What do you get when you combine epic sword fights, terrorism, betrayal and… decapitations? “The Guillotines“, of course! Andrew Lau, perhaps best known to Western audiences as the Producer/Director of the “Infernal Affairs
” trilogy, brings new meaning to “headhunting” with his latest film coming to Blu-Ray and DVD on 8/13 from Well Go USA. Part action movie, part period drama, “The Guillotines
” aims to fire on all cylinders and appeal to a wide audience. But as is brought up numerous times in the film, when you make a promise, it must be kept – and the promise is cool weaponry taking off heads. Unfortunately, just like a character in a Lau film, the Director betrays us and delivers something that’s mostly different. That isn’t always a bad thing. Read more
Tag Archive for martial arts
THE GUILLOTINES (Blu-Ray Review)
THE KING OF THE STREETS (Blu-Ray Review)
I’m certainly not the first to make a comparison like this (see: “The Wrestler“), but fighters and prostitutes are kindred spirits. Both are arguably abusing their bodies for financial gain and as such have a depressingly short shelf life. I guess you could make a similar comparison between fighting movies and porn. Sometimes story is just something to connect the “action” scenes. This is the case with “The King of the Streets
“, arriving 8/6 on Blu-Ray and DVD from Well Go USA. Director/Star Yue Song’s tale of urban survival is fight scene after fight scene, strung together with a clumsy plot and the deep symbolism of rebirth as an eagle. Yes, an eagle. Read more
TAI CHI HERO (Blu-Ray Review)
I’m a big fan of Kung Fu movies and one of the coolest I’d seen in a long time was 2012′s “Tai Chi Zero“. Stephen Fung’s martial arts extravaganza was infused with video game and steampunk elements that electrified the genre and found an appeal with mainstream audiences the world over. On July 2, we go from “Zero” to “Hero”, as the second film in a planned trilogy, “Tai Chi Hero
“, makes it’s way to Blu-Ray and DVD courtesy of Well Go USA. Continuing right from where the first left off, “Hero” maintains the mood and humor of it’s predecessor while amping up the fight scenes and visual effects. Fans of “Zero”, as well as the uninitiated are bound to have a lot of fun with this action-packed sequel. Read more
THE ASSASSIN’S BLADE (Blu-Ray Review)
Pretty much any way you slice it, movies are marketed with a specific audience in mind. A movie starring Dwayne Johnson will likely be aimed at a younger male audience, while a Meryl Streep film may find a home with a more mature, female crowd. It makes sense that you’d want to get the attention of your key demographic to maximize ticket sales, but sometimes studios stretch the truth. They may have you believe a picture is an action packed shoot-em-up, when it’s in fact a cerebral thriller. While it can be an attempt to “throw some ketchup” on something bland, this isn’t always the case. Ever finish a decent movie that failed at the box-office and think ,”This would’ve done better if they’d sold it as a [whatever it really was]? Such is the case with “The Assassin’s Blade”, available now on Blu-Ray and DVD from Well Go USA. While the trailer-cutters get it wrong, Director Jingle Ma (“Hero”, “The House of Flying Daggers”) gets it right. Read more