Kiyoshi Kurosawa was once one of the foremost genre filmmakers in Japan, thanks to his unique brand of unsettling horror as witnessed in films like Kairo (AKA Pulse) and Curse. To this day, Kairo remains arguably the finest example of ‘J-horror.’ In 2008, Kurosawa took a break from scaring audiences with the acclaimed drama Tokyo Sonata, which even won accolades at Cannes. After that Kurosawa dabbled in the world of … Continue reading →

A new Korean action-comedy titled Running Man is slated for release in theaters over there this April 2013 – but it’s not what you think. No, this isn’t a remake of the popular 80’s Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle. Instead it’s a completely new story about a man (Shin Ha-Gyoon) who is wrongly accused of murder and decides to walk/run/drive as far away from the police as he can, turning himself into a fugitive. … Continue reading →

Film Business Asia offers news that Ryoo Seung-wan, the director of hard-hitting Korean action/dramas like No Blood, No Tears and The Unjust, is heading to Berlin next month to begin production on his latest movie. This new film, recently retitled The Berlin File, begins shooting in Germany on May 1st and has a budget of $9 million. Ryoo Seung-wan and crew will film for two weeks in Berlin before heading … Continue reading →

There are plenty of films to cover this week, so let’s get started. If you’re interested in any of these titles, you can support the site by ordering through our affiliate. We appreciate it! Here are your Blu-ray and DVD release dates for the week of 2/12/13: ASIAN CINEMA The Thieves (Blu-ray/DVD) – one of the most successful Korean films of all time, this heist thriller in the “Ocean’s 11” vein … Continue reading →

Preposterous but interesting – such is the premise for Library Wars, the new film from the acclaimed director of the live-action Gantz films and Princess Blade. This Japanese-language movie is based on a popular novel that ended up spawning a manga and anime series. Taking a page from Ray Bradbury’s classic novel Fahrenheit 451, the movie is set in the near future in which Japan’s government organizes an armed military … Continue reading →

Today bears some potentially distressing news from the Hollywood trades. Film distributor Indomina, who brought Asian titles like Flying Swords of Dragon Gate and Bodyguards & Assassins to North America, has closed up shop. More specifically, the US and Dominican Republic-based company is shutting down their North American operations. Recently, Indomina had begun to branch out from its Asian and genre-based lineup with arthouse titles like the acclaimed documentary The … Continue reading →

Welcome to February. Not much is happening yet in February for us Asian film buffs but we have a feeling that will change soon. If you’re interested in any of these titles, you can support the site by ordering through our affiliate. We appreciate it! Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 2/5/13: ASIAN CINEMA The Ballad of Narayama (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection presents a new 4K … Continue reading →

Via a company newsletter, Well Go USA has officially announced their acquisition of director Andrew Lau’s historical actioner The Guillotines. Andrew Lau, famous for helming the original Infernal Affairs and Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, is back with a a new Chinese-language film that pays homage to the classic Flying Guillotine movies of old. Here’s the first plot synopsis: During the Manchurian-ruled Qing Dynasty, Emperor Yong Zheng established … Continue reading →

Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1967 film Le Samourai remains one of the most influential genre movies of all time thanks to icy, existential cool. The French riff on gangster cinema has inspired filmmakers as diverse as Walter Hill (The Driver) and Johnnie To (Vengeance). Now it looks like legendary Hong Kong director John Woo is planning to tip his hat to Melville’s film – even moreso than he did in The Killer … Continue reading →

THE MOVIE: After a lengthy detour into the world of family movies, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is getting back to doing what he does best: action movies. Much fuss has been made over G.I. Joe: Retaliation‘s delay to March 2013, but The Rock has another movie to tide us over in the meantime. Snitch is a gritty thriller from Summit Entertainment, featuring The Rock as a concerned father out to clear … Continue reading →

The last week of January brings slim pickings for Asian film fans, but let’s soldier on anyway. If you’re interested in any of the following titles, you can support the site by ordering through our affiliate. We appreciate it! Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 1/29/13: ASIAN CINEMA Bangkok Assassins (DVD) – Lionsgate presents this 2011 Thai action film about four young men who were trained … Continue reading →

Hideo Nakata is back! Sure, he never really went away, but the Ringu director’s career has taken slight a detour the past few years. Nakata made the jump to Hollywood by directing sequel to The Ring, which was not nearly as well received as the original American remake. In 2008, Nakata directed a spin-off of the live-action Death Note series titled Death Note L: Change the World. 2010 gave us Chatroom, … Continue reading →

Jang Joon-hwan made a name for himself  back in 2003 with his directorial debut Save the Green Planet. Part black comedy, part science-fiction, the movie was instantly held up as one of the best Korean films of all time, only slightly overshadowed by that same year’s Oldboy. Rather than get straight to work on a follow-up, Jang Joon-hawn decided to all but disappear from the movie industry. Ten years later, Joon-hawn is … Continue reading →