Closet, The (2020) Review

"The Closet" Theatrical Poster

“The Closet” Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Kwang-Bin
Cast: Ha Jung-Woo, Kim Nam-Gil, Heo Yool, Kim Si-A, Park Sung-Woong, Shin Hyun-Bin
Running Time: 95 min. 

By Paul Bramhall 

While the practice of shamanism has always been around in Korean cinema, it was arguably The Wailing that popularised it within the context of the horror genre for a 21st century audience, and 2020’s The Closet was one of many productions post its release in which shamanism plays a central part of the plot. Opening with grainy home video footage from 1998 of a shaman performing a ritual in front of a closet, things turn gruesome when an invisible force possesses her to turn the knife she’s brandishing against herself, slitting her own throat before the footage cuts off. It’s a suitably unsettling opening, even if the way the scene is edited admittedly contradicts the ‘found footage’ nature of what we’re supposed to be witnessing, and sets a foreboding tone for what’s to come.

In present day we meet Ha Jung-woo (Ashfall, Ransomed), an architect and single father raising his 11-year-old daughter after the tragic death of his wife in a car accident. Played by K-drama actress Heo Yool, here making her big screen debut, since the accident she’s become increasingly detached from the world, barely speaking a word and resistant to Jung-woo’s efforts to connect. In an attempt to give her an environment where her condition can improve, he Continue reading

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

Deal on Fire! Assassination | Blu-ray | Only $9.99 – Expires soon!

Assassination | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Assassination | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for 2015’s Assassination (read our review), a South Korean thriller directed by Choi Dong-hun (The Thieves) and starring Jun Ji-Hyun (Kingdom: Ashin of the North, My Sassy Girl), Lee Jung-Jae (Deliver Us from Evil: Final Cut, Il Mare) and Ha Jung-Woo (Take Point, Yellow Sea).

Snipers. Marksmen. Hired Guns. Double Agents. A group of exiled rebels are planning a hit on an Army Commander in Japanese-occupied Korea, but the only killer for the job is in prison. Now, the Resistance must devise a jailbreak, escape a hitman…and discover which of them is a traitor.

Assassination also stars Oh Dal-su (Old Boy), Cho Jin-woong (Spirit of JKD) and Continue reading

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Swordsman of All Swordsmen, The (1968) Review

"The Swordsman of All Swordsmen" Theatrical Poster

“The Swordsman of All Swordsmen” Theatrical Poster

Director: Joseph Kuo
Cast: Polly Shang-Kwan, Tin Peng, Miu Tin, Tin Yau, Sit Hon, Kong Nam, Cho Kin, Go Ming, Liu Chu, O Yau Man, Hung Fa Long, Lee Tso Nam, Ngai So
Running Time: 85 min.

By Will McGuire

The Swordsman of All Swordsmen is a film in a unique position in 2024: despite being a little seen but highly regarded early film from one of the legendary directors of the “Kung Fu Boom” it is effectively playing second banana on its own release from Eureka Video because it has been paired with the long awaited issue of The Mystery of Chessboxing, a seminal kung fu film made eleven years later by the same director.

Don’t be fooled, though. The Swordsman of All Swordsmen is no mere appetizer rather, it is a technically assured, impressively staged, beautifully restored wuxia classic that bears heavy influence from both King Hu’s Dragon Inn and Cheng Cheh’s The One Armed Swordsman both of which had been produced the previous year and both had been blockbuster successes in the Chinese speaking world. Not only is this film worthwhile on its own as a piece of cinema, but it is a fascinating historical document Continue reading

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

Calling all pill-poppers! ‘The Martian’ writer Drew Goddard teams up with Lana Wachowski for a 5th ‘Matrix’ movie

"The Matrix" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“The Matrix” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director Drew Goddard, who is perhaps best known for co-writing the 2015’s The Martian and directing 2011’s The Cabin in the Woods, is set to direct a 5th Matrix film for Warner.

Lana Wachowski, who created The Matrix trilogy with Lilly Wachowski (the two visionary directors are collectively known as “The Wachowskis”) will executive produce the project.

“Drew came to Warner Bros with a new idea that we all believe would be an incredible way to continue the Matrix world, by both honoring what Lana and Lilly began over 25 years ago and offering a unique perspective based on his own love of the series and characters,” said Jesse Ehrman, Warner Bros Motion Pictures President of Production. “The entire team at Warner Bros Discovery Continue reading

Posted in News |

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s mesmerizing masterpiece ‘Monster’ roaring onto Blu-ray next week from Well Go USA

Monster | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Monster | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

On April 9, 2024, Well Go USA is releasing the Blu-ray for the 2023 thriller, Monster. The film comes from Hirokazu Kore-eda, the acclaimed filmmaker behind Broker and The Third Murder.

The film stars Ando Sakura (Shoplifters), Nagayama Eita (Water Boys), Kurokawa Soya, Hiiragi Hinata (Piece of Cake) and Tanaka Yuko (The Rape).

When her young son Minato starts to behave strangely, his mother feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what’s going on. But as the story unfolds though the eyes of the mother, teacher and child, the truth gradually Continue reading

Posted in News |

Dance of Death | aka Eternal Conflict (1980) Review

"Dance of Death" Theatrical Poster

“Dance of Death” Theatrical Poster

AKA: Eternal Conflict
Director: Chan Chi Hwa
Cast: Angela Mao, Wang Tai-Lang, Hsu Pu-Liao, Dean Shek Tien, Chia Kai, Paul Chun Pui, Ko Pao, Sun Jung-Chi, Lee Man Tai, Chan Chi Hwa, Chiu Ting
Running Time: 90 min.

By Paul Bramhall

There are certain stars of the old-school kung-fu genre who faded from the spotlight before the fight choreography evolved into the more complex and dynamic style that began to emerge in the late 70’s. Out of all of them, I’d always thought about how Angela Mao’s career would have developed if she’d continued in the industry rather than retire in the early 80’s. After Bruce Lee died Mao became the face of Golden Harvest’s kung-fu output, with her Hapkido training seeing her headline over 10 productions for the studio from the early to mid-1970’s. Her turns in the likes of 1972’s Hapkido and 1973’s When Taekwondo Strikes were showcases for her raw intensity, and straddled the period when the punch and block basher style of choreography was beginning to transition into the more intricate shapes style. I’d always assumed we’d never got to see Mao feature in a true shapes driven kung-fu flick, but thankfully I was wrong.

In 1980 she’d star in Dance of Death, essentially her leading lady swansong before turning up in a handful of minor supporting roles in Taiwanese wuxia and gambling movies leading to her retirement in 1983. By this point Mao had already re-located back to her native Taiwan a couple of years prior, and hadn’t truly headlined a production since 1977’s Broken Oath, which also heralded her last movie for Golden Harvest. For her final turn to headline Continue reading

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

The Procurator | Blu-ray (Bayview)

The Procurator | Blu-ray (Bayview)

The Procurator | Blu-ray (Bayview)

RELEASE DATE: April 16, 202

On April 16, 2024, China Lion/Bayview is releasing the Blu-ray for The Procurator, the latest thriller from director, Alan Mak (Integrity), one of the creative forces behind Infernal Affairs, Overheard and Extraordinary Mission.

The film stars Johnny Huang (Lost in Russia, Operation Red Sea), Baihe Bai (A City Called Macau, Monster Hunt 2), Qianyuan Wang (Saving Mr. Wu, Caught in Time), Shaofeng Feng (Code of the Assassins) and Bei’er Bao (Jian Bing Man).

The Procurator revolves around a group of prosecutors who gets mixed up in a deadly situation with they investigate the death of a wealthy businessman.

If you haven’t already, don’t Continue reading

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

Deal on Fire! Furie | Blu-ray | Only $11 – Expires soon!

Furie | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Furie | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Furie (read our review), a revenge thriller from directer Le Van Kiet (The Rich Woman), starring Veronica Ngo Thanh Van (House in the Alley).

Furie stars Ngo as a gangster who is lying low in the countryside after becoming a mother, but can’t escape her violent past when her daughter is kidnapped in front of her eyes (via SD).

To Western audiences, the multi-talented star is mostly known for her work in the acclaimed Vietnamese martial arts features The Rebel and Clash with Johnny Tri Nguyen, not to mention a minor role in Yuen Woo-ping’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny with Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen. And her Continue reading

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

The unhinged martial arts sci-fi actioner ‘Boy Kills World’ starring ‘Crow’ actor Bill Skarsgård gets a New Trailer

"Boy Kills World" Theatrical Poster

“Boy Kills World” Theatrical Poster

A modern day take on Crippled Avengers? Not quite, but a good way to introduce Moritz Mohr’s Boy Kills Wold, an upcoming martial arts actioner starring Bill Skarsgård (John Wick: Chapter 4), Andrew Koji (Warrior), Sharlto Copley (Hardcore Henry) and Yayan Ruhian (The Raid, The Raid 2).

Produced by Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead), Boy Kills Wold features action choreography by Dawid Szatarski, who is perhaps best known for his work on Black Widow, Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Ong Bak 3.

Boy Kills World takes place in a bizarre, dark dystopian universe and centers on a deaf and mute character, Boy (Skarsgård), who navigates this depressing world with his otherworldly imagination. Tragedy strikes when Boy’s family is Continue reading

Posted in News |

Yugo Sakamoto’s violent action comedy ‘Baby Assassins 2’ now on Blu-ray and Digital from Well Go USA

Baby Assassins 2 | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Baby Assassins 2 | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Now available from Well Go USA is Baby Assassins 2 (read our review) on Digital and Blu-ray. The film is the sequel to 2021 hit Japanese action-comedy, Baby Assassins.

After the agency suspends its top assassins, aspiring hitmen decide to eliminate them—leading to a lightning-fast showdown between trained killers. Yugo Sakamoto (Baby Assassins) returns to the director’s chair for the action-packed sequel and brings back Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa from the original, along with “intricate, fast, and brutal” choreography by Kensuke Sonomura (Bad City, Hydra).

Baby Assassins 2 also stars Atomu Mizuishi (Baby Assassins), Tomo Continue reading

Posted in News |

‘No Retreat, No Surrender’ to return to screens as a Limited Series!

"No Retreat, No Surrender" Teaser Poster

“No Retreat, No Surrender” Teaser Poster

While fans have been lamenting the upcoming 6th and final season of Cobra Kai, good news is on the way with the recent announcement from 365 Flix that another 80’s trilogy is going to receive the limited series treatment in the form of No Retreat, No Surrender.

The 1986 original marked Seasonal Films venture into the English language market, and introduced the talents of director and choreographer Corey Yuen to the wider world, as well as the iconic characters played by Kurt McKinney and Jean Claude Van Damme. The good news? Both actors are returning, as well as Cynthia Rothrock and Matthias Hues, who’ll be (kind of) resuming their roles from the 1987 sequel No Retreat, No Surrender II. While during their original runs the productions were unrelated in terms of plot and characters, mainly due to Van Damme breaking his contract and convincing McKinney not to return either, it would seem that the series Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged |

The eye of the tiger! Tiger Chen joins Philip Ng and Andy On for the martial arts actioner ‘Without Remorse’

"Without Remorse" Teaser Poster

“Without Remorse” Teaser Poster

Writer/director Philip Lui Koon-Nam, who co-directed 2019’s Undercover Punch ad Gun with Frankie Tam, is re-teaming with Philip Ng (Birth of the Dragon, Zombie Fight Club) and Andy On (Abduction, Blind War) for the upcoming actioner, Without Remorse (no relation to the 2021 Michael B. Jordan film of the same name).

The upcoming film also stars Tiger Chen (Triple Threat, John Wick 3), Chris Collins (Ip Man 4: The Finale), Sammy Hung (Dragon Blade) and DaDa Chan (Z Storm).

Ng and On have worked together many times before, with roles in the likes of Star Runner, New Police Story, Dragon Squad, Invisible Target, Naked Soldier, and Zombie Fight Club. However their most notable Continue reading

Posted in News |

Circle-solar: Revolutionizing Renewable Energy for a Greener Tomorrow

In an age where the shift towards renewable energy is not just beneficial but imperative for our planet’s health, Circle-solar stands out as a beacon of innovation and sustainability. With a vision deeply rooted in the belief that renewable energy can transform our world, Circle-solar has dedicated itself to advancing solar technology and making it accessible to a global audience. This comprehensive exploration delves into how Circle-solar is leading the charge in the solar industry, offering cutting-edge solutions that cater to a wide array of energy needs, all while championing sustainability and community empowerment.

Innovation at the Forefront of Solar Technology

Circle-solar’s journey is marked by an unwavering commitment to innovation. Our approach is holistic, combining research and development with real-world applications to push the boundaries of what’s possible in solar energy. We specialize in high-efficiency photovoltaic panels, solar tracking systems, and solar-plus-storage solutions that represent the pinnacle of current technology. These innovations are designed not only to optimize energy production but also to ensure reliability and longevity, offering our clients the best possible return on their investment in solar energy.

Customized Solar Solutions for a Diverse Clientele

Understanding the unique nature of each project is fundamental to Circle-solar‘s ethos. We recognize that effective solar solutions must be as diverse as the clients we serve. From residential setups in urban and rural locales to large-scale commercial and industrial installations, Circle-solar offers tailored solutions that perfectly align with the specific requirements and aspirations of each client. This personalized approach extends from the initial design phase through installation and maintenance, ensuring each project maximizes its solar potential while seamlessly integrating into its surroundings.

Championing Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship

Sustainability is the cornerstone of Circle-solar’s operations. Our commitment extends beyond providing renewable energy solutions; we strive to ensure our practices embody sustainability in every aspect. This includes sourcing eco-friendly materials, minimizing waste throughout our operations, and employing installation techniques that reduce environmental impact. Moreover, our projects significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reinforcing our commitment to combating climate change and promoting a healthier planet.

Empowering Communities Through Renewable Energy

Circle-solar is dedicated to more than just commercial success; we are committed to making a positive social impact by empowering communities through renewable energy. We believe access to clean, sustainable energy is a catalyst for economic development, social equity, and environmental preservation. Our initiatives aim to bring solar power to underserved regions, providing them with the tools for sustainable growth. Through education, training, and engagement, we’re helping communities worldwide embrace renewable energy, fostering resilience and self-sufficiency.

Looking Ahead: Circle-solar’s Vision for the Future

As we look to the future, Circle-solar’s vision remains clear: to lead the global transition to renewable energy through solar innovation, sustainability, and empowerment. We are continually exploring new technologies, partnerships, and markets to expand our impact. Our goal is not just to be a leader in the solar industry but to inspire action towards a sustainable future across the globe.

The path to a greener tomorrow is paved with challenges, but with Circle-solar’s pioneering spirit, expertise, and dedication to our mission, we are well-equipped to meet them head-on. We invite you to join us on this transformative journey. By partnering with Circle-solar, you’re not just investing in solar energy; you’re contributing to a sustainable future for our planet and generations to come. Together, let’s harness the power of the sun to illuminate a path to a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable world.

Conclusion

Circle-solar’s journey in the renewable energy landscape is a testament to the power of innovation, sustainability, and community empowerment in driving the global transition towards a greener future. Our unwavering commitment to advancing solar technology, combined with a deep-rooted belief in the transformative potential of renewable energy, positions us as a leader in the solar industry. Through our bespoke solar solutions, we cater to a wide range of energy needs, ensuring that each project not only meets but exceeds expectations in performance and environmental impact.

As we forge ahead, Circle-solar remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in solar energy, with the aim of making clean, efficient, and sustainable power accessible to all. Our initiatives go beyond mere energy provision; they are about building a legacy of environmental stewardship, community resilience, and global sustainability.

The road to a sustainable future is paved with challenges, but with innovative companies like Circle-solar leading the way, the dream of a world powered by renewable energy is within reach. We invite you to join us in this crucial mission. Together, we can harness the boundless energy of the sun, creating a brighter, cleaner, and more sustainable world for generations to come. Circle-solar is more than a company; it’s a movement towards a sustainable future, and we welcome all who share this vision to join us on this transformative journey.

Posted in News |

Sympathizer for Mr. Vengeance? New Trailer for Park Chan-wook’s ‘The Sympathizer’ starring Hoa Xuande, Robert Downey Jr. and Sandra Oh

"The Sympathizer" Max Poster

“The Sympathizer” Max Poster

Visionary director Park Chan-wook (Thirst, Old BoySympathy for Mr. Vengeance) is back with HBO/A24’s The Sympathizer, an upcoming series adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name.

The upcoming espionage thriller stars Hoa Xuande (Cowboy Bebop), Fred Nguyen Khan (Hotel Limbo), Toan Le (Bullets, Blood & a Fistful of Cash), Ky Duyen (The Rich Woman), Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy) and Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, The Avengers), who also executive produces the series, will portray four different characters.

The Sympathizer is a cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his Continue reading

Posted in News |

Tak Sakaguchi, Triads, Drifting, and Hong Kong SDU! 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 title added to Hi-YAH! every Friday.

If you want to give Hi-YAH! a go, visitors of this site can use the promo code “CITYONFIRE” for a FREE 30 Day trial!

Read on for the full list of New and Exclusive Continue reading

Posted in News |