"Police Story" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Shout! Factory has announced the release of 6 Jackie Chan films in 2013. In addition, they have secured rights to distribute all of Bruce Lee’s films, with the obvious exception of Warner’s Enter the Dragon. There are currently no official details on which titles and formats will be released, but definitely check back with us for the latest updates.

So far, Shout! Factory has the January 15th release of the Crime Story and Protector Double Feature, which includes Jackie Chan’s Hong Kong cut of the Protector (Blu-ray version only); as well as the American-made Bruce Lee documentary I Am Bruce Lee.

As far as other Asian titles, Shout! Factory will most likely continue their association with South Korea’s CJ Entertainment, as they did with the action packed Sector 7 and Quick.

Updates: Amazon.com now has pre-orders up for the following Bruce Lee Double Features on DVD: The Big Boss & Fist of Fury and Way of the Dragon & Game of Death; as well as a link for the Jackie Chan Beginnings Double Feature, which contains Killer Meteors & New Fist of Fury. Please check back for updates regarding extra features, languages and cover art.

Current message board rumors indicate Shout! Factory is likely planning a Bruce Lee Blu-ray box set for release in July 2013. It’s expected that the four films featured in the DVD Double Features will be collected in this set.

Police Story 1 and Police Story 2 are now available on Blu-ray & DVD (pre-order link). They are both set to hit retailers in April 16, 2013.

BREAKING NEWS: Shout! Factory now has pre-order links up for the Jackie Chan Double Feature: Battle Creek Brawl and City Hunter Blu-ray & DVD. Also, Shout! Factory’s Bruce Lee Blu-ray Box Set is here.

"Going By the Book" Korean Theatrical Poster

Film distributor 5 Points Pictures is pleased to announce the two-disc, special-edition DVD release of Going By the Book will be available on April 16, 2013.

Writer, director and producer Jang Jin (Guns and Talks, Righteous Ties) and actor Jung Jae-young (Moss, Righteous Ties) reteam for this South Korean bank-heist comedy, which is helmed by first-time director Ra Hee-chan (Mr. Idol) and features supporting performances by Son Byung-ho (The Good, The Bad, The Weird, May 18), Lee Young-eun (Doomsday Book, To the Beautiful You TV), and more.

Going by the Book is based upon the Japanese film “Bang!” (a.k.a. “Asobi no Jikan wa Owaranai”), with an adapted screenplay by Jang Jin and Lee Gyu-bok. It was produced by Film It Suda and is presented by CJ Entertainment.

SYNOPSIS

It’s Cops vs. Cops (pretending to be robbers)!

Sam-po is a small town with a major problem. Its banks are increasingly targeted by armed robbers, and local law enforcement’s efforts to address the issue have been nonexistent. Incoming police chief LEE Seung-woo (Son Byung-ho, The Good, The Bad, The Weird) initiates an ambitious plan to send a message to the criminals and win the confidence of the townspeople. Every member of his force will participate in a “Bank Robbery Simulation” – unscripted training involving bank personnel and customers, plus a lone cop playing the role of the crook. And the new chief thinks he knows the right man for the job…

By-the-book patrolman Jung Do-man (Jung Jae-young, Moss) is dismayed to find he has been personally selected for this role. But when the dedicated officer is told to “do his best,” what was meant to be a simple role-playing exercise quickly spirals into a nationally televised event!

Includes the feature film plus more than an hour and 45 minutes of video extras, all with on/off English subtitles!

DISC SPECS

5 Points Pictures’ release of Going By the Book will feature an upgraded English translation of the film, plus more than an hour and 45 minutes of translated and subtitled video extras from the South Korean limited-edition releases.

Visit www.5pointspictures.com for more information about Going By the Book, to sign up for 5 Points Pictures’ newsletter and press release lists, or to inquire about retail opportunities.

Cityonfire.com received the above press release courtesy of 5 Points Pictures

"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!

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.

"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.