May Impact hits the streets

The May issue of Impact www.impactmoviemagazine.co.uk has just hit the streets

May 2010

p12 / we can be heroes

As Iron Man 2 launches into cinemas, Impact looks at the slate of films still to come from Marvel.

p16 / criminal intense

No sooner has the controversy about Kick-Ass died down then Mark Millar unleashes a new salvo with Nemesis. Impact talks exclusively to acclaimed artist and regular Millar collaborator in crime Steve McNiven.

p22 / [asian extreme] lu chuan interview

This month we sit down with Lu Chuan, writer-director of City of Life and Death, a challenging new film about to blast into cinemas, to get the scoop on a historically vital piece of wartime documentation.

p26 / andy "action" cheng

Impact’s Lisa Clemens debut editorial previews the life and times of Andy Cheng, beginning with his stunt work on such projects as Mr Nice Guy, Who Am I? the first two Rush Hours to now becoming one of the most highly respected fight and action directors in Hollywood.

p32 / spartacus!

Fresh from its success and controversy in the US, UK audiences will get the chance to see the bloody and explicit reworking of the Spartacus story. Kerry Glover provides some ’notes on a sandal’.

p36 / new gods, old tricks.

Did the reworking of the ‘80s action romp past muster, or were the clashes something less than titanic. John Mosby feels the cinematic gods were merely making mischief.

p38 / shaolin

Impact’s Eastern Editor Mike Leeder takes a first look at Director Benny Chen’s latest outing SHAOLIN. Chen has gathered an impressive cast which includes Andy Lau, Nicolas Tse, Wu Jing and a cameo from the one and only Jackie Chan, to tell the story of the famous Shaolin Temple.

p40 / little big soldier

Little Big Soldier marks Jackie Chan’s return to the big screen with his 99th official release. Impact’s Eastern Editor ‘Little Big Mike’ Leeder delivers the first UK review.

p44 / the hurt looker

John Hurt is one of cinema’s respected veteran performers. His movies have included working with Aliens, Indiana Jones, Hellboys and more. As he receives a lifetime achievement award, Impact talks to Hurt about his diverse and memorable career to date.

p48 / [japanime] 9th tokyo anime festival

This month, our Tokyo-based scribe Andrez Bergen has a exclusive review of the 9th Tokyo Anime Festival in Japan, brings us the second part of his homage to the great Akira Kurosawa including other film directors favourite Kurosawa films of the last 100 years, and finally delivers a preview of Katsuo Fukuzama’s film Japanese Americans.

p54 / [anime attack] sky crawlers

Neal Molyneaux examines the recent cinematic (and imminent DVD) release of Mamoru Oshii’s big-screen acclaimed Sky Crawlers.

p58 / time and time again

It’s time for BBC drama to start storming the airwaves again. April saw the return of two major UK shows to our screens. Impact celebrates the new Doctor Who and the final series of Ashes to Ashes.

p62 / splash to the future

There’s just enough time in this issue to relax for a few moments in the Hot Tub Time Machine.and suddenly our clothes are fashionable again!

p64 / true legend’ary fighters

Mike Leeder brings us exclusive interviews with Conan Stevens and Sylvester ‘Bear’ Terkay who play two of the western fighters working for David Carradine in Yuen Woo-ping’s latest HK actioner True Legend.

p66 / george clarke - yellow fever weaver

Maverick Irish film-maker George Clarke is soon set to release Yellow Fever across the UK.and we’re NOT talking about some horrid disease. Mike Leeder catches up with George to discuss Yellow Fever Distribution’s latest project The Knackery and sees what’s lined up for the rest of 2010.

p70 / justified

Timothy Olyphant stars in this modern day western show with a quirky touch of class. Impact discovers why the new show has proved an immediate success.

p72 / [far from fragile] to be an icon

This month Beau Smith ponders the modern superhero and asks whether it’s possible to be too iconic at the expense of the finer details. Hey, super-people are only human.

p74 / multimedia

All the news on DVDs, books, games and more that’s fit to print. And then some!

p82 / next month

We examine the action industry from a whole range of perspectives. We’re talking with John Rogers, Andy Diggle and Chick Allen.