"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.

Bangkok Revenge Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Greetings, folks! There are a ton of new releases to explore this week so 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 3/26/13:

ASIAN CINEMA

Dead Sushi (Blu-ray) – the latest and wildest slice of Sushi Typhoon madness, this 2012 horror/comedy shows what happens when the sushi of Japan becomes sentient. Co-stars “High Kick Girl” Rina Takeda. Now in hi-def!

Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot (DVD) – the cult favorite late 60’s Japanese TV series is packaged together on DVD by Shout! Factory

Ichi Two-Pack (DVD) – Tokyo Shock presents both the uncut version of Takashi Miike’s 2001 cult favorite “Ichi the Killer” as well as the 2003 prequel “Ichi Origin,” which follows the crazed killer during his high school days

Possession in Japan (DVD) – “The Exorcist” meets J-horror with this 2011 Japanese horro film about demonic possession

Kill the Ugly TV (DVD) – distributor Tokyo Erotique presents this 2012 Japanese ‘pink’ film about an agoraphobic woman who never leaves her apartment and doesn’t realize she’s being watched online by hundreds of strangers via a hidden camera

Tatsumi (DVD) – this 2011 Japanese-language film celebrates the life and work of manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi, who revolutionized the Japanese comics industry during the 1950’s

Tokyo Noir (DVD) – explore the dark sexual underbelly of modern day Tokyo with this 2004 erotic drama, on DVD from Asian Media Rights

Fetish (DVD) – Asian Media Rights presents this 2008 drama about a Korean woman whose obsession with her new caucasian neighbor eventually leads to insanity

MARTIAL ARTS/ACTION

Bangkok Revenge (Blu-ray/DVD) – Jon Foo, star of “Tekken” and seen in “Tom Yum Goong,” stars in this 2011 martial arts revenge thriller. Directed by French filmmaker Jean-Marc Minéo but in the English language

Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back (Blu-ray) – there’s no turning back for Phillip Ree, who directs this entry in the “Best of the Best” series, as he goes up against the KKK in this 1995 actioner

Bounty Hunters (Blu-ray) – a slice of low-budget 1996 action, starring Michael Dudikoff of “American Ninja” fame. No in hi-def!

Attack Force & Into the Sun (Blu-ray) – it’s two recent Steven Seagal direct-to-video actioners on one Blu-ray, for only $8.99. Since “Into the Sun” takes place in Japan and features Seagal going up against the Yakuza, it has more of a following than some of his other recent efforts

FOREIGN

A Man Escaped (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection presents this 1956 film from acclaimed French director Robert Bresson, who was known for his austere and spiritual style of filmmaking

A Royal Affair (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Academy Award and Golden Globe winner for Best Foreign Picture in 2012 is this Danish-language production, a royal drama centering around King Christian VII and his wife

Easy Money (DVD) – this 2012 Swedish crime thriller stars Joel Kinnaman, star of TV’s “The Killing” and soon to be seen as Robocop in the big-screen reboot

Race 2 (DVD) – it’s more explosive action out of Bollywood with this 2013 sequel to the popular film “Race”

Bloodline: Vengeance From Beyond (DVD) – this grim and gruesome 2011 Italian horror film has been called a throwback to the glory days of Italian horror filmmakers such as Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci

MAINSTREAM

Lincoln (Blu-ray/DVD) – Daniel Day-Lewis took home an Oscar for his portrayal of President Lincoln in this 2012 biopic from Steven Spielberg

Killing Them Softly (Blu-ray/DVD) – Brad Pitt co-stars in this gritty 2012 crime thriller from the director of “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”

The Comedy (DVD) – Tim Heidecker of TV’s “Tim & Eric” headlines this 2012 comedy about an aging hipster with no direction in life

Day of the Falcon (Blu-ray/DVD) – Antonio Banderas stars in this 2011 epic drama set in the Mideast

Stand Off (Blu-ray + DVD) – Brendan Fraser and Colm Meaney headline this 2011 crime/comedy about a small time heist that turns into big time trouble

NEW TO BLU-RAY

Jurassic Park (Blu-ray + DVD) – Steven Spielberg’s landmark 1993 dinosaur blockbuster receives a standalone Blu-ray release

Terminator Anthology (Blu-ray) – every film in “The Terminator” series, from James Cameron’s 1984 original through McG’s “Terminator: Salvation,” is gathered here for $44.86

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Blu-ray + DVD) – Steven Spielberg directs this 1997 sequel to “Jurassic Park,” now available on standalone Blu-ray

Jurassic Park III (Blu-ray/DVD) – arguably the least popular entry in the franchise, 2001′s “Jurassic Park III” from “Captain America” director Joe Johnston receives a standalone Blu-ray

Iron Weeds (Blu-ray) – award-winning actors Jack Nicholson and Meryl Steep share the screen in this 1987 drama set during the Great Depression

CULT

Futureworld (Blu-ray) – the 1975 sequel to “Westworld,” co-starring Peter Fonda and Yul Brynner

When a Stranger Calls/Happy Birthday to Me (Blu-ray) – two cult horror films from the late 70’s/early 80’s are paired together on Blu-ray

Angel Brigade (AKA Seven From Heaven) (DVD) – this 1973 exploitation flick features a bevy of babes dishing out justice in “Charlie’s Angels” style. Co-starring Jack Palance (“Batman” ’89)

Virtual Weapon (DVD) – cult film actor Terence Hill (“My Name is Nobody”) stars in this 1997 direct-to-video actioner in the “Virtuosity” vein

Alley Cat (DVD) – this 1984 exploitation thriller arrives in the vein of “Street Angel” and “Ms. 45.” Part of the Katrina’s Kat Scratch Cinema label

The Death Wheelers (DVD) – a biker gang makes a deal with the devil and kills themselves, only to return from the grave as zombies in this 1973 exploitation flick

CLASSIC

Monsieur Verdoux (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection presents this 1947 film, directed by and starring cinema legend Charlie Chaplin

McLintock! (Blu-ray/DVD) – John Wayne’s most popular film vehicle of the 60’s was actually this raucous Western comedy from 1963

Panic in the Streets (Blu-ray) – Jack Palance co-stars in this 1950 noir action film shot on location in New Orleans

Little Fugitive (Blu-ray) – in hi-def from Kino Video, this 1953 American film was said to be an influence on classic French films like “The Red Balloon” and “400 Blows”

Ship of Fools/Lilith (Blu-ray) – Lee Marvin stars in this 60’s ensemble drama “Ship of Fools” while Warren Beatty headlines the dark story of “Lilith,” both featuring reportedly great hi-def transfers

China Gate (Blu-ray/DVD) – Sam Fuller writes and directs this 1957 film set during the tail end of France’s occupation of Vietnam. Historically, it was one of the first films to examine the conflict in that region

A Man Betrayed (Blu-ray/DVD) – cinema icon John Wayne stars in this 1941 noir tale of corruption and betrayal

Hell’s Half Acre (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 1954 noir film is set in…Hawaii, of all places. Explore the darker side of paradise, courtesy of Olive Films

HORROR

From Beyond (Blu-ray + DVD combo) – this legendary 1986 horror film from “The Re-Animator” director Stuart R. Gordon is a slimy and grotesque adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s work

Phantasm II (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Tall Man is back! Scream Factory presents this 1988 horror film, one of the few sequels to do its source material justice

The Collection (Blu-ray/DVD) – this gory 2012 horror film is a sequel to “The Collector,” from the writers of the “Saw” sequels

Immortality (Blu-ray) – Jude Law stars as an emotionally sedate vampire living in London in this 1998 horror movie

The Frankenstein Theory (DVD) – this 2012 ‘found footage’ horror flick follows a group of students trying to capture Frankenstein’s monster on film

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!