A solid, good looking action film with great fight sequences by choreographer Corey Yuen, but plot inconsistencies and a baffling conclusion don’t make the best for Chris Nahon’s live-action adaption… (more…)
Long regarded as one of the best examples of Anime, Blood: The Last Vampire is set to ignite screens alight with a whole new live-action version. Directed by Chris Nahon, responsible for the only decent Jet Li US vehicle Kiss Of The Dragon and featuring fight choreography by Li favourite Corey Yuen (So Close, Fong Sai Yuk), the film has a seriously good pedigree making it one of the most anticipated live-action adaptations of any anime ever produced.
Check out the trailer and see what you think!
We were just talking about that subway scene from the original Anime, weren’t we? And here is the new version – the opening clip from Chris Nahon’s live-action remake starring Gianna Jun. As you can’t have missed, Blood: The Last Vampire opens in UK cinemas tomorrow… Check it out, pretty close, but with a new twist. Enjoy!
(I promise – next week I won’t mention Blood. Not once…honest!)
More clips and trailers coming soon…!
With the upcoming release of the live-action version, what better time to revisit the original that started it all… (more…)
Long regarded as one of the best examples of Anime, Blood: The Last Vampire is set to ignite screens alight with a whole new live-action version. Directed by Chris Nahon, responsible for the only decent Jet Li US vehicle Kiss Of The Dragon and featuring fight choreography by Li favourite Corey Yuen (So Close, Fong Sai Yuk), the film has a seriously good pedigree making it one of the most anticipated live-action adaptations of any anime ever produced.
Blood: The Last Vampire is released in UK cinemas on 26 June 2009 by Pathe.
Well done to everyone who entered our Blood: The Last Vampire competition. Five lucky entrants will be winning a t-shirt and DVD of the original Anime, with five other entrants geting just the t-shirt. You’ll be receiving your prizes in the post soon…
For those that missed out, don’t fear, we’ll have another competition soon – so stay tuned!
A big ‘well done’ to Richard, Sarah and Lee, you’ve just won yourselves a copy of Jonathan Clements Schoolgirl Milky Crisis! (more…)
Chris Nahon’s live-action remake of anime Blood: The Last Vampire comes to DVD and Blu-ray on 12 October 2009, released by Manga. Detalis TBC.
We talk exclusively to Chris Nahon, director of Kiss Of The Dragon and the new live-action version of Blood: The Last Vampire, released Friday… (more…)
We chat to Gianna Jun, who plays the lead Saya in the new version of Blood: The Last Vampire, released this Friday… (more…)
We talk to Yuri Lowenthal, star of Jinno in Afro Samurai and Afro Samurai: Resurrection, about life as an Anime voice actor… (more…)
Novelist Kan Shimozawa’s famous blind swordsman Zatoichi, recently brought to the screen by Beat Takeshi, gets a feminine makeover courtesy Fumihiko Sori, director of Ping Pong and the Anime Vexille… (more…)
Little Red Riding Hood retold as a psychological thriller from the director of Ghost In The Shell and Patlabor – but just who exactly is the wolf? (more…)
This week sees the start of the Barbican’s annual festival focusing on the best of Korean cinema by presenting a brand new batch of box office hits, independent features and animated films from the country. Highlights this year include an exclusive Opening Night Gala Screening of the Director’s Cut of Park Chan-wook’s vampire thriller Thirst (some 10 minutes longer than the theatrical release currently screening), which will be introduced by the director himself, plus a screening of Yang Ik-june’s impressive debut feature, Breathless, followed by a Q&A session with Yang. The London Korean Film Festival 2009 will be held at the Barbican from 5th to 12th November.
» For full details, visit the Barbican website.
For Korean film fans, particularly of Park Chan-wook’s back catalogue, then this week sees the release of several notable films from Palisades Tartan on Blu-ray for the first time, including Sympathy For Mr Vengeance and Lady Vengeance, alongside Kim Jee-woon’s A Tale Of Two Sisters, recently remade as The Uninvited. (Not to be confused with the Korean film of the same name, also recently re-released by Palisades… Oh, don’t get me started!)
There’s also the DVD and Blu-ray release of the live-action version of Blood: The Last Vampire – and don’t forget you can still win a copy of the DVD here! The original animation is also released by Manga on Blu-ray today.
And if you still can’t get enough of Samurai sword slinging gore, then there’s Samurai Princess, from the creators of Tokyo Gore Police. Set in an alternative version of feudal Japan, a pair of human-android hybrids is on the rampage raping, torturing and dismembering young women in the name of “art”. Directed by Kengo Kaji (co-writer of Tokyo Gore Police), featuring special effects produced by director and FX wizard Yoshihiro Mishimura (Tokyo Gore Police, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl) and starring adult video star Aino Kishi.
(…phew! I think that’s it for this week’s releases?)
As if you didn’t have enough to do this weekend, the London MCM Expo 2009 gets under way at ExCel tomorrow. The MCM stands for Movie Comic Media, and nowhere do those two fields meet more closely than in Anime – so unsurprisingly two of the UK’s biggest labels are participating and will be there in force:
Manga UK will offering several special offers on there stand, incuding a free “Misa” figurine when you purchase any Death Note anime DVD (limited offer, while stocks last) as well as a special price promtion for Afro Samurai Director’s Cut Double Pack includes (Afro Samurai Director’s Cut and the brand new Afro Samurai Resurrection Director’s Cut). There’ll be all there latest new releases and a ’sneak peak’ at the new live-action version of Blood: The Last Vampire.
MVM Entertainment will be offering a raft of Amine title at (quote unquote) knockdown prices. They’ll be launching several titles including: first volume of Disgaea; Samurai Deeper Kyo; and Gunparade March. They’ll also be officially announcing the acquistions of three new titles, Aquarion, X and Guardian Of The Spirit (aka Moribito), as well as some hottly anticipated Amine boxsets, Gravitation, Black Lagoon and Black Lagoon 2nd Barrage.
For more information on the London MCM Expo 2009 itself, see their official website »
Chen Kaige’s The Promise finally crawls its way on to UK DVD and Blu-Ray, courtesy of Momentum Pictures. Originally released way back in December 2005 and reviewed by us shortly afterwards, it failed to spark any interest from UK distributors despite being given a limited release in the US, France, Germany, Greece, Russia – in fact just about everywhere else! Unsurprisingly Chen’s attempt to follow rival Zhang Yimou into wu xia territory met with mixed reactions. Indeed the core story itself holds a neat fable with beautifully baroque costume design (pre-empting Yimou’s Curse Of The Golden Flower), but relies perhaps a little too heavily on CGI to make it all happen.
Sadly, this is a ‘bonus feature lite’ DVD release, and worse still, it’s the edited US release, running some 20 minutes shorter. Mind you, guess better to have it than not at all (?)
Also out today, Afro Samurai: Resurrection on DVD from Manga Entertainment.
A solid, extremely well-made slice of Anime – so why does it all seem so familiar? (more…)
Origin: Spirits Of The Past is released by Manga on DVD today. Directed by Keiichi Sugiyama (Neon Genesis Evangelion), is the first full-length animated feature film made by Studio Gonzo, the Japanese anime studio responsible for the likes of Final Fantasy: Unlimited, Hellsing and She, The Ultimate Weapon.
Coming soon from Manga, Origin: Spirits Of The Past – Directed by Keiichi Sugiyama (Neon Genesis Evangelion), is the first full-length animated feature film made by Studio Gonzo, the Japanese anime studio responsible for the likes of Final Fantasy: Unlimited, Hellsing and She, The Ultimate Weapon.
“It was the best of shows. It was the worst of shows. Whenever I had to cover my tracks, I simply called it Schoolgirl Milky Crisis…” (more…)
Nearly twenty years on from the groundbreaking Akira, was director Katsuhiro Ôtomo’s first feature length anmie since really worth the wait?… (more…)
To celebrate the upcoming release of the live-action version of Blood: The Last Vampire we have five DVDs of the original Anime and t-shirts to giveaway AND five t-shirts! (more…)
To celebrate the release of Blood: The Last Vampire on DVD and Blu-ray, we have three copies to give away… (more…)
We have three copies of Jonathan Clements very entertaining Schoolgirl Milky Crisis – an insiders view of the anime and manga trade – to give away…! (more…)
