Yearly Archives: 2011

Aragaki Yui to star in ‘Ranma 1/2’ live-action special

The classic manga/anime Ranma 1/2 is being turned into a live-action drama special starring actress Aragaki Yui. NTV will broadcast the 2-hour drama sometime in December. The announced cast also features Hasegawa Kyoko as Tendo Kasumi, Tanihara Shosuke as Ono Tofu, Furuta Arata as Saotome Genma, and Namase Katsuhisa as Tendo Soun. Click here for the full story. Update: Anime News Network linked a teaser pic of the cast in … Continue reading

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‘Speed Angels’ – 1st race car film dedicated to female drivers to screen on December 28

Directed by Jingle Ma (Tokyo Raiders) and starring Cecilia Cheung (12 Nights), Rene Liu (Run Papa Run) and Tang Wei (Wu Xia); Speed Angels is the first ever racing car film dedicated to female drivers. The film will feature a lineup of celebrity heavyweights from the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. Chinesefilms.cn reports that Speed Angels will be screened at on December 28, 2011. Also visit the … Continue reading

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War of the Arrows Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: February 21, 2012 War of the Arrows (aka Arrow: The Ultimate Weapon) is about a archer (Park Hae-il) who risks his life to save his sister from slavery under Prince Dorgan’s rule. War of the Arrows won four awards in 48th Daejong Awards to Best Actor for Park Hae-il and Best New Actress for Moon Chae-won. The film stayed at the top of the box office for weeks. … Continue reading

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

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) Review

Director: Guillermo del Toro Writer: Guillermo del Toro, Mike Mignola Cast: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, John Hurt, Seth MacFarlane Running Time: 120 min. By JJ Hatfield In some ways Hellboy II: The Golden Army surpasses the first movie especially when it comes to creatures of all sizes and personalities. Director Guillermo del Toro deserves much of the credit for making the movie … Continue reading

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Better Tomorrow, A (2010) Review

Director: Song Hae-Seong Cast: Joo Jin-Mo, Song Seung-Heon, Kim Gang-Woo, Jo Han-Seon, Kyeong-yeong Lee, Ji-yeong Kim, Hae-gon Kim, Hyeong-jun Lim, Tae-hwa Seo, Sin-seong Lee Running Time: 124 min. By HKFanatic Considering Hong Kong cinema’s rich history, particularly during the New Wave of the 80’s and early 90’s, it’s surprising that producers haven’t indulged in more remakes. Then again, the Hong Kong film industry has changed so much during the last … Continue reading

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Flying Guillotine Parts 1 and 2 beheads to retail stores on November 29th!

Arc Entertainment & Dragon Dynasty have just released 2 more classic Shaw Brothers films that represent the absolute cream of the crop of Kung Fu cinema! Flying Guillotine and Flying Guillotine 2 hit retail stores November 29th and are available in Wal Mart, on Amazon and from other fine retailers. Both films have been beautifully re-mastered and include both Chinese and English audio tracks. These are the last two of 10 … Continue reading

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Shaolin Soccer (2001) Review

"Shaolin Soccer" Japanese DVD Cover

Director: Stephen Chow Co-director: Lik-Chi Lee Cast: Stephen Chow, Lee Wai, Vicki Zhao, Ng Man-Tat, Cecilia Cheung, Cheung Ming Ming, Law Kar-Ying, Karen Mok, Karen Morris, Alan Tam, Patrick Tse Running Time: 112 min. By Vic Nguyen Overtaking From Beijing With Love as the best introduction to the work of Stephen Chow to western audiences, this big budget, FX laden production more than lives up to the hype, injecting enough … Continue reading

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Palisades Tartan titles expiring soon from Netflix Instant

Just a heads up that a few Asian films released by distributor Palisades Tartan will be expiring from Netflix Instant at the end of the month (11/30/11). Most of them are Asian horror movies, but if you’re interested in watching any of them you might want to do so in the next few days! KOREA Face (2004), Address Unknown (2001), The Coast Guard (2002), Sorum (2001), Bloody Reunion (2006), Whispering … Continue reading

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane (2007) Review

Director: Scott Thomas Writer: Sidney Iwanter, Mark Onspaugh, Scott Thomas Producer: David Shoshan Cast: David Chisum, Kristen Kerr, Kevin J. O’Connor, Derek Webster, Dale Midkiff, Erick Avari, Richard Tyson Running Time: 94 min. By JJ Hatfield In the mood for a scary flick instead of watching some of my perennial favorites I decided to catch up on some films I have purposely passed by. Flight Of The Living Dead happened … Continue reading

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The Dead Blu-ray & DVD (Anchor Bay)

RELEASE DATE: February 14, 2012 When the last flight out of war-torn Africa crashes off the coast, Lt. Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman) is the sole survivor in a land where the dead are returning to life and attacking the living. When he crosses paths with local solider Daniel Dembele (Prince David Osei), a man frantically searching for his son, they join forces. “The Best Zombie Movie of the Year” – … Continue reading

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Other Notable Titles |

Chinese historical epic ‘The Warring States’ now on Netflix Instant

“The Warring States” is a 2010 Chinese historical epic, co-starring Francis Ng, that combines elements of romance, comedy, and action. The film just arrived on DVD last week but you can watch it streaming on Netflix Instant, along with a host of other Asian titles. Recent additions to the Netflix streaming catalog include the 1990 Ultraman TV series and the Andy Lau/Anita Mui fantasy epic “Saviour of the Soul.” As … Continue reading

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Mandrill Blu-ray & DVD (Magnolia)

RELEASE DATE: February 28, 2012 The tagline to Ernesto Díaz Espinoza’s (Kiltro) Mandrill is Cooler than Shaft, Hotter than Bond, Faster than Lee. Chilean action star Marko Zaror (Mirageman) plays Mandrill, a badass who gets revenge on a gang of thugs who murdered his parents. Judging from the trailer, this looks like a slick flick with a retro kick!

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Martial Arts Titles, Other Notable Titles |

Well Go USA inks deal with upstart streaming service ‘Japan Flix’

Via Far East Films, Asian film distributor Well Go USA has signed a deal with upstart streaming website Japan Flix to make their catalog of Japanese films available on streaming. The first titles available will include the splatterpunk zombie movie “Helldriver” and the teen martial arts romance “Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge.” This is a major boost for Japan Flix as Well Go USA is arguably the finest distributor of Asian … Continue reading

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Legend is Born – Ip Man, The (2010) Review

"The Legend Is Born – Ip Man" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Herman Yau Cast: Dennis To, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Fan Siu-wong, Huang Yi, Ip Chun, Kenya Sawada, Betty Huang Yi, Bernice Liu Bik Yi, Lam Suet, Chen Zhi Hui, Kenya Sawada, Sire Ma Sai, Hins Cheung Ging Hin, Louis Cheung Running Time: 100 min. By HKFanatic Viewers would be forgiven for thinking that “The Legend is Born” is a legitimate prequel to Donnie Yen’s “Ip Man” series. Not only … Continue reading

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