Albert Pyun (born 1954) is a Hawaiian film director best known for having made many low-budget B-movies and direct-to-video action films. He frequently blends kickboxing and hybrid martial arts with science fiction and dystopic or post-apocalyptic themes, which often include cyborgs. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Director Herbert Brenon with actress Alla Nazimova on the set of War Brides, 1916 A director is a person who directs the making of a film. ... A low budget film is a very cheaply produced film. ... The term B-movie originally referred to a film designed to be distributed as the lower half of a double feature, often a genre film featuring cowboys, gangsters or vampires. ... A film that is released direct-to-video (also straight-to-video) is one which has been released to the public on home video formats first rather than first being released in movie theaters. ... Action movies usually involve a fairly straightforward story of good guys versus bad guys, where most disputes are resolved by using physical force. ... Kicking to left side Kickboxing refers to sport-fighting using kicks and punches and sometimes throws and bows representing a certain martial art or can be practiced for general fitness, or as a full-contact sport. ... Hybrid martial arts (also known as hybrid fighting systems) refer to martial arts or fighting systems that incorporate techniques and theories from several particular martial arts. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... A dystopia (or alternatively cacotopia) is a fictional society, usually portrayed as existing in a future time, when the conditions of life are extremely bad due to deprivation, oppression, or terror. ... Apocalyptic science fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of the world or civilization, through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster. ... The term cyborg, a portmanteau of cybernetic organism, is used to designate a creature which is a mixture of organic and mechanical parts. ...

Career

1980s

His career has had a number of different phases. His early work in the early-to-mid-1980s was marked by imaginative, if uneven fantasy films such as The Sword and the Sorcerer, Radioactive Dreams and Vicious Lips. Radioactive Dreams marked a collaboration with John Stockwell (Blue Crush, Into the Blue, Turistas) who would go on to write and act in Dangerously Close (1986) for Pyun. Radioactive Dreams is also notable as the second collaboration with Oscar-winning Special Make Up Effects guru Greg Cannom (Dracula, Van Helsing), with whom Pyun would work steadily into the 1990s, and as the first film editing for Oscar winners David Brenner (Wall Street) and Joe Hutchings (Born on the Fourth of July). The Sword and the Sorcerer is a 1982 fantasy film, starring Lee Horsley, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll, directed by Albert Pyun. ... Greg Cannom is a Hollywood special makeup effects artist. ... David Brenner (born February 4, 1936) is an American standup comedian, actor, author, and filmmaker. ... This article is about the 1987 film. ... Born on the Fourth of July is a 1989 a film adaptation of the autobiographical novel of the same name by Ron Kovic. ...

Pyun's career took a slightly more mainstream turn with the acclaimed thriller Dangerously Close, which he followed with a romantic adventure film, Down Twisted, starring Carey Lowell, Charles Rocket, and Courteney Cox. Dangerously Close is a 1986 action/thriller film. ... Carey Lowell (born February 11, 1961 in Huntington, New York) is an American actress. ... Charles Rocket, born Charles Adams Claverie (August 24, 1949 – October 7, 2005), was an American film and television actor, most notable for his tenure as a cast member on Saturday Night Live as well as for his appearances as the villain Nicholas Andre in the film Dumb & Dumber and Adam... Courteney Bass Cox Arquette (born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and former model, known for her role as Monica Geller in the popular television sitcom Friends. ...

The late 1980s found Pyun making some of his most interesting if poorly-received movies, such as supermodel Kathy Ireland's acting debut in Alien from LA, a PG children's fairy tale, and Cyborg which starred, "The Muscles from Brussels," Jean-Claude Van Damme, then at the start of his career. During this era, Pyun made his three-day cult classic Deceit for $25,000. It is still consider one of his best experimental efforts. In 1989 he began the ill-fated Captain America which was severely hampered when the financing fell out. The film limped to completion a mere shadow of the film it was intended to be.^{[citation needed]} // Kathy Ireland, named “best friend to working mothers” by the Associated Press and London Times began her career as a supermodel before undergoing a “metamorphosis to Super Mogul” as stated by Readers Digest. ... Cyborg is a 1989 action/sci-fi film directed by Albert Pyun. ... Van Damme redirects here. ...

1990s

The 1990s found Pyun moving from film to film with very little in the way of personal cinema. The exceptions were his groundbreaking and still-admired (1992) film Nemesis (film), starring Olivier Gruner, with a young Thomas Jane; his offbeat love story Brainsmasher...A Love Story (1993) with Teri Hatcher and Andrew Dice Clay; and Mean Guns (1997) with Christopher Lambert and Ice-T. This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... For the 15th century English Bishop of Norwich, see Thomas Jane (Bishop of Norwich). ... Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964) is an Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actress and author as well. ... Andrew Dice Clay (born on September 29, 1957, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American comedian and actor. ... Mean Guns is a 1997 action/crime film starring Ice T, Christopher Lambert, Michael Halsey, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, and Hunter Doughty; directed by Albert Pyun. ... Christopher Lambert (born March 29, 1957 as Christophe Guy Denis Lambert) is an American-born French actor. ... Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958)[1], better known by stage name Ice-T, and nickname is an American rapper, rock musician, author, former United States Army soldier, and actor. ...

Having trained under the legendary Akira Kurosawa, he has been acknowledged for squeezing dramatic cinematography into otherwise low budget productions. Japanese superstar Toshiro Mifune and Kurosawa's cameraman Takao Saito were Pyun's mentors and it's clear his eye was trained by his experience in Japan. His most successful works include The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), Cyborg (1989), and Nemesis (1993). His low-profile 1985-movie Radioactive Dreams won The Golden Raven at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film. A few of his films have gained large, worldwide cult followings. Kurosawa redirects here. ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ... Toshiro Mifune in the film Drunken Angel. ... The Sword and the Sorcerer is a 1982 fantasy film, starring Lee Horsley, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll, directed by Albert Pyun. ... Cyborg is a 1989 action/sci-fi film directed by Albert Pyun. ... This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... Radioactive Dreams is a 1985 post-apocalyptic sci fi-comedy film about a two young men who have spent the last fifteen years holed up in a fallout shelter with nothing but 1940s noir fiction and other memorabilia. ... The Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film was created in 1983 as a venue for horror, thriller & science fiction films. ... A cult film is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans. ...

Pyun founded the Filmwerks production company in 1994, which he left in 1999. Although Pyun has been long considered a direct-to-video king, a number of Pyun's films played in US big-screen cinemas: The Swords and the Sorcerer, Radioactive Dreams, Dangerously Close, Down Twisted, Alien from LA, Cyborg, Kickboxer 2, Nemesis and Adrenalin...Fear the Rush. He's worked with an odd mix of stars, like Charlie Sheen, Rutger Hauer, Snoop Dogg, Ice T, Christopher Lambert, Teri Hatcher, Courteney Cox, Thomas Jane, Dennis Hopper, Tom Sizemore, Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Burt Reynolds, Rob Lowe, Mario Van Peebles, Nas, Natasha Henstridge, Big Pun, Fat Joe and Kris Kristofferson.

2000s

The late 1990s through 2004 found Pyun involved in uninspired films and with a succession of new, but highly dubious producers. The quality of his work plummeted when he no longer worked with his longtime producer Tom Karnowski and cinematographer George Mooradian. In 2004 Pyun went to the US territory of Guam, and along with film producer John Laing, convinced the Guam government to put up a one million dollar loan guarantee to finance their film Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon. In 2006 producer John Laing defaulted on the film's loan, and Guam lost its million dollar guarantee. According to a 6/13/07 article in The Los Angeles Times, Laing blamed Pyun for the failure of the film. The fiasco is currently in litigation, both in California and in Guam.^[1] The Los Angeles Times (also L.A. Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the Western United States. ...

His latest project, the 2005 film Infection, used unconventional camera work and cinematography: 68 minutes in length, it is one single uninterrupted sequence shot from a surveillance camera position mounted inside a police car. It was shot in high-definition digital video and captured directly to a hard disk drive. The film won Best Picture and Best Director at Spain's 2005 Estepona International Film Festival and was acquired by Lions Gate Films for release on December 18, 2007. It also screened at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film to great acclaim. The film was invited to participate in more than 20 film festivals around the world. The title of the film was changed by Lions Gate Entertainment to Invasion so as not to be confused with an earlier Lions Gate release. Closed-circuit cameras are often used to discourage crime Closed-circuit television (CCTV), as a collection surveillance cameras doing video surveillance, is the use of television cameras for surveillance. ... Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor of the United States Federal Protective Service. ... is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Lions Gate redirects here, for other meanings see Lions Gate (disambiguation)‎. Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, (usually renderred as Lionsgate), (NYSE: LGF) is an American entertainment company which originated in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ...

In 2005, Pyun increased his directing activity. He directed Cool Air and Bulletface in 2006 (winner of Best Experimental at the 2006 Northwest Projections Film Festival) and has directed Left for Dead and From Beyond so far in 2007. The resurgence might be due to the intense interest his films have recently received due to the Internet. His profile worldwide has increased dramatically since 2004, with Pyun being the center of discussion on many Websites and in the media. It's clear this has raised awareness of Pyun and his lengthy body of work. In 2006 alone, eight of his films were re-released, including his one romantic comedy, Brainsmasher...A Love Story. Projects in his future with such notable producers as Mario Kassar (Sweating Bullets) indicate a willingness to move up to studio budgets for the first time in his career.

On September 8, 2007 Pyun won Best Director for "Left For Dead" at the 8th Edition of the Estepona International Film festival of Horror and Fantasy. Victoria Maurette won Best Actress honors on November 1, 2007 at the Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre International Film Festival for her lead performance in "Left For Dead". On November 1, 2007 in Cape Town, Left For Dead received the Audience Award from the 2007 Horrorfest South Africa. The film was acquired for North America distribution in 2008 by Grindstone Entertainment, a division of Mandate Pictures. is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

On December 18, 2007 Invasion AKA Infection was released in the United States on DVD by Lions Gate Films. The film received these initial following reviews (from December 19 to December 26): is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

1. http://www.dreadcentral.com/node/25678 2. http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror_reviews_3240.htm 3. http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=dvd&id=13043 4. http://joblo.com/arrow/dvd_reviews.php?id=1806

"Invasion" opened at number four on the Rentrack rankings of direct to dvd releases for the week Dec 18-23. It was number seven the following week.

"Left For Dead" will be released in North America on March 4, 2008 via Lions Gate Films. Initial reviews of the film:

1. http://hometheaterinfo.com/left_for_dead.htm 2. http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/left-for-dead-review 3. http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/film/1901

Selected filmography

• Left for Dead 2 (2008) (theatrical) (announced) [Director]
• La Matanza (2008) (theatrical) (in pre-prep for March) [Director]
• Sweating Bullets (2008) (theatrical) (in pre-prep) [Director]
• "Anomaly (2008) (theatrical) (in pre-production) [Director]
• Tales of an Ancient Empire (AKA The Princess) (2008) (theatrical) (shooting) [Director]
• From Beyond (2007) (theatrical) (complete) (Director)
• Left for Dead(2007)(theatrical) (complete) [Director]
• Bulletface (2007)(theatrical) (complete) [Director]
• H. P. Lovecraft's Cool Air (2006) [Director]
• Invasion AKA Infection (2005) [Director]
• Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon (2004) [Co-Director]
• Final Examination (2003) (V) [Producer]
• More Mercy (2003) (V) [Director] (uncredited) [Producer]
• Ticker (2001) [Director] [Producer]
• Corrupt (1999) [Director]
• Urban Menace (1999) [Director]
• The Wrecking Crew (1999) [Director]
• Postmortem (1998/I) [Director]
• Crazy Six (1998) [Director]
• Mean Guns (1997) [Director]
• Omega Doom (1997) [Director] [Writer]
• Blast (1997) [Director]
• Adrenalin: Fear the Rush (1996) [Director] [Writer]
• Raven Hawk (1996) (TV) [Director]
• Nemesis 4: Death Angel (1995) (V) [Director] [Writer]
• Nemesis III: Prey Harder (1995) (V) [Director] [Writer]
• Nemesis 2: Nebula (1995) (V) [Director] [Writer]
• Heatseeker (1995) [Director] [Writer] (screenplay)
• Hong Kong 97 (1994) [Director]
• Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor (1994) [Director] [Writer]
• Spitfire (1994) [Director] [Writer]
• Brain Smasher...A Love Story (1993) (V) [Director] [Writer]
• Knights (film) (1993) [Director] [Writer] (written by)
• Arcade (1993) (V) [Director]
• Nemesis (1993) [Director]
• Dollman (1991) [Director]
• Kickboxer 2: The Road Back (1991) [Director]
• Captain America (1991) [Director]
• Bloodmatch (1991) [Director]
• Cyborg (1989) [Director]
• Deceit (1989) [Director]
• Journey to the Center of the Earth (1989) [Director]
• Alien from L.A. (1988) [Director] [Writer]
• Down Twisted (1987) [Director]
• Vicious Lips (1987) [Director] [Writer]
• Dangerously Close (1986) [Director]
• Radioactive Dreams (1985) [Director] [Writer]
• The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) [Director] [Writer]

La Matanza refers to a horrific massacre of mostly indegenous people of El Salvador in 1932, committed in the name of progress. ... Tropical Heat, also known as Sweating Bullets was Canadian, made in cooperation with Mexico and Israel, criminal tv-series released between 1991 and 1993. ... Look up anomaly in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... From Beyond was an album of Push under the label of Lightning Records launched in 2002. ... A less than stellar record, LFD, does have its moments. ... Ticker (2001) is an action film, directed by Albert Pyun. ... In broad terms, political corruption is the misuse of public (governmental) power for illegitimate, usually secret, private advantage. ... Urban Menace is a 1999 film directed by Albert Pyunn and staring Snoop Dogg,Big Pun,Ice-T and Fat Joe. ... Postmortem is a 1998 film directed by Albert Pyun and starring Charlie Sheen (credited as Charles Sheen). ... Mean Guns is a 1997 action/crime film starring Ice T, Christopher Lambert, Michael Halsey, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, and Hunter Doughty; directed by Albert Pyun. ... Omega Doom is a 1997 film by Albert Pyun, starring Rutger Hauer as a robot who, during a nuclear winter, plays both sides of a robot civil war against each other in a small town. ... This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... Doll Man is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comics, originally published by Quality Comics and currently part of the DC Comics universe of characters. ... This article is about the superhero. ... Cyborg is a 1989 action/sci-fi film directed by Albert Pyun. ... Alien From L.A. is a 1988 science fiction film that stars Kathy Ireland as a young woman who visits the underground civilization of Atlantis. ... Radioactive Dreams is a 1985 post-apocalyptic sci fi-comedy film about a two young men who have spent the last fifteen years holed up in a fallout shelter with nothing but 1940s noir fiction and other memorabilia. ... The Sword and the Sorcerer is a 1982 fantasy film, starring Lee Horsley, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll, directed by Albert Pyun. ...

References

• "[1]": Los Angeles Times article: "CAMERA, LEGAL ACTION! - The making of a Kung-Fu flick on Guam turns into court battles on both sides of the sea"

External links

• Filmwerks
• Filmwerks—Interview
• Albert Pyun at the Internet Movie Database