You may or may not have caught the Mark Wahlberg action-vehicle The Shooter when it landed in theaters back in 2007. The movie came across as something like a Southern-fried spin on The Bourne Identity but it was actually an adaptation of a novel by author Stephen Hunter, who has a whole slew of books about the gun-toting hillbilly named Bobby Lee Swagger. Now the Hollywood Reporter gives word that … Continue reading →

Cityonfire.com has received the following press release from 5 Points Pictures for their August 21st, 2012 release of the Korean film Moss on a  2-Disc DVD set. Film distributor 5 Points Pictures is pleased to announce the special-edition 2-Disc DVD release of Moss will be available on August 21, 2012. Based on the award-winning web comic by Yoon Tae-ho (2007 Korea Cartoon Awards, 2008 Bucheon Cartoon Awards)! Also known as Iggi, … Continue reading →

I love sushi. Chances are, you do too. But how does our sushi feel about us? If the new film from director Noboru Iguchi (The Machine Girl, Robogeisha) is any indication, they’re pissed off and tired of being eaten. Yes, the premise of Iguchi’s new ultra low-budget splatterflick Dead Sushi appears to be that the sushi of Japan has become sentient – and now they’re out for revenge. Fortunately, on … Continue reading →

Over at Beyond Hollywood, Todd Rigney reports that CJ Entertainment America, the US branch of Korea’s biggest movie studio, is planning to release a couple of its films in North America. No Mercy and Hindsight will both hit DVD in North America on July 31st, 2012. A Blu-ray release for both titles is expected to follow shortly thereafter. Traditionally, Asian movie studios have licensed out their films to American distributors. … Continue reading →

June is upon us. There’s not much happening this month in regards to Asian cinema but at least the one film being released is a good one. Meanwhile, Universal continues to shuffle out their back catalog via Blu-ray+DVD+digital combo packs. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 6/5/12: ASIAN CINEMA 13 Assassins (The Thirteen Assassins) (DVD) – the great folks from AnimEigo offer this 1963 samurai … Continue reading →

Online now is the teaser trailer for a steamy new Korean period piece titled The Emperor’s Concubine. The film arrives from director Kim Dae-seung (Blood Rain) and tells the story of what happens when King Sungwon’s concubine becomes embroiled in a love affair with another man. This all takes place during the Chosun Era, which would be helpful except that Wikipedia tells me that this period of Korean history lasted over 500 … Continue reading →

Last year, Chinese film distributor China Lion made great strides in releasing more Chinese-language films in North America by partnering with AMC theaters. Chinese Films reports that the company has acquired 5 films at the Cannes Film Festival with the express purpose of screening them in American theaters. Granted, the hardest part of putting out foreign films in the West is securing enough screens to reach an audience – I’m … Continue reading →

At this point in his career, it’s fair to say that writer/director/actor Shinya Tsukamoto can rightfully be called a genius. The man behind such modern classics as  Tokyo Fist and A Snake of June has made an indelible mark on the genre known as “extreme Asian cinema.” Back in 1989, his 67 minute film Tetsuo: The Iron Man proved to be a landmark cyber-punk film that would go on to … Continue reading →

Over at Beyond Hollywood, you can scope out the first batch of spooky images from the new Japanese horror film, Kotsutsubo. The plot follows a high school girl trying to save her friend from a cursed urn, and is adapted from a popular short story by author Yamada Yuusuke. The cast includes Matsubara Natsumi, Yokoyama Rurka, Miyazaki Rina, Itogi Kenta, Kanayama Kazuhiko, and Shinozaki Ai. Kotsutsubo opens in Japanase theaters on … Continue reading →

A sparse selection for Asian cinema this week but you can’t really say it’s a bad time when we’ve got a Johnnie To film on deck. And if you’re into French erotic vampire films from the 70’s, you’re gonna love the Horror section. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 5/29/12: ASIAN CINEMA Life Without Principle (DVD) – Johnnie To directs this 2011 thriller about the … Continue reading →

Your friends at Shout! Factory are prepping to release the Johnnie To-produced Hong Kong thriller Accident on Blu-ray and DVD this June 12, 2012. In the meantime, they’ve released a new trailer for the movie. In Accident, Louis Koo digs deep to offer one of the most compelling performances of his career as an assassin who choreographs elaborate ‘accidents’ to off his assignments. After one of his plans goes horribly … Continue reading →