Phantasm II: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)

Phantasm II: Collector's Edition Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)

Phantasm II: Collector's Edition Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)

RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2013

Shout! Factory presents the Blu-ray & DVD for 1988′s Phantasm II: Collector’s Edition, directed by Don Coscarelli (John Dies at the End). The mysterious Tall Man and his arsenal of deadly weapons are back! Watch the trailer.

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

The Terminator: Remastered Blu-ray (MGM)

"The Terminator: Remastered" Blu-ray

"The Terminator: Remastered" Blu-ray

RELEASE DATE: February 19, 2013

MGM presents the newly remastered Blu-ray for 1984’s The Terminator, directed by James Cameron (Avatar). In the year 2029, the ruling super-computer Skynet sends an indestructible cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back in time to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, the woman who will birth its greatest enemy. For more details about this edition, click here.

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

Sushi Girl Blu-ray & DVD (Magnolia Pictures)

Sushi Girl Blu-ray & DVD (Magnolia Pictures)

Sushi Girl Blu-ray & DVD (Magnolia Pictures)

RELEASE DATE: February 19, 2013

Magnolia Pictures presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Sushi Girl, starring Tony Todd, Sonny Chiba, James Duval, Noah Hathaway, Andy Mackenzie, Mark Hamill, Michael Biehn, Jeff Fahey and Danny Trejo. Thieves, gangsters, violence and beautiful, naked woman on the dinner table. Check out the trailer.

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

Love can be feral when you’re ‘A Werewolf Boy’

"A Werewolf Boy" Theatrical Poster

While American audiences continue to go wild for Twilight, movie-goers in South Korea have embraced their own ‘supernatural’ love story. A Werewolf Boy is a fantasy/romance film currently breaking box office records in that region, with over 6.5 million admissions. The story follows a young woman whose family adopts a ‘feral boy’ into their home. The boy displays an uncommon devotion to his new kin but soon draws the fear and ire of local villagers.

A Werewolf Boy has proven so popular that CJ Entertainment is even screening an ‘alternate ending’ in theaters to appease fans. The trailer for the movie is up today on Apple Quicktime. Please visit the official site for North American theatrical listings as the movie will expand to numerous locations this Friday.

Posted in News |

Highlander 2: Renegade Version Blu-ray & DVD (Olive Films)

Highlander 2: Renegade Version Blu-ray & DVD (Olive Films)

Highlander 2: Renegade Version Blu-ray & DVD (Olive Films)

RELEASE DATE: February 19, 2013

Olive Films presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Highlander 2: Renegade Version, a re-edited director’s cut of Highlander 2: The Quickening, with 18 minutes of additional footage. It’s 2024 and Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) and Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery) are back to save planet Earth from an evil corporation.

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

Sleepy Eyes of Death: DVD Collector’s Set Vol. 3 (Animeigo)

Sleepy Eyes of Death: DVD Collector's Set Vol. 3 (Animeigo)

Sleepy Eyes of Death: DVD Collector's Set Vol. 3 (Animeigo)

RELEASE DATE: February 12, 2013

Animeigo presents the DVD for Sleepy Eyes of Death: Collector’s Set Vol. 3. He is a mysterious stranger, the samurai with the strange, sleepy eyes. His mother Japanese; his father a foreigner; he has no past, he wants no future. He calls himself Nemuri Kyoshiro (Raizo Ichikawa), but those who challenge him face. Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are currently available.

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

‘Bleak Night’ casts a shadow with a new English-subbed trailer

"Bleak Night" DVD Cover

"Bleak Night" DVD Cover

Distributor 5 Points Pictures continues to prep the 2010 Korean drama Bleak Night for a January 22nd, 2013 release on DVD. Although the film has been available for a little while via Netflix’s streaming service, 5 Points’ release will feature an all-new English translation. In addition, you can look forward to on-disc extras including a statement from director Yoon Sung-hyun and the original Korean trailer.

Online today is a new English-subbed trailer to help prime audiences for Bleak Night.

These days the Korean films that secure a release in North American tend to be of the commercial blockbuster variety. But with Bleak Night, writer/director Yoon Sung-hyun has crafted a dark and absorbing drama that relies on strong storytelling and performances to pull the viewer in.

With a cast rounded out by topnotch acting talent including Lee Je-hoon (The Front Line) and Cho Seong-ha (The Yellow Sea), the movie’s story tackles topical issues such as bullying and suicide in a head-on manner. Bleak Night should appeal to fans of other edgy films about the Eastern high school experience, such as All About Lily Chou-Chou or Blue Spring.

Expect a full review from Cityonfire.com near Bleak Night‘s DVD release but the movie carries our highest recommendation. In the meantime, you can pre-order the movie here.

Posted in News |

Bruce Willis is John McClane in ‘Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Collection’ this January 29th

"Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Edition" (Blu-ray)

Celebrate 25 years of Bruce Willis playing John McClane with this 5-Disc Blu-ray 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!

Special Features: Modern-Day Hero — Casting, evolution and legacy of John McClane; Along For The Ride — Engaging sidekicks who have teamed up with McClane; Bad To The Bone — McClane’s well-armed and formidable foes; Punishing Blows — Creating the intense action sequences, fistfights and stunts; Explosive Effects — Role of groundbreaking visual and special effects including some of the biggest explosions on screen; Reinventing The Action Genre — Development of the franchise from concept to character to story; The Right Hero For The Right Time — Appeal and influence of Die Hard films on pop culture

Die Hard 25th Anniversary Collection Blu-ray

Disc 1: Die Hard (Blu-ray)
Disc 2: Die Hard 2: Die Harder (Blu-ray)
Disc 3: Die Hard with a Vengeance (Blu-ray)
Disc 4: Live Free or Die Hard (Blu-ray)
Disc 5: Decoding Die Hard (Blu-ray)

Street Date: January 29, 2013
Prebook Date: December 19, 2012
Screen Format: Widescreen
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD-MA, Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital, French: 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English/Spanish/French
U.S. Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Closed Captioned: Yes

Click here to order. Cityonfire.com thanks DVD News Flash for the above press release.

Posted in News |

Wu Dang (2012) Review

"Wu Dang" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Wu Dang” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Patrick Leung Pak Kin
Cast: Yang Mi, Vincent Chiu Man Chuk, Fan Siu Wong, Xu Jiao, Dennis To Yue Hong, Nina Pau Hei Ching
Running Time: 101 min.

By HKFanatic

‘Vincent Zhao and the Treasure of the Wu Dang Mountains’ – I guess that title is a bit of a mouthful, but it would have likely given viewers a better idea of what to expect from this movie than “Wu Dang.” This 2012 Chinese-language picture is a light, breezy martial arts fantasy with a bit of an Indiana Jones flavor.

Vincent Zhao, who recently made headlines by dropping out of Donnie Yen’s action movie “Special Identity,” stars in the lead role of a studied professor and treasure hunter. His latest adventure sends him to a combat tournament in the middle of the Wu Dang mountains. In a display of questionable parenting skills, Zhao tows his plucky daughter, portrayed by Xu Jiao (who played a boy in Stephen Chow’s “CJ7“), along for the ride while he contends with a rival hunter in the form of pop music and TV sensation Yang Mi.

Unfortunately, the filmmakers feel like they’re on autopilot for what should have been a spirited journey. Since the audience is kept in the dark about Vincent Zhao’s motivations for most of the movie, his character comes across as more of a grave robber than a hero we can actually root for. The plot is built around the mystery of the Wu Dang temple’s artifacts, but when the characters aren’t fighting over them the movie’s runtime is devoted to two playful romances with ridiculous age gaps.

In the story, Vincent Zhao’s daughter shares some innocent-minded flirtation with a Buddhist monk portrayed by Louis Fan of “Ricki-Oh” fame. These days Fan is pushing 39, which wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that Xu Jiao isn’t even legal yet. Meanwhile, the screenplay seems to suggest a 40 year-old Zhao will end up shacking up with the 20-something Yang Mi. It’s hard to sell your movie as light, inconsequential fluff when the central relationships are going to make most viewers a tad uncomfortable.

All might be forgiven if “Wu Dang” succeeded where we expect most Chinese-language action pictures to excel: the fight scenes. And to director Patrick Leung’s credit, he secured one of the best talents in the industry by assigning Corey Yuen to choreograph the action in “Wu Dang.” Sadly, he must have caught Yuen on an off day. With “Wu Dang,” we’re a long ways from Corey Yuen’s “So Close” and an even longer way from “Righting Wrongs.”

There’s nothing particularly awful about the fighting in “Wu Dang”; then again there’s nothing particularly inspired about it either. The actors are clearly assisted by wires and stand-ins – but what’s worse is that the editing is simply too fast to really appreciate the moves onscreen. The action here seems designed around what the actors could or couldn’t do, rather than in the interest of choreographing some truly show-stopping fights. It’s a bit of a shame when we know actors like Vincent Zhao and Louis Fan still have the moves even though they’re nearing middle-age.

The film’s key setpiece involves Vincent Zhao and Yang Mi teaming up to take on an angry mob in the middle of a two-tiered monastery room. This sequence was featured heavily in the trailers and it’s a moment when the movie really seems to take off. In the midst of battle, Vincent Zhao and Mini Rang even stop to engage in a slow-motion ‘dance’ of sorts – while it may not be the big romantic moment that director Patrick Leung was likely going for, it is a nice stylistic touch. “Wu Dang” could use more of this kind of playfulness, but it’s clear you can only do so much when Vincent Zhao seems incapable of projecting more than a monk-like stoicism. In other words, he’s no romantic lead – which is partially why he excels in action-driven roles like “True Legend” or “Fist Power,” instead of family-oriented adventure films like this.

Despite a tableu of relationships which are, at the very least, a bit icky, it’s safe to say that “Wu Dang” is inoffensive enough; perhaps an entry-level martial arts film for the young’uns. It’s the kind of movie that makes sense coming from the co-director of “The Twins Effect II,” though Corey Yuen has clearly displayed he’s capable of much more intricate choreography as recently as last year’s “Shaolin.” The key thing about “Wu Dang” is that, while the action lacks quality, it’s certainly there in quantity: the movie’s runtime tends to fly by as Vincent Zhao and company get into one brawl after the other. “Wu Dang” fails to make a strong impression but, on the upside, it didn’t make me feel like I’d wasted my night either.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 6/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , , , , |

‘The Terminator’ lives again with a newly Remastered Blu-ray on February 19th

"The Terminator: Remastered" Blu-ray Cover

"The Terminator: Remastered" Blu-ray Cover

In this newly remastered Blu-ray (click here to order), Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as the most fierce and relentless killing machine ever to threaten the survival of mankind!

An indestructible cyborg — a Terminator (Schwarzenegger) — is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the woman whose unborn son will become humanity’s only hope in a future war against machines.

This legendary sci-fi thriller from pioneering writer/director James Cameron, written with Gale Anne Hurd, fires an arsenal of action and heart-stopping suspense that never lets up!

Special Features: Remastered Theatrical Feature Blu-ray; 7 Deleted Scenes; Creating The Terminator: Visual Effects & Music; Terminator: A Retrospective*

The Terminator Remastered Blu-ray

Street Date:  February 19, 2013 (Order here)
Prebook Date: January 9, 2013
Screen Format: Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD-MA, Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital, French: DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH/Spanish/French
U.S. Rating:  R (Restricted Under 17)
Total Run Time: 108 minutes
Closed Captioned:  Yes

Posted in News |

‘Wu Dang’ travels from the mystic mountain to Blu-ray and DVD on December 4th

Wu Dang Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Wu Dang Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Wenzhuo Zhao, Yang Mi and Fan Siu-Wong Star in director Patrick Leung’s action-packed martial arts adventure tale, debuting on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital December 4th.

Wenzhuo Zhao (SacrificeTrue Legend), Mi Yang (Painted Skin: The Resurrection) and Siu-Wong Fan (Flying Swords of Dragon Gate) star in Director Patrick Leung’s (Blade of Kings) thrilling action-adventure film Wu Dang, debuting on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital December 4th from Well Go USA Entertainment. With action choreography by Corey Yuen (Shaolin), Wu Dang is a high-flying, fresh look at the wire-fighting martial arts epics of the past, with a new twist: Wu Dang is the first film to examine the art of Wu Dang Kung Fu, and the mysticism of Ying Yang. Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes featurette and deleted/extended scenes. Wu Dang has a runtime of approximately 101 minutes and is not rated.

Plot: There is a rumor:  secret treasures hide in Wu Dang mountain. In the early days of Republican China, an American man – greedy for gold and hungry for riches – brings his daughter, a prodigy in martial arts, to compete for a championship title in kung fu combat, while planning to find and steal the riches for himself.  It won’t be easy. Fierce competition, dedicated protectors, and unexpected romance block the path to the Wu Dang fortune, and when the true nature of the prize is discovered – everything you know about martial arts will change forever.

“Outrageous, gravity-defying displays of kung fu wizardry.” BeyondHollywood.com

Bonus Features Include:

– Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
– Deleted / Extended Scenes
– Trailer

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

Posted in News |

Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 12/4/12

Wu Dang Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Wu Dang Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Welcome to December! Soon enough winter will be upon us. But right now there are plenty of releases to spotlight this week, so let’s get started. 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 12/4/12:

ASIAN CINEMA

Wu Dang (Blu-ray/DVD) – Well Go USA presents this 2012 Chinese martial arts/fantasy with action choreography from the legendary Corey Yuen. Starring Vincent Zhao of “True Legend”

Godzilla vs. Biollante (Blu-ray/DVD) – Echo Bridge releases this 1989 Godzilla effort on Tuesday, though some customers have already spotted it at retail

Ninja Scroll (Blu-ray/DVD) – the outrageously violent and controversial 1993 anime receives its just due with a Blu-ray release

X-Game (DVD) – this 2010 Japanese splatterflick arrives from the director of “Tokyo Gore School”

Will It Snow For Christmas? (DVD) – the popular 2012 Korean romantic television show with a holiday theme is collected in this 6-disc set

FOREIGN CINEMA

Alps (DVD) – this 2011 Greek-language film, about a mysterious organization impersonating the dead in order to help grieving relatives, is the latest from the celebrated director of “Dogtooth”

The Blue Angel: Remastered Standard Edition (Blu-ray) – Kino Video presents this classic 1930 early sound picture from Germany starring Marlene Dietrich, now on Blu-ray

Purple Noon (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection offers this 1960 French-language telling of the popular ‘Mr. Ripley’ story, starring Alain Delon in the lead role

Unforgivable (DVD) – this 2011 French-language thriller follows a successful crime novelist who becomes embroiled in a dangerous love affair

Tell No One (Blu-ray/DVD) – the popular 2006 French-language thriller receives a hi-definition release

Luchino Visconti Four Film Collection (DVD) – four of Italian neorealist director Luchino Visconti’s films are collected here, ranging from the late 1940’s through the early 70’s

Pablo Larrain: Director’s Collection (DVD) – the films “Tony Manero” and “Post Mortem” are collected in this Double Feature from acclaimed Chilean director pablo Larrain

The Day I Saw Your Heart (DVD) – dysfunctional father-daughter relationships are explored in this 2011 French-language comedy

MAINSTREAM

The Dark Knight Rises (Blu-ray/DVD) – the 2012 final installment in Christopher Nolan’s immensely popular “Dark Knight” trilogy, now on home formats

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Blu-ray/DVD) – featuring Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight,” and “The Dark Knight Rises” in one complete package

Beasts of the Southern Wild (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2012 lyrical fantasy set in the bayou of Louisiana wowed critics and movie-goers alike

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (Blu-ray/DVD) – a 2012 ‘live action digital series’ based on the popular video game franchise

Finding Nemo (Blu-ray + DVD combo) – 5-disc and 3-disc Collector’s Editions of Pixar’s 2003 animated film are released this week

Up (Blu-ray+DVD combo) – likewise, Pixar’s 2009 animated effort receives the 5-disc Collector’s Edition treatment

NEW ON BLU-RAY

Catch Me If You Can (Blu-ray) – Leonardo Dicaprio and Tom Hanks headline director Steven Spielberg’s 2002 bittersweet comedy-caper

eXistenZ (Blu-ray/DVD) – director David Cronenberg’s 1999 prescient look at the future of video games comes to hi-definition from Echo Bridge

Brazil (Blu-ray/DVD) – Terry Gilliam’s cult-classic 1985 dystopic fantasy receives a hi-definition release from the Criterion Collection

Westerns Unchained (Blu-ray) – this collection from First Look Pictures supposedly presents 25 spaghetti Westerns on just one Blu-ray disc

Francis Ford Coppola: 5-Film Collection (Blu-ray) – a diverse collection of Francis Ford Coppola’s work in one set, including: “Apocalypse Now” and its “Redux,” “One From the Heart,” “Tetro,” and “The Conversation”

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians: Remastered Edition (Blu-ray) – in this 1964 camp classic, Santa Claus is kidnapped by space aliens

CLASSICS

Suddenly (Blu-ray) – in this low-budget 1954 film noir, Frank Sinatra plays a hitman

Marco Polo (DVD) – Alfred Drake is Marco Polo in the 1956 black & white film of the famed seafarer

HORROR

V/H/S (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2012 indie horror anthology features short films from the directors behind “The House of the Devil” and “Kill List”

Silent Night: Deadly Night 1 & 2 (DVD) – the cult favorite 80’s slasher series with a Christmas theme

Silent Night (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2012 horror flick featuring a slasher Santa Claus is a remake of “Silent Night, Deadly Night”

Hostel & Hostel II – Double Feature (DVD) – a budget-priced collection of Eli Roth’s torture-based series

Blood Beat: Christmas Horrors (DVD) – Apprehensive Films is printing just 500 copies of this rare 1982 slasher

12/12/12 (Blu-ray/DVD) – Asylum Entertainment releases this horror movie about a newborn baby who might just be the Antichrist

Ritual: Tales From the Crypt (Blu-ray) – this 2002 horror flick co-starring Tim Curry was the third and final feature film released in the Tales From the Crypt series

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 |

Madam City Hunter | aka Lady Hunter (1993) Review

"Madam City Hunter" Theatrical Poster

“Madam City Hunter” Theatrical Poster

Director: Johnnie Kong Yeuk Sing
Cast: Cynthia Khan, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Sheila Chan Suk Laan, Kara Hui Ying-Hung, Tommy Wong Kwong-Leung, Wu Fung, Yau Gin Gwok, Dang Wai Ho
Running Time: 95 min.

By Numskull

A somewhat tepid but reasonably enjoyable “femme fatale” vehicle that has Cynthia Khan trying to eliminate the threat of the Five Finger Gang (with names like Thumb and Middle), mean and nasty bad guys who are somehow connected to the younger, black widowish woman (Kara Hui Ying-Hung) being courted by her lonely father. She is helped along by a fellow cop who has the hots for her (Tommy Wong Kwong-Leung), an unkempt private investigator (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang), and his childish, hyperactive Philipino wife/girlfriend (I’m guessing wife; it’s not really made clear) Blackie (Sheila Chan Suk Laan).

You can split the film’s content into three major categories: the action, the comedy, and the filler. The action is, unsurprisingly, the strongest point. A pretty good number of brief but hard hitting, no-frills fight scenes pop up in most of the right places, and the final battle, pitting Cynthia up against the last of the villains, is a doozy. It starts in a trashed room, continues up onto the rooftop, makes it way down a bamboo scaffolding (much better than that Rush Hour 2 bit), and ends up inside another trashed room. Crossing over into comic relief territory, Anthony Wong has a fight scene or two (in which he actually does quite a bit of his own stuff rather than using a double) that provide some minor chuckles, and various other bits and pieces are dropped into the film regularly enough to prevent anyone from taking it too seriously. Blackie’s incessant outbursts, however, are more likely to induce eye-rolling and grunts of “shut up”, etc. than laughter. As for the filler, well…it’s exactly that. Filler. The storyline is moved forward with a minimum of intrigue and there seems to be no end to the number of shots of Cynthia Khan and Kara Hui sitting with their legs crossed while wearing short skirts. Now, mind you, I can think of a good many other things that would have been far less pleasant to look at, but still, most of the “in between” parts of the movie aren’t as engaging as they perhaps could have been, even for an unapologetically action-based film such as this.

The version I saw was the DVD from World Video. The good thing about World Video is that they have some of the Jet Li and Yuen Wo-Ping movies on the “Disney endangered list” (and some possible future candidates) uncut and in their original languages. The bad thing about World Video is……..everything else. Their transfers suck, they don’t clean up the subtitles, and in this particular case, you can tell that it’s just a two-disc VCD release pressed onto a single DVD. The imbedded subtitles jump around, there are two trailers immediately following the credits at the end, and, most damning of all: although the movie itself plays straight through, the DVD chapter and time displays go back to 1 and a string of zeroes about an hour into it! These guys, I’m tellin’ ya…they ain’t no good. Their prices may be low, but you get what you pay for…

Numskull’s Rating: 6/10

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

Heroes Among Heroes | aka Fist of the Red Dragon (1993) Review

"Heroes Among Heroes" Theatrical Poster

“Heroes Among Heroes” Theatrical Poster

Director: Yuen Wo-Ping
Co-director: Chan Chin Chung
Cast: Donnie Yen, Wong Gok, Fennie Yuen Kit-Ying, Ng Man Tat, Kwan Hoi San, Sheila Chan Suk Laan, Lee Ga Sing, Hung Yan Yan, Bao Fang, Lau Yue Ching
Running Time: 91 min.

By Numskull

A sluggish misfire from acclaimed director and martial arts choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping (with the, uh, assistance of Chan Chin Chung) dealing with fine, upstanding Chinese trying to put an end to the opium trade in their beloved country. Sound like Tai Chi II? It is, but Heroes Among Heroes came first and, in my opinion, is the lesser of the two movies. Furthermore, the gap in quality between this and Yuen Wo-Ping’s other, more well-known period kung/wire fu films…Wing Chun, Iron Monkey, and The Tai-Chi Master…is even bigger.

Donnie Yen stars as So Chan, a member of the beggar clan (even though his dad is rich) who gets hooked on opium by a corrupt official and finds himself at odds with the heroic Wong Fei Hung (played, this time, by Wong Gok). The large supporting cast includes Sheila Chan, sporting a very fake-looking set of buck teeth, as Aunt Jean, a character so annoying that you’ll want to skip every scene with her in it. Then there’s Yiteh, So Chan’s love interest and a sort of predecessor to Christy Chung’s Tai Chi II character; far too big a deal is made of the fact that she has studied abroad and she tries to improve women’s education in China while wearing an ugly hat. Far more interesting, as female characters go, are the women of The Red Lotus Cult, who casually start cutting people to ribbons whenever things don’t go their way.

The whole thing resembles nothing so much as a combination martial arts/classroom drug scare film. So Chan’s ignorance regarding the insidiousness of opium and the ease with which he succumbs to addiction result in him making a half-assed…no, ONE QUARTER-assed attempt to murder Wong Fei Hung (“Assassinator!”, he yells), who is pushing a newfangled pill that eases the quitting process. Naturally, he sees the error of his ways after being sealed up in a drugless room (a la Trainspotting, but without the baby on the ceiling) and joins the anti-opium crusade soon enough. Straightforward battle is eschewed in favor of gimmick fights, like a seated duel involving an opium pipe (Wong Guk’s hand catches fire, but he doesn’t seem to mind) and a Red Lotus Cult member lashing out with her deadly ponytail (yet another Tai Chi II parallel).

Heroes Among Heroes is definitely one of Yuen Wo-Ping’s lesser films, both as a director and a choreographer. The highlight is So Chan’s dad indicating Aunt Jean and saying, “Look, she’s just like a bitch.” Little of the greatness displayed in Iron Monkey and The Tai-Chi Master (both of which were also 1993 productions…two out of three ain’t bad, I guess) can be seen here. It’s not as much of a bummer as the D.T.s, but still unworthy of high praise.

Numskull’s Rating: 5/10

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

Black’s Game DVD (Lionsgate)

Black's Game DVD (Lionsgate)

Black's Game DVD (Lionsgate)

RELEASE DATE: February 12, 2013

Lionsgate presents the DVD for Oskar Thor Axelsson’s Black’s Game. In the 90’s, the Reykjavik drug scene saw a drastic change from a relatively small and innocent world into a much more aggressive and violent one. Black’s Game tells the story of this change through the fictional gang of pushers that took control of Iceland’s underworld. Drive’s Nicolas Winding Refn calls it “A very gritty crime thriller.” Watch the trailer.

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