Watch the Trailer for Erik Matti’s ‘On the Job 2: The Missing 8’

"On the Job 2: The Missing 8" Theatrical Poster

“On the Job 2: The Missing 8” Theatrical Poster

Filipino action filmmaker Erik Matti (BuyBust) is back with On the Job 2: The Missing 8, the “by name-only” sequel to his hit 2013 thriller, On the Job.

The film stars John Arcilla (The Bourne Legacy), Dennis Trillo (Shake, Rattle and Roll 14: The Invasion), Dante Rivero (Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story), Lotlot de Leon (Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles) and Christopher de Leon (Smaller and Smaller Circles).

On the Job 2: The Missing 8 focuses on corruption and media censorship now that a new strongman, Duterte, is in power in the Philippines.

The 2013 film – starring Piolo Pascual (Don’t Give Up on Us), Gerald Anderson Continue reading

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Satin Steel (1994) Review

"Satin Steel" DVD Cover

“Satin Steel” DVD Cover

Director: Tony Leung Siu-Hung
Cast: Jade Leung Ching, Anita Lee Yuen Wah, Russell Wong, Kenneth Chan Kai Tai, Wong Kwan-Hong, Kong Miu-Deng, Wan Seung-Lam
Running Time: 85 min.

By Paul Bramhall

After debuting as a Hong Kong version of La Femme Nikita in 1991’s Black Cat and its sequel the following year, model turned action actress Jade Leung would next star in 1994’s Satin Steel. Made at a time when the short lived Girls with Guns genre was already beginning to fizzle out, Leung is notable for making an impression on the genre not only because she entered it during its dying days (compared to her contemporaries like Takajo Fujimi, who today is largely forgotten about), but also for lacking a martial arts background. The fact that she’s still fondly remembered is likely down to her model looks, but equally so the fact that she was always game for performing her own stunts, with the hair raising scenarios she was willing to throw herself into making up for her lack of fighting prowess.

It’s this fact that also allowed fans of the genre to turn a blind eye to the low budget of most movies she’d star in after her Black Cat double whammy, with Satin Steel already sporting decidedly lower production values (notably in 1998 she ended up in the Philippines, the home of low budget HK filmmaking, which saw her star alongside fellow Girls with Guns luminary Yukari Oshima in Leopard Hunting). Despite the low budget though, Satin Steel offered the opportunity to work with the legendary Tony Leung Siu-Hung. The younger brother of Bruce Liang, after acting in and choreographing over 40 movies since the early 70’s, Siu-Hung tired his hand at directing Continue reading

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3 Awesome Supernatural TV Shows

The streaming platforms have popularised many different TV shows and genres. In terms of supernatural TV shows that combine elements of fantasy or science fiction with our modern environment, they are definitely some of the most popular TV shows on streaming platforms. So, if you’re looking to watch a fantastic supernatural TV show, this article will provide an overview of three awesome supernatural TV shows that have a top-billed cast and unique stories.

House of Ghosts 

The cast of Horrible Histories has been relocated to this amazing TV Show – House of Ghosts. They are all from different time periods stuck together in the same estate, while they live happily without any human interference. But, when the mansion is inherited by a young couple that wants to turn the mansion into a hotel, the invisible inhabitants are forced to make a plan how to kill the owners or haunt the mansion until they leave.

However, they are not very skilled and at haunting, and their mission to kill the owners goes awry when the new owner Alison Cooper has an accident that enables her to see and hear the ghosts. Needless to say, this complicates their plans, and a lot of hilarious misadventures ensue.

Supernatural 

Dean and Sam follow the mission of his father to eliminate the earth from supernatural entities like ghosts, demons and other monsters. This is an award-winning TV show that has over five seasons, and it’s definitely worth your time. There is also an interesting episode when Dean and Sam are visiting Las Vegas and want to try their luck with table casino games, but unfortunately, a weird man is following Dean and one ancient Japanese coin threatens to ruin his luck.

If you also want to try your luck with great casino games, then you can register on a reliable casino site like NetBet casino and access a rich library with hundreds of top titles. So, not only you can play slots, but you can also play live casino games with a real dealer or also try your luck with poker, craps, blackjack, baccarat, and many other table casino games. Another advantage is that the games are mobile-friendly and well-designed for mobile gaming. Hence you can play on the move whenever you want.

What We Do in the Shadows  

This is a hilarious TV show that follows an original concept. The unique story follows the lives of four very different vampires – Laszlo, Nandor, Colin Robinson and Nadja that are living together and are really finding it difficult to adapt their daily lives to our modern society.

The mockumentary TV Show is even better because the characters confess their problems and sinister plans directly to the camera. But, the main conflict of the show comes from Guillermo, a familiar that is working basically as a slave in order to fulfil the desires of his master and become a vampire in the future.

However, he secretly becomes a vampire slayer and tries to keep his identity hidden from the rest of the group. The show is equally gruesome as the vampires keep killing humans for blood as it is funny because they are still flawed characters that have many common daily problems.

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Black Cat (1991) Review

"Black Cat" Theatrical Poster

“Black Cat” Theatrical Poster

Director: Stephen Shin
Cast: Jade Leung Ching, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Thomas Lam Cho Fai, Louis Roth, Gregory Charles Rivers, Lauro Chartrand, Lee Diy-Yue, Tam Kon-Chung
Running Time: 91 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

Luc Besson’s 1990 action thriller La Femme Nikita has remained one of the most enduringly influential movies throughout the years. The action thriller, which saw Anne Parillaud’s presumed dead felon become a trained assassin for a secret government agency, has spawned its fair share of remakes. In 1992 Hollywood got in on the action with Point of No Return, which cast Bridget Fonda in the lead. From 1997 to 2001 we got a small screen adaption, with Peta Wilson stepping into the role of the titular La Femme Nikita for a US series that maintained the originals title and lasted 5 seasons. Close to a decade later the concept would be revisited again on the small screen, this time simply titled Nikita, which saw Maggie Q take on the role from 2010 to 2013 in another US series that made it to a 4th season. Before any of those though, Hong Kong was first out of the gates to remake the material, with 1991’s Black Cat.

The debut of model turned actress Jade Leung, Black Cat would be the role that defined her career, and one that she’d frequently return to. 1992 gave us Black Cat II, 2000 offered up Black Cat in Jail, and in 2003 we delved into The Black Cat Agent Files. When we first meet Leung she’s a lazy waitress working in a New York truck stop diner, and as Hong Kong cinema has a tendency to do, it doesn’t take long before things go from 0 to 60. After being harassed by a customer she finds herself being viciously thrown around thanks to conning him with the promise of a sexual Continue reading

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Here’s the movies that are streaming on Hi-YAH! for September

Hi-YAH!, Well Go USA’s very own Asian/martial arts streaming channel has just announced their New Release line up for the month of September, which includes a New film added to Hi-YAH! every Friday. Read on for the full list!

September 3 | Fearless Kung Fu King (Hi-YAH! Original) In order to establish himself in Jinmen, Huo Yuanjia challenges seven Kung Fu schools. The film is directed by Hei Zi and stars Hu Guofang, Wang Yabin and Zheng Zhongyu. Continue reading

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The Eight Hundred | Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)

The Eight Hundred | Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)

The Eight Hundred | Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)

RELEASE DATE: November 23, 2021

On November 23, 2021, Shout! Factory is releasing the Blu-ray & DVD for Guan Hu’s critically acclaimed historical war actioner The Eight Hundred.

The film stars Huang Zhizhong (The Founding of an Army), Zhang Junyi, Oho Ou (Legend of the Demon Cat), Jiang Wu (Shock Wave), Zhang Yi (Operation Red Sea), and Wang Qianyuan (Brotherhood of Blades).

From the highly acclaimed director of Mr. Six, Guan Hu, and producer Edward Cheng (Terminator: Dark Fate), comes the incredible true story of the outnumbered and under-equipped Chinese soldiers heroically defending the Sihang Warehouse from 20,000 members of the formidable Continue reading

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‘No Time to Die’ gets a Final Trailer, also Trailer for New Documentary ‘Being James Bond’ to stream on Apple TV

“No Time to Die” Theatrical Poster

“No Time to Die” Theatrical Poster

In No Time to Die, Bond – Daniel Craig, returning as 007 for the 5th and reportedly the last time – has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Directing is acclaimed filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective, Sin Nombre) off a screenplay credited to Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag creator, writer and star), Neal Purvis (Casino Royale) and Robert Wade (Spectre). Singing the theme song for No Time to Die is award-winning Continue reading

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Tech Changing how we Engage with Entertainment

The traditional moviegoing experience is one where we sit in the theatre, eating our popcorn and enjoying the ambience. To many, this is considered the be the purest form of movie viewing, to which nothing else could compare. Outside of theatres, we obviously also can watch from home. This has historically been regarded as a step down from theatres, but public opinion on this option is slowly changing. Taking this concept a step further is the ability to watch on phones. Often derided as inauthentic, this option nonetheless presents the favored option for some.

These different options raise some interesting questions on where we should draw the line. Is there a set level where entertainment becomes authentic or is there room enough for everyone? Using movies and online digital entertainment in bingo as examples, we want to explain why this world isn’t as black and white as we might initially think.

Complicated Growth

Online bingo today is one of the most popular forms of digital gambling. Take, for example, when users play jackpot games on Paddy Power Bingo, a popular online casino service. Here, variations on the game like the Gold and Green rooms give players considerable choice in prizes and buy-ins, while also illustrating a level of convenience that simply isn’t possible offline. At first, these systems were derided by traditionalists but, over time, their popularity has brought them to much-loved parts of the greater casino industry. In a nutshell, bingo has shown that changing the experience to better cater to new technology can be a good thing, for the right audience.

In movies, the same battle over purity has been waged for generations. As reported by The Verge, major industry names like David Lynch have taken up the torch against watching on mobiles, to varying levels of public support. Just like what happened with bingo traditionalists, it could be that people like Lynch might be too close to the industry to be objective.

Component Parts

Though it might not be fully plausible to break something as subjective as entertainment appreciation down to objective parts, there are at least elements that can be considered when taking a broader view. Take, for example, when people aren’t comfortable in movie seats, or when they don’t like being around crowds. In this case, a traditional movie-going experience is never going to be the best way for these people to engage.

On their TV at home, viewers could get far more comfortable, they could set the audio/visual settings as they want, and the experience would only be better for it. Taking this a step further, as we did with bingo, we could also extend this concept further into the mobile space.

What if somebody is short-sighted, and is only physically comfortable watching a close mobile screen? What if they use high-quality headphones, exceeding the audio quality possible in local theatres? What if they don’t have access to a larger screen in the first place, or simply prefer to watch on their phone for reasons they don’t fully understand themselves?

Looking at the possibilities for entertainment like bingo and movies in this light, the idea of traditionalism looks less like purity, and more like elitism. The simple fact of entertainment is that it’s nobody else’s business how you engage, and what avenues you find the most enjoyable, as noted by the NYTimes. There are no wrong answers, and artificially limiting your options in an age of superior choice is only going to hamper your experience. In other words, enjoy entertainment how you like, and you’ll never be wrong.

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Jackie Chan & Stanley Tong: Giving the People What They Want – A Retrospective

Jackie Chan & Stanley Tong: Giving the People What They Want – A RetrospectiveIt may come as a surprise, but the only director who’s worked with Jackie Chan more than Stanley Tong is Lo Wei. Of course the relationship between star and director is quite different. Chan cranked out 7 movies with Lo Wei at the helm in the 4 years spanning 1976 to 1979, starting with the intolerable New Fist of Fury and concluding with Dragon Fist, one of Chan’s best old-schoolers. It’s well known that Chan wasn’t happy being under contract to the Lo Wei Motion Picture Co., which is the complete opposite to the star’s relationship with Stanley Tong.

Lo Wei, Nora Miao and Jackie Chan on the set of 1976's New Fist of Fury.

Lo Wei, Nora Miao and Jackie Chan on the set of 1976’s New Fist of Fury.

To date the pair have worked in the capacity of star and director 6 times, however unlike Chan’s 4-year stint with Lo Wei, his collaborations with Tong to date have spanned a whopping 28 years. Sometimes leaving gaps of more than a decade between collaborations, the question of what keeps drawing Chan and Tong back together no matter how much time passes is an interesting one. With this feature, we decided to delve into their shared filmography to explore the theory that, whenever Continue reading

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Deal on Fire! Ip Man 4: The Finale | Blu-ray | Only $9.96 – Expires soon!

Ip Man 4: The Finale | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Ip Man 4: The Finale | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Ip Man 4: The Finale (read our review). The film sees the return of Donnie Yen (Chasing the Dragon) as the legendary martial arts figure, Ip Man.

Following the death of his wife, Ip Man travels to San Francisco to ease tensions between the local kung fu masters and his star student, Bruce Lee, while searching for a better future for his son.

Joining Yen this time around is Chris Collins (Paradox), Vanness Wu (Dragon Squad), Scott Adkins (The Debt Collector) and of course, Danny Chan Kwok-kwan (Ip Man 3) returns as Bruce Lee. Acclaimed action director Yuen Woo-ping (Ip Man 3) will be handling the film’s fight choreography Continue reading

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

4 Ways to Make Sure Your Fundraising Cash is Safe

4 Ways to Make Sure Your Fundraising Cash is SafeIf you are collecting money for a nonprofit or for some other charitable cause, you need to make sure that any cash or checks that you collect remain as safe as possible. If you can’t safeguard that money, you’re doing a disservice to both the individuals who gave it to you and also the entity for which you are collecting. You also don’t want to lose any of that money or have anyone steal it because then, there is some risk of people thinking you did something underhanded with it.

You can take certain steps to make sure the cash and checks you collect are safe. Let’s look at how you can take a commonsense approach to this issue right now.

You Can Use a Secure Container When Collecting

Safety matters in everything you do. For instance, if you’re trying to access a computer network, and you want to make sure only authorized individuals can do that, you might use multi-factor authentication. If you were crossing the street, you would look both ways, and so forth.

In fundraising, if you’re going to have to carry around checks and cash, you can make it less likely that anything might happen to that money by keeping it in a secure box with a lock on it. There are portable cash boxes you can get that lock, and as long as you retain the keys for that box and don’t let it out of your sight, that’s going to work a lot better than keeping the money in an unsecured location.

You Want at Least Two Unrelated People Handling the Cash

You should also make sure you assign at least two individuals to handle the organization’s cash during the collection process. If you’re collecting for a nonprofit, for example, you’ll want to arrange for a team to deal with that money rather than just one person.

As long as you trust everyone on that team, this is a better situation than assigning just one individual to handle this significant of a job. This way, one person can go to the bathroom or go get some food while the others watch over the cash. It’s much harder for anyone to lose that money or for anyone to steal it if this is a multi-person effort.

Use a Safe Route When Going to the Bank

Until the money you collect is safely in the bank, there are risk elements involved whenever you fundraise. You’re going to have large cash quantities on you, and that can attract someone who might want to steal it. You’d hope they would think twice about their plans because you’re collecting for a nonprofit and a worthy cause, but some unscrupulous people won’t care about that.

When you’re going to the bank to drop off that money, make sure you go in the daylight and that you take a route with plenty of people along the way who can see what’s happening. Visibility is your friend. 

If you take some secluded route to get to the bank, you make it easier for someone to try and rob you. You can avoid this by having as many witnesses around as possible.

Put that Money in the Bank as Quickly as Possible

As long as you have that fundraising money out of the bank, it’s not safe. You want to make sure to get to the bank as fast as possible and drop off that money for your own peace of mind.

You don’t want to leave the cash in your home for days after the fundraising event. Keeping it at home overnight should be okay, but do not delay any longer than that. Once the sun is up the next day and the banks open, make sure to drop off that money before you try to do anything else.

Once you drop off that money, make sure you get a receipt for it as well. You can keep that receipt as proof showing how much money you collected. You will also want to give everyone a receipt who donated. They can write off charitable contributions on their next tax return.

If you follow this approach, you should be able to bank all the cash you collected for your charitable event or nonprofit entity. You run little risk of anyone robbing you or losing any of that money. The charitable organization or nonprofit for which you collected will definitely thank you for it.

 

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Sailor Suit and Machine Gun | Blu-ray (Arrow)

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun | Blu-ray (Arrow)

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun | Blu-ray (Arrow)

RELEASE DATE: November 11, 2021

On November 11, 2021, Arrow Video is releasing the Blu-ray for Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, a 1981 Japanese actioner directed by Shinji Somai (Wait and See) and starring Tsunehiko Watase (Battles Without Honor and Humanity Vol. 1), Hiroko Yakushimaru (Never Give Up) and Rentaro Mikuni (Shinran: Path to Purity).

Read the official details:

A perky high-schooler takes on the mob in Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, a one-of-a-kind genre-bender that riffs on the yakuza film, coming-of-age drama and ‘idol movie’, inventively adapted from Jiro Akagawa’s popular novel by director Shinji Somai (Typhoon Club, Wait and See), a massively influential figure in Japanese cinema whose work has been little seen outside his Continue reading

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

Commando Ninja | Blu-ray (ETR Media)

Commando Ninja | Blu-ray (ETR Media)

Commando Ninja | Blu-ray (ETR Media)

RELEASE DATE: September 28, 2021

On September 28, 2021, ETR Media is releasing the Blu-ray for Benjamin Combes’ Commando Ninja, a 2018 film that parodies actions films such as Commando and American Ninja (and practically every popular action flick of the 80s).

1986: John Hunter (Eric Carlesi) is a Vietnam veteran, half commando, half ninja, 100% American. He is forced back into action when his young daughter is kidnapped by a secret ninja organization, led by a Central American dictator who wants to create a new world order through time… Unfortunately for them, she is the only thing he would kill again for. Hunter will have to fight his way through an army of ninjas, vietcongs, punks, dinosaurs, mutants, one of his former commandos and a fully equipped private army. With Continue reading

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

Sweet Girl (2021) Review

"Sweet Girl" Netflix Poster

“Sweet Girl” Netflix Poster

Director: Brian Andrew Mendoza
Cast: Jason Momoa, Isabela Merced, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Raza Jaffrey, Justin Bartha, Lex Scott Davis, Michael Raymond-James, Amy Brenneman, Reggie Lee
Running Time: 110 min.

By Paul Bramhall

For a long time it seemed like the musclebound hero was a thing of the past in Hollywood action cinema. The bombastic action movies that dominated the 1980’s filled with ripped six-packs and bulging biceps had long fallen out of favour, and to this day there’s only really 2 options – either 1. You’re Vin Diesel so your “family” has your back, or 2. you get cast as one of the more ripped superheroes in the MCU or DCU. It was option 2 that happened for Chris Hemsworth, who’s biggest claim to fame was playing Patrick Swayze’s role in a disastrous remake of Red Dawn, when he took on the role of Thor and nailed it. It’s a similar story for Jason Momoa, who took the ill-advised decision to step into Arnold Schwarzenegger’s shoes for a critically mauled reboot of Conan the Barbarian, until he found his groove as the nautically inclined Aquaman. Life was good, but what do you do in-between these super-heroic cinematic outings!?

One answer to the question comes in the form of Netflix. With the likes of Cannon Films and PM Entertainment long gone, the streaming service has taken it upon itself to provide a platform (and the funds) for the kind of straight up macho action flicks that the likes of Hemsworth and Momoa would be headlining if we were still in the 80’s. In 2020 we got the Chris Hemsworth vehicle Extraction, a movie that puts him front and centre as an archetypal grizzled action hero Continue reading

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Watch the Trailer for Well Go USA’s post-pandemic Swedish actioner ‘Last Man Down’ from Fansu Njie

Last Man Down | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Last Man Down | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

On October 19, 2021, Well Go USA is releasing the Blu-ray for Last Man Down, a Swedish actioner from writer/director Fansu Njie.

Read the official details:

After civilization succumbs to a deadly pandemic and his wife is murdered, John Wood – a special forces soldier – abandons his duty and becomes a hermit in the Nordic wilderness. Years later, a wounded woman appears on his doorstep. Maria Johnson is an escaped lab rat, and her pursuers believe her blood is the key to a worldwide cure. Though John is hesitant to get involved, all doubts are cast aside when he discovers Maria’s pursuer is none other than Commander Stone, the man Continue reading

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