Eve of Destruction | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)
RELEASE DATE: November 19, 2013
Shout! Factory presents the Blu-ray for 1991’s Eve of Destruction. It’s White Nights meets The Terminator! Eve VIII (Renée Soutendijk) is a sophisticated android. When an unexpected mishap sends her into a sudden, irreversible rampage, Eve begins stalking and killing anything she perceives as a threat. And now it’s up to terrorism expert Jim McQuade (Gregory Hines) deactivate her! Watch the trailer.
Dead in Tombstone | Blu-ray & DVD (Universal)
RELEASE DATE: October 22, 2013
Universal presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Dead in Tombstone, directed by Roel Reine (Death Race 2). It’s Machete meets the Tombstone! After making a deal with the Devil (Mickey Rourke), Guerrero Hernandez (Danny Trejo) comes back from the dead a year later to seek his revenge on the bastards who did him wrong. Also starring Anthony Michael Hall! Watch the trailer.
“The Grandmaster” Theatrical Poster
AKA: The Grandmasters
Director: Wong Kar-wai
Cast: Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Song Hye Kyo, Zhao Benshan, Max Zhang Jin, Cung Le, Chin Shih-Chieh, Yuen Wo-Ping, Lo Meng, Fang Cheng-Cheng
Running TIme: 139 min.
Review by Ghost Dragon Triad
Wong Kar-Wai’s Ip Man biopic The Grandmaster is a fever dream of a film, a movie as much about the fleeting qualities of love and experience as it is about the life of its titular hero.
To address the elephant in the room: the film is guaranteed to disappoint anyone looking for a straight martial arts picture dressed up in the affectation of the director’s signature style. As much as style, The Grandmaster brings Wong Kar-Wai’s narrative vision to the tale of Ip Man. The film is huge and episodic, spanning decades and following numerous protagonists on myriad tangential stories – it’s film as the modern novel, an impressionistic tableau told through the haze of memory; Inglourious Basterds on heroin.
The story itself covers all the terrain of both Ip Man films starring Donnie Yen and much, much more. We enter the narrative before the Japanese invasion of China, as Ip Man lives in peace and prosperity with his wife and children. We follow him through the war, and into an illicit and sexless romance. Ip Man falls in love with rival martial artist Gong Er, played by the predictably terrific Ziyi Zhang, yet they share barely any scenes with one another. Rather, as the narrative splits and follows each of their exploits during and after the war – which takes us to Hong Kong, into the story of Ip Man 2 – the characters live in one another’s memories, and fuel one another’s passions.
Much like Wong Kar-Wai’s other recent historical epic, 2046, The Grandmaster feels like a life remembered more than a story told. The audience is given fragments of images, sequences broken out of chronological order, massive gaps in time, leaps from one character’s perspective to another. It is a movie to be taken in gradually and understood cumulatively, rather than followed logically and consumed quickly.
Don’t be surprised if, at numerous points throughout the film, you have no idea what’s going on, who certain characters are, and how they relate to the central story. Some of The Grandmaster’s many fragments are explained elliptically minutes, if not hours, later in the film; others simply vanish into the ether, like lost memories. There is at least one character – The Razor – who has nothing to do with the central narrative, and yet is given a handful of scenes to himself. Why is he there? Who knows.
This approach is guaranteed to frustrate many viewers. Even fans of Wong Kar-Wai’s oeuvre can grow weary of his often seemingly pointless meandering. Yet something very profound is at work in The Grandmaster. From a filmmaking perspective, it’s frankly astounding how much material the picture covers in its reasonable run time (123 minutes). The way in which the movie encompasses enormous passages of time through series of impressionistic shots and climactic confrontations is very impressive. And, as with 2046, The Grandmaster manages to provide enough emotional ballast and moments of profound humanity to overcome its occasional lack of cohesion and frequent lapses in concentration.
One small point of contention is the absence of a long-time Wong Kar-Wai collaborator, cinematographer Christopher Doyle. Replacement Philippe Le Sourd does a passable job of imitating Doyle’s style, but on the whole, The Grandmaster lacks the smoky, sensuous, melancholy, and hopelessly romantic look of the director’s best work. There are scenes in which objects and shadows obscuring shots feel more like mistakes than they do intentional fragmentation.
As the titular character, Tony Leung provides a graceful and melancholic performance not unlike his turns in previous films with the director; he is confident and graceful, but with enormous depths of melancholy and fragility lurking in his eyes. One thing Ip Man isn’t in this film is an action hero, or really a hero of any kind. He is yet another one of Wong Kar-Wai’s fragile people, a man in constant conflict with the decisions he makes. The Grandmaster is, ultimately, for all its flailing fists and slashing swords, a sweeping historical romance dressed up as a martial arts film. At the end of the day, it’s a simple equation: if you like Wong Kar-Wai, you will like this film. If you don’t, you won’t.
Ghost Dragon Triad’s Rating: 8/10
"Come Drink With Me" Chinese Theatrical Poster
According to Variety, The Weinstein Company has a deal with Celestial Pictures to remake two Shaw Brothers martial arts classics: 1966’s Come Drink With Me and 1978’s Avenging Eagle. TWC has actually owned the remake rights since 2006, but it’s only now that they’re putting their plans into action.
John Fusco, writer of The Forbidden Kingdom and the upcoming Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2, will pen the script for both movies. There are currently no directors or stars attached to either title, but we’ll keep you informed.
Celestial also says they’re in similar discussions with other A-list producers for remakes of other Shaw Brothers titles. As always, we’ll keep you in the loop.
"Saturn 3" Japanese Theatrical Poster
Shout! Factory and ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) announced today a distribution agreement to bring a vast library of acclaimed cinema classics to the home entertainment marketplace in the U.S and Canada.
Titles include Sophie’s Choice, On Golden Pond, The Eagle Has Landed , The Last Unicorn, The Tamarind Seed, Capricorn One, The Cassandra Crossing, Brief Encounter, Saturn 3, The Merchant of Venice, Voyage of the Damned, The Boys from Brazil, as well as numerous notable popular cult classic hits.
Cityonfire.com received the above info from a press release received from Shout! Factory.
"A Single Shot" Teaser Poster
A new trailer for David M. Rosenthal’s A Single Shot is now available. According to Deadline, A Single Shot is the story of a deadly game of cat and mouse, prompted by the tragic death of a young girl. Sam Rockwell plays hunter John Moon who makes a fatal mistake that leaves him with a suitcase full of blood money and hardened killers on his trail. As the hunter becomes the hunted, Moon is forced to defend his family and fight for his life.
Based on the novel of the same name by Matthew F. Jones (who also wrote the screenplay), A Single Shot also stars William H. Macy, Ted Levine, Kelly Reilly and Jeffrey Wright. Think of it as The Deer Hunter meets Fargo. Check out the trailer.
Body Bags | Blu-ray & DVD | Shout! Factory
RELEASE DATE: November 12, 2013
Shout! Factory presents the Blu-ray & DVD for 1993’s Body Bags. Like Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt, Body Bags contains numerous short horror stories (directed by John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper and Larry Sulkis). The first is about a serial killer, the second revolves around a hair transplant gone wrong and the third concerns a base ball player. Watch the trailer.
"Bloodsport" German Theatrical Poster
THE MOVIE: Rumors have been circling for awhile now about an in-development remake of 1988’s Bloodsport, the martial arts extravaganza that launched Jean-Claude Van Damme to superstardom. Producer Ed Pressman (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) was shopping around the project at Cannes last year, with Salt director Phillip Noyce and Taken screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen attached.
We haven’t heard much about the project since but, given the attention surrounding Van Damme due to his upcoming appearance in The Expendables 2, it wouldn’t be surprising if Pressman is eager to get this remake off the ground.
And now comes word from the man himself, Jean-Claude Van Damme, that he wants a co-starring role in the picture. Who would he play?
None other than the ‘Shindoshi, or mentor, to protagonist Frank Dux. It would be a nice way for Van Damme to come full circle after all these years and he already did an excellent job playing teacher to Cung Le in Dragon Eyes. However, Van Damme is claiming that the makers of the Bloodsport remake don’t want much to do with him, presumably because they want their new film to stand on its own.
As an aside, Jean-Claude Van Damme also explains just why we saw so many Bloodsport spin-offs and sequels throughout the 90’s. Says Van Damme: “When I did the first ‘Bloodsport,’ it was an independent company and [they] didn’t want bankruptcy, so they sold the title all over the place – 2,3,4,5,6 ‘Bloodsports.’” True enough: you’d be hard pressed to find martial arts series with more sequels than Bloodsport – or Kickboxer, for that matter.
Update: Van Damme is never short of ideas. During an interview, the actor just pitched a sequel – or reboot? – of his early 90’s flick Double Impact. You’ll remember it as the movie where Van Damme played twin brothers, one an aerobics instructor and the other a criminal in Hong Kong. In this update, the California-bred twin Chad would be a riff on Van Damme’s own persona a la JVCD. Now a movie producer who is decidedly short on cash, Chad ends up framing his twin brother Alex when he steals money from some Hong Kong loan sharks. Alex, an Expendables-like tough guy, tracks his brother back to L.A. where trouble ensues.
BREAKING NEWS: Looks like Phillip Noyce is out and the director of Ninja Assassin and V for Vendetta is in. Variety reports that James McTeigue will be directing the Bloodsport reboot. No word on the cast, but the reboot will explore the life of 21st century mercenaries as they collide with the underground world of Brazilian Vale Tudo fighting. Craig Rosenberg (The Uninvited) is re-writing the script based off a story by Robert Mark Kamen (Taken) and Phillip Noyce (Salt).
"Nightbreed" Japanese Theatrical Poster
I don’t know about you but I have a thing for the late 80’s, early 90’s film work of author Clive Barker. His 1990 effort Nightbreed is one of those movies that should have been a horror classic. It had Barker working at the peak of his creative powers; Danny Elfman, fresh off the success of his 1989 Batman soundtrack, handling score duties; and even starred David Cronenberg as a homicidal psychologist in a Scarecrow-like mask.
Yet when you watch the film itself, Nightbreed somehow feels like less than the sum of its parts. Not surprisingly, this is due to the fact that the studio nipped and tucked Clive Barker’s true creative vision.
Currently, studio Morgan Creek holds the rights to the lost Nightbreed footage, the missing reels that should make the story feel more cohesive.
For years, fans have been desperate to catch a glimpse of this elusive Director’s Cut. Now a movement, called Occupy Midian, has mobilized online in order to petition Morgan Creek for a Blu-ray/DVD release of Nightbreed in its complete form. Join the movement on Facebook and perhaps we fans can make a difference. Also, thanks to Todd Rigney of Beyond Hollywood for helping to publicize Occupy Midian.
Update: The Occupy Midian movement has been a resounding success. At this year’s Comic Con, distributor Scream Factory announced they will be releasing the ‘Cabal Cut’ of Nightbreed on Blu-ray. This uncut version of the movie runs for a staggering 165 minutes in comparison to the theatrical edition’s 108 minutes. Stay tuned for future details on the release date and more.
"The Wicker Man" 1998 Re-release Japanese Poster
Despite a recent remake that tends to draw more laughter than scares, director Robin Hardy’s 1976 chiller The Wicker Man remains one of the finest British horror movies of all time. And now fans will be able to experience the film in all new way: Studio Canal has announced the release of The Wicker Man: The Final Cut on Blu-ray.
This director’s version of the film includes an additional fourteen minutes of footage never screened in British theaters. The Final Cut should hit UK shores via Blu-ray and DVD on October 14th. Stay tuned for news on a North American release!
"Yukikaze" Anime DVD Cover
According to Variety, Warner Bros. is moving ahead with Yukikaze, which will star Tom Cruise as a pilot of an advanced aircraft who squares off against an alien force. Yukikaze is based on Chohei Kambayashi’s popular science fiction novel of the same name, as well as an anime series produced by Gonzo and Bandai Visual.
The Top Gun/Star Wars-style sci-fi action flick is being produced by Jon Berg, Erwin Stoff and Tom Lassally (all whom are also producing Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow, also based on a Japanese novel) with a script written by Dan Mazeau (Wrath of the Titans). There is currently no director attached.
Stay tuned for more developments.
Corruption | Blu-ray & DVD (Grindhouse Releasing)
RELEASE DATE: October 8, 2013
Grindhouse Releasing presents the Blu-ray & DVD for 1968’s Corruption (aka Carnage), the first ever U.S. home video release of the sickest and sleaziest British horror thriller. Peter Cushing stars as a surgeon driven to murder and madness as he attempts to restore the beauty of his hideously disfigured fashion model wife. Also starring Sue Lloyd and Kate O’Mara. This special edition contains scenes of gore and nudity previously deemed too strong for American audiences. Watch the trailer.
Jackie Chan Beginnings Double Feature: Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin and Magnificent Bodyguards | DVD (Shout! Factory)
RELEASE DATE: September 17, 2013
Shout! Factory presents the DVD for their third Jackie Chan Beginnings Double Feature (see the 1st and 2nd), which contains 1978’s Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin and 1978’s Magnificent Bodyguards. And don’t forget about Shout! Factory’s Crime Story & The Protector, Police Story & Police Story 2 and Battle Creek Brawl & City Hunter double features on Blu-ray & DVD.
Lust of the Dead | DVD (Tokyo Shock)
RELEASE DATE: September 10, 2013
Tokyo Shock presents the DVD for Lust of the Dead, directed by Naoyuki Tomomatsu (Stacy). After the female population of Tokyo is attacked by lustful zombies hungry for human flesh, office worker Nozomi and Nurse Momoko seek shelter in a Shinto shrine. With no other choices available, the girls decide to take a stand against the hordes of horny zombies! Watch the trailer.
"Age of Wushu" Promotional Poster
Film Combat Syndicate (via Flesh Eating Zipper) reports that Snail Games USA has hinted that their acclaimed PC video game Age of Wushu (aka The Age Of Wulin) might be heading to the big screen: “The Age of Wushu game looks and plays like a major martial arts motion picture so bringing the property to movie screens is a logical evolution,” say Shi Hai, chairman of Snail Games.
What’s more interesting is there’s a slight possibility that Jet Li could be involved. After all, he lent his likeness to the game’s promotional material; but then again, Li openly stated that 2006’s Fearless was his last “wushu” film. Never say never again, right? As always, we’ll keep you updated. Until then, watch Jet Li featured in the poster and commercial for Age of Wushu.
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