Author Archives: Z Ravas

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | aka M:I-4 (2011) Review

"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Brad Bird Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Samuli Edelmann, Anil Kapoor, Josh Holloway, Léa Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson, Ving Rhames, Ivan Shvedoff, Pavel Kríz Running Time: 132 min. By HKFanatic Defying age and box office results, Tom Cruise is back with another entry in his venerable “Mission: Impossible” series. Although the second installment threatened to turn the franchise into a Cruise vanity … Continue reading

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Sion Sono’s Asian horror masterpiece ‘Cold Fish’ arrives on Netflix Instant

From Sion Sono, the acclaimed director of Suicide Club, comes a new vision of Asian horror. Cold Fish is a dark, disturbing, and strangely humorous look at one dysfunctional Japanese family and the lengths they will go to in order to make their tropical fish shop successful. The film is now streaming on Netflix Instant in HD and comes highly recommended from City on Fire. Check out our review here, … Continue reading

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Lost World, The: Jurassic Park (1997) Review

Director: Steven Spielberg Writer: David Koepp Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Gerald R. Molen, Colin Wilson Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vanessa Lee Chester, Pete Postlethwaite, Arliss Howard Running Time: 129 min. By HKFanatic When we’re first introduced to Jeff Goldblum’s character in “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” he’s yawning in front of a fake painted backdrop. Clearly something is amiss: if the acclaimed thespian can’t even muster any excitement for this … Continue reading

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Blu-Ray and DVD Releases for 12/13/11

This week is jam-packed with releases leading up to the holidays so let’s get cracking. Here are your Asian and genre movie blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 12/13/11: ASIAN CINEMA The Legend is Born – Ip Man (blu-ray/DVD) – this 2010 martial arts film, sometimes erroneously marketed as a prequel to Donnie Yen’s “Ip Man” series, isn’t the lazy cash-in you might expect. It’s actually pretty good! … Continue reading

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Man from Nowhere, The (2010) Review

"The Man from Nowhere" International Theatrical Poster

AKA: Ajeossi Director: Lee Jeong-beom Writer: Lee Jeong-beom Cast: Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Tae-hoon, Kim Hee-won, Kim Sung-oh, Thanayong Wongtrakul Running Time: 119 min. By HKFanatic “The Man From Nowhere” is probably the best blind buy I’ve ever made. I decided to pick it up during release week based on the little positive word-of-mouth I’d read online. I figured: hey, it’s a new gritty Korean revenge movie, it has … Continue reading

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Catch the 2010 Korean “A Better Tomorrow” remake on Netflix Instant

In 2010, Korean director Hae-sung Song remade John Woo’s heroic bloodshed classic “A Better Tomorrow” – with Woo’s blessing – as a slick Korean melodrama. Released on blu-ray and DVD just a few weeks ago from distributor Well Go USA, the film is now streaming on Netflix Instant in HD. Watch the film and see how you compare it to the original. In the meantime, check out our reviews.

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Chaser, The (2008) Review

"Chaser" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Chugyeogja Director: Na Hong-jin Cast: Kim Yun-Seok, Ha Jung-Woo, Seo Yeong-Hee, Park Hyo-Joo, Jung In-Gi, Jo Duk-Je Running Time: 123 min. By HKFanatic It took me a second viewing to realize it but “The Chaser” is probably one of the best films I’ve ever seen. It’s also an extremely frustrating experience. “The Chaser” is a thriller that refuses to behave like one as writer/director Na Hong-jin embraces the sad … Continue reading

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On January 24, get ‘Punished’ by Johnnie To

Get Ready For Action Packed Excitement PUNISHED Available on DVD, Digital and Movies on Demand on January 24, 2012 Indomina Releasing is adding another action-packed drama to its release titles, PUNISHED, produced by critically acclaimed Johnnie To and directed by Law Wing Cheong, starring Anthony Wong (Infernal Affairs, Exiled), Richie Jen (Life Without Principle, Fire of Conscience), Janice Man (Basic Love) and Maggie Cheung (Clean, Song of Exile). Punished will … Continue reading

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Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City (2010) Review

Director: Takashi Miike Writer: Kankuro Kudo Cast: Show Aikawa, Riisa Naka, Tsuyoshi Abe, Masahiro Inoue, Naoki Tanaka, Guadalcanal Taka Running Time: 106 min. By HKFanatic No matter what, you can always count on Takashi Miike to do the last thing you expect of him. Just a few months before “13 Assassins” hit theaters in Japan, becoming yet another benchmark in the director’s storied career, Miike directed a sequel to his … Continue reading

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Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 12/6/11

The holidays are getting closer with each week. Have you finished shopping for gifts – or not even started yet? Here are the Asian and genre movie blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 12/6/11: ASIAN CINEMA Triple Tap (blu-ray/DVD) – Well Go USA offers this 2010 Hong Kong thriller set in the world of competitive shooting, starring Louis Koo and Daniel Wu Lady Ninja Kaede Complete Collection (DVD) … Continue reading

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Pierce Brosnan is back as 007…at least on Netflix

They say your favorite James Bond tends to be the one you grew up with. For many who came of age during the 90’s, that would be Pierce Brosnan, who staked his claim as the famous secret agent in a string of films from 1995 to 2002. Today, his first three outings as 007 have arrived on Netflix streaming. Goldeneye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and The World is Not … Continue reading

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Midnight Madness DVD imprint haunts Netflix Instant

Back in late September, Image Entertainment released a slew of out-of-print 80’s horror and cult movies on DVD, many of which had previous been released by Anchor Bay, as part of their new “Midnight Madness” imprint. Just yesterday, most of those titles ended up streaming on Netflix Instant. Not all of them are winners but there’s certainly a little something for everyone and many of these movies have long since … Continue reading

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‘Triple Tap’ is reloaded and ready for blu-ray and DVD on December 6

“HIGH ADRENALINE ACTION” – Twitch “Superior fascinating thriller!” – Beyond Hollywood “Yee continues to surpass his demanding audience expectations” – A Nut Shell Review The Stakes are Higher, the Danger Greater and the Sharpshooter Much, Much Deadlier TRIPLE TAP Louis Koo, Daniel Wu and Li Bingbing Star in Director Derek Yee’s Action Thriller on Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack and DVD December 6 Bonus Materials Include Deleted Scenes, Behind-the-Scenes Featurette … Continue reading

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‘Chillerama’ comes to Netflix Instant

Some noteworthy titles have been added to Netflix instant. These films are actually arriving day and date with their blu-ray/DVD counterparts, perhaps a sign of things to come. Will advertisements in the future read “coming soon to blu-ray, DVD, and Netflix”? The Spanish-language home invasion thriller “Kidnapped” has been added to streaming, as well as the horror movie anthology “Chillerama” and Werner Herzog’s latest documentary “Cave of Forgotten Dreams.”

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Blu-Ray and DVD Releases for 11/29/11

The last week of November finds plenty to get excited about. Time to get started on your Christmas shopping if you haven’t already. Who doesn’t love a good Asian blu-ray stocking stuffer? So here is our list of Asian and genre blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 11/29/11: ASIAN CINEMA Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City (Blu-ray + DVD combo) – Zebraman is back for a futuristic adventure … Continue reading

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