Well, this is an interesting development ... the future of film distribution is going to be a whole lot different than the way things work now and it looks as though Mark Cuban and Steven Soderbergh have just given things a big ol’ kick forward ...

Soderbergh has just signed a six picture deal with Mark Cuban’s 2929 Productions / Magnolia Films, which is good news in and of itself, but here’s where it gets interesting.  All six films will be produced in HD video so that they can be simultaneously released in theaters, on DVD and on pay TV simultaneously.  Id’ brush this off as a pipe dream but not only is Cuban a billionaire, but he’s a billionaire who happens to own his own film production company, chain of theaters and HDTV pay movie network.  If he wants this to go, it’ll go.  The first film of the six will be the now-in-production Bubble, a muder mystery set in a doll factory.

Check out the full article in The Hollywood Reporter.

Place yourself for a moment in the Japan of the early seventies.  Sick of government corruption and fearful that rising capitalism will destroy their way of life the student protest movement has turned radical and violent.  The Japanese film studio system, slow to adapt to the cultural changes, has failed with some studios going bankrupt and others surviving by making a wholesale switch to producing ‘pinku’ films - a wholly Japanese form of soft porn and exploitation film.  While this time largely devastated the film industry in Japan it also allowed a small handful of performers and producers to launch the first significant independent film movement in the country’s history.  One such man was Shintaru Katsu.

Best known for his very long running role as Zatoichi - the hugely popular Blind Swordsman featured in a long running television series and a lengthy run of feature films, with Katsu’s signature role recently being reprised by art house auteur Takeshi Kitano - Katsu was left adrift when Daiei Studios closed their doors.  Perhaps seeing an opportunity in his new found freedom Katsu launched his own Katsu Productions, a production shingle soon to be responsible for a pair of now legendary cult film series.

Continue Reading "Hanzo The Razor Box Set Review:  Sword of Justice, The Snare, Who’s Got the Gold?"...

Not rocket science to figure out that since it’s the first of many books, it could be the first of many films. Disney is apparently considering the option to do more. Theres a piece which embelishes this here. I would suggest that since there’s no talk of anyone having signed to do any more (at this point) that the speculation is only founded on the amount of material available, and that the original contract to produce the film would more than likely have contained the option for more films on other books in an automatic attempt to cover the possibility that the first film does really well. As time goes on, and more countries show the film, we will see if any more develops from this.

Not wanting Goms hard work to go to waste, as I emailed him after spotting theres a listing for a recently made Kekko Kamen movie turning up on R1 soon. I have see a couple of trailers for the distincly B-grade looking but still very tempting stuff. Recently there has been a resuregence in interest in making new films based on the work of Go Nagai, with ‘Cutey Honey’ being the one I am primarily looking out for a subtitled (official) disc of, plus “Devilman” and so on.

Here’s the details Gom dug up. Hoping we can get someone (maybe Media Blasters) to confirm what they’re releasing exactly. He says :

My understanding is that Media Blasters will be releasing all four of the movies in Art Port’s Mask of Kekkou (Kekkô Kamen) tetralogy. The four movies in Art Port’s Mask of Kekkou (Kekkô Kamen) tetralogy are Mask of Kekkou (Kekkô Kamen), Mask of Kekkou: The MGF Strikes Back (Kekkô Kamen : Mangurifon no gyakushû), Mask of Kekkou : Returns (Kekkô Kamen: ritânzu), and Mask of Kekkou :Surprise (Kekkô Kamen: surprise). Note that the English titles are the ones used in Japan; the “ou” at the end of “Kekkou” represents a long vowel (chôboin) ‘o’, as in “Toukyou” ("Tôkyô"). All four movies were directed by Takafumi Nagamine, and premièred in Japan in 2004.

Mask of Kekkou (Kekkô Kamen) tetralogy official website : Mask of Kekkou (Kekkô Kamen) subsite.

Mask of Kekkou (Kekkô Kamen) tetralogy official website : Mask of Kekkou : The MGF Strikes Back subsite.

Mask of Kekkou (Kekkô Kamen) tetralogy official website : Mask of Kekkou: Returns (Kekkô Kamen: ritânzu) subsite.

Mask of Kekkou (Kekkô Kamen) tetralogy official website : Mask of Kekkou: Surprise (Kekkô Kamen : surprise) subsite.

Japan Home Video K.K. (Japan Hômu Bideo K.K.) : Kekkô Kamen trilogy DVD.

Came across this in Movies.com. Clive Owen has signed on to star in an adaptation of a P. D. James novel about a futuristic society in which the men are sterile. Owen plays a man who protects the first pregnant woman in 20 years.

In the near future, all human males are sterile and England has fallen into anarchic chaos. The arrival of warden Xan Lyppiatt, who puts the country under martial law, changes that, until the unexpected pregnancy of a woman (with the first child in 27 years) inspires a group of revolutionaries. Movies.com

The film will be helmed by Alfonso Cuarón, director of Y tu mamá también and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. His films look great to begin with and he is sharing some of the writing responsibilities for the movie. Should be good. We’ll keep an eye on this one for you.

In a show of support for the troops, Asian cross-over star and bonafide hottie, Bai Ling, visited ‘The Lineup’ for Star Wars Revenge of the Sith outside The Chinese Theatre yesterday. It was part of a promotional stunt by NetFlix which has been doing some hardcore promotion on the line itself providing movies and subscriptions for the faithful.

Mrs. Mack… ahem… I mean Miss Ling has a small role in Revenge of the Sith.

Strangely though, none of the male fans stood up to shake her hand and pose for photos.

First Volume, May 24th. That’s three months wait between volumes. Or potentially three months to work out the plot. Yes, It’s difficult to follow. Far less explicit artwork for America too, just a green eyeball, no exposed brain or anything so obviously on display.

All of the series is already out in the UK, but the discs may not be upto much in comparison (picture wise, and eventually in the extras) to these American discs.

Notriously nasty Spanish horror, recently announced as “August / September” by Unearthed Films, now has a firm date and artwork as show here. Unearthed haven’t announced that themselves, I’ve dug it up - now, this isn’t a challenge (and I’ve said that before about their releases) but if you interested in horror, aren’t at work, have the stomach or prior knowledge to take a nose, go see the trailer at their site by using the link above.

‘Aftermath’ synopsis : “ woman dies tragically in an automobile accident but the true horror awaits her after death. What happens to the body after the spirit has moved on and the corpse is at the mercy of those who manhandle the dead? What manner of creature is it that tears our bodies apart only to put them back together again? Whether we like it or not, we are all at the mercy of the coroners knife and the abuse and indignities we suffer are strictly up to him.”

‘Genesis’ synopsis : “A sculptor is traumatized by the death of his wife in a car accident. He builds a sculpture in her memory. As the lifelike sculpture begins to bleed through the cracks of clay, the sculptor’s flesh mutates and crumbles away.”

Again, assuming they’re created as a press release and used as standard practice within listings. I have been looking forwards to this one for a year or so. Can’t wait.

Recently discovered this was coming along as Patrick Macias mentioned he was working on the liner notes for an upcoming Adness DVD of the film. It’s retitled ‘Swords Of Vengeance’.

So, now i have found the artwork and specifications I can post this, and you can add it to your preorders (if you want). Surprising that this isn’t one those Homevision releases, or any other label, and glad the artwork isn’t as generic as all those Sonny Chiba discs from Adness.

It seems according to the listing I am looking at the film is full frame (let the debate begin), and that the disc only includes a Surround 2.0 sound mix, and only seems to have a trailer as an extra.

The synopsis, which must have been written by Adness and will be widely seen reads, “When Asano, the young master of Ako Castle, draws his sword on his elder, Lord Kira, he is ordered to dissolve his clan and commit hara-kiri. With the help of the now-masterless Ako warriors, Asano’s devoted chamberlain Oishi (Kinnosuke Yorozuya, Shogun’s Samurai – The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy) begins to plot an elaborate revenge, two years in the making. As the lines of loyalty and betrayal are drawn, the stage is set for an explosive battle with swordplay expertly choreographed by Chiba himself.”

Only just realised what i had been looking at when i saw these on the Kino site a few days back. Tatsumi Kumashiro is regarded as one of the best Japanese Directors of the 1970s - he was the man responsible for the 1979 ‘Jigoku’, but these two films look a whole lot saucier than that.

‘Woman With Red Hair’ is a Nikkatsu Roman Porno which stars Junko Miyashita from ‘A Woman Called Sada Abe’, and is getting a new lease of life here now that Kino is its’ new home, as is ‘World Of Geisha’.

Hopefully I will be able to look into the genre more (as I have previously tried to) and see ‘Wife To Be Sacrificed’ amongst others soon. Any other Pinku R1 DVD suggestions welcomed.

Well, the good news is that Japanese actor Yosuke Kubozuka of Ping Pong and GO fame is finally back in action following the fall he took off of his apartment’s balconey.  The bad news is that the film is directed by Kenta Fukasaku, the man responsible for the horrible Battle Royale sequel.  No trailer yet, but the website is here.

Via Stauffen.

If you didn’t buy the original Korean, the reissued and remastered (final) Korean, the special edition Korean, the nice R2 UK 2-disc, or any other edition so far - you can get this one. It will be a 2-disc set too, so it should match the specifications of the R2 one.

In WIndows Media / Quicktime & Various Sizes. Just watch, see if you’re smiling in a few minutes time. Here.

Via AICN.

I was going to go to bed and the medication will soon be through my blood stream so I’ll make it quick before I melt down because this is freakin’ brilliant.

Empire has posted an hour-long transbribed conversation between Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, creators of Shaun of the Dead and Spaced, and Jersey’s favorite son and indie film god [small g], Kevin Smith. The topic of their conversation? Star Wars.

::: Insert silly stupid grin on face :::

Start here and let the Star Wars geekdom overflow you.

Now. I don’t care, if you saved up all your 50ps. Take your pocket money, and GET OUT!

Oh, sweet mother ... here’s a little something I would’ve missed entirely if not for something Crazybee posted over at the KFC Forums (and yes, bee, I did pilfer your screen capture) ... tucked away on disc two of Media Blaster’s Sky High DVD is a five minute promo reel for something called Death Trance.  And what is Death Trance?  A new film starring Tak Sakaguchi of Versus and Battlefield Baseball fame directed by the action director from Versus.  And it looks INCREDIBLE.  Now, this thing isn’t available online anywhere yet, so I’ve opted to rip it from the DVD, post it here, and hope that Media Blasters appreciate the free publicity rather than getting angry and having me take it down.

A couple notes on the video file ... yeah, the image is small and a little bit grainy. It’s really, really long so I had to scale it down a bit to (hopefully) avoid killing my bandwidth before my webhost gets my note asking them to up my limit.  And, for some reason the ripper that I used seems to have slightly compressed the image in the horizontal, so the aspect ratio isn’t quite right.  Basically if something seems wrong with the file blame it on me.  All the good stuff is pure Tak ...

*** UPDATE ***

Okay, this thing ate better than two gigs of bandwidth over four hours in the middle of the night, the quietest traffic time here, and that’s just not sustainable on our server so I’ve pulled it down.  Anybody have access to a bit-torrent tracker they’d like to share?