Category Archives: News

Ringo Lam: December 8, 1955 – December 29, 2018

Posted in News |

Eastern Cherries – First Experiences of Asian Cinema: Korea Edition Part IV

It all comes back to Blockbuster Video. Sure, when you think of the former franchise’s early 2000’s heyday, you might resent them for ordering and taking up so much shelf space with 200 copies of Vin Diesel’s xXx that nobody wanted to rent. But in the midst of all the would-be Hollywood hits and Casper Van Dien Direct-to-DVD flicks, you would occasionally find a foreign film diamond in the rough. Such … Continue reading

Posted in Features, News |

Secret Reunion (2010) Review

"Secret Reunion" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Jang Hun Cast: Song Kang-Ho, Gang Dong-Won, Jeon Kuk-Hwan, Park Hyuk-Kwon, Yoon Hee-Seok, Ko Chang-Seok, Lee So-Yun, Jung In-Gi, Bae Yong-Geun, Jo Suk-Hyun, Park Yong-Jin, Kwon Bum-Taek, Choi Jung-Woo Running Time: 116 min. By Z Ravas Secret Reunion opens at a fever pitch most action movies hope to achieve during their climax. Gang Don-won’s character has been living in South Korea as a sleeper agent for the North when … Continue reading

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged , |

HBO Asia to air two New kung fu films early next Year

Following HBO Asia’s successful 2016 release of Master of the Shadowless Kick: Wong Kei-Ying and Master of the Drunken Fist: Beggar So, the network, along with China Movie Channel, will be releasing Master of the White Crane Fist: Wong Yan-Lam and Master of the Nine Dragon Fist: Wong Ching-Ho on February 20th and 21st, 2019, respectively. Guo Jianyong directed Master of the White Crane Fist: Wong Yan-Lam, which tells how kung fu master Wong disguises himself and cracks … Continue reading

Posted in News |

Mile 22 (2018) Review

"Mile 22" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Peter Berg Cast: Mark Wahlberg, John Malkovich, Lauren Cohan, Iko Uwais, Ronda Rousey, Sam Medin, Nikolai Nikolaeff, Chae Rin Lee, Poorna Jagannathan, Myke Holmes Running Time: 94 min. By Kelly Warner There’s a joke online that when an international breaking news tragedy occurs, Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg are first in line to get the movie rights. From terrorist attacks to environmental disasters, it would seem that the duo … Continue reading

Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy (2018) Review

Master Z: Ip Man Legacy | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Director: Yuen Woo-ping Cast: Max Zhang, Dave Bautista, Liu Yan, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Jaa, Kevin Cheng, Chrissie Chau, Patrick Tam, Philip Keung, Anthony Ho, Xing Yu, Adam Pak Running Time: 137 min. By Paul Bramhall While anticipation builds for the 2019 release of Ip Man 4, with all of its furore around the inclusion of Bruce and Boyka, it shouldn’t be forgotten that 2018 isn’t going to let us get … Continue reading

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , |

Rage (1995) Review

"Rage" VHS Cover

Director: Joseph Merhi Cast: Gary Daniels, Kenneth Tigar, Fiona Hutchison, Jillian McWhirter, Peter Jason, Mark Metcalf, Tim Colceri, Ramon Sison, David Powledge, Judith-Marie Bergan Running Time: 95 min.  By Paul Bramhall Call me gullible, but when a movie comes with a tagline like “Somewhere between sanity and madness….there is RAGE”, you have me sold. Such is the case for the 1995 Gary Daniels vehicle Rage. Despite the bold tagline, there can be … Continue reading

Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Other Movies, Reviews | Tagged , |

Spielberg developing Kurosawa’s ‘Rashomon’ as a TV series

Steven Spielberg is developing a TV series version of Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 classic, Rashomon. The 88-minute film will be reimagined and remade as a ten-episode TV series (via EO). Kurosawa’s original, which was based on the 1922 short story In a Grove, by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, revolved around the rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband, which are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the … Continue reading

Posted in News |

Eastern Cherries – First Experiences of Asian Cinema: Korea Edition Part III

While I can definitively say that Jackie Chan introduced me to Hong Kong/Chinese cinema and that Godzilla opened the door for me to the world of Japanese cinema, it’s a little harder to remember where my appreciation for Korean film began. That’s interesting because I didn’t get into Korean movies until the last decade or so, whereas my interest in HK and Japanese film began much earlier. I think, unlike … Continue reading

Posted in Features, News |

Psychokinesis (2018) Review

"Psychokinesis" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Yeon Sang-Ho Writer: Yeon Sang-Ho Cast: Ryoo Seung-Ryong, Shim Eun-Kyung, Park Jung-Min, Kim Min-Jae, Jung Yu-Mi Running Time: 101 min.  By Z Ravas Train to Busan must be the most popular Korean film in America since Oldboy. No, I don’t have any hard data to back that up (although the movie did gross close to $100 million worldwide). But anecdotally, here in the States – where Korean cinema is still … Continue reading

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |

‘High Kick Girl’ Rina Takeda goes ‘Drunken Master’

High Kick Girl and Karate Girl Rina Takeda joins forces with Japanese girl band You’ll Melt More! for the music video for their latest song “Never Give Up Drunk Monkey.” The song features Rina as a put-upon office lady inspired by the band’s music to strike back against some office misconduct. You’ll Melt More! is a New Wave Girl group formed in 2012, who perform everything from Rock, Punk Rock, Hip … Continue reading

Posted in News |

Deal on Fire! Kill Zone 2 | Blu-ray | Only $9.29 – Expires soon!

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Cheang Pou-soi’s Kill Zone 2 (aka  SPL II: A Time for Consequences). When an undercover cop gets too close to revealing the mastermind of a drug syndicate, his cover is blown. Double-crossed, he’s thrown into a Thai prison, where a guard discovers the inmate – claiming he’s a cop – is a bone marrow match for his dying daughter… and his warden may have an even deadlier … Continue reading

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

New action-packed Int’l Trailer for Korean thriller ‘Take Point’

South Korean heavies Ha Jung-Woo (Tunnel, Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds) and Lee Sun-Kyun (A Hard Day, Advocate: A Missing Body) are pairing up for Take Point (read our review), a military actioner from director Kim Byung-Woo (The Terror Live). On the day of the U.S. presidential election in 2024, Ahab and his team of elite mercenaries embark on a secret CIA mission to abduct North Korea’s Armed Forces Minister in an underground bunker … Continue reading

Posted in News |

Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018) Review

"Illang: The Wolf Brigade" Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Ji-woon Cast: Gang Dong-Won, Han Hyo-Joo, Jung Woo-Sung, Kim Moo-Yul, Han Ye-Ri, Heo Jun-Ho, Minho, Shin Eun-Soo, Kim Pub-Lae, Lee Dong-Ha, Choi Jin-Ho Running Time: 138 min. By Z Ravas A Tale of Two Sisters. A Bittersweet Life. The Good, the Bad, the Weird. I Saw the Devil. Age of Shadows. Over the last 15 years, the work of Kim Jee-woon has come to help define popular Korean … Continue reading

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Deal on Fire! Saving General Yang | Blu-ray | Only $9.99 – Expires soon!

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Saving General Yang, a 2013 period action thriller from director Ronny Yu (The Bride with White Hair). Northeast China, early Northern Song dynasty, AD 986. The Khitan army takes its revenge for a past massacre, abducting General Yang Ye and leaving his wife and seven sons to rescue him – and fall into their deadly trap The film stars Adam Cheng (Seven Warriors), Yu Bo (The Legend of Qin), … Continue reading

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |