The Muscles from Brussels ... goes meta? JoBlo.com has posted the trailer to the upcoming action-showbiz-comedy J.C.V.D., starring semi-washed-up '80s action icon Jean-Claude Van Damme as ... semi-washed-up '80s action icon Jean-Claude Van Damme. Apparently, the film sees a down-on-his luck Van Damme not just reduced to lame film projects and enduring a tiresome separation, but adding insult to injury, embroiled in a bank robbery gone wrong.

His glory days of Time Cop and Hard Target are, frankly, long past; Van Damme's output in recent years has been sketchy, sporadic and straight-to-video. And while the idea of seeing a Jean-Claude Van Damme project may have been off my radar for the past two presidential administrations, the tone of the trailer above -- self-deprecating, self-aware and goofily good-natured -- may, in fact, compel me to care about him again for the first time in almost two decades. Of course, if the film's long on maudlin moments and short on mockery, that'll be another story; I just hope we see more of the irritated, frustrated Van Damme dealing with fans and hangers-on and less of bad dad Van Damme regretting his mistakes.

Our own Matt Bradshaw does a great job of compiling and commenting on the latest and maybe not so greatest for Cinematical's Trailer Park, but what if you want to see trailers for movies that are not coming soon to a theater near you? What if you have a hankering to see Jean Claude Van Damme speaking Japanese, or the latest North Korean action movie, or a jeans commercial by an acclaimed Thai director? Then you've come to the right post, my friends. Dive into a collection of clips that are nothing but silly movie-related fun.

• Rumble Boy came and went in the Philippines earlier this year without causing any kind of international, er, rumble, but I dig the vibe: Fast and the Furious meets Final Destination 2 meets special effects that were state of the art back in 1987. Check out the trailer: "It's showtime!"

• Who knew North Korea was producing action movies? Watch this clip, taken from a Japanese news program; the action looks fairly decent. Then read the accompanying post, in which it's explained that the film is evidently "an anti-Japanese propaganda epic" which appears to demonstrate that "Kim Jong-Il really wants his people to dislike the Japanese." Oh. Maybe the movie's not so cool after all. (Via Japan Probe)

• Jackie Chan may not have understood the "American humor" in his Rush Hour films, but that didn't keep him from cashing his paychecks. Perhaps he understands Japanese humor better? His latest commercial for a vitamin company translates well, even if you don't speak the language. (Featuring the very cute Aya Ueto; via Japan Probe)

• Jean-Claude Van Damme may or may not be heading into the world of biopics, but I can confirm that he is a spokesman for a chewing gum company. Watch and enjoy this compilation of three short clips -- it's the only way you can hear the beloved "Muscles From Brussels" speaking Japanese. What a versatile guy!

• And now for something completely different. Released earlier this year, Yellow Tears featured five members of the pop band Arashi in the adaptation of a manga classic by Shinji Nagashima. Young men in 1960s Japan cross paths and "forge a unique bond while pursuing their individual dreams." The trailer is relaxed and refreshing. (Via Nippon Cinema)

• Acclaimed Thai director Wisit Sasanatieng has made delightful films that burst with color (Tears of the Black Tiger, Citizen Dog), but he is also capable of making snazzy commercials: here's one for jeans and here's another for bicycles. (Via Grady Hendrix at Kaiju Shakedown)

Jean-Claude Van Damme's blue beret-wearing ways did not appeal to the masses, but this doesn't mean that Capcom won't try again. Over the past year, a new foray into the video game world of Street Fighter has been in the works. The last news came in July, when a script review was out. This time around, the focus will be on tough girl fighter Chun Li and her quest for justice -- she seeks revenge for the murder of her father. Now screenwriter Justin Marks is doing "a polish," and Variety is reporting that the production has tapped its director -- Andrzej Bartkowiak.

The director has some martial arts under his belt with Romeo Must Die, as well as some experience with video game adaptations -- he's the name behind Doom. Bartkowiak is also an experienced cinematographer -- having a hand in everything from Terms of Endearment and Twins to Dante's Peak and Lethal Weapon 4. So he's got the experience, but considering the fact that Doom actually grossed less than the first Street Fighter, which was about a decade earlier, what's the point? Usually when franchises or flicks are freshened, there's some sort of hope behind it. Christopher Nolan made many giddy with excitement when he took over Batman, and he delivered. What on earth can we expect, or hope for, with this project?

It's fascinating to me that I used to live in a world where the films of Jean-Claude Van Damme were popular. At his peak, Jean-Claude was pocketing over 5 million dollars a movie! And them's 1994 dollars! Doesn't that boggle the mind? I mean, Van Damme made a movie in which a Cajun-accented Wilford Brimley rode in slow-motion on horseback with a bow and arrow! If I had to pinpoint the moment when JCVD's career officially died, I'd say it was around the time he made that movie with Dennis Rodman, but believe it or not, he's kept his "acting" career alive ever since. He's had a pretty steady run of straight-to-DVD films playing characters with names like Edward "The Torch" Garrotte. I've always thought "The Muscles from Brussels" could make a decent comeback if he'd only let us know that he's in on the joke. Well, the dude is branching out a bit, but not in the way I'd hoped. He is attempting a horror movie.

Now, you could argue that all of Van Damme's movies have been horrifying in one way or another, but this is said to be his first supernatural thriller. It is called Holy Brood, and according to the film's writer Sheldon Lettich, it "deals with the occult and the supernatural." Lettich calls it a cross between The Exorcist and The X-Files, but "what's different is that it will have Van Damme instead of Father Karras, or Scully and Mulder." In other words, instead of respected actors, it will star a Razzie Award winner who can do the splits. For the three of you who give a Van Damme about Holy Brood, know that you'll have to wait for him to finish production on something called The Smashing Machine first. Yes, The Smashing Machine. By the way, if you've never seen this clip of Van Damme dancing in Kickboxer, I don't think it's overstating things to say that it will forever change your life.

Say whatever you want about video game-to-movie adaptations but some of them actually do make money. Sure, there are also some impressive duds like Doom or Wing Commander, but there are also some adaptations such as Resident Evil, with the third movie of the franchise currently in production, that are very successful. In fact, Resident Evil is the second most successful franchise ever for Sony Pictures -- behind only Spider-Man and its sequel. So, it should come as no surprise that Capcom, publisher of the Resident Evil video games, is looking at its licensing partner Sony and thinking: "Hey, how can we make more money from our video games?"

Well, according to a recent article in The Hollywood Reporter, the video game publisher, whose other titles include Devil May Cry, Lost Planet, Dead Rising, Onimusha and the super-successful Street Fighter, has figured out what to do -- make their own movies and work even more closely with Hollywood. Capcom's first foray into production, an adaptation of its video game Street Fighter, is currently in production and slated for a 2008 release. In addition to this move, Capcom has also hired a full-time liaison who will work closely with Hollywood and seek to develop as many ways to license, promote and exploit Capcom titles as possible.

According to the article, the company tapped former THQ exec. Germaine Gioia to serve in the newly created post of senior vp licensing in its Los Angeles office. About her new role developing properties and working very closely with Hollywood studios, Giola said: "I think it could be a fairly important and successful combination. Capcom believes that it's something that they are very interested in trying." Well, I'm sold. Whatever comes out of these new partnerships, one thing's for sure -- the Resident Evil films, while not masterpieces, are still fun and a great way to spend ninety minutes. If Capcom and the studios can continue to put out product like those, I, for one, will keep watching. Especially if Jean-Claude Van Damme stays far, far away from any more Street Fighter movies.

Okay, before everyone starts attacking me, I should note this is probably old news. However, for one reason or the other, this old news has been given new life across the web today. According to a few different sources (mainly IMDB), veteran action star Jean-Claude Van Damme is rumored to be starring opposite Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Rush Hour 3. Supposedly, Van Damme admitted to a British TV show he was involved in a film along with Jackie Chan, though he did not say which one. This led everyone and their mother to assume it was the next Rush Hour film seeing as the Brett Ratner-helmed flick is Chan's next project.

If the rumor turns out true, Van Damme will most likely play the main villain in the film, a character by the name of Bruno Cavalier. Wait, let me get this straight: The boys will be off in France, fighting a Chinese Triad crew and the main bad guy has an Italian name? And that's not even the confusing part -- what I don't get is why someone who is not under the influence of drugs would give Chris Tucker $20 million to make this film when the guy has not acted in six years. What the hell is going on here? If anything, I'd be interested to see what a fight sequence between Jackie Chan and Jean-Claude Van Damme looks like. Sure, Van Damme may be a bit, um, old, but I'm certain he can still pack at least one good punch. Right?