News: Dec 1, 2012

Russell Crowe Adds Baritone to Javert From Les Miserables

Russell Crowe is Javert in Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables.” A police inspector, he previously worked at a prison where Jean Valjean was serving a sentence at hard labor for stealing a loaf of bread. He becomes Valjean’s savior and tormentor. (The Improper)

Russell Crowe in 'Les Miserables'

Eye on the Oscars: The Actor - Supporting Actor Contender

"Javert is a formidable character who drives on in the quest for justice and righteousness and, ultimately, the law," says producer Eric Fellner, who claims Crowe was the only one considered. "He's great in the role. He's fantastic and you'll be incredibly surprised at how brilliant he is vocally." (Variety)

 

The Man with the Iron Fists

 Russell Crowe has, in fact, never been better, playing the bawdy but brutal English captain Jack Knife with excellent timing and fine comedic flourishes. His sparring with the lady of the house of sin, Madame Blossom (Lucy Liu), positively sizzles on screen and proves to be the film's high point. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Hugh Jackman to get Hollywood star

The 44-year-old is a Tony Award winner and a big tip to score an Oscar nomination for his performance opposite Russell Crowe in the new adaptation of the stage musical Les Miserables. However, Jackman already has some Hollywood Boulevard real estate. (Skynews.com.au)

 

 

News: Nov 14, 2012

 

Few family films among Hollywood's holiday movies

With blockbuster films like "The Hobbit," the final installment of "The Twilight Saga," and the big screen version of hit musical "Les Miserables," Hollywood is hoping for a strong end to 2012 after some disappointments in the summer.  (Reuters)

Hip-hop legend makes his directorial debut

Author, emcee and Grammy-winning music producer RZA makes his directing debut in the latest kung fu movie, “The Man with the Iron Fists.”  
RZA, better known for being the mastermind behind Wu Tang Clan, narrates and also stars in the film along with Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu. 
Crowe fits the role perfectly as the Englishman Jack Knife. (Coast Report)

 
Zack Snyder Talks ‘Man Of Steel’ Details, Promises Serious Mythology
Snyder went on to add, “What was it about him that cracked the code that made pop culture embrace this other mythology? What we’ve made as a film not only examines that but is also an amazing adventure story. It’s been an honor to work on. As a comic book fan, Superman is like the Rosetta Stone of all superheroes. I wanted to be sure the movie treated it respectfully.” ‘Man Of Steel’ will be released on June 14th 2013 with stars Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Amy Adams and more.(Shockya)

 

 

News For Nov 2, 2012

The Man With The Iron Fists opens!

Russell Crowe: Kung fu movie star?

“He (Russell) had to make a decision to take a chance with me,” RZA recalled. “He said, ‘I’m not into this kung fu .... I said, ‘I’m not doing that for you! I’m not gonna have you here doing no crazy kung fu ... for this film.’ But I was like, ‘I need the talent of a real actor. And trust me -- you could have fun.’ N’ah mean? That’s what I wanted more than anything.”
Crowe brings a gleeful, almost vaudevillian menace to his character Jack Knife, a kind of English cowboy commando, who arrives in “Iron Fists’” mythical 19^th century Chinese realm with the onset of war between rival barbarian clans. A character with a mysterious agenda, he wields a fanciful machete-cum-pistol and sets himself up at the local brothel, enlisting a small phalanx of ladies of the evening to pleasure him.
“Russell can actually be very silly,” “Fists” producer and co-writer Eli Roth said. “He’s kind of a goofball. He loves to joke around. That’s what RZA was able to get out of him.” (LA Times)

RZA Interview For ‘The Man With The Iron Fists’

How was it working with Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu on their characters? They both told me that you were very open to their input and collaborating….
RZA: Well, I go both ways. Sometimes I’m a total dictator, then sometimes I’m a democrat and I deal in democracy. When you’ve got great talent like Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu, you know that they have an instinct and a taste of their own. So you’ve got to be open to hear what they have to offer, because they have to be their character. The fortunate thing for me, that I think helps keeps me open to their ideas is that I’m an actor as well. I’ve been in situations where the lines were mine. I have to edit the way the guy talks because the writer….when you’re typing a character, you’re just typing them. But the rhythm of speaking and the gesture of movement and the life that it takes when you become a character, that’s totally different. Sometimes it may say, “And I’m warning you, when I come back in here, I’m gonna break your face!” And that may be the lines, but the best way to say it in the moment may be completely different. I may just point and give a real stern look (laughs). So when people would come with ideas, me and Eli Roth would talk about it and would decide together what would work. And bong bong, we compromised and collaborated when we had to. (Flicks and Bits)

The Man With The Iron Fists: Movie Review

The Good:

• Jack Knife: Whoever decided to let Russell Crowe play this character is a genius. This is easily one of the better roles that the Oscar-winner has done in the past few years – the next best is  State of Play, but this role is a little bit sillier. Crowe knows what he’s in for, and he hams it up onscreen in the best way possible. He’s also got a couple of great moments which includes how he spends his time at the Chinese brothel (where most of the movie takes place).
• Round One, Fight!: We must admit that RZA and company was definitely doing their homework when taking out bits and pieces out of our favorite martial arts movies. They’ve got the over-the-top theatrics of these martial films down, and it’s littered with plenty of blood and absurdly wonderful deaths. The homage to the ever-famous Enter the Dragon mirror fight scene is the best shot scenes of the movie. (ScreenCrave)

 

Review: ‘The Man With The Iron Fists’ Delivers With Impressively Directed Fight Scenes (and Much Swagger)

Performance-wise, the real standout here is Russell Crowe as Jack Knife. Hamming it up throughout, Crowe chews the hell out of the scenery as a robust man who bangs four prostitutes at a time, slices men named Crazy Hippo in half with his giant knife, and adds more butter to his dinners than Paula Deen would. Usually playing more slow-burn roles, Crowe really brings it in here in this departure of a role and makes you wish that he was in every scene.  (Film School Rejects)

The Man With the Iron Fists Review: Chaotic but ultimately fun. 

The performances range from serviceable to yawn-worthy, but there is one that stands out not only for its oddity, but also for the sheer joy it brings. Russell Crowe's portrayal of Jack Knife is a bizarre and glorious thing. Jack is a bloodthirsty, lecherous cad who's quick with a knife and quicker with his other gun, and Crowe throws himself into it with great abandon. He actually says "Let me put the baby's arm in you" to Lucy Liu's character at one point in the film, one of the bawdiest and best lines of the year. Crowe lurches and leers around the screen, and he's always the most interesting thing when he's in a scene. (IGN)

 

 

The Man With The Iron Fists Opens Today!

"I apologize in advance for yet again hammering away at the word “awesome,” but for this film, it seems warranted. The RZA’s The Man with the Iron Fists was just as awesome as I hoped it would be. "  Whitney Seibold/CraveOnline

The Man With The Iron Fists Premiere

Here's a couple of early photos of Russell with RZA and Eli Roth at the premiere of The Man With The Iron Fists, held at Lighthouse International Theatre in New York on October 27, 2012.  Sharp-dressed men!

To see the full gallery, go to the Photos page.

Man With The Iron Fists--Animated Short Prequel

Thanks to Machinima at Youtube, here's an animated short prequel to The Man With The Iron Fists.  Narrated by RZA.

"This prequel side story to 'The Man with the Iron Fists' finds the Blacksmith (RZA) on his way to China via a Dutch trading vessel. At a typical port stop, the Blacksmith and the crew have an unfortunate encounter.."

Man With The Iron Fists Character Trailer--Jack Knife

The trailer Crowe fans have been waiting for. "I always take a gun to a knife fight." Obviously, a smart man.

More "Man With The Iron Fists"

A slightly different version of the Man With The Iron Fists trailer:

"Since his arrival in China's Jungle Village, the town's blacksmith (RZA) has been forced by radical tribal factions to create elaborate tools of destruction. When the clans' brewing war boils over, the stranger channels an ancient energy to transform himself into a human weapon. As he fights alongside iconic heroes and against soulless villains, one man must harness this power to become savior of his adopted people.

Blending astonishing martial-arts sequences from some of the masters of this world with the signature vision he brings as the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan and as one of hip-hop's most dominant figures of the past two decades, RZA embarks upon his most ambitious, stylized and thrilling project to date."

(Source: CinemaniaxNet at YouTube)

The Man With The Iron Fists-Madame Blossom Trailer

Thanks to website IGN, a Madame Blossom character trailer from The Man With The Iron Fists.

New Trailer for "Man With The Iron Fists"

Thanks to IronFistsMovie at Youtube, here's another trailer for The Man With The Iron Fists.   Only 17 more days until release on Nov. 2.

The Man With The Iron Fists Official Trailer

 
At last, the clear and official trailer for The Man With The Iron Fists. Thanks to IGN. June 28, 2012