Cheng Pei-pei, the Chinese-born action film icon who starred in Ang Lee’s Oscar-nominated Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and King Hu’s seminal wuxia feature Come Drink With Me, has died on July 17, 2024 from a degenerative Continue reading
Broken Oath | Blu-ray (Eureka)
RELEASE DATE: October 22, 2024
On October 22, 2024, Eureka is releasing the Blu-ray (Region A/B) for Broken Oath, a 1977 Golden Harvest classic from Cheng Chang-Ho (Double Crossers) that stars Angela Mao (Dance of Death), the first lady of kung fu cinema!
A Hong Kong take on Japan’s Lady Snowblood, Broken Oath is an action-packed tale of righteous vengeance! Orphaned and angry, Lotus (Mao) is raised by Buddhist nuns before she is exiled for her violent ways – and skipping classes to improve her martial arts skills. Finding herself alone in the world, she quickly comes to discover the truth of her past: that her father was once a respected member of the Imperial Court who was murdered in cold blood, and that her mother gave birth to her in a jail cell after being unjustly imprisoned for killing one of the culprits. With revenge on her Continue reading
Kid from Kwangtung | Blu-ray (88 Films)
RELEASE DATE: October 22, 2024
On October 22, 2024, 88 Films is releasing the Blu-ray (Region A/B) for Kid From Kwangtung, a 1982 Shaw Brothers kung fu comedy from director Hsu Hsia (Crystal Hunt, Thunder Run).
From the legendary Shaw Brothers Studio, here’s something a bit funnier than their usual fare: after an evil martial arts master (played by the very great Hwang Jang-li (Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow) kills their own teacher, Wong Yu (Executioners from Shaolin) and Chiang Kam (The Young Master) realize that they’re next. But can the squabbling duo put their differences aside long enough to defeat him?
With spirited slapstick, supernatural silliness and some jaw-dropping fights that really have to be seen to be believed, Kid From Kwangtung is gravity-defying Continue reading
The Kung Fu Instructor | Blu-ray (88 Films)
RELEASE DATE: October 22, 2024
On October 22, 2024, 88 Films is releasing the Blu-ray (Region A/B) for The Kung Fu Instructor, a 1979 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Sun Chung (The Deadly Breaking Sword).
In this bitterly divided town, there’s no middle ground; you’re either with one side or the other – cross the line and face dire consequences. One clan hires a kung fu master – played by the great Ti Lung (A Better Tomorrow) – to break the stalemate, but he’s nobody’s servant and his loyalties can’t be bought so easily…
Inspired by Kurosawa’s Yojimbo and Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars, The Kung Fu Instructor puts a slightly more cynical spin on traditional codes of honour. Stylishly directed by Sun Continue reading
Facets of Love | Blu-ray (88 Films)
RELEASE DATE: October 8, 2024
On October 8, 2024, 88 Films is releasing a Blu-ray (Region A/B) for Facets of Love, an erotic Shaw Brothers classic directed by Li Han-Hsiang (Hsi Shih Beauty of Beauties, The Enchanting Shadow, The Magnificent Concubine).
The film stars Lily Ho Li-Li (14 Amazons), Yueh Hua (The Water Margin), Hu Chin (The Ghost Story), Teresa Ha Ping (Lucky Stars Go Places), Cheng Kang-Yeh (Daggers 8), Su Hsiang (Men of the Hour) and Lydia Shum Tin-Ha (Tiger of Northland). There’s even a small early appearance from Jackie Chan!
A costume drama like no other, Facets of Love tells the stories of the Shanghai brothel in the early years of the 20th century: of its devious owners, of the unhappy innocents that have been tricked into Continue reading
“Cobra Kai” Season 6 Poster
Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg – all writers, producers, and directors of Cobra Kai – are prepping the final 6th Season of the Cobra Kai saga, which will stream on Netflix.
The upcoming season will be a 3-part, 15-episode event that starts July 18th, then November 15th and ends in 2025 on a soon-to-be-announced date.
Cobra Kai marked the return of Ralph Macchio, William Zabka and Martin Kove playing their respective roles from the highly successful motion picture franchise (the first two were directed by legendary Rocky helmer, John G. Avildsen) that spawned three sequels, a remake, as well as an upcoming Continue reading
Shanghai Triad | Blu-ray (Film Movement)
On July 30, 2024, Film Movement is re-releasing the remastered Blu-ray for Shanghai Triad, a 1995 thriller directed by Zhang Yimou (Hero, The Great Wall, Shadow).
The film stars Gong Li (2046), Li Baotian (The Wanderer and the Swan), Li Xuejian (Monk Comes Down The Mountain) and Sun Chun (New Police Story).
When teenager Shuisheng (Wang Xiaoxiao Cuihua) arrives to Shanghai from the country, he is brought by his uncle (Li Xuejian) to work for gang leader Tang (Li Baotian). Tang assigns Shuisheng to aid his girlfriend Xiao Jinbao (Gong Li), a nightclub singer. After a rival gang kills some Continue reading
The Double Crossers | Blu-ray (Eureka)
Next week, Goodie Emporium is releasing Eureka’s Blu-ray (Region A/B) for The Double Crossers (read our review), a 1976 Golden Harvest actioner from director Jeong Chang-hwa (The Devil’s Treasure, King Boxer) that stars South Korean martial artist Shin Il-ryong (The Dragon Lives Again) and featuring the legendary Sammo Hung (The Magnificent Butcher).
Following his late father’s murder, police officer Detective Lung (Shin) discovers that both of his parents were involved in a smuggling ring – and that his father was killed by its leader, a violent criminal now living in Hong Kong under the name Wang (Chao Hsiung, The One-Armed Swordsman). Determined to avenge his father’s death, Lung resigns from the police force to take matters into his own hands. Teaming up with a smuggler Continue reading
“Universial Soldier” Blu-ray Cover
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for John Hyams’ Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (read our review), starring Jean-Claude Van Damme (Cyborg), Scott Adkins (Hard Target 2), Andrei “The Pit Bull” Arlovski (Universal Soldier: Regeneration) and Dolph Lundgren (Skin Trade).
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning also features top notch action choreography by Larnell Stovall (The Raid 2, Falcon Rising, Kickboxer: Vengeance).
In Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, John (Adkins) wakes up from a coma to discover his wife and daughter were slaughtered in a brutal home invasion. Haunted by images of the attack, he vows to kill the man responsible Luc Continue reading
“Operation Leviathan” Theatrical Poster
Director Dante Lam (Beast Cops, The Rescue) has been reliably turning out hard-hitting films that have helped expand the scope of the action/thriller genre in Hong Kong and his next film, Operation Leviathan – the follow up to 2016’s Operation Mekong and 2018’s Operation Red Sea – will continue the tradition.
The film stars Xuan Huang (Extraordinary Mission), Yosh Yu (Born to Fly), Zhang Hanyu (Manhunt), Karry Wang (The Great Wall), Luxia Jiang (Double World), Chen Li (Never Say Never), Cory Beeston (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Yihong Duan (Wind Blast) and Ivan Kostadinov (Boyka: Undisputed IV).
For Operation Leviathan, you can obviously expect more of Lam’s knack for Continue reading
“Phantom” Theatrical Poster
Director: Lee Hae-Young
Cast: Sol Kyung-Gu, Lee Ha-Nee, Park So-Dam, Park Hae-Soo, Seo Hyun-Woo, Kim Jong-Soo, Bibi, Esom, Lee Joo-Young, Kim Dong-Hee, Kim Joong-Hee
Running Time: 133 min.
By Paul Bramhall
If someone asked if I could recall the name of that Korean movie which was set in 1933, and involves a group of independence fighters whose mission is to assassinate an official in the occupying Japanese government, chances are I’d confidently answer its director Choi Dong-hoon’s 2015 blockbuster Assassination. However as of 2023 I’d only have a 50% chance of being correct, as Phantom shares a plot which is practically identical.
Director Lee Hae-yeong’s (Foxy Festival, The Silenced) 4th solo outing in the director’s chair, Phantom marks his first production since 2018’s Believer (mercifully he didn’t return for the sequel), and marks a welcome return to the kind of period piece action thriller that’s been missing in action from Korean screens for far too long. Adapted from Chinese novelist Mai Jia’s The Message, Hae-yeong transfers the setting from Japan occupied China in 1941 to Japan Continue reading
Now shipping from Goodie Emporium is Film Masters’ Special Edition Blu-ray (Region A) for The Crippled Masters (not to be confused with 1978’s Crippled Avengers), a 1979 martial arts/exploitation film from director Joe Law (The Lost Secrets of Kung Fu).
The Crippled Masters features two genuinely handicapped martial artists: Shun Chung-Chuen (Two Crippled Heroes) and Thomas Hong Continue reading
Demon Pond | 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (Criterion)
RELEASE DATE: October 15, 2024
On October 15, 2024, Criterion is releasing 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray for Demon Pond, a 1979 film from Japanese New Wave renegade Masahiro Shinoda (Ballad of Orin), who transforms a classic Kabuki tale with his own extravagant visual style in this dimension-shattering folk-horror fantasia.
When a lone traveler (Tsutomu Yamazaki) stumbles upon a remote, drought-stricken village, he finds himself engulfed in a whirlpool of myth, mystery, and magic: in a nearby pond reside spirits who hold the fate of the town’s inhabitants—including lovers Akira (Go Kato) and Yuri (Kabuki legend Tamasaburo Bando, who also plays the ethereal princess reigning over the water) — in their hands. Set to the swirling strains of electronic-music pioneer Isao Tomita’s synth score, Demon Pond blends theatrical artifice with cinematic Continue reading
When you watch a narrative unfold on the screen, you’re going to see some recurring tropes in action. It’s a fact of fiction – tropes make stories and stories need to use tropes to create tension, drama, and (hopefully) a satisfying ending! And sure, some tropes are overplayed and downright boring by now, but some are fun and enjoyable and keep us coming back for more. Indeed, we’ve listed three such tropes below; these story elements have stood the test of time and still pull in massive audiences to this day.
The Leads are Total Opposites
We’re often told in real life that ‘opposites attract’, but never is that more true than in fiction. Most commonly found in holiday movies and romantic comedies, when the lead characters are total opposites of each other but can’t help being drawn together, audiences eat the story up every single time!
It’s a good way to fire up chemistry between the characters (and occasionally the lead actors), and it can be very entertaining to watch them clash over the course of the story as they come to understand each other.
It’s a classic conflict that’s fun to see picked apart and unravelled as the narrative marches on, and seeing as human beings can have a thousand different problems with each other, there’s a chance for a fresh take on this trope every single time.
Training Montage
A classic element of the standard martial art film you’ll see in every era of cinema, a training montage takes us from A to B in terms of a character’s progression from amateur to professional.
Training montages are a great way to keep the story moving and maintain a good pace, without losing out on the context of a character’s actions. We get to see the effort involved, usually accompanied by an entertaining musical score, but we don’t have to sit through hours of back and forth to prove that the character has changed and grown.
Genius Detective
We all love a genius detective character, no matter what form they come in. Sherlock Holmes is the classic detective genius – the kind who helps to solve classic crime mysteries in the Victorian era – but characters like Beniot Blanc, who’s more of a modern take on this archetype, fit the bill perfectly as well.
We all love to see puzzles being solved, if only for the satisfaction of having our own theories confirmed, but the intricacy involved in writing these stories has impressed audiences for centuries. It takes a clever writer to truly fool the audience, but when clues are hidden in plain sight from the moment the film began, the watcher gets to put themselves in the genius detective’s shoes. That’s always a nice feeling!
Movie tropes can be fun to identify and pick apart, and they’re always going to be at the core of story writing. The next time you sit down to watch a movie, see if you can spot the tropes at play.
Kill 4K | 4K Ultra HD SteelBook (Lionsgate)
Lionsgate continues to pump out John Wick-like/The Raid-esque product with Kill, a Hindi-language martial arts actioner from director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat (Hurdang) that’s headlined by Lakshya (Haseena).
According to Korean Film Expert Paul Bramhall, some of the film’s action was choreographed by Oh Se-young, whose notable work includes Bollywood films such as Tiger 3 and War, as well as stunts for Snowpiercer and War of the Arrows.
When army commando Amrit (Lakshya) finds out his true love Tulika (Tanya Maniktala) is engaged against her will, he boards a New Delhi-bound train in a daring quest to derail the arranged marriage. But when a gang of knife-wielding thieves Continue reading
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