Fist of Fury Part II (1976) Review

"Fist of Fury Part II" Theatrical Poster

“Fist of Fury Part II” Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Tso Nam
Cast: Bruce Li (aka Ho Chung Tao, James Ho), Lo Lieh, Tien Feng, James Nam Gung Fan, Suen Lam, Philip Ko Fei, Cho Kin, Chan Wai Lau, Lee Kwan, Sit Hon, Jimmy Lee Fong, Shikamura Yasuyoshi, Robert Tai Chi Hsien, To Wai Wo
Running Time: 104 min.

By Ian Whittle

1976 saw director/producer Lo Wei locate to Taiwan to produce a sequel to his box-office smash Fist of Fury, which was also his second and final collaboration with Bruce Lee. A talky, 2 hour slog, which underused Lo’s new discovery, Jackie Chan, New Fist of Fury was an underwhelming attempt to rekindle past glories – this was made even more obvious by another Taiwanese sequel to Fist of Fury, produced the same year, which ended up feeling a lot more like the original than the sequel from the actual director of the original did!

Fist of Fury Part II follows on from the original at the funeral of Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee), represented by a photo of Lee from…Way of the Dragon. Since Lo Wei represented Bruce in New Fist of Fury with stills from Enter the Dragon, I suppose there must have been a lack of FOF photos, except this film has an opening montage of stills from the original. Since Nora Miao was off making New Fist of Fury, here her character is played by a double in mourning garb…who [ Spoiler Alert ] promptly Continue reading

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Take ‘One Second’ and check out these New Posters for Zhang Yimou’s upcoming film ‘One Second’

"One Second" Teaser Poster

“One Second” Teaser Poster

Zhang Yimou, the acclaimed filmmaker of Hero, The Great Wall and Shadow, will soon be introducing his long-delayed film, One Second, to audiences all around the world.

The upcoming film stars Zhang Yi (Operation Red Sea), Liu Haocun (Impasse, A Little Red Flower), Fan Wei (Air Strike) and Yu Ailei (A Better Tomorrow 2018, Saving Mr. Wu).

One Second is co-written with Zou Jingzhi – Zhang’s screenwriter  for Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles and Coming Home – and is described as a “rural drama” (via AFS).

One Second is just one of three films Zhang Yimou has under his belt (the others being The Coldest Gun and Impasse). A Trailer Continue reading

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Raining in the Mountain | Blu-ray & DVD (Film Movement)

Raining in the Mountain | Blu-ray (Film Movement)

Raining in the Mountain | Blu-ray (Film Movement)

RELEASE DATE: December 8, 2020

On December 8, 2020, Film Movement will be releasing the Blu-ray & DVD for Raining in the Mountain, a 1979 wu xia film from renown director King Hu (Come Drink with Me). The film stars Feng Hsu (To Kill with Intrigue), Yueh Sun (Police Force), Paul Chang (Millionaires Express), Tien Feng (Fists of Fury) and Suen Yuet (City on Fire).

Read the official details below:

During the Ming Dynasty, a Buddhist abbot charged with protecting the sacred scroll of Tripitaka prepares to name his successor. An aristocrat and a general arrive at his secluded mountaintop monastery promising to help in his search, but are in fact scheming to secure the scroll for themselves. As they set about recommending corrupt successors, rival bands of martial artists lie in wait to steal the precious artifact. Soon, the monastery is transformed into an epic battleground for the scroll, with each Continue reading

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Jade Dynasty (2019) Review

"Jade Dynasty" Theatrical Poster

“Jade Dynasty” Theatrical Poster

Director: Ching Siu-Tung
Cast: Sean Xiao, Li Qin, Meng Mei Qi, Tina Tang, Qiu Xin Zhi, Cecilia Yip, John Chiang, Norman Tsui, Leung Kar-Yan, Hung Yan-Yan, Bao Xiaosong, Chen Liwei, Li Shen
Running Time: 101 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

The hyper-kinetic action and billowing silk of the early 90’s new wave wuxia genre may be a long time ago, but one of the directors whose name is indelibly linked with it is thankfully still around – Ching Siu-Tung. Siu-Tung’s distinctive choreography style of the era, defined by its bombastic wife-fu infused set pieces, can be found in the likes of New Dragon Inn, Holy Weapon, and Butterfly and Sword, as well as in the movies he sat in the director’s chair for himself, such as the Swordsman and Chinese Ghost Story trilogies. That era of Hong Kong cinema may be gone, however I confess that when Siu-Tung’s name is attached to a movie, I still get excited about it.

Admittedly as a director the post-millennium world hasn’t exactly been full of highlights. After the riotously fun Conman in Tokyo in 2000, the guilty pleasure (at least for me) of 2002’s Naked Weapon, and the 2003 Steven Seagal vehicle Belly of the Beast, it’d be another 5 years before he directed again. When he returned, it was to make An Empress and the Warriors, the movie that many consider to be the first blip in Donnie Yen’s filmography Continue reading

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Impetigore | Blu-ray (Shudder)

Impetigore | Blu-ray (Shudder)

Impetigore | Blu-ray (Shudder)

RELEASE DATE: January 26, 2021

On January 26, 2021, Image Entertainment and Shudder is releasing the Blu-ray for 2019’s Impetigore, an Indonesian thriller from director Joko Anwar (Satan’s Slaves, Gundala).

Impetigore stars Tara Basro (Killers), Ario Bayu (Java Heat), Marissa Anita (Gundala), Christine Hakim (Merantau) and Asmara Abigail (Abracadabra).

After surviving a murder attempt in the city, Maya, a down-on-her-luck young woman, learns that she may inherit a house in her ancestral village. With her friend Dini, Maya returns to the village of her birth, unaware that the community there has been trying to locate and kill her to remove the curse that has plagued the village for years. As she begins to discover the complicated reality about her past, Maya finds herself in a fight for her life. Sundance 2020 Official Continue reading

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Devil’s Express | Blu-ray (Code Red)

Devil's Express | Blu-ray (Code Red)

Devil’s Express | Blu-ray (Code Red)

RELEASE DATE: February 9, 2021

Back from the dead is Code Red’s Blu-ray for Devil’s Express (aka Gang Wars), which hits retail outlets on February 9, 2020. This 1976 martial arts/horror film is directed by Barry Rosen (The Yum Yum Girls) and starring Warhawk Tanzania (Black Force), Wilfredo Roldan (Velvet Smooth), Theodore Gottlieb (The Burbs) and David E. Durston (director of I Drink Your Blood).

Read the official details below:

New York Master Martial Artist Luke (Tanzania) goes to Hong Kong to earn his next level in the Martial Arts world and convinces his student Rodan (Roldan) to accompany him. Once they arrive, they come across an ancient burial site and find an amulet that holds a horrific demon creature in its power. Not knowing what the amulet was for, Rodan steals it and takes it back to gang infested New York Continue reading

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Mel Gibson is a badass Santa in the New Poster for ‘Fatman’

"Fatman" Theatrical Poster

“Fatman” Theatrical Poster

Even during his post-legendary Hollywood status, Mel Gibson has been consistently delivering the goods with films like Edge of DarknessGet The Gringo, Blood FatherDragged Across Concrete, and his directorial comeback, Hacksaw Ridge (we have yet to see The Professor and the Madman and Force of Nature). Now, Gibson is back with another catchy project titled Fatman.

Fatman centers on a rowdy, unorthodox Santa Claus (Gibson) who is fighting his business decline. Though billed as a comedy, the Trailer puts into play that it’s more of a dark comedy/actioner filled with gunfights and villainous children.

The film also stars Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight, Justified) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Without a Trace, Blindspot), and is directed and written by Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms, a pair who are perhaps best known for cult indie favorite Continue reading

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First look at Li Weiran’s Live-action adaptation of ‘The Yinyang Master’ based on the popular Onmyoji mobile game

"The Yinyang Master" Theatrical Poster

“The Yinyang Master” Theatrical Poster

If Teddy Chen’s Double World didn’t quite suppress your mood for videogame-to-film adaptations, then get ready for CKF Pictures’ The Yinyang Master, an upcoming action/fantasy film based on the phenomenal mobile game, Onmyoji.

Directed by Li Weiran (Love Will Tear Us Apart), The Yinyang Master stars Chen Kun (Mojin: The Lost Legend), Zhou Xun (Painted Skin 2: The Resurrection), William Chan (As the Light Goes Out) and Wang Likun (Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons 2).

Description from IMDB: Captain of the City Guard Yuan Boya is stripped of rank after the imperial tribute he was guarding is stolen. Unwilling to let things lie, he searches for the thieves, only to end up entering a mystical world of demons. Along the way, he becomes mixed up in a feud between Yinyang Master Qing Ming and the human and demon Continue reading

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Tony Jaa to star in English-language action trilogy from ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ producers

"Ong-Bak" International Teaser Poster

“Ong-Bak” International Teaser Poster

Martial arts wonder Tony Jaa (Ong-Bak, Triple Threat, Paradox, xXx: Return of Xander Cage) has been hitched to lead an English-language action trilogy from Starlight Entertainment (Midway, Crazy Rich Asians).

For the story, Muay Thai master Jaa will play a legendary assassin who disappeared three years ago and becomes the target of all criminal organizations and law enforcement agencies. According to producers, the story will unfold in an unconventional structure and as the manhunt accelerates, the mystery of the assassin’s identity is slowly unraveled (via Deadline).

Jaa will produce along with Peter Luo (Scary Stories to Tell in the DarkMidway) and Mike Selby (Skin Trade, Triple Threat).

Filming is slated to begin next year Continue reading

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Man Standing Next, The (2020) Review

"The Man Standing Next" Theatrical Poster

“The Man Standing Next” Theatrical Poster

Director: Woo Min-Ho
Cast: Lee Byung-Hun, Lee Sung-Min, ak Do-Won, Lee Hee-Joon, Kim So-Jin, Seo Hyun-Woo, Ji Hyun-Joon, Park Sung-Geun, Park Ji-Il, Lee Tae-Hyeong, Kim Seung-Hoon
Running Time: 114 min.

By Paul Bramhall

South Korea has had a tumultuous history since its creation after the division of the peninsula in 1954, shortly after the Korean War ended, up to it achieving democracy in 1987. While it spent most of the 33 years under some form of authoritarian regime or another, the era which still causes controversy to this day is the time spent under the rule of Park Chung-hee, who came to power in 1962 following a military coup the year prior. As president Chung-hee kept himself in power up until his assassination in October 1979, and while he’s largely credited for the rapid modernisation of Korea, it’s a legacy which is stained by his autocratic style of ruling. The many restrictions on things like freedom of speech and the press, and the fact that his opponents frequently found themselves held without trial and subject to torture, gradually saw the tide of public opinion begin to turn against him by the late 70’s.

The subject of Chung-hee’s assassination has been covered before in the Korean film industry, notably in Im Sang-soo’s 2005 dark comedy The President’s Last Bang, which covered the 3 hours leading up to the assassination along with the immediate aftermath. 15 years later, the subject is back on the screen with director Woo Min-ho’s latest, The Man Standing Next. Decidedly different in both tone and scope than Sang-soo’s take on the subject, Min-ho has created a poker-faced Continue reading

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Devilman: Special Edition | Blu-ray & DVD (Media Blasters)

Devilman: Special Edition | Blu-ray & DVD (Media Blasters)

Devilman: Special Edition | Blu-ray & DVD (Media Blasters)

RELEASE DATE: December 15, 2020

On December 15, 2020, Media Blasters will release the Blu-ray & DVD for Devilman, is a live-action film directed by Hiroyuki Nasu (Be-Bop High School), based on the manga of the same name by Go Nagai.

Read the official details below:

First time on blu-ray! Best friends Akira and Ryo (played by real life twins Hisato and Yusuke Izaki) are your average high school students, that is, until they learn that Ryo s scientist father stationed in Antarctica has accidentally unleashed a horde of demons upon the earth! The demons spread like a virus throughout the world, possessing ordinary people and turning them violently against each other. (It sounds all too familiar in 2020!) When Akira becomes possessed, he becomes the one and only Devilman, an all-powerful demonic entity who somehow retains his humanity. It’s up to Continue reading

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Bruce Lee fights back from the grave to save Chuck Norris in Romeo Candido’s fantasy actioner ‘The Dragon Returns’

"Way of the Dragon" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Way of the Dragon” Chinese Theatrical Poster

A new “Bruce Lee” project, titled The Dragon Returns, is making its way into the digital edition of the IFFAM Project Market (IPM) during the International Film Festival & Awards Macao, which takes place on December 3-8.

Directed and produced by Romeo Candido (Lolo’s Child), The Dragon Returns involves a plot where Bruce Lee is brought back from his staged death and retirement to save his old friend Chuck Norris from imprisonment (via Deadline).

The film is one of 14 projects that will go through an “intensive program of presentations and meetings conducted digitally with members of the global industry” before it will be eligible for one of four cash awards.

We’ll keep you updated on Continue reading

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Dead Reckoning (2020) Review

"Dead Reckoning" Theatrical Poster

“Dead Reckoning” Theatrical Poster

AKA: Altar Rock
Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Cast: India Eisley, K.J. Apa, Scott Adkins, James Remar, Ellie Cornell, Sydney Park, Phuong Diep
Running Time: 91 min.

By Paul Bramhall

2020 has been a good year for the discerning Scott Adkins fan. He returned as French in Jesse V. Johnson’s Debt Collectors, re-teamed with Isaac Florentine for Seized, took the lead in espionage thriller Legacy of Lies, and plays a Muslim terrorist set on blowing up a beachside Fourth of July party in the self-proclaimed “millennial romantic thriller” Dead Reckoning. It’s not difficult to spot the odd one out, but in case there’s any doubt, it’s the last one.

Originally entitled Altar Rock after a location in the story, Dead Reckoning was filmed way back in 2016, and has spent the last 4 years trying to market itself from various angles to be distributed. The tale of the tape can be gauged from looking at the various poster designs over the succeeding years. We’ve had the patriotic angle with the title simply imprinted against the backdrop of the star-spangled banner, complete with the tagline ‘Sacrifices will be made’. We’ve had the teen-centric angle with a collage of the attractive young cast on a sunny beach and huddled around a campfire, with the new tagline of ‘The Summer you’ll never forget’. For its eventual release distributor Continue reading

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Gamera: Showa Era | Blu-ray (Arrow Films)

Gamera: Showa Era | Blu-ray (Arrow Films)

Gamera: Showa Era | Blu-ray (Arrow Films)

RELEASE DATE: January 25, 2021

On January 25, 2021, Arrow Video is releasing the Blu-ray 4-disc set for the Gamera: Showa Era collection, which includes Camera: The Giant Monster, Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Guiron, Gamera Vs. Jiger, Gamera Vs. Zigra and Gamera: The Super Monster.

Read the official details below:

As giant monsters rampaged through the Japanese cinematic landscape during the “kaiju boom” of the mid-1960s, Daiei Studios introduced a new character to the screen that would be embraced for generations: Gamera, the giant, flying, fire-breathing turtle, and friend of all children!

Buried under the Arctic ice for several millenia, the colossal chelonian is unleashed upon Japan Continue reading

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‘Wolf Warrior’ star Wu Jing gets called into battle in the Trailer for ‘Sacrifice’ with Deng Chao, Zhang Yi and Jang Du

"Sacrifice" Theatrical Poster

“Sacrifice” Theatrical Poster

Martial arts star Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior 2, Call of Heroes, SPL 2) returns to the battlefield in Sacrifice (aka Jin Gang Chuan), a war epic that also stars Deng Chao (Shadow, The Mermaid), Zhang Yi (Operation Red Sea) and Jang Du (The Captain).

According to AFS, Sacrifice is directed by three different directors: Guan Hu (Dirt, Mr. Six), Lu Yang (Brotherhood of Blades, Colored Youth) and Frant Gwo (The Wandering Earth, My Old Classmate).

Sacrifice is pitched as a simple tale of Chinese soldiers attempting to repair a bridge, while under constant bombardment from U.S. forces and planes. The three directors present three different points of view of the Chinese bravery under fire (via Variety).

Sacrifice had a domestic release date on Continue reading

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