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 |

Passion is out of control this February 12th with Well Go USA’s ‘Dangerous Liaisons’

"Dangerous Liaisons" Blu-ray Cover

"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.

Posted in News |

The latest on ‘Gangster Squad’ – new action-packed TV spot!

"Gangster Squad" Theatrical Poster

"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.

Posted in News |

Zodiac America: The Super Master DVD (Substance)

Zodiac America: The Super Master DVD (Substance)

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.

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

Futureworld Blu-ray (Warner)

Futureworld Blu-ray (Warner)

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.

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

Dead or Alive 3: Final (2002) Review

"Dead or Alive 3: Final" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“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

Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , |

Dead or Alive (1999) Review

"Dead or Alive" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Dead or Alive” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Takashi Miike
Cast: Riki Takeuchi, Sho Aikawa, Renji Ishibashi, Hitoshi Ozawa, Shingo Tsurumi, Kaoru Sugita, Hirotaro Honda, Minoru Iizuka, Michisuke Kashiwaya, Mizuho Koga, Ren Oosugi, Tomoro Taguchi
Running Time: 105 min.

By Mairosu

And so finally, I rent a Miike Takashi film. After hearing countless stories about him, seeing numerous trailers for his shock-fests such as Ichi the Killer, Audition or Fudoh, I finally took a chance on one particular film from this director. After consulting several friends and reading even more reviews, his 1999 effort Dead or Alive looked like a good start.

Man, oh man, oh man…oh man.

They were all right – this guy pulls out all the plugs. And he delivers. In style.

Dead or Alive is a film concentrating on two characters. One is Ryuichi (Riki Takeuchi), a son of Japanese who were born in China. Feeling no ties to Japan as an ethnic group or any obligations to the Yakuza mob, Ryuichi starts his own drug empire with his gang of street punks (of same descent), undermining the ruling Sino-Japanese cartel. The other one is police detective Jojima (Sho Aikawa), forced to cooperate with the Yakuza in order to pay for his daughter’s surgery, who might not live long if she’s not operated on. As Ryuichi’s gang rises to prominence, Jojima is pressured from both Yakuza and the police department to track him down and eliminate him.

How will you digest this movie depends on how you survive the first ten opening minutes. The intro, which packs a wallop, is an almost hallucinogenic tirade of sex, drugs, gore, blood, more gore, more sex, sodomy, big guns, gluttonous eating, excessive violence and God knows what not, which, wrapped with hard rock music blasting in the background, plays like some sort of demented MTV music video and leaves you with a near-blank gaze as it finishes.

From that point, the film sails into more conventional Yakuza flick waters, delivering a shock-effect every now and then when you’re unprepared – we get to see a brief scene of animal/human sex, one girl drowning in her own feces and another girl spitting out semen after a blowjob – but even with those, the focus is clearly on the struggles of two protagonists.

Ryuichi tries to deal with his brother, freshly back from the studies in the USA, who rebels against him after he hears that blood money was used to finance his education. And Jojima just keeps sinking deeper and deeper into corruption with his daughter’s condition worsening – worse yet, she ignores his efforts in a rebellious manner, and his wife might be having an affair.

The stage for the big showdown is finally set after Ryuichi’s brother is gunned down by the police and Jojima’s family eradicated in an act of retaliation – and if you managed to swallow the opening ten minutes, you’re in for an ending which I doubt anyone could have predicted (and with that I can safely conclude that the scriptwriter Ichiro Ryu definitely used some illegal substances while penning this one).

Takashi is in cruise control the whole film, making all the violence bizzarely stylish. It seems that the grand action shootouts are his forte, but he handles the more dramatic (and subsequently less bloody) parts of the film very well, too, showing that he’s not an one-dimensional shock-jock-one-trick-pony. The cast, especially Takeuchi, excels, and the role players do a good job here as well – look out for the stuttering gangster from Ryuichi’s posse, and his visions of his own future as a deity.

This is brutal entertainment at its best, and definitely not for everyone (rated 18+ in Europe and R in the USA). But if you can handle some graphic heat, you’re in for a wild ride with Dead or Alive. Me? I’m off to rent the sequel.

Mairosu’s Rating: 8/10


By Woody

This is the one that introduced the majority of us Westerners to the brilliantly depraved, f*cked-in-the-head cinematic stylings of Japan’s greatest import since enema porn and songs by The Boredoms with “anal” in the title: Takashi Miike.

The films of Takashi Miike are a visual counterpart to punk music… anarchaic, anti-establishment, exhilarating, and often angry, a cinematic middle finger rooted firmly in an upright position, pointed in the direction of an unsuspecting audience. Miike jumps from genre to genre, from musical to horror, from crime to comedy… but never loses his outright contempt for a mainstream audience, much to the delight of those of us who have become jaded, who have seen it all and then some.

Take me, for example…I’ve seen a guy get a gun shoved up his ass in “Baise Moi”, I’ve seen a chick get hung off of a tree by her tits with meathooks in the old Italian cannibal flick “Make Them Die Slowly”, and all of those slices of imitation Japanese snuff that were “Guinea Pig”. I’ve seen all kinds of gory, depraved sh*t. I’ve also seen my share of great, great films by wonderful directors, from the melancholy romanticism of Wong Kar Wai to the surreal nightmares of David Lynch, from the zany camera work of the brothers Coen to the dry whimsy of Wes Anderson. I have seen my share of bad movies, too…from “Bloodfist” to “Gigli” to the overrated “Ringu” and back.

What I’m trying to say is, for the past sixteen years of my life, I’ve been consuming movies on a nearly daily basis, and, no matter how great the film, I rarely find myself shocked or surprised. I mean, I still enjoy watching films, but that magic is missing…the magic that I felt watching “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” on the big screen while my father snored loudly next to me. The wide-eyed, jaw-to-the-floor suprise I felt at the end of “The Usual Suspects.” That magic that caused me and all of my buddies in Ms. Singleton’s 6th grade class to get into fights over who would get to be Mr. Blonde when we were assigning colors to eachother after seeing “Reservoir Dogs”. But I have rediscovered that magic, and you can too. Just rent “Dead or Alive”.

“Dead Or Alive” shocks, surprises, and exhilarates. The opening scene alone is worth the price of admission…a fast cut montage of coke-snorting, gay sex in a public bathroom, strippers, Riki Takeuchi riding on his motorbike to dispatch some enemies, and ramen pouring from a stomach wound, among other woefully-offensive occurences. Cut like a trailer, and beginning with a count-off of “1…2…3…4!”, the opening is an amazing and audacious start to a movie that only gets better.

After the beginning, I was left asking myself, “That was amazing…but where can it all go from here?” Well, it goes deep into the mind of that insane maverick that is Takashi Miike and gets even more suprising and shocking as it goes along, if more subdued as to allow the story to shine through… a Japanese versus Chinese take on Michael Mann’s “Heat”.

Miike takes what could have easily been a decent crime flick and turns the genre itself around on his head. Never content in just settling for Tarantino-style cool or balletic Woo-like action, Miike adds little twists and nuances on typical genre conventions as to add to the bizarre ‘anything goes’ atmosphere of his work. He also refuses to let up in the entertainment department…every scene, even the exposition used in order to further the story, is capable of holding your interest, because it is filtered through Miike’s sick, sick mind.

Take for example a scene in which a police inspector goes to get some answers from a couple of his underworld contacts. The scene could have been boring…the typical lazy bit of dialogue in order to move the story along. Instead, Miike has the police question the guys while they are in the course to trying to take pictures of a dog fucking a very uninterested looking chick. Welcome to the world of Takashi Miike.

If that’s not enough to pique your interest, there is a scene where a girl drowns in a kiddy pool of her own… I don’t want to spoil it for you, so watch it. You’ll see. I’m not saying Miike flicks are for everyone…they are violent, disgusting, often unrealistic and cartoon-like, nihilistic to an extreme, and immoral and offensive and wonderful and brilliant and I can’t get enough of them. Oh, and did I mention this flick has the greatest fucking ending you will ever see in your entire pathetic life on this Earth?

If Michael Mann’s “Heat” got butt-raped by a German Shepard while a Japanese girl in a nurse outfit with an enema bag looked on disinterested, and then afterwards, was pumped full of cartoonish ultra-violence and a giddy sense of pride in it’s own depravity, and then blown up with a submarine launched ballistic missle, it’s remains then dumped into a film can and ran through a projector, the result would be “Dead or Alive”, a great starting point for future fans of depraved genius Takashi Miike as well as required viewing for any and all of those who have enjoyed his other cinematic masterpeices. Throw some popcorn in the microwave, grab a seat on the couch, and watch this one with the entire family.

Woody’s Rating: 10/10

Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , |

Cujo Blu-ray & DVD (Olive Films)

Cujo Blu-ray & DVD (Olive Films)

Cujo Blu-ray & DVD (Olive Films)

RELEASE DATE: January 22, 2013

Olive Films presents the Blu-ray & DVD for 1983’s Cujo, an adaptation of a Stephen King horror novel. Cujo is the story of a lovable St. Bernard that terrorizes a community after he’s been bitten by a rabid bat. Starring Dee Wallace, Daniel Hugh Kelly and Danny Pintauro. Watch the trailer.

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

Flatland DVD (Xenon)

Flatland DVD (Xenon)

Flatland DVD (Xenon)

RELEASE DATE: January 8, 2013

Xenon presents the DVD for Flatland, a forgotten TV series starring Dennis Hopper, Phillip Rhys and Françoise Yip (Rumble in the Bronx). For 4000 years an apocalyptic battle has been raging in an alternate timeline. In the year 2010 the battle lands in Hong Kong where two ancient foes have been reincarnated to fight to the death.

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

Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 12/11/12

Doomsday Book Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Doomsday Book Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

It’s the holiday season. This week of releases was custom-designed for fans of all things cult and obscure. 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 12/11/12:

ASIAN CINEMA

Doomsday Book (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2012 mind-bending sci-fi triptych arrives out of South Korea from the directors of “I Saw the Devil” and “Hansel & Gretel”

The Unjust (DVD) – Pathfinder grants an official DVD release to this 2010 Korean crime thriller, a Cityonfire.com favorite. Recommended to fans of “Infernal Affairs”

Ultra Seven: The Complete Series (DVD) – Shout! Factory compiles the entirety of this “Ultraman” spin-off in a 6-disc set

The Joy Luck Club (Blu-ray) – this beloved 1993 drama from director Wayne Wang chronicles the Asian-American experience

A Man Vanishes (DVD) – part documentary, part fictional film, this landmark 1967 feature from director/actor Shohei Imamura chronicles the numerous missing persons cases in Japan during this era

Lady Yakuza Double Feature (DVD) – imagine being born the daughter of a ruthless Yakuza boss…that’s just what happens in this 2008 double feature based on a true story and tell-all book

A Hole in my Panty (DVD) – this 2011 Japanese sex comedy follows three boys on summer vacation and the young woman they become smitten with

Sex Hunter: Wet Target (DVD) – Impulse Pictures presents more Japanese sexploitation, although the description warns this movie is more of a violent thriller

I Love It From Behind (DVD) – at times like these, what can I possibly say? The description of this film from Nikkatsu vaults promises “jaw-dropping” and “naughty” Japanese sexploitation

FOREIGN

Beloved (DVD) – this 2011 French musical arrives from Christophe Honore, the acclaimed director of “Love Songs” and “The Beautiful Person”

MAINSTREAM

The Bourne Legacy (Blu-ray/DVD) – Jeremy Renner takes up the mantle of the Bourne franchise in this 2012 summer blockbuster

Dick Tracy (Blu-ray) – Warren Beatty directs and stars in this visually stunning 1990 adventure based on the classic comic book serial. Now in hi-def

Following (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection presents this release of Christopher Nolan’s debut feature, the 1999 thriller “Following”

The Qatsi Trilogy (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection assembles this acclaimed series of films chronicling man’s interactions with, and destruction of, nature. Featuring music by Phillip Glass

The Story of Film: An Odyssey (DVD) – Mark Cousins of the BBC’s Scene by Scene assembles this 916-minute chronicle of world cinema, based on his book

Kill ‘Em All (Blu-ray/DVD) – Well Go USA distributes this 2012 action flick about a group of assassins battling for supremacy. Co-starring the legendary Gordon Liu and Joe Lewis

Les Miserables (Blu-ray) – this 1998 adaptation of the Victor Hugo story features an all-star cast, including Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush

Babes in Toyland (Blu-ray) – the 1961 Disney family film, now on Blu-ray

CULT

Miami Connection (Blu-ray/DVD) – unearthed from 1987, this hilarious action film details what happens when motorcycle ninja gangs take over the Florida narcotics trade

The Wild Geese (Blu-ray + DVD combo) – like an old-school “Expendables” team, Roger Moore, Richard Burton, and Richard Harris kick some ass in this 1979 action/adventure

The Island (Blu-ray + DVD combo) – not to be confused with the Michael Bay film of the same name, this 1980 thriller features Michael Caine. Based on a novel from the writer of “Jaws”

Ashanti (Blu-ray + DVD combo) – Michael Caine also headlines this 1979 exploitation film in which his supermodel wife is kidnapped by Saudi slave traders

Toxic Avenger: Japanese Cut (DVD) – Troma’s 1984 cult classic arrives with a Japanese cut that was previously unavailable in the States

Django! Double Feature: A Man Called Django! / Django and Sartana’s Showdown in the West (DVD) – Shout! Factory presents a double bill of Spaghetti Western exploitation with two “Django” spin-off titles

Django Unleashed: Western Movie Collection (DVD) – along those lines, Boot Hill presents 210 more minutes of Spaghetti Western exploitation

Wonder Woman TV Movie Pilot (DVD) – a 1974 stab at turning “Wonder Woman” into a TV series turned the character into a super-spy rather than a Greek goddess

Age of the Hobbits (Blu-ray/DVD) – the notorious copycats at Asylum Entertainment were very nearly sued for this film, featuring their take on modern day ‘hobbits’

HORROR

Baron Blood: Kino Classics’ Remastered Edition (Blu-ray/DVD) – legendary Italian director Mario Bava’s 1972 gothic horror film, starring Joseph Cotten. Now in hi-def

Death Valley (Blu-ray + DVD combo) – that little kid from “A Christmas Story” is under extreme duress in this 1982 horror movie about a family vacation that turns into a nightmare

Osombie (Blu-ray/DVD) – you likely guessed it from the title, but in this 2012 horror flick Osama Bin Laden returns as a zombie

House of Terror (DVD) – the 40th Anniversary Edition of this obscure 1973 horror film, starring Jessica Bishop

Shadowzone (DVD) – Full Moon Entertainment’s 1990 low-budget chiller is a mashup between “Alien” and “The Thing”

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys (DVD) – a 1-disc DVD version of this 1991 crossover between two of Full Moon Entertainment’s franchises

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 |

The Running Man Blu-ray & DVD (Olive Films)

Running Man Blu-ray & DVD (Olive Films)

Running Man Blu-ray & DVD (Olive Films)

February 19, 2013

Olive Films presents the Blu-ray & DVD for The Running Man, a sci-fi thriller based on an early story by Stephen King starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the near future, a top-rated TV show, where condemned criminals are given a chance for freedom by running through a gauntlet of heavily armed killers known as “Stalkers”. Watch the trailer.

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

Punch DVD (5 Points Pictures)

"Punch" Korean Theatrical Poster

"Punch" Korean Theatrical Poster

RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2013

5 Points Pictures presents the DVD for Punch, a coming-of-age story with equal parts humor and humanity. Punch, a box-office smash, features direction by Lee Han (Lover’s Concerto) and standout performances from Yoo Ah-in (Antique) and Kim Yun-seok (The Chaser), along with Kim Sang-ho (Moss), Park Soo-young (Architecture 101) and Jasmine Lee. Watch the trailer.

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