Yearly Archives: 2011

A Matter of Size DVD (Menemsha Films)

RELEASE DATE: December 6, 2011 A Matter of Size is fun-filled comedy from Israeli! Four overweight friends are fed up of dieting. When Herzl (155 kilos), the main protagonist, loses his job as a cook and starts working as a dishwasher in a Japanese restaurant, he discovers the world of Sumo where large people such as himself are honored and appreciated. Through Kitano, the restaurant owner and former Sumo coach … Continue reading

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

Flash Point Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012 From actor Donnie Yen and Director Wilson Yip, the now-legendary duo behind Ip Man and Ip Man 2, comes the 2007 hit Flash Point. Previously released on DVD by The Weinstein Company (as part of Dragon Dynasty’s collection), Flash Point is now in the hands of Well Go USA, in a newly presented Blu-ray and DVD edition. Flash Point also stars Louis Koo, Collin Chou, … Continue reading

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

Bunraku (2009) Review

"Bunraku" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Guy Moshe Cast: Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Gackt Camui, Kevin McKidd, Ron Perlman, Demi Moore, Shun Sugata, Jordi Molla, Emily Kaiho, Mike Patton (voice) Running Time: 118 min. By HKFanatic 2009’s “Bunraku” is nothing if not ambitious. Shot in four weeks on soundstages in Romania for a minuscule (by Hollywood standards) budget of $20 million, the film tells the tale of a “cowboy without a gun” (Josh Hartnett) and … Continue reading

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Tales of an Ancient Empire aka The Sword and the Sorcerer Sequel DVD (Lionsgate)

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012 Swords clash and destinies collide in this epic story of bloodlust and vengeance from Albert Pyun, the cult director of The Sword and the Sorcerer, Cyborg and Nemesis. Tales of an Ancient Empire stars Kevin Sorbo, Michael Pare, Sarah Ann Schultz and Whitney Able. Check out the trailer.

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

Hunted By Night DVD (MTI)

RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2012 With its John Woo-inspired shoot-outs and bone-crunching martial arts sequences, Juan C. Bofill’s Hunted By Night seems to have what action film nuts are hungry for! Three men are hunting when an airplane drops bails of drugs in their vicinity. The men must decide whether to report the drugs or sell them for millions of dollars. Their decision to take the drugs leads them on … Continue reading

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Well Go USA invites you to ‘A Better Tomorrow’ on November 8

“A remake that’s on the money.” – The Hollywood Reporter “A classic unto itself.” – Film Critics United Brothers.  Enemies.  Killers. A BETTER TOMORROW From Executive Producer John Woo Comes the Stylish Action Drama Starring Jin-mo Ju and Seung-heon Song. The accent is on action when Jin-mo Ju (A Frozen Flower, The Warrior) and Seung-heon Song (So Close, Ghost) star in the remake of John Woo’s 1986 cult classic A … Continue reading

Posted in News |

Netflix Instant Asian Horror Spooktacular

Looking for a bloody good time? In the spirit of the Halloween season, we spotlight a few Asian horror movies now streaming on Netflix Instant: Thirst (2009) – the director of “Oldboy,” Chan Wook-Park, presents his unconventional take on the vampire myth Retribution (2006) – arguably the master of Asian horror, director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, weaves a bleak ghost story with apocalyptic ramifications Infection (2005) – a fan-praised Japanese horror film … Continue reading

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Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 11/1/11

Not a whole lot for Asian film buffs to choose from this week but martial arts fans will probably want to check out “Bunraku” and perhaps there’s an older catalog title you’d like to upgrade to blu-ray on. Alright, let’s get cracking! ASIAN CINEMA Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (blu-ray/DVD) – from Wayne Wang, the director of “Joy Luck Club,” comes this tale of lifelong friendship starring Li Bingbing, … Continue reading

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The Hellstrom Chronicle Blu-ray & DVD

RELEASE DATE: January 10, 2012 This 1971 movie combines elements of documentary and science fiction to present a gripping depiction of the Darwinian struggle for survival between humans and insects. Several cinematographers photographed this film using stop-motion photography with microscopic and telescopic lenses. The Hellstrom Chronicle’s trailer resembled an announcement for a science fiction movie. The Hellstrom Chronicle took home an Academy Award (Best Documentary Feature), a Cannes Film Festival … Continue reading

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

Zen DVD (Festival Media)

RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2011 Zen is a biopic of Dogen Zenji, a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher and the founder of the Soto school of Zen in Japan after travelling to China. Directed by Banmei Takahashi and starring Kantarou Nakamura, Yuki Uchida, Ryushin Tei, Jun Murakami and Tatsuya Fujiwara. Check out the trailer here.

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

Want to rent a hot new release from Netflix? Great, now wait 60 days

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has issued an apology for the handling of a recent price hike that had Netflix subscribers in a lather and led to a number of subscriber cancellations and a drop in stock price. And he’s also announced that Netflix will split into two companies: Netflix for streaming and “Qwikster” for DVDs by mail. To read the full story and watch Hastings’ video statement, please click here. … Continue reading

Posted in News |

Dante Lam’s ‘The Stool Pigeon’ – now streaming on Netflix Instant

The Stool Pigeon is 2010 Hong Kong police thriller directed by Dante Lam (The Beast Stalker, Fire of Conscience) and starring Nicholas Tse, Nick Cheung and Kwai Lun-mei. The film explores the dangerous world of police informants and the lengths they must go to in order to maintain their cover. The Stool Pigeon is now streaming on Netflix Instant in HD. Watch it, then check out our review!

Posted in News |

Horror Express Blu-ray (MPI)

RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2011 First time on Blu-ray! An English anthropologist has discovered a frozen monster in the frozen wastes of Manchuria which he believes may be the Missing Link. He brings the creature back to Europe aboard a trans-Siberian express, but during the trip the monster thaws out and starts to butcher the passengers one by one. This 1973 cult classic stars: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Telly … Continue reading

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In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds Blu-ray & DVD (Fox)

RELEASE DATE: December 27, 2011 Who wants more Uwe Boll? In the Name of the King 2 is an fantasy-action film sequel to In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, which starred Jason Statham. This film has Dolph Lundgren taking over the lead, along with Natassia Malthe and Lochlyn Munro. Check out the trailer. And don’t totally hate on Uwe Boll; afterall he did a film called … Continue reading

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Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City aka Vengeful Zebra City Blu-ray/DVD (Funimation)

RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2011 Takashi Miike’s (“13 Assassins“) 2010 sequel to his 2004 flick about a superhero named “Zebraman” (Sho Aikawa). Also also stars Riisa Naka and Masahiro Inoue. This film was controversial due to the film’s theme of a religious war with the antagonists as analogies of the Happy Science movement in Japan. Check out the trailer here. Update: The FUNimation trailer can be found here.

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