42 Students, Three Days, One Survivor, No Rules. Clever, creepy and ultra-violent, Battle Royale, one of the most controversial cult films ever made, will be shown in North American theaters for a limited time. According to Blu-ray.com, Anchor Bay Entertainment, who acquired Battle Royale’s (and its sequel) North American rights, is hosting a limited theatrical run for the director’s cut of the movie. The film will not be shown in … Continue reading →

THE MOVIE: There are now plans for a post-apocalyptic take on the classic swash-buckler last portrayed in movies by Antonio Banderas. X-Men special FX artist Rpin Suwannath is attached to direct Zorro Reborn. Plans are for the film to be darker than its predecessors. Although I have to say that someone already beat that company to the punch on the premise of a post-apocalyptic swordsman. Updates: This Zorro is not … Continue reading →

Now this has to be the strangest trailer I’ve seen in awhile. A micro-budgeted Japanese action flick called Beach Patrol Force: Cherry and Peach is on its way. It looks to follow the exploits of two female cops in short shorts who make sure the beaches of Japanese are safe and, if the occasion calls for it, team up with local police to take down drug dealers. Surprisingly, the trailer … Continue reading →

The Chosun Ilbo reports that the low-budget Korean film Unbowed is causing a box office sensation. According to the Korean Film Council, film attracted a total accumulated number of 1.4 million viewers, surpassing the 1-million mark just eight days since its release. Unbowed is inspired by the true story of Kim Myung-ho (played by Ahn Seong-Gi), a professor who failed to get tenure by his university after he questioned the … Continue reading →

For decades, Roger Corman has been synonymous with low-budget but influential genre filmmaking. Through his production house he helped iconic American directors like James Cameron and Jonathan Demme get their start. Lately distributor Shout! Factory has been re-issuing many of Corman’s out-of-print films on blu-ray and DVD. Today several of these Roger Corman Cult Classics arrive streaming on Netflix. Celebrate the man, the legend, that is Roger Corman with these … Continue reading →

Today, Shout! Factory announced a multi-year agreement with CJ E&M, the leading film distribution and production company in Korea, to be the exclusive North American home entertainment distributor for two widely popular Korean motion pictures. Under the multi-property alliance, Shout! Factory has secured the rights to distribute the Korean 3D creature thriller Sector 7 and action-packed adventure Quick for all packaged media (DVD/Blu-ray) home entertainment releases and digital distribution in … Continue reading →

The trailer for director Hajime Ohata’s upcoming film Henge is one of the most interesting trailers I’ve seen in ages. The film is about a husband and wife who must deal with the fallout when the husband is mysterious attacked and grows a strange, insect-like appendage as a result. As a fan of director Shinya Tsukamoto and his Tetsuo: The Iron Man films, the premise feels immediately familiar. It will … Continue reading →

Need another reason to pack up your belongings, cash a life insurance policy, and move to the Big Apple? The 10th Annual New York Korean Film Festival is fast approaching. On February 24th through the 26th, the Festival will play host to a slew of promising new Korean films. Asian Movie Pulse has the full line-up but some of the highlights include the fast ‘n furious-looking Quick; mob love story … Continue reading →

This Tuesday happens to be Valentine’s Day. What better way to celebrate than with a Criterion samurai film or a Jeff Speakman flick on Blu-ray, right? Here are your Asian and genre movie releases for the week of 2/14/12: ASIAN CINEMA Three Outlaw Samurai (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection presents director Hideo Gosha’s 1964 samurai film in hi-definition Sword of Desperation (DVD) – AnimEigo offers this 2010 samurai film, which … Continue reading →

Beat ‘Em Up is an upcoming martial arts feature starring and directed by Peter Hallett (The Silencer, Death List). The film, openly billed as “Bruce Lee’s Game of Death for the UFC Generation,” features action from the stunt team behind Batman Begins, Blade II and The Golden Compass. Beat ‘Em Up has a surprising cast that includes Richard Grannon (Real Outlaws) Antonio Fargas (Starsky And Hutch) Joe Estevez (Apocalypse Now) … Continue reading →

Raymond Chow is the prime mover of Golden Harvest Studios, which he founded in 1970 with Leonard Ho. Some of the biggest names of Hong Kong cinema were launched (and still are associated) by the studio: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, John Woo and Jet Li – just to name a few. Twitch recently posted a 20-minute video interview, which was conducted on March 21st, 2011, during … Continue reading →