Author Archives: JJ Bona

Does the ‘Chronicle’ director have ‘Venom’?

LA Times reported that Sony is negotiating a deal with Chronicle’s Josh Trank to bring Venom back on the big screen. The popular Marvel Comics villain – created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane in 1988 – made an uneventful appearance in 2007’s Spider-Man 3, leaving fans of the character disgruntled. Back in 2009, Gary Ross expressed interest in making a Venom movie, but one thing led to another and he ended … Continue reading

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‘Crazy Heart’ director to tackle revenge flick ‘Out of the Furnace’

Crazy Heart’s Scott Cooper has an exciting future ahead of him. He’s currently in pre-production stage to direct a revenge flick called Out of the Furnace, which will star Christian Bale and is being produced by Tony Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio. Zoe Saldana, Casey Affleck, Robert Duvall and Viggo Mortensen are supposedly in talks to co-star. According to sources, the plot of Out of the Furnace involves a man (Bale) who … Continue reading

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Once Upon a Time in Anatolia Blu-ray & DVD (Cinema Guild)

RELEASE DATE: June 24-26, 2012 Cinema Guild presents Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, on Blu-ray & DVD. A police commissioner, a prosecutor, a doctor and a murder suspect take a night drive through the Anatolian countryside, searching for a corpse. As night wears on, details about the murder emerge. Check out the trailer to this winner of the Grand Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

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

The Survivor DVD (Scorpion Releasing)

RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2012 The Survivor will now be available on widescreen DVD! A 747 jetliner, piloted by Captain Keller (Robert Powell), suffers an explosion just after take-off and 300 passengers are incinerated. Keller is found wandering from the wreckage unharmed and unable to understand how he has survived. Directed by Blow Up’s David Hemmings and written by The Fog’s James Herbert. Check out the trailer (they did a … Continue reading

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

Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show Blu-ray (Raro Video USA)

RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2012 Raro Video USA presents Gabriele Albanesi’s Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show on Blu-ray. Alessio, a 25-year-old director, is commissioned to write the script for his first movie with Ubaldo Terzani, a well-known horror novelist. When Alessio moves into Terzani’s house to collaborate, a strange relationship of psychological dependence develops between them, which results in terror! Check out the trailer.

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

Quentin Tarantino Triple Feature 3-Disc DVD Set (Lionsgate)

RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2012 Lionsgate presents the Quentin Tarantino Triple Feature 3-Disc DVD Set, which contains Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown. Considering it’s a budget deal, I wouldn’t be expecting any special features (other than trailers); but even the standalone versions didn’t have any must-see special features (commentary tracks by Quentin would be nice).

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

Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back DVD (Echo Bridge)

RELEASE DATE: May 29, 2012 It’s “Bruce Lee meets Mississippi Burning!” Phillip Rhee stars and directs the 3rd chapter of the Best of the Best saga. This time, the highly underrated Phillip Rhee is up against the KKK. This movie has been out-of-print for years (copies are going for $50-$400 by 3rd party retailers on Amazon.com), but now, Echo Bridge is re-releasing it for $6.99. Also starring Bound’s Gina Gershon. Check out … Continue reading

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

Dolph Lundgren and Steve Austin deliver ‘The Package’

Jesse V. Johnson, director of straight-to-video favorites Pit Fighter, The Last Sentinel and Green Street Hooligans 2, is currently filming The Package, which stars Steve Austin and Dolph Lundgren. According to imdb.com, the film centers around a gangster-employed courier (Steve Austin) who must deliver a mysterious package while being chased by a horde of unusual gangsters. The Package also stars Ip Man 2’s Darren Shahlavi, The King of the Kickboxers’ Jerry … Continue reading

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42nd Street Forever Blu-ray Edition (Synapse Films)

RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2012 Synapse Films presents 42nd Street Forever on Blu-ray. This colossal “best of” collection combines a selection of vintage theatrical trailers from the first two DVD volumes of the series and mixes them up with some all-new selections! Get ready for over three and a half hours of sex, exploitation, action, horror, martial arts and science-fiction advertisements from around the world.

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

Rare 1976 ‘Game of Death’ promotional footage from the Golden Harvest vaults

Bey Logan, respected expert on Hong Kong action cinema, has just uploaded some obscure promotional footage for Bruce Lee’s Game of Death. The purpose of the 1976-produced footage was to show buyers and film producers that there was one more Bruce Lee movie that was waiting to be completed. If originally released in 1976, the promo would mark the 2nd time (after the 1973 documentary Bruce Lee: The Man and the … Continue reading

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Ready for some crazy violence? Fox is releasing ‘The Yellow Sea’ on DVD this February 28th

Finally, the wait is almost over! Fox’s World Cinema label presents The Yellow Sea on DVD, Na Hong-jin’s ultra-violent follow up to his critically acclaimed 2008 film, The Chaser. Sadly, there is no word of a Blu-ray release at this time. Check out the trailer and be sure to read our review.

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The Yellow Sea DVD (Fox)

RELEASE DATE: February 28, 2012 Desperate to pay off mounting debts, a young man living in China agrees to carry out an assassination, but he soon finds himself in a dangerous conspiracy. Fox’s World Cinema label presents The Yellow Sea on DVD, Na Hong-jin’s ultra-violent follow up to his critically acclaimed 2008 film, The Chaser. Check out the trailer and be sure to read our review.

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

Haywire DVD & Blu-ray (Lionsgate)

RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2012 Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the Haywire Blu-ray & DVD introduces mixed martial arts superstar Gina Carano as a black-ops agent for a government security contractor. After freeing a journalist held hostage, she is double-crossed – by someone in her own agency. Haywire also stars Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas and Michael Douglas.

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

Throne of Blood | aka Spider’s Web Castle (1957) Review

Director: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Isuza Yamada, Takashi Shimura, Akira Kubo, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Minoru Chiaki, Takamaru Sasaki, Kokuten KodoUeda Kichijiro Running Time: 109 min. By Mairosu Guess what dear readers if there are any, it’s a fortification doubleheader! First, I saw Hidden Fortress today, the film which allegedly inspired George Lucas to make Star Wars (turns out it just inspired some moments of Star Wars rather than the whole … Continue reading

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Rampart Blu-ray & DVD (Millennium Entertainment)

RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2012 Quiz: Out of all the “bad lieutenants,” who would win in a fight: Harvey Keitel, Nicolas Cage or Woody Harrelson? Millennium Entertainment presents Rampart, starring Woody Harrelson as a cop who is forced to face up to the consequences of his wayward career. Rampart is directed by The Messenger’s Oren Moverman and written by James Ellroy, who is mostly known for writing L.A. Confidential. Also … Continue reading

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