The Possession in Japan DVD (Tokyo Shock)

The Possession in Japan DVD (Tokyo Shock)

The Possession in Japan DVD (Tokyo Shock)

RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2013

Tokyo Shock presents the DVD for The Possession in Japan. This updated, urban version of The Exorcist is directed by Kotaro Terauchi (Demeking: The Sea Monster). Young Lisa reaches 20 years of age and begins to suffer from an unusual phenomenon that turns her face more diabolical day by day. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Lisa undergoes treatments but it becomes apparent that she’s possessed by the devil. Check out the trailer.

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

Triple Feature: Rage of Honor, American Ninja & Revenge of the Ninja 3-Disc DVD Set (MGM)

Triple Feature: Rage of Honor, American Ninja & Revenge of the Ninja DVD (MGM)

Triple Feature: Rage of Honor, American Ninja & Revenge of the Ninja DVD (MGM)

RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2013

MGM presents Rage of Honor, American Ninja & Revenge of the Ninja on a 3-disc DVD set. Are you ready for a Cannon Film and Trans World Entertainment triple treat, featuring Michael Dudikoff and Sho Kosugi? These two fellas didn’t exactly make it to The Expendables audition, but we still love ’em! Trailers: Rage of Honor | American Ninja | Revenge of the Ninja

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

Drafthouse Films’ ‘Trailer War’ now available!

"Trailer War" Blu-ray Cover

"Trailer War" Blu-ray Cover

Get ready for Trailer War! Unleashed from the vaults of the Alamo Drafthouse, a meticulous selection of the best, strangest and most amazing coming attraction trailers in the world! Most have never been available in any home format, and all are presented for the first time in high definition.

From the high flying, explosive metal mayhem of Stunt Rock to Thunder Cops’ disembodied flying head chaos, each 3 minute masterpiece is like a beckoning portal to another, more exciting dimension. It’s a crippling overdose of towering flames, mechanized destruction, lurking fear, poor sexual choices and spiritual devastation on an apocalyptic scale. You might want to have a cornea donor standing by just in case…because this is going to burn!

Update: You can now order a Blu-ray, DVD or even a digital copy of the film exclusively from Drafthouse or Amazon.com. A percentage of proceeds from every sale benefit the American Genre Film Archive. Watch the trailer!

Posted in News |

Black Eagle: Return to Base DVD (Inception Media)

"Black Eagle: Return to Base" Korean Theatrical Poster

"Black Eagle: Return to Base" Korean Theatrical Poster

RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2013

Inception Media presents the DVD for Kim Dong-won’s Black Eagle: Return to Base (aka R2B: Return to Base or Soar Into the Sun). A South Korean elite Air Force pilot (Ninja Assassin’s Rain) is kicked out of his flying team and demoted into a combat unit after a cocky and dangerous air show demonstration. Also starring Shin Se-Kyung and Yoo Jun-sang. Watch the trailer.

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

Badlands Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion Collection)

Badlands Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion Collection)

Badlands Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion Collection)

RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2013

Criterion presents the Blu-ray & DVD for 1973’s Badlands, directed by Terrence Malick. A garbage man (Martin Sheen) and his new girl (Sissy Spacek) kill her father when he disapproves of their relationship. Together they embark on a homicidal trail of destruction across the United States. Badlands was a definite inspiration for Tony Scott’s True Romance. Watch the trailer.

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

The Blob Blu-ray (Criterion Collection)

The Blob Blu-ray (Criterion Collection)

The Blob Blu-ray (Criterion Collection)

RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2013

Criterion presents the Blu-ray for 1958’s The Blob, one of the great cult classics about an alien lifeform that consumes everything in its path as it grows and grows. The Blob stars the legendary Steve McQueen in his first starring movie role. Also stars Aneta Corsaut and Earl Rowe. Watch the trailer.

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

Catch Korean revenge thriller ‘The Yellow Sea’ on uncut Blu-ray

Na Hong-Jin's "The Yellow Sea"

Na Hong-Jin's "The Yellow Sea"

Fans of the 2008 Korean thriller The Chaser were eager to see what director Na Hong-jin would do for a follow-up. Their anticipation soon turned to disappointment, however, when it was announced that 20th Century Fox’s Region 1 release of The Yellow Sea would be DVD-only and cut for content by about three minutes. Fox even went so far as to ensure that the movie’s Korean Blu-ray release didn’t contain English subtitles, a rarity in this day and age.

Well, Asian film buffs are finally able to experience The Yellow Sea in all its uncut glory – with graphic violence intact – thanks to a new Chinese Blu-ray release. Trusted retailer DDDHouse is currently offering the All-Region Blu-ray disc for just $22.44. It comes with both Chinese and English subtitles, and we can vouch for the picture quality of this release.

If you’ve been holding off on watching Yellow Sea due to the number of edits and versions floating out there, now is the time to check out this grim and unrelenting thriller from one of South Korea’s most promising new filmmakers.

Posted in News |

Willow Blu-ray & DVD (Fox)

Willow Blu-ray & DVD (Fox)

Willow Blu-ray & DVD (Fox)

RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2013

20th Century Fox presents the Blu-ray & DVD for 1988’s Willow, directed by Ron Howard and based on a story by George Lucas. A reluctant dwarf must play a critical role in protecting a special baby from an evil queen. Starring Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley and Warwick Davis. Watch the trailer.

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

Ready for more giant robots? Live-Action ‘Gaiking’ in the works

"Gaiking" Promotional Poster

"Gaiking" Promotional Poster

Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Entertainment (The Walking Dead) and Toei Animation have teamed with All Nippon Entertainment Works to develop Toei’s iconic anime property Gaiking. This marks a new push for Toei into the U.S. marketplace and the first development deal for ANEW.

Gaiking follows a young man who is recruited to serve as the lead pilot for the Super Robot Gaiking. When Earth is threatened by an alien race intent on taking over the planet, he emerges as the only one who can pilot the massive robot. Together with his fellow co-pilots he must fight off the alien force in order to save mankind. Check out CGI test footage for Gaiking here.

Gale Anne Hurd will serve as lead producer on the project. Yoshi Ikezawa of Toei Animation and Joseph Chou will also serve as producers. Sandy Climan, Tim Kwok, and Kozo Morishita of Toei Animation are executive producing. Kris Henigman, Director of Development at Valhalla, will oversee development for the company in association with Annmarie Bailey, Vice President of Creative Affairs for ANEW.

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

Posted in News |

Die Hard 25th Anniversary Collection | Blu-ray (Fox)

Die Hard 25th Anniversary 5-Disc Blu-ray Collection (Fox)

Die Hard 25th Anniversary 5-Disc Blu-ray Collection (Fox)

RELEASE DATE: January 29, 2013

Fox presents the Die Hard 25th Anniversary 5-Disc Blu-ray Collection. Celebrate 25 years of Bruce Willis playing John McClane with this collection featuring the first four Die Hard films and an all-new bonus disc, “Decoding Die Hard.” It’s the ultimate tribute to the tough-as-nails cop with a wry sense of humor and a knack for explosive action. Wrong place. Wrong time. Right man. Yippee ki yay! For more details, click here.

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

Doomsday Book (2012) Review

"Doomsday Book" Korean Theatrical Poster

“Doomsday Book” Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Ji-woon, Yim Pil-sung
Writer: Kim Ji-woon, Yim Pil-sung
Cast: Ryu Seung-beom, Kim Kang-woo, Song Sae-byok, Song Young-Chang, Kim Gyu-Ri
Running Time: 115 min.

By HKFanatic

“Doomsday Book” is an occasionally awkward mish-mash of off-kilter comedy and big sci-fi ideas; its anthology format tells three stories in total. In development since 2006, the film represents a collaboration between two of South Korea’s most creative directors: “Hansel & Gretel’s” Yim Pil-sung directs the opening and closing portions, while Kim Ji-woon of “A Tale of Two Sisters” and “I Saw the Devil” fame handles the middle story. Despite the presence of more than one filmmaker behind the camera, “Doomsday Book” feels remarkably cohesive in both its visual style and playful tone.

The first segment would make notorious vegan Morrissey proud as director Yim Pil-sung does his best to turn everyone in the audience into vegans. Cow lovers beware: Pil-sung traces a widespread viral outbreak back to a night of stir fry and in the process shows the entire journey a slab of beef takes in reaching your dinner plate. You might think twice the next time you order Korean Bar-B-Q. This off-kilter intro story is not the most convincing zombie apocalypse glimpsed onscreen in the past few years, but it’s entertaining enough and Korean movie buffs will likely recognize Ryu Seung-beom (“The Unjust,” “Arahan”) in the lead role.

The real heart of “Doomsday Book” is Kim Ji-woon’s middle chapter about a guide robot at a Buddhist monastery who claims to have achieved enlightenment. This poses the question: if a robot can reach nirvana so easily, what does that say about humanity’s continued struggle and failure to find internal peace? This tale strikes a decidedly more serious tone than the rest of the project, and there’s a palpable air of tension as the robot’s manufacturer moves in to try and shut their creation down. The robot’s visual design is also just plain superb – there’s a reason it’s been featured so heavily in “Doomsday Book’s” trailers and cover art.

The last segment arrives from Yim Pil-sung and details what happens when a young girl’s online purchase has unforeseen consequences. This closing chapter attempts to color the end of the world in a quirky, almost optimistic light. In lieu of the troubling issues facing our planet these days, it just about succeeds. Although most of the action is confined to one family’s safety bunker, this portion of the film proves to be as visually satisfying as the rest. Look for Bae Doona of “Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance” and “The Host” fame in a short cameo.

Anthology films are a tricky beast as each individual story is rarely given enough time to make an impression. “Doomsday Book” manages to sidestep this issue for the most part since its three stories feel linked by their darkly comic tone and far-reaching ideas; they all task the viewer with stepping outside themselves and considering the world around them – whether it’s the way we manufacture food; the “Blade Runner”-esque question of whether or not a machine can have a soul; or the importance of family. “Doomday Book” is true speculative science-fiction; it’s two of the finest filmmakers in their region offering audiences a glimpse of a future that is right outside their door.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 7/10

Posted in Korean, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 12/18/12

Forced to Fight Blu-ray & DVD (Image)

Forced to Fight Blu-ray & DVD (Image)

This is one of the few weeks we can recall without any bonafied Asian films being released, but perhaps it’s best to make use of the time for some last minute holiday shopping. 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 12/18/12:

MARTIAL ARTS

Forced to Fight (Blu-ray/DVD) – UK martial arts sensation Gary Daniels (Jackie Chan’s “City Hunter”) and “Robocop” Peter Weller star in this 2012 action movie about underground fighting

FOREIGN FILMS

Sokurov: Early Masterworks (Blu-ray + DVD combo) – the acclaimed Russian director Alexander Sokurov, whose work has not been widely available in North America, sees three of his films collected here: “Whispering Pages,” “Stone,” and “Save and Protect”

The Well-Digger’s Daughter (Blu-ray/DVD) – a 2011 French-language remake of the original film with the same now, the story follows a well-digger and his six daughters

Hermano (DVD) – in this 2010 Spanish-language drama, two adopted brothers take separate paths in life but are bonded by their love of soccer

Gandu (DVD) – this 2010 controversial Indiana film about a young man with dreams of becoming a rapper is considered the ultimate ‘anti-Bollywood’ movie

Our Beloved Month of August (DVD) – a 2008 family drama set in the heart of Portugal during the long, hot month of August

Absent (DVD) – a 2012 Argentinean tale of forbidden love from the LGBT-friendly distributor TLA Releasing

MAINSTREAM

Total Recall (Blu-ray/DVD) – director Len Wiseman’s 2012 remake of the modern classic stars Colin Farrell in the role made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger

Resident Evil: Retribution (Blu-ray/DVD) – the undead action series that refuses to die itself, Milla Jovovich is back for this 2012 sequel. Also on 3D Blu-ray

Killer Joe (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2012 disturbing drama from “The Exorcist” director William Friedkin features a redefining performance from Matthew McConaughey. Available at Amazon on Friday, December 21st

Premium Rush (Blu-ray/DVD) – future Batman candidate Joseph Gordon-Levitt hops on a bike to outrun Michael Shannon’s corrupt cop in this 2012 thriller

The Good Doctor (Blu-ray/DVD) – Orlando Bloom plays against type as a creepy doctor with ill intentions in this 2012 thriller

RE-ISSUES

The Resident Evil Collection (Blu-ray) – all five “Resident Evil” films, most of them directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, are collected in one box set

Flight of the Navigator (Blu-ray) – the 1986 Disney family favorite about a boy who may or may not have traveled through time. Now in hi-def

Sometimes A Great Notion (Blu-ray) – Paul Newman and Henry Fonda star in this 1970 drama about labor concerns

Fred Williamson: Double Feature (DVD) – Fred ‘the Hammer’ Williamson gets his own DVD Double Feature with this collection of “Soda Cracker” and “Original Gangstas”

HORROR

Deathship (Blu-ray/DVD) – George Kennedy and Richard Crenna co-star in this 1980 horror movie set aboard a shipping vessel. From Scorpion Releasing

The Frozen (DVD) – in this 2012 thriller, a winter camping trip goes to hell when a young woman becomes stranded in the woods

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 |

Dangerous Liaisons Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

"Dangerous Liaisons" Blu-ray Cover

"Dangerous Liaisons" Blu-ray Cover

RELEASE DATE: February 12, 2013

Well Go USA presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Dangerous Liaisons. Zhang Ziyi (Memoirs of a Geisha), Jang Dong-Gun (Friend) and Cecilia Cheung (Legendary Amazons) embody the classic triangle in this timeless story about an aging socialite’s infatuation with her ex-boyfriend. Watch the trailer.

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

Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot: The Complete Series 4-Disc DVD Set (Shout! Factory)

Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot: The Complete Series 4-Disc DVD Set (Shout! Factory)

Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot: The Complete Series 4-Disc DVD Set (Shout! Factory)

RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2013

Shout! Factory presents the 4-Disc DVD set for Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot: The Complete Series, which is about a young boy who fights a terrorist organization by being the controller of a giant robot. The series, which aired from 1967-1968, is also known as Giant Robo (or Tokusatsu). Watch the show’s opening sequence.

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

Well Go USA brings home Korea’s highest-grossing movie ‘The Thieves’ this February 12th

"The Thieves" Blu-ray Cover

"The Thieves" Blu-ray Cover

All for the Money. One for the Revenge. Every Man for Himself. Debuting on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital February 12th from Well Go USA Entertainment, The Thieves (read our review) made box office history as Korea’s highest-grossing movie to date, with more than a half-million tickets sold on the first day and over 10 million tickets sold in the first three weeks.

Director Dong-hoo Choi’s (Woochi, The Big Swindle, Tazza: The High Rollers) high stakes heist film follows five thieves at the top of their game as they plan to plan to pull off a major Casino robbery.

The all-star ensemble includes Gianna Jun (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan), Kim Hae-suk (Thirst), Kim Hye-su (Modern Boy), Kim Soo Hyun (TV’s The Third Hospital), Kim Yun-seok (Punch), Angelica Lee (Sleepwalker), Lee Jung-Jae (The Accidental Gangster), Oh Dal-su (The Traffickers), Kwok Cheung Tsang (The Bullet Vanishes) and Simon Yam (Ip Man). Bonus materials include two behind-the-scenes featurettes.

“[A] sprawling, relentlessly entertaining thriller.” – Andy Webster, New York Times

“A dazzling heist film …” – Steve MacFarlane, Slant Magazine

“The Thieves carves its own niche with moments of romance and stylish mayhem mixed with a more emotionally conflicted, winner-take-all sensibility than its American brethren.” – Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

Bonus Features: “Meet The Thieves” and “The Making of The Thieves” Featurettes. The Thieves has a runtime of approximately 136 minutes and is not rated. For more information, please visit www.wellgousa.com.

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

Posted in News |