Bruce Lee finally goes Blu-ray in the UK!

The wait is over! UK’s Mediumrare Entertainment has announced the release of Bruce Lee’s Hong Kong films on Blu-ray for the very first time. All titles will be released on October 26th in the UK.

Each movie – consisting of The Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972), The Way of the Dragon (1972) and Game of Death (1978) – feature reversible sleeves with newly commissioned artwork, a 24-page booklet for each film, commentaries, features and a whole lot more.

Some of us may (particularly in the United States) already own Shout Factory’s Premiere Collection or Legacy Collection, but if you’re a completist or just want to spice up your Bruce Lee collection, you’ll want to read about the supplemental material Mediumrare Entertainment has cooked up (just make sure you an all region Blu-ray player).

Please note: Enter the Dragon (1973) will not be released as part of this series, as it is owned exclusively by Warner Bros.

The Big Boss (1971) Blu-ray includes:

Audio Commentary with Hong Kong cinema expert Mike Leeder
Audio Commentary with Bruce Lee expert Andrew Staton and Will Johnston
Breaking the West Interview with co-producer of Enter the Dragon Tom Kuhn
The History of The Big Boss: A photographic retrospective
Original 35mm Title sequence
Textless 35mm Title sequence
Rare uncut 8mm trailer
Promotional Gallery
Deleted Scenes Examined
Hong Kong promotional trailer
Original Theatrical Trailer
24-page collector’s booklet
Reversible sleeve within newly commissioned artwork

Fist of Fury (1972)

Audio commentary with Hong Kong cinema expert Mike Leeder
Audio commentary from Asian film expert Bey Logan
The First Lady: an interview with Nora Miao
Blade of Fury: an interview with Riki Hashimoto
Master of Bushido: an interview with Jun Katsumura
The Fist of Fury location guide with Bey Logan
First Amongst Equals: an interview with Dan Inosanto
Legacy of a Master: an interview with acclaimed action-director, Jeff Imada
Tracking the Dragon: an interview with Bruce Lee’s photographer Linda Palmer
Friend to the Stars: an interview with Bruce Lee confidante, Joe Torreneuva
Trailer gallery
Rare photo archive
24- page collector’s booklet
Reversible sleeve within newly commissioned artwork

Way of the Dragon (1972) Blu-ray includes:

Introduction: Robert Lee
Introduction: Bey Logan
Audio Commentary with Hong Kong cinema expert Mike Leeder
Audio Commentary by Bey Logan and co-star Jon Benn
A Dragon Remembered: Interview with Bruce Lee’s brother Robert Lee
Double Edged Sword: An exclusive interview with Bob Wall
Bruce Lee Trailer Archive including rare UK theatrical trailers and TV spots
Interviews with production managers Chaplin Chang and Louis Sit
Memories of the Master featurette: Interview with Pat Johnson
Dragon Rising: a re-mastered transfer of Bruce Lee’s only remaining screen test
Artist and Warrior: An exclusive interview with co-star Tony Lau Wing
Warrior Immortal featurette with co-star Wong In-sik
Reflections on the The Little Dragon Promo
Production Photo Gallery
Rare Photo Archive
24 page Collectors booklet
Reversible sleeve with newly commissioned artwork

Game of Death (1978) Blu-ray includes:

Audio commentary with Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan
Audio Commentary With Hong Kong Film Expert Mike Leeder
Five deleted scenes, including alternate title sequence and extended ending
Production photo gallery
Rare archive photo gallery
Original UK and Cantonese Theatrical Trailers
Featurette: Dan Inosanto – Warrior And Teacher
Dan Inosanto Jeet Kune Do and other Asian methods of fighting seminar (40mins)
Featurette: Taky Kimura – Keeping The Flame Alive
Featurette: George Lazenby – Reflections of the Master
Game of Death outtake footage
Legacy of the Dragon documentary (46 mins)
Game of Death re-visited (40 minutes of footage edited as Lee’s original plan)
24 page collector’s booklet
Reversible sleeve with newly commissioned artwork

And yes, all nunchuck scenes are intact. ; )

"Magic Card" Chinese Teaser Poster

Opening in China on October 16, 2015 is the Chinese adventure, Magic Card, which is being described as a high-adrenaline, spy-themed, action movie aimed at the international market. The upcoming film marks Jiang Guomin’s first directorial project since 2007’s Bullet and Brain.

Magic Card stars Simon Yam (SPL II, Wild City, Cross), Kimi Qiao (Days of Our Own), Viann Zhang (Flying Swords of the Dragon Gate), Dada Chan (Z Storm) and Italian superstar Maria Grazia Cucinotta, who is mostly known for Il Postino: The Postman (1994) and her role as a Bond girl in The World Is Not Enough (1999).

Surprisingly,  trailer has yet to turn up, but given its October release date, one should be popping up soon. Stay tuned!

"Garrison 7: The Fallen" Teaser Poster

Australian filmmaker, Scott Brewer – known for his stuntwork in films like The Matrix and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – is in pre-produciton phase for his upcoming Garrison 7 series, which has martial arts star Mark Dacascos (Drive) and Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers) attached as leads, not to mention, Brewer himself.

So far, two, very slick concept posters have been released for Garrison 7: The Fallen and Garrison 7 (click here to view), both due for release in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

In the meantime, Garrison 7: The Hunt (aka G7: The Hunt), an action-short, which the future films will be based on, should be seeing the light of day any time. Until then, don’t miss its impressive teaser.

"Momentum" Theatrical Poster

With two video game adaptations, a Bond flick and a handful of other action packed titles under her belt – actress/model and former Bond Girl – Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) is officially an action star. We furthermore rest our case with the newly released trailer for Momentum, the debut thriller from Stephen S. Campanelli, which also stars James Purefoy (The Following).

When an infiltration expert with a secret past accidentally reveals her identity during what should have been a routine heist, she quickly finds herself mixed up in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a master assassin and his team of killers. Armed with her own set of lethal skills, she’s out for revenge!

Look for it in theaters on October 16th, 2015. Don’t miss the trailer!

"Zero Tolerance" Theatrical Poster

Over a year ago, we filled you in on a Thai action movie called Angels, which starred Sahajak Boonthanakit (Streetfighter: Legend of Chun Li), Dustin Nguyen (The Rebel), Gary Daniels (City Hunter) and Ammy Chanicha (The Hangover 2).

Sadly, Angels was never released anywhere, except Vietnam. But now, after a series of re-shoots, re-edits, newly added star power – and even a fresh movie title – Angels will be seen by the rest of world in the form of Zero Tolerance.

In Zero Tolerance, two former para-military operatives, Johnny and his police detective friend Peter, search Bangkok to find the killers of Johnny’s beautiful daughter Angel – Leaving carnage and retribution throughout city.

Angels filmmaker Wych Kaosayananda (Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever) had this to say about the Angels/Zero Tolerance makeover: “Angels has undergone some pretty radical changes since the start of 2014, we’ve done some additional shooting and added Scott Adkins to the cast and it should be released sometime this year under the new name, Zero Tolerance.”

In addition to Adkins being added to the cast, Kane Kosugi (Choy Lee Fut, Ninja 2: Shadow of a Tear) will also be appearing in Zero Tolerance. We haven’t seen a splice job like this since Jackie Chan’s The Protector. Regardless, having Nguyen, Adkins, Daniels and Kosugi in one movie makes up for any questionable production tactics. | Watch the trailer.

Updates: Lionsgate is releasing the DVD for Zero Tolerance (read our review) on December 1, 2015 (Pre-order at Amazon.com). Watch the official North American trailer right now!

"Action Star Christmas" DVD Cover

Get in the holiday spirit for Action Star Christmas, an upcoming film starring Cynthia Rothrock (Righting Wrongs, No Retreat, No Surrender II), Gary Daniels (Tekken, City Hunter), Daniel Bernhardt (Matrix Reloaded, Bloodsport 2), Kathy Long (Knights) and Chris Mitchum (Master Samurai, Chinese Commandos).

Think of it as a Christmas B movie meets The Expendables minus the violence. Whatever the case, it’s a perfect gag gift stocking stuffer for fans who love low-budget action flicks of the 90s and 70s.

Action Star Christmas (formerly known as Santa’s Summer House) hits DVD on November 3, 2015 (pre-order at Amazon). Until then, we leave you with the trailer for Master Samurai, a Filipino action classic starring Chris Mitchum. Enjoy!

"Taken 3" Korean Theatrical Poster

Luc Besson (Lucy), who co-wrote and produced all three of the Taken movies, is producing a Taken TV series for NBC.

According to Deadline, the series will be a prequel to the movies and will reference Bryan Mills’ “particular set of skills” that he “acquired over a very long career.” Since the series is an origin story, we assume that Liam Neeson will not be reprising his role as Mills.

The upcoming Taken series is not the first time a Besson production made its way to the small screen. In the past, Besson’s La Femme Nikita (1990) and Transporter (2002), were also adapted to TV.

We’ll keep you posted as we hear more.

"The Mechanic" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Jason Statham is coming straight to your living room! In 2013, Statham (Crank 2) acquired rights to J.J. Connolly’s novel Viva La Madness (follow-up to Layer Cake). The project, which was expected to be a motion picture starring Statham, remained in limbo for nearly 2 years; but as of today, THR announced that Viva will now be a TV series. Statham is still the star (filling in Daniel Craig’s shoes). No network is currently attached.

So what can we expect from it? Here’s the rub, via Amazon: Viva la Madness moves to international crime with trans-Atlantic drug deals, money laundering and high-tech electronic fraud, portrayed with the same uncanny believability. The anonymous hero of Layer Cake is pulled back into the drug game before he can escape to a sunny retirement.

Expect more updates from Viva La Madness in the future!