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Next Monday quite possibly the best martial arts/kung fu film ever finally makes its way on to DVD in UK! (more…)

Get your (rare) groove on with Dennis Coffey’s legendary soundtrack to the equally notorious (for all the wrong reasons!) Jim Kelly vehicle… (more…)

More than 30 years after his death, the ‘Little Dragon’ has never been more popular – but isn’t it time we left his memory alone? (more…)

As the UK gears up for the release of Chocolate, Showbox / Cine-Asia have released a new clip where the filmmakers pay affectionate tribute to the icehouse scene in Bruce Lee’s The Big Boss. The film will make its official London theatrical debut on 24th October, before being launched on DVD and Blu-Ray on 3rd November.

You can read our review of Chocolate here »

At last! After the increasing interest in Thai action film Chocolate, starring martial arts star in the making JeeJa Yanin, is on limited release in London today at the ICA Cinema, ahead of the DVD and Blu-ray release on Monday 3 November. You can see details of the screenings and book here.

Read our review of Chocolate here »

The UK release for Ong-Bak director Prachya Pinkaew’s latest have finally been officially announced. Following a couple of festival engagements during the next few weeks, the film will make its official London theatrical debut on 24th October, before being launched on DVD and Blu-Ray on 3rd November.

Chocolate introduces the latest female Muay Thai sensation, JeeJa Yanin, and is a non-stop martial arts action extravaganza about a young girl whose uncanny ability to mimic the combat skills of her heroes Tony Jaa, Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee has made her an unlikely but awesome fighting force.

You can read our review of Chocolate here »

Director Prachya Pinkaew brings us a whole new female fighting sensation in the making, JeeJa Yanin, but is it another Ong-Bak or an overly earnest disappointment like Warrior King? (more…)

The much-anticipated Chocolate, from Ong-Bak director Prachya Pinkaew and starring martial arts star in the making JeeJa Yanin, is on limited release in London cinemas today.

You can read our review of Chocolate here »

The Forbidden Kingdom, starring Jakie Chan and Jet Li, is released in UK cinemas on 9 July* 2008 by Lionsgate.

(*Originally Friday, 11 July.)

If you ever wanted to know where Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon came from you only need to know one name, King Hu. This ground breaking film, possibly one of the greatest of the martial chivalry genre, started it all… (more…)

Yep, Asia’s biggest star has had another foot in mouth moment. Seemingly endorsing China’s strict censorship policy, Jackie Chan told an audience of business leaders at a high-profile conference that the ‘Chinese need to be controlled’. Unsurprisingly his comments have sparked anger, particularly in Hong Kong and Taiwan, where legislator Huang Wei-cher said: “He himself has enjoyed freedom and democracy and has reaped the economic benefits of capitalism. But he has yet to grasp the true meaning of freedom and democracy.”

Oh boy, here we go again…

Read the full story on the Guardian Online »

Sill causing a stir with it’s Asian release, Jackie Chan’s dark, dramatic The Shinjuku Incident (banned in China!) is released on Blu-ray and two-disc DVD on 22 February by Cine Asia. Provocative, compelling and underscored with hard-hitting action, the pulse-pounding thriller, The Shinjuku Incident explodes with tension and delivers a career-defining performance from international action-superstar, Jackie Chan.

Further ahead, Cine Asia will also be releasing – through their new distribution deal with Weinstein’s US Dragon Dynasty (move over Momentum, that lasted long!) – the Jet Li classic Fist Of Legend, at last! The holy gail of Jet Li’s movies, previously unavailable in the UK outside of the (dreadful!) English dubbed release by Dimension, debuts on Blu-ray and Two-disc DVD on 22 March. Yay!!!

The new tie-up with Dragon Dynasty will also FINALLY see the release of S.P.L. aka Kill Zone – the first and undoubtedly best of the collaborations between director Wilson Yip and star/action choreographer Donnie Yen. This debuts on UK Blu-ray and two-disc DVD on 8 March.

The competition is now over and the winners will be receiving their package in the post soon. Thanks to everyone else that entered, we’ll be hosting other competitions in the future so you might be luckier next time!

Since 1999 Hong Kong Legends had released remastered versions of classics (relatively) old and new that had gained them an international reputation. But that wasn’t enough to keep them in business – why? (more…)

Yuen Biao makes a martial art out of doing the laundry, but this mashup of genres goes too far for anyone to come out clean… (more…)

Directed by Gordon Chan (The Medallion; Beast Cops) and starring martial arts superstar Jet Li (The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor; The Forbidden Kingdom; Fearless; Hero), Fist Of Legend gets the Ultimate Edition treatment courtesy of Cine Asia with an extra features-packed Blu-ray and two-disc DVD release on 22nd March 2010.

A stunning reinvention of Bruce Lee’s timeless 1972 classic, ‘Fist of Fury’, Fist Of Legend delivers scene upon scene of intense and magnificently composed martial arts action for what is now considered by many to be the greatest kung fu movie of all time.

In the most electrifying performance of his celebrated career, international superstar Jet Li plays Chen Zhen, the matchless number-one student of China’s preeminent kung fu master, Fok Yun-gap. Upon returning home to Shanghai after a period of study abroad, he discovers that his homeland has been devastated by a brutal Japanese occupation and that his once proud martial arts academy has fallen into disarray following the untimely demise of his beloved Master, allegedly in a challenge match with a member of the Japanese Black Dragon Clan.

Disgusted by the official verdict on his teacher’s death, Chen embarks on a heroic and uncompromising one-man quest to uncover the true killer and restore dignity to his fallen people – a journey that will bring him into deadly confrontation with Japan’s most formidable fighters.

Showcasing exceptional action-choreography from ace martial arts director, Yuen Woo-ping (The Matrix Trilogy and Kill Bill), Fist Of Legend is a brilliant martial arts masterpiece that justifiably has been awarded iconic status by fans and critics worldwide.

Fist Of Legend (cert. tbc) will be released on DVD (£17.99) and Blu-ray (£24.99) by Cine Asia on 22nd March 2010.

Special Features include: audio commentary by Hong Kong Cinema expert Bey Logan; ‘The Man Behind The Legend’ – an exclusive interview with director Gordon Chan; ‘Brothers In Arms’ – an exclusive interview with kung fu impresario Chin Siu-ho; ‘The Way Of The Warrior’ – an exclusive interview with Japanese action legend Kurata Yasuaki; ‘The School Of Hard Knocks’ – a screen fighting seminar at the celebrated Kurata Action School; a look at ‘Fist Of Legend’ with director Brett Ratner and critic Elvis Mitchell; deleted scenes gallery; trailer gallery; DTS HD MA English 5.1 audio (Blu-ray); Dolby Digital Cantonese 2.0 Stereo, Mandarin 2.0 Stereo and English 5.1 audio options (DVD); optional English subtitles.

Winner of the Best Action Choreography Award at the 2006 Hong Kong Film Awards and hailed by Variety as “a must see” for martial arts and action movie fans, the action-thriller Kill Zone comes to Blu-ray and DVD (as a two-disc Ultimate Edition) in March packed with special features that include behind the scenes featurettes, plus exclusive interviews with the stars and filmmakers.

Directed by Wilson Yip and featuring the work of many of the creative talents who helped him in bringing ‘Ip Man’, ‘Flashpoint’ and ‘Dragon Tiger Gate’ to the screen, Kill Zone stars Donnie Yen (Ip Man; An Empress And The Warriors), Simon Yam (Ip Man; Triangle), Sammo Hung (Three Kingdoms; Kung Fu Hustle; The Medallion) and Jacky Wu (Invisible Target; Fatal Contact) and combines hard-hitting martial arts action with gritty police thriller conventions.

Finally apprehended by veteran detective Chan Kwok Chung (Yam) after years of ruling the Hong Kong underworld, brutal gangster Wong Po (Hung) manages to escape justice by arranging the execution of the prosecuting attorney and the witnesses who could have sealed his fate and kept him behind bars. As Po walks free, the soon-to-retire Chan is diagnosed with terminal cancer and, with nothing left to lose, persuades his team of detectives to bring down their nemesis no matter what the cost.

However, their plans to operate outside the law are uncovered by Chan’s future replacement, Ma Kwun (Yen), a cop with a fearsome reputation who suddenly finds himself at odds with both the criminals he is trying to catch and the men he needs to trust. But Ma’s ethics are brought into question when Po hires a deadly assassin (Wu) to kill Chan’s men with ruthless efficiency and he is forced to join forces with his predecessor in order to wage bloody war on Po and his henchmen.

Climaxing in a long-awaited, extended screen showdown between martial arts legends Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen and featuring a breathtaking mano-a-mano face-off between Yen and Jacky Wu, Kill Zone is an electrifying and suspenseful thriller guaranteed to keep action fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish.

Kill Zone (cert. tbc) will be released on DVD (£17.99) and Blu-ray (£24.99) by Cine Asia on 8th March 2010.

Action movie superstar Jackie Chan and Hong Kong director Stanley Tong reunite for their first collaboration in a decade since their double-whammy of “Rumble In The Bronx” and “Jackie Chan’s First Strike” in The Myth, the multi-period action-comedy that combines sci-fi, martial arts and historical fantasy in one spectacular adventure, released in the UK by Cine Asia on DVD and blu-ray on 4 May.

han stars as Jack, an intrepid and world-renowned archaeologist who has begun having dreams of a past life as a warrior in ancient China. When a fellow scientist asks for Jack’s help in locating the mausoleum of China’s first emperor, the past collides violently with the present as he discovers his amazing visions are based in fact.  When they discover an ancient sword and a magical gemstone that can defy the laws of gravity, the past collides violently with the present with often comical consequences.
Coming to DVD as a two-disc Ultimate Edition featuring over four hours of extras, the film sees Jackie Chan (playing dual roles) starring alongside fellow Hong Kong star Tony Leung (Election; New Dragon Gate Inn), Korean actress Hee-seon Kim (Bichunmoo) and Bollywood sex symbol Malika Sherawat (Murder).  Special Features;    Disc 1
;   Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo Cantonese and 5.1 English audio options; English subtitles
; ‘Making of
’ featurette; trailer and music videos gallery

.

Disc 2

;  Interviews 
with Jackie Chan, 
Tony Leung Ka Fai, 
Kim Hee Seon, 
Mallika Sherawat, 
Stanley Tong
, Sun Zhou and 
Choi Min Soo; 
deleted scenes; lost scenes
; behind the scenes (11 featurettes)
; Just For Laughs; HK Premiere; Easter Egg – Cannes Festival.

The Myth (cert. tbc) will be released on DVD (£15.99) and Blu-ray (£19.99) by Cine Asia on 4th May 2009.

Heartbroken, his life descends into darkness and petty crime quickly escalates to murder. With blood on his hands, he will risk everything to secure a future for his people, as they face an increasingly brutal onslaught from a criminal empire protected by a secret code. However, ancient traditions will not be broken and his defiance will lead to all-out war as both factions fight for control of the infamous Shinjuku district in the heart of Japan’s greatest city.

Ultimately pursued by forces on both sides of the law, Steelhead must fight for redemption and the survival of those he loves in the darkest night he has ever known…

Provocative, compelling and underscored with hard-hitting action, the pulse-pounding thriller, The Shinjuku Incident explodes with tension and delivers a career-defining performance from international action-superstar, Jackie Chan.
 Coming to Blu-ray and to DVD as a two-disc Ultimate Edition featuring a host of extras, including behind the scenes featurettes, cast interviews and deleted scenes, this is a must-have for Jackie Chan fans and lovers of action cinema.

Special Features include: Making of; behind the scenes featurettes; extended and deleted scenes; trailer gallery; interview gallery (Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu, Xu Jinglei, Masaya Kato, Naoto Takenata, Chin Kar Lok, Pater Kam Pau-Tat); Dolby Digital original language 2.0 and 5.1, plus English 5.1 audio tracks (DVD); DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 original language and 5.1 English, plus Dolby Digital original language 2.0 audio tracks (Blu-ray).

THE SHINJUKU INCIDENT (18)  is radical, uncompromising cinema with the most unforgettable finale of any Jackie Chan film to date! Released on two-disc DVD (£17.99) and single disc Blu-ray (£24.99) by Cine Asia on February 22.

The much-anticipated Chocolate, from Ong-Bak director Prachya Pinkaew and starring martial arts star in the making JeeJa Yanin, is released on DVD today by Cine Asia.

You can read our review of Chocolate here »

There’s something in the air all right… but Beijing Olympics or not, haven’t we seen it all before? (more…)

The UK’s premier annual Asian film festival, the Terracotta Far East Festival, will be held over four days this year at London’s Prince Charles Cinema from Thursday 21st May to Sunday 24th May. Presented by Terracotta Entertainment Group, the festival will feature 13 handpicked films representing the very best of contemporary Far East cinema, including titles from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea.

Opening the festival is Eye For An Eye, the eagerly awaited crime-thriller from directors Ahn Kwon-tae (My Brother) and Kwak Kyung-taek (Typhoon). Starring Han Suk-kyu (A Bloody Aria; The President’s Last Bang) and Cha Seung-won (Small Town Rivals; Ghost House), this Heat-style thriller concerns a soon-to-retire police detective who is drawn into an elaborate plot of robbery and revenge when he begins to investigate a heist during which one of the perpetrators impersonated him in order to pull off the crime.

Among the festival’s many highlights are: The Detective, the latest mystery-thriller from co-writer and director Oxide Pang Chun (Bangkok Dangerous; The Messengers; The Eye trilogy; The Tesseract); director Johnnie To’s (Mad Detective; Triangle; PTU) Sparrow, starring Simon Yam and Kelly Lin; the Malaysian horror-comedy, Zombies From Banana Village; and the martial arts action-thriller Legendary Assassin, which marks the co-directorial debuts of star Jacky Wu (Fatal Contact; The Legend of Zu; Drunken Monkey) and Jackie Chan’s longtime stunt coordinator Chung Chi Li. The festival’s programme will also include the films Muay Thai Chaya, Kim Ki-duk’s Dream, Keeping Watch, Ghost In The Shell (2.0), Me… Myself, After School and God Man Dog, the winner of the “Tagesspiegel” Readers’ Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Full details of the TERRACOTTA FAR EAST FESTIVAL can be found at the festival’s official website »

The latest teaming of director Wilson Yip and star/action choreographer Donnie Yen (Dragon Tiger Gate, S.P.L.) brings the sort of top-notch martial arts we’ve come to expect – so why is it so light on action? (more…)

An entertaining trip through the social and economic ups and downs of nearly a quarter of a century in Hong Kong – as seen through the more literal ups and downs of a hooker… (more…)

Fist Of Fury gets the feminine touch in this rediscovered old school kung fu classic… (more…)

A martial arts movie star famous for his stunts? Now who could Wong Jing be lampooning in this Jet Li vehicle?… (more…)

An insightful look into the life of Asia’s biggest superstar, as likable and endearing as the man himself… (more…)

Out in cinemas across the UK today, not one but two major releases for Asian film fans. Ong Bak: The Beginning, courtesy of Revolver Entertainment, and Thirst, courtesy of Metrodome/Palisades Tartan.

Here’s just a taster of that epic finale scene Ong Bak: The Beginning to keep you going…

Heralded as something of a return to heyday of Hong Kong action movies, Invisible Target isn’t quite that, but it sure ain’t half bad. (more…)

Jackie Chan with Wooly and Worth? Oh, how the mighty have fallen…

Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan hopes to make a film about the Chinese earthquake to raise money for survivors.

Read more on the BBC news online »

To celebrate the release of Jet Li latest action yarn, War, we pick out five of our favourite fights from 25 years of his movies. And offer you the chance to submit your own to our list… (more…)

Sorry, I thought you were someone else. You know, that fella that made The Killer and Hard Boiled? What, you are? Then what is all this business with that Ben Affleck geezer, a man who could take acting lessons from the cast of Thunderbirds, his acting’s so wooden? (more…)

A must see just for the John Woo spoofs, this is a great Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer, God of Cookery) vehicle with some unexpected darker turns… (more…)

Shaolin Soccer’s Stephen Chow is back and this time he’s doin’ the Hustle… (more…)

Yet more Jackie Chan films from the archives, but do we really need them in ‘Ultra-bit’ quality?… (more…)

A return to form for Jackie, but this could be way too sentimental for Western action audiences… (more…)

Wong Kar-wai’s recent tweak of his 1994 Swordplay epic, Ashes Of Time, is on limited release at the Renoir cinema London. The original version is typically Kar-wai, beautifully shot by cinematographer Chris Doyle but with a somewhat confusingly narrative. Though I’ve yet to hear the significant differences, his Redux version runs some seven minutes shorter so is unlikely to improve that.

Twitch film reports that Park Chan-wook’s next film, Thirst, will co-produced by a major Hollywood studio. An increasingly common trend, it seems one of the most successful ways studios have of entering the Asian market.

Meanwhile Wu-Jing reports that Jackie Chan will be involved in a TV update of The Shaolin Temple, and Zhau Wen Zhuo will be returning to his role as Beggar Su, with Yuen Woo-ping directing.

Okay, sure it’s Hollywood! Sure it’s a kids movie! But this Rob Minkoff (Stuart Little, The Lion King) movie starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan – together for the first time ever – is a whole lot better than you’d expect! And with action scenes directed by Yuen Woo-ping, there’s plenty for adults too, so if you missed this at the cinema it’s well worth catching up on…

You can read our review here »

Tony Jaa’s back with one heck of a finale fight scene – but will this film finally put him back on the martial arts map? (more…)