From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025) Review

"From the World of John Wick: Ballerina" Korean Poster

“From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” Korean Poster

Considering the elegance and beauty of ballet, in the world of cinema being a ballerina can often be a sign of danger. From Jeong Hye-gyeong’s taekwondo infused ballerina routine in 1977’s Secret Agents II, to Jennifer Lawrence’s seductive moves in 2018’s Red Sparrow, tutu’s have never seemed so lethal as when they appear on the big screen. In 2025 Ana De Armas would join their ranks in Ballerina, who after offering up glimpses of her action talents in the likes of 2023’s Ghosted and 2021’s No Time to Die, here gets her own headlining action vehicle. At least, it’s almost her own. A spinoff from the John Wick universe, in the lead up to its release the distributors decided to add the clunky preface From the World of John Wick to its official title, just in case any John Wick fans didn’t notice the presence of Keanu Reevs on the poster. For the purpose of this review though, we’ll stick with Ballerina.

As a spinoff movie Ballerina is particularly unique in that it introduces a completely new main character, compared to the more common spinoff approach of giving a starring role to an existing character who audiences are already familiar with. That’s what we’ll get with Donnie Yen returning for Caine next year after his appearance in John Wick: Chapter 4, and even the streaming series The Continental was told from the perspective of a young version of Ian McShane’s character, Winston, played by Continue reading

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The greatest zombie film ever made? ‘Train to Busan’ returns to theaters this August in a newly remastered release

"Train to Busan" Poster

“Train to Busan” Poster

Well Go USA is bringing Yeon Sang-ho’s groundbreaking zombie thriller Train to Busan back to theaters on August, 14, 2026 in celebration of its 10th anniversary.

What begins as a simple birthday trip for a father and daughter turns into a high-octane fight for survival when a zombie outbreak ravages South Korea. Trapped on a speeding train, they must navigate a landscape of terror to reach safety. Experience the relentless action and heart-wrenching drama on the big screen like never before.

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho (Colony, Peninsula), this 2016 horror favorite stars Gong Yoo (The Suspect), Ma Dong-Seok (Veteran), Jung Yu-Mi  (A Bittersweet Life), Choi Woo-Sik (Big Match), Kim Soo-Ahn (The Net) and Ahn So-Hee (Hellcats).

🔥 Footnote: Be sure to read our review of Yeon Sang-ho’s latest Continue reading

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Acclaimed martial arts thriller ‘The Furious’ gets PHYSICAL! 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray arrives in August from Lionsgate Limited

On August 11, 2026, Lionsgate Unlimited will release the acclaimed action thriller The Furious on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray, starring martial arts standouts Xie Miao (Eye for an Eye: The Blind Swordsman) and Joe Taslim (The Raid).

After the daughter of Wang Wei (Miao) is kidnapped by a criminal network and he receives no help from the corrupt police, Wei sets out on a rampage to find her himself. His only ally is Navin (Taslim) – a relentless journalist whose wife has mysteriously Continue reading

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Bruce Lee’s tracksuit returns in the New Poster for Stephen Chow’s ‘Kung Fu Soccer’ (aka ‘Shaolin Soccer Part II’)

"Kung Fu Soccer" Poster

“Kung Fu Soccer” Poster

Celebrated Hong Kong filmmaker Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) is currently prepping Kung Fu Soccer (aka Shaolin Women’s Soccer), his anticipated sequel to 2001’s Shaolin Soccer.

Unlike the original, Chow is only directing this time around. The sequel shifts its focus to a female soccer team and boasts an ensemble cast that includes Zhang Xiaofei (Five Hundred Miles), Dilraba Dilmurat (21 Karat), Yixing Zhang (A Legend), Xu Jiao (CJ7), Mi Ai (Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force), Sisley Choi (The Prosecutor), Isabelle Zhang, Jiayue Li and Zhao Lina.

Wong Yat-fei (Lee Rock), who played the blithering, chain-smoking Iron Head from the original, returns as the same character.

Additionally, Carina Continue reading

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Nansun Shi, Hong Kong film producer of ‘A Better Tomorrow’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in China’, passes away at 75

Nansun Shi, one of the most respected figures in Hong Kong cinema, has passed away due to to health complications. A producer, executive, and longtime champion of filmmakers, Shi played a major role in shaping the golden era of Hong Kong film.

Before co-founding Film Workshop with Tsui Hark, whom she was also married to for a time, Shi had already cemented her place in the industry as a major force behind Cinema City, the legendary production powerhouse she helped launch alongside Karl Maka and Raymond Wong.

Through Film Workshop, Shi continued her impact by helping bring some of Hong Kong cinema’s most beloved classics to life, including A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Once Upon a Time in China. She was a driving force who helped nurture some of the industry’s greatest talents and brought Hong Kong films to audiences around the world.

Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to her family Continue reading

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BRUCE LEE IS BACK! ‘Game of Death’-focused documentary ‘Broken Rhythm’ to screen at the AAIFF in August

"Broken Rhythm" Poster

“Broken Rhythm” Poster

A new documentary exploring Game of Death is currently being screened by director Alan Canvan. The film examines both Bruce Lee’s unfinished 1972 production and the 1978 “completed” version. Canvan is best known for Game of Death Redux and the highly anticipated, still unreleased Game of Death Redux 2.0, a project that has become the subject of considerable controversy and mystery among Bruce Lee fans.

Read the official details below:

Bruce Lee’s unfinished film Game of Death has long captivated audiences. The footage he shot before his untimely passing – later reworked and incorporated into a film bearing the same title – carries a mysterious, almost mythic allure. Within these fragments lies a striking cinematic language and rich symbolic intent, revealing Lee’s ambitions not merely as a martial artist, but as a visionary actor, writer and director. What was he striving to express through this project, and what does it reveal about an Continue reading

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The writer behind ‘No Retreat, No Surrender’ is back! Watch the Trailer for the all-star martial arts thriller ‘Lion Fist’

"Lion Fist" Teaser Poster

“Lion Fist” Teaser Poster

Stuntman turned actor Mathis Landwehr, best known for his role in 2024’s The Last Kumite, returns to the martial arts genre with Lion Fist, an upcoming actioner from director Taim M. Adams (Scars of the Fatherland).

Martial artist Joe (Mathis Landwehr) emerges from four years of wrongful imprisonment to devastating news: His son needs an expensive operation to survive a life-threatening tumor. With no other options, Joe enters a brutal martial arts tournament offering $100,000 in prize money. Under Grandmaster Wu’s intense training, he faces some of the world’s strongest fighters (including fitness influencer Brice Akuesson) discovers his opponents will do anything to win.

The film features an all-star cast that includes Keith Cooke (King of the Kickboxers), Kurt McKinney (No Retreat, No Surrender), Gary Daniels (Bloodmoon), David Yeung (The Last Kumite), star Continue reading

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She’s the best around… nothing’s gonna ever keep her down! New Poster for the Sandra Sánchez biopic ‘Karateka’

"Karateka" Poster

“Karateka” Poster

As much as we’d love for this to be a live action adaptation of Jordan Mechner’s classic 1984 video game of the same name, it isn’t. Even better, this Karateka is based on the inspiring true story of Sandra Sánchez.

Karateka follows Sandra Sánchez (Andrea Ros), who chased her Olympic dream at 39, an age when most athletes have already stepped away from competition. Supported by her coach (Patrick Criado) and life partner, she set out to challenge Japan’s long-standing dominance and carve her name into karate history.

Directed by Aritz Moreno (Advantages of Travelling by Train), Karateka features an international supporting cast that includes Ernesto Alterio (The Other Side of the Bed), Antonio Continue reading

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You don’t change Chinatown, it changes you! ‘The Corruptor’ arrives on 4K Ultra HD later this year from Toy Robot Video

Later this year, Toy Robot Video (a new sub-label of Arrow Video) will be releasing a 4K Ultra HD for for The Corruptor, a 1999 action/thriller directed by James Foley (Glengarry Glen Ross, At Close Range).

The Corruptor stars Hong Kong screen legend Chow Yun-fat (Project Gutenberg, The Killer), Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, Mile 22, The Big Hit), Ric Young (Kiss of the Dragon), Jon Kit Lee (Romeo Must Die), Brian Cox (Braveheart) and Continue reading

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Scott Adkins vs Lewis Tan? Martial arts star Scott Adkins steps into the cage for his directorial debut ‘Brawler’

Post-production is now underway on Brawler, the upcoming action thriller that marks the feature directorial debut of Scott Adkins (Prisoner of War, John Wick 4, Ip Man 4).

Joining Adkins is Lewis Tan (Mortal Kombat), Larry Lamb (The Hatton Garden Job), Emily Bennett, as well as Adkins’ frequent collaborators Lee Continue reading

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ALIEN vs. COPS! Watch the NEWEST U.S. Trailer for HOPE from acclaimed director Na Hong-Jin of ‘The Chaser’

After a 10-year hiatus, critically acclaimed director Na Hong-Jin returns to the director’s chair with Hope, an upcoming sci-fi thriller heading to U.S. theaters on September 9th from Neon.

If you’re not familiar with Na Hong-Jin, maybe you’re familiar with his work. In 2008, the South Korean filmmaker shook the world with his debut feature film, The Chaser. In 2010, he showed us that he wasn’t a one-hit wonder with The Yellow Sea. Then in 2016 Continue reading

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Got Miike? Radiance Films announces Blu-ray for Takashi Miike’s transgressive cult classic ‘Visitor Q’

On October 19, 2026, Radiance Films is releasing the Blu-ray for Visitor Q, a 2001 Japanese cult classic from Takashi Miike (Blazing Fists, 13 Assassins, Audition).

From the mind of Takashi Miike comes his most transgressive film yet: unflinching yet darkly humorous, Visitor Q pushes the limits of filmic representation as far as they will go. Equal parts Pasolini, Ozu and John Waters, this may well Continue reading

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How Live Dealer Games Actually Work Behind The Scenes

A live dealer game looks simple from the couch, but a lot happens off-screen to make it work. Behind every hand of blackjack or spin of the wheel sits a small production crew, a stack of hardware, and software that turns a physical action into a number on your screen in under a second. None of it runs on luck alone, and the setup behind a single table is more involved than most players ever notice.

What Makes A Live Dealer Game Different

Most casino games online run on a random number generator, a program that decides the outcome of a spin or a hand with no human involved. Live dealer games flip that model: a real person deals the cards or spins the wheel, and the result comes from that physical event rather than from code. Reviews and technical write-ups published by sites such as mejorescasinos-online.com cover how different operators present this format, but the core setup behind the table stays fairly consistent from one provider to the next, no matter which casino brand sits on top of it.

Inside A Live Casino Studio

Most live tables are not filmed inside an actual casino floor. Instead, they sit in purpose-built studios, made to look like a casino floor but built from the ground up for cameras rather than foot traffic.

The Room Setup

A single live table often needs more than one room to run. Here is roughly how the work gets split between them:

  • Studio floor: Holds the tables, the dealers, and the camera rigs.
  • Server room: Houses the equipment that processes video and game data.
  • Monitor room: Staffed by an analyst or supervisor who checks the stream for errors or disputes.

This split keeps the studio floor free of clutter and gives technical staff a separate space to fix problems fast.

Where Studios Are Located

Providers such as Evolution and Playtech run studios in Latvia, Romania, Malta, and the Philippines, among other spots. A few operators still license tables straight from a real casino floor rather than a dedicated studio, though a purpose-built room gives more control over lighting and camera angles, so most large providers favor it now. 

Dealers who work these floors complete formal courses on how to handle cards, house rules, and often speak several languages, since one studio can serve players across dozens of countries at once.

The Hardware That Turns Cards Into Data

None of this would sync up without a few pieces of equipment on every table. Together they turn a dealer’s motion into data the software on your screen can read.

The Game Control Unit

A box about the size of a shoebox sits under or beside every table. It encodes the video feed and sends game data to the platform, so your device shows the same result the dealer produced seconds earlier. Without this unit, the video stream and the betting interface would have no link to each other.

Optical Character Recognition

Cameras built into the table rely on optical character recognition (OCR) to identify cards as they are dealt and to track where a roulette ball lands. The system turns that information into digital data almost at once, which is why a card value or the number that wins can appear on your screen while the dealer still finishes the motion.

Multiple Camera Angles

A single table usually has several cameras pointed at it, not just one. One camera holds a wide shot of the whole table, another sits close on the cards or the wheel, and a control room switches between them as the action moves, much like a small television broadcast built around one game.

Rules That Keep The Stream Honest

A live dealer game depends on a camera and a person, so trust matters here more than it does with a fully automated slot machine. Properly regulated platforms face external audits from independent regulators like eCogra to confirm that outcomes match the stated odds, a check that applies to live tables as well as software-based games. Gambling regulators also require background checks on dealers, backup cameras in case of equipment failure, and clear rules for how a dispute between a player and a dealer gets resolved.

Why Providers Still Bother With Human Dealers

A studio costs far more to build and staff than a server farm full of slot algorithms. Real estate, lighting, camera gear, and dealer payroll all add up, yet providers still invest in this side of the business every year. A real person who shuffles a deck or drops a ball onto a wheel still draws players back, even though a random number generator could produce the same odds for less money. That gap between what code can prove and what a camera can show still fills live tables every night without fail.

 

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NEW TRAILER! Arrow Video pulls off the ultimate heist with John Woo’s ‘Once a Thief’ on 4K Ultra HD

On August 2, 2026, Arrow will release the 4K Ultra HD for Once a Thief, a 1991 actioner from acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo (The Killer, Hard Boiled). Secure your copy today at Goodie Emporium!

The film stars Chow Yun-Fat (Prisoner on Fire), Leslie Cheung (Double Tap), Cherie Chung (Walk on Fire), Paul Chu Kong (The Big Heat) and Kenneth Tsang (To Be Number One).

Legendary director John Woo unites with three of Hong Kong’s most charismatic actors in Chow Yun-Fat, Cherie Chung and Leslie Cheung Continue reading

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OH MY GOD-ZILLA! Watch the New Trailer for Takashi Yamazaki’s ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’

"Godzilla Minus Zero" Poster

“Godzilla Minus Zero” Poster

Godzilla Minus Zero, the highly-anticipated follow-up to Toho’s 2023 mega hit Godzilla Minus One, hits theaters in November.

Returning to the director’s chair, Takashi Yamazaki (The Fighter Pilot, Godzilla Minus One) once again takes on writing duties and VFX work, just as he did with the first film.

Following the devastation of Godzilla’s initial rampage, Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) tries to rebuild a quiet life with Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and young Akiko, hoping to leave behind the trauma of war and monsters, but peace proves fleeting when Godzilla returns, fully regenerated, larger, and more ferocious, as a second ancient force awakens beneath Aokigahara near Mount Fuji. With Japan once again on the brink, Kōichi is forced out of retirement, reuniting with old comrades and joining U.S. and Japan Continue reading

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