A live-action adaptation of Capcom’s popular visual novel game series “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney” is set for a theatrical release in Japan on February 11, 2012. The magazine Otona Fami published the first photograph of actor Hiroki Narimiya as the lead character, Phoenix Wright. Anime News Network has your first look! The movie is actually directed by Takashi Miike of “Ichi the Killer” and “Audition” fame. Bet you didn’t see … Continue reading →

Jean-Claude Van Damme fans have a lot to look forward to this year. In addition to Six Bullets, he’ll be starring along side Cung Le in Dragon Eyes; re-teaming up with Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins in Universal Soldier: A New Dimension; and is part of the ensemble action flick The Expendables 2 – his true, big budget, major theatrical comeback. On top of all of this, you can pick … Continue reading →

If you enjoyed Japanese high school delinquent films like Takashi Miike’s Crows: Episode Zero and the Funimation released Drop, you might want to keep an eye on the upcoming film Furyou Shounen: 3000-nin no Atama. The movie, which lands in Japanese theaters in March, is based on an autobiographical novel by Endo Natsuki and stars Saito Takumi (Takashi Miike’s upcoming Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney flick) as a youth who sets … Continue reading →

This week is notable for bringing us Ryan Gosling in Drive on blu-ray and Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage, as well as some Italian exploitation flicks on blu-ray. All in all, not too shabby. So here are your Asian and genre movie releases for the week of 1/31/12: ASIAN CINEMA Outrage (blu-ray/DVD) – Magnet Releasing presents Takeshi ‘Beat’ Kitano’s 2010 bloody Yakuza epic. A must-see for fans of gangster flicks and extreme … Continue reading →

“Donnie Yen and Jackie Chan Blow Up the Screen in an Epic Battle.” – RedCarpetCrash.com BLADE OF KINGS Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan and Bing Bing Fan Star in an Epic Tale Combining Romance, Fantasy, Comedy and Cutting Edge Hong Kong Style Martial Arts on Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack and DVD March 6th Bonus Materials Include a Making-Of Featurette and a Music Video Donnie Yen (IP Man), Jackie Chan (Shaolin, … Continue reading →

On Facebook, Well Go USA posted: “Be on the lookout for Duel of Fists and also Swordsman and Enchantress – both coming on DVD in April.” In the meantime, Well Go USA is keeping their Asian catalogue fresh with upcoming releases like Jackie Chan’s 1911 (Jan), Donnie Yen’s Flash Point (Jan), Jet Li’s Ocean Heaven (Feb), the Korean box office hit War of the Arrows (Feb), Tak Sakaguchi in Yakuza Weapon (Feb) and Blade … Continue reading →

We’re not even a month into 2012 and already two gruesome, blood-splattered horror films are slated for release in…Mainland China?! Sure, Hong Kong has always be known for their goofy horror comedies and supernatural-tinged romances, but I for one never expected to see full-on “this is comparable to Saw“-style horror flicks coming out of the Mainland. Over at Beyond Hollywood, you can check out the two posters and the Not … Continue reading →

On January 3rd, the publisher of Bandai Entertainment is announcing that it will cease to release new DVD and Blu-ray releases in North America, effectively ending its 13-year run in the market. The majority of the division’s contractors and three of their five full-time staff members will be laid off, and all releases scheduled after the end of January have been cancelled. For more information, visit www.animenewsnetwork.com. Update: Off the … Continue reading →

Can you believe that January is almost over? Well, there are plenty of great titles to choose from this week, whether you want to see Donnie Yen kick ass in Flash Point or witness Johnnie To’s next crime movie masterpiece with Punished. So let’s get started. Here are your blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 1/24/12: ASIAN CINEMA Punished (DVD) – this 2011 Hong Kong thriller about a … Continue reading →

United Red Army, the 2007 Japanese-language film that Sight & Sound magazine called “one of the best films of the decade” is now streaming on Netflix Instant in HD. Director Koji Wakamatsu’s (Caterpillar) epic docudrama explores the political unrest of 1960′s Japan, when mass student uprisings coincided with the beginnings of the far-left United Red Army group, which tortured and murdered its ”deviant” members during a 1972 training session. An … Continue reading →

This week leaves us with plenty to talk about so I’ll cut my speech short and get started. Here are your Asian and genre movie blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 1/17/12: Gantz II: Perfect Answer (blu-ray/DVD) – Viz Media presents the final installment in the live-action Gantz series! This 2011 film is based off the popular – and very dark and violent – anime The Coast Guard … Continue reading →

“Fine, I’ll be an action star,” says Donnie Yen. During an AsianOneNews interview, Donnie also states that he will be taking a break from period films, focusing instead on contemporary action films, a genre he personally prefers. Donnie is currently promoting his new film, Wu Xia. To read the full story, please click here. Update: News has surfaced that Donnie might star in a heist/action movie produced by and co-starring … Continue reading →

Looking to add a little excitement to your life? Well, you know that producer extraordinaire Luc Besson always has you covered in that regard. As of today, his 2010 film “District 13: Ultimatum” has been added to the Netflix Instant catalog and is available in HD. Like it’s predecessor it’s another mix of high-octane martial arts and death-defying parkour, set in a near-future Paris that’s not unlike the world of … Continue reading →