"The Conjuring" Theatrical Poster

Saw director James Wan scored a sleeper hit with his 2010 horror film Insidious. The movie starred Patrick Wilson as a concerned father who hires a paranormal investigator to try and help rescue his child from a demonic presence. The film owed more than a little to Steven Spielberg/Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist, but performed surprisingly well at the box office.

Now James Wan is teaming back up with Patrick Wilson for another tale of the supernatural. The Conjuring was slated for an unexceptional January release, but advanced preview screenings have been so overwhelmingly positive that the studio has moved the movie to the middle of the crowded summer season with a July 19th, 2013 date. Of course, The Conjuring is ‘based on a terrifying true story.” You can check out the extended (and spooky) trailer at Apple Quicktime.

Update: A new full-length trailer is here for your viewing pleasure.

"Tai Chi Hero" American Theatrical Poster

THE MOVIE: After the box office success of Stephen Fung’s steampunk martial arts film Tai Chi 0 – with about US$23 million garnered in China alone – it was perhaps inevitable that we would see a sequel. Good thing, then, that a sequel is already in the can and on its way to Chinese theaters this October 25th.

Tai Chi Hero will pick up where the first movie left off, only this time it’s in IMAX/3D as well.

Updates: Check out the latest news from a press conference for the film in Beijing. And hop on over to YouTube for the first trailer for Tai Chi Hero, which looks loaded with impressive special effects. Here in America, we’re still anxiously awaiting Well Go USA’s October 19th theatrical release of Tai Chi 0. | The final posters for Tai Chi Hero are here!

BREAKING NEWS: Check out the Well Go USA’s poster, as well as the HD trailer at Apple. Also, don’t forget the Blu-ray & DVD is up for pre-order.

"The Purge" Theatrical Poster

In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity—including murder—becomes legal. The police can’t be called. Hospitals suspend help. It’s one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking.

Is it just us, or does this film sound like Battle Royale meets the Home Invasion subgenre? The Purge reunites Ethan Hawke with director James DeMonaco (Staten Island). Also starring is Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, Edwin Hodge and Rhys Wakefield. The film hits theaters on May 31, 2013. Head over to Apple for the trailer.

Tormented (aka Rabbit Horror) 3D Blu-ray + Blu-ray 3D & DVD (Well Go USA)

April is ushered in with a light week of releases but there are still some noteworthy highlights among them, including Takashi Shimizu’s “Tormented” and Magnet Releasing’s “John Dies at the End.”

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 4/2/13:

ASIAN CINEMA

Tormented (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2011 Japanese horror film is the latest from Takashi Shimizu, the visionary filmmaker behind “The Grudge” series

The Kick (DVD) – in this 2011 martial arts film from the director of “Ong-Bak,” a family of Korean Taekwondo experts moves to Thailand and encounters all kinds of mob-related trouble

MARTIAL ARTS/ACTION

Badass Showdown (DVD) – martial arts icon Cynthia Rothrock (“Yes, Madam”) stars as a MMA trainer trying to make it in a male-dominated field in this 2013 feature

MAINSTREAM

The Baytown Outlaws (Blu-ray/DVD) – Billy Bob Thorton and Eva Longoria headline this 2012 Southern-fried crime flick

The Sweeney (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2012 British film, starring Ray Winston, follows a group of tough cops who specifically track armed robberies

Bounty Hunters (Blu-ray/DVD) – the WWF’s Trish Stratus stars in this 2012 low-budget action movie

The Bible: The Epic Mini-Series (Blu-ray/DVD) – the History Channel’s popular 2013 TV mini-series comes to home formats

NEW TO BLU-RAY

That Thing You Do! (Blu-ray) – Tom Hanks stars in this popular 1996 comedy about making it big in the world of 60’s pop music

CULT

The Name of the Game is Kill (DVD) – Jack Lord of “Hawaii Five-O” fame stars in this shocking 1968 cult thriller

Wrestling Superstars Triple Feature (DVD) – Roddy Pipper is just one of the many wrestlers starring in this triple feature DVD that includes “Hell Comes to Frogtown”; “Grunt: The Wrestling Movie”; and “I Like to Hurt People”

CLASSICS

A Night to Remember (DVD-R) – Amazon offers this 1942 thriller, in which a mystery writer and his wife encounter a dead body in their courtyard, on made-to-order DVD-R

The Key (DVD-R) – two cinema icons, William Holden and Sophia Loren, star in this 1959 romance, also available on DVD-R

HORROR

John Dies at the End (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2012 mind-bending and meta horror/thriller is the latest from Don Coscarelli, the creator of the “Phantasm” series

Hammer Horror Collection (DVD) – this DVD set contains three 70’s Hammer horror films: “Dracula: Prince of Darkness”; “The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires”; and “Frankenstein Created Woman.” “Golden Vampires” is notable for being a collaboration between Hammer Horror studios and the Shaw Brothers

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!