"East is Red" Chinese DVD Cover

Brigitte Lin was one of the most charismatic and screen-dominating presences of 80’s and 90’s Hong Kong cinema, with star-making turns in films like The Bride With White Hair and New Dragon Gate Inn. And like many actresses of that era, she chose to retire in her prime, marrying wealthy and disappearing from the acting game.

However, it appears that internationally acclaimed director Zhang Yimou, of Hero and House of Flying Daggers fame, has successfully managed to woo Brigitte Lin out of retirement.

His latest film, Dragon’s Kisses, will carry a budget of around $15 million US dollars and feature Chinese talent alongside Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie. The plot is rumored to involve time travel but, for the time being, it’s safe to say that Hong Kong movie buffs are most excited about Brigitte Lin’s return to the big screen.

Liam Hemsworth in "The Expendables 2"

Chinese Films has the scoop on a new Hollywood independent film called Paranoia, which – perhaps in a sign of things to come – is funded by Chinese company E Stars Entertainment and the Indian-owned Reliance Entertainment. The techno-thriller boasts a high-profile cast that includes Liam Hemsworth (The Expendables 2), Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones & the Crystal Skull), Amber Heard (The Ward), Julian McMahon (Fantastic Four), Josh Holloway (TV’s Lost), and Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws).

The budget sits at $40 million and follows Liam Hemsworth’s character as a tech-whiz who discovers a dangerous secret and gets in over his head. Sitting in the director’s chair is Robert Luketic, who previously helmed 21 and Legally Blonde. Production on Paranoia actually started today.

My Way Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

What do you know, it’s another great week of releases for fans of Asian cinema. So without any fuss, let’s get started. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 7/24/12:

ASIAN CINEMA

My Way (Blu-ray/DVD) – distributor Well Go USA brings this 2011 sprawling, big-budget World War II movie to America. From the director of Korean blockbusters such as “Shiri” and “Tae Guk Gi”

Iris: The Movie (DVD) – the loyalty of two friends in the Special Forces is tested when a woman comes between them. This 2012 Korean action thriller stars Byung-hun Lee of “I Saw the Devil”

Kunoichi (DVD) – High Kick Girl herself, Rina Takeda, stars in this low-budget 2011 Japanese action movie about female ninjas. From the director of “Alien vs. Ninja”

Heartbeat (DVD) – this 2012 Korean film is a pulse-pounding thriller about a woman trying desperately to secure a heart transplant for her daughter

Crippled Masters 2 & Crippled Masters 3 – Double Disc Set (DVD) – Apprehensive Films presents kung fu exploitation flicks “The Crippled Masters 2” and “The Crippled Masters 3” together on DVD

The Black House (DVD) – Tokyo Shock re-releases this 2007 Korean horror movie as a Tokyo Shock Classic

The Suicide Song (DVD) – Tokyo Shock also re-releases this 2007 Japanese horror movie about a cursed song. Starring Ryuhei Matsuda (“Nightmare Detective,” “Taboo”)

Red Eye (DVD) – not to be confused with the Wes Craven movie, this 2005 Korean horror movie brings the terror to a train. Also releasing as a Tokyo Shock Classic

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Blu-ray/DVD) – the 2011 documentary about Jiro Ono, a man many consider to be the greatest sushi chef alive

FOREIGN CINEMA

Footnote (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2011 Israeli character study was one of last year’s nominees for Best Foreign Picture

La Ardilla Roja (The Red Squirrel) (DVD) – the director of “Lovers of the Arctic Circle” spins this 1993 tale of a suicidal young man who convinces an amnesiac woman that she’s in love with him

Shanghai (DVD) – this 2012 Bollywood movie weaves a complex tale of political corruption and intrigue set in a bustling Indian city

Berlin Nights: The Grand Delusion (The Edwin Brienen Collection) – the controversial 2003 German film about a group of Amsterdam artists who try to set up a live show only for everything to go wrong

MAINSTREAM

Girl From the Naked Eye (DVD) – martial arts sensation Jason Yee stars in this 2012 action-thriller that’s “Sin City” with a dash of “Oldboy”

Meeting Evil (DVD) – Samuel L. Jackson and Luke Wilson star in this 2012 psychological thriller that skipped theaters

Brake (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2012 thriller shows what happens when Secret Service agent Stephen Dorff gets locked in the back of a car

Treasure Island (Blu-ray/DVD) – a 2012 TV mini-series adapting the classic pirate novel and starring Eddie Izzard, Elijah Wood, and Donald Sutherland

The Deep Blue Sea (Blu-ray/DVD) – Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston star in this 2012 drama about a married woman who falls for a younger man

On the Inside (Blu-ray/DVD) – a 2011 prison drama starring Nick Stahl and Olivia Wilde

NEW TO BLU-RAY

Mystery Men (Blu-ray) – the underrated 1999 superhero send-up starring Ben Stiller and William H. Macy comes to hi-def

The Island of Dr. Moreau (Unrated Director’s Cut) – Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando headline this much-maligned 1996 version of H.G. Wells’ classic novel. Perhaps the director’s cut will shed light on things?

Metropolitan (Blu-ray) – the 1990 debut of director Whit Stillman (“Last Days of Disco”) receives the hi-def treatment courtesy of the Criterion Collection

Last Days of Disco (Blu-ray) – Criterion also offers this 1998 film from director Whit Stillman, starring Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny

ANIMATED

Superman vs. the Elite (Two Disc Special Edition) (DVD) – Superman must decide to uphold his principles as he faces off against an immoral superteam in this 2012 animated film

Golgo 13: The Professional (DVD) – this 1983 feature-length anime is the third film based off the “Golgo 13” manga and one of the first anime to incorporate CG elements

Armitage: Movie Collection – Armitage III (Classic) – Funimation re-releases the out-of-print 1995 anime feature film “Armitage III,” although it’s disappointing to learn the picture and audio haven’t been touched up at all

CLASSICS

Jungle Drums of Africa (DVD) – a 1953 black-and-white Republic serial depicting the dangers of the jungle

Kino Classics Presents: They Made Me a Fugitive (aka I Became a Criminal) – a 1947 noir thriller starring Trevor Howard

HORROR

The Monitor (DVD) – Noomi Rapace (“Prometheus,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”) stars in this 2011 horror film about a woman who begins hearing strange noises over her child’s baby monitor

Silent House (Blu-ray/DVD) – Elizabeth Olson headlines this 2011 horror remake that presents itself as filmed in one continuous shot

Dracula vs. Frankenstein (Blu-ray/DVD) – the 1971 horror film, remastered for Blu-ray

The Hearse / Blood of Dracula’s Castle (DVD) – two old-school horror flicks from the Katrina’s Nightmare Theater imprint

The Day After Halloween (DVD) – back in the day, the title of this horror cheapie tricked audiences into thinking it was related to John Carpenter’s classic “Halloween.” It’s actually a 1979 movie also called “Snap-Shot”

The Corridor (DVD) – IFC releases this 2011 film about a male bonding camping trip that goes horribly wrong when five men discover…something…in the woods

Bathory: Countess of Blood (DVD) – this 2012 horror film traces the life of Elizabeth Bathory, the famous countess who bathed in the blood of virgins to maintain her youthful looks

I Spit on Your Grave (Blu-ray) – get the original 1978 exploitation film and the more slick 2010 remake on one Blu-ray

Butterfly (DVD) – a 2012 indie horror film about an over-zealous fan who kills people for real to impress her favorite horror director

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"The Tall Man" Theatrical Poster

French director Pascal Laugier made a big impression on horror fans worldwide with his 2008 effort Martyrs. The boundary-pushing film took the ‘torture porn’ genre to new heights – or was it new lows? – but actually managed to transcend its Hostel-like trappings thanks to a metaphysical spin on the story.

Along with Inside, there’s no denying that Martyrs remains one of the key films of the New French Extremity, the batch of contemporary French films that are single-handedly reviving the tired horror genre.

Now Pascal Laugier is making his American-language debut with a Jessica Biel-starring vehicle. The French trailer is online but thankfully for us English speakers it’s only subtitled in French.

The story follows Jessica Biel as she travels to a small American town and investigates the urban myth surrounding The Tall Man, a dark figure who snatches children like some monster out of a fairy tale.

Based on the trailer, it’s difficult to tell if Laugier has been able to keep his distinct vision intact in the transition to American shores – or if The Tall Man will end up like any number of failed, generic scary movies starring actresses like Jessica Biel or Sarah Michelle Geller. Expect the movie in limited theatrical release this August 31st, 2012.

Update: The official U.S. trailer is now online!

"The Day" Theatrical Poster

There’s been a lot of good buzz circulating around Douglas Aarniokoski’s The Day, a post-apocalyptic action-thriller that recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). According to imdb, the capsule plot is as follows: Open war against humanity rages. 5 survivors; lost and on the run. The pursuit is relentless, the bullets are dwindling and the battle is everywhere. This is a 24hr look into their lives. Fight or die.

The Day opens everywhere on August 17, 2012. If you haven’t yet, be sure and check out the trailer. As far as Douglas Aarniokoski is concerned, he’s definitely a filmmaker to look out for. He’s currently wrapping up Nurse 3-D with Enter the Void’s Paz De La Huerta (she just loves getting naked… check out the poster).

"The Four" Character Poster with Collin Chou

The Four is a new wuxia film from director Gordon Chan (Fist of Legend), based on author Wan Ray-an’s famous novels about four detectives in ancient China. The cast includes Deng Chao, Ronald Cheng, Collin Chou, and Crystal Liu.

Gordon Chan and the cast were in Beijing yesterday to promote the film, which is considered one of the most anticipated Chinese films of 2012. They unveiled the trailer, which will hopefully appear online any day now. Says Chan, who co-directed the film with Janet Chun: “I never shoot real wuxia films. In this field, my best teacher was Tsui Hark, and I don’t dare get involved in this casually. I hope my teacher is able to see my efforts in this film.”

It was announced that The Four will open in China on July 12th, 2012, just a week after director Lu Chuan’s historical epic The Last Supper.

Enlight Media is the company behind The Four; CEO Wang Changtian claims that this film is just the first installment of a planned trilogy – and that shooting has already begun on Parts 2 and 3. Wang added, “I’m crazy about wuxia.”

Updates: Here’s the teaser trailer, courtesy of Twitch. Chinese Films has some high resolution stills revealing the four warriors in question. And here’s two conceptual posters. The cast promoted the film in Beijing the other day and unveiled seven new character posters. A brand new trailer and even more character posters over at Chinese Films.

A visually-stunning and action-packed new trailer. You probably figured nothing could top that last trailer, right? And you’d be right. So today we’ve got a trailer of behind-the-scenes footage. Can you really believe there’s yet another trailer? Chinese Films has a Special Trailer now online.

Some new images emphasize the supernatural aspect of the film. Makes sense since the plot has our four detective heroes discovering and battling an army of the undead.

BREAKING NEWS: Gordon Chan’s The Four has grossed 100 million yuan at the Chinese box office, making it a smashing success. Which can only mean one thing: sequel time. The cameras have already started rolling on Chan’s second installment of The Four trilogy, with word that Part Three will begin shooting as soon as Part Two is completed. Both Anthony Wong and Collin Chou are returning for the sequels.

"The King of the Streets" Chinese Poster

The King of the Streets is a new Chinese-language action film produced, written, directed, and starring martial artist Yuen Song. Very little is known about the movie, including the plot or even a release date, but this new trailer at Chinese Films speaks for itself. Although most of the fighting is rapidly edited, there’s no denying that the trailer itself has more action than many recent Hong Kong movies in their entirety.

It looks like Yuen Song is trying to get back to the good old days, when one skilled fighter could hold off about twenty opponents in a ramshackle warehouse, making use of nearby props and boards to cause maximum damage. Stay tuned to Cityonfire.com for more info on the film as we discover it. In the meantime, you can check out a few stills and some self-made videos of Yuen Song at this blog.

Update: The film had its premiere in Beijing recently. In The King of the Streets, actor/martial artist Yuen Song squares off against more than 10 top world boxers. The plot concerns Yuen Song as an angry young man looking to avenge the death of his parents some eight years ago to local gangsters.