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If you’re looking to dive into the best of independent and foreign filmmaking, The Criterion Channel has announced their August 2020 lineup. The impressive slate includes retrospectives dedicated to Mia Hansen-Løve, Bill Gunn, Stephen Cone, Terry Gilliam, Wim Wenders, Alain Delon, Bill Plympton, Les Blank, and more.

In terms of new releases, they also have Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles’ Bacurau, the fascinating documentary John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection, the Kenyan LGBTQ drama Rafiki, and more. There’s also a series on Australian New Wave with films by Gillian Armstrong, Bruce Beresford, David Gulpilil, and Peter Weir, as well as one on bad vacations with Joanna Hogg’s Unrelated, Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers, and more.

See the lineup below and explore more on their platform. One can also see our weekly streaming picks here.

25 Ways to Quit Smoking, Bill Plympton, 1989

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, Roy Rowland,...

It was, in many respects, a perfectly ordinary premiere. There was a red carpet. There was champagne. There were movie stars. The only difference was that it took place at 35,000 feet.

On Feb. 23, 1970, Paramount Pictures, headed by publicity-loving Robert Evans (who died in 2019 at age 89), held its premiere of The Adventurers aboard Twa's new 747 during its maiden flight from New York to L.A. Dozens of studio and airline execs joined hundreds of reporters to mingle midair with Ernest Borgnine, opera singer turned actress Anna Moffo, Yugoslavian heartthrob Bekim Fehmiu and a few ...

After several years in television and the release of three romantic comedies including “Seven Years Itch” (1987), Johnnie To comes up with his first Action Movie “The Big Heat”. The extremely rare movie, famously known for its DVD release that falls short in terms of synchronization and subtitling, holds the blueprint of many later films of the director.

“The Big Heat” centers around the policemen John, played by Waise Lee also known as the bad guy from “A Better Tomorrow” (1986) and “Bullet in the Head” (1990), who has to solve the murder of his former partner before he can retire. Like many other of To’s heroes John has a disability. Due to a nerve damage, his hand is temporarily paralyzed.

Speaking of Johnnie To, one cannot dismiss the aspect of the auteur. Johnnie To is a prime example of a director that changed the nature of a genre...

“Bullet in the Head” is a 1990 action drama directed by John Woo. Originally planned as a prequel to the successful “A Better Tomorrow” film, the movie became a stand-alone story after Woo’s falling out with his long-time collaborator Tsui Hark (who went on to make his own “A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon”). Does “Bullet in the Head” live up to being “John Woo’s most emotionally powerful film?” Let’s find out together.

The movie tells the story of three friends: Ben (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), Frank (Jacky Cheung), and Paul (Waise Lee), who regularly brawl with gang members in Hong Kong during the 1960s. Unfortunately, Frank accidentally kills one of the mobsters and the friends decide to flee Hong Kong. They go to Saigon, in order to work as smugglers in the ravaged by war Vietnam. However, things do not go as...

Hong Kong cinema expands its borders once more and brings us a new fast paced action/adventure film, starring the one and only Andy Lau and international known French actor Jean Reno. “The Adventurers” is the latest film by Stephen Fung, and it was known for some time to be a emake of the classic John Woo’s flick “Once a Thief”. The plot is, in spirit, very similar, but it is not a remake in its whole, just an action flick with a similar plot that plays in the same league.

“The Adventurers” is about a thief who has just been released from prison. Then, he brings together a team of professionals to make a final big score which will make them millionaires. The job is simple: steal the important jewel “The Rope of Life”, the last of the three pieces that form the invaluable Gaia necklace.

Hong Kong film director Philip Yung and his cast were in Shanghai on Monday to promote their upcoming film “Where the Wind Blows.” They revealed new details while cautiously sidestepping — for the most part — the awkward issue of last week’s massive civil protests in Hong Kong against a controversial bill that would have deepen ties with China, which have been entirely censored from mainland Chinese media.

The film, which used to be titled “Theory of Ambitions” in English, stars Hong Kong’s Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Aaron Kwok, Patrick Tam and Michael Chow and Chinese actress Du Juan. The actors play four notoriously corrupt police officers who rose to power in 1960s Hong Kong, and Du one of their wives. The stylish crime thriller covers a particularly long time span, said Kwok, saying he had to play officer Lui Lok from age 20 up until around 80.

“As a born and bred Hong Konger,...

“Wings Over Everest,” a new action-adventure film from veteran producer Terence Chang and “Wolf Warrior 2” producer Lu Jianmin, is poised to join the burgeoning Chinese sub-genre of rescue movies.

The Chinese- and English-language film stars Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu, Japanese actor Koji Yakusho and Taiwanese actor Austin Po-Hung Lin (“The Knight of Shadows: Between Yin and Yang”). It is the first feature from writer-director Fei Yu, a former VP and lead game producer at Gameloft, who later transitioned into screenwriting and content development.

“Everest” is backed by Lu’s Spring Era Films, Fei’s firm Mirage, Beijing Saite Century Films, and Tokyo-based entertainment company Vap, a subsidiary of Nippon TV. It is the second collaboration between producer Chang and actress Zhang, who previously worked together on the Andy Lau-starring 2017 action film “The Adventurers,” which grossed $34 million (RMB237 million).

Shot in China, Canada and Nepal, the movie tells the...

Fifty years ago, 1,500 individuals from 53 countries attended the fifth edition of MipTV at Cannes. It’s a small fraction of the estimated 10,500 expected this year, but organizers in 1969 were ecstatic at the turnout. They were also ecstatic to welcome celebs such as Harold Robbins, plugging “The Survivors,” starring Lana Turner.

On April 30, 1969, Variety reported that the hour-long drama was budgeted at “a new all-time high of $300,000 per episode.” Robbins was hot stuff in the 1960s as he virtually invented sex-and-wealth blockbuster novels with “The Carpetbaggers” and “Where Love Has Gone.” In addition to his Mip-promoted “Survivors,” various companies were planning adaptations of four Robbins works, including big-screen projects “The Adventurers,” “The Inheritors” and “Stiletto,” plus the TV-targeted “79 Park Avenue.” That quartet represented a total investment of $36 million.

“I am the only writer able to make three major companies go broke in one year,” he joked at Cannes.

“The Survivors,” which also starred George Hamilton,...

Gilbert on the set of the 1977 James Bond blockbuster The Spy Who Loved Me with production designer Ken Adam and producer Albert R. Broccoli at Pinewood Studios, London.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Cinema Retro mourns the news of director/producer Lewis Gilbert's death in London at age 97. Gilbert was a good friend to our magazine and gave what is probably his last interview to our correspondent Matthew Field several years ago. It ran in three consecutive issues of Cinema Retro (#'s18, 19 and 20). 

Gilbert had a remarkable career that began early in life as a music hall performer and an actor in small roles in British films. During WWII he served in the Raf, producing and directing documentaries for the military. His first feature film as director was "The Little Ballerina", released in 1947. Gilbert toiled through directing low-budget, often undistinguished films, honing his craft along the way. He earned praise for...

Hong Kong cinema expands its borders once more and brings us a new fast paced action/adventure film, starring the one and only Andy Lau and international known French actor Jean Reno. “The Adventurers” is the latest film by Stephen Fung, and it was known for some time to be a remake of the classic John Woo’s flick “Once a Thief”. The plot is, in spirit, very similar, but it is not a remake in its whole, just a similar action flick with a similar plot that plays in the same league.

“The Adventurers” will screen at at the 9th International Chinese Film Festival, that will be on 23 February to 28, 2018.

“The Adventurers” is about a thief who has just been released from prison. Then, he brings together a team of professionals to make a final big score which will make them millionaires. The job is simple: steal the important...

“The Brink” is directed by newcomer director Jonathan Li, and is starring some known faces such as Jin Zhang, Gordon Lam and Shawn Lue among others, and co-starring Ka Tung Lam, Tai-Bo, Janice Man, Yue Wu and Yasuaki Kurata.

The movie introduces us to Sai Gau, played by Jin Zhang, who is a purely dedicated cop chasing this gold trafficking gang that has recently stepped on the coast. This gang owns a big casino boat filled with goods in order to be delivered, but it happens that the ones in charge of this specific operation are suffering from an inner conflict of leadership, mainly caused by Shing, played by Shawn Lue. The methods brought by this decided cop Sai Gau is not well liked by his superiors, especially for his direct boss played by Gordon Lam, who is always lecturing him and blaming him of losing fellow colleagues. But the thing is that,...

“The Brink” is directed by newcomer director Jonathan Li, and is starring some known faces such as Jin Zhang, Gordon Lam and Shawn Lue among others, and co-starring Ka Tung Lam, Tai-Bo, Janice Man, Yue Wu and Yasuaki Kurata.

The movie introduces us to Sai Gau, played by Jin Zhang, who is a purely dedicated cop chasing this gold trafficking gang that has recently stepped on the coast. This gang owns a big casino boat filled with goods in order to be delivered, but it happens that the ones in charge of this specific operation are suffering from an inner conflict of leadership, mainly caused by Shing, played by Shawn Lue. The methods brought by this decided cop Sai Gau is not well liked by his superiors, especially for his direct boss played by Gordon Lam, who is always lecturing him and blaming him of losing fellow colleagues. But the thing is that,...

Stars: Jean Reno, Qi Shu, Andy Lau, Tony Yang, Jingchu Zhang, Eric Tsang, Karel Dobry, Gen Seto, David Bowles, Yi Sha, Tianyi You | Written by Chi Kwong Cheung, Stephen Fung, Steve Ha, Andy Lo | Directed by Stephen Fung

Infamous and charismatic thief Cheung Tan (Andy Lau) has recently been released from prison. Cheung immediately plots a heist with his former partner in crime, Po (Tony Yang), and beautiful chameleon Red (Qi Shu), in order to pull off the heist of a lifetime – and steal precious jewels in Europe. Meanwhile, French detective Pierre (Jean Reno) has been hot on Cheung’s trails for many years. This time, he decides to capture Cheung and his gang of thieves for good… which means Cheung and co. will have to take their game to the next level.

Who doesn’t love a good heist movie? When the genre is done right you get fantastic and intriguing films like Flypaper,...

Stephen Fung’s heist flick “The Adventurers” is coming to Digital on December 5, 2017, and Blu-ray on January 2, 2018. See below for the press release from Well Go USA.

Well Go USA Press Release

Races onto Digital December 5

and on Blu-ray Combo Pack January 2The ADVENTURERSDirected by Stephen Fung and Starring Andy Lau & Jean Reno

“Fung endows [it] with panache and speed, and he punctuates the action with humor.”

~ Mark Jenkins, The Washington Post

Includes a Three-Part Making-of Featurette

Plano, Texas. (November 13, 2017) – Hong Kong Superstar Andy Lau (House of Flying Daggers, Internal Affairs) as a charismatic thief is pursued by French icon Jean Reno (Leon: The Professional, The Da Vinci Code, Mission Impossible) as a tenacious detective in the globetrotting caper film The Adventurers, stealing onto on digital December 5 and on Blu-ray Combo Pack January 2 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Infamous thief Cheung Tan (Lau) has recently been released from prison. Cheung immediately...

Jean Reno is well-known for teaming up with a much younger Natalie Portman in The Professional (aka Leon), but now the french actor is teamin up with Katie Holmes in the female-driven action-thriller Doorman.

Variety reports that the movie is currently in pre-production:

"...tells the story of an officer in the Marines who encountered traumatic events while serving her country and returns home looking for an opportunity to heal. She seeks refuge as a doorman at a historic New York apartment building until she encounters mercenaries intent upon destroying everything in their way, in order to retrieve precious art hidden in the walls of building."

The script is written by Lior Chefetz, Joe Swanson and Harry Winer.

Holmes will next be seen in The Gift and Ocean's Eight. Reno has recently worked on The Adventurers.

Bareilly Ki Barfi and The Adventurers are the International Cinema titles opening this weekend!Bareilly Ki Barfi and The Adventurers are the International Cinema titles opening this weekend!Adriana Floridia8/18/2017 11:36:00 Am

Every week, select Cineplex theatres feature some of the most popular and exciting films from all around the world, from countries like China, India, Korea, The Philippines and more. If you want to try something different at the movies, or simply celebrate your own or a new culture on the big screen, we’re highlighting the International Cinema titles out this weekend that you’ll surely enjoy!

The Adventurers (Mandarin w/Chinese and English subtitles)

The Adventurers follows three of the world's top thieves trying to pull off an incredible heist. This becomes difficult when they become followed across Europe by a legendary French detective (Jean Reno), meaning that they will have to take their game to new heights.

Beijing-based company announces news at Shanghai International Film Festival.

Shanghai: Terence Chang and Yang Xin’s Lucida Entertainment has signed three young Chinese stars to its fast-growing talent stable – Godfrey Gao, Huang Jingyu and Wang Chuanjun.

The Beijing-based company will represent Taiwanese-Canadian star Gao in the mainland China market, co-operating with the actor’s Taiwanese management company, JetStar Entertainment. It will be the sole agent for Huang Jingyu and Wang Chuanjun.

Lucida announced the signings at its one-year anniversary party at the on-going Shanghai International Film Festival, attended by a host of local stars and industry figures, including Yuen Woo-ping and Manfred Wong.

Gao has credits including The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (2013), produced by Constantin Film, and Leong Po-chih’s The Jade Pendant (2016).

Huang’s credits include Zhang Meng’s upcoming comedy drama Guns And Kidneys and Dante Lam’s Operation Red Sea, scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2017, while Wang recently starred in [link...

By Lee Pfeiffer

When it opened in 1970, director Lewis Gilbert's film version of Harold Robbins' best-seller The Adventurers was reviewed by New York Times, which referred to the production as "a spectacular blast-furnace lulu of human waste". Indeed, Gilbert himself said of the film a few years ago that it was "terrible" and that he regretted having been involved with it. With such a reputation, it's no wonder that even retro movie lovers such as myself have never made the effort to watch the movie. However, the Warner Archive has just re-issued Paramounts original DVD release of the film and, upon receiving the screener, I had enough morbid curiosity to give it a try. How, after all, could a film by a major director and featuring a big all-star cast go so completely wrong? The answer is: it didn't. The Adventurers is not high art, but it doesn't...