Miami Connection Blu-ray & DVD (Image)
RELEASE DATE: December 11, 2012
Image Entertainment presents the Blu-ray and DVD for 1987’s Miami Connection. Directed by Grandmaster Y.K. Kim, the film tells the story of fearless synth rock band Dragon Sound as they embark on a roundhouse wreck-wave of crime-crushing justice in the streets of Orlando. Check out the trailer.
The Day He Arrives DVD (Cinema Guild)
RELEASE DATE: November 6, 2012
Cinema Guild presents the DVD for The Day He Arrives. Directed by Hong Sang-soo (A Tale of Cinema), The Day He Arrives is a delightful meditation on relationships, filmmaking, and the unknowable forces that govern our lives. Starring Yoo Jun-sang and Kim Sang-joong. Check out the trailer.
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li Blu-ray (Fox)
RELEASE DATE: October 16, 2012
Fox presents the Blu-ray (which has been long out-of-print) for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. Based on the popular video game series, this martial arts adventure explores the origins of the Street Fighter universe through Chun-Li (Kristen Kreuk), who avenges her father’s death at the hands of Bison (Neil McDonough). Check out the trailer.
Legendary Amazons Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)
Cityonfire.com has received the following press release from Well Go USA:
Based on the epic 1972 martial arts classic The 14 Amazons, renowned actor and producer Jackie Chan and director Frankie Chan’s (A Warrior’s Tragedy 2) remake, Legendary Amazons, debuts on Blu-ray & DVD on October 16th from Well Go USA Entertainment.
Cecilia Cheung (Shaolin Soccer), Cheng Pei-Pei (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) and Liu Ziaoqing (Plastic Flowers) star as widowed wives who must lead the other widows into battle when the last of a long line of Song generals are killed. Richie Ren (Life Without Principle, Accident) also stars as Yang Zongbao, the last of the Song generals to fall.
Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes featurette and a new, optional English dub. Legendary Amazons has a runtime of approximately 108 minutes and is not rated.
“A GENRE BREAKTHROUGH.” – Movie-Exclusive.com
“IMPRESSIVE” – BeyondHollywood.com
Synopsis: Yang Zongbao is the last man standing in the Yang clan, a family of generals who have dedicated their lives to defending the Song Dynasty from foreign invaders. He apparently dies in battle tragically when the treacherous Imperial Tutor Pan refuses to send reinforcements to aid him. Yang Zongbao’s widowed wife Mu Guiying leads the other widows of the Yang clan into battle to continue the legacy of their husbands.
Quick Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)
September is upon us. The first week is a little bare but there’s still plenty of Asian releases to go around, whether you’re looking for the modern day action of “Quick” or the old-school stylings of “White Vengeance.” So let’s get at it. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 9/4/12:
ASIAN CINEMA
Quick (Blu-ray/DVD) – the 2011 Korean action blockbuster races onto Blu-ray and DVD from Shout! Factory. Be sure to check out our review
Sacrifice (DVD) – this 2011 Chinese historical epic arrives from the acclaimed director of “Farewell My Concubine”
White Vengeance (Blu-ray/DVD) – Well Go USA delivers this 2011 Chinese-language historical epic from the director of “Black Mask,” and starring Leon Lai and Anthony Wong
FOREIGN CINEMA
Umberto D. (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection delivers this 1952 classic of the Italian Neo-Realism movement
Lisztomania (DVD) – director Ken Russell’s 1975 follow-up to The Who’s “Tommy”
The Pinochet Case (DVD) – a 2001 Spanish-language dramatic retelling of General Augusto Pinochet’s trial for crimes against humanity
MAINSTREAM
Safe (Blu-ray/DVD) – Jason Statham does what he does best, kick people and punch heads, in this underrated 2012 action-thriller
MegaForce (DVD) – HensTooth video presents this 1982 cult classic about a team of rapidly deployed, futuristic soldiers fighting an evil dictator – it’s like a live-action adaptation of the G.I. Joe cartoon before there even was a cartoon!
For the Love of Money (DVD) – Edward Furlong, Paul Sorvino, and James Caan headline this 2012 direct-to-video drama about a former gangster looking to go straight
Amsterdam Heavy (DVD) – Michael Madsen co-stars in this 2011 direct-to-video look at the gritty underworld of Amsterdam
Ca$h: The Root of All Evil (Director’s Cut) (DVD) – Chris Hemsworth and Sean Bean co-star in this 2010 direct-to-video psychological thriller
RE-ISSUES
Resident Evil Set (Blu-ray) – in advance of the upcoming “Resident Evil: Retribution 3D,” you can own the previous four “Resident Evil” films together in a Blu-ray set
NEW TO BLU-RAY
Arachnophobia (Blu-ray) – the 1990 horror-comedy favorite crawls onto hi-definition formats this week
Child’s Play (Blu-ray) – the 1972 thriller co-starring James Mason and directed by the great Sidney Lumet (“Dog Day Afternoon”)
CLASSICS
The Dark Mirror (Blu-ray) – Olivia De Havilland plays twin sisters in this noir-ish 1946 psychological tale
Pursued (Blu-ray/DVD) – one of Robert Mitchum’s first film was this gripping and introspective 1947 Western
Secret Beyond the Door (Blu-ray) – director Fritz Lang’s 1947 atmospheric film noir
HORROR
Piranha 3DD (Blu-ray/DVD) – just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, this 2012 sequel strikes
Re-Animator (Blu-ray/DVD) – the 1985 horror cult classic comes to hi-def courtesy of Image Entertainment. You’ll never look at H.P. Lovecraft the same way again
Sleepwalkers (Blu-ray) – with cameos by Stephen King and Clive Barker, and a starring role for “Twin Peaks” beauty Madchen Amick, this 1992 horror flick is a slice of early 90’s nostalgia
Mother’s Day (Blu-ray/DVD) – the 1980 Troma flick that recently spawned a remake is now arriving in hi-def
It Came From Outer Space (DVD) – Universal celebrates the 100th anniversary of their studio with this 1953 sci-fi/horror flick
Classic Monsters Spotlight Collection (DVD) – featuring The Mummy (1932) / The Wolf Man (1941) / The Invisible Man (1933) / Phantom of the Opera (1943)
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!
“Quick” Korean Theatrical Poster
Director: Jo Beom-goo
Writer: Park Su-jin
Producer: Lee Sang-yong, Yun Je-gyun
Cast: Lee Min-ki, Kang Ye-won, Kim In-kwon, Ko Chang-seok, Ju Jin-mo, Xu Fan, Yoon Je-kyoon
Running Time: 115 min.
By HKFanatic
2011’s “Quick” has frequently been billed as a Korean take on “The Fast and the Furious.” Truth be told, it’s more of a contemporary update on “Speed” – with Korean biker gangs thrown in for good measure – but genre-savvy viewers will notice scenes and sequences taken from various other Hollywood movies. Blink and you’ll miss a shot from “Die Hard With a Vengeance,” “Final Destination 2,” or “The Matrix Reloaded.”
All this scene-stealing could have easily made “Quick” feel like one big cinematic pastiche, but it’s to the filmmakers credit that the lack of originality doesn’t hold “Quick” back. It helps that the movie doesn’t take itself seriously at all. For all its explosions and high speed collisions, “Quick” is more of a broad comedy. Not every joke hits the mark but it’s obvious that the script is trying to entertain at all times.
In the film, a motorbike courier has his life turned upside down when he realizes today’s special delivery is a remotely armed bomb. Soon he’s forced to team up with an ex-girlfriend – now a singer in an all-girl Korean pop group – and race around Seoul at the orders of a madman, who communicates via headset in a menacing voice that sounds an awful lot like the killer from the “Saw” movies. This set-up soon gives way to frantic highway chases; Keystone cops trying to stop our duo; and a whole lot of bombs going off throughout Seoul.
Rather than try to build dramatic tension, most of “Quick” is played for laughs. Even in the midst of a reckless pursuit between our heroes and the police, the movie stops for a plate of noodles to fall in slow motion on an incompetent cop’s face. Of course, the comedic tone does hinder the movie at times: most of the dialogue is screamed rather than spoken, and our mop-topped protagonist seems to have as little regard for human life as the screenwriters. By the end of the movie, don’t be surprised if you feel more sympathy for the villain than our supposed hero.
The key to enjoying “Quick” is to not overthink it. An ending credits gag reel, not unlike those found at the end of Jackie Chan’s movies, reveals that more than one stuntman (and woman) was harmed in the making of the film. It’s a dangerous line of work for what frequently amounts to little more than inconsequential entertainment – but the least we can do is to kick back and enjoy their efforts. “Quick” takes off when the actors get out of the way and let the stunt people do their thing.
HKFanatic’s Rating: 7/10
Quick Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)
Your friends at Shout! Factory are bringing the 2011 Korean action blockbuster Quick to North American shores this week. Quick lands on Blu-ray and DVD on September 4th with both an English and Korean language track.
Adrenaline junkies won’t want to miss this explosive film full of unbelievable motorcycle stunts, highway pile-ups, explosions, and more.
But don’t take our word for it. Shout! Factory has made several clips from the film available on their YouTube page: Clip 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Here’s the full trailer and be sure to check out our review of Quick!
"Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" Hong Kong Blu-ray
Indomina, one of the top distributors of Asian cinema in North America, has scored a major coup: Tsui Hark’s The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate will be the first Chinese-language film to screen in North American IMAX theaters when it receives a limited 3D release this August.
This high-flying, special FX-infused 3D wuxia starring Jet Li was a major hit at the Chinese box office last year and now Western audiences will have a chance to see what all the fuss is about.
If you’re too anxious to wait till August, you can always order the Blu-ray now from our friends at DDDHouse.
Check out the North American trailer, courtesy of Apple Quicktime.
Update: Don’t forget that Flying Swords of Dragon Gate is now playing for one week in select AMC theaters across North America. Theater listings are here and you can check out a new trailer here.
"A Company Man" Korean Theatrical Poster
You’d be hard pressed to find bigger fans of the Korean revenge drama The Man From Nowhere than us folks here at Cityonfire.com. Lucky for us, a new film coming out of that country looks poised to carry on the bloody tradition. Twitch Film debuted the poster for A Company Man, an action thriller starring TV acting sensation So Ji-Sub.
The premise sounds simple enough but should offer plenty of opportunity for action: So Ji-Sub plays a contract killer who happens to be the best there is at what he does. But when this stone-cold hitman falls in love, he abruptly retires – drawing the ire of his former employers, who decide to hunt him down. Look for A Company Man in Korean theaters this Fall. We’ll be back with a trailer as soon as it’s available.
Update: Check out the first trailer for the film and a new poster.
I Wish DVD (Magnolia)
RELEASE DATE: November 6, 2012
Magnolia presents the DVD for I Wish. 12-year-old Koichi separated from his brother Ryunosuke due to his parents’ divorce begins to believe that the new bullet train service will create a miracle when the first trains pass each other at top speed and enlists a group of friends on an improbable mission. From acclaimed director Hirokazu Koreeda (Nobody Knows). Watch the trailer.
Death Promise DVD (Apprehensive Films)
RELEASE DATE: October 23, 2012
Apprehensive Films presents 1977’s Death Promise on DVD. When Bonet’s father is murdered by typical street scum, the catalyst is set. It turns out the landlord had Bonet’s father snubbed out in order to demolish one of his slum houses. Bonet is now out for street justice. Limited edition and hand numbered to just 500 units! Starring Charles Bonet, Speedy Leacock and Bill Louie (Bruce vs. Bill). Check out the trailer!
"Late Autumn" Theatrical Poster
RELEASE DATE: December 18, 2012
CJ Entertainment presents the DVD for Late Autumn, an english-language co-production between South Korea, Hong Kong, China and the United States. A woman imprisoned after killing her husband is allowed her release. On her way to Seattle, a man gets on the same bus. When the two meet again in Seattle, they feel an attachment to each other. Starring Lust, Caution’s Tang Wei and and Spin Kick’s Hyun Bin. Check out the trailer.
“Red Trousers: The Life of Hong Kong Stuntmen” DVD Cover
Director: Robin Shou
Writer: Robin Shou
Cast: Beatrice Chia, Keith Cooke, Hakim Alston, Craig Reid, Sammo Hung, Mike Leeder, Lau Kar-leung, Wong Chi Man, Leung Chi Ming, Monique Marie Ozimkowshi, Jude Poyer, Ng Wing Sum, Ridley Tsui
Running Time: 93 min.
By Ningen
This review is based on a special screening of Red Trousers: The Life of Hong Kong Stuntmen, where Robin Shou is the guest of honor. Before the screening began, Dr. Craig Reid, one of the stuntmen, introduced himself as the white guy who got beaten up in many kung fu flicks. He said Robin would be late.
So anyway, in terms of style, Lost Time – a short, which was part of the documentary, to illustrate how stuntmen prepare for and ultimately perform in modern martial arts films – came off like a low-budget Blade, and did not deliver in terms of acting. If it was longer, they might have had a better chance to flesh out the characters. Although they did manage to slip in some decent dialogue at times.
There were too many close-ups on fight scenes, most likely in an attempt to market it to an American market. A lot of the footage was re-looped, which made it tedious. While the Lost Time wasn’t anything to cry about, the behind-the-scenes segments for the short helped appreciate what the stunt people went through to get a decent action sequence. The meat of the film is the documentary, where you learn about the trials and tribulations and personal lives of the stunt-people of all ages. You come to admire them for wanting to achieve their dreams in the face of failure; and you wince in pain every time they screw up a take and get hurt.
The more amusing segments in Red Trousers were the ones with Lau Kar Lung, where he proudly reminisces about the “good old days” of stuntwork, while they skip to B&W clips of what I assume were wuxia films (a lot of the “effects” in those clips are reminiscent of Flash Gordon, but the fight scenes are something any chop-sockyphile can relate to; they’re as energetic and coordinated as anything today). Lau himself talks about the hardships of working on the set where they constantly challenge you, from making you wear clothes which weren’t washed, to fighting without any padding.
But those pale in comparison to the hardships that former students in Peking Opera had to endure, from not being able to cry when doing a particular acrobatic exercise, to attending to their teachers each morning. Ironically, since Peking Opera is now voluntary, the hardships are outside of the school, as today’s students use their skills to seek better employment opportunities in the movies. The actual Opera performances involve more than just fancy choreography, but singing as well (you have to admire a guy who can flip very fast and sing in a high-pitch voice).
After the film ended, the audience (which was 3/4 full) applauded, and some drummers came in to play during the credits. Robin Shou finally shows up, and is wearing a green and white plaid shirt and white pants, and talks about how he had wanted to do a movie like Red Trousers for years, because he wanted to focus on his humble beginnings as a stuntman which gave him his chance in Hollywood. He talked about how many of the stunt-people worked for very little money, and cared more about their work than being paid extra. Plus he wanted audiences to be aware of the origins behind today’s HK-influenced films such as The Matrix and X-Men.
When asked about where Bruce Lee fit into the film, Robin said that he didn’t recall Bruce doing any opera work. His expertise was Wushu, Wing Chun and salsa dancing.
I asked Robin about Mortal Kombat 3 and any future projects. He said he wanted to do Mortal Kombat 3, but he joked that they didn’t know where to go with it, since The Matrix went everywhere. But his next project would involve Filipino stick-fighting in a cage match.
Finally, when asked about the opportunities for children in Peking Opera, he said they have as much of a chance to get a job as anyone in L.A. (which he called a city where 99.9% of the people are non-working actors). But what mattered to the students was being able to do something which would make their parents proud. Shou’s philosophy is that even when one isn’t working or practicing, they’re still developing themselves. So all in all, the experience was a positive one, as is the film. In an industry where there’s a lot of back-stabbing to get ahead, it’s refreshing to see a group of performers working together to insure a decent film.
Ningen’s Rating: 7.5/10
Big Tits Zombie DVD (Funimation)
RELEASE DATE: November 20, 2012
Funimation presents the DVD for Big Tits Zombie. Adapted from the manga Kyonyu Dragon by Rei Mikamoto and directed by Japanese cult satirist Takao Nakano (Sexual Parasite: Killer Pussy), Big Tits Zombie stars many known Japanese adult stars, most notably Sora Aoi. Check out the trailer.
Bedevilled Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)
Cityonfire.com has received the following press release from Well Go USA:
“One of the toughest and most powerful films from Korea. A must-see film for anyone brave enough.” – BeyondHollywood.com
“Chul-soo Yang’s directorial debut is a stellar first feature.” – TwitchFilm
BEDEVILLED
The Award-Winning, International Hit
Revenge Horror Film
Debuts on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital October 9th
Yeong-hie Seo (The Chaser) and Seong-won Ji (Harmony) star in Director Chul-soo Jang chilling first feature BEDEVILLED, debuting on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital October 9thfrom Well Go USA Entertainment. When her pleas for help are ignored and cause her daughter’s death, a woman seeks revenge on the person she blames.
BEDEVILLED won the Audience Award for “Best Film” and Seo Yeong-hee was named “Best Actress” at Austin’s 2010 Fantastic Fest. In addition, the film was awarded the Grand Prize as Best Film at the 2011 Gérardmer Film Festival and Yeong-hie Seo won “Best Actress” at the 2011 Fantasporto International Fantasy Film Award. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Synopsis:
A gorgeous woman takes a forced vacation to a strange, beautiful island. She befriends a pretty girl shocked to find out she is treated like a slave by locals and has attempted to escape the island. Can they both get off the island alive?
Bonus Features Include:
-Behind the Scenes
-Trailer
BEDEVILLED has a runtime of approximately 115 minutes and unrated.
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