Author Archives: JJ Bona

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

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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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Rise of the Planet of the Apes Blu-ray & DVD (Fox)

RELEASE DATE: December 13, 2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a revolution; an action-packed epic featuring stunning visual effects and creatures unlike anything ever seen before. At the story’s heart is Caesar (Andy Serkis), a chimpanzee who gains human-like intelligence and emotions from an experimental drug. Raised like a child by the drug’s creator (James Franco), Caesar ultimately finds himself taken from the humans he loves and … Continue reading

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

Godzilla | aka Gojira (1954) Review

"Godzilla" Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Godzilla: King of the Monsters Director: Ishiro Honda Cast: Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Takashi Shimura, Fuyuki Murakami, Sachio Sakai, Ren Yamamoto, Toyoaki Suzuki Running Time: 96 min. By Woody Ishiro Honda was a great director. As Akira Kurosawa’s assistant director and right hand man, Honda no doubt learned a lot from the man, and it shows, particularly in this 1954 effort. Gojira is a stark and uncompromising film, filled with nightmarish imagery, but, … Continue reading

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Mann to remake ‘Seven Samurai’

Variety reports that British helmer Scott Mann has signed on to direct a remake of Japanese pic “Seven Samurai,” which is being produced by the Weinstein Co. and Japan’s Kurosawa Prods. This is not the first remake of the film, as there was a Western take on it from the 60s called The Magnificent Seven, and a recent sci-fi anime take on it called Samurai 7. Mann, who most recently … Continue reading

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