Beast, The (2019) Review

"The Beast" Theatrical Poster

“The Beast” Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Jung-Ho
Cast: Lee Sung-Min, Yoo Jae-Myung, Jeon Hye-Jin, Daniel Choi, Kim Ho-Jung, An Si-Ha, Lee Sang-Hee, Kim Byung-Choon, Kim Hong-Fa, Kim Young-Sung
Running Time: 130 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

While the Korean film industry has produced a number of remakes from its Asian neighbours like Japan and China over the years, more recently its increasingly found itself turning to European cinema to offer up a distinctly Korean spin on the source material. Spain has proven to be particularly fertile ground, with the likes of Hard Hit (2021), The Vanished (2018), and Door Lock (2018) all bringing box office success based on the original source materials of Retribution (2015), The Body (2012) and Sleep Tight (2011) respectively. Intimate Strangers (2018) was a remake of Italy’s Perfect Strangers (2017), and The Target (2014) cast a Korean take on France’s Point Blank (2010). In 2019 it was French cinema which once more provided the inspiration, with Olivier Marchal’s 2004 thriller 36th Precinct receiving a Korean makeover in the form of The Beast.

Replacing Marchal in the directors’ chair is Lee Jeong-ho, a director who’s no stranger to the crime thriller, having previously helmed 2010’s Bestseller and 2013’s Broken. Here he re-teams with his leading man from Broken Lee Sung-min (The Man Standing Next, Real) and pairs him with co-star Yoo Jae-myung (Voice of Silence, Bring Me Home). Both play detectives who lead their respective units as part of the homicide division in Incheon, and when the grizzly discovery of a young girls decapitated body is uncovered in the nearby mudflats, the division chief asks them to pair up and solve the case. While the Korean thriller genre certainly isn’t short on murder mysteries, The Beast takes a decidedly different approach, with the murder element only acting as a plot device Continue reading

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Watch the Trailer for HBO Max’ Yakuza series thriller ‘Tokyo Vice’ starring Ken Watanabe and Ansel Elgort

"Tokyo Vice" HBO Max Poster

“Tokyo Vice” HBO Max Poster

Arriving on HBO Max on April 7th is Tokyo Vice, an adaptation of Jake Adelstein’s non-fiction 2010 novel. The upcoming series, with a pilot directed by Michael Mann (Heat), stars Ken Watanabe (Rage, Shanghai) and Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver, Westside Story).

Tokyo Vice is loosely inspired by American journalist Jake Adelstein’s nonfiction firsthand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat. The crime drama, filmed on location in Tokyo, captures Adelstein’s (Elgort) daily descent into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo in the late ‘90s, where nothing and no one is truly what or who they seem (via Deadline).

Tokyo Vice also stars Rachel Keller (Fargo), Ella Rumpf (Tiger Girl), Shun Sugata (Bunraku), Sho Kasamatsu (Ring Wandering), Masato Hagiwara (Cure), Kosuke Continue reading

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Kwon Oh-Seung’s South Korean Limited Edition thriller ‘Midnight’ now available at Goodie Emporium!

Midnight | Blu-ray (Eureka)

Midnight | Blu-ray (Eureka)

Eureka has released the Limited Edition Blu-ray (Region B) for Kwon Oh-Seung 2021 film, Midnight.

This acclaimed South Korean thriller stars Jin Ki-Joo (Little Forest), Wi Ha-jun (Squid Game), Park Hoon (Golden Slumber) and Gil Hae-Yeon (Missing).

Official details:

Hearing impaired Kyung-mi (Ki-joo Jin) catches the attention of Do-Sik (Wi Ha-jun), a mysterious serial killer that’s been stalking their neighbourhood. Do-Sik targets Kyung-mi, presuming her deafness will make her an easy target, sparking a twisted game where the killer hides in plain sight. An intense, unpredictable thriller from debut director Kwon Oh-seung; Midnight joins Continue reading

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How You Can Enjoy the Benefit of Solar Panels

Solar energy is now the fastest-growing source of electricity in the United States.

According to the latest data, solar generation makes up 3% of total electricity production in the country. In addition, over 12 million homes are powered by solar energy.

Now is the time if you’re yet to join the solar revolution. The benefit of solar panels seems limitless, but here are just a few reasons you should install solar panels in your home.

Save Money on Your Electricity Bills

Solar panels allow you to generate your electricity, making you less reliant on your utility company.

How much you’ll save depends on several factors, including the size of your solar panel system and how much sunlight it receives. However, most homeowners see a significant reduction in their energy costs after switching to solar.

In some cases, solar panels can even eliminate your electricity bill. If your system produces more electricity than you need, you can sell it back to the grid and receive compensation from your utility company.

This benefit alone is an attractive option for many homeowners to go solar. But there are other advantages to consider.

Increase the Value of Your Home

A recent study by Zillow found that solar panel homes sold for an average of $9,274 more than homes without them.

That’s a pretty significant return on investment, and it’s one of the main reasons people choose to install solar panels.

Not only will you be saving money on your energy bills, but you’ll also be increasing the value of your home.

If you’re thinking about selling your home in the future, installing solar panels is a great way to increase its value. Buyers are increasingly interested in homes with solar panels, so you’ll be able to sell your home for more than you would have without them.

Get Solar Energy Incentives

The federal government offers incentives for homeowners who switch to a solar power system. The most popular incentive is the 26% solar tax credit, which allows you to deduct 30% of the cost of your solar panel system from your taxes.

There are also state and local incentives available. These vary from place to place, but they can further reduce the cost of switching to solar.

Go Green and Help the Environment

Solar panels allow you to generate electricity without producing emissions. That means they’re a great way to help the environment.

If you’re looking for a way to reduce your carbon footprint, solar panels are an excellent option. You can help make the world a cleaner and more sustainable place by switching to solar.

Enjoy a Reliable Source of Electricity

Solar panels are a reliable source of electricity. They can provide power even when the grid goes down.

If you live in an area with frequent blackouts, solar panels can give you peace of mind knowing that you’ll still have power.

Solar panels are also low-maintenance. Once installed, they require very little upkeep. You’ll only need to clean them occasionally to keep them working efficiently, but that’s about it.

Overall, solar panels are a great way to save money and energy. If you’re thinking about making the switch, now is the time. These benefits make solar an attractive option for any homeowner.

The Benefit of Solar Panels

These are just some of the benefits of solar energy. So if you’re thinking about making the switch, now is the time. Solar energy is more affordable and accessible than ever before, so there’s never been a better time to go solar.

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefit of solar panels, read our other articles on the topic.

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Deal on Fire! Drunken Master II | Blu-ray | Only $10.49 – Expires soon!

Drunken Master II | Blu-ray (Warner)

Drunken Master II | Blu-ray (Warner)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Warner Archive Collection’s Drunken Master II, which is presented for the first time from a 4K scan of Original Camera Negative.

Jackie Chan and Lau Kar Leung’s hit 1994 film Drunken Master II cemented Chan’s iconic status as an action hero unlike any other.

In turbulent China before World War I, the collapse of the Manchu Dynasty fuels violent uprisings and political chaos–the perfect setting for a grand-scale smuggling ring led by an unscrupulous British consul. When the ring plots to steal China’s crown jewels only one man, legendary “Drunken Fist” master Huang Fei-hung (Jackie Chan), possesses the courage and ferocity to stop the Continue reading

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More details on 88 Films’ release for Corey Yuen’s Hero’ starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah

Hero | Blu-ray (88 Films)

Hero | Blu-ray (88 Films)

On July 5, 2022, 88 Films is releasing the Blu-ray (Region A/B) for 1997’s Hero, one of the newer films that carried the Shaw Brothers label.

The film is directed by legendary martial arts choreographer Corey Yuen (Raging Thunder, My Father is a Hero) and stars Takeshi Kaneshiro (Wu Xia, House of Flying Daggers), Yuen Biao (Circus Kids), Yuen Wah (Kung Fu Hustle) and Valerie Chow (Chungking Express).

Ma Wing Jing and his older brother Ma Tai Chueng arrive in Shanghai to make their fortune at the end of the Qin Dynasty. Be-friending a powerful mobster Wing Jing is given his nightclub in return for saving Tam Sei’s life. Unfortunately, another Gangster wants the territory a well. Corruption and violence rule the streets Continue reading

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How to Make Club Flyers Online

A flyer isn’t just a flyer. If you plan to make one, you have to know how to make the perfect impression to attract your target audience.

Sure, an online flyer maker can help you make the perfect design. However, if you really want to stand out, you must know the principles behind creating a catchy flyer. With that, below is a step-by-step guide on how to design a club flyer.

1. Pick the Right Club Flyer

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Unsplash-Fakurian Design

Suppose it’s your first time to create a catchy flyer. In that case, it’s easy to get excited and jump straight into picking colors and choosing images. And if you start with that step, there’s a good chance you could mess up the final result.

To create the perfect flyer for your event, it’s good to start with choosing the right paper. Ideally, if you distribute flyers, your best bet is the A5 and A6 flyers. However, if you post your flyers on walls, stick with the standard A4 or A3 flyers. With their size, they will definitely stand out.

Apart from size, you should also determine the quality of the paper you’re going to use. Believe it or not, how your paper looks and feels has a massive effect on people’s impressions. Since you promote your club and your event, you wouldn’t want to appear cheap.

2. Use an Eye-Catching Image

In making a club flyer, pictures are really important. Considering this, you need to know how to pick really eye-catching ones. 

Make sure that the photos you use are striking but in a good way. If you do a quick search online, you’ll find a lot of flyer designs that look too busy. These flyers have so many images that it’s hard to know which area you should focus on.

Pick a striking image and use it as a base for your overall design to avoid that mistake. You can use a scene, person, or an abstract design as long as it relates to what you promote. 

Just stick with one key concept and build your flyer around that. In case you are having a hard time finding catchy images, you can look into Venngage. It has a lot of high-quality images you can use in making any kind of flyer. And suppose you’re new to designing flyers. In that case, you can also use its massive collection of templates that are perfect for both new and veteran designers.

3. Pay attention to the Font

Next to the image, the correct typography is critical to creating a catchy club flyer. 

An excellent tip to follow when picking the right font is to base it on your club’s name or your event. For example, if your club has a futuristic theme, you can use futuristic fonts like Ailerons or Blanka. On the other hand, if it’s a throwback event, fonts like Designer Block and Geo Regular are great choices.

Apart from picking the right font style, you should also determine the correct size to use. Your flyer should be easy to read, even from afar.

4. Play with the Right Colors

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Unsplash-Grabstar

If you’ve been doing your research well, you will notice that most club flyers use dark backgrounds and bright fonts and images. The contrast they make somehow reflects what you’ll see in a club with lots of flashing strobe lights.

So, when you’re making your club flyer template, it’s a good idea to start working with a dark background. Then, add your text with a neon effect. You can use many online tools to achieve the impact you want with contrasting colors.

5. Don’t Forget the Important Details

After you’ve hooked your target audience with your design, you must let them know what to do next. For example, if they need to sign up for the event, you should let them know how. 

Include important details like your contact number, email, address, and website. Don’t forget to include the date, time, and location of your club or event, too. If there’s a dress code, put it on your flyers as well.

Bonus Tip: Add an Offer They Can’t Resist

Making catchy flyers is one way to attract potential customers. However, if you really want to seal the deal, you can also try including enticing discounts and offers.

For example, you can offer free entry with the flyer. You can also offer to get them a drink for attending your event with the flyer.

The trick is to make them want to hold onto the flyer until the actual date and time of the event. Then, your audience won’t forget about your club with the flyer around. Think of it as the perfect reminder and an assurance that they will come and see you. 

Extra Bonus Tip: Don’t start from scratch

Great flyers don’t need to be made from scratch. Take advantage of free flyer makers like the ones from Venngage. It’s easy to sign up, and zero design skills are needed! 

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Shout! Factory to release Hajime Hashimoto’s action thriller ‘Signal’ to Blu-ray and DVD on March 15th

Signal | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

Signal | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

On March 15, 2022, Shout! Factory is releasing the Blu-ray for Signal (or Signal: The Movie Cold Case Investigation Unit), a remake of the South Korean drama of the same name.

Official details:

When officer Kento Saegusa (Kentaro Sakaguchi) picks up a dusty old police radio that’s about to be scrapped, it brings him into contact with Takeshi Oyama (Kazuki Kitamura). The two detectives, one from the past and one from the present, have worked together to solve countless cold cases. Now they’re back together once more!

Tokyo, 2021. A high-ranking government official is killed when his chauffeur loses Continue reading

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Message Man (2018) Review

"Message Man" Theatrical Poster

“Message Man” Theatrical Poster

AKA: Kill Vengeance
Director: Corey Pearson
Cast: Paul O’Brien, Aji Santosa, Verdi Solaiman, Mario Irwinsyah, Agni Pratistha, Mike Lewis, Alfridus Godfred, Ronny P. Tjandra, Gary Plant, Denny Baskar
Running Time: 91 min.

By Henry McKeand

“He Killed for Money. Now He’s Out for Justice.”

If this tagline isn’t enough to tip you off, Corey Pearson’s Message Man shares a lot in common with films you’ve already seen. It stars South African-Australian actor Paul O’Brien as a former hitman named Kyle living in Indonesia who develops a bond with a single mother and her children, and it does very little to distance itself from “retired assassin” tropes. Yes, he’s forced to use his dormant skills when the innocent family is put at risk, facing the sins of his past life in the process. Despite the familiarity of the premise, audiences come to this kind of film expecting engaging violence and a satisfying take on the formula, and Message Man boasts solid performances with a few unique action moments. Sadly, a tepid screenplay and some ugly digital effects prevent it from being much more than a light diversion for genre die-hards. 

Surprisingly, the film excels in the quiet moments leading to the promised killing spree. The first act set-up, in which Kyle gets to know the family that reawakens his humanity, is completely effective. The performances play a big part, and O’Brien is good at lending depth to a character who says very little in the first thirty minutes of the film. Whereas some retired assassin characters are unrealistically warm and sympathetic, O’Brien plays Kyle with a shell-shocked intensity that makes him emotionally distant for his first several scenes. This means that the moments when we see a crack in his armor are especially rewarding, and he comes off as a believable ex-killer. His character Continue reading

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Deal on Fire! Takashi Miike’s Hara-Kiri | Blu-ray | Only $9.89 – Expires soon!

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai | Blu-ray (Tribeca)

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai | Blu-ray (Tribeca)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai, a 2011 actioner from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker, Takashi Miike (Blade of the Immortal13 Assassins, Terra Formars).

The film stars Ebizo Ichikawa (Space Battleship Yamato), Koji Yakusho (The World of Kanako), Hikari Mitsushima (Love Exposure), Naoto Takenaka (Enter the Fat Dragon) and Munetaka Aoki (Rurouni Kenshin).

Hara-Kiri tells the story of a samurai who arrives at the doorstep of his feudal lord, requesting an honorable death by ritual suicide. The lord threatens him with the brutal tale of Motome, a young ronin who made a similar request, only to meet a grisly end. Undaunted, the samurai begins to tell a story of his own, with an Continue reading

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Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure, The (2022) Review

"The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure" Theatrical Poster

“The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure” Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Jung-Hoon
Cast: Kang Ha-Neul, Han Hyo-Joo, Lee Kwang-Soo, Kwon Sang-Woo, Chae Soo-Bin, Sehun, Kim Sung-Oh,  Park Ji-Hwan, Kim Ki-Doo, Maeng Sang-Yul, Kim Dae-Han, Park Hoon, Lee Jung-Hyun, Han Jae-Young
Running Time: 125 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

It’s debatable if anyone was clamouring for a sequel to 2014’s slight but entertaining high seas adventure The Pirates, made in the wake of Hollywood’s successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which at the time had concluded its 4th outing with 2011’s On Stranger Tides. While The Pirates sometimes wore the Pirates of the Caribbean influence on its sleeve a little too obviously, in 2022 the box office appeal of pirate ships and the colourful characters that populate them dissipated a long time ago. However here we are, with The Last Royal Treasure hitting cinema screens as part of Korea’s 2022 Lunar New Year offerings.

The road to screen has been a rocky one (or perhaps I should say hasn’t been plain sailing), with the original intention for The Last Royal Treasure to be a direct sequel to the 2014 original. Things quickly began to run aground though when the original stars Son Ye-jin and Kim Nam-gil both jumped ship, leaving the project adrift. With a studio keen to plough on, script writer Cheon Seong-il (one third of the original The Pirates script writing team) rewrote the story to be one featuring a completely new set of characters, and filming finally began in the summer of 2020. That wasn’t the end of The Last Royal Treasure’s woes though, with the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in the release getting delayed from its original slot during 2021’s Chuseok Festival, before finally arriving Continue reading

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Invincible (2020) Review

"Invincible" Theatrical Poster

“Invincible” Theatrical Poster

Director: Daniel Zirilli
Cast: Johnny Strong, Marko Zaror, Vladimir Kulich, Sally Kirkland, Michael Paré, Paul Kennedy, Jason Archilla, David Blazejko, Paul Collett, Nick Khan, Natalie Lorence, May Myat Noe, Ron Smoorenburg
Running Time: 92 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

Whatever happened to Johnny Strong? After supporting roles in the likes of The Fast and the Furious and Black Hawk Down, his leading role in the 2010 flick Sinners and Saints had some speculating there was a new DTV action star on the block. Trained in multiple martial arts styles, willing to do his own stunts, and well, that name, it certainly seemed possible, however for whatever reason it just didn’t happen. A rumoured sequel to Sinners and Saints never get off the ground, and while he’d re-team with director William Kaufman for 2016’s apocalyptic zombie actioner Daylight’s End, other than that the next 10 years would consist of unremarkable bit parts and little else. So it’s somewhat of a surprise to see him suddenly re-appear almost on the dot a whole decade later to headline Invincible.

Not only is he headlining, he’s also contributed some tunes to the soundtrack, and he’s one of the scripts co-writers. You could almost say this is the movie Johnny Strong has been waiting to make. Along for the ride is another guy who’s never really made it as big as many thought he would, the Latin Dragon himself Marko Zaror. In the same year that Strong would headline Sinners and Saints, Zaror was cast as the main villain for Scott Adkins to face off against in Undisputed III: Redemption. It was a career high performance, and he’s never looked as good as he did facing off against Boyka (not even in a re-match against Adkins in 2017’s Savage Dog), so Invincible provides Continue reading

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Stanley Tong, Wang Bao Qiang, Spiritwalker and a Big Octopus: Here’s what’s on Hi-YAH for the month of March!


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 March, 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 titles Continue reading

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Michael Jai White teams up with Jeff Fahey, Antuone Torbert and Chad Michael Collins in ‘Dead Zone’

"Never Back Down: No Surrender" Japanese DVD Cover

“Never Back Down: No Surrender” Japanese DVD Cover

We’ll soon be seeing cult martial arts star Michael Jai White (Triple Threat, Accident Man, Never Back Down: No Surrender) in Automatic Entertainment’s Dead Zone, an upcoming action thriller directed by Hank Braxtan and produced by Michael Lurie (Ninja Apocalypse), Jeffrey Giles (Pound of Flesh) and Tarkan Dospil (Chemical Peel).

The plot follows an elite team of soldiers who, to stop the collapse of humanity, descend on a radiation-poisoned town and perform the ultimate stealth mission using high-tech armor and weapons. But they need to be careful – with hell on Earth, they may just meet the devil (via Deadline).

Dead Zone also stars Chad Michael Collins (Sniper: Reloaded), Jeff Continue reading

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Invincible | DVD (Lionsgate)

Invincible | DVD (Lionsgate)

Invincible | DVD (Lionsgate)

RELEASE DATE: March 8, 2022

Lionsgate Home Entertainment is releasing Invincible (read our review) on DVD, On Demand and Digital. The film is the latest actioner from filmmaker Daniel Zirilli (Steven Seagal’s The Asian Connection) that stars Chilean martial arts star Marko Zaror (Redeemer, Savage Dog) and Johnny Strong (Sinners and Saints).

At a secret military site, injured soldier Brock is treated with advanced nanotechnology that turns him into an uncontrollable killing machine. Sent to stop the threat, security agent Cam is badly injured in a battle with Brock. To save his life, Cam must be implanted with the same technology that turned Brock psychotic and invincible. Will Cam gain the power to stop Brock, or will he become a lunatic menace himself? Intense hand-to-hand combat brings Continue reading

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