News

Fite TV in conjunction with Iron Dragon Productions have announced that it has added a selection of Iron Dragon’s line up of modern martial arts themed movies to its programming line-up.

Fite is a free app that is available for download at the Google Play or iTunes app stores.

Fite specializes in all things fighting, including Boxing, Wrestling, Mma and Martial Arts. Iron Dragon has a deep library of martial art themed movies to choose from.

“Iron Dragon Productions has accumulated a vast library of martial arts themed movies over the last several years and we are thrilled to add Fite TV to our distribution footprint for these great movies,”

said Janell Vela Smith, CEO Iron Dragon Productions.

“The addition of these action packed Martial Arts themed movies stays with the vision of ‘All Things Fighting’ for the Fite TV network. Fite remains your number one designation to see the best of the Boxing,...

The Austin Film Society's "French Noir" series continues tonight with a Free Member Friday screening at The Marchesa of Henri Verneuil's The Burglars, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Omar Sharif, and Dyan Cannon. Based on the pulp novel by David Goodis, tonight's digital screening is free for all Afs members, and the movie will also screen on Sunday afternoon at The Marchesa.

Monday night, SXSW alumni Above All Else (Don's review) is presented by The Texas Observer. Austin filmmaker John Fiege and two subjects from the documentary about the Keystone Xl pipeline protests in East Texas will be on hand for a post-film panel discussion with Forrest Wilder, associate editor of The Texas Observer. The current Essential Cinema series, "Songs Of The South," continues this week on Tuesday night with a screening of To Kill A Mockingbird. Richard Linklater is taking the week off from the new installment of "Jewels In The Wasteland,...

Back in August, we reported that Fight of the Living Dead, an original competition series in which YouTube stars try to survive a simulated zombie apocalypse, would air on CONtv, a streaming network from Cinedigm and Wizard World that launches early next year, and now a long list of movie / TV titles that will air on the network has been revealed, including The Evil Dead, Hellraiser, and Re-Animator.

Press Release – “(Los Angeles, CA) December 11, 2014 – CONtv today announced an expansive portfolio of acquired film and television content that will be available on the new digital network. Launching in early 2015, the direct-to-consumer digital service geared specifically for fans in the Comic Con community, will also include the previously announced original program “Fight of the Living Dead,” a horror-competition series from Alpine Labs, BlackBoxTV and Revolver Picture Company. CONtv plans to announce additional programming initiatives, original series and talent partnerships in the coming weeks.

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: April 16, 2013

Price: DVD $24.98, Blu-ray $29.99

Studio: Anchor Bay

Donnie Yen lets his fists do the talking in Dragon.

The 2011 Chinese action-drama film Dragon stars martial arts stalwart Donnie Yen (Blade of Kings, Ip Man), Takeshi Kaneshiro (Red Cliff) and Wei Tang (Lust, Caution).

Directed by Peter Chan, the movie revolves around Liu Jin-xi (Yen), a village craftsman whose quiet life is irrevocably shattered by the arrival of two notorious gangsters in the local general store. When Liu single-handedly saves the shopkeeper’s life, he comes under investigation by detective Xu Bai-jiu (Kaneshiro). Convinced that Liu’s martial arts mastery belies a hidden history of training by one of the region’s vicious clans, Xu doggedly pursues the shy hero—and draws the attention of China’s criminal underworld in the process.

Presented in Mandarin with English subtitles, the Blu-ray and DVD of the R-rated film contain a...

Debuting on Blu-Ray and DVD this 4th of December is “Wu Dang”, a new enthralling kung-fu action-adventure from Patrick Leung, filmmaker behind “Blade of Kings”. Any type of kung-fu is, let’s face it, kick-ass and legitimately is kick-ass; but Leung’s “Wu Dang” makes it even better as he fleshes out for the first time in cinema, the art of Wu Dang kung-fu, and the mysticism of Yin and Yang. The movie’s tense and kick-ass martial arts sequences are crafted by action choreographer Corey Yuen from “Shaolin”, anything less than Yuen would be disappointing. And if you’re smart, when Yuen is choreographing, you know you’re in for some good stuff.

“Wu Dang” follows a greedy American man who brings his prodigal martial artist daughter to enter a kung-fu championship he sponsored himself. You have seen it coming, his hidden agenda: to steal the Wu Dang treasures...

Wire-Fu alert!! Director Patrick Leung’s (‘Blade of Kings’) action-adventure film Wu Dang debuts on Blu-ray™, DVD...December 4th. Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes featurette and deleted/extended scenes. That is all Synopsis: There is a rumour: secret treasures hide in Wu Dang Mountain. In the early days of Republican China, an American man - greedy for gold and hungry for riches - brings his daughter, a prodigy in martial arts, to compete for a championship title in kung fu combat, while planning to find and steal the riches for himself. It won't be easy. Fierce competition, dedicated protectors, and unexpected romance block the path to the Wu Dang fortune, and when the true nature of the prize is discovered - everything you know about martial arts will change forever. Wu Dang trailer...

It’s Monday, so we all know what that means! Yes, it’s time for another rundown of DVDs and Blu-ray’s hitting stores online and offline this week. It’s a jam-packed week, with plenty of movies waiting to take you money, so let us breakdown the new releases and highlight what you should – and shouldn’t – be buying from today, August 27th 2012.

Pick(S) Of The Week

Detention (DVD)

Josh Hutcherson, Dane Cook and Spencer Locke star in Detention, a hipster, teen horror-comedy where the local students of Grizzly Lake must survive their final year of high school. Standing in their way is Cinderhella, a slasher-movie killer who has seemingly come to life and is preying on the school’s student body. As the clock ticks and the bodies pile up, the likely suspects are embroiled in a race against time to stop Cinderhella and ultimately save the world…...

DVD Playhouse—March 2012

By Allen Gardner

J. Edgar (Warner Bros.) Director Clint Eastwood provides a rock-solid, albeit rather flat portrait of polarizing FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, covering his life from late teens to his death. Leonardo DiCaprio does an impressive turn as Hoover, never crossing the line into caricature, and creating a Hoover that is all too human, making for an all the more unsettling look at absolute power run amuck. Where the film stumbles is the love story at its core: Hoover’s relationship with longtime aide Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). In the hands of an openly-gay director like Gus Van Sant, this could have been a heartbreaking, tender story of forbidden (unrequited?) love, but Eastwood seems to tiptoe around their romance, with far too much delicacy and deference. The film works well when recreating the famous crimes and investigations which Hoover made his name on (the Lindbergh kidnapping,...

Us distributor Well Go USA has recently introduced a line of second tier acquisitions for release on home video in the Us. The first of this new wave of releases was Donnie Yen's Flashpoint, which eluded me, but this second release marks the international Blu-ray debut of Twins Effect II, here retitled Blade of Kings for the North American market. Surprisingly, this film doesn't have a Hk Blu-ray, which means that Well Go is beginning to branch out into older titles, which could potentially be pretty awesome, considering the typical high standards of their discs. Blade of Kings is a very solid disc, however, I'm not entirely certain that the film holds up.Twins Effect II was a period action piece that was filmed largely as...

Over the last couple of months, Well Go USA has quietly been releasing some really solid catalog titles on Blu-ray in the Us that haven't gotten the attention of the bigger films. Earlier this month we saw the Us Blu-ray debut of Donnie Yen's Flash Point, and March 6th brings a Blu-ray/DVD combo release of their latest release, Blade of Kings. Blade of Kings is a retitled release of Twins Effect 2. Normally this kind of thing would give me heartburn, but since it is pretty much unrelated to the first film, I think I'm okay with it. If it helps to move some units, I'll allow it. I haven't seen any of Well Go's catalog Blu-ray releases, but since this film is reasonably recent...

Unless you own an all-region DVD player or have access to cheap Chinese bootlegs, owning “Twins Effect II” is almost impossible to own in the States. Until now. Well Go USA has picked up distribution rights to the Patrick Leung and Corey Yuen actioner, though they’re releasing the flick until the dubious title “Blade of Kings”. I’m not sure why, exactly, they’ve decided to change things up a bit, especially since most people who would purchase a copy of “Twins Effect II” know what the flick is all about. I guess they’re hoping to trick unsuspecting consumers into thinking it’s some sort of Donnie Yen/Jackie Chan vehicle, which, of course, it’s not. I guess you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do to make these things released in the States, so I suppose I shouldn’t nitpick. Read this quick synopsis if...

Never thought it would see the light of day in the United States, but here it is! Patrick Leung and Corey Yuen’s Twins Effect II has been picked up for release by Well Go USA. By all accounts they are releasing it intact and entirely uncut, so we’ll forgive them (only just) the slightly bizaree decision, to rename it ‘Blade of Kings??’ Lucky were here to steer Hk action fans in the right direction! As well as the main draw of it starring Donnie Yen and Jackie Chan slugging in out on screen, the cast also includes Charlene Choi (Triple Tap, The Jade and the Pearl), Gillian Chung (Vampire Effect), and Hong Kong Film Award nominee for Best Newcomer Jaycee Chan (Jackie’ son) in the tale of a humble boy born to rule an empire who must first undertake his journey to claim his throne in the mythical land of Huadu.

Never thought it would see the light of day in the United States, but here it is! Patrick Leung and Corey Yuen’s Twins Effect II has been picked up for release by Well Go USA. By all accounts they are releasing it intact and entirely uncut, so we’ll forgive them (only just) the slightly bizaree decision, to rename it ‘Blade of Kings??’ Lucky were here to steer Hk action fans in the right direction! As well as the main draw of it starring Donnie Yen and Jackie Chan slugging in out on screen, the cast also includes Charlene Choi (Triple Tap, The Jade and the Pearl), Gillian Chung (Vampire Effect), and Hong Kong Film Award nominee for Best Newcomer Jaycee Chan (Jackie’ son) in the tale of a humble boy born to rule an empire who must first undertake his journey to claim his throne in the mythical land of Huadu.

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: March 6, 2012

Price: DVD $24.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $29.98

Studio: Well Go USA

Donnie Yen (Ip Man), Jackie Chan (1911) and Bing Bing Fan (Shaolin) star in the 2004 Chinese epic action-adventure-romance-fantasy-comedy-martial arts mash-up movie Blade of Kings.

Directed by Patrick Leung and Corey Yuen, the film tells the fantastical tale of a humble boy (Jaycee Chan, son of Jackie!) born to rule an empire who must first undertake his journey to claim his throne in the mythical land of Huadu.

Originally released under the name of The Twins Effect II, Blade of Kings is a sequel to 2003’s The Twins Effect, though it has nothing whatsoever to do with its predecessor.

Quite a popular film in Asia when it was released in theaters in 2004, the unrated movie was nominated for four Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Visual Effects.

Presented in Mandarin with English subtitles and an English-dubbed version, the...

Here are a few interesting and/or noteworthy projects that were recently added to IMDbPro's database of development titles:

Untitled Grateful Dead Musical Project – Jerry Garcia's getting an Across the Universe makeover. The musician whose jam band helped kick start a cultural movement during the late 1960s will feature prominently in a planned musical that incorporates Grateful Dead tunes. Bruce Kaufman is packaging the project at ICM.

Mr. Vertigo – While Terry Gilliam hasn't given up hope on his Don Quixote film yet, he may have another windmill on the horizon. The filmmaker is adapting Paul Auster's novel about an orphaned boy who teaches himself how to levitate.

Bomb – Elle Fanning, Alessandro Nivola and Alice Englert have signed on to star in Sally Porter's latest project. Set in London's early '60s. Fanning plays a teenager whose dad, a charismatic writer (Nivola), take a shine to her friend. Filming begins in early February.

Other Desert Cities – Jon Robin Baitz' stage production at Lincoln Center is moving to tinseltown. The family drama about a retired couple in Palm Springs bracing for their daughter's surprise tell-all book is set up at Parkes/MacDonald Productions.

Ultimate Codebreak – Jackie Chan produces this action flick starring fellow Kung Fu star Donnie Yen. The film marks the duo's fourth collaboration together after Shanghai Knights, The Twins Effect II and Vampire Effect. Filming is expected to begin this month.

If you know of something in the works, please let us know by submitting it online via our submission form.