Author Archives: Z Ravas

Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 3/6/12

Hello, dear readers. There’s not much in the way of Asian cinema this week but no doubt there are some interesting releases, whether it’s a ’96 Chuck Norris environmental action movie or Danny Trejo and Steve Austin teaming up for some direct-to-video goodness. So here are your Blu-ray and DVD new releases for the week of 3/6/12: ASIAN CINEMA Blade of Kings (Blu-ray/DVD) – your friends at Well Go USA … Continue reading

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The highest-grossing Bollywood movie of all time comes to Import Blu-ray and DVD

The 2009 Hindi-language movie 3 Idiots was a big deal in India. How big? Well, it became the highest-grossing Bollywood movie of all time in that country. It also set a new standard for overseas grosses as it was the first Bollywood movie to gain a wide release in China. The resulting success there helped garner the film a box office of US $23 million. To emphasize how successful this … Continue reading

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Tony Leung casts a spell in ‘The Great Magician’ on Import Blu-ray and DVD

The Great Magician is a 2011 Chinese language film from director Derek Yee (The Shinjuku Incident, One Nite in Mongkok), starring Hong Kong acting heavyweights Tony Leung Ciu Wau and Lau Ching Wan, as well as the incomparably lovely Zhou Xun (True Legend). Online retailer has the Region A Blu-ray available to pre-order for only $18.97. You can also pre-order the Region 3 DVD for $13.46. The Great Magician releases … Continue reading

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Dark Korean movie leaves a ‘Mirage’ in its wake

Writer/director Yang Jung-ho (assistant director on 2007’s Hellcats) is ready to unleash a dark vision into Korean theaters on March 8th. That’s when Mirage makes its debut and, from the looks of the trailer over at Beyond Hollywood, it’s going to be a wild and Lynch-ian ride. The film follows a writer who wakes up drunk during the subway ride to his hometown to accept a literary award. Back on … Continue reading

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New 60-second TV spot for Jason Statham’s ‘Safe’

THE MOVIE: International man of action Jason Statham is back with another kick-ass flick. In Safe, he plays a former cop who is ought to protect a little girl from the New York mob and police alike.  Writer/director Boaz Yakin also wrote the Dolph Lundgren Punisher movie, which has to count for something. In theaters on April 27, 2012. THE TRAILER: Courtesy of Yahoo. Updates: AICN has a new poster … Continue reading

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Watch English-subbed Korean movies on YouTube this May

Here’s some unexpected but welcome Asian cinema news. The Korean Film Archive has announced a partnership with Google that will see several classic Korean films streaming on Youtube with English subtitles in May. The selection on Youtube will include a range of Korean movies released from the years 1958 to around 1996, including “A Flower in Hell” (1958), “Woman of Fire” (1971), “The Day a Pig Fell in the Well” … Continue reading

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Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 2/27/12

We’re a day late but never a buck short here at City on Fire with your new releases list. There’s some great stuff for Asian film fans this week, whether it’s finally being able to see “The Yellow Sea” with subtitles or Andy On and Luxia Jang kicking ass in “King of Triads.” So, let’s get cracking. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 2/27/12: ASIAN … Continue reading

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Donnie Yen is ‘The Lost Bladesman’ on Import Blu-ray and DVD

Is there any greater cinematic crime, in this day in age, than a Donnie Yen action flick not receiving distribution in the West? And yet this remains the case with 2011’s The Lost Bladesman. This is a historical epic based around the classic novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and starring Donnie Yen as the legendary god general Guan Yu. It arrives from writing and directing team Alan Mak … Continue reading

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Toshiaki Toyoda wants you to join his ‘Monsters Club’

If you’ve seen Toshiaki Toyoda’s film Blue Spring, you know the director has a knack for exploring the casual nihilism at the heart of many of today’s young people. With his forthcoming film Monsters Club, his characters are a bit older but they maintain a deep current of dissatisfaction with society. The plot follows a man Ryoichi named who lives in complete isolation on a snow-covered mountain. He spends his … Continue reading

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New Korean thriller will have audiences ‘Howling’ at the moon

The Korean thriller Howling is slated to hit theaters in its native country on February 9th, 2012 and today Beyond Hollywood has the new poster for the film. Howling is about two detectives trying to unravel the murder mystery surrounding a killer “wolfdog” and stars Song Kang-ho, one of the most recognizable faces in Korean cinema thanks to his turns in films like The Host, Thirst, and Memories of Murder. … Continue reading

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Martial arts icon Kara Hui takes to the horror genre with ‘Blood Stained Shoes’

I’ve been following Todd Rigney’s coverage of the upcoming Chinese horror film Blood Stained Shoes over at Beyond Hollywood for a couple of reasons. One is that the Asian horror genre remains interesting, despite the countless Ringu knock-offs and American remakes it’s been forced to endure. Two is that Blood Stained Shoes stars Kara Hui, the martial arts icon famous for appearing in Shaw Brothers films like My Young Auntie … Continue reading

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Have a ‘Secret Reunion’ with this Korean thriller on Import Blu-ray and DVD

Before he wowed international audiences with his blistering Korean War drama The Front Line, director Jung Hun delivered a decidedly modern thriller in Secret Reunion. This 2010 film stars Korea’s most recognizable actor, Song Kang-ho (Thirst, The Host, Memories of Murder), alongside Kang Dong-Won of Haunters fame in a North vs. South Korea spy game. Song Kang-ho plays a disgraced federal agent who alternately hunts down and befriends Kang Dong-Won’s … Continue reading

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New Chinese martial arts movie reveals the power of ‘Nunchucku’

Nunchuku is a new Mandarin-language martial arts film slated to hit Chinese theaters on March 2, 2012. It’s also a difficult film to bring you information on since not much has been written about it in English! From what Cityonfire.com has been able to gather, the picture is directed by and stars an actor named Chen Star. The film explores themes of honor, family, and loyalty, but also features Chen … Continue reading

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Slasher movie parody ‘Detention’ finally gets a release date

From the director of Torque, the 2004 Fast ‘n Furious clone that blew audience’s virgin minds with its video game cutscene-like special effects and blatant Mountain Dew advertising, comes Detention, one of the most buzzed about flicks at last year’s South By Southwest. The film is a self-aware, tongue-in-cheek parody of horror films that AICN described as a cross between Scott Pilgrim and Scream. Not much was heard about the … Continue reading

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Michael Fassbender is Cormac McCarthy’s ‘Counselor’

Since No Country For Old Men author Cormac McCarthy sold his first spec script to Hollywood a few weeks ago, the project, titled The Counselor, has been on the fast track – and that’s putting it mildly. It didn’t take long before Blade Runner and Alien filmmaker Ridley Scott signed on to direct and today AICN reports that acclaimed actor Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class, Shame) is attached to the … Continue reading

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