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

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 January, which includes a New film added to Hi-YAH! every Friday! Some of the highlights include Operation Red Sea, A Man Called Hero and this month’s Hi-YAH! exclusive, Invincible Dragon. For the full list Continue reading

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400 Bullets | Blu-ray & DVD (Shout!)

400 Bullets | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

400 Bullets | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

RELEASE DATE: March 2, 2021

On March 2, 2021, Shout! Factory is releasing the VOD, digital  Blu-ray and DVD for 400 Bullets (read our review), an action-thriller from director Tom Paton (Black Site) that stars martial artist Jean-Paul Ly (Nightshooters, Jailbreak, The Division) and Andrew Lee Potts (The Crown, Alice in Wonderland).

One cold winter night in Afghanistan is about to get a whole lot worse for Rana Rae (Jean Paul Ly), a Ghurka Soldier left to guard a British military outpost, when Captain Noah Brant (Andrew Lee Potts) arrives looking for refuge from a group of Rogue Special Ops and a cell of heavily armed Taliban.

The two soldiers must fight for their lives as they attempt to get a call out for back-up before the rogue squad, led by the calculating and backstabbing Sergeant Bartlett (James Warren) can hunt them down and retrieve a case of missile Continue reading

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Swordsman, The (2020) Review

The Swordsman | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

The Swordsman | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Choi Jae-Hoon
Cast: Jang Hyuk, Kim Hyun-Soo, Joe Taslim, Jeong Man-Sik, Lee Na-Kyung, Lee Min-Hyuk
Running Time: 100 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The swordplay genre has fallen largely out of fashion over the last decade in Korean cinema, after it spent most of the 00’s being a regular fixture on cinema screens thanks to the likes of 2003’s Sword in the Moon, 2005’s Shadowless Sword, and 2010’s Blades of Blood. 10 years on, and 2020 brought a welcome revival for the genre in the form of the aptly named The Swordsman, the directorial debut of Choi Jae-hoon.

Equally as apt is the decision to cast Jang Hyuk as the swordsman the title refers to. A practitioner of Jeet Kune Do and former professional Taekwondo athlete, Hyuk’s big break came when he was cast as the lead in 2001’s Volcano High. An early entry in what became known as the Korean Wave, the futuristic high-school beat ‘em up took plenty of cues from The Matrix for its action aesthetic, but is perhaps most infamous for its American MTV dub, in which the likes of Snoop Dogg, André 3000, and Method Man voice the characters. While Hyuk was cast for his action prowess, it was his good looks that determined his future career, with turns in the likes of Windstruck and Innocent Thing being a world away from the action Continue reading

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Fist and Furious (2020) Review

"Fist and Furious" Theatrical Poster

“Fist and Furious” Theatrical Poster

Director: Ha Won-Joon
Cast: Jung Doo-Hong, Ryu Deok-Hwan, Seo Eun-A, Jung Eui-Gap, Kim Hae-In, Choi Je-Heon, Yoon Seung-Hoon, Lee Hae-Young, Kwon Hyeong-Joon, Choi Ha-Na
Running Time: 90 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Coming with possibly the most ridiculous English title since Wheels on Meals, director Ha Won-joon’s sophomore feature Fist and Furious probably has the guys over at The Asylum kicking themselves for not coming up with such a title of their own (instead they released The Fast and the Fierce in 2017). Awful wordplay aside, the mid-budget Korean production is notable to action fans for featuring the countries most prominent action director, Jung Doo-hong, in his first leading role since co-starring alongside Ryoo Seung-wan in the latters City of Violence in 2006 (which was also his first leading role).

While Doo-hong had memorable supporting turns in many of the early Korean Wave classics such as No Blood No Tears, Resurrection of the Little Match Girl, Arahan, and Fighter in the Wind, by enlarge he’s spent his career behind the camera. Chances are if there’s action in a Korean movie, Doo-hong will be involved in some capacity, so to see him here in only his 2nd leading role in 14 years is a rarity. It’s also a welcome return, as while many action directors may not necessarily be able to turn their talent for orchestrating chaos into onscreen charisma, as proven by City of Violence Doo-hong has a likeable screen Continue reading

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Don’t miss Netflix’ New U.S. Trailer for South Korea’s first sci-fi adventure ‘Space Sweepers’

"Space Sweepers" Theatrical Poster

“Space Sweepers” Theatrical Poster

Guardians of the Galaxy meets Star Wars meets Werewolf Boy? South Korean filmmaker Jo Sung-Hee (Phantom Detective, Werewolf Boy) is doing the fun ‘n gritty space thing with Space Sweepers, which hits Netflix on February 5th.

Billed as Korea’s first sci-fi film project, Space Sweepers (read our review) is set in the year 2092 and follows the crew of a space junk collector ship called The Victory. When they discover a humanoid robot named Dorothy that’s known to be a weapon of mass destruction, they get involved in a risky business deal.

Space Sweepers stars Song Joong-ki (A Werewolf Boy, The Battleship Island), Kim Tae-ri (The Handmaiden), Jin Seon-kyu (The Outlaws, Svaha: The Sixth Finger) and Yu Hae-jin (Confidential Assignment).

Don’t miss the Netflix Trailer Continue reading

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Derailed (2016) Review

"Derailed" Theatrical Poster

“Derailed” Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Seong-Tae
Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Minho, Kim Jae-Young, Jung Da-Eun, Lee You-Jin, Baek Soo-Min, Kim Won-Sik, Park Ho-San, Park Sung-Il, Han Soo-Hyun, Seo Ho-Chul
Running Time: 91 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Derailed had a pretty bumpy road to the screen, as the story which takes place in the world of runaway teenagers was turned down by every investor it was pitched to, for reasons which become apparently clear once you look at the era in which it was made. Despite only being made 5 years ago from the time of writing, in 2016 Korea was still under the presidency of Park Geun-hye, who much like her father Park Chung-hee before her, exerted a level of censorship over the film industry that wasn’t visible to the public eye. Any production that cast contemporary Korea in a negative light was unlikely to get the go-ahead, and combined with a first-time director, Derailed reads almost like a checklist of red flags.

However ultimately the production got not one but two saviours, when popular K-pop group SHINee member Choi Min-ho and burly bruiser Ma Dong-seok expressed interest to take the parts of the 2 leads (the Korean title directly translates to 2 Guys). For Min-ho, the role on paper was a vast departure from anything he’d done before. While it wouldn’t be his acting debut, it would be his first time to appear on the big screen, with his previous roles comprising of parts in K-drama shows which played to his pretty boy looks and K-pop fanbase. The danger with his casting was that the script would be shot Continue reading

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Signs Of A Good Quality CBD Oil

Signs Of A Good Quality CBD Oil

If you are in the market for a CBD oil then you want to make sure that what you are buying is a good quality product that has everything in it that you both need and expect. Given how many different brands are now popping up, it can be difficult to decide which brand out there makes the best cbd oil

Some of the signs and things that you should look out for when deciding on which CBD oil to purchase are listed below:

The Level of CBD Is Displayed

On the bottle of a good CBD oil, the amount of actual cannabidiol (CBD) that is in it will be clearly displayed for customers to see. It will be displayed as either the total number of milligrams or the concentration of the substance within the bottle. In order to be fully effective, a CBD oil should contain anywhere between 250 mg and 1,000 mg per every 10 ml. If the CBD oil that you are purchasing has anything less than this amount in, then you should avoid it at all costs.

Has Been Subject To Testing

Before you purchase a CBD oil, you should check and see if the product has been subject to independent testing. Any respectable company will put the findings of these tests clearly visible on their website for any one and every one to view. As well as being on their website, it may be on the oil bottle, the box that it comes in, or an information leaflet that comes with it when making the purchase. If it is not in any of these places, then you should ask the brand directly for the information. If they have good results, then they will be all too happy to show them off.

Made From Plant Extracts

Those CBD oils that are made using all of the extracts from the plant are known as full spectrum oils. These ones are much higher quality products than those that are not and solely consist of just isolated CBD. Pure CBD is generally made using cheaper ingredients and does not include any other cannabinoids, such as terpenes and / or flavonoids, that work alongside and in conjunction with cannabidiol (CBD).

Is Fairly Priced

A good quality CBD oil will not be cheap, given the many different processes involved in the manufacturing process of it. If the price seems too good to be true, then it is likely that the product is of inferior quality, and so should be avoided. A cheaply made CBD oil could in fact contain ingredients that are contaminated or are harmful to humans, such as substandard solvents. Worst of all, it is likely to contain very little CBD content – the whole reason why you purchased it in the first place.

Although there are a number of good quality CDB oil products that meet all of the above requirements, some are better than others. Our favorite is the penguin cbd and what is best is that it is also very reasonably priced too.

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Deal on Fire! The Monkey King 2 | Blu-ray | Only $8.24 – Expires soon!

The Monkey King 2 | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

The Monkey King 2 | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for The Monkey King 2, an action-fantasy directed by Cheang Pou-soi (SPL II: A Time for Consequences) and featuring martial arts choreography by Sammo Hung (The Bodyguard).

The Monkey King 2 fast forwards 500 years to a new realm where the Monkey King vows to protect the innocent from a demon seeking immortality.When a travelling monk is stranded in a wasteland, The Monkey King must escort him across the land to retrieve sacred scriptures and protect him from the evil demon.

The Monkey King 2 stars Aaron Kwok (Monk Comes Down the Mountain), Gong Li (2046), Feng Shaofeng (Young Detective Dee), Xiao Shenyang Continue reading

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No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers (1990) Review

"No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers" Theatrical Poster

“No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers” Theatrical Poster

Director: Lucas Lowe
Cast: Loren Avedon, Keith Vitali, Joseph Campanella, Rion Hunter, Mark Russo, Luke Askew, David Michael Sterling, Wanda Acuna, Philip Benson, Sherrie Rose
Running Time: 101 min.

By Martin Sandison

Scott Adkins Youtube series Art of Action certainly kept me entertained throughout much of this hellish year, as Adkins interviewed many legendary action filmmakers, such as Richard Norton and Dolph Lundgren. Each revealed how they train, and stories about their adventures in the movie industry. Seeing behind the scenes footage of Norton vs Sammo Hung in Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars, one of the greatest fights ever filmed, is gold. The episode that really resonated with me was Adkins interview with Loren Avedon, who is easily one of the most neglected action stars of the golden age of martial arts cinema. He comes across as a really nice and humble, funny guy. He also isn’t afraid to show his emotion, such as when Adkins compliments him at the end, and he exclaims that he’s tearing up. Emotionally honest people appeal to me, and the world needs more of them. The interview made me want to rewatch Loren’s early forays into the film industry in the guise of No Retreat, No Surrender 2 and 3.

As a kid I had the first and third films in the series, and watched them to death, so this was a true nostalgia fest. As many of you will know, the special nature of these films lies in the fact that producer Ng See Yuen was in charge, and the movies feel like Hong Kong productions, but shot in America. Ng can lay claim to have discovered Jackie Chan, Hwang Jang Lee, and many others. With the first NRNS, he was the one to discover Van Damme, and that end fight has the muscles from Brussels in his youthful prime, under the masterful eye of Corey Yuen Kwai. For me those are his best fights ever. The 2nd movie replaced Van Damme and Kurt Mckinney with Avedon and Matthias Hues respectively, and the rumour goes Van Damme was too scared of being in the Cambodian Jungle filming location so backed out of the movie. Silly bugger, but yeah his next movie was Bloodsport. Go figure. NRNS2 is memorable for a number of reasons, like the match up between Cynthia Rothrock and Hwang Jang Lee, and of course the end fight Hues vs Avedon, plus it has a pretty cool Rambo-style feel. Continue reading

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Me and Me (2020) Review

"Me and Me" Theatrical Poster

“Me and Me” Theatrical Poster

Director: Jung Jin-Young
Cast: Cho Jin-Woong, Bae Soo-Bin, Cha Soo-Yeon, Jung Hae-Kyun, Jang Won-Young, No Kang-Min
Running Time: 105 min.

By Paul Bramhall

It’s always interesting when an actor decides to try their hand at directing, and in the Korean film industry there’s been no shortage of examples. From Ha Jung-woo’s Airplane! styled comedy Fasten Your Seatbelt in 2013, to Cho Jae-hyun’s rather Hong Sang-soo-esque take on the folly of man in 2015’s A Break Alone, such productions serve to give an insight into what makes their creators tick. In both of these movies, notably Jung-woo and Jae-hyun not only directed but also wrote the scripts, and that trend continues in 2020’s Me and Me, in which veteran actor Jung Jin-young steps behind the camera and into the director’s chair.

Jin-young is one of those actors who, if you’ve even seen just a handful of Korean movies, you’ll have likely come across him at least once. From early appearances as the detective in Korea’s take on the Ring with The Ring Virus, to playing the king in the acclaimed The King and The Clown, to more recent efforts like Svaha: The Sixth Finger, he’s an actor who never dials in a performance. For his directorial debut he steps behind the camera completely, for a tale which offers up one of the more unique cinematic Continue reading

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Deal on Fire! Mile 22 | Blu-ray | Only $4.99 – Expires soon!

Mile 22 | Blu-ray & DVD (Universal)

Mile 22 | Blu-ray & DVD (Universal)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Mile 22 (read our review), a 2018 action/thriller directed by Peter Berg (Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day, Very Bad Things).

Mile 22 stars Mark Wahlberg (The Corruptor, The Big Hit), Iko Uwais (The Night Comes for Us, The RaidThe Raid 2, Headshot, Beyond Skyline), Ronda Rousey (The Expendables 3, Furious 7) and John Malkovich (Deep Water Horizon, Con Air).

In a visceral modern thriller from the director of Lone Survivor, Wahlberg (The Departed) stars as James Silva, an operative of the CIA’s most highly-prized and little-known unit. Aided by a top-secret tactical command team, Silva must transport an asset (Uwais, Triple Threat) who has vital information to an airfield for extraction before the enemy Continue reading

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Gingko Bed, The (1995) Review

"The Gingko Bed" Theatrical Poster

“The Gingko Bed” Theatrical Poster

Director: Kang Je-Gyu
Cast: Han Suk-Kyu, Jin Hee-Kyung, Kim Sun-Kyung, Lee Beom-Soo, Shim Hye-Jin, Shin Hyeon-Jun, Kim Myeong-Kuk, Kim Hak-Cheol, Choi Hak-Rak, Yoo Yeon-Soo
Running Time: 88 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The Gingko Bed is often spoken about in the context of it being the first Korean production to make significant use of CGI. It wasn’t the first, that honor belongs to The Fox with Nine Tails from the previous year, however while that production has largely become a footnote in Korean film history, The Gingko Bed still tends to find its way into conversations on modern Korean cinema. In 1995 the Korean film industry was back on its feet after a shaky start to the decade, and while it was still 4 years away from securing its first international blockbuster with Shiri, filmmakers were already beginning to play with the ingredients that go into making a mainstream commercial movie.

One such director was Kang Je-kyu. It’d be Je-kyu who’d go on to helm Shiri, and other popular new wave movies such as the bombastic Korean war flicks Taegukgi and My Way. However in 1995 he’d only co-directed one feature, Gongpoteuggeup, made the previous year. The Gingko Bed would mark his solo directorial debut, and while his flair for commercial filmmaking was already apparent, his storytelling skills definitely still needed some development. Featuring a plot which plays out fairly straightforward onscreen, but somehow sounds rather more complex on paper, Je-kyu’s tale very much Continue reading

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Arrow Video releases New Trailer for their upcoming Blu-ray release for Park Chan-wook’s ‘JSA: Joint Security Area’

JSA: Joint Security Area | Blu-ray (Arrow Films)

JSA: Joint Security Area | Blu-ray (Arrow Films)

On January 19, 2021, Arrow Films will be releasing a Special Edition Blu-ray for Park Chan-wook’s 2000 South Korean thriller JSA: Joint Security Area.

Read the official details below:

Before Oldboy, before The Handmaiden, visionary filmmaker Park Chan-wook helmed this gripping tale of deceit, misunderstanding and the senselessness of war.

Gunfire breaks out in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, leaving two North Korean soldiers dead while a wounded South Korean soldier (Lee Byung-hun, The Good, the Bad, the Weird) flees to safety. With the tenuous peace between the two warring nations on a knife-edge, a neutral team of investigators, headed by Swiss Army Major Sophie Jean (Lee Young-ae, Lady Vengeance), is dispatched to question Continue reading

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Kino Lorber to release new Blu-ray for Ang Lee’s ‘Lust, Caution’ starring Tony Leung, Wei Tang, Joan Chen and Wang Lee Hom

Lust, Caution | Blu-ray (Kino Lorber)

Lust, Caution | Blu-ray (Kino Lorber)

On March 30, 2021, Kino Lorber is releasing the Blu-ray for Lust, Caution, a 2007 thriller from two-time Oscar-winner Ang Lee, the acclaimed director of Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm, Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Lust, Caution stars Tony Leung (Europe Raiders, In the Mood for Love) with Wei Tang (The Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Wuxia), Joan Chen (The Purple Storm, The Last Emperor) and Wang Lee Hom (Little Big Soldier, The Legendary Amazons).

Set against the backdrop of a transforming country, Lust, Caution tells the provocative story of a young woman (Tang) who finds herself swept up in a radical plot to assassinate a ruthless and secretive intelligence Continue reading

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Nessun Dorma (2016) Review

"Nessun Dorma" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Nessun Dorma” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Herman Yau
Cast: Gordon Lam Ka-Tung, Janice Man Wing-San, Andy Hui, Candice Yu On-On, Jacky Choi Kit, Wilfred Lau Ho-Lung, Tarah Chan Yi-Lam, Phat Chan Fei
Running Time: 94 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

Out of all the Hong Kong directors who started out during the territory’s cinematic heyday, it’s only Herman Yau who continues to be as prolific today as he was during his 90’s peak. While Yau’s expansive filmography as a director spans the gamut of genres, it’s safe to say that for aficionados of HK cinema, it’s his Cat III outings with Anthony Wong in the 90’s that he’s most fondly remembered for. 1993’s The Untold Story and 1996’s Ebola Syndrome are considered pinnacles of the genre, and justifiably so, being entertaining exercises in wild excess anchored by Wong’s unhinged performances. Understandably, fans get excited whenever Yau returns to his Cat III horror roots, although they’ve been few and far between since.

During the 2010’s Yau helmed an impressive 18 movies in the directors chair, in addition to co-directing 3 more, and the mid-10’s in particular saw him return to the world of Cat III horror. Beginning with 2015’s divisive Sara, and ending with 2017’s Anthony Wong reunion The Sleep Curse, wedged in-between is the 2016 production Nessun Dorma. Yau also made the triad satire The Mobfathers in 2016, which the eagle eyed amongst you may notice also stars Anthony Wong and was slapped with a Cat III rating, but here it’s based purely on the content involving triads, which saw the rating as the default Continue reading

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