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 →

The first trailer for Korean film Miss Conspirator has hit the web and if the film ends up halfway as entertaining as the trailer, then we’re in for something good. It’s difficult to nail down just what genre Miss Conspirator belongs to as the trailer promises a blend of suspense, comedy, romance, and action, but that will probably end up being part of the charm of this film. The cast … Continue reading →

May, we barely knew you and now you’re almost gone. This week is slim pickings as far as Asian cinema is concerned but hopefully we can all find something to enjoy. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 5/22/12: ASIAN CINEMA Mutant Girl Squad (Blu-ray/DVD) – the latest and greatest in Japanese splatterpunk from Sushi Typhoon. This 2010 film receives a belated North American release courtesy … Continue reading →

The crazy movie news keeps rolling out of Cannes 2012. The Hollywood Reporter relays word that Crystal Skys CEO Steven Paul is planning a prequel to the 2010 live-action Tekken movie, based on the popular video game of the same name. This is despite the fact that the first Tekken movie become embroiled in a high-profile lawsuit. It gets even better. Steven Paul claims that Prachya Pinkaew of Ong Bak and … Continue reading →

Ain’t It Cool News has the exclusive one-sheet poster for Assassin’s Bullet, the next big movie from Isaac Florentine, director of the Scott Adkins-starring films Special Forces and Undisputed II&III. The cast includes Christian Slater, Donald Sutherland, Elika Portnoy, and Timothy Spall. The film is being released in some territories under the title Sofia as it is set in Sofia, Bulgaria. Apparently Assassin’s Bullet is more of a psychological thriller … Continue reading →

File this one under ‘cool things that will probably never happen but really should.’ Twitch Film reports on a piece of conceptual poster art at Cannes that envisions a movie directed by Ryuhei Kitamura of Versus and Azumi fame, and starring Nicolas Cage. The poster is ridiculous, with Cage’s head floating atop an ultra-chiseled torso, but at least the plot sounds promising if anyone actually decides to fund this movie … Continue reading →

Cityonfire.com has received the following press release from Shout! Factory: Quick, A Major Motion Picture from the filmmakers behind Tidal Wave, starring Lee Min-Ki, Kang Ye-Won and Kim In-Kwon. Packed with explosive visuals, full throttle action sequences, extensive bonus content, and more! Own it on Blu-ray and DVD. In stores nationwide on August 21, 2012 from Shout! Factory Disc Details: Spectacular street chases and pulse-pounding action are taken to new heights on August 21, … Continue reading →

Director Lee Myung-Se’s 1999 film Nowhere to Hide was a top-notch Korean action-thriller that turned heads even before that country became one of the hottest film industries in the world. Now Lee Myung-Se is back with his first film in five years, the action-packed Mister K. The story almost sounds like a riff on James Cameron’s True Lies since the main character is, unbeknownst to his wife, a globe-trotting spy. When … Continue reading →