Sector 7 DVD, Blu-ray & 3D BR (Shout! Factory)
RELEASE DATE: June 26, 2012
Shout! Factory presents Sector 7 on DVD, Blu-ray (+ Blu-ray 3D). This box office sensation involves an oil prospecting ship crew and their fight against a deadly monster – in 3D! Starring Ha Ji-won (Haeundae), Ahn Seong-gi (Nowhere To Hide) and Oh Ji-ho (The Slave Hunters). Check out the trailer!
Accident Blu-ray & DVD (Shout! Factory)
RELEASE DATE: June 12, 2012
Shout! Factory presents Soi Cheang’s Accident on Blu-ray & DVD. Accident is a 2009 Hong Kong film produced by Johnnie To and starring Louis Koo, Richie Ren, Michelle Ye, Lam Suet, Stanley Fung and Monica Mok. The film’s plot revolves around a troubled assassin, who works by orchestrating “accidents.” Check out the trailer.
"Princess Yang Kwei-Fei" Japanese Theatrical Poster
Here’s some shocking news: director Kwak Jae-yong (My Sassy Girl) has left the set of his latest movie, Yang Gui Fei, during its sixth week of filming. The project is a Chinese-Japanese co-production based on the life of Yang Gui Fei, who is known as one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China and who served as a beloved consort to Emperor Xuanzong until her tragic death in 756 A.D.
The Japanese and Chinese film industries have a history of collaborating together on this story, as Daiei Studios and the Shaw Brothers teamed up for 1956’s Princess Yang Kwei-Fei. In the current big screen adaptation, Yang Gui Fei will brought to life by actress Fan Bingbing (Flash Point, Bodyguards & Assassins).
So why did Kwak Jae-yong leave the film halfway through production? Supposedly he rejected advice from the Chinese crew on the film and was “deviating from traditional Chinese values.” Although Kwak is a Korean director, this is not his first experience in foreign movie industries. He was an “executive director” on the 2010 Chinese film Piano in a Factory and he shot a movie in Japan.
It is thought that veteran Chinese director Tian Zhuangzhuang (2009’s The Warrior and the Wolf) will be brought on to replace Kwak shortly. We’ll keep you updated on the story as it develops.
"The Bloody Marriage" Chinese Theatrical Poster
China continues their newfound love affair with the horror genre with The Bloody Marriage, in theaters on March 23. The trailer is now available on Far East Films. The film certainly looks to have some nice production values. Based on the trailer alone, I was going to guess that the plot was about a newlywed couple who accidentally strike an older woman with their car. When they don’t stop to help her, the woman places a terrible curse on them.
However, Far East’s synopsis says it’s about a horror novelist who becomes so immersed in his latest novel that its event begin bleeding into his real life. Sounds kind of like that popular Xbox video game Alan Wake. We’ll see how the film fares at the Chinese box office when it opens later this month.
“Naked Killer” Chinese DVD Cover
Director: Clarence Ford
Writer: Wong Jing
Cast: Changmy Yau, Simon Yam, Kelly Yao, Carrie Ng, Madoka Sugawara, Hui Siu Hung, Ken Lo, Dick Lau Dik Ji, Yu Kwok Lok, Sung Boon Chung, Louis Roth
Running Time: 88/93 min.
By Alexander
The image of a gun-wielding, nearly nude Chingmy Yau is undoubtedly burned into the collective conscious of drooling Hong Kong cinema fanboys everywhere. Low budget periodicals like “Asian Cult Cinema”, “Oriental Pinup”, and “Sirens of Cinema” routinely run features and alluring pictorials of Asian starlets and the infamous “Raped by an Angel”, “Erotic Ghost Story” and “Sex and Zen” series of films, satiating the appetites of a few horny, Asian-women fetishists. “Naked Killer” is undoubtedly deemed a “cult classic” by these lonely obsessives because of a few over-the-top scenes (a severed penis as breakfast snack, anyone?) and a few exposed breasts.
I cannot think of a single reason why anyone other than the aforementioned would bother watching “Naked Killer” other than to discover why the film is considered a cult classic at all. The film is a lot like the old “Faces of Death” films, shocking simply for the sake of being shocking; to elicit reactions by being as disgusting as possible. Unfortunately, lots o’ vomit, half-nude lesbians and brutal murders do not add up to a good film, camp or otherwise.
In any case, “Naked Killer” is simply not very good. We get appropriately mangled lines like, “You crazy tramp, you shot my butt,” and “If you don’t open this door right now I’ll chop off your boobs.” Chingmy is gorgeous but entirely bland. Simon Yam simply vomits excessively (a staple of CATIII films, it seems). A couple of lesbian assassins get it on. Twice. Men are stabbed in the balls. Repeatedly. Salivating would-be rapists are chained in a dungeon awaiting ass-kickings by Chingmy and her “mentor”. Yawn. Not much else happens here.
Why did I even bother renting this movie at all, knowing full well that it would probably suck? I was holding out hope that it might be as entertaining as “Raped By An Angel”, a far more enjoyable sequel-in-name-only that actually has a coherent story, is well-filmed, is far less gratuitous and features a much scarier antagonist in Mark Cheng. Unfortunately, “Naked Killer” is, as Yates so succinctly put it in his review for the film, “waaaayyyy…overrated.” Check out the sequel instead and avoid this embarrassment.
Alexander’s Rating: 3.5/10
By Numskull
So, Naked Killer has a worldwide cult following, huh?
Well, I suppose it’s somewhat comforting to know that the U.S.A. isn’t the only country on Earth with miserable taste in movies.
When the highlight of a 1.5 hour motion picture is a police officer mistaking a severed penis for a yummy sausage link, you know you’ve got problems. So many problems, in fact, that I had to have the door barricaded from the outside with strict orders not to let me out of the room until I finished watching the damn thing. I always watch movies all the way through the first time I see them, but this one pushed it. The absurdity of the premise makes it sound like campy fun, but “fun” is just about the last word in the English language that I would associate with Naked Killer.
The action is boring, the script fails to deliver any enjoyable moments, and the performances suck all around… presumably, at least. It was a little hard to tell because the dubbed version I saw sets a new standard for crappy voice-over work. With the exception of the faggy hair stylist, everyone’s voice is just plain bland or excruciatingly bad. Worst of all is that of the central character, Kitty. While the furious and bloodthirsty Chingmy Yau is repeatedly smashing a guy’s head against the floor, the woman who does her voice is politely asking him to die and go to Hell. Plus, when she says she’s going to cut a guy’s balls off, she uses the same tone you would use to announce that you’re going to the Stop & Shop to get a gallon of milk. It would almost be funny if it weren’t for the fact that you can’t rewind your life and take back the time you spent watching it.
You might think this film is supposed to be sexy, what with all the “seductive charm” going around. Well, if two lesbians groping each other in a swimming pool is what gives you your jollies, I’d rather not hear about it. I’m not in the habit of watching movies with one (or both) hand(s) down my pants so that aspect of it is pretty much lost on me. So be it. I don’t give a fuck (pardon the expression).
Naked Killer is a steaming pile of cinematic shit relying solely on its exploitive properties (which aren’t as prevalent as you might think) to win an audience of slack-jawed halfwits. Strap on your chastity belt and avoid this trash like the plague.
Numskull’s Rating: 2/10
By Yates
Naked Killer is, for the most part, an enjoyable film, marred only by the fact that it is waaaayyyy too over-rated.
The film is not perfect. A lot of the humour doesn’t work well and the movie is very uneven. And if you are getting this movie to see Chingmy Yau naked, you will be bitterly disappointed.
The main reason to see this film is some great gory action scenes and some decent acting. Carrie Ng does a nice job as Princess, the villain of the film, who has a huge crush on Chingmy Yau’s character. Another well done performance is that of Simon Yam’s. He plays a cop who, do to his brother getting shot, can’t pick up his gun without puking.
And it seems for all the failed bits of humour there are some truly demented, cool scenes. The very first scene in which Carrie Ng dispatches of some assassin in his apartment has to be the best. It’s got all this balls getting shot and Mozart and flipping around and it was like WHOA! And then there is the classic gross out scene where the cop is eating sausage at the crime scene and… That scene alone is worth at least a rental.
The best way I can summarize this film is by saying that it is uneven, but definitely worth watching. Good acting. Good action. Some funny humour. Some bad humour. Some bad acting. Some boring scenes. If you are going to have friends over and need a movie to watch, this is it. Let me tell you, teenage guys love this movie. When I went out and bought this movie on VHS a few years back, you would not believe how many copies of this movie I made.
Recommended.
Yate’s Rating: 7/10
"Soul Transfer Station" Chinese Theatrical Poster
The last thing I’d expect out of Chinese cinema right now is a special effects-laden, supernatural thriller set in modern times and dealing with what happens after we die. But that’s exactly what we’re getting with Soul Transfer Station! This movie just opened nationwide in China on March 1st. Check out the trailer over at Far East Films.
There are no English subtitles for the trailer but you can still enjoy all the CG wizardry and the protagonist’s incredulous expressions. The cast includes Lee Wei, Viva Wei, Sea Bao, Jin Ming, and You Benchang. We’ll let you know if this film ends up becoming a box office sensation.
The poster children for the "Let's Make the Teacher Have A Miscarriage Club"
If you’re a fan of most Japanese movies that get brought over to the West, you’re probably used to what normal folks might deem ‘outrageous’ or ‘offensive.’ Hell, Takashi Miike made his name with us foreign film buffs on the backs of titles like Ichi the Killer and Visitor Q – movies that would likely send your parents running from the room in hysterics.
Even then, I don’t think I was prepared to read about today’s latest Japanese cinematic delight. Releasing in theaters over there on April 30th is a film called Let’s Make The Teacher Have a Miscarriage Club.
Let that sink in for a moment, and then realize that this tale of 7th grade girls out to make their poor teacher have a miscarriage is actually based on a true story.
Good God! And here I thought All About Lily Chou-Chou was disturbing. Over at Beyond Hollywood, you can check out two trailers and the full plot synopsis if you dare.
"War of the Arrows" Korean Theatrical Poster
Great news for Korean film fans! Courtesy of Asian Movie Pulse, the Korean Film Council is reporting 2011 as a record-breaking year for the domestic box office in South Korea.
Even though Korean movies faced stiff competition from Hollywood blockbusters like Harry Potter and Transformers, they managed to perform exceedingly well at theaters. Among the top box office contenders last year were historical action epic War of the Arrows, Sunny, and the socially conscious Silenced.
Asian Media Pulse relays: “More than 1.1 billion dollars were grossed, which represents more than a seven percent rise since the previous year.”
The Korean box office already has plenty to look forward to with films like Doomsday Book and Snow Piercer on the horizon. Not to mention the already released Nameless Gangster and Unbowed making waves in theaters this year. Yup, the future’s looking so bright for Korean cinema, audiences might just have to wear shades. (Okay, that was lame)
"Doomsday Book" Korean Theatrical Poster
Top Korean directors Kim Jee-Woon (A Tale of Two Sisters, I Saw the Devil) and Yim Pil-Sung (Antarctic Journal, Hansel & Gretel) are collaborating on a science-fiction anthology film titled Doomsday Book. The movie will weave together three high concept stories – one directed by Jee-Woon, the next by Pil-Sung, with the two directors collaborating on the final tale – that deal with topics like robots, zombies, and the end of the world.
Doomsday Book arrives in Korean theaters this March but in the meantime Beyond Hollywood has the trailer and synopsis for what promises to be an intriguing and mind-bending movie. Here’s the same trailer…now with handy English subtitles!
Beyond Hollywood has two new pics from this highly anticipated flick.
Update: New 30-second teaser trailer.
"The Amazing Spider-Man #316" written by David Michelinie and artwork by Todd McFarlane
LA Times reported that Sony is negotiating a deal with Chronicle’s Josh Trank to bring Venom back on the big screen. The popular Marvel Comics villain – created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane in 1988 – made an uneventful appearance in 2007’s Spider-Man 3, leaving fans of the character disgruntled. Back in 2009, Gary Ross expressed interest in making a Venom movie, but one thing led to another and he ended up making the upcoming The Hunger Games instead.
27-year-old Josh Trank is currently celebrating the success of Chronicle, which has grossed over $60 million since its opening day. According to Wikipedia, Trank is one of the youngest directors to go #1 in the United States, followed by a 28-year-old Steven Spielberg with Jaws, and a 30-year-old James Cameron with The Terminator.
Christian Bale
Crazy Heart’s Scott Cooper has an exciting future ahead of him. He’s currently in pre-production stage to direct a revenge flick called Out of the Furnace, which will star Christian Bale and is being produced by Tony Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio. Zoe Saldana, Casey Affleck, Robert Duvall and Viggo Mortensen are supposedly in talks to co-star.
According to sources, the plot of Out of the Furnace involves a man (Bale) who has just been released from prison. Before he has a chance to enjoy his newly-found freedom, his brother is brutally murdered. The man then decides to hunt down the killers himself.
Updates: Total Film reports that Casey Affleck is officially in.
"Gantz II: Perfect Answer" Chinese Theatrical Poster
Director: Shinsuke Sato
Writer: Hiroya Oku, Yusuke Watanabe
Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya, Ken’ichi Matsuyama, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Takayuki Yamada, Gou Ayano, Kanata Hongo, Ayumi Ito, Tomorowo Taguchi
Running Time: 141 min.
“Perfect Answer” picks up right where the first live-action “Gantz” movie left off and does exactly what you’d hope a sequel would do. The plot is denser, the stakes are raised for our heroes, and the action is even more violent and impressive. If you didn’t enjoy the first film, “Perfect Answer” won’t change your mind – and if you didn’t see that one, the story here probably won’t make a lick of sense. Hell, this flick is enough of a head-scratcher for returning viewers. But it’s a wild ride to the end.
The best sequels toss our beloved characters into a pressure cooker that forces excruciating decisions and threatens great personal loss. In other words: the gloves are off. The first “Gantz” featured a heavy quotient of character death but, let’s face it, the aliens our protagonists faced in that movie were a bit on the “cute” side.
Not so in “Perfect Answer.” The foes here appear to be of a singular alien race, one that is determined to get revenge for the extraterrestrial homicides committed by the Gantz crew in the first movie. These aliens are seemingly able to take the form of any human – their only tell is their inky black eyes, like the aliens from “The X-Files.” Not only that but they’re able to materialize weapons such as swords from their bodies, similar to the T-1000 from “Terminator 2,” and they’re about as indestructible as him too.
We get our first taste of what these foes are capable of during a lengthy setpiece that takes place on a subway train. This sequence is the highlight of the entire film and, I dare say, one of finest action sequences of the past several years. This battle pushes the Gantz heroes to their full abilities as they engage in sword fights and gun duels with several black-eyed aliens. The fight choreography here is breath-taking, with some of the most ferocious sword-fighting I’ve ever seen captured on film, and it’s all brilliantly edited and directed so the audience doesn’t miss a beat of the action. And for the first time, our protagonists’ mission has a high human casualty rate as dozens of civilians are mercilessly slaughtered on the train. Yes, I’d say the stakes have been raised.
Even more so than the first film “The Perfect Answer” is a blockbuster sci-fi action movie. The high number of special effects sequences in this movie would be a rarity for a Hollywood movie, let alone a Japanese film. Although I noticed a shot here and there lifted from “The Dark Knight” or even “Twilight,” director Shinsuke Sato proves himself beyond suited for this kind of picture. The action here is epic in scale and requires a great deal of coordination – practical effects, computer effects, numerous characters, intense fight choreography.
Not many filmmakers in the world are capable of helming this kind of film and doing it so well. Shinsuke Sato has elevated himself to the level of the big leagues – there are times when I got a serious James Cameron-esque vibe from this film. Sato has come a long way from 2001’s “Princess Blade,” which seemed like a low-budget cash-in on the success of “Versus.” Sato’s next picture, which is currently in post-production, is about the disintegration of a marriage; but if he eventually decides to return to the realm of big budget spectacle, there’s no telling what he could do next.
“Perfect Answer” succeeds at being a bigger and better film than its predecessor. That said, it’s not without its flaws. The assorted human characters, who were nicely fleshed out in the first movie, don’t receive much development. In fact, main protagonist Kei almost doesn’t even seem like the same person from “Gantz” – apparently he’s managed to smooth over his personal flaws and raging hormones in the 5 months that passed between the two films. Similarly, the evil aliens don’t receive much explanation. Their motivation throughout the entire 140 minute movie is a blanket statement of revenge. The viewer is left to wonder: how are they connected to the aliens seen in the first movie? Not to mention the dozens of unanswered questions about who Gantz is and where he comes from. Considering how long the epilogue of this film goes on, you’ll be surprised at how many questions it leaves unanswered.
It takes “Perfect Answer” a good 20 minutes to set up its cryptic sci-fi plot. From there, the film is almost non-stop: kinetic fight scenes, excellent soundtrack cues, and a mind-bending story. The cast does an adequate job despite being saddled with the difficult task of being taken seriously while emoting in skin-tight black leather. Devotees of the “Gantz” manga or anime may take issue with the film and how it deviates from the source material, but on its own merits “Perfect Answer” is an entertaining sci-fi blockbuster and one of the best action movies I’ve seen in awhile.
HKFanatic’s Rating: 8.5/10
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia Blu-ray & DVD (Cinema Guild)
RELEASE DATE: June 24-26, 2012
Cinema Guild presents Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, on Blu-ray & DVD. A police commissioner, a prosecutor, a doctor and a murder suspect take a night drive through the Anatolian countryside, searching for a corpse. As night wears on, details about the murder emerge. Check out the trailer to this winner of the Grand Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
"How to Kill a Young Adult Novelist" Trailer Image
Color me intrigued by the trailer for How to Kill a Young Adult Novelist, a forthcoming Japanese thriller that opens in select theaters in that country on April 19th. Only trouble is it’s impossible to find out anything about this movie’s plot, so for now the trailer will have to speak for itself. At the very least we know it stars Asao Norihiko, Ishibashi Shinji, Jeison Nami, and Matsunaga Minori.
There are no English subtitles in the trailer and the production values appear admittedly low, but this looks like the kind of transgressive foreign thriller that tends to hit the sweet spot for certain horror fans like myself. Thanks to Beyond Hollywood for the story
The Survivor DVD (Scorpion Releasing)
RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2012
The Survivor will now be available on widescreen DVD! A 747 jetliner, piloted by Captain Keller (Robert Powell), suffers an explosion just after take-off and 300 passengers are incinerated. Keller is found wandering from the wreckage unharmed and unable to understand how he has survived. Directed by Blow Up’s David Hemmings and written by The Fog’s James Herbert. Check out the trailer (they did a damn good job on the plane crash sequence).
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