Hi-YAH!, Well Go USA’s very own Asian/martial arts streaming channel has just announced their New Release line up for the month of April, which includes a New title added to Hi-YAH! every Friday.
If you want to give Hi-YAH! a go, visitors of this site can use the promo code “CITYONFIRE” for a FREE 30 Day trial!
Read on for the full list of New and Exclusive Continue reading
“The Circuit 4: Faith Fighter” Theatrical Poster
Cult filmmaker/martial arts star Jalal Merhi (Expect No Mercy) brings us back to the straight-to-video/DVD era with Film One Media’s The Circuit 4: Faith Fighter, a by-name/thematic sequel to his The Circuit film series (2002-2006) that starred Olivier Gruner (Angel Town), and highlighted other MA genre stars such as Loren Avedon (Manhattan Chase), James Lew (Ninja Turf) and Lorenzo Lamas (Final Impact).
For this film, Merhi stays behind the camera to direct while martial arts sensation Billy Blanks (Expect No Mercy) takes the lead opposite rising star, David “Bolo Jr” Yeung (yes, Bolo’s real-life son!).
Along with the soon-to-be-released The Last Kumite (also starring Bolo Jr), The Circuit 4: Faith Fighter marks a welcome comeback Continue reading
Enter the Clones of Bruce | Blu-ray (Severin)
RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2024
On June 25, 2024, Severin Films will be releasing the Blu-ray for the long-awaited Bruceploitation documentary Enter the Clones of Bruce.
Within hours of his 1974 funeral, Hong Kong movie studios began to produce hundreds of unauthorized biopics, spin-offs and rip-offs starring a competing roster of Bruce Lee lookalikes.
Over the next decade, ‘Bruceploitation’ would become a staple of global cinema. Director David Gregory – whose award-winning documentaries include Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau and Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson – now examines this fascinating phenomenon Continue reading
The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol 1 | Blu-ray (Severin)
RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2024
On June 25, 2024, Severin Films will be releasing The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Volume 1, which will be available in a web-store Limited Edition bundle. Also included will be the Enter the Clones of Bruce Lee documentary, and Bruce Le’s super-rare The Big Boss Part II. Read on for the all the official details!
Hours after Bruce Lee’s death, Bruceploitation was born. And for the next 10 years, talented martial artists were enlisted to mimic iconic aspects of Lee’s life, style and mannerisms. Fueled by equal parts deception and demand, these films instead created one of the most wildly entertaining sub-genres in movie history.
The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Volume 1 now presents 14 of the very best – and frequently very bizarre – films starring Bruce Continue reading
Now available is Radiance Films’ release for The Bounty Hunter Trilogy collection on Blu-ray (Region A/B), which includes 1969’s Killer’s Mission and The Fort of Death, as well as 1972’s Eight Men to Kill.
Before he made his name in Lone Wolf and Cub Tomisaburo Wakayama starred in this triptych of violent samurai spectacles that draw on James Bond and Spaghetti Westerns for inspiration yet feature the familiar style and Continue reading
“Baby Assassins 2” Poster
AKA: Baby Assassins: 2 Babies
Director: Yugo Sakamoto
Cast: Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa, Joey Iwanaga, Tatsuomi Hamada, Atomu Mizuishi
Running Time: 101 min.
By Paul Bramhall
I confess I wasn’t the biggest fan of Yugo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins, concluding that the 2021 production “will likely only appeal to those action fans who are willing to wait (or perhaps skip forward) to see Masanori Mimoto unleash under the choreography of Kensuke Somomura.” However I’m all for giving 2nd chances, and there was just enough potential in the first instalment to make me curious enough to come back for more.
Sakamoto certainly hasn’t been resting on his laurels in the short timeframe between the original and the sequels release, with his seeming ambition to create an assassin’s universe of movies and shorts continuing to grow. Since the release of Baby Assassins he expanded his short The Legend of the Strongest Hitman: Kunioka into a feature length production, and the end result was an entertainingly meta-take on the genre. The story sees Sakamoto cast a fictional version of himself, one who decides to find inspiration to help finish the script for Baby Assassins by following around a real hitman, and the chaos that ensues. Blurring the lines further, 2022’s Green Bullet focuses Continue reading
Born to Fly | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)
On March 26, 2024, Well Go USA is releasing the Blu-ray for Born to Fly. This Top Gun-style Chinese production is directed by Liu Xiaoshi and stars Wang Yibo (Hidden Blade).
After an unforeseen threat arises mid-air, a talented young air force test pilot (Wang Yibo) is forced to test not only the capabilities of his top-secret aircraft, but also his own physical and psychological limits, in order to survive.
Born to Fly also stars Hu Jun (Firestorm), Yu Shi (Die Now), Zhou Dongyu (The Thousand Faces of Dunjia), Zhuangzhuang Tian (Gone with the Light) and Binlong Pan (The Monkey King 3).
Watch Continue reading
Red Peony Gambler 1 – 3 | Blu-ray (Eureka)
RELEASE DATE: June 17, 2024
On June 17, 2024, Eureka is releasing the Blu-ray (Region B) set for the Red Peony Gambler series, which will include 1968’s Red Peony Gambler and Red Peony Gambler 2: Gambler’s Obligation, as well as Red Peony Gambler 3: The Flower Cards Game.
Originally released between 1968 and 1972, the Red Peony Gambler series is a cornerstone of the ninkyo eiga genre and a clear influence on such cult favourites such as Lady Snowblood and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the first three Red Peony Gambler films, starring Sumiko Fuji (13 Assassins) and directed by three titans of Japanese genre cinema in Kōsaku Yamashita, Norifumi Suzuki and Tai Katō.
Set during the Meiji era, Red Peony Gambler stars Fuji as Ryuko Yano, the daughter Continue reading
“Monkey Man” Theatrical Poster
John Wick, move over! On April 5, 2024, Universal is releasing Dev Patel’s (Slumdog Millionaire) martial arts-infused action thriller, Monkey Man (read our review), a Jordan Peele-produced film that Patel not only directs, but stars in.
In the film, a recently released ex-felon (Patel) living in India struggles to adjust to a world of corporate greed and eroding spiritual values.
Monkey Man also stars Sharlto Copley (Hardcore Henry), Pitobash Vipin (Mirch), Sharma Sikandar Kher (Contract), Sobhita Dhulipala (Major) and Ashwini Kalsekar (Fu Bai Fu).
And also watch out for fight choreography by Brahim Chab (Vanguard), who is perhaps best known for his Continue reading
Polar Rescue | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)
On March 26, 2024, Well Go USA will be releasing the Blu-ray for Polar Rescue (read our review), a snow-filled thriller from director Law Chi Leung (The Bullet Vanishes) and martial arts superstar Donnie Yen (Raging Fire, Ip Man 4: The Finale, Big Brother).
The upcoming film also stars stars Cecilia Han (The Golden Doll) and Jia Bing (The Eleventh Chapter)
Comeback Home is being described as “a father-and-son rescue drama.” Probably not the plot description you’ve been hoping for, especially given that it’s a film headlined by one of Asia’s top action stars.
Judging from what we’ve seen in the trailer, Comeback Home has elements Continue reading
The World of Kanako | Blu-ray & DVD (Drafthouse Films)
RELEASE DATE: July 9, 2024
On July 9, 2024, Drafthouse Films is releasing a new Blu-ray for Tetsuya Nakashima’s 2014 uncompromising thriller, The World of Kanako (read our review).
The World of Kanako is a nonstop visual and emotional assault to the senses as it follows ex-detective Akikazu on the hunt for his daughter, Kanako. What he discovers is a web of depravity surrounding both Kanako and himself. As he stumbles along a shocking trail of drugs, sex and violence, he finds himself unprepared for the shocking revelations.
The film stars Koji Yakusho (13 Assassins), Nana Komatsu (Silence), Satoshi Tsumabuki (Rage) and Fumi Continue reading
Revenge of the Ninja | Blu-ray (Kino Lorber)
RELEASE DATE: May 21, 2024
On May 21, 2024, Kino Lorber is releasing an new Blu-ray for Revenge the Ninja, a 1983 martial arts actioner from director Sam Firstenberg (American Ninja).
The Ninja are back! Brandishing swords and fists, leaping and kicking, wielding blow darts and explosives, they know a thousand ways to kill. Martial arts legend Sho Kosugi (9 Deaths of the Ninja, Rage of Honor) delivers a heart-pounding display of strength, speed and lethal Ninja know-how in this action-packed thriller that takes us back to the good old days of the kung fu extravaganza.
When a band of Ninja assassins slaughters the family of Cho Osaki (Kosugi), he flees to America in the hope of building a new life. A former Ninja himself, Osaki tries to escape his deadly past but soon discovers he has become the pawn of a ruthless drug trafficker—an American Continue reading
“Replicant” Blu-ray Cover
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for 2001’s Replicant, directed by the late Ringo Lam (Sky on Fire, Wild City).
Unable to catch a serial killer by conventional methods, a secret government agency and a police detective team up to find the killer (Van Damme) and stop him once and for all. Using DNA obtained from the killer, a clone (Van Damme) is created to help get inside the mind of the real killer in a race against time. And yes, you read that right… Jean-Claude Van Damme (Kill ’em All) squares off against his deadliest opponent yet – himself!
Replicant also stars Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead, The Replacement Killers), Catherine Dent (The Shield), Pam Hyatt (Restoration) and Ian Continue reading
“Parasyte: The Grey” Netflix Poster
On April 5, 2024, Netflix will stream Parasyte: The Grey, the latest from writer/director Yeon Sang Ho (Psychokinesis), the visionary filmmaker behind the 2016 hit Train to Busan and its 2020 follow up Peninsula.
The upcoming series is based on Hitoshi Iwaaki’s best-selling Japanese manga Parasyte (Kiseiju) and will star Jeon So-nee (Jo Pil-Ho: The Dawning Rage), Koo Kyo-hwan (Escape from Mogadishu), Lee Jung-hyun (Peninsula), Kwon Hae-Hyo (Tazza: One Eyed Jack) and Kim In-Kwon (Revenger).
When unidentified parasites violently take over human hosts and gain power, humanity must rise to combat the growing threat.
Watch the Continue reading
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” Theatrical Poster
George Miller’s follow-up to the action packed, post-apocalyptic franchise is now in high gear with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (aka Furiosa), a direct prequel/spinoff to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, that hits theaters in 2024.
The film is headlined by Anya Taylor-Joy (Split), Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Burke (Mank).
As the world fell, young Furiosa (Taylor-Joy) is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way Continue reading
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on Shout Studios announces New label spotlighting a treasure trove of Hong Kong’s most captivating masterpiecesHarvey was a hoarding bitch who didn't even let that first CGS film get scree…
on Shout Studios announces New label spotlighting a treasure trove of Hong Kong’s most captivating masterpiecesI've never really been much of a fan of John Woo's stuff or most of Jet Li's…
on Havoc (2025) ReviewWhat the hell are all the downvotes for?
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on Shout Studios announces New label spotlighting a treasure trove of Hong Kong’s most captivating masterpiecesI am 99% sure that the JET LI COLLECTION 4k are reprints of 88 Film release. on ‘Ballerina’ meets AARP! Watch Well Go USA’s Trailer for ‘The Old Woman with the Knife’ from ‘Memento Mori’ filmmakerIt’s really cool to see Lee Hye-young in an action role again. James Cameron… on Shout Studios announces New label spotlighting a treasure trove of Hong Kong’s most captivating masterpiecesFantastic news! This is definitely the starter pack for new audiences! There’… on You guys ready to Jet? Full details for Shout Studios’ 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray set for ‘The Jet Li Collection’Yes! Yes! Yes! on The return of Jet Li? More on Yuen Woo Ping’s ‘Blades of the Guardians’ starring Wu Jing and Nic TseLooks like it's Jet's birthday. http://youtube.com/post/UgkxiZOdkyOhgV3WNSr7b… on Havoc (2025) ReviewI really dug Havoc. I definitely got The French Connection and Dirty Harry vi…
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on Is it a Boeing 737 MAX? Trailer for ‘Wings of Dread’ starring ‘The Raid’ martial arts star Iko Uwais and Ashton ChenFirst it was Tony Jaa and now Iko went to work in China. Looks like it will g… on 1.21 gigawatts!!! Action comedy ‘A Samurai in Time’ arriving to Blu-ray on April 28 from Third Window FilmsYessss!!!! on Bren Foster vs Kris Van Damme? ‘Life After Fighting’ star Bren Foster returns in the Jesse V. Johnson-penned ‘The Farmer’I’m sure that Luke LaFontaine and Bren Foster were great collaborators and bo…
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