Author Archives: Z Ravas

6 Bullets | aka The Butcher (2012) Review

"6 Bullets" German DVD Cover

Director: Ernie Barbarash Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Joe Flanigan, Anna-Louise Plowman, Bianca Bree, Kristopher Van Varenberg, Terese Cilluffo, Charlotte Beaumont, Andrei Runcanu Running Time: 115 min. By HKFanatic 2011’s “Assassination Games” was anticipated as the beginning of a possible comeback for Jean-Claude Van Damme: it paired the aging action star with hot newcomer Scott Adkins and managed to secure decent theatrical distribution in the United States, a first for Van … Continue reading

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Lionsgate takes ‘Motorway’ to the finish line

Cheang Pou-soi is a filmmaker who seems to try on a new genre with each movie he makes, from the nihilistic underground fighting of Dog Bite Dog to the romantic drama-meets crime story Love Battlefield. His latest effort, produced by Johnnie To, is an action-packed look at the Hong Kong police’s Invisible Squad – an elite vehicular unit tasked with stopping illegal street racers and other dangerous drivers. Sean Yue … Continue reading

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Kiyoshi Kurosawa to direct Tony Leung Chiu-Wai in ‘1905’

Kiyoshi Kurosawa made a name for himself on the international scene with skin-crawling thrillers like Cure and Kairo (AKA Pulse). As of late, the director has branched out from the horror genre with the domestic drama Tokyo Sonata and the TV mini-series Penance. Now word arrives that Kurosawa is looking to team up with acclaimed Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (In the Mood For Love, The Grandmasters) for an … Continue reading

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‘Oldboy’ director Chan-wook Park to direct a bloody Mafia tale

News has hit the web that Korean director Chan-wook Park (Oldboy, Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance) is circling his next English-language project now that his Western debut Stoker is set for release in March of 2013. Park has set his sights on Corsica ’72, a screenplay with a strong pedigree. The script arrives from Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have penned most of the Bond films of the past 12 … Continue reading

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Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 9/18/12

Giant monsters attack! Indiana Jones on Blu-ray! No matter your filmic interests, there’s plenty to get excited about this week. So let’s get started, shall we? Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 9/18/12: ASIAN CINEMA Daimajin – Triple Feature Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray) – starting in 1966, the Daiei Motion Picture Co. released a series of films that combined elements of the giant monster movie with the … Continue reading

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R2B: Return to Base (2012) Review

AKA: Back Eagle Director: Kim Dong-Won Writer: Ahn Sang-Hun, Kim Dong-Won Producer: Jang Tae-Gon, Kim Dong-Won Cast: Rain, Yu Jun-Sang, Shin Se-Kyung, Kim Sung-Soo, Lee Ha-Na, Lee Jong-Seok, Jeong Kyung-Ho, Baek Bong-Gi Running Time: 113 min. By HKFanatic Western audiences will most likely recognize actor Rain from Hollywood movies like “Speed Racer” and “Ninja Assassin.” But in his native South Korea, Rain is a bonafied superstar thanks to his pop … Continue reading

Posted in Korean, Reviews | Tagged , |

Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 9/11/12

Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 9/11/12: ASIAN CINEMA Karate-Robo Zaborgar (Blu-ray/DVD) – the folks at Sushi Typhoon resurrect a Japanese 70’s superhero TV show for this wild 2011 homage, on home formats from Well Go USA Hospitalite (DVD) – this 2010 Japanese domestic comedy-drama examines the lives of a tight-knit family who run a printing shop in downtown Tokyo Curse M (DVD) – the … Continue reading

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Ridley Scott to collaborate with ‘Hero’ director Zhang Yimou?

Chinese Films offers word that acclaimed Hollywood director Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) might be teaming up with Hero and House of Flying Daggers mastermind Zhang Yimou for a new film. The project is based off the Chinese opera Qin Shi Huang, which Zhang Yimou served as stage director on and Ridley saw performed in New York in 2006. The opera itself was inspired by the 1996 film The First Emperor, … Continue reading

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White Vengeance (2011) Review

""White Vengeance" International Theatrical Poster

Director: Daniel Lee Cast: Leon Lai Ming, Zhang Han Yu, Anthony Wong Chau Sang, Jordan Chan Siu Chun, Crystal Liu Yi Fei, Fang Shao Feng, Andy On Chi Kit, Jia Qing, Wu Ma, Chen Kuan Tai, Chan Chi Fai, Ding Hai Feng, Du Yiheng, Xu Xiang Dong Running Time: 135 min. By HKFanatic Director Daniel Lee has long seemed to struggle to find his identity as a filmmaker in the … Continue reading

Posted in Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , |

From the makers of ‘Chawz’ comes a new Korean supernatural comedy

The esteemed Todd Rigney of Beyond Hollywood has your first look at director Sin Jeong-won’s (Chawz) new supernatural thriller, The Fortune Tellers. In this movie, bespectacled cutie Kang Ye-won heads to a remote village where a grand exorcism is about to take place. Unfortunately, the evil spirit proves too powerful to be contained and now Kang Ye-won must team up with the shamans who have gathered in the village to … Continue reading

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Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 9/4/12

September is upon us. The first week is a little bare but there’s still plenty of Asian releases to go around, whether you’re looking for the modern day action of “Quick” or the old-school stylings of “White Vengeance.” So let’s get at it. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 9/4/12: ASIAN CINEMA Quick (Blu-ray/DVD) – the 2011 Korean action blockbuster races onto Blu-ray and DVD from … Continue reading

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Quick (2011) Review

Director: Jo Beom-goo Writer: Park Su-jin Producer: Lee Sang-yong, Yun Je-gyun Cast: Lee Min-ki, Kang Ye-won, Kim In-kwon, Ko Chang-seok, Ju Jin-mo, Xu Fan, Yoon Je-kyoon Running Time: 115 min. By HKFanatic 2011’s “Quick” has frequently been billed as a Korean take on “The Fast and the Furious.” Truth be told, it’s more of a contemporary update on “Speed” – with Korean biker gangs thrown in for good measure – … Continue reading

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‘Quick’ careens onto Blu-ray and DVD this September 4th – catch some clips

Your friends at Shout! Factory are bringing the 2011 Korean action blockbuster Quick to North American shores this week. Quick lands on Blu-ray and DVD on September 4th with both an English and Korean language track. Adrenaline junkies won’t want to miss this explosive film full of unbelievable motorcycle stunts, highway pile-ups, explosions, and more. But don’t take our word for it. Shout! Factory has made several clips from the … Continue reading

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‘Flying Swords of Dragon Gate’ coming to an AMC theater theater near you

Indomina, one of the top distributors of Asian cinema in North America, has scored a major coup: Tsui Hark’s The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate will be the first Chinese-language film to screen in North American IMAX theaters when it receives a limited 3D release this August. This high-flying, special FX-infused 3D wuxia starring Jet Li was a major hit at the Chinese box office last year and now Western … Continue reading

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‘A Company Man’ looks to continue the tradition of Korean revenge flicks

You’d be hard pressed to find bigger fans of the Korean revenge drama The Man From Nowhere than us folks here at Cityonfire.com. Lucky for us, a new film coming out of that country looks poised to carry on the bloody tradition. Twitch Film debuted the poster for A Company Man, an action thriller starring TV acting sensation So Ji-Sub. The premise sounds simple enough but should offer plenty of opportunity … Continue reading

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