Author Archives: JJ Bona

Thundering Mantis | aka Mantis Fist Fighter (1980) Review

AKA: Mantis Fist Fighter Director: Yip Wing Cho Cast: Leung Kar Yan, Eddie Ko Hung, Wong Yat Lung, Chin Yuet Sang, Lee Kwan, Fang Mien, Ma Chin Ku, Suen Lam, Shih Ting Ken, Au Lap Bo Running Time: 90 min. By Joseph Kuby Cannibalistic Cult Classic! Thundering Mantis (a.k.a. ‘The Mantis Fist Fighter’ or ‘Crazy Mantis’) is a film that has garnered quite a notorious reputation over the years for … Continue reading

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Deep Gold Blu-ray & DVD (Bigfoot Entertainment)

RELEASE DATE: October 8, 2011 Filipino pride! Michael Gleissner’s Deep Gold, which was released theatrically in 3D, is a 2011 action flick that was shot entirely in and around the exotic islands of Cebu and Palawan in the Philippines. Supposedly, the movie was praised for its originality and breathtaking action sequences. Starring Bebe Pham, Jaymee Ong (Gen-X Cops), Laury Prudent and Kersten Hui. Check out the trailer.

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

One-Armed Swordsmen DVD (First Look Pictures)

RELEASE DATE: December 13, 2011 Not to be confused with One-Armed Swordsman, 1976’s One-Armed Swordsmen – which has been OOP on DVD for a long time – is an unofficial part of the series; however, it does star Jimmy Wang Yu and David Chiang, the two leads of the official Shaw Brothers One-Armed Swordsman classics. Think of this oddity in the same vein as Never Say Never Again (unofficial Bond … Continue reading

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

Enter the Ninja DVD (MGM)

RELEASE DATE: October 18, 2011 Directed by Menahem Golan (Delta Force), 1981’s Enter the Ninja was one of the first U.S. films to explore the “ninja assassin.” Starring Franco Nero (Django), Susan George (Straw Dogs) and Sho Kosugi (Revenge of the Ninja). Enter the Ninja was followed by two unrelated sequels, Revenge of the Ninja and Ninja III: The Domination. Check out the trailer.

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

City of God aka Cidade de Deus Blu-ray (Lionsgate)

RELEASE DATE: December 13, 2011 The gangster classic has arrived on Blu-ray! Celebrated with worldwide acclaim, this powerful story of crime and redemption has won numerous prestigious awards around the globe! Directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund, and starring Alexandre Rodrigues, Matheus Nachtergaele, Leandro Firmino, Douglas Silva and Alice Braga. I think it’s time for you to watch the trailer once again.

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

Champions aka Duo Biao (Lionsgate)

RELEASE DATE: December 13, 2011 Lionsgate is releasing Tsui Siu Ming’s (Bury Me High) 2008 action film Champions, which is about an underdog wushu athlete (Dicky Cheung) whose dream is to represent China in a martial arts performance at the Olympic Games so as to win the heart of a national sprinter, the girl he’s in love with. Also starring Xie Miao, Priscilla Wong Chui-Yu, Debbie Goh, Yu Rong-Guang, Xu … Continue reading

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

City Under Siege Blu-ray & DVD (Funimation)

RELEASE DATE: December 27, 2011 Funimation continues their string of live action Asian releases with City Under Siege, a sci-fi/martial arts flick directed by Benny Chan (New Police Story) and starring Aaron Kwok, Shu Qi, Collin Chou and Jacky Wu. The plot follows a group of circus performers who go on a rampage after they’re exposed to chemical gas, which has given them superhuman abilities. Check out the trailer.

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

Ip Man: Legend is Born Blu-ray & DVD (Funimation)

RELEASE DATE: December 13, 2011 Ip Man: Legend is Born (aka The Legend is Born – Ip Man) is based on the teenage life of Wing Chun master Ip Man. Even though the film was openly marketed as a prequel (and sometimes as Ip Man 3) to the Donnie Yen/Wilson Yip movies, Ip Man: Legend is Born is not officially attached to those titles. Directed by Herman Yau (Untold Story) … Continue reading

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

Street Battle Los Angeles aka A Better Place DVD (Pathfinder)

RELEASE DATE: November 22, 2011 Japanese gangs, Korean gangs, the Mafia, and every type of criminal imaginable gets involved in what turns into the most massive street fight you’ll ever witnesses; and Kenji (Masashi Odate) is caught right in the middle. Starring Masashi Odate (The Last Samurai) and Hidetoshi Imura (Akira’s Hip Hop Shop). Street Battle Los Angeles is a American/Japanese co-production.

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

Saki The Killer aka Saki DVD (Pathfinder)

RELEASE DATE: November 22, 2011 When Saki’s grandfather (Hidetoshi Imura) visits Saki (Sachiko Kokubu), he also brings trouble, in the form of an evil Yakuza. Saki uses her artistic demons to fight the gangsters and killers who infiltrate her life, threatening everything in sight. Saki The Killer is a American/Japanese co-production.

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

Ninja Assassin (2009) Review

"Ninja Assassin" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: James McTeigue Cast: Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles, Rick Yune, Sho Kosugi, Sung Kang, Randall Duk Kim, Linh Dan Pham, Ill-Young Kim, Yuki Iwamoto, Stephen Marcus Running Time: 99 min. By Mighty Peking Man If any of the following statements apply to you, then chances are, you definitely went through a “ninja phase” in the 1980s: 1. You had a copy of Revenge of the Ninja playing religiously in … Continue reading

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Branded to Kill Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion)

RELEASE DATE: December 13, 2011 When Japanese New Wave bad boy Seijun Suzuki delivered this brutal, hilarious, and visually inspired masterpiece to the executives at his studio, he was promptly fired. Branded to Kill tells the ecstatically bent story of a yakuza assassin (chipmunk-cheeked superstar Joe Shishido) with a fetish for sniffing boiled rice who botches a job and ends up a target himself. This is Suzuki at his most … Continue reading

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

Tokyo Drifter Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion)

RELEASE DATE: December 13, 2011 In this jazzy gangster film, reformed killer Phoenix Tetsu’s attempt to go straight is squashed when his former cohorts call him back to Tokyo to help battle a rival gang. This onslaught of stylized violence and trippy colors got director Seijun Suzuki in trouble with Nikkatsu studio heads, who were put off by his anything-goes, in-your-face aesthetic, equal parts Russ Meyer, Samuel Fuller, and Nagisa … Continue reading

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

Night Train Murders Blu-ray (Blue Underground)

RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2012 It was released as Second House on the Left, New House on the Left and Torture Train. The ads screamed, “Most movies last less than two hours! This is one of everlasting torment! It remains one of the most graphically fiendish films in exploitation history, the story of two teenage girls traveling through Europe, forced into a nightmare of sexual assault and sadistic violence. Irene … Continue reading

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

13 aka 13 Tzameti Remake, Russian Roulette, Blu-ray/DVD (Anchor Bay)

RELEASE DATE: November 8, 2011 13 is a remake of the 2005 French film 13 Tzameti. It’s directed and written by Géla Babluani, who directed and wrote the original film. A naive young man assumes a dead man’s identity and finds himself embroiled in an underground world of power, violence, and chance where men gamble behind closed doors on the lives of other men. Starring Jason Statham (“Blitz“), Alexander Skarsgard … Continue reading

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