Category Archives: News

‘The Villainess’ helmer to direct Gerard Butler in ‘Afterburn’

South Korea’s Jung Byung-gil – the director behind Confession of Murder and The Villainess – will be the latest Korean filmmaker to be imported to Hollywood, thus, following the footsteps of Kim Jee-woon (The Last Stand), Park Chan-wook (Stoker) and Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer, Okja). According to Deadline: Original Film, G-BASE and Endurance Media are setting action director Jung to helm the Gerard Butler-starrer Afterburn, which will be scripted by Matt Johnson (Into the Blue). The film has long been a passion for Butler, and … Continue reading

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Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing (2006) Review

"Undisputed II: Last Man Standing" Japanese DVD Poster

Director: Isaac Florentine Cast: Michael Jai White, Scott Adkins, Ben Cross, Eli Danker, Mark Ivanir, Ken Lerner, Daisy Lang, Silvio Simac, Ivaylo Geraskov, Valentin Ganev, Atanas Srebrev Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall I confess I’m late to the party with Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, 12 years late to be precise. But in my defence, I have my reasons, the biggest one being I’m simply not a fan … Continue reading

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Gang Dong-Won dies hard in the Trailer for ‘Golden Slumber’

On February 23rd, 2018, CJ Entertainment is giving Golden Slumber (read our review), a limited theatrical run in the U.S. In the film, a newly elected prime minister is assassinated as part of a conspiracy, and a deliveryman (Gang Dong-Won of A Violent Prosecutor) has to flee for his life when he is framed and the evidence against him begins to accumulate. Golden Slumber is directed by No Dong-Seok (Boys of Tomorrow) and also stars Kim … Continue reading

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The Jade Pendant | DVD (Cinedigm)

RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2018 On May 1, 2018, Cinedigm will releasing the DVD for The Jade Pendant, a drama-thriller from acclaimed director Po-Chih Leong (Hong Kong 1941). In The Jade Pendant, a young Chinese woman, Ying-Ying, finds herself on a boat to America after escaping the clutches of a bad arranged marriage. But when she arrives in California, nothing is what she s expected she’s been sold to a house of prostitution and … Continue reading

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Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass, The (1961) Review

"The Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Seijun Suzuki Cast: Koji Wada, Mayumi Shimizu, Shin Morikawa, Arihiro Fujimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Kotoe Hatsui Running Time: 85 min. By Kelly Warner Charming and sweet aren’t phrases I’d usually use to describe a Seijun Suzuki film, but The Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass is not the typical Seijun Suzuki film. Occasionally reminiscent of the Yasujiro Ozu film Floating Weeds, The Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass (from here on … Continue reading

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Bruce Willis gets a 1970s-style ‘Death Wish’ Theatrical Poster

Prepare yourself to witness a good dose of violent revenge with Eli Roth’s (Cabin Fever) upcoming Death Wish remake, which hits theaters on March 2, 2018. This new version of Michael Winner’s 1973 classic stars Bruce Willis (Die Hard) as Dr. Paul Kersey, a surgeon who only sees the aftermath of Chicago violence when it is rushed into his ER – until his wife (Elisabeth Shue) and daughter (Camila Morrone) are viciously attacked in their … Continue reading

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Asian Extreme Collection | Blu-ray (Cinedigm)

RELEASE DATE: March 6, 2018 On March 6, 2018, North American entertainment company Cinedigm will be releasing the Asian Extreme Blu-ray set, which will include the following films: R100 (read our review): A mild-mannered family man with a secret taste for S&M finds himself pursued by a gang of ruthless dominatrices each with a unique talent in this hilarious and bizarre take on the sex comedy from Japanese comedy giant Hitoshi Matsumoto (Big … Continue reading

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Schwarzenegger joins Michael Fassbender in ‘Kung Fury’

David Sandberg – star, writer and director of the viral short, Kung Fury – is bringing his titular character to the big screen. For the feature film version, he’s recruiting Michael Fassbender (Alien: Covenant) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Aftermath) to star, along with David Hasselhoff, who’ll be back as “Hoff 9000”. According to Variety, the feature film will be set in 1985 in Miami, which is kept safe under the watchful eye of the police officer Kung Fury through his … Continue reading

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Special Lady, A (2017) Review

Director: Lee An-Gyu Producer: Kim Mi-Hwa Cast: Kim Hye-Soo, Lee Sun-Kyun, Lee Hee-Joon, Choi Moo-Sung, Kim Min-Suk, Oh Ha-Nee, Ahn So-Young, Kwon Yool, Cha Soon-Bae, Sun Wook-Hyun Running Time: 90 min. By Z Ravas Any way you slice it, 2017 was a great year for women in action cinema. Guided by one-half of John Wick’s directing duo, Atomic Blonde saw Charlize Theron once again in full-contact combat mode; even if the film’s poe-faced attitude and unnecessarily confusing … Continue reading

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Thousand Faces of Dunjia | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: March 27, 2018 On March 27, 2018, Well Go USA is releasing the Blu-ray & DVD for Yuen Woo-ping’s (True Legend, Ip Man 3, Crouching Tiger, Hidden II) The Thousand Faces of Dunjia (read our review), a remake of Miracle Fighters, a supernatural kung fu film he directed in 1982. Lending a hand will be Tsui Hark (The Taking of Tiger Mountain), who is on board as producer and writer. The film … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Martial Arts Titles, News |

Top 5 American Martial Arts Movies Ever Made

A large slice of every video shop was once dedicated to shirtless, blood-dripping men, striking clenched poses and displaying great fighting skills. Taking their key from Hong Kong cinema, the films of Jean-Claude Van Damme (perhaps the man who personifies video more than anyone) and the various sub-Van Dammes was a vibrant and varied industry of fighting tournaments programmers, bar room brawls and cops who knew chop-socky. They were born … Continue reading

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Cold Harvest (1999) Review

"Cold Harvest" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Isaac Florentine Cast: Gary Daniels, Bryan Genesse, Barbara Crampton, David Sherwood, Isaac Mavimbela, Chris Buchanan, Greg Melvill-Smith, Rohan Coll, Ian Roussouw Running Time: 89 min. By Paul Bramhall Reviewing movies retrospectively is always an interesting exercise. Depending on how much time has passed, what was once considered cool may now be terribly dated, and what was once considered a train wreck may have aged like a fine wine. Just … Continue reading

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Blade of the Immortal (2017) Review

Blade of the Immortal | Blu-ray & DVD (Magnet Releasing)

Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Takuya Kimura, Hana Sugisaki, Sota Fukushi, Hayato Ichihara, Erika Toda, Kazuki Kitamura, Chiaki Kuriyama, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Ken Kaneko, Yoko Yamamoto, Ebizo Ichikawa Running Time: 140 min. By Kyle Warner Takashi Miike, one of today’s most prolific filmmakers, celebrated his 100th film as a director with Blade of the Immortal. And it’s tough to imagine a more perfect film for Miike by which to hit that amazing 100. … Continue reading

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Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017) Review

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Kim Yong-Hwa Cast: Cha Tae-hyun, Ha Jung-Woo, Ju Ji-Hoon, Kim Hyang-Gi, Kim Dong-Wook, Do Kyung-Soo, Lee Joon-Hyuk, Lee Jung-Jae, Ma Dong-Seok, Jung Hae-Kyun Running Time: 139 min.  By Paul Bramhall It’s been a while since Korea delivered a full-blown fantasy spectacle, with perhaps the last time being Jo Dong-oh’s The Restless, way back in 2006. However with the current trend of webtoon (online comic) adaptations that are dominating both Korean … Continue reading

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Boy Who Came Back, The (1958) Review

"The Boy Who Came Back" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Seijun Suzuki Cast: Sachiko Hidari, Akira Kobayashi, Ruriko Asaoka, Toru Abe, Makiko Aoi, Akemi Ebata, Shoki Fukae, Ayako Fukuda, Akinori Hanamura, Ikuhiro Hashiguchi,Eiko Higashitani, Kaoru Higuchi, Akira Hisamatsu, Kyoko Hori Running Time: 99 min. By Kelly Warner Famed director Seijun Suzuki was fond of saying that his films “made no sense and made no money” and indeed we know him best for the bizarre action movies that led to his … Continue reading

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