Jackie Chan and Jet Li have fulfilled their long-awaited on screen collaboration and “The Forbidden Kingdom” is pretty satisfying both of their fans, which could be seen from the result of the U.S domestic box office alone that has banked $52 million. With the rating that set on PG-13, their film also proved as a very family friendly movie compared to its lot of action-intense martial arts scenes. As everyone known, with only Jet Li and Jackie Chan have been paired for the first ever on one screen had made this film as a must see for everyone, but the director Rob Minkoff not just simply throw both of them together in this full martial arts film. He and the screenwriter John Fusco, also the fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping from Crouching Tiger/Matrix trilogy, had crafted a magical moments in this film by using both of these Kung Fu Kings legendary reputations to telling a very entertaining, crowd-pleasing, action-fantasy fairy tale. Now, the film that a remade-up version to Chinese most legendaries folklore “Journey to the West” is accessible for your home cinema collection. “The Forbidden Kingdom” will release in two-disc special edition + digital copy DVD
on September 9, 2008.
In the film, an immortal known as the Monkey King (Jet Li), is turned to stone by the malicious Jade Warlord (Collin Chou). Without his magic staff by itself, the Monkey King is destined to remain forever as the prisoner. A prophecy states that every 500 years someone is sent on a quest to return the prized pole and the story taking us back to our time where we were introduce to Jason (Michael Angarano), a friendless high school boy who really admired kung fu movies. He finds comfort hanging out in a Chinatown store browsing for forgotten martial arts films and chatting with its elderly, the shop owner (Jackie Chan). At the back of the old store, Jason finds an antique bowstaff which, when trouble starts, magically propels him back through time to an ancient, forgotten China where characters of myth and legend walk the Earth. Lost and out of his element, Jason meets two ancient fighting masters, a drunken Kung Fu master named Lu Yan (Jackie again) and a pious monk named Lan Cai He (Li again). Both of them, also with the help of the taciturn Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei) who has a personal vendetta of her own, will take the white boy under their wing and guide him down a path which will not only returning the magic staff to its true owner and defeats the evil warlord, but also send him home. Needless to say, the Jade Warlord doesn't want Jason to deliver the staff, so he sends out his soldiers and three highly skilled fighters led by the wicked witch Ni Chang (Li Bingbing) to intercept it and make life miserable for everyone in the vicinity.
Product Configurations:
•Format: 2-Disc Keep Case, AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, Special Edition, Widescreen Anamorphic, NTSC, Audio Track 2: Commentary by Rob Minkoff and John Fusco
•Language: English
•Subtitles: English, Spanish
•Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
•Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
•Number of discs: 1
•Rating: PG-13
•Studio: Lions Gate
•DVD Release Date: September 9, 2008 (Save your Copy!)
•Run Time: 104 minutes
FIND OUT MORE...
Being a fantasy-horror that (very) loosely based or also could be tagged as a reversal version of the Brother Grimm’s famous fairy tale with the same title, “Hansel and Gretel” is a very daring and imaginative creation of Yim Pil-seong, a director that raise his name with the 2005 debut film “Antarctic Journal”. With this film, he just twisted the fairy tale to modern day Korea and used the idea of strange forest and house to explore deep into the dark side of human psyche and imagination. Basely on its creeps aura and some grisly graphic sequences, so don’t be tricked with the sweet title or the cute faces of young actors on this film, because this movie absolutely not a children suited film but was made for a mature audiences. Director Yim has stated that the original idea for “Hansel & Gretel” came from the simple premise of “What if Hansel & Gretel couldn’t find their way out of the woods?” and this is also what he had explained about the children theme in this movie, “Children these days are prone to many dangers. Although the (violence) concerning the children may have been extreme, I wanted to portray (their) pain and circumstances.'' With the help of art director Ryoo Seong-hee who also in charge for the art of “Old Boy” and “The Host”, Seong had created every scene of “Hansel and Gretel” look like they just came out of a children’s book with mystery and illusion, but if you observes it more deeper then you can find an uncomfortable and horrifying ambiance that lied beneath its brightness and colorful appearance. This atmospheric and at times surreal fantasy horror is finally will available on DVD on September 3rd.
The fairy tale began when a young man named Eun-soo (Chun Jeong-myoung – “Les Formidables”) get lost in the middle of nowhere after he has a car accident while arguing over the phone with his girlfriend. A mysterious girl found him and then led Eun-soo to her home, deep in the heart of a forest. She lives in a very beautiful house with her parents and two siblings, their rooms are filled with a myriad of colorful toys and lot of delicious cookies, somewhat of a children’s paradise, the house was seems like a very cozy place to live. But that’s one thing to imagine and another to actually live through, a strange crying sound that appears to come from the attic, the phone that doesn’t work and whenever Eun-soo tries to leave, the forest always brings him back to the “Happy Children’s Home.” He soon realizes there’s something wasn’t right with the cozy sanctuary and to make matters worse, the parents disappear one day and the kids give an unbelievable answer on their whereabouts. With all the strange facts, Eun-soo notice a mysterious secret exists with these children, the eldest, Man-seok (Eun Won-jae – “Happy Time”) who has a perilous temper out of shape for a child, his younger sister Yeong-hi (Sim Eun-kyung - “Hwang Jin Yi”) who has a bad habit of sleepwalk and the little one Jeong-sun (Jin Ji-hee) who repeatedly tortures her dolls. The Eun-soo’s fears increase as a few days later, an odd couple arrives at the children’s home and he becomes torn, having to guard the children from these unreliable strangers while watching out for his own life. When Eun-soo finally discovers a way to escape from his trapped which is written on a fairy tale book, but the book tells a story of none other than himself.
DVD Info:
Product Title: Hansel and Gretel (First Press Limited Edition DVD)
Region Code: 3 - South East Asia (including Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taiwan)
Language: Korean
Subtitles: Korean, English
Publisher: CJ Entertainment
Number of Discs: 2
Release Date: 2008-09-03 (Save your copy)
This edition comes with the following special features:
• Making Of Hansel and Gretel
• Making Of Art and Setting
• Deleted Scenes with Commentaries
• Interview with Musical Director Lee Byung Woo
• Computer Graphics
• Short Film Mobile starring Park Hye Il
• Sneak Preview and Theatrical Trailer
(Source: YesAsia)
FIND OUT MORE...
Japan’s most prolific director, Takashi Miike is back to shaking your home cinema experience with his latest and the biggest box office hit ever, the manga adaptation “Crows: Episode 0” (Crows Zero). Unlike his previous jobs which kind of more celebrated, controversial and arty such in “Ichi the Killer”, “Sukiyaki Western Django”, and “One Missed Call”, “Crows” is decisively Miike’s commercial mode, and he handles his source material exceptionally well, carrying a wellness blend of edgy comedy and crowd-pleasing comic book roughhousing. The whole movie is about in one simple line: a group of high school guys rough it out to become the ultimate gang leader, within many feuds, betrayals and heated arguments along the way, Miike did not forget to include his stylized violence too. The plot of Takahashi Hiroshi's bestselling manga also takes Miike to his familiar territory and he cuts through the subject matter at high-octane speed for a stylized, action-packed, and entertaining schoolyard brawl of a movie. “Crows Zero″ turns out to be one of the better manga adapted live action movies made to date. Miike definitely had his wild stamp placed in the movie, while his other stamp which is the ability to defy categorization is just as evident.
Delving into the hyper-stylized world of feuding high school gangs, “Crows Zero” actually takes place before the events of the manga (hence the title), setting up the origins and rivalries of the iconic characters.
Genji (Shun Oguri) is a new transfer student at the infamous Suzuran High aka the School of Crows, the roughest of rough high schools in Japan. With that kind of reputation, it’s apparent that Genji didn’t transfer to Suzuran to obtain a better education. Somewhat, his father Hideo assured Genji that he could succeed him as the crime boss of the Ryuseikai Yakuza gang if he is able to take leadership over Suzuran High. Thus Genji begins enrollment at Suzuran High with one goal in mind: to become the school’s undisputed leader.The reigning king of Suzuran High is Tamao Serizawa (Takayuki Yamada) and his group the Serizawa gang. Tamao notices Genji immediately, when Genji beats up members of a rival yakuza gang that came to school to settle a beef with Tamao. A new rival to Tamao indeed has landed at the School of Crows. Unfortunately for Genji, what he has in fighting skills is offset by his lack of diplomatic skills or the ability to lead. Individually he can take out the best of them, but at Suzuran High numbers are just as important. Thus to challenge the Serizawa gang, Genji must unite rival factions to make any serious challenge to the Serizawa gang. Genji then turns to Ken, one of the low-level yakuza members that came to school on his first day at school, for advice on uniting the different factions. Although Ken is a bumbling low-level Yakuza member, he was a former student of Suzuran High and is able to provide the minimum guidance necessary for Genji to challenge the Serizawa gang. Now a showdown for the ages is set to occur at Suzuran High.
Showdown Score: 8 stars out of 10
Product Information:
Product Title: Crows Episode 0 (Taiwan Version DVD / 2-Disc Edition)
Director: Takashi Miike
Casts: Shun Oguri, Takayuki Yamada, Motoki Fukami, Meisa Kuroki, Dai Watanabe
Region Code: 3 - South East Asia (including Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taiwan)
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: Traditional Chinese, English
Picture Format: NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78 : 1
Sound Information: Dolby Digital 5.1
Disc Format(s): DVD-9, DVD
Duration: 130 (mins)
Release Date: 2008-08-08 (Order the DVD)
This two-disc edition comes with the following special features:
• Making Of
• Press Conference
• Preview Screening
• Trailer
• Still Gallery
Source: YesAsia
FIND OUT MORE...
Angelica Lee (also known as Sum Kit Lee or Lee Sin-Je) is a Malaysian songbird, who has become a successful pop singer in Taiwan. In 1999 she made her feature film debut in the Hong Kong film “The Sunshine Cops,” followed by 2001’s “Betelnut Beauty” & “Princess D”. What made her then become an internationally-acclaimed actress is after she starred in “The Eye” (a.k.a. Jian Gui), the hit Asian horror film by the Pang Brothers. She won the Best Actress awards for “The Eyes” in 2003 at Hong Kong Film Festival, Hong Kong Golden Bauhinia Awards and Taiwan Golden Horse Awards, making her one of the rare triple winning movie awards winner. She is also among the very few Asian artists to be awarded as Berlin Film Festival Best Newcomer Awards in 2004 for her role in “Betelnut Beauty.” Angelica who has a capability of speaks five languages and dialects which are Mandarin, Hokkien, Malay, Cantonese and English, is now engaged to director Oxide Pang, they have been together for the past seven years and are currently staying together in Hong Kong. Get in to the real subject; here I will preview two of the latest films of this talented beautiful actress which have released on the home cinema version, Pang Bros’ “Re-Cycle” and Tsui Hark’s “Missing”.
Re-Cycle
After stand out with their biggest hit together, “The Eye,” the identical twins director Pang Bros reunites with Angelica
Lee in this film. “Re-Cycle” is quite easily the strongest film from them since their breakout hit.
With great visuals, decent scares and a fresh concept, Lee is giving a performance that is every bit as great as what she has done in "The Eye". The film depends on her reactionary skills and Lee doesn't disappoint with her very convincing performance. The direction goes from the slow-reveal to a heart pounding chase sequence and the actress does a great job in conveying the needed emotions.
Lee stars as Ting Yin, a successful romance novelist struggling with a new genre, stricken with a case of writer's block so severe that she can't even get out of the starting blocks on her new supernaturally themed novel, doing little more than scribble rough character ideas on a sheet of paper to just crumple it in disgust and throw it away. The pressure is mounting on her thanks to her publisher announcing the book prematurely and the re-emergence of a long gone boyfriend - the motivation for her previous romance novels who she has tried hard to forget - so when she begins to experience a string of strange phenomena she is tempted to put it down to simple stress. But as the strange events continue to escalate she begins to notice striking similarities to discarded ideas from her novel Petrified, she takes leave of her apartment, only to find herself in a post-disaster Earth – Crumbling buildings abound, and devoid of all humans, bar a horde of zombie-like figures. Soon it is revealed to Ting-yin that this world is not her own, but a world of the abandoned; a world in which discarded things reside, and are thereafter taken by an occurrence known only as ‘the Re-Cycle’. Ting-yin befriends a young girl along the way, who says that she will accompany her to ‘the Transit’, a place unseen by the girl, but of which she is sure exists. The Transit (Ting-yin’s only passage home) is difficult to reach however, and many-a-problem is encountered during the girls’ pilgrimage.
Angelica Lee had plenty of room to showcase her acting skills - being frightened to her wits end, sharing emotional scenes, smelling of desperation or be it in a state of bewilderment, she carries the movie forward aptly, despite slower moments during certain sequences.
Re-Cycle DVD
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: Cantonese
Subtitles: English
Region: All Regions
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Image Entertainment
DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008 (Pre-order the DVD)
Run Time: 109 minutes
Also available on Re-Cycle [Blu-ray]
Missing
Angelica Lee continues seeing ghost in this eerie effort of Hong Kong Cinema master Tsui Hark. Half of the filming process that has been done under the ocean, made Lee found new play area to showcase her delightful acting.
Inspired by a documentary about an amazing Yonaguri lost city that sank into the sea 10,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age. The film was shot on location at the sunken city that lying between Taiwan and Japan and was discovered in 1986.
Noted underwater photographer Dave Chen (Guo Xiao Dong) plans a romantic rendezvous. He’s taking his beloved Jing Gao (Angelica Lee) to the mysterious ancient ruins which are 10,000 years old. These ruins, located off Yonaguni Island, at the westernmost tip of Japan, are Dave’s passion, his life’s work. Many years ago, Dave had hidden an engagement ring there, vowing to return someday to propose to the woman of his dreams. His dream comes true. He’s about to propose to Jing Gao underwater in the mysterious ruins. Dave’s sister, Helen (Isabella Leong), a neighbour and friend of Jing Gao’s is present to share their happy moment. But instead, she implores her brother to reconsider, to wait... Undeterred, Dave dives into the ruins after Jing Gao...Just then, a freak accident befalls him; he disappears without a trace. Shortly afterwards, a decapitated corpse of a man is found. His identity – inconclusive despite DNA matching. Dave’s disappearance unleashes a train of events...Heartbroken and shattered, Jing Gao rapidly spirals off into another world, haunted by phantoms, apparitions and the eerie appearance of a glass numbered 1016. In desperation she turns to Simon and at his suggestion resorts to some unusually extreme means to find Dave. Meanwhile, Helen believes Dave’s remains have been swept by the currents to nearby Turtle Island, Taiwan. She searches for his remains there and discovers Helen’s camcorder and a head in the surrounding waters. Helen brings them back to Hong Kong. To her horror, the camcorder contains footage of that fatal dive. Jing Gao holds the key to Dave’s disappearance. As the pieces of Dave’s disappearance emerge, the truth slips further and further away...
Missing (Hong Kong Version DVD Region 3)
Audio Format: Dolby Digital EX(TM), THX Surround EX(TM), DTS-ES Discrete 6.1
Video Format: Widescreen 1.85:1(Anamorphic)
Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese
Subtitles: English, Chinese
Region Code: 3
Year Made: 2008
Running Time: 117 Minutes
Release Date: July 31, 2008 (Order the DVD)
Publisher: Deltamac (HK)
Special Features:
- Commentary
- Trailers
- Making of
- Shooting Diaries
- Interviews
FIND OUT MORE...
“Shamo” is a Hong Kong hard core fight movie adapted from a Japanese manga by Hashimoto Izo. While mainly the filmmakers are from Hong Kong, the flick is financed largely with Japanese funds, made an entertaining mix of Japanese and Hong Kong pop culture nowadays. The director is Cheang Poi Soi, who made last year’s popular violent action movie “Dog Bite Dog,” continued his previous style; “Shamo” is also exploring the very dark themes about violent tale of madness, revenge, and the will to survive. HK teen heartthrob Shawn Yue (Infernal Affairs 2, In Love With The Dead) adds to his various filmography by taking on the demanding lead role, and is attached by Francis Ng (The Mission), Bruce Liang (Kung Fu Hustle), Annie Liu (Exodus), Dylan Kuo (Taiwanese drama The Outsiders), Japanese kickboxer Masato (Lethal Ninja), and Terri Kwan (Turn Left, Turn Right). Sameway Productions who produced this film are one of the most interesting and compelling outfits working in Hong Kong today. Their visual aesthetic is compelling and unique and they show an admirable willingness to lay it all on the line telling extreme stories just like in “Shamo” which told with skewed angles, unexpected art direction, and more than a little creative craziness. The company is keep pushing Hong Kong cinema in a powerful and energetic direction.
Shawn Yue stars as Ryo Narushima, a Japanese teen imprisoned in a harrowing juvenile detention center for killing both of his parents in particularly vicious way. Ryo seems strangely timid for a multiple murderer on entering prison, however, and is immediately targeted by more established inmates for extreme humiliation, ranging from beatings to a graphic gang rape, all of it tacitly approved by the prison warden who would much rather see Ryo dead than reformed. Possible salvation for Ryo comes in the form of the prison’s karate instructor, Kenji Kurokawa (Francis Ng) an eccentric person who helps him to stand up for himself and weather the storm until he finally is freed from prison having acquired an impressive set of fighting skills and a burning desire to never be victimized or looked down upon again. The training actually gives Ryo the will to live and made he become a human weapon. Once he leaves prison, he decides to test his skills in the extreme fighting tourney Lethal Fight, challenging reigning champ Naoto Sugawara (Masato) to a winner-take-all match. But Ryo is still searching for his missing younger sister, Natsumi (Pei Pei, Dog Bite Dog), who descended into prostitution after Ryo was jailed. During his search, Ryo chances upon another prostitute, Megumi (Annie Liu), who comforts him and gives him the strength to move forward, leave his past behind, and battle for his ultimate goal: defeating Sugawara in the Lethal Fight championship.
Product Detail:
Product Title: Shamo (DVD) (US Version)
Audio Format: DD 5.1, DTS
Video Format: 1.78 : 1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese
Subtitles: Traditional Chinese, English, Simplified Chinese
Region Code: All Region
Release Date: 2008-07-31 (Order the DVD)
DVD Publisher: Tai Seng Video (US)
FIND OUT MORE...
