A Werewolf Boy | DVD (Inception Media)

"A Werewolf Boy" Theatrical Poster

RELEASE DATE: August 13, 2013

Inception Media presents the DVD for A Werewolf Boy. This fantasy/romance film broke box office records, with over 6.5 million admissions. The story follows a young woman whose family adopts a ‘feral boy’ into their home. The boy displays an uncommon devotion to his new kin but soon draws the fear and ire of local villagers. Starring Young-nam Jang, Hyang-ki Kim and Bo-yeong Park. Watch the trailer.

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

Sam Neill and Jordan Chan eye the ‘The Dragon Pearl’

"The Dragon Pearl" Chinese Theatrical Poster

"The Dragon Pearl" Chinese Theatrical Poster

On June 18, 2013, Ketchup Entertainment will release The Dragon Pearl on DVD and Blu-ray exclusively at Walmart. The DVD and Blu-ray will be available (pre-order at amazon.com) in all locations starting on August 20, 2013.

Directed by Mario Andreacchio, The Dragon Pearl features Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), Louis Cobett, Li Lin Jin and Hong Kong star Jordan Chan (Bio Zombie, Enter the Eagles).

Josh (Louis Corbett) and Ling (Li Lin Jin) thought they were in for a boring vacation with each of their parents (Sam Neill and Wang Ji) at an archaeological dig in China.

It turns into an adventure of a lifetime when they discover a mournful dragon trapped deep inside a mystical temple. According to ancient legend, the dragon is missing its life force, a sacred pearl that is hidden away in a secret chamber. Josh and Ling must battle evil forces (and some very skeptical parents) in their heart-stopping journey to return the magical pearl to its rightful owner. Watch the trailer and see the official U.S. DVD cover art here.

Cityonfire.com received the above press release from Ketchup Entertainment.

Posted in News |

Killing Season | Blu-ray & DVD (Millennium)

The Killing Season | Blu-ray & DVD (Millennium)

The Killing Season | Blu-ray & DVD (Millennium)

RELEASE DATE: August 20, 2013

Millennium presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Killing Season, directed by Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil). Two veterans of the Bosnian War, one American (Robert De Niro), one Serbian (John Travolta), clash in the remote Smoky Mountain wilderness. What follows is a tense battle across some of America’s most forbidding landscape proving the old adage: the purest form of war is one-on-one.

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

Martial arts icon Gordon Liu files suit against former assistant

"36th Chamber of Shaolin" Chinese Theatrical Poster

"36th Chamber of Shaolin" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Two years ago, martial arts action star Gordon Liu (36th Chamber of Shaolin, Kill Bill) was sent to the hospital in critical condition after a rumor broke out that he had slipped and hit his head.

After much speculation, one thing was certain: he had suffered a stroke which resulted him being paralyzed on his right side.

Since then, there have been reports that Liu had become critically depressed and reclusive, fearing that his “big hero” image would be tarnished if his fans saw him in a wheelchair. In addition, Liu has distanced himself from his family, claiming that they’re after his money, pressuring him to release his financial assets under their name.

Updates: Actor Gordon Liu has been reported missing to the police. We wish the best for Liu and his family during this trying time. Find the full details at JayneStars. | Gordon Liu has been reported safe and sound. His ‘disappearance’ was largely the result of Liu wishing to break contact with his family.

Jayne Stars reports that Gordon Liu may have to sell his home to pay for medical bills. Click here for the full story, which has a current photo of Liu with his legal guardian, Amy Fan.

BREAKING NEWS: Asian Fanatics reports that Gordon Liu has filed a suit against his former assistant, Eva Fung. Unknowingly to Liu, she supposedly transferred two of his accounts (HK$2 million) to her name. Read the full story at the link.

Posted in News |

The Tower | DVD (Inception Media Group)

The Tower | DVD (Inception Media Group)

The Tower | DVD (Inception Media Group)

RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2013

Inception Media Group presents the DVD for The Tower, directed by Kim Ji-hun (Tidal Wave). Disaster strikes during a ‘White Christmas’ party at a luxurious high-rise building when the two helicopters sprinkling fake snow crash into each other. Watch the trailer.

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

A Company Man | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

A Company Man | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

A Company Man | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: August 27, 2013

Well Go USA presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Lim Sang-Yoon’s A Company Man. Hyeong-Do (So Ji-Sub) plays a contract killer who happens to be the best there is at what he does. But when this stone-cold hitman falls in love with a married woman (Lee Mi-yeon), he abruptly retires – drawing the ire of his former employers, who decide to hunt him down. Watch the trailer.

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

Eric Roberts crawls into ‘Human Centipede 3’

"The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)" Teaser Poster

"The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)" Teaser Poster

THE MOVIE: The first was 100% medically accurate, the second became 100% medically inaccurate, and now producer Ilona Six promises the third to be 100% political incorrectness. Empire reports that Tom Six is moving forward with Human Centipede 3: Final Sequence. Returning cast members include Human Centipede’s Dieter Laser and Human Centipede 2’s Laurence R. Harvey. In addition, Tom Six himself will have a role this time around. Shooting starts in May with a scheduled release in 2013.

Updates: Tom Six told Empire: “In the end the three films can be actually attached to each other, like the centipede: one big film of four and a half hours. That’s my goal. Each film is very different from the previous one. 2 is totally different to 1, and 3 will be totally different from both the others. I’m not telling you how. You have to find out. In space? I won’t say!” Tom Six tells Indiewire that Human Centipede 3 will feature a 500 person-long chain.

There’s some drama brewing in Human Centipede 3: Final Sequence pre-production stage. Tom Six recently tweeted that his company “will” sue Dieter Laser (who played Dr. Heiter in the original Human Centipede) due to breach of contract. Anyways, THR has the full scoop.

Dread Central reports that the dispute between Tom Six and Dieter Laser has come to a happy ending. Laser has agreed to return to the lead role of Dr. Heiter in Six’s upcoming film The Human Centipede 3.

BREAKING NEWS: Best of the Best’s Eric Roberts has joined the cast.

Posted in News |

Floating City | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Floating City | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Floating City | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: June 11, 2013

Well Go USA presents the Blu-ray & DVD for 2012’s Floating City, directed by the Award-winning Hi Yim (Homecoming). Floating City is based on the true story of a Hong Kong businessman (Aaron Kwok) who learns about his mysterious roots. Starring Aaron Kwok, Charlie Yeung, Annie Liu, Paw Hee-Ching and Josie Ho. Watch the trailer.

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

Swamp Thing | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory) *updated*

Swamp Thing | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

Swamp Thing | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

RELEASE DATE: August 6, 2013

Shout! Factory presents the Blu-ray for Wes Craven’s 1982 classic Swamp Thing. According to Shout! Factory, it will be the 91 minute U.S. cut and not the 93 minute “unrated” international version, due to legal issues. Features include new commentary with Wes Craven, New interviews with Adrienne Barbeau effects artist Bill Munn, co-creator Len Wein and actor Reggie Batts, trailer and galleries. Watch the trailer.

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

Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 5/28/13

"Asian Action Triple Feature: Donnie Yen" DVD

Hello, folks. It’s a light week but we’re gonna make the most of it.

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 5/28/13:

ASIAN CINEMA

Asian Action Triple Feature: Donnie Yen (DVD) – distributor Well Go USA collects three of their films starring Donnie Yen on one disc, including: “Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen,” “Flash Point,” and “Blade of Kings” (AKA “Twins Effect II”)

Love Actually Sucks (IMPORT Blu-ray) – Amazon is offering this sexy 2011 Chinese romantic comedy on Import Blu-ray at a higher rate

Speechless (IMPORT Blu-ray) – Amazon is also selling this 2012 Chinese romantic drama about a Chinese student who befriends and falls for a foreigner he finds naked by a river

MARTIAL ARTS AND ACTION

Dead Mine (Blu-ray/DVD) – Joe Taslim of “The Raid” and “Fast and Furious 6” fame stars in this 2012 supernatural action picture set in an abandoned Japanese WWII bunker

FOREIGN

Shoot First Die Later: Remastered (Blu-ray/DVD) – distributor RaroVideo USA presents this action-packed and long sought after 1974 Italian crime picture

Lore (Blu-ray/DVD) – this riveting 2012 German-language film is a coming-of-age tale about a young girl who tries to protect her siblings across the ruins of Germany in the aftermath of WWII

Priest of Evil (DVD) – a dark and gloomy 2010 Danish crime thriller about a cop on the trail of his daughter’s assassin

MAINSTREAM

Life is Sweet (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection presents this 1990 British comedy from acclaimed director Mike Leigh (“Naked”)

Dark Skies (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2013 UFO-themed horror/thriller stars Keri Russell (“Mission: Impossible III”) and arrives from the producers of “Insidious” and “Paranormal Activity”

The Numbers Station (Blu-ray/DVD) – in this 2012 direct-to-video action/thriller, John Cusack plays a CIA agent who must protect Malin Ackerman’s number cruncher

generation Um… (DVD) – “Speed” star Keanu Reeves slows things down for this 2012 drama examining the lives of sex workers in New York City

NEW TO BLU-RAY

The Newton Boys (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 1998 bank robbing thriller features a noteworthy cast, including Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, and Skeet Ulrich

Best Laid Plans (Blu-ray/DVD) – Reese Witherspoon and Josh Brolin headline this 1999 thriller about a bank robbery gone horribly wrong

The Birds (IMPORT Blu-ray) – if you don’t mind paying the Import price, you can purchase Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 thriller “The Birds” on single-disc Blu-ray from Amazon

Jumpin Jack Flash (Blu-ray/DVD) – Whoopi Goldberg plays a bank worker who becomes embroiled in the world of espionage in this 1986 action/comedy

Star Chamber (Blu-ray/DVD) – Michael Douglas headlines this 1983 crime thriller from Peter Hyams, the director of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s “Timecop” and “Sudden Death”

CULT

Rolling Thunder (Blu-ray) – this 1977 gritty thriller, starring William Devane and Tommy Lee Jones, and originating from the pen of “Taxi Cab” writer Paul Schrader, makes its long-awaited debut on Blu-ray

CLASSICS

Cleopatra (50th Anniversary 2-Disc Edition) (Blu-ray/DVD) – it’s the infamous 1963 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, which nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox

Father Goose (Blu-ray/DVD) – screen legend Cary Grant stars alongside Leslie Caron (“An American in Paris”) in this 1964 island-set screwball comedy

The Grass is Greener (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 1960 screwball comedy managed to unite Cary Grant and Robert Mitchum on the silver screen

Blowing Wild (Blu-ray/DVD) – cinema legends Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck star in this 1958 picture described as a ‘noir adventure film’

The Girl Who Knew Too Much (Blu-ray/DVD) – not to be confused with the Mario Bava Italian thriller of the same name, this 1969 picture stars Adam West as a retired CIA agent turned nightclub owner(!) who finds no end of trouble when the mob starts hustling into his territory

Best of Film Noir Vol. 1 (DVD) – this 3-disc set contains three movies in the noir genre, including “The Red House,” “Suddenly,” and “Kansas City Confidential”

Dark Command (Blu-ray/DVD) – John Wayne and Roy Rogers feature in this 1940 drama set in Kansas just before the Civil War

Lady From Louisiana (Blu-ray/DVD) – in this 1941 drama, John Wayne plays against type as a Northern lawyer going up against the lottery racket

In Old California (Blu-ray/DVD) – in this 1942 picture, John Wayne plays even more against type as a pharmacist in the Old West(!)

File on Thelma Jordon (Blu-ray/DVD) – the incomparable Barbara Stanwyck stars in this 1950 noir picture from the director of “The Killers”

HORROR

Shanks (Blu-ray/DVD) – from legendary shockmaster William Castle comes this 1974 cult horror picture about a madman who reanimates the dead like they’re marionettes

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!

Posted in News |

Deal on Fire! Godzilla vs. Biollante: Mega-Monster Edition | Blu-ray | Only $7.99 – Expires soon!

"Godzilla vs. Biollante: Mega-Monster Edition" Blu-ray Cover

"Godzilla vs. Biollante: Mega-Monster Edition" Blu-ray Cover

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray & DVD for 1989′s Godzilla vs. Biollante. Godzilla is freed from his prison in Mt. Mihara just in time to face Biollante, a huge hybrid monster made from plant, human, and Godzilla’s DNA. As a bonus, Monster and Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus are included.

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Bullet to the Head | Blu-ray & DVD (Warner)

"Bullet to the Head" Theatrical Poster

"Bullet to the Head" Theatrical Poster

RELEASE DATE: July 16, 2013

Warner Bros. presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Bullet to the Head, directed by Walter Hill (48 Hours, Warriors). After watching their respective partners die, a New Orleans hitman (Sylvester Stallone) and a Washington D.C. detective (Sung Kang) form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy. Also starring Sarah Shahi, Jason Momoa and Christian Slater. Watch the trailer.

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

Last Supper, The (2012) Review

“The Last Supper” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Lu Chuan
Cast: Liu Ye, Daniel Wu, Chang Chen, Qin Lan, Sha Yi, Nie Yuan, Huo Siyan, Zhao Xiang
Running Time: 120 min.

By HKFanatic

Over the past decade, international audiences have been inundated with dozens of Chinese historical epics, from Zhang Yimou’s Hero to John Woo’s Red Cliff and back again, to the point where a sense of viewer fatigue has settled in. But chances are good you’ve never seen one of these high-minded historical pictures photographed quite like Lu Chuan’s The Last Supper.

Lu Chuan’s style here edges closer to Terrence Malick than the wuxia-flavored House of Flying Daggers: expect wistful voice-overs and lonely figures tearing through wheat fields at magic hour. Chuan has a habit of skipping over the ‘big’ moments that would be climactic setpieces in the hands of any other director, but he isn’t interested in staging protracted battle sequences. As a filmmaker, he finds his meaning in the quiet moments that precede or follow such a conflict: a wife’s trembling hands as she helps her husband put on his body armor, the utter desolation of a battlefield strewn with human bodies.

The screenplay of The Last Supper zeroes in one of the famous event of the Hongmen Banquet, which was already the subject of the 2011 Chinese film White Vengeance. Before you worry about retreading familiar territory, rest assured that the two films couldn’t be more different. Rather than build the entire movie around the Banquet as White Vengeance did, Lu Chaun merely frames the event as one of many turning points in the lives of his three central characters. As the film opens, a 61 year-old Liu Bang (actor Liu Ye) sits on the throne as the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty. But heavy is the head that wears the crown: as Liu Bang reflects back on the events that shaped his political career, particularly his relationship with two rivals played by Daniel Wu and Chang Chen, he is increasingly overcome with paranoia and doubt. Director Lu Chuan cuts between flashbacks and the present, letting us see the rise of an empire as well as its tragic downfall.

This is drama that’s positively Shakespearean, perhaps even Biblical (hence the title), but the story’s political implications were enough that the Chinese censors blocked the release of The Last Supper for several months. Apparently the censor board felt that Lu Chuan was drawing parallels between Liu Bang’s paranoid assassinations of his former allies and the purges of Communist leader Mao, the later still being a contentious figure in China. For Lu Buan’s part, he’s done nothing but confirm the fact that he uses the ancient past as a way to covertly discuss our current era; but as with any artistic work, it’s up for the viewer how much they do or don’t read into The Last Supper.

Those seeking wire-assisted action or large-scale battles will likely walk away disappointed from this film. And despite the prominent billing of Chang Chen, a Taiwanese star who is on the rise thanks to recent turn in The Grandmaster, neither he or Daniel Wu receive a great deal of screentime. This is a contemplative piece and it belongs to Lie Yu’s mad Emperor. Director Lu Chuan’s particular success with The Last Supper is the way he’s able to take events from thousands of years ago and make them feel as immediate as the here and now.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 7/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Save the Green Planet (2003) Review

'Save the Green Planet" Korean Theatrical Poster

‘Save the Green Planet” Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Jang Joon-Hwan
Writer: Jang Joon-Hwan
Cast: Shin Ha-Kyun, Baek Yoon-Sik, Hwang Jung-Min, Lee Jae-Yong, Lee Joo-Hyun
Running Time: 117 min.

By Alexander

Leave it to South Korean filmmakers to provide us yet another wholly original, oft shocking, slickly produced, torture-filled revenge fantasy in the vain of Old Boy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and The Isle–yet this time with a sci-fi twist. And like 3-Iron, Arahan, JSA and a host of others before and after, Save the Green Planet similarly impressed me with its originality. You just don’t get films like these in the States.

But as much as I enjoyed the first 22 chapters on Green Planet’s DVD, the last two absolutely ruined my enjoyment of it. The film’s first 101 minute, while short in character development, were entertaining with an unusual mix of gore, humor, slapstick, David Lynch-esque plot twists and imagery and innovative camera work. While the extended torture scenes are becoming old-hat in Korean cinema, I still liked the film’s ocassional quirks and references to Hollywood classics (2001: A Space Odyssey, for example) and religion. So the actual production and look of the film was enough to keep me interested in the somewhat contrived story. (Essentially, deranged beekeeper kidnaps executive in effort to thwart an alien takeover of Earth. Much torture ensues. Weighty themes are pondered.)

But the last two chapters? Sucked f’ing ASS. I’m not going to say much about them here because I’d end up revealing far too much about the film’s ending. I will note, however, for those of you who have seen the film, that Green Planet completely lost my interest immediately after the inspired bit about Earth’s dinosaurs. Within seconds, however, I basically just held up my middle finger to the screen and said, “Fuck you, filmmakers.” What was, to that point, a quirky film bursting with originality sunk to inexcusable depths by including a series of clips meant to illustrate man’s violent nature. Graphic scenes of concentration camps had no place in a film that should otherwise have been a silly diversion that lamely attempted to comment on humanity’s viciousness. Instead, we’re offered gruesome stock footage of violence that had no business being in a movie that also featured a fat, tutu-wearing tight-rope walker as the psycho dude’s lady friend.

Lest you think I’m writing this film off because of a few short clips of depravity, the ensuing scenes are a fucking joke. A FUCKING joke. A complete lack of subtlety. Had the filmmaker’s stuck to their obvious X-Files influences, they could have avoided the ghastly, ill-conceived, poorly costumed, heavy-handed, completely ridiculous, silly-as-all-fuck resolution. Be forewarned: You WILL be disappointed.

Alexander’s Rating: Minutes 1-101, an 8.5/10; Minutes 102 to the film’s conclusion: 0/10.


By Equinox21

Should you decide to watch Save the Green Planet, be prepared to see one of the absolute most eclectic movies that has ever been made. That’s not to say it isn’t a good movie, it is. It’s better than good, it’s brilliant. From what I understood from the trailer and descriptions of the movie I thought this was going to be a simple movie about a guy that everyone believes is insane, but there would be small things that happen to question that presumption. I thought we’d be left with a movie similar to Twelve Monkeys, by the genius that is Terry Gilliam, ultimately questioning “is he insane or isn’t he?” Well, this is exactly that type of movie but at the end there seems to be no question about the answer… however, thinking about it a bit, I realize that it can be interpreted in a couple of different ways. Obviously, I’m not going to tell you how it ends so you’ll just have to do yourself a favor and watch it.

Everyone thinks that Lee Byung-gu (Shin Ha-kyun [Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, J.S.A.]) is insane. Of course, he doesn’t think so; he knows something the rest of us don’t. He knows that aliens are plotting an invasion of Earth and it’s up to him to stop them, by finding their leader posing as the head of a large corporation, Kang (BaekYoon-shik). So, with the help of his somewhat dim but completely convinced girlfriend, Sooni (Hwang Jung-min), Byung-gu kidnaps Kang, locks him up in his basement, and proceeds to torture him… badly. Meanwhile, the police are searching for Kang, as he’s a rather prominent local businessman, but it’s down to one ostracized detective and his protégé to follow the right track in the search. The story jumps between leading on that Byung-gu is insane and leading on that he might know something that the rest of us don’t, and back and forth many times. This makes it really interesting to watch.

Save the Green Planet is all over the board for genre classification. It’s a bit of a comedy (though not a lot of it, at all), a psychological serial killer movie, a goofy science-fiction thriller, a torture-filled horror flick, a drama and a mystery. One moment will be funny and the next moment you’ll be cringing at the torture poor Kang is enduring. Which brings me to the torture… there’s a lot of it. There is a lot of blood in this movie. It’s quite gory. Thankfully, some the torture that goes on isn’t painful to watch (for instance, spraying something into Kang’s eyes), but some of it is just downright sick. I can’t say that this movie is as bloody as a movie like Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, but it is still pretty rough.

I’d say the feel of Save the Green Planet is a very loose mixture of movies like Se7en, Silence of the Lambs, Twelve Monkeys, Psycho, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, 2001: A Space Odyssey and many more. But don’t think this movie isn’t original, it is. It’s completely unique, even though it borrows minor elements, atmosphere or visual style from other movies. Speaking of the visual style, this movie has nearly the best interaction between what is happening on screen and quality CGI of any movie I’ve ever seen. It was really effective and sometimes fairly amusing.

If you can take bloody, violent movies, put Save the Green Planet high on your list of movies to watch. The ending appears to have been completely unambiguous; however, not only is it really, really funny, but it can also be interpreted in a few different ways which will undoubtedly lead to very interesting discussions. Ultimately, Save the Green Planet couldn’t have been better. It is one of the best Korean films I’ve seen yet.

Equinox21’s Rating: 10/10

Posted in Korean, Reviews | Tagged , |

Ready for a ‘Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance’ remake?

"Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" Korean Theatrical Poster

"Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" Korean Theatrical Poster

Deadline reports that a remake for Park Chan-wook’s 2002 thriller Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (read our reviews) is being planned. There is no set director, but Brian Tucker (Broken City) is on board as writer.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance involves a recently laid off factory worker who kidnaps his former boss’ daughter, hoping to use the ransom money to pay for his sister’s kidney transplant. Of course, things don’t exactly go as planned.

News of this remake should come as no surprise. After all, Park Chan-wook’s other two films (all three titles make up his “Vengeance Trilogy”) are currently brewing. Spike Lee is wrapping up his remake of Old Boy, and last year, there was some news regarding a remake of Lady Vengeance, starring Charlize Theron.

As always, we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop.

Posted in News |