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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
“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
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!
"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.
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.
"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.
"Dangerous Liaisons" Blu-ray Cover
Director Jin-ho Hur Re-Imagines the Classic 18th-Century French Novel, Starring Zhang Ziyi, Jang Dong-Gun and Cecilia Cheung.
1930s Shanghai: the glamorous, tumultuous “Paris of the East” whose salons, streets and bedrooms frame this Chinese adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” into a lush, new vision of Dangerous Liaisons, debuting on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital February 12th from Well Go USA Entertainment.
Zhang Ziyi (Memoirs of a Geisha, Til Death Do Us Part), Jang Dong-Gun (My Way, Friend) and Cecilia Cheung (Legendary Amazons) embody the classic triangle under the direction of Jin-ho Hur (A Good Rain Knows) in the timeless story about an aging socialite’s infatuation with her ex-boyfriend that manifests itself as a risky game, where her former lover agrees to seduce, then abandon a naive young woman.
“… a guilty pleasure …” – G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
“It’s difficult to go wrong with a plot like this … and the cast members deliver strong performances that sustain the tension throughout.” – Shannon M. Houston, Paste Magazine
Dangerous Liaisons has a runtime of approximately 111 minutes and is not rated. Bonus Materials Include Two Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes. For more information, please visit www.wellgousa.com.
Cityonfire received the above press release from Well Go USA.
"Gangster Squad" Theatrical Poster
THE MOVIE: Well, hell. Hollywood has a new cops-and-crooks picture coming out and you couldn’t ask for a better cast than this: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, and Sean Penn headline a roster that also includes Emma Stone, Robert Patrick, Michael Pena, and Giovanni Ribisi. You’d basically have to pay me not to see this movie.
The film is called Gangster Squad and it tells the true-to-life-story of how the Los Angeles Police Department formed a ruthless gang of cops to take down mobster Micky Cohen in the late 40’s. The trailer is now online courtesy of Apple Quicktime. Here’s hoping we have a new modern classic a la L.A. Confidential on our hands. Expect Gangster Squad to roll in to theaters on January 11, 2013.
Update: Ryan Gosling raises a glass and Sean Penn gets his gun off in these cool new pics from the film. Check out the new international trailer.
Due to similarities to the recent real world tragedy in Colorado, Warner Brothers may call for a quick reshoot of Gangster Squad‘s climactic gun battle, which will push the release of date of Gangster Squad to January 11, 2013. Enjoy the newest trailer and check out the new Gangster Squad poster.
BREAKING NEWS: Check out the new action-packed TV spot.
Zodiac America: The Super Master DVD (Substance)
RELEASE DATE: February 19, 2013
Substance presents the DVD for Godrey Ho’s cut ‘n paste flick Zodiac America: The Super Master. To avenge his father’s death, Ethan learns kung fu by fighting the dead. Meanwhile, an American Ninja must fend off against the thieves and their ninja henchmen. Soon Dragon and Ethan team up to defeat the thieves and the ninjas. Watch the trailer.
Futureworld Blu-ray (Warner)
RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2013
Warner presents the Blu-ray for 1976′s Futureworld, the sequel to Westworld (also on Blu-ray). An amusement park of the future caters to any adult fantasy. Lifelike androids carry out your every whim. A fun place, right? Wrong. It’s actually quite deadly. Starring Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner and Arthur Hill. Watch the Deutscher trailer.
“Dead or Alive 3: Final” Japanese Theatrical Poster
Director: Takashi Miike
Cast: Sho Aikawa, Riki Takeuchi, Richard Chen, Terence Yin, Josie Ho, Maria Chen, Hiroyoshi Komuro
Running Time: 86 Min.
By SlaXor
Well, the first thing I’d like to get out of the way is that people may wonder why someone would start with a review for the third and final installment in this excellent trilogy. The reason is that parts one and two of the Dead or Alive series have already been reviewed and praised to the heavens several times over.
In the final installment, we are set in the year 2346 in a post-apocalyptic Yokohama, Japan (really, present day Hong Kong). Mayor Wu is the homosexual ruler of the rest of civilization, hell-bent on ending it via a birth control drug he has created in order to stop the furthering of the human race and prevent it from repeating the same mistakes which lead us to the apocalyptic times we are in now. Honda, played by the always brooding DOA lead Riki Takeuchi, is a total badass cop who is Mayor Wu’s right hand man and the owner of the coolest interchangeable jacket you will ever see.
He is assigned to eliminate a group of misfit delinquents who refuse to take the birth control drug and long to escape Yokohama to create a new world. His assignment seems to be no trouble until the group of misfits are lucky enough to get a surviving battle replicant (Yes, I said a replicant!), played by our other DOA lead Sho Aikawa, on their side. The events that follow lead to the eventual showdown between the two leads in the only way real men settle anything… A KUNG-FU FIGHT!!!
First thing that really makes this movie for me is Sho Aikawa. Don’t get me wrong in that Riki Takeuchi is one of the most badass actors walking the planet and if you bottled his sweat and sold it as cologne the obvious name would be “Badass”. But, if you were to bottle Sho Aikawa’s sweat and sell it as a cologne the only name fitting for it would be “Charisma”. The guy is like a walking sponge of it waiting for a camera to be pointed in his direction and squeeze it out of him. Every time he smiles in the movie, I smile too.
The non-lead HK actors do a good job as well. If Riki is the badass and Sho is the charisma sponge then Terence Yin is the mack daddy. Josie Ho in this movie is just yummy to say the least. Her character starts out a little annoying but by the end of the movie you will have all but fallen in love with her.
Second thing is Takashi Miike’s expert use of color filters in this movie. Those being mainly yellow and the occasional green. They really help to give you that futuristic apocalyptic feeling and add a bit of style to the movie without over doing it. The homages/references are also their and always a delight to me. The first and most obvious are replicants which are, of course, from Blade Runner.
Another is bullet time from The Matrix, but not used completely like The Matrix and with Miike’s own special touch. He also pays homage to his own films with one of the misfit delinquents wearing a vest with a yellow number one on the back, which is no doubt a nod to Ichi the Killer; I’m sure with the knowledge I could write an entire review on the homages.
So does Miike close up the trilogy in a satisfying way? Absolutely, yes. As long as you don’t expect an over-the-top ending like part one or an ending with a very deep meaning like part two you will be pleased and probably thank me for warning you ahead of time. Although I love parts one and two I find myself in the minority of people who think Miike’s final and closing chapter is the best and most underrated of the trilogy.
SlaXor’s Rating: Fanboy rating: 10/10; Casual viewer rating: 6/10
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