Author Archives: JJ Bona

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 |

Texas Killing Fields aka The Fields Blu-ray & DVD (Anchor Bay)

RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2012 Texas Killing Fields is loosely based on true events about the murder of women picked up along I-45 and dumped in an old oil field in League City Texas. The film is based on the novel The Texas Killing Fields. Texas Killing Fields is directed by Ami Canaan Mann (daughter of director Michael Mann) and stars Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jessica Chastain and Chloe … Continue reading

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

The Greatest Love aka Best Love DVD Set (MBC)

RELEASE DATE: November 8, 2011 The Greatest Love is a 2011 Korean romantic comedy series broadcasted by MBC. In this sometimes wacky, sometimes heartfelt romantic comedy, a has-been pop star (Gong Hyojin) struggles to make the jump from beleaguered to beloved, all while finding a heart-thumping love (Cha Seungwon) along the way. Check out the trailer.

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

End Call DVD (Asian Crush)

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012 A group of high school girls struggling with exams and lecherous teachers are ready to sell their souls if it would bring them luck. When they hear about a secret telephone number that will make a caller’s dreams come true, they figure they have nothing to lose. But little do they know that the Devil has granted their wishes, and will now own their souls! … Continue reading

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

Lust in Hell DVD (Asian Crush)

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012 After losing her parents in a traffic accident, Koto discovers the ability to communicate with the souls of the dead. She meets Shinji, who lost his lover in the same accident, and they begin a torrid and tempestuous affair. Directed by Tadashi Shimizu and starring Ryo Ishii and Mari Sakurai (Big Tits Zombie).

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

Time Traveller: Girl Who Leapt Throught Time DVD (Asian Crush)

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012 Time Traveller marks the newest adaptation of the original 1967 novel by Tsutsui Yasutaka, and the classic 1983 live-action movie. Starring Riisa Naka, voice of Makoto in the anime adaptation. Akari is the daughter of the time-traveling teen from the anime classic The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. In order to help her mother, she travels from the present to the 1970s, where she must … Continue reading

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

Redline Blu-ray & DVD (Anchor Bay)

RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2012 Tim Maughan of Anime News Network describes the film as “something very special, very different, and insanely exhilarating.” Redline is a racing film created by studio Madhouse (Paprika). Redline is about the biggest and most deadly racing tournament in the universe. Only held once every five years, everyone wants to stake their claim to fame, including JP, a reckless dare-devil driver oblivious to speed limits … Continue reading

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

Night and Day DVD (Zeitgeist Films)

RELEASE DATE: January 10, 2012 Seong-nam, a married man in his early forties, is an award-winning painter who, after getting busted for smoking pot with an American exchange student in Seoul, impulsively flees to Paris. Crashing in a dingy hostel run by a fellow Korean and unable to speak a lick of French, he finds himself wandering aimlessly around Paris, trapped in both his art and life. Night and Day … Continue reading

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

Candy Snatchers DVD (Shriek Show)

RELEASE DATE: December 13, 2011 Another 1973 exploitation crime film from Shriek Show! Rich girl Candy (Susan Sennett) is abducted and buried alive by three inept criminals: Jessie (Playboy pinup and B-movie queen Tiffany Bolling), her psychotic brother Alan (Brad David), and their pal Eddie (Vince Martorano) in exchange for ransom. But soon, things go horribly awry and a mute child witness only adds to the extreme tension and intrigue! … Continue reading

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

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky aka Ricky Oh Blu-ray/DVD (Tokyo Shock)

RELEASE DATE: January 10, 2012 (Blu-ray) | September 27, 2011 (DVD) First time on Blu-ray! The story is set in the year of 2001 in a prison owned by a major company. A new prisoner sees his friends being harassed and killed by the guards and seeks his revenge. Starring Fan Siu Wong, Fan Mei Sheng, William Ho Ka Kui, Yukari Oshima, Tetsuro Tamba, Gloria Yip Wan Yi, Philip Kwok … Continue reading

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

Lady Ninja Kaede Complete DVD Collection (Tokyo Shock)

RELEASE DATE: December 6, 2011 This new, specially priced set from Tokyo Shock contains Lady Ninja Kaede Vol. 1 and Lady Ninja Kaede Vol. 2, which were both previously released individually. These films aren’t exactly Akira Kurosawa-material, but if you’re in it AV idols, nudity, sex, and violence, your search ends here. Here is the trailer for Vol. 1 to give you an idea of what to expect.

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

Colombiana Unrated Blu-ray & DVD (Sony)

RELEASE DATE: December 20, 2011 Directed by Olivier Megaton (Transporter 3), written by Luc Besson (Leon: The Professional), and starring Zoe Saldana (Star Trek, Avatar); Colombiana is the story of a young woman who has grown up to be an assassin after witnessing the murder of her parents as a child. Check out the trailer. The unrated cut of Colombiana runs 111 minutes, four minutes longer than the theatrical cut. … Continue reading

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

R.I.P. Kim Tai Chung

Korean martial arts movie star Kim Tai Chung, also known as Kim Tai-Jung or Tong Lung, has passed away. Kim Tai Chung was considered the only “mainstream” of the Bruce Lee copycats because of his work on Raymond Chow’s Golden Harvest classics “Game of Death” (1978) and “Tower of Death” (1981). He is also known for appearing in Corey Yuen’s 1986 U.S. film debut, “No Retreat, No Surrender” (1986) alongside … Continue reading

Posted in News |

Outrage: Way of the Yakuza Blu-ray & DVD (Magnolia)

RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2012 In a ruthless battle for power, several yakuza clans vie for the favor of their head family in the Japanese underworld. The rival bosses seek to rise through the ranks by scheming and making allegiances sworn over saké. Long-time yakuza Otomo has seen his kind go from elaborate body tattoos and severed fingertips to becoming important players on the stock market. Theirs is a never-ending … Continue reading

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

Hidden Fortress, The (1958) Review

Director: Akira Kurosawa Producer: Sanezumi Fujimoto, Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Misa Uehara, Susumu Fujita, Takashi Shimura, Misa Uehara, Eiko Miyoshi, Toshiko Higuchi, Yu Fujiki, Yoshio Tsuchiya Running Time: 139 min. By Numskull The titular location isn’t much of a “fortress”… more like a couple of shacks tucked away in a canyon… but the adventure that stops there along the way is highly entertaining. This Akira … Continue reading

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