For a while, Hollywood flirted with Parkour as a way to spice up action scenes. The most notable example was in 2006's "Casino Royale" when Daniel Craig's Bond pursued freerunner Sébastien Foucan across the Madagascar landscape, up a large crane and down again, and into an embassy which he promptly blew up. It was quite the sequence, and the first to significantly showcase freerunning (Parkour's cousin) in a major Hollywood blockbuster.
Parkour became increasingly popular in North America during the first decade of the 2000s, becoming somewhat of an internet sensation and occasionally cropping up in mainstream culture. By 2009, even the staff over at Dunder Mifflin were getting in on the action. "The Office" started its sixth season with a now fondly-remembered, infinitely-memed cold open that saw Michael, Dwight, and Andy attempting some highly questionable Parkour moves around the office.
But prior to Hollywood's tentative love affair with Parkour,...
Parkour became increasingly popular in North America during the first decade of the 2000s, becoming somewhat of an internet sensation and occasionally cropping up in mainstream culture. By 2009, even the staff over at Dunder Mifflin were getting in on the action. "The Office" started its sixth season with a now fondly-remembered, infinitely-memed cold open that saw Michael, Dwight, and Andy attempting some highly questionable Parkour moves around the office.
But prior to Hollywood's tentative love affair with Parkour,...
- 1/1/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
"If something bad happened to me, what would you do?" Netflix has unveiled an official trailer for a French action thriller titled Rogue City, written & directed by Olivier Marchal. Set in the city of Marseille in the South of France, the film is about a "complex case of rivalry between gangs and a group of cops." Caught in the crosshairs of police corruption as well as Marseille's warring gangs, a loyal cop must protect his squad by taking matters into his own hands. Described as a "dark and intense thriller." Starring Lannick Gautry, Stanislas Merhar, Kaaris, David Belle, Jean Reno, Claudia Cardinale, Gérard Lanvin, Patrick Catalifo, Moussa Maaskri, and Catherine Marchal. This film looks like the most cliche and derivative gritty French action thriller, with all the usual cheesy lines and scenes. But damnit - stills looks entertaining. Here's the new official trailer (+ poster) for Olivier Marchal's Rogue City, from...
- 10/12/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Jackson Browne honors the resilience of Haiti in the video for his recent song, “Love Is Love,” released last month. The track will appear on the upcoming benefit album, Let the Rhythm Lead: Haiti Song Summit, Vol. 1, out January 31st, 2020 from Artists for Peace and Justice via Arts Music
“Love Is Love” is a mellow but moving tune, with Browne’s guitar tumbling over soft percussion. The video boasts footage of daily life from around Haiti, which complement Browne’s lyrics, like, “Raising up the future from the rubble of the past,...
“Love Is Love” is a mellow but moving tune, with Browne’s guitar tumbling over soft percussion. The video boasts footage of daily life from around Haiti, which complement Browne’s lyrics, like, “Raising up the future from the rubble of the past,...
- 12/2/2019
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Veteran actor Jean Reno has been tapped to star in “Rogue City,” a thriller that sees director Olivier Marchal re-team with French studio Gaumont.
Budgeted at $13 million, the film is set in Marseille and follows an anti-gang cop (Reno) with unorthodox methods who investigates a shooting at a local nightclub along with his longtime rival.
Lannick Gautry, Stanislas Merhar and David Belle complete the cast. Alain Figlarz, who has previously worked on “Taken 3,” “The Bourne Identity” and “The Transporter,” will be handling the action scenes and stunts.
The movie is set to start shooting on location in the south of France in September. Gaumont will kick off pre-sales for “Rogue City” at Cannes with a fully story-boarded script, and expects to release “Rogue City” in France during the second quarter of 2020.
Marchal is himself a former cop who worked for both the police and French intelligence. Through films such...
Budgeted at $13 million, the film is set in Marseille and follows an anti-gang cop (Reno) with unorthodox methods who investigates a shooting at a local nightclub along with his longtime rival.
Lannick Gautry, Stanislas Merhar and David Belle complete the cast. Alain Figlarz, who has previously worked on “Taken 3,” “The Bourne Identity” and “The Transporter,” will be handling the action scenes and stunts.
The movie is set to start shooting on location in the south of France in September. Gaumont will kick off pre-sales for “Rogue City” at Cannes with a fully story-boarded script, and expects to release “Rogue City” in France during the second quarter of 2020.
Marchal is himself a former cop who worked for both the police and French intelligence. Through films such...
- 5/10/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
An impressive 1.1 million dollars was raised at the annual Artists for Peace and Justice (Apj) Festival Gala, presented by Bovet 1822, held at the Art Gallery of Ontario (Ago).
Morgan Spurlock, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ben Stiller, Jackson Browne, Natasha Koifman, Paul Haggis, Yannick Bisson and Suzanne Boyd
Credit/Copyright: George Pimentel
Co-chaired by Natasha Koifman and Suzanne Boyd, the event was co-hosted by an influential team, including Apj Founder, Paul Haggis, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ben Stiller, Shantelle and Yannick Bisson, George Stroumboulopoulos and Audrey Raffy, daughter of Bovet 1822 owner Pascal Raffy. The event kicked off with a surprise for guests in attendance, when Apj CEO David Belle and Haggis called on notable attendees to join them in the spirit of social justice and activism to help serve the meal. All the co-hosts jumped up from their seats and proceeded to serve the guests.
Later that evening, Haggis and Belle with Bovet...
Morgan Spurlock, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ben Stiller, Jackson Browne, Natasha Koifman, Paul Haggis, Yannick Bisson and Suzanne Boyd
Credit/Copyright: George Pimentel
Co-chaired by Natasha Koifman and Suzanne Boyd, the event was co-hosted by an influential team, including Apj Founder, Paul Haggis, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ben Stiller, Shantelle and Yannick Bisson, George Stroumboulopoulos and Audrey Raffy, daughter of Bovet 1822 owner Pascal Raffy. The event kicked off with a surprise for guests in attendance, when Apj CEO David Belle and Haggis called on notable attendees to join them in the spirit of social justice and activism to help serve the meal. All the co-hosts jumped up from their seats and proceeded to serve the guests.
Later that evening, Haggis and Belle with Bovet...
- 9/13/2017
- Look to the Stars
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Want a quality action film, but you only have an hour and a half? Step this way...
Looking back over the genre, action films definitely haven’t suffered from the trend to make everything longer. They’ve always been pretty long, regularly clocking in at over two hours. Perhaps because of all the slo-mo? But while the sweet spot for action classics seems to be the 100-110 minute mark, there are those that have cut the genre right down to basics, and succeeded all the more for it.
Below is my pick of 25 great action films 90 minutes or under. Even more so than other genres, action crosses many other films - picking a pure ‘action’ flick is all but impossible. So below I’ve chosen films that retain action sequences as their main narrative device, and keep the action at the heart of the movie, rather than as a extra.
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Want a quality action film, but you only have an hour and a half? Step this way...
Looking back over the genre, action films definitely haven’t suffered from the trend to make everything longer. They’ve always been pretty long, regularly clocking in at over two hours. Perhaps because of all the slo-mo? But while the sweet spot for action classics seems to be the 100-110 minute mark, there are those that have cut the genre right down to basics, and succeeded all the more for it.
Below is my pick of 25 great action films 90 minutes or under. Even more so than other genres, action crosses many other films - picking a pure ‘action’ flick is all but impossible. So below I’ve chosen films that retain action sequences as their main narrative device, and keep the action at the heart of the movie, rather than as a extra.
- 3/10/2016
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
This spring, let your imagination run free. Sci-fi fantasy and comic book fans will have the chance to embark on a unique journey beyond space, time and known worlds that await us when the highly celebrated live-action, sci-fi anthology Metal Hurlant Chronicles: The Complete Series debuts for the first time on Blu-ray™ and DVD on April 14, 2015 from Shout! Factory. This highly anticipated home entertainment collection will be available at Walmart stores nationwide and at Amazon.com
Visionary writer-director Guillaume Lubrano brings his faithful, well-crafted adaption of the world renowned comics anthology Métal Hurlant (also known internationally as Heavy Metal Magazine) to live-action with a star-studded cast including Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner), Scott Adkins (Expendables 2) Michael Biehn (Aliens), Kelly Brook (Piranha 3D), David Belle (Prince of Persia), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Joe Flanigan (Stargate: Atlantis), James Marsters (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Dominique Pinon (Alien: Resurrection), Michelle Ryan...
Visionary writer-director Guillaume Lubrano brings his faithful, well-crafted adaption of the world renowned comics anthology Métal Hurlant (also known internationally as Heavy Metal Magazine) to live-action with a star-studded cast including Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner), Scott Adkins (Expendables 2) Michael Biehn (Aliens), Kelly Brook (Piranha 3D), David Belle (Prince of Persia), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Joe Flanigan (Stargate: Atlantis), James Marsters (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Dominique Pinon (Alien: Resurrection), Michelle Ryan...
- 4/8/2015
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Can't make it to the Valentine's Day Cannibal Holocaust feast at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema this Saturday? Don't sweat it, because now available from Mondo is the vinyl soundtrack and a new poster for the influential Italian horror film, along with a blood-dripping Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives that's also fittingly been released today. And that's just the first of three news items in our latest horror round-up, as we also look at Shout! Factory's Metal Hurlant Chronicles: The Complete Series Blu-ray and the newly unveiled final special features of Shout! Factory label Scream Factory's Class of 1984.
Cannibal Holocaust & Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives: Now available from Mondo:
"Cannibal Holocaust by Jock. 24"x36" screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 250. Printed by D&L Screenprinting. $50"
"Cannibal Holocaust (Variant) by Jock. 24"x36" screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 100. Printed by D&L Screenprinting. $75"
"Cannibal Holocaust LP.
Cannibal Holocaust & Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives: Now available from Mondo:
"Cannibal Holocaust by Jock. 24"x36" screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 250. Printed by D&L Screenprinting. $50"
"Cannibal Holocaust (Variant) by Jock. 24"x36" screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 100. Printed by D&L Screenprinting. $75"
"Cannibal Holocaust LP.
- 2/13/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
This spring, let your imagination run free. Sci-fi fantasy and comic book fans will have the chance to embark on a unique journey beyond space, time and known worlds that await us when the highly celebrated live-action, sci-fi anthologyMETAL Hurlant Chronicles: The Complete Series debuts for the first time on Blu-ray™ and DVD on April 14, 2015from Shout! Factory.
Visionary writer-director Guillaume Lubrano brings his faithful, well-crafted adaption of the world renowned comics anthology Métal Hurlant (also known internationally as ‘Heavy Metal’ Magazine) to live-action with a star-studded cast including Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner), Scott Adkins (Expendables 2) Michael Biehn (Aliens), Kelly Brook (Piranha 3D), David Belle (Prince of Persia), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Joe Flanigan (Stargate: Atlantis), James Marsters (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Dominique Pinon (Alien: Resurrection), Michelle Ryan (Doctor Who) and Michael Jai White (Spawn).
The last fragment of a living planet, reduced to dust by the destructive madness of its habitants,...
Visionary writer-director Guillaume Lubrano brings his faithful, well-crafted adaption of the world renowned comics anthology Métal Hurlant (also known internationally as ‘Heavy Metal’ Magazine) to live-action with a star-studded cast including Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner), Scott Adkins (Expendables 2) Michael Biehn (Aliens), Kelly Brook (Piranha 3D), David Belle (Prince of Persia), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Joe Flanigan (Stargate: Atlantis), James Marsters (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Dominique Pinon (Alien: Resurrection), Michelle Ryan (Doctor Who) and Michael Jai White (Spawn).
The last fragment of a living planet, reduced to dust by the destructive madness of its habitants,...
- 2/13/2015
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
This spring, let your imagination run free. Sci-fi fantasy and comic book fans will have the chance to embark on a unique journey beyond space, time and known worlds that await us when the highly celebrated live-action, sci-fi anthology Metal Hurlant Chronicles: The Complete Series debuts for the first time on Blu-ray™ and DVD on April 14, 2015 from Shout! Factory. Visionary writer-director Guillaume Lubrano brings his faithful, well-crafted adaption of the world renowned comics anthology Métal Hurlant (also known internationally as ‘Heavy Metal’ Magazine) to live-action with a star-studded cast including Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner), Scott Adkins (Expendables 2) Michael Biehn (Aliens), Kelly Brook (Piranha 3D), David Belle (Prince of Persia), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark),...
- 2/13/2015
- by Pietro Filipponi
- The Daily BLAM!
Detroit gets no love.
In one of Paul Walker’s final performances, the late actor stars in this action packed remake called “Brick Mansions.” The film is based off 2004’s French film “District B13” that introduced us to very creative parkour chase scenes.
Luc Besson also wrote the American remake from his French version, which is nearly the exact same story except it’s Americanized for this audience. As a bonus, parkour extraordinaire David Belle plays Lino in the same role as he did ten years ago with the French version.
The story is set in the near future, in which the Brick Mansions project is walled in like a prison from the rest of Detroit. A drug lord Tremaine Alexander (RZA) rules the neighborhood through his shipments of drugs and guns. Tremaine kidnaps Lino’s ex-girlfriend as revenge for him destroying his recent shipment. Meanwhile, police detective Damien Collier...
In one of Paul Walker’s final performances, the late actor stars in this action packed remake called “Brick Mansions.” The film is based off 2004’s French film “District B13” that introduced us to very creative parkour chase scenes.
Luc Besson also wrote the American remake from his French version, which is nearly the exact same story except it’s Americanized for this audience. As a bonus, parkour extraordinaire David Belle plays Lino in the same role as he did ten years ago with the French version.
The story is set in the near future, in which the Brick Mansions project is walled in like a prison from the rest of Detroit. A drug lord Tremaine Alexander (RZA) rules the neighborhood through his shipments of drugs and guns. Tremaine kidnaps Lino’s ex-girlfriend as revenge for him destroying his recent shipment. Meanwhile, police detective Damien Collier...
- 9/9/2014
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
Moviefone's Top DVD of the Week
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
What's It About? Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America (Chris Evans) is still getting used to life in the 21st century, but before he gets too comfortable he's enlisted by S.H.I.E.L.D. to help stop another big bad. Captain American partners with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) for a lot of action and awesomeness in their mission to stop the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie co-stars as Falcon.
Why We're In: The "Avengers" series just keeps getting better and better. Plus, "Winter Soldier" gives us even more of Black Widow's bad-assery, proving once again that it's high time we get a stand-alone for this fantastic character.
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week
"The Great Race"
What's It About? Blake Edwards directs Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood in this slapstick comedy about a globe-trotting car race.
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
What's It About? Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America (Chris Evans) is still getting used to life in the 21st century, but before he gets too comfortable he's enlisted by S.H.I.E.L.D. to help stop another big bad. Captain American partners with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) for a lot of action and awesomeness in their mission to stop the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie co-stars as Falcon.
Why We're In: The "Avengers" series just keeps getting better and better. Plus, "Winter Soldier" gives us even more of Black Widow's bad-assery, proving once again that it's high time we get a stand-alone for this fantastic character.
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week
"The Great Race"
What's It About? Blake Edwards directs Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood in this slapstick comedy about a globe-trotting car race.
- 9/9/2014
- by Jenni Miller
- Moviefone
Stars: Paul Walker, David Belle, RZA, Gouchy Boy, Catalina Denis, Ayisha Issa, Carlo Rota, Andreas Apergis, Richard Zeman, Robert Maillet, Bruce Ramsay | Written by Luc Besson, Bibi Naceri | Directed by Camille Delamarre
Hollywood remaking a foreign film is far from a new phenomenon, and adaption in this manner has yielded some truly great films. We have seen such successes like Seven Samurai transformed into The Magnificent Seven, and Infernal Affairs altered into The Departed.
On the other hand, there are movies like Brick Mansions. This remake of the Luc Besson / Pierre Morel French parkour action fest District B13 has much in common with the original including plot structure, action sequences, and even shares one of the co-leads. What it lacks is energy, craftsmanship, and originality. Fans of the original have little reason to examine this new take, and those coming in fresh will also find it difficult enjoy this tired dud of an action movie.
Hollywood remaking a foreign film is far from a new phenomenon, and adaption in this manner has yielded some truly great films. We have seen such successes like Seven Samurai transformed into The Magnificent Seven, and Infernal Affairs altered into The Departed.
On the other hand, there are movies like Brick Mansions. This remake of the Luc Besson / Pierre Morel French parkour action fest District B13 has much in common with the original including plot structure, action sequences, and even shares one of the co-leads. What it lacks is energy, craftsmanship, and originality. Fans of the original have little reason to examine this new take, and those coming in fresh will also find it difficult enjoy this tired dud of an action movie.
- 9/6/2014
- by Dan Clark
- Nerdly
To mark the release of Brick Mansions on 8th September, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on Blu-ray.
Paul Walker (The Fast and The Furious franchise), co-founder & leading pioneer of parkour; David Belle (District 13), and Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA (GI Joe: Retaliation) team up in this action-packed crime drama from the makers of Taken and The Transporter.
In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city. For undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) every day is a battle against corruption. For Lino (David Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life. Their paths never should have crossed, but when drug kingpin, Tremaine (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts the help of the fearless ex-convict.
Paul Walker (The Fast and The Furious franchise), co-founder & leading pioneer of parkour; David Belle (District 13), and Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA (GI Joe: Retaliation) team up in this action-packed crime drama from the makers of Taken and The Transporter.
In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city. For undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) every day is a battle against corruption. For Lino (David Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life. Their paths never should have crossed, but when drug kingpin, Tremaine (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts the help of the fearless ex-convict.
- 9/5/2014
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
From Vvs Films, Sneak Peek B-roll behind-the-scenes footage from director Camille Delamarre's "Brick Mansions", a remake of the cult action film, "District B13", available August 26, 2014 on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download, starring Paul Walker, RZA and David Belle, co-founder of the 'Parkour' wall-scaling stunts:
"...in a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals.
"Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city.
"For undercover cop 'Damien Collier' (Walker) every day is a battle against corruption. For 'Lino' (Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life.
"Their paths never should have crossed, but when drug kingpin, 'Tremaine' (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts the help of the fearless ex-convict...
"...and together they must stop a sinister plot to devastate the entire city.
"...in a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals.
"Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city.
"For undercover cop 'Damien Collier' (Walker) every day is a battle against corruption. For 'Lino' (Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life.
"Their paths never should have crossed, but when drug kingpin, 'Tremaine' (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts the help of the fearless ex-convict...
"...and together they must stop a sinister plot to devastate the entire city.
- 8/13/2014
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Paramount
Stunt performers – the men and women who put their lives on the line to bring some of the most exciting action sequences we’ve ever seen to the big screen. They’re the unsung heroes of cinema; performers whose bravery causes us to gasp in amazement as they fall through the air, leap across vast chasms and generally risk life and limb all for the sake our entertainment.
Many of us don’t even know their names, and while – as we’ll see – there are a handful of famous actors more than prepared to step into their shoes and do their own stunts, for the most part the stunt performer is something of a mystery. Little wonder that Jason Statham – an actor who insists on performing his own stunts – has campaigned to give them their own fully deserved Oscar category.
The following list covers 20 of the craziest stunts ever...
Stunt performers – the men and women who put their lives on the line to bring some of the most exciting action sequences we’ve ever seen to the big screen. They’re the unsung heroes of cinema; performers whose bravery causes us to gasp in amazement as they fall through the air, leap across vast chasms and generally risk life and limb all for the sake our entertainment.
Many of us don’t even know their names, and while – as we’ll see – there are a handful of famous actors more than prepared to step into their shoes and do their own stunts, for the most part the stunt performer is something of a mystery. Little wonder that Jason Statham – an actor who insists on performing his own stunts – has campaigned to give them their own fully deserved Oscar category.
The following list covers 20 of the craziest stunts ever...
- 7/21/2014
- by Andrew Dilks
- Obsessed with Film
Luc Besson's parkour piece loses its bounce in translation from French to American
"Sometimes you don't gotta be a rocket scientist. You just need a rocket..." Thus drawls RZA in this Americanised reboot of writer-producer Luc Besson's 2004 Euro hit District B 13, which moves the action from paranoid Paris to dystopian Detroit. Athletic David Belle (looking more like a buff version of Daniel Auteuil every day) reprises the runny-jumpy "parkour" paradiddles that put such a spring in the original, while the late Paul Walker handles the punchy-drivey chores at which he excelled in The Fast and the Furious franchise. It's solidly unsurprising (and often quite boring) generic fare, spiced up with steroidal pectorals and fetishy catfights. The extraordinary leaping remains the main reason to watch, but the endless shooting, crashing and overacting takes the shine off the more bouncy pleasures.
Continue reading...
"Sometimes you don't gotta be a rocket scientist. You just need a rocket..." Thus drawls RZA in this Americanised reboot of writer-producer Luc Besson's 2004 Euro hit District B 13, which moves the action from paranoid Paris to dystopian Detroit. Athletic David Belle (looking more like a buff version of Daniel Auteuil every day) reprises the runny-jumpy "parkour" paradiddles that put such a spring in the original, while the late Paul Walker handles the punchy-drivey chores at which he excelled in The Fast and the Furious franchise. It's solidly unsurprising (and often quite boring) generic fare, spiced up with steroidal pectorals and fetishy catfights. The extraordinary leaping remains the main reason to watch, but the endless shooting, crashing and overacting takes the shine off the more bouncy pleasures.
Continue reading...
- 5/3/2014
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
The late Paul Walker's last big screen appearance proper sees him play an undercover cop who hooks up with a free-running rebel (David Belle) to take on a Detroit crime lord (RZA) plotting to detonate a neutron bomb. Co-written by Luc Besson, this remake of the French thriller District 13 serves up preposterous action, including bundles of heart-stopping parkour.
- 5/2/2014
- Sky Movies
Director: Camille Delamarre; Screenwriters: Luc Besson, Bibi Naceri ; Starring: Paul Walker, David Belle, RZA; Running time: 90 mins; Certificate: 15
It was never going to be easy. Setting an action film in a block of flats in a world still gobsmacked by The Raid is the equivalent of hopping into bed with someone who's just had a fling with Dirk Diggler. Unsurprisingly, this Luc Besson-produced remake of his French movie District 13 falls short of the mark.
It's a simple story involving Paul Walker's undercover cop Damien being sent into a dilapidated and isolated neighbourhood governed by rapper RZA's crime lord Tremaine Alexander. He's a villain with a token eccentric quirk - instead of stroking a cat or feeding bits of human to a pet shark, he is often depicted cooking meals from his mother's recipes. That's in between callously killing people - even his own men - just...
It was never going to be easy. Setting an action film in a block of flats in a world still gobsmacked by The Raid is the equivalent of hopping into bed with someone who's just had a fling with Dirk Diggler. Unsurprisingly, this Luc Besson-produced remake of his French movie District 13 falls short of the mark.
It's a simple story involving Paul Walker's undercover cop Damien being sent into a dilapidated and isolated neighbourhood governed by rapper RZA's crime lord Tremaine Alexander. He's a villain with a token eccentric quirk - instead of stroking a cat or feeding bits of human to a pet shark, he is often depicted cooking meals from his mother's recipes. That's in between callously killing people - even his own men - just...
- 5/2/2014
- Digital Spy
Luc Besson relocates French parkour thriller District 13 to Detroit, but the film is notable mainly for Paul Walker's last completed role
Visionary-turned-pablum-producer Luc Besson here relocates 2004's nifty parkour-based actioner District 13 to a crime- and cliche-ridden Detroit, where cop Paul Walker (in his last completed role) and the original's David Belle are pursuing a megaton bomb, helpfully fitted with digital countdown clock. A thousand cuts per minute aim to speed us mindlessly past Besson's usual chauvinism, political cynicism and dubious colour-coding as in Taken, non-Caucasians are overwhelming villainous while also chopping short exactly those moves this setup was meant to showcase. The Raid 2 got most of its kicks in situ; this deploys a lot of edit-suite trickery to generate only moderate dynamism.
Continue reading...
Visionary-turned-pablum-producer Luc Besson here relocates 2004's nifty parkour-based actioner District 13 to a crime- and cliche-ridden Detroit, where cop Paul Walker (in his last completed role) and the original's David Belle are pursuing a megaton bomb, helpfully fitted with digital countdown clock. A thousand cuts per minute aim to speed us mindlessly past Besson's usual chauvinism, political cynicism and dubious colour-coding as in Taken, non-Caucasians are overwhelming villainous while also chopping short exactly those moves this setup was meant to showcase. The Raid 2 got most of its kicks in situ; this deploys a lot of edit-suite trickery to generate only moderate dynamism.
Continue reading...
- 5/1/2014
- by Mike McCahill
- The Guardian - Film News
This absurd and pointlessly convoluted remake of a decade-old French action flick feels dated and out of step in more ways than one. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have seen the source material (and I am indifferent about it)
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It’s been years since I saw the 2004 French film, Banlieue 13 — aka District 13 and District B-13 — and I confess that I do not remember being overly impressed by it… but I think would have remembered if it felt quite so absurd and pointlessly convoluted as this lifeless remake.
Written and produced by Luc Besson (Taken 2, Colombiana; he served in the same capacities on the original), and directed by Besson protégé Camille Delamarre (that’s a dude Camille, by the way), this gives us a Detroit of the year 2018 in which crime...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have seen the source material (and I am indifferent about it)
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It’s been years since I saw the 2004 French film, Banlieue 13 — aka District 13 and District B-13 — and I confess that I do not remember being overly impressed by it… but I think would have remembered if it felt quite so absurd and pointlessly convoluted as this lifeless remake.
Written and produced by Luc Besson (Taken 2, Colombiana; he served in the same capacities on the original), and directed by Besson protégé Camille Delamarre (that’s a dude Camille, by the way), this gives us a Detroit of the year 2018 in which crime...
- 5/1/2014
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
May 2, 2014
Blue Ruin
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Starring: Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves
Running time: 90 mins
Certificate: 15
Brick Mansions
Director: Camille DeLamarre
Starring: Paul Walker, David Belle, Rza
Running time: 91 mins
Certificate: 15
Tarzan 3D
Director: Reinhard Klooss
Starring: Kellan Lutz, Spencer Locke, Robert Capron
Running time: 99 mins
Certificate: PG
May 9
Bad Neighbours
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Dave Franco
Running time: 97 mins
Certificate: 15
Sabotage
Director: David Ayer
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington
Running time: 109 mins
Certificate: 15
The Canyons
Director: Paul Schrader
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, James Deen
Running time: 96
Certificate: 18
Frank
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson
Running time: 95 mins
Certificate: 15
The Wind Rises
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt
Running time: 127 mins
Certificate: PG
May 16
Godzilla
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston
Running time: 123 mins
Certificate: 12A
In Secret
Director: Charlie Stratton
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar Isaac, Tom Felton...
Blue Ruin
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Starring: Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves
Running time: 90 mins
Certificate: 15
Brick Mansions
Director: Camille DeLamarre
Starring: Paul Walker, David Belle, Rza
Running time: 91 mins
Certificate: 15
Tarzan 3D
Director: Reinhard Klooss
Starring: Kellan Lutz, Spencer Locke, Robert Capron
Running time: 99 mins
Certificate: PG
May 9
Bad Neighbours
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Dave Franco
Running time: 97 mins
Certificate: 15
Sabotage
Director: David Ayer
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington
Running time: 109 mins
Certificate: 15
The Canyons
Director: Paul Schrader
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, James Deen
Running time: 96
Certificate: 18
Frank
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson
Running time: 95 mins
Certificate: 15
The Wind Rises
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt
Running time: 127 mins
Certificate: PG
May 16
Godzilla
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston
Running time: 123 mins
Certificate: 12A
In Secret
Director: Charlie Stratton
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar Isaac, Tom Felton...
- 5/1/2014
- Digital Spy
Stars: Paul Walker, David Belle, RZA, Gouchy Boy, Catalina Denis, Ayisha Issa, Carlo Rota, Andreas Apergis, Richard Zeman, Robert Maillet, Bruce Ramsay | Written by Luc Besson, Bibi Naceri | Directed by Camille Delamarre
Hollywood remaking a foreign film is far from a new phenomenon, and adaption in this manner has yielded some truly great films. We have seen such successes like Seven Samurai transformed into The Magnificent Seven, and Infernal Affairs altered into The Departed.
On the other hand, there are movies like Brick Mansions. This remake of the Luc Besson / Pierre Morel French parkour action fest District B13 has much in common with the original including plot structure, action sequences, and even shares one of the co-leads. What it lacks is energy, craftsmanship, and originality. Fans of the original have little reason to examine this new take, and those coming in fresh will also find it difficult enjoy this tired dud of an action movie.
Hollywood remaking a foreign film is far from a new phenomenon, and adaption in this manner has yielded some truly great films. We have seen such successes like Seven Samurai transformed into The Magnificent Seven, and Infernal Affairs altered into The Departed.
On the other hand, there are movies like Brick Mansions. This remake of the Luc Besson / Pierre Morel French parkour action fest District B13 has much in common with the original including plot structure, action sequences, and even shares one of the co-leads. What it lacks is energy, craftsmanship, and originality. Fans of the original have little reason to examine this new take, and those coming in fresh will also find it difficult enjoy this tired dud of an action movie.
- 4/29/2014
- by Dan Clark
- Nerdly
Since being introduced back in 1997, Parkour has become a key part of many fast-paced action sequences. With the aim being to get from A to B as quickly as possible, it’s easy to see why our protagonists would favour this mode of ‘transport’. With the upcoming release of Brick Mansions on May 2nd, starring Paul Walker and Parkour founder, David Belle (pictured below), we’ve taken a look at some of the best Parkour and free-running scenes, as well as a few that we enjoyed for other reasons.
District B13 (2004) dir. Pierre Morel
David Belle, widely regarded as a founder of the modern parkour movement, eludes a gun-toting gang in a gut-wrenching chase through a French estate block. Impossible precision and stomach-churning drops are the order of the day although we’re unconvinced that the bit with the ladder is allowed in Parkour rules. Casino Royale (2006) dir. Martin Campbell...
District B13 (2004) dir. Pierre Morel
David Belle, widely regarded as a founder of the modern parkour movement, eludes a gun-toting gang in a gut-wrenching chase through a French estate block. Impossible precision and stomach-churning drops are the order of the day although we’re unconvinced that the bit with the ladder is allowed in Parkour rules. Casino Royale (2006) dir. Martin Campbell...
- 4/29/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Director: Camille Delamarre. Writers: Luc Besson and Bibi Naceri. Cast: Paul Walker, David Belle, RZA, Gouchy Boy and Catalina Denis. Brick Mansions is a remake of the French film District B13 (2004). Actor David Belle, the originator of Parkour, stars in both films and a sequel to District B13, titled District 13: Ultimatum (2009). All three films deal with a post-apocalyptic cityscape. As well, Brick Mansions continues to be shot in French locales, with the original shot in Paris and the remake shot in Montreal, Quebec. This second film is less gritty than the first and the PG-13 rating for the remake does not help with any sense of realism. Full of half-cocked political messages, Brick Mansions is a fairly standard action thriller, with Camille Delamarre's camerawork a little off-setting. This title takes place in 2018. In the future, parts of Detroit have been walled off, due to the unpoliceable nature of the streets.
- 4/27/2014
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Review Ron Hogan 28 Apr 2014 - 05:53
Can this remake of a French film cut it in the action stakes? Ron checks our Brick Mansions, starring the late Paul Walker...
Paul Walker would have made a great Steve McQueen. Indeed, if there is such a thing as a modern Steve McQueen, it might just be Paul Walker. He was at home behind the wheel of a fast car, he was charismatic without trying too hard, he had wonderful blue eyes, and he had great comic timing. He was also a pretty solid actor during his life, though he was more popular than critically respected. If you want a guy to look awesome driving a car, Paul Walker was the guy to do so, and he's the acting center of Brick Mansions, an Americanization of Luc Besson's impressive Euro-action flick Banlieue 13 (Aka District 13 or District B13 if you're American).
Walker plays Damien,...
Can this remake of a French film cut it in the action stakes? Ron checks our Brick Mansions, starring the late Paul Walker...
Paul Walker would have made a great Steve McQueen. Indeed, if there is such a thing as a modern Steve McQueen, it might just be Paul Walker. He was at home behind the wheel of a fast car, he was charismatic without trying too hard, he had wonderful blue eyes, and he had great comic timing. He was also a pretty solid actor during his life, though he was more popular than critically respected. If you want a guy to look awesome driving a car, Paul Walker was the guy to do so, and he's the acting center of Brick Mansions, an Americanization of Luc Besson's impressive Euro-action flick Banlieue 13 (Aka District 13 or District B13 if you're American).
Walker plays Damien,...
- 4/27/2014
- by sarahd
- Den of Geek
‘The Other Woman’ 2014 box office: Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann comedy to top North American box office chart despite mostly bad reviews (photo: Kate Upton, Cameron Diaz, and Leslie Mann in ‘The Other Woman’) Starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, the Nick Cassavetes-directed comedy The Other Woman will easily top the North American box office this weekend, April 25-27, 2014. The story of three women who gang up to take revenge on their cheating husband/lover, The Other Woman — which would have been more accurately titled "The Other Women" — opened with a solid $9.3 million at 3,205 U.S. and Canadian locations on Friday, according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo. As the old saying goes, "If you give them trash, they’ll gobble it up (and ask for seconds)" — or something along those lines. Anyhow, 20th Century Fox’s $40 million-budgeted The Other Woman, which has...
- 4/27/2014
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
Relativity Media released their new action/drama flick, "Brick Mansions," into theaters this weekend. I just watched it, and thought it was very entertaining,delivering up plenty of hardcore action, drama, suspense, and a pretty good plotline. It stars: Paul Walker, David Belle, RZA, Gouchy Boy, Catalina Denis, and Carlo Rota. In the new flick, the plot revolves around dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times, and now houses only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around the area to protect the rest of the city. Undercover cop ,Damien Collier ( Paul Walker), eventually teams up with character, Lino, who was thrown in prison for killing a corrupt cop that got his girl, Lola, captured by a very dangerous drug gang led by Tremaine Alexander. The plan for Damien and Lino is to get Tremaine to disable a bomb they received,...
- 4/27/2014
- by Andre
- OnTheFlix
Hollywood remakes of foreign films are here to stay because they perform a great service to illiterate and lazy Americans nationwide, but their track record is dubious at best. This is especially true for remakes of action films for two commonly recurring reasons. Hollywood can rarely compete with the action (usually due to pesky things like insurance), and they often over-think the script in an effort to make it “smarter.” Brick Mansions, the English language redo of the 2004 French hit District B13, thankfully makes no attempt to beef up the film’s intelligence — it’s more likely that they dumbed it down actually. But it will surprise no one that the action is subpar shenanigans created and destroyed entirely through rapid-fire editing. Damien (Paul Walker, replacing the far more limber and athletically talented Cyril Raffaelli) is a cop fighting the good fight in 2018 Detroit. The city previously walled off the less gentrified neighborhood of Brick Mansions in...
- 4/26/2014
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Paul Walker's penultimate film and passion project Brick Mansions, out Friday, casts him as an undercover cop who teams with an ex-convict to save a dystopian Detroit from destruction. The English-language remake of the 2004 hit French film Banlieue 13 was written by Luc Besson and directed by Camille Delamarre, and also features RZA, while David Belle reprises his role as the ex-convict. Photos: Paul Walker's Career in Pictures The crime thriller is expected to debut in the $8 million to $10 million range, and in honor of Walker's memory, Relativity and EuropaCorp have made a donation to
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- 4/25/2014
- by Ashley Lee
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Were it not for the tragic death of star Paul Walker, whose life was cut short in a freak car accident last November, then people probably wouldn't be paying much attention to "Brick Mansions." It is, after all, merely the latest in a long line of passable entertainments overseen by French filmmaker Luc Besson who, in the years since he gave up his position as an up-and-coming pop art visionary, has been supervising such down-and-dirty thrillers as the "Taken" films and this year's "3 Days to Kill." But since this is one of Walker’s final screen performances, the movie has taken on a certain amount of heft (not to mention a gloss of morbid ghoulishness), which is particularly odd given how lightweight and disposable an experience it is. “Brick Mansions” is based on something Besson had already made before (in France): an equally shoddy, quasi-futuristic 2004 action movie called “District B13,...
- 4/25/2014
- by Drew Taylor
- The Playlist
To celebrate the release of Brick Mansions, In Cinemas May 2Nd, we’ve got a competition for one lucky person to win a pair of WeSC RZA Street headphones!
In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city. For undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) every day is a battle against corruption. For Lino (David Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life.
Their paths never should have crossed, but when drug kingpin, Tremaine (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts the help of the fearless ex-convict, and together they must stop a sinister plot to devastate the entire city. With stylized action featuring thrilling Parkour stunts (David Belle is the co-founder of this physical...
In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city. For undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) every day is a battle against corruption. For Lino (David Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life.
Their paths never should have crossed, but when drug kingpin, Tremaine (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts the help of the fearless ex-convict, and together they must stop a sinister plot to devastate the entire city. With stylized action featuring thrilling Parkour stunts (David Belle is the co-founder of this physical...
- 4/25/2014
- by Peter Willis
- Obsessed with Film
Brick Mansions is a bad movie.
There, I got it out of the way. But now let's delve deeper.
Brick Mansions is a remake of the 2004 French film, District 13, and- as RZA put it when he showed up in the theater to personally introduce the film- it got remade because the folks behind it "wanted to Americanize it." Not sure that's any reason to remake a movie, but nonetheless, it happened.
It's set in the near future, and has been moved to Detroit. In this dystopian future, a section of Detroit has been barricaded off. Walls were put up to enclose it, and security checkpoints were installed to monitor who goes in and out. Why? To segregate the poor folks from the rich folks. So this section of town, referred to as "Brick Mansions," is a sprawling ghetto filled with criminal lowlifes and anyone unfortunate enough to not be wealthy.
There, I got it out of the way. But now let's delve deeper.
Brick Mansions is a remake of the 2004 French film, District 13, and- as RZA put it when he showed up in the theater to personally introduce the film- it got remade because the folks behind it "wanted to Americanize it." Not sure that's any reason to remake a movie, but nonetheless, it happened.
It's set in the near future, and has been moved to Detroit. In this dystopian future, a section of Detroit has been barricaded off. Walls were put up to enclose it, and security checkpoints were installed to monitor who goes in and out. Why? To segregate the poor folks from the rich folks. So this section of town, referred to as "Brick Mansions," is a sprawling ghetto filled with criminal lowlifes and anyone unfortunate enough to not be wealthy.
- 4/25/2014
- by Mario-Francisco Robles
- LRMonline.com
Relativity’s upcoming film, Brick Mansions, opens in theaters on April 25th, and stars Paul Walker, David Belle and RZA. To celebrate Wamg is giving away a Brick Mansions prize pack.
The prize is a fun Brick Mansions-themed prize pack, including the following items:
$25 Fandango Gift Card Ear Buds (branded) Hoodie (branded) Water Bottle (branded) Take Flight Parkour T-Shirt (color and style may vary)
To Enter:
1. You Must Be A U.S. Resident With A U.S. Shipping Address. No P.O. Boxes.
2. Place Your Name, A Valid Email, And Answer To The Question Below In The Comment Section Of This Post.
3. What is your favorite Paul Walker film?
Winners Will Be Chosen Through A Random Drawing Of Qualifying Contestants. No Purchase Necessary. Prizes Will Not Be Substituted Or Exchanged.
In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime,...
The prize is a fun Brick Mansions-themed prize pack, including the following items:
$25 Fandango Gift Card Ear Buds (branded) Hoodie (branded) Water Bottle (branded) Take Flight Parkour T-Shirt (color and style may vary)
To Enter:
1. You Must Be A U.S. Resident With A U.S. Shipping Address. No P.O. Boxes.
2. Place Your Name, A Valid Email, And Answer To The Question Below In The Comment Section Of This Post.
3. What is your favorite Paul Walker film?
Winners Will Be Chosen Through A Random Drawing Of Qualifying Contestants. No Purchase Necessary. Prizes Will Not Be Substituted Or Exchanged.
In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime,...
- 4/25/2014
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
If you’ve seen “District 13”—aka “District B13”—the 2004 actioner from writer/producer Luc Besson and directed by Pierre Morel, then you know exactly what to expect from the new American remake, “Brick Mansions.” Hell, if you’ve seen a trailer you know what you’re getting into. Like the original, Besson wrote the script for the new version, one of his protégés handled the directing duties—Camille Delamarre this time, who has served as an editor on many of Besson’s pictures—and even stars one of the same actors, David Belle, in the same role. And Besson’s fingerprints are on damn near every last frame. “Brick Mansions” is also the last film from Paul Walker after his tragic death late last year. Sure, we’ll see some approximation of him in “Fast and Furious 7,” where CGI and his brothers serving as stand-ins will fill the gaps,...
- 4/25/2014
- by Brent McKnight
- Beyond Hollywood
It’s a shame actor Paul Walker didn’t go out on something more substantial than the disposable action opus Brick Mansions. In the Detroit of 2018 police have constructed a containment wall around a massive housing project occupied by the most dangerous criminals to protect the rest of the city. Undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) and ex-convict Lino (David Belle), team up when drug kingpin Tremaine (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend (Catalina Denis), then sneaks a nuke into the complex, straps it to a rocket and aims it toward the city.
Brick Mansions is a cheesy Canadian-lensed timewaster that plays like a PG-13-rated hybrid of The Raid and Dredd, but is actually a remake of the 2004 French film District B19 (in which David Belle played the same role). Brick Mansions isn’t much more than a stream of fight scenes and car chases. The most memorable sequence is the opening one,...
Brick Mansions is a cheesy Canadian-lensed timewaster that plays like a PG-13-rated hybrid of The Raid and Dredd, but is actually a remake of the 2004 French film District B19 (in which David Belle played the same role). Brick Mansions isn’t much more than a stream of fight scenes and car chases. The most memorable sequence is the opening one,...
- 4/24/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
One of Paul Walker's costars, the rapper-turned-actor RZA, is remembering Walker as one of his last movies, Brick Mansions, is about to open. "We lost a good one," RZA said of Walker, the victim of a fiery car crash in November. The rapper, 44, was speaking before a screening of the film, which is about fighting crime in dystopian Detroit. "It's a loss first and foremost to his family, of course, but it's also a loss to the moviemaking community," he said. "I just wish, of course, that Paul was here to really represent this movie, because he had so...
- 4/24/2014
- by K.C. Baker
- PEOPLE.com
America's dismaying experiment of letting Detroit, one of its most iconic cities, wither on the vine has only occasionally been explored on the big screen. Most famously, Dutch auteur Paul Verhoeven based “RoboCop,” his ferocious critique of privatization and authoritarian force run amok, in the Motor City. Curiously, it's another European filmmaker — French director Camille Delamarre — who picks up where Verhoeven left off by decrying urban segregation in the politically hammy, comically hypermasculine action-drama “Brick Mansions.” See video: Paul Walker Teams Up With Parkour Artist David Belle in First Full ‘Brick Mansions’ Trailer The world that Delamarre creates is one.
- 4/24/2014
- by Inkoo Kang
- The Wrap
I teared up during Brick Mansions. I know what you’re thinking – huh? But trust me, you may have a similar experience. The film, a remake of the influential French actioner District 13, marks one of the final big screen roles (and the last completed project) for Fast & Furious star Paul Walker, who died in a car accident last year. For me, the moment came when, after the final shot faded to black, a picture of the actor appeared on the screen, captioned with the words “In Loving Memory of Paul Walker.”
As he smiled out over the theater, many viewers stood to their feet, and we all applauded. For the first time since Walker’s death, I understood a little about the actor’s fans, and just how much Walker really meant to them. He was more than just another handsome A-lister with a devil-may-care attitude; Walker’s youthful features,...
As he smiled out over the theater, many viewers stood to their feet, and we all applauded. For the first time since Walker’s death, I understood a little about the actor’s fans, and just how much Walker really meant to them. He was more than just another handsome A-lister with a devil-may-care attitude; Walker’s youthful features,...
- 4/24/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Obviously, there's a bit of metatextual, non-diagetic solemnity to Brick Mansions, the final feature film starring one Paul William Walker the Fourth. Sure, we're going to get whatever scenes from Fast and Furious 7 they'll cobble together, but, really, this is his last shebang. Do we see Mr. Walker zoom around in a car for no particular purpose other than "thrills"? Yup. But this time, we see a fully packaged action star, one meant to compete mano-a-mano against the likes of David Belle, aka that guy in District 13 who helped popularize all that Parkour stuff.Ostensibly, this is a remake of Luc Besson's original Banlieue shtick, with the script once again penned by this most prolific of French action maestros. Instead of the slums of Paris,...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/24/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Though Brick Mansions might not be on everyone’s radar, it definitely should be. Starring the late Paul Walker, RZA and David Belle, the film is a remake of French actioner District 13 and like the original, it looks to promise high-flying action that’s full of jaw-dropping parkour stunts.
I’m a huge fan of both District 13 and its sequel, District B13: Ultimatum, so I’m incredibly excited to see what they’ve done with the American remake. To celebrate its upcoming release (this Friday, April 25th), we’re giving away a prize pack to one lucky reader. Included is some cool branded content (pictured below), as well as the following Blu-Rays:
Fast Five G.I.Joe: Retaliation District 13: Ultimatum Fast & Furious 6
To enter, simply Like Us on Facebook and Re-Tweet our contest message. A winner will be chosen on April 30th at 11:59pm Est.
I’m a huge fan of both District 13 and its sequel, District B13: Ultimatum, so I’m incredibly excited to see what they’ve done with the American remake. To celebrate its upcoming release (this Friday, April 25th), we’re giving away a prize pack to one lucky reader. Included is some cool branded content (pictured below), as well as the following Blu-Rays:
Fast Five G.I.Joe: Retaliation District 13: Ultimatum Fast & Furious 6
To enter, simply Like Us on Facebook and Re-Tweet our contest message. A winner will be chosen on April 30th at 11:59pm Est.
- 4/23/2014
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
The update of Ben E. King's classic "Stand By Me" by the DJ and electronic musician Ki:Theory that auto-plays on Brick Mansions' official website is a more variegated cover version than the film itself, which is an uglier English-language remake of the Paris-set dystopian action picture District B13 with the dubious addition of RZA as a drug lord whose subordinates might understand him better if he didn't rely so heavily on metaphors related to his mother's cooking. He's the villain here, not the soundtrack composer he was for Jim Jarmusch's great, weird, modern-day Bushido-code flick Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. But that's typical: Almost no one in this film is allowed to play to their strengths.
No one, that is, except David Belle, the parkour pio...
No one, that is, except David Belle, the parkour pio...
- 4/23/2014
- Village Voice
This week Brick Mansions hits theaters. It stars Paul Walker as a cop who must infiltrate a neighborhood filled with criminals in order to stop a crime lord from blowing up the entire city. If that plot sounds familiar, it's because this is actually a remake of the fantastic French movie District: B13. This isn't just some random cash-in remake that pretends like the original doesn't exist, though. Walker's costar in the film is actually the star of the original film, David Belle. To get you pumped up for Brick Mansions, we've been given a pretty great prize package that one lucky winner can take home. It contains a handful of recent action movies on Blu-ray, as well as a trio of gear branded for the film made by Take Flight Apparel, creators of high-quality...
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- 4/23/2014
- by Peter Hall
- Movies.com
rza-brickmansions
A few days ago we had the chance to sit down and breifly talk to RZA and talk about the action-packed upcoming film, Brick Mansions starring Paul Walker.
In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city. For undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) every day is a battle against corruption. For Lino (David Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life. Their paths never should have crossed, but when drug kingpin, Tremaine (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts the help of the fearless ex-convict, and together they must stop a sinister plot to devastate the entire city. With stylized action featuring thrilling Parkour stunts (David Belle is the co-founder of this physical...
A few days ago we had the chance to sit down and breifly talk to RZA and talk about the action-packed upcoming film, Brick Mansions starring Paul Walker.
In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city. For undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) every day is a battle against corruption. For Lino (David Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life. Their paths never should have crossed, but when drug kingpin, Tremaine (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts the help of the fearless ex-convict, and together they must stop a sinister plot to devastate the entire city. With stylized action featuring thrilling Parkour stunts (David Belle is the co-founder of this physical...
- 4/22/2014
- by Fernando Esquivel
- LRMonline.com
A few days ago we had the chance to sit down and breifly talk to RZA and talk about the action-packed upcoming film, Brick Mansions starring Paul Walker.
In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city. For undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) every day is a battle against corruption. For Lino (David Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life. Their paths never should have crossed, but when drug kingpin, Tremaine (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts the help of the fearless ex-convict, and together they must stop a sinister plot to devastate the entire city. With stylized action featuring thrilling Parkour stunts (David Belle is the co-founder of this physical training...
In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city. For undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) every day is a battle against corruption. For Lino (David Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life. Their paths never should have crossed, but when drug kingpin, Tremaine (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts the help of the fearless ex-convict, and together they must stop a sinister plot to devastate the entire city. With stylized action featuring thrilling Parkour stunts (David Belle is the co-founder of this physical training...
- 4/22/2014
- by Fernando Esquivel
- LRMonline.com
Chicago – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 30 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated new drama “Brick Mansions” starring the late Paul Walker!
“Brick Mansions,” which is rated “PG-13” and opens on April 25, 2014, also stars RZA, Parkour expert David Belle, Gouchy Boy, Catalina Denis, Ayisha Issa, Carlo Rota, Andreas Apergis and Richard Zeman from director Camille Delamarre and writers Luc Besson and Bibi Naceri.
To win your free “Brick Mansions” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!
Note: You can enter for this “Brick Mansions” Hookup...
“Brick Mansions,” which is rated “PG-13” and opens on April 25, 2014, also stars RZA, Parkour expert David Belle, Gouchy Boy, Catalina Denis, Ayisha Issa, Carlo Rota, Andreas Apergis and Richard Zeman from director Camille Delamarre and writers Luc Besson and Bibi Naceri.
To win your free “Brick Mansions” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!
Note: You can enter for this “Brick Mansions” Hookup...
- 4/22/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
David Belle is perhaps most well known as one of the inventors of Parkour, a holistic training discipline which consists of moving quickly and efficiently in any environment by using only the abilities of the human body. This discipline has since led him to becoming both a stunt co-ordinator and international movie star, grabbing the attention of audiences around the world with his role as Leïto in the French action flick District B13 and its sequel, District 13: Ultimatum.
Now, Belle has come to America for Brick Mansions, the remake of his French breakout film. Directed by Camille Delamarre, the actor plays the same character here, although this time he goes by the name of Lino Dupree. The story takes place in a futuristic Detroit that has long since become ravaged by crime and drugs. Lino needs to team up with undercover cop Damien Collier (the late Paul Walker) to...
Now, Belle has come to America for Brick Mansions, the remake of his French breakout film. Directed by Camille Delamarre, the actor plays the same character here, although this time he goes by the name of Lino Dupree. The story takes place in a futuristic Detroit that has long since become ravaged by crime and drugs. Lino needs to team up with undercover cop Damien Collier (the late Paul Walker) to...
- 4/22/2014
- by Ben Kenber
- We Got This Covered
He’s a rapper, the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan, a music producer, author, multi-instrumentalist, actor, director and screenwriter. Of course, I’m talking about RZA, who is set to impress audiences once again with his upcoming, explosive action movie, Brick Mansions.
A remake of the French action film District 13, Brick Mansions takes place in a futuristic Detroit that has been ravaged by crime and drugs to the point where it has since been walled off from the rest of America by the powers that be. RZA plays Tremaine Alexander, the ruthless crime lord of Old Detroit who is as cold as they come. His reign is threatened though by Lino Dupree (David Belle) and undercover cop Damien Collier (the late Paul Walker), two men from different parts of town who have their own personal reasons for wanting to take Tremaine out of the equation.
RZA proved to be...
A remake of the French action film District 13, Brick Mansions takes place in a futuristic Detroit that has been ravaged by crime and drugs to the point where it has since been walled off from the rest of America by the powers that be. RZA plays Tremaine Alexander, the ruthless crime lord of Old Detroit who is as cold as they come. His reign is threatened though by Lino Dupree (David Belle) and undercover cop Damien Collier (the late Paul Walker), two men from different parts of town who have their own personal reasons for wanting to take Tremaine out of the equation.
RZA proved to be...
- 4/21/2014
- by Ben Kenber
- We Got This Covered
Coming to theaters on April 25, Brick Mansions is set inside a walled-in maze of housing projects in a dystopian Detroit, where an undercover cop (Paul Walker) and an ex-convict (David Belle) team up to defeat a deadly drug kingpin’s (RZA) plans to devastate the city. The action drama is based on the French films District B-13 and District 13: Ultimatum which feature Parkour, a kind of stunt popularized by Belle, who co-founded the style of movement.Actor, director, composer, and member of the Wu-Tang Clan RZA made time to talk with S&A about his role in the film as crime lord Tremaine Alexander, from his interest in Parkour to his experience working with co-star Paul...
- 4/21/2014
- by Jai Tiggett
- ShadowAndAct
In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned homes from better times house the city’s most dangerous criminals. These are the grim, apocalyptic housing projects known as Brick Mansions. Unable to control the rampant crime, the authorities have walled Brick Mansions in, supposedly to protect the rest of the city from its lawless, violent, degenerate inhabitants.
In Brick Mansions, only the strong survive. In this dog-eat-dog society, the ruthless, urbane, and deadly drug kingpin Tremaine, played by RZA, is at the top of the foodchain. Undercover cop Damien Collier, played by Paul Walker, is determined to bring Tremaine to justice for killing his father years prior. Now, more than ever, the line between justice and revenge is razor thin. For Damien, every day is a fight against corruption and although it isn’t apparent at first, he finds an unlikely ally in one of the last good souls of Brick Mansions, Lino,...
In Brick Mansions, only the strong survive. In this dog-eat-dog society, the ruthless, urbane, and deadly drug kingpin Tremaine, played by RZA, is at the top of the foodchain. Undercover cop Damien Collier, played by Paul Walker, is determined to bring Tremaine to justice for killing his father years prior. Now, more than ever, the line between justice and revenge is razor thin. For Damien, every day is a fight against corruption and although it isn’t apparent at first, he finds an unlikely ally in one of the last good souls of Brick Mansions, Lino,...
- 4/17/2014
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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