News

Although it has long been a staple of regional cinema, the traditional Southeast Asian martial art of silat burst onto the international scene in a big way with the debut of Gareth Evan’s 2011 action film The Raid and its 2014 sequel. In fact, silat expert Iko Uwais so impressed that smaller stunt roles in Keanu Reeves’ Man of Tai Chi and then Star Wars: The Force Awakens soon followed.

Meanwhile, writer-directors Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel (as The Mo Brothers) were developing their genre chops with Indonesian features Macabre and Killers, while Tjahjanto also contributed to U.S. omnibus horror...

The Mo Brothers from Indonesia always deliver. Whether it's a disturbing slasher movie like Macabre or an intense thriller such as Killers, the directing team comprised of Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto have become a force for genre filmmaking. Their latest film, Headshot, is no exception. A balls-to-the-wall actioner with plenty of insane choreography and even crazier effects on the execution, the film proves once again that, when it comes to daring works of cinema that keeps your nerves firmly in grip and your thirst for excitement quenched, this is a filmmaking team worthy of your attention. It helps that the presence of star Iko Uwais reminds you of The Raid, as well, as the action found within is every bit as intense and heart-stopping as that action classic. Uwais stars as a man who washes up on shore without any memory of who he is or what he has done.

This week, I’ll be heading out to Austin, Texas, for my first-ever Fantastic Fest, and I could not be more thrilled. Every single year, the festival introduces audience members to some of the most insane and boundary-pushing genre fare from all over the world, and I’m excited to get my first real taste of it starting this Thursday.

And while the entire Fantastic Fest slate looks incredible (seriously, I wish I could have three clones with me in Austin just so I could see everything), I’ve put together a look at the 11 films I’m ridiculously excited to see. One note: there are several films playing at Fantastic Fest that I have already seen at previous fests, including The Eyes of My Mother, The Greasy Strangler, and Phantasm: Remastered, so it didn’t feel fair to include them here.

The Dwarves Must Be Crazy (World Premiere,...

Gareth Huw Evans’s martial arts film “The Raid” premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival to positive reviews, with much of the acclaim going to its Indonesian lead Iko Uwais whose flying fists and lightening-quick agility wowed audiences at the festival and in theaters around the country. Now, Iko Uwais stars in “Headshot” as a man who wakes up with no memory of his identity or past. His devoted student doctor Ailin (Chelsea Islan) names him “Ishmael” and helps him regain his memory; soon he learns about his past involving Lee (Sunny Pang), a vengeful drug lord. When Lee kidnaps Ailin, Ishmael must take on his skilled henchman one by one and learn the full truth about his identity. Watch the trailer for the film below.

Read More: ‘The Raid’ Being Adapted Into a Comic-Book Series

The film is directed by Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel, also known as The Mo Brothers.

Dear America – please outsource all action films to Indonesia from here-on-out. How can you watch a movie like Headshot and be content with typical Us ground-and-pound generics? The Mo Brothers (Kimo Stamboel/Timo Tjahjanto) break more bones than a twenty-story fall, (assumably) spending most of their budget on limb-cracking practical effects that still can’t distract from such aggressive beauty. Iko Uwais makes Jason Bourne look like a punk bitch in this brilliantly bone-crunching symphony of destruction, proving both the Mo Brothers and Mr. Uwais to be as boldly badass as we hoped their latest genre assault would permit.

Uwais plays a man who calls himself Ishmael, only because he wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory or identification. In the room is a napping Dr. Ailin (Chelsea Islan), who’s shocked by the previously-comatose patient’s now lively demeanor. She immediately begins nursing the empty-minded Ishmael back to strength,...

Indonesian based Mo Brothers (actual names Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto) make yet another turn in their career. From low budget slasher “Macabre” to internationally backed thriller”Killers,” and now to a genuine action film, with “Headshot.”

In a sort of Indonesian edition of Jason Bourne, the film features Iko Uwais as Ismail, an amnesiac who washes ashore with a serious head injury. A woman doctor (Chelsea Islan) nurses him back to health as he falls in love with her. Eventually though, he discovers that he is a trained killing machine, as his past returns to haunt him.

Julie Estelle, Very Tri Yulisman and Sunny Pang also star in the film.

“Headshot” is much reminiscent of “The Raid:Redemption”, with impressive and quite violent action.

The film will premiere at Toronto International Film Festival.

Watch the trailer below:...

The Raid star Iko Uwais anchors the cast of Headshot, the latest from Indonesian directing duo The Mo Brothers (Killers). And with the film's world premiere coming soon as part of the Toronto International Film Festival with the Indonesian theatrical release close on the heels of that, the producers unveiled a series of character posters at a Jakarta press conference earlier this week to launch the local PR campaign. A mysterious young man jolts awake after months in a coma, nursed back to health by young student-doctor Ailin after being discovered left for dead with a gunshot wound to the head. It’s a rebirth of sorts and, realizing that the man has lost his memory and identity, Ailin renames him Ishmael. The two quickly grow...

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

Mo Brothers' KillersSTORY60%DIRECTION70%ACTING70%VISUALS70%POSITIVESGreat protagonistsImpressive visualsAccomplished directionNEGATIVESThe main concept could be presented betterA bit too lengthyLagging at times2016-08-1568%Overall ScoreReader Rating: (0 Votes)0%

Mo Brothers took a radical turn in their career after their first film, “Macabre,” which was a low-budget slasher, with “Killers,” an Indonesian-Japanese co-production with a big budget that resulted in a stylized thriller.

The story takes place at two places at the same time. In Japan, Nomura Shohei is a seemingly charming executive with a very dark side. His “hobby” is to capture, torture, and record women in his house, on videos he later uploads on the Internet. As he roams the streets in his car one night, he witnesses a young woman, Hisae, trying to kill her autistic brother by throwing him in front of a passing car, regretting the last moment. Feeling strangely connected to this woman, Nomura visits...

Production is now under way on Indonesian action film Headshot - a film that will reunite The Raid star Iko Uwais with The Raid 2's Hammer Girl, Julie Estelle, among others - and though things are still quite early in the process co-director Timo Tjahjanto of The Mo Brothers (Killers, Macabre) has taken to Instragram to share the first shot of his star.Uwais plays a young man who washes ashore, an amnesiac with a serious head injury whose past comes back to haunt him shortly after being nursed back to health by a young doctor, the nursing back to health being the subject of these shots....

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

The Raid star Iko Uwais is on a bit of roll Soon to hit screens worldwide with a supporting part in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and also prepped to share lead billing with Ronda Rousey and Mark Wahlberg in Peter Berg's Mile 22 it would appear that Uwais has successfully made the transition to Hollywood. But what of the films that made him a star in the first place and the fans hungry to see him busting heads in his native Indonesia once again? Well, they don't have long to wait, either.Uwais will next take the lead part in Headshot, the new Indonesian feature from Killers and Macabre directors The Mo Brothers. Now deep in pre-production with principal photography scheduled to begin at the...

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

Though you likely don't know the name of Indonesia's Ginanti Rona there's a more than passing chance you've seen some of her work if you're at all a regular around these parts. For Rona, you see, has been a long time assistant director to The Mo Brothers and Gareth Evans, filling that role on The Raid movies, Killers, Macabre and the Evans / Tjahjanto co-directed segment of VHS. And she's striking out on her own now with directorial effort Midnight Show.What promises to be an intense slasher, Midnight Show tells the story of a theater hosting a late night screening of a shocking true crime based film with - or so it appears - the subject of said film in the audience. And he's not...

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

Time to give away some Blu-rays!To celebrate the Blu-ray and DVD release of Killers by Indonesian madmen The Mo Brothers, Well Go USA and TwitchFilm have teamed up to give away a pair of discs to some lucky readers. Killers was one of my favorite films from the Asian Film Festival of Dallas in 2014, and I can't wait to share the perverse joy of this film with others. Our Jason Gorber reviewed the film following its premiere at Sundance last year and had lots of great things to say, like this:Killers is to the likes of Dexter what Starship Troopers is to Triumph of the Will, a sly and extremely erudite examination of the horrors of horror. It reminds of the likes of Kim-Ki...

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

The first week of April is pretty solid when it comes to all the different genre home entertainment release choices coming your way on Tuesday. Scream Factory is set to debut Tobe Hooper’s cult classic Invaders from Mars in high-definition, the festival favorite horror comedy The Voices, starring Ryan Reynolds, is arriving on both Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Lionsgate, and we have the releases of both Killers and [Rec] 4: Apocalypse to look forward to as well.

Invaders from Mars (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)

From the director of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Lifeforce comes this space-age creature feature is crawling with horrifying hordes of Martians hell-bent on stealing your soul: as well as your planet! Little David Gardner’s starry-eyed dreams turn into an out-of-this-world nightmare when invaders from the red planet land in his backyard and unleash their hostilities on unsuspecting earthlings! Paralyzed with fear as the...

Reno 911: Boyle’s Indie Neo-Noir an Enjoyable Pulpy Exercise

For his fifth feature, indie filmmaker Dave Boyle pays homage to film noir tropes with his twisty, engaging Man From Reno. Along the lines of the light, comically inclined indie sleuthing of Aaron Katz’s Portland set Cold Weather (2010), Boyle gives noir a fresh face in the culturally ambiguous city of San Francisco. Though not all of its tangential elements feel quite successful, Boyle’s screenplay, co-written with his regular collaborators Michael Lerman and Joel Clark, features an unpredictably dark third act that more resolutely recalls the films it’s inspired by than most of its modern counterparts.

Recently escaping from a book tour back home in Japan, famed pulpy mystery author Aki (Ayako Fujitano) finds herself alone in San Francisco while her disappearance causes a dramatic furor. She runs into a sexy stranger who calls himself Akira (Kazuki Kitamura...

Once you start, where do you stop? Killers, the blood-spattered sophomore feature from the Mo Brothers (Macabre), debuts on Blu-ray™ and DVD April 7 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Produced by Gareth Evans (The Raid, The Raid 2), the horror-thriller features a psychopathic Japanese executive who accidentally triggers a journalist’s “dark side.” They begin to connect over the Internet and make a complicated bond. The film stars Kazuki Kitamura (Kill Bill: Volumes 1 & … Continue reading →

Horrornews.net...

Wherever there's water—the drippy faucet, the washing machine, that puddle on the sidewalk—you can count on him being there, too, waiting to pull you into his water-logged world. From Anchor Bay Entertainment, The Drownsman splashes onto home media this spring, and we have details on the upcoming release. Also featured in our latest horror round-up is an update on James Wan’s Malignant Man, the big screen adaptation of the writer/director's limited comic book series, as well as release date details and cover art for Well Go USA's Killers, a horror-thriller produced by Gareth Evans (The Raid 2: Berandal, The Raid: Redemption).

The Drownsman Blu-ray / DVD: Press Release - "Beverly Hills -- Can a glass of water kill? When you see a puddle on the floor, do you fear you’ll fall into it? What if the stuff of life was a gateway into your worst dreams?...

Produced by The Raid‘s Gareth Evans and directed by Indonesian duo The Mo Brothers (Macabre), psychological revenge thriller Killers is backed by some serious talent and has been scooping up rave reviews across the board. When can you see it?… Continue Reading →

The post The Mo Brothers Bring Killers into Your Home Video Collection appeared first on Dread Central.

Good day, horror fans. Is everybody else sick of this theatrical horror glut that.s taken over for the past few weeks? I mean, you can get your thrills (and groans) from Jennifer Lopez in the wide release of The Boy Next Door, but that doesn.t really count. Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto.s super-violent actioner Killers came out in limited release and on VOD, so we.ll have to make do with that. In smaller news, Eli Roth revealed to Indiewire that The Green Inferno.s release issues may be resolved soon, and that they.re looking at an August or September theatrical premiere. It screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith recently came out and said Cary Fukunaga's feature version will strive for the overwhelming terror of the novel, leaving the TV version in the dust. And ABCs of Death 2 segment director Jim Hosking will make his feature debut for...

Though not related by blood, the Mo Brothers—Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto—are sure as hell united by the red stuff. The Indonesian filmmakers are as enamored by blood’s ability to induce queasiness as exploitation king Herschell Gordon Lewis. Unlike H.G. Lewis, they also happen to be first-class filmmakers, bringing artistry to extreme gore. Stamboel and…

The post Review: The Mo Brothers’ Killers appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

The Killers Inside Me: The Mo Bros’ International Serial Spree

Directing duo Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto, better known as the Mo Brothers, team for the slice and dice serial killer thriller Killers, which should at least get credit for being a bit more psychologically advanced than one might otherwise assume. Produced by a variety of notables, including Gareth Evans and Sion Sono (you’d be forgiven if the hyper-choreographed bits of bloody violence didn’t remind you several times of either of those more infamous, stylized directors) and with its two leads hailing from The Raid 2, there’s certainly a core audience for this type of material from which the Mo Brothers do not deviate, though its violence as mindset motif seems to prize subtexts we often find swimming in the carnage of Sono’s films. Women, as are often the case in these hyperviolent explorations of the devious masculine id,...

Blood-soaked Indonesian horror-thriller hybrid Killers apes the worst aspect of serial-killer dramas like Dexter and Hannibal by pretending that elaborately repulsive acts of violence are a form of psychoanalysis of murderers' behavior. Grueling scenes of torture only overstate the obvious ties that bind Nomura (Kazuki Kitamura), a slick Japanese yuppy and self-described killer, and Bayu (Oka Antara), a disgraced journalist and accidental slayer. The movie insists it's their powerlessness that makes them murder. Nomura, a Patrick Bateman–esque psycho who slaughters defenseless women with mallets and baseball bats, attacks Bayu's friends and enemies because he's lonely and is convinced Bayu is a kindred spirit. And Bayu clumsily dons a ski mas...

Somewhere around the hour-and-ten minute mark of Killers, I recapped what had transpired and thought, “Sweet baby Jesus, what else could these maniac “Mo brothers” possibly bash me over the head with?” Violent murders, perverse lawyers, grotesque torture, acidic erasures – then I realized there was still over an hour of carnage left. Expecting more of the same serial-slashing antics, Killers happily breaks from more generic torture-porn mentalities and engages in thoughtful depictions of a “good versus evil” battle that demands blood be spilled on both fronts. All two-hours-and-seventeen minutes are utilized by the Mo brothers, with a little scripting help from Takuji Ushiyama, as their film explores the minds of mass-murderers from a visually relentless, competitive, and unsettling new light.

With life comes the inevitability of death, but there are unjust individuals who love to play God and end other people’s lives prematurely. Nomura Shuhei (Kazuki Kitamura) is such a monster,...

Hey, Toronto! Gritty Sundance selected thriller Killers is coming to the Royal Cinema for one night only on January 22nd and we've got two pairs of tickets to give away!A series of horrific murders have just gone viral, posted anonymously by the handsome and seductive Nomura (Kazuki Kitamura) with a taste for torture. Thousands of miles away, disgraced journalist Bayu (Oka Antarra) can't stop watching - and in a reckless moment discovers he, too, can kill. One man in Tokyo. One in Jakarta. A serial killer and a vigilante. As the posts multiply and the body count rises, a bizarre and psychotic rivalry begins - and the face-to-face showdown that's coming will paint the city in blood.Directed by The Mo Brothers with The Raid director...

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

The Raid director Gareth Evans takes on a producing role for the Mo Brothers' Killers and with the Sundance selected thriller hitting theaters and VOD January 23rd we've got a gallery of exclusive images to share.A series of horrific murders have just gone viral, posted anonymously by the handsome and seductive Nomura (Kazuki Kitamura) with a taste for torture. Thousands of miles away, disgraced journalist Bayu (Oka Antarra) can't stop watching - and in a reckless moment discovers he, too, can kill. One man in Tokyo. One in Jakarta. A serial killer and a vigilante. As the posts multiply and the body count rises, a bizarre and psychotic rivalry begins - and the face-to-face showdown that's coming will paint the city in blood.Take a look...

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

2014 Sundance midnight selection Killers hits Us theaters and VOD on January 23rd from WellGo USA and there's a new trailer available now to sell you on this ultra dark tale.A series of horrific murders have just gone viral, posted anonymously by the handsome and seductive Nomura (Kazuki Kitamura) with a taste for torture. Thousands of miles away, disgraced journalist Bayu (Oka Antarra) can't stop watching - and in a reckless moment discovers he, too, can kill. One man in Tokyo. One in Jakarta. A serial killer and a vigilante. As the posts multiply and the body count rises, a bizarre and psychotic rivalry begins - and the face-to-face showdown that's coming will paint the city in blood.Directed by the Mo Brothers (Macabre) and produced...

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

Almost a year after its Sundance world premiere, Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto’s brutal saga of violent impulse, Killers is hitting the U.S. from Well Go USA. Killers is, as you might imagine, a bloody affair that’s both smart and savage as it examines two men, miles and countries apart, connecting over murder. Both the…

The post Release Date, Gallery: The Mo Brothers’ Violent Saga, Killers appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

The 7th annual Arizona Underground Film Festival will screen a smorgasbord of cult flicks, horror movies, comedies and provocative documentaries on September 19-27 at The Screening Room in Tucson, Az.

Opening Night: The fest kicks off on the 19th with Killers, a dark thriller all the way from Japan and Indonesia about a psychopath and a journalist who forge an unlikely, hellish bond.

Other films to be on the look out for include documentaries like the powerful Who Took Johnny? by acclaimed filmmakers Michael Galinsky, Suki Hawley and David Belinson that examines the legacy of the disappearance of young Johnny Gosch in 1982; Penny Vozniak’s Despite the Gods, about Jennifer Lynch’s struggles to make a Bollywood musical; and Gideon C. Kennedy and Marcus Rosentrater’s wild Limo Ride.

Then, there are horror movies like the Lovecraft-inspired The Call Girl of Cthulu by Chris Lamartina; the slasher flick Crazy Bitches...

Our friends down in Ithaca, New York have been busy preparing for their third annual festival. Today they announced the first wave of titles and there are a lot of festival favorites in the first wave. The Ithaca crowd will get to see Bradley King's Time Lapse, The Mo Brothers' Killers, and Adrian Garcia Bogliano's Late Phases among others. There will also be a retrospective program titled Witchcraft in Popular Imagination. Retrospective screenings include The Wicker Man (the good one) and The Exorcist. Of course it would not be the Ithaca Int'l Fantastic Film Festival without a terrific illustrated poster. You will find a larger version below in all its baby-sacrificing glory. (Remember that you can click on it below to embiggen it.)The Ithaca International Fantastic Film Festival will return...

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

Now on UK DVD/Blu-ray is Killers, a stylish thriller from The Raid‘s Gareth Evans and directed by the hugely talented ‘Mo Brothers’ (V/H/S/2, Macabre). The film sees the explosive meeting of two serial killers with contrasting, and sadistic, styles of murder. You’ll get a taste of this in the exclusive clip we’ve shared below. Grab […]...

Stars: Oka Antara, Kazuki Kitamura, Rin Takanashi, Ray Sahetapy, Epy Kusnandar, Luna Maya, Tara Basro, Mei Kurokawa | Written by Takuji Ushiyama, Timo Tjahjanto | Directed by Kimo Stamboel, Timo Tjahjanto

When presented with a film proudly stating “from the producers of The Raid” you’d expect it to be similar, but with Killers that thought would be wrong. This isn’t a bad thing though, the subject matter makes up for it. A psychological battle of wits between two serial killers from different backgrounds being drawn together through the lust for murder is an interesting concept, what will happen when they finally meet?

Bayu Aditya (Oka Antara) is a loser in life, a failed investigative journalist and separated from his wife he finds himself pushed into murder when defending himself from a mugging. Nomura Shuhei (Kazuki Kitamura) is a charismatic good-looking man in his early thirties and more importantly successful. Behind...

Believe it or not, films and television programmes added to Netflix and Amazon do have a tendency to expire and no longer be there after a while; this isn’t as publicised as when the titles in question are added though. So by the time you read this there are around 50 titles disappearing from Netflix.

If you have ever wanted to watch the 2002 version of The Count of Monte Cristo then you have probably missed your chance by now. What this does mean however is that probably next week Netflix will have added a whole raft of new stuff, I say new but it will probably be a mixture of catalogue and stuff from the last year. I know that the underrated Enders Game and the superior Hunger Games: Catching Fire is due there in September, I just don’t know when.

In other Netflix news, they made industry headlines...

The Mo Brothers' latest blood-soaked slice of mayhem, Killers, hits UK DVD and Blu-ray on September 1; and to celebrate we have a rather gruesome new Nsfw clip to get the fires burning. Seriously – this one brings the pain!

Synopsis

Nomura is a good looking and stylish man in his early thirties who lives a successful life in Tokyo, Japan. Girls are drawn to him, something he uses to his advantage as none of them realise the sinister truth behind the clean-cut façade.

Nomura has been leaving a legacy of violent murders that he immortalises through video clips posted on a public video website. He thrives off of the fact that millions are witnessing his work through the virally spread videos.

Thousands of miles away from him, in a whole different world, lives Bayu, a disgraced investigative journalist living in a violent and unstable Jakarta, Indonesia. As Bayu’s life...

We told you a month ago that the hotly anticipated new film from Macabre directing duo Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto (aka The Mo Brothers), Killers, had theatrical and DVD/Blu-ray release dates in the UK; and right now we have new stills and a trailer for you to chew on!

Killers arrives on store shelves September 1st.

Synopsis:

Nomura is a good-looking and stylish man in his early thirties who lives a successful life in Tokyo, Japan. Girls are drawn to him, something he uses to his advantage as none of them realise the sinister truth behind the clean-cut façade.

Nomura has been leaving a legacy of violent murders that he immortalises through video clips posted on a public video website. He thrives off of the fact that millions are witnessing his work through the virally spread videos.

Thousands of miles away from him, in a whole different world,...

Philadelphia's Awesome Fest sounds… well… awesome. To be clear, though, it appears this is an evolution of the already-existent event, which is now being called The Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival. As you would expect with a name like that, Bruce Campbell will indeed be there as part of the four-day event in Rosemont, Il, where they'll also be screening a slate of horror titles curated by Scott Weinberg, horror maven and the resident critic at the just-killed FEARnet. They'll also have panels, and they've got some great ones planned. Overall, it looks like a really cool chance to see a fistful of the best of what indie horror has going on right now with bonuses that simply make the weekend better. From August 21 to August 24, you'll be able to check out some great films. How? Well, here's how they put it: Tickets for All screenings are free to attend...

It’s that time of year again, Summer is coming to an end and before you know it, Austin’s Fantastic Fest 2014 will be here. This year is the 10th anniversary of the festival. However, as of now, many people are unsure if it will return to South Lamar where it has taken place every year with exception of 2013. The South Lamar location closed in the Winter of 2012 and the land has gone through redevelopment. We have word via Twitter that it will be at S. Lamar but we won’t know for sure until the announcement is made.

While we still are waiting on the official announcement of the opening night film and all the waves of programming, like every year, we wanted to get our predictions for what may play at the festival out of the way. There is really no way of picking every film that could play the festival.

Horror fans are in for a treat during Wizard World Chicago. It has been announced that the first ever Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival will coincide with Wizard World Chicago, featuring new horror films, special guests, and a screening of the first three Evil Dead movies:

“Rosemont, Il – July 31, 2014 – Philadelphia’s The Awesome Fest, in partnership with Wizard World Inc. and horror icon Bruce Campbell, announced today the first ever Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival, running August 21-24, 2014 in Rosemont, Il. The four-day event will coincide with Wizard World Chicago Comic Con and will feature the best in independent horror cinema with a full slate of film premieres, panels, special guests, movie marathons, and of course, Bruce Campbell!

“We could not be any more thrilled to partner with Bruce Campbell on this festival”, said fest director & programmer Josh Goldbloom. “From the ground up, we’ve been able to design a...

Heads up UK fight fans. Killers, the stylish thriller from The Raid producer/ Director Gareth Evans and directed by the hugely talented ‘Mo Brothers’ (Macabre) will be in UK (grab a chance to see it on the big screen if you can) cinemas from 18th July...Before heading to DVD & Blu-ray 1st September! We could talk about its swathe of excellent reviews, and you could go all the way through the synopsis (we tried to find a decent shorter one!) or you can just go for a trailer full of mayhem! Synopsis: Nomura is a good looking and stylish man in his early thirties who lives a successful life in Tokyo, Japan. Girls are drawn to him, something he uses to his advantage as none of them realise the sinister truth behind the clean-cut façade. Nomura has been leaving a legacy of violent murders that he immortalises through video clips...

A number of Sound On Sight editors and contributors are geographically fortunate enough to make the Fantasia Film Festival an annual must-attend event. I have never been to the festival, but have followed it from afar since it landed on my radar years ago when a well-received short film I had a major acting role in called My Sweet Satan, played there.

This year’s lineup of films strikes me as substantially more intriguing than the programs of the last couple of years. Given Fantasia’s staggering breadth of programming spread across multiple weeks, the challenge is in trying to narrow a ‘most anticipated’ list down to just five films. My picks, in alphabetical order, are as follows.

****

Among the Living

Written and directed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury

France, 2014

Also known as Aux yeux des vivants (The Eyes of the Living), the third feature film from the outstanding...

The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival will be taking place once again in Montreal and the first wave of programming has been announced, revealing an eclectic mix of genre films from around the world:

“Montreal, June 19, 2014 – The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is gearing up to take Montreal by storm with three weeks of inspiration and excitement starting July 17 until August 5, 2014. Our full 2014 lineup of programming and special events will be revealed shortly, but in the meantime, here’s an early First Wave Announcement of several selected highlights and info to whet your appetite.

Unveiling Our 2014 Poster Art: Fantasia Pays Tribute To Three Legendary Figures Of The Fantastic

On May 7 of last year, Ray Harryhausen, filmmaker and stop-motion special effects pioneer, passed away at the age of 92. Mr. Harryhausen created some of the most beloved and innovative fantastic film imagery of all time in such classics as The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad...

The grandaddy of all film fests, Fantasia 2014, is set to kick off on July 17th, and we have this year's artwork to share along with the first wave of event and film announcements.

From the Press Release:

The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is gearing up to take Montreal by storm with three weeks of inspiration and excitement starting July 17 until August 5, 2014. Our full 2014 lineup of programming and special events will be revealed shortly, but in the meantime here’s an early First Wave Announcement of several selected highlights and info to whet your appetite.

For this year’s edition and onwards, Fantasia will be returning to the freshly renovated Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, which now features an even larger screen, new seating, and upgraded projection and sound.

Unveiling Our 2014 Poster Art: Fantasia Pays Tribute To Three Legendary Figures Of The Fantastic

On May 7 of last year,...

Genre festival to open with Jacky in the Kingdom of Women [pictured]; other titles include Guardians of the Galaxy, Boyhood, The Harvest and Suburban Gothic.

Riad Sattouf’s Jacky in the Kingdom of Women will receive its Canadian premiere as the opening film of this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival.

The Montreal-based genre festival runs July 17-Aug 5 and has also announced it will hold a special screening of Guardians of the Galaxy.

Other first wave announcements include six world premieres: Leo Gabriadze’s Cybernatural; Jean Luc Herbulot’s Dealer; Aik Karapetian’s The Man in the Orange Jacket; Sarah Adina Smith’s The Midnight Swim; Dan Bush’s The Reconstruction of William Zero; and Richard Bates Jr’s Suburban Gothic.

Fantasia has also announced six international premieres, including John McNaughton’s The Harvest and Park Jae-hyun’s The Huntresses, and ten Canadian premieres such as The Mo Brothers’ Killers and Mike Cahill’s I Origins.

Richard Linklater’s critically...

It is that time of the year again in which we start preparing for our favourite film festival in the world. For the unfamiliar, Sound On Sight has delivered some of the best coverage of the Fantasia Film Festival since we first launched back in 2008. In the past we’ve published up to 55 reviews, dozens of features and recorded six podcasts dedicated entirely to the three and a half week long event. So be sure to come visit us again and again throughout the months of July and August, as we will surely be all over the 2014 edition. The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is taking Montreal by storm, starting July 17 until August 5, 2014. They’ve just released their new poster and along with the first wave of films, and as expected, Fantasia’s programmers aren’t disappointing. Here’s the press release. Enjoy!

****

Montreal, June 19, 2014 – The 18th annual Fantasia...

The entry of local conglomerate Lippo Group and Korea’s Cj Cgv into Indonesian exhibition looks set to shake up a market that has huge potential but has so far failed to grow.

The Riady family’s Lippo Group is planning to build 1,000 screens over five years across the country under its Cinemaxx brand – initially focusing on second and third tier cities before moving into major metropolises such as Jakarta.

The huge conglomerate – which has interests in retail, media, real estate, hospitality and healthcare – is well placed to expand Indonesia’s exhibition infrastructure as it owns shopping malls and has the deep pockets and political connections necessary for the job.

In recent months it has been signing deals with technology providers such as Masterimage 3D, Dolby Atmos, Gdc and Barco and is also developing its own giant screen brand MegaMaxx. “Our goal is to offer state-of-the-art technology with first-class amenities,” said Cinemaxx...

Now that The Raid 2 and Killers are out in the wild, the talents behind those two awesome slices of Indonesian action are collaborating on the dark action thriller The Night Comes For Us, where things are shaping up very nicely indeed. The last time Gareth Evans and Timo Tjahjanto collaborated was on the sensational Safe Haven chapter of V/H/S 2, and this time Tjahjanto is directing a script penned by the both of them, while Evans produces and handles action direction. Already on board are Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian, familiar faces to any pre-existing fans of The Raid who may be out there, as well as Hammer Girl herself, Julie Estelle. Now, via the production's official Instagram feed, we have a few more names to...

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

Exclusive: Indonesian action star Yayan Ruhian (The Raid, The Raid 2) has been cast opposite Hayato Ichihara in Takashi Miike’s return to hardcore genre filmmaking.

Billed as the world’s first yakuza vampire movie, Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War Of The Underworld is currently in production for a 2015 theatrical release in Japan. Nikkatsu is launching sales in Cannes.

The Japanese studio already has an Indonesian connection as it recently co-produced Killers, directed by Indonesia’s Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto.

Scripted by Yoshitaka Yamaguchi, Yakuza Apocalypse stars Ichihara as a yakuza underling who discovers his boss is a bloodsucker, only to get bitten himself before going up against a gang of deadly international assassins. Ichihara previously starred in TV series Rookies and Miike’s 2008 God’s Puzzle.

Ruhian, who plays one of the international assassins, specialises in the Silat style of martial arts and also starred in Gareth Evans’ Merantau before The Raid and The Raid 2.

A few years back, it looked like Kevin Smith was going to retire from directing, but not only does he have multiple projects in the works, but many of them are horror-related. Anti-Claus is the name of his latest film, a Christmas horror movie that features the Krampus and we have new details from a recently issued press release:

“Los Angeles, CA (April 28, 2014) – Xyz Films has picked up all international sales rights to Kevin Smith’s Anti-claus, a Yuletide horror film populated by the stars of Smith’s Tusk, including Justin Long, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez and Michael Parks. The festive fright flick will be produced by Jordan Monsanto, Andy McElfresh and Jennifer Schwalbach for Smith’s SModcast Pictures, with Jason Mewes executive producing. Xyz Films will give buyers their first look at the project during the Marché du Film this May.

Anti-claus tells the tale of the centuries-old,...

Xyz Films has picked up all international sales rights to Kevin Smith’s Anti-claus, a Yuletide horror film populated by the stars of Smith’s Tusk, including Justin Long, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez and Michael Parks.

The festive fright flick will be produced by Jordan Monsanto, Andy McElfresh and Jennifer Schwalbach for Smith’s SModcast Pictures, with Jason Mewes executive producing. Xyz Films will give buyers their first look at the project during the Marché du Film this May.

Anti-claus tells the tale of the centuries-old, devil-like creature known the world-over as the Krampus – the “Anti-Claus” of Alpine country folklore, infamous for eating naughty children during the season of giving.

“When I was a kid, if they wanted to make a Christmas horror movie, they’d stick an axe in Santa’s hands,” says Smith. “In Anti-claus, we leave Santa alone and creep with the Krampus through twisted tales of holly-jolly murder,...

Some quick casting news has arrived for The Night Comes for Us from Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre, V/H/S/2) and Gareth Evans (The Raid), as The Raid 2: Berandal's "Hammer Girl," Julie Estelle, has joined the upcoming Weinstein production.

Radius-twc acquired the North American rights to The Night Comes for Us, which will be directed by Timo Tjahjanto (Killers). Raid director Gareth Evans will handle the action direction for the film.

The Raid: Redemption's Joe Taslim plays a mobster who returns to his local crime family in Jakarta only to find himself trapped in a word of betrayal and chaos. Martial artist Iko Uwais is choreographing the action, and Yayan Ruhian will also star.

Evans will produce alongside Maya Barack Evans of Pt Merantau Films and Xyz Films’ Nate Bolotin, Aram Tertzakian, Nick Spicer, and Todd Brown.

Look for the film to kick all of our asses in 2015!

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

The Right One is a love story set in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Even Julia Roberts traveled half of the world to find love there in Eat Pray Love. Yes, I'm talking about Bali. Heck if it works for her it must be work for us here in Indonesia, So here's the new romance from director Stephen Odang, with cast Tara Basro (Killers) & Gandhi Fernando (California Solo) as the love birds. Here's the official synopsis i get from IMDb; Two people cross-path their entire life and only fate decides their future. There you go, I bet fate decides they get together in their future, or maybe not, I don't know until i watch it right? And of course you...

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

This Week:

The Indonesian horror film Killers gets a domestic release; San Andreas nabs Alexandra Daddario; Hannah Ware joins Agent 47; The Fast and the Furious director Rob Cohen signs on to helm Risk; and Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson will return for Pitch Perfect 2.

-

Horror aficionados better pay attention, because a real treat is headed our way later this year. Well Go USA has just announced they will distribute the Indonesian film Killers to Us theaters in Q4 of 2014.

Killers is yet another disturbing horror flick orchestrated by the Mo Brothers, Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel. It follows two men, one a journalist and the other a Japanese killer, in a sinister ...

Click to continue reading Movie News Wrap Up: ‘Pitch Perfect 2,’ ‘Agent 47′ & More

The post Movie News Wrap Up: ‘Pitch Perfect 2,’ ‘Agent 47′ & More appeared first on Screen Rant.