Tomu Uchida’s 1965 Japanese thriller ‘A Fugitive from the Past’ coming to Blu-ray from Arrow

A Fugitive from the Past | Blu-ray (Arrow)

A Fugitive from the Past | Blu-ray (Arrow)

On September 25, 2022, Arrow is releasing the Blu-ray (Region A) for A Fugitive from the Past, a classic 1965 Japanese thriller from Tomu Uchida (Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji, The Mad Fox).

Read the official details:

Considered the magnum opus of the five decades-long career of Tomu Uchida, the epic crime drama A Fugitive from the Past was voted third in the prestigious Kinema Junpo magazine’s 1999 poll of the Top Japanese Films of the 20th Century.

In 1947, a freak typhoon sends a passenger ferry running between Hokkaido and mainland Japan plunging to the ocean depths, with hundreds Continue reading

Posted in News |

Deal on Fire! Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits | Only $61.47 – Expires soon!

Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits | Blu-ray (Criterion)

Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits | Blu-ray (Criterion)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Criterion Collection’s Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits, a 7-disc set that includes The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon and Game of Death, plus a load of New and previously released features.

Read the official details below:

In the early 1970s, a kung fu dynamo named Bruce Lee side-kicked his way onto the screen and straight into pop-culture immortality. With his magnetic screen presence, tightly coiled intensity, and superhuman martial-arts prowess, Lee was an icon who conquered both Hong Kong and Hollywood cinema, and transformed the art of the action film in the process. This collection brings together the five films that define the Lee legend: furiously exciting fist-fliers propelled by his innovative choreography, unique martial-arts philosophy, and whirlwind Continue reading

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

How to Vet Someone if You’re Considering Dating Them

In years past, you might meet someone at school and start dating them. Perhaps you’d meet them in high school and eventually marry them. Maybe you’d meet in college and stay with that person after you both graduated.

You might meet someone if a friend set you up with them, or maybe you’d encounter someone at your job who you found attractive. You could meet someone at a bar or a party.

You can still start a relationship with someone in one of these ways, but now, dating apps and websites are all the rage. You might sign up for one of them and match with a person. After chatting with them for a while, you’ll decide you want to meet in person.

Before you do, you might want to try a free person search. You can also do one if you’ve dated a person for a while but want to learn more about them.

Why Should You Vet a Person You’re Dating?

You might feel like you’re paranoid if you check up on a person before you date them or after you have gone out with them a few times. It’s never a bad idea to learn more about a person before you trust them, though.

An information.com free person search can help you if you want to learn more about someone before you date them or once you’ve hung out with them once or twice. All you’ll need to do is type in their first and last name, plus any additional information you can find out about them.

If you don’t bother learning about a person, you won’t know if they have anything in their background that suggests you should watch out for them. For instance, maybe you’ll find out they went to jail for fraud. If you’re a wealthy individual, you might suspect that this person wants to get close to you because they know you have money, a nice home, cars, etc.

What Else Can You Find Out When You Vet Someone?

You can learn that the person you’re dating has a family already. Maybe they married someone years ago, and they’re still together. If so, this individual might want to use you for sex, but they don’t intend to have a serious romantic relationship with you.

You may discover that they lied about graduating from a particular college. Maybe they said it to seem smarter or more worldly. You should know that this person lied to you because if they misrepresented themselves about one thing, they might do it in other areas as well.

You might find out that this person has an extensive criminal record. They may be on the sex offender registry. If they abused children in the past, and you have kids of your own, maybe they’re dating you to try to get close to them.

You may find out this person spent time in jail for killing someone. Maybe they have several drunk driving arrests on their record, and you find that information troubling. There’s no limit to what you may discover if you do a simple person search before allowing yourself to develop deeper feelings for this individual.

What Should You Do After the Person Search?

Once you’ve conducted the free person search and looked at the results, you can decide what to do based on what you find. If you learn there’s nothing troubling about this individual, then presumably, you can continue dating them if you feel there’s a spark. If you find out something you don’t like, but you don’t feel like it’s bad enough to simply cut the person off with no preamble, you might give them a chance to explain themselves.

They might ask why you conducted the person search, but you don’t have to get defensive about that. Just about anyone reasonable would understand why you did it. You’re trying to keep anyone toxic from entering your life, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

If the person speaks frankly about what you found, and the explanation satisfies you, you’re probably fine to keep dating them to see if you’re compatible. If you feel like you can’t get past what you learned, even after this person’s explanation, you might terminate the relationship right there.

You should be with someone who doesn’t make you feel uncomfortable or afraid. You can find out whether the new person in your life fits those qualifications when you do a free person search.

Posted in News |

Broker (2022) Review

"Broker" Theatrical Poster

“Broker” Theatrical Poster

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda 
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona, Lee Ji-eun, Lee Joo-young, Park Ji-yong, Im Seung-soo, Kang Gil-woo, Lee Moo-saeng, Ryu Kyung-soo
Running Time: 129 min. 

By Paul Bramhall 

There are those filmmakers out there whose cinematic identity feels distinctly attached to the country that they hail from. Akira Kurosawa will always be associated with Japanese cinema much the same way Jean Luc-Godard will always be associated with French cinema. So it’s always interesting when we see such filmmakers venture further afield. In the Asian film industry, such ventures tend to inevitably involve an excursion into Hollywood, whether it be Wong Kar-Wai’s My Blueberry Nights from 2007, or Park Chan-wook’s Stoker from 2013.

What makes Broker unique in this world of cross-cultural pollination, is that it sees a Japanese director at the helm of a Korean production. While there have been examples of Japanese and Korean collaboration before in recent years, 2016’s Colonel Panics springs to mind directed by Cho Jin-seok with an all-Japanese cast, it remains a rare occurrence. Here it’s Hirokazu Kore-eda (The Third Murder, Still Walking) in the director’s chair, an auteur already firmly established as a master of meditative family themed dramas in his homeland, and still hot off walking away with the Palm D’Or prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for Shoplifters. Interestingly Broker isn’t the first time for Kore-eda to venture outside of Japanese language cinema following Continue reading

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

Universal’s ‘Green Hornet and Kato’ reboot to be helmed by ‘The Invisible Man’ and ‘Upgrade’ director Leigh Whannell?

"The Green Hornet" Japanese Poster

“The Green Hornet” Japanese Poster

The Green Hornet and Kato will once again be buzzin’ and kickin’ in an entirely new Green Hornet movie that’s currently in high pre-production stage from Universal Pictures.

Leigh Whannell, who is perhaps best-known for 2018’s Upgrade and 2020’s The Invisible Man, is in negotiations to direct off a script by David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible). The upcoming film is being produced by Amasia’s Michael Helfant (The Road Within) and Bradley Gallo (Them That Follow).

“Our goal is to make a film that existing fans will love, and new fans will love to discover. With Universal, it feels like we are merging the past and the future, creating a contemporary version of the franchise that is fresh and exciting while respecting its long legacy Continue reading

Posted in News |

‘Mandalorian’ star Gina Carano is back with the ‘Straw Dogs’-like Western thriller ‘Terror on the Prairie’

"Terror on the Prairie" Poster

“Terror on the Prairie” Poster

Michael Polish, director of Mel Gibson’s 2020 thriller Force of Nature, has teamed up with yet another controversial star for an upcoming Western titled Terror on the Prairie, which will be led by MMA star-turned actress, Gina Carano (Blood and Bone, Kickboxer: Vengeance).

The film is about a pioneering family that fights back against a gang of vicious outlaws that is terrorizing them on their newly built farm on the plains of Montana (via Deadline). Judging from this plot, we’re getting some strong Straw Dogs-vibes.

Co-stars include MMA star Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone (Spenser Confidential), comedian Tyler Fischer (StartUp), Heath Freeman (Skateland) and Samaire Armstrong (The O.C.), Travis Mills (Counting Bullets) and cult action Continue reading

Posted in News |

Cruel Gun Story (1964) Review

"Cruel Gun Story" Theatrical Poster

“Cruel Gun Story” Theatrical Poster

Director: Takumi Furukawa
Cast: Jo Shishido, Chieko Matsubara, Tamio Kawaji, Shobun Inoue, Yuji Odaka, Minako Kazuki, Hiroshi Nihonyanagi, Hiroshi Kondo, Saburo Hiromatsu
Running Time: 87 min.

By Henry McKeand

In the 1960s, the Japanese studio Nikkatsu made a string of hard-edged crime thrillers that became known as “borderless action” films. They received this distinction because they borrowed from international influences, combining classic American noir and French New Wave gangster cool with elements of Japan’s own chambara samurai films to create an incendiary new subgenre. 

There’s a cold, uncaring cruelty in the Japanese crime cinema of the time that sometimes borders on sadistic. In a way, it was a sister movement to the then-burgeoning spaghetti western revolution taking place in Italy, and it was a precursor to the Italian Poliziotteschi films of the 70s. American noir could be vicious, sure, but it rarely reached the bloody heights of Nikkatsu’s 60s output. In fact, movies such as A Colt Is My Passport have more in common with the most nihilistic and hard-boiled American crime literature; it’s easy to imagine Jim Thompson and Donald Westlake getting a kick out of Joe Shishido’s countless son-of-a-bitch protagonists. Classic samurai films are talked about more today, but borderless action directors such as Takashi Nomura and Seijun Suzuki Continue reading

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

The Korean filmmaker behind ‘The Chaser’, ‘The Yellow Sea’ and ‘The Wailing’ to return for 2023’s ‘The Mink’

"Chaser" Theatrical Poster

“Chaser” Theatrical Poster

They call him Na Hong-Jin. If you’re not familiar with his name, maybe you’re familiar with his work. In 2008, he shook the world with his debut feature film, The Chaser. In 2010, he showed us that he wasn’t a one-hit wonder with The Yellow Sea. Then in 2016 came The Wailing, where Na proved his cinematic prowess while tackling the occult subgenre. So what’s next for the Na?

Apparently, his long-awaited next project is The Mink, a title that was recently announced as one of the upcoming titles from South Korean production company, Showbox Ltd.

The Mink will supposedly be another Thai/South Korean collaboration (via HC), following his work with Banjong Pisanthanakun’s 2021 horror film, The Medium. Currently, plot and casting details Continue reading

Posted in News |

Interceptor (2022) Review

Director: Matthew Reilly
Cast: Elsa Pataky, Luke Bracey, Aaron Glenane, Mayen Mehta, Paul Caesar, Belinda Jombwe, Marcus Johnson, Zoe Carides, Kim Knuckey, Deniz Akdeniz
Running Time: 92 min.

By Paul Bramhall

I have to be honest, writing about Matthew Reilly in 2022 is not something I saw coming. To give some background, way back in 2000 my friend lent me a book, handing it over with the ominous words “You have to read this.” The book was called Ice Station, the second novel penned by Reilly (then billed as Matt Reilly), and indeed it was like nothing I’d ever read before. A 500 plus page action adventure penned with the enthusiasm of someone who lived on a diet of Red Bull, and featuring all of the narrative logic of an over excited 10-year-old. It was, however, highly entertaining. The brazen fact that Reilly seemed to ignore every rule in the book (pun intended) when it came to narrative cohesion saw me laughing one minute (a character with a prosthetic leg detaching it to appear as if they’d been blown up), to feeling completely numb the next (a ridiculous hovercraft chase that goes on for over 30 pages!).

I read a couple more of Reilly’s subsequent novels before the constant manic energy and silliness lost its novelty, and so it was he slipped into the recesses of my memory banks. Imagine my surprise then, when in 2022 it turns out he’s stepped into the director’s chair and helmed his first feature, landing direct to Netflix in the form of Interceptor. Naturally, curiosity got the better of me. While I was aware many of Reilly’s novels have had the rights purchased by various studios, it’s less of a surprise that none of them have made it to the screen, more than likely due to the fact it’d require a mega budget to realise the action sequences. So it is here we get a stripped-down action Continue reading

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

Blonde Fury, The | aka Lady Reporter (1989) Review

"Lady Reporter" International Poster

“Lady Reporter” International Poster

Director: Meng Hoi
Cast: Cynthia Rothrock, Chin Siu Ho, Meng Hoi, Elizabeth Lee Mei Fung, Roy Chiao, Billy Chow, Ronny Yu Yan Tai, Jeff Falcon, Vincent Lyn, Chung Fat, Tai Bo, Melvin Wong Gam San, Wu Ma, Hsiao Ho, Kwan Yung, James Tien Chun
Running Time: 90 min.

By Martin Sandison

In 1995, when I was 13, I visited my local video shop. Ah, those were the days. How I loved perusing the weird and wonderful titles. I still have dreams about it. A couple of weeks before I had rented Project A, an experience that changed my life forever. I was eager for more, and saw a title whose box delighted my eyes: Above the Law, aka Righting Wrongs. It became the first Hong Kong movie I ever owned, and I watched that video to death. I still have it, and it still works despite some tracking lines in the fight scenes. The film is still a firm favourite of mine, and many others. Containing all of the things that made Golden Age Hong Kong cinema so exciting and enrapturing, it also was a showcase for the one and only Cynthia Rothrock. As a kid seeing her kick, punch and sass her way through the movie meant she became my dream woman. I cannot wait for the forthcoming Blu-ray releases of that classic. I’ll be double-dipping, oh yes.

Righting Wrongs is a martial arts action-thriller, one that doesn’t have a lot of room for humour. For the semi-sequel The Blonde Fury, the film-makers decided to spice things up with a healthy dose of Hong Kong style laughs. An approach at turns mildly offensive and at others, due to choice subtitles, hilariously silly. The movie has the distinction of being the only effort in which Rothrock takes lead billing. In Hong Kong film history a Western female taking a lead role hadn’t happened before, and is unlikely to happen again. A wonderful achievement for this legend of action cinema.  Continue reading

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

Joey King and Veronica Ngo kick ass in a New fight clip for Hulu’s ‘The Princess’ from ‘Furie’ director Le-Van Kiet

"The Princess" Theatrical Poster

“The Princess” Theatrical Poster

Vietnamese filmmaker Le-Van Kiet (The Requin), who is perhaps best known for helming 2012’s House in the Alley and 2019’s Furie, both of which were headlined by martial arts star Veronica Ngo (The Rebel), is getting ready to unleash his 2nd English-language debut feature, The Princess.

The upcoming film stars Joey King (The Conjuring), Ivo Arakov (Full Love), Martin Taskov (The Devil’s Light) – and last, but not least – Le-Van Kiet’s frequent collaborator, Veronica Ngo (Clash).

When a strong-willed princess (King) refuses to wed the cruel sociopath, she is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower of her father’s castle. With her vindictive suitor intent on taking her father’s throne, the princess must save the kingdom.

To Western audiences, Ngo is mostly Continue reading

Posted in News |

Deal on Fire! The Monkey King: Reborn | Blu-ray | Only $4.99 – Expires soon!

The Monkey King: Reborn | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

The Monkey King: Reborn | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for the all-new anime action-adventure fantasy The Monkey King: Reborn.

Playing off the three hugely popular Monkey King live action films, The Monkey King: Reborn follows the short-tempered trickster after he is insulted while visiting a temple with his master Tang Monk. Outraged, he destroys a magical tree and accidentally releases the ancient King of Demons, who kidnaps Tang Monk as revenge for his long imprisonment. Now, Monkey King and his fellow disciples must rescue their master within three days, before the demon king regains his full power and unleashes his armies to destroy the earth.

Directed by Wang Yun Fei (4-film Yugo & Lala franchise), The Monkey King: Reborn features an all-new English dub for this Continue reading

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Paid in Blood | aka Tomb of the River (2021) Review

"Paid in Blood" Hi-YAH! Poster

“Paid in Blood” Hi-YAH! Poster

Director: Yoon Young-Bin
Cast: Yu Oh-Seong, Jang Hyuk, Park Sung-Geun, Oh Dae-Hwan, Lee Hyun-Kyun, Shin Seung-Hwan, Song Young-Kyu, Kim Jun-Bae, Lee Chae-Young, Han Sun-Hwa 
Running Time: 119 min.

By Paul Bramhall

In 2021’s Paid in Blood everything that’s old feels new again, a Korean gangster flick that harkens back to the late 90’s/early 2000’s heyday, a time when Korea practically made the gangster movie a genre of its own. Of course no amount of hacking, slashing, and getting beaten by steel pipes or planks of wood can last forever, and in more recent years the gangster genre has fallen on hard times in the Korean film industry. A result of a country whose cinematic output has become much more commercialised that it was just 20 years ago, the grit that attracted many to the likes of A Bittersweet Life and A Dirty Carnival has now been covered with a sheen of gloss, and does anyone really clock in for a glossy gangster movie?

First time director Yoon Young-bin seems to be aware of this, so has dialled back the sheen for a tale of backstabbing (often literally) and bloodthirsty ambition. A native of Gangneung, Young-bin chooses his hometown for his debut to play out in, a city that’s famous for its coffee and hosted a number of the games during the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics (both of which are referenced). The story itself takes place in 2017, 6 months before the Olympics are due to start, and involves the power struggle for ownership of a newly commissioned resort. Encompassing Continue reading

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

How Chinese culture has permeated into the world of iGaming

There is no denying that the casino scene has an increasingly Chinese flavor. Chinese-themed slot and table games are now par for the course in the iGaming industry. It’s little wonder that the western world has embraced Chinese-inspired games given the volumes of tourists that venture from east to west. Many casino operators and sites look to provide casino games that reach out to Chinese visitors and make them feel at home.

It wasn’t until the back end of the 20th century when Asian culture was broadly recognized in the western entertainment industry. Chinese movies were eventually popularized and credited in the 1980s and 1990s, winning several international awards in the process. Whether it’s Chunjie or ninja-themed, Chinese entertainment has successfully transcended the western world and it’s also infiltrated the iGaming scene.

Below we’ll explore three of the leading video slots and table games found in the leading land-based and online casinos that ooze Chinese influences.

Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow is a Chinese domino game that’s said to have originated in the 12th century. Chinese domino tiles have been reclaimed from the 12th to 14th centuries, which differ somewhat from those during the Qing Dynasty, as they were black rather than white. This trick-taking game is still enjoyed today by people in southern, central and northern China.

In 1985, a casino owner named Sam Torosian devised a poker game variant inspired by Pai Gow. The game was played using a 52-card deck of playing cards instead of conventional Pai Gow dominoes. The object of the game is for players to create five- and two-card poker hands that beat the dealer’s best “front” and “back” hands.

Mahjong Ways 2

The tile-based game of Mahjong dates back to the 1800s. Originating in China, this domino-style game became a western hit in the 20th century. In China, it helped create a sense of community and belonging. People would convene to play Mahjong in social areas at tables tailor-made for this abstract strategy game.

Mahjong Ways 2 is a celebration of this Chinese pop culture classic. The sequel of the original Mahjong Ways slot, Mahjong Ways 2 features Mahjong tiles that appear as symbols on all five reels. During any winning spin, the gold-plated Mahjong tiles convert into ‘Wild’ symbols, which can help to multiply the size of any wins. As five-reel slots go, this game does have rather less than the industry average for paylines. If you’re unfamiliar with the dynamics of slot gaming, it’s useful to find a slot-game provider and check the website for the typical average of paylines for five-reel slot gameplay. This one states anything from 25-50 paylines is the norm, even if the entire spectrum spans from 9-100 paylines.

Shen Long Mi Bao

Like Mahjong Ways 2, Shen Long Mi Bao is another video slot that has experiential Chinese elements within it. From the moment this game loads, you’ll see an impressive golden dragon that looks incredibly fierce, with bright red eyes. This is the game’s wild symbol. In Chinese culture, a dragon is seen as a source of power or good luck. The dragon is also one of the most popular years of a Chinese New Year, which brings the Chunjie theme into play.

The base game symbols within Shen Long Mi Bao also feature Chinese-inspired gems, including more dragon-based jewelry and a golden shield that remains a common celebration of the story of medieval Asia – from its artistic roots through to its religious beliefs.

Associations with Chinese culture in iGaming help to make the world feel a smaller place, giving gamers a chance to feel and experience a culture and traditions that may be new to them.

Posted in News |

An Easy Guide To Choosing An Online Casino

Every kind of business is going online nowadays, and casinos are no different. Online casinos allow their players to place bets on a wide variety of games from the comfort of their own homes. There are thousands of online casinos online, and this presents a bit of a challenge when trying to find a reputable and safe one. So as not to get overwhelmed by the sea of available options, here are some things to look out for if you want to have a fun and safe gambling experience. 

https://unsplash.com/photos/bYtIpXnzsQM

Review Their Reputation

It is unfortunately pretty commonplace for illegitimate casinos to not have over winnings to players, totally scamming them. Even so, this is not something that one should just accept as fact. The research you do before putting your money into an online casino really matters. Look at reviews and ask around on online forums. Do not forget to check the accounts of the people who only have positive things to say about a certain casino, as they might be bots or individuals with a vested interest in the entity. 

Make Sure It’s Licensed

A license gives great credibility to a casino. It means that the casino has met certain standards and guidelines in order to operate in a certain country. This ensures that betting games really are randomized and that they’re more likely to let you cash out. Also, when dealing with a licensed casino, you are able to contact a regulator in case the casino is in breach of any of those guidelines. 

It Has a Wide Variety of Games 

In order to maximize your chances of winning some money, it is best to focus on getting good at a select few games. If you have prior experience with gambling, you know it is important to use that expertise to your advantage and not let it go to waste. Although it seems like most pay-and-play casinos have a wide selection of games, you should double-check to make sure that your favorite game is on there too. You can try out something new once in a while too, but it’s good to have a signature game to come back to. 

It Has Good Customer Support

The importance of a good customer support system can not be overstated when it comes to online casinos. You might run into a problem with the website or just need some clarification on the terms and conditions. Having your concerns addressed in a timely manner will be a huge weight off your shoulders and will make you feel more comfortable in dealing with that specific casino.

https://unsplash.com/photos/Q59HmzK38eQ

Online casinos are a fun and convenient way to try your luck at some games. There is a myriad of online casinos nowadays, but so many shut down and start up on a monthly basis. That’s why you should be keen on examining certain important factors before settling on your online casino of choice. You should also make sure that your fun isn’t marred by subpar security or fraudulent websites. 

Posted in News |