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It’s hard to believe, but before 2007’s The Departed, Martin Scorsese had never won an Oscar. Sure, he’d been nominated seven times and probably deserved to win at least twice (for Raging Bull and Goodfellas), but it took his epic, Boston-set remake of the Hong Kong crime film Infernal Affairs for him to finally get the accolade which was so long overdue. In addition to its Oscar win, The Departed stands as one of Scorsese’s most popular efforts commercially, with it grossing close to $300 million worldwide. Many consider it one of his greatest films, but it’s behind-the-scenes story is an interesting one.

For one thing, it partially turned Scorsese off of big-studio filmmaking, with the film such a big success that the studio behind it, Warner Bros, wanted to turn it into a franchise (as had happened with Infernal Affairs). This was something Scorsese had next to no interest in.

The overwhelming number of sequels, reboots, and remakes in Hollywood has been the topic of much discourse these past few years. Viewers and critics complain about what is a perceived increase in continuations of pre-existing intellectual properties and a concurrent decrease in originality. Sequels have become culturally synonymous with a lower caliber of movies. The second installment of a franchise is a sure way to make popcorn money, but not a way to attract prestige. Thus, when it comes to the Academy Awards, the institution primarily associated with recognizing the highest echelon of film, there are not many sequels that can say they have competed for the show's top prize.

While technically 10 sequels have been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, only two have ever won: The Godfather Part II in 1974 and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King in 2003. What exactly is it about sequels that makes them anti-Oscar bait,...

Trinity CineAsia has secured theatrical distribution rights for “Ne Zha 2” across 37 European territories, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, France and Spain, from Beijing Enlight Media. The animated blockbuster, which has shattered box office records, will debut in the U.K. and Ireland on March 21, with previews beginning March 14.

The Chinese animated epic has made history as the highest-grossing animated film worldwide, surpassing “Inside Out 2,” and becoming the first non-Hollywood production to crack the global all-time top 10 box office chart. It currently ranks sixth behind only “Avatar,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and “Titanic.” The film has also achieved the unprecedented milestone of grossing $1 billion in a single market – China – where it was released on Jan. 29. It passed $2 billion in China over the weekend.

“Rarely do you get a film that truly defines the era, shows again the unique power of cinema to move audiences,...

After many decades of making all-time great masterpieces, Martin Scorsesefinally won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director for The Departed, the Boston-set crime drama that was loosely inspired by the Infernal Affairs trilogy. While some filmmakers win their Oscars as “career trophies” that essentially honor the work they did over the course of their entire filmographies, Scorsese completely deserved to win for The Departed, as it is one of the most nail biting, exciting crime epics of the 21st century. The Departed earned a great deal of acclaim for its amazing ensemble cast, withMartin Sheendelivering a terrific performance as the no-nonsense Boston Police Captain Queenan. However, Sheen’s casting in The Departedwas a last-minute addition when Gerard McSorley was forced to drop out.

While the films we see from Mainland China in festivals mostly follow arthouse social/family drama paths, the ones we see outside of the circuit, mostly in various streamers and occasionally in distribution, are almost always of the crime/action variety and quite frequently, of dubious quality. “Go For Broke”, a Chinese/Hong Kong production by Marc Ma, checks both these last two boxes.

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In a hidden corner of Mancheng, a profit-seeking drug cartel is unscrupulously causing countless people to fall into the abyss of drug addictions and tearing apart families. Zhang Yao was persecuted by the drug traffickers until his family met their ruin, so, with his life in shambles, agrees to cooperate with anti-narcotics captain An Du to seek revenge against the leaders of the criminal syndicate, Mu Kun and An Pei. To do so, Zhang Yao takes the place of Mu Kun’s lost son,...

Action and video game fans let out a sigh of disappointment recently when martial arts icon and John Wick star Donnie Yen revealed that his adaptation of Sleeping Dogs is no longer happening. Well, we can now all let out a squeal of excitement instead, as Marvel actor and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu has revealed that he is now working on bringing the project back to life. With himself in the lead role.

The actor, who demonstrated his affinity for action in the MCU outing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings back in 2021, responded to a fan on X/Twitter who asked, “I absolutely want Sleeping Dogs 2. If a Sleeping Dogs movie is happening, hopefully that will generate enough interest to warrant a sequel. @SimuLiu Are you Wei? If so, Please work your magic.” In response, Liu replied...

“Working with the...

Entertainment studio Cineverse has set a new deal between its streaming licensing service Matchpoint and American Asian media company JoySauce, which streams “Kim’s Convenience,” “Mixed Six” and “Jimmy O. Yang: Good Deal,” among other titles.

As part of the pact, Matchpoint will license, monetize and distribute JoySauce’s full library of original dramatic shows, reality series and more, as well as with third-party content for which JoySauce holds streaming rights. Matchpoint will also handle licensing JoySauce content to other streaming platforms.

The partnership will expand later in 2025 with Cineverse teaming with JoySauce to launch a standalone streaming service, including a branded JoySauce subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) app and later a free, ad-supported streaming television (Fast) channel targeting both the Aapi community and all viewers interested in content showcasing the American Asian experience. Cineverse will distribute these on all devices and offer access to other streaming platforms.

“Cineverse is the proven expert...

Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" is not the most important film in the director's oeuvre, nor is it his best (it's not even close), but it is one of his biggest commercial successes along with being the movie that finally earned him long-overdue Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. A remake of Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's Hong Kong cop thriller "Infernal Affairs," the film did big box office business because it delivered chesty performances from heavyweight thespians like Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson while trafficking in the kind of viscerally charged violence that's been a staple of Scorsese's mob movies. This one felt like it was strictly for fun, and it is precisely that. If you happen to come across it on television, you're likely sticking with it until the bloody end.

Given that "Infernal Affairs" was a massive success in Asia, you might...

Need something to stream during the holiday break? The subscription-free streaming service Tubi always has a surprisingly robust lineup of great films.

Yes, there’s a massive catalogue of obscure titles and forgotten gems — that’s half of the appeal! — but Tubi also has a lot of great movies and certified classics in the mix, too. It can just be a bit difficult to spot the must-watch new movies streaming amongst the enormous library.

Not to worry, here’s a hand-picked selection of the best new movies on Tubi this month to save you some time.

20th Century Fox Film Corp. ‘Die Hard’ (1988)

Hopefully, at this point, we can all let the “Is ‘Die Hard’ a Christmas movie?” discourse rest — and if you’re someone who’s gotta watch “Die Hard” for the holidays, Tubi has you covered this year. Bruce Willis stars as future action icon John McClane, but in the original film,...

Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track. So we’re going to do the hard work for you.

Following last edition’s trip to Latvia, we are heading to Hong Kong with Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, a martial arts hit that is making waves at the global box office. Bolstered by an all-star cast, the film follows an illegal migrant, who is also a skilled fighter, as he finds a way to survive in the triad-ridden Kowloon Walled City, invoking Hong Kong’s martial arts movies of the past. Although concrete walls tower onscreen, the film’s success has scaled all blockades,...

Remakes have a (not entirely unjust) bad reputation. They lack originality and, more often than not, end up being a pale imitation of another piece of art in one way or another. Yet, sometimes, a remake comes along that offers something new. We've seen this plenty of times before in the science fiction genre, with new technology allowing filmmakers to really let their imaginations go wild, resulting in sci-fi remakes that even surpass the originals.

Something similar happens whenever a Hollywood remake of a non-American movie is announced, be it non-English language or otherwise. Beyond the fact that U.S. remakes make it easier for American audiences to avoid exposing themselves to different cultures, languages, and concepts, these films also tend to lose something in translation. Again, though, there are a number of American remakes that've actually proven to be quite good.

All of this is to say that, despite their poor reputation,...

Despite directing some of the best films ever made, Martin Scorsese has only ever won an Oscar for one of them. Whether or not The Departed deserved the four Oscars it won has long been a matter of debate among cinephiles, but now you can decide for yourself because the 2006 crime thriller is now streaming on Peacock where it's already become a hit all over again.

Scorsese has been a household name in the world of cinema for decades now, having crafted some of the most beloved films of all time, including Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, and GoodFellas, to name just a few. But while his reputation as a world-class filmmaker is well known among critics and fans alike, Scorsese has never had much luck on Oscars night. He has received a whopping 10 directorial nominations over his long career the most nominations for any living director.

It's pretty amazing that acclaimed American filmmaker Martin Scorsese finally took home the Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture for a movie that was, for all intents and purposes, a remake of a foreign-language gangster film that originated in Hong Kong. After all, Scorsese is an artist who has largely seen his career defined by idiosyncratic films that practically no other filmmaker could ever recreate.

The Departed concerns itself with the story of two moles, one planted in the Massachusetts State Police Department and the other finding his way into Boston's Irish Mob. Four years earlier, Hong Kong directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak brought that same story to life through a different geographical lens, and its name is Infernal Affairs.

Related 10 Best Foreign Gangster Movies, Ranked

Foreign films often break the mold and reel audiences in for generations, and gangster movies are a great example of this.

What Is Infernal Affairs About?...

Dcu head James Gunn asserted he's not a big fan of Asian movie remakes. However, 2002's The Ring, a U.S. horror adaptation of 1998's Ringu, is one exception he's willing to make.

James Gunn shared his favorite remake films in a lively conversation on Threads. His list is dominated by Western horror films like The Thing, The Fly, It, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers; it also included 2006's The Departed, a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs. One Threads user commented that film is better than Martin Scorsese's take; Gunn chimed in and named The Ring as his all-time favorite Asian film remake. "I'd actually say the best remake of an Asian film (they're almost never good) is The Ring," he wrote. Gunn is now known for his string of Marvel and DC superhero movies, but his breakout feature was 2006's Slither, a body...

While the name Tony Leung (also known as "Tony Leung Chiu-wai") may be widely unknown to Western audiences, he happens to be one of the most well-known and renowned actors in Chinese cinema. It was thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, that he became a much more recognizable face in America and other parts of the West. His role as Xu Wenwu (aka "The Mandalorian") in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been praised as one of the McU's most complex and interesting villains. However, with a filmography that has spanned over 40 years, Leung also has quite several credits that have yet to be discovered by the average movie watcher. One of his greatest films also happens to be one of John Woo's best.

Director John Woo has amassed a couple of well-known directorial efforts in Hollywood, including Face/Off and Mission: Impossible 2. However, it...

Black Mass is an interesting way to explore the life of Whitey Bulger, but there are many films like it to explore next. The 2015 film tells the real-life story of James Whitey Bulger, an Irish mafia mobster who rose to notoriety during the 1970s. In the film, Bulger acts as an FBI informant when he helps FBI agent John Connolly take down a competing crime family. Black Mass is based on the book Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devils Deal by Dick Lehr and Gerard ONeill.

Black Mass featured a leading cast including Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jesse Plemmons. The film received mixed reviews upon its release in 2015, but was praised for its hair and makeup design for Depps transformation into Bulger. Even if flawed, Black Mass is an interesting look into a certain era of crime, and luckily for fans of the film,...

A forgotten Mark Wahlberg cop movie from the 1990s feels like an origin story for his character in The Departed. While Mark Wahlberg action movies might be ten a penny now, back when he was making the transition from rapper to actor, he was more eclectic in his choices. He followed Boogie Nights with projects like Three Kings while mixing in bigger budget fare like The Perfect Storm. He made his action debut in 1998's The Big Hit, a bizarre mixture of wacky comedy and Hong Kong-style action flick.

In the following years, the genre would yield some of Wahlberg's biggest hits, including the Transformers sequels or 2007's Shooter. That said, arguably Wahlberg's best performance was playing Sergeant Dignam in The Departed. This was very much a supporting role for the star, with the story involving Leonardo DiCaprio's cop Costigan going undercover in the Irish mob, while Matt Damon...

I once thought the European mind couldn’t comprehend Dinner for Schmucks. I now know how wrong I was.

14 ‘Dinner for Schmucks’ (2010)

The 1998 French film Le Dîner de Cons (“dinner of fools”) won a ton of awards and sparked three different Indian adaptations: 2007’s Hindi-language Bheja Fry, 2008’s Kannada-language Mr. Garagasa and 2010’s Malayalam-language April Fool. The original film is based on a 1999 French play of the same name. When it was still a stage production, the title was often translated in English as The Prat’s Dinner or The Cunt’s Dinner.

13 ‘The Last House on the Left’ (2009)

The 2009 Wes Craven film is a remake of a 1972 Wes Craven film, which in turn was based on the 1960 Swedish film Jungfrukällan (“the virgin spring”). That film was actually based on a 13th-century Scandinavian ballad, “Töres döttrar i Wänge,” a real mindfreak about the tragic origin of a local Swedish church.

Ex-Triad member Jimmy Tsui explains why Infernal Affairs is more accurate to Triad operations than The Departed is to its premise. Tsui's insight highlights the realistic portrayal of the relationship between the police and the Triad in the movie. The movie captures the essence of the Triad and police collaboration, and while The Departed stands on its own, the original seems to have more realism to its presentation.

Ex-Triad member Jimmy Tsui has explained how the 2002 Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs is more accurate to real life than Martin Scorsese's 2006 American remake of the film. The movie follows a police officer who goes deep undercover in the criminal underworld, while also focusing on a criminal who acts as a mole within the police force for the Triad. The film ended up receiving critical acclaim. In 2006, Scorsese made a movie titled The Departed, an American remake which went on to win multiple Oscars,...

"I'm warning you... don't cause trouble in the Walled City." Well Go USA has unveiled the official US trailer for a Hong Kong martial arts action movie titled Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, now ready for a US release in limited theaters this August. It first premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival a few months ago, and we featured the first promo trailer back then just before it opened in Hk. The film is an adaptation of the manhua City of Darkness by Andy Seto. It stars the action legend Sammo Hung as well as Louis Koo as Tornado (龍捲風), a martial arts master who is regarded as a legend within Kowloon Walled City. It's also produced by Wilson Yip Wai Sun and John Chong. The film follows the troubled youth Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam) as he enters into the Walled City, discovers the order amidst its chaos, and...

Un thriller erótico protagonizado por Noémie Merlant, Naomi Watts, Will Sharpe y Jamie Campbell Bower. © BetaFiction

Se han hecho públicos el primer tráiler y póster de “Emmanuelle”, la nueva película de Audrey Diwan, directora de la ganadora del León de Oro del Festival de Venecia en 2021 con “L’événement”, que abrirá la 72 edición del Festival de San Sebastián a concurso y que contará con la presencia de su directora y su reparto.

“Emmanuelle”, que se inspira en el personaje y el mundo creado por la escritora Emmanuelle Arsan, sigue a Emmanuelle (Noémie Merlant), una mujer acostumbrada a tener encuentros sexuales ocasionales por los que no siente ningún placer. Un día, la cadena de hoteles de lujo para la que trabaja la llama para que vaya a Hong Kong a revisar la caída de ingresos de uno de sus establecimientos, pero cuando llega se encuentra con un hotel que funciona perfectamente.

The inaugural Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation, to be held in Phnom Penh for the first time, is set to captivate audiences with a spectacular lineup of cinematic treasures. Presented by the Asian Film Awards Academy, in collaboration with Westec Media Limited and financially supported by Hong Kong's Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (Ccida), Film Development Fund and Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, the programme will showcase 7 specially selected Hong Kong films at Fable Cinema, Factory Phnom Penh from 3 to 7 July 2024!

As part of the programme, The Dynamic Cityscapes of Hong Kong Films Exhibition will be held concurrently at Factory Phnom Penh from 4 July until 4 August 2024, 10Am – 7Pm daily. The admission is free and exhibition materials are in English and Khmer. The Dynamic Cityscapes of Hong Kong Films Exhibition is a celebration and demonstration of Hong Kong's diverse cityscapes, recreating the most memorable scenes that appeared in the specially selected films,...

Global streamer Netflix has picked up select international streaming rights to the much anticipated Chinese fantasy suspense series See Her Again. Currently in postproduction, the show is expected to drop later this year simultaneously on Netflix and Chinese streamer Tencent Video. The deal was unveiled this week at the ongoing 29th Shanghai TV Festival.

See Her Again is produced by Tencent Video and Hong Kong production banner Drama Apple. The 18-episode series was the only Asian show selected to compete for the Coup de Coeur Award at MIPTV’s MIPDrama Screenings in April.

Initially set in the 1990s, the series follows a Hong Kong police detective (played by Hong Kong heartthrob William Chan) who unexpectedly travels to the year 2018 and partners with a female detective (popular mainland Chinese actress Cya Liu) to uncover a series of mysterious murder cases stretching across the past. The ensemble cast includes Tse Kwan Ho...

Cinema Icons Hirokazu Kore-eda and Christine Hakim to be Honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards

Kuala Lumpur, 24 June — The Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) has announced its programme lineup for the much-anticipated 7th edition, set to transform Kuala Lumpur into a cinematic paradise from 21-28 July 2024. With an exceptional array of films, MIFFest continues to celebrate the spirit of both Malaysian and international cinema.

Opening and Closing Nights

This year's festival will kick off with the spine-tingling Malaysian horror film “Indera” by acclaimed director Woo Ming Jin, featuring the talented Shaheizy Sam and Azira Shafinaz. The festival will conclude on a high note with the double feature of “Love Lies” by Ho Miu Ki and “Peg O' My Heart” by Nick Cheung.

Honouring Cinema Masters Hirokazu Kore-eda and Christine Hakim

At the pinnacle of this year's festival, MIFFest proudly confers its esteemed Lifetime Achievement Awards upon two cinematic titans: Hirokazu Kore-eda...

“You always attack a movie scene as late as you possibly can. You always come into the scene at the last possible moment.” This bit of advice from the great screenwriter William Goldman has guided most moviemakers. The overwhelming majority of films begin with trouble already brewing and end before everything can be settled. But sometimes, a filmmaker takes the opposite approach. These visionaries begin as early as possible, even after the opening of a different movie. Thus, the prequel was born.

Seriously though, most prequels come less from the minds of creatives and more from studios trying to milk every dollar from their sweet, sweet IP. For that reason, audiences have rightly developed a general skepticism toward the concept. But every once in a while, a genuinely talented filmmaker finds value in telling the story before the story. They use the plot beats we already know to give their...

The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is pleased to announce that one of Asia's most internationally acclaimed actors, Tony Leung, will serve as the President of the International Competition jury at the 37th TIFF.

TIFF Chairman Ando Hiroyasu expressed his delight that the renowned actor would be returning to TIFF again after last year's wonderful masterclass and screening. (See further comments below)

Tony Leung has an extensive list of awards throughout a career that began in the 1980s, and has gained international recognition for collaborations with director Wong Kar-wai, with whom he has worked on seven films including In the Mood for Love (2000), which earned him the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actor Award, and 2046 (2004). He also appeared in three films that won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival: A City of Sadness (1989), directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Cyclo (1995), directed by Tran Anh Hung, and Lust, Caution (2007) by director Ang Lee.

Veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung will serve as the president of the international competition at this year’s Tokyo Film Festival.

“I am immensely honored to be on the jury team at TIFF this year. Japan is close to my heart in more ways than one and to be involved in celebrating film in this way, is a big deal for me,” Leung said of this appointment this morning.

“From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time. These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film, people, and its culture for me, that has just grown and grown. I’m already expecting the festival to be full of surprises and a lot of fun to preside over, I’m sure. What I hope is that it will...

Leading Hong Kong actor Tony Leung has been set as the president of the jury that will decide the main competition prizes at the Tokyo International Film Festival later this year.

“Japan is close to my heart in more ways than one. And to be involved in celebrating film in this way, is a big deal for me. From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time. These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film, people and its culture for me, that has just grown and grown. I’m already expecting the festival to be full of surprises and a lot of fun to preside over, I’m sure. What I hope is that it will be a bit of an adventure, with an audacious line up of quality films.

Hong Kong star Tony Leung is set to serve as president of the international competition jury at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).

The actor, who won best actor at Cannes in 2000 for his performance in Wong Kar-wai’s In The Mood For Love, will take part in the 37th edition, which runs from October 28 to November 6.

”From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time,” Leung recalled. ”These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film,...

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Welcome back, physical media fans. It's time for another Blu-ray round-up, and this particular edition features a study in contrasts. On one hand, we have what many will consider to be one of the best movies of the year: "Dune: Part Two" (you can read our review right here). On the other, we also have what is arguably one of the worst movies of the year: Sony's woefully inept "Madame Web" (check out our review here). But that's not all! We also have new 4K releases of several great "older" titles. Throw in the latest from one of the Coen Brothers and a Jason Statham action pic as well, and you've got yourself a jam-packed Blu-ray round-up. So keep spinning those discs and read on.

Read more: The Dark Knight Rises Ending Explained: Batman Ends

Dune: Part Two

Denis Villeneuve...

Trinity CineAsia has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In, the Hong Kong period action drama that will screen at Cannes next month, in a deal with Media Asia.

Directed by Soi Cheang, the highly anticipated feature is set to be released in Hong Kong and China on May 1 before it plays in the Midnight Screenings section of Cannes. An opening date in the UK and Ireland has yet to be announced but Trinity CineAsia said it is “scheduled for release across cinemas nationwide soon after” the festival, which runs May 14-25.

Distribution deals were...

One of the most expensive Hong Kong movies ever made (Hk$350 million or 41 million euros), “The Goldfinger” also brings together Felix Chong, Tony Leung and Andy Lau after “Infernal Affairs”, where the first co-wrote. Set in the 80s, the script is based on the story of Carrian Group, a Hong Kong corporation which rose rapidly before collapsing shortly afterwards due to a corruption scandal.

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The movie actually starts with Henry Ching's arrest, who is based on Carrian Group founder George Tan, Lau Kai-yuen, principal investigator of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac). A bit later, the timeline changes to the mid-70s, with Henry Ching arriving in Hong Kong and trying to get a job as an engineer. Considering the place is filled with people of the particular profession, he has no luck. Although so it seems, since he is eventually employed by K.

"The reason you can sleep soundly, isn't the Walled City. It's the people inside it." So let them fight! Ha. An official trailer is already available now for this Hong Kong action movie titled Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. It was recently announced as one of the Midnight premieres in the line-up at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival coming up this May. It's also opening in China and Hong Kong first right at the beginning of May before heading to France after to premiere in Europe. The film is an adaptation of the manhua City of Darkness by Andy Seto. It stars the action legend Sammo Hung as well as Louis Koo as Tornado (龍捲風), a martial arts master who is regarded as a legend in Kowloon Walled City. It's also produced by Wilson Yip Wai Sun and John Chong. The film follows the troubled youth Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam...

After a decades-long wait, it was 2006’s The Departed that earned Martin Scorsese his first Oscar win for Best Director, presented by the iconic trio of Coppola, Spielberg, and Lucas. Apart from Scorsese’s deserved victory, the thriller, based on the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, further swooped four accolades in the 79th Academy Award, including Best Picture.

But while Scorsese intended it to be a one-off thing, Mark Wahlberg, who starred as Sergeant Dignam, had ideas about continuing the story with a sequel, starring Brad Pitt and Robert De Niro.

Mark Wahlberg Once Pitched WB About Greenlighting The Departed 2

The Departed | Warner Bros.

With Mark Wahlberg‘s character being the only one to make it out alive among the main cast, for a while, the actor insisted on getting the train on a potential sequel running. With writer William Monahan and the Pain & Gain star on the same page,...

Despite the silent era producing renowned gangster films such as The Penalty and Underworld, the gangster genre did not strike a chord with mainstream audiences until the pre-Code years of the early 1930s. Just prior to the implementation of the Production Code, gangster films like The Public Enemy, Little Caesar, and Scarface revolutionized cinema with their vicious protagonists and unprecedented screen violence. Ever since, for better or worse, audiences have seemed fascinated with cinematic representations of criminal life.

In the twenty-first century, gangster films continue to be a viable international genre. Martin Scorsese expanded upon his gangster movie legacy with The Departed and The Irishman. Hong Kong cinema has produced memorable gangster thrillers such as Infernal Affairs and the Election series. In Europe, auteurs like Jonathan Glazer, Jacques Audiard, and Matteo Garrone directed significant gangster works such as Sexy Beast, A Prophet, and Gomorrah. The best gangster films of the...

Documentary fans have a lot to be excited about this month on HBO and Max. April begins with the premiere of The Synanon Fix, a docuseries that follows the rise and fall of the cult-like drug rehabilitation program Synanon. The documentary Brandy Hellville and the Cult of Fast Fashion takes a deep-dive into the controversial “one size fits most” clothing brand Brandy Mellville and the impact of fast fashion on the planet.

An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th looks at the surge of political violence and anti-government sentiment that led to the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, and the effects still felt nearly 30 years later. HBO is also returning with a second part to their popular docuseries The Jinx, with filmmakers continuing their investigation of Robert Durst.

But if documentaries aren’t your thing, there’s still plenty of popular films hitting Max in April, like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,...

It's a new month, and HBO and Max will be showering their subscribers with gifts all April long! This month, the Wbd properties will welcome the arrival of unscripted projects like the premiere of Conan O’Brien’s new travel comedy series “Conan O’Brien Must Go” and the fourth season of the Emmy Award-winning drag-centric “We're Here.” Plus, Park Chan-wook and A24’s “The Sympathizer” limited series and the highly anticipated continuation of “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” will all be available to stream throughout the month.

Find out everything coming to Max this April, including The Streamable’s top picks to add to your watch list!

Sign Up $9.99+ / month Max.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Max in April 2024? “Alex Edelman: Just For Us” | Saturday, April 6

Filmed in front of a live audience at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre in August 2023, Alex Edelman brings his solo special,...

Three-hour sci-fi action epic The Wandering Earth II (2023) was the ninth-highest grossing film worldwide last year, starring Andy Lau, and Wu Jing (Meg 2). A thrilling ride that must be seen to be believed.  

Hero (2002) is arriving in a 2-Disc Limited Edition Hardbox featuring both cuts, a modern wuxia classic starring Jet Li from legendary director Zhang Yimou. Packed with extensive special features, this is a visual spectacular not to be missed. 

Our final title to announce for June is Zu Warriors (2001), a remake of the 1983 film filled with incredible action sequences from Tsui Hark.

Check out their homepage to check out the special features and pre-order your copy today.  ...

Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki continues his investigation of convicted murderer Robert Durst in The Jinx – Part Two, a six-episode documentary series premiering on Max on April 21, 2024. The streaming service’s April lineup also includes the seven-episode limited series The Sympathizer, based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and starring Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr in multiple roles.

Comedian Alex Edelman hosts a brand new comedy special, and Conan O’Brien visits favorite fans from his podcast series in the four-episode unscripted series Conan O’Brien Must Go. The documentary series The Synanon Fix exploring the drug rehabilitation program joins Max’s lineup on April 1st. And the streaming service has set April premiere dates for the documentaries Brandy Hellville & The Cult Of Fast Fashion and An American Bombing: The Road To April 19th.

Series & Films Arriving On Max In April 2024

April 1

American Renegades (2018)

Basquiat (1996)

Black Swan (2010)

Body of Lies (2008)

Bridget Jones’s Diary...

Martin Scorsese's 2006 film "The Departed," a remake of Andrew Lau's and Alan Mak's 2002 cop drama "Infernal Affairs," was about a criminal (Matt Damon) who had been raised by a mob boss (Jack Nicholson) specifically to infiltrate the Boston Pd. At the same time, a cop (Leonard DiCaprio) was assigned a deep, deep undercover mission into Nicholson's mob, having to pose as a career criminal. Both occupied their roles for years and began to doubt their identities. "The Departed" is one of Scorsese's more awarded films, which is strange as he has made several much better films since.

"The Departed" was nominated for five Academy Awards and won four, for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing. The only actor nominated for the film was Mark Wahlberg, playing a very aggressive and extremely Bostonian Staff Sergeant named Sean Dignam. Dignam didn't play a major role in the film's story,...

As Filmart gets underway, Hong Kong’s major production companies, including Edko Films, Emperor Motion Pictures (Emp), Media Asia, One Cool Group and Universe Entertainment, will be unveiling their new titles in enormous booths at the front of the trade show floor, some of which will be as elaborate as film sets.

Many of the films they are launching are big-budget Hong Kong-China co-productions, featuring top Hong Kong stars and directors, and aimed at audiences in both China and Hong Kong. Emp has Derek Kwok’s Raging Havoc, starring Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse; Mandarin Motion Pictures has The Prosecutor, starring and directed by Donnie Yen; and Media Asia is launching four new titles headed by Behind The Scene, produced by Infernal Affairs director Andrew Lau. One Cool’s slate includes a trio of action films starring Louis Koo and produced by Soi Cheang.

But behind all the glamour, stars and action,...

Brad Pitt can immerse into different roles with ease and he will always find a way to marvel at it. With a decades-long career in Hollywood, the actor has worked with several directors in several movies but not with legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese.

Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Pitt almost had the opportunity to work with the director but he felt that he would not be fitting to the character in a crime thriller. However, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood star was involved in the film behind the camera.

Suggested“We were in the lavatory trying to sell our passports”: Brad Pitt’s ‘Troy’ Co-star Had To Resort To Extreme Means To Earn Some Money After Spending It All on Drinks and Gambling Brad Pitt Rejected A Martin Scorsese Movie of His Own Production Martin Scorsese. Credit: Apple Music Podcast

Martin Scorsese’s 2006 crime thriller,...

Well-made Hollywood remakes of international movies are rare but do exist, like Martin Scorsese's The Departed and Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. Remakes like The Birdcage and Vanilla Sky successfully adapted foreign films for American audiences and became beloved classics. While skepticism surrounds some remakes, there are instances where they worked, showcasing the talent and creativity of renowned directors like Scorsese, Tarantino, and Soderbergh.

Well-made Hollywood remakes of great international movies are few and far between, but they certainly do exist. A remake of Akira Kurosawa's classic 1963 film, High and Low, was announced, with Spike Lee set to direct and Denzel Washington to star. Even with such an esteemed filmmaker and actor duo, the remake has attracted notable skepticism. After all, Spike Lee was responsible for the critically shunned 2013 remake of the South Korean film Oldboy, but the apprehension toward American remakes of foreign films runs deeper than one instance.

Trinity CineAsia has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Table For Six 2, sequel to the smash hit Hong Kong comedy, in deal with Edko Films.

The ensemble comedy is again written and directed by Sunny Chan, whose 2022 film Table For Six centred on an awkward family reunion and became the third highest-grossing Chinese-language in Hong Kong on release in 2022 with takings of $9.85m ($77.1m).

The sequel revolves around three weddings and how a family of aunts, uncles and cousins all get involved with the nuptials. Original cast returning for the follow-up includes Stephy Tang, Louis Cheung, Ivana Wong, Lin Min Chen...

February––particularly its third week––is all about romance. Accordingly the Criterion Channel got creative with their monthly programming and, in a few weeks, will debut Interdimensional Romance, a series of films wherein “passion conquers time and space, age and memory, and even death and the afterlife.” For every title you might’ve guessed there’s a wilder companion: Alan Rudolph’s Made In Heaven, Soderbergh’s remake, and Resnais’ Love Unto Death. Mostly I’m excited to revisit Francis Ford Coppola’s Youth Without Youth, a likely essential viewing before Megalopolis.

February also marks Black History Month, and Criterion’s series will include work by Shirley Clarke (also subject of a standalone series), Garrett Bradley, Cheryl Dunye, and Julie Dash, while movies by Sirk, Minnelli, King Vidor, and Lang play in “Gothic Noir.” Greta Gerwig gets an “Adventures in Moviegoing” and can be seen in Mary Bronstein’s Yeast,...

The financial crime drama reunites Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau for the first time since ‘Infernal Affairs 3’.

Felix Chong’s The Goldfinger has made an impressive $3.2m (Hk$25m) in its home market of Hong Kong, reinvigorating the declining box office for local films.

The financial crime drama, which reunites superstars Tony Leung Chiu-wai with Andy Lau for the first time since closing out the hit Infernal Affairs trilogy two decades ago, has topped the Hong Kong box office since opening on December 30.

Released by Emperor Motion Pictures, it crossed $3.2m (Hk$25m) after just nine days (as...

Fish out of water comedy film “Jonny Keep Walking” climbed to the top of the mainland China box office in its second weekend on release. Previous winner, “Shining for One Thing” dimmed quickly and tumbled to fifth place.

The first weekend of the new year and following a welter of Christmas-New Year releases, the latest weekend represented a reordering of holdover titles, rather than a session with an injection of significant fresh movies.

“Jonny,” in which a man from the countryside struggles to hold down a corporate job in a big city, earned $22.4 million (RMB159 million) from Friday to Sunday, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was a modest fall from the film’s $26.1 million opening frame and elevated its cumulative total to $77.5 million since debuting on Dec. 29.

The film is directed by Peng Da, aka Dong Pengcheng, the prolific actor-writer-director who released two other films in 2023:...

Despite its Bond-adjacent title, The Goldfinger acts as something of a reunion from a different franchise. Re-teaming Andy Lau, Tony Leung, and writer (now writer-director) Felix Chong from the Infernal Affairs series, their newest film charts the rise and fall of a corrupt real-estate tycoon. Spanning decades, and inspired by the Carrian Group––a Hong Kong conglomerate that collapsed in the 1980s––The Goldfinger pits Lau and Leung on opposing sides, with the former playing Lau Kai-yeun, an investigator for the Icac (Independent Commision Against Corruption) and the latter as Henry Ching, an engineer who works his way through a series of shady deals to run a multi-billion dollar business.

Principally about the investigation into Ching’s company and the house of cards he built over decades, The Goldfinger is compelling in individual moments. It features two noteworthy performances by Leung and Lau. Such rich set-up notwithstanding, Chong never finds...

As we welcome in the New Year, we can reveal our annual (non-exhaustive) list of U.S. and international movies we think could grace the festival circuit in 2024. We’ve stuck to our criteria that the project must already be in production and have not already been announced for a festival. More than 70% of our selections last year went on to debut at a major festival. Those that didn’t were largely delayed by the strike or are still in post-production. If the titles below make the cut, it will be a thrilling year on the festival circuit once again.

Megalopolis

Expectations are high that Francis Ford Coppola will deliver his long-awaited $100+ million passion project in 2024. The sci-fi drama charts the story of an architect who wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia following a devastating disaster. The cast featuring Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight,...

Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” continued its golden run at the U.K. and Ireland box office with £6.6 million ($8.4 million) over the Dec. 29 weekend.

The Timothée Chalamet starrer now has a total of £43.8 million in the territory after four weekends on release.

Black Bear’s “Ferrari,” directed by Michael Mann and starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz, raced to a £1.9 million debut in second place. In third position, in its second weekend, Warner Bros.’ “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” collected £1.7 million for a total of £5.9 million.

Elysian’s “The Boy And The Heron,” directed by Miyazaki Hayao, bowed with £1.6 million in fourth place. Rounding off the top five was another debut, Sony’s “Anyone But You,” with £1.2 million.

The only other debut in the Top 10 was Disney’s “Next Goal Wins” with £844,604.

Mubi’s “Priscilla,” starring Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, and Warner Bros.’ “One Life,” starring Anthony Hopkins, both released wide across more than 300 sites each,...