Ghosts of War DVD (Palisades Tartan)
RELEASE DATE: July 31, 2012
Palisades Tartan presents the DVD for Kong Su-chang’s Ghosts of War (aka R-Point). During the Vietnam War, a South Korean army base begins receiving mysterious radio transmissions from a patrol that went missing six months earlier. What appears to be a clear search and rescue mission turns into something far more terrifying than any battle. Check out the trailer.
Moss: Special Edition 2-Disc Set (Bayview Entertainment)
RELEASE DATE: August 21, 2012
Bayview Entertainment/Widowmaker presents the 2-Disc DVD Set for Moss (aka Iggi), a critically acclaimed, box-office thriller, which is based on the award-winning web comic by Yoon Tae-ho. Moss is directed by Public Enemy’s Kang Woo-suk; it stars Silmido’s Jung Jae-young, The Host’s Park Hae-il and Public Enemy’s Yoo Hae-jin. Check out the trailer.
Below Zero DVD (Screen Media Films)
RELEASE DATE: August 28, 2012
Screen Media Films presents the DVD for Below Zero. Trapped in an abandoned slaughterhouse, a desperate screenwriter (T2’s Edward Furlong) paralyzed by writer’s block is tormented by a horrific serial killer (The Hills Have Eyes’ Michael Berryman). Despite the cheesy DVD artwork, there’s some serious buzz surrounding this flick! Check out Trailer 1 and Trailer 2.
Quick Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)
RELEASE DATE: September 4, 2012
Shout! Factory presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Quick. This slick, big-budget action thriller has enough vehicular destruction to make Michael Bay stand up and applaud. The film is about an ace motorcycle driver who must transport explosives all over Seoul in order to rescue his ex-girlfriend. Quick earned over $10 million at the Korean box office. Check out the trailer.
Life Without Principle DVD (Indomnia)
A sparse selection for Asian cinema this week but you can’t really say it’s a bad time when we’ve got a Johnnie To film on deck. And if you’re into French erotic vampire films from the 70’s, you’re gonna love the Horror section. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 5/29/12:
ASIAN CINEMA
Life Without Principle (DVD) – Johnnie To directs this 2011 thriller about the financial crisis in Hong Kong. Starring Lau Ching Wan and Richie Ren
A Better Tomorrow (3D Blu-ray + Blu-ray) – the 2010 Korean remake of John Woo’s classic heroic bloodshed flick gets a Region-Free 3D Blu-ray. Releases on May 31st
FOREIGN CINEMA
Summer With Monika (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection releases this 1953 black-and-white Swedish language film, an early effort from legendary director Ingmar Bergman about lustful young love
Summer Interlude (Blu-ray/DVD) – Criterion Collection offer this 1951 Ingmar Bergman film, seen as a creative turning point for the acclaimed filmmaker
The Vanishing of Pato (DVD) – a 2012 Italian-language mystery film set in the seaside town of Vigata
9:06 (DVD) – a 2010 psychological detective story from the country of Slovenia
Maximum (DVD) – a 2012 Bollywood thriller about two cops deciding the fate of 2003-era Mumbai
Siyaah (DVD) – a 2012 Bollywood horror tale about dead wives and haunted houses
Sket (DVD) – this 2011 film from the UK examines London’s street culture and features an all-girl gang out to get revenge for a sister’s brutal attack
MAINSTREAM
Best of the Best 3: No Returning Back (DVD) – Phillip Ree of “Best of the Best” fame steps into the spotlight to direct and star in this action movie in which his character Tommy Lee kicks some KKK ass
Coriolanus (Blu-ray/DVD) – actor Ralph Fiennes is in the director’s chair to helm this 2011 Shakespeare adaptation that moves the setting to modern day
Memorial Day (Blu-ray/DVD) – a 2010 war drama about post-traumatic stress among combat veterans
96 Minutes (DVD) – a 2012 drama/thriller that examines a car-jacking from both sides of the crime
Man on a Ledge (Blu-ray/DVD) – Sam Worthington threatens to jump off a building in this 2012 drama but his career may have already done that due to the film’s failure at the box office
INDIE
We Need To Talk About Kevin (Blu-ray/DVD) – Tilda Swinton headlines this acclaimed 2011 drama about how to deal with the bad seed in the family
The Aggression Scale (Blu-ray/DVD) – a 2012 home invasion thriller that has wowed ‘midnight movie’ audiences around the globe. Featuring Ray Wise and Dana Ashbrook of “Twin Peaks” fame
CLASSICS
Too Late Blues (Blu-ray/DVD) – John Cassavetes directs this 1961 gritty drama about jazz musicians
HORROR
Demoniacs: Remastered Extended Edition (Blu-ray/DVD) – Redemption Films offers this 1974 shipwreck erotic-horror film from French director Jean Rollin
Requiem For a Vampire: Remastered Edition (Blu-ray/DVD) – Jean Rollin’s 1973 film is one of the most surreal, dream-like, and flesh-baring vampire tales of all time
The Rape of the Vampire: Remastered Edition (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 1968 feature is cult director Jean Rollin’s debut film and I suppose the title speaks for itself!
Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies (Blu-ray/DVD) – Asylum Entertainment’s cash-in on the upcoming Honest Abe film that’s produced by Tim Burton
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!
Double Feature: Crippled Masters Parts 2 & 3 DVD Set (Apprehensive Films)
RELEASE DATE: July 24, 2012
Apprehensive Films films presents the double DVD set for The Crippled Masters 2 and The Crippled Masters 3 in one amazing package! Pure crippled kung-fu exploitation amusements that could have only come out of Hong Kong in the 1980s! Join Frank Shum and Jack Conn as they take on anyone who gets in their way. Check out the trailers for Part 2 and Part 3.
Children of the Hunt DVD (R Sqared Films)
RELEASE DATE: August 21, 2012
R Sqared Films presents the DVD for Children of the Hunt. The year is 2052, and if you want to hunt a human for sport, The Brotherhood of Mars can make it happen. At first glance, this may appear to be a Hunger Games knock off, but this film was actually conceived, written, and shot before the Hunger Games was published. Check out the trailer.
Life Without Principle DVD (Indomnia)
Indomania presents the DVD for Life Without Principle, which releases May 29th. Directed by Johnnie To, 2011’s Life Without Principle delves into Hong Kong’s money-obsessed culture through three characters whose destinies collide one fateful day when a loan shark gets assaulted after withdrawing $10 million from the bank.
Life Without Principle stars A Hero Never Dies’ Lau Ching Wan, Accident’s Richie Ren and Merry-Go-Round’s Denise Ho. Watch the trailer.
Bond 50: James Bond Complete Blu-ray Box Set (MGM) with Limited Edition Hardcover Book
RELEASE DATE: September 25, 2012
All 22 James Bond films will be available in the massive Bond 50 Blu-ray Box Set (also available on DVD) due this fall. Update: It also comes with a Limited Edition Hardcover Book. Amazon has the pre-order for $199.99. Details about the supplemental features can be found here.
“Helpless” Korean Theatrical Poster
Director: Byun Young-Joo
Cast: Lee Seon-Gyun, Kim Min-Hee, Jo Seong-Ha, Kim Byul, Choi Deok-Mun, Lee Hee-Jun, Kim Min-Jae, Kim Tae-In, Choi Il-Hwa, Bae Min-Hee, Park Sang-Woo
Running Time: 117 min.
By HKFanatic
“Helpless” is the latest in a string of recent Korean films based on Japanese novels (see also: “Howling,” “White Night”). The source material here is a book by Miyabe Miyuki, who is known in Japan as the Queen of Crime. Filmmaker Byun Young-joo has taken her twisty, pulp-y story and applied the kind of handsome production values and intense melodrama viewers have come to expect from contemporary Korean cinema. Although the film has been marketed as a thriller, “Helpless” is more of a drama. This rain-soaked, melancholy tale ultimately drives home the terrifying message that we can never really know those who are closest to us.
“Helpless” rarely devolves into typical thriller territory, which is both a strength and weakness. While the story is unpredictable, it’s advanced largely via interviews conducted by the protagonist and his cousin, who are on the search for Lee Seon-gyun’s missing fiance. The cinematography is superb but there’s no getting around that “Helpless” is two hours of a lot of talking heads. There are few scenes where the characters are actually in physical peril and no real setpieces to speak of. A last minute bout of horror almost feels like a tribute to Japanese provocateurs Sion Sono or Takashi Miike, but it comes late in the game and the violence is more disturbing for what is implied than shown. “Helpless” is something of a cold movie; the story could have benefitted from a bit more of a pulse.
Fortunately, the actors are damn good and the plight of their characters is sympathetic. Lee Seon-gyun is known mostly for starring in romantic films. Here, he’s a tragic figure who happens to be very much in love with a woman who may or may not be who she says she is. Throughout the movie’s runtime, there are a few moments where the pressure becomes too much for Lee Seon-gyun’s character and he lets out some primal, anguished screams. His acting is a bit over the top at times but feels appropriate for a mild-mannered veterinarian who suddenly finds his life turned upside down.
The screenplay could have gone to greater lengths to illuminate Lee Seon-gyun’s background, seeing as how he’s the protagonist of the story, but most of the movie is focused specifically on unraveling the mystery of Kim Min-hee. Even relegated to flashbacks, the actress does a wonderful job bringing this complicated woman to life. Meanwhile, Jo Sung-ha plays a rumpled, disgraced ex-cop and manages to put a fresh spin on what could have easily been a stock character.
“Helpless” should satisfy anyone who is looking for a twisty, thorn-ridden mystery. But what makes this film most affecting is that, by the time the credits roll, it’s readily apparent that director Byun Young-joo is less concerned with dense plotting and more interested in hitting the audience with an emotional wallop.
HKFanatic’s Rating: 7/10
Butterfly Swords DVD (Well Go USA)
RELEASE DATE: July 10, 2012
Well Go USA is releasing 1993’s Butterfly Swords (aka Butterfly and Sword) on DVD. Directed by Sex and Zen’s Michael Mak, Butterfly Swords stars Michelle Yeoh as a loyalist who attempts to keep the King’s empire from being overthrown by a revolutionary group. Also starring Donnie Yen, Joey Wong, Jimmy Lin and Tony Leung Chiu Wai. Check out the original Chinese trailer.
Accident Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)
Your friends at Shout! Factory are prepping to release the Johnnie To-produced Hong Kong thriller Accident on Blu-ray and DVD this June 12, 2012. In the meantime, they’ve released a new trailer for the movie.
In Accident, Louis Koo digs deep to offer one of the most compelling performances of his career as an assassin who choreographs elaborate ‘accidents’ to off his assignments. After one of his plans goes horribly wrong, he begins to suspect that he himself has been targeted for an accident.
Learn more about the film via our in-depth press release provided by Shout! Factory and stay stuned for Cityonfire.com’s review.
Hijacked Blu-ray & DVD (Anchor Bay) Randy Couture
RELEASE DATE: July 31, 2012
Anchor Bay presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Hijacked. This action movie stars Randy Couture, Dominic Purcell, Vinnie Jones and Craig Fairbrass. Special Agent Ross’s (Randy Couture) plans to reconcile with his ex-fiance are ruined when she boards a private jet that is targeted by hijackers! Directed by The Last Resort’s Brandon Nutt.
"The Dark Knight Returns #1" (1986) Cover Art
THR reports that Warner Premiere is moving forward with an animated adaptation of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns (1986), which will be split into a two parts. The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 is due to hit stores this fall and Part 2 will be released early 2013.
Warner Premiere also announced that Robocop’s Peter Weller will voice Batman/Bruce Wayne, and Modern Family’s Ariel Winter, will voice Robin. In addition, Falcon Crest’s David Selby, Prison Break’s Wade Williams and This Is Spinal Tap’s Michael McKean have also signed on as voice actors. Man of Steel’s Jay Oliva will be directing off a script by Warehouse 13’s Bob Goodman.
Until its release, we highly recommend the seminal graphic novel.
My Way Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)
RELEASE DATE: July 24, 2012
Well Go USA presents the Blu-ray and DVD for My Way, by Kang Je-gyu, the director of Shiri and Taegukgi. Starring Azumi’s Odagiri Joe, Nowhere to Hide’s Jang Dong-gun, and Shaolin’s Fan Bingbing. Billed as the most expensive Korean film ever made, My Way is the story of two childhood friends — one Korean, one Japanese — whose fate is intertwined with that of the war. Check out the trailer.
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