Triad Trilogy: Election, Triad Election, Triad Underworld Blu-ray & DVD (Palisades Tartan)

I’m terribly late on this one but hopefully still helpful in some fashion. If you love foreign movies, this is your week. Steven Seagal fans are accounted for as well. So, without further adieu, here are your Asian and genre movie Blu-ray and DVD new releases for the week of 3/13/12:

ASIAN CINEMA

Triad Trilogy (Blu-ray/DVD) – Palisades Tartan presents Johnnie To’s “Election” and “Triad Election,” as well as the Andy Lau gangster film “Triad Underworld,” on one Blu-ray disc

Five Element Ninjas (Blu-ray) – arguably the greatest Shaw Brothers film of all time, this 1982 outlandish and bloody comic book-style fantasy is now in hi-def from Tokyo Shock

Yakuza Hunters: Duel in Hell (DVD) – the Yakuza Hunters are back for more violence and vengeance in this 2012 low-budget Japanese flick

FOREIGN CINEMA

Young Violent Dangerous (DVD) – RaroVideo USA presents this 1976 Italian crime flick starring Tomas Milian

The Burning Moon (DVD) – this 1997 German splatterflick has been labelled “an anti-human masterpiece”

House of Pleasure (DVD) – this 2011 French-language film, AKA “House of Tolerance,” about a turn of the century brothel has been universally praised

Ransom Baby (DVD) – Mya Releasing offers up this 1973 Italian shocker about a kidnapping gone horribly wrong

Alfredo, Alfredo (DVD) – Dustin Hoffman took a break from gritty flicks like “Straw Dogs” to star in this 1972 Italian comedy, now on DVD from Mya Releasing

@SuicideRoom (DVD) – this 2012 Polish language film concerns chat room escapism and cyber bullying

My Joy (DVD) – in this 2010 film, a truck driver takes a wrong turn and ends up in a bleak Russian underworld

Agneepath (DVD) – a 2012 bloody and brutal tale of revenge from Bollywood, starring Hindi cinema hunk Hrithrik Roshan (“Dhoom 2”)

Bellissima (DVD) – this 1951 Italian film is a bleak, and black & white, tale of the ugly truth that lies behind the veneer of stardom

La Terra Trema (DVD) – a 1948 black & white Italian film about the exploitation of some village fishermen

La Visita (The Visitor) (DVD) – RaroVideo USA offers this 1963 black & white Italian film that combines romance and drama

Gruppo di Famiglia in un Interno (Conversation Piece) (DVD) – RaroVideo USA continues their string of quality releases with this 1973 Italian film starring Burt Lancaster

Women on the 6th Floor (DVD) – a 2012 French comedy about a bourgeois family who hires a Spanish maid

ANIMATION

Wizards (Blu-ray) – the 35th anniversary Blu-ray of Ralph Bakshi’s 1977 animated sci-fi classic

The Adventures of Tintin (Blu-ray/DVD) – Steven Spielberg’s 2012 motion-captured animated feature is now on home formats

INDIE

Melancholia (Blu-ray/DVD) – Magnet Releasing offers Lars Von Trier’s 2012 critically acclaimed end of the world tale, starring Kirsten Dunst

The Last Temptation of Christ (Blu-ray) – the Criterion Collection offers Martin Scorsese’s controversial 1988 film, featuring Willem Dafoe as Jesus, now in hi-def

MAINSTREAM

The Three Musketeers (Blu-ray/DVD) – Paul W.S. Anderson of “Mortal Kombat” and “Resident Evil” fame is back with this 2012 3D steampunk swashbuckler

True Romance/Natural Born Killers (Double Feature) (Blu-ray) – two 90’s classic, based on screenplays by Quentin Tarantino, together in one Blu-ray set

Under Siege/Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (Double Feature) (Blu-ray) – it’s twice the ponytail action with these two Steven Seagal flicks in one set. Actually, I can’t remember if Seagal had a ponytail in the first “Under Siege.” Anyone wanna let me know in the Comments?

Three Kings/Body of Lies (Double Feature) (Blu-ray) – Ridley Scott and David O. Russell are not two filmmakers I’d normally associate together in my mind but, hey, they’re together in this Blu-ray package

HORROR

Lust For a Vampire (DVD) – considered one of Hammer Horror’s most scandalous films, this 1971 vampire tale is available as a manufactured on demand DVD-R

Virgin Witch (Blu-ray/DVD) – this 1972 cult horror flick is remastered on Blu-ray for your viewing pleasure

Killer’s Moon (Blu-ray/DVD) – the 1970 horror film, remastered on Blu-ray by Redemption Films

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"I Am Bruce Lee" American Theatrical Poster

THE MOVIE: I Am Bruce Lee is a documentary that examines the legendary actor and martial arts icon, Bruce Lee. Director Pete McCormack has assembled a vast array of individuals, from those who knew Bruce intimately to modern celebrities who have been influenced by him, to discuss the life and times of Bruce Lee.

In the documentary you can expect commentary from actor Mickey Rourke, MMA fighter and actor Cung Le, MMA fighter and Haywire star Gina Carano, Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon Lee, and many more. The trailer for I Am Bruce Lee is now streaming on Apple Quicktime and youtube. The film lands in theaters on February 9th, 2012.

Updates: A list of states and cities that will be playing it. Wall Street Journal explains Why Bruce Lee Has More Kick Now Than Ever? The article also notes that the documentary will feature “personal clips and images that have never before been seen on screen.”

Accident Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)

From Internationally Renowned Action Filmmaker & Producer Johnnie To

ACCIDENT

Starring Acclaimed Actors Louis Koo and Richie Jen

A Film Directed by Soi Cheang

DEBUTS IN STORES NATIONWIDE
ON BLU-RAY™ and DVD

OWN IT ON JUNE 12, 2012

FROM SHOUT! FACTORY

Not all accidents are caused by fate! This summer, get ready for a new breed of action suspense thriller that plumbs and exposes the weaknesses of the human psyche. On June 12, 2012, Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Media Asia, will debut the acclaimed Hong Kong feature ACCIDENT on Blu-ray, DVD and available on digital entertainment platforms.

Nominated for a Golden Lion Award at the Venice International Film Festival and a festival favorite at the Toronto International Film Festival, ACCIDENT is a masterfully crafted thriller that combines stylish visuals, edge-of-your seat suspense, and violence. This highly anticipated North American home entertainment release features insightful bonus content and is a must have for Asian extreme action fans! The Blu-ray is priced to own at $26.97;the DVD has a suggested retail price of $19.99.

SYNOPSIS

A self-styled accident choreographer, Brain (Louis Koo, in one of the most compelling performances of his career) is a professional hit man who kills his victims by trapping them in well crafted accidents that look like unfortunate mishaps but are in fact perfectly staged acts of crime. He is perennially plagued with guilt, as the avalanche of memories of his lost wife does not make things any easier.

After one mission inexplicably goes wrong, costing the life of one of his men, Brain becomes convinced that this accident has been choreographed: someone is out there plotting to terminate him and his team. Eventually reality and delusion blur, culminating in a wickedly twisted ending.

ACCIDENT Blu-ray™ and DVD Special Features:

• “Making Of” Featurette
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer (2.35:1)

Special Features Are Unrated
Audio: Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English
2009/Color/87 min.

Mickey Rourke

Deadline.com reports that Breakfast Club’s Anthony Michael Hall, Machete’s Danny Trejo and Year of the Dragon’s Mickey Rourke will star in Dead in Tombstone, an action-adventure film directed by Death Race 2’s Roel Reine. Dead in a Tombstone (not to be confused with The Tomb, another action-adventure film starring Sly Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a revenge flick that revolves around a group of gangster outlaws.

Wait a minute? The director of Death Race 2? Is Mickey Rourke back to his straight-to-video days, a la 1998’s Point Blank? Possibly. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Director Roel Reine’s Death Race sequel happens to have its own cult following. Despite the budget and star power of the first movie (Jason Statham didn’t appear in the sequel), reviews have been surprisingly positive for Death Race 2. There’s no word whether Dead in the Tombstone will be straight-to-DVD, but one thing’s for sure: Like Universal Soldier: Regeneration’s John Hyams, Roel Reine is an action-director you don’t want to ignore.

Filming for Dead in a Tombstone begins next week.

"Moss" Korean Theatrical Poster

Distributor Right Stuf, Inc. has long been known for their high quality anime releases. Today they announced the creation of a new division for live-action Asian films, titled 5 Points Pictures. Through a partnership with CJ Entertainment, one of Korea’s top production houses, 5 Points Pictures will distribute several live-action Korean films on home video in North America starting in Summer 2012. The list of initial titles includes:

• Bleak Night (2011)
• Finding Mr. Destiny (2010)
• Moss (2010)
• Penny Pinchers (2011)
• Punch (2011)
• The Suicide Forecast (2011)
• Tazza: The High Rollers (2006)

5 Points Pictures will also provide these films with “upgraded English translations for each feature film, as well as translated video extras from the original South Korean home-video releases.” Check out their new website here, which offers posters for the films and the press release as a PDF. Stay tuned to Cityonfire.com for news on future 5 Points Pictures releases.

"The Assault" U.S. Theatrical Poster

Over at Beyond Hollywood, you can scope out the U.S. trailer for The Assault, the tense French hostage drama from Chrysalis director Julien Leclercq. Looks pretty bad-ass, doesn’t it? Rest assured that American audiences will have the chance to see the movie as Screen Media Films is offering The Assault a limited release stateside on April 6, 2012.

The film is based on true events: on Christmas Eve, 1994, armed terrorists hijacked a passenger plane and threatened all of Paris. The Assault follows France’s elite counter-terrorism unit as they plan and execute their daring rescue mission.

"Zombie 108" Promotional Poster

A night on the town in Taipei turns into a bloodbath when a group of young friends discover they’ve been infected with a new strain of influenza that turns people into…zombies. That’s the premise behind the forthcoming Taiwanese horror flick Zombie 108. Over at 24 Frames Per Second, you can enjoy the trailer. Today brings word that the film will be released on April 13, 2012.

The trailer looks almost painfully low-budget but, at the same time, it could be a hell of a lot of fun for gorehounds or fans of Sushi Typhoon-type insanity. Zombie 108 is directed by Joe Chien and stars Hsiang Rong, Tai Bao and Yvonne Yao

"Dark Flight 407" Thai Theatrical Poster

Dark Flight 407 is Thailand’s first 3D horror film. Judging by the trailer, it was probably pitched as something like “Ringu on a plane.” But hey, the production values look solid and, who knows, it might just scare our pants off. The story follows a flight stewardess who miraculously survived a plane crash 10 years ago and who must now return to work after a decade of psychotherapy. Only trouble is, it looks like the vengeful spirit who crashed her plane the first time around is back for more.

Over at 24 Frames Per Second, you can check out two new posters and the trailer in case you missed it. The film is not to be confused with Grudge director Takashi Shimizu’s own take on terror in the skies, 7500. I still say that movie could use a better title. In any case, Dark Flight 407 will beat it to the theaters as it opens in Thailand on March 22.