Yakuza Weapon Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

“Yakuza Weapon is literally a blast” – Fangoria

“Slapstick comedy with tightly choreographed action and outrageous special effects, Yakuza Weapon is a riotously entertaining ride” – Twitch

The Team Who Brought You VERSUS Have Returned with Another Hard-Edged Battle Royale Featuring Tough Gangsters, Deadly Women and Cybernetic Penis Implants!

YAKUZA WEAPON

The Latest Blood-Soaked Gore Fest

From Japanese Production House Sushi Typhoon

Debuts on Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack February 7^th

Bonus Materials Include a Making-Of Featurette
and the Spinoff Film Takuzo Weapon

From the director of Mutant Girl Squad (Tak Sakaguchi), and Meatball Machine (Yûdai Yamaguchi) comes the “bloody awesome”^* Yakuza Weapon, debuting on Blu-ray^™ + DVD Combo Pack and DVD February 7^th from Well Go USA Entertainment.  Another warped film from the prolific Japanese production company Sushi Typhoon, Yakuza Weapon is based on the cult manga by Ken Ishikawa and stars stuntman-turned-director Tak Sakaguchi as a one-man, butt-kicking army out to avenge the death of his father with built-in firepower.

The extensive bonus features include the behind-the-scenes featurette “The Making of Yakuza Weapon,” a discussion with Director Tak Sakaguchi and the spinoff short film Takuzo Weapon.   Yakuza Weapon will be available in a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack for $29.98 SRP and on standard DVD for $24.98 SRP.

Synopsis:

Stuntman-turned-director, Tak Sakaguchi, directs himself as a hard-hitting maverick who returns to Tokyo, only to discover his Yakuza father murdered, his family headquarters turned into a shady loan shop, and a powerful gang leader attempting to overthrow the entire criminal underworld! With rival gangs jacked up on “hyperdrug,” he must becomes a one-man, butt-kicking army – and things only get wilder when he loses an arm and a leg, only to have them replaced with more firepower than the entire Japanese military possesses.

Bonus Features Include:
–  “The Making of Yakuza Weapon” Featurette
–  Director’s Discussion
–  Tokyo Stage Greeting
–  Spinoff Film: Takuzo Weapon
–  Trailers

Yakuza Weapon has a runtime of approximately 106 minutes and is unrated. It is available at amazon.com.

Dark Horse Comics' "Star Wars: Underworld"

Star Wars producer Rick McCallum has a new interview with IGN about the long-in-development live-action Star Wars TV show. The working title for the show is Star Wars: Underworld and it focuses on the 20 year gap between Episode III and IV, and the various criminal elements – bounty hunters, gangs, and corrupt politicians – who vie for control of the galaxy during that time. 50 scripts are already in the can. The problem for the show has always been getting the cost down to a manageable level, say $5 million an episode, and finding the right venue for it: network television or cable TV.

Update: AICN has a rumor that the show will incorporate time travel. Thanks to @timmaughan and @mynki for the tip.

TAKE THAT!

A live-action adaptation of Capcom’s popular visual novel game series “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney” is set for a theatrical release in Japan on February 11, 2012. The magazine Otona Fami published the first photograph of actor Hiroki Narimiya as the lead character, Phoenix Wright. Anime News Network has your first look!

The movie is actually directed by Takashi Miike of “Ichi the Killer” and “Audition” fame. Bet you didn’t see that coming? In addition, ANN reports that film studio Toei will use computer effects to enhance the film’s dramatic court room scenes but will keep the video game’s signature catchphrases of “Objection!” and “Take that!”

Update: Dark Horizons has an awesome new photo from the film. You can also visit City on Fire’s Tumblr to check out the image.

Update 2: Video game blog Siliconera has a look at some teaser footage from the film.

Update 3: Crunchyroll has a look at the poster. Thanks to @aicnanime for the tip.

Update 4: Video game blog Siliconera has the full-length trailer.

Update 5: New trailer.

Update 6: Anime News Network uploaded more character profiles.

Update 7: Gamespot via Twitch reports plans for a worldwide release of the film.

JCVD Blu-ray (Peace Arch Trinity)

Jean-Claude Van Damme fans have a lot to look forward to this year. In addition to Six Bullets, he’ll be starring along side Cung Le in Dragon Eyes; re-teaming up with Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins in Universal Soldier: A New Dimension; and is part of the ensemble action flick The Expendables 2 – his true, big budget, major theatrical comeback. On top of all of this, you can pick up JCVD, one of his most critically acclaimed flicks, for $7.99.

"Furyou Shounen: 3000-nin no Atama" Japanese Theatrical Poster

If you enjoyed Japanese high school delinquent films like Takashi Miike’s Crows: Episode Zero and the Funimation released Drop, you might want to keep an eye on the upcoming film Furyou Shounen: 3000-nin no Atama. The movie, which lands in Japanese theaters in March, is based on an autobiographical novel by Endo Natsuki and stars Saito Takumi (Takashi Miike’s upcoming Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney flick) as a youth who sets out to be, what else, but the toughest kid in his school.

The teaser trailer features about what you’d expect: Japanese youth in traditional school uniforms and slicked out pompadour haircuts, beating the crap out of each other.

We’ll be back with a full-length trailer when it becomes available. Thanks to Far East Films for the scoop

Outrage: Way of the Yakuza Blu-ray & DVD (Magnolia)

This week is notable for bringing us Ryan Gosling in Drive on blu-ray and Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage, as well as some Italian exploitation flicks on blu-ray. All in all, not too shabby. So here are your Asian and genre movie releases for the week of 1/31/12:

ASIAN CINEMA

Outrage (blu-ray/DVD) – Magnet Releasing presents Takeshi ‘Beat’ Kitano’s 2010 bloody Yakuza epic. A must-see for fans of gangster flicks and extreme Asian cinema

Adrift (DVD) – this Vietnamese film co-stars Johnny Tri Nguyen of “The Rebel” and “Clash” fame but don’t any expect any fisticuffs. This is a 2009 erotic drama about desire and sexual angst in modern Hanoi

Another Take on Catherine (blu-ray/DVD) – how to possibly explain this? It’s 70 minutes of Japanese AV idol CoCo in various states of undress, pretending to be a character from the sort-of popular Atlus video game “Catherine

Passions of a Private Secretary (DVD) – this 2008 Japanese film is about a secretary who falls into the world of S&M. Not for the faint-hearted, I suppose

Secrets of a Desperate Housewife (DVD) – this 2008 Japanese film arrives from Tokyo Erotique, the same distributor as the previous film on the list. Apparently, this is the week for Japanese pinku on DVD

FOREIGN CINEMA

Fernando Di Leo crime collection (blu-ray) – now this I have been waiting for. RaroVideo USA takes four of Fernando Di Leo’s Italian crime films, previously released as single disc DVDs, and puts them together in a hi-def set. The titles included are: Caliber 9, The Italian Connection, The Boss, and Rulers of the City (released from 1972-1976)

Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show (DVD) – RaroVideo USA releases this 2010 film that  attempts to revitalize the fading Italian horror genre and is supposedly quite good at it

Das Boot (Director’s Cut) (blu-ray) – the 1997 German-language film that put director Wolfgang Petersen on the map is now on blu-ray in its restored 209-minute cut

Behind the Glass (DVD) – a 2008 Croatian-language film from Zrinko Orgresta, the director of “Here” and “Red Dust”

My Tehran For Sale (DVD) – a 2009 Iranian/Australian co-production that seeks to explore the repressesions of middle-class and literate Iranian citizens

Steam – the Turkish Bath (DVD) – RaroVideo USA releases this 1997 Italian-language film about an Italian man who inherits a traditional Turkish steam bath

MAINSTREAM

Drive (blu-ray/DVD) – at last, director Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2011 ultra-stylish thriller arrives on home formats. Starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan

In Time (blu-ray/DVD) – the director of “Gattaca” presents this 2011 sci-fi tale starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried

The Double (blu-ray/DVD) – Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Martin Sheen, and Stephen Moyer headline this direct-to-video action flick about a retired CIA agent trying to track down a Soviet assassin

Texas Killing Fields (blu/ray-DVD) – the daughter of director Michael Mann, Ami Mann, helms this based-on-true-events serial killer thriller with a cast that includes Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Chloe Moretz

Adaptation (blu-ray) – Nicolas Cage brings screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s story to life in this 2002 film, now on blu-ray

The English Patient (blu-ray) – the 1996 Academy Award-winning film starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Ralph Fiennes, now in hi-def

Cold Mountain (blu-ray) – the acclaimed 2003 Civil War-set drama starring Jude Law and Nicole Kidman, now on blu-ray

Malcom X (blu-ray) – Spike Lee’s landmark 1992 biopic starring Denzel Washington is on blu-ray this week

The Piano (blu-ray) – the Academy Award-winning 1993 drama starring Harvey Keitel, Holly Hunter, and Sam Neil

Monkeybone (blu-ray) – the obscure 2001 film from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” director Henry Selick, starring Brenden Fraser, Bridget Fonda, and Chris Kattan, has made its way to blu-ray

INDIE

Hunted by Night (DVD) – a 2010 indie action flick about three friends who intercept a drug dealer’s product on a hunting trip. It looks to feature impressive fight sequences despite a low-budget

CLASSICS

To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition (blu-ray) – the classic 1962 film starring Gregory Peck, now on blu-ray

The Apartment (blu-ray) – Billy Wilder’s 1960 film stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray, now in hi-def

HORROR

The Thing (blu-ray/DVD) – this 2011 would-be prequel/remake of John Carpenter’s film failed to connect with audiences but you can discover it on home formats this week

Night Train Murders (blu-ray/DVD) – Blue Underground presents this 1975 Italian horror flick in hi-def. Director Aldo Lado’s film is said to owe more than a little to Wes Craven’s “Last House on the Left”

Dream Home (blu-ray/DVD) – the 2011 haunted house chiller starring Daniel Craig, Noami Watts, and Rachel Weisz. This positively bombed at the box office but maybe it will find an audience on home formats

Dr. Jekyll vs. the Werewolf (DVD) – this is a low-budget 1972 Spanish horror film dubbed in English and rereleased by Apprehensive Films, who say they’ve pressed only 500 units of the DVD

Spiderhole (DVD) – IFC releases this 2010 atmospheric haunted house thriller under their Midnight label

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