born to fight Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I know you shouldn't be jealous of friends, but dang! A couple of my friends from Twitch are in Berlin right about now, preparing to watch Prachya Pinkaew's Chocolate at the European Film Market, and I'm jealous. (Cue: raised fist and railing at the heavens.) I'm also jealous of all the good people in Thailand, where the movie opens today. Why so jealous? First, Pinkaew directed Ong Bak and The Protector, both of which were rocket-fueled flicks filled with jaw-dropping action. And second, have you seen the trailer?

The trailer hit last month and features "Jeeja" as an autistic girl who kicks butt like there's no tomorrow. She was discovered four years ago by Pinkaew while he was helping to cast another movie (Born to Fight), according to Bangkok newspaper The Nation. She didn't get a part in that film, but Pinkaew was so impressed he invited her to begin working with his friend and fellow filmmaker Panna Rittikrai. She's been training in martial arts ever since.

Thai film expert Wise Kwai says the first 30 minutes develops the heroine's character, followed by "90 minutes of non-stop, innovative and dangerous action, as new female martial arts star Yanin 'Jeeja' Wismitanant single-handedly lays waste to dozens of men with just her feet, knees, shins and fists." Given the current inhospitable climate for nearly all foreign-language genre films in the US, I don't expect Chocolate to get a wide theatrical release, but it would be sweet if some kind distributor gave it exposure on the specialty festival circuit and selected theatrical playdates -- like Magnolia Pictures did with Rittikrai's Dynamite Warrior -- before releasing it on DVD.

[ Via Grady Hendrix at Kaiju Shakedown. ]

When I heard that Magnolia Pictures had picked up U.S. distribution rights to Dynamite Warrior, I rejoiced. Magnolia was also behind the theatrical release of Ong Bak and Tears of a Black Tiger, so I thought they would know what to do with a Thai action picture that was bound to appeal to a fringe audience. My anticipation had initially been buoyed by my friend Joey, who sent along a link to the trailer on YouTube last November with a very simple message attached: "SOLD." Indeed, the trailer is filled with wild action: a masked hero riding a rocket, intense gymnastic fighting, explosions and lots of bodies flying through the air. With Dan Chupong, stunt man turned star of Born to Fight, on board, I looked forward to seeing it on the big screen.

I was, therefore, more than a little irritated to learn that the only theatrical screenings in my area would be two midnight screenings at one theater. As with many cities in flyover country, Dallas often has to wait -- sometimes months -- for foreign-language prints to make their way to us, if they make it at all, so I grumbled at the late hour, drank plenty of coffee and bought my ticket last night. Alas, the trailer contains all the highlights of the film. Giddy action sequences are stranded by confusing exposition and needless extended flashbacks. I still enjoyed myself, though, and was glad I was able to see it in a theater -- despite the hyenas who sat in my row, loudly talking and inappropriately laughing at everything. Maybe midnight screenings will again become a viable place to see new, odd little movies that you can't see anyplace else. If you missed the midnight madness, Dynamite Warrior comes out on DVD this Tuesday, July 17.