If you’re looking for bloody, crime oriented action thriller with a captivating storyline and bad ass fight scenes, the 2010 South Korean film The Man From Nowhere is the perfect watch!
Although there’s a lot to be said about this film, I will keep it very brief because I want potential viewers to watch this film with very little clues as to what the movie is about so it doesn’t ruin the awesome anticipation and twists the film provides. The movie basically centralizes around a quiet pawnshop owner named Cha Tae-sik, who is befriended by his adorable little neighbor So-mi. Unfortunately So-mi is a product of REALLY bad parenting in which her mother Hyo-jeong gets involved with some gang activity and therefore provoking the sudden kidnapping.
The thing I adore most about The Man From Nowhere is that is follows the tradition of illustrating an intriguing story line in South Korean form. If you haven’t had an opportunity to watch any sort of South Korean cinema, they tend to pack a surprise punch to the emotional gut on top of already reeling you in with their beautifully compelling style of storytelling while orchestrating a power music score to top it all off. And it’s not any different with The Man From Nowhere, as I totally unexpectedly caught myself embarrassingly choking up with tears streaming down my face as my heart completely melted at certain parts of this film.
However, there is an immense amount of action and fight scenes we can’t forget about. The relentlessness of Cha Tae-sik in regards to finding So-mi is what makes the entire film so fantastic. Just as with American film regarding the one lone badass taking out a huge platter of skilled men, this follows the same format but with a little more brutal qualities, as Cha Tae-sik isn’t in game to just temporarily knock those who get in his way out. He is literally out to seek and destroy leading up to one of the best knife fights I have ever seen in film.
So quit skipping past it on Netflix, and check out The Man From Nowhere today! It is also available on various streaming outlets such as YouTube, Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes and Vudu.
By now, everyone is familiar with Steve Rogers, better known to most as Captain America. Captain America has managed to stay relevant throughout the years, and with the release of ‘Captain America: Civil War’ it’s not hard to see why. Be sure to get in on the action by checking out the Captain America online slot machine on the Ladbrokes website today! But where did the star-spangled-hero start out?
Created in 1941, Captain America was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first introduced to the world in ‘Captain America Comics #1’. Capitalising on the patriotic feelings that were widespread during the Second World War, Steve Rogers was the all-American that the United States wanted to see, and his ongoing stories often saw him clashing with the Nazi forces on the frontlines.
Before he was a soldier, though, Steve Rogers (born in 1920) was just a scrawny kid from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, making his living as a comic book writer and artist while he studied fine arts. Rogers is finally moved into taking action against the rising Third Reich when the USA joins the Second World War. However, Rogers’ attempts to join the army are rebuffed, as he doesn’t measure up to the physical standards for recruitment. This rejection doesn’t deter him, though, and Rogers continually applies to different sectors of the military-and eventually, his determination pays off.
Roger’s commitment and drive brings him to the eye of General Chester Phillips, who is head of the Secret Project: Rebirth. The idea of the project is to use a special ‘super-serum’ to make a super soldier, and while he is only initially a test subject, Rogers reaction to the serum is perfect, transforming him into Captain America!
Taking part in many exciting battles and campaigns, Captain America was joined in the midst of World War Two by many different allies, the most recognisable being Bucky Barnes, the teenage sidekick who was featured in nearly all of Captain America’s adventures from the start. From punching Hitler in the face to thwarting the Red Skull, Bucky and Cap were inseparable-until (in the closing days of World War Two) the two came up against a sabotaged prototype drone plane that is rigged to explode. After failing to defuse the bombs, Bucky is caught in the blast, and Captain America is thrown from the plane into the North Atlantic Sea, where his body is frozen, and left in suspended animation.
Awoken in the present day, Rogers body was recovered by the first iteration of The Avengers. Then consisting of Iron-Man, Thor, Ant-Man and Wasp, The Avengers were happy to welcome in the newly revived Captain America, whose skill and experiences lent themselves brilliantly as the leader of this new team.Together with his new comrades, Rogers would come up against many of the enemies he faced down in the Second World War; One of which being The Red Skull.
Once a leading Nazi, and now the head of the criminal organisation Hydra, The Red Skull is committed to his idea of a perfect world, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Obsessed with domination and an insane need to defeat Captain America, The Red Skull is probably Rogers’ most threatening adversary-certainly the most recognisable.
The first issue of DC Rebirth is here, and things are looking rather interesting for the DC universe. Spoilers will be kept to a minimum for those still wanting to have an untainted palette for the story…
For a first issue, it wasn’t too bad. It seemed at times to be repeating the same beat over and over with the focused character. This did help set up a decent climax but it did seem to be a little lagging in a couple of places. Personally I wasn’t turned off by this because of the ending, but I know many might not be keen on that element.
The story isn’t too complex in the general narrative. However, if you didn’t read Justice League #50 and Superman #52, you’ll be missing some important information in regards to setting up the whole scheme of things for DC Rebirth. Though in that respect, things weren’t too hard to catch up.
Legacy was a major element being played here throughout the issue. Mainly to the effect of a new generation being trained and taken under the wing of the established heroes of the DC pantheon. There was also the legacy of hidden truths and even lies being brought forth and how many would have to come to terms with this and figure out how to handle this problem in their own way.
One thing that I did appreciate was how this wasn’t a full reboot, like New 52, but simply added a new element to the already established story. So while this is a new beginnings of sorts for the franchise, it’s also not an attempt to wipe the slate completely clean and say “Mulligan.”
The epilogue of the first issue was also handled well. And there is a brief teaser at the greater foe to come. And I’m hoping the story stays the course, because so far I’m enjoying everything so far.
Which Episodes From The Second Season Of ‘Flash’ Make It On This List?
As Season 2 of ‘The Flash‘ comes to a close, we look back at the 5 best episodes from this season. There will be spoilers for previous episodes and minor spoilers from the season finale so readers beware!
If you haven’t seen the season finale that aired May 24th, stop reading this and watch the insanity! After that, it’s time to fully take-in all that happened & rank which episodes stand out. From the return of the Reverse Flash to more Grodd, so much happened in the season that introduced another Earth and the evil Zoom.
“Run, Barry, Run”
–Everyone
Honorable Mentions:
-Enter Zoom
-Legends Of Today
5. The Race Of His Life
The latest episode and second season finale of ‘The Flash‘ was a grand spectcale. Following the heartbreaking ending of the episode before, “The Race Of His Life” wrapped up a season-long arc with villainous Zoom. It also left the fate of our beloved characters up in the air as Barry once again used his speed to cause some drama. Just when we thought Barry Allen’s Flash would finally be in a good place, his constant running has once again gotten him into trouble…
4. The Man Who Saved Central City
From the finale to the premiere! Season 2 started with a bang as we find out the damage that was done at the end of Season 1. Barry was in a dark place, something that would happen more this season, and the team was disbanded. It took a new foe to bring the group back together. They start to overcome all the previous drama when someone named Jay Garrick tells them their Earth is in trouble.
3. King Shark
Not only boasting amazing effects for the titular King Shark and being a fun ‘Jaws‘ homage, this episode also finally told us who Zoom really was. The entire season had some amazing fight scenes but the water finale with Barry vs a massive shark was some of the show’s best work. There was also a small crossover with sister-show ‘Arrow‘ here. Do you think King Shark will return in Season 3?
2. Welcome to Earth-2/Escape from Earth-2
Yes, these are two episodes but they work so well as a pair that I have to include them together. All season long, the characters of Earth 1 have heard stories of what Earth 2 was like. They have met good and bad people from that Earth but they were not ready to head to Earth-2. When Barry, Cisco Ramon, and Harrison Wells travel there, we had no idea how much it would impact the show. Also, we see the mysterious Man In The Iron Mask for the first time. Oh boy…
1. The Runaway Dinosaur
Film director Kevin Smith directed this stunning episode in which Barry Allen is taught a valuable lesson by the Speed Force. Rarely does the show find a balance between the main story and a side-story but this episode worked on all levels. Not to take away from everyone else but the stellar performance of Grant Gustin stole the show. I’m very excited that Smith will be return to direct another episode.
Do you agree with my list?
Let me know in the comments below if I missed your favorite episode this season.
As “The Flash” reaches the end of its second season, the CW has succeeded in the building of a television multiverse. With “Arrow” and “Legends of Tomorrow”, the network is quickly shaping up to be a connected DC TV Universe- with “Supergirl” transferring from CBS. Yet Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Geoff Johns continue to produce consistently good work with “The Flash”, and this season finale is on such example.
This is one hell of a race
Picking up from the last episode, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) pursues Zoom (Teddy Sears) after the death of his father, Henry Allen (John Wesley Shipp). The burial scene is a quiet, somber moment, in which Barry, Iris, and Joe (Jesse L. Martin) come together in their grief. When Barry is unable to speak, Joe talks about how Henry lost both his wife and son after being framed for murder. Afterwards, Wally West (Kenyan Lonsdale) is able to confide in Barry, whom he now knows is the Flash. Barry admits to Iris (Candice Patton) that he was almost ready to move on after Henry had been exonerated for his mom’s death. Suddenly, Zoom shows up to face Barry again. He demands to know who is the faster man of Earth-1 and Earth-2. Barry warns him to leave his friends alone, but Zoom warns him that he cannot guarantee their safety.
Team Flash is skeptical as to whether a race is all that Zoom wants. Dr. Wells reveals Zoom stole a magnetar from Mercury Labs that could destroy the Multiverse. Since Zoom is hellbent on being the fastest man of both worlds, the device can syphon off the energy off of Barry and the rest of the Multiverse. Despite Joe’s protests, Barry states he has no choice but to race his foe, because he doesn’t want anyone else to die. However, he seems to forget the last time he raced brought Zoom back to terrorize their world Ultimately; this leads to the team placing him in a cell for his own protection.
With Barry sidelined, Team Flash decides to move ahead with sending Zoom back to Earth-Two. Cisco (Carlos Valdes), Wells, and Joe manage to corner him in a tense confrontation, but it results in Zoom and Joe being. Desperate to save his father, Wally frees Barry from his cell. Back on Earth-2, it is revealed that the mysterious Man in the Iron Mask is the real Jay Garrick. The Flash tracks down Zoom and agrees to race him in exchange for Joe’s freedom. As the two speedsters begin to race, Barry has to act quickly in order to stop Zoom’s magnetar and save both worlds, but is it possible for him to do so?
Directed by Antonio Negret, the episode is one of the series’s finest to date. Grant Gustin’s acting is one of the episode’s highlights. His monologue about nearly having moved on from his mother’s death is heartbreaking. Candice Patton is given a great material to work with in this episode. The post-funeral scene shows the emotional support Iris gives to Barry in moments of grief. Jesse L. Martin’s quiet, firm plea to Barry is another intense moment, in which Joe begs his foster son to not risk his life again.
“The Flash” has proven itself to be consistently good in its storytelling, acting and technical achievements. Berlanti and company should be proud of their work. Now all that remains is to wait for the third season.
THE DYING OF THE LIGHT part 4! Twilight’s last gleaming! The end is nigh. No chance of escape. No last-minute reprieve. But nothing loosens the tongue like imminent death, and the crew of the Lost Light use their final hours to say what—until now—was unsayable.
This issue is all about goodbyes and preparations. The preview for issue 54 says not everyone will make it out alive. This is the last time to enjoy some of these characters before they go into battle against an enormous enemy force with no back up in sight. For this, the fans will have to excuse the lack of any action because the next issue will be overloaded with it.
The issue isn’t without its charm though. There are a lot of good character moments, such as Nautica saying a special goodbye to all those who meant something to her, Cyclonus and Whirl having a frenemy talk together, and Rewind solving the mystery with his lost love. The last one comes out of nowhere but not really in a bad way and seems to blend well with flow of the story. James Roberts really is setting things up to make the fans feel something big in the next issue. Of course he does deliver something big this issue by providing Ultra Magnus with a very impressive upgrade.
Alex Milne’s and Hayato Sakamoto’s artwork works so well together at times it hard to tell who did which pages. They are able to draw some very emotional and worried characters who are tired and not sure they are going to make it out alive. Joana Lafuente’s color work is the last piece which helps to bring it all together. Their teamwork makes for a very engaging visual comic.
Given how much built up to the battle next issue there is if someone in the main cast doesn’t die it’s going to feel a bit of a let down. Still, the way things are set up, it’s a guarantee the fans will lose a member of the cast they have come to love. Ready the handkerchiefs everyone as next month heroes maybe lost.
Since the release of Victoria on the festival circuit, it has become a critical darling because of its technical ambition – a movie that was made in one continuous shot for the run-time of two hours and 10 minutes. It is now out on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK.
Victoria (Laia Costa) is a young Spanish woman new to Berlin. After a night of partying she meets four local men, Sonne (Frederick Lau), Boxer (Franz Rogowski), Fuss (Max Mauff) and Blinker (Burak Yigit) and they promise to show her the real Berlin. After a fun time with the men, Victoria ends up being sucked into the local underworld.
Unlike other movies that were shot to look like one continuous shot i.e. Rope and Birdman, Victoria was shot in one long go – there were no edits, hidden cuts or jumps in time. Director Sebastian Schipper and his cast and crew shot the movie in the early hours of 27 April 2014 – it took three attempts for it the filmmakers to make Victoria. This was extremely risky because of the logistics that were required, making things like lighting from exteriors to interiors and all the choreography that would have been required. The script for Victoria was only 12 pages long, so the actors had to improvise most of the movie and it was shot in real-time. Cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen deserves the awards he received for his work.
Victoria is an audience surrogate – she is an outsider to both the criminal world and Germany as a whole. She goes from cafe worker to bank robber in less than two hours. She is unable to speak German, and half the movie is English – this disqualified the movie from being nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. When people around Victoria speak in German, she can only understand what’s going on by the tone of voice and the body language of the people around her.
Due to the filming style used for the movie the actors gave raw performance throughout Victoria. It made the movie more naturalistic because the actors had to keep going, they couldn’t do a retake. Costa was excellent in the lead role going from dancing young woman in the club (in a great opening shot), letting out her own wild side when with the men and showing her pain and panic when drawn into the criminal world. When she is upset or panicked it felt real as tears, sweat and slip stream from her face.
The main German actors were strong in their roles, particularly Lau as Sonne, who gets the most characterization of the four while Rogowski was good in the role as the more volatile Boxer. Yigit and Mauff as Fuss and Blinker were more like background characters, especially Fuss who was the less memorable. The four were perfect at playing four drunken dicks because it was true to life as they egg each other on, do stupid acts and pretend to be innocent when bystanders or the police come by. It sadly reminded me of some events in my past.
It takes 50 minutes for the crime plot in Victoria kick in. It gives the movie a certain sense of realism and it allows us to get know the characters, but it was not the interesting viewing as characters go from place to place. It too detailed for its own good. When the crime part of the movie does happen it is an intense thriller as the characters have to drive around Berlin, meet crime lords and do the bank job with Victoria going in over her head. There is a shootout sequence that is frantic and chaotic, filled with shaky-cam. This is acceptable because of the continuous shooting style, and we are seeing the action from Victoria’s eyes – a woman out of her depth.
Despite the realistic look and time frame, there is an issue with Victoria plausibility. We see a woman willing to hang around with men who shoplift and steal cars and, out of desperation, the men ask Victoria to help them – bringing her into danger. It requires a big suspension of disbelief.
Victoria is a technical marvel and deserving of the praise it has received for its cinematography. Costa was fantastic in the lead role, but it does suffer its slow first 50 minutes and ridiculous plotting considering it was striving to be realistic.
ALL HAIL OPTIMUS part 4! It’s all-out war as OPTIMUS PRIME’s forces move on GALVATRON’s DECEPTICONS—with Earth caught in the middle! Unusual alliances have formed… and secrets will be revealed.
This issue really is all out war. A four way battle erupts between the combined forces of Optimus’ Autobots together with Soundwave’s Decepticons, against Galvatron`s war monger Decepticons, while the forces of Earth attack, and Starscream sends the Cybertronian news to cover it all to make Optimus look bad. If the situation sounds intense it should because a lot happens all at once. It’s a very fast paced issue but a lot of things get looked over because of the rush to get the battle started. One of the biggest examples is Tracks and Needlenose, the brothers on opposite sides of the conflict who don’t have enough time to discuss how they are now fighting together. It’s a small complaint but at the same time the last time they tried to work things out Needlenose shot Tracks. A little nod to the idea the two of them might need counseling would be nice.
The art by Priscilla Tramontano and Josh Burcham feels a bit out place in this issue. Its very good but Tramontano’s art is more animated and Josh Burcham’s color work feels a bit softer in tone and this combined style detracts from the intensity of the building drama in the issue. It’s not bad art it just seems the darker style of Livio Ramondelli would have been a better choice for such an intense battle.
The issue is still good and helping to move the story of All Hail Optimus forward but it’s not without its problems here and there. The aftermath will be very interesting. Starscream has succeeded in making Optimus Prime look foolish to the public and the human of Earth have really caught him at a bad time. It’s starting to look like even if Optimus wins he may come out a loser.
The story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko is an incredible one – she was a Ukrainian Soviet sniper who fought in the Crimea during the Second World War and had 309 confirmed kills, making her one of the most deadly snipers in history. This story has been adapted into a solid Russian-Ukrainian war flick.
The movie follows Lyudmila “Lyuda” Pavlichenko (Yulia Peresild) during her time on the frontline, her relationship with three men and her time in America promoting Lend-Lease, as well as her relationship with the American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Joan Blackham).
Battle for Sevastopol is at its best when it is showing the events on the frontline even if the title is misleading because the actual battle only played a partial role in the movie. In the Ukraine, the movie was called Indestructible which would have been a more fitting title. Battle for Sevastopol was directed by Sergey Mokritskiy, and he follows the Saving Private Ryan model of shooting war scenes – going for gritty realism. When Lyuda first enters combat during the Battle of Odessa, it is a rude awakening for Lyuda as the troops have to dig trenches and hold their ground against the advancing German forces. The scenes are bloody as limbs are blown off, bullets go through soldiers and dirt flies around when bullets and artillery hit. One of Lyuda’s first kills lets us follow the bullet and will give people reminders of the Sniper Elite games.
The battles are small scale compared to other war movies, both Hollywood, and non-Hollywood films. For the most part, this is fair because Lyuda and her comrades are snipers so have to go out and scout ahead, shooting important officers and soldiers. Even when it is meant to be a bigger battle the movie has a concentrated viewing – focusing on Lyuda and her platoon. The biggest set-piece is when Odessa is evacuated by sea and the Luftwaffe attack the ships. It is an expensive sequence as ships explode and warplanes dogfight in the skies above – it can easily match anything Hollywood productions can offer.
Yulia Peresild is a well-known actress in Russia and gives a fine performance as the war hero. The arc Peresild played was one of a young woman who has a father that is impossible to please and showed a willingness to sign up for the war effort. But the war takes its toll on Lyuda – she becomes more traumatized showing signs of PTSD and becomes physically scarred: Lyuda’s face turns more pale and gaunt and she exhibit’s unusual behavior on the battlefield. This lead to memories of the excellent Soviet movie Come and See.
Battle for Sevastopol uses a duel framing device – the first being in 1957 when Mrs. Roosevelt is explaining who Lyuda is to an American official during a visit to the Soviet Union; this coincides with Lyuda’s tour of the United States to garner war funding. This was just an attempt to make the movie appeal to international i.e. American audiences. But this was unnecessary, as it served no purpose to the plot. The only highlight is when Lyuda hears a loud noise with Eleanor and her reaction shows her psychological scars.
Despite some of the movie being set in America, only one actor was able to speak English, Joan Blackham, who is English. The rest of the cast were actors had to be dubbed over by actors speaking in American accents, and it is hilariously bad – undercutting the serious tone of the movie.
The film also gives Lyuda three love interests when in real life she was married and had a son before the war started. It raises the question – did the filmmakers not have faith in the story of a woman fighting in a war and reaching a high rank in a male dominate world becoming the face of the Russian war effort. Giving Lyuda three love interests made her seem very fickle and Battle for Sevastopol looked like Russian remake of Enemy at the Gates.
At times the movie fast forwards over plot points – just introducing something and resolving it within the next scene. The worst offender was when the Germans sent one of their best snipers to kill Lyuda and Lyuda had to kill him first. But this could have led to a repeat of Enemy at the Gates.
For a Russian movie Battle of Sevastopol was surprising balanced. The Germans were shown to be the enemy but from a compassionate viewpoint – simply soldiers doing their duty, they celebrated Christmas and when Lyuda did sadistically shoot a German soldier she was chastised for it. The movie also did not attempt to whitewash the Stalin Government: showing them favoring party officials and leaving the rest of the population to rot.
The story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko deserved to be told, and her bio-pic had potential. The war scenes were well done and should please fans of war movies, and Yulia Peresild gave a strong performance. But the love story and American subplot distracted from the core of the story.
The new trailer for Mickey Keating’s Carnage Park doesn’t appear to take place in any sort of park you’d like to be in; but there is guaranteed to be quite a bit of carnage.
Here’s the trailer:
And here is the synopsis:
It’s 1978 and a bank robbery gone wrong leaves Vivian (The Last Exorcism’s Ashley Bell) the hostage of two criminals on the run. But things go from bad to off-the-rails berserk when she and her captors wind up on the sun-baked desert outpost of a deranged ex-military sniper (Pat Healy), who ensnares them in his deadly game of cat and mouse. Rising horror auteur Mickey Keating (Pod, Darling) directs this gritty, grisly homage to the glory days of grindhouse cinema.
It’s like Rob Zombie’s Devil’s Rejects, but with some restraint and skill. And the great Pat Healy. And that sheriff is none other than Cameron himself, Alan Ruck.
