That, that… dude looks like a lady! 88 Films announces Blu-ray for the Shaw Brothers 1983 classic ‘The Lady Assassin’

There’ll be HELL to pay in the Teaser Poster for Ernesto Díaz Espinoza’s ‘Diablo’ starring Marko Zaror and Scott Adkins

Kinji Fukasaku’s 1977 thriller ‘Hokuriku Proxy War’ starring Hiroki Matsukata and Sonny Chiba arriving in February

100 Yards (2024) Review

King of Fists and Dollars, The (1979) Review

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Martin Sandison

"The King of Fists and Dollars" Chinese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Challenge of the Shaolin Disciples
Director: Chen Ming-Hua
Writer: Chen Ming-Hua
Cast: Michael Chan Wai Man, Pearl Chang Ling, Cheng Lui, David Chiang Da Wei, Chiu Hung, Choi Wang, Fang Mien, Danny Lee Sau Yin, Li Chao, Mark Long Kwan Wu, Ma Cheung, Siu Foo Dau, Weng Hsiao Hu, Kong Yeung
Running Time: 97 min.

By Martin Sandison

In the late 70’s Taiwanese kung fu movies were going strong, and many Hong Kong movie stars made the short trek to star in them. One such legend was David Chiang, he of the first wave of early 70’s Shaw Brothers classics, such as The Heroic Ones, Blood Brothers and Vengeance. By 1979 he was much in demand and took the lead in King of Fists and Dollars, his first starring role in a Tiawanese production. The production values are noticeably seriously inferior to Shaw Brothers, but that doesn’t stop the movie being fun and a little different from your standard fare. In line with Terracotta Distribution’s other releases, this movie is pretty rare and in the best shape possible without a remaster.

Chiang plays Lu Tang, who is looking for the Iron Fist King Tuan (Chiu Hung) to teach him the style. Chiang here is cast against type as the typical underdog character, which is a refreshing change. Interestingly, there are concurrent narratives that intertwine as the film progresses. Usually in old school movies this is done rather poorly, here there is clarity and decent writing. The other narrative features Lord Chien (Danny Lee) who is a tyrant and mistreats the local townsfolk, who turn to Tuan for help. Lord Chien hires Hung Ying (Chan Wai Man) to deal with him.

The cast is very strong, with Chiang being the main focus but plenty of screen time given to the others. Danny Lee is suitably menacing as Chien, at a time when he was appearing in a lot of independent productions. It’s very interesting to see him in this type of role, mainly because he performs a lot of the martial arts scenes with minimal use of a double. The one obvious use of a double is beautifully done as Lee performs a sequence of moves, and as the camera tracks behind a stove the double comes out and does a few flips, before seamlessly transitioning back to Lee.

Chiu Hung is on point with his skills as Tuan, in one of his last roles. He appeared in numerous 60’s Shaw Brothers productions including The One Armed Sworsdman, and moved on to Golden Harvest movies such as the wonderful Broken Oath later. A straight rip off from the chambara classic, Lady Snowblood, that film is one of the few at the time to outdo the source material.

Chan Wai Man graces any movie he appears in, and gets a role here that he can really get his teeth in to, with minimal dialogue and intense action. In the same year he was in The Deadly Breaking Sword and Blood Treasury Fight, which proves his undoubted calibre. Cheng Lui has a small but pertinent part as Tuan’s mute student, and despite his bulk hindering his speed, delivers some good martial arts chops. The dramatic potential of his character is used well here. Cheng was one of the first actors to appear in the important 60’s Shaw films, and became one of the “Five Tigers” alongside Jimmy Wang Yu.

The real surprise of the cast is Pearl Cheung as Ying Er, Tuan’s student. She became infamous for her later self directed films, especially the hilarious cult camp classic Wolf Devil Woman, which I watched recently and enjoyed immensely – somebody has to release and remaster that one. Her most recognizable role was in Jimmy Wang Yu’s Fantasy Mission Force with Jackie Chan (Jackie owed Jimmy a favour) as one of the crazy female warriors. Here, her kung fu technique is exemplary, especially when she does the Iron Fist form.

The action is choreographed by a few different film makers, being lead by Ga Hoi, he of the John Liu masterwork Mar’s Villa and one of the choreographers on Shanghai 13. Weng Hsiao Hu has the second credit, mainly an actor who was in lots of old schoolers, including Jackie Chan’s New Fist of Fury. Unfortunately the action varies in quality, which is a real shame because there is some excellent stuff in there.

The first fight features two of Chien’s fighters and despite being very short, is ahead of its time in terms of hand exchanges and editing. The use of wirework for some of the fancier moves is tasteful also. Chan Wai Man’s first fight is slow and static, and his fights get better as the film goes on, especially the one with Chiu Hung. A lot of the time the handwork veers between adrenaline pumping and too deliberate, which is very frustrating. Also unheard of in a film of the time with this standard of film makers, some of the hits don’t connect. Come on. Seriously. The end fight is suitably exciting and features Pearl Cheung and Chiang going at it with Danny Lee, with some extra long takes and cool flipping.

The director, screenwriter and producer of the film is Chen Ming Hua, who had a short lived career but also directed Pearl Cheung in My Blade My Life. He shows an assured hand at narrative cohesion and the dramatic characterisation of a formulaic genre, but the action lets this impressive approach down. The film is certainly worth checking out for a lot reasons – just don’t expect top quality.

Martin Sandison’s Rating: 7/10

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Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged Choi Wang, Danny Lee Sau Yin, David Chiang, Michael Chan Wai Man, Pearl Chang Ling |

Wild Panther | aka The Pursuit (1984) Review

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Paul Bramhall

“Wild Panther” Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Tso Nam
Writer: Cheung San Yee
Producer: Lim Kee Chye
Cast: Chen Shan, Don Wong Tao, Eagle Han Ying, Ching Kuo Chung, Peng Kang, Ho Hing Nam
Running Time: 90 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Taiwanese director Lee Tso Nam should be a name recognizable to anyone who considers themselves a fan of kung fu cinema. Active in the industry since the early 70’s, and still active today, he’s the man behind countless classics of the genre. Be it old-school kung fu (The Hot, The Cool, & The Vicious), Bruceploitation (Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger), fantasy (Kung Fu Wonder Child), and even Girls with Guns (Beauty Investigator). If you think you’ve never seen a Lee Tso Nam movie, chances are you have, but you just haven’t realized it.

Tso Nam was also the director of Shaolin Vs Lama, a title many fans consider to be a bonafide classic of the genre. Featuring Chang Shan, who delivers a fantastic villainous turn as the leader of the Eagle clan, he and Tso Nam would become regular collaborators, and just a year later would get together again to make Wild Panther. For good measure, they also brought onboard the choreographer of Shaolin Vs Lama, Peng Kang. Far from being another old-school kung fu movie, Wild Panther is a modern day action movie, and was in fact a co-production between Taiwan and South Korea.

Chang Shan himself is a Korea born Chinese, and spent most of his formative years living there, so in many ways the production provided him with an opportunity to return to his birthplace. Notably he would go on to feature in another Taiwan and South Korea co-production later on in his career, in the 1993 movie Rendezvous of Japanese Kanto. Wild Panther also stars another one of Tso Nam’s regulars, Don Wong Tao, however apart from Tao’s presence the key players are all Korean, and the movie was shot almost entirely on location in Korea.

Part of the appeal of Wild Panther is seeing some of the familiar faces of the old-school Korean kung fu scene in a modern day action flick. Eagle Han Ying, who was usually cast as a villain in the likes of Champ Against Champ and Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin, here plays a one armed leather jacket wearing villain. He answers to Park Dong-yong, who almost always played villain roles in the likes of Hard Bastard and Secret Executioners. Chang Shan himself is teamed up with Peggy Min Bok-ki, who starred in the likes of Strike of Thunderkick Tiger. The factor which ties all of their characters together, is that they all served in the Vietnam War, were Shan and Bok-ki were part of an anti-crime unit called the Wild Panthers. It was during the war that Shan sliced off Han’s arm, which is shown rather graphically in a brief flashback.

The dubbing seems to make the plot slightly confusing though. Through dialogue it’s explained that everyone is after a list, which has the names of organized crime syndicates and the people working for them. Wong Tao is sent to Korea to find it, Eagle Han and Dong-yong are also after it, and Shan and Bok-ki get caught in the crossfire when it appears the list inadvertently ends up in their hands. The only problem is, the movie opens with a character drawing a map of a temple before being murdered, and it’s this map which is being passed around. What’s this list of organized crime syndicates!? As it turns out, the list is actually on a couple of negatives, while the map is a different plot point all together. I guess the dubbing team decided that “a list stored on a couple of negatives” didn’t roll off the tongues as easily as just “a list”.

The list/map isn’t the only thing the dubbing seems to play fast and loose with. In another scene Wong Tao and Shan agree to talk at the police station, and in the next scene they’re in an abandoned fairground together. Audiences who like their plots to be coherent need to either leave their brain at the door, or find the original language version for this one. The scene in the fairground is significant though, as apart from the opening scene, Wong Tao goes missing for a large portion of the runtime. His meeting with Shan sees him return to proceedings around the 55 minute mark, and a misunderstanding between them triggers a fantastic fight between the pair.

What’s unique about the fights in Wild Panther is the way they’re grounded in reality. Shan and Wong Tao’s showdown is an intense explosion of fists and feet, however within a minute they’re both on the ground exhausted, carelessly throwing fists at each other and attempting to stagger back onto their feet. It’s rare for a kung fu movie, even one set in modern day trappings, to display such realism, with fighters usually going at it for several minutes at a time with no sign of exhaustion. It certainly adds a welcome element of realism, as well as a sense of desperation, making the outcome of the fight seem less certain. The only other movies I can recall which display a similar sense of realism are Black Belt, and of course Sammo Hung’s Enter the Fat Dragon, when he humorously stops mid-way through the finale to catch his breath.

Budgetary constraints certainly show up in some areas though, particularly during the shootout scenes, which seem to pay no regard to the positioning of the shooters and those being shot at. In one scene I swear Shan is shot point blank in the head, however he’s either impervious to bullets, or we’re just supposed to presume that the bullet missed. Overall though these small quibbles aren’t enough to derail Wild Panther, and the movie reels itself back in for an impressive finale set in the woods. If I was to make a comparison, I’d say the same way people say Eastern Condors is an Asian version of Rambo: Fist Blood Part 2, then it could also be said that the finale of Wild Panther is the Asian version of First Blood, made a couple of years earlier.

Decked out in his army fatigues, Shan sets up a host of booby traps, which range from spikes to trip wires. Bok-ki also joins in the fray, and it would be a crime not to mention her fight scene which has one of the coolest sword concealments I’ve seen. Shan uses everything from grapple hooks to daggers in order to take out the enemy, and there’s some great use of slow motion in the sequence. One particular part has him running towards the camera, as explosions go off on either side of him, in a scene which predates similar sequences in the likes of Dreaming the Reality and Hard Boiled by a whole decade. Throw in liberal use of grenades and firepower, and in many ways the finale could be viewed as the template for many of the pyrotechnic filled Girls with Guns flicks that would flood the market in the early 90’s.

All of the bullets and explosions culminate in an intense showdown between Shan and Han, which has the two of them going at it with their fists and feet in a fight that makes great use of their surroundings. The pair are flung into ditches, against trees, and down hills in a confrontation which is suitably violent. While fans of Dong Tao may be disappointed that his role in Wild Panther remains largely peripheral, there’s no doubt that this is Chang Shan’s show, and to see him in a rare leading good guy role, ensures that it definitely warrants a watch.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 7/10

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Posted in All, Chinese, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged Chen Shan, Don Wong Tao, Eagle Han Ying, Lee Tso Nam |

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Cityonfire.com’s ‘Assassination’ Blu-ray Giveaway! – WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

Posted on November 30, 2015 by JJ Bona

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

Cityonfire.com and Well Go USA are giving away 3 Blu-ray copies of Assassination to three lucky Cityonfire visitors. To enter, simply add a comment to this post and describe, in your own words, this video.

We will be selecting a winner at random. Be sure to include your email address in the appropriate field so we can contact you for your home address. Additionally, you must ‘Like Us‘ on cityonfire.com’s Facebook by clicking here.

The Blu-ray & DVD for Assassination (read our review) will be officially released on December 1, 2015. We will announce the 3 winners on this day.

CONTEST DISCLAIMER: You must enter by December 1, 2015 to qualify. U.S. residents only please. We sincerely apologize to our non-U.S. visitors. Winners must respond with their mailing address within 48 hours, otherwise you will automatically be disqualified. No exceptions. Contest is subject to change without notice.

WINNERS: Ben, Devin S. and Steven L.

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Posted in News | Tagged Contests & Giveaways |

Seoul (2002) Review

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Paul Bramhall

“Seoul” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Masahiko Nagasawa
Cast: Tomoya Nagase, Choi Min-Soo, Hoon Jang, Sung Choi, Jin-myung Go, Shim-young Hahm, Hun-suk Jung, Ki-won Kang, Dong-wook Kim, Ji-youn Kim, Chan-young Lee, Do-hyung Lee, Kyung-hwan Park
Running Time: 110 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Seoul is an interesting curiosity of a movie. It looks, feels, and sounds like an early 2000’s Korean action flick, however it is in fact a Japanese production. Distributed by the legendary Toho studios, and directed by Masahiko Nagasawa, it was made in that transitioning period for both the Japanese and the Korean film industries. Japan had found its niche during the late 90’s, with quietly unsettling horror movies such as Ring and Audition, however with the dawn of the new millennium, its mainstream output had already begun a decline into mediocrity. The Korean film industry on the other hand was going through the opposite process, having finally got international recognition with the 1999 production Shiri, many consider 2003 to be a defining year for Korean cinema, a year after Seoul hit the screens.

The plot has Tomoya Nagase as a fish-out-water cop in, as the title suggests, Seoul. Nagase was a member of the J-pop group, TOKIO, and his role in Seoul led to him winning the Yujiro Ishihara Newcomer Award at the 2002 Nikkan Sports Film Award. He’s the only Japanese actor in the production, and the movie has him on the trail of a group of terrorists operating in Seoul, who have both Japanese and Korean members. Events transpire in such a way that Nagase soon finds himself paired with tough guy cop Choi Min-soo. The pairing of Nagase and Min-soo is Seoul’s first issue. While Nagase may have proved enough reason for his pop group fan-base to watch the movie in Japan, for an international audience, Min-soo’s screen presence serves to make him look like a scrawny high school boy whenever they share the screen.

Min-soo is considered to be one of the bad boys of Korean cinema. Known for his fiery temper onset, and with a reputation for hitting production staff, he doesn’t come with the best reputation for working with. However his charisma onscreen is undeniable, his tall and muscular frame making him an imposing presence. He can also do action, and the 1995 movie The Terrorist provided a worthy showcase for his fists and kicks. Seoul can be considered to be the first time Min-soo took part in a non-Korean production, however he’s done so several times since then, most notably in the Jackie Chan movie The Myth, as well as taking the lead in the 2011 Hollywood movie Assassin’s Code. While technically he’s a co-lead here, the fact that it’s a Japanese production inevitably sees the focus on the less interesting character Nagase portrays, while he’s left with scenes that have him sat in the police station staring moodily into the distance.

The production is clearly sold on the pairing of Nagase and Min-soo, however the onscreen chemistry really isn’t there. This could partly be blamed on the fact that Min-soo spends half the movie punching Nagase in the face whenever they meet, but the main reason is the way that Nagasawa chooses to navigate the language barrier between them. A translator, played by Kim Ji-yeon, basically follows the pair around for 90% of the runtime. This results in her being little more than a plot device, who literally follows Nagase around to translate whatever he’s saying to Min-soo, and whatever Min-soo is saying to him. She gets no character development at all. While it gets points for realism, cinematically it doesn’t really work, and quickly gets tiresome listening to her constantly repeat what the other actor has said either in Korean or Japanese. Seoul would have benefited greatly from employing a fictional device, such as the ear pieces worn in the more recent Helios, which has Hong Kong and Korean cops working together.

Predictably, the script also decides to incorporate some highly awkward speeches concerning Japanese and Korean relations. In reality, the relationship between Japan and Korea has always had a high level of tension bubbling beneath the surface. In a nutshell, it boils down the fact that Japan has never formally apologized for its treatment of Korea while it was under Japanese rule from 1910 – 1945. During that time Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese names, were expected to only speak Japanese, and many of the women were forced into prostitution to ‘service’ Japanese soldiers. Much like with China, for Korea it remains a sore point. So when Nagase breaks into a speech declaring how great it would be if Japan and Korea could just get along, it induces more than a few cringes.

During the finale is when things most likely get extra uncomfortable for a Korean audience, as scriptwriter Yasuo Hasegawa has Min-soo give Nagase a ridiculously cheesy send off, complete with his own Korean Air flight. Nagase’s walk to the plane is lined with the whole police department and airline staff saluting him as the hero, as Nagasawa closes proceedings making it abundantly clear that Japan has saved the day. While for a broader audience these cultural nuances will have little bearing on their overall opinion of Seoul, the multiple denouncements still translate as poor cinematic language, dragging the ending out unnecessarily.

Seoul of course also promises to deliver its fair share of action, however that promise is not one that’s delivered. While Japan hasn’t been able to deliver a solid action movie since the Sonny Chiba karate flicks of the 70’s, for Korea it was an action movie that put their film industry on the map, with the breakthrough hit Shiri, made just 3 years prior. In many ways the 5 year period from 1999 – 2003 was a transitionary era for Korean action. Most 90’s Korean action movies up until that point has been of the fedora wearing gangster variety, and employed Taekwondo based fight scenes from the likes of 80’s kung fu movie stalwarts Casanova Wong, Dragon Lee, and Hwang Jang Lee.

Shiri seemed to mark the end of that era, as the shift moved to recreating the glossy shootouts seen in Hollywood productions, reminiscent of movies such as Michael Bay’s The Rock and Bad Boys. It wasn’t until the infamous corridor hammer fight in OldBoy, from 2003, that Korean action seemed to shift back to creating its own flavor. Seoul is a prime example of an Asian movie attempting to recreate the Hollywood style of action, what little there is of it, with a finale that in particular seems to have been inspired by the street shootout in Heat. With such an emphasis on shootouts, it’s a shame Min-soo doesn’t get to let rip with his feet at any point during Seoul, as it could certainly have livened up proceedings. Most likely the action was handled by a Korean unit, otherwise this could well be the only case of a Japanese action scene copying a Korean action style influenced by a Hollywood action aesthetic.

Overall Seoul is an interesting collaboration between Japan and Korea, made at a time when relations were going through a good patch between the pair. Both countries co-hosted the FIFA World Cup the same year (the only time in history it’s ever been co-hosted), so a movie which saw a Japanese cop and Korean cop working together probably also seemed like a good idea at the time. It’s difficult to imagine a production like Seoul being made now, if anything the Korean film industry has long since surpassed the Japanese equivalent, both in quality of output and popularity, and would most likely turn its nose up at such a suggestion. However, if the outcome of such a collaboration would result in a movie similar to Seoul, then perhaps that’s for the best.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 4.5/10

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

Don’t miss Amazon’s Cyber Monday Deals Week!

Posted on November 30, 2015 by JJ Bona

Why go through the hassle of long lines, insane parking and crazy crowds, when you can shop right from your computer or device? During Cyber Monday Week, Amazon is offering some ridiculous deals on almost everything you can imagine – and it’s going on right now.

You’ll find movies for under $5, tons of video games for 50% off, 4K TVs for 30% off, flash drives for 50% off, and so much more. Don’t wait too long to purchase, because prices change all the time and the best deals usually sell out. Also, by purchasing from Amazon, you’re not only saving money, you’ll also be supporting cityonfire.com.

We hope you have a fun, safe time with your family and friends during the holiday season. As always, we appreciate your readership!

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Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Dirty Kung Fu (1978) Review

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Matthew Le-feuvre

“Dirty Kung Fu” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Lau Kar Wing
Cast: Wong Yu, Cecilia Wong Hang Sau, Wilson Tong, Lau Kar Wing, Thompson Kao Kang, Karl Maka, Norman Chu, Fung Hak On, Cheng Hong Yip, Wong Shu Tong, Dean Shek, Billy Chan, Chan Dik Hak, Peter Chan
Running Time: 90 min.

By Matthew Le-feuvre

Deftly defiant, and roguishly engaging with a persona that marginally capitalized on the edge of sardonic repose: a contradiction indeed! The late Wong Yue, who in many ways unintentionally mirrored (his) contemporary, Alexander Fu Sheng, as well as heralding the prospective box office clout of Jackie Chan by at least three years has, to varying degrees, never been properly commended or even designated into somekind of “Hall of Fame” accolade. The question is why?

Despite once being a crucial, though critically underrated, Shaw Brothers asset, much of Wong Yue’s pictures (bar exception his supporting roles in timely classics such as 1976’s Challenge of the Masters and 1975’s The Flying Guillotine) tended to be essentially “variations on a theme” that observedly stretches back to 1975 with his highly-animated lead debut in Lau Kar Leung’s crowd pleasing supernatural comedy The Spiritual Boxer (1975). By the mid eighties, in furtherance of the Shaws’ inevitable transition to Television production, Wong’s commercial attraction sadly began to spiral into igmony. A crime in itself! However, mercurial bankability and personal challenges with alcohol and drug dependancy (which thankfully he overcame!) saw Wong’s output diminished to less-than-princely cameos – or employment as a technical advisor/stunt arranger – before venturing into the casino business.

Ultimately whatever his human shortcomings in the day – regardless of a very stressful, physically demanding lifestyle – Wong Yue’s easygoing, cocksure deportment married with a fluid, almost spontaneous, kung fu style – courtesy of Lau Kar Leung/Lau Kar Wing’s innovative and expressive choreography – tickled audiences throughout what is believed to be the better part of an erratic decade marred by a split (cine-passionate) demograph.

Although plucked from the bowels of obscurity – apparently on a casting whim of Sir Run Run Shaw? – Wong Yue’s restrictive working misadventures as a hotel baggage clerk undoubtedly paled in comparison to his inaugural forays into stuntmanship. Still, this preparation for a solid, albeit conservative and labourous career, at the Shaws’ movietown enclosure was, it seems, designedly manufactured and attentively monitored ensuring maximum commerce potential. Yet beyond the unpredictability of the HK box office, Wong ably circumvented the legalities of his long-term contract by starring in several independent pictures financed/directed by the aforementioned Lau brothers. Of these, Dirty Kung Fu tipped the comedic scales towards the inane, relying sporadically on appropriated plot elements from The Spiritual Boxer, and the Lau’s antecedent He Has Nothing But Kung Fu (1977), to insure another goofy addition to Wong’s actively diverse filmography.

Indeed, characteristically dependent on Wong’s ability to charm, invoke or otherwise: Dirty Kung Fu ventures into avenues of humourous absurdity, thrilling us devoted patrons with an undemanding script that is, in part, fondly reminiscent of Jackie Chan’s critically divided Half A Loaf of Kung Fu (1978/80). And despite patently blemished by incoherent cinematography, twitchy editing, and suffice to say – throw away dialogue of an impromptu nature; well at least in its dubbed format – one cannot disregard or overlook the exciting balletic opening or subsequent fight arrangements plentifully centred (for budgetary reasons, no less) in a ‘new territories’ type village location: home to extortions, corruption and everything else in between.

Ironically enfolded in a market ‘then’ deliberately suffused with a torrid plethora of Bruce Lee clones and (now) counterpoised by Jackie Chan wannabes, Wong Yue refreshingly eclipsed these unwelcomed charlatans for another unforgettable screen incarnation as Pei Chou-Chai aka “The Rubberball Kid,” an incompetent opportunist impassioned to make his mark as a bountyhunter. Unfortunately, he is outclassed, and equally, out manoeuvred by more experienced resident hunters: “Flashing Blade,” Mr Yip (Tsui Siu Keung) and “The Snake King,” Pei Yuen Tin (Lau Kar Wing – who speaking of, directs with the right measure of dynamic jollity!).

After misidentifying a corpse as an outlaw at a funeral service, Pei finds himself wanted by the local police chief (Karl Maka) on a charge of fraudulent behaviour. In order to expunge this mistake, Pei hopelessly exhausts his improvisational deceptions by either losing his captives to the lure of gambling or simply because of a lack of martial skill. Determined to bring down an untouchable miscreant (Wilson Tong in super sinister mode) versed in the mysterious art of “Heaven’s Door Kung Fu” – a debased version of “Spiritual Boxing,” Pei devises an eel/snake combo-system whilst employing the use of his girlfriend’s underwear – an unusual, yet, in Chinese mythology, an exceptable accoutrement for battling spiritually possessed fighters. For Pei, though, will these intergrated deterrents insure victory?!

Verdict: On the further inspection beneath a ‘now’ commonplace exterior, interfacing concepts do not always harmonize, but somehow (the) Lau’s kinetic formula, which wasn’t consistently subtle, or for that matter, original, repeatedly worked! It wasn’t so much the pioneering, new, fangled ideas in preference of old school values in the way the late Bruce Lee had accomplished! The Lau’s “originality” nonetheless was in applying re-imagined methodologies from an alternative perspective. Fortuitously, Dirty Kung Fu slots firmly into this catagory!

Matthew Le-feuvre’s Rating: 7/10

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Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged Billy Chan Wui Ngai, Cecilia Wong Hang Sau, Dean Shek, Fung Hak On, Karl Maka, Lau Kar Wing, Norman Chu, Peter Chan Lung, Wilson Tong Wai-Shing, Wong Yu |

The World of Kanako | Blu-ray & DVD (Drafthouse Films)

Posted on November 25, 2015 by JJ Bona

The World of Kanako | Blu-ray & DVD (Drafthouse Films)

RELEASE DATE: February 2, 2016

Drafthouse Films presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Tetsuya Nakashima’s The World of Kanako (read our review), starring Koji Yakusho, Nana Komatsu and Satoshi Tsumabuki.

The World of Kanako is a nonstop visual and emotional assault to the senses as it follows troubled ex-detective Akikazu on the hunt for his missing teenage daughter, Kanako. What he discovers is an unsettling web of depravity surrounding both Kanako and himself. | Trailer.

Pre-order The World of Kanako from Amazon.com today!

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

Netflix to stream ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ saga as a series

Posted on November 24, 2015 by JJ Bona

"Gangs of Wasseypur II" Theatrical Poster

If you’re looking for singin’ and dancin,’ look elsewhere… but if you’re looking for beatin’ and killin’, don’t miss Gangs of Wasseypur, an Indian-made crime saga written and directed by Anurag Kashyap (Satya), who is considered the “Poster Boy” of Bollywood’s new wave of cinema.

This controversial two-part film, which is being described as India’s answer to The Godfather, follows a bloody feud between two families that begins in the early 1940s and lasts until the mid-1990s.

Netflix recently announced that a special edited version of Gangs of Wasseypur will stream as an eight-part series the first week of December. Until then, don’t miss the trailer.

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Drive Hard (2014) Review

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Paul Bramhall

“Drive Hard” Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Hard Drive
Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith
Cast: John Cusack, Thomas Jane, Zoe Ventoura, Christopher Morris, Yesse Spence, Damien Garvey
Running Time: 96 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The name Brian Trenchard-Smith should be familiar to anyone who’s a fan of Hong Kong movies, as the British born director was the man behind the 1975 Jimmy Wang Yu vehicle The Man from Hong Kong. A resident of Australia since his late teens, in the 70’s and 80’s Trenchard-Smith directed a string of low budget cult classics in the land down under. From the early Nicole Kidman flick BMX Bandits, to schlocky horror like Dead End Drive-In, to martial arts actioners Strike of the Panther and its sequel – it’s fair to say he was a pioneer in the field of Ozploitation. In the 2008 documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!, Quentin Tarantino even goes so far as to say Trenchard-Smith is one of his favorite directors, which is high praise indeed.

Since then his output has maintained its low budget charm, but has arguably been mostly forgettable. While the 90’s saw him take on the likes of Leprechaun 3 and Leprechaun 4: In Space, the turn of the millennium has seen him working almost exclusively in the DTV field. In many ways his most recent efforts hark back to the days when Australian filmmakers would invite Hollywood stars down under, knowing their names would help sell the movie, such as the Jamie Lee Curtis starring Road Games from 1981. However while that movie was a suspenseful Hitchcock-esque thriller, the likes of the Cuba Gooding Jr. flick Absolute Deception is hardly held in quite the same high regard.

Made a year after Absolute Deception, Drive Hard sees Trenchard-Smith keep the same filming location of the Gold Coast in Australia (which is also were the Jackie Chan movie First Strike was filmed), and exchanges Gooding Jr. for the double whammy of John Cusack and Thomas Jane. Like Gooding Jr., the offers haven’t exactly being pouring in for either star, with Cusack mostly relegated to starring in direct to video action movies like The Prince, made the same year, and Jane, the one time Punisher, limited to mostly supporting roles. Drive Hard is pitched as a getaway chase movie, and with Cusack’s vaping bank robber taking Jane’s former race car driver cum driving instructor hostage, the simple plot and small budget seem perfectly tailored to Trenchard-Smith’s method of filmmaking.

Unfortunately, the small budget becomes brazenly apparent from almost the word go. Cusack’s bank robbery is painfully dull, and consists of them pulling up outside a building, which then cuts to a close-up shot of a safe that anyone can buy in your nearest hardware store. Cue generic alarm sound effect, and what appears to be stock footage from a corporate training video of peoples legs briskly walking towards camera, and the heist is complete! Stock footage also shows up in other places, with most of the Gold Coast shots clearly lifted from a local tourism video. In terms of production values, things don’t get any better, such as when proceedings move to a police station, you know it’s the captains office because his name appears to have been printed on a piece of A3 paper and stuck to the door.

Throw in visible bullet hole stickers stuck onto car windows, stunt equipment used to flip a car left in clear sight, a car being right hand drive in one scene and left hand drive in the next, and cars used in stunts being completely different models than what they’re supposed to be, it gives some idea of the level of detail paid to the filming process. Understandably, as an exciting chase movie, Drive Hard fails miserably. On top of the technical blunders, none of the actual chasing is particularly fast, apart from the aforementioned flip there’s not a single car crash in sight, and the sense of danger is non-existent.

There is a saving grace though, and it comes in the form of the chemistry shared between Cusack and Jane. The script gets off to a rocky start, which was penned by Trenchard-Smith himself and Brigitte Jean Allen, subjecting us to not one but two unfunny seatbelt jokes within the first 30 minutes. However it soon hits its stride, with the relationship between kidnapper and kidnappee hitting some worthy comedic notes. In one particular meta-scene, Cusack insists that Jane calls the major crimes squad, and tells them he’s being forced to be a getaway driver for the bank robbery. After two unconvincing attempts to explain the situation, Cusack grabs the phone off him and yells, “You suck as an actor!” It may be a cheap laugh, but it works.

The movie is also filled out by a host of entertaining characters that the pair meet along the way, all played by local Australian talent. From a foul mouthed psychotic grandma, to a shotgun wielding gas station manager, to a rough and ready biker gang, all have a go at capturing the fugitives with amusing results. It’s during these scenes that the movie works best, as it almost becomes a fish out of water story, with the pair of Americans dealing with the hazards of the distinctly Australian locals. The colorful language of the various characters is definitely not for the easily offended, and harkens back to an era of Australian cinema that was itself very much rough and ready, producing similarly low budget chase movies such as Mad Max and alike.

Whenever the attention turns back to the main plot though, the tone becomes uninteresting and dull. Cusack’s thief has a generic but decent enough back story as to how he got to the situation he’s in today, but as there obviously wasn’t enough budget to film it as a flashback scene, he simply tells it to Jane via dialogue while sitting in the passenger seat. Film is a visual medium, and it’s this type of scene that only serves to draw attention to its lack of budget. It’s a recurring issue throughout the movie, in that whenever the script wants to expand the scope of the story, it falters due to not being able to stray too far away from Cusack and Jane driving around in their getaway car.

There’s also the issue of a completely throwaway side story concerning a couple of corrupt cops, played by Damien Garvey and Andrew Buchanan, who were assigned to the theft case, but get thrown off it when a special unit steps in. The agents from the special unit are played by Zoe Ventoura and Jason Wilder, however not only do any of the four characters never get anywhere close to capturing Cusack and Jane, they also exit the movie all together in a bizarre scene that comes out of nowhere. It almost seems like they were originally planned to be a major part of the plot, but somewhere along the way it was decided that the finale wouldn’t involve them at all, so the filmmakers had to somehow find a way to write them out of the picture before it gets to the climax.

Basically their roles in the movie serve nothing more than to pad out the short 90 minute run time, which is ultimately what Drive Hard is to the careers of Cusack and Jane, a production to pad out their filmographies until something better comes along. Trenchard-Smith might have blown it all sky high in the past, but at the moment, Drive Hard marks an unfortunate low.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6/10

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Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Reviews | Tagged Brian Trenchard-Smith, John Cusack, Thomas Jane |

Ghost Warrior/The House Where Evil Dwells | Blu-ray (Shout!)

Posted on November 24, 2015 by JJ Bona

Ghost Warrior & The House Where Evil Dwells | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

RELEASE DATE: January 5, 2016

Ready for some obscure samurai action? Shout! Factory presents the Blu-ray Double Feature for 1982’s The House Where Evil Dwells and 1984’s Ghost Warrior (aka Swordkill).

In The House Where Evil Dwells, an ancient Japanese curse turns a couple’s lives (Edward Albert and Susan George) into a nightmare of lust and revenge! This release features a new high-definition transfer and trailer.

In Ghost Warrior, a deep-frozen 400-year-old samurai (Kamen Rider’s Hiroshi Fujioka) is shipped to Los Angeles, where he comes back to life (almost sounds like Donnie Yen’s Iceman, eh?). Special features include a trailer… whoop dee doo.

Pre-order this Double Feature from Amazon.com today!

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

Double Team (1997) Review

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Zach Nix

“Double Team” Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: The Colony
Director: Tsui Hark
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Rodman, Paul Freeman, Mickey Rourke, Hung Yan Yan, Natacha Lindinger, Valéria Cavalli, Jay Benedict, Asher Tzarfati
Running Time: 93 min.

By Zach Nix

International action star Jean-Claude Van Damme (Pound of Flesh) was on a cinematic roll through the late 80s and into the mid 90s. Although few of his films were ever as good or as successful as the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone, almost every one of Van Damme’s films were commercially successful. Unfortunately, Van Damme’s hot streak came to an end in the late 90s with two of his most commercially disappointing films, Double Team and Knock Off. These films signaled the end of Van Damme’s theatrical career due to their inept plots and poor box office receipts. Van Damme followed up said films with even more disappointing efforts such as Universal Soldier: The Return and his first entries into the direct to video/limited theatrical market, Legionnaire and Desert Heat.

Even though Double Team started Van Damme’s slippery slope away from mainstream success, the film is more entertaining than most of his successful theatrical efforts. Directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark (The Taking of Tiger Mountain), Double Team is a highly stylized, although immensely inept, actioner that needs to be rediscovered by action fans for its awesome action sequences and utter insanity. It is arguably the wildest entry in Van Damme’s filmography and an undiscovered cult classic to boot.

The biggest hurdle with tackling Double Team is deciphering its plot because it is nearly impossible to recall said plot or even understand it while watching the film. Hark immediately drops the viewer into the life of government anti-terrorist agent Jack Quinn (Van Damme) as he retrieves stolen plutonium in an extended action sequence that also doubles as the film’s credits. As to who decided it was a good idea to lay credits over an action sequence is beyond me.

Anyways, the film gets into the thick of things once Quinn goes after terrorist Stavros (Mickey Rourke) who is also apparently his nemesis. When Quinn and his men track down Stavros and his family to a theme park, a shootout engages and Stavros’ son is caught in the crossfire. Unfortunately, Quinn fails to capture Stavros and is sent to a prison island for failed agents who are too valuable to kill. Therefore, Quinn must make his way off of the “inescapable” island and save his wife Kathryn from Stavros’ vengeance. Oh, and an arms dealer played by basketball player Dennis Rodman somehow fits into all of this.

Wow, where to begin with this one? The plot, or what resembles a plot, is all over the place and absolutely bonkers. Double Team tries to combine three films of entertainment into one but to no avail. It’s as if Hark and the screenwriters couldn’t decide on a revenge film, a prison escape film, or a buddy film, and decided to blend all of them together and call it Double Team. Even though the film’s poster, trailer, and title advertise it as a buddy picture between Van Damme and Dennis Rodman, Double Team is anything but. It is as if Hark crafted a ‘versus film’ between Van Damme and Rourke, and than decided to tack on a buddy element at the last minute and wedge it into the plot however possible.

Van Damme and Dennis Rodman are truly the most mismatched buddy pairing of all time. Even though nobody asked for a team up of ‘The Muscles from Brussels’ and ‘The Worm,’ Double Team delivers exactly that and with no chemistry to boot. While Van Damme does a fine job, as he is always on point no matter how bad the film, Rodman proves that he should never act thanks to a bevy of awful basketball puns. Rodman is equally as bad an actor as other fellow basketball players turned actors Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’ Neal, but he is at least far more fascinating thanks to his ridiculous ever changing hair color and wild outfits. Rodman’s arms dealer character is truly the most fascinating element of the film, as his character serves the plot in no way, shape, or form. He joins up with Van Damme’s character to help him save his wife and child simply because “he likes danger.” Regardless, Rodman’s presence adds to the film’s bizarre charm, as well as Hark’s knack for automated dialog replacement (ADR).

Not since Steven Seagal’s On Deadly Ground has an action film featured so much dialog from characters completely off screen. The amount of ADR in this film is absolutely baffling, especially during Rodman and Rourke’s dialog scenes. They typically have their back to the camera, are far away within the shot, or are nowhere in sight, and yet they sound as if they were standing right next to you. This large amount of ADR is due to Hark’s fast paced shooting style that results in lots of voice dubbing during the post-production process. Still, the insane amount of ADR adds to Double Team’s cult-like attraction.

Hark, a Hong Kong filmmaker, brings his flair for over the top theatrics to the film and crafts numerous excellent action sequences. Even though Double Team may be boring at times, Hark blesses the viewer with an action sequence every fifteen or so minutes to help get them through the film’s thankfully short run time. All of Hong Kong’s flair for over the top action is here: characters leap through windows while firing guns, launch motorcycles and cars through explosions, and perform flips and kicks while firing weapons. Any action fan would be cheating them selves to ignore Double Team based purely upon its immensely entertaining action sequences. Unfortunately, the film also features a large assortment of crazy Dutch angles and occasionally awful framing that prevents some of its action sequences from even being visually legible. Regardless, these odd creative decisions, coupled with the film’s amazing action sequences, help make Double Team that much more entertaining and fun to experience.

Double Team is a mess, but an oddly fascinating and extremely entertaining mess if there ever was one. Regardless of the film’s failure at the box office and the critical backlash it received in 1997, few Van Damme films, and action films in general, are as entertaining and fascinating to watch as Double Team. The film presents a cartoon-like world of changing hair-dos, bonkers action sequences, and crazy characters that help make it one of cinema’s greatest undiscovered cult flicks. I’d much rather watch an energetic mess of a film like Double Team than sleep my way through dull but commercially successful Van Damme efforts like Death Warrant, Nowhere to Run, or Timecop any day.

Zach Nix’s Rating: 6/10

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Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Reviews | Tagged Hung Yan Yan, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mickey Rourke, Tsui Hark |

Deal on Fire! The Man with the Iron Fists | Blu-ray | Only $5 – Expires soon!

Posted on November 22, 2015 by JJ Bona

The Man with the Iron Fists Blu-ray & DVD (Universal)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for The Man with the Iron Fists, a martial arts film directed by and starring RZA (American Gangster).

In feudal China, a blacksmith who makes weapons for a small village is put in the position where he must defend himself and his fellow villagers.

The Man with the Iron Fists also stars Russell Crowe (Gladiator), Lucy Liu (Kill Bill Vol. 1), Daniel Wu (The Las Supper), Cung Le (Dragon Eyes), Byron Mann (The Corruptor) and Dave Bautista (Spectre).

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Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Attack on Titan: Part 1 (2015) Review

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Paul Bramhall

“Attack on Titan” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Shinji Higuchi
Writer: Yusuke Watanabe, Tomohiro Machiyama
Based on Manga by Hajime Isayama
Cast: Haruma Miura, Hiroki Hasegawa, Kiko Mizuhara, Kanata Hongo, Takahiro Miura, Nanami Sakuraba, Satoru Matsuo, Satomi Ishihara, Pierre Taki, Jun Kunimura, Rina Takeda, Shu Watanabe, Ayame Misaki
Running Time: 98 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Attack on Titan was a production which had the odds stacked against it from the start. Putting aside the fact that it’s a Japanese mainstream blockbuster, which in itself is normally an indication of a movie destined to be devoid of any inspiration or creativity, in this case there were a whole host of other factors working against it. Attack on Titan is adapted from a sprawling manga series, one which would be impossible to do justice to even across two installments. There’d already been a successful anime series based on the manga, which in itself spawned an animated movie. Throw in countless spin-offs in various other formats, topped off with the fact that both the original manga and anime have won various awards, and it inevitably begs the question – why do the tale an injustice by turning it into a live action movie, destined to be a pale reflection of the source material?

As if to silence the many voices of discontent, it was announced early on that director Tetsuya Nakashima would be helming the adaptation. Nakashima is the man behind some of Japan’s best output in recent years, with genre bending efforts like Confessions and The World of Kanako, so to see what he’d do with Attack on Titan was an exciting prospect. Then, one year after the movie was announced, in December 2012 Toho released a statement advising Nakashima had left the production due to creative differences. Attack on Titan lay idle for a whole year, then at the end of 2013 it was announced that Shinji Higuchi would be the new director. So from the director of Kamikaze Girls and Memories of Matsuko, to the director of The Sinking of Japan and Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess. It was the equivalent of being told you’re going to get a steak, and then being served with a tin of Spam.

Toho got themselves a two-for-one with Higuchi though, as he’s also one of the top special effects directors in Japan, which for a tale such as this one, would come in very useful. I should put the disclaimer out there at this point that I’ve neither read the manga nor seen any of the anime episodes. I was aware of Attack on Titan, having been a resident of Japan at the time when the manga was first released in 2009, its popularity was hard to get away from. The story revolves around how humanity has been forced to live in cities, surrounded by enormous towering walls, built to keep out gigantic humanoid creatures that mercilessly devour humans, seemingly with no rhyme or reason. The image of a skinless Titan, resembling one of those anatomy models you find in a biology classroom, towering over one of the cities walls, is easily one of the most enduring of the series.

For those who want to read a review that draws comparisons with the source material though, this isn’t it. Instead, I’m just a guy who’d like for once to be able to find a mainstream Japanese movie which I can enjoy. One that hasn’t been watered down so it’s safe to be shown on TV a few months later, thanks to being backed by production companies that own the TV channels. One that isn’t bogged down by endless unnecessary exposition to explain every last detail of what’s going on, because the traditionally minded producers demanded it be that way. Sadly, ten minutes into Attack on Titan, I realized this probably wasn’t going to be that movie. We’re treated to scenes of the saccharine relationship between 3 friends played by Haruma Miura, Kanata Hongo, and Kiko Mizuhara, as they wistfully talk about what could be beyond the wall, and banter over an incredibly out of place accordion soundtrack.

But then, everything changes. At just 10 minutes in, Higuchi seems to realize that nobody cares about any of this, give us Titans! So he does, with the impressive entrance of a towering skinless Titan that starts hammering on the walls with a deafening roar, kicking in a part of the wall that allows a group of zombie like Titans to enter the city. This cues off a 15 minute sequence that sees the cities inhabitants awash with panic, as they attempt to escape almost certain death in the jaws of the towering creatures. Higuchi seems to have embraced the fact that it would be impossible to fit in all the themes that the source material contains, which range from militarism to disenchanted youth, and instead opts for a straight up tale of giant zombies trying to eat people. Even not being overly familiar with the manga, there’s little doubt that this will enrage fans who were hoping for a close knit adaptation, but for everyone else, there’s a lot of fun to be had.

The Titans themselves look fantastic, a mix of prosthetics, CGI, and practical effects, the latter of which the king of splatter himself, Yoshihiro Nishimura, worked on. Their slow moving walk and eerily vacant smiles, mixed with their off-grey color and naked sexless bodies, make them a genuine source of horror. What’s more, and is something that came as a big surprise, is the decision to not skimp on the blood. Humans are bitten in half with blood splattering everywhere, limbs are sliced off, and arrows are fired into eye balls. Higuchi’s experience in special effects really pays off, as it all looks great, and it genuinely feels like the characters are in the same shot as the Titans. It’s refreshing to see such seamless FX work on a production such as this one.

In many ways Attack on Titan seems to be influenced by a number of Hollywood movies that came out around the same time. The wall around the city feels reminiscent of the surroundings found in The Maze Runner, and the mission that’s launched to drive from one city to the next feels tonally similar to the plot in Mad Max: Fury Road. Not to mention the famous Titan slayer general, who seems to owe more than a few nods to Emily Blunt’s character in Edge of Tomorrow. Overall though, the movie that most springs to mind when watching Attack on Titan is Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers, just swap bugs for Titans. It has that same pulpy feel to it, and while I’m sure it’s a feel that Higuchi wasn’t intentionally going for, it’s what he’s been left with. Just like in Starship Troopers, every character is a stereotype, from the reluctant hero to the world weary war veteran, but when you have a cast which includes the likes of Jun Kunimura and Rina Takeda, that’s just fine.

Attack on Titan throws an impressive number of standout scenes into its compact 99 minute runtime. From an exciting night time attack by a baby Titan, to a romantic conversation between 2 characters being interrupted in a way which quickly dashes any hopes of it continuing, to a hilarious bromance scene that takes place in the mouth of a Titan! What makes these scenes so great, is that I’m sure Higuchi filmed them all with 100% sincerity, fully intending the audience to be immersed. But when a couple of guys are passionately yelling at each other in the mouth of a giant creature trying to eat them, there’s only so much you can take seriously. This isn’t to say Higuchi has made a masterpiece of unintentional hilarity or anything along those lines, just that there are some scenes which are entertaining in ways that perhaps weren’t originally intended to be.

The events of the first part of Attack on Titan culminate in a fantastic kaiju vs. kaiju showdown, which has heads being smashed through whole buildings, and even a few flying kicks thrown in for good measure. All in all, Higuchi’s adaptation will be one which severely divides the audience. For those hoping to see the more high brow concepts and themes explored in the manga, it’s safe to say that there’s nothing to see here. For those who’d like to see a tale which combines action, horror, and even a healthy dose of mystery (we need to come back for Part 2 right?), then this should more than satisfy. Attack on Titan gives us liberal helpings of Titan vs. human action, and much like watching a slasher movie, half the fun comes from guessing who’s going to be devoured next. For fans of the manga who see my below score, it’s probably a safe bet they’re hoping it’ll be me.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 7.5/10

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Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews | Tagged Rina Takeda |

New poster for Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Hateful 8’

Posted on November 19, 2015 by JJ Bona

"The Hateful 8" Theatrical Poster

Quentin Tarantino’s 8th film, The Hateful 8, is an upcoming western flick that revolves around Bounty hunters who seek shelter from a raging blizzard and get caught up in a plot of betrayal and deception.

The Hateful 8 was shot using Panavision anamorphic lenses with an ultra wide aspect ratio that was used on classic films like Ben-Hur (1959) and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963).

The Hateful 8 stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Channing Tatum, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, James Remar, Amber Tamblyn, Demian Bichir and Zoe Bell. Legendary composer, Ennio Morricone (Fistful of Dollars), will be providing an all-new original soundtrack for the film.

Updates Comic-Con teaser poster. | First trailer. | Final trailer!

BREAKING NEWS: Deadline reports that Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight will move up by a week the wide release of its 35mm and digital print versions. The film will open wide on New Year’s Day, instead of on January 8 as originally planned. The “Roadshow” version of the period film will go on as planned with 100 70mm prints in theaters around the country. That part of the program begins Christmas Day.

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