'The Combination' and their marketing choices

I saw the poster for this movie at Hoyts the other day. My first thought was "OMG! They finally got funding to make a Lebanese-Australian version of Kickboxer!". I did however just read this little piece of news, and learned that the movie is actually set in 2005 and based on the racially charged riots between white Australians and Lebanese in Sydney.

The synopsis of the film seems to borrow heavily from American History X (ex-con brother turns new leaf when released and fights to prevent younger brother from following his path of gangs and crime) and whether intentional or not, it's a striking similarity to a hugely acclaimed film which also focused on gangs, racism and hate crimes.

Returning to my initial reaction to the film's marketing, I can't help but feel they've misstepped here. The imagery in the poster screams 'dumb fight film' and looks like it's gonna be a Bloodsport meets Kickboxer affair. The name of the film sounds like a fight film when coupled with the imagery. The films slogan - and this is the clencher - 'No Second Chance', is definitely a slogan for an existing fight film. I mean, it has to be. I don't have patience to search but I'm sure that No Retreat, No Surrender 2 or Best of The Best 7 or something Lungdren/Van Damme/Stallone/Norris/Dudikoff MUST have used this. If not them, a B-Movie they turned down which never saw theatrical release. You know that period in the late 80s when there were hundreds of bad movies about ninjas or martial arts (See Dudikoff).

How many people will be turned off by this type of marketing? I'm actually interested in this movie now I have half a clue what it's about, but it was looking like Trojan Warrior revisited for a minute (or it's International release with the awesome name) and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

SHIT NEWS: Swayze is almost....Swayze

It has been reported that 80s/90s movie legend and iconic mullet-model Patrick Swayze has all but lost his battle against cancer. This is some sad shit. Aside from the fact that I have enjoyed the man's work on varying levels throughout his career, I've caught a handful of interviews with dude since he has been fighting the disease, and he comes across as a genuinely great person. Forget Dirty Dancing. Forget Ghost. Peep the below guide to essential Swayze viewing.

Red Dawn (1984)

Classic 80s Anti-Communist Pro-Firearm American action movie. Commie troops invade US soil and Swayze (Jed Eckert) and his boys (The Wolverines) grab their guns and represent. Super violent for it's time, super redneck. Classic. Allegedly about to be remade (read: legacy ruined) in a 'post 9/11' America (replace 'Commie' with 'A-Rab').

Road House (1989)

Possibly the greatest Swayze movie ever. This ridiculous yet always entertaining movie that features Swayze as a heroic nightclub bouncer known only as 'Dalton', saving a small town from a wealthy standover man who despite his age and stature is quite the brawler. This film is so violent. It's essentially end to end fighting, with occasional breaks for gratuitous nudity. Swayze rips a henchman's voice box out. This is one for the collection. Contains Very Frequent Violence, Course Language, High Level Sex Scenes & Extreme Mullet Swagger.

Donnie Darko (2001)

If you haven't seen this film we cannot be friends. You might be a big poof named Heez and struggle with suspending disbelief enough to enjoy it, or lack closure from the film's abmiguous ending and lack of explanation (Directors Cut helps with the latter) - or you might just agree with me about this film's place amoung the SciFi greats. In a supporting role, Swayze puts in the performance of his career as self-help seminar guru, Jim Cunningham. Unlike aforementioned roles, this one is essential viewing not for nostalgia or unintented humour - it's just fucking good. If you're behind the 8 ball on this go grab the directors cut. If you haven't seen the DC, it's worth it for the soundtrack tweaks, alternate scenes and the inclusion of excerpts from Roberta Sparrow's book at relevant points throughout the film.