Assassin's Blade Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Welcome to the month of May. Let’s get cracking. If you’re interested in any of these titles, you can support the site by ordering through our affiliate. We appreciate it!

Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 5/7/13:

ASIAN CINEMA

The Assassin’s Blade (Blu-ray/DVD) – distributor Well Go USA presents this 2008 Chinese fantasy/romance – a sort of “Romeo & Juliet” with swords!

Bunohan: Return to Murder (DVD) – it’s a blend of Thai kickboxing with arthouse drama in this innovative 2011 Malaysian film

Dragon Lord (Blu-ray) – while it’s appearing on Blu-ray in its dubbed and slightly edited form, this 1982 effort from Jackie Chan is still one of the best martial arts movies of its era. Only $5.99 from Echo Bridge

FOREIGN

Id: A (DVD) – Shout! Factory releases this 2011 Danish thriller about a woman who wakes up with no memory, a duffel bag full of money – and a stalker on her trail

The Rabbi’s Cat (Blu-ray/DVD) – the popular graphic novel of the same name is brought to stunning life in this 2011 animated French-language film

The Condemned (DVD) – this 2012 creepy chiller about a mansion with hidden secrets arrives from Puerto Rico

MAINSTREAM

Jack Reacher (Blu-ray/DVD) – Tom Cruise tries to do his best “Dirty Harry” routine in this gritty 2012 thriller set in Pittsburgh

Upstream Color (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2013 sci-fi film is the latest mind-bending feature from the writer/director behind 2004 cult favorite “Primer”

Mark 2: Redemption (Blu-ray/DVD) – martial arts icon Gary Daniels (“City Hunter,” “Bloodmoon”) co-stars in this 2013 apocalyptic thriller with a Biblical theme

NEW TO BLU-RAY

Band of Outsiders (Blu-ray) – the Criterion Collection offers this beloved 1964 effort from French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard in hi-def for the first time. A must-see for fans of the director

The Great Escape (Blu-ray) – an all-star cast, including Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and James Garner, headlines this 1963 classic about prisoners escape from a WWII prison camp

Saboteur (Blu-ray) – from the master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock, comes this 1942 thriller. Now in hi-def

Shadow of a Doubt (Blu-ray) – the inimitable Joseph Cotton stars in this 1943 thriller from Alfred Hitchcock, considered one of Hitch’s own personal favorites

Fortress (Blu-ray) – Echo Bridge releases this 1992 Christopher Lambert vehicle in hi-def for only $5.99. From the director of “Re-Animator”!

One Hour Photo (Blu-ray) – Robin Williams headlines this creepy 2002 thriller receiving a belated hi-def release

Grifters (Blu-ray) – John Cusack  stars in this 1990 action/comedy, co-starring Anjelica Huston

Gamer 3D (Blu-ray) – the 2009 action movie from the filmmakers behind “Crank” and “Crank 2” is unleashed on Blu-ray once again, this time in 3D

Best of the Best: Without Warning (Blu-ray) – also known as “Best of the Best 4,” underrated action star Phillip Ree directs and stars in this explosive action flick

Bounty Hunters 2: Hardball (Blu-ray) – the “American Ninja” Michael Dudikoff is back in this 1997 action B-movie

COMPILATIONS

Face/Off (Blu-ray Steelbook) – a host of beloved films are available this week in new Blu-ray Steelbook editions, including John Woo’s 1997 action masterpiece. Also look for “Batman,” “Batman Returns,” “Gladiator,” “Heat,” and more

Comic Books 5 Film Set (Blu-ray/DVD) – Miramax and Lionsgate team up for this Blu-ray set containing “Conan the Barbarian” (Jason Momoa version), “The Spirit,” “Kick-Ass,” “The Punisher” (Thomas Jane), and “The Crow”

3 Mega-Monster Movies (Blu-ray) – Echo Bridge presents this 3-film collection of marginally related ‘monster movies,’ including the excellent “Godzilla vs. Biolante” alongside “Monster” and “Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus”

CULT

The Dungeon Of Harrow + Death By Invitation (DVD) – the latest double feature release from the cult and drive-in movie purveyors at Vinegar Syndrome

HORROR

Mama (Blu-ray/DVD) – produced by Guillmero Del Toro (“Pacific Rim”) and starring Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty”), this horror flick was an early 2013 hit

Hellraiser VII: Deader (Blu-ray) – the 2005 installment in the popular “Hellraiser” series, now in hi-def from Echo Bridge

Teaching Mrs. Tingle (Blu-ray) – “Scream” writer Kevin Williamson took to the director’s chair for this 1997 horror/comedy set in high school. Featuring Helen Mirren as the teacher from hell

Return Of The Vampire/Revenge Of Frankenstein/Mr Sardonicus/Brotherhood Of Satan (DVD) – a low-budget release compiling these 4 separate horror movies

Interested in any of these movies? If so, we hope that you’ll consider ordering from our affiliate to help support this site. Thank you!

"Aftershock" International Poster

THE MOVIE: Written and directed by Nicolás López, Aftershock takes place in Chile, where a group of friends are partying in an underground nightclub when a massive earthquake hits. Little do they know, the earthquake is just the beginning of their nightmare.

Aftershock stars Cabin Fever’s Eli Roth (also serves as producer and co-writer), Andrea Osvárt, Ariel Levy, Nicolas Martinez, Lorenza Izzo, Natasha Yarovenko and a cameo from Selena Gomez. Aftershock is López’s first English language film. The movie will hit theaters in 2013.

Updates: Enjoy the first clip. | The trailer is now available!

BREAKING NEWS: There’s a bloody new Red Band trailer for your viewing pleasure.

"Versus" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Nippon Cinema reports: While promoting his latest movie, No One Lives, director Ryuhei Kitamur mentioned he was planning a sequel to 2000’s Versus sometime next year. Ryuhei even said he’d get Tak Sakaguchi out of retirement to return: “The lead actor is retired, but I’ll get him to make a comeback. He’ll do it if I do it.”

Cityonfire’s Numskull describes the original Versus as “Evil Dead and Bad Taste meet in-your-face combat like only those bloodthirsty Asian film makers can do it.” Joe909, who gave it a perfect score of 10, says it’s “the most enjoyable movie I’ve seen in a long time.”

Stay tuned for more on Versus 2. In the meantime, if you haven’t seen the original, Amazon.com carries it in a variety of formats.

"Bruce Lee Double Feature" Shout! Factory DVD Covers

It’s that time again to look towards this week’s new releases. If you’re interested in any of these titles, you can support the site by ordering through our affiliate. We appreciate it!

Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 4/30/13:

ASIAN CINEMA

Bruce Lee: The Big Boss / Fist of Fury (DVD) – two classic martial arts films starring Bruce Lee are offered on one DVD, courtesy of Shout! Factory. Sorry, no hi-def release quite yet

Bruce Lee: Way of the Dragon / Game of Death (DVD) – two more famous features from the one and only Bruce Lee

FOREIGN

Parked (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2010 comedy/drama starring Colin Meaney (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) explores the economic recession’s impact in Ireland

Young & Wild (DVD) – this 2012 drama from Chile follows a sex-obsessed teen whose lifestyle conflicts with her strict religious upbringing

Stuck to Your Pillow (DVD) – a Spanish-language twist on “Ghost”? A young diver lingers on earth after his death and falls in love with a married woman in this 2012 movie

In Danger and Deep Distress, The Middleway Spells Certain Death (DVD) – this experimental 1974 effort out of Germay blurs the line between documentary and fiction

MAINSTREAM

Broken City (Blu-ray/DVD) – big name actors Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe headline this 2013 crime drama set on the gritty streets of NYC

Silver Linings Playbook (Blu-ray/DVD) – Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence star in the 2012 Academy Award-winning dramedy from “The Fighter” director David O. Russell

Not Fade Away (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2012 drama from the creator of “The Sopranos” follows a young band from the suburbs of New Jersey during the early 60’s

Strictly Ballroom (Blu-ray) – the 1992 debut feature from “Moulin Rouge” director Baz Luhrman is now in hi-def

CULT

Manborg (DVD) – this 2011 cult film out of Canada takes place in a desolated future where the forces of hell have taken over the earth and the only one who stands in their way is a half-man, half-machine hero named Manborg

NEW TO BLU-RAY

Star Trek films (Blu-ray) – several of the “Star Trek” movies are available on discounted single-disc Blu-rays this week, including “Star Trek I: The Motion Picture,” “Star Trek III: The Search For Spock,” “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier,” “Star Trek VII: Generations,” “Star Trek IX: Resurrection,” and “Star Trek X: Nemesis”

CLASSICS

Cloak and Dagger (Blu-ray/DVD) – Olive Films presents this 1946 spy thriller from legendary director Fritz Lang (“M”), starring cinema icon Gary Cooper (“High Noon”)

The Enforcer (Blu-ray/DVD) – Humphrey Bogart of “Casablanca” fame headlines this 1951 suspense thriller, in hi-def from Olive Films

The Men (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 1950 picture about a paraplegic WWII veteran was actually the screen debut of Marlon Brando

The Lonely Trail (Blu-ray/DVD) – a very young John Wayne stars in this 1936 Western set shortly after the Civil War

Hoodlum Empire (Blu-ray/DVD) – Olive Films offers this 1951 noir film from director Joseph Kane

HORROR

The Vampire Lovers (Blu-ray) – this 1970 vampire film is one of the best (and sexiest!) efforts from the venerable Hammer Horror studios. Now in hi-def thanks to Shout! Factory

Night of the Scarecrow (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 1995 horror b-movie has developed enough of a cult following over the years that it’s now in hi-def from Olive Films

Body Melt (DVD) – speaking of cult followings, if you’re a fan of Peter Jackson’s early work you might want to check out this ultra-gory 1993 Australian horror/comedy

The Dreaming/The Initiation (DVD) – it’s a double bill of Ozpsloitation from Katrina’s Nightmare Theater

Night of the Living Dead: The Resurrection (DVD) – this 2012 horror film is yet another remake/spin-off of George Romero’s zombie classic “Night of the Living Dead”

Interested in any of these movies? If so, we hope that you’ll consider ordering from our affiliate to help support this site. Thank you!

Hands of the Ripper | Blu-ray & DVD (Synapse Films)

RELEASE DATE: July 9, 2013

Synapse Films presents the Blu-ray & DVD for 1971’s Hands of the Ripper. The film follows Anna, the daughter of Jack the Ripper who witnessed him murdering her mother when she was a child. When new bloodshed occurs, a psychiatrist suspects that Anna may be possessed by Jack’s spirit. Presented uncut for the first time in the U.S., plus a load of extra features. Watch the trailer.