Don’t call it a comeback! Watch the Trailer for ‘Last Dance’ starring Hong Kong legend Michael Hui and Dayo Wong

"The Last Dance" Theatrical Poster

“The Last Dance” Theatrical Poster

Hong Kong film icon and comedian Michael Hui (All U Need is Love) is headlining the big screen with co-star Dayo Wong Chi-Wah (Legend of the Wolf) in Anselm Chan’s The Last Dance.

In this upcoming drama – an obvious departure from the comedic roles Hui is known for – a debt-ridden wedding planner inadvertently becomes a successful funeral planner. However, he must convince a traditional Taoist priest of his legitimacy to continue operating in the field.

The film sports an all-star, ensemble cast that includes Michelle Wai (Customs Frontline), Elaine Jin (Mad World), Paul Chun (The Trough), Michael Ning (Port of Call), Rachel Leung (Raging Fire), Vincent Kok (Gorgeous) and Continue reading

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Deal on Fire! The Blue Jean Monster | Blu-ray | Only $21.99 – Expires soon!

The Blue Jean Monster | Blu-ray (88 Films)

The Blue Jean Monster | Blu-ray (88 Films)

Today’s Deal on Fire is 88 Films’ Blu-ray for The Blue Jean Monster, a 1991 Hong Kong film directed by Ivan Lai Gai Ming (Erotic Ghost Story 3, The Imp) that stars Shing Fui-On (Horrible High Heels), Pauline Wong (Mr. Vampire 2), Tse Wai-Kit (Fight Back to School), Kunimua Jun (The Wailing) and Gloria Yip (Miracles).

After a brave Hong Kong lawman is killed in a shootout, his body is reanimated by a Frankenstein style bolt of lightning. Provided he gets ‘Crank’-style regular jolts of electricity, he continues to fight crime as an invulnerable zombie cop…

Perennial Cantonese movie tough guy Shing Fui-on gets a lead of his own in this Hong Kong version of Dead Heat, with a supporting cast including Gloria Yip and Pauline Wong. The Blue Jean Monster blends gross out horror, comedy and action in a unique Hong Continue reading

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Hong Kong’s Heaven’s Gate? Juno Mak’s long-delayed, over-budget thriller ‘Sons of the Neon Night’ to finally shine in 2025

"Sons of the Neon Night" Teaser Poster

“Sons of the Neon Night” Teaser Poster

Filmmaker Juno Mak (Revenge: A Love Story, Dream Home), the actor/director of 2013’s Rigor Mortis, is finally putting his finishing touches on One Cool Film Productions’ Sons of the Neon Night, an upcoming gangster epic that was completed back in 2018.

The highly-anticipated film features an all-star cast that includes Takeshi Kaneshiro (Wu Xia), Louis Koo (Three), Ritchie Ren (Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In), Tony Leung Ka Fai (League of Gods), Lau Ching-wan (The White Storm 3), Kara Hui (Mrs K), Gao Yuanyuan (Robin-B-Hood), Michelle Wai (As The Light Goes Out) and Conan Lee (Aces Go Places V: The Terracotta Hit).

With a production budget of over $50 million, Asian sales and production firm Distribution Workshop is using the Busan International Film Festival’s market to re-launch Sons of the Neon Night as “Hong Kong’s Most Expensive Film” (via Variety). This now aligns with Continue reading

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The other Jacky! Watch the Well Go USA’s Trailer (and an action clip) for Xu Haofeng’s ‘100 Yards’ also starring Andy On

"100 Yards" Theatrical Poster

“100 Yards” Theatrical Poster

Xu Haofeng, the filmmaker behind 2015’s The Final Master and 2017’s The Hidden Sword, teams up with co-director Xu Junfeng for 100 Yards, an upcoming martial arts film that will be released by Well Go USA on November 8th.

100 Yards stars Jacky Heung (League of Gods), Andy On (Abduction, Undercover Punch and Gun, Black Mask 2: City of Masks), Hayden Kuo (Kung Fu Monster) and Li Yuan (The Guillotines).

The film is set in 1920s Tianjin, northern China, and centres on the rivalry between the son of a martial arts master and his most talented apprentice. When the old master dies, the two face off to take over his prominent martial arts academy. But rather than obey the rule of settling disputes behind closed doors, they take their Continue reading

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Signature grabs UK rights for XYZ Films’ ‘Skyline: Warpath’ starring martial arts stars Scott Adkins and Iko Uwais

"Skyline: Warpath" Teaser Poster

“Skyline: Warpath” Teaser Poster

Martial arts star Iko Uwais (The Raid, The Raid 2, Headshot) is re-teaming with director Liam O’Donnell (Beyond Skyline) for Skyline: Warpath, an upcoming sci-fi actioner that also stars fellow martial arts star, Scott Adkins (John Wick 4, Ip Man 4).

Set within the Skyline universe and five years after the events of Beyond Skyline, the movie follows Sua (Uwais) as he leads The Resistance against the aliens. When he discovers the powerful alien Radial Gauntlet, he must deal with both the corrupt Eric (Adkins) and the army of alien invaders (via Deadline).

Skyline: Warpath also stars Yayan Ruhian (The Raid), Louis Mandylor (Debt Collectors), Charlotte Vega (American Assassin), Randall J. Bacon (3 Days in Malay), Zack Lee (The Night Comes for Us), Brahim Chab (Vanguard), Phet Mahathongdy (Beyond Skyline) and Continue reading

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Village of Doom (1983) Review

Village of Doom | Blu-ray (Unearthed Films)

Village of Doom | Blu-ray (Unearthed Films)

Director: Noboru Tanaka
Cast: Masato Furuoya, Misako Tanaka, Kumiko Oba, Isao Natsuyagi, Midori Satsuki
Running Time: 105 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The Tsuyama massacre remains one of the most harrowing mass murders in Japan, taking place on the night of 21st May 1938 in the rural village of Kamocho Kurami. After cutting off the electricity to the village shortly before midnight, a 21-year-old man named Mutsuo Toi proceeded to arm himself to the teeth, and after decapitating his grandmother with an axe, spent the next 30 minutes murdering 29 of his neighbours (roughly half the villages population), before killing himself at dawn. As a country whose cinematic output isn’t afraid of exploring the darker parts of the human condition, it perhaps shouldn’t be too surprising that, 45 years after the incident, in 1983 it was adapted for the screen in the form of Village of Doom.

What is a surprise is that Noboru Tanaka was chosen as the director, a filmmaker who was most well known for being part of the Nikkatsu studio’s stable of Roman Porno directors, essentially the studios own in-house brand of pink film. With a filmography full of titles like Sensual Classroom: Techniques in Love, Beauty’s Exotic Dance: Torture!, and Pink Salon: Five Lewd Women, Tanaka hardly stands out as the obvious choice to helm a slice of real-life crime that cost Continue reading

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Die Hard in a bar unit? Watch action scenes from Scott Adkins’ latest thriller ‘Take Cover’

"Take Cover" Theatrical Poster

“Take Cover” Theatrical Poster

Martial arts star Scott Adkins (John Wick 4, Ip Man 4, Triple Threat) is teaming up with Alice Eve (Star Trek Into Darkness) in Signature Entertainment’s Take Cover, an upcoming film helmed by director Nick McKinless, who perhaps best known for his stunt work on Fast X, Gangs of London and Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Take Cover revolves around a burned-out professional sniper who finds himself trapped in an all-glass penthouse by a lethal competitor and must find a way to survive and escape with little to no cover between him and the killer.

Written by Joshua Todd James (Pound of Flesh), the film also stars Billy Clements (Meg 2: The Trench), Jack Parr (Peaky Blinders), Madalina Bellariu Ion (Sacrificiul), Obie Matthew (Cruella) and Continue reading

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Magnificent Bodyguards | Blu-ray (88 Films)

RELEASE DATE: December 31, 2024

On December 31, 2024, 88 Films is releasing the Blu-ray (Region A/B) for Magnificent Bodyguards, a 1978 kung fu classic directed by Lo Wei (The Big Boss) that stars Jackie Chan (Hidden Strike, Ride On).

Jackie leaps out of the screen in Magnificent Bodyguards, the first Hong Kong movie shot in 3D! The icon joins a team of guards who are escorting an ill man across a land Continue reading

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Martial Arts Titles, News | Tagged |

Deal on Fire! To Kill a Mastermind | Blu-ray | Only $19.99 – Expires soon!

To Kill a Mastermind | Blu-ray (88 Films)

To Kill a Mastermind | Blu-ray (88 Films)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for To Kill a Mastermind, a 1979 Shaw Brothers kung fu movie directed by Sun Chung (The Deadly Breaking Sword).

The film stars Johnny Wang Lung-Wei (Eight Diagram Pole Fighter), Teng Wei-Hao (Crippled Avengers), Sek Gong (Kid with the Golden Arm), Yuen Wah (Kung Fu Vs. Acrobatic), Yuen Bun (Five Element Ninjas), Luo Sheng (The Kung-Fu Instructor), Luo Jun (Rendezvous with Death), Mang Ding-Goh (The Handcuff), Lau Wai-Ling (Bat Without Wings), Dick Wei (Final Run), and Ai Fei (Invincible Enforcer).

BE CAREFUL: no-one’s safe as long as the evil kung-fu masters of the Qi Sha clan terrorise the land. Can they be stopped? The authorities have placed a spy in their ranks, but the clan – and their Continue reading

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Dread flying? ‘The Raid’ martial arts star Iko Uwais is Ashton Chen’s wingman for IQIYI thriller ‘Wings of Dread’

"Wings of Dread" Teaser Poster

“Wings of Dread” Teaser Poster

Indonesian martial arts star Iko Uwais (The Raid, The Raid 2, Headshot, Beyond Skyline) is currently filming Wings of Dread, an upcoming action thriller directed by Qin Pengfei (Fight Against Evil, Black Storm) and Ashton Chen (Ip Man 2, Blade of Fury), who will also co-star alongside Uwais.

According to AT, Wings of Dread is Iko Uwais’ first of many projects for Chinese streaming giant, IQIYI.

Not much is known of the film’s plot, but its teaser poster hints that it may be an airplane thriller in the same vein as The Delta Force (1986), Passenger 57 (1992), Executive Decision (1996), United 93 (2006) and the recently announced High Forces (aka Crisis Route), which will star Andy Lau (Shock Wave 2).

We’ll keep you Continue reading

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Sleep | Blu-ray (Magnet)

"Sleep" Theatrical Poster

“Sleep” Theatrical Poster

RELEASE DATE: December 17, 2024

On December 17, 2024, Magnet will be releasing a Blu-ray for Sleep. This 2023 South Korean thriller (read our review) is the debut feature film from Jason Yu, who worked with Korean legends Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) and Lee Chang-dong (Burning),

Sleep stars the late Lee Sun-kyun (Parasite, Kingmaker) and Jung Yu-mi (Train to Busan).

Sleep follows newlyweds Hyun-su and Soo-jin, whose domestic bliss is disrupted when Hyun-su begins speaking in his sleep, ominously stating, “Someone’s inside.” From that night on, whenever he falls asleep, Hyun-su transforms into someone else, with no recollection of what happened the night before. Overwhelmed with anxiety that he may hurt himself or their young family, Soo-jin can Continue reading

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The Good, the Bad, the Weird | 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (Arrow)

RELEASE DATE: December 9, 2024

On December 9, 2024, Arrow (UK) is releasing the 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray for genre maestro Kim Jee-woon’s (A Tale of Two Sisters) 2018 kimchi western, The Good, the Bad, the Weird.

ONE MAP. THREE VILLAINS. WINNER TAKES ALL. Genre maestro Kim Jee-woon (A Tale of Two Sisters) set his sights on new frontiers and spiced them up with Continue reading

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The night comes for Bob Odenkirk! Acclaimed Indonesian action filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto wraps up ‘Nobody 2’

"Nobody" Japanese Poster

“Nobody” Japanese Poster

Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto (The Big 4, The Night Comes for Us) – of the “Mo Brothers” directing duo (Killers, Headshot, Macabre) – has just wrapped production on Nobody 2, the sequel to 2021’s Nobody, which has Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) reprising his lead role.

Tjahjanto directs from a script by Derek Kolstad (John Wick, Nobody), Aaron Rabin (Jack Ryan), Odenkirk, and Umair Aleem (Kate). Kelly McCormick and David Leitch are returning to produce through 87North’s first look deal with Universal, as are Odenkirk, Marc Provissiero through Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, and Braden Aftergood through Eighty Two Films (via Deadline).

The original film follows a former ‘auditor’ (Odenkirk) for the likes of the CIA and Continue reading

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Deal on Fire! Brotherhood of Blades | Blu-ray | Only $8.99 – Expires soon!

Brotherhood of Blades | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Brotherhood of Blades | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for 2014’s Brotherhood of Blades (read our review), a wuxia actioner directed by Lu Yang, who also directed by the sequel, Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield.

Brotherhood of Blades stars Chang Chen (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Cecilia Liu (Badges of Fury), Qianyuan Wang (Saving Mr. Wu) and Ethan Li Dong-Xue (The Warriors).

Brotherhood of Blades tells of three friends (Chen, Wang Qianyuan, and Li Dongxue) who serve as Jinyiwei guards. They are dispatched by a palace eunuch (Nie Yuan) to hunt down a eunuch politician (Jin Shijie) who had been forced to resign from his influential post and exiled from Beijing. The Jinyiwei brothers return successfully from their quest, only to find that their task was but the beginning of a strange conspiracy. Continue reading

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Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die, The (2022) Review

'The Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die" Theatrical Poster

‘The Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die” Theatrical Poster

Director: Choi Jae-Hoon
Cast: Jang Hyuk, Bruce Khan, Cha Tae-Hyun, Son Hyun-Joo, Lee Seo-young, Anne, Son Hyun-joo
Running Time: 95 min.

By Paul Bramhall

It’s no secret that in the 21st century mainstream Korean cinema has rarely sold itself on action. It’s certainly not for lack of talent, but rather you’re likely to find the countries best action sequences play out as part of a gangster movie, or a crime thriller, with very few productions marketed purely on the strength of being an ‘action movie’. There are a few exceptions to the rule, with the likes of 2006’s City of Violence, 2013’s The Suspect, and 2022’s Carter all proudly wearing their action credentials on their sleeve as the reason for audiences to check them out, and in 2022 they were joined by The Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die.

Starring as the titular killer is Jang Hyuk, a talented actor proficient in a number of martial arts, who originally got his big break in 2001’s Volcano High, a kind of post-apocalyptic The Matrix-inspired actioner (in which he was bizarrely dubbed by André 3000 for the MTV sanctioned western release!). Coinciding with the Korean Wave (the name popularly attributed to the recognition Korean cinema started to receive internationally in the early 2000’s), the direction Continue reading

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