Author Archives: JJ Bona

Northern Limit Line | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: October 20, 2015 Well Go USA presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Kim Hak-Soon’s Northern Limit Line (aka Battle of Yeonpyeong). This box office hit stars Kim Moo-Yul, Jin Goo, Lee Hyun-Woo, Lee Wan and Lee Chung-Ah. June 29th, 2002. As the citizens of South Korea celebrate the FIFA World Cup, the North Korean navy sends two patrol boats to a disputed border in the Yellow Sea. The … Continue reading

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

Van Damme’s next film: ‘Bourne Identity’ with humor?

Did Jason Statham’s role in Spy give Jean-Claude Van Damme (Pound of Flesh) inspiration for an upcoming film? Possibly. In a recent interview with TOD, the action star teased a project he’s currently working on: “Right now, I’m working on a lighter project where I play an actor who’s a spy… it will be a bit like The Bourne Identity with a touch of comedy.” This won’t be the first … Continue reading

Posted in News |

A Hard Day | Blu-ray & DVD (Kino Lorber)

RELEASE DATE: November 24, 2015 Kino Lorber presents the Blu-ray & DVD for A Hard Day (our review) starring Lee Sun-kyun (R-Point), Cho Jin-woong (The Spirit of JKD), Shin Jeong-Geun (The Pirates) and Jeong Man-Sik (Kundo). Detective Geon-soo is having a hard day: in less than 24 hours, he receives a divorce notice from his wife, his mother passes away, and along with his coworkers, he becomes the focus of a … Continue reading

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

Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance | Blu-ray & DVD (Cinema Epoch)

RELEASE DATE: January 12, 2016 Cinema Epoch presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Gregory Hatanaka’s Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance (read our review). 25 years ago, they joined forces to take on the Yakuza in Samurai Cop (1991), now Detective Frank Washington (Mark Frazer) and Joe Marshall (Matt Hannon) are teaming up once again in Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance. This time their mission is to solve a series of assassinations being … Continue reading

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

Indie martial arts film ‘Unlucky Stars’ gets distribution!

Decades later, the iconic films of Hong Kong legends Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan continue to inspire a new generation of stuntmen and filmmakers. Case in point: Unlucky Stars, an independent martial arts comedy directed by and starring Dennis Ruel. As you can tell from the title, the film takes particular inspiration from the Lucky Stars series of films that Sammo popularized in the Eighties. Expect tongue-in-cheek humor and bone-crunching … Continue reading

Posted in News |

Cityonfire.com’s ‘Wolf Warrior’ Blu-ray Giveaway! – WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

Cityonfire.com and Well Go USA are giving away 3 Blu-ray copies of Wolf Warrior to three lucky Cityonfire visitors. To enter, simply add a comment to this post and describe, in your own words, this video. We will be selecting a winner at random. Be sure to include your email address in the appropriate field so we can contact you for your home address. Additionally, you must ‘Like Us‘ on cityonfire.com’s … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged |

Takashi Miike’s ‘Shield of Straw’ is getting a U.S. remake

A 2013 Japanese thriller titled Shield of Straw is getting a Hollywood remake. The original, which was directed by the prolific Takashi Miike (13 Assassins), centers on a team of cops who do everything they can to protect an accused killer with a billion-yen bounty on his head. According to Deadline, Naoaki Kitajima (producer of the original) will produce the remake alongside Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass), Andrew Miano (A … Continue reading

Posted in News |

Classic Martial Arts Collection | DVD (Echo Bridge)

RELEASE DATE: October 6, 2015 Echo Bridge Entertainment presents the 4-Disc DVD set for The Classic Martial Arts Collection (aka Bruce and Brandon Lee Action Pack), which contains 19 movies. Why they didn’t make it an even 20 is beyond us. Like most of these “budget” kung fu complications, Bruce is once again all over the artwork, but the closest thing it has to an actual Bruce Lee movie is … Continue reading

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

Robin Shou, Simon Rhee and Jason Yee show their ‘Way’

Currently in post-production is Lou Pizarro’s Way of the Empty Hand (literal translation of “karate”), an upcoming martial arts flick starring Robin Shou (Interpol Connection, Mortal Kombat), Simon Rhee (Furious, Best of the Best), Jason Yee (The Girl from the Naked Eye), as well as a bit part from Jackie Chan Stunt Team member, Andy Cheng (Who Am I?). Unfortunately, there are no additional details about Way of the Empty Hand, … Continue reading

Posted in News |

Deal on Fire! 13 Assassins | Blu-ray | Only $7.99 – Expires soon!

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins. This ultra-violent tale is remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 black-and-white Japanese film of the same name. Like cityonfire.com’s HKFanatic says: “If you’re reading this and you haven’t seen 13 Assassins yet, you’ve got to get your priorities straight. This film is a legitimate modern classic and is guaranteed to go down as one of the best samurai movies of … Continue reading

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Is Louis Koo doing the opposite of Donnie Yen’s ‘Iceman’?

Looks like Chow Yun-Fat and Wong Jing aren’t the only ones remaking their classic TVB series into a movie (see The Bund). There’s a rumor going around that Louis Koo (SPL II, Wild City) is remaking his highly-rated 2001 series, A Step into the Past. The plot almost sounds like the polar opposite of Donnie Yen’s Iceman 3D. In the original series, Louis Koo plays modern day cop who volunteers to take … Continue reading

Posted in News |

Label to release ‘American Shaolin’ soundtrack and more!

A new fan-created record label called Spirit Touch Records aims to release underrated soundtracks with the help of fans and supporters. The soundtrack for Lucas Lowe’s American Shaolin (1991), by Richard Yuen, will be their first release when enough supporters are finally found. Label founder Anatolij Kaiser, says “If the record labels won’t make our wishes happen, we have to do it ourselves. This is more than a simple CD purchase. If … Continue reading

Posted in News |

The Raid (1990) | DVD (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: October 13, 2015 Well Go USA presents the DVD for The Raid (not to be confused with 2011’s The Raid), a 1990 action/adventure film directed by both Ching Siu Tung (Duel to the Death) and Tsui Hark (The Taking of Tiger Mountain). In Japanese-occupied Manchuria in the WWII era, a group of Chinese nationalists set out to destroy a Japanese poison gas factory. The film stars Dean Shek, Fennie … Continue reading

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

The Avenging Fist | DVD (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: October 13, 2015 Well Go USA presents the DVD for The Avenging Fist (aka Legend of Tekken), a 2001 martial arts flick directed by Andrew Lau (Daisy) and Corey Yuen (Raging Thunder). Loosely based on the video game Tekken, this action-packed Hong Kong flick stars Stephen Fung (Cheap Killers), Wang Lee Hom (Legendary Amazons), Ekin Cheng (Return to a Better Tomorrow) and Sammo Hung (Rise of the Legend). … Continue reading

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

Ikiru | Blu-ray (Criterion)

RELEASE DATE: November 24, 2015 Criterion presents the Blu-ray for 1952’s Ikiru, directed by Akira Kurosawa (Stray Dog). Ikiru presents Kurosawa at his most compassionate – affirming life through an exploration of death. Takashi Shimura (Rashomon) beautifully portrays Kanji Watanabe, an aging bureaucrat with stomach cancer who is impelled to find meaning in his final days. Presented in a radically conceived two-part structure and shot with a perceptive, humanistic clarity of … Continue reading

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