"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!

"Cho Lon" AKA "Chinatown" Fan Poster

Last night, Twitch Film reported the word that actor/martial artist Johnny Tri Nguyen will be teaming back up with his brother, director Charlie Nguyen, for a new Vietnamese martial arts film, titled Redemption. The duo previously worked on breakout hit The Rebel, which offered jaw-dropping fight choreography and a bad ass turn for former 21 Jump Street star Dustin Nguyen, and instantly made martial arts fans take notice of what was coming out of Vietnam’s film industry.

Johnny Nguyen soon after starred in Clash, an equally action-packed tour de force, but the promise of Johnny reuniting with the original The Rebel team could result in something even more special. Twitch reports that the film is currently in pre-production with plans to shoot in the summer, while the story is set in modern times with a gangster/heist theme.

Updates: Things in the movie business never quite work out as planned, do they? Via Twitch: Johnny Nguyen has wrapped up his day job as a stuntman on Iron Man 3. He’s heading back to Vietnam for his latest collaboration with brother Charlie Nguyen, a gangster epic called Chinatown that will feature loads of bone-crunching martial arts. But what about Redemption? Well, Johnny is still involved but the project has been put on the backburner and handed off to Clash director Le Thanh Son.

Chinatown is now called Cho Lon – at least in Vietnam – and Johnny Tri Nguyen and company are more than halfway through shooting. Twitch Film has the first official images from the film, which promise large-scale street gang warfare.

Don’t miss the action-packed first trailer for Cho Lon. The sequences of widespread gang warfare look intense! Here’s the word from our friend in the Vietnamese film industry, Lee Mason: “Plot details are scarce at the moment, but it revolves around a gang war in Saigon’s Chinatown during a 24 hour period. It’s scheduled for release in Vietnam April 19th. International distribution is to be confirmed.” | Check out this extremely well done fan poster. And don’t forget: there’s the official poster for the film as well as the trailer with English subtitles. | Check out some new behind the scenes clips: Part 1 and Part 2 (sorry, no subtitles).

BREAKING NEWS: It was announced today that Cho Lon has not been able to pass Vietnamese censorship and the release date is now on indefinite hold. Thanks to Twitch for the heads up.