Watch the Tease Trailer for the Korean actioner ‘Smuggling’ from ‘Veteran’ filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan

"Smuggling" Teaser Poster

“Smuggling” Teaser Poster

This Summer, Korean filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan (Veteran, The Battleship Island, Escape from Mogadishu) returns with Smuggling, an upcoming actioner starring Kim Hye-soo (Coin Locker Girl), Yum Jung-ah (Alienoid), Zo In-sung (Escape From Mogadishu) and Park Jeongmin (Decision to Leave).

In 1970s, at Kunchon (a small village near sea), there were women divers, including two best friends Choonja and Jin-sook, Jin-sook’s brother and Hammer. They always collected seafood under water for living. But, as few factories started to be built near beach, women divers started to have trouble with what they were doing for living. Without any choice, the ship crews decided to join smuggling business in water to seek a way for their living. But smuggling business in their village got too big for Jin-sook’s family to handle and the peaceful village was gradually Continue reading

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Legend of Gatotkaca (2022) Review

"Legend of Gatotkaca" Theatrical Poster

“Legend of Gatotkaca” Theatrical Poster

AKA: Satria Dewa: Gatotkaca
Director: Hanung Bramantyo
Cast: Rizky Nazar, Omar Daniel, Yatie Surachman, Ali Fikry, Yasmin Napper, Zsazsa Utari, Cecep Arif Rahman, Yayan Ruhian, Jerome Kurnia, Apuk Misdafie
Running Time: 129 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

In the west Indonesia’s popular superhero comics may be relatively unknown, but on local shores they’ve been making a resurgence in recent years through a number of big screen adaptations, no doubt inspired by the similar success of the Marvel Universe in Hollywood. In the last few years alone we’ve seen movie versions of Valentine, Wiro Sableng, Gundala, and Sri Asih, with the latter 2 notably forming part of the BumiLangit Cinematic Universe, Indonesia’s bid at creating their own universe of cinematic superheroes. However just like in Hollywood, one cinematic comic book universe isn’t enough, so in 2022 the first entry in the Satria Dewa Universe hit the screens in the form of Legend of Gatotkaca.

An origin tale for the hero Gatotkaca, the story essentially involves the battle between those who have the Pandava gene, and those who have the Kaurava gene (in a nutshell: the good guys and bad guys), both of whom originate from Adam (the same Adam from the Garden of Eden). Mixing in elements of both Javanese and Indian mythology, LoG (as I’ll refer to it from here on in) has a lot of ground to cover, and it wastes no time getting into it. A dizzying opening credits spiel bombards the viewer with an incomprehensible mix of newspaper clippings and news broadcast clips talking about crashed meteors, the pandemic, and a masked serial killer. What does it all mean is a legitimate Continue reading

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Deal on Fire! Blade of the 47 Ronin | Blu-ray | Only $13.99 – Expires soon!

Blade of the 47 Ronin | Blu-ray (Universal)

Blade of the 47 Ronin | Blu-ray (Universal)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Blade of the 47 Ronin, the sequel to Carl Rinsch’s 2013 actioner 47 Ronin. This martial arts thriller is directed by actor/filmmaker Ron Yuan (The Paper TigersStep Up China).

Blade of the 47 Ronin features an ensemble cast that includes Dustin Nguyen (Once Upon a Time in Vietnam), Anna Akana (Ant-Man), Mark Dacascos (One Night in Bangkok, John Wick: Chapter 3), Luna Fujimoto (Monster Hunt 2), Koieyama Akira (47 Ronin), Nino Furuhata (Spaghetti Code Love), Yoshi Sudarso (The Paper Tigers), Teresa Ting (She Has a Name), Mike Moh (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Luna Fujimoto (Fat Buddies) and Chris Pang (Crazy Rich Asians).

An evil witch named Yurei, whose ancestor was slain by one of the 47 Ronin, has surfaced Continue reading

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Royal Warriors | Blu-ray (Eureka)

Royal Warriors | Blu-ray (Eureka)

Royal Warriors | Blu-ray (Eureka)

RELEASE DATE: January 23, 2023

Now available from Goodie Emporium is the Blu-ray (Region B) for Royal Warriors (aka In the Line of Duty), a 1986 Hong Kong actioner directed by David Chung Chi-Man (Magnificent Warriors).

Following on from the success of Yes, Madam – Michelle Yeoh returned straight away to the girls-with-guns genre with this fast paced 80s Hong Kong action classic.

When CID officer Yip (Yeoh), a Japanese Interpol agent (Hiroyuki Sanada – Ringu), and a security guard (Michael Wong – Triple Threat) foil an airplane hijacking, they incur the wrath of a gang of Vietnam veterans who are out for vengeance.

The second of the loosely Continue reading

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Jung_E (2023) Review

"Jung_E" Netflix Poster

“Jung_E” Netflix Poster

Director: Yeon Sang-Ho
Cast: Kang Soo-Yeon, Kim Hyun-Joo, Ryoo Kyung-Soo, Lee Dong-Hee, Uhm Ji-Won, Han Woo-Yul, Yun Ki-Chang, Lee Ga-Kyung, Ki Hwan Cha Hee
Running Time: 100 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Watching the journey of director and screenwriter Yeon Sang-ho has been an interesting one. Originally making a name for himself through animated features like King of Pigs and The Fake, stories which were grounded in reality and tackled a range of social issues, his transition to live action movie making has taken a decidedly different direction. His last animated feature was 2015’s Seoul Station which arguably acted as the bridge to his live action ambitions. Involving a zombie outbreak amongst the homeless community who call the station home, Sang-ho incorporated a subtle social commentary into the expected chaos, making it a minor but effective piece of filmmaking.

The following year he’d make his live action debut, which would also become his breakthrough production with Train to Busan, a direct continuation of the story involving (perhaps unsurprisingly) a train that becomes overrun with zombies. 4 years later he’d unleash a 3rd instalment in the form of Peninsula, crafting a heist flick set in a post-apocalyptic version of a Korea which has been overrun by the undead. In-between he helmed 2018’s Psychokinesis, which sees a deadbeat father acquire telekinetic powers to comedic effect, and most recently in 2021 he directed the 6-part Netflix series Hellbound, a mystery involving a trio of supernatural beasts that appear at random to attack those who have sinned. Netflix were pleased enough with the success of Hellbound that not only Continue reading

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Kingmaker (2022) Review

"Kingmaker" Theatrical Poster

“Kingmaker” Theatrical Poster

Director: Byun Sung-Hyun
Cast: Sol Kyung-Gu, Lee Sun-Kyun, Yoo Jae-Myung, Jo Woo-Jin, Park In-Hwan, Lee Hae-Young, Kim Sung-Oh, Jeon Bae-Su, Seo Eun-Su, Kim Jong-Soo
Running Time: 123 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Most Korean audiences will be familiar with the name Kim Dae-jung, the former president who held office between 1998 and 2003. The culmination of a career in politics spanning over 40 years, Dae-jung had led an eventful life. He escaped 2 death sentences (the 1st when he was captured by North Korean soldiers during the Korean War in 1950, and the 2nd when military strongman Chun Doo-hwan falsely blamed him for the Gwangju Massacre in 1980), survived 2 assassination attempts (the 1st when a truck rammed into his car in 1971, and the 2nd when he was kidnapped from his Tokyo hotel room in 1973 – both attempts coordinated by the Park Chung-hee regime), and spent 1982 to 1985 exiled in the U.S. for his own safety. Following failed presidential campaigns in 1971, 1987, and 1992, Dae-jung finally achieved his dream and became the 8th president of South Korea during the 1997 presidential election.

However far less is known about Eom Chang-rok, the election strategist who worked closely with Dae-jung throughout his earlier presidential campaigns. Chang-rok remained largely in the shadows during his time with Dae-jung, to the point that he’s only given a scant few lines of text in Dae-jung’s own autobiography. The mystery behind their relationship became the source of inspiration for director Byun Sung-hyun’s Kingmaker, in which he re-teams with the star Continue reading

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How to Prepare for 2023 NFL Predictions

Did you know that an estimated 45 million people in the United States of America bet on NFL games in 2021? As draft experts, front offices, and bookies will tell you, it’s never too soon to start preparing for the 2023 NFL season, especially if you plan on wagering. Following the upcoming NFL draft and looking at the transactions over the course of the off-season makes NFL predictions easier.

The best NFL teams tend to get the best results and go the furthest in the playoffs. Keeping an eye on the major transactions leading up to the 2023 NFL season will help you stay one step ahead of the bookies.

The good news is that you’ve found the perfect guide to betting for the new NFL season. Keep reading to learn more today!

Avoid Overreacting

One of the worst things you can do with the 2023 NFL season if you plan on placing bets is to overreact. Odds are that you’ll see some upsets in the first few weeks of the season, but you need to remember that it’s a long season. New players and draft picks are getting acclimated to the scheme that they’re playing in and a new environment.

It’s also good to remember that even the worst teams (minus the 2010s St. Louis Rams) have enough talent to win on any given game day. Avoid looking at NFL scores through the lens of college football, where there is a clear divide between the haves and the have-nots.

Shop Around for the Best Odds

It’s also a great idea to shop around with a number of different betting options to find the best odds for the upcoming NFL season. You can make a lot more money if you’re willing to shop around before depositing your hard-earned money and placing bets. The main thing that holds people back from doing this is the effort that is involved.

You will have much more success if you take a few extra steps to check out other online sportsbooks to find odds that are more in your favor. This will give you much more potential to earn big winnings by betting on the best NFL teams.

Look at the Venue

Another tip that you can use to prepare for the 2023 NFL season is to look at where the games are getting played. Home-field advantage is a real thing when it comes to winning in the NFL. You can prepare to make a tidy sum of side cash if you place bets on the home teams during the new NFL season. You can make the right NFL picks today and start making money.

Look at the teams that you’re considering betting on and check their recent home and away records. Some teams have a history of not playing as well on the road, so you can take advantage of that knowledge to place smart bets and earn big winnings.

Know Individual Matchups

The individual matchups within the game will play a big role in determining who will win when placing bets on NFL scores. Looking at how Patrick Mahomes performs against a Cover-2 defense will help you decide if you want to place bets on the Chiefs and make strong NFL predictions.

You can use this same line of thinking to look at offenses like the Bengals that have a strong receiver corps. They’ll have better odds of success against defenses that struggle to stop strong passing offenses. It’s also smart to look at the coaching matchups, as some head coaches struggle when going up against others.

Don’t Follow Trends

Novice bettors tend to look at the scoring trends for teams and assume that their offenses are running at 100 percent capacity. Following trends is a sure way to struggle with your NFL predictions if you have goals of making money. You can’t get lazy during the 2023 NFL season if you want to place smart bets that turn a profit.

Look at how each team scored its points before you assume that a team is starting to gel and get it together. It’s possible that the Titans put up 42 points in a game, but some of those points could come from special teams and defensive scores rather than the offense performing at a high level.

Follow the Draft

The NFL Draft is one of the most exciting parts of each NFL season, and it’s important to follow its results if you want to stay ahead of the game with your sports betting. A single draft pick can alter the trajectory and future of an organization drastically. The Chiefs’ pick of Patrick Mahomes in the first round changed the entire outlook for the Chiefs’ future and made the team a force to be reckoned with.

The same can be said of defensive players like Aaron Donald. Following the draft is the best way to see the wave of the future and keep tabs on the teams that are primed for a massive jump.

Check Injury Reports

The NFL is one of the most physical leagues in the world, so you need to accept that injuries are going to happen and you need to keep an eye on the injury reports. Star players getting injured could alter the odds of NFL scores ending up how you’ve predicted.

Knowing which players are missing practice and the long-term outlook for their recoveries is important when you’re betting with real money. You wouldn’t want to bet on the Bengals to cover the spread if Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, and JaMarr Chase are all out with COVID.

Now You’re Prepared for the 2023 NFL Season

Getting ready to place bets and make predictions for the 2023 NFL season comes down to following the draft and looking at the transactions that different teams are making. Look at where teams are playing their games before betting on NFL scores. It’s also wise to follow the NFL Draft to find out which star players are heading to the best NFL teams in 2023.

Check out the rest of our blog page if you’re seeking more engaging and enthusiastic content like this!

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Deal on Fire! Black Dynamite | Blu-ray | Only $6.99 – Expires soon!

"Black Dynamite" Blu-ray Cover

“Black Dynamite” Blu-ray Cover

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for 2009’s Black Dynamite, starring martial arts sensation Michael Jai White (Blood and Bone).

Director Scott Sanders (Thick as Thieves) definitely did his homework. Meet Black Dynamite (Michael Jai White), the smoothest, baddest cat on the street. He’s a ladies’ man and the man with a plan. He’s also a former C.I.A. agent out to avenge his brother’s death. Whether he’s taking down drug dealers or sweet-talking foxy mommas, he’s the man on the streets out to stop The Man. Take a wild ride from the mean streets of the ghetto to the pool halls of the inner city, all the way to the “Honky House” with this bad-ass, tough-as-nails action hero.

Black Dynamite also stars Continue reading

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Watch the U.S. Trailer for Takeshi Kushida’s award-winning, David Cronenberg-esque thriller ‘Woman of the Photographs’

"Woman of the Photographs" Theatrical Poster

“Woman of the Photographs” Theatrical Poster

U.S. distributor Epic Pictures/Dread will be releasing Woman of the Photographs, the 2022 debut horror film from writer/director Takeshi Kushida.

This award-winning film follows a solitary and skilled digital photographer who begins a twisted romance with a model suffering from body dysmorphia and obsessed with appearing perfect in her photos (via Deadline).

It stars Hideki Nagai (Orpheus’ Lyre), Itsuki Otaki (Tokyo Vice), Toki Koinuma (Dance with Me) and Toshiaki Inomata (Drive My Car).

Woman of the Photographs took home numerous awards in the U.S. including Best Foreign Feature at Phoenix FearCon; Best Narrative Feature at the Black Hills Film Festival; as well as the Skip City Award at Japan’s Skip City Continue reading

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Actors Set for a Great 2023 

The world of movies is one that you really can’t compare to anything else. When you see a great movie for the first time, there is no feeling quite like it. It can leave a lasting memory with you that you treasure for a long time. This is why people get so excited when new movies are coming out that are meant to be very good. If you are currently not into the world of movies too much right now, then you might want to change that in 2023. 

Of course, great movies would not be possible without just as great actors. The people who the audience loves to see on the screen help to make the movie amazing. When a great movie has a fantastic lead actor, there is just no better combination. Each year, some actors have particularly good years at the box office. These actors help to define an era in cinema, and their work will never be forgotten. So, who is on course to have a great 2023? Here is a look at some of the actors who have a promising 2023. 

Margot Robbie 

Margot Robbie has become a quick fan favourite among cinema fans. From a groundbreaking performance in I, Tonya she had fans invested. Even her intense and high-stakes role in Focus would be enough to make you want to check out freeextrachips.com. However, Robbie’s work is not done at the box office by any means. One of the most anticipated movies of the year is Barbie, in which she has the lead role. This is set to smash the box office. Not to mention, she is also going to be starring in Asteroid City, which is set to release in 2023. 

Timothee Chalamet 

One of the best and brightest stars in recent years has been Timothee Chalamet. He had a great 2022 by working on projects such as Don’t Look Up and Dune, the latter of which he will reprise his role in 2023. Dune part 2 is set to release this year, and there is a lot of excitement around the title. However, Chalamet’s work is not done there. He is also going to take on the role of Willy Wonka. Chalamet will portray the character in a new way in 2023 when the film Wonka is released. 

Vin Diesel 

Vin Diesel is one of the first people you think of when it comes to action movies, and rightfully so. For years, Vin Diesel has brought excitement and chaos to the big screen. This is something he is still doing with no signs of slowing down either. Fans are going to get some Vin Diesel on the big screen this year. First of all, Vin Diesel will voice Groot in the third instalment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Then, in the summer, fans will get to see Diesel in his most iconic role when Fast X releases. It’s set to be an exciting year for movie fans.

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Detective vs. Sleuths (2022) Review

“Detective vs. Sleuths” Theatrical Poster

“Detective vs. Sleuths” Theatrical Poster

Director: Wai Ka-fai
Cast: Lau Ching-Wan, Charlene Choi, Raymond Lam, Carman Lee, Tan Kai, Carlos Chan, Kathy Yuen
Running Time: 102 min. 

By Paul Bramhall 

Practically everything about Detective vs. Sleuths on paper indicates it’s a sequel to the 2007 Milkyway classic Mad Detective. Wai Ka-Fai back in the director’s chair? Check. Lau Ching-Wan playing a mentally unbalanced but brilliant detective? Check. Mostly set at night on the streets of Hong Kong? Check. However, onscreen it soon becomes clear that it’s not. For a start, Lau Ching-Wan’s character has both of his ears, which is the first dead giveaway. So in that regard it’s more of a thematic sequel, despite the shared character traits, in many ways reminiscent of Jackie Chan’s character in 2005’s The Myth and 2017’s Kung Fu Yoga. Basically the same, and yet somehow different. If I was a cynical kind of guy I may theorize that the characters in the 2000’s productions are for a Hong Kong audience, and the characters in the post 2000’s productions are made to be digestible for Mainland distribution.

The plot sees a cop killer on the loose in Hong Kong, and while the force believe they’ve caught the murderer (a mentally challenged father who’s shot dead during an attempted arrest), Ching-Wan believes it’s a stich up and that the real murderer is still on the loose. His decision to convey his theory by gate-crashing a press conference, in which he lambasts his superiors for all to see, soon sees him released from duty. Spending the next 17 years in a downward spiral to the point he’s homeless and living beneath an underpass, Ching-wan spends his days scribbling Continue reading

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Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin | Blu-ray (88 Films)

Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin | Blu-ray (88 Films)

Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin | Blu-ray (88 Films)

RELEASE DATE: January 16, 2023

Goodie Emporium now has 88 Films’ newly updated Blu-ray (Region B) for the Lo Wei-produced Jackie Chan classic, Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin.

This 1978 Kung Fu film directed by Chan Chi Hwa (Shaolin Wooden Men) and also stars Nora Miao Ke Hsiu (The Skyhawk, Bruce Lee’s Deadly Fingers).

An international box office success, this all-time classic is one of Jackie Chan’s most beloved masterworks. The fights come thick and fast in this relentless tale of a wandering fighter who claims to possess a secret Shaolin technique instruction manual which everybody wants (and nobody gets). Numerous characters hunt him down and confront him for a chance to win the prized book. “A more appropriate title would be “Jackie Chan vs. The Peoples’ Republic of Continue reading

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Trailer for Zhang Yimou’s mystery thriller ‘Full River Red’ starring Jackson Yee, Shen Teng and Zhang Yi

"Full River Red" Teaser Poster

“Full River Red” Teaser Poster

Zhang Yimou, the acclaimed filmmaker of Hero, The Great WallShadow and Cliff Walkers, is putting finishing touches on Full River Red (or “Man Jiang Hong”), an upcoming period mystery that Zhang is also co-writing with his Sniper screenwriter, Chen Yu.

The film stars Jackson Yee (Pound of FleshChinese Doctors), Shen Teng (Mission Milano), Zhang Yi (Operation Red Sea), Lei Jiayin (A Writer’s Odyssey) and Yue Yunpeng (Jian Bing Man).

Full River Red, a title borrowed from a famous poem by Yue Fei, who was a military general during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Yue Fei was well-known for his patriotism, only to be framed and executed by Prime Minister Qin Hui, one of the most treacherous officials Continue reading

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Silencers, The (1996) Review

"The Silencers" Theatrical Poster

“The Silencers” Theatrical Poster

Director: Richard Pepin
Cast: Jack Scalia, Dennis Christopher, Carlos Lauchu, Lucinda Weist, Clarence Williams III, Stephen Rowe, Lance LeGault, Madison Mason, Terri Poch
Running Time: 103 min. 

By Henry McKeand

PM Entertainment always understood how to borrow the most successful elements of mainstream action cinema and synthesize them into sweaty, single-minded B-movies that somehow delivered more fireworks than tentpole films with three times their budget. If the composition of your average high-testosterone Hollywood effort was about 40% set pieces, a PM joint would manage to bump that number up to somewhere around 60%. To find this sweet spot, they treated the contemporary action landscape like a machine that could be stripped for parts; no trend or plot idea was safe.

The Silencers, a ’96 PM vehicle for Jack Scalia, is no different. Set in (you guessed it) sunny California, it looks and feels like so many other L.A.-set actioners of its time, regardless of budget. The use of a high concept sci-fi premise (here, the government’s infiltration by secretive extra-terrestrial agents) as a catalyst for copious amounts of gunfire and vehicular destruction will feel familiar to anyone who’s seen anything PM-related. Buddy cop banter and fish-out-of-water humor and divorced tough guy redemption…there isn’t a beat it doesn’t hit.

But it’s more interesting to look at how The Silencers was actually ahead of its time. That’s a sentence that probably would have surprised anyone involved in the production, but there are ideas at play here that would take cineplexes by storm Continue reading

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Deal on Fire! Street Fighter SteelBook | Blu-ray | Only $19.99 – Expires soon!

Street Fighter SteelBook | Blu-ray (Mill Creek)

Street Fighter SteelBook | Blu-ray (Mill Creek)

Today’s Deal on Fire is for Mill Creek Entertainment’s SteelBook Blu-ray for Steven E. de Souza’s Street Fighter, a 1994 martial arts film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme (Black Water, Bouncer).

Based on the massively popular video game franchise, this adrenaline-pumping adventure stars martial arts superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme as Colonel Guile, who leads an international strike force against the mad General M. Bison (Raul Julia – The Addams Family, Presumed Innocent).

Bison, who has hatched an evil plan for world domination, takes dozens of relief workers hostage and gives the world only 72 hours to respond to his twisted demands. In that time, Guile must find the captives and confront Bison in an electrifying battle for the fate of the free world. Along the way Guile recruits intelligence Continue reading

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