Coolio’s 28 September 2022 death was caused by an accidental overdose of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine, a coroner has ruled.
No cause of death was given at the time when the “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper was found dead at a friend’s house in Los Angeles, California.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner report, which was seen by People, also reportedly listed cardiomyopathy unspecified, asthma and recent phencyclidine use as other significant conditions that contributed to his death.
Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart that makes it harder for the heart muscle to pump blood to the rest of the body.
TMZ first reported the news of the coroner’s ruling, adding that – according to family spokesperson Jarel (Jarez) Posey – Coolio’s next of kin plan to honour him through documentaries and film.
“We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and client, Coolio, who passed away this afternoon,...
No cause of death was given at the time when the “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper was found dead at a friend’s house in Los Angeles, California.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner report, which was seen by People, also reportedly listed cardiomyopathy unspecified, asthma and recent phencyclidine use as other significant conditions that contributed to his death.
Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart that makes it harder for the heart muscle to pump blood to the rest of the body.
TMZ first reported the news of the coroner’s ruling, adding that – according to family spokesperson Jarel (Jarez) Posey – Coolio’s next of kin plan to honour him through documentaries and film.
“We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and client, Coolio, who passed away this afternoon,...
- 4/7/2023
- by Tom Murray
- The Independent - Music
“The Dk Rap” composer Grant Kirkhope has hit out at The Super Mario Bros Movie for failing to credit him.
Kirkhope created “The Dk Rap” for the 1999 Nintendo game Donkey Kong 64. Following its release, the track has gone on to become an iconic part of the famous game.
Prior to the release of The Super Mario Bros Movie on Wednesday (5 April), Seth Rogen – who voices Donkey Kong – revealed that the legendary tune would be included in the new film.
In response, Kirkhope expressed his excitement on Twitter, writing: “If you’d told me in ‘97, when I wrote the rap track in the history of rap tracks, that it would go on to be in a Mario Bros movie, I would’ve burst with excitement. Long live the Dk Rap!”
After seeing the film, however, the composer’s excitement turned to disappointment when he realised that he had not been credited at all.
Kirkhope created “The Dk Rap” for the 1999 Nintendo game Donkey Kong 64. Following its release, the track has gone on to become an iconic part of the famous game.
Prior to the release of The Super Mario Bros Movie on Wednesday (5 April), Seth Rogen – who voices Donkey Kong – revealed that the legendary tune would be included in the new film.
In response, Kirkhope expressed his excitement on Twitter, writing: “If you’d told me in ‘97, when I wrote the rap track in the history of rap tracks, that it would go on to be in a Mario Bros movie, I would’ve burst with excitement. Long live the Dk Rap!”
After seeing the film, however, the composer’s excitement turned to disappointment when he realised that he had not been credited at all.
- 4/5/2023
- by Annabel Nugent
- The Independent - Film
A man who made more than £1m selling fake vinyl records was caught out by a fan of The Clash.
Richard Hutter – who has been given a suspended jail sentence – had been selling counterfeit records over a six-year period.
He was uncovered after selling an LP of the British punk band to a fan who then demanded their money back because the sound quality was not as sharp as they thought it should have been.
According to The Guardian, when the refund was refused, the customer complained to trading standards officers, who bought two sample records from Hutter’s website: Appetite for Destruction by Guns N’ Roses, and Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age. Both vinyls turned out to be fake.
Hutter’s home address was searched in July 2018 as a result, with officers seizing his phone and laptop, as well as a number of counterfeit records and sleeves.
Richard Hutter – who has been given a suspended jail sentence – had been selling counterfeit records over a six-year period.
He was uncovered after selling an LP of the British punk band to a fan who then demanded their money back because the sound quality was not as sharp as they thought it should have been.
According to The Guardian, when the refund was refused, the customer complained to trading standards officers, who bought two sample records from Hutter’s website: Appetite for Destruction by Guns N’ Roses, and Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age. Both vinyls turned out to be fake.
Hutter’s home address was searched in July 2018 as a result, with officers seizing his phone and laptop, as well as a number of counterfeit records and sleeves.
- 4/5/2023
- by Annabel Nugent
- The Independent - Music
Trinh (Veronica Ngo), a reluctant mercenary, is beholden to a crime lord who promises to release her kidnapped daughter only when she completes a series of missions. On what could be Trinh's final job, she meets and falls for Quan (Johnny Tri Nguyen) – whose hidden agenda could ruin the only chance she has of seeing her daughter again. Together with a motley crew of ass-kicking outcasts and no-goodniks, Trinh and Quan battle round after round against gangs and mafiosi… graduating each level like the progression of a video game. (Source: Tribeca Film Festival 2010)
By the creative team behind The Rebel (2009), Clash was directed by Le Thanh Son and also became the highest-grossing film in Vietnam when it was released.
By the creative team behind The Rebel (2009), Clash was directed by Le Thanh Son and also became the highest-grossing film in Vietnam when it was released.
- 3/8/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Best known around these parts for her key roles in Vietnamese action films The Rebel and Clash - both opposite screen fighter Johnny Tri Nguyen - singer, model and actress Veronica Ngo (Ngo Thanh Van) is adding 'director' to her already impressive resume with a big screen adaptation of a classic Vietnamese fairy tale with Tam Cam: Chuyen Chua Ke. A classic Vietnamese tale with some obvious similarities to the Cinderella story, Ngo seems to be giving the story a bit of the Huntsman treatment with a glossy action-fantasy approach to a previously 'untold' part of the tale featuring large scale battles and some sort of angry, spindly legged cat creature. It's remarkably ambitious stuff for any director in Vietnam - well above the normal...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 8/15/2016
- Screen Anarchy
The International Film Festival of Cannes, May 11th to 22nd, is the largest media event in the world after the Olympics. The Red Carpet Gala Premieres of world renowned auteur films, movie stars plus their photos go to every newspaper, magazine and television station in the world.
This year we’ll see the stars (and directors with their entourages) in films by Woody Allen, Jim Jarmusch, Jodie Foster ♀, Stephen Spielberg, Jeff Nichols, Sean Penn, Nicolas Winding Refn, Pedro Almodóvar, Ashghar Farhadi, Andrea Arnold ♀, Olivier Assayas, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Xavier Dolan, Bruno Dumont, Nicole Garcia ♀, Ken Loach, Paul Verhoeven, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, David Mackenzie, Matt Ross, Shane Black, Paul Schrader, Rithy Panh and others from almost 30 countries as they pose on the red carpet.
The Official Selection Competition shows films of bankable masters and Un Certain Regard spotlights original and young talent. The Official Selection also includes Out of Competition films, Special Screenings, Midnight Screenings, Cannes Classics, and the Cinéfondation Selection targeting film schools. The Cannes Short Film Corner offers a panorama of short film production worldwide.
There are more short films in the festival and three other “sidebar” festivals which have evolved since Cannes began in 1946. Directors banded together to create the Directors’ Fortnight, critics created the Critics Week and 20 years ago independent filmmakers created Acid.
And with all this hoopla, there are less than 95 feature films screening in all.
At the same time, there is an enormous film market called the Marché du Film. It is the most important event of the film industry, the meeting point for more than 10,000 professionals, including 3,200 producers, 1,500 international sales agents licensing almost 4,000 films and projects to 2,300 distributors from everywhere in the world (about 60 “territories” covering Europe, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Asia and North America), and 790 festival organizers all there to discover the gems which will make them stand out.
There are gala parties, panel discussions hosted by many different organizations, and for the past three years there has been an increasingly bright spotlight on women and the need for parity in all areas of the film industry.
Traditional theatrical and movie channel buyers are looking for undiscovered jewels, whether in the festival or in the market, films which they judge will be most appealing to their audiences.
In the market itself, Cmg is selling directors Dorota Kobiela and Welchman’s “Loving Vincent”, an animated story of Vincent Van Gogh, still unfinished but which has “presold” in 17 territories. It features over 120 of Vincent Van Gogh’s greatest paintings with a plot drawn from the 800 letters written by the painter himself, leading us to the significant people and events in the time leading up to his unexpected death.
The other big issue today is the unequal number of women in the directors’ ranks…4% worldwide is not representative of the 51% population. Cannes is working to show its interest in improving the numbers. The need to find and show good films by women is important to everyone.
Cambodia and Singapore. Critics’ Week, devoted to first and second features, chose 10 films out of 1,100 feature-length submissions and is dominated by female film-makers, with Justine Triet’s “In Bed With Victoria”, a crime thriller, selected as the opening film. And totally unique, closing night will be three short films – including Chloë Sevigny’s adaptation of the Paul Bowles novel “Kitty”, “Smile” (“Bonne Figure”) by Sandrine Kiberlain of France and “En moi” by Laetitia Casta of France.
Other films from afar include the Opening Night film of Un Certain Regard, “Eshtebak” (“Clash”) by Egypt’s Mohamed Diab, Cambodia’s “Diamond island” by Davy Chou in Competition in Critics’ Week, a Cambodian-French-German coproduction. There are two films from Lebanon, “Fallen From Heaven” a first feature in Acid and “Tramontane” in Critics Week. From Tunisia comes Karim Dridi’s “Chouf” in the Official Selection Special Screenings.
Perhaps the most exotic film showing is the Afghanistan-Denmark- France-Sweden coproduction, “Wolf and Sheep” in Directors’ Fortnight. In her debut feature, the young Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat portrays the community in a small village in rural Afghanistan through shepherd children.
Although he is still confined in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Julian Assange will make an appearance at the Cannes film festival – via Laura Poitras’s documentary “Risk”, which has been selected for the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar.
Iran’s famous Oscar-winning (“A Separation”) director, Asghar Farhadi is here with “Inversion”.
As always everyone will be running on adrenalin trying to accomplish everything in ten neverending days.
This year we’ll see the stars (and directors with their entourages) in films by Woody Allen, Jim Jarmusch, Jodie Foster ♀, Stephen Spielberg, Jeff Nichols, Sean Penn, Nicolas Winding Refn, Pedro Almodóvar, Ashghar Farhadi, Andrea Arnold ♀, Olivier Assayas, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Xavier Dolan, Bruno Dumont, Nicole Garcia ♀, Ken Loach, Paul Verhoeven, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, David Mackenzie, Matt Ross, Shane Black, Paul Schrader, Rithy Panh and others from almost 30 countries as they pose on the red carpet.
The Official Selection Competition shows films of bankable masters and Un Certain Regard spotlights original and young talent. The Official Selection also includes Out of Competition films, Special Screenings, Midnight Screenings, Cannes Classics, and the Cinéfondation Selection targeting film schools. The Cannes Short Film Corner offers a panorama of short film production worldwide.
There are more short films in the festival and three other “sidebar” festivals which have evolved since Cannes began in 1946. Directors banded together to create the Directors’ Fortnight, critics created the Critics Week and 20 years ago independent filmmakers created Acid.
And with all this hoopla, there are less than 95 feature films screening in all.
At the same time, there is an enormous film market called the Marché du Film. It is the most important event of the film industry, the meeting point for more than 10,000 professionals, including 3,200 producers, 1,500 international sales agents licensing almost 4,000 films and projects to 2,300 distributors from everywhere in the world (about 60 “territories” covering Europe, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Asia and North America), and 790 festival organizers all there to discover the gems which will make them stand out.
There are gala parties, panel discussions hosted by many different organizations, and for the past three years there has been an increasingly bright spotlight on women and the need for parity in all areas of the film industry.
Traditional theatrical and movie channel buyers are looking for undiscovered jewels, whether in the festival or in the market, films which they judge will be most appealing to their audiences.
In the market itself, Cmg is selling directors Dorota Kobiela and Welchman’s “Loving Vincent”, an animated story of Vincent Van Gogh, still unfinished but which has “presold” in 17 territories. It features over 120 of Vincent Van Gogh’s greatest paintings with a plot drawn from the 800 letters written by the painter himself, leading us to the significant people and events in the time leading up to his unexpected death.
The other big issue today is the unequal number of women in the directors’ ranks…4% worldwide is not representative of the 51% population. Cannes is working to show its interest in improving the numbers. The need to find and show good films by women is important to everyone.
Cambodia and Singapore. Critics’ Week, devoted to first and second features, chose 10 films out of 1,100 feature-length submissions and is dominated by female film-makers, with Justine Triet’s “In Bed With Victoria”, a crime thriller, selected as the opening film. And totally unique, closing night will be three short films – including Chloë Sevigny’s adaptation of the Paul Bowles novel “Kitty”, “Smile” (“Bonne Figure”) by Sandrine Kiberlain of France and “En moi” by Laetitia Casta of France.
Other films from afar include the Opening Night film of Un Certain Regard, “Eshtebak” (“Clash”) by Egypt’s Mohamed Diab, Cambodia’s “Diamond island” by Davy Chou in Competition in Critics’ Week, a Cambodian-French-German coproduction. There are two films from Lebanon, “Fallen From Heaven” a first feature in Acid and “Tramontane” in Critics Week. From Tunisia comes Karim Dridi’s “Chouf” in the Official Selection Special Screenings.
Perhaps the most exotic film showing is the Afghanistan-Denmark- France-Sweden coproduction, “Wolf and Sheep” in Directors’ Fortnight. In her debut feature, the young Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat portrays the community in a small village in rural Afghanistan through shepherd children.
Although he is still confined in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Julian Assange will make an appearance at the Cannes film festival – via Laura Poitras’s documentary “Risk”, which has been selected for the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar.
Iran’s famous Oscar-winning (“A Separation”) director, Asghar Farhadi is here with “Inversion”.
As always everyone will be running on adrenalin trying to accomplish everything in ten neverending days.
- 5/11/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Juries revealed for Un Certain Regard, Short Films & Cinéfondation and Caméra d’or.
Swiss actress Marthe Keller is to preside over the Un Certain Regard jury at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival (May 11-22). Keller is still perhaps best known for her role opposite Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man (1976) and will next be seen in Joachim Lafosse’s After Love, which will play in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.
The jury, which will consider 18 films in competition, includes: Mexican filmmaker Diego Luno, who stars in the upcoming Star Wars spin-off Rogue One; Ruben Ostlund, the Swedish director of Un Certain Regard jury prize winner Force Majeure (2014); and French actress Céline Sallette, perhaps best known for roles in Rust And Bone (2012) and TV series The Returned.
The winners will be announced on May 21.
Un Certain RegardInversion, Behnam Behzadi (Iran)Apprentice, Boo Junfeng (Singapore)The Stopover, Delphine Coulin & Muriel Coulin (France)The Dancer, Stéphanie Di Giusto (France...
Swiss actress Marthe Keller is to preside over the Un Certain Regard jury at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival (May 11-22). Keller is still perhaps best known for her role opposite Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man (1976) and will next be seen in Joachim Lafosse’s After Love, which will play in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.
The jury, which will consider 18 films in competition, includes: Mexican filmmaker Diego Luno, who stars in the upcoming Star Wars spin-off Rogue One; Ruben Ostlund, the Swedish director of Un Certain Regard jury prize winner Force Majeure (2014); and French actress Céline Sallette, perhaps best known for roles in Rust And Bone (2012) and TV series The Returned.
The winners will be announced on May 21.
Un Certain RegardInversion, Behnam Behzadi (Iran)Apprentice, Boo Junfeng (Singapore)The Stopover, Delphine Coulin & Muriel Coulin (France)The Dancer, Stéphanie Di Giusto (France...
- 4/28/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Late last week, the Cannes Film Festival unveiled their lineup at long last. The upcoming 2016 incarnation of the fest looks to be a potentially strong one, with some Cannes favorites returning alongside a whole bunch of possible awards contenders. There’s no guarantees that the festival translates to Oscar, but we almost always can get a contender or two from the group. Whether they can turn into nominees or not is another thing, but the potential is certainly there. You’ll be able to see the full Cannes lineup below, but before that, I’ll be looking over the list for a few films to really look forward to first. Then, you can take a gander at all of the titles set to unspool soon at the fest. Here we go… From what I can tell, the bigger Academy Award players, assuming the reception over in the South of France warrants it,...
- 4/18/2016
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Cannes chief discusses the festival’s repeat invitations policy and explains why Oliver Stone’s Snowden will not be premiering at the festival.
Screen sat down with Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux to discuss this year’s well-received selection and unpack some of the burning questions.
Good-afternoon, Thierry. You received 1,869 films this year but just four of the directors in Competition are there for the first time. What’s your response to those who say it is always the same names in Competition at Cannes?
We don’t always have the same names. Okay, the Dardennes and Ken Loach come back again and again, but this year Alain Guiraudie is there for the first-time while Nicole Garcia and even Xavier Dolan aren’t habitués. It’s only the second time Xavier’s been in Competition and we’ve also got newcomers like Brazil’s Mendonca, Puiu from Romanian and Germany’s Maren Ade.
At the same...
Screen sat down with Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux to discuss this year’s well-received selection and unpack some of the burning questions.
Good-afternoon, Thierry. You received 1,869 films this year but just four of the directors in Competition are there for the first time. What’s your response to those who say it is always the same names in Competition at Cannes?
We don’t always have the same names. Okay, the Dardennes and Ken Loach come back again and again, but this year Alain Guiraudie is there for the first-time while Nicole Garcia and even Xavier Dolan aren’t habitués. It’s only the second time Xavier’s been in Competition and we’ve also got newcomers like Brazil’s Mendonca, Puiu from Romanian and Germany’s Maren Ade.
At the same...
- 4/15/2016
- ScreenDaily
Like it or not, we, the American people, have set a precedent for what makes a successful action movie – among them a ruthless but righteous protagonist, a villain with a taste for the theatrical, and of course chubby comic relief that gets plugged early on in the picture. Clash (Bay Rong) adheres to those principles as dogmatically as possible, and you know what? Despite a cautionary budget for making a full-fledged action picture, it works, at its best no worse than a low-rent Statham flick. The choreography is serviceable and occasionally impressive, and there’s plenty of plot to go around – only the third acts sags, and coming up on the heels of an exciting hour and twenty minutes, that’s a bargain.
The beautiful (and therefore deadly) Phoenix (Ngo Thanh Van), trained to kill by her boss and retainer Hac Long (Hoang Phuc Nguyen), completes mission after mission in...
The beautiful (and therefore deadly) Phoenix (Ngo Thanh Van), trained to kill by her boss and retainer Hac Long (Hoang Phuc Nguyen), completes mission after mission in...
- 8/10/2011
- by Mark Zhuravsky
- JustPressPlay.net
We’ve been writing about Vietnamese actioner “Clash” (Aka “Bay Rong”) on this site for some time. So long, in fact, that you might notice that the box for the region one DVD that just came out bears a quote from us on the bottom left-hand corner. While “Clash” isn’t blazing any new trails or breaking any new ground, it is pretty much right up our alley. And by that I mean it is a badass crime film full of all out ass-kicking and large-scale gun battles. If that doesn’t sound like a damn fine way to spend a couple of hours, you and I certainly have different tastes, my friend. “Clash” begins in that storied crime film tradition, with Trinh (Veronica Ngo, “The Rebel”) putting together a crew of assorted outlaw types in order to pull off a job, a robbery of some sort. There are a...
- 8/8/2011
- by Brent McKnight
- Beyond Hollywood
Johnny Tri Nguyen and Veronica Ngo’s “Clash” (aka “Bay Rong” in its native Vietnam) arrives on DVD Tuesday, August 9th courtesy of the folks over at Indomina Releasing. Here are two clips from the movie. Lots of talking in the first one (plot progression, I guess), but the second clip is probably why you’d pick this film up, as it features some nice fighting by the two leads. Check them out below. Trinh (Veronica Ngo) is a mercenary working for Hắc Long (Hoàng Phúc), an elusive criminal mastermind, who seeks a hard drive that controls the Vinasat.1, Vietnam’s first and only satellite. Hac has kidnapped Trinh’s daughter to get her to do his bidding and now she must give him what he wants so she can get her daughter back. Trinh assembles a team of mercenaries and ex-convicts, including Quan (Johnny Tri Nguyen), to recover the hard drive,...
- 7/28/2011
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
Indomina Releasing will put Johnny Nguyen starring action flick Clash (Bay Rong) on Us shelves August 9th and to help get the word out they've offered up an exclusive clip to fans here on Twitch.Trinh, a mercenary, must complete a series of organized crime jobs for her boss in order to win the release of her kidnapped daughter. She hires several mercenaries to help, including Quan, who she becomes attracted to. Trinh and Quan's relationship becomes complicated as it becomes evident that their motivations are not the same.After hitting audiences with an action packed Us trailer for the film, Indomina are showing its softer side with this. What you get is a quiet moment between Johnny Nguyen and Veronica Ngo where their relationship moves...
- 7/25/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Directed by Lê Thanh Sơn and starring Johnny Trí Nguyễn, Ngô Thanh Vân, Hoàng Phúc, Hieu Hien and Lâm Minh Thang, Clash (aka Bay Rong) looks like one action-packed movie! Synopsis: Trinh (Ngô Thanh Vân), a mercenary, is assigned to recover a stolen hard drive containing codes to Vietnam's first satellite, the Vinasat.1. She creates an ensemble of specialists, Quan (Johnny Trí Nguyễn) and Cang (Lâm Minh Thang), to regain control of the hard drive before it is sold to the Chinese Triad. Lies and betrayal unfold as Trinh uncovers the truth behind her squad. Who can she trust? Embedded below is the trailer that features some excellent action. Video...
- 7/16/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Johnny Nguyen and Veronica Ngo made Vietnamese action movies a legitimate genre with their 2006 offering “The Rebel” (co-starring Dustin Nguyen of “21 Jump Street” fame, natch), and they’ve followed that success up with “Clash”, a film that definitely looks like it’s going for the throat with bigger and better action set pieces. After two years, the film is finally heading to Stateside DVD from Indomina Releasing on August 9th. Check out a U.S. trailer and DVD box art for “Clash” (released as “Bay Rong” domestically) below. Trinh (Veronica Ngo) is a mercenary working for Hắc Long (Hoàng Phúc), an elusive criminal mastermind, who seeks a hard drive that controls the Vinasat.1, Vietnam’s first and only satellite. Hac has kidnapped Trinh’s daughter to get her to do his bidding and now she must give him what he wants so she can get her daughter back. Trinh assembles...
- 7/12/2011
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
Today we begin what will be a Friday tradition here on the site. Ioncinema.com's Weekend Watch is a basic rundown of cinematic opening weekend offerings with Erica Elson guiding your choices in U.S Indie, Foreign, Documentaries and Studio film releases. This weekend you'll definitely want to skip the studio picks and the duelling alien items and if you're lucky enough to be in L.A or NYC you'll want to check out Abbas Kiarostami’s gem Certified Copy. U.S Indie 3 Backyards – Eric Mendelsohn – Screen Media Edie Falco stars in this atmospheric drama that takes place over the course of an autumn afternoon. It’s been getting very positive reviews and won the Directing Award at Sundance in 2010. This is Mendelsohn's big return since 1999's Judy Berlin. Metacritic: 75% MovieReviewIntelligence: 66.5% Elektra Luxx – Sebastian Gutierrez – Samuel Goldwyn Films A pregnant ex-porn star goes on a series of adventures in an...
- 3/12/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
Vietnamese action cinema is quickly becoming the soup du jour in the Rigney household, thanks in part to my recent screening of Le Thanh Son’s “Clash” (aka “Bay Rong”), a film that made me stand up and take notice of the country’s stunt-oriented output. Director Do Quang Minh’s upcoming action opus “Eliminating Order” looks spectacular, and is another reason why those who are skeptical of Vietnam’s contributions to the genre should give these guys another shot. Sure, it’s a little low-budget, but who cares? It’s a lot grittier and definitely more intense than the action flicks we’re getting in the States, and that’s all that really matters to me. Hey, I never said I had high standards. Below you’ll find two snazzy trailers — the first is official, the second isn’t — for the aforementioned actioner. If you like what you see,...
- 2/28/2011
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
Asian action movies set in modern day usually fall into one of two categories. They’re either loaded with bone breaking, skin slapping, fist pumping fight scenes, or they’re chock full of bullet ballets, armed standoffs, and gun fights. Jackie Chan and Donny Yen fit in the former category while the latter is home to the work of Johnnie To and others. There’s some crossover here and there, but for the most part the films seem content to focus on one action style or the other. Vietnamese director Le Thanh Son chose to ignore that memo for his debut and has instead filled Clash (aka Bay Rong) with an equal amount of blisteringly fast fist fights and flesh shredding gunfights. This is a good thing. He also chose to let his characters talk a bit too much. This is a bad thing. Trinh (Veronica Ngo) is a mercenary who works for a mobster named Black Dragon...
- 2/28/2011
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Variance films has announced that they'll be releasing Clash (Bay Rong) in some Us theaters starting on March 11th! The violent Vietnamese action flick is the latest from the people behind the enjoyable 2007 martial arts film The Rebel (released in the Us by Dragon Dynasty). Early festival reviews of the film have been very complimentary towards the action sequences, using words like "brutal" and "intense". We can't wait to see this for ourselves. Synopsis: Trinh (Thanh Van Ngo) is a deadly mercenary held in indentured servitude by an organized crime boss, who forces her to complete a series of increasingly impossible jobs in order to win the release of her kidnapped daughter.
- 2/18/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
Director Le Thanh Son’s “Clash” (aka “Bay Rong”) is one hell of a action movie. Although it’s plot is somewhat familiar, the cast and crew have skillfully delivered some incredibly exciting action sequences, a lot of which are contained within the embedded trailer. And while there’s really nothing wrong with the original clip, this one definitely gets the cinematic blood pumping. If you’re at all curious to see what I thought of this thoroughly entertaining martial arts actioner, be sure to take a peek at my capsule review for the title by clicking right here. Otherwise, jump right in. function getVideo() { var so = new SWFObject("http://cdn.springboard.gorillanation.com/storage/xplayer/yo033.swf", "mplayer", "590", "375", "8", "#000000"); so.addParam("wmode","transparent"); so.addParam("swliveconnect", "true"); so.addParam("allowscriptaccess", "always"); so.addParam("allowfullscreen", "true"); so.addVariable("pid", "byhw013"); so.addVariable("siteId", "243"); so.addVariable("videoId", "248673"); so.addVariable("autostart", "false"); so.
- 2/7/2011
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
Whilst the Vietnamese trailer for Le Thanh Son’s relentless action thriller Clash (aka’ Bay Rong’) at least took a real stab at imparting the plotline, the same perhaps can’t be said for the newly released UK trail for the flick. It delivers stunt sequences, tons of explosive gunplay and a feast mixed martial arts fight scenes. Just about perfect then! Clash gets released Feb 21st. Synopsis: Trinh – codename Phoenix – a beautiful young woman forced to become a mercenary thief by a powerful gangland boss and criminal mastermind known as Black Dragon (Hoang Phuc), who has ‘rescued’ her from a former life of homelessness and prostitution. Black Dragon’s leverage in the deal is Trinh’s daughter, whom he intends to hold ransom until Trinh completes a number of ‘missions’ on his behalf. Trinh’s latest assignment is to steal a laptop containing a hard drive that holds the...
- 2/5/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
Whilst the Vietnamese trailer for Le Thanh Son’s relentless action thriller Clash (aka’ Bay Rong’) at least took at real stab at imparting the plotline, the same perhaps can’t be said for the newly released UK trail for the flick. It delivers stunt sequences, tons of explosive gunplay and a feast mixed martial arts fight scenes. Just about perfect then! Clash gets released Feb 21st. Synopsis: Trinh – codename Phoenix – a beautiful young woman forced to become a mercenary thief by a powerful gangland boss and criminal mastermind known as Black Dragon (Hoang Phuc), who has ‘rescued’ her from a former life of homelessness and prostitution. Black Dragon’s leverage in the deal is Trinh’s daughter, whom he intends to hold ransom until Trinh completes a number of ‘missions’ on his behalf. Trinh’s latest assignment is to steal a laptop containing a hard drive that holds the...
- 2/5/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
Reuniting much of the cast and crew of the period action movie ‘The Rebel’ and starring famed stuntman Johnny Nguyen (Spider-Man 1 and 2; Jarhead; Serenity; Collateral) alongside pop singer-turned-actress Victoria Ngo (The Rebel; Saigon Love Story), debut feature director Le Thanh Son’s relentlessly paced - Vietnamese contemporary action - thriller Clash (aka’ Bay Rong’) is heading for UK DVD next month. Ngo stars as Trinh – codename Phoenix – a beautiful young woman forced to become a mercenary thief by a powerful gangland boss and criminal mastermind known as Black Dragon (Hoang Phuc), who has ‘rescued’ her from a former life of homelessness and prostitution. Black Dragon’s leverage in the deal is Trinh’s daughter, whom he intends to hold ransom until Trinh completes a number of ‘missions’ on his behalf. Trinh’s latest assignment is to steal a laptop containing a hard drive that holds the codes used to control...
- 1/15/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
Indomina Releasing has acquired U.S. rights to Johnny Tri Nguyen’s actioner “Clash”, aka “Bay Rong”. If the name doesn’t sound familiar, Johnny Trí Nguyen, a former Hollywood stuntman turned Vietnamese filmmaker, gave us 2006′s “The Rebel”, which co-starred Dustin Nguyen. “The Rebel” was a pretty kickass ass kicking movie, and from what I’ve seen of it so far, “Clash” seems to be just as action-packed. “Clash is a heart-pounding, martial arts, shoot-em up film that brings Vietnamese action cinema to the front stage,” said Singh Mann. “The film exemplifies the Indomina brand, and we are excited to showcase exceptional filmmaking coming from Vietnam.” Clash follows Trinh (Ngô Thanh Vân), a mercenary, assigned to recover a stolen hard drive containing codes to Vietnam’s first satellite, the Vinasat.1. She creates an ensemble of specialists, Quan (Johnny Trí Nguyễn) and Cang (Lâm Minh Thang), to regain control of...
- 10/25/2010
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
Google is a marvelous thing. Earlier today I was scanning my facebook news feed and came across photos from a new Johnny Tri Nguyen film shoot. I got excited, I gushed about Nguyen in my review of Bay Rong, and I wanted to know what it was all about. The title of the photo album was "7th Sense". I tried looking it up, Johnny Tri Nguyen + Seventh Sense came up empty. Okay, try again. I went to the only English language Vietnamese news site I could find, nothing. Okay, the album said the pictures were from Chennai. Found the Chennai local paper online, nothing. I gave up. I said, "screw it", and went looking for news about Kamal Hassan, just because he is a badass.
Did you know Kamal Hassan sponsors an eye donation program? True story.
Anyhow, a couple of links down the page, there is an article about...
Did you know Kamal Hassan sponsors an eye donation program? True story.
Anyhow, a couple of links down the page, there is an article about...
- 9/3/2010
- Screen Anarchy
[Our thanks to Josh Hurtado for this review from the Asian Film Festival of Dallas, now underway.]
I have a problem with Johnny Tri Nguyen. In the last few years, Nguyen has gone from martial arts second banana in Cradle 2 the Grave to leading man with his recent feature, Vietnamese action flick, The Rebel. The problem is that in the mean time he keeps getting stuck in those secondary villain roles, most recently in Tom Yum Goong and Power Kids. Those films are both very entertaining if a bit messy, however, it really hasn't given him much of an opportunity to spread his acting wings. Clash gives him a good start in that direction, and that is only one of several reasons it is worth watching.
The newest of the recent small crop of Vietnamese flicks making noise is Bay Rong (Clash), which features Nguyen in the lead role as Tiger. Returning to his side for Clash is his co-star from The Rebel, Thanh Van (Veronica) Ngo as Phoenix,...
I have a problem with Johnny Tri Nguyen. In the last few years, Nguyen has gone from martial arts second banana in Cradle 2 the Grave to leading man with his recent feature, Vietnamese action flick, The Rebel. The problem is that in the mean time he keeps getting stuck in those secondary villain roles, most recently in Tom Yum Goong and Power Kids. Those films are both very entertaining if a bit messy, however, it really hasn't given him much of an opportunity to spread his acting wings. Clash gives him a good start in that direction, and that is only one of several reasons it is worth watching.
The newest of the recent small crop of Vietnamese flicks making noise is Bay Rong (Clash), which features Nguyen in the lead role as Tiger. Returning to his side for Clash is his co-star from The Rebel, Thanh Van (Veronica) Ngo as Phoenix,...
- 7/24/2010
- Screen Anarchy
[Thanks to our friend Josh Hurtado for providing an advance look at the schedule.]
It is July. For me this means gearing up for my annual marathon movie event, the Asian Film Festival of Dallas. The organizers have been tossing hints at titles out via facebook and Twitter, but yesterday they finally let the cats out of the bag.
This year Affd is screening 30+ features as well as their usual shorts programs. I'm pretty sure this may be their biggest festival ever in terms of variety. The schedule looks great, with some really awesome titles and some surprises (which are almost always my favorite part!). Affd has a newly redesigned website that makes it easy to explore the titles, watch trailers, make your own schedule, and learn about the events. Facebook friends and Twitter followers are always the first to know about cool events and news, so be sure to check them out there as well as the official site for all the latest!
It is July. For me this means gearing up for my annual marathon movie event, the Asian Film Festival of Dallas. The organizers have been tossing hints at titles out via facebook and Twitter, but yesterday they finally let the cats out of the bag.
This year Affd is screening 30+ features as well as their usual shorts programs. I'm pretty sure this may be their biggest festival ever in terms of variety. The schedule looks great, with some really awesome titles and some surprises (which are almost always my favorite part!). Affd has a newly redesigned website that makes it easy to explore the titles, watch trailers, make your own schedule, and learn about the events. Facebook friends and Twitter followers are always the first to know about cool events and news, so be sure to check them out there as well as the official site for all the latest!
- 7/8/2010
- Screen Anarchy
I'm certainly no expert in the realm of Vietnamese action cinema. I know there was one such flick a few years back called The Rebel that earned some accolades and a stateside DVD release, plus I do recall an odd one from last Fantastic Fest called The Legend is Alive, but beyond that? Nada. Over the course of my festival travels I've enjoyed crazy action films from Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, the Philippines ... but not a whole lot from Vietnam.
So I'm officially one-for-one in the Vietnamese action flick department, thanks to the Tribeca Film Festival's selection of Le Thanh Son's Clash (aka Bay Rong) as part of their "Cinemania" slate. It's a broad, colorful, mostly snappy action flick that delivers the basic goods at a very brisk clip -- and doesn't waste a lot of brain cells while doling out the violence. As with virtually all of the Asian action films I enjoy,...
So I'm officially one-for-one in the Vietnamese action flick department, thanks to the Tribeca Film Festival's selection of Le Thanh Son's Clash (aka Bay Rong) as part of their "Cinemania" slate. It's a broad, colorful, mostly snappy action flick that delivers the basic goods at a very brisk clip -- and doesn't waste a lot of brain cells while doling out the violence. As with virtually all of the Asian action films I enjoy,...
- 4/23/2010
- by Scott Weinberg
- Cinematical
While most of the eyes in film are on either SXSW or ShoWest out on the West Coast, folks out on the East Coast are gearing up for Tribeca Film Festival coming up next month. Last week, the fest announced the first group of films, which included the World Narrative films, the Documentaries, as well as Showcases and Special Events.
Now, the festival is getting a bit more star-heavy, as films starring such actors as Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Casey Affleck, and even Jessica Alba have joined the list of those titles appearing at the fest. All of these films are now coming to the festival this year, as well as the world premiere of Shrek Forever After.
The fest runs from April 21st to May 2nd. Check out the full list of new films after the jump, and be sure to keep it here, as the full list of...
Now, the festival is getting a bit more star-heavy, as films starring such actors as Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Casey Affleck, and even Jessica Alba have joined the list of those titles appearing at the fest. All of these films are now coming to the festival this year, as well as the world premiere of Shrek Forever After.
The fest runs from April 21st to May 2nd. Check out the full list of new films after the jump, and be sure to keep it here, as the full list of...
- 3/16/2010
- by Matt Raub
- The Flickcast
The Tribeca Film Festival opens on April 21, 2010 and a variety of films will be on display, from documentaries and international films, to big budget films like "Shrek Forever After" (which will make its world premiere at Tribeca).
Today the festival has announced its entire feature film lineup, and you can check out below what films will be on display.
2010 Tribeca Film Festival:
Encounters
"The Chameleon ("Le Cameleon")," directed by Jean-Paul Salomé, written by Jean-Paul Salomé and Natalie Carter. (France, USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Climate of Change," directed by Brian Hill. (USA/UK) – North American Premiere, Documentary. "Every Day," directed and written by Richard Levine. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Last Play at Shea," directed by Paul Crowder and Jon Small (concert footage). (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. "Meet Monica Velour," directed and written by Keith Bearden. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Monogamy," directed by Dana Adam Shapiro, written by Dana Adam Shapiro and Evan Weiner.
Today the festival has announced its entire feature film lineup, and you can check out below what films will be on display.
2010 Tribeca Film Festival:
Encounters
"The Chameleon ("Le Cameleon")," directed by Jean-Paul Salomé, written by Jean-Paul Salomé and Natalie Carter. (France, USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Climate of Change," directed by Brian Hill. (USA/UK) – North American Premiere, Documentary. "Every Day," directed and written by Richard Levine. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Last Play at Shea," directed by Paul Crowder and Jon Small (concert footage). (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. "Meet Monica Velour," directed and written by Keith Bearden. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Monogamy," directed by Dana Adam Shapiro, written by Dana Adam Shapiro and Evan Weiner.
- 3/15/2010
- by amcsts@gmail.com
- AMC - Script to Screen
If you don’t know the names Johnny Nguyen and Veronica Ngo, get thee to a videostore and rent a little ditty from Vietnam called “The Rebel”. The film is basically Vietnam’s call to arms in the “kill every stuntmen we can get our hands on” type of actioner that the Thais have been cornering the market on now that the Chinese have moved on to bigger and (in most cases, not so much) better things like expensive historical epics and all that jazz. The latest from Nguyen and Ngo is “The Clash” (aka “Bay Rong”), which looks like another balls-to-the-walls actioner if the trailer is any indication. Word is, the film has already scored some impressive box office in Vietnamese theaters when it opened last year, so hopefully that will translate into a faster arrival in the States via DVD. Their last film, “The Rebel” took years to...
- 1/20/2010
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
So. You are a Vietnamese-American martial arts star frustrated with the lack of opportunity in America. What do you do? If you're Johnny Nguyen, you head back to Vietnam and build up the local industry there. And, with your first such attempt already having set records as the top Vietnamese box office hit of all time, how do you follow it up? You do it again. The Clash (Bay Rong) reunites Nguyen with his The Rebel costar Veronica Ngo in a high energy martial arts crime thriller. Opening in Vietnam just before Christmas, the film has torn up the local box office - leaving big budget Hollywood fare in its wake - and is showing no sign of slowing down. Good time for a new, longer trailer!
- 1/20/2010
- Screen Anarchy
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