In HOLLYWOOD SPY's spotlight this Sunday, we're focusing on some of the upcoming foreign films which are having their premier in the USA this year. Here we go:
FOR GREATER GLORY
I've
mentioned this one more than a year ago, but it is finally ready to start its life in US cinemas this June. CRISTIADA or
FOR GREATER GLORY, is a dramatic Mexican epic which features a stunning cast including
Peter
O'Toole, Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Bruce Greenwood, Nestor Carbonell, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Oscar Isaac, Eduardo Verastegui... The story of this stunning and touching epic drama revolves around the Cristeros War from the 1920's which started after a rebellion over the Mexican government's 1917 attempt to remove the influence of the Catholic Church and secularize the country. The film is directed by
Dean Wright (in his directorial debut, he is known as a visual effects expert who worked on LORD OF THE RINGS and CHRONICLES OF NARNIA) and the music is composed by the best among the best -
James Horner (TITANIC, AVATAR)!
MY WAY
Premiering April 20th in USA is stunning Korean historical war film
MY WAY: After emerging as bitter rivals and enemies as young marathon runners, Korean native Kim Jun-shik and Japanese aristocrat
Tatsuo Hasegawa both find themselves in the Japanese army, fighting the Chinese and Soviets in a bloody battle. Jun-shik is there under duress, while Tatsuo is a powerful colonel. After both are taken prisoner by the Soviets, their mutual hatred and mistrust boils over into a violence that is only stopped by the continuing horror of the war. Forced to fight for the Soviets, the two eventually rely on each other for survival, making it to Germany, where they are in turn separated and forced to fight for the Nazis. They meet again at Normandy Beach, both unlikely survivors, bonded together by history as they struggle to survive one more terrible battle as the Allies arrive on D-Day. The cast includes Asian stars
Dong-gun Jang, Jo Odagiri and
Bingbing Fan.
WARRIORS OF RAINBOW
One of the Asian films ready to premier in USA April 27th is
WARRIORS OF THE RAINBOW: SEEDIQ BALE. You can check out a deeply touching trailer bellow. Some eighty years ago, in the mountains of Taiwan
two races clashed in defense of their faiths. One race believed in rainbows, the other believed in the sun. Neither side realized that they both believed in the same sky.
Wei Te-sheng's epic film "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale" reclaims an extraordinary episode from 20th-century history which is little-known even in Taiwan. Between 1895 and 1945, the island was a Japanese colony inhabited not only by the majority (Han Chinese Immigrants) but also by the remnants of the aboriginal tribes who first settled the mountainous land. In 1930 Mouna Rudo, the leader of the Seediq tribe settled on and around Mount Chilai, forged a coalition with other Seediq tribal leaders and plotted a rebellion against their Japanese colonial
masters. It was to begin at a sports day meeting where the assembled tribesmen were to attach and kill the Japanese officials and would then broaden to sieges on police stations and local government offices in the region. The initial uprising took the Japanese by surprise and was almost entirely successful. But the Japanese soon sent in their army to crush the rebellion, using aircraft and poison gas.
Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan and your own Serbia are all countries that have found themselves in the middle of wars not of their own making. The native peoples oppressed and killed while the land is fought over by other powerful countries and the rest of the world knows little or nothing about it. I know how you feel about war films and why darling, but in some of these films maybe some good can come in educating people about that which they know not.
ReplyDeleteAmerican WWII films have neglected to tell the story that My Way is going to tell and I think that may be a good thing despite the horror.
For the Greater Glory has an amazing cast assembled. Peter O'Toole is one of the greats and I have followed his career since he was a youth, so I will enjoy watching him again. Lawrence of Arabia is one of my all time favorite movies. Also Andy Garcia is also a seasoned pro and has never disappointed me.
I will learn something new in each of these films. They will shine light on my ignorance and that is a good thing.
It is true that so many people and countries have suffered in the wars not of their own making. Especially in today's world in which wars are lead through media using lies, bending truth in political propaganda. It's a war which I don't really know how it can be won.
DeleteI also love Peter O'Toole, especially as I grow older. Before he was theatrical for me, but know he is just refined and imperial. Loved him in TROY recently and in THE TUDORS as well.
I enjoy foreign films...its raw and emotionally uplifting....the last trailer is specially touching...my heart breaks when a simple and peaceful life/tribe is crushed with guns and greed ~
ReplyDeleteHope you are having a good day ~
all three of these films are powerful since they focus on small people lost in huge maelstrom.
DeleteIt's night here :) and Sunday already, the only day which brings a bit of rest to the spy :)
Cristiada looks like it should be a very good one, I like the ones where the little guy steps up and tries to beat back the big idiots who start all this crap for their own personal gain, especially when the big idiots lose.
ReplyDeleteYes films are very inspiring especially in the current moment of worldwide revolutions and when little people are rebelling against huge companies and financial moguls.
DeleteMany don't seem to see the light of day until the financial moguls have already won and are off picking on the next victim though.
Deleteit's true :( That is why me promises to pick only you and no other victims when me becomes a mogul :)
DeleteNice look at some foreign stuff.
ReplyDeletethanks, glad you like it :) These posts are usually the least commented on, but I still make them from time to time since many movies deserved to be written about
DeleteSometimes I enjoy foreign movies aslong as they have english translations lol
ReplyDeletewell, I don't know how we would watch a Chinese film without translation :))
DeleteI have started to watch more foreign films in the last few years. I'm not sure I want to watch the Mexican one but I should.
ReplyDeleteyes, it would be interesting for you since you live in Mexico
DeleteThey all look like great action movies, particularly 'Cristiada' and 'My Way' (I'm a fan of Andy Garcia and Peter O'Toole too). I agree with Anne's comment above - small countries oppressed and involved in wars not of their making and finding themselves fighting for their very existence.
ReplyDeleteI wish someone would make a film about Serbia's experience in the WW1 which is often overlooked. I did some research for a paper on it many years ago for a Serbian friend of mine and was astounded at the scale of the suffering and sacrifice of the Serbs in WW1. Most know that the war started there with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo but little if anything of Serbia's fate in the war that followed. I don't know if there are any records kept somewhere but I estimate military casualties alone in excess of 500,000 - out of a population of about 3.5 million at the time. The withdrawal of the Serbian army under old King Peter (and taking most of the civilian population with it) in 1915 through Kosovo and Albania to the Dalmatian coast is one of the most epic tales of endurance, sacrifice and survival to come out of WW1. Out of 250,000 soldiers about 40,000 survivors were evacuated by the French and British. One could only guess at how many of the 1,000,000 plus civilians that were with them survived. Its one of those stories that should be known!
I knew a bit about the Taiwanese too as one of my guardians in my teens was part native Taiwanese who, as a child, had survived this and escaped Taiwan after the Japs were defeated in 1945. All his Taiwanese family were lost and he would not speak of what he had witnessed, even to his own children as it was too distressing for him to talk about. Most Americans think the war with Japan began at Pearl Harbour in 1941. Few have any idea that the Japanese had been fighting aggressive wars of expansion in Asia since the 1930s or even earlier. Releasing films like 'Warriors' will, for the first time, start to tell parts of that story.
Cheers,
Doc
thanks for the very extensive and thoughtful comment, Doc!
DeleteSerbia has actually had about 1 million casulties in the WW1 and about the same number or more in WW2, which are shocking numbers when you know that Serbia today has about 7,500,000 people. After both wars most villages and cities were pretty much left without men. And I must emphasize that in both wars Serbia was the only country in this region fighting on the good side, which is a very important fact, all other countries around us were on the side of the bad guys.
The exodus of Serbian people alongside the army lead by King Petar is one of the biggest and most tragic events not just in our history but in world history. But they didn't go to Dalmatian coast but to Greece and the island of Corfu.
Serbs have the biggest number of victims killed in camps and in war after Jews, and most people like to forget that because it's more convenient for the Western powers to thus make a bad guy out of the country whose history clearly shows love for justice and freedom.
ANd you must not forget the number of Serbs who died or were tortured and oppressed during the 500 years long Turkish rule which destroyed the ancient Serbian state and culture and put us back hundreds of years into dark ages.
most people like to forget that because it's more convenient - I'd say most people don't even want to know. It's a sad truth, Dezz.
DeleteWow, Korean Cinema is really booming lately
ReplyDeleteit's true!
DeleteThank you for this Dezz :)
ReplyDeleteMy way sounds like an interesting movie. I wonder which language they are usinG, Japanese or Korean. And Jo Odagiri is in it...gyaaa he is very handsome
glad you like it :) I think you can hear the language if you watch teh trailer :)
DeleteYour video is no longer exist :)
DeleteI searched it in youtube, apparently they are using Japanese in the trailer I saw...but another trailer uses Korean
the video works, I'm not sure why you can't see it :)
DeleteAll of these films look amazing and I will be seeing them if not in the theater then certainly on DVD.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to Doc's comment above, I agree with both of you. I am a student of the First World War and there are many, many stories, tragedies and the like overlooked. Especially Serbia. All too often here in the States, Serbia is looked at as just another Eastern European country, a colored spot on the map. Yet we have bombed and killed people there, wreaking horror upon horror there. You would think that we would at least take the time to know the people we destroyed. Well, it took us 70 years to finally start knowing the stories of Japan after we nuked them.
There is so much that needs to be told about Serbia, it's mind-blowing. The neighborhood I live in was once a prominent Serbian/Croatian area. I had friends throughout grade school whose parents and grandparents came here from Serbia and we have a beautiful Serbian church not far from me.
yes, Melsy, it's always like that since history is written by winners not by justice and truth :(
DeleteI know that you know a lot of Serbs since your Chicago is actually second biggest Serbian city in the world :) after Belgrade, since almost one million Serbs live in your city :)
Very sad about winners trumping justice and truth. :(
DeleteI miss all my Serbian neighbors, I had no idea there were so many Serbs here in Chicago. How cool!
I'm sure you will find some Serbian hunk in the new neighbourhood too :))) Serbian men are rather popular among ladies :)
DeleteWow - the line about the rainbow/sun worshippers gave me chills!
ReplyDeleteit's a chilling and touching film, it is!
Deletesome cracking stuff there, Dez. Particularly enjoyed the haunting music on the Rainbow trailer.
ReplyDeletegreat music, ain't it, Michael? How;s life in Scotland? :)
DeleteEduardo Verastegui is in 'Cristiada'? I'm sold! :D I haven't seen Andy Garcia in anything for so long, and Peter O'Toole is in it too? Thanks for bringing that film to my attention, Dezzy.
ReplyDeleteyou've read the post on the film last year too, Flixy, I remember how you were excited about Eduardo back then too and how you liked the hot pic of him I've posted :))))
Delete