"Helpless" Korean Theatrical Poster

This Thanksgiving week, the turkeys may be stuffed but the Blu-ray and DVD releases are slim pickings. Still, there should be plenty for film buffs to enjoy, from “The Expendables 2” to the Korean mystery “Helpless.” 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 11/20/12:

ASIAN CINEMA

Helpless (DVD) – this rain-soaked 2012 Korean mystery is based on a novel by the Japanese author known as the ‘Queen of Crime’

Eclipse Series 37: When Horror Came to Shochiku (The X from Outer Space; Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell; The Living Skeleton; Genocide) (DVD) – the Criterion Collection presents this 4-disc DVD set of late 60’s Japanese sci-fi oddities

Beijing Punk (DVD) – this 2010 documentary focuses on the burgeoning punk rock music scene in Communist China

Big Tits Zombie (DVD) – four exotic dancers unwittingly unleash an army of the dead in this 2010 Japanese splatterflick

My Heart Beats (DVD) – in this steamy 2009 Korean film, a repressed English professor dives deeper into the world of her private fantasies

MAINSTREAM

The Expendables 2 (Blu-ray/DVD) – Sly Stallone and his rowdy gang of mercenaries are back for a second helping of violence and mayhem in this 2012 action sequel from “Con Air” director Simon West

Heaven’s Gate (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection offers Michael Cimino’s controversial 1980 Western, which bankrupted United Artists but has since gone on to be viewed as an American classic

Tarantino XX 8-Film Collection (Blu-ray) – eight feature films either directed by Quentin Tarantino (“Pulp Fiction,” “Reservoir Dogs,” etc.) or penned by him (“True Romance”) are collected in this Blu-ray set

American Warships (Blu-ray/DVD) – in a first for Asylum Entertainment, many critics have been calling this “Battleship” knock-off superior to its Hollywood source material. Starring Mario Van Peebles and Carl Weathers, this week the film comes to 1-disc DVD and Blu-ray

Battle B-Boy (DVD) – this 2012 low-budget indie film is apparently about an underground competition that involves a mix of dancing and combat

Survival Games (DVD) – in this 2012 action/thriller, a group of campers are besieged by some angry mobsters who think something valuable has been stolen from them

ANIMATION

Grave of the Fireflies (Blu-ray) – this 1988 feature-length anime concerning the human suffering involved in World War II has been heralded as a classic of Japanese animation

CLASSICS

Ramrod (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 1947 Hollywood Western starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake has been classified by many film scholars as a ‘Frontier film noir’

Black Magic (DVD) – Orson Welles stars as a legendary hypnotist in this lavish 1949 period piece

The Trap (Blu-ray/DVD) – a 1959 color film noir starring Richard Widmark and Lee J. Cobb

HORROR

The Pete Walker Collection (House of Whipcord, Die Screaming Marianne, The Comeback, Schizo) (Blu-ray) – Redemption Films presents this 4-disc Blu-ray set of horror films from English director Peter Walker, who frequently combined horror with sexploitation

Schizo: Remastered Edition (DVD) – Redemption Films offers Peter Walker’s 1976 atmospheric chiller “Schizo” as a stand-alone Remastered DVD

Puppet Master II (DVD) – the cult horror series continues with a direct-to-video 1991 sequel

Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge (Blu-ray) – the cult series continues with the Remastered version of this sequel, also released in 1991

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!

Jackie Chan Double Feature: Crime Story & The Protector Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)

Brace yourself for twice the action and twice the adrenaline rush with an action-packed double feature starring world renowned martial arts sensation Jackie Chan! On January 15, 2013, Shout! Factory will release Crime Story/The Protector Double Feature deluxe Blu-ray™ and DVD. This highly anticipated home entertainment collection contains insightful bonus features including deleted scenes, filmmaker interviews, trailers, behind-the-scenes featurette and more!

The deluxe Blu-ray edition contains a special bonus of Jackie Chan’s cut of The Protector, with additional scenes directed by Chan (in Cantonese with English subtitles – standard definition). This home entertainment release is a must-have for fans, collectors and movie enthusiasts, own two of popular Jackie Chan cult hits on Blu-ray at an attractive price of $19.93 SRP. The double feature DVD has a suggested retail price of $12.99.

Special Features for the Blu-ray Edition: For Crime Story: Interview with director Kirk Wong, deleted scenes and theatrical trailers. For The Protector: From New York to Hong Kong – Interview with director James Glickenhaus, Behind-the-scenes featurette, theatrical trailers and the Jackie Chan Cut of The Protector with additional scenes directed by Chan (In Cantonese with English Subtitles – Standard Definition)

Special Features for the DVD Edition: For Crime Story: Deleted scenes and theatrical trailers. For The Protector: From New York to Hong Kong – Interview with director James Glickenhaus and theatrical trailers.

"Shield of Straw" Teaser Poster

Fresh off a turn in the dark cult drama I’m Flash, popular actor Fujiwara Tatsuya continues to tackle challenging roles. Although he’s most well known for his part in Battle Royale and Death Note, it appears that Tatsuya is looking to carve a name for himself as a serious thespian. His latest is titled Shield of Straw and arrives from none other than acclaimed director Takashi Miike.

The grim drama follows a confessed child killer as he is being transported by police across the country for a trial. The only trouble is, one of his victim’s grandfathers has put out a $12 million bounty on Tatsuya’s head – kinda like the scene in The Dark Knight where the Joker tells Gotham City to take out that Wayne Enterprises employee before he reveals Batman’s identity.

Shield of Straw hits Japanese theaters in Spring 2013. In the meantime, hop on over to Twitch Film for the teaser trailer and a clip.

"Back to 1942" International Poster

China Lion Film Distribution will release the Feng Xiaogang epic Back to 1942 on November 30th throughout the U.S. and Canada, day-and-date with its planned Chinese Mainland release. The film, based on the bestselling Chinese novel Remembering 1942 by Liu Zhengyun, revolves around the devastating famine that ravaged the Henan province while Nationalists and Japanese troops fought during World War II. The film stars a cast of well-known Chinese stars including Xu Fan, Zhang Guoli, Chen Daoming, Zhang Mo and Zhang Hanyu as well as Academy Award winners Adrien Brody (The Piano) and Tim Robbins (Mystic River).

China Lion Film will initially release the film throughout the U.S. and Canada in limited release throughout major North American metro areas of Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Washington, D.C., and Vancouver on November 30th. The film will open in Chicago and Seattle on the 7th of December, with future bookings to be announced.

China Lion Film is planning special advance screenings on November 27th in both Vancouver and Toronto for press and selected members of the public. Locations for special advance screenings in the U.S. will be announced. Watch the official trailer at Apple or Youtube.

Cityonfire.com received the above press release from China Lion on November 14th, 2012.

"Swelter" Teaser Poster

According to sources – including The Film Catalogue and the folks at vandammefan.net – Jean-Claude Van Damme is set to star in an action movie titled Swelter, which will be directed by Keith Parmer (Mob Rules). The film will also star Dermot Mulroney, Lennie James, Alfred Molina, Josh Henderson and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Swelter centers on four violent escaped prisoners arriving in a dusty, small California town where the heat is unbearable and everyone knows each other’s business. The escaped convicts are in search of the fifth man who fled with over $10 million in cash.

According to imdb.com, many of the above cast members, including Van Damme, are not credited. But according to The Film Catalogue, Swelter is still on, currently in pre-production, and is set for release in 2013. Van Damme is currently wrapping up Enemies Closer, which reunites him with Peter Hyams (Time Cop).

Check back with cityonfire.com for more updates regarding this project.

Painted Skin: The Resurrection Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

This is one heck of an eclectic week, that sees a couple of high-profile Asian film releases, the Blu-ray edition of “Lawrence of Arabia,” numerous Blu-ray Triple Features, and more. 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 11/13/12:

ASIAN CINEMA

Painted Skin: The Resurrection (Blu-ray/DVD) – Well Go USA brings this 2012 visually lush Chinese fantasy to North America. Expect our review tomorrow

Silmido (The Basters) (DVD) – one of the most successful Korean films of all time finally sees a Region 1 DVD release. The 2003 film follows a group of North Korean infiltrators in the late 60’s tasked with assassinating the South Korean President

Big Tits Zombie (DVD) – with a title like that, what more can I say? This 2010 Japanese zombie splatterflick hits retail on Tuesday

Slave Ship (DVD) – the Japanese sexploitation continues with this 2012 effort about a S&M ‘pleasure’ cruise

FOREIGN CINEMA

Trilogy of Life (The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales, Arabian Nights) (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection presents this trilogy of films about premodern literature from legendary Italian filmmaker Pier Pasolini (director of “Salo”)

Weekend (Blu-ray/DVD) – your friends at the Criterion Collection give the hi-def treatment to director Jean-Luc Godard’s 1967 film, long considered one of his finest efforts

Zorro (Blu-ray/DVD) – French superstar Alain Delon brings the swashbuckling hero to life in this 1975 adaptation

A Burning Hot Summer (DVD) – two couples find their love tested to the extreme in this 2011 film anchored by French stars Monica Belluci and Louis Garrel

Asylum (AKA I Want to Be a Gangster) (DVD) – a 2008 independent, French-language gangster film, courtesy of Synapse Films

Offenbach’s Secret (DVD) – a 2012 German and French-language examination of composer Jacques Offenbach

Schoolgirl Report #9: Mature Before Graduation… (DVD) – Impulse Pictures presents a little German sexploitation with this 1975 film

MAINSTREAM

Savages (Blu-ray/DVD) – Oliver Stone tackles the drug trade in this gritty 2012 crime drama

Brave (Blu-ray/DVD) – the 2012 family-friendly adventure from Pixar animation, now on home formats

Empire of the Sun (Blu-ray) – a very young Christian Bale made his big screen debut in this 1987 film from Steven Spielberg

Watchmen Collector’s Edition: Ultimate Cut + Graphic Novel (Blu-ray) – receive Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ groundbreaking graphic novel as well as Zack Snyder’s feature film in its ‘Ultimate Cut’ form

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (Blu-ray) – the 1989 cult classic that helped launch the career of Keanu Reeves lands in hi-def

Snowmageddon (Blu-ray/DVD) – mysterious natural disasters begin to strike in Alaska in this 2011 flick starring Michael Hogan

Children Who Chase Lost Voices (Blu-ray/DVD) – a full-length anime feature from the acclaimed creator of “Voices Of a Distant Star” and “5 Centimeters Per Second”

Dark Horse (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2012 unsettling indie drama is the latest from shock master Todd Solondz (“Welcome to the Doll House”)

RE-RELEASES

Ocean’s Eleven / Ocean’s Twelve / Ocean’s Thirteen (Triple Feature) (Blu-ray) – all of Steven Soderbergh’s star-studded pictures, together at an affordable $19.29 price point

Superman: The Movie / Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut / Superman Returns (Blu-ray) – Richard Donner’s first two Superman classics, alongside Bryan Singer’s revamp of the caped hero

American History X / A History of Violence / True Romance (Triple Feature) (Blu-ray) – an interesting mash-up of titles, together on Blu-ray

16 Blocks / Last Boy Scout / Last Man Standing (Blu-ray) – Bruce Willis headlines this Triple Feature of action flicks in hi-def

2001: A Space Odyssey / Clockwork Orange / Shining (Blu-ray) – three films directed by Stanley Kubrick on one Blu-ray disc

The Lost Boys / Lost Boys: The Tribe / Lost Boys: The Thirst (Blu-ray) – what do you know, the “Lost Boys” series actually spawned two sequels and here they are

House of Wax / Return to House on Haunted Hill/ Ghost Ship (Blu-ray) – three low-budget horror flicks on one Blu-ray

CLASSICS

Lawrence of Arabia (Restored Version) (Blu-ray/DVD) – director David Lean’s 1962 award-winning epic finally receives the hi-def treatment

Barbarian & the Geisha (Blu-ray + DVD combo) – John Wayne headlines this 1958 picture, directed by John Huston

Big Trail (Blu-ray) – a very young John Wayne stars in this 1930 epic, one of the few Widescreen films made at the dawn of ‘Talkies’

Twilight’s Last Gleaming (Blu-ray/DVD) – Burt Lancaster stars in this movie from the director of “The Dirty Dozen,” about a group of men who hold America hostage from a nuclear base

HORROR

The Fantasist (DVD) – Katrina’s Nightmare Theater presents this obscure 1986 horror flick from the director of the original “Wicker Man”

5 Dark Souls (15th Anniversary Special Edition) (DVD) – this 1996 horror movie chronicles a group of high school students who decide to murder someone on camera just to see what it feels like

The Definitive Document of the Dead (DVD) – Synapse Films presents this behind the scenes documentary of George R. Romero and his many zombie films

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!