Author Archives: JJ Bona

The Six Million Dollar Man 6-DVD Set: Season 1 (Universal)

RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2011 After an astronaut is practically left in pieces when his aircraft crashes, a secret organization rebuilds him and now he’s a bionic badass with unbelievable powers! This classic TV series has one of the coolest credit/pre-credit sequences ever. It also has a cool character with a cool name (Steve Austin), played by a cool actor with an even cooler name (Lee Majors). Formerly only available … Continue reading

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

Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams: Archive Collection DVD (Warner)

RELEASE DATE: October 18, 2011 Academy Award-winning director Akira Kurosawa (“The Seven Samurai,” “Ran”), whose cinematic genius has inspired such classic films as “Star Wars” and “The Magnificent Seven,” presents his 28th, and most personal, film. Visually splendid, Kurosawa’s film consists of eight powerful vignettes, one of which features acclaimed director Martin Scorsese as painter Vincent Van Gogh. “Breathtaking… dazzling,” says The New York Times.

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

The return of Hong Kong action films

In the mid-90s, the Hong Kong film industry ate itself alive. In 1993, it had produced a record 238 films and its doyen director, John Woo, was about to dive, twin guns aflame, through Hollywood’s doors. Six years later, production had crashed to just 40 films a year and not even the local triad gangs could prevent their own films from being pirated: there were bootlegs VCDs on sale everywhere … Continue reading

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Shogun Assassin (1980) Review

"Shogun Assassin" Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Lone Wolf and Cub Director: Kenji Misumi Co-director: Robert Houston Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ohki, Akiji Kobayashi, Shin Kishida Running Time: 89 min. By Joe909 Shogun Assassin is one of those films that demands a recounting of its history, before you can actually review it. In 1980, a pair of producers with ties to Roger Corman got hold of the first two films in the Japanese Baby … Continue reading

Posted in All, Japanese, News, Ninja, Reviews | Tagged , |

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame Blu-ray & DVD (Indomina)

RELEASE DATE: December 13, 2011 Tsui Hark’s (Knock-Off) epic mystery film Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame swept the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Director, Best Actress (Carina Lau), Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Sound Effects, and Best Visual Effects. Nominations include: Best Film, Best Action Cherography (Sammo Hung), Best Original Score (Peter Kam), Best Supporting Actor (Tony Leung, Deng Chao), Best Cinematography … Continue reading

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

Dragon Dynasty Jet Li 3-Disc Blu-ray Set: Fist of Legend, Legend Fong Sai Yuk & Tai Chi Master (Weinstein)

RELEASE DATE: October 11, 2011 Together for the first time in one complete Blu-ray package: Fist of Legend, Legend of Fong Sai Yuk (first time on Blu-ray), and Tai Chi Master (with Michelle Yeoh). Trailers: Fist of Legend | Legend of Fong Sai Yuk | Tai Chi Master

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

Dragon Dynasty 2-Disc DVD Set: Legend of the Black Scorpion aka The Banquet & Empress and the Warrior (Weinstein)

RELEASE DATE: October 11, 2011 This set contains: Ching Siu-tung’s Empress and the Warrior starring Donnie Yen, Kelly Chen and Leon Lai; and Feng Xiaogang’s Legend of the Black Scorpion (aka The Banquet), starring Zhang Ziyi, Ge You, Daniel Wu and Zhou Xun. Trailers: Empress and the Warrior | Legend of the Black Scorpion

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

Boy Wonder DVD (Inception Media)

RELEASE DATE: November 8, 2011 “Robin Begins”? Not quite. But definitely a revenge/vigilante film. I’ve been reading many positive reviews about this indie festival favorite. It seems to be more like a drama than an action flick, but people seem to be talking about how realistic and brutal the fight scenes are. Boy Wonder is Michael Morrissey’s directorial debut. Check out the trailer.

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

Dragon Dynasty Jet Li 3-Disc DVD Set: Fist of Legend, The Enforcer aka My Father is a Hero & Tai Chi Master (Weinstein)

RELEASE DATE: October 11, 2011 Together for the first time in one complete DVD package: Fist of Legend, The Enforcer (aka My Father is a Hero), and Tai Chi Master (with Michelle Yeoh). Trailers: Fist of Legend | The Enforcer | Tai Chi Master

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

The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence Trailer

“Human Centipede II (Full Sequence)” director Tom Six has a few words for the British Board of Film Classification, which has banned the sequel to Six’s “Human Centipede” film in the U.K. The BBFC claimed that the movie, about a man who gets “erotically obsessed” with the first film and gets the idea to create his own human centipede, was “sexually violent,” “potentially obscene” and a “real risk” to moviegoers. … Continue reading

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Pulse | aka Kairo (2001) Review

AKA: The Circuit Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa Cast: Haruhiko Kato, Kumiko Aso, Koyuki, Kurume Arisaka, Masatoshi Matsuo, Show Aikawa, Jun Fubuki, Shinji Takeda, Koji Yakusho, Shun Sugata Running Time: 119 min. By Numskull What Kairo sets out to do, it does superbly. However, not everyone will be happy with what it does, which is to sustain an eerie mood for two hours rather than simply tell a scary story. That’s not … Continue reading

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Magnificent Ruffians aka Destroyers DVD (Tokyo Shock)

RELEASE DATE: Early 2012 According to Tokyo Shock, this title has been delayed until early next year. 1979’s Magnificent Ruffians is a “Venoms” movie directed by Chang Cheh and starring Philip Kwok, Chiang Sheng, Lo Meng, Sun Chien, Lu Feng, Wang Li, Yu Tai Ping and Annie Liu. Check out the cityonfire.com review here.

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

Needle DVD (Lionsgate)

RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2011 Directed by John V. Soto, this refreshing horror film from Australia is getting some positive buzz! A college student inherits an 18th century machine with deadly supernatural powers. When the machine suddenly disappears and his friends start dying horrific deaths, the student must team up with his estranged brother to find the thief and stop the killings before he becomes the next victim. Check out … Continue reading

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

Trailer for Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s Headshot

Twitch has posted a trailer for Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s Headshot (not to be confused with the upcoming Stallone film). Along with Wisit Sasanatieng (Tears of the Black Tiger) and Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives), Pen-Ek Ratanaruang is considered one of Thai cinema’s leading “new wave” auteurs. He is best known for his 2003 film Last Life in the Universe. For the trailer please visit Twitch. Also check out … Continue reading

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Hindsight (aka Blue Salt) Trailer

Directed by Lee Hyeon-Seung (Il Mare) and starring Song Kang-ho (The Good, The Bad, The Weird) and Shin Se-kyung (Five Senses of Eros). Hindsight is about a former gangster who now wants to live a quiet life while hoping to run a restaurant of his own. One day, he meets a daring and spunky young girl in his cooking class, and finds himself drawn to her. She turns out to … Continue reading

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