Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon
| Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Albert Pyun |
| Produced by | John F.S. Laing Yoram Barzilai Melissa Ciampa |
| Written by | Irina Diether (screenplay) |
| Starring | Mickey Hardt David Carradine Joanna Krupa Vincent Klyn |
| Distributed by | Rigel Entertainment & Westlake Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | 2007 DVD only |
| Running time | 90 min. |
| Language | English |
Max Havoc: Curse of The Dragon is an action film directed by Albert Pyun on the island of Guam in 2004. The movie was written by Irina Diether. A sequel titled Max Havoc: Ring of Fire was shot in Canada in 2006.
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[edit] Plot
The story centers around ex-kickboxing champion turned sports photographer, Max Havoc. Max finds himself in Guam for a publicity photo shoot. Max’s helpful ways land him in the lives of the vacationing sisters Jane and Christy Goody, who have acquired a rare jade dragon. This dragon happens to belong to the ruthless Japanese yakuza who will stop at nothing to get it back.
[edit] Financing
Producer John Laing and director Albert Pyun were given, at their request, an $800,000 loan guarantee by the Guam Economic Development and Commerce Authority (GEDCA) to secure a third party loan from Comerica Bank in order to finance the film. In his effort to convince GEDCA to approve the loan guarantee, Pyun told GEDCA board members that he and his producer (Laing) had a sterling financial record and that neither he nor Laing had ever defaulted on a loan. [1] In return, the Government of Guam was hoping to create a film infrastructure and lure more film making activity to the island. In June 2006, John Laing's company, Guam Motion Pictures Company, defaulted on the loan to Comerica and Guam's $800,000 loan guarantee was lost.
[edit] Controversy
After Laing's company Guam Motion Pictures Company defaulted on the film loan, causing the Government of Guam to lose its $800,000 guarantee and for Comerica Bank to foreclose on the film, Laing formed a new company in Canada, Up North Entertainment, Inc., and bought back the rights to the film for $83,000. After losing $800,000 on the film, Guam's share of the foreclosure sale money was $9,090.63. [2]
The film has been mired in litigation in both Guam and California. [3] In March 2008, producer John Laing lost a case he filed in California against the Government of Guam and was ordered to pay Guam more than $57,000 in legal fees. [4] Laing appealed and lost with the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, ruling that he had no grounds to sue the Government of Guam in a California court and affirmed the lower court's ruling that he must pay Guam's legal fees. [5] Laing then appealed to the California Supreme Court who refused to hear the case. After rushing to file his lawsuit first in California, Laing has now been accused of purposely stalling in a lawsuit in Guam Superior Court [6] where he has been sued by the Government of Guam for fraud. [7] Matt Borden, attorney for the Guam Economic Development and Commerce Authority, said:
The public interest factors are very compelling in that [producer John] Laing and his company came to Guam with the specific purpose of defrauding the government and basically getting any kind of money they could out of the people, and they did. Then they left and didn't keep any of their promises.[8]
A pre-trial conference is set for February 7, 2012 in Guam Superior Court followed by a bench trial starting February 13, 2012. Judge Michael Bordallo will preside. [9]
[edit] Cast
- Mickey Hardt....Max Havoc
- David Carradine....Grand Master
- Vincent Klyn....Moko
- Joanna Krupa....Jane
- Richard Roundtree....Tahsi
- Carmen Electra....Debbie
- Johnny Nguyen....Quicksilver
- J.J. Perry....Boxing Referee
[edit] References
- ^ Zita Y. Taitano, "Local court to hear 'Max Havoc' case", Marianas Variety, December 29, 2009, http://mvguam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10189:local-court-to-hear-max-havoc-case&catid=1:guam-local-news&Itemid=61
- ^ Gaynor Dumat-ol Daleno, "Guam Spends $800,000 on film, gets $9,000 Back", Pacific Islands Report, December 13, 2006, http://archives.pireport.org/archive/2006/december/12%2D14%2D07.htm
- ^ Kim Christensen, "Camera, Legal Action! The making of a kung fu flick on Guam turns into court battles on both sides of the sea", Los Angeles Times, June 13, 2007, http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jun/13/business/fi-guam13
- ^ Sabrina Salas Matanane, "Max Havoc litigation up for GEDA discussion", KUAM News, February 21, 2010, http://www.kuam.com/story/12021424/max-havoc-litigation-up-for-geda-discussion
- ^ Mar-Vic Cagurangan, "Appeals court upholds 'Havoc' ruling", Marianas Variety, April 1, 2010, http://mvguam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11538:appeals-court-upholds-havoc-ruling&catid=1:guam-local-news&Itemid=61
- ^ Zita Y. Taitano, "Guam still trying to recoup film investment - Spent $800,000 on box office bomb 'Max Havoc'", Pacific Islands Report, April 15, 2008, http://archives.pireport.org/archive/2008/april/04%2D17%2D15.htm
- ^ Steve Limtiaco, "Court dismisses 'Max Havoc' suit against GovGuam", Pacific Islands Report, March 29, 2007, http://archives.pireport.org/archive/2007/march/03%2D29%2D25.htm
- ^ Sonya Artero, "Judge wants 'Havoc' trial kept on Guam", KUAM News, March 28, 2007, http://www.kuam.com/story/11069604/judge-wants-havoc-trial-kept-on-guam
- ^ Mindy Aguon, "Judge sets trial date for 'Max Havoc,'" KUAM, June 6, 2011, http://www.kuam.com/story/14849692/2011/06/06/judge-sets-trial-date-for-max-havoc-case
[edit] External links
- Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon at the Internet Movie Database
- Pacific Daily News review of Max Havoc
- Blog post "Hollywood Havoc Comes to Guam"
- Uno Magazine - "Tropic Blunder - The Curse of Max Havoc"
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