Office | DVD (Bayview Films)

Office | DVD (Bayview Films)

Office | DVD (Bayview Films)

RELEASE DATE: April 27, 2021

On April 27, 2021, Bayview Films will be releasing the DVD for Office (read our review), a 2015 film directed by noted Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To (Three, The Mission).

The film stars Chow Yun-fat (City War), Sylvia Chang (Slaughter in San Francisco), Eason Chan (12 Nights), Tang Wei (A Long Day’s Journey Into Night) and Wang Ziyi (Shock Wave).

Based on the hit play Design for Living by star and producer Sylvia Chang, Johnnie To’s Office is a movie musical spectacular revolving around corporate maneuvering and romantic intrigue. Hong Kong legend Johnnie To delivers a biting takedown of capitalism, detailing the financial crisis following the Lehman Brothers collapse and what one company has to do to fight to stay alive — all in a lavishly Continue reading

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

Deadly Force: Mission Budapest | Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)

Deadly Force: Mission Budapest | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

Deadly Force: Mission Budapest | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

RELEASE DATE: May 25, 2021

Shout! Studios is ready to unleash the Blu-ray & DVD for Deadly Force: Mission Budapest (aka The Rookies). Directed by Alan Yuen, the writer/director of the 2013 Andy Lau thriller Firestorm, this 2019 spy thriller stars Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil series, Ultraviolet, The Fifth Element) and Darren Wang (Railroad Tigers).

Deadly Force: Mission Budapest follows Zhou Feng, an extreme sports lover who gets involved in an international illegal trade by accident.

The film also stars Sandrine Pinna (Legend of the Demon Cat) and Xiao Zhan (Oh! My Emperor), with action direction from Stephen Tung Wei (Fox Hunter).

Pre-order from Amazon.com today!

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

Watch the New Trailer for Danny Pang’s gritty thriller ‘To Be Faced’ starring Wallace Chung and Francis Ng

"Enemy of Life" Theatrical Poster

“Enemy of Life” Theatrical Poster

Danny Pang Phat – one half of The Eye and The Eye 2 writing/directing duo, the Pang Brothers – is currently prepping his crime-thriller To Be Faced (aka Enemy of Life).

The film stars Wallace Chung (Three, Bounty Hunters), Francis Ng (Handsome Siblings, Full Alert), Myolie Wu (Death Notify, Dearest Anita), Eddie Cheung (Running on Karma, Throwdown) and Lily Ji (Abduction, Wine War).

Collectively, the Pang Brothers (the other being Oxide Pang Chun) are known for their string of Hong Kong films – including The Storm Riders sequel, The Storm Warriors, as well as their Thai-produced hit, Bangkok Dangerous, which they remade in 2008 with Nicolas Cage (Outcast).

To Be Faced releases domestically Continue reading

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Deep Cover | Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion)

Deep Cover | Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion)

Deep Cover | Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion)

RELEASE DATE: July 13, 2021

On July 13, 2021, Criterion Collection is releasing the Blu-ray & DVD for Deep Cover, a 1992 crime-thriller directed by Bill Duke (A Rage in Harlem) and starring Larry Fishburne (John Wick: Chapter 3) and Jeff Goldblum (The Fly).

Read the official details below:

Film noir hits the mean streets of 1990s Los Angeles in this stylish and subversive underworld odyssey from veteran actor-director Bill Duke. Laurence Fishburne stars as Russell Stevens/John Hull, a police officer who goes undercover as the partner of a dangerously ambitious cocaine trafficker (Jeff Goldblum) in order to infiltrate and bring down a powerful Latin American drug ring operating in LA. But the further Continue reading

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

Is Batman Ninja the Best Batman Movie in Years?

Is Batman Ninja the Best Batman Movie in Years?

Source: @gameovergreggy via Twitter

Batman may just be the most timeless superhero, and the latest edition in the canon, Batman Ninja (2018) further reinforces this. Batman literally becomes displaced through time and sent back to Feudal Japan after a Quake Engine accident while battling Gorilla Grodd at Arkham Asylum. While there, he learns that all of the major villains have set up as feudal lords in Japan in the 1600s and are attempting to change history. Batman, with his newly acquired ninja-esque skills, must stop them.

The movie was designed by Afro Samurai creator Takashi Okazaki and directed by Junpei Mizusaki. The American release – written by Leo Chu and Eric Garcia – is admittedly a complete rewrite of the story from Kazuki Nakashima’s version, essentially creating two different movies that share the same visuals. The Japanese elements of the movie and the setting itself provide a fresh battleground for the Dark Knight and act in tandem with the latest Batman movies to show a different side of the caped crusader.

In all forms and media, Batman still has a considerable amount of fan engagement. From the DC-based movies that capitalize on the hero – fresh off November 2017’s Justice League, and gearing up for the Matt Reeves-directed The Batman, which will take a noir look at Affleck’s portrayal of the superhero – to the armada of games available, such as DC Universe Online, an MMO set in the DC Universe and utilizing Batman as well as almost every single other major character in the DC canon, the William Hill Batman Begins slot game, that features motifs and iconography from the Christian Bale era Batman series, and the Telltale Games episodic point and click mobile adventure Batman: The Enemy Within.

Is Batman Ninja the Best Batman Movie in Years?

Source: @dccomics via Twitter

Regardless of where Batman does battle with his villainous cohorts, audiences know what to expect from the narrative. The fact that the time period and setting are different to Gotham City makes no difference to the enjoyment – and taking Batman out of his comfort zone even helps up the stakes against him. His ‘powers’ are weaker in Feudal Japan, especially while pitted against a host of criminals who have made the Edo period their home. The movie will give audiences – especially Western audiences who may be completely unfamiliar with Japan’s history – a chance to learn and connect with the past. By pulling on a time in history when Japanese culture was stronger, modern audiences can appreciate what has gone before and how it affects their everyday lives – all while watching Batman. Plus, the samurai and ninja connections are enough to give any action fan a reason to watch the movie.

The movie’s success already pre-June 2018’s Japanese release – a strong 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and a favorable review on pop-culture-centric IGN – shows that the Batman character can be applied to almost any setting and is still a formidable draw as a protagonist and hero. The movie also poses an interesting crossover between the more traditional Japanese manga and anime and the original comic book source material – both mediums share similarities, but by combining the pulling power of each one, producers can reap the benefits.

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King Swindler (1993) Review

"King Swindler" Theatrical Poster

“King Swindler” Theatrical Poster

Director: Chu Yen Ping
Cast: Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Sandra Ng Kwun-Yu, Tuo Tsung-Hua, Liu Chun, Hiu Hiu, Billy Gilman, Lau Kei, Tu Fu-Ping, Chien Te-Men, Tsai Chia-Hung, Lin Hsieh-Wen
Running Time: 96 min.

By Paul Bramhall

It’s common knowledge that back in the 1980’s Jimmy Wang Yu stepped in to straighten up some trouble Jackie Chan was having with the Triads, and to repay the One Armed Boxer for his mediation, Chan would feature alongside Wang Yu in 2 Taiwanese movies helmed by Chu Yen-Ping. A veteran director who helmed close to 90 productions in a career spanning over 35 years, Yen-Ping is perhaps best described as a less talented version of Wong Jing. Common themes of his movies include an abundance of toilet humour, nonsensical plotting, and juvenile comedic antics, a perfect example of which can be seen in 1983’s Fantasy Mission Force, which was one of the movies Chan agreed to appear in to repay Wang Yu. 

One of the great unanswered questions in life is likely to remain exactly who it was Sammo Hung was indebted to when he also showed up in one Yen-Ping’s movies in 1993, headlining King Swindler. I mean even when Yuen Biao was reduced to starring in cheaply made HK-Filipino co-productions shot in Manila, he never lowered himself to starring in a flick helmed by Yen-Ping. However here he is, made in the same year the portly kicker would also feature Continue reading

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Stefan Morawietz and ‘One Million K(l)icks’ star Mike Moeller get into some trouble in the New Trailer for ‘Jack Walker’

"Jack Walker" Theatrical Poster

“Jack Walker” Theatrical Poster

Filmmaker/fight choreographer Tanay Genco Ulgen (AttritionSkylines) is ready to unleash Evolutionary Films’ Jack Walker, an upcoming action-comedy starring Stefan Morawietz (Ip Man 2), Denis Lyons (Carnival Row), Kathrin Höhne (The Hitman Agency).

The film also features martial arts sensation Mike Moeller (One Million K(l)icks), who produces along with Mike Leeder (Ultimate Justice), Dominik Starck (The Hitman Agency) and Denise Treffler.

Germany’s greatest action star, Jack Walker, is making his comeback in a low budget action comedy, but little do the cast and crew know that their film location has been taken over by real life criminals. Jack will have to draw upon all his action movie experience to help them survive Continue reading

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Paper Tigers, The (2020) Review

"The Paper Tigers" Theatrical Poster

“The Paper Tigers” Theatrical Poster

Director: Bao Tran
Cast: Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Jae Suh Park, Matthew Page, Joziah Lagonoy, Ken Quitugua, Phillip Dang, Andy Le, Brian Le, Yoshi Sudarso, Peter Sudarso, Gui DaSilva-Greene, Mark Poletti, Yuji Okumoto, Raymond Ma, Roger Yuan
Running Time: 108 min.

By Paul Bramhall

It’s been a long journey for writer and director Quoc Bao Tran’s first full length feature, The Paper Tigers, to come to fruition. Starting out in 2016 as a proof-of-concept called The Challenger, the 7-minute short was essentially an extended fight scene between Martial Club’s Andy Le and ZeroGravity Stunts’ Ken Quitugua. The short featured Le as the character who was intended to be the lead in the feature length production, only with the twist that in The Paper Tigers, it’s now 30 years later and the ferocity of youth has given way to the monotonous grind of adulthood. The Challenger was followed by a successful crowdfunding campaign, and in 2020 Bao Tran’s vision was finally able to be released. On paper (no pun intended) at least, the plot for The Paper Tigers reads like literally 1000s of old-school kung fu movies. 

A trio of kung fu students – known as the Three Tigers – learn that their master has passed away. Suspecting foul play, they come together to get to the bottom of who killed their sifu and take revenge. The big difference here is that the trio are a world away from the noble warriors that populate the kung fu movies of old. Alain Uy, an actor known mostly for his television work, steps into the role that Andy Le played in The Challenger, now an insurance salesman Continue reading

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‘Kong: Skull Island’ director Jordan Vogt-Roberts to helm live-action adaptation of ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’

"Mobile Suit Gundam" Poster

“Mobile Suit Gundam” Poster

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ (Kong: Skull Island, the upcoming Metal Gear Solid) is set to direct a live-action adaptation of the popular anime series Gundam for Legendary and Netflix. The film will be scribed by comic book writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man).

Yoshiyuki Tomino’s Mobile Suit Gundam, which was first launched in 1979, grew in popularity through the 1980s due to a wide proliferation of adaptations across animated feature films, novels, manga, toys, models and video games. The original series is set in the distant future in what is known as the Universal Century, as human colonies in space fight for independence from Earth. The battles are fought largely through giant robots called Mobile Suits, and helped to popularize the wider genre of mecha Continue reading

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7 Ways to Increase Engagement on Instagram

Instagram is one of the best channels for digital marketing and the competition to capture users’ attention is great. This means that it is even a little harder to get more commitment and there is no opportunity to become comfortable and back off. Sharpen your elbows, gear up your creativity and take on the challenge!

# 1. Take good advantage of GetInsta for a 1000 free Instagram followers trial to start up. GetInsta is an Instagram app that helps users gain active followers and likes, as well as easily increase their likes and followers. This Instagram followers app is a technical community that brings together a large number of real and active Instagram users.

Users here pay free coins to get unlimited Instagram likes and fans. When you sign up for easygetinsta.com for the first time, you’ll be entered into a lucky draw to win any coins. Furthermore, the first time you log in to GetInsta, you’ll receive hundreds of extra coins, which you can use to buy free Instagram followers and likes from GetInsta.

7 Ways to Increase Engagement on Instagram

# 2. If you have not started using Instagram Stories yet, it is high time now. More than 400 million users post and watch Stories every day, which has led to Instagram becoming innovative in developing new ways to engage users. Although Stories is primarily intended for more spontaneous posts, you will not have to spend time and commitment on the content. A good tip is to always include at least one story sticker to increase the engagement of your followers.                                               

# 3. Not posting posts frequently and regularly can hamper engagement with your free followers Instagram account. Put time and planning into your posts! Get to know when your followers are most active by keeping up to date on Instagram Insights and publishing accordingly.

# 4. Did you know that the caption on Instagram can be up to 2200 characters long? There’s plenty of space to interact with your followers! No essays are needed to increase engagement, but a couple of longer interesting and engaged sentences give more than just a few words and emojis do.

# 5. Use hashtags! To increase engagement on Instagram, it is important to know which hashtags drive the audience to your posts. Set up a strategy around the use of hashtags and categorize them into different types of posts. On Instagram Insights, you can for each post read the proportion of the exposures that come from hashtags and optimize the use as you go.

# 6. Showing products or highlighting services that you offer is obviously content that followers want to see. But they also want to know more about your company and your brand. Offer interesting and fun facts about employees, what a working day can look like and what the company strives for, etc. Becoming more personal with your followers makes them feel more confident and more dedicated to your brand and Instagram account.

7 Ways to Increase Engagement on Instagram

# 7. Regardless of the size of your account, you should take the time to read and respond to comments, positive and negative. Instagram is a social network and the purpose of the platform is to build communication. Showing your followers that you are active and hearing what they say will help you increase your commitment. The more comments, likes and shares you get, the greater the chance that you end up on Instagram’s discovery page – that’s where you want to be seen!

Posted in News |

Night in Paradise (2020) Review

"Night in Paradise" Korean Theatrical Poster

“Night in Paradise” Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Park Hoon-Jung
Cast: Um Tae-Goo, Jeon Yeo-Bin, Cha Seung-Won, Park Ho-San, Cho Dong-in, Lee Ki-young
Running Time: 130 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The Korean gangster movie that was such a consistently entertaining part of the countries output during the 00’s and early 10’s has largely dropped off in recent years, with genre efforts these days more likely to be low budget productions lacking the creative spark of those that came before. However one man who seems determined to keep the chopper wielding, steel bat brandishing, punch in the face aesthetic of the genre alive is director and screenwriter Park Hoon-jung. After scripting a double-dose of gritty machismo in 2010 with Kim Ji-woon’s I Saw the Devil and Ryoo Seung-wan’s The Unjust, the same year he also tried his hand at directing with the period actioner The Showdown. It was his 2012 sophomore directorial feature The New World in which he really came into his own though, a hardboiled gangster tale steeped in violence, and anchored by the powerhouse trio of Lee Jung-jae, Choi Min-sik, and Hwang Jung-min.

Since his 2010 debut Hoon-jung has consistently released a movie every couple of years, an accomplishment no other mainstream Korean director currently working can lay claim to. In 2015 he returned to a period setting by reuniting with Choi Min-sik for Tiger: An Old Hunter’s Tale, in 2016 he helmed the serial killer thriller V.I.P., and perhaps most ambitiously, mixed elements of superhero sci-fi and teenage drama with 2018’s The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion. In 2021 he returns to the genre which gave him his biggest hit, and arguably Continue reading

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged |

Lover of the Last Empress (1995) Review

"Lover of the Last Empress" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Lover of the Last Empress” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Andrew Lau
Cast: Tony Leung Ka Fai, Chingmy Yau, Chan Kwok Bong, Valerie Chow, Ku Feng, Yu Rong Guang, Kingdom Yuen King Tan, Yvonne Yung Hung, Bao Fang, Lo Hung
Running Time: 99 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

Before John Wick went on the rampage triggered by the murder of his puppy, there was Chingmy Yau in Lover of the Last Empress, whose ascent to the position of Empress Dowager is kick started when a group of jealous concubines boil her pet cat for a tasty late night snack, leaving nothing except it’s fluffy white tail. Yes, the tale of the Empress Dowager and her tyrannical ways has been covered plenty of times before, from Li Han-Hsiang’s The Last Emperor to Zhang Yi-Mou’s Raise the Red Lantern, but this is the only time such a tale would be told with Wong Jing in the producers chair.

It’s also the only time that such a topic has received the infamous Cat III rating that was practically its own genre in early to mid-90’s Hong Kong. Usually signifying 90 minutes of gratuitous violence or nudity, often both, the Cat III ratings reputation in many ways preceded it. Palace set sex romps were something of a thing during this period, however for anyone clocking into Lover of the Last Empress hoping for another dose of the previous years Sex and the Emperor, chances Continue reading

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Michael Jai White, Mickey Rourke and James Russo cross deadly paths in Shout! Studios’ New Trailer for ‘Take Back’

"Take Back" Theatrical Poster

“Take Back” Theatrical Poster

Low budget action filmmaker Christian Sesma – best known for films like 2016’s Vigilante Diaries and 2020’s Paydirt – is back with Take Back, an upcoming thriller that Shout! Studios is releasing VOD, digital and in select theaters on June 18, 2021.

Zara (Gillian White, Welcome to Sudden Death) and Brian (martial arts star Michael Jai White, Triple Threat) are living the perfect small town life when a mysterious stranger from Zara’s secret past kidnaps their daughter and now they must race to save her life.

Take Back also stars Mickey Rourke (Year of the Dragon, Double Team), Paul Sloan (Paydirt), Jessica Uberuaga (American Fighter) and James Russo (Once Upon a Time in America).

Check out Shout! Studios’ New Continue reading

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Here’s what’s streaming on Hi-YAH! for the month of April

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 April, which includes a New film added to Hi-YAH! every Friday! Keep on reading for the full list:

April 4Born to be King Triad member Chicken is designated by Taiwan’s San Luen Gang to marry Nanako, the daughter of the fifth generation leader of the Yamada Gang in Japan. Later, the leader of the triad group gets murdered. Actually, all the San Luen Gang members suspect Chicken attacked their leader Liu, in order to make a chance for him to rule the Gang and thus have adopted an extremely hostile attitude towards him. Directed by Andrew Lau and starring Ekin Cheng Jordan Chan Shu Qi and Gigi Lai.  Continue reading

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Innovative Ways to Interact on Social Media by Using GIFs

Gifs are the recent addition to the world of social media interaction. These are short animations usually within ten seconds that help in expressing feelings and thoughts quite evidently. The history of Graphic Interchange Format or GIFs, as they are popularly known, dates back to 1987 when the team lead by Steve Wilhite at the online service provider company, CompuServe developed the first bitmap image format. Ever since then, it has been gaining popularity on the World Wide Web for its innovative features. The usage of gifs has seen a tremendous growth over the years especially among the social media users. With more demand for new content and amazing gifs, there has been a steady rise in the need of gif creating and sharing platforms that strive to provide the best and latest content on their websites. 

The Rise of the Modern Way of Communication

Gifs have been shared and forwarded by almost all the social media users because of the ease with which it allows the users to express their feelings and thoughts. With the rise in popularity of gifs, more such content creating websites have emerged over the years to satisfy the needs of the audience. Websites like PutPut, Giphy, etc have managed to attract a large audience group on its website with the wonderful collection of gifs, pictures and memes. The Lustige gifs – gif lustige | PutPut is a favorite for many and the credit goes to all the amazing and latest gifs it provides on its website. The gifs are suitable for every mood and occasion and thus are quite popular among all. They help in altering the traditional form of communication like texting which can be boring at times. Texting being quite a formal medium, fails to express the exact emotion and feeling of the user. This is where the gifs come in the picture as they manage to express these quite evidently. 

Wide Collection of Gifs on PutPut for Every Need and Mood

Lustige gifs – gif lustige | PutPut offers a wide collection of wonderful gifs on its website which range from topics such as Funny, Anime, Animals, Football, etc. You can select whichever topic you want to choose from the list of topics provided on the left hand side of the webpage. The website also features the options of Hot and Fresh gifs to help you stay updated with the latest gifs on the Internet. Gifs helps its user to share their sense of humor, emotions and feelings simultaneously and in a low-effort way. This makes it quite popular especially on social media websites like Whatsapp, Facebook, etc. Along with providing unlimited gifs, Lustige gifs – gif lustig | PutPut allows the interested content creators to even share their work on the website which can later on be viewed and shared by all. This provides a good platform for the enthusiastic creators to showcase their talent and ensure that their work reaches a larger audience. 

Conclusion

Gifs have both a cultural and emotional connection to it. It helps in making the process of communication online quite interesting and innovative. Most of the social media users these days, especially teens and young adults rely on gifs for effectively communicating their emotions and feelings. Also, the Lustige gifs – gif lustige | PutPut has so far ensured that it satisfies the needs of its large audience in providing the latest and the best gifs of all time. The usage of gifs has evidently altered the traditional mode of communication and more people these days are preferring to use gifs as it saves both time as well as manages to communicate quite effectively and with much ease. 

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