Twins Effect (2003) Review

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Henry McKeand
"Twins Effect" Japanese DVD Cover

“Twins Effect” Japanese DVD Cover

Director: Dante Lam
Cast: Gillian Chung, Charlene Choi, Ekin Cheng, Josie Ho Chiu-Yee, Jackie Chan, Edison Chen Koon-Hei, Mickey Hardt, Karen Mok Man-Wai, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Chapman To Man-Chat, Bey Logan, Spencer Lam
Running Time: 107 min. 

By Henry McKeand

Vampires and Kung Fu films have a long, if troubled, history. From 1974’s Shaw Brothers/Hammer Horror co-production Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires to wacky 80s fare such as Encounters of the Spooky Kind and Mr. Vampire, the late-20th century found Sammo Hung and other action experts infusing martial arts stories with hordes of undead bloodsuckers. More specifically, these filmmakers drew upon the rich mythology of the jiangshi, or the Chinese hopping vampire. 

Practically, the most obvious difference between jiangshi and their Western counterparts is their tendency to move by leaping into the air with outstretched arms. In addition to the fight choreography potential, jiangshi films often use this hopping motion as a form of comic relief. While jiangshi are not inherently funny (and they can be frightening), these landmark films laid out a clear blueprint for success by blending horror and comedy elements.

While Hong Kong cinema was developing this new horror-comedy subgenre, Western fiction was learning to take vampires seriously for the first time in decades. Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire and a post-70s wave of sexy, stylized vampire Continue reading →

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , |

Bruce Lee is back! Alan Canvan’s ‘Game of Death Redux’ to screen at the 2022 Urban Action Showcase & Expo

Posted on August 26, 2022 by JJ Bona
"Game of Death Redux" Theatrical Poster

“Game of Death Redux” Theatrical Poster

Stay as far away from the stair way as possible! Alan Canvan’s long-awaited Game of Death Redux will be screening at the 2022 Urban Action Showcase & Expo (UASE).

The first release of Game of Death Redux (released exclusively on Criterion Collection’s 2020 boxed set Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits) showcased 23 minutes of the 1972-era Game of Death footage that was presented closely the way Bruce intended, while at the same time, keeping in-tact some of the stronger as aspects of the universally panned, pieced together 1978 film (known to fans as Game of Death ’78), such as John Barry’s acclaimed score, as well some of the film’s strong audio design.

So why is there an updated Game of Death Redux – and more importantly – what can we expect from from it? We asked Canvan ourselves, and this is what Continue reading →

Posted in News |

Steel Rain 2: Summit (2020) Review

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Paul Bramhall
"Steel Rain 2: Summit" Theatrical Poster

“Steel Rain 2: Summit” Theatrical Poster

Director: Yang Woo-Seok
Cast: Jung Woo-Sung, Kwak Do-Won, Yoo Yeon-Seok, Shin Jung-Keun, Kim Wang-Do, Ryu Soo-Young, Angus Macfadyen, John D. Michaels, Yook Hyo-Myung
Running Time: 131 min.

By Paul Bramhall

In 2017 director Yang Woo-seok helmed Steel Rain, an adaptation of his own web comic of the same name that saw Jung Woo-sung and Kwak Do-won thrown together from opposing sides of the Korean peninsula in an attempt to prevent a nuclear war. 3 years later and Woo-seok is back with Steel Rain 2: Summit, a sequel which also features Woo-sung and Do-won, and once more they’re involved in a tale that involves the threat of nuclear war and the measures that must be taken to prevent it. For those who have seen Steel Rain, the elephant in the room will of course be how exactly Woo-sung and Do-won have been brought back together, and the answer comes in the form of them playing completely different characters than they were in the original.

This isn’t the first time for a director to bring back the same cast members from the original for a thematic sequel. Director Kang Woo-seok’s bringing back of Sol Kyung-gu for 2005’s Another Public Enemy, playing a distinctly different character than he did in 2002’s Public Enemy, immediately springs to mind. Here Woo-seok maintains the theme of Steel Rain, but crafts a decidedly different take on the same material. Whereas last time Woo-sung was a North Korean agent and Do-won was the Foreign Affairs Chief for South Korea, here the actors get a chance to switch their geographical allegiances, with Woo-sung playing the President of South Korea, and Do-won a ruthless Continue reading →

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged , |

Watch the New Trailer for Lee Demarbre’s over-the-top martial arts parody ‘Enter The Drag Dragon’

Posted on August 19, 2022 by JJ Bona
"Enter The Drag Dragon" Poster

“Enter The Drag Dragon” Poster

Lee Demarbre, director of 2001’s Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter, returns with what’s being branded as “The world’s first Dragsploitation action film”.

Official details below:

From the filmmakers behind Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter, Smash Cut, and Harry Knuckles comes a brand-new chapter in Canuxploitation cinema, as Lee Gordon Demarbre invites you to Enter The Drag Dragon! Get ready to go on a Drag-Fu odyssey, filled with face-crunching action, corset-busting comedy, gut-munching horror, and soul-touching musical numbers! You’ve never experienced anything like Enter the Drag Dragon! This blast of true of independent cinema will leave you wobbly in your heels as you try to recover from Continue reading →

Posted in News |

Exciting Dragon | aka Drunken Dragon (1985) Review

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Henry McKeand
"Exciting Dragon" Poster

“Exciting Dragon” Poster

AKA: Drunken Dragon
Director: Chiu Chung Hing
Cast: Suen Kwok Ming, Chiang Sheng, Chow Mei Yee, Philip Ko Fei, Leung Kar Yan, Yeung Hung, William Yen, Ko Jan Pang, Chen Chin Hai, Lam Gwong Wing
Running Time: 94 min.

By Henry McKeand

One set piece in Chiu Chung-Hing’s Exciting Dragon (or Drunken Dragon, depending on who you ask) involves a man steering a wheeled rowboat as he fights, indoors, against two men who lay on top of one another and use a flame-thrower hat and bladed wheels to create a lethal human vehicle that can cut a man’s leg off. The “eight-year-olds with toys” quality to this scene has turned it into a minor classic amongst action fans who appreciate its unrestrained creativity and zany choreography. For kung fu fanatics who have seen almost everything and are starved for something new and fresh in the genre, the half-infamous “rowboat scene” may seem almost too good to be true. 

“Surely, this kind of gonzo spectacle is just an isolated occurrence,” I told myself. “If a movie actually managed to maintain this level of energy for its entire runtime, I would have heard of it before.”

When I pressed play on Exciting Dragon and saw that the scene arrives in the first ten minutes, I braced myself for disappointment. If Chiu was so quick to show Continue reading →

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David Leitch and Chad Stahelski’s 87North production company to remake Kara Hui’s 2016 actioner ‘Mrs K’

Posted on August 16, 2022 by JJ Bona
“Mrs K” Theatrical Poster

“Mrs K” Theatrical Poster

Writer and humorist, Mishna Wolff (Werewolves Within), who is best known for her 2009 book, I’m Down: A Memoir, is penning a remake of the 2016 Kara Hui actioner, Mrs. K.

The upcoming “re-imagining” will be produced by David Leitch and Chad Stahelski’s 87North production company. Currently, there are no filmmakers or actors attached to the project (via Deadline).

The original Mrs. K (read our review), a Malaysian-Hong Kong production, told the story of a woman (martial arts icon Kara Hui) who gives everything that she has to protect her husband and daughter when enemies from her past come hunting her. The film was directed by Ho Yuhang and co-starred Simon  Yam and Wu Bai.

We’ll keep you updated Continue reading →

Posted in News |

In the Mood for Love | 4K UHD (Criterion)

Posted on August 16, 2022 by JJ Bona
In the Mood for Love | 4K UHD (Criterion)

In the Mood for Love | 4K UHD (Criterion)

RELEASE DATE: November 1, 2022

On November 1, 2022, Criterion Collection is releasing an all-new 4K UHD for Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (read our review), starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Bullet in the Head, Europe Raiders) and Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (Police Story, New Dragon Inn).

Hong Kong, 1962: Chow Mo-wan (Leung) and Su Li-zhen (Cheung) move into neighboring apartments on the same day. Their encounters are formal and polite—until a discovery about their spouses creates an intimate bond between them.

With its aching musical soundtrack and its exquisitely abstract cinematography by Christopher Doyle (Chungking Express) and Mark Lee Ping-bin (The Assassin), this film has been a major Continue reading →

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

Day Shift (2022) Review

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Paul Bramhall
"Day Shift" Poster

“Day Shift” Poster

Director: J.J. Perry
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco, Snoop Dogg, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Meagan Good, Karla Souza, Steve Howey, Scott Adkins, Oliver Masucci, Peter Stormare
Running Time: 114 min. 

By Paul Bramhall 

One of the biproducts of the John Wick franchise being so successful is that producers are now more willing to back experienced players from the stunt community who want to have a crack at directing. When stuntmen turned directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski unleashed the original John Wick in 2014, it proved that not every action movie needed to be a superhero flick, and that there was indeed an audience for authentic action that kept things gritty and grounded. Both have gone on to have successful careers in the director’s chair, which in Stahelski’s case has included helming 3 sequels, and one of his most recent credits is producing the directorial debut of another long-time stuntman – J.J. Perry.

Anyone who’s familiar with American action cinema, particularly DTV action cinema, will have heard of J.J. Perry. Making his debut performing stunts in 1987’s They Still Call Me Bruce, Perry got his first fight choreographer credit on 2004’s long forgotten Sunland Heat, in which he replaced a certain Loren Avedon after he walked away in pre-production. Just 2 years later he’d secure his sophomore fight choreographer gig for Isaac Florentine’s Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing. Forever known as the movie which introduced Boyka to the world, a character played by British martial arts wunderkind Scott Adkins, it would lead to the pair collaborating a number of times together. Perry has Continue reading →

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

Emergency Declaration (2022) Review

Posted on August 9, 2022 by Paul Bramhall
"Emergency Declaration" Theatrical Poster

“Emergency Declaration” Theatrical Poster

Director: Han Jae-Rim
Cast: Song Kang-Ho, Lee Byung-Hun, Jeon Do-Yeon, Kim Nam-Gil, Im Si-Wan, Kim So-Jin, Park Hae-Joon, Kim Bo-Min, Hyun Bong-Sik, Seol In-A, Lee Yeol-Eum
Running Time: 141 min.

By Paul Bramhall 

The disaster movie has become something of a regular fixture in Korean cinema over the last 15 years. We’ve had colossal tidal waves in 2009’s Haeundae, towering infernos in 2012’s The Tower, nuclear meltdowns in 2016’s Pandora, and most recently the threat of unthinkable volcanic destruction in 2019’s Ashfall. Understandably, the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged 2020 and 2021 has seen film goers appetite for the disaster genre on the wane, so 2022’s Emergency Declaration hopes to recapture audiences fondness for big budget chaos by taking it to the skies.

How much sense that makes will likely depend on audiences willingness to separate fiction from reality. With a story that involves a disgruntled lab worker releasing a highly contagious virus on a packed flight to Hawaii, with so much talk of how easy a virus can spread in the confined environment, it may not exactly be what everyone wants to see as the world begins to re-open to travel. Of course everything is relative, so ultimately such concerns will likely only apply to those watching Emergency Declaration at the time of its release. What can’t be argued though is that director Han Jae-rim (The King, The Face Reader) has brought onboard an all-star heavyweight cast, and chances are many will likely check out Emergency Declaration just to see some of the biggest names in Korean Continue reading →

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Carter (2022) Review

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Paul Bramhall
“Carter” Netflix Poster

“Carter” Netflix Poster

Director: Jeong Byeong-gil
Cast: Joo Won, Lee Sung-Jae, Jung So-Ri, Kang Yoo-Ra, Camilla Belle, Mike Colter, Yeo Dae-Hyun, Shin Woo-Hee, Kim Won-Jung, Lee Ye-Joon, Jung Jae-Young
Running Time: 133 min.

By Paul Bramhall

When it comes to modern day action cinema the influence of the John Wick aesthetic is undeniable, defined by its stripped-down approach to killing, and imbued with a kinetic energy and sense of immediacy that’s become the antithesis of the CGI filled superhero movies that usually surround their releases. As much as it’s become the standard to cite the John Wick influence in many contemporary action movies, there is one man who can claim the opposite to be true, and that man is director Jung Byung-gil. A Seoul Action School alumnus, Byung-gil’s 2017 feature The Villainess contained a fight scene that took place on speeding motorbikes, a sequence which director Chad Stahelski lifted wholesale in 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. In my humble opinion, that doesn’t just make Byung-gil any man, it makes him “the man”.

The Villainess was set to be Byung-gil’s Hollywood calling card, and the following year he was announced to be directing his English language debut, a project called Afterburn that was set to star Gerard Butler. For whatever reason Afterburn never materialised, and it’s taken 5 years for another Byung-gil flick to arrive, landing in the form of 2022’s Carter courtesy of Netflix. Remaining in his native Korea, Carter is the name of the title character played by Joo Won (Fatal Intuition, Don’t Click), who in the opening scene finds himself rudely awakened by a group of gun totting CIA agents. With no memory of who he is, half naked, and a woman’s voice giving him orders Continue reading →

Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews | Tagged |

Martial arts star Gary Daniels to star in Druid Pictures’ upcoming ‘Rivals: The Loyalty of Sago Astar’

Posted on August 6, 2022 by JJ Bona
"Rivals: The Loyalty of Sago Astar" Poster

“Rivals: The Loyalty of Sago Astar” Poster

Martial arts star Gary Daniels (City Hunter, Bloodmoon) is set to star in the martial arts TV series Rivals: The Loyalty of Sago Astar, which is in development by Druid Pictures.

Read the full press release below:

In a savage post apocalyptic world where the gun has been replaced with the sword, the bullet replaced by the fist – two opposing characters from opposite worlds are forced to work together to save the people they love.

Druid Pictures is set to develop new dystopian fantasy martial art action TV series Rivals: The Loyalty of Sago Astar, starring Gary Daniels (The Expendables, Fist of the North Star), with Hollywood heavyweight Kirk Shaw (The Hurt Locker) attached as Executive Producer and Continue reading →

Posted in News |

Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind | Blu-ray (Eureka)

Posted on August 4, 2022 by JJ Bona
Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind | Blu-ray (Eureka)

Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind | Blu-ray (Eureka)

RELEASE DATE: October 3, 2022

On October 3, 2022, Eureka is releasing the Blu-ray (Region B) for 1972’s Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind, collectively directed by Huang Feng (Stoner) and starring Angela Mao, Sammo Hung, Carter Wong, Wang In Sik, Bruce Leung, Chang Yi and Pai Ying.

Official details:

Angela Mao and director Huang Feng (The Shaolin Plot) were a superstar pairing that produced an incredible series of top tier kung fu classics including Deadly China Doll, When Taekwondo Strikes and the two films presented here – Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind.

In Hapkido (aka Lady Kung Fu in the West), a group of martial artists (Mao, Sammo Hung, and Carter Wong) start their own school to teach the Korean Continue reading →

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

How to Choose a Worthwhile Online Casino: Tips for Beginners 

Posted on August 4, 2022 by JJ Bona

Gambling has grown in popularity since its introduction on the Internet. However, given the changing conditions, this form of business needs particular governmental control to protect the safety of the gaming process.

The main task of any beginner is to understand by what criteria to distinguish a reliable playground from a fraudulent one. If you want to start your gambling journey at a top establishment, we recommend Zodiac Casino in Canada. Also, in this review, you will learn how to choose another worthwhile casino that will give you the pleasure of playing and guarantee to pay out all the winnings.

Criteria for Choosing The Right Online Casino

Here are a few basic criteria by which you can choose a worthy playground:

  • License – First of all, you need to pay attention to the availability of a license. At the same time, it is important that it be issued not only by internationally recognized authoritative organizations in this area but also in the country where gambling services are provided;
  • Wide range of games – If a casino has a variety of games, then it has made a significant investment. By choosing a casino with a large assortment, you can try games from top providers such as Microgaming, NetEnt, Playtech, etc. Also, you can play both in demo mode and for real money.

Bonuses and Promotions

Also, various bonus programs and promotions can determine the top casino. So, the most common bonuses in most playgrounds are bonuses for registration, which lead to an unspoken correspondence struggle for players. A welcome bonus for registration is an accrual provided to the user for the fact of providing personal and contact information.

Types of Welcome Bonuses

In practice, there are two types of welcome bonuses – with and without a deposit.

  • Deposit bonus – It is provided after completing the registration procedure and replenishing the balance. Some casinos offer a starter package consisting of bonuses for the first few deposits, and their number can be up to ten. The amount is determined individually and most often ranges from 10 to 200% of the deposit amount. The minimum amount of replenishment is regulated by the rules of the gambling club, as well as the maximum amount of promotion;
  • No Deposit Bonus – A gift for registering at the casino, the player does not need to replenish the user’s account. Often, wagering of the provided points is required with a wager of up to 50 on average. This means you will not be able to pick up the bonus until it is wagered.

It is important to note that all bonuses must be wagered. The top venues provide a wager with x30-35 odds, allowing the player to recoup the bonus swiftly. This is another method for determining a worthwhile casino.

Posted in News |

Baby Driver, who? South Korean action-comedy ‘Seoul Vibe’ hits Netflix on August 26th

Posted on August 3, 2022 by JJ Bona
"Seoul Vibe" Netflix Poster

“Seoul Vibe” Netflix Poster

On August 26th, Netflix will stream Seoul Vibe, a 2022 South Korean action-comedy directed by Moon Hyun-Sung (The King’s Case Note) and starring Yoo Ah-In (Voice of Silence, Burning).

Seoul Vibe (read our review) revolves around a ragtag team of drivers who go undercover to dismantle a massive money-laundering ring, which happens to take place on the very day of the 1988 Seoul Olympics opening ceremony.

The film also stars Ko Gyung-Pyo (Seven Years of Night), Lee Kyu-Hyung (No Tears for the Dead), Park Ju-Hyun  (Silence), Ong Seong-Wu (Life is Beautiful), Kim Sung-Kyun (The Witness) and Jung Woong-In (Veteran).

If you haven’t already, don’t miss Continue reading →

Posted in News |

Indonesian action, Girls with Guns, Corey Yuen and more! Here’s what’s on Hi-YAH for the month of August

Posted on August 3, 2022 by JJ Bona

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 August, 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 →

Posted in News |
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