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If the past two decades have taught us anything then it is that modern cinema is currently in the age of the “Superhero”. With both Marvel and D.C. cinematic universes dominating box office figures, it is perhaps inevitable that others would follow suit. Comic books have proven popular in most cultures and provide a wealth of source material as well as storyboarding shorthand. Therefore, we eventually got the announcement in 2019 of the Bumilangit cinematic universe in Indonesia using the Marvel model of interconnected stories and media to tell their own stories. Following “Gundala” in 2019 came a delay due to the pandemic. With “Sri Asih: The Warrior” comes an attempt to regain momentum and unleash comic book action Indonesian style on a global audience as Shout Factory releases it on Blu-ray.

A volcanic eruption sees the tragic loss of Alana’s parents and she grows up in an orphanage along with her friend Tangguh.

Sri Asih: The Warrior is a socially conscious Indonesian action film that combines mythology, Mma, and superhero tropes to deliver a mostly engaging and empowering story. The film features slick fight sequences and intriguing twists, although some aspects of the story feel stuffed and it drags a bit after the midway point. Sri Asih has a strong buildup and well-executed action sequences, but it suffers from an overlong runtime, lack of depth in the big villain twist, and an overly serious tone. Nonetheless, it offers a unique mix of Mma and mythology in the superhero genre.

Superhero movies have become the norm in Hollywood, but rarely do we get to see something a bit different when it comes to origin stories. That’s where Sri Asih: The Warrior comes in. Directed by Upi from a screenplay co-written alongside Joko Anwar, the socially conscious Indonesian action film combines mythology, Mma, and...

The Indonesian superhero outing is the second entry in the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe. 

Premiere Entertainment Group (Peg) has licensed Indonesian superhero feature Sri Asih to Shout! Studios for North America. 

Shout! is planning a release on multiple platforms later this year. The film was released theatrically in Indonesia on 1,270 screens in November and later premiered on Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia and selected Asian territories. 

Produced by Screenplay Bumilangit in association with Sk Global, Sri Asih is the second installment of the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe, a series of superhero films based on the more 500 comic book characters in the library of Indonesian publishing company Bumilangit.

Exclusive: Premiere Entertainment Group has acquired world sales rights to the Indonesian superhero action film Sri Asih, starring Pevita Pearce, and will launch sales at EFM.

The film, produced by Indonesian production company Screenplay Bumilangit in association with Sk Global, was released theatrically in Indonesia on 1,270 screens in November and is set to premiere on Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia and select Asian territories.

Sri Asih is the second installment from the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe (Bcu), a series of superhero films drawing on a library of more than 500 comic book characters published by Indonesian content company Bumilangit, following Gundala (2019).

The film follows Alana (Pearce), a young woman trying to find her own identity amidst a world of crime and corruption. She also happens to be the reincarnated Goddess Asih, protector of the masses and is tasked with preventing a demon spirit commander from releasing the Fire Goddess from captivity inside a volcano.

Remember the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe? The superhero movie franchise is based on the characters from the Indonesian Bumilangit comic-books, which has a rich history and character roster. The project was announced a few years back, with Joko Anwar overseeing it and kickstarting it with 2019’s “Gundala”. However, since the release of Anwar’s film and the tease at the end of it, not much has been heard about the Bcu’s future, likely because of pandemic-related delays. That’s all changed now though, with the first teaser trailer for the second film “Sri Asih”, written by Upi Avianto, who also takes the director’s chair on this, and Joko Anwar.

Not much is known about the synopsis of the feature, but it is based on the Sri Asih character from the Bumilangit comic books by Ra Kosasih, with actress Pevita Pearce playing the titular character. The film is expected to...

Anthony Buckner is debuting the firm during Cannes with first title ‘Jump Out’.

Former Icon Entertainment executive Anthony Buckner is launching his own sales firm, Buckstop Films, and has acquired worldwide rights to Benjamin Johns’ supernatural horror Jump Out.

Run solely by Buckner, UK-based Buckstop will handle “one or two films a year to begin with” according to the exec.

.“I am open to all budget sizes, and am in talks with several projects across various genres,” he said.

Buckner will be participating in virtual meetings during next week’s Cannes Film Festival (July 6-17), and will not be attending the event in person.

Anthony Buckner is debuting the firm during Cannes with first title ‘Jump Out’.

Former Icon Entertainment executive Anthony Buckner is launching his own sales firm, Buckstop Films, and has acquired worldwide rights on a first title – upcoming supernatural horror Jump Out.

Run solely by Buckner at this stage, UK-based Buckstop will handle “one or two films a year to begin with” according to the exec.

“With current restrictions starting to loosen and the market starting to reboot, it felt like as good a time as any to re-enter the game with Buckstop Films,” said Buckner. “I am open to all budget sizes,...

Samuel Goldwyn Films is releasing the Indonesian Western Buffalo Boys, today. This film, from director Mike Wiluam, involves a tale of vengeance - after two brothers lose their father. Jamar (Ario Bayu) and Suwo (Yoshi Sudarso) track down their father's killer as their hope for vengeance meets more and more resistance. Buffalo Boys was co-written by Raymond Lee. And, the film also stars: Pevita Pearce (The Sinking of Van Der Wijck), Tio Pakusadewo, Conan Stevens and Reinout Bussemaker. Now, a trailer, film poster and release details are available for fans of international thrillers, or of a new take on the Old West. An early review has mentioned the film blends both drama and comedy. On the martial arts sequences, Panos states: "the action choreography is one the film’s best aspects through the aforementioned combination that also includes elements of absurdity and humor, thus stressing the entertainment the movie offers...

In 19th century Java, two exiled brothers who grew up on the plains of the American Wild West, return to their rightful home to unravel the mystery of their past and avenge the brutal death of their parents. Today, we have the trailer and poster for Buffalo Boys, which hits the high plains of home entertainment today.

Buffalo Boys stars Yoshua Sudarso (TV's Power Rangers: Dino Chargo and Pretty Boys), Ario Bayu (Java Heat), Pevita Pearce (The Sinking of Van Der Wijck), Tio Pakusadewo (Letters from Prague), Conan Stevens (The Hobbit), and Reinout Bussemaker (Flight HS13). The film will be released in theaters and on Digital this January 11, 2019.

In 19th Century Java, a brutal massacre and the murder of Sultan Hamza by Captain Van Trach and his Dutch soldiers force Arana, Jamar and Suwo - the sultan's brother and infant sons - to flee the country. Together, they travel...

Currently one of the hottest directors working in Asia, director Timo Tjahjanto has offered a slew of explosive and engaging efforts that are placing him at the forefront of international success. Not only has the man broken away being part of ‘The Mo Brothers’ with Kimo Stamboel, Timo followed up his previous action highlight ‘The Night Comes For Us’ with his standout horror film ‘Sebelum Iblis Menjemput,’ or streaming on Netflix under the title ‘May the Devil Take You.’

Fearing for her father, Alfie arrives at the hospital to meet him only to find her stepsiblings Maya, Ruben (Samo Rafael), Nara, (Hadijah Shahab) and their mother Laksmi there as well. As they engage in their usual bickering, the group is forced by circumstances beyond their control to investigate his house in order to find out what happened to him. Almost immediately, they realize that their father awakened a great evil...

They say that idle hands are the devil’s playthings, but Indonesian schlockmeister Timo Tjahjanto is never busier than when he’s skirting around the fringes of hell. Just a few long weeks after the release of his gonzo and blood-drenched beat-em-up, “The Night Comes for Us,” Tjahjanto is back with a gonzo and blood-drenched dose of domestic horror, “May the Devil Take You” (viewers familiar with the director’s gobstopping “V/H/S 2” segment won’t be surprised to see that he’s drawn to movies about the inescapable forces of darkness). Both films are available to stream on Netflix, both films offer giddy proof of Tjahjanto’s insatiable appetite for human suffering (both on the screen and in the audience), and both films become interminable reminders that geysers of blood can only get you so far.

A Sam Raimi homage that festers into a Sam Raimi knockoff, “May the Devil Take You...

"Let's give our people their justice." Samuel Goldwyn has released an official Us trailer for a western action film titled Buffalo Boys, coming from Indonesia (where it's set), and produced out of Singapore. This just premiered at the Fantasia and New York Asian Film Festivals this fall, and is also this year's Singaporean Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film. This "fun old-school western flick" is about two brothers named Jamar and Suwo who return to the land of Java to avenge their father, a murdered Sultan, after years of exile in America working on the railroads, and being cowboys. But they end up in a fight for their lives. The main cast of Buffalo Boys includes Yoshi Sudarso, Ario Bayu, Pevita Pearce, Tio Pakusadewo, Conan Stevens, Reinout Bussemaker, Zack Lee, and Sunny Pang. Holy hell, this looks badass!! Get a load of this, seriously - the action actually looks clear and kinetic.

In today’s film news roundup, “Buffalo Boys” gets Us distribution, Full Moon Empire buys a library, “Invincible” gets cast and a Liechtenstein-based film fund is announced.

Acquistions

Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired the North American rights to Mike Wiluan’s western “Buffalo Boys,” Singapore’s entry in the foreign-language Academy Awards category, Variety has learned exclusively.

The film stars Yoshi Sudarso, Ario Bayu, Pevita Pearce, Tio Pakusadewo, Conan Stevens and Reinout Bussemaker. “Buffalo Boys” will be released in theaters and VOD on Jan. 11.

The film begins in 19th Century Java as a brutal massacre and the murder of a sultan forces the sultan’s brother and infant sons to flee to the American Wild West. After working the railroads and learning the cowboy way of life, the boys return to their homeland to avenge their father’s death.

“Buffalo Boys” was produced by Mike Wiluan, Huang Junxiang, Tan Fong Cheng,...

A basic white hat/black hat “B” western despite its novel setting in 19th-century Java, “Buffalo Boys” reps a polished directorial debut for producer Mike Wiluan that’s good fun but feels a bit generically assembled. Still, this tale of exiled brothers returning to avenge their father’s murder by evil colonialists is a colorful popcorn entertainment that should please Asian action fans even if it doesn’t rank among the best films Indonesia has had to offer in recent years. Those thirsting for an old-fashioned Western will find “Boys” diverting enough if a mite cartoonish.

Having fled assassins hired by the Dutch occupiers two decades before, Uncle Arana (Tio Pakusadewo) has raised his slain sultan brother’s two sons in America, where they’ve labored building the transcontinental railroad. Now, reserved Jamar (Ario Bayu) and amiable younger sibling Suwo (Yoshi Sudarso) are strapping young men ready to claim their...