 favorite kickers in Kung Fu cinema. It is just my personal opinion as there are many great performers out there with amazing ability also. I hope everyone likes my top 10 and please feel free to leave comments at the bottom of the page.

10.Jean Claude Van Damme

Jean Claude is one of the best kickers i have seen out of the Asian movie market. His jumping spin kicks are brilliant, hitting with speed and power, which would take anyone’s head off. Van Damme was also a former member of the Belgium Team that won the European Championships in 1979 in Brussels.

Some of Van Dammes best kicking skills can be watched in movies such as No Retreat, No Surrender, Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Lionheart, Double Impact, The Quest and so on. He recently starred as the main villain in The Expendables 2, which he did a great job,...

Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning hits DVD and Blu-ray January 22 and thanks to Sony, we have a Blu-ray to give away. This is a must have for any fan of action movies. Day Of Reckoning is hands down the best the long-running series. In addiction we will throw in a second DVD for Six Bullets, also starring Jean Claude Van-Damme.

How to enter:

Step one:

Like us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter. (This Is A Must)

Step Two:

Email feedback@soundonsight.org with the Universal in the subject headline.

Please remember to include your mailing address.

Contest is only open to Us residents.

Deadline: Sunday Jan.20th at Midnight.

 

 

 ...

Action star Dolph Lundgren and director John Hyams were in attendance at a recent press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills to talk about their latest movie, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. The fourth installment in the surprisingly undying franchise has Lundgren reprising his role of Andrew Scott, who along with Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), now operates the Unisol Church of Eventualism, which works to bring in wayward soldiers like themselves to create a new world order.

During the press conference, Hyams and Lundgren discussed the hardest part of shooting the film, where they want to see the franchise go next, what the appeal of the series is and much more.

Check it out below.

We Got This Covered: John, what was the hardest part of shooting this film for you?

John Hyams: It’s not a huge budget movie so you’re on a tight schedule,...

Silent Hill: Revelation

Written by Michael J. Bassett

Directed by Michael J. Bassett

USA/Canada

Shot in secret after idling in development hell, the long-awaited sequel to Cristophe Gans’ uniquely graceful survival horror video game adaptation Silent Hill seems to be squeaking out without much fanfare as if it knows it’s essentially sloppy seconds. Some may urge, however, that Revelation shouldn’t be so ashamed! Like a latter Nightmare on Elm Street installment (think Dream Child), Revelation is all about nightmarish imagery and seeing what it can get away with within and without its thin narrative – and for that it’s sure fun while it lasts.

Following a story as shoddily stitched as the startling surgical abominations littering its grimier scenes, this return sees Radha Mitchell’s Rose revealing she’s discovered a limited path back to our dimension. Daughter Sharon (played by Jodelle Ferland in 2006 and now...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as David Addison in Looper

In Looper (opening Friday), Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a contract killer who rubs out people that the mob throws back in time ... until he himself is tossed back through the portal looking like Bruce Willis and he is unable to shoot himself because he was a huuuuuge Moonlighting fan. At least I think that's the plot.

The point is, time travel is a tricky topic for movies, and lots of times it gets botched. Here are some of the worst reasons we've ever seen for someone to get their Back to the Future on.

1. To Bang Your Own Great-Great-Grandmother (Kate & Leopold)

Wait, I banged Who? (Meg Ryan is confused.)

Ugh. This movie is wretched. I wish I could travel back in time and slap myself in the face for sitting through it on a flight to the west coast. (Added bonus: double miles!) But...

The worldwide rights for cult director Don Coscarelli’s new movie, John Dies At The End, have been picked up by Magnet Releasing. I can get behind any movie that is crafty enough to use the name “Soy Sauce” for a drug that produces out-of-body experiences.

From the Press Release:

Magnet Takes Worldwide Rights To Don Coscarelli’S John Dies At The End

New York, NY – August 20th, 2012 – The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing, genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today they have acquired worldwide rights to John Dies At The End, a phantasmagoric new sci-fi/horror film directed, produced and written for the screen by auteur and cult legend Don Coscarelli (Bubba Ho-tep, the Phantasm series). Starring Paul Giamatti (who executive produced with Daniel Carey), Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman and Doug Jones, the film was also produced by M3 Creative’s Brad Baruh, Andy Meyers and Roman Perez,...

Well, here is some good news! Don Coscarelli’s latest film, John Dies at the End, has been picked up by a friend of horror & genre-related films, Magnet Releasing. Magnet is no stranger to great genre films and I’m super damn happy they picked up this one. The film will be showing at least one more time this year at the Toronto International Film Festival. Read below for the press release and we also included the trailer to refresh your memory.

From the Press Release:

The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing, genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today they have acquired worldwide rights to John Dies At The End, a phantasmagoric new sci-fi/horror film directed, produced and written for the screen by auteur and cult legend Don Coscarelli (Bubba Ho-Tep, the Phantasm series). Starring Paul Giamatti (who executive produced with Daniel Carey), Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Clancy Brown,...

When I was a child, I loved the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers; I can fully say this statement without hyperbole. And I wasn’t the only one; Power Rangers saturation overloaded the pop culture lexicon. Kids everywhere dressed up for Halloween as their favorite Ranger. Celebrities as famous as Mike Myers, Gene Simmons and Jean Claude – Van Damme visited the set. It was mania, pure unfiltered mania. But, like many of my youthful cohorts, I grew up and moved on. But I never forgot the invigorating feeling I got from watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and when I cracked open Shout Factory’s new DVD of the first half of season one of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, I instantly got transported back to 1993 when the series premiered.

If you don’t know or aren’t aware of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, allow me to describe the show for you (and...

Critical Consensus is a biweekly column in which critics discuss new releases or events in the film world. In this special edition, Indiewire critic Eric Kohn moderates a discussion with the eight participants in the 2012 Locarno Critics Academy, a workshop for college-age film critics that took place over the past two weeks during the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. The participants in the following discussion are Michael Nordine (USA), Ari Gunnar Thorsteinsson (Iceland/Sweden), Adam Cook (Canada), Giovanni Vimercati aka Celluloid Liberation Front (Italy), Beatrice Behn (Germany), Claudia Piwecki (Italy) and Marc Menichini (Italy). Links to the work they published during the festival can be found throughout the conversation; an organized list of their writing can be found here. Let's begin by discussing the Golden Leopard winner, Jean Claude Brisseau's "The Girl From Nowhere." Some of you were surprised by this decision. Michael Nordine: It...

It's an enormous summer for blockbusters featuring hot, hot men with The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man eating up our hard-earned dollars. Fortunately, the art of placing attractive dudes in summer marquee tentpoles is an ancient art, one as old as I feel. Join as we rank the 10 hottest men of summer blockbusters; the #1 will have you fanning yourself 'til September. (Note: I didn't include any of the formidable folks from the current summer; Andrew Garfield and Jeremy Renner can wait their stupid turn like everybody else.)

10. Kurt Russell, Big Trouble in Little China

Depending on who you ask, Big Trouble in Little China is either a clunky contrivance or a rip-roaring action-adventure spectacular. It's the most polarizing of summer blockbusters (and I'll say that Kim Cattrall's performance doesn't help matters), but we can all agree that Kurt Russell -- in his affected, macho swagger -- is a jacked,...

The Weinstein Company have been a powerhouse mini-major in the entertainment industry since its inception in 2005. Their win for Best Picture with The Artist gives them two back-to-back victories, and now brothers Bob and Harvey are looking to expand their empire. Radius-twc, a new label within the company devoted to multi-platform distribution, has just acquired distribution rights for Nicholas Winding Refn's follow-up to Drive, a reunion with Ryan Gosling called Only God Forgives. The revenge thriller has already started filming in Bangkok and we even have a first look photo from the set and more info below. Refn's Only God Forgives has also been described as a modern "East meets West" western, and it follows a kickboxer-turned-gangster (Gosling) in Thailand who must fight to avenge the murder of his brother. While that logline may sound like every Jean Claude Van-Damme movie you've ever seen, trust us when we say that...