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A Legend (2024) Review

"A Legend" Theatrical Poster

“A Legend” Theatrical Poster

Director: Stanley Tong
Cast: Jackie Chan, Bextiyar Gülnezer, Yixing Zhang, Aarif Lee Zhi-ting, Chen Li, Max Huang, Kim Hee-seon, Shawn Dou Yecheng Zheng, Ray Lui Leung Wai
Running Time: 130 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

Back in 2021 I wrote a retrospective on Jackie Chan and Stanley Tong called ‘Giving the People What They Want’, framed from the perspective of how their collaborations as director and star always appealed to the demographic Chan was catering to at that point in his career. In the closing line I’d speculated how “when the pandemic is over we’ll need a movie that gets people back into cinemas for good, and perhaps Chan and Tong will be the ones to deliver it.” Well, writing in 2024 thankfully for most of the world the COVID-19 pandemic is becoming an increasingly distant memory, and it also happens to be the year when Chan and Tong would reunite, this time for A Legend, the official sequel to their 2005 collaboration The Myth.

I say official because their 2017 atrocity Kung Fu Yoga was originally touted by Chan himself as a sequel, however at some point during production The Myth connection was dropped, despite the glaring similarities. Whereas Kung Fu Yoga opened with an extended Continue reading

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Winners and SINNERS! Watch the brutal Trailer for Kwok Man Ki’s ‘Beyond the Sin’ starring Louis Koo and Gordon Lam

"Beyond the Sin" Theatrical Poster

“Beyond the Sin” Theatrical Poster

Filmmaker/actor Kwok Man Ki – who is perhaps best known for his assistant director credits on films like 2009’s Bodyguards and Assassins, 2010’s True Legend and Reign of Assassins – is taking on a full director’s credit with Beyond the Sin.

The upcoming thriller stars Louis Koo (The White Storm, Wild City)and Gordon Lam (Z Storm, Nessun Dorma, The Brink) and is produced by Catherine Kwan and Tang Wai But (Full Strike, The Empty Hands).

According to AFS, Beyond the Sin is about a man on the hunt for his daughter’s killer.

Look out for the film in its domestic territory on January 11, 2025. A U.S. release Continue reading

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The night comes for Bob Odenkirk! Images from ‘Nobody 2’ from acclaimed Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto

"Nobody" Japanese Poster

“Nobody” Japanese Poster

Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto (The Big 4, The Night Comes for Us) – of the “Mo Brothers” directing duo (Killers, Headshot, Macabre) – has wrapped production on Nobody 2, the sequel to 2021’s Nobody, which has Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) reprising his lead role.

Tjahjanto directs from a script by Derek Kolstad (John Wick, Nobody), Aaron Rabin (Jack Ryan), Odenkirk, and Umair Aleem (Kate). Kelly McCormick and David Leitch are returning to produce through 87North’s first look deal with Universal, as are Odenkirk, Marc Provissiero through Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, and Braden Aftergood through Eighty Two Films (via Deadline).

The original film follows a former ‘auditor’ (Odenkirk) for the likes of the CIA and Continue reading

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Vroooooom… vrooooooooom! Martial arts star Scott Adkins wraps up ‘Day of Reckoning’ with Billy Zane and Trace Adkins

Martial arts star Scott Adkins (John Wick 4, Ip Man 4, Triple Threat) is back to his “reckoning” antics. In 2012, he starred in Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning; in 2020 came Dead Reckoning; now comes Day of Reckoning, a thriller heading our way next year.

In Day of Reckoning, Adkins is part of an ensemble cast that includes Billy Zane (Titanic) and country star Trace Adkins (The Lincoln Lawyer). Oddly, the director Continue reading

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Arrow to ‘Play It Cool’ with a Blu-ray for Yasuzo Masumura’s 1970 exploitation sex drama with yakuza elements

On  March 3, 2025, 88 Films is releasing a Blu-ray (Region A/B) release for 1970’s Play it Cool, a little-seen gem by one of Japan’s most highly regarded directors of the 1960s, Yasuzō Masumura (Giants and Toys, Irezumi), a filmmaker known for his social satires and powerful portrayals of women.

Play it Cool is a chic and erotically charged drama starring popular Japanese singer of the day Mari Atsumi as a college girl negotiating her way through Continue reading

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Black Cat II: The Assassination of Boris Yeltsin (1992) Review

"Black Cat II" Theatrical Poster

“Black Cat II” Theatrical Poster

Director: Stephen Shin
Cast: Jade Leung, Robin Shou, Zoltan Buday, Bob Wilde, Alexander Skorokhod, Tatiana Chekhova, Mike Miller, Jack Wong Wai-Leung, Wan Seung-Lam 
Running Time: 90 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

Despite Black Cat’s middling box office results, it wasn’t enough to deter D&B Films from continuing to push Jade Leung as a bankable action lead for the 1990’s, and just a year later we’d get a sequel in the form of Black Cat II – The Assassination of President Yeltsin. The production brought back D&B’s executive director Stephen Shin as director, and if anything doubles down on the globetrotting location shoots, keeping America as the setting (before being turned into an assassin in the original, Leung was a waitress at a New York truck stop diner), and having the primary plot play out in Russia.

As a sidenote, at the time of writing in 2024 the good folk at 88 Films released Black Cat II on Blu-ray during the same year, perhaps showing a sense of humour in their timing to put a movie out that shows the American government doing all it can to protect the Russian president. Times have certainly changed. The release is worth noting though as it’s one of the few times for the sequel to be made available with its original English audio, of which the majority Continue reading

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Deal on Fire! The Crow | 4K Ultra HD | Only $19.99 – Expires soon!

The Crow | 4K UHD (Paramount)

The Crow | 4K UHD (Paramount)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the 4K Ultra HD for The Crow, a 1994 thriller from director Alex Proyas (I, Robot) that stars Brandon Lee (Legacy of Rage, Rapid Fire) and Ernie Hudson (The Ghostbusters). The film is often overshadowed by the death of Lee, who was tragically wounded on set.

Based on a series of cult comic books by James O’Barr, The Crow stars Lee as Eric Draven, a rock guitarist who is killed, along with his fiancée, on the eve of their wedding and returns from the dead as “The Crow” to seek revenge.

The Crow also stars David Patrick Kelly (Warriors), Michael Wincott (Nope), Rochelle Davis (Revenge of the Devil Bat), Bai Ling (Maximum Impact), Jon Polito (Miller’s Crossing), Laurence Mason (True Romance), Tony Todd (Candyman), Michael Continue reading

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Panda to go? Jackie Chan’s action-comedy ‘Panda Plan’ hits Blu-ray on February 18th from Well Go USA

Panda Plan | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Panda Plan | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

On February 18, 2025, Well Go USA is releasing the Blu-ray for Panda Plan, an action-comedy starring martial arts superstar Jackie Chan (Hidden Strike, Ride On)

The film – directed by Zhang Luan (Song of YouthGive Me Five) – centers on a rare baby panda with a dark circle around just one eye, who becomes a worldwide sensation when he’s born at China’s Noah Zoo. But when a Middle Eastern tycoon dispatches international mercenaries to kidnap the zoo’s baby pandas, Chan, playing a version of himself as an international action star, is forced to get involved in a rescue mission (via THR).

Panda Plan also stars Shi Ce (Hi, Mom), Wei Xiang (Full River Red), Han Continue reading

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A return to the murky world of film noir? Wei Shujun’s acclaimed thriller ‘Only the River Flows’ now on Blu-ray

Only the River Flows | Blu-ray (Picture House)

Only the River Flows | Blu-ray (Picture House)

Now available is Picture House’s Blu-ray (Region B) for Only the River Flows, a 2023 thriller directed by Wei Shujun (Ripples of Life) that’s based on Yu Hua’s popular short novel, Mistakes by the River. For U.S. audiences, the film will be released on DVD from KimStim.

1990s small town China. A woman’s body washes up in the local river. The chief of police, Ma Zhe, is tasked with heading up the investigation. An obvious perp leads to a hasty arrest, though the mystery lingers in Ma Zhe’s mind. What kind of darkness is truly at play here?

Director Wei Shujun’s murky throwback film noir, gritty, textured film grain captures the pulpy proceedings. Torrents of rain envelop the characters as they descend into madness in pursuit of the truth. Equal parts atmospheric tour-de-force and Continue reading

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Are you looking for hardware that plays 4K ULTRA HD discs and multi-region Blu-rays and DVDs?

City on Fire’s trusted retail vendor Goodie Emporium has partnered with a very reputable company (we wouldn’t want it any other way) to bring you modified, high quality region-free UHD (Ultra-HD, or 4K), Blu-ray and DVD players so you can play your favorite import titles.

We tested these modified models, and they play every single UHD/Blu-ray/DVD from any region… guaranteed!

Presenting the region-free Sony UBP-X700. This player is equipped with plenty of features (picked by us, after all, we are Import film enthusiasts) to keep you entertained Continue reading

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I guess that’s why they call it the blues! Eiichi Kudo’s neo-noir classic starring Yusaku Matsuda is now available on Blu-ray

Yokohama BJ Blues | Blu-ray (Radiance)

Yokohama BJ Blues | Blu-ray (Radiance)

Now available from Radiance is the Blu-ray (Region A/B) for Yokohama BJ Blues, 1981 Japanese thriller from acclaimed filmmaker Eiichi Kudo (13 Assassins).

When his police detective best friend is killed, down-at-heel private eye and part-time blues singer BJ (Yusaku Matsuda, The Game Trilogy) gets the blame. He must start his own investigation to clear his name, but what he uncovers is a tangled web involving crooked cops, drug-dealing gangsters, the city’s underground gay and biker scenes, and even his own past.

A loose remake of Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye that also draws from Visconti’s Death in Venice, this was Matsuda’s break with his action hero image. Samurai movie veteran Eiichi Continue reading

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Xu Haofeng’s acclaimed martial arts actioner ‘100 Yards’ arriving on Blu-ray in February from Well Go USA

100 Yards | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

100 Yards | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

On February 18, 2025, Well Go USA is releasing the Blu-ray for 100 Yards. This martial arts masterpeice is directed by Xu Haofeng (The Final Master) and his brother, Xu Junfeng.

The film stars Jacky Heung (League of Gods), Andy On (Abduction, Undercover Punch and Gun, Black Mask 2: City of Masks), Hayden Kuo (Kung Fu Monster) and Li Yuan (The Guillotines).

100 Yards is set in 1920s Tianjin, northern China, and centres on the rivalry between the son of a martial arts master and his most talented apprentice. When the old master dies, the two face off to take over his prominent martial arts academy. But rather than obey the rule of settling disputes Continue reading

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‘Furious’ details for Visual Vengeance’s upcoming Blu-ray for Simon and Phillip Rhee’s 1984 cult gem ‘Furious’

On February 25, 2025, Visual Vengeance will deliver a Blu-ray for Furious, a 1984 cult martial arts gem from filmmaker Tim Everitt (Too Fast Too Young).

Furious is the first film to star brothers Simon and Phillip Rhee (4 years before the pair found the greener pastures of Hollywood in the Best of the Best franchise).

The rest of the film’s cast consists mostly of the Rhees’ own students and friends, including a then-unknown Loren Avedon (No Retreat, No Surrender II), former World Continue reading

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Details for the 4K Ultra HD SteelBook editions for Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill Vol 1-2’, ‘Jackie Brown’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs’

On January 21, 2025, Lionsgate Limited is partnering up with Quentin Tarantino for Remastered 4K SteelBook Editions of Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Jackie Brown, and a semi re-release of Reservoir Dogs.

There was some speculation if the upcoming 4K version of the Kill Bill films will include the long-awaited Whole Bloody Affair (Tarantino’s edit of both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 as one film, complete with new footage), but judging from the newly released Continue reading

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