RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2012 In Debauchery, Ryoko Watanabe stars as Ami, a jaded housewife who pitches herself, body and soul, into the Tokyo decadence of the decade in an attempt to pep up her marriage. She secretly joins the elite Madame Machiko Society Club to experiment with discrete sex games and the thrill of making love to anonymous men. Bonus Features: Original Trailer and Liner Notes from Jasper Sharp.

RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2012 One of the most powerful of the family portraits by Yasujiro Ozu, Late Spring tells the story of a widowed father who feels compelled to marry off his beloved only daughter. Eminent Ozu players Chishu Ryu and Setsuko Hara command this poignant tale of love and loss in postwar Japan, which remains as potent today as ever—and as strong a justification for its maker’s inclusion … Continue reading →

RELEASE DATE: March 27, 2012 Based on the manga Crows by Hiroshi Takahashi. Crows Zero tells the untold story behind the characters in Suzuran, a violent high school. Directed by Takashi Miike, written by Shogo Muto and stars Shun Oguri and Takayuki Yamada. Read cityonfire.com’s review and watch the trailer.

RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2012 Koji Fukada’s Hospitalite, a black comedy, follows the follies that ensue when a man and his wife shack up with a family that owns a printing press in their building, the husband takes it over, and the couple begin inviting a motley crew of friends. The film stars Kenji Yamauchi, Kiki Sugino, Kanji Furutachi and Bryerly Long. Check out the trailer.

RELEASE DATE: March 27, 2012 Confucius is written, produced and directed by Hu Mei (On The Other Side Of The Bridge) and stars Chow Yun-fat (The Corruptor) as the titular Chinese philosopher. The film also stars Zhou Xun (True Legend), Chen Jianbin (Driverless), Ren Quan (Panda Express), Lu Yi (Stool Pigeon) and Yao Lu (Detective Dee). If you think this bio pic will be nothing but a bunch of philosophical … Continue reading →

RELEASE DATE: March 20, 2012 First Run Features presents Secret Pleasures: Four Asian Films about Love, Longing and Fishhooks. This DVD set contains the following films: Kim Ki-Duk’s The Isle: The erotic arthouse thriller that caused a sensation at the Sundance, Toronto, and Venice Film Festivals, The Isle tells the tale of a beautiful woman who lives on an eerie, remote lake selling food to fisherman by day, and her … Continue reading →

RELEASE DATE: February 28, 2012 Based on the dark, controversial Internet comic strip, Multi-Cell Girl (a.k.a Dasepo Sonyo), Daesepo Naughty Girls follows the sexual adventures in one seriously bizarre high school. Directed by Je-yong Lee (“Untold Scandal”) and starring Kim Ok-bin, Park Jin-woo, Lee Kyeon, Eun-seong, Kim Byeol and Lee Won-jong. Check out the trailer.

RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2012 Directed by Hae-sung Song (2010’s “A Better Tomorrow” remake), Rikidozan: A Hero Extraordinaire is a biopic that recounts the story of Rikidozan, a sumo wrestler who can only achieve limited success in Japan because he’s half Korean. But when Rikidozan goes to the United States and discovers professional wrestling, he becomes a hero back home. Check out the trailer.

RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2012 A young judge is known for making tough and uncompromising decisions. But, his carefully ordered life is thrown into chaos after his wife is brutally murdered. Apparently, a former criminal has a grudge against him for a past ruling. It soon becomes apparent that the case is far from closed, as a reporter contacts Suk Hyun, informing him that his life appears to be following … Continue reading →