Author Archives: JJ Bona

The High-Stakes Evolution: Why Gambling Movies are Dominating the 2026 Asian Cinema Slate

Image Credit – Gemini 2026 is a land-changing, pivotal year in Asian cinema. On the huge film lists of South Korea and Hong Kong, there is currently a complex and planned revival: the revival of the so-called Gambling Hero type. Nevertheless, this film renaissance, which industry analysts and Asia-focused film sites like Cityonfire have been busy following, is not just the nostalgic backlash to the high-adrenaline and smoke-filled cinematic aesthetic … Continue reading

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Deal on Fire! Pray for Death | Blu-ray | Only $14.99 – Expires soon!

Pray for Death | Blu-ray (Kino Lorber)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for the 1985 cult martial arts classic, Pray for Death (read our review), starring Sho Kosugi (Ninja III: The Domination). In Pray for Death, Restauranteur Akira (Kosugi) has taken his wife and two boys to America in search of a better life. But their dream is quickly soured when they fall foul of a group of vicious thieves. Unfortunately for the bad guys, they … Continue reading

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Return to form for ‘The Raid’ star Iko Uwais? Silat fueled actioner ‘Pendekar: Warrior’ begins filming this summer

Martial arts star Iko Uwais (The Raid, The Raid 2) is set to lead Pendekar: Warrior, an upcoming Indonesian martial arts film that will mark the directorial debut of award winning cinematographer John Radel. Radel is no stranger to the genre, having previously worked on 2018’s Buffalo Boys and also served as a producer on 2016’s Headshot and 2018’s The Night Comes For Us, both of which starred Uwais. The film … Continue reading

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The long-awaited ‘Face/Off’ sequel is now without a director, so maybe it’s time to bring John Woo back for another round!

The long-anticipated sequel to Face/Off has hit a major setback. Although the plan is still to reunite Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, the director who had been attached to the project for years has officially stepped away. Adam Wingard (Godzilla vs. Kong, Death Note, The Guest) is no longer set to direct the follow-up to the 1997 action classic. With his busy schedule

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Expecting the other ‘Furious’? Watch the Trailer for ‘Furious Attack’ starring martial arts stars Andy On and Phillip Ng

Looks like Tanigaki Kenji’s Furious has some competition! Hong Kong martial arts stars Andy On (Blind War) and Phillip Ng (Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In) go head-to-head in Furious Attack (aka Without Remorse), an action-thriller from director Huang Yi (Infernal Storm). A former special forces soldier goes undercover in northern Myanmar to rescue his missing daughter, battling scam gangs and organ traffickers before facing off with the crime boss in … Continue reading

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How Does Technology Impact Our Daily Lives?

Wake up. Reach for the phone. Scroll. Before your feet even hit the floor, technology has already shaped your morning. It’s quiet. Almost invisible. But it’s everywhere. From the alarm on your smartphone to the traffic app guiding your commute, technology runs in the background of modern life. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just consistently. And the truth is, most of us don’t even notice how deeply it affects us anymore. … Continue reading

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Sumo Slots and beyond

When browsing the BBC website earlier today, along with the top story that Paul the psychic octopus had predicted that Spain would beat Germany, I noticed an intriguing report on a new betting scandal in Japanese Sumo Wrestling. Several wrestlers and trainers have admitted to illegal betting on baseball and other sports, which is kicking up quite a storm. This is because Sumo wrestling is a highly respected sport in … Continue reading

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Damn it feels good to be a gangster! John Woo and Nicolas Cage’s action-thriller ‘Gambino’ shoots this summer

John Woo (Silent Night, Manhunt), noted Hong Kong filmmaker behind classics such as A Better Tomorrow, The Killer and Hard Boiled, is reuniting with his Face/Off star Nicolas Cage (Prisoners of the Ghostland) for Gambino, which will revolve around real-life New York crime kingpin Carlo Gambino. Written by George Gallo (Bad Boys franchise) and Oscar winner Nick Vallelonga (Green Book), the movie will follow Carlo Gambino (Cage), a butcher’s son from … Continue reading

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Deal on Fire! Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind | Blu-ray | Only $20.99 – Expires soon!

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray (Region B) for 1972’s Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind. Angela Mao and director Huang Feng (The Shaolin Plot) were a superstar pairing that produced an incredible series of top tier kung fu classics including Deadly China Doll, When Taekwondo Strikes and the two films presented here – Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind. In Hapkido (aka Lady Kung Fu in the West), a group of martial artists (Mao, Sammo Hung, and Carter Wong) … Continue reading

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Meta madness? Jason Statham joins forces with the co-creator of ‘John Wick’ for ‘Jason Statham Stole My Bike’

David Leitch, the action filmmaker known for John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, is reuniting with Jason Statham (The Meg) for a new action-comedy titled Jason Statham Stole My Bike. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the film will see Statham “in the role of a lifetime, playing global action superstar Jason Statham“. The budget is being set north of $80M, an … Continue reading

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Don’t call it a comeback! Armie Hammer makes his return in Uwe Boll’s actioner ‘Citizen Vigilante’ arriving later this year

Cult director Uwe Boll (In the Name of the King) teams up with former A-lister Armie Hammer (The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Lone Ranger) for Citizen Vigilante, an upcoming actioner that will be released by U.S. label Quiver later this year. The film follows a man (Hammer) who takes justice into his own hands, hunting down criminals. His vigilante crusade makes him a social media star

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Real Money Slots Made Better With These Uptown Bonus Codes

Real money slots hit different when you have some extra cash in your account. Uptown bonus codes help with exactly that. Instead of just making a deposit and hoping things work out, you can stretch those funds, pick up added spins, and explore more Aces slots without bleeding your bankroll dry. Smart players who grab these Uptown Aces bonus codes consistently end up playing way longer on the same budget. The difference … Continue reading

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Stray Dog | 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (Criterion)

Stray Dogs | 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (Criterion)

On May 5, 2026, Criterion is releasing the 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray for 1949’s Stray Dog, Akira Kurosawa’s masterful mix of film noir and police thriller set on the sweltering mean streets of occupied Tokyo. A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog … Continue reading

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Period cage-fight thriller ‘Bedlam’ starring martial arts powerhouse Scott Adkins officially wraps production

Martial arts star Scott Adkins (Prisoner of War, John Wick 4, Ip Man 4) headlines Bedlam, an upcoming “cage fight” period martial arts actioner from director Jon Shaikh, who is perhaps best known for directing an episode of 2014’s Our World War, and acting as Assistant Director for 2019’s The Courier. In the film, a fiery street boxer (Adkins) infiltrates London’s infamous Bedlam asylum to rescue his imprisoned sister, unleashing … Continue reading

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‘Die Hard 2’ filmmaker Renny Harlin goes even HARDER in the New Tailer for ‘Deep Water’ starring Aaron Eckhart

"Deep Water" Poster

Renny Harlin (Bodies at Rest), noted Hollywood film director known for his 90’s blockbusters Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger, is getting ready to die harder in Deep Water, an airplane disaster from Magenta Light Studios. A group of international passengers en route from Los Angeles to Shanghai are forced to make an emergency landing in shark-infested waters. Now they must work together in hopes to overcome the frenzy of sharks … Continue reading

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