Daniel H. Wilson's "Robopocalypse"

Thor’s Chris Hemsworth is being handpicked by Steven Spielberg to star in Robopocalypse, a sci-fi story set in the aftermath of a robot uprising, based on the critically acclaimed novel of the same name by Daniel H. Wilson.

The novel’s description is as follows: When the Robot War ignites, humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united. Robopocalypse is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us…and an entertaining and engaging thriller unlike anything else written in years.

Looks like Cyberdyne has finally met its match! We’ll be sure to keep you posted on any updates regarding Spielberg’s Robopocalypse, so stay tuned!

Updates: THR reports that Robopocalypse has been postponed indefinitely. Spielberg spokesman Marvin Levy says the project is “too important and the script is not ready, and it’s too expensive to produce. It’s back to the drawing board to see what is possible.”

"One on One" Coming in 2013

If The Raid taught us anything, it’s that the Indonesian martial art Silat looks amazing on camera and you don’t need a Hollywood-size budget to make a great action film. Twitch reports on a gritty new Malaysian film that looks to be taking these lessons to heart. Plot and cast details are scarce, but the title roughly translates to One on One. You won’t want to miss the first trailer.

The film appears to be a fusion of The Raid‘s kinetic action direction, the jaw-dropping stuntwork of Tony Jaa’s films, and the ‘anything goes’ energy of Jackie Chan’s fight scenes. If One on One can manage to live up to the promise of this trailer, it should be a martial arts film worth celebrating.

The Assassins Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

A New Year means New Releases, so let’s get cracking! There are plenty of films coming out this week on Blu-ray and DVD.

If you’re interested in any of the following 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 1/08/13:

ASIAN CINEMA

The Assassins (Blu-ray/DVD) – in this 2012 Chinese-language historical epic, Chow Yun Fat plays Cao Cao, a feared military leader who must contend with several plots against his own life. On Blu-ray and DVD from Well Go USA

FOREIGN

Stalingrad (Blu-ray/DVD) – this acclaimed 1993 German film follows the battle of Stalingrad, one of the most brutal conflicts of World War II. Now in hi-def

Sleep Tight (Blu-ray/DVD) – in this 2011 Spanish-language thriller, a disturbed doorman sets out to make a woman in his building miserable, as subtly as he can

Lapland Odyssey (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2010 road movie is the highest-grossing comedy in the history of Finnish cinema

Found Memories (DVD) – a quiet character study out of Brazil comprises this 2011 Portuguese-language film

The Spirit of the Beehive (DVD) – the Criterion Collection delivers this 1973 Spanish drama, long considered the finest Spanish film of the 70’s

Bloody Flesh (DVD) – this ultra-obscure, low-budget 1983 horror movie from Spain receives a DVD release

MAINSTREAM

Dredd (Blu-ray/DVD) – the fan favorite British comic book character once portrayed by Sylvester Stallone returns to the big screen in this 2012 sci-fi/action flick

Frankenweenie (Blu-ray/DVD) – Tim Burton’s latest is this 2012 black-and-white claymation fable based on his early short film

Stolen (Blu-ray/DVD) – Nicolas Cage does the whole “Taken” shtick in this 2012 action/thriller, co-starring Malin Akerman and Josh Lucas

Compliance (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2012 indie thriller, based on actual events, depicts the real life nightmare that occurred when a prank caller’s demands were taken seriously by the staff at a fast food restaurant

Seal Team Six: The Raid On Osama Bin Laden (Blu-ray/DVD) – impatient for Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty” to arrive on a screen near you? Maybe try this more low-budget 2012 offering, co-starring rapper Xzibit

Game Change (Blu-ray/DVD) – Julianne Moore and Ed Harris star in this 2012 dramatization of Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s rise to national infamy

Hit & Run (Blu-ray/DVD) – Kristen Bell and Dax Shepherd headline this 2012 car-themed action/comedy

Guns, Girls and Gambling (Blu-ray/DVD) – a 2011 independent action/comedy co-starring Christian Slater and Gary Oldman

Pathfinders: In the Company of Strangers (Blu-ray/DVD) – a 2011 World War II thriller based on a top secret paratrooper mission that launched prior to D-Day

CULT

Flatland (DVD) – a 99 minute cut of the obscure 2002 sci-fi/action television show, starring Dennis Hopper (“Blue Velvet”) and Francoise Yip (“Rumble in the Bronx”)

A Dangerous Place (DVD) – this 2012 indie thriller chronicles a young woman’s frightening ordeal when she discovers the pharmaceutical corporation she works for is intentionally poisoning the public

NEW TO BLU-RAY

Brothers Grimm (Blu-ray/DVD) – cult director Terry Gilliam made a brief stab at the mainstream with this 2005 fantasy thriller starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger

Fear (Blu-ray) – Mark Wahlberg plays the boyfriend from hell in this popular 1996 thriller, co-starring Reese Witherspoon and William Peterson

Cape Fear (Blu-ray) – the gripping 1962 original that inspired Martin Scorsese’s 90’s remake. Starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum

The Bone Collector (Blu-ray) – Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie star in this 1999 serial killer thriller

Two-Lane Blacktop (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection presents the hi-definition rerelease of the 1971 existential road movie, co-starring Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys

Scrooged (Blu-ray) – Bill Murray stars in this comedic 1988 spin on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”

CLASSICS

The Jazz Singer (Blu-ray) – this 1927 feature is generally considered the first ever ‘sound’ movie

Mrs. Miniver (Blu-ray) – an Award-winning 1942 British melodrama about life during wartime

Grand Hotel (Blu-ray) – Greta Garbo stars in 1931’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture

HORROR

House at the End of the Street (Blu-ray/DVD) – Jennifer “Hunger Games” Lawrence headlines this 2012 horror/thriller

Jack & Diane (Blu-ray/DVD) – in this 2012 indie horror feature, a blossoming romance between two young women causes one of them to transform into a deadly werewolf

Ghoul (DVD) – three young kids might be the last defense between their hometown and an evil entity in this 2012 adaptation of Brian Keene’s horror novel

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!

"The Vampire Lovers" Blu-ray Cover

Shout! Factory presents the Blu-ray for the Hammer Film Productions’ of The Vampire Lovers on April 30th.

A female vampire with lesbian tendencies ravages the young girls and townsfolk of a peaceful hamlet in eighteenth century Europe who, years earlier, killed off her fellow vampires. A rousing hunt for the vampiress ensues as a group of men follow her bloody trail of terror through the countryside. Adapted from J. Sheridan LeFanu’s novella “Carmilla,” The Vampire Lovers stars Ingrid Pitt, George Cole and Peter Cushing.

Now this “rather erotic Hammer chiller” (Leonard Maltin) appears on Blu-ray for the first time… If you dare, come into a twilight world of unspeakable horror and taste the deadly passion of the blood-nymphs!

Bonus Content: Feature Length Commentary with Roy Ward Baker (Director), Tudor Gates (Writer) and Ingrid Pitt (Carmilla) moderated by Jonathan Sothcott.; Excerpts from the novella Carmilla, that inspired the film, read by Ingrid Pitt; Original Theatrical Trailer; New Interview with Madeline Smith (Emma); New Interviews with Hammer Films Scholars; Original Radio Spot; 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.78:1); (BD)/DTS Master Audio / 1970 /88 mins.

Cityonfire.com received the above press release from Shout! Factory.

"Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters" Brazilian Theatrical Poster

MOVIE: AICN has posted the first image from Tommy Wirkola’s Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, a dark and action-packed take on the classic fairy tale. The film stars Jeremy Renner (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) and Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace) as the titular brother and sister duo, who are now all grown up and hunting witches as a daytime job.

Director Wirkola is most famous for his Norwegian zombie movie Dead Snow, in which a group of vacationing friends ran afoul of undead Nazis. Perhaps he can succeed where Terry Gilliams’ The Brothers Grimm failed and deliver a fresh, modern take on an old fairy tale.

Updates: Dark Horizons notes the film has now been delayed indefinitely. Looks like it’s been pushed back to January 11, 2013. Watch the stylish and action-packed first trailer, courtesy of Apple Quicktime. Feast your eyes on a new Red Band trailer and poster. Introducing the Brazilian poster.

BREAKING NEWS: The new Red Band trailer is now available, courtesy of Collider.

"The Sorcerer and the White Snake" American Poster

The Ching Siu Tung (Duel to the Death) directed The Sorcerer and the White Snake will open on September 29th, 2011 in Hong Kong and the Mainland for the National Day slot.

This martial arts fantasy stars Eva Huang and Charlene Choi as the White Snake and Green Snake, respectively – characters previously brought to life in Tsui Hark’s cult classic Green Snake. Ching Siu Tung’s film also stars Jet Li, and promises to feature plenty of computer-generated effects and wuxia-style battles. Read the full story or watch the trailer.

Update: Better later than never, right? Magnet Releasing has decided to bring The Sorcerer and the White Snake to American shores. Expect a January 3rd release via Video on Demand and a limited theatrical run on February 8th, 2013. Here’s a poster for the US market and you can check out the trailer, courtesy of Apple Quicktime.

BREAKING NEWS: The film is available today via iTunes and other On Demand services. Check out a new Featurette from Apple Quicktime.

"The Host" Korean Theatrical Poster

In today’s most shocking bit of news, it appears that a sequel to director Bong Joon-ho’s Korean monster movie The Host has long been in development. Even stranger still, it remains unclear just who is directing the movie. Bong Joon-ho is off working on his first English-language production Snowpiercer, so perhaps the sequel duties were handed off to a special FX artist or second unit director from the first film.

We’ll let you know as soon as we know – in the meantime, check out the first clip from the movie, which features plenty of monster-induced carnage and Korean children in peril. Twitch Film reports that the computer effects in The Host 2 are being handled by the same company responsible for Return to Base, a movie that made a strong impression with its nearly photo-realistic CG.

A Special FX reel from Macrograph features some new footage from The Host 2 at around the 3:04 mark. Thanks to Twitch Film.

BREAKING NEWS: At last, Twitch has some more concrete details on the sequel to The Host. It seems that The Host 2 monster footage which made its way online some weeks ago is actually a few years old. While a sequel to The Host is in development, the script was only recently completed by filmmaker Im Pil-sung (Hansel & Gretel, Doomsday Book). Park Myung-chun will be making his debut in the director’s chair but don’t get too excited yet; The Host 2 won’t be ready for release until Summer 2014.

The Yellow Sea Blu-ray (Panorama Distributions)

It’s the end of one year and the beginning of another – you know what the means: time for Top Ten lists. But rather than pick our favorite movies of 2012, we thought we’d do something a little bit different.

So Cityonfire.com has compiled our list of favorite Asian films released on Blu-ray and DVD in 2012. That’s right: it doesn’t matter what year the movie was made, just that it saw a release on Blu-ray or DVD last year.

10. Outlaw Brothers (October/Dragon Dynasty) – kudos to Dragon Dynasty for keeping the dream of early 90’s Hong Kong action movies alive. This 1990 effort from director/star Frankie Chan may not be the best martial arts movie ever made, in fact it’s downright offensive at times, but the blistering fight choreography is sure to please fans of titles like Yes Madam and In the Line of Duty IV

9. The Unjust (December/Pathfinder Entertainment) – this 2010 Korean action/thriller was available via Netflix streaming more than a year ago, but those who’ve seen it can attest that The Unjust deserved a standard retail release. Playing out like a Korean take on Infernal Affairs, this brutal cops-and-crooks tale is another assured effort from director Ryu Seung-wan (City of Violence, No Blood No Tears)

8. Gantz II: Perfect Answer (January/New People Entertainment) – one of the biggest, most special FX-heavy action blockbusters released in 2012 wasn’t out of Hollywood. It was the second part of Shinsuke Sato’s live-action adaptation of the popular Gantz manga and anime. A jaw-dropping fight sequence on a speeding subway train remains one of the year’s best action setpieces, even though Perfect Answer hit Japanese theaters in 2011

7. Life Without Principle (May/Indomina) – the always dependable Johnnie To returns with a drama about the high-stakes world of Hong Kong finance, set shortly before the global economic crisis. Lau Ching Wan and Denise Ho deliver stellar performances, and the film serves as proof that Hong Kong cinema can be perfectly thrilling without any action sequences

6. Outrage (January/Magnet Releasing) – speaking of dependable: when Takeshi ‘Beat’ Kitano sets his mind to directing a Japanese gangster film, there’s almost no one who can top him. This 2010 feature finally arrived on North American shores last year and Magnet’s Blu-ray release endures as one of the most violent and satisfying Yakuza films in recent memory

5. Guilty of Romance (June/CN Entertainment Ltd) – this 2011 effort from Suicide Club director Sion Sono is likely too controversial and un-commercial for American distributors to touch at the moment, but Hong Kong-based distributor CN Entertainment Ltd. released a Region Blu-ray last year with a gorgeous transfer. Those who delight in the extreme side of Asian cinema will want to seek out this offbeat, transgressive film about a Japanese housewife who travels down the proverbial rabbit hole

4. Painted Skin: The Resurrection (November/Well Go USA) – the most successful Chinese film of all time might prove baffling to most Western audiences, but give yourself over to the visual delights of Painted Skin 2 and chances are you’ll find yourself swept up by this candy-colored fantasy of fox demons and the men who love them 

3. The Raid: Redemption (August/Sony) – a film that needs no introduction to Cityonfire.com readers. Writer/director Gareth Evans and his leading man Iko Uwais set a new global standard for bone-crunching fight choreography and bloody gunplay with their landmark Indonesian action film. Make no mistake about it, 2012 was the year of The Raid

2. Motorway (August/Mega Star) – although Lionsgate is planning to release Hong Kong action/thriller Motorway on DVD this March, hardcore Asian film buffs might want to spring for Mega Star’s Region A Blu-ray. This visually stunning movie, which almost has more car chases than dialogue, deserves the hi-definition treatment. We may be a long ways from the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema but Motorway is a reminder that – when they want to, at least – the country can still do action better than anybody

1. The Yellow Sea (November/Panorama Distributions) – 20th Century Fox released their cut of The Yellow Sea on DVD back in February, but viewers complained it was trimmed for violence and other mature content. Fans who avoided this release and waited patiently were eventually rewarded by the Region A Hong Kong Blu-ray from Panorama Distributions, which features The Yellow Sea in all its uncut glory. This 2010 film from the writer/director of The Chaser has lost none of its bite in the intervening years: The Yellow Sea is as punishing and bloody as Korean revenge cinema gets

Here’s to a great 2013! Now what were your favorite Asian movies released on Blu-ray and DVD in 2012?

Muay Thai Warrior Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director Nopporn Watin’s martial arts action epic Muay Thai Warrior (aka Yamada: The Samurai of Ayothaya) debuts on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital March 5th from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Betrayed and left for dead, a young Japanese samurai finds a new home in Siam and soon faces his greatest battle against the elite warriors he once regarded as brothers. Based on actual events from the 17th century’s Ayutthaya period, Muay Thai Warrior combines lush visuals with a cast of Olympic athletes to provide viewers some of the most stunning and realistic Muay Thai techniques ever filmed for the big screen. The cast includes Seigi Ozeki (The Odd Couple), Sorapong Chatree (Ong Bak 2 & 3), Winai Kraibutr (Bangkok Revenge), and newcomers Kanokkorn Jaicheun, Thanawut Ketsaro and Buakhao Paw Pramuk.

Synopsis: Betrayed and left for dead by treacherous Japanese forces, ruthless samurai Yamada Nagamasa (Seigi Ozeki) is rescued to a remote Thai village and nursed back to health among the acolytes in the monastery. Working tirelessly to master the art of Muay Boran (Thai boxing), fearless and brutal Yamada is selected to become a royal bodyguard to King Naresuan The Great. His greatest challenge comes on the day he’s forced to fight back against the elite Japanese warriors who left him behind.

“GORGEOUS SCENERY AND BRUTAL THAI FIGHTING SKILL” – Paragraph Film Reviews

Muay Thai Warrior has a runtime of approximately 102 minutes and is not rated. Watch the trailer.

Cityonfire.com received the above press release from Well Go USA.