Gremlins 2: The New Batch Blu-ray (Warner)

"Gremlins 2: The New Batch" Theatrical Japanese Poster

"Gremlins 2: The New Batch" Theatrical Japanese Poster

RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2012

Joe Dante’s Gremlins 2: The New Batch is finally heading to Blu-ray on May 8. Gizmo and the rest of the creatures are back, and this time, they’ve taken total control over the building of a media mogul. Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates return.

No technical or supplementary specifications for this Blu-ray have been released by the studio, but most likely, many of the features from the DVD will carried over: Commentary by director Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, writer Charlie Haas, and star Zach Galligan; Behind The Screams featurette; Deleted scenes; Gremlin Files feature; Gag reel; Trailer

Until then, here’s the trailer.

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Other Notable Titles |

The Amazing Bulk DVD (Tempe Video)

The Amazing Bulk DVD (Tempe Video)

The Amazing Bulk DVD (Tempe Video)

RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2012

The producers at Tempe video are back with a knock-off of The Hulk called The Amazing Bulk. It looks like a combination of The Hulk, Sin City, 1990’s PC graphics and a film budget which costs less than the DVD itself. The trailer is a must see!

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Other Notable Titles |

Crows Zero Blu-ray (Tokyo Shock)

"Crows Zero" International Theatrical Poster

"Crows Zero" International Theatrical Poster

RELEASE DATE: March 27, 2012

Based on the manga Crows by Hiroshi Takahashi. Crows Zero tells the untold story behind the characters in Suzuran, a violent high school. Directed by Takashi Miike, written by Shogo Muto and stars Shun Oguri and Takayuki Yamada. Read cityonfire.com’s review and watch the trailer.

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases |

Carnage Blu-ray & DVD (Sony)

Carnage Blu-ray & DVD (Sony)

Carnage Blu-ray & DVD (Sony)

RELEASE DATE: March 20, 2012

Roman Polanski’s Carnage tells the story of two sets of parents who decide to have a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a schoolyard brawl. Starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and John C. Reilly. Based on play by Yasmina Reza (Le Dieu du carnage). Check out the trailer.

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Other Notable Titles |

Wizards 35th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray (Fox)

"Wizards" 35th Anniversary Blu-ray (Fox)

"Wizards" 35th Anniversary Blu-ray (Fox)

RELEASE DATE: March 13, 2012

Directed by Ralph Bakshi (Fire and Ice), Wizards centers on kindly sorcerer Avatar as he navigates through a post-apocalyptic Earth.

Features: 1.85:1 original aspect ratio with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The Digibook release also contains 24-pages of artwork and a special message from Ralph Bakshi.

Check out the trailer.

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Other Notable Titles |

Well Go USA brings audiences to ‘The Front Line’

"The Front Line" Korean Theatrical Poster

"The Front Line" Korean Theatrical Poster

Distributor Well Go USA via Indie Wire announced today that they’ve obtained the rights to the Korean war drama The Front Line which is Korea’s submission to the Academy Award category of Best Foreign Picture. The film tells the story of the fierce struggle to establish a border between North and South Korea at the end of the Korean War and is currently a box office smash in its native country.

Doris Pfardrescher, President of Well Go USA Entertainment, said “Our mission is to bring the best in Asian film to the North American market and The Front Line is a perfect fit with our goals.” Expect a January release for the film.

Update: Well Go USA will release The Front Line in select theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto on January 20. Let’s hope the film expands to more cities from there! The Front Line is also South Korea’s official submission for Best Foreign Picture at this year’s Academy Awards. Check out Well Go USA’s official website for theater listings.

Update 2: Apple Quicktime has a high quality, English-subbed trailer for the film.

Posted in News |

Chinatown Blu-ray (Paramount)

"Chinatown" Japanese Theatrical Poster

"Chinatown" Japanese Theatrical Poster

RELEASE DATE: April 3, 2012

Roman Polanski’s 1974 neo-noir film Chinatown finally makes its way on Blu-ray! The film stars Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston. Chinatown has been called one of the greatest films ever made. It was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, winning in the category of Best Original Screenplay for Robert Towne (The Yakuza). Check out the trailer.

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Other Notable Titles |

Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 1/10/12

"1911" American Theatrical Poster

"1911" American Theatrical Poster

Welcome to the new year! Finally, a week that’s got a decent variety of Asian films to choose from. Anyone picking up Jackie Chan’s 100th movie just cause it’s his 100th movie? Well, here are your Asian and genre movie blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 1/10/12:

ASIAN CINEMA

1911 (blu-ray/DVD) – Jackie Chan marks his 100th film with this tale of the Chinese public’s revolt against the Qing Dynasty in 1911

Night and Day (DVD) – this 2008 Korean language film from director Hong Sang-soo has won great critical acclaim. It tells the story of a middle-aged Korean painter who flees to Paris after being busted for smoking pot

Gurozuka (DVD) – Synapse Films delivers this blody 2008 Japanese horror film about a group of teenage girls rehearsing a play in an isolated house where residents have a habit of dying in a most gruesome fashion

Death Bell-Bloody Camp (DVD) – delayed from a few weeks ago, this 2010 Korean horror flick is a sequel to the surprise smash hit “Death Bell”

FOREIGN CINEMA

Film Socialisme (blu-ray/DVD) – cinematic iconoclast Jean-Luc Godard returns with this 2011 film co-starring Patti Smith, set on a cruise ship touring the Mediterranean

Aurora (DVD) – a 2011 Romanian-langauge film about a middle-aged divorcee who plots murder to bring order back to his life

Saving Private Perez (DVD) – a 2011 Spanish-language film about a Mexican drug dealer who rounds up a band of oddballs to rescue his brother from Iraq

The Man From London (DVD) – Bela Tarr’s 2007 black-and-white noir-ish tale stars Academy Award-winning actress Tilda Swinton, though it is in Hungarian

MAINSTREAM

Killer Elite (blu-ray/DVD) – you’d think a movie that pitted Jason Statham against Clive Owen, while Robert De Niro watches from the wings, would be a knock-out, drag-out action movie for the ages. Instead, we got 2011’s “Killer Elite,” which didn’t so much as make a dent at the box office

Saints and Sinners (blu-ray/DVD) – this 2010 cops ‘n robbers action drama starring Johnny Strong and Tom Berenger looks extremely promising. It’s taken awhile to secure a blu-ray release and it’s built up a ton of internet buzz in the meantime. I can’t wait to check it out

There Be Dragons (DVD) – from the director of “The Killing Fields” and “The Mission” comes this 2011 film about Saint Josemaria Escriva

A Bronx Tale (DVD) – it looks like Focus Features is re-issuing this 1993 film, Robert De Niro’s directorial debut. The disc has been out of print for awhile and fans have been clamoring for it

The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (blu-ray/DVD) – they made a “Scorpion King 3”? Words fail me. This 2011 direct-to-video offering stars Billy Zane and Ron Perlman

CLASSICS

Treasure of the Sierra Madre (blu-ray) – the 1948 classic starring Humphrey Bogart is now in dazzling hi-definition

North by Northwest (blu-ray) – Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1959 spy thriller is getting the one-disc blu-ray treatment this week, although there’s only about a $2 price difference between it and the 50th Anniversary Edition right now

DOCUMENTARY

The Hellstrom Chronicle (blu-ray/DVD) – this cult favorite 1977 psuedo-documentary details in completely eerie terms how the insect kingdom is fighting to take over the planet

HORROR

The Green Mile (blu-ray) – okay, this isn’t really horror but it is based on a story by Stephen King. The 1999 film starring Tom Hanks gets the one disc blu-ray treatment this week, which will save you a few pennies over the original release

The Summer of Massacre (blu-ray/DVD) – this micro-budget horror film from 2011 claims to have the highest body count of any slasher movie

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!

Posted in News |

New concept art for ‘Superman Lives’ toyline reveals we really dodged a bullet

Artist's depiction of Nicolas Cage as "Superman"

Artist's depiction of Nicolas Cage as "Superman"

If you need further proof that a Superman movie directed by Tim Burton and starring Nicolas Cage would have been a disaster of epic proportions during the late 90’s, look no further than this recently released concept art from Hasbro. The preliminary designs for their Superman Lives toyline reveal a gaunt-faced Superman with a receding hairline. This is one comic book movie that fanboys can be happy was never made.

Update: Comicbookmovie.com uploaded more unused concept art.

Update 2: Even more discarded pics.

Posted in News |

Hospitalite aka Kantai DVD (Film Movement)

Hospitalite aka Kantai DVD (Film Movement)

Hospitalite aka Kantai DVD (Film Movement)

RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2012

Koji Fukada’s Hospitalite, a black comedy, follows the follies that ensue when a man and his wife shack up with a family that owns a printing press in their building, the husband takes it over, and the couple begin inviting a motley crew of friends. The film stars Kenji Yamauchi, Kiki Sugino, Kanji Furutachi and Bryerly Long. Check out the trailer.

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases |

The Hellcats aka Biker Babes DVD (Cheezy)

The Hellcats aka Biker Babes DVD (Cheezy)

The Hellcats aka Biker Babes DVD (Cheezy)

RELEASE DATE: April 24, 2012

The Hellcats, also known as Biker Babes, is a 1967 outlaw biker film about how a brother and fiancee of a dead policeman infiltrate a female-led biker gang to uncover his murderer. The film is directed by Robert F. Slatzer (Bigfoot) and starring Ross Hagen, Del ‘Sonny’ West Ross Hagen and Dee Duffy. Check out the trailer.

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Other Notable Titles |

J. Edgar Blu-ray & DVD (Warner)

J. Edgar Blu-ray & DVD (Warner)

J. Edgar Blu-ray & DVD (Warner)

RELEASE DATE: February 21, 2012

Clint Eastwood pulls a Scorsese and directs Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar. As the face of law enforcement in the US for almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life.

The film also stars Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Damon Herriman, Ed Westwick and Jeffrey Donovan. Check out the trailer.

“Hoover, he was a body remover…” – Rage Against The Machine

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Other Notable Titles |

Infatuation (1995) Review

"Infatuation" Chinese VCD Cover

"Infatuation" Chinese VCD Cover

Director: Jimmy Sin Chi-Wai
Writer: Choi Ting-Ting
Producer: Chow Yiu-Shan
Cast: Francoise Yip, Wong Chung-Kwan, Money Lo Man-Yee, Simon Lui Yu-Yeung, Donna Chu Git-Yee, Hugo Ng Doi-Yung
Running Time: 92 min.

By Brmanuk

Ken (Wong Chung Kwan) has a drunken one night stand with his secretary, Maggie (Francoise Yip Fong Wah), whilst separated from his wife May (Money Lo Man Yee). When Ken and May reconcile, Maggie, who wrongly believes Ken is in love with her, is pushed over the edge and begins making their lives hell.

Infatuation (1995) is pretty much a remake of Fatal Attraction and takes it’s basic storyline and characters from the 1987 film. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, and I enjoyed Infatuation‘s take on the story. The film contains enough differences to stop it from being an outright clone including an interesting courtroom scene and some laughably outrageous plot twists.

Unfortunately Infatuation is not without it’s flaws. The film is pretty uneven in tone, starting as a plausible thriller and then turning rather ridiculous in the third act. The film tries hard to crank up the melodrama towards the end but it’s all a bit too ridiculous to take seriously. The uneven characterisations are the film’s biggest problem. At first Maggie is a standard psycho ex-lover but then the film tries to present her as a sympathetic character who is mentally unstable. The film, however, then does a 180 and puts Maggie into psychohosebeast-mode again. By the end of the film, she is a sympathetic character again and the audience is left confused as to why Ken and May show any sympathy towards her at all after all she has done to them.

Despite these flaws, I enjoyed Infatuation. It’s fairly well acted (although Ken’s daughter suffers from ‘Annoying Kid Syndrome’) and Françoise Yip looks fantastic throughout. The film becomes a bit ridiculous towards the end but overall Infatuation presents an interesting take on Fatal Attraction‘s storyline.

Brmanuk’s Rating: 7/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews | Tagged |

Cannonball Run, The (1981) Review

"The Cannonball Run" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“The Cannonball Run” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Hal Needham
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Elam, Adrienne Barbeau, Terry Bradshaw, Jackie Chan, Bert Convy, Jamie Farr, Peter Fonda, George Furth, Michael Hui, Johnny Yune, Molly Picon, Jimmy ‘The Greek’ Snyder
Running Time: 95 min.

By Numskull

The infrared sureillance device in Jackie’s computerized race car may be “the cat’s ass”, but this movie certainly isn’t. It’s more like the cat’s bloody stool. We have major problems here. Captain fucking Chaos?!? Who’s the brain-dead pile of shit disguised as a human being whocame up with that?!? This fat guy, who is probably taking it up the ass from Burt Reynolds’ character when the camera’s not on them, runs around in a hood and cape yelling “DUN-dun-DUUUUNNNN!!!” while K.O.ing bad guys with one punch, probably so he can go down on them while they’re helpless. Would that mass fight scene have gone any faster if the bikers had just thrust their asses into the air so he could get what he wanted without a struggle? Who knows. What else, you ask? Well, Jackie and his partner play Japanese guys who talk to each other in Chinese. Brilliance. There is, however, a simple expolanation for this:

  • Cannonball Run —> made in 1981
  • 1981 —> Ronald Reagan in office
  • Ronald Reagan —> Popularization of “Kill a Commie for your mommy” mentality
  • 1981 China —> Communist regime
  • Chinese film character depicted as anything other than evil incarnate —> Mass rioting in American movie theatres

The last and biggest class one fuck-up here is a plot hole big enough to stroe all the vomit produced by two dozen fanatical Jackie Chan followers after watching this movie. When the race begins, all the teams start about a minute apart and are told that the winner will be determined not by who is first to cross the finish line but by who has the punch card with the smallest difference between the “start” and “finish” times. So, when the end is in sight and everybody is on foot, what do they do? They start yelling things like “Hurry! If we’re the first ones to cross the finish line, we win!” After 90 minutes of this drek, I guess brain cells get worn out. And so does patience.

Numskull’s Rating: 3/10 (would have gotten 2/10 if not for the proctologist and his finger…watch it for him, not for Jackie!)

Posted in All, Asian Related, Golden Harvest, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , |

Expendables, The: Extended Director’s Cut (2010) Review

"The Expendables: Extended Director's Cut" American Blu-ray Cover

“The Expendables: Extended Director’s Cut” American Blu-ray Cover

Director: Sylvester Stallone
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Eric Roberts, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gary Daniels, David Zayas
Running Time: 113 min.

By HKFanatic

“Double dipping” is a fairly common practice for studios these days. If a film you love comes out on blu-ray and has a weak visual transfer, you can pretty much hold your breath until the “Deluxe Anniversary Edition” comes down the pike with better picture and a boatload of special features. As such, even the most ardent Stallone fans were a bit skeptical when the “Extended Cut” of “The Expendables” was announced. Considering that Stallone directed and co-wrote the theatrical version, how much of a director’s cut could this be? It was hard not to look at this disc as a cash-in on the impending release of “The Expendables 2.”

Fortunately, I can report that this is not the case. The Extended Edition is clearly the film that Stallone would have liked to have released in theaters back in August of 2010. While the Extended Cut adds about 11 minutes to the film’s runtime, let’s face it: the original “The Expendables” is not a Merchant Ivory production. There was never the chance that those 11 minutes would reveal untold character depth and plot development. What the added runtime does do is flesh out the Expendables’ personalities a bit, plug up a few plot holes, and provide more movie for the people who enjoyed the film the first time around.

What’s important to note about this director’s cut is that Sylvester Stallone re-edited the film from start to finish. This means he actually used alternate takes that what we saw in the theatrical version. It’s a subtle difference that some viewers might not even catch but it definitely adds a different take on film. For instance, previous scenes that featured Jason Statham in a moral jovial mood – the ‘lighter’ takes – have been replaced by a more brooding Statham, who is clearly still distraught about his girlfriend (Charisma Carpenter) leaving him for another guy. Carpenter gets more screentime this time around as well. In contrast to Statham, Stallone’s character is painted as more of a brick wall, the kind of guy you can’t really go to with your problems because he’s such an unfeeling slab of man. Statham even goes so far as to call him “Dracula’s life coach” and the two of them are much more at odds this time around.

Of course, any time you go back to a film and reconstruct scenes like this, there’s always the chance you won’t have enough coverage to make it work. The Extended Edition has a much more loose, stitched-together feeling, even more so than the theatrical cut. There are a few times when you hear a character speaking off camera and it’s obvious they were dubbed in at a later time. I’ve always wondered about the scene where Stallone explains the Vilena mission to Statham and Jet Li while they stare at a computer screen – the camera never once shows their mouths moving or any of the actors sharing the same room. It’s possible that because of the scheduling problems of getting all these high-profile action stars together, “The Expendables” was cobbled together from what footage they could get at any given time. The Extended Cut seems to exacerbate this problem.

Stallone’s reconstruction of the film extends to the action sequences, which were quite honestly in need of some work. Sure, the gun-based violence was pulled off with aplomb in the original but most fans were disappointed by the hand-to-hand combat, particularly Jet Li’s fight with Dolph Lundgren. I’m sure the fact that Jet Li requires that his team, including Cory Yuen, choreograph all of his fights didn’t help matters when Stallone was trying to direct the fight scene. Add in the language barrier, that Jet Li is getting older and his handlers don’t want him to be in any kind of danger, and the size difference between Li and Lundgren, and I can see where this fight – although a dream for action fans – would be a nightmare for Stallone to shoot.

Stallone’s obviously re-edited the sequence as best he could and while it doesn’t compare to anything in “Fist of Legend,” it’s a much more satisfying brawl in the director’s cut. Stallone wisely offers more build up to the fight, tones down the frantic nature of the editing, and selects better camera angles. Jet Li comes across as much more of a capable bad-ass in this cut, at least until Dolph Lundgren gets his mitts on him at the last second.

The big finale, in which Stallone and company take on an entire island of enemy soldiers and mercenaries, receives the most benefit from the Extended Edition. This cut removes the most fake-looking instances of computer-generated blood and gore that plagued the theatrical release and slows down the editing. Now the camera cuts seem more in time with the music, giving a nice rhythmic quality to the final battle, and each fight seems to flow into the next. Stallone jumps from his battle to Steve Austin to Jet Li taking on Gary Daniels, ramping up the tension and excitement as he does, and the transition this time around is seamless. The finale no longer comes across as choppy bits of action put in a blender. The only downside I can see is that the climax now feels like it goes by much faster.

The Extended Edition is not without its drawbacks. While “The Expendables” has a decent story structure for an action movie, the dialogue in this flick was never Stallone’s shining moment. Without the inspirational monologues of “Rocky Balbao” or the melancholy soul-searching of “Rambo,” Stallone doesn’t have much to fill this movie with except slow-witted banter about the Expendables’ lady troubles and anger management problems. The Extended Cut means that all the awkward dialogue exchanges of the original are now twice as long, including the bit about Randy Couture’s cauliflower ear. Some of this stuff was hard enough to sit through the first time around, let alone when it’s been doubled in length. “The Expendables” is a fun movie but it’s plagued with tin ear dialogue, superficial characterization, and not enough screentime for most of its supporting cast. The sequel certainly has plenty of room for improvement.

The director’s cut of “The Expendables” is not a dramatic reinvention of the material but it is clearly the movie that Stallone would have released in theaters originally if he had more time in the editing room and a bit more creative freedom from Lionsgate. I’m sure some viewers will still find the theatrical cut superior, in the sense that it keeps the painful talking bits to a minimum and keeps the plot moving, but I can’t image die-hard Stallone fans being dissatisfied with the Extended Edition. The mood is a bit more brooding, the worst special effects have been removed, and the action flows much better. From now on, if I’m going to watch “The Expendables,” I’m opting for this version.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 6.5/10

Posted in Asian Related, Other Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , |