First Love | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

First Love | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

First Love | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: February 11, 2020

Takashi Miike (Blade of the Immortal, As the Gods Will), one of today’s most prolific filmmakers, re-teams with Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas (13 Assassins, The Last Emperor) for the Japanese/UK collaboration First Love (read our review), which hits Blu-ray & DVD on February 11th, 2020.

Set over one night in Tokyo, the film will follow Leo, a young boxer down on his luck as he meets his ‘first love’ Monica, a call girl and an addict but still an innocent. Little does Leo know, Monica is unwittingly caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme, and the two are pursued through the night by a corrupt cop, a yakuza, his nemesis, and a female assassin sent by the Chinese Triads. According to the production, all their fates intertwine in “spectacular Miike style, at his most and fun and anarchic” (via Deadline).

The film (read our review) stars Masataka Kubota (Tokyo Ghoul), Nao Omori (R100), Shota Sometani (Legend of the Demon Cat), Sakurako Konishi (Mio on the Shore), Becky (A Gambler’s Odyssey 2020), Jun Murakami (Cutie Honey), Sansei Shiomi (Outrage Coda) and Seiyo Uchino (Sanada Maru).

Also on board are some of Miike’s regular collaborators including writer Miyabi Nakamura (The Bird People in China), composer Koji Endo (13 Assassins) and cinematographer Nobuyasu Kita (Blade of the Immortal).

Pre-order First Love from Amazon.com today! 

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, News |

How to Set Up Payroll: A Guide for Small Businesses

How to Set Up Payroll: A Guide for Small Businesse

Employee records are a crucial aspect of running a successful business. Financial documents are one such set of documents you’ll need to create and track. So, it comes as no surprise that you should learn how to set up payroll.

Doing payroll in-house gives your business control over its documents. It ensures all paperwork is accounted for, saves money, and other benefits we’ll get into.

What does the process involve when setting up payroll? What are the benefits? And, what resources can you use to make it go as smooth? Let’s find out!

How to Set Up Payroll (Step by Step)

Payroll is the documentation detailing who gets paid what in your business. The documents also outline what you’d submit as part of business taxes. To put it bluntly: You need to provide them for both employees and Uncle Sam.

Get Registered and Compliant

You will begin the payroll set up by applying for an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Applications are available by mail, online, faxed in, or over-the-phone. You will use the EIN when submitting information and tax payments.

You will also need to:

You should review other items including your state’s new hire registration system. Worker’s compensation, unemployment tax, and employment eligibility are other items you’ll need to review before setting up payroll and doing hires.

Confused? You could lean on your attorney or business pros to handle this. They can provide the necessary paperwork and filings for a fee. Otherwise, stick to official government resources for your needs.

Schedules, Payments, and Systems

Now it’s time to get into the finer details of having employees. This is, of course, if you completed the federal and state requirements. Get any paperwork out of the way, first, and then follow up with these three items:

  • Schedules — When employees get paid (eg. biweekly)
  • Payments — How employees get paid (eg. direct deposit)
  • Systems — What software/platforms you’ll use (eg. Quickbooks)

A super-simple way to get started is the traditional paper trail. Payments could go out bi-weekly, via check, and recorded with pay stubs and software logging. You can click here to learn more about Paystub creator for this method.

Another great option is using online accounting systems. These tend to handle most, if not all, aspects of payroll. You could train someone in-house to handle it or outsource the task to a tax professional.

Some of the Other Important Tasks

There’s still lots to process when handling payroll in-house. A lot of this is the employee paperwork like W-4’s for taxes and I-9 for eligibility to work.

Include these as part of your payroll to-do:

  • Creating a payroll register
  • Creating an employee handbook
  • Setting up insurances

You have a lot of work cut out for you, no doubt, but stay diligent. It’s vital you follow labor laws when hiring and handling payroll.

Payroll is a Piece of the Puzzle

Learning how to set up payroll is just one of many things you’ll do as a new business owner. There are many other things you’ll learn along the way. From its operations to exit strategies, successful business owners are lifelong learners.

Do you want to improve your business knowledge and success? If so, check out other business guides on our site. There are tons of resources that will make you a better, more successful business owner. Good luck!

Posted in News |

The Loners + Dragon vs. Needles of Death | Blu-ray (Dark Force)

The Loners + Dragon vs. Needles of Death | Blu-ray (Dark Force)

The Loners + Dragon vs. Needles of Death | Blu-ray (Dark Force)

RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2020

On March 17th, 2020, Dark Force Entertainment will release the 2-Feature Blu-ray for 1972’s The Loners and 1976’s Dragon vs. Needles of Death.

The Loners: On his motorcycle Stein (Dean Stockwell), a half-blood Indian, tries to stay out of the hands of the police, who are chasing him for accidentally killing a cop. Together with his friend Alan (Todd Susman) and a beautiful but desperate girl (Patricia Stich), Stein will get involved in a robbery and more death. The police intensify the search, but the three won’t give up that easily.

Dragon vs. Needles of Death: A young man joins a kung fu academy but fails to fit in. He soon runs off with the master’s daughter and becomes a salt smuggler. He ends up joining with the school’s top fighter – his former rival – against a local mob leader. Kung fu craziness abounds in this martial arts outing. The title needles are murderously effective projectiles shot from the wristbands of opponents, and only the most adept martial artists will be able to defeat the enemy. Directed by Chung Gwok-Hang (Lightning of Bruce Lee), the film stars Ang Fung (White Butterfly Killer), Chan San Yat (Seven Man Army), Wong Ping (The Big Boss Part II) and Cho Kin (Island of Fire).

Pre-order The Loners + Dragon vs. Needles of Death from Amazon.com today! 

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Martial Arts Titles, News |

Hulk Hogan Films: The Best/Worst B Action Films Ever!

No Holds Barred

No Holds Barred

It isn’t uncommon to see professional wrestlers translate their success in the ring to the silver screen in modern times. WWE icons Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, and Dave Bautista have all become major motion picture stars. However, those three men wouldn’t have parlayed their in-ring success into Hollywood superstardom had it not been for one man. Combat sports fans are gearing up for Conor McGregor’s return to the UFC. Fans can use this welcome offer to wager on McGregor or Donald Cerrone before they enter the octagon.

Hulk Hogan first burst onto the film scene with Rocky III. That appearance led to the WWE signing him and marketing him as the biggest pro wrestler of all-time. Since debuting in Rocky III as Thunderlips in 1982, Hogan has appeared in a number of top releases as a co-star. Unfortunately, Hogan’s starring roles haven’t been quite as good in the mainstream. However, if you love good/bad B films, you can’t miss these Hogan films. 

5. Secret Agent Club

Secret Agent Club is one of the least known films Hogan starred in. It came out during the mid-1990s after Hogan’s initial success in wrestling in the WWE and his rebirth as a hated villain in WCW with the NWO. Combat sports fans can get the latest bonus promo codes if they click here before McGregor and Cerrone meet in the UFC. Hogan stars as Ray Chase, a secret spy who steals a laser gun. He is then targetted by the evildoer he stole the gun from and is kidnapped. Chase’s son must then rescue his dad. The film co-stars former The Bold and The Beautiful actress Lesley-Anne Down. 

4. Santa with Muscles

Hogan has claimed Santa with Muscles was his worst movie of all-time and should never have been made. We disagree with his claims. The film was panned by critics and made less than $250,000 at the box office. Yet, it is a fun late-night watch during the holidays. Hogan plays a conceited self-made millionaire (seems topical in 2020), who suffers amnesia. It results in him believing himself to be Santa Claus. Interestingly, this 1996 film stars a young Mila Kunis. 

3. Mr. Nanny

Compared to some of the other films Hogan has starred or acted in, Mr. Nanny feels quite cliched for men and women who come from the combat sports world. Hogan plays Sean Armstrong, a former professional wrestler turned bodyguard. The twist is Hogan must watch out for tech firm head honcho Alex Mason’s mischievous children. Chaos ensues as Hogan protects the kids when bad guys come after Mason’s last tech microchip creation. It feels like this film has been remade unintentionally (or intentionally) by The Rock. 

Suburban Commando

Suburban Commando

2. Suburban Commando

While some films apes on Hogan’s wrestling career, Suburban Commando is a sci-fi film that isn’t too different from movies such as Demolition Man or Judge Dredd. Released in 1991, Hogan plays Shep Ramsey, an intergalactic commando sent to rescue a deposed general, who is on Earth. The film co-stars Christopher Lloyd and includes Mark Calaway, who would become the WWE’s The Undertaker that year. Suburban Commando may have been panned by critics, but it is a fun sci-fi ride that was initially meant for both Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger before the duo agreed to star in Twins. Had it been released in modern times on Netflix, it would be loved.

1. No Holds Barred

Hogan’s most well-known film, No Holds Barred, sees him play the part of Rip Thomas, a championship wrestler. Thomas must fight crooked wrestling promoters and the intimidating Zeus to come out on top. Released in 1989, the film was panned by wrestling fans especially when WWE owner Vince McMahon brought Zeus into the company to fight Hogan at the annual SummerSlam show that year. Rumour has it that Hogan and McMahon were not happy with the original No Holds Barred film script and re-wrote it during a 48-hour cocaine-fuelled writing session. 

Posted in News |

How to Calculate Your Federal Taxable Income From Your Last Pay Stub

How to Calculate Your Federal Taxable Income From Your Last Pay Stub

How to Calculate Your Federal Taxable Income From Your Last Pay Stub

Taxes are a complete mystery to most people. It’s understandable when you realize that the tax code is thousands of pages long.

One of the most challenging things to do is to figure out how much federal income tax is taken out of your paycheck. You can figure out that you have 6.2% of your taxable wages is held for Social Security and 1.45% is withheld for Medicare.

What about your federal income taxes?

If you want to predict how much your take-home pay will be, check out this guide to calculate your federal taxable income.

What are Taxable Wages?

Taxable wages aren’t the same as your actual income. The IRS allows for deductions on your income to determine what your taxable income is.

For example, there are some line items on your pay stub that are subtracted out of your actual income. These are things like health care premium payments and retirement contributions.

For example, let’s say that you made $1000 in the pay period. You contribute $75 to your health care premiums and another $100 to your retirement plan. Your taxable wages are then $825.

Over the course of the year, that can make a big difference in your tax bracket.

Keep in mind that not retirement plans are included in this deduction. There are some retirement programs, like some IRAs that don’t count because you don’t pay taxes on them when you take the withdrawals in retirement.

The ones that are pre-tax contributions will require that you pay taxes on them when you start to withdraw the funds.

How Taxable Income is Taxed

There are a lot of factors that go into calculating how much you’re taxed. Your taxable income amount, your tax bracket, your tax filing status, and the number of allowances you put on your W-4 Form will determine your income tax rate. You can find a list of the tax rates and corresponding filing statuses for 2020 here.

The best thing you can do is to use a program that will automatically calculate your withholding, such as a pay stub maker. That will take into account your health and retirement contributions and then determine your federal tax withholding.

You can use that figure to determine how your taxed.

Understanding Taxable Wages

There is so much to the tax code, figuring out your taxes can be a nightmare. You have to make sure that you understand the difference between taxable wages and your actual income.

Your taxable wages are used to determine your income tax rate, along with several other factors. Knowing all of this can help you make sure that you’re withholding enough taxes so you don’t owe in April.

You also don’t want to pay too much because you’re giving the government a sizable loan that’s free of interest. You want to get it just right.

Check out this site often for more great tech news and tips.

Posted in News |

Get the CBD Facts: 5 Truths About Taking CBD Oil

Get the CBD Facts: 5 Truths About Taking CBD OilIs CBD really the miracle drug it seems to be?

Studies are finding more and more benefits to CBD, and the list of conditions that it can help treat is getting longer.

If you know someone suffering from anxiety, high blood pressure, inflammation, or any of many other conditions, then you should be looking seriously at CBD.

Read these 5 CBD facts to help you know how CBD can help you!

1. Won’t Get You High

CBD oil is found in cannabis, but the facts about CBD are that you can enjoy its benefits without getting high. CBD should not be confused with THC. THC can produce a euphoric state, but CBD is not a psychoactive substance, and most people can drive and otherwise go about their day just fine while using CBD.

2. Legal in Many States

CBD can be derived from either hemp or from marijuana. CBD derived from hemp is legal in all 50 states, while CBD derived from marijuana is legal in some states and still not legal in other states. Check out this source to find out if CBD derived from marijuana is legal in your state or just enjoy the hemp-derived option!

3. Relieves Pain

CBD is an excellent pain reliever, becoming and more and more popular replacement of some of the more traditional pain relievers. Some consider it not only a more natural but also a more effective alternative to ibuprofen and similar drugs.

4. Moderate Dose is Best

A too low or too high dose of CBD can be ineffective, so if CBD isn’t working for you, finding some CBD information about proper dosing may solve your problem. Healthline recommends taking into account your body weight and the condition you want to treat to calculate the right dose for you. They also suggest starting with a lower dose like 20 mg and slowly increasing the dose if that doesn’t treat your condition adequately from the beginning.

5. Shouldn’t Be Combined With Certain Medications

CBD is safe to use, but one of the CBD oil facts not everyone knows about is that there are certain medications that react poorly with it. Any medications that says not to take it after eating grapefruit may also be a bad idea to mix with CBD oil.

If you’re on warfarin, anti-epileptics, or going through chemotherapy, you may need to avoid CBD oil. There are other medications that shouldn’t be mixed with CBD oil, so make sure to check if anything you’re using could be a problem.

Finding Great CBD

If this CBD info has made you think CBD could be right for you, check out the Lazarus Naturals Review by CBD Oil Users. Lazarus Naturals makes excellent products and it lays out in detail the differences between many options so you can find the exact right fit for your situation.

These CBD Facts Can Help You Enjoy Life

Finding a solution to an old problem can make the world seem full of potential.

If you’ve found these CBD facts useful, check out our other articles on news happening around the world!

Posted in News |

Is Replacing Windows Before Selling Your Home Worth It?

Is Replacing Windows Before Selling Your Home Worth It?

Is Replacing Windows Before Selling Your Home Worth It?

Replacing windows in your home will require a sizable investment on your part. On average, homeowners spend anywhere from $650 to $1,500 per window during the window replacement process.

This might make you a little apprehensive about replacing windows right before you sell your home. After all, what’s the point in spending all that money on new windows when you won’t even get to enjoy them?

That’s a fair question. But you shouldn’t let it stop you from thinking about installing new windows in your home before listing it for sale. You can benefit from buying new windows for your home in so many ways when you’re trying to sell it.

Check out why it’s worth it to go about replacing windows before selling your home below.

Improves Your Curb Appeal

When you stick a “For Sale” sign in your front yard, people will start slowing down as they walk or drive by. They will do this so they can get a better look at your home from the outside to see what it’s all about.

For this reason, you want to do whatever it takes to improve your curb appeal. You can make your curb appeal better than it is now by planting new flowers, painting your front door, and power washing your porch.

You can also make your curb appeal better by replacing windows with new ones. If you have older windows in your home they will drag your curb appeal down and scare many potential buyers away.

You’ll be amazed by how much better the exterior of your home looks when you have fresh windows put into place. They’ll draw buyers in and make them want to take a closer look at your home.

Makes the Inside of Your House Look Better

Replacing windows will do more than just make the outside of your house look better. They will also improve your home’s interior design and make the inside of your house more welcoming to others.

If you have older windows in your home at the moment, they might have frames that are fading, cracking, chipping, and showing other signs of wear and tear. These frames will give people the wrong impression when they walk around inside your home.

They might think that you haven’t taken the time to take good care of your home based on the condition of your window frames. You can eliminate this thought from their minds by installing new windows in place of your old ones.

Increases Your Home’s Energy Efficiency

Nowadays, people don’t just want homes that look beautiful. They also want homes that are as energy-efficient as they can be.

It’s often hard to tell whether a home is energy efficient simply by walking through it. But when you have window replacement done, you can play up how energy efficient it has made your home.

Most new windows come with double- and, in some cases, even triple-pane glass in them. This glass doesn’t allow air to pass freely through your windows anymore.

As a result, your home will stay more comfortable, and your HVAC system won’t have to work as hard to heat and cool your house. This will work wonders for your home’s energy efficiency, and it’ll provide you with an excellent selling point when listing your home for sale.

Allows More Natural Light to Enter Your Home

Studies have shown that about 80 percent of people who have purchased a home admit to regretting one thing about buying it.

In recent years, one of the biggest regrets that home buyers have had is buying a home that doesn’t get enough natural light. People appreciate the many benefits of living in a home that gets lots of natural light, and they regret it when they don’t buy a home with a lot of natural light in it.

You can make sure your home is bringing in plenty of natural light by putting new windows into it. With new windows, you won’t have to worry about dirty windows stopping natural light from shining directly into your home.

People will see how much natural light your home gets when they walk through it after you’ve had new windows installed. The windows will make such a big difference in how bright it is inside your home.

Provides an Excellent Return on Investment

There are all kinds of home improvements that you can take on prior to selling your house to increase its value. Just make sure you tackle jobs that offer a great return on investment.

Window replacement is one job that will deliver the ROI you’re looking for. Even though it’ll often cost well over $10,000 to replace all the windows in your home, you can bring the value of your home up by over $10,000 most times.

Best of all, doing window replacement isn’t anywhere near as complicated as taking on, say, a kitchen remodeling job. You can have every window in your home replaced by a reputable window company within just a few hours in most cases.

It’s why replacing your windows makes all the sense in the world if you’re searching for a home improvement project that will add value to your house in no time.

Consider Replacing Windows in Your Home Before Selling It

Are you going to be selling your home sometime soon? You should think about replacing windows before you put it up on the market.

You may have to delay listing your home for a few weeks to have window replacement done. But there’s a very good chance your home could sell quicker than it would otherwise with new windows in it.

There’s also a good chance you’ll get whatever you’re asking for your home from a buyer when you have new windows in place. The windows will allow you to enjoy a much better selling experience overall.

Browse through the informative articles on our blog to find other home improvement projects outside of replacing windows that you should take on before selling a house.

Posted in News |

Shatter | aka Call Him Mr. Shatter | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

Shatter | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

Shatter | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2020

On April 28, 2020, Shout! Factory will be releasing the Blu-ray for 1974’s Shatter (aka Call Him Mr. Shatter), starring Stuart Whitman (Crazy Mama, Ruby).

Read the official details below:

Hammer Films and The Shaw Brothers come together again for an exciting action film!

International assassin Shatter (Whitman) completes a contract kill on an African dictator and heads for Hong Kong to collect his payment. But when he finds himself marked for death in a deadly double-cross, the hit man is hunted through the seedy underworld. Now with the help of a kung fu master (Ti Lung, A Better Tomorrow), Shatter must take on the international drug syndicate in a final showdown of violence and vengeance!

Filmed on location in Hong Kong, Shatter (also known as Call Him Mr. Shatter) was the second and last of Hammer’s co-productions with the famed Shaw Brothers studio (The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires). Cult director Monte Hellman (Two-Lane Blacktop, Cockfighter) was replaced mid-production by producer Michael Carreras who completed this troubled-yet-fascinating action thriller that co-stars Anton Diffring (Circus of Horrors) and the legendary Peter Cushing in his final Hammer performance.

Features:

  • NEW! Audio Commentary with critic Bruce G. Hallenbeck
  • NEW! Anything Goes: Hammer Film In The 70s Featurette
  • Audio Commentary With Writer/Director/Producer Brian Clemens, Actress Caroline Munro, And Hammer Films Historian Jonathan Sothcott
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Radio Spots
  • Optional English subtitles for the main feature

Pre-order Shatter from Amazon.com today! 

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Martial Arts Titles, News |

2K Restoration of Bruce Li’s 1976 film ‘Bruce Lee’s Secret’ in the works (as well as some other goodies)

"Bruce Lee’s Secret" Theatrical Poster

“Bruce Lee’s Secret” Theatrical Poster

Actor, writer, director, martial artist and Bruceploitation fan, Michael Worth (Final Impact), has announced yet another Bruceploitation project: The 2K re-master of the 1976 Bruce Li/Ho Chung Tao classic Bruce Lee’s Secret (aka Bruce Lee’s Deadly Kung Fu) – also starring Carter Huang, Hwang Jang Lee and Roy Horan.

Read the details below:

“Our goal is to re-master in 2K the classic 1976 Kung Fu film Bruce Lee’s Secret (aka Bruce Lee’s Deadly Kung Fu) from a recently discovered rare 35mm English print. The 44th anniversary edition of the film will include English audio with newly produced extra features and if we reach our larger goal, brand new supplements and interviews from the filmmakers,” says Worth.

If you haven’t been keeping up with our coverage regarding Worth’s many projects, here’s a quick breakdown of what’s to come:

  • 2K Restoration of the Bruce Li/Ho Chung Tao film Dynamo from The Pearl Collection and VCI Entertainment (the same company that released The Leg Fighters).
  • Martial Art: A Pictorial History of Bruceploitation Posters, a beautiful, limited edition book preserving a 40 year collection of original artwork posters.
  • The Bruceploitation Bible, another upcoming Bruceploitation book. We hear he has some amazing content for this one – the title says it all!
  • 2K Restoration of the Dragon Lee/Mun Kyong-sok film, Deadly Silver Ninja (this is essentially a bonus, if all goes well with the funding for Bruce Lee’s Secret).
  • The release for the 2K Restoration of Yeung Kuen’s Duel of the 7 Tigers, a 1979 film with an all-star kung fu cast: Phillip Ko Fei, Cliff Lok, Han Ying-Chieh, Cassanova Wong and Chiu Chi Ling. This will also be released under The Pearl Collection banner.

If you’re interested in learning more about any of the aforementioned projects, visit the Indiegogo page for Bruce Lee’s Secret, as well as The Bruceploitation Bible Facebook Page.

Posted in News |

10 Metalworker’s Tools Every Metal Shop Should Have

10 Metalworker's Tools Every Metal Shop Should HaveWorking with your hands to create living, working machines feels good. So good that builders of the past were celebrated and revered. Getting started in the world of metalworking reminds you that becoming a craftsman takes time.

It also takes the right metalworker’s tools. Without a proper set of tools, you can’t bend the alloys to your will. Metal, substance of strength and honor.

As the demand for custom metalworking grows, so too must the shops supplying it. Between cosmetics, restorations, and better than new repairs there’s always more being asked of metal goods. As always be aware of and follow, safe tool handling guidelines.

It doesn’t matter if you build from scratch or modify so-so parts for a retrofit, you need tools to get the job done.

Essential Metalworker’s Tools

The following list isn’t exhaustive, but it gets you started by having the basics to work the materials and produce results from the moment you open your doors.

1. Marking Tools

It’s easy to overlook this simple starting point for some. Without the ability to make a clear, defined mark on materials, it doesn’t matter how many times you measure before that first cut.

Invest in proper wax pencils, grease pens, and scribes to keep your marks visible.

2. Dial Calipers

Marking can’t be done without good measuring tools. Dial calipers give you an easy way to read your measurements without squinting or bending your head to find the notches. They provide accuracy to measurement while also being large enough that you don’t lose them easily.

Make certain to zero out calipers before you start using them to keep your measurements precise.

3. Flux Core Welder

You can’t work with metal without some serious ability to cut and to bind. Any welder will get you to an end product, but not all welders are created equal.

Gas welders take more prep and care to use safely and tend to require more finishing work for both the edges and the fire’s natural ability to leave soot about.

Start with a flux core to get cutting and melding right out of the box. The design of a flux core provides it’s own shielding, making it easier to use in a smaller space or with other people around.

When working on bigger jobs, it’s ideal to have a Snap-Loc coolant hose attached and set to cool material as you go to prevent deformation.

4. English Wheel

The workhorse of any automotive and cosmetic panel shaping shop. Run your metals between the adjustable upper and lower wheels to slowly bend and compound materials.

Wheels can also be angled to change the shape of the material. This is where the finesse and artistry of metalwork projects really blooms.

5. Die Grinder

In the past, the onerous task of beveling and edge shaping was done slowly with a lot of effort. Today, even the metalworking hand tool has become motorized and easy to use.

A die grinder smooths out the detritus of welds and makes shaping edges a breeze. For larger jobs, you’ll want to stick with a grinding wheel, but for smaller and delicate work, the die grinder can’t be beaten.

6. Press Brake

One of the larger pieces of equipment to be found in a proper metalworking shop, the press brake is intimidating to see and hear.

Outside of the English Wheel, this is the most important item for crafting sheets into needed shapes. It uses a heavy blade to pinch sheets so they can be bent and shaped.

The punch and die need to be kept aligned to avoid jagged edges. Always operate a press brake with gloves or vices to avoid getting cut by a sudden shift in the sheet.

7. Center Punch

With so many pieces for cutting and shaping metal, it’s easy to overlook the need to fasten and attach materials. For that, you need a center punch.

At first glance, it seems like a center punch can be replaced with any pointy object or a drill. For precision, the heavy, sharp point of a center punch can’t be replaced.

For even more precision, look into an optical version which lets you look directly into the interstices before you make your punch.

8. Drill Press

For thicker metal sheets and fast turnaround, a drill press armed with a vise makes meatal punching a breeze.

Making certain the tools are well anchored is key to providing the necessary precision. Keep your bearing sand spindle well-maintained and you won’t have any problems keeping things in-line.

9. Bandsaw

Cut safely and effectively with a bandsaw over a hand saw. Of all of the options from hand tools to machinery, the band saw is your best choice.

The blade oscillates for you and you move the object (after being properly marked) to get great, clean cuts. Bandsaws also avoid the major problem with hacksaws, which is getting the thin blade wedged in a corner of a cut and snapping the blade.

It may not be a laser-guided water cutter used in some industrial factories, but it gets the job done.

10. Buffing Wheels

To finish off a project you need this final item. A buffing wheel spins and polishes up finished items. Polishing doesn’t just make the metal look good, it also provides protection from corrosion.

In a pinch, a grinding wheel can do some of the same work but takes a lot of extra effort not to grind down your finished products.

Some people try to substitute a drill press armed with a makeshift buffing head, these don’t have the required torque to really get the job done.

The Right Tech

With these essential metalworker’s tools in place, you can begin to build out. Add some more gear for faster and more detailed work as the need presents.

Remember, the most important tool is the know-how you bring to the job. Keep up to date on improvements and advancements right here.

Posted in News |

Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction (2009) Review

"Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction" Theatrical Poster

“Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction” Theatrical Poster

Director: Jeffrey Lau
Cast: Hu Jun, Betty Sun, Alex Fong, Ronald Cheng, Wu Jing, Stephy Tang, Gan Wei, Law Kar-ying, Eric Tsang, Chin Kar Lok, Hong Jun-Jie
Running Time: 102 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction opens with the onscreen text “If God created humans, and they created robots, should we not question our maker the way humans question theirs?” Deep stuff, and one may expect the next 100 minutes to be a rumination on that very question. Until that is, you remember that this is a Jeff Lau movie. It’s been 10 years since KFC: MA (as I’ll refer to it from now on) was released, and a burning curiosity (ok, a slight curiosity) to see how Lau’s cinematic oddity holds up in 2019, saw me recently revisit what at the time was promoted as Hong Kong’s answer to Transformers.

Hong Kong cinema was in an interesting place in the late 00’s. Having started the millennium practically dead on its feet thanks to the ravages of piracy, and many of its biggest stars jumping ship to try their hand in Hollywood post the 1997 handover, it spent most of the decade clawing its way back to relevance. Thanks to solid thrillers like the Infernal Affairs trilogy, and the pairing of Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen reviving the action genre with the likes of Sha Po Lang, Dragon Tiger Gate, and Flash Point, by 2009 Hong Kong cinema felt like it was in a good place.

It was a year that also produced the likes of the big budget blockbuster Bodyguards and Assassins, the culinary kung fu flick Kung Fu Chefs, and the legendarily bad Murderer. Looking back, the end of the 00’s was also the final era that Hong Kong cinema still truly felt like Hong Kong cinema. By 2010 the Mainland had already established itself as a box office juggernaut, and the appeal of the audience size compared to HK saw the gradual increase in co-productions, along with the shift to Mandarin from Cantonese. The very franchise that KFC: MA was inspired by, Transformers, itself became a China co-production by the time of its fourth instalment in 2014, with Transformers: Age of Extinction.

For all of the promise a title like Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction holds, audiences should be warned that Lau’s focus is very much on the ‘Metallic Attraction’ rather than the ‘Kungfu Cyborg’. Hu Jun, who appears here between his appearances in John Woo’s Red Cliff 2-parter, plays a morally righteous cop in a countryside town, and it’s this unflappable character that makes him the perfect candidate to babysit a cyborg that a secret government agency is testing out. Played by swimmer turned actor Alex Fong, the cyborg in question is jokingly referred to as being modelled on Andy Lau, although I challenge anyone that witnesses the coiffed hair and dewy complexion not to assume his look was based on Jude Law in 2001’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

What exactly is the plot beyond the above? You’d be hard pressed to tell. Fong fixes various computer problems by sticking his finger in them, and resolves a mountain of minor unsolved cases in less than a day, while Jun does the bare minimum to interact with his robotic partner. It’s when a fellow cop and neighbour, played by Betty Sun from Fearless and 2008’s Painted Skin, enters the picture that proceedings begin to get complicated. Sun finds herself immediately attracted to the mysterious Fong, not knowing that he’s a cyborg (and to add more drama to the mix, one that’s programmed to be incapable of love), which enrages Jun, who’s harboured an unrequited love for Sun ever since her late father asked him to look after her. Throw in the local geek (played by Ronald Cheng), who also has a crush on Sun, and Sun’s kooky sister (played by Gan Wei), who thinks she might like Cheng, and what do you get?

Well, for the first 40 minutes it’s essentially a romantic dramedy. As usual with Lau, he does create some genuinely funny moments of humor, however they’re quickly overshadowed by the constant insertion of lingering glances the camera requires from its romantically forlorn cast. Will Hun get over his jealousy towards a cyborg? Can Fung override his programming and feel real love? Will Sun realise that the man who loves her has been next to her this whole time? Where the hell are those kung fu cyborgs the title mentions? I won’t spoil the answer to the other questions, but we do indeed eventually get some cyborg kung-foolery. Secretive government official Eric Tsang arrives back in the picture to explain that one of their previous cyborgs has gone rogue, and has developed a personality of its own (the opening onscreen quote is from the cyborg in question), leaving it up to Hun and Fong to take out the renegade robot.

The cyborg in question is played by Wu Jing, who at this point in his career was still 6 years away from becoming the poster boy for the Chinese military with 2015’s Wolf Warrior. I mentioned earlier that it was the collaborations between Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen that put the HK action genre back on the map, and Wu Jing was an integral part of their first collaboration, 2005’s Sha Po Lang. Playing a sadistic assassin who’s weapon of choice is a knife, the alley way fight between Yen and Jing is one of Hong Kong cinema’s all-time classics, and Jing would became a regular go-to as an ass-kicking bad guy. Following on from 2007’s Invisible Target and 2008’s Fatal Move, here he’s again in villain mode (inexplicably decked out in race-driver get up), however unlike the previously mentioned titles, his talents are woefully underused.

In Wolf Warrior 2 he may have been able to stop a missile mid-flight with just some wire mesh, but the scene here still beats it, for the simple fact that he swallows a missile whole. Jing’s appearance heralds the long overdue appearance of the kung fu cyborgs, as both he and Fong transform into oversized robots that take to the air and battle it out. While action director Yuen Tak’s kung fu aesthetic is a welcome one – Fong flies around on a pair of Na Cha style spinning wheels and wields a pair of nunchucks – the CGI somewhat calls to mind Michael Jackson’s transformation in 1988’s Moonwalker. The battle is also distractingly set to a Canto-rock soundtrack, which does more harm than good. One element that is enjoyable though, is that once Jing returns to humanoid form, he keeps the oversized sword from his transformed state, which if nothing else makes for a cool screenshot.

Lau’s madcap creativity also rears its head in the finale, when a gigantic cyborg is created out of various vehicles and pieces of junk to turn into a gigantic hopping vampire (complete with the yellow talisman!). Robo Vampire would be proud. The real highlights of KFC: MA are neither the strained romantic shenanigans nor the bombastic action sequences, but instead they’re the briefly inspired moments of humour that Lau occasionally allows to shine through. A joke involving a cyborgs imitation program and a nearby can opener and can of tuna is genius, as is a sequence involving Fong’s ability to fire ‘motion depressants’, which result in the person being hit moving in slow motion while everything else remains in real time. However these come few and far between.

As with any Jeff Lau movie, the tone of KFC: MA is all over the place, at once asking us to laugh at someone attempting to smoke through their eye balls, while also wanting us to resonate with a cyborg who’s beginning to understand what it means to love. The handling of such disparate elements is a car crash, and at its worst culminates in a final scene containing one of the most overly histrionic outbursts ever committed to film. It may not have been Hong Kong’s answer to Transformers, and retrospectively (beyond the trailers) it arguably was never intended to be, however even taken on its own merits neither the ‘Kungfu Cyborg’ nor the ‘Metallic Attraction’ elements of the plot make for a good movie. Wu Jing has of course earned some sci-fi redemption points thank to the recent The Wandering Earth, for everyone else though, perhaps the lesson here is that sci-fi and kung fu are best left as separate genres.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 4.5/10

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , |

The Climbers | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

The Climbers | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

The Climbers | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: February 25, 2020

On February 25th, 2020, Well Go USA is releasing the Blu-ray & DVD for The Climbers (aka Qomolangma), a survival-thriller from director Daniel Lee (Dragon Blade) and producer Tsui Hark (Once Upon a Time in China V).

The film stars Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior 2, SPL II), Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Jing Boran (Monster Hunt), Hu Ge (1911), Wang Jingchun (Black Coal, Thin Ice) and a special appearance by Jackie Chan (The Foreigner).

The Climbers is a cinematic retelling of the first Chinese climbers to summit Mount Everest – the first ever to do so from the North Ridge. Well-known as the most challenging side of the mountain, the perilous journey takes its toll on the mountaineers, physically and mentally, forcing them to make life or death decisions at every turn.

Pre-order The Climbers from Amazon.com today! 

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, News |

Wallace Chung actioner ‘Liberation’ gets a U.S. release date

"Liberation" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Liberation” Chinese Theatrical Poster

China Lion is starting off 2020 with a bang! The company is giving Liberation a U.S. release. The war epic will open in Australia and New Zealand on January 9th before playing in New York City, Los Angeles and Boston on January 10th (via FCS).

Based on real life events, Liberation is set in January 1949 and focuses around a group of soldiers involved in the final stages of the Battle of Pingjin.

Liberation is directed by Li Shaohong (The Dream of Red Mansions) and Chang Xiaoyang (My Mr. Mermaid), and stars Wallace Chung (Three, Tik Tok), Elane Zhong (The Knight of Shadows: Between Yin and Yang), Zhou Yiwei (Dying to Survive), Philip Keung (Wild City, Keeper of Darkness) and Yang Mi (Painted Skin: The Resurrection).

If you haven’t already watched the Trailer, press play below:

Posted in News |

Deal on Fire! Nemesis II, III and IV | Blu-ray | Only $8.99 – Expires soon!

Nemesis II, III and IV | Blu-ray (MVD Rewind)

Nemesis II, III and IV | Blu-ray (MVD Rewind)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for MVD Rewind’s Special Edition of 1995’s Nemesis 2: Nebula, 1996’s Nemesis 3: Time Lapse and 1996’s Nemesis 4: Death Angel – all from cult director Albert Pyun (Cyborg).

Nemesis 2: Nebula: 73 years after the events in Nemesis, humans have lost the Cyborg Wars and they are now slaves to the cyborg masters. Rebel scientists have developed a new DNA strain, which could signal the end of the cyborgs, and it is injected it into a pregnant volunteer. When the cyborgs learn of the woman and her baby, both are listed for termination. To escape, the woman steals a cyborg ship and is transported back in time to East Africa in 1980, where the mother is killed, but the baby is saved. It takes 20 years, but a cyborg bounty hunter named Nebula (Chad Stahelski, director of John Wick and John Wick: Chapter 2) eventually locates the young woman, named Alex (professional bodybuilder, Sue Price), and travels back in time to terminate her.

Nemesis 3: Time Lapse: Alex finds that she has twenty half-sisters who are waiting for her to return to the year 2077. Central Command wants Alex (Price) captured alive and scanned to see if her DNA is a strong and more powerful strain than normal. But Alex may be too tough for Farnsworth (Tim Thomerson, Near Dark) to capture.

Nemesis 4: Death Angel: Following an uneasy ceasefire between the humans and the cyborgs, Alex Sinclair (Price) is making a living in the future working as a cybernetically-enhanced assassin for her boss Bernardo (Andrew Divoff, Wishmaster). But when Alex accidentally targets the wrong man and kills the son of a major crime syndicate head, she finds herself on the run once again as every assassin in town comes to collect the bounty on her.

Blu-ray Special Features:

  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all three films (Nemesis 2 & 3 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1, Nemesis 4 Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1)
  • Audio: 2.0 Stereo
  • Albert Pyun talks Nemesis 2 (SD, 30:39)
  • Albert Pyun talks Nemesis 3 (SD, 17:00)
  • Albert Pyun talks Nemesis 4 (SD, 19:38)
  • Original Theatrical Trailers for all three films
  • Collectible Mini-Poster

Order the Nemesis Triple Pack from Amazon.com Today! 

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

The Most Muscular Martial Arts Actors

"Assassination Games" Theatrical Poster

“Assassination Games” Theatrical Poster

There is a thrill that fills you up when you watch a martial arts movie performed by your favorite star. The feeling gets more exciting when the actor is ripped and you even find yourself dreaming of being like them. There are a lot of people who have gone to gyms to be just like their favorite movie star.

Some of the most successful action movies in the box office were starred by actors who were very muscular. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for instance, rose to prominence because of his enormous muscles and phenomenal acting skills. If you look at most martial arts movies, you will hardly miss a ripped actor.

Having a muscular body is now considered as one of the primary prerequisites of being a successful movie star. In this article, we have compiled a list of the most muscular martial arts actors.

Jean Claude Van Damme

Van Damme has starred in several movies, most of which have turned out to be very successful. Some of his best movies include The Street Fighter, Bloodsport, The Kickboxer series, and Double Impact. Van Damme began participating in karate competitions in his teen years and had to go to the gym because he was very skinny.

Now, one thing that cannot go unnoticed in his movies is his muscular body and perhaps his exceptional skill. You might even start to think that he uses anabolic steroids from vendors like Musclefax. His skill and muscular body made him a household name starting in the late 1980s.

Scott Adkins

Famous for his role in the movies Undisputed 2 and 3, Special Force, The Shepard, and The Green Street Hooligans, you can easily agree that Adkins is one of the best martial arts actors. Just like Van Damme, Scott is equally good in martial arts while also having a ripped body.

As a young boy, Scott liked watching films all night while his parents were asleep and also participated at several sports events at school. Once, he and his brother went with their father to a judo club, and that is where he got his interest in martial arts. The determination was great to the extent that he turned his father’s garage into a training ground. Today, you can see the fruits of his hard work with his exceptional skill and muscular body.

Michael Jai White

Born on November 10, 1967, Michael Jai has appeared in several movies and even television series. His notable works in movies include Falcon Rising, Accident Man alongside Scott Adkins, and Undisputed 2 with Adkins, too. Michael has excellent martial arts skills combining with his muscular body to easily beat opponents. After Michael starred in the film Tyson as the boxer Mike Tyson, he has since starred alongside famous actors like Steven Seagal, Jean Claude Van Damme, and Scott Adkins.

Dolph Lundgren

Dolph was born in Stockholm, Sweden and started developing an interest in martial arts while in military service. He would go on to be one of the best martial artists in Japanese Karate. Dolph did engineering in college but decided to pursue acting in 1983. His first movie was A View to Kill, but his performance in Rocky IV alongside Sylvester Stallone brought him into the limelight.

Since then, he has starred in several films including Universal Soldier, The Defender, The Russian Specialist, and Expendables. One of the standout features Dolph has is his muscular body, which has helped him land major starring roles. 

Posted in News |