Deal on Fire! Die Hard 25th Anniversary 5-Disc Set | Blu-ray | Only $19.99 – Expires soon!

Die Hard 25th Anniversary 5-Disc Blu-ray Collection (Fox)

Die Hard 25th Anniversary 5-Disc Blu-ray Collection (Fox)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for the Die Hard 25th Anniversary 5-Disc Set. Celebrate 25 years of John McClane with this collection featuring the first four Die Hard films and an all-new bonus disc, “Decoding Die Hard.” It’s the ultimate tribute to the tough-as-nails cop with a wry sense of humor and a knack for explosive action. Wrong place. Wrong time. Right man. Yippee ki yay!

Cityonfire.com is pleased to announce that this set does NOT include 2013’s A Good Day to Die Hard. 😉

Order the Die Hard 25th Anniversary Set from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Vengeance Is Mine | Blu-ray (Criterion)

Vengeance Is Mine | Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion)

Vengeance Is Mine | Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion)

RELEASE DATE: August 26, 2014

Criterion Collection presents the Blu-ray for 1979’s Vengeance Is Mine, directed by Shohei Imamura (Black Rain). A thief, a murderer, and a charming lady-killer, Iwao Enokizu (Ken Ogata) is on the run from the police. Director Imamura turns this fact-based story—about the seventy-eight-day killing spree of a remorseless man from a devoutly Catholic family—into a cold, perverse, and at times diabolically funny examination of the primitive coexisting with the modern. More than just a true-crime tale, Vengeance Is Mine bares humanity’s snarling id. Watch the trailer.

Pre-order Vengeance Is Mine from Amazon.com today!

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

Will ‘Black and White’ be Edison Chen’s comeback film?

"Black and White" Promotional Poster

"Black and White" Promotional Poster

Jonathan Li, assistant director of Infernal Affairs III and Overheard 2, will be making his directorial debut with an action-thriller titled Black and White. Edison Chen (Infernal Affairs) will star alongside Baby John Choi (The Way We Dance). Film Business Asia describes Black and White as “an action film about two wronged undercover cops who become friends.”

The big question is: Will Black and White be Chen’s comeback film? Chen was once one of biggest names in the Hong Kong Entertainment industry, but following a sex scandal in 2008, his popularity diminished. Studios even went as far as trimming down his screen time in 2009’s Sniper.

Since then, Chen has only appeared in 2011’s Almost Perfect, an Asian-American indie flick which co-starred Kelly Hu. That same year, Chen announced he would be appearing in a sequel to 2005’s Initial D, but production was delayed and remains in development hell.

Here’s hoping Black and White will be Chen’s comeback film. We’ll keep you posted!

Posted in News |

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

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

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

RELEASE DATE: July 29, 2014

Well Go USA presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Dragonwolf, directed by Raimund Huber (Bangkok Adrenaline). The Devil’s Cauldron, a city where violence has forged a society in which only the lethal and can survive, two young men who possess the intellect and ferocity to flourish, carve a name for themselves as unstoppable hit men. But when a woman mysteriously enters their lives, she turns them against each other, resulting in a battle that threatens to bring the city to the brink of destruction. The film stars Kazu Patrick Tang, Johan Kirsten and Macha Polivka. Watch the trailer.

Pre-order Dragonwolf from Amazon.com today!

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

Pre-order Donnie Yen’s ‘Monkey King’ at DDDhouse.com

"The Monkey King" Chinese Theatrical Poster

"The Monkey King" Chinese Theatrical Poster

DDDHouse.com now has Donnie Yen’s Monkey King on Blu-ray & DVD for a May 22nd pre-order. Keep in mind that the DVD version is Region 3 coded, so you will need a multi-region DVD player to view the movie. Fortunately, the Blu-ray version is coded for region A, so it’s good to go on your current North American Blu-ray hardware.

Directed by Cheang Pou-soi (Accident), The Monkey King had the highest-grossing opening day in China, even surpassing Iron Man 3. In addition to Yen, the star-studded cast includes Chow Yun Fat, Aaron Kwok, and Cecilia Cheung. Watch the trailer!

Posted in News |

Deal on Fire! Toho Godzilla Collections | Blu-ray | Only $10.99 – Expires soon!

"Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah / Godzilla Vs. Mothra" Blu-ray Cover

"Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah / Godzilla Vs. Mothra" Blu-ray Cover

Today’s Deal on Fire are the Blu-ray compilations for The Toho Godzilla Collections. For a limited time, four double features will be available for $10.99.

Twofer titles include 1993’s Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla II & 1994’s Godzilla Vs. Spacegodzilla; 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars and 2003’s Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.; 1991’s Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah and 1992’s Godzilla Vs. Mothra; and 1995’s Godzilla Vs. Destoroyah and 2000’s Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus: The G Annihilation Strategy.

Pre-order one of the Toho Godzilla Collections from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

New Bruce Lee gameplay footage for ‘UFC 2014’

"Fist of Fury" Chinese Theatrical Poster

"Fist of Fury" Chinese Theatrical Poster

EA (via IGN) has announced that Bruce Lee will be featured in EA’s upcoming UFC 2014 for PS4 and Xbox One. The martial arts legend – and star of Enter the Dragon and Fist of Fury – is widely considered the “father of mixed martial arts.” In the 1960s, Lee developed Jeet Kune Do, a non-classical combination of multiple martial arts styles rolled into one. Lee’s concept practically became the basis for the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) phenomenon.

Click here to view a promotional footage for UFC 2014, narrated by Lee’s daughter and Chairperson of the Bruce Lee Foundation, Shannon Lee.

Update: Here’s some all new gameplay footage of Bruce lee in UFC 2014. Pre-ordering the game for PS4 and Xbox One will unlock Lee from the moment you boot up the game, but he’ll otherwise be available to anyone that successfully completes the game’s career mode on Pro difficulty, at which point he’ll be unlocked for use in four different weight classes.

Posted in News |

Guns, talks and a ‘Man on High Heels’… new trailer!

"Man on High Heels" Korean Theatrical Poster

"Man on High Heels" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director Jang Jin (Guns & Talks) is back with an action film called Man on High Heels (aka High Heels). Despite its kooky title, Man on High Heels is not a comedy. It’s in fact an violent action-thriller with a gender-bending twist. The film stars Cha Seung-won (Libra Me), Esom (Hindsight) and Oh Jung-Se (The Unjust).

Here’s the plot: Ji-wook is a cold-blooded detective who will stop at nothing to catch criminals. However, despite his masculine appearance, Ji-wook struggles with a secret desire to be a woman. At last, Ji-wook decides to get a sex change. However, a gang Ji-wook brutally arrested by force plots revenge against him.

Man on High Heels will be released domestically in June 2014. For now, here’s a couple of trailers.

Updates: Check out the new trailer, plus a new poster, courtesy of Film Combat Syndicate.

Posted in News |

Deal on Fire! Kill Zone | Blu-ray | Only $8.99 – Expires soon!

"Kill Zone" Blu-ray Cover

"Kill Zone" Blu-ray Cover

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Kill Zone (aka Sha Po Lang), directed by Wilson Yip (Ip Man 1 & 2) and starring Donnie Yen (Ip Man 1 & 2). Co-starring is Sammo Hung (The Man From Hong Kong) and Simon Yam (Bullet in the Head). Read our review, which describes Kill Zone as “one of the most bloodiest and violent films that I’ve seen in quite some time.”

And next year, look for Kill Zone 2 (aka Sha Po Lang), which will star Tony Jaa (Tom Yum Goong 2) and Wu Jing (Fatal Move).

Order Kill Zone from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Escape to Athena | DVD (Henstooth Video)

Escape to Athena | DVD (Henstooth Video)

Escape to Athena | DVD (Henstooth Video)

RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2014

Henstooth Video presents the DVD for 1979’s Escape to Athena, directed by George P. Cosmatos (Rambo: First Blood Part II). Roger Moore took a break from the James Bond franchise (between 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me and 1979’s Moonraker) to film this action gem about a group of World War II POWs who plan to escape from their Nazi captors and retrieve valuable stolen art at the same time. Escape to Athena also stars Telly Savalas, Stefanie Powers, Claudia Cardinale, Richard Roundtree, Sonny Bono and Elliott Gould. Still not sold? Then watch the trailer!

Pre-order Escape to Athena from Amazon.com today!

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

Deal on Fire! Gojira | Blu-ray | Only $9.49 – Expires soon!

"Gojira" Blu-ray Cover

"Gojira" Blu-ray Cover

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for 1954’s Gojira (aka Godzilla), Ishiro Honda’s original and uncut Japanese-language version. Critically acclaimed as a bold anti-nuclear allegory and one of the greatest monster movies of all time. Also included is Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956), the popular “Americanized” version starring Raymond Burr as a reporter covering Godzilla’s rampage. Gojira stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. Before you see the remake, see the original!

Order Gojira from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Seven Warriors (1989) Review

"Seven Warriors" DVD Cover

“Seven Warriors” DVD Cover

Director: Terry Tong
Writer: Tsang Kan Cheung
Producer: John Sham
Cast: Chen Jing, Adam Cheng, Jacky Cheung, Lisa Chiao Chiao, Elaine Kam, Benz Kong, Philip Kwok, Ben Lam, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Lo Lieh, Teresa Mo, Max Mok Siu Chung, Shing Fui On, Wu Ma, Sammo Hung
Running Time: 94 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The sterling team over at Well Go USA recently released the little known Hong Kong movie Seven Warriors on both DVD and Blu-ray format, and I got around to watching it this week. First up, I think it’s important to point out that specifically for this release, the back of the sleeve proudly declares – “Legendary actor, stuntman, fight choreographer and pioneer of Hong Kong’s New Wave Movement, Sammo Hung directs (and appears in) a rousing retelling of Akira Kurosawa’s SEVEN SAMURAI.” Ok, let’s just get this out of the way, Sammo doesn’t direct it, in fact the same sleeve features the movie credits just a few inches below, which clearly state ‘Directed by Terry Tong’! As for his appearance, it clocks in at less than two minutes, and those two minutes take place before the opening credits have even finished rolling, so this is not a movie to purchase based on the Sammo Hung factor.

That being said, it’s hard to get mad at the Well Go guys, as apparently even at the time of its release it used Sammo’s name to appeal to a wider audience, so a quarter of a century later not a whole lot has changed. The claim that he is the director though is just a brazen lie, he has no connection to the production in any way with the exception of his few seconds of screen time. So, what does that leave us with? Hollywood gave us its own take on Akira Kurosawa’s classic 1954 movie, The Seven Samurai, with the 1960 western The Magnificent Seven, and a whole 35 years after the original, Hong Kong decided to try its hand at retelling the tale with Seven Warriors.

In place of feudal Japan and the wild west of America, Seven Warriors transports the tale to 1920’s China, when warlords were ruling the land. When a rural village that relies on its annual harvest to get by becomes the target of a group of marauding bandits, they decide the only way to survive is to head into the city and try to enlist some soldiers to help them put up a fight against their attackers.

I would hazard a guess that part of the reason Seven Warriors has become a largely forgotten production is its failure to live up to the promise such an all-start cast bring to the table. Director Tong enlists Shaw Brothers legend Lo Lieh as the villainous head bandit (you know he’s bad because half his face is covered by a mole, complete with protruding hairs), the star of the Venoms crew Philip Kwok plays the villager on a mission to enlist help to defend his village, and then you have the titular seven themselves. Lead by Adam Cheng, he’s backed up by Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Max Mok, Wu Ma, Jacky Cheung, Shing Fui On, and Ben Lam.

Expectations should be duly set for a showdown which involves plenty of heroic bloodshed and kung-fu, but these expectations are only partly met. For an hour of its run time Seven Warriors plays out focusing on the plight of the village and the formation of the seven warriors, while minor conflicts are developed between certain characters which frankly, do little to generate interest or hold attention. Thankfully, actors like Tony Leung Chiu-wai, even at this early stage of his career, have enough charisma and charm to make proceedings watchable, and events move along towards the big showdown at an acceptable pace.

The big showdown of course, without kidding ourselves, it what we’re all here for. Sammo Hung may be nowhere to be seen, but Jacky Cheung has just spent a good portion of the run time teaching the villagers how to fight, one of which is Kwok, and Ben Lam has been introduced as being deadly accurate with a throwing knife, and not too shabby with his feet either. It’s time to see them let loose. Unfortunately, that time never really comes. Yes a lot of bullets are exchanged, and a mounted machine gun is even thrown into the mix, which evokes thoughts of both The Wild Bunch and Boxer Rebellion, but somehow all of the action comes across as rather perfunctory. Those looking for their martial arts fix will be left most disappointed of all, as Kwok doesn’t get to do anything, and Lam’s skills are used for a mere few seconds.

Seven Warriors isn’t a bad movie per se, it just lacks any stand out moments to elevate it above being anything other than average. None of the actors put in particularly poor performances, they just all have movies were they’ve done much better. If you want to check out Tong Leung Chiu-wai playing the naive do-gooder there’s My Heart is That Eternal Rose, if you want to see Ben Lam fully let loose there’s Angry Ranger, and if you want to see Max Mok busting out the moves there’s Night Life Hero. A director like Terry Tong was never going to mistaken as being in the same league as Akira Kurosawa, and indeed he only sat in the directors chair for a total of 7 movies, the most famous of which is 1982’s Coolie Killer. Here he has all the ingredients for what could be a fantastic adventure romp, but it never really seems to get past the simmering stage, when what we all want to see is things boiling over.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 7/10

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

Put Up Your Dux: The Story of Frank Dux (2010) Review

"Put Up Your Dux: The Story of Frank Dux" Theatrical Poster

“Put Up Your Dux: The Story of Frank Dux” Theatrical Poster

AKA: The True Story of JCVD Bloodsport
Director: Jesse Barrett-Mills
Co-director: Daniel Gallai
Cast: Frank Dux, Joe Fiorentino, Jeff Langton, Sheldon Lettich, Brian Thompson, Vic Moore
Running Time: 70 min.

By Jeff Bona

If you’re a fan of 1988’s Bloodsport, then you might be familiar with the name Frank Dux. If not – or if you’ve forgotten – here’s a refresher: In Bloodsport, the name of the character Jean-Claude Van Damme portrays is a guy named Frank Dux, a real life American martial artist who supposedly lived though the events portrayed in Bloodsport, hence the “Based on on a true story” tag that was slapped on the film’s initial VHS release. The main focal point of Bloodsport’s plot is Dux’ participation in a deadly, underground fight tournament known as the Kumite.

In most cases, when the name “Frank Dux” is brought up to a reputable martial artist, they’ll reply back by calling Dux a fraud, liar or con artist. Then you have that other small percentage of people, including four-time world karate champion Vic Moore, who says that Dux is “one of the top fighters today because of what he went through…” The next thing you know, you hear a rumor that Dux bought his martial arts trophies at a local trophy store.

In a series of archival footage and interviews – mostly from Dux himself – Put Up Your Dux: The Story of Frank Dux examines the highly debatable Dux story, and by the end of its 70-minute duration, it’s up to the audience to decide whether Dux’ life is fact or fantasy.

First and foremost, there’s no evidence of the Kumite ever existing. Many people, especially those in the martial arts community, believe that Dux made it up to sell a screenplay – but that’s just the tip of the ice berg. There’s a lot more to Dux than his supposed Kumite competition…

The controversial martial artist is also known for breaking bullet proof glass with his bare hands, as well as being a master of the “death touch,” (the ability to bare-handedly strike through layered thin bricks, only to break the bottom thick brick, leaving the first layer of thin bricks intact) which can obviously be a fatal technique if used against an opponent. Although there is no actual “film” of the Kumite, there is footage of Dux breaking glass and performing the “death touch.” However, skeptics dismiss the footage as being fake or staged.

Things get really strange when the documentary goes into Dux’ life as an undercover CIA operative, complete with propagana-like “home video” footage of Dux walking the Ukraine streets in a James Bond-like suit, as well as questionable interviews with anonymous Russian agents (via voice changer to hide their identities) who authenticate Dux as a legit secret agent. During these scenes, Dux clearly states that he was on a mission to recover biological weapons from terrorist organizations. In fact, he has even written his own book titled The Secret Man: An American Warrior’s Uncensored Story, which is described as “a true-life espionage account chronicles the exploits of a former CIA hitman who performed highly classified missions and who masked his covert operations under his international reputation as a martial arts black belt.”

Regardless if Dux’ life is fact or fantasy, Put Up Your Dux: The Story of Frank Dux is both an interesting documentary and a solid character study. One minute, it feels like a mockumentary; the next minute, you actually feel bad for the guy. For instance, during an autograph session at a martial arts convention in the 90s, Dux was knocked out by MMA fighter Zane Frazier (who was supposedly wearing brass knuckles). After the incident, Dux checked into a hospital to treat the injuries caused by Frazier, only to discover a massive tumor in his brain. As a result, Dux lost the use of one side of his body (including one of his eyes), which eventually led to memory loss. It was around this time that his wife aborted their child and divorced him. Additionally, he had to shut down many of his dojos due to his disability.

What really makes Put Up Your Dux: The Story of Frank Dux shine is the rare archival footage: Dux’ appearances on shows like That’s Incredible (circa 70s), obscure tabloid talk shows (circa 90s), news interviews, and even an HBO special that aired around the time of Bloodsport’s cable premier. Also featured are snippets from the “Dux vs. Van Damme” Court TV footage (In 1998, Dux filed a lawsuit against Van Damme, claiming that 1997’s The Quest was based off a 1991 screenplay he co-wrote with Van Damme which was then-called The Kumite: Enter the New Dragon).

Adding to its pacing are interviews with various acquaintances and friends, such as filmmaker Sheldon Lettich, who worked with Dux on Bloodsport, Lionheart, Double Impact and Only the Strong. At one point, Lettich explains that Dux “started becoming an embarrassment” on various film sets.

I was shocked to find out Put Up Your Dux: The Story of Frank Dux was panned by audiences. The negative response definitely has something to do with how it was marketed. In most countries, Put Up Your Dux: The Story of Frank Dux was changed to the totally misleading title The True Story of JCVD Bloodsport (click here to view artwork). To make things even more bizarre, the Blu-ray was released in 3D, which makes no sense at all. With a title like The True Story of JCVD Bloodsport, anyone would be disappointed if it wasn’t solely about Van Damme and the film Bloodsport. They should have called it Bloodsport: The Frank Dux Story – not only does this title make sense, it’s also highly marketable.

Put Up Your Dux: The Story of Frank Dux may not have the budget or slickness of a PBS documentary, so it has its production/editing hiccups here and there. Other than that very minor flaw, this film is highly recommended. Cheers to filmmakers Jesse Barrett-Mills and Daniel Gallai for making it!

Jeff Bona‘s Rating: 8/10

Posted in Asian Related, Documentary, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Legendary | DVD (Lionsgate)

Legendary | DVD (Lionsgate)

Legendary | DVD (Lionsgate)

RELEASE DATE: July 29, 2014

Lionsgate presents the DVD for Legendary (aka Legendary: Tomb of the Dragon). Travis Preston (Scott Adkins) assembles his team for an expedition to a remote region in China’s hinterland, where a wild animal that the locals believe to be a primeval monster they call the “Shocate” is said to roam free. Travis’s nemesis Jim Harker (Dolph Lundgren), a merciless trophy hunter, has already set up camp. A race against time ensues, and Travis and his team will have to pool all their resources if they want to capture this legendary creature alive. Note: Even though Adkins stars, be aware that this is not a martial arts movie. Watch the trailer.

Pre-order Legendary from Amazon.com today!

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

Martial Arts Movie Marathon Vol. 2 | DVD (Shout! Factory)

Martial Arts Movie Marathon Vol. 2 | DVD (Shout! Factory)

Martial Arts Movie Marathon Vol. 2 | DVD (Shout! Factory)

RELEASE DATE: August 19, 2014

Shout! Factory presents the DVD for the Martial Arts Movie Marathon Vol. 2, which contains four classic Golden Harvest movies on two discs. This set includes 1973’s The Fate of Lee Khan with Li Hua Li, Roy Chiao, Feng Hsu, Ying Bai, Feng Tien and Angela Mao; 1974’s The Shaolin Boxers with James Yien; 1977’s The Shaolin Plot with Chan Sing, Cheung Ging Boh and Sammo Hung Kam Bo; and 1975’s The Young Dragons with Cheng Lui, Chiang Nan and Chin Yuet Sang – directed by John Woo! Also available is the Martial Arts Movie Marathon Vol. 1.

Pre-order Martial Arts Movie Marathon Vol. 2 from Amazon.com today!

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