"The Punisher" Theatrical Poster

First there was the 1988’s The Punisher, directed by Mark Goldblatt (Dead Heat) and starring Dolph Lundgren; Then came 2004’s The Punisher, directed by Jonathan Hensleigh (Kill the Irishman) and starring Thomas Jane; And finally there was 2008’s Punisher: War Zone, directed by Lexi Alexander (Green Street Hooligans) and starring Ray Stevenson.

And now we have 2012’s Dirty Laundry, a short film in which Thomas Jane reprises the role – unofficially – as The Punisher. The short film (watch it now on youtube), which was presented at the San Diego Comic-Con this past Saturday, was put together by Jane and comic book artist Tim Bradstreet (who also worked on both the 2004 and 2008 Punisher movie posters). The short also stars Hellboy’s Ron Perlman.

The youtube description has a few words from Jane: “I wanted to make a fan film for a character I’ve always loved and believed in – a love letter to Frank Castle and his fans. It was an incredible experience with everyone on the project throwing in their time just for the fun of it. It’s been a blast to be a part of from start to finish – we hope the friends of Frank enjoy watching it as much as we did making it.”

"Enter the Dragon" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Hong Kong film expert Bey Logan recently posted a video (for the now defunct UK TV channel, CNX) which features a ‘location guide’ to accompany a screening of Enter the Dragon, as well as a mini Bruce Lee documentary with lots of interesting information. Logan also gives his take on Lee’s passing (conjecture as you may, as he states). Watch it now on youtube.com.

While you’re at it, please be sure and visit Bey Logan’s own reeleast.com. Not only does his website have cool articles, but it also has an online store where you can get genuine promotional items from classic Hong Kong films, including movies, books, flyers, posters, lobby cards, T-shirts and much more.

"Finding Mr. Destiny" (5 Points Pictures)

It’s a light week for Asian cinema but any Tuesday that sees the release of vintage Chuck Norris and Steven Seagal movies in hi-def can’t be all bad, right? So let’s get cracking. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 7/17/12:

ASIAN CINEMA

Finding Mr. Destiny (DVD) – 5 Points Pictures presents this winsome 2010 Korean romantic comedy about one woman’s quest to reunite with her first love

Jackie Chan’s Project A (Blu-ray) – Echo Bridge offers the Miramax cut and dubbed version of Jackie Chan’s 1983 action classic, co-starring Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao

Operation Condor (Blu-ray) – you can also snag the Miramax cut/dubbed version of Jackie Chan’s 1991 sequel to “Armour of God”

Protect the Boss (DVD) – the 2011 Korean TV drama following quirky office romance comes to North America with a 6-disc DVD set

FOREIGN CINEMA

Extraterrestrial (DVD) – a man wakes up in a beautiful woman’s bed – just as aliens are invading the earth in this quirky 2011 Spanish-language sci-fi comedy

The Turin Horse (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 2012 Hungarian-language film from master filmmaker Bela Tarr examines the philosophy of Nietzsche through the life of a peasant farmer

The Fairy (Blu-ray/DVD) – this charming 2010 French comedy follows a hotel clerk who falls in love with a wish-granting fairy

MAINSTREAM

Lockout (Blu-ray/DVD) – produced by Luc Besson, this 2012 sci-fi action movie starring Guy Pearce as a Han Solo-esque tough guy arrives on home formats

Get the Gringo (Blu-ray/DVD) – Mel Gibson finds trouble South of the Border in this gritty 2012 action flick

Intruders (Blu-ray/DVD) – Clive Owen stars in this disturbing 2012 horror film from the director of “28 Weeks Later”

4:44 Last Days on Earth (Blu-ray/DVD) – controversial filmmaker Abel Ferarra (“Bad Lieutenant”) directors Willem Dafoe in this apocalyptic tale of Earth’s last days

Here (DVD) – Ben Forster stars in this 2012 independent film about a brief but intense romance set against the backdrop of Armenia

Down by Law (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection offers iconoclast director Jim Jarmusch’s 1986 black-and-white indie film co-starring Tom Waits

Deserters (Blu-ray/DVD) – Tom Hardy co-stars as a member of the French Foreign Legion in a new director’s cut of this 2011 thriller

Assassination (DVD) – action icon Charles Bronson stars as a Secret Service agent out to protect First Lady Jill Ireland in this 1987 flick

NEW TO BLU-RAY

Mean Streets (Blu-ray) – starring Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese’s classic 1973 picture comes to hi-def

Hard to Kill (Blu-ray) – fresh out of a coma and out for revenge, Steven Seagal takes no prisoners in this fan favorite 1990 action movie, now in hi-def

Lone Wolf Mcquade (Blu-ray) – arguably Norris’ finest hour, Chuck Norris and David Carradine square off in this 1983 action movie classic – on Blu-ray for the first time

Code of Silence (Blu-ray) – Chuck Norris and his robotic police pal take out the trash on the streets of Chicago in this 1985 action movie from the director of “The Fugitive” and “Under Siege”

Cellular (Blu-ray) – before he became Captain America, Chris Evans starred in this fun 2004 genre flick from the director of “Final Destination 2.” Also featuring Jason Statham as the bad guy

Next of Kin (Blu-ray) – Patrick Swayze and Liam Neeson raise hell as backwoods brothers out to protect their own in this overlooked 1989 action movie

The Butterfly Effect Director’s & Theatrical Cut (Blu-ray) – this mind-bending, time-traveling 2004 sci-fi movie starring Ashton Kutcher has maintained a cult following over the years

A Perfect Murder (Blu-ray) – before he was Aragorn, Viggo Mortenson stole Michael Douglas’ wife in this 1998 thriller

Just Cause (Blu-ray) – Sean Connery and Laurence Fishburne headline this 1995 legal thriller

Murder in the First (Blu-ray) – Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, and Gary Oldman star in this 1995 film about a young attorney defending a petty criminal accused of murder in the first degree

RE-ISSUES

Spider-Man Trilogy (IMPORT Blu-ray) – Amazon is offering Sam Raimi’s 00’s “Spider-Man” films together in a UK Blu-ray set for $44.99. Be advised these discs are Region B and will not play on standard American Blu-ray players

CLASSICS

Singin’ in the Rain 60th Anniversary (Blu-ray) – the classic 1952 musical starring Gene Kelly receives a 60th Anniversary Blu-ray release

Camelot (Blu-ray) – Richard Harris stars as King Arthur in the 1967 film adaptation of the medieval musical

First a Girl (DVD) – the 1935 black and white musical, on DVD from VCI Entertainment

The Way Ahead (DVD) – actor David Niven headlines this 1944 World War II classic

HORROR

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Blu-ray) – director Don Siegel’s (“Dirty Harry”) 1956 paranoid sci-fi classic is now in hi-definition

The Blood Beast Terror (Remastered Edition) (Blu-ray/DVD) – the 1968 Hammer horror film starring Peter Cushing comes to Blu-ray. Cushing investigates a blood-sucking giant moth that can take the form of a beautiful woman!

Burke & Hare (Remastered Edition) (Blu-ray/DVD) – history’s most infamous body-snatching duo are brought to life in this 1972 Hammer horror film

Hellraiser VI: Hellseeker (Blu-ray) – those nasty Cenobites just won’t stop in this 2002 direct-to-video entry in Clive Barker’s “Hellraiser” series

Darkness (Blu-ray) – Anne Paquin stars in this 2002 horror film from Spanish director Jaume Balagueró (the “REC” 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!

After Dark Action at Walmart for $7.98

After Dark Films’ new action film franchise are getting a Walmart exclusive release. The new label, entitled After Dark Action, combines the talents of Joel Silver, Dark Castle Home Entertainment and Courtney Solomon’s After Dark Films for a series of high quality, high-octane action pictures featuring top international stars.

All five After Dark Action films (Dragon Eyes, Philly Kid, Transit, El Gringo and Stash House) have been available on Amazon Instant Video and On Demand, but now you can get DVD copies at Walmart.com starting July 24th for $7.98 a pop.

"Cosmopolis" Theatrical Poster

THE MOVIE: Last month, the first glimpse of David Cronenberg’s film Cosmopolis hit the web. Everything about the teaser – the music, the logo font, and the flashes of grotesque violence – bring to mind vintage Cronenberg, i.e. transgressive films like Videodrome and ExistenZ. This time around, though, the director is finding his inspiration in the work of acclaimed author Don DeLillo (White Noise, Underworld) and he’s bringing along Twilight ‘It’ boy Robert Pattinson.

Upon hearing that Cronenberg was working with Robert Pattinson, film fans really didn’t know what to expect. However, it’s likely that this teaser will put fears to rest. It looks like Cronenberg is taking us on a wild ride into the unknown once more. Cosmopolis does not yet have a US release date but it arrives in France this May.

Updates: There is now a clip on youtube. Also, if you haven’t checked out the trailer, what are you waiting for?

BREAKING NEWS: Check out the newest U.S. trailer.

Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Blu-ray & Game Collector's Set (Capcom)

We usually don’t do a lot of coverage for Anime or video game-type items, but since we’re a fan of Capcom’s Street Fighter game series, we decided to spread the word about this special collector’s set.

Commemorating 25 years of one of the most popular videogame franchises of all time, the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set is a must-have for Street Fighter aficionados.

Created as a celebration and tribute to its fans, the limited edition set is individually numbered and jam-packed with Street Fighter games, video, art, music, and exclusive collectibles. The items are housed in a specially created chest complete with a certificate of authenticity. Click here to pre-order for Xbox 360 or PS3. Also, be sure and check out the trailer.

Features:

Experience Past and Present Street Fighter Games: Gamers get a snapshot of Street Fighter with four critically-acclaimed games that represent important chapters in Street Fighter history.

Light-up Ryu Statue: Standing 8 inches tall, the highly detailed Ryu statue features the iconic character in mid- Shoryuken with flames that light up from below.

Blu-Ray Video Set: The exclusive Blu-Ray two-disc set includes a documentary that highlights the profound influence the franchise has had on fans – and vice versa – throughout the years.

Soundtrack: 11 discs worth of Street Fighter music spanning the past 25 years. Two of the discs include remixes and fan-created music inspired by past Street Fighter games.

Art Book: The 64-page art book pays tribute to Street Fighter fans from all over the world and includes fan pieces submitted by professional and aspiring artists alike.

Click here to pre-order for Xbox 360 or PS3.

"Deranged" Korean Theatrical Poster

Cityonfire.com has received the following press release:

CJ Entertainment brings the highly anticipated science fiction thriller Deranged to North America on July 27, 2012. Upon its release in South Korea, Deranged quickly beat out Hollywood blockbuster The Amazing Spider-Man in the box office and sold more than 1.3 million tickets in 4 days.

There must be something in the water.

Just before dawn, skeletal bodies surface on the Han River in Seoul, Korea.  More bodies are discovered all over the nation. The cause of death is determined to be a mutated parasite worm that brainwashes its hosts, ultimately making them jump into bodies of water and to their death within days of infection.

As the number of victims rapidly increase, the government sets up an Emergency Response Task Force and puts all infected citizens into quarantine.  Meanwhile, pharmaceutical company salesman Jae-hyeok realizes that his family is infected, and becomes desperate to find the cure.   In his frantic search to save his family, he uncovers a frightening conspiracy behind the epidemic.

About Director Park Jung-woo

An accomplished screenwriter himself, PARK Jung-woo has established himself with acclaimed films such as Attack the Gas Station, Kick the Moon, Last Present, and Jail Breakers. Seeing the story of Deranged as a metaphorical mirror into our own society, Park portrays the catastrophe with horrifying realism, promising the audience a disaster film unlike any other.

Deranged is scheduled to release in select cities across North America, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, New York, and Toronto.

For more information, please visit: www.derangedmovie2012.com

Theater List – Releasing on July 27, 2012

Los Angeles – CGV Cinemas
San Jose – AMC Cupertino **Pending
Seattle – AMC Alderwood
Dallas – AMC Grapevine Mills
Chicago – AMC Showplace Niles
Atlanta – AMC Colonial
D.C. – AMC Hoffman
Philadelphia – AMC 309
New York – AMC Ridgefield Park
New York – AMC Bay Terrace **Pending
Vancouver – Cineplex
Toronto – AMC Yonge & Dundas
Honolulu – Consolidated Pearlridge