Brainstorm Blu-ray (Warner Bros.)
RELEASE DATE: July 10, 2012
Warner Bros. presents the Blu-ray for 1983’s Brainstorm, directed by Silent Running’s Douglas Trumbull and starring Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood. With its groundbreaking (for the time) effects, Brainstorm was one of the first films that toyed with virtual reality. Sadly, the real-life death of Natalie Wood (a lookalike was used to finish the film) overshadows this underrated gem. Check out the trailer.
Confucius Blu-ray & DVD (Funimation)
It’s a bit of a light week but there are plenty of highlights, whether it’s Van Damme on Blu-ray, Chow Yun Fat stepping into the shoes of Confucius, or a slick action flick all the way from France. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 3/27/12:
ASIAN CINEMA
Confucius (Blu-ray/DVD) – Chow Yun Fat stars as the famous philosopher in a more action-packed kind of biopic, on home formats from Funimation
Crows Zero (Blu-ray) – Takashi Miike’s kick-ass 2007 film about Japanese high school delinquents and their fighting ways comes to Blu-ray
Dragon Dynasty Collection – Volume 2 (DVD) – in this set, you get the classic Shaw Brothers titles: “The Avenging Eagle,” “Blood Brothers,” “Golden Swallow,” and “Killer Clans”
FOREIGN CINEMA
The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch (DVD) – a 2008 Bond-ian action blockbuster…from France, of all places!
Delta (DVD) – a Hungarian thriller described as that country’s answer to “Deliverance”
MAINSTREAM
The Quest (Blu-ray) – this 1996 film represents Jean Claude Van Damme’s directorial debut and it arguably remains one of his finer efforts, even if it’s basically a glorified remake of “Bloodsport”
A Dangerous Method (Blu-ray/DVD) – the latest film from David Cronenberg takes a look back at the early days of psychoanalysis. Starring master actors Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender
Dragonheart (Blu-ray) – anyone else remember when this 1996 film starring Dennis Quad and the voice of Sean Connery was considered the pinnacle of cutting edge special effects? Well, now it’s on blu-ray
Corman’s World (Blu-ray/DVD) – a 2011 documentary that takes an inside look at the long and influential career of producer/director Roger Corman
CLASSICS
Casablanca (70th Anniversary Limited Collector’s Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (Blu-ray + DVD combo) – wow, I don’t think there’s anything I could say about this edition of the 1942 film that isn’t already explained in the title
A Night to Remember (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection releases this 1958 British film about the tragic disaster of the Titanic
Assault on a Queen (Blu-ray) – this 1966 film co-written by “Twilight Zone” creator Rod Serling is billed as ‘Ocean’s 11 at sea’
Something to Live For (DVD) – Joan Fontaine and Ray Milland star in this 1952 bittersweet romance from director George Stevens (“Giant”)
Who’s Got the Action (Blu-ray) – Dean Martin and Lana Turner star in this 1962 comedy, now in hi-def
HORROR
The Girl in Room 2A (DVD) – Mondo Macabro presents this 1971 Italian giallo/horror flick. Dubbed in English and labeled PG-13. A PG-13 giallo?!
Magdalena: The Devil Inside the Female (DVD) – a 1974 exorcism-exploitaiton flick. So grimy, you might need a shower afterwards
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13 Assassins DVD (Animeigo)
RELEASE DATE: June 5, 2012
Animeigo presents the original 13 Assassins on DVD. Directed by Eiichi Kudo (Yaju-deka), this 1963 classic was remade in 2010 by Takashi Miike. Due to the critical acclaim of the remake, the original has since become a hot commodity. Starring Chiezo Kataoka, Kotaro Satomi and Ryohei Uchida. Check out the trailer.
Spaghetti Western Double Feature - Grand Duel aka The Big Showdown & Keoma Blu-ray (Mill Creek Entertainment)
RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2012
Mill Creek Entertainment presents The Spaghetti Western Double Feature on Blu-ray, featuring Lee Van Cleef in Giancarlo Santi’s The Grand Duel (aka The Big Showdown) & Franco Nero in Enzo G. Castellari’s Keoma. Check out the trailers for The Grand Duel and Keoma.
"The Raid" Theatrical Poster
THE MOVIE: The Raid is the follow-up to writer/director Garth Evans and star Iko Uwais’ breakout Indonesian martial arts film Merantau. There’s no denying that The Raid is one of the most anticipated films of 2012 for action buffs worldwide. Sony Pictures Classic is releasing the movie as The Raid: Redemption in North American theaters on March 23, 2012.
THE TRAILER: AICN has posted an awesome U.S. trailer!
UPDATES: Theatrical Poster and characters Iko | Ray | Yayan | Joe | Donnie | Pierre Check out the trailer. THR notes that Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda is changing the score. Q&A with director Gareth Evans and stars Iko Uwais and Joe Taslim. Watch Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 – THR confirms the remake is official. 2nd trailer now available. Check out this gruesome clip. Here’s a 2nd clip called “Four-On-One.” Twitch reports that Sony has pre-bought the US rights to the sequel to The Raid, titled Berandal. AICN reports that The Raid sequel will receive the localized name The Raid: Retaliation when it eventually arrives here in the States. Twitch has the final American poster for the film. Apparently, the subtitle Redemption is to help prepare US audiences for The Raid series to become an eventual trilogy. In addition to the quality Apple Quicktime trailer, we also get a featurette.
Five new bone-crunching clips in celebration of the film playing at SXSW this year. Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter offersword of a sequel with a much bigger budget, a 100 day shoot, and possible plans for a sequel. The Raid: Redemption soundtrack is now available for purchase. AICN has posted a very cool interview with director Gareth Evans; and composers Mike Shinoda and Joe Trapanes.
BREAKING NEWS: The Blu-ray and DVD are now available for pre-order!
Mean Streets Blu-ray (Warner Brothers)
RELEASE DATE: July 17, 2012
Warner Brothers presents – for the first time on Blu-ray – 1973’s Mean Streets, an early gangster film by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. What else is there to say? Check out the opening sequence, featuring Phil Spector’s The Wall of Sound.
"Nameless Gangster" Korean Theatrical Poster
Beginning March 30th, Yoon Jong-bin’s Nameless Gangster will be hitting U.S. theaters. This 2012 Korean mobster flick stars Old Boy’s Choi Min-Sik and Chaser’s Jung-woo Ha. Nameless Gangster is noted as being the first Korean film to sell so many tickets in such a short time in 2012.
Nameless Gangster revolves around a corrupted customs officer who loses his job, but immediately meets greener pastures when he comes across a gangster who has connections with the Yakuza. The two form a partnership and rise in the world of drug trafficking; of course, with every rise, there’s a fall. Check out the trailer.
For show times in your area, please visit the official site. Special thanks to 24framespersecond for spreading the word.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2 Double Feature Blu-ray Set (Lionsgate)
RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2012
Lionsgate presents Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2 Double Feature Blu-ray Set. Not exactly the highly anticipated Whole Bloody Affair, but you can’t deny that this is an excellent value for about $10 a movie. Too bad most of us already own the individual discs. Way to go, Lionsgate.
“Final Impact” UK DVD Cover
Director: Joseph Merhi
Cast: Lorenzo Lamas, Jeff Langton, Mimi Lesseos, Kathleen Kinmont, Michael Worth, Frank Rivera, Gary Daniels, Antoinette Steen, James M. Williams
Running Time: 101 min.
By Retter
The genre of kickboxing and punch fighting movies could easily fill an entire video store (or more). The post-Van Damme video era of the 80’s and 90’s coincided with an explosion in home video. This new market in home entertainment was the perfect environment for the modern B-picture to flourish. The quality and creative vision of these pictures varies greatly from the excellent Hong Kong inspired Seasonal Films (“No Retreat No Surrender” series) to the lesser pictures that are obviously directed by people who don’t understand the fundamentals of the genre.
PM Entertainment was an interesting production company in this mix. In many ways they understood the fundamentals of the action B-picture, which is getting the whole budget (no matter how small) up there on the screen for the audience to see. The explosions had impact (often flipping over cars) and the fisticuffs made you feel the knocks (stuntmen often taking spine crunching tumbles). Even in the early films from PM, they made sure to create an aesthetic with lighting and setting that struck a shady neon underworld. One of the two “brothers” of PM Entertainment was Richard Peppin and he was very often the cinematographer on the films; the other “brother” Joseph Merhi would direct. Both acted as producers of almost all the PM films.
In the case of this interesting PM gem, Final Impact, Steven Smoke came onboard as writer and co-director with Merhi. You can tell that he has some understanding of the fighting tournament genre and of drama more widely. It shows in the structure of the film and its dramatic scenes. PM films usually have structural or dramatic flaws with more emphasis on the 5-car-pile-up and squibs but I think this is far more solidly scripted.
Lorenzo Lamas plays a constantly drinking burnt-out former kickboxing champion who decides to train a young up-and-comer (Michael Worth) to take on an old rival for the championship. There are shades of the original Karate Kid and Rocky V here. What is quite gleeful to watch about this film is that Lamas is given such an interestingly flawed character to play instead of the usual role where he would just walk through and deliver his lines. Kathleen Kinmont plays the long-suffering girlfriend of Lamas and she isn’t just along for the usual “You did it Johnny, you won the championship!” role.
Now, if you watch these films on a regular basis you will want to know about the martial arts action and structure of the film. The fight sequences are mostly very good; they’re shot from various angles and include support players like a young Garry Daniels and other highly competent physical performers. There are moments of creative choreography, flips, a few “nice moves” and a generally high-impact display of foot to face violence. To compliment this are some pretty excellent training scenes. These are not Bloodsport-style montages of being suspended between palm trees and doing the splits to “learn something” (as much as I love those). They are more psychological and are about a well fleshed out trainer/student relationship between Lamas and Worth. If there was an acting award for B-movie beefcakes who occasionally punch above their weight dramatically, Lorenzo Lamas should win for this film. He does inhabit this jaded character much more so than anything else I have seen him in. He gets cheesy lines to deliver, nails them and also creates a sense of pathos as a fallen warrior.
Michael Worth is well cast as the young kid who wants to be champion. He could definitely play such a character quite easily at this age (he had several such roles in PM films) and no-doubt its just a variation on himself. You will be pleased to know the film has a nasty villain, played with over the top arrogance by Jeff Langton, who you really want to see have his face ripped-off. All the required genre elements are here.
Final Impact its part road-movie and I like this aspect to the structure. When you add elements like this, it can transcend its by-the-numbers fight-tournament template. It adds another level to the genre entry, which is essentially a journey to the championship. There are Freudian elements under the surface as Worth trains to defeat the man Lamas never could. The character development is a cut above the usual, Lamas situation and past has all kinds of demons and back-story. This genre is usually about revenge for someone who has been killed but the difference with Final Impact is that Lamas is still alive but dead inside. Kathleen Kinmont (who was married to Lamas in real life at the time) has a ring of truth in her portrayal of the tragically loyal girlfriend and their interaction is pretty naturalistic for the genre.
PM films are almost their own genre within a genre. The early PM pictures have a Film Noir quality within their craft. It is not that people walk around in stetson hats and trench coats but the lighting, seedy locations, cigarette smoke and high-risk situations the characters get themselves into are straight from Noir. Unlike most modern big-budget films that ape the Noir aesthetic, the PM films have a much more organic application of the cinematic techniques; because just like the genuine Noir films from 1940’s Hollywood, they are using the craft to create an atmosphere with a low budget. It’s what makes these PM kickboxing films (like Deadly Bet starring Jeff Wincott) different.
The problems I had with the film is that occasionally the music choices are not appropriate. I would much prefer a sleazy saxophone to accompany the drive to Sin City rather than the wacky upbeat trumpet number that keeps jumping in. It is probably a fault due to PM’s efficient production-line approach. They could also have chopped out about 8 minutes from the films duration to make it tighter and flow better but these are small things to forgive from such a standout of the cheaper-end martial arts tournament cinema. This is a film that has enough dramatic punch to make you interested in the characters fate (dare I say it has heart) and plenty of violent intensity to satisfy fans of the genre.
Retter’s Rating: 8/10
"The Road" Theatrical Poster
Indiewire reports Freestyle Releasing and Freestyle Digital Media will give the Filipino thriller The Road, a day-and-date theatrical and VOD release May 11.
Directed by Patient X’s Yam Laranas, The Road has been noted not only for delivering a terrifying experience, but also for its erie atmosphere. According to imdb, the plot revolves around a murder case, which is reopened, when three teens vanish in an area where a gruesome killing took place three decades ago.
Intense melodramas aside, Filipino films – or better yet, Tagalog movies – are not exactly known for their cinematic quality. Many titles are often looked down upon due to their point-and-shoot corniness and their inability to establish even a small degree of originality. Hopefully films like The Road will open the door for some of the better Tagalog movies out there. Check out the trailer.
Plot of Fear DVD (Raro Video USA)
RELEASE DATE: May 22, 2012
Raro Video USA presents 1976’s Plot of Fear, a giallo directed by Mondo Cane’s Paolo Cavara. Plot of Fear tells the story of a decadent weekend party full of orgies, drugs and murder on the outskirts of Milan. The film stars Corinne Clery, Michele Placido, Tom Skerritt and Eli Wallach. Sorry, no trailer to be found.
"Over My Dead Body" Korean Theatrical Poster
There are no English subtitles in this new trailer for the forthcoming Korean crime thriller, Over My Dead Body. But guess what? I don’t need a translation to know that this looks like one wild and interesting film. It also stars one of my favorite Korean actors, Ryu Seung-beom (The Unjust, No Mercy). He’s the kind of guy who doesn’t even know how to turn in a bad performance.
The film is apparently about two men whose fates become linked thanks to a shady corporation that’s making ill-use of the recently deceased. Head over to Far East Films for a more detailed synopsis and cast list as well. Over My Dead Body lands in Korean theaters on March 29th.
Update: A new trailer with English subs as well as a detailed plot synopsis. Now we know what the hell this thing is about!
"Desert Island" Chinese Theatrical Poster
The Chinese film industry continues its love affair with the horror genre with the forthcoming movie, Desert Island. Find out what happens when a group of old college friends stage their reunion on a yacht, only to have it shipwrecked on a remote island. Not only do they have to deal with dwindling food supply and tensions within the group, but it looks like someone may be stalking them on this supposedly ‘deserted’ island as well.
Over at 24 Seconds, you check out the poster and some stills from the film. Desert Island will wash ashore in Chinese cinemas on April 13th. We’ll hit you up with the trailer when it becomes available.
Kim Hyeong-joon-I's "The Scent"
Forgive the convoluted headline. It just means that Kim Hyeong-joon-I, the director of No Mercy – a 2010 Korean thriller currently streaming on Netflix Instant in HD – is back with a new film. Titled The Scent, the movie is about a private investigator who faces a personal and professional crisis when his wife wants to leave him for another man and he’s framed for a murder he didn’t commit. Those aren’t problems you or I would like to have but, hey, this is what makes for compelling drama!
Over at Beyond Hollywood, you can catch the first batch of high-quality images from the film. The cast includes Park Hee-soon, Park Si-yeon, Joo Sang-wook, Kim Jeong-tae, Lee Han-wi, and Kwang Soo. Hopefully a trailer for The Scent is soon to follow. It’s in Korean theaters this April.
Beyond Hollywood has the trailer. No English subtitles but there’s plenty of humor, suspense, dangerous dames, and music with a serious 70’s-ish Shaft vibe.
Updates: Beyond Hollywood has two new stylish and sexy posters.
Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies Blu-ray & DVD (The Asylum Home Entertainment)
RELEASE DATE: May 29, 2012
While the Civil War rages on, President Abraham Lincoln must undertake an even more daunting task – destroying the Confederate Undead. The Asylum Home Entertainment presents Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies, the low budget alternative to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Check out the trailer.
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