“Jodhaa Akbar,” a historical romance directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, is filmmaking on the grand scale of Cecil B. DeMille, with romance, stirring battles, a cast of thousands and enough elephants and gold to sink the Titanic. In this lengthy 209 minutes movie, the sequence of events, the drama, the romance, the war every aspect keeps you mesmerized despite it was a connoisseur's epic that relies more on character and dialogue than on big battles and teeming extras. A return to form by writer-director Ashutosh Gowariker ("Lagaan”), this cross-cultural big-budgeter about a legendary romance between a Muslim emperor and a feisty Hindu princess has received outstanding response at US and UK box-office. The film has grossed $1.3 million dollars in the first weekend in the North American box office. The film had a somewhat weak start at the Indian box office but thanks to good word of mouth publicity, it went on to do a business of Rs. 62 crore and has been declared a superhit. AOL India (Noyon Jyoti Parasara) gave it four stars, saying " Ashutosh Gowariker has proved that he is one of the best filmmakers we have today. While your heart goes for the love between the two protagonists, the film leaves you at such heights of emotions that you would literally be shaking with excitement! The film also comes at a very right time as Akbar indeed could be a role model for people and rulers today. The king not only had a secular vision, but also a will to know what the common man wanted, apart from being kind hearted and noble." Now, one of the most grandeur Indian films of this year is up to collector’s special edition DVD release. With 3 discs included, this edition would be very hefty not only with the long duration film but also with the special addition featurettes.Jodhaa Akbar is a sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa.Political success knew no bounds for Emperor Akbar (Hrithik Roshan). After having secured the Hindu Kush, he furthered his realm by conquest until his empire extended from Afghanistan to the Bay of Bengal, and from the Himalayas to the Godavari River. Through a shrewd blend of diplomacy, intimidation and brute force, Akbar won the allegiance of the Rajputs. This allegiance was not universal. Maharana Pratap and many other rajputs always considered Akbar as a foreign invader. Maharana Pratap also banned inter marriages between rajputs who had given their daughters to the mughals and the ones who did not. But little did Akbar know that when he married Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), a fiery Rajput princess, in order to further strengthen his relations with the Rajputs, he would in turn be embarking upon a new journey – the journey of true love.The daughter of King Bharmal of Amer, Jodhaa resented being reduced to a mere political pawn in this marriage of alliance, and Akbar’s biggest challenge now did not merely lie in winning battles, but in winning the love of Jodhaa – a love hidden deep below resentment and extreme prejudice. Jodhaa-Akbar is their untold love story.
Film Level: 7,5 stars out of 10 DVD Level: 8 stars out of 10
Product Specifications: •Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen •Language: English •Region: All Regions •Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 •Number of discs: 3 •Studio: Utv •Run Time: 209 minutes •ASIN: B0015B04EA (Save your copy)(Sources: Wikipedia, Amazon, Yahoo India Movies)
Back to the ancient Japan where fantasy version of Samurai walk the earth to kickin’ their enemy butts. And here is come martial arts fantasy with a little touch of horror, special FX heavy “Dororo”. Hit theaters in Japan last year, the film was soon became a major blockbuster of the year, it resonated well with hometown audiences young and old alike. Adapted from bestseller manga series of the same name created by Tezuka Osamu, the plot itself was revolves around the exploits of a truly unique and tragic hero, Hyakkimaru (literally "Hundred Demons") who was cursed from birth and born a living husk (faceless, organ-less, limbless and all but an empty torso). While the title was referred to “Dororo,” but actually the film has little to do with the character other than that she is Hyakimaru's sidekick, who also supplies some of the comedic relief from the one-dimensional character that Hyakimaru is. However, the comic version itself after episode 14 was renamed to “Dororo and Hyakkimaru.” The original story also actually takes places during the warring states of Japan, but in its manner way, the movie changes that as well as some minor parts here and there. With some unique and worth a look storytelling, characters, visuals and acting, “Dororo’ now embark on the region 1 DVD shipment. This home cinema version again will represents altogether Japanese style of cinematography and gives the western audience a chance to have a fine look on eastern mythology themes.Filmed in New Zealand and with two additional films are currently in production, and have been scheduled to hit Japan theaters in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The film's storyline has some major differences from that of the manga, most notably Dororo is played by a young woman instead of a little boy, though she does at times act as and refer to herself as a boy. Here is the plot of this first film: In the distant future of Japan, samurai Daigo Kagemitsu makes a deal with the 48 major demons known as majins. The 48 demons offer Daigo Kagemitsu the power to win all future battles and become the lord protector of Japan. In return Daigo Kagemitsu must allow the demons to take away 48 body parts of his future unborn son. Daigo Kagemitsu accepts the demons offer. The boy eventually is born but without 48 body parts. Daigo Kagemitsu wants to kill the son immediately but his mother manages to place the boy in a basket to float away in a river. The boy is then rescued by a magician who takes pity over the infant and takes him in as his own. The magician over the years devises prosthetic body parts for the boy who is now named Hyakki-Maru. When Hyakki-Maru reaches adulthood he embarks on a journey to kill the 48 demons and regain his natural body parts. Along the way he encounters a spunky young girl named Dororo who joins him on his quest to become "normal" again and accepted by the people.The action choreography was done by Hong Kong master Siu-Tung Ching, who worked also on such films as ”Hero”, “House of Flying Daggers”, and “Curse of the Golden Flower”. Offered some stylist action sequences that richen the film visualization. Also the New Zealand landscapes that offered a backdrop that was pleasing to the eye. But the FX somewhat came in with mixed result, it sometime fantastic but poor as well like we have seen in many low budget fantasy films or any episode of “Power Rangers”. Directed by Satoshi Tsumubaki whose well-know before as an indie director, his nervousness in directing the first big budget flick was really clear-cutted here. His character, Hyakki-Maru, was supposed to be a gloomy soul, devoid of inner peace because of his physical anomalies. Thus Hyakki-Maru was usually shown in a grim cold state. But all the involved actors somehow quite succeed to seize each of their parts here, they should have grabbed your attention immediately also. But still, it felt too long as a 138 minute epic fantasy piece, he first hour and twenty minutes were just an overly long prelude that should have been condensed in half the time.Product Specifications: Product Title: Dororo Region 1 DVD Actors: Mieko Harada, Yoshio Harada, Katsuo Nakamura, Kiichi Nakai, Tetta Sugimoto Directors: Akihiko Shiota Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Language: Japanese Subtitles: English Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only) Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Number of discs: 1 Studio: Universal Studios Run Time: 139 minutes DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008 (Save Your Copy)
It’s not a sweet drama like we can imagine just how we read the title, but the main actress is somehow really sweet though. But with this film which also her first acting experience, Jija Yanin Vismitananda already stands peerless as Asian Cinema's next big female action star. Directed by Prachya Pinkaew and action director Panna Rittikrai, the tag team behind Thai action blockbuster “Ong Bak”, “Chocolate” is an explosive new blockbuster movie that all in all is a very entertaining film. This film also could remembering you with the 80’s HK cinema where it’s flooded with action heroines like Michelle Yeoh, Moon Lee, Sibelle Hu, Cynthia Rothrock and Michiko Nishiwaki who are among the many of them who could easily kick one’s ass hard.
The story is about a young autistic woman named Zen (Yanin Vismistananda) who has developed uncanny martial arts skills by watching television, and from living next door to a Muay Thai academy. The girl is the daughter of Zin (Ammara Siripong), the Thai wife of Yakuza boss Masashi (Hiroshi Abe). Zin was previously the girlfriend of Thai gangster No. 8 (Pongpat Wachirabunjong), who was jealous of her relationship with rival gangster Masashi. After Zin chose Masashi, he shot his own toe and forbids Zin from ever seeing him again. Zin asks Masashi to go back to Japan as they would not be able to be together safely. He begrudgingly leaves. Soon after Zin finds herself pregnant and moves into a new place to get away from No. 8. She has a daughter that she names Zen. Soon it is discovered that Zen suffers from Autism and will need special care. As Zen gets older, one day Zin decides to tell Masashi about his daughter by writing him a letter. No. 8 finds out that Zin is in contact with Masashi and is furious. He visits Zin and cuts off one of Zin's toes, to remind her she is forbidden from seeing Masashi. Zin is forced to move again to a house shared by a Muay Thai kickboxing school. Zen becomes infatuated with martial arts and begins to self-teach herself by mimicking the moves she sees as well as what she watches on television. One day when coming home from work Zin sees a poor little boy being picked on in the streets named Muum. Feeling sorry for his plight she takes him in. It is shown that Zen has uncanny reflexes and is able to catch balls thrown without even looking. Zin then falls ill with cancer, and does not have the money to pay for treatments. Zen and Muum attempt to make money to pay for these treatments by having people throw balls at her as a street performer. Unfortunately they are not able to earn enough to keep up with the treatments. One day, Muum discovers a list of debtors in an old notebook, from the days when Zin was a high-interest moneylender under No. 8. In order to get money to pay for her mother's cancer treatment, Zen and Muum decide to collect on the debts, which lead to confrontations with various criminal gangs and, eventually, No. 8.
The star of Chocolate, Yanin Vismistananda, was discovered by director Prachya Pinkaew in 2003 when the director was working on casting sessions for Panna Rittikrai's directorial effort, Born to Fight. Already experienced in taekwondo, Yanin underwent more training with Panna Rittikrai's stunt team. The script for Chocolate was then developed with Yanin in mind. The film was in production during 2006 and 2007, with promotional efforts including a cast appearance at the Bangkok Film Market during the 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival in July.
DVD Specifications: Product Title: Chocolate (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) Region Code: 3 - South East Asia (including Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taiwan) Language: Thai Subtitles: English, Traditional Chinese Aspect Ratio: 1.78: 1 Anamorphic Widescreen Sound Information: Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1 Duration: 110 minutes Publisher: Kam & Ronson Enterprises Co Ltd Release Date: June 3, 2008 (Save your copy)
Muay Chaiya is an ancient style of Thailand martial arts, Muay Thai. Historical records reveal the art to be at least 200 years old, but it is believed the art originated and has evolved along with the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand) some thousands of years ago. The art flourished most during the years of Muay Kad Chuek (Hemp bound fist fighting) where opponents were allowed to use any technique they see fit. Muay Chaiya originated within the royal compounds and was brought to the South by a warrior general-turned-monk named Tan Poh Ma. Thus, it can be said that Muay Chaiya actually a style of boxing as used by elite generals and warriors close to the royal family.
The movie takes place over the course of years during the late 1970s and early 1980s, an action drama film about two talented muay Thai boxers, boyhood friends whose lives take divergent paths after they arrive in Bangkok. Growing up in Chaiya, Surat Thani Province, three boys, Piak, Pao and Samor, are followers of Pao's brother, Krang (Prawit Kittichanthira), a legendary muay Thai fighter who is taught by Pao's father, Tew (Samart Payakaroon). After an accident partially cripples Samor, Piak and Pao train as boxers under Tew, but the boxing school is broken up when Tew and Krang are recruited for a gym in Bangkok. Eventually, Piak and Pao go to Bangkok themselves, bringing along Samor, and Sripai, a nurse who is engaged to Piak, but whom Pao secretly loves. Piak's hot-headedness makes him a fierce fighter, but it is also a liability that costs him a fight and ends his career. He joins the world of underground bare-knuckles brawling, and he and Samor take on other jobs in the underworld as well, including helping out at go-go bar where the pretty Warn dances and seduces Piak. While working for the underworld, both of them ended up also doing dirty works for their boss. Pao, meanwhile, begins training with his father, and works his way up the ranks, is put forward as a top boxer in a match against a fierce farang, Diamond Sullivan, which places Pao at odds with the gangsters whom Piak and Samor work for.KRU PAIK. Sri pai later saw Piak in bed with Warn and went to find Pao. Pao and Sripan live together since while Piak took over the undergroun business once his boss was killed by another rival boss.
But although the fighting style displayed in the movie is attempting to portray the ancient style of Muay Thai Chaiya, it is not an accurate representation of the art. There are several discrepancies. The Taa Kruu posture shown with one knee raised is a fundamental aspect of Muay Thai Chaiya which most of the look mai (complementary techniques) progress from, this is not apparent in the movie however. The footwork of Muay Chaiya is also very complex and involves very metered lateral angles, and sophisticated leveling, which is not portrayed accurately. Muay Chaiya also placed a large importance on groundwork and takedowns, absent in the film. Finally, kicks in Muay Chaiya are not thrown with one arm down, as in modern stadium Muay Thai, but rather by turning the entire upper body in the direction of the kick, with both arms protecting the face, and body horizontal to the ground. It is fair to say that much of the stylistic interpretations of Muay Chaiya in this movie are more representative of stadium Muay Thai.
DVD Specifications: Product Title: Muay Thai Chaiya (DVD) (Thailand Version) Region Code: 3 - South East Asia (including Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taiwan) Language: Thai Subtitles: Thai Aspect Ratio: 1.78: 1 Anamorphic Widescreen Sound Information: Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1 Duration: 114 minutes Publisher: Thai CD Online Release Date: 2007-11-19 (Save your copy)
This film is an action fantasy drama that tells a story about a village called Siyama and its people's struggle to defend their homeland. This wartime story occurs during the Ayudthaya period and narrates the heroic bravery and sacrifice of the great land's legend with Preecha Songsakul, a well-known commercial director,as the film's screenwriter and director. This film is also about a tale full of rich history that touches on issues of patriotism, ancient beliefs, and loyalty towards each other and of one's origin, connecting both values and points of view from the past and of the present.
Three young Thai girls from the present Ana (Thitima Maliwan), Gift (Nuttanan Juntarwet), and Bote (Boriboon Chanruang) are mysteriously destined to travel back in time through a portal to an old forgotten city. It is an era of civil war among the people of Siam where the fight is to protect the capital city of Ayuthaya from being conquered and overthrown. Bloodshed is about to unfold among the small group of villagers loyal to their land and prepared to battle to the death with the opposing military troops of Ong Mien, known for their cut throat, piercing swords. Siyama led by, Kru Jom, uses religious sorcery to protect his small village located amidst a ravine populated by only a mere one thousand villagers and two hundred rooftops. By being the choice of passage towards the capital city of Ayuthaya, Siyama becomes a targeted obstacle for the gruesome military brigade of Ong Mien. Anna, Gif, and Bote from present day Bangkok are thrown into a gateway through time. They suddenly appear out of no where right at the onset of battle causing utter confusion and havoc among the soldiers. These girls are forced to put their learned history knowledge to the test to see if they can save Siyama from being utterly destroyed.
DVD Specifications: Product Title: Siyama : Village of Warriors (DVD) (Thailand Version) Region Code: 3 - South East Asia (including Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taiwan) Language: Thai Subtitles: English Aspect Ratio: 1.78: 1 Anamorphic Widescreen Sound Information: Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1 Publisher: Thai CD Online Release Date: 2008-04-11 (Save your copy)
Still hot on the heels of “Ong-Bak”, “Tom Yum Goong” and “Muay Thai Chaiya,” this movie continues to raise the bar for Thai action flicks. Just as the predecessors, “Fighting Beat” recalls the best of the classic martial arts films of the 70s and 80s while tossing the genre kicking and screaming into the 21st century. The top-notch fight choreography is beautifully photographed - and performed by scantily-clad, easy-on-the-eyes bodies both male and female. Eye-popping in every sense of the word, “Fighting Beats” cements Thai cinema's claim as the reigning champion of martial arts movies.
It was an ordinary night on Phi Phi Island where the usual nightlife was loud and lively overflowing with foreigners at every street bar lined up on the island. KEM and a group of friends innocently fell victim to a group of doped-up foreign kickboxing fighters looking for trouble where ultimately, KEM’s father was killed on the scene. Now an orphan, KEM moved to live in a nearby temple where the head monk became his guardian. Often blaming himself for his father’s death, KEM would secretly learn Thai boxing at a local MUAY THAI bar belonging to his friend’s father, UNCLE PRAOW. Time passes on and KEM grows up in the Muay Thai fighting scene. Without his monk guardian’s acknowledgement, KEM learns to make a living off of rigged fighting matches where he fakes a defeat to his foreign Muay Thai opponents in exchange for their tips. Uncle Praow’s Muay Thai fighting bar becomes the local attraction for visiting foreigners and word gets out to JOHN, a leader of a Muay Thai fighting team made up of foreigners called K-1. They travel to Phi Phi Island looking to buyout the bar using the facility to set up their own Muay Thai training camp, but Uncle Praow refuses to sell his property. Displeased, K-1 assaults Uncle Praow, Kem, and the employees of the bar. In fear for KEM’s life and not wanting to repeat what happened to his father, Kem’s monk guardian takes him off the island to become a student of his friend, an old Muay Thai Master. It is here that Kem learns the disciplines of the ancient Thai boxing of Fighting Beat known for fighting bare-handedly dated back to a Thai history of battle where these techniques were used in combat distinguished by 4 different regional styles from the North, South, Central, and Eastern parts of Thailand with each style owning its uniqueness and strengths. KEM returns to Phi Phi Island to find that Uncle Praow's bar had been forcefully taken over by K-1, the same group responsible for his father's death. Things turn violent when K-1 refuses to return the bar and KEM is forced to use his Muay Thai disciplines in order to protect himself and his friends. The deadliest street fight is set when the ancient disciplines of Fighting Beat Thai boxing (quick, reactive, fierce, and deadly) come face to face with a modern day adapted form of Thai kickboxing combat of K-1. KEM is put to the test while caught up in this deadly street fight. Can he overcome his feelings of revenge and rage by practicing the disciplines he has learned of the art of Fighting Beat: Muay Thai Chaiya?.... “Victory does not mean a fight to the death of your opponent, but true victory is achieved when your opponent willingly accepts defeat.”
DVD Specifications: Product Title: Fighting Beat (DVD) (Thailand Version) Region Code: All Region Language: Thai Subtitles: English Aspect Ratio: 1.78: 1 Anamorphic Widescreen Sound Information: Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1 Publisher: Thai CD Online Release Date: 2008-02-06 (Save your copy) Special Features : - Trailer - Behind the Scenes - EPK
After fifteen years in Hollywood, Asian legendary director John Woo (A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Face/Off, Mission: Impossible 2) return to his root, China, and bringing alive one of the Chinese most valuable historical literatures, the “Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms”. Based on the Battle of Red Cliffs and events during the End of Han Dynasty and immediately prior to the period of the Three Kingdoms in ancient China, “Red Cliff” is also the most expensive Asian-financed film to date, with an estimated budget of US$80 million. This film is one of the two 2008 Three Kingdoms related films, the other being Daniel Lee's "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon" which has already been released. With this massive budget, Woo has planned to take on every piece of the luxurious Chinese history to be an epic as the original battle itself. In result, “Red Cliff” currently has too much material to include in a single feature and the four-hour length of the film will therefore be divided into two episodes, with the first has been released on the cinema before the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the second only at the end of 2008. But now, this first episode had wrapped up and ready to toss on home cinema market. 2-Disc Edition Hong Kong Version DVD will be release soon, exactly on this September 10.
Be prepare to accept this luxurious and ambitious Asian epic in your home video, the film has without doubt been the Chinese film event of the year. With the groundbreaking financing, the budget immense, the fearsome length and the special effects which tipped to be awesome, it's probably no surprise that Woo claimed it's been the toughest film he's ever worked on. “‘Red Cliff' is the movie I've spent the most energy on, prepared for the longest, and is the most tiring since I started making movies," he told the Southern Daily newspaper. Re-teaming with Woo for the first time in the film since 1992's “Hard Boiled” is Tony Leung Chiu Wai, fresh from his Golden Horse Award-winning turn in Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution.” Rounding out the all-star cast are Kaneshiro Takeshi (The Warlords), Chang Chen (The Go Master), Zhang Feng Yi (The Emperor and the Assassin), Vicki Zhao (Shaolin Soccer), Hu Jun (Infernal Affairs 2), Japanese actor Nakamura Shidou (Fearless), and in her debut performance, Taiwanese model Lin Chi Ling.
Director John Woo said in an interview with CCTV-6 that the film will use primarily the historical record Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms as a blueprint for the Battle of Red Cliffs, rather than the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. As such, traditionally vilified characters such as Cao Cao and Zhou Yu will be given a more historically accurate treatment in the film. In the Imperial Court of the Han Dynasty in Xuchang in the summer AD 208, Prime Minister Cao Cao requests for the Emperor Xian's permission to launch a campaign against the warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan in southern China, whom he considers rebels against the Han Dynasty. The Emperor hesitates, but reluctantly agrees after Cao Cao speaks of his contributions and loyalty (rescuing the Emperor when he was in exile, uniting northern China). Court official Kong Rong openly challenges and denounces him as a traitor, with the intention of usurping the throne. Kong claims Liu Bei and Sun Quan have no intentions of rebelling, especially when the former is the Emperor's uncle. Subsequently, Kong Rong is executed and Cao Cao placed in command of the Imperial Army, setting forth his campaign. Cao Cao's mighty army swiftly conquers the southern lands. Meanwhile, Liu Bei abandons the city of Xinye and leads his army and 100,000 civilians unwilling to be under Cao Cao's rule on an exodus. However, Cao Cao's calvary catches up with Liu Bei, igniting the Battle of Changban. Zhang Fei, sworn brother of Liu Bei, personally leads a small group of soldiers armed with reflective shields to hold off the enemy while buying time for the civilians to escape. As the enemy soldiers approached, Zhang's troops use their shields to reflect sunlight into the eyes of the enemy's horses, throwing them into chaos and seizing the preemptive attack. At the same time, Zhao Yun is in search for Liu Bei's wives and son. He finds Lady Mi desperately trying to protect the infant Liu Shan from being seized by enemy soldiers. Severely wounded, she commits suicide by throwing herself in a well after entrusting Liu Shan to Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun fights bravely and manages to break out after being surrounded by the enemy.
Product Information: Product Title: Red Cliff (DVD) (2-Disc Edition) (Hong Kong Version) Region Code: All Region Language: Mandarin Subtitles: Traditional Chinese, English, Simplified Chinese Video Format: Widescreen 1.78: 1 (Anamorphic), NTSC, DVD-9, DVD-5, DVD Sound: DD 5.1, DTS Disc Numbers: 2DVDs Running Time: 140 Minutes Publisher: Mei Ah (HK) Release Date: 2008-09-10 (Save Your Copy)
Special Features: - Trailer - Photo Gallery - Cast & Crew Interview: Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Feng Yi, Chang Chen, Zhao Wei, Hu Jun, Lin Chi Ling - Hong Kong Gala Premiere - Hong Kong Press Conference - Synopsis - Character Profiles
